Vienna III

Day 3

My last day in Vienna.

Natural History MuseumI guess if i say museum , every museums will more or less have similar exhibits. But a museum with dinosaur skeletons? Hmm.. i might be the privilege few to have seen it with my own eyes. Much stories of dinosaurs are known through the movie Jurassic Park , and walking pass the skeletons one by one now is just like living up the inner child in me. It is most of the kids dream to see dinosaurs , so i guess my dream have been fulfilled , a little bit later , at 21 years old. Haha. Ya , maybe my birthday wish 10 years ago is finally answered NOW.

Sloths , extinct about 8000 years ago. What is left now is only the bones.

Human body found buried under the bog. Still rather intact after more than 2000 years.

A trip to Vienna would not be complete without a visit to any of the world renowned musicians museums. Since there are so many to choose from , and due to time constraint , i have opted to visit the child musical prodigy , Mozart, house. As no photo taking is allowed within the house , no photos are available.

Vienna II

My second day in Vienna started off with a typical Austrian breakfast served with Austrian Coffee at Anker. After that we headed straight away towards St Stephen Cathedral..

St. Stephen Cathedral , one of Austria's most eminent gothic edifice , is a standing testimony of the rich cultural heritage of Austria. It has witnessed the ebb and flow of political fates ,underwent the rise and fall of empires and inspired musicians like Mozart in their masterpieces. Its architecture shows a fusion of different style , spanning from Gothic , Romanesque , Renaissance up till Baroque. Every era , every part of history has left its mark on this cathedral.

Schonbrunn Palace

Apart from the Imperial Palace , another palace that adorn the map of Austria is the Schonbrunn Palace , the magnificent summer residence of the Habsburg. Moreover , apart from visiting the private apartments of the imperial family , we also get the chance to visit the Maze , the Privy Garden and the Gloriette , truly indulging in the life of a royal family.

Privy Garden Gloriette

Belvedere Palace

Belvedere Palace, one of the world's finest examples of Baroque architecture, is now an Art Gallery housing artworks of Klimt , Schiele , Monet , Van Gogh etc.

Hundertwasser Village

Hundertwasser Village - one of its kind in the world!The most peculiar and unorthodox village i have ever seen. Hundertwasser , an artist who translated his artwork into real life buildinsg which now serve as a communal housing area. Each house is unique and distinct from the others ,painted in different colours , and even every pillar is carefully designed to be one of its kind.

When we say Vienna is full of arts and music , even the toilet is shrouded in this artistic atmosphere. The toilet of fine art! But i must say , my pee does cost quite a lot . Every entrance is 0.60 euro. So apart from just doing normal business , i had better take in the arts ( and the smell too) to make my money worthwhile.

Shopping in Vienna...

Vienna I

30 January 2007

6.30 am , departed from Olomouc.
9.30 am , arrived at Wien Sudbahnhof Vienna

Taking in every sight and sound of Vienna....

Entrance to Imperial Palace

Vienna , the city of music. Not only does it boast of the most number of world renowned musicians any country can ever offer- Mozart , Brahms , Strauss , Schubert to name but a few ,but also offer a whole wide range of other entertainments. Vienna alone has more than 50 museums with exhibits from the Austrian empires all the way to masterpieces from artists like Van Gogh and Klimt , there is too much to do in too short a time. My 72 hours trip to Vienna started straight away...

Museum Quartiers
Volkstheatre

The first two buildings that came into sight were the Volkstheatre and the Musuem Quartiers. Museum Quartier houses modern and contemporary art , with the world biggest Egon Schiele collection ,and masterpieces of many other 20th century artists. As i am not a big fan of art pieces , there is no point entering it. So with a few snapshots , we headed towards the Imperial Palace.

Imperial Palace , the house to the ruling Habsburg Dynasty for over 6 centuries , i can only said that it is awesome. By paying only 7 euros , we got the chance to visit the Imperial Silver Collection where the splendour of Imperial dining wares are put on display, the Sisi Museum where the chronicles of life of the most celebrated Empress Elizabeth are told , and finally the Imperial Apartment where one by one , the magnificence of the daily life of the noblest family of the Habsburg monarchy is revealed.

Theseus Temple in Volksgarten

The Parliament House beside the Imperial Palace is equally enchanting and impending ,too. It exudes an air of righteousness and fairness that deserves every respect and honour. The statue that stood in front of the house just add on to the magnificence of the whole scene.

I also got the chance to take a nostalgic ride in the century-old Giant Ferris Wheel , both the symbol of the Viennese Prater and a Viennese landmark. As the wheel slowly rotated at a speed of 0.75m/sec , different angle of the panaromic sights of Vienna is brought into view.

Danube Tower, at a height of 252 metres , is undoubtedly one of Vienna's most prominent landmarks. Ya , landmark , so near yet so far. We walked and walked , thinking that we were approaching yet the more we walked the more we realised that it was so far away. There were times when we wanted to just call it a day , but another part of us refused it as we have come so far to just give up. Luckily , after more than 2 km of walk , we finally reached Danube Tower. The spectacular view of Vienna from on top of the tower far compensated all the rigours.

21

Counting down to my 21st birthday..

21 , signifies the key to freedom , means a different thing to everyone , carries along a whole loads of new responsibilities..

21 ,a year full of new discoveries - to seek the unforeseen excitement , to cherish the pinnacle of life , to officially being declared an adult , and formally bid farewell to teenage years.

21 , when love is blossoming all around us , i am still basking in bachelordom. The tag "single and available" has been around me for quite some time , and i think i will keep it for this near future.

21 , i no longer make wishes of having girlfriend or whatever. The right one will come when we least expect , so there is no need to desperately search for one. I am living life to the fullest now , enjoying every second of it , so why should i change for the sake of showing my report card to everyone?

21 , i want a life of freedom , not being tied down , not being controlled. The world is so big , there is so much to be discovered , life is not centred only around Love. And i am going to explore this part of the globe , open my eyes to different cultures , meeting people from different backgrounds ...That's my wish for the year.

21 , i don't think i am ready to settle down just yet. Still in search of more fun , excitement , enjoyment. Still mesmerising in the company of friends. Still making new girl friends , but not getting new girlfriend. I might be alone at times , but i am not lonely...

21 , i have come to see life from a different perspective. At 12 , i might anxiously and eagerly wait for the true love to come , as there's nothing much to think about by then. But now at 21 , the more i walk , the more i see , the more i discover , i have found more aims in life , more dreams to fulfill , more desire to satisfy.

Do not find love out of loneliness , as it will only become a habit...
Find love only when you really love someone....

Sex Machine Museum II

Can u imagine how this function? It's an electric anti masturbation device. A ring placed on the boy's penis switches on a contact in case of erection , as a result of which a bell, located in the parent's room ring. Ingenious?

This is a machine for woman self masturbation. By moving the handle , the plastic hand will start tickling the back and the rubber penis will move back and forth. A one-woman-show!

See-saw with penis to penetrate. Wonder how it is like...

Who said vibrator is the creation of the modern days? This handle operated vibrator has been around since 1910 in Germany.
When men created drill , they have also created one as vibrator.

Abstinence? Try this Chastity belt for woman invented in Germany in 1580. Do guys need one too?

1 m long penis?Or inflatable penis?Thinking of exercise machines? These are more than that. These are real life sex machines!!

Sex Machine Museum I

This is my second trip to Prague this winter break. But it's a very short stay of 2 nights , mainly to help my friend , Rouven apply his visa at the Austrian Embassy. I guess much has been said about the grandeur of Prague Castle , the magnificence of Charles bridge , so my trip this time is to explore the insignificant treasure hidden within the town. And this is my latest discovery of the wonders of Prague. The SEX MACHINE MUSEUM.

Warning!! Before proceeding further, please kindly be informed that the pictures below are meant for adult viewing.

Sex Machine Museum , an exposition of mechanical erotic appliances , the purpose of which is to bring pleasure and allow extraordinary and unusual experiences during sexual intercourse. My mouth is left agape by the amount of sex machines and appliances that are on display on this area of three floors. If you think that peeping around those funny condoms and edible underwear in "I Need House" is interesting enough , you should see what erotic aplliances really are here.

Firstly i am amazed by how sex can be further enhanced by all this mechanical aids , secondly i am in awe by how human creativity can go beyond our wildest dreams to create such things. And all the machines are patented with its designer , dates and function properly stated.

Bra with nipple opening

People are engrossed in the art of body piercing. Bored of ear and nose piercing , want to try something like these?Ouch!!Penis Piercing

Vagina Piercing

Penis ring - tighten the penis to slow down ejaculation...

Ehem...need further elaboration on this?

Or this??

A whole wide range of vibrators for the ladies. Come in all sizes and all colours..

Ok this might need a little bit of explanation. Made in Paris in 1890 , it has passed through the most renowned brothels of its time. Usually one woman lied on the upper part , the man remained standing and a other woman lied on the bottom part , and in this manner they practised multiple copulations.

To be continued....

We , Chinese!

A few facts about typical Malaysian (Chinese)

1. Criteria to study abroad:
a.Must have snow. Must tell people you go to a place with snow. There's winter.
b.Must have "ang mo" (Caucasians) around you. Never mind if you are a dwarf among those 6 feet giants , as long as you are seen in photos with them , it's good enough.

2. Two most sought after career:
a. Doctor
b. Engineer
A check in primary One students' essays on "My Ambition". I am pretty sure 8 out of ten will write doctor or engineer. Reason to become a doctor - save lives. I guess lesser and lesser students are putting teacher as their ambition. Even before the child can talk , the parents have already been brainwashing the kid with these two terms - doctor , engineer.Where is there room for imagination?

3.Colour preference: White
Chinese seems to have great penchant for white , or something fair. Anything white and fair is good , is superior , anything of darker shades...No No. What i am refering to - skin colour. I think Chinese are still quite a racist lot. Not to say all. But many still view fairer skin as superior to those of the darker shades. Get a caucasian partner and everyone will be green with envy. Get the opposite , ehem.

4.Common inherited gene: "calculative gene" (if there is one)
We are undeniably calculative. One cent or two cent must also be taken seriously. That's why chinese got a popular cliche :"a few cents are bigger than the wagon's wheel". We bargain for that meagre few cents until sore throat at the market , we count every litre of petrol we use to claim from the office , we patiently wait for the sale to come before buying the shirt we want , we control our pee until back home just not to pay for the 20 cents entrance , we prefer buffet to proper dining because we can eat as much as we can.........

5.Kiasu and kiasi
Kiasu-Although we might pale in comparison to Singaporeans , but it is still in us. Parents send children to tuitions here and there. Must go tuition , regardless of how good you are. You get 95 , go for tuition so that you can get 100. People say this tuition centre is good , so you must get into it by hook or by crook. When you get back your exam paper , nevermind if you check your mistakes , but make sure you check everyone's mark.
Kiasi-When there is hearsay of avian flu ,stop eating chicken at all. No more KFC , no more Sugarbun , despite assurance from the authority that well cooked meat is safe for consumption. BUT , when there is free fried chicken ,then the whole family will queue up for it , and all the avian flu worries will be gone for a moment.

Floor is open for discussion...

Interesting fact

During the period of studying for chemistry , i have been surfing the Net for both relevant and irrelevant stuff. These are a few worth sharing:

1. I tend to feel itchy in the morning after a night of clubbing and drinking. So what i have found , i might have a mutated gene of alcohol dehydrogenase. To simply explain it , whenever we consume alcohol , our body will convert it into a series of compound , to aldehyde then carboxylic acid. In mutated alcohol dehydrogenase , it rapidly convert alcohol to aldehyde , but do not further convert it to carboxylic acid. Aldehyde is the more toxin compound , hence accumulation of it in the body will cause a series of symptoms , including flushing , swelling and itchiness. But i am not the only one with that,90% of Pacific Rim Asian Population meaning Japanese , Chinese , Korean have this mutant gene.

2.The longest word in English - pulmonoultromicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. Phew!It is the lesion of lung due to inhalation of silicon dust.

3.The most expensive coffee in the world - Luwah Coffee.
How is it made? That's the interesting part. It is the faeces of common Palm Civet. The coffee is eaten by the cat , and digestive system of the cat partially digest the coffee bean and defecate it.
The price? 600USD per pound!!

Praha v noci

Prague by day is just totally different from Prague by night. It's colourful nightlife and red light district will tempt anyone to forgo the bed. There is so much to do , and sleeping is not an option.

Theatre

CATS black theatre musical show , a minisize Broadway musical at a relatively cheap price.

Casino

Another option if you are feeling lucky.I am more attracted to their brightly lit exterior deco. Due to financial limitation , i won't wana risk throwing money into the river. So didn't enter.

Clubbing

Karlovy Lazne - the biggest music club in central europe. Best! 5 music clubs on 5 floors , you can definitely dance till you drop. Ground floor is dedicated to black music. First floor is for disco lovers. Second floor delights the hearts of lovers of immortal hits of the 60's to 80's. Third floor is the Paradogs Club , for Guest DJs. Fouth floor belongs to calm , relaxing music , a spot to chill after visiting the lower four floors.

Got my tequila shot , Heineken , Malibu , Pilsner...

4 am , squatting on the street in Prague , replenishing my energy.

Cabaret

There are numerous cabarets in Prague , big and small. Due to strict security check , no cameras are allowed , so no pictures taken. "Darling cabaret" , the one i went , is the biggest and most expensive in Prague. But coming out of it , i have one word - BRAVO!