Writing progress of EU paper

The progress of my academic paper (Did the EU deserve the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012?) just before the holidays was, frankly, on a standstill. Before it came to a standstill, however, I had had gathered a great deal of resources and ideas which now need to be turned into an actual well written and coherent text. Right now, I mainly have resources from our dear friend, the internet. But the day is nigh where I am going to finally look for more academic resources. It is even very possible that this day is today! The only problem might be that there are no academic texts or articles that fit exactly my topic. Nevertheless, these articles can be very helpful in terms of language and collocations. So I'd better get stated.

Why the Republic of San Marino should not join the EU

Draft #1

(no introduction yet)

San Marino is a very nice place to live, especially when it comes to taxes. Slowly, however, it adapts customary tax systems and in 2009 San Marino was even removed from the OECD list of official tax havens because of that. However, there are still many benefits for citizens of San Marino. The corporate tax and the taxes on interest earnings are relatively low. The income tax is particularly low with about one third of the average EU level. That means that if San Marino does not alter its tax system again, its citizens can still benefit from a very profitable taxing system.

San Marino has been using the Euro since it was introduced in 2002, even though it is neither member of the EU nor part of the Euro zone. This is due to a monetary agreement it has concluded with the EU. In 1998 the agreement was signed by San Marino and Italy, which represented the European Union. It gives the microstate the right to use the Euro and even to mint its own coins, with its own statal design. However, San Marino is not allowed to issue Euro banknotes and the annual maximum amount of money that can be produced is regulated by the EU. These regulations are being renegotiated every year in order to correct some shortcomings in implementation. Prior to the introduction of the Euro as a common currency in the EU, San Marino had a bilateral agreement with Italy, which entitled it to the use of the Italian lira. This illustrates that San Marino has a long history of using the same currency as Italy and its limited volume of self-issued coins seems to suffice for its main purpose.

The euro in San Marino, however, does not only serve as a currency but adds to the income of the microstate. As San Marino is allowed to mint just a limited number of coins, they are very rare and greatly demanded. This is why the coins are sold all over San Marino above their real value and are one of the main factors for the economy. Another important source of income are the San Marino postage stamps as their are very rare, as well. If San Marino joined the EU, they would be allowed to mint more coins and therefore the coins’ value and rareness would decrease. As this is not the case, the coins and stamps are sold mostly to tourists who are visiting San Marino and contributing over 2,2% to San marino’s GDP. So, it depends deeply on tourists crossing their borders.

This is possible because there are no border controls between San Marino and Italy, even though San Marino is not part of the Schengen Agreement. The microstate has entered several bilateral agreements with Italy, including an agreement on the free movement of persons allowing San Marino nationals to work and reside in Italy. Therefore, it is not in the Schengen area de jure but it is considered to be part of it de facto. San Marino has shown openness to consider various options for closer integration with the EU, among it even the consideration of joining the EU. On the 20th of October 2011, the citizens of this microstate voted for or against initial accession discussions. 49.7% voted for “no”, whereas 50.3 % were in favour. San Marino’s citizens have two major issues with the state joining the EU. Firstly, they fear that the Republic’s voice could be ignored by the greater EU states. Moreover, accession would mean the Republic would have to open its borders to 500 million EU citizens. This would harm its highly developed welfare system.

Joining the EU would bring very little benefits for San Marino. The state has a very beneficial taxing system and they already profit from the common currency, even though it is not part of the EU. Tourists can enter the country without border controls just like in the Schengen area and they can even make money by selling their coins/currency. Joining the EU would make them fulfill more requirements and would throw the economy and the welfare system out of balance.

With consideration of the other group's feedback, we corrected a few content problems in our text. Then we changed a lot in terms of language, linking and order of paragraphs: 

Draft #2

This essay addresses various reasons why it would not beneficial for San Marino to join the EU. The Republic of San Marino, a landlocked microstate of 32.000 people in Northern Italy, has expressed the interest for more integration in the EU and even a referendum was held. However, joining the EU would bring about negative consequences, which will be explored in this essay.

San Marino is a has many advantages for its inhabitants, especially when it comes to paying taxes. However, it is slowly adapting customary tax systems and consequently was removed from the OECD list of official tax havens in 2009. There are still many benefits for citizens of San Marino as the corporate tax and the taxes on interest earnings are relatively low. The income tax is particularly low with about one third of the average EU level. If San Marino joined the EU, it would have to adjust its taxing system to the EU requirements, which are even stricter. In short, the tax situation is more advantageous for San Marino if it does not join the EU.

San Marino has been using the euro since it was introduced in 2002, even though it is neither member of the EU nor part of the euro zone. This is due to a monetary agreement it has concluded with the EU. In 1998 the agreement was signed by San Marino and Italy, in which Italy represented the European Union. It gives the microstate the right to use the euro and even to mint its own coins with its own statal design. However, San Marino is not allowed to issue euro banknotes and the annual maximum amount of money that can be produced, is regulated by the EU. These regulations are being renegotiated every year in order to correct shortcomings in implementation. Prior to the introduction of the euro as a common currency in the EU, San Marino had a bilateral agreement with Italy, which entitled it to the use of the Italian lira. This illustrates that San Marino has a long history of using the same currency as Italy and that becoming a member of the EU would not bring significant advantages for San Marino.

The euro in San Marino, however, does not only serve as a currency but contributes to the income of the microstate. San Marino Euro coins are very rare and greatly demanded because of its limited amount. This is why the coins are sold all over San Marino above their real value and are one of the main factors for the economy. Another important source of income are the San Marino postage stamps as their are very rare as well. If San Marino joined the EU, they would be allowed to mint more coins and therefore the coins’ value would decrease. Since the coins and stamps are still valuable now, they are sold to tourists who are visiting San Marino and contributing over 2,2% to San Marino’s GDP.

Another important aspect of San Marino's income is tourism. There are no border controls between San Marino and Italy, even though San Marino is not part of the Schengen Agreement. The microstate has entered several bilateral agreements with Italy, including an agreement on the free movement of persons allowing San Marino nationals to work and reside in Italy. Therefore, it is not in the Schengen area de jure but it is considered to be part of it de facto and would not draw advantages from actually joining the EU as far as travelling is concerned.

Closer EU integration is a highly controversial topic in San Marino. Even if there are no real borders between San Marino and Italy, the state has shown openness to consider closer integration with the EU, among it even joining the EU. On the 20th of October 2011, the citizens of the microstate voted whether or not to initiate accession discussions. 49.7% voted against it, whereas 50.3 % were in favour. Citizens, who opposed the accession, have two main arguments against joining the EU. Firstly, they fear that the Republic’s voice could be ignored by the greater EU states. Moreover, accession would mean that the Republic would have to open its borders to 500 million EU citizens. This would harm its highly developed welfare system.

Joining the EU would bring very little benefits for San Marino. The state has a very beneficial taxing system and they already profit from the common currency, even though it is not part of the EU. Tourists can enter the country without border controls just like in the Schengen area and San Marino can even make money by selling their coins. By joining the EU, more requirements would have to be fulfilled which could throw the economy and the welfare system out of balance.

Dear pronunciation diary...

...did you know that pronunciation in a foreign language is like the love at first sight? Let me explain this analogy.

Situation one: 
You are walking down the street with a friend, talking, holding waffles in your hands and suddenly your friend stops to greet someone. They small talk for a moment and then your friend turns to you and says: "This is my friend so-and-so, and this is my friend so-and-so from school". You put your waffle in your other hand, reach out to shake hands, smile politely and say "Hi, nice to meet you."... and BAM! There it was. The person you just shook hands with is now madly in love with you.

Situation two:
You are walking down the street with a friend, talking in German, holding waffles in your hands an suddenly your friend stops to greet someone. They talk about New Zealand, where this person is apparently from, and then your friend turns to you and says: "This is my friend so-and-so from New Zealand, and this is my friend so-and-so from school". You put your waffle in your other hand, reach out to shake hands, smiling politely and you say in the most perfect New Zealand accent: "Hi, nice to meet you."...and BAAMBAMBOO! There it was. The person you just talked to is now madly in love with your English. 

So you see, dear pronunciation diary, peoples' first impression about your English skills are not based on advanced grammar or vocabulary but on how good or bad your pronunciation is. 

As I am not a native speaker and as I am not perfect in English pronunciation, I am going to focus on a few problems that might cause difficulties for me. Before doing any intonation or rhythm exercises let's start with the basics. 

Pronunciation of individual sounds
may seem trivial but this is the point where a lot goes wrong without noticing. Before trying to make out the different sounds, it seems more apparent for me to have a look at homonyms. Homonyms are words that are spelled differently and have a different meaning but are pronounced the same. The most obvious ones are, for example,

• your/ you're   /jɔː, jʊə/
• male/ mail  /meɪl/
• deer/ dear   /dɪə/

there are also some that are not that obvious, such as,

• incite/ insight  /ɪnˈsʌɪt/ +  /ˈɪnsʌɪt/ (NOTE: stress not the same!) 
• boy/ buoy  /bɔɪ/
• ring/ wring  /rɪŋ/

HERE are a couple of more homonyms and some additional exercises.

Minimal pairs are the best way to differentiate individual sounds. Now, pronouncing minimal pairs as an exercise sounds relatively dull. And it is. An alternative and more fun way to practise this are tongue twisters.
It's time for Hank Green now.

Can I do this? No. Definitely not. But I am going to practise this because it's so much more fun than just pronouncing dull minimal pairs.


HERE is an application where you can write in the phonetic alphabet. It's genius, I like it!

Dear pronunciation diary, that's it for today, see you next time for more pronunciation adventures.
Best, N

Critique on an anonymous summary

The summary

Europe already has one foot in "Japanese" deflation grave

“The debt deflation theory” by professor Irving Fisher would take EU authorities far in the battle against rising debt. As the American Revolution has shown, deflation is an underestimated danger with the potential to lead to economic disaster. If total debt grows too high, as happens in Western Europe, deflation gets mortal. The eurostat index depicts that deflation has dropped. The tendency of falling prices is seen in many countries. Similar to Japan’s crisis, the eurozone economy is in endangered by high debt ratios and sustained deflation. Zsolt Darvas from the Brussels think tank Bruegel equates deflation with bleakness. He accuses the European approach of the debt crisis and mentions the dilemma of states being pushed to “internal devaluations”. Vicious dynamics such as the “denominator effect” are witnessed in countries like Italy, where debt rises faster than GDP. The same is true for private debt, where with crash diets for erred states, economic self destruction was only enhanced. For Mr Darvas, let inflation elevate means escaping from the deflationary spiral. Responsible for money shifting to Germany is the ECB and non counteracting member states which fear Germany would leave the eurozone. Europe hope for global growth to fight the deflation virus.

My critique

It seems to me, unfortunately, that the author of this text has nor fully identified the topic of the article. I have marked all content slips in orange and all language mistakes in red. 

Content-wise it was not necessary to include either the American revolution nor professor Irving Fisher. It is wasting precious word count that could have been used to explain, for example, different consequences of deflation in  EU countries. Furthermore, mentioning Zsolt Darvas is obsolete as most people do not know who he is and what he does. In the next sentence the author mentions "...the European approach..." which is not exact as European politicians are supposed to approach this issue. 

language:

happens             is happening

gets mortal        deflation would become dangerous

the Brussels      Brussels

like                   such as

crash diets         (refers rather to food than economy)

self destruction     self-destruction

money shifting     (not sure if that is an actual expression)

hope                  hopes

Apart from those difficulties the text also does not seem very coherent nor would I understand what the article was about, reading this summery in advance. 

However, there are a couple of important ideas that were included, such as deflation being an underestimated danger, what happens when debt rises faster than nominal GDP and Europe trying to solve the problems by doing nothing. 

EU Individual Paragraph

2014 European Year For Reconciling Work and Family Life

My paragraph's way to its perfection.

Draft #1
In 2011 the COFACE, the Confederation of Family Organisation in the European Union, proposed to the European Parliament that 2014 should be the year to focus on work-life balance for EU citizens. The European Parliament approved this proposal to be the EU's focus in 2014. Since then, the COFACE is establishing a policy plan to improve work and family life as our society is evolving towards an Europe where it is challenging for families, especially women, to combine work and having children. Therefore, COFACE's aim is to create a family policy which provides answers for obstacles that are difficult for families in Europe to overcome on their own. Besides work-life balance, other important aims for 2014 are to establish equality for women and men, more job security and a more productive workforce. However, it is not the purpose of the organisation to force anything on families in Europe, but to enable EU citizens to live a decent quality of life. So, in particular for families in the EU, 2014 is a year to look forward to. 

[185 words]

Corrections #1

In 2011 the COFACE, the Confederation of Family Organisation in the European Union,  (interrupts reading) proposed to the European Parliament that 2014 should be the  (sounds too German) year to focus on work-life balance for EU citizens. The European Parliament approved this proposal to be the EU's focus in 2014. Since then, the COFACE is establishing a policy plan to improve work and family life as our society is evolving towards an Europe where it is challenging for families, especially women, to combine (why not use verb referring back to the topic?) work and having children. Therefore, COFACE's aim is to create (wrong collocation) a family policy which provides answers for obstacles that are difficult for families in Europe to overcome on their own. Besides work-life balance, other important aims for 2014 are to establish equality for women and men, more job security and a more productive workforce. However, it is not the purpose of the organisation to force anything on families in Europe, but to enable EU citizens to live a decent quality of (you can't really live a quality) life. So, in particular for families in the EU, 2014 is a year to look forward to. 

Thanks to Alexandra and Dominik for all the constructive tips!

Draft #2

In 2011 the Confederation of Family Organisation in the European Union (COFACE) proposed to the European Parliament that 2014 to be the year to focus on work-life balance for EU citizens. The European Parliament approved this proposal to be the EU's focus in 2014. Since then, the COFACE is establishing a policy plan to improve work and family life as our society is evolving towards an Europe where it is challenging for families, especially women, to reconcile work and having children. Therefore, COFACE's aim is to implement a family policy which provides answers for obstacles that are difficult for families in Europe to overcome on their own. Besides work-life balance, other important aims for 2014 are to establish equality for women and men, more job security and a more productive workforce. However, it is not the purpose of the organisation to force anything on families in Europe, but to enable EU citizens to live a decent life. So, in particular for families in the EU, 2014 is a year to look forward to.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Corrections #2

In 2011 (comma) the Confederation of Family Organisation in the European Union (COFACE) proposed to the European Parliament that (forgot to adjust to correction #1) 2014 to be the year to focus on work-life balance for EU citizens. The European Parliament approved this proposal to be the EU's focus in 2014.  (no need for repetition) Since then, the (organisations do not need articles) COFACE is establishing (I can't believe I got the tense wrong here) a policy plan to improve work and family life as our society is evolving towards an (pronunciation is /ˈjʊərəp/) Europe where it is challenging for families, especially women, to reconcile work and having children. Therefore, COFACE's aim is to implement a family policy which provides answers for obstacles that are difficult for families in Europe to overcome on their own. Besides work-life balance, other important aims for 2014 are to establish equality for (the preposition between works better here) women and men, more job security and a more productive workforce. However, it is not the purpose of the organisation to force anything on families in Europe, but to enable EU citizens to live a decent life. So,  (rather informal) in particular for families in the EU, 2014 is a year to look forward to.  (needs changing)

Thank you, Mirjam and Sonja, for your help!

Draft #3

In 2011, the Confederation of Family Organisation in the European Union (COFACE) proposed to the European Parliament for 2014 to be the year to focus on work-life balance for EU citizens. The European Parliament approved this proposal. Since then, COFACE has been establishing a policy plan to improve work and family life as our society is evolving towards a Europe where it is challenging for families, especially women, to reconcile work and having children. Therefore, COFACE's aim is to implement a family policy which provides answers for obstacles that are difficult for families in Europe to overcome on their own. Besides work-life balance, other important aims for 2014 are to establish equality between women and men, more job security and a more productive workforce. However, it is not the purpose of the organisation to force anything on families in Europe, but to enable EU citizens to live a decent life. Owing to the organisation's efforts, 2014 is a year to look forward to, in particular for families in the EU. 


____________________________________________________________________________________

Corrections #3

In 2011, the Confederation of Family Organisation in the European Union (COFACE) proposed to the European Parliament for 2014 to be the year to focus on work-life balance for EU citizens. The European Parliament approved this proposal. (too short, disconnected sentence that ends apruptly) Since then, COFACE has been establishing a policy plan to improve work and family life as our society is evolving towards a Europe where it is challenging for families, especially women, to reconcile work and having children. (men can't do this) Therefore, COFACE's aim is to implement a family policy which provides answers for obstacles (wrong collocation) that are difficult for families in Europe to overcome on their own. Besides work-life balance, other important aims for 2014 are to establish equality between women and men, more job security and a more productive workforce. However, it is not the purpose of the organisation to force anything on families in Europe, (outside information, not neccessary to include) but to enable EU citizens to live a decent life. Owing to the organisation's efforts, 2014 is a year to look forward to, in particular for families in the EU.



Final Version

In 2011, the Confederation of Family Organisation in the European Union (COFACE) proposed to the European Parliament that 2014 be the year to focus on work-life balance for EU citizens. After the European Parliament approved this proposal, COFACE has been establishing a policy plan to improve work and family life as our society is evolving towards a Europe where it is challenging for families, especially women, to reconcile work and taking care for children. Therefore, COFACE's aim is to implement a family policy which provides solutions for problems that are difficult for families in Europe to solve on their own. Besides work-life balance, other important aims for 2014 are to establish equality between women and men, more job security and a more productive workforce. In short, the purpose of the organisation is to enable EU citizens to live a decent life. Owing to the organisation's efforts, 2014 is a year to look forward to, in particular for families in the EU.

Possible EU paper topics

Our first blogging homework is to think of five possible topics, related to this semester's main topic, namely the EU, which we would consider writing a paper about. Also we are expected to explain why we chose that topic.
These are the topics I chose:

• The path of the Gaelic language into the EU

Why did Gaelic become an official language of the EU? This is the question I asked myself when I learnt that this language got official EU status a few years ago. So, I'd like to answer this question, mainly for myself. 

• Why did the EU receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012?

Last semester we had to write a text for MuK regarding the EU. I stumbled upon an article about why so many people do not understand (and do nor appreciate) The EU receiving the prize. I found that interesting but unfortunately I didn't research on the topic any further.

• European Union of the Deaf

As my second language is Austrian sign language it is obvious that I'm interested in deaf culture and so it probably would make a interesting topic for me to research about. 

• European Union of the Blind

When I was googling the European Union of the Deaf I stumbled upon the European Union of the Blind and thought that this topic could be interesting as well. Maybe there is even a chance to combine these two topics somehow.

• EU symbols- flag, anthem, motto, Europa and Zeus, Europe Day

How many stars are there on the European flag? Who composed the anthem? And what has Greek mythology to do with the EU? Well, I these are a couple of interesting questions which are just waiting to be answered.

Hallo and welcome...

...back to my English Adventures blog to everyone who already is acquainted with my scribbling and a friendly wave to all new readers. As blogging was fun the last year, I'm looking forward to writing some more ideas of mine. So, I hope you are enjoying my entries as much as I enjoy writing them.

Just a few words about me in form of a Q&A survey. Although the Qs come from me. As well as the As.

Q: Why are you called that? 

A: I'm called Natascha because my mom was very into Russian literature and when she got me she called me after the main character in Tolstoy's War and Peace. At the same time it was her best friends name as well. Ramic is quite self-explenatory as it is my family name.

Q: How old are you?

A: I'm twenteen. ;)

Q: What is your second language at the ITAT?

A: Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS)

Q: What are your hobbies?

A: I would say dancing is my "main hobby". At least, it is the hobby I spend most of my spare time on. I think I don't have to stress how much I enjoy it and that there would be a big black hole in my life without it. Another hobby I enjoy, nearly as much as dancing, is reading. I have this awful problem that when I'm currently reading a book, I usually buy another ten. So, I never really catch up with reading all the books I possess. In addition, I'm a very slow reader. 


Q: What is your favorite color?

A: red.

Q: Favorite book?

A: I have no answer to this question. Picking a favorite book would be like a mother picking her favorite child.

Q: Favorite food?

A: Lasagne, Pizza, chocolate and tea.

Q: In which English speaking countries have you been so far?

A: I fear not in as many as I'd like to. I've been in Edinburgh and London so far but unfortunately never stayed longer than ten days.

Q: What are you known for?

A: I'm not entirely sure how other people see me. However, I'd say that I'm know for not being able to be completely serious. Perhaps also for my tendency to be a little cheesy and a little hyper sometimes. And, of course, for being a huge tea addict.

Q: Favorite Disney song?

A: At this moment: A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes. But it  changes constantly.
 
Q: What is your favorite place in the entire world?

A: I was in Edinburgh two years ago and it was simply amazing. Hauntingly beautiful is the best way to describe it! But the happiest I've ever felt is when I've been in a room that is full of my favorite people.


I hope this little Q&A helped you to get me know a little. If you feel the urge to ask me something, a little tingly feeling in your fingers to write a comment or if you just want to tell me something, feel free to do so. 
Bye and hakuna matata.

Last blog entry for this semester

My last duty as English student before the KGP, the presentation on American paintings, is done. I really enjoyed all the presentations today, although it was hot as hell in this rooms. Anyway, I listened to many excellent presentations today, I think I perhaps filled in two or three negative things on the feedback sheets but these were only details, so not a single presentation was in any way horrible. I think we did a really good job today, as well as the entire year. Although I really enjoyed this year at university and although I have finally found a study I'm am content with, I'm also really looking forward to this moment when my last duty is over.

I'm working as a waitress in Switzerland this summer for about two months. The place I'm going to work is called Gottstatterhaus and is a fish restaurant directly at the Biel lake.

The Gottstatterhaus, view from the lake

It looks amazing, don't you think? I'm pretty excited about it and I can't wait to work there. This summer means for me new experiences, new people, new language (!), and new adventures. In order to keep blogging and perhaps in order for you guys to keep up with the events during the summer, I put up another blog. So, if you want to know more about my summer or Switzerland, just follow me in this blog:

http://switzerlandadventuresnati.blogspot.co.at (I'll try to keep things up to date, I promise.)

Or just visit me there if you still lack plans for the vacation. I'd appreciate it very much. :)

With these last words I say, goodbye good luck for the KGP and have an amazing summer!!! We deserved it!

good luck and

have a wonderful summer!

All the best, 

yours adventurous Nati

OMG I'm such a great fan!!!! #2

The final nail to my coffin: I officially announce that I am part of the tumblr community now. I can't wait to wallow in my fangirldom. This actually should be illegal.

Anyways, the actual topic of today's post is what the difference between a geek and a nerd is. As a member of various blogging platforms and social networks, I stumble upon these expressions from time to time. For some people geek and nerd are synonyms. Both are dedicated to their interests but still they connotate differently. I have to emphasize here that this are my personal opinions and interpretations. I would call a person a geek if he/she is very enthusiastic of a topic, book, movie, hobby etc and is determined to collect all possible information about it. On the other hand, a nerd is more an intellectual of a certain field.

So for me, a geek would look like this...

...and a nerd perhaps like this:

There are some more of those funny new expressions, such as "hipster", "nerd glaze", "duh" or "to chillax" (the latter has actually been added to the dictionary recently). However, I won't get into detail about those now but if you want to find more about it in the links below.

hipster explained by a "grrrrl": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a1FdDf72AQ
the night when nerd glaze was coined (bless this man!) :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO0D87dBmoM
duh http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=duh

So here we stand now, surrounded by all this modern stuff, without really knowing what to do with it.

(Internet-) society somehow pigeonholes us, no matter what we do or like. If you have another opinion than other people, you are pigeonholed as a so called "hater". If you actually like to listen to Coldplay, you are pigeonholed as a hipster. And if you enjoy a particular book and can't put it down, especially if it is a book series, you are labelled a geek. I do not say that stereotyped thinking is entirely bad because in order to form an opinion you have to make lists in your mind. No one has ever said that you are not allowed to rearrange your list. However, I feel that (internet-)society is over-using certain expressions and classifications and I sometimes feel exhausted reading the same ideas over and over again. So this is a call for action addressed to all you on the internet reading this: BE MORE CREATIVE! Be more original in what you think, in what you write and in what you post. I will also give my best. Best wishes, the English adventurer.

Sweet dreams!

Last week we had a optional homework, although I had intended to write it, I somehow missed to do so. Therefore, I'm writing this blog post on the given topic. The task was to choose one of the health related topics, either mentioned in the Innovations books or one on this website.

When I was reading over the various diseases and conditions I chose one that, first, I can best relate to, and second, that is not too gross. So, the die was cased, I decided to do the interactive tutorial on the sleep disorders topic. The reason why I chose this topic is because I used to have difficulties to fall asleep myself. Just to make it clear, I had no sleeping disorder in this sense but it did affect my health to some degree. 

This is exactly the same thing what my brain would do before falling asleep. (and from time to time still does)

Here is a summary what I learnt doing the tutorial.

Apparently, sleeping is one of the most crucial things to do in order to stay healthy. Sleep affects not only our physical health but also our mental health. During the night we go through five phases of sleep, namely drowsiness, light sleep, deep sleep, slow-wave deep sleep and REM (rapid eye movement). Depending on how old we are and on our individual needs, 7-8 hours is the average amount of sleep. 

Sleep deprivation affects our immune system, our concentration and memory, our growth, our mood etc. The most common sleeping disorders, which all can be cured once they are diagnosed, are:

• insomnia (mild insomnia can easily be cured only be changing one's sleeping habits) 
• sleep apnea (interruption of breathing during sleep, therefore very often awaking during the night)
• RLS (restless leg syndrome, affected people have a prickling sensation in their legs and have the urge to move them in order to relief the sensation)
• narcolepsy (the brain is not able to regulate sleep-wake cycles properly, so the affected people fall asleep randomly and suddenly in the middle of being awake)

The next thing I want discuss here is how you can get a healthy amount of sleep but at the same time become a morning person. You would say: "What? A morning person???  No way!" But trust me, there is a way.  

change from this...

...to this! 

First, I want to mention that I am the last person you would call a morning person. However, I noticed that getting up early after having sufficient sleep is a really pleasant thing. It has a lot of advantages, for example, you can get work done earlier or you can go to fetch your breakfast in the morning sun.

In order to be able to wake early you have to get enough sleep first! But how do you do that if you can't fall asleep!!?? Here are some tips that I applied in order to change my sleeping habits.

• The reason why I was not able to fall asleep was because I was thinking about what I have to do the next day. So I got me a small organizer (I have two, one for everyday matters and the other one for before-going-to-bed-notes). In this organizer I wrote down everything I have to finish or do the next day, included all the personal things e.g. what I should do better the next time I'm confronted with a difficult situation. This way, I can clear my mind from those distractions. 
• It is advisable to stop using all electronics, such as phones or laptops, 30 minutes before bedtime.
• After setting the alarm clock, I usually make a cup of tea (no black or green tea!!!) and I hop into bed with a book and the mug in my hands. It is more advisable to put the mug down first, though. 
• Taking a warm shower or letting some air in the bedroom before going to bed is also very helpful.

After doing all this "preparation" waking up early does not came magically either. 

• First it is essential not to hit the snooze button! Because hitting the snooze button means that you will fall asleep again and reach the light sleep phase before the alarm wakes you up again. This way you will have interrupted your circle and will be more tired then before you hit the snooze button. 
• Start slowly changing your waking habits. If you usually set the alarm at 10 o'clock, change it to 9h45 and move it down every day for 15 minutes. 

Good night, sleep well and sweet dreams!!!

OMG I'm such a great fan!!!

As probably everyone already knows, we live in a world of mass production and mass media. I don't want to get into detail here. My point is, today fandom is present everywhere. When I did my shopping the other day for some milk and bread in the store, I discovered yogurt for Disney fans. Maybe you can imagine how i reacted to this. There is one thing that life toughed me: If you see something with your favourite book, movie or TV show on it, TAKE IT no matter what. 

Well, isn't that strange? Would you do the same? I know that this attitude is not curable, however, there are much more extreme fans than me, to be sure. And they are all part of a fandom community, which means they know everything about a book, movie, comic or TV show and even beyond it. They usually have their own clubs, go to cosplay events (short for costume play) where they dress up like their favourite characters or they create their own fandom art, for example, on tumblr.

Only fans understand this.

In general, those people are seen as geeky, loners or even as creepy. Might be that some people really exaggerate in being obsessed with non-existent places, people, objects, names, stories or creatures. However, if you keep it contained and know your limits it is actually fun. You can exchange thoughts and opinions about something you recently have read. In addition, sometimes even recommend a new story that you like and think the other person would like to know abut it too. Additionally, some people are very focused on one particular thing which is not very exciting. Knowing about a wide range of recent, very addictive media is more affective if you want to have a topic to talk about with other fans.

To make it clear: I do not claim that I have absolutely no part in this fandom phenomenon. On the contrary! For example, I grew up with the Harry Potter books (and then the movies). I'm still convinced that something happened to my owl, so that is why I didn't get my Hogwarts letter when I was ten years old. Anyhow, I enjoyed the books instead and I still get goosebumps when I am re-reading them.

Seven days without a pun makes one weak!

I am really bad at remembering jokes. People who like to tell jokes are having an easy time with me because, although they have already told me a joke, a couple of weeks later I would have a laugh attack nonetheless. It's always like..

...I once heard a joke about amnesia but i forgot how it goes. 

However, this post is about the only kind of jokes I remember. Namely word plays. Or in specific: PUNS

My favorite puns are...

• I'm glad I know sign language because it's pretty handy.
• It's raining cats and dogs. Well, as long as it doesn't reindeer. 
• For some people marriage is a word. For others it is a sentence. 
• A prisoner's favorite punctuation mark is the period. It marks the end of his sentence. 
• A baker stopped making doughnuts after he got tired of the hole thing. 
• He got his large circumference from too much pi.
• Sleeping comes so naturally to me, I could do it with my eyes closed.
• I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me. 
• Mummies are bound to be upright. 
• A relief map shows where the restrooms are.
• Those who jump off a Parisian bridge are in Seine. 

Okay, I'm stopping here, I don't want to drive you in Seine, right? Just this last one for all language learners:

The most important grammar rule: double negatives are a no-no.

Of course, there are also a enormous amount of picture puns...

Those are not only funny but also incredibly cute!!!!! My favorites are still those by Gemma Correll. She is an artist and very fond of her pug and more into animals than humans methinks (sometimes).
Those are the best in my opinion:

I know it is the wrong season of year but this video of Christmas puns is genius! Enjoy!

Good, that's enough for today. Do you know any funny puns you want to share with me? If so, please do it! As you have noticed I'm obsessed with them. A little.

Did you know...that the poet and painter D. Rossetti wrote a poem about his wombat?

the poem 

How good is your general knowledge? Do you watch or read news a lot? How about science magazines? Have you been interested in all your subjects back in school? 

Which came first: the chicken or the egg? 

How many languages do you understand? How good are your geography skills? When did Constantinople fall? Do you immediately recognize a painting when you see it? 

 What is the name of the king who is killed by Macbeth?

Surely, you've heard many times of the Pub Quiz Nights in the Office Pub. My friends and I, we like to go there every Tuesday, have a couple of drinks and subsequently answer some tricky questions. Well, ever since our small, brainy and crazy group (Alliterations Anonymous) was founded last summer (in a very official and ceremonial way), I'm obsessed with the thought of winning the quiz one night. In order to promote and finally achieve this very high-aimed plan I decided to feed my brain with as much general knowledge as it can cope with. Which sometimes does not work that well. Oh well...

Here are some useful links you can check out in order to feed your brain a little:

• If you want to quiz yourself, you can do it here: http://www.quizfactor.com
• Instead of TV, you should watch this: http://unplugthetv.com/post/21671093706/ghost-hunting (you can still skip videos you don't want to watch
• If you want to learn a new language, try this: http://duolingo.com
• This site is simply amazing because you stumble upon many interesting things: https://www.stumbleupon.com/logged-out
• If you want to memorize famous authors, painters, places etc you can try this http://www.memrise.com

And here are some YouTube channels that make you smarter. And are very entertaining at the some time!

• super-creative and super-smart http://www.youtube.com/user/Vihart
• John Green ftw http://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse
• fun science http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC552Sd-3nyi_tk2BudLUzA
• fun science with Charlie http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEB92E275F78C7301

Have fun with them! May the force be with you! And may the odds be ever in your favor! 

Hakuna Matata! 

And if nothing works...grab a book from your shelf. 

I should mention that this post has nothing to do with your common sense.

The fascination for sad, scary, heartbreaking, soul shaking stories

Do you have a characteristic that you think is awesome...but at the same time a bit of a problem? For me, it's my easy falling for stories that make me anxious. What can I do? It's a part of me. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one with this characteristic. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many creepy or melancholy stories out there.

WARNING: The next lines may contain spoilers.

But where does the fascination for such stories come from? Everything started with the very first epic of mankind, the Gilgamesh epic, Homer's epics, as well as the first dramatic works. The ancient world preferred tragedies over comedies as they were a sign for dignity.

Who was not moved by Romeos desperation when he finds Juliet's (wrongly assumed) dead body, or scared by Lady Macbeth's slightly bloodthirsty behavior? I was worried sick about the poor little orphan boy Oliver Twist when he was making his way all alone to London.

When I finished reading The Black Cat by Poe I decided not to leave my bed that evening because I was afraid to find the silhouette of a strangled cat on my bathroom wall. I felt sick when I was reading Kafka's Metamorphosis. When I was reading Atonement, I hated Briony for accepting the letter from Robbie because at the very same moment as she takes it she knows she is going to read it, although she is not supposed to.

I cried my heart out (not really but my I thought I heard my heart making a silent cracking noise) after I learned that Natasha thinks that she is in love this bastard Anatol (although a good looking one- at least in my imagination), who only wanted to seduce her. She breaks the engagement with Prince Andrei, whose pride is obviously hurt. (foolish, FOOLISH girl!!!).

When I was a teenager, I loved the Harry Potter books. I was really, really addicted to them. Today, Game of Thrones replaced them. Sort of. No I just changed my mind: Nothing can replace Harry Potter. Anyhow, everytime J.K. Rowling, R.R.Martin or Susanne Collins decided to kill a character I had become overly attached to, I felt like this:

Needless to say, it is very depressing when a hero or a heroine fails. Before the failure happens, the main emotions the reader experiences are fear, cluelessness and uncertainty. After the failure it is sadness, grief and disappointment. Nevertheless, the reader is more fascinated by this fear and sadness than by the hero's success. But why do we crave so much pathos? (I know some of you might think differently).

One reason for our craving is perhaps because sad and scary things release more intensive emotions than funny ones do. The requirement, however, is that those things are not real but only part of a fictional world. I think it is a sort of aesthetic satisfaction we get when we see a character escape death by a whisker, and even more when he/ she suffers from his/her failure. I wouldn't call this schadenfreude, though, because this would mean that the reader wishes or wants the character to fail, which is not the case.

In a nutshell: Although those stories make us sad, depressed, angry or horrified we still gain satisfaction from them. Therefore, we really like them or in my case get addicted to them. Well, why not? I'm in!