October Fest; 22nd - 24th September

Gorgeous Girls...


















Crazy, Thrilling Rides...!



And heaps of THIS!!!







Head on over to bonniearthur.blinklife.com for the Best of October Fest!!

It took a while to upload it as i was recovering from my hangover...and yes, i ll try to not make it looonnnggg (so iluvtina wont complain about too many words...!).

Sommerfest at the Tower

One of the most anticipated events of the summer amongst the employees have always been the annual Sommerfest (Summer Fest). Held within the vicinity of the Tower, the event is highlighted by lots of free food, games, live performances and the disco (sounds 70’s but its typical clubbing music).

It has always been the highlight of trainees past and present (the ones that stayed longer) and one never fails to hear of this persons experience or that persons experience during SOMMERFEST.

Well, the publicity of this years event had begun nearly a month ago…and finally it has arrived!

Held last Thursday (14th Sept) from 3pm…offices were already empty from lunch time onwards. But as the coordinators need to prepare a VERY IMPORTANT PRESENTATION to the new Head of Dept the very next day at 10am, we know we had to finish heaps of work plus not staying till reaaalllyy late!

As the promotion went;
- breaking of the keg by the CEO at 3.45pm
- drinks and food at very low price (1 euro for all)
- live performances
- 8pm, mega disco by DJ Bjorn

The moment they saw that they had to pay…everyone went up in arms! “It has been FREE all the while, so doesn’t mean if the company is on a major budget cut across all depts., doesn’t mean Sommerfest had to be spoilt!!”…echoed all employees.

Well I think if you would want to know the effectiveness of a “workers council”…this was one thing you wouldn’t want them to go on strike for! So after about 3 weeks of promotions, they had to do a whole lot of new posters to promote the fact that…

“Food and drink for FREE”

Well we were a bit skeptical over the singular usage rather than the plural of “drink”, but anyways we were all happy nevertheless.

Party was in full swing from 3pm onwards…but before I left the Tower I saw a spot where they were giving FREE haircuts and styling! Being the Asian (or Malaysian) that I am…I quickly rushed and lined up for my free hair do! To complete the Asian lineup and proof that the event would be an Asian haven (since everything is FREE), Amit, Jennie Lee, a few Chinese as well as a UK born Chinese was lining up as well!

The result was a funky hairdo that is so unPortuguese Tart, plus a 45° angle Mohawk on Amit that’s not even on top of his head!
We nevertheless had fun watching our gay hair dresser cutting our hair. It was sure as thrilling as it was for us as it was for him to creatively redesign our tresses!

New hairdo, a few touchups for vanity sake in front of the mirror, more photoshoots and more free stuffs (shampoos and wax) later…we were ready to go out! Oh yeah…apparently we both agreed (and the others who had their hair cut) that getting a new look was far more important than seeing the event being officially opened by our CEO! And already people were calling me “AstroBoy”!!

There were heaps of tents, serving traditional German food, alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages, game booths and many more!! Its not that I savored all the really nice food…but I was savoring the fact that it was all FREE!! Yummy…

Really cool event, plus the fact that all trainees were there hanging out, we even brought some illegal ones in (read: Dee)!

The guys and me were literally stunned with the huge amount of gorgeous looking things which we never have met before! Even the canteen girl looked uber hot!! She actually had her hair made plus went for the free make up as well… a real life Cinderella!

The “mega disco” which followed during the night wasn’t a disappointment either, although the music choice was a little too lousy! I guess for some it was a bit weird seeing colleagues whom you ve never seen away from the office really partying like mad! Some was still in their suits on the dance floor!! You know when the alcohol and wine is FREE you’d expect this to happen! We were busy spotting if the CEO would be on the dance floor though! Super awesome time…but it had to end before midnight as me and the coordinators got some presentations the next day.

Cool thing about having events like this on a Thursday, it just compliments the Friday Feeling…where there is no mood to work, come in with a hangover, or leaving before lunch!

What about the presentation...it was POSTPONED to the following week! KNNCCB!!


Sommerfest at the Tower


Me and Amit with our new "do", the Astro Boy look and the "tilted Mohawk"!
The Sommerfest poster of 2005 The Sommerfest poster of 2006


Mega disco...

And speaking of Fest’s…

It is known as the LARGEST PEOPLE’S FAIR IN THE WORLD, with over 6 million people visiting it!

30% of the year's production of beer by Munich breweries will be consumed in the two weeks of celebration.

12,000 People are employed, of these, 1600 are waitresses (75% are C cups and above)

There is available seating for 100,000 people.
6 million mugs of beer was sold in 2005 (5.5 million in 2004) alone…

Roasted oxen: 88
Sausages: 219,443 pairs
Roast chickens: 459,279

Yup…after work today, along with 20other trainees, we re heading to Munich for OCTOBERFEST!!! Well, to celebrate the occasion, I would actually DRINK THE BEER there! A once in a lifetime opportunity and much to the envy of my beer drinking Malaysian friends…I would be there!
Come what may…sober or drunk, you ll be posted!

"You ll love it in Poland i tell you..."

“You ll love it in Poland I tell you! The girls will go crazy especially since you re a foreigner! There are soo many beautiful girls in Poland and the guys are all ugly…”. Those words from a Polish trainee was ringing in my head the whole time as I prepared for to leave Bonn with Segala and Sandra.



That apart, I was really excited over this trip for the reasons below;

- Being in International Congress (the BIGGEST AIESEC international conference for national committee members and presidents in their local chapters) for the 3rd time playing a third different role. Back in 04 in Hanover, I was a delegate. 05 in Agra I was part of the facilitator team (plus the mission of wanting to see what opportunities I could grab my hands on in terms of working abroad - that resulted in my being in Bonn now) and now in Warsaw, Poland…I am representing the external partners, seeing that my company is one of AIESEC’s biggest and long running partners.

- Coming back to an AIESEC conference once again. You have to trust me on this, nothing ever beats the energy and enthusiasm of young, dynamic people congregating in a huge plenary! The vibe really makes the hair on your back stand…the feeling is electric!!

- Meeting fellow Malaysians, this years delegation consist of good friend and country president Anisha (whose mum always want to talk to me about the powerful teachings of Amah), Sandy as the external relations (continuing the trend I started where we were Local committee president rejects but having 2nd chances in the National Committee), my mentee Yoke Yen (also my suc-successor) in charge of People Development and 3 local committee presidents, Kah Heng (of which I remember us having a chat on his future in AIESEC once in a bus in Penang), Ethan (very promising talent from UTM) and Shavonne from UKM (one of the many bright talents that have emerged from the local committee that I mentored).

- Meeting old AIESEC friends. These could be less than 20…or it could be over 100! I am not sure, but I know for sure I ll be seeing familiar faces around! And for that I d rather not expect too much…

- Representing the company I work for and showcasing it to a global plenary! Now this one I used to remember vividly how I envy those interns who was priviledged to wear the “yellow shirt from the yellow company”, simply because it has positioned itself as one of the leading companies to work for after your AIESEC experience. Now I got to play this role, something which I know I ll cherish and I would be proud off…and moreover I am responsible for the Partnership Re-launch, of which I promised that it would be the BOMB! A launch which no one has ever witnessed before!

Read all about this exciting journey to Warsaw, the fun times I had there and the people I met, a different virginity lost, the hectic traveling and much more…!

Its gonna be a looonnngggg one....but its worth it! Its all at bonniearthur.blinklife.com

My 2nd trip to Belgium - Aug 18th - 20th

What am doing again in Belgium, you ask?
Does Eric really need a testosterone filled companion on the weekend?
Or was it because travelling to Leuven didnt hurt my wallet much...or was it the other way round?

Well, head to bonniearthur.blinklife.com to get the heads up of my 2nd trip in 2 weeks to Belgium, trust me...after this trip i ll never think of heading there anymore, unless if i do get a position in Brussels, of which i dont mind really!

This time round, we toured Brugge, the Venice of the North...famous for being touristy because of its medieval feel, rivers and waterways running through the city, the usual waffles and fries...and get this, LACES!



The waterways running through the city, hence the nickname of "Venice of the north"












The famous City Hall, part of the huge central square called the Markt, which is one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites.











Brugge is also famous for laces...


















Ok,laces...the real thing.

My trip to Belgium 11th – 14th Aug.

I was looking forward to this trip since Eric’s first visit to Bonn. I timed this to fit the Marktrock, one of Europe’s biggest urban music festival. Stupid thing is the event only starts on the 13th, simply because it has to end on the 15th, which is a national holiday in most parts of Europe, except Bonn! Its Mary’s ascension to heaven on that day…and perhaps country’s that feel more religious makes it a public holiday. Damn Bonn!


Here is the poster for the music fest that was Marktrock, most of them we dont know



My Belgium Itinary (work - Koln - Liege - Leuven - Gent - Brussels - Leuven - Marktrock - Koln - work)

So what is famous in Belgium? Having been there during my Euro trip back in summer 04, my 6 hours in Brussels gave me a very bad impression of the capital. I hope to change this mindset with this trip. Besides fries (which apparently originated here rather than France…but still we call it French fries), waffles and really nice chocolates…what else makes Belgium…Belgium?! What do they speak…Belglish? (ok…its either Flemish or French or Dutch…depending on the region). We had a conversation during my Baltic trip about what makes Belgium tick…and sadly the outcome of it was that yes…Belgium as a country seems like a land that is neither here nor there (vague…but put in terms of economy, people wise, culture and traditions). But it definitely was something which I want to find out too…which made this trip all the more like a mission! All the more because I originally wanted to go to Belgium for my internship, having lost out a really cool position to a crappy guy (yes, I am still bitter!), ironically the same place where Eric is doing his internship now, the world’s largest brewery. So in a way I am coming full circle with this possible scenario which I missed…living a life in Leuwen, through my trip here to Belgium.

So I ve got Dee (my travelling partner lately) and introducing to Portuguese Tart’s blogosphere, Jonathan Lustgarten. This Venezuelan dude arrived recently and we hit it off instantly, from the moment we were “selecting” him if he fits the bill to replace Claudia in her room. Don’t ask me why I was involved…but yeah, maybe its cuz he has like the coolest surname since de Souza!! You could do like heaps of bed talk with a surname like this! “…allow me to show you around the garden of lust!” So cool! Anyways I’ve christened him John Lusty from the day we met! Amen…!

(Left - right); Portuguese Tart, Dee, John Lusty and the host for the weekend.





And thus our journey begins…with a transition to my sister site of course to begin with.

Baltic Sea trip

This trip was planned randomly, thanks to Jennie Chinita Lee...and with the idea of renting a car, we needed to get 2 or 3 more people. ROAD TRIP!!!! I immediately said yes to Jen at the mere mention of "we thought of renting a car"!

Thanks to my many sweet sweet road trip experiences with my MC mates, i am sure this trip would generate as much fun too! Putting 4 or 5 zany individuals in a car for a ride of over 6 hours (not sure how long if we get lost), we needed specific people with specific characteristics! Which explains the rigourous selection process (which me and Jen were a bit uncomfortable with at first) of who will we ride with.

The Zany Selection Process

So we tried with the zaniest of them all...at least in Bonn, some say Slovakia, New Zealand, Rotterdam and India too...Amit. Alas...he felt his zaniness doesnt really suit our personalities (perhaps he was afraid he needed to navigate the map, of which we probably might end up in the Balkans instead of the Baltics) so he rejected the trip.















Zany person number two- Piyush...of which Amit might beg to differ; also rejected us solely on financial reasons and him wanting to focus on his CV. He thinks he cant be zany when he isnt in the mood, which i agree.













Zany person number three...Dee...just needed a little 'motivation' to get her to agree. Great...her zaniness can count for two actually.








Zany person number four...Segala...despite initially agreeing to come, at the end decided to pull out, saying he needs to stay at home. My guess is he and Amit just wants to spend some quality time together, develop their own little "housemate" relationship which heaven knws goes beyond arranging your bed and mine, cleaning your clothes and mine etc...















Well...then with nearly no one else in the rostrum, due to lack of zaniness and also more rejections (Sandra Mexican/Dutch and Steve Kenyan...who ironically are housemates and have had discussions about conceiving a blonde, black baby...hmmm), i bumped into one of the MBA Interns of whom i 'coordinate', a Taiwanese living in Canada and studying in Spain (mi llama Sharon y yo bonita, kannineh ho sei boh, do you understand my Spanish Taiwanese lingo,eh?).

She readily agreed to the road trip after i asked her if she was interested...and if zany could be measured by how loud she was...she is SUPERCALLIFRAGILISTICALLY ZANY!

The line up was complete...3 girls and a guy, 3 Hokkien speaking(again, the crassiest language in the speaking world) people and a 3 in 1 girl that represented the Balkans, Scandinavia and UK alltogether, 3 poor AIESEC interns and one financially stable MBA Intern (ok Jen is in between both)...

Join me in my trip update at Portuguese-tarts sister site... bonniearthur.blinklife.com.

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On another note, this Friday evening i ll be heading to Belgium to visit Eric. No selection process for this as what was supposed to be a solo trip turned out to be a trip for 3, me, Dee and Jonathan Lustgarten; him of which i would call John Lusty from now on! To welcome John Lusty into Portuguese Tart's world, here is a short intro of him. From Venezuela but speaks with an American accent, he took over Claudia's room just after she left. Even Clau is happy we got along well...not that i ll be sleeping with him though!

So Eric Yap...thanks in advance for your 'excitement' in hosting me and the gang! Aku tahu kita manyak cerita to share...tapi kita boleh cari masa untuk berbincang la k.

Reason for the Belgium trip, or Leuven to be exact; to experience one of Europe's biggest urban music festivals. Its called the Marktrock...and the annual celebration is usually held around August. Sad thing is its only beginning on Sunday till Tuesday...so not sure bout our return plans. Nevertheless i ve got my dancing shoes, looking forward to hip hop, r&b, house and pop, world and techno...!!!

In loving memory...

Only recently i begun wearing my yellow band for cancer awareness which i thought i lost it here in Bonn. As much as i am big on advocating HIV/AIDS awareness as well, on a personal level this disease have affected me emotionally many times...some going wayyy back when i was in primary school. I think the last count of family members that passed away from the dreaded 'C' was 8 or 9.




Throughout my time in Germany, i have only seen Jenny 'Chinita' Lee wearing it religiously, although hers differ from mine (my msg says "Celebrate Life", its the Malaysian Cancer Society version vs Jens original "Livestrong" one). For those not in the know, the yellow band idea was pioneered by Tour de France legend and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong as part of his Wear Yellow Live Strong educational program intended to support cancer victims and survivors and raise awareness about cancer. The whole "coloured band" craze took a wild turn when capitalist companies (read: the clown that sells burgers and fries) began selling them and targetting teens and youths with each coloured band having a moral booster phrase or something similar. It was so sickening to see that none...none goes to charity whatsoever, and silly consumers buy like heaps of them! I am sparing the company with the 'swoosh' for its black and white band to raise awareness of preventing racism in football...although selling it expensively just looses the cause big time!

Anyways it was just this Monday me and Jen were having a discussion about cancer, how it affected us and who did it effect. The following day at work...while checking my mails, there was a mail through our AIESEC Malaysia community announcing the demise of one of its member. As heart wrenching as it is to realise the reality of such news...its even worst when you actually know this person very well! She was from the LC which me and my MC team helped form.

Turns out the cause of death was OVARIAN CANCER... the girl, a charming, lovely person, a passionate AIESEC member and very bright kid...i dont think she was even 20 yet. I always remembered as someone inquisitive, always asking questions relevant to AIESEC nonetheless. Shocked...disbelief...a moment of emptiness...stunned...

My condolences to her family, friends and all members of Taylor's Business School Local Committee. Stay strong...live strong...the passing of someone dear just reemphasises the message for us to celebrate life, and to celebrate the life of Rosline Lam.

You ll be remembered Rosline...rest in peace.















Then there was another shocking news from Eric, who told me the trainee he was closed with in his company who only recently returned to his country....met with an accident and passed away. He was obviously too distraught to even talk to me about it. I can imagine...i would be devastated the same knowing the trainee friends whom i grown to be sooo close with were to encounter the same fate.

And no...it wouldnt stop there. Until recently my MC team have not really been in the loop in terms of communication...and with my latest initiative of sending mails to everyone in the team, i would expect at least some nostalgia to follow suit in terms of all of us communicating once again, what with each and everyone of us leading different and separate lives. I wouldnt have imagined a reply from Anisha to include another passing of a dear friend.

This is by far the worst one to hit me...as this woman was not only a dear friend, but a fighter and champion of the HIV/AIDS awareness cause. She pioneereed the idea of having a shelter for women and children with HIV/AIDS, or orphaned because of it...and thus Rumah WAKE (Wanita & Kesihatan...Women & Health) was born. She fought for government support financially, and through corporate support as well. That was the point of first contact for me, during my stint with AIESEC and Standard Chartered Bank's Corp Affairs Dept, when we were championing a HIV/AIDS project together. She was a very dedicated women who knows the dirty business of HIV/AIDS awareness, the politics surrounding it...and a very direct, in your face person. I got really fond of her, and we kept in touch through sms throughout the time till i left the bank and AIESEC even. Malaysia has lost a very charismatic champion of HIV/AIDS...i have lost a dear friend in her...gosh Catherine, i cant believe you re not around anymore. I wish that Rumah Wake will continue its cause and support of the victims...i wish that Catherines soul and cause will not be lost...i wish life wont be too cruel to take away people who had a reason to live...

Rest in peace Catherine...I ll never forget you.

Its just another reminder that life is short...and be it in my life here in Bonn, or Malaysia...i ll always wanna live it to the fullest.