Concert for BBC

I am starting to feel ashamed how long it takes me to write something. So even though I have prepared 2 posts from Easter break in Germany, I will share with you a short story from yesterday concert of University Chamber Choir.

As you maybe recall, I was really missing my university choir here so I joined Queen's University Chamber Choir. And yesterday there was finally our concert in St. Nicolas church on Lisburn Road. And at noon before the concert we received an email:

Dear All

Please find attached the programme for this evening’s Spring Concert.
Remember there is a rehearsal at 5.30pm this evening at St Nicholas’.
Concert Dress: Plain Black shirt/blouse; skirt/trousers, shoes (no boots please).
BBC Radio Ulster have agreed to come along and record the concert this evening with a view to putting out some of it in one of the Sing Out series over the next few weeks.

Kindest regards
Audrey

Ooookey. I will be on BBC radio :D.

The concert was lovely. I like the songs we sing because they are very lively and the approach of our director is also refreshing. So I sang at the concert with choir old sacral music, spirituals and even a traditional song in Irish language. It was great fun even though I still wasn't much confident about the songs. But our director is so amazing, that he shouts at us things like "Move a bit!" or "Believe in yourself!" and that's just great in comparison with our choir director from my university, who shouts more like "Solve it yourself!" or "Stop vomiting into the music sheets and start singing!" When I hear something like "Believe in yourself", it makes me feel more cocky than humble, but the results are huge when you listen to the new atmosphere of the song. And it has great impact on your voice quality.

I am really interested in whether on BBC Radio Ulster will be whole concert with all the speeches because that would mean UK will hear about German girl Birte and Czech girl Pavlina who sing with QUB choir and that would be cool :D. I would be personally on air in another form.

The university choir in my university city Brno is now taking part in an opera in the National Theatre so I was a bit sad I can't be with them to have such opportunity too. But I got new opportunities and even tried really different approach of leading a choir. I also have seen another university approach to choir singing. And that's not bad.

So if you want to hear this university choir, Birte's great solo on recorder or men's part of the choir (they are actually very good) singing Barbershop blues, you are welcome to turn on the radio in 2 weeks Sunday (hopefully 10th May) at half four (16:30) on BBC Radio Ulster. 

Motto of the day: When you miss something home, believe that you will gain amazing experience elsewhere too. I will be on fockn' BBC :D.

Irish song we sang - Siúil A Rúin

Marshmallows and Sprinkles

One of the first things I found exciting about Belfast when I came here is that they often offer milkshakes, cocoa or hot milk with marshmallows. To me it is very interesting usage of these bonbons. And when I was on my hunt for a new laptop there were other things going on, I  felt a bit down and I needed some sugar boost. So I bought in an university cafe a Babyccino - steamed milk with chocolate, marshmallows and sprinkles. Perfect for kids!

I got a cup of milk with a bit of chocolate on the top and 4 marshmallows. And the most important question came. What should I even do with the marshmallows? Firstly I tasted the milk. The milk was kind of low fat, so not much of a taste. So I put 2 bags of sugar in the cup which didn't help much. Then I tried to put one marshmallow for a while in the milk. It seemed to melt a bit and create some kind of goo on the surface. The marshmallow itself taste a bit differently then marshmallows we sometimes eat at home. And I am also pretty sure my childhood marshmallows doesn't melt so quickly.

Stage 1 - Marshmallows next to the cup

Stage 2 - Melting marshmallows

So I was experimenting more. Actually it takes really a lot of time to melt a marshmallow in hot milk. It seems that the goo is also some kind of protection against proper melting. So I needed to help it a bit with spoon and press a bit the marshmallows to the side of the cup. It takes long time and lots of effort to totally melt a marshmallow. Eating the marshmallow in half of the process is disgusting thanks to the strange viscosity of the goo which is kind of tasteless but still you can taste something disturbing. Melting marshmallows create kind of thicker foam on the milk and probably they also finally gave some sweetness to my milk. I played with it for quite some time, but I still wasn't sure, why they sell the milk with the marshmallows and what exactly is best to do with them.

When I was paying for this interesting funny drink, I asked a waitress what do they normally do with the marshmallows. If they dip it or just let it melt in the drink. Do you know what she replied? "We just eat it."

Motto of the day: When you have a marshmallow, just eat it.

Land without Laptops

My laptop died.

After 4 and half years of fun together he decided to leave me for good. Or not for good. But he seems to be working on a different time than me. And we are not soul mates anymore. When I need to work, he just passively turn his back on me and turn himself off. My lovely computer... What happened that we can't work together anymore? Well... I won't mourn for you forever. I can' t get rid of a feeling that he is just playing for being a master of the situation. But baby, this doesn't work with me. I am done with you...

Actually he started to protest against normal functioning few days ago, when I was on Easter holidays in Berlin (wait for some of the following posts). So I was thinking whether I should buy a new laptop in the last 2 days in Berlin, because he was still cooperating from time to time so I could search for stuff. (I like the word stuff. It saves me.) Finally I decided I don' t have enough space in luggage for another laptop and I felt it is better to buy it in UK from other reasons too - like my favorite British keyboard.
I started to care about situation in UK and I wanted to find out in what shops it would be nice to see some laptops. And it seemed strange to me because online there was quite empty search result page. Anyway I found the best lead and they even had 3 selling stores in Belfast. I found the store quite easily, but it was only a place where you could collect your online order. No physically present laptops. So I spent another 3 hours walking around city center and 2 biggest shopping malls in Belfast. I made few observations:

• Shopping malls are for buying clothes and eating. Nothing else.
• The management puts a lot of effort into getting you lost.
• If you find a place in mall with shops present on the floor you are now, there are only their names which don't say anything about what service they provide.
• There is only one place in whole mall where the categories of shops are written. I thought laptops could be in Media and Eletronics.
• Mostly it is stores of O2 or Vodafone.
• There is no way to see a single laptop in whole city center.
• But there is at least 10 shops with mobile phones.
• Other electronics like fridges, vacuum cleaners, kettles and so on are not reachable too.
• Kettles and kitchen stuff is possible to buy in Tesco.
• Mobile phones can be seen, touched and put into service. Laptops obviously can't.
• It is scary how we can't study, work or talk with our loved ones without these gadgets now.

I am really wondering where people here buy laptops and put them into service. It seems there are 2 main websites, Amazon, eBay and maybe third, Argos, where you can buy laptops and accessories.

My friend told me that there is a shop with laptops in Student's Union at University. I was happy and went there. They sell 1, in words one, laptop. One (1). I was offered 70 pounds (2600 CZK) discount in comparison with normal price. Probably because no one buys the laptop and they need to sell at least something. I didn't like the colour (it was freaking ugly) so I was offered a bit different type with only 50 pounds (1900 CZK) discount but in white colour. I checked internet and decided to buy this one. I was happy I have a person to talk who will maybe become a doctor of my new techno-partner and who will give me some advice and confirm the things I read on the internet about warranties and so on. Even though I couldn't understand him much thanks to his accent.

After one hour I had my new baby in my arms and I was heading home. Now I am writing on my new amazing white English keyboard and it feels so good my new laptop haven't turned off on his own so far. And the screen is so welcoming and big. I am really happy with my new partnership so far. And because he's elegant and white and my Windows 8.1 is light green and orange, I decided to call him Paddy after realization that I unconsciously chose colors of Irish flag.

Welcome to my life, love!

Paddy's model

Motto of the day: Everybody need his own iPaddy.

A song dedicated to all people who struggle in life:

Get get get get get over it! La la laa laaaa la laaa laaa...