Sunday Brekkie, originally uploaded by Rocky IV.

Guaranteed to increase your chances of having a heart attack.

Brandenburg Gate, originally uploaded by Wolfgang Staudt.

Yesterday, we met up with another agent who is probably one of the most infectious people I’ll ever meet. I must admit, five minutes into the meeting, I was thinking LOUD! LOUD! LOUD! But as time went by, I couldn’t help but enjoy her dynamism and marvel at the spirit that she carried. It was as though Elmo and Zoe had a daughter who’s all grown up. However, the problem with such personalities is that you can’t help wondering if they’re selling themselves, or the product. Fine line there.

Anyhow, this agent worked out a reverse tour of the other offer, with us starting in Berlin and wrapping it up in Munich. No Prague here (aww), but sanity argued that this itinerary would be much more manageable, for both the students and the teachers. Already, it’s gonna be tough having to look after 20 wide-eyed, overly stimulated teenagers. The extra travelling would certainly make the whole trip more laborious. Also, the company offered us a 3-night homestay in Munich, which is awesome because it’ll be an extremely enriching cultural experience and we get to save on accommodation.

I really liked the previous agent (his itinerary was extremely comprehensive and he seemed so earnest and dependable!), but I think I’m leaning towards this one mostly because (1) they’re able to work within our budget, (2) there’s a lot less travelling, and (3) hello – homestay! Of course, secret reason #4 is that we’ll get to travel via Emirates on this itinerary. After SQ, Emirates is my carrier of choice, so yeah, this agent has my vote. But only barely.

Next on the agenda – shortlisting the applicants. We’ve already come up with the interview questions (some seemingly off-topic, such as “How many burgers do you think a teenage male eats in his lifetime?” but trust me – they’re all totally relevant to our objectives) and the students have been asked to select their preferences. We’re anticipating a slightly overwhelming response but we’ve got an idea of the type of kids we want, so I’m hoping it wouldn’t be too difficult. *fingers crossed*

When I checked the box that said “Germany”, it was mostly because of the fact that it was Europe. Having visited Prague & Amsterdam just last December, I was still enamoured of the European culture and architecture, and I couldn’t wait to immerse myself again. So when I was selected for the trip, the excitement was mostly about my being able to visit Europe again. But today, after meeting with a potential agent and having heard his proposed itinerary, I must say I’m even more excited about this trip, and it’s because I can’t wait to visit all these historical sites and gain a deeper understanding of WW2 and the Cold War.

Proposed destinations include Munich, Nuremberg, Dresden and Berlin, with a possible stopover in Prague. Prague!! I actually couldn’t contain my glee when I saw that Prague was on the agenda. I would absolutely LOVE it if we could visit Prague, even if it was just for a day. I can’t wait to see the Charles Bridge again, this time glowing under the glorious Summer sunshine. And visiting Malá Strana and Prague Castle once more, without having to contend with the shorter days of winter? That would be a real treat. In case you were wondering, yes, the city is that beautiful and it is that deserving of a second visit so you can bask in its gorgeousness all over again.

But back to Germany.

Even though I never took History, I’ve always been interested in war and being able to see first-hand the Concentration Camps, key locations that were pivotal in WW2, and of course Checkpoint Charlie, I’m certain I’ll come back with a richer perspective, one that I can share with my students. Also, we really liked that the proposed itinerary gives students a more authentic walk-through of the development of this atrocious act of power. I just hope that we select the right students who will respect the place, its history, and appreciate this wonderful learning opportunity. I know I will, and I’m thankful for it.

Coldplay Live In Singapore 2009, originally uploaded by poisoned ivy.

Wow. Coldplay last night was… Wow.

My experience was nothing short of amazing. It was exactly what I’d always believed every concert should be like and to me, this is precisely how music should be enjoyed.

From the moment the band came onstage, I just knew it was gonna be awesome. And the guys certainly did not disappoint. In fact, after Clocks, only their third song of the night, I’d already declared to Nessa that this was without a doubt the best concert I’d ever been to. Watching Chris Martin perform with such raw energy and heart was needless to say, breathtaking. In My Place sounded better than it already is. Yellow was a massive crowd-pleaser. Fix You became this gorgeous anthem. The guys did a cool techno remix of God Put A Smile Upon Your Face/Talk (video not taken in Singapore but it was the same version) and as expected, Viva La Vida was freakin’ awesome live. I developed a new love for Lovers In Japan, and was moved by the heartfelt and tender performance of The Scientist.

And as though listening to their already gorgeous songs live wasn’t enough, there was the spectacle. Lasers! Balloons! Confetti! Rotating globes that doubled as screens! Beautiful backdrops! More confetti! But that’s not all, cos the band decided to be just a little bit more awesome and walked right into the crowd and performed a mini acoustic set AMONG THE AUDIENCE.

Audience participation/engagement was high as everyone sang along, chanted the “oh” refrain from Viva La Vida and was clearly there to enjoy the awesomeness of Coldplay. We even got to try the Coldwave (only the second venue to do it, after Auckland) which was pretty cool until it died down after the fifth or sixth round.

The energy from the concert lingered for a long time after I got home. Only thing was, I was on such a high that I found it hard to sleep cos I kept re-living the entire experience and I couldn’t get the “oh” refrain out of my head. And even this morning, when I got up, I woke up with a big, stupid smile on my face.

If anything, this experience has given me a whole new level of love and respect for the band and you can bet I’ll be at every one of their shows in Singapore from now on. While the videos I’ve posted certainly don’t do any justice, I hope it’ll be enough to convince you that you should do yourself a favour, and catch Coldplay live. Cos seriously? Not many bands in this world are gonna be as good as this.

Ahh… memories:

As an only child, Ernie & friends were my best babysitters. They taught me everything I needed to know growing up. I could sing and count to 12, I knew all about prepositions, I knew how crayons were made and I was constantly exposed to the news. Even my parents understood the educational value of the programme and never prevented me from watching Sesame Street.

So when I saw this, I was partly surprised they were addressing this issue, but also impressed with how Sesame Street was being so relevant. Perhaps I was too young, but to me the show always seemed like a utopia of sorts. Everyone was happy, people never fought over issues like social class or racism. But then I also remembered that the show had to deal with the death of Mr Hooper and it became clear why Sesame Street had to touch on this issue of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. After all, the show is focused on educating children, not just academically but also on the various aspects of life. And with so many soldiers coming back from the war, it was necessary to teach the kids about the changes they’ll have to face. After all that these military families have had to go through, having this sort of televised support will show the many kids affected that they’re not alone in this, and that everything will be okay in the end.

Now if only the other kids around the world can watch this too.