Because Christmas Is Not Complete Without Them

I have been hearing (or rather reading) so much about baked goodies made by our friends here in Germany on Facebook so that my mouth just can't help but water. I think at this time of the year, when it is cold and the days are mostly dark and gloomy, people have the tendency to binge on sweet snacks just to feel cheerful. Perhaps that is the reason why people get fat and earn a few inches in the waist and go one or two sizes larger in the winter season.

An assortment of baked goodies. Choco crinkles, 
marmelade stars, vanillekipferl to name a few.

Photo by Rizi Simon on Facebook.

But fattening or not, I just think that these baked goodies are superb! They are also perfect Christmas tokes or gifts to friends especially if you are on a budget. I remember receiving a bag of butter cookies from a good family friend last year and me and my little daughter just couldn't get enough of it in one day! I think I should also try my hands at baking these traditional German Christmas cookies so that I too can give them as presents to our friends. It is also a great with coffee or hot chocolate, just perfect for those lazy cold days. But first things first. I need some baking pans, a mixer, some ingredients and someone to help me get started with Baking 101. Anyone who wants to volunteer?

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The Aim is to Help

Our daily activities in life entails risks, some of them affect us so little that we just tend to ignore them. Some risks are also life-threatening and being conscious about it, we try to be careful as we go about the task at hand. However, accidents do happen every now and then and it is undeniable that people become disabled due to the injury incurred while on duty.

It is on these occasions that a disability insurance will come in very handy because it will cover up the costs of your hospitalization among other things. But receiving your entitled social security disability insurance if you are a member of the system can sometimes be a problem. Entities like the SSA in the US may sometimes deny applications so that being awarded your entitled insurance may take some time. It is good to know though that there are organizations that help people and families who need the money from disability insurance to make the process of awarding faster and simpler.

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The Art of Folding Paper

Origami is a very old traditional Japanese folk art of paper folding and has been around since 17th century AD. Ori in Japanese means "folding" and kami means "paper" thus the name Origami and it has stuck since then. Although a very old art form, it wasn't until the mid-1900s when it was popularized. Since then, it has evolved into a modern form.

It is amazing to see a small sheet of square paper transform into such wonderful paper sculpture pieces that one cannot help but be interested.

It is not a surprise then that me and my little girl tried our hands at making some origami. Thanks to Youtube, we easily found some simple videos to start with. I only had some colored construction paper available so that our creations did not look so good. Origami papers are supposed to weigh less than normal paper, at about 50 gsm (gram per square meter), but the paper I used is way thicker than that, at around 130 gsm so you could just imagine that it wasn't so very good. However, it was something that my little girl really enjoyed.

Perhaps next time, we could find some really nice origami paper here and turn it into some more interesting pieces. I am hoping to make a paper crane on our next session. Or maybe Hello Kitty using the 3D Origami method. When that will be, I still don't know. :D

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Stuttgart's Modern Architecture

Stuttgart, the place where I now call home boasts a number of landmarks that is famous the world over and has become its landmarks. Many of its grand glass and metal buildings are masterpieces of its own and although this city is pretty much well-known for its cars being the home of Mercedes Benz, Porsche and Bosch, every tourist can't help but be entranced by its numerous modern architectural masterpieces.

Here are some of them:

Weissenhof Settlement. It is the symbol for new building and is considered to be one of the most excellent building memorials of modern architecture in Europe.  It is a settlement of buildings with flat roofs and mainly white walls which are testimonials to the form and technology, design and construction of what was then a revolutionary architectural conception. 

Art Museum Stuttgart. The number two museum in Stuttgart in terms of visitors with a strong leaning towards modern art. The museum stands on the corner of Schlossplatz, Stuttgart in a huge glass cube, in strong contrast to the surrounding traditional architecture.

Neue Staatsgalerie (New State Gallery). The building incorporates warm, natural elements of travertine and sandstone to contrast the industrial pieces of green steel framing system and the bright pink and blue steel handrails. The building's most prominent feature is a central circular atrium. This outdoor, enclosed space houses the sculpture garden. It is circumvented by a public footpath that leads pedestrians through the lot, turning the architecture into an "architectural landscape." This feature allows the public to reach the higher elevation behind the museum from the lower front of the building's main face. Throughout the building Stirling alludes to other architectural works.

Mercedes Benz Museum. It was designed by UN Studio based on a unique cloverleaf concept using three overlapping circles with the center removed to form a triangular atrium. The building was completed and opened in 2006. 

Fernsehturm (Television Tower). With an impressive height of 217 m, it is the original model for the television towers from around the world.

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