The capital that continues to please.

Quite recently, I made it back from Berlin for a second time, and much like the first time, I saw many of the sights that had to be seen. However, for some bizzare reason, I enjoyed myself much more when I did the trip with fellow exchange students. :]

We were rowdy, boisterous and always tired… and they’re just the positives. ;]
I thoroughly enjoyed my time last week, and I mean every single part of it. We managed to see a great number of attractions in Berlin, and I believe the small map below makes it quite easy to see where we were. :]

View Larger Map

For a whole bunch of crazy and whacked out photos, stroll through the gallery below… there’s a lot to see. ;]

And for those of you who prefer learning through reading, here’s a quick summary of a few ridiculous things we got up to. :]

• Went to Potsdamer Platz and ate in an Aussie Restaurant… tried Crocodile and Kangaroo
• Shortly afterwards we went and took pictures with a lego giraffe… because we’re cool like that.
• We dressed up for halloween with costumes including: zombie teacher, zombie sailor, a VIP, tranny-hookers, a fox-thing, a cowgirl, the freaky girl from The Ring and a greek goddess…. etc.
• Blue Man Group…. was a “surprise” from Rotex.
• Visited the sex museum located directly next to our hostel… great choice of accommodation! ;]
• Wrote on the Berlin Wall :]
• Ate a late night Falafel…. and a Döner too ;]
• and did all the tours of the numerous well-established museums. :p

Hahaha. Enjoy!

Lots of Love,
Ryan!
x

Jingle Hells. Jingle Hells.

-The most annoying of ads has to mentioned. I just wonder if anyone else has got them stuck in their heads. Here’s a list of five that I just can’t stand, along with links to watching them… if you can bare it. ;]

1. Call You Back – Commonwealth Bank, 2010, Australia
2. Sultana Bran, Zoot Review – Kellogs Sultana Bran, Australia (Or Brand Power Equivalent)
3. End of Financial Year Sale - Bing Lee, 2011, Australia
4. First Home Buyers - RAMS Home Loans, 2009, Australia
5. ANY LOWES AD - Lowes, Australia

Thought some suffering might cheer you all up.
There are many worse ads though, I can tell you that, but my mind has actually successfully forgotten them. If you have any you’d love to annoy with me, feel free to share the link below, or send me an email: ryanaubersonwalsh@hotmail.com

Go on then, share the love.

Ryan :]

On that [musical] note…

I’m sure some of those Gleeks out there are fully aware of the recent (perhaps a few weeks ago now… :p) conclusion to the reality competition series The Glee Project, with the announcement of the, practically four, winners. A sexy version of Russell Brand and a potato-loving Irishman drew for the top spot, with seven episode arc’s each. Coming into a tied 2nd place were showgirl Lindsay and emotional Alex, all deserving of the top spot I might add. I have the upmost respect for what they’ve all done making it that far and opening themselves up to the world, and there was a reason I was so hooked…

I sat and watched this show intently for its run, reasons being I’m both a Gleek – only recently out of the choir room closet, and this show makes me think of a very special lady: Lily Van Den Dousche*.

You see, she has a voice on her, she’s got soul and rhythm.. she’s arty, crafty and all round fun. She’s a much bigger Gleek than I am; she’s an all round nerd who belongs in McKinley High’s choir room.

She could be doing things like this below…

Have a laugh.

Aussie Humour has to be up in the big league with that of our mother country England. It’s funny. No denying that, and I’m not exaggerating.

It got me thinking how sometimes you see American comedies (films and TV) and compare them to something we’ve produced down under. There’s a difference that can be spotted a mile away. So perhaps Aussie comedies don’t have such big stars in all the leading roles, but you’ve got to admit that they’ve got kick. Awfully funny, satirical by all means, they reap havoc over the nearest competitor in the Australian film market – the American comedy, that basically consists only of toilet humour, jokes on sex and the odd whitty remark that seems to have been ripped out of the script of something you’d find on British television.

When it comes to having a laugh, we know how to do it just right, no matter how ridiculous a joke may have been. Prime example of Aussie humour in full action can be found in Channel Ten’s Good News Week (GNW). In fact, I caught up on one of the back episodes (a personal favourite) the other day and was laughing, very heavily, every five or so seconds. I was tickled pink. :]

But I would LOOOOVE to know what other people think on this topic. Who in the world has the best humour?

Just have to say it. We’re pretty spiffy in the laugh’s department. So go on Aussie’s, crack a joke. :]

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.*

Whether Places to see, Books to read, Foods to eat, Songs to hear, or Films to watch (and so on…), these reprinted series can be found in almost every language known to man. But what on earth are people thinking if they truly believe they could complete all 1001 tasks upon the list. It would certainly take more than one lifetime to do so.

I’m positive that with a budget surplus of 20 or so million bucks one could perhaps achieve half of what’s there… (in regards to the expensive option of ‘places to see’) if they were unemployed, had no kids, weren’t married, or had any other attachments that would stray one from completing such a visionary goal. Face it readers, you’re gonna fail.

Why not create your own lists? I suppose most would be sensible and do such a thing after flicking through the pages of one of these colossal money-makers, but for those who might be mental enough to vow to complete each checkpoint, I’m not sure whether I should applaud you, or try and smack some sense into your noggan.

Then there’s the last part of the title that I worry about… “before you die”. Doesn’t that seem to pop the comfortable bubble that separates us from complete reality? We know we’re going to end up somewhere… we don’t know when. That’s meant to be the mystery. I know it’s come to be an expression, but don’t you think it’s a tad gloom and doom?

I suggest perhaps doing some internet research, ask friends, family and colleagues, anything about such things, they’re bound to give an abundance of useful feedback. As for going through it all, how about you look at reviews and what critics say, often they’re breaking public opinions. But how about you do the best thing you can… just live your life as normal. See the parts of the world you want, read the books you’d like, and see the films that look interesting [to you]. Remember kiddies, the world is your oyster. You don’t have to be like every other bloody fish in the sea. ;]

 

* Today’s [unusual] rant was brought to you by the help of my next host mum. I’ve only read six pages of a book she gave me and my life has been changed forever.

• Apprendre à vivre (Learning to Live) (2006), Luc Ferry
  Give it a go ;]

One TV jingle, two TV jingle’s, three… I want it.

I know I’ve once posted a list of songs I enjoy. I thought why not ad a list of my favourite 15 commercials. Many of them have now got jingles stuck in my head. Great for me though, coz I can’t get enough of them ;]
It seems it’s not just for me though, many of the classics here have been remade again and again.
And in no particular order we have:

1. Makes Those Bodies Sing – Australian Bananas, early-mid 1990′s, Australia (early 2000′s remake, latest edition)
2. Decore – Decore Shampoo, 1986, Australia (1988 remake)
3. Banana Boat - Banana Boat Sunscreen, late 1990′s, Australia
4. “Not Happy Jan” – Yellow Pages, 2000, Australia
5. Flashdance/Flashbeer – Carlton Draught, Australia
6. Satisfaction, Tooheys Extra Dry, Australia
7. Balls – Sony Bravia, 2005, Worldwide
8. ‘A Summer Classic’ - Peter’s Drumstick, Australia
9. Vegemite Nostalgia - Vegemite, 2010, Australia
10. I Still Call Australia Home – QANTAS, 1998, Worldwide (2000 remake, 2001 remake, 2004 remake, 2009 remake)
11. Adam & Eve – Centraal Beheer, 2008, Netherlands
12. Come As You Are – McDonald’s, 2010, France (and its parody)
13. Use Condoms – Zazoo Condoms
14. Never Say No to Panda Commercials – Panda, Middle East
15. “Tidy Up” Commercials – IKEA, 2005, Europe (Other Version)

BOOMPOW. TV has a punch these days.

Once again, I feel as if I’m delaying those dreaded posts on the Deutschland Tour. For which I guess I am. I still have yet to select my favourite photo’s from the reel of 1,000 or so images I took with my handy little camera (must rethank Aunty Kara for that).

But there’s been so many odd little things happening to me recently that I worry I’ll forget their significance if I don’t write it all down. So one thing strange is that my two favourite TV shows (both amazing and incredibly different) Glee and Grey’s Anatomy have raised issues of Homophobia. And they’ve done it in such unexpected ways, that it was truly a kick-ass classy act. It certainly parallels with the status of the NOH8 campaign.

Grey’s features a lesbian wedding and Glee features a queen (in the derogatory sense) being coronated as Prom Queen as a sick prank. Both events have seriously hit home and I wish to let everyone know I wish to be fighting for justice on my return to Oz. I think it’s totally and utterly unacceptable that there be such hatred existing in the world.