Stress, Headaches and a Possible Bright Side!

Finally getting around to update my blog rather pleases me! Its not that I have been slackin' around when it comes to that, but the chore of updating everyone about my triumphs and tribulations simply doesn't come to mind lately. I really feel terrible about putting things completely on the side once I get bored about something. Anyhow, maybe I can bring this blog and my WDKF writings back to life.

During my last complaint, I mean entry, I was moaning about not having a job at the moment and the like. Just to give you an update, I was recently given a job offer by a big company in Leipzig to teach Business English. I was ready to take the position but was unable to thanks to paperwork. Good thing though, the powers that be really like my resume' and are currently holding the position 'till I get my working permit in January.... perhaps the tides are turning when it comes to that part...

German studies are going quite good as well although it gets more and more complicated for me. I don't think it is a problem for me, the speaking and understanding bit, but I find it hard to keep up with all of the rules. I may know them but often forget to put it in practice in actual situations. I must say though, I feel that I can communicate and get my thoughts across better than most of my classmates despite my grammar. But as you all know, that is not good enough for me and drives me to the brink of insanity. Let's just hope it starts to click soon and gets better along the way!

On a brighter note, I'm really starting to get excited about January. Even though I have been in Leipzig for quite a while and have started a whole new life with some new cool friends, I still miss people from the States. I'm really pumped to see my Family once they visit in a month's time. Also looking forward to seeing the two friends who prove to be most patient when it comes to dealing with me. Maybe seeing everyone once again will give me the motivation I often lack lately...

Still in Limbo...

354 days have gone by since I started my job search last year. And still, there is no career to speak of, and no, the liar job as a promotions manager doesn't count! Although that is the case, I'm starting to enjoy life once again as things seem to be settling down after moving to Leipzig in June. Going to German language course has done wonders for my sanity since it has been key to having my own life.

Its brilliant really, I no longer rely on Christin and her friends to have a life of my own in this wild jungle called Germany. Having my own crew to hang out with, go to football matches with and the works makes me feel great at the moment. There is a future after all!

Anyhow, things are slowly falling in place. Friends check, wife-to-be check, fun times check. All I want really is a career, not a job, but a career. Hopefully that is the next one to be ticked off the list...

Back to School...

Since I don't much to do lately in Leipzig, I've decided it would be best to go back to school. My German lessons haven't been going too well despite the effort of my tutor and myself due to the lack of structure. So it makes good sense to go to one of their community college type school and get my language skill ASAP.

I thought I was finished with school, but here it is again. I have to admit I'm actually looking forward to it... I just need more $$$ or €€€!

Andrew Don't Know Football

I'm officially a football pundit. I'm officially "the enemy". I officially love it. Just the opportunity to write about football on a daily basis gets me excited about it. I'll end up focusing on the Bundesliga side of things since wedontknowfootball does not cover it much. Eversince joining the lads(and gal), ideas about the football culture here in Germany has been flying off my head. Lets just hope I get a ton of readers, that's all I ask. In the end, I just want to show another side of the game in the typically mislabeled "narrow-minded uber-stern" Germany.

Check it out: http://wedontknowfootball.com/

Ladies & Gentlemen... RB Leipzig!

Of all my travels in Europe, particularly Germany, I have never seen a football mad city so deprived of the beautiful game. For years Leipzig has been starved of the quality football it truly deserves. FC Sachsen Leipzig and 1.Lok Leipzig, the two "top" clubs in this beautiful eastern German city brought the town nothing but disappointment and embarrassment for close to two decades. From dodgy financial accounts, hooligan troubles and shocking football, there always seem to be another excuse on why they bounce up and down between the 5th-7th tier leagues of German football.

Whenever the discussion about local football came up, you will always find the normal Leipziger voicing his or her discontent. They are simply fed up with FC Sachsen and Lok's fan hooliganism, bankruptcies, terrible football and name changes that happens so often that they're not quite sure how to call their clubs anymore!

Since the city is currently in football turmoil, one investor is willing to take on the challenge of bringing this city out of football hell. Red Bull for years has been searching for an eastern German club to invest in and take on the mighty west. Due to strong fan protest Red Bull avoided pursuing investment in Sachsen and Lok altogether and settled for a much smaller club in SSV Markranstädt, a club in the outskirts of the city. Red Bull, a powerhouse in world sport picked Leipzig and SSV Markranstädt as it has 500,000 strong citizens ready to support a Bundesliga club.

With plans of a €100million investment over the next 10 years, Leipzig and its football mad people can only benefit from this injection of funds. It will take the new Leipzig club some time to build up its stature compared to its city rivals. Sure, RB Leipzig and its new supporters will be ridiculed for having no history, buying its way to higher leagues and all of the other insults that may come their way. Bottom line is that RB Leipzig will bring entertainment to the city and write football history while FC Sachsen and Lok Leipzig along with their 'die hards' rot on the side with jealousy and further football failure. As one Leipziger said, "Simply, they've had their chance, Leipzig can no longer put up with their incompetence".

Bavarian Beauty

Whenever I asked Germans from the north, west or Stuttgart area how Bavaria was, I always get the same response... "Ah, its Bavaria! Its not Germany!". I always thought it was a bit snobbish to make such claims almost instinctively. But after spending a few days in München for the Audi Cup, I came to one conclusion. They were right.

Most of the things the rest of Deutschland told me were actually true, such as München is bloody expensive, that Bavarians speak with a funny accent, they do this and that etc. I had the impression that for the rest of Germany, this southern state is simply not "German" enough. But see, even though they may not admit to it, I felt that the place is still very much Germany, I just think that Bavaria is the exception to the rule. Most of it. Unlike the rest of Germany, most Bavarians will give you a smile. Unlike Saxony, München will not simply stare at you with a frown on their faces. Unlike Hamburg, München enjoys a warm and sunny weather. Unlike Berlin, München is a big city with a small town feel.

All I can say is visit München and Nürnberg before passing judgment to a truly wonderful place. Come hang out in one of their hip biergartens. Drink a freshly made hefe-weizen beer. Visit the Allianz Arena with FC Bayern's friendly supporters. And most importantly, enjoy the sight of a beautiful Bavarian girl in a Bavarian dress :D

Thank You, United States of America.

As most of you know, I have made a drastic decision to move on to Europe just about a month ago. I honestly don't know how things will turn out, it could be a wonderful decision or one big mistake. Although my life is uncertain at the moment, I must point out a similar situation exactly eight years ago to this date.

July 27, 2001. I got on an airplane setting off to the America. My flight took me from Manila to Detroit and finally to Saint Louis. I was very excited to be in America, I knew that the country will provide me with a lot of opportunities and new experiences one can only get by moving away from his home country. America did not disappoint. I must admit, it was very difficult at first. I had to adjust to different cultural issues and way of living. It was a bit tough to move around without a car, learn baseball(very confusing!), and adjust to high school life with a very funny Filipino accent. Thanks to a lot of people I was able to manage. Some friends in high school were really vital, from Matt who was very welcoming, Paul who has become one of my best friends, Chris who I learned from a lot when it came to American culture and others I will not mention(but will tag) because there were so much of you!

From a gains perspective, I really am grateful for the opportunities I was able to take advantage of. Having made amazing friends, the chance to go to University, and the freedom really shared by all living in the country. I could go on and on and on about how amazing the country really is, but there is one trait America has that no other country in the world has that I truly love... EVERYONE IS WELCOME. It is so unique how once you've set foot in the country(legally) everything is fair game. You can achieve whatever you'd want to put your mind in to as long as you're ready to put work in.

I might have left "Uncle Sam" but I will never forget the people, ideology and privileges I have gained from it. It was an amazing eight years of my life no doubt. Nothing can replace living with the most wonderful and nicest set of people in the western world. It will be tough to top America, but hopefully, I will be able to give the same praise to Europe in eight year's time...

And to all my friends, thank you for making my stay in your beautiful country all the better...

'till then!

Something Nice That Came Along...

At one point or another, things does not go a person's way no matter how dedicated or deserving one is. This has been the story that seems to have wrapped my life the past few months. Its been tough to be honest, I have no money, struggling with a foreign language and culture, oh and by the way, having to restart with the job hunting situation. Anything and everything seems to have been getting worse and worse...

But sometimes, despite the crap that is thrown into our depressing life, when you have been brought down and kicked on the teeth time and again, something nice comes along... On 29-30 July, I will have the privilege of watching Manchester United for two straight days in Munich. For a mere €30 and a train ticket from Christin, I will have the pleasure of watching United v Boca Juniors and FC Bayern v AC Milan on the same amazingly wonderful football day! To top that, I will get to see all four teams the following day as the winners play one another, while the losers fight for 3rd place.

To make things even better, I will actually get to hang out with my bestfriend Irene in Munich for a few nights. And lets give her credit in advance for letting me crash with her... Also, credit to Christin for this wonderful gift, I will stop telling the bike story from my birthday last year...

Anyways, like Christin said, maybe this is the start of a great streak for me, maybe things really do pick up from here on. If it doesn't, I will at least have a smile on my face for four days. I will be watching the club I love, singing my heart out, drinking Paulaner and reminiscing about the old times with my favourite Austrian...

So, if you're having some sort of trouble at the moment, chin up. Your break will come...

Dream Chaser

For me, life is simple. We were put in this Earth to maximize the potential of our lives. I truly believe that time and effort in this lifetime must be used to chase our dreams, wants and desires in order to live a meaningful and fulfilling life no matter how difficult, even in the situation of the impossible. If a person desires to achieve a goal, a state of mind, he should do so with the use of everything at his disposal at the given time.

I intend to do just that.

More to follow...

£80m Ronnie...

I'm not too bothered to see Cristiano go to be honest. The player was a good servant to the club due to his skills which can not be doubted. I must say though that I was never truly fascinated by him compared to my other United heroes such as Cantona, Beckham and vNistelrooy. I always had the feeling he never gave his all to the club, having mentioned his desire to go to the Bernabeu around the 06/07 season.

With that said, no player is bigger than Manchester United. The club will move on like it always had. We can surely expect Sir Alex Ferguson to make a move in the coming weeks with the intent to find a replacement for Cristiano.

I'm really hopeful that United try to sign Ribery of FC Bayern, Gourcuff of Bordeaux and Aguerro of Atletico Madrid. Any two combination of the three would really make my summer transfer season...

Thanks for the £80mil Ronnie...

New Phone!

Its that time of my life again. My mobile phone contract is expiring within a few months. I'm very excited about picking my new gadget. I must say though, there will be lots of criteria before I find the perfect phone this time around. The new phone must be able to carry music, take photos, surf the web, facebook, twitter, youtube, be hip like myself :D, and not be as 'popular' like my v3 Razr!

Oh yeah, it needs to be able to make phone calls as well...

The Forgotten Band.

Classic album, just check it!

Thoughts.

£75million for Cristiano Ronaldo... Any Takers?

Ah, the transfer season, one of my favorite part of the football calendar. At this time, players from all over the world are rumored to be on the move from one club to another. Most are under the radar, players brought in to fill a gap due to retirements, injuries and transfers. Some, come in looking for bigger challenges to their footballing careers.

But there are those stories that captures the imagination of the world, or should I say disgust? Depending on your point of view. There are deals or rumored transfers such as Cristiano Ronaldo's that leaves one glued to what will happen next. Players such as Ronaldo, Kaka, and Franck Ribery are able to carry a whole club not only on the pitch but off of it as well. Thus commanding hefty transfer fees. Bringing in such players allows a club to improve dramatically on the field as well as on the business side. Ticket sales during match days goes up, football shirt sales from around the world are almost guaranteed to bring in massive profits and corporate sponsors from around the world come knocking into the club's doors.

Since Cristiano Ronaldo is the hottest name for this summer's transfer window, we shall examine the benefits if a move shall happen. The speculated transfer fee of £75million would shatter the previous record held by Zinedine Zidane for his transfer from Juventus to Real Madrid. As most people doesn't know, the transfer fee does not exclusively go the the selling club. Players usually recieve a percentage of this fee depending on the predetermined number agreed upon with his previous employer. With another megadeal looming for Real Madrid, they will be able to take full advantage of the marketing side of the transaction. New sponsorship deals, season ticket sales and merchandise sales can only help their business model in need of help. On the pitch, it will also allow the club to win more trophies and finish higher in competitions thus bringing in more prize money to reinvest in the club. In the end, the £75million fee Madrid are paying off is a small investment that could have major impacts on its global image and product on the pitch.

The big question is, will Manchester United allow the brilliant Portuguese a move to the Bernabeu? Only Sir Alex Ferguson will have the final say. As we all know, he wouldn't deal with Real Madrid. He wouldn't sell them a virus...

Voice of an Angel... CéU.

Have you ever wondered how angels would sound like a while they sing to you as you enter the pearly gates? I often wondered about this, for as long as I can remember...

Then comes CéU into my life. Wow! The very moment I heared that voice, I knew exactly the answer to my life long question. Its one of those things that is so hard for me to explain. Her voice is like silk, very smooth... simply beautiful.

Enough talk, I'll let you enjoy her brilliance yourself.

Ladies & gentlemen, CéU!

Relationships 2.0

Its amazing how things have become so convenient these days thanks to the web. Often people consider facebook or blogspot as nothing but a fad. But in truth, they are a few of the most important tool for a person such as I. Having made a lot of friends and connections during my time spent in Asia, Europe and North America, tools often called 'Web 2.0' has been nothing but God sent.

Thanks to programs or websites such as these, I am able to stay in contact with friends from around the world. Thanks to these, I have been able to stay in touch with my fiance whom I've been away from for about six months now as we wait for her US visa from Germany. I find it hard to imagine how I would've survived this very long separation if we weren't able to speak on skype every single day. Impossible.
Although very convenient, its been too long! I can't wait for the day she comes.

Another relationship I'm very thankful for is of that with my bestfriend. Having maintained connections with her has done wonders for me and for the friendship in general. We seem to have been closer now that we live in different continents as we miss complaining to one another! But nothing beats the real thing, I'd still prefer giving her hugs in person!

In the end, I'm sure I'll see Irene again and Christin will eventually make it stateside. But in the meantime, Facebook and Skype will do...

** Pictured Above: My bestfriend Irene, my beautiful fiance Christin and yours truly! **

Poppitz, Poppitz, Who the fuck is POPPITZ?

This movie is simply quality! Its one of those films where you have to watch it a few times in order to appreciate its quality. I suppose its also helpful to watch it with a clear mind, not right after getting off of a plane. In all seriousness, after watching Poppitz for the second time, I was really impressed by how the story was presented through the lead character's perspective. I know it has been used multiple times in the past but it seems to be a very effective formula.

Anyways, I won't get into details but Poppitz is definitely one of the more clever films out there. It is presented like an indie film. I suppose its a bit of a novelty for me since it is an Austrian produced project. The movie makes fun of the German-Austrian relationship and small bits regarding their respective cultures.

By the way, Patricia, played by Nora Heschl, is my best friend Irene's sister! She's a lovely girl, I'm just waiting on her to appear in one of our Hollywood films one of these days...

Simply Got Beat...

Not much to say really, about the European Cup final between United and the Catalans. The Reds simply didn't show up. We were outclassed in every department as soon as Barca's first goal went in. In my opinion, the starting lineup was spot on as it was very effective against Arsenal's similar attack to Barca. The only issue was the absence of Fletcher, he was such a big player that no one could replace his important role at United at the moment.

Barcelona's midfield anchored by Iniesta and Xavi we're sublime compared to Rooney, Giggs, Carrick, Anderson and the highly ineffective Ji-sung Park. The United quintet were having such an off day that they could do absolutely nothing against the Barca meastros.

Credit to Ronaldo and John O'Shea. The only two players on a poor United side that showed some fight, a desire to perform at the showpiece final. In the end it wasn't enough, but this is Manchester United. We move on, players come and go, finals are lost, tragedy strikes... but We'll Never Die.

Nervous? Better Believe It!

Nervous. To say that I am is an understatement. This is Barcelona, this is not a joke anymore. I expect Barca to attack United at every possible chance while maintaining much of the possession as they usually do. On the other hand, we'll counter the living hell out of the Catalan side. That I guarantee!

As for my personal enjoyment, I will be heading to Barristers in St. Louis to see the match. I expect to be surrounded by my closest mates yelling obscenities at our Barca counterparts and singing all throughout. I expect the Stella Artois to keep flowing. I expect anti-United fans showing even more hatred. But more importantly, I expect a sublime performance from the United boys. That will surely help me forget the shite that has been the past six months...

One can only believe.