The Silmarillion Chalkboard

This is a collection of chalkboard punishments related to The Silmarillion. Inspired by Sarah and Rei-hime’s hilarious Lord of The Rings Chalkboard.

Contributions are highly welcomed. Please add them as a comment below!

The Children of Odin

I wanted a simple and comprehensive book of Norse Mythology and this was one of the best among numerous others I could find. (The online book can be found here!) It is a compilation of the must-know stories, told in straightforward narrative. The language is simple, but some of the expressions are a bit strange to me, (such as “a woman and a man wakened up”, since “wakened” is more commonly used as a transitive verb: “she was wakened by the noise”, etc). Since it’s a children’s book, the sexual aspects within the stories have been omitted or heavily toned down. Though I was rather amused at some of the author’s choice of euphemisms, (such as “playing so nicely with”).

The stories are highly entertaining nonetheless, I fell in love with them all over again. My favourite story remains the one where Thor and Loki crossdressed as bride and bridesmaid. (In the Poetic Edda it is actually Heimdall who suggested for Thor to crossdress, and Loki volunteered to go with him as his bridesmaid. It’s such a pity that in the book they left this detail out.) The story about Sigmund and Signy is really endearing, and amusing, too: I like how Signy asked her servant so smear honey on Sigmund’s face to save him from being gobbled by the wolf, and how the birds go ” OMG! LOL” at Sigurd.

Die Ärzte – Lied Vom Scheitern

Song and lyrics by: Bela B. Felsenheimer
English translation by: Bella (i.e. yours truly)

 

Ich wusste stets, was ich will – doch das wollen viele
I always know what I want – and that is a tough deal

Trotzdem setzte ich mich zwischen alle Stühle
So I settle between all chairs

Und machte es mir bequem – bis hierhin kein Problem
And make myself comfortable – so far it’s been no problem

 

Ich strengte mich an – gehörte doch nie zu denen
I strive – to belong to neither side

Und schwelgte doch nur in unerreichbaren Plänen
And stay above it all

Und am Ende war der Lohn Frustration
But in the end, all I got was frustration

 

In Deutschland isst man Schweinshaxen

OH MY GOODNESS, I just came back from the most authentic bayerische Restaurant in Taiwan EVER!! What a wonderful surprise! After some hovering between the Wurst plate and smoked pork knucke (Eisbein), my friend and I decided to share the latter. I was a little unsure at first, because most of the pork knuckle dish I’ve seen in other “German” restaurants in Taiwan are ridiculously dry and with little meat. OHHH, this Restaurant didn’t disappoint me at all. The pork knuckle was so juuuuicy and full of meat. The serving was huge, too. I had half the serving but almost couldn’t finish it. The dish tasted very good and very rustic, right down to the Senf and Roggenmischbrot and Sauerkraut. We had it takeaway due to time constrain, but I got to have my favourite beer (Corona) to go with it. Even though we didn’t get to dine in the restaurant itself this time, the food alone was enough to win my heart. Als ob ich wieder in Bayern bin!

amusing moments

I saw the Le Chiffre watch today! It’s surprisingly elegant-looking, and not as large as I’ve imagined a men’s watch to be. The diameter measures about the length of the first knuckle of my thumb. I love the engraved framing and the simplicity of the strap. The shop assistant asked me if I’m a Bond fan, I said I like the actor, then she immediately suggested that I should buy the watch. I did not, of course. Mainly because it looks very much designed for men. (and I don’t need a new watch.)

On my sauntering way though the shopping streets, I also came across the Tony Tony Chopper soft toy I got stalked in Japan for. (I got stalked by a Japanese man after looking longingly at the UFO catcher with Tony Tony Chopper in it for 15 minutes.)

It’s both amusing and amazing, because back in August this soft toy was a new release in Japan, and as I stood and watched there were Japanese people who spent a few thousand yen but failed to catch one. Over here they’re selling them in the stores at about 1500 yen each.

Was nützt die Liebe in Gedanken (Love In Thoughts)

What use is love only in thought?
When the time comes, you won’t know.

Love In Thoughts is a movie that explores the depth of love and volatility of thought. It is basically about a love “pentagon”. A character relationship map should come in handy here:

This film is based on an actual incident that occurred in 1927, Weimar Germany, where a student committed suicide after shooting his lover to death.

On a regular weekend, Günther and Paul forms a suicide club whose decree is that a member should end his life at the moment when he no longer feels any love, taking the one he most loved with him, as a revenge to love lost. With the intention to find the ultimate happiness, they invite a bunch of schoolmates to a dissipated party at a summer house in the suburbs. The film unfolds the short chronicle of agony and struggle among the lovers and the beloved that lead to the eventual tragedy.