New Year

This is my first working week this year. I've had a relatively quiet Christmas, which I was very pleased about it. I used to love Christmas because of that beautiful atmosphere. Now I don't really care any feast anymore. I believe most importantly I understand how lucky I am to live my life every single day. I recently received this beautiful message from a friend :

ALL IN A DAY by Cynthia Rylant (Illustrated by Nikki McClure)
A day is a perfect piece of time to live a life,
to plant a seed,  to watch the sun go by.
A day starts early, work to do, beneath a brand-new sky.
A day brings hope and kindness, too… a day is all its own.
You can make a wish, and start again, you can find your way back home.
Every bird and every tree and every living thing loves the promise in a day,
loves what it can bring.
There is a faith in morningtime, there is belief in noon.
Evening will come whispering and shine a bright round moon.
A day can change just everything, given half a chance.
Rain could show up at your door and teach you how to dance.
The past is sailing off to sea, the future’s fast asleep.
A day is all you have to be, it’s all you get to keep.

My visit of Cailler

 



I visited west of Switzerland for three days. It gave me some wonderful memories. The highlight of this trip was to visit the Maison Cailler. Cailler is the oldest chocolate factory in Switzerland. I first watched the Cailler Show. It showed the history of the chocolate factory. Then they served some fresh chocolate of all kind to let the visitors having degustation. I ate a lot of different kinds of chocolate at once! The whole inner building is full of chocolate aroma. I went to their cafe and had the best of hot chocolate! At the end I bought some chocolate before I left.

Ich habe drei Tage lang die Westschweiz besucht. Es war einfach herrlich. Der Höhepunkt war für mich im "Maison Cailler". Cailler ist die älteste Schokoladenfabrik der Schweiz. Ich habe zuerst die Cailler Show angeschaut, welche die Geschichte über die Fabrik zeigt. Danach durfte ich noch Schokolade degustieren. Ich habe viele köstliche Schokoladen gegessen! Das ganze Gebäudeinneres ist voller Schokoladenaroma. Ich wollte nicht mehr gehen! Zum Schluss habe ich im Cailler Cafe die beste heisse Schokolade getrunken. Selbstverständlich habe ich noch Schokolade gekauft. Es war ein wunderschöner Tag!

Hiking - 11.09.2011

I took the cable from Wasserauen to Ebenalp which is 1644 meter above sea level. Then I walked a long zig-zag path up to Schäfler. I felt a little dizzy when I looked down the foot of the mountain. The summit of Schäfler is 1924 meter above sea level. I picnicked on the summit and enjoyed the marvelous panorama view.

I don't know since when I have fear to walk downhill. Sometimes I feel I need much more energy to walk downhill then uphill!

Cristal Cave in Kobelwald

This cristal cave was found in 1682 by a hunter.  I was fascinated by the calcite crystals, stalactites and stalagmites, rushing water and the acoustics and lighting. The temperature in the cave is 8.5°C all year round. Besides it's a beautiful area for hiking. I didn't go hiking because it was too hot last Sunday. Can you believe it's over 30°C?!?!

Then I went for a walk along the Lake Constance and I found these sweet young Swans. What a lucky day!

Nature

I saw some yellow ladybugs in a garden last Saturday. This kind of ladybug is called 22-apot Ladybird and about 3mm long. Though they're tiny, they're beautiful! They can also protect themselves by playing dead. These tiny creatures will resume its normal activities when the threat of danger has passed. How clever they are! Besides ladybug is a beneficial insect because they eat aphids and most pests. I am just amazed to know that some of them even hibernate.

I am very lucky to live in close touch with nature now. It just helps me to leave my mind in peace.

Ich habe letzten Samstag ein Paar gelbe Marienkäfer in einem Garten gesehen. Diese Käfer heißen "Zweiundzwanzigpunkt-Marienkäfer". Er ist ungefähr 3 mm lang. Obwohl er so klein ist, ist er wunderschön! Er stellt sich tot, um sich vor Feinde zu schützen. Wenn es keine Gefährdung gibt, erlangt er wieder zu normaler Aktivität. Wie schlau ist dieses klitzekleine Lebewesen! Der Marienkäfer ist ein nützliches Insekt, weil er Blattläuse und die meisten Schädlinge frisst. Ich bin begeistert, dass er noch Winterschlaf hält. Manche Käfer können über ein Jahr leben.

Ich habe Glück, dass ich viel mehr Kontakt mit der Natur habe als vorher. Es hilft mir, meinen inneren Frieden zu finden.

My day with two dogs

I went to visit my friends yesterday. Their dogs greeted me with enthusiasm once the door was opened. They're Newfoundlander and Labrador. They jumped and easily put their front paws on my shoulders. I know them well enough to expect those sweet gesture. They are absolutely the sweetest dogs I have ever met. I catched a cold the day before I met them. I felt so much better after spending a day with my friends. Sometimes I am envy them their straightforward enthusiasm.

Ich habe gestern meinen Kollegen besucht. Als ich die Haustüre aufgemacht habe, haben zwei enthusiastische Hunde mich begrüsst. Je ein Neufundländer und ein Labrador. Sie sind beide mit ihren Vorderpfoten auf meine Schultern gesprungen. Ich konnte schon vorher erahnen, dass sie eine solche nette Geste machen würden, denn ich kenne sie gut. Sie sind einfach die süßesten Hunde, die ich kenne. Ich habe mich vor ein Paar Tage erkältet. Nachdem ich sie getroffen habe, geht es mir viel besser. Manchmal beneide ich sie um ihre direkte und unkomplizierte Gefühlsregung.

Parcel

 I received a big parcel from my brother. It wasn't a surprised since I asked him to send me something by post. There's a surprised inside the parcel though. My old friend, Garfield was there! My brother brought him to visit me when I was a teenager after having a surgery in a hospital.

First blog

It's my very first time to write my own blog. I live far away from my family and I miss them sometimes. I learn how to let them know I care about them. It's not easy in this busy world. I've learnt so many things after moving to another continent. I still have so many things I don't understand and I am searching answer every single day. I believe it's one of the places for me to search answer.