Culture Project day

The Culture Project days

During the last week, people asked the same question over and over again: "On which day is yours?" For me, it was totally clear what was meant: the Culture Project presentation. I could hear students talking about on the streets in front of the ITAT building, on the corridors and even during classes (not just English classes ;) ).

When I saw that I was scheduled for giving the first presentation of the day, I had mixed feelings: On the one hand, if my presentation was later in the day, I would have more time to prepare and rehearse my presentation. On the other hand, I usually get very nervous when I have to wait for my turn to speak in front of an audience. Additionally, after my presentation I was free to lean back and concentrate on the other presentations. So I was really glad for being the first one.

In my opinion, the two presentation days turned out very well: the topics were fascinating, the presentations informative and the audience interested. The presenters did a great research-job, so they were prepared to answer all kinds of questions.

The presentations I thought were especially interesting are: “The Navajo Code Talkers”, “Monty Roberts”, “Ellen DeGeneres” and “Southern Hospitality”.

·         In “The Navajo Code Talkers” Laura talked about the way Navajos communicated, so nobody would understand them. What I liked most about it is that she actually said few things in Navajo Code language and that made the whole presentation even more fascinating.  

·         Since I did a lot of horseback riding I really liked the “Monty Roberts” – presentation. I have heard of him before and about his methods of non-violent horse-breaking, so it was nice to hear more detailed information about him. An interesting part was the connection between children and horses.

·         “Ellen DeGeneres” – I have never heard of this name before, so the presentation was even more attention-grabbing for me. Johanna did a great job giving us a picture of Ellen’s life and how hard it must have been for her. I had a brief look through her book and it’s easy to imagine her being a funny person full of life.

·         “Southern Hospitality” was mainly interesting for me, because of my experience I made with my host-mother who was from Georgia. I could just agree with Julia: the southern people are amazingly welcoming and warm people. You always feel appreciated and you can count on them, when you need help. What I thought was kind of missing, were the examples how southern people talk, because that’s really something funny and amusing. The rest of Laura’s presentation was very informative and I enjoyed listing to her.

It was hard to decide which presentations I liked most, since each one of them was great! I am looking forward seeing new presentations next year.

Hochschwab

 

This weekend I went on a hiking-trip with my mother, two friends and our dog. It took us about one hour to get to the mountain called Hochschwab in Upper-Styria. We decided to spend the night there at the foot of the mountain in guest-house, so that way we could hike to beautiful tours: One was a loop over hills and through valleys and the other one was a hiking trip up to the top of the "Zinkenkogel", which is about 1900 meters high. Fortunately, we were very lucky with the weather, since it didn't rain and it was sunny almost all weekend long!

Most of the first hiking tour was pretty mellow as it didn't have very long steep ascents. The various landscape was still very beautiful! Especially the valley was breath-taking! The flowers were starting to bloom in a lovely yellow colour and there were butterflies flying over the deep green meadow. After a short but intense hike up a mountain, we finally arrived at some kind of ancient inn, where we took a break and enjoyed the view. After we regained our strenght, the path downhill to our guest-house wasn't a big challenge anymore. We arrived there just before sunset and appreciated that we didn't have to cook, since each one of us was very hungry:)! The food was amazingly delicious and after we finished our dinner, everybody was happy to hit the sack.

The other tour was defenitely more challenging, since it started already with a very steep hike to the ancient inn from the day before. From there, we hiked up a path that led us to a huge snow field, which we had to cross to get to the top of the mountain called Zinkenkogel. It was a very difficult hike, since the snow was pretty much frozen and you could slip very easily. Besides, this mountain is known being covered in fog in no time so we really had to hurry up to get to the top. Every time I hike a mounatin that is as high as this one, I am surprised how windy it can get there. You have the feeling like it will blow you of the cliff in the next second. Unfortunately, we didn't dare to stay there for long, so after 10 minutes we were on our way back to the guest house. That was no minute to early. We could see big and grey clouds coming up towards us, so we tried to get down as fast as we could. It was great fun to slide down the snow! With a big portion of luck, we arrived at the guest-house just when it started to rain.

All in all we hiked about 35km in two days, of which more than the half was steep up or down walking. It was an awesome adventure I look very much forward to my next big hike!

Sorry, I don't know why I can't upload any images... every time it says: error. I will try it again in few hours...

Health Benefits of Coconut Oil/ Butter

 

 

 During my stay in America I became more and more interested how to stay healthy in a state, where the majority of the food you buy is genetic modified and/or treated with antibiotics. Additionaly, when you go out in a restaurant, the portions are HUGE!!! But as we all learned to eat up when we were young, you kind of force yourself to finish your plate. Hence you gain weight very fast and I didn't want to return to Austria being overweight ;)

That way I started to read through all kinds of "health" web-sites in the internet and found many useful pages. There are also a lot of great free apps, which tell you more about healthy food and help you get a better control of your diet. Well, this blog is about Coconut Oil, so I will post more about healthy food in another blog...

 

Coconut oil/ Coconut butter

 

The health benefits of coconut oil have large variety. They include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength.

In America you can find it in big containers, as you can find every kind of food in big containers there. Though, so far I couldn't find it in Austria. I am sure that organic food- stores sell it, but I didn't make it there quiet yet.

At my host-family`s house I cooked with that oil on a regular basis. Its melting point is at 24 degrees Celcius so most of the time it is in its solid form when you buy it.

 

How to Use Coconut Oil?

If you are using coconut oil for topical purposes, especially hair care, just melt the oil (if it is solid) by keeping the bottle in the sun or warm water. You can also take some coconut oil out and put it in a small bowl and heat the bowl over a flame (do not use microwave). Then take the oil on your palm and apply it to your hair. If you want to use it for internal consumption, simply replace butter or vegetable oils with coconut oil in your recipes. Remember, you need not switch to coconut oil completely, as you will miss the benefits of other oils and dairy products.

Health Benefits of Coconut Oil

• Hair Care:

Coconut oil is one of the best natural nutrition for hair. It helps in healthy growth of hair providing them a shiny complexion. It is effective in reducing the protein loss for damaged and undamaged hair.Regular head massage with coconut oil ensures that your scalp is free of dandruff, even if your scalp is dry. It also helps in keeping hair and scalp free from lice and lice eggs.
It is therefore used as hair care oil and used in manufacturing various conditioners, and dandruff relief creams. Coconut oil is normally applied topically for hair care.

• Skin Care:

Coconut oil is excellent massage oil for the skin as well. It acts as an effective moisturizer on all types of skins including dry skin. The benefit of coconut oil on the skin is comparable to that of mineral oil. Further, unlike mineral oil, there is no chance of having any adverse side effects on the skin with the application of coconut oil. Coconut oil therefore is a safe solution for preventing dryness and flaking of skin. It also delays wrinkles, and sagging of skin which normally become prominent with age. Coconut oil also helps in treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections. Therefore coconut oil forms the basic ingredient of various body care products such as soaps, lotions, creams, etc., used for skin care. Coconut oil also helps in preventing premature aging and degenerative diseases due to its antioxidant properties.  

 

• Heart Diseases:

There is a misconception spread among many people that coconut oil is not good for the heart. This is because it contains a large quantity of saturated fats. However, coconut oil is beneficial for the heart. It contains about 50% lauric acid, which helps in preventing various heart problems including high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. The saturated fats present in coconut oil are not harmful as it happens in case of other vegetables oils. It does not lead to increase in LDL levels. It also reduces the incidence of injury in arteries and therefore helps in preventing atherosclerosis.

• Weight Loss:

Coconut oil is very useful in reducing weight. It contains short and medium-chain fatty acids that help in taking off excessive weight. It is also easy to digest and it helps in healthy functioning of the thyroid and enzymes systems. Further, it increases the body metabolism by removing stress on pancreases, thereby burning out more energy and helping obese and overweight people reduce their weight. Hence, people living in tropical coastal areas, who eat coconut oil daily as their primary cooking oil, are normally not fat, obese or overweight.

 
I would just say "Try it out". Some people like it, others don't, but I still think it's worth trying it. To get more inspiration, here are two web- links to more information and delicious recipes :)
http://www.freecoconutrecipes.com/index.htm
http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/uses-of-coconut-oil-in-cooking.html

 

Musicovery - Internet radio similar to "Pandora"

I was shocked when I came back from America and realized that my favourite internet radio "Pandora" doesn't work in Europe! So I began to search for an alternative and I found a pretty good one:

http://musicovery.com/

 

Musicovery:

That one works pretty much like Pandora, if that's familiar to you. If not, let me explain it shortly to you. It is an internet radio, so you listen to it on your computer or smart phone. There are even apps for some of them. I know that there is one for Pandora, but I am not sure about the others. You just need to type in your favourite band or artist and it will come up with a channel, which plays that artist's songs and songs of similar artists. That way you can listen to the music you like and at the same time discover some new songs and artists. There is also a possibility to save your favourite channels and listen to them whenever you want.

 

 

 

Pandora is really unique and very popular in the United States. The best internet radio in Austria I found by now is Musicovery. It works very similar to Pandora, but the music it chooses is not as good. You should still check it out! Sometimes you also come across some good stuff!

 

 

 

Another web-site I found is:

http://www.live365.com/index.live#genres/alternative

 

Live356

That's a collection of radio stations all over the world (as far as I know) and I really like it. You can choose between music genres and then click at one of the radio stations. When you do so, you still stay on the live365.com site, but you can listen to the radios music and see all the titles and the upcoming music tracks.

Some other links you might like to look at are:

http://grooveshark.com/

http://www.deezer.com/de/

Enjoy!!! :)

The first cake I made in my life. Easy recipe!

 

So I found this recipe on the internet before I went to a house-party. I wanted to make something special for my friends. The problem was, I never baked a cake before, so it had to be very EASY and FAST to make.

You need for a ring cake:
250g butter
250g chocolate
5 eggs
5 eggyolks
300g sugar
250g flour
10 teaspoons cacao powder
(my modifications: instead of the 300g sugar, I just added the half and spread some jam as a layer in the middle. It gives a really nice flavour to it. The other ingredient I changed a little bit is the flour. I use half whole wheat and half normal flour, so it's a little bit healthier. But watch out: you might add some liquid to it (water/milk), since the whole wheat makes the dough stickier!!)
Melt the chocolate with the butter in a double boiler, then leave it to cool for 10 minutes. Beat the egg, the egg yolk and sugar light yellow and add it to the chocolate- butter mass. Last, stir in the flour. Grease the round cake form spread the butter in it. Sprinkle some cocoa powder over the butter. Bake the cake in a preheated oven at 160 ° C for about 12-15 minutes. It's done when it's slightly arched. Enjoy it while still warm - plain or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream :)
Hope you like the recipe! Enjoy!!!! :)

 

The oroginal:

http://www.kochbar.de/rezept/114023/Warmes-Schokoladenkuechlein.html

Take a funny study- break :)

To loosen up your study-time watch this humorous short videos of two Irish comedians.

Hope the videos make you laugh! I especially love the first one!
Enjoy! :D

A hike to the "Red Wall"

 

It was on a very foggy morning, the third of October as a matter of fact, when my mother had the brillant idea to go for a hike to the "Red Wall" close to Mixnitz in Styria. As always, our dog came with us, so she could burn off some energy. It took us about one hour to get to the parking lot, where the hike started.

It was still very foggy, so I had the feeling like going through a smoke-wall. Most of the time we walked on a path which led through the woods, so we had to hike for one hour till we got to see what's behind all those trees: an amazing panorama over the mountaintops, that stuck out of the foggyness.

 

After a short break, taking in the view, we continued walking up, up ,up the mountain, again on a path through the woods. We would have got lost, if there weren't any marks on the trees and if we wouldn't have our dog with us, who she led us all the way up to the top. Finally, we arrived at the end of the path, where we were lucky to see an Alpine idex very close! I could almost touch it!
We enjoyed our well- earned break sitting next to the summit- cross, before heading back down the path to our car. All in all it was a great hike! The beautiful view from the top was definitively worth it! I can recommend it to anybody who loves to hike!

"Environmental Systems Sciences"

That`s the name of my second study :) A lot of people were asking me what that is in particular, so I decided to write a blog about it:

  

 The study is structured as follows:

• a universal education in the field of focus:
  • Business Administration - (that's my thematic priority! :))
  • Economics
  • Chemistry
  • Geography
  • Physics
• Basics in systems sciences, mathematics and statistics and ecology
• interdisciplinary practical work for students with any focus

General Information and History
The individual degree programme "Environmental Systems Sciences" was created at the University of Graz in 1991. Due to the dedication of students and lecturers the regular programme could be opened for students in 2003. Compared to thematically similar European programmes this is the only one designed in a unique way, with a great range of individual input and student involvement. The main ideas of Environmental Systems Sciences are, along with a profound specialised education, the impartation of new disciplines to find ways of interdisciplinarily combining them. Besides analysing the elements of a system, we are focussing on system dynamics and the interactions and interdependencies of the elements. Therefore quantitative and qualitative tools are a main part of the programme.

 

As an Environmental Systems scientist you have to have a great interest to look beyond the boundaries of their professional focus. It's important to think systemically and be interested in other disciplines, particularly the interfaces between disciplines. Interdisciplinary problems are being solved in teams, which are composed of representatives from various subject areas.
Graduates find an exceptionally wide field of professional opportunities:
Employment in their respective fields: business administration, economics, geography, physics and chemistry
Teaching and research in environmental and system-scientific fields of science
Management consulting, environmental- and system management in companies
Advice and support for environmental protection facilities in municipalities, counties, state and federal
Lead of environmental impact assessments and research projects
Design, construction, operation, evaluation and interpretation of environmental monitoring systems
Planning and development of environmentally friendly products and production methods
Media work and teaching in educational and training institutions

 

So far, I really love this study and combined with the "transcultural communication". I know it is very time-consuming. But if I work hard enough, I hope to get my dream-job and work in an international company in the environmental- and system management - department. My first priority is, to do something good for our environment. That's what my future plan is :)
If you have any questions about this study, don't hesitate to ask me questions! I will be more than happy to answer them for you!

An inspiration to give your computer a break and do more sporty activitys!

An inspiration to give your computer a break and do more sporty activitys!

 

When I first watched this video, I had to remind myself to breathe! It's so unbelieveable and impressive what people can physically do!
How long did they have to practice to be that good? Most likely their whole life!
Every time I watch this video, I get a feeling of wanting to get better at sporting activities. It's much more fulfilling to do something for yourself, than sit down and watch TV-shows or look at facebook-profiles the whole ding-dang day long.
I hope that you sympathize with my view and get out right now to do your favourite sport :) It makes life so much better to know that you have done something good to/for yourself! Your mind and body will thank you!

Spead reading

Every day we spend a lot of time on reading books, newspapers, slogans etc. Many people read at an average rate of 250 words per minute. This means that an average page in a book or document would take us 1-2 minutes to read. Wouldn`t it be great to shorten that time and use it for something else, like go for a walk, meet friends or even do the laundry that is in a pile for weeks?

 

Well, here are some tips and tricks how to improve your reading skills:

Sub-Vocalization:

Sub-vocalization is the habit of pronouncing each word in your head as you read it. To turn off the voice in your head, you have to first acknowledge that it's there and then you have to practice "not speaking." Eliminating sub-vocalization alone can increase your reading speed by an astounding amount.

Reading Word-by-Word:

Practice expanding the number of words that you read at a time. You may also find that you can increase the number of words you read in a single fixation by holding the text a little further from your eyes. The more words you can read in each block, the faster you'll read!

Inefficient Eye Motion:

Slow readers tend to focus on each word, and work their way across each line. The eye can actually span about 1.5 inches at a time, which, for an average page, encompasses four or five words. Related to this is the fact that most readers don't use their peripheral vision to see words at the ends of each line. You'll begin to see blocks of words instead of seeing each word as distinct unit. As you get good at this, your eyes will skip faster and faster across the page.
When you get close to the end of the line, let your peripheral vision take over to see the last set of words. This way you can quickly scan across and down to the next line.

Regression

To reduce the number of times your eyes skip back, run a pointer along the line as you read. This could be a finger, or a pen or pencil. Your eyes will follow the tip of your pointer, helping you avoid skipping back. The speed at which you read using this method will largely depend on the speed at which you move the pointer.

Poor Concentration

To to improve your concentration as you read, stop multitasking while reading, and remove any distractions. Pay attention to "internal distractions" as well. If you're rehashing a heated discussion, or if you're wondering what to make for dinner, this will also limit your ability to process information.
Practice, practice, practice – you have to use your skills on a regular basis. It took you several years to learn to read, and it will take time to improve your reading skills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcYQ_71vtFQ&feature=player_embedded

Destiny - do we have a choice?

Destiny - do we have a choice?

Are we running on the path of our destiny or can we run away? Is there even something like destiny or are we deciding for ourselves what we are doing next?

Those questions ran through my mind, after I watched the movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ". I think the most fascinating scene in this movie is, where it is showen how it comes to Daisy's accident in which her leg gets smashed by a car.


The main point of that szene is, that there is a woman who takes a cab to a store to pick up a wrapped present. But as she steps out of her appartment, she has to go back to get her coat. When she arrives on the street, somebody else takes her cab and she has to wait for another one. As she arrives at the store, the saleslady tells her that she forgot to wrap the preset because she broke up with her boyfriend the day before. After the wrapping is done, the woman gets into the cab again and the accident happens.
In the scene after, Benjamin thinks about what would happened, if everything worked out well. If the woman didn't forget her coat or the saleslady didn't brake up with her boyfriend the day before and wrapped the present on time.
 

Now, this doesn't just happen in the movie, it happens in reality every day and almost all the time. Or is it destiny that somebody doesn't catch the bus and arrives to late at a meeting? Is it predetermined for somebody to have a car-crash?

As for my personaI opinion, I love to think of my grandmothers words in Croatian: "Svako zlo za nesto dobro" - that mainly means "Everything bad that happens is good for something". I notice myself thinking that sentence several times a day, because it's so unbelievingly true!