It's funny how some things don't change, although some things have changed drastically. From the Rainbow Frank Experience back in Kiwiland, which seems to be such a long time ago, when in reality it is only a 2 1/2 years ago when we were slaving our butts off for Greenpeace together. Things that have changed: Marten has cut off his dreadlocks (and he for some reason did not take up my suggestion to go for a mullet instead - sad but true) and dyed his hair brown; Val abolished his no drinking principle; and I don't eat meat now.
Things that have not changed form a longer list though:
- We still name random animals. Sally the Seagull joins the league of Rainbow Frank the Ugly Dog (from which we derived our team name the Rainbow Frank Experience), Herbert the Penguin, and Peter the Seal.
- We still have long pointless discussions about big issues like capitalism, religion, money, and whether certain organisms are animals (Creature of contention used to be bees, but we have since progressed to jellyfish). By now we should probably have learnt that Val is far left, I am moderate and Marten is kind of right and our opinions are kind of the way they were in New Zealand. But no we still stay up till 3am and argue until we tire out and agree grudgingly to disagree.
- We still have long pointless discussions about trivial stuff like whether it is fries or chips (this was resolved - they are potato sticks now), or it is tomato or tomato, or whether "funny" was derived from "fun".
- Marten still buys cool but useless stuff (like the iPhone). I still snore while sleeping. Val still hates Germany.
- Val still likes Marmite. Marten still eats his instant noodles with ketchup. I still eat my cereal separate from my milk. We agreed two years ago that those are all equally disgusting.
- We still enjoy watching movies together - we watched Burn After Reading tonight and it was a rather good movie. And also Youtube videos like the Old Spices commercials.
- We still have tons of insider running gags and create new ones all the time (such as when we knock fists going "Jesus Fist!" when there is a moment of triumph, usually involving the misery of one out of the three of us - don't ask). And also extremely politically incorrect jokes, often about Germans or Asians. You know, because the former is good at genocide and the latter can't squint.
We had planned on going to the Universeum, which is some kind of science centre which has a simulated rainforest in it (because the European rainforests would obviously be superior to what we have in tropical Southeast Asia) but later found out that it costs like 18Euros to get in and that would be too much to pay for a joke. So we decided to go to the Museum of World Culture instead, and got there 5 minutes before 5pm, the closing time. Eventually we accepted that it was to be a lazy pointless Sunday and just chilled at a cafe and proceeded for dinner at this place that served kickass vegan food. After which we came home to watch Burn After Reading and play boardgames.
Val is leaving tomorrow and I don't know when I will see him again - it has been such a luxury to be able to meet up with him as often as I have, three times actually, in Berlin, Hamburg and now in Gothenburg. It has been an underlying sadness within me that surfaces when there is a moment of quiet - that beyond this Europe trip I'll actually not see some very dear friends for a very long time. And I'll have to go back to Singapore where I don't have many dear friends at all. That is quite a depressing thought.
Anyway - should get to bed, will have breakfast with Val tomorrow and send him off to the airport.
