So daylight saving time is the convention of advancing the clocks in an attempt to save daylight at the start of spring. We have more sunlight earlier in the day now, so by agreeing to adjust the clocks forward, everyone can start the day early and make use more of the sunlight. It can always be adjusted back, and that will be done in autumn, so we don’t exactly lose any hours, though I did feel cheated when I first found out.
It’s a simple idea actually, and maybe it benefits many, but I wonder how it started and how did they get everyone to agree and comply to it. It was applied on Sunday midnight, I wasn’t really aware of it and I guess many people weren’t since I saw many latecomers at church the next morning.
And the point of this post is, I wish I have such power to mess around with the clocks like that, to suit to my needs. A lot of things will be saved for me, though it will sure screw up everyone else’s life.
Anyway.
Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. – Benjamin Franklin
And we sang this in the home group bible study I had on Wednesday ;)
Lord I lift Your Name on High,
Lord I love to sing Your praises,
I’m so glad You’re in my life,
I’m so glad You came to save us.
You came from Heaven to Earth,
To show The Way,
From the Earth to The Cross,
My debt You paid,
From The Cross to the grave,
From the grave to the sky,
Lord I lift Your Name on High!
Der Früelig finde mir schön,
ja der Früelig finde mir schön,
ja der Früeli-ig gfallt üs guet.
So häll und so warm schynt d’Sunne,
so häll und so warm schynt d’Sunne,
schynt d’Sunne, der Früeli-ig isch jetz do.
I went to a children concert on Vivaldi’s Four Season at Solothurn yesterday. It was interesting. Though the main audience was children, the quality of the concert was not compromised, it was actually very good, at least according to my ears. The concert was made entertaining and educative at the same time.
There was a descriptive narration, told in German, unfortunately, accompanying the musical pieces, that taught the children to appreciate the music, to identify the sounds of different birds and of the wind and thunder and lightning in the concertos. They used visual tools to indicate different seasons, and interacted with the children by asking questions and inviting them to the stage. They also taught us a song to sing with the music for Spring, and simple dance steps for Autumn.
Though I didn’t understand the narration, like a child audience I learnt to appreciate the music and was pretty much entertained throughout the concert. Which made me realise that my musical appreciation and understanding is of the same level with the children (if not lower). I have much to learn.
Getting static shock is a normal phenomenon here, and it can be really painful. But I have just realized last night that there are sparks too, like I can really see them in the dark like tiny fireworks. So, build up and neutralization of charge between surfaces? Well I just know I love to see my hair going against gravity in the morning it’s really amusing.
Another random fact: Dogs and bicycles must pay a fee to get on the trains.
Something to be thankful for. That I’m finally really going to Greece :) Residence permit is settled, I can go out of Switzerland legally. And I spoke to my lecturer yesterday and she granted me the permission to skip the one day of midterm presentation, because she’s extending it to two days to give allowance for those who have to miss that particular class. Well I’m glad I didn’t lie to her, though I was seriously considering telling her that I’ve got an interview with a company in Geneva for my project that day (I know it’s such an elaborate lie).
Something to look forward to. That I’m finally really going to Greece ;) next next Tuesday. And Eastern Europe during Easter holiday. And probably a few towns in Switzerland next weekend.
Something to be ashamed of. My attempt in baking chocolate torte failed terribly. I remember Yeanching saying how bad can a chocolate cake turn out and I totally agreed, anything with chocolates, it cannot turn too bad. Wrong! My burnt but unbaked cake is not edible. But I think I can blame it on the oven, it’s the oven’s fault!
Something to repent on. I was extremely lazy this whole week.
This feeling reminds me of my childhood days. I used to have many many sleepovers at friends’ or cousins’ place. I would be happily playing and cheerfully chatting throughout the day, til night came and when it’s time to go to sleep, I would suddenly feel emo, and wished I was home with my family. Everytime. (Til I went to Singapore and cried myself to sleep like every night in my first three weeks.)
I went skiing for the first time last weekend at Saas Fee (so close to Zermatt, where the Toblerone mountain the Matterhorn is!), after wondering what’s so addictive about this expensive sport that people love it so much. And I actually wonder even more now. I just don’t get it, maybe it’s too exciting for me, definitely too challenging, and very expensive too. Well, probably I will do it again, only if it costs me nothing.
I actually only did a little bit of skiing, like two hours, passed my ski outfit to another girl, and went up to the top of the mountain. The scenery up there was great. It made me feel so tiny and worthless, like I would be eaten up by nature because it is way too overwhelming, so great, so magnificent.
And that’s like an everyday thing for the Swiss. Seriously, unfairness.
Then it was Bern the next day. Well, it was actually just two hours of touring Bern, it is a really small piece of land, surrounded by river. Bern is the capital city of Switzerland, it is said to be one of the most underrated capital city in the world. I had kind tour guides and they told me stories from how Bern got its name (started from a bet that the city would be name after the first animal they encountered, and surprise, surprise it’s a bear!) to the various fountains all over the city (there is one which was made as a tribute to musician-beggars). There were churches and Einstein’s house where he wrote the Relativity Theory, and the bear pit. And we attended the international church there, they’ve just started a few weeks ago, still a small congregation.
Curia Confoederationis Helveticae. That’s what CH stands for.
The toilets in some of the school buildings are numbered like the classrooms.
The toilets in the trains don’t store anything that people drop in the toilet bowls. I heard they are bottomless (I have yet to see it for myself though, don’t really go to the toilet in the trains). And if we’re lucky, we can spot white toilet papers and brownish yellowish things on the railways.
We need to pay to throw household rubbish. There is a special bag that is not exactly very cheap for waste disposal. And you’ll get fined if you throw rubbish in the bin..without the bag.
And there is always not enough time/money/energy to do the right thing right.
