Observations from a Berlin (christmas) Market

I've been posting abit more to facebook recently - laziness, i suppose, and i forgot to update this blog. :(

anyway - this, and the next few blogs are more updates from the facebook notes (what i can post)..

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I rave.

I rave with a passion.

in this case, I'm raving with my arms flailing in the air, raising dust, the dead and hell. ;)

This was an ongoing nag and thought which i had from the trip to berlin (see my other note earlier) - and I thought to wait abit before posting this message, just so that i could cool down and sort my thoughts.

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Having been in the christmas market for almost 8 out of 12 days, the performing musicians were used to my presence, my camera and we have oft spoken during their breaks.

The friendship - if you could term it as such - had become one where i was forbidden to give money - "because you have already given so much".

fiddlesticks, or so i thought! I've enjoyed the music and I feel that the labourer is worthy of his wages. but they meant business and i was physically restrained from giving - even when i attempted to do so. since then, we have shared refreshments (on them), wine (on them) and the occasional smoke together...

I was also invited "backstage" - the area behind them where you get good accoustics, a good view and more importantly, you get to enjoy the warmth from the only working heater in the whole area. (the heaters tend to run out of gas fast - so while i could keep warm by drinking lots of glühwein, i would have been able to see pink elephants without the use of magic mushrooms. we wouldn't want that now, would we?)

.. having a backstage view of the ongoings was great fun: i get to see some of the best pieces of action, but unfortunately, i also get to see how tourists, or passerbys are.

... while it is normal to throng pass given the crowd size, there are some who stayed to enjoy the music but went by without giving. and there are those who took pictures (tourists, probably) and enjoyed the entertainment and went on their way. (i got photographed several times as part of the backdrop. i felt like i was in a zoo)

lets see. what can i say about contributor demographics?most of the people who gave are in their mid 30s-50s. i.e. older people. younger people seem to be more reluctant to give. of the older group that gave, gender tend to be equally distributed. from the younger crowd that gave, the females tend to be more generous.

here comes the embarrassing bit: through the whole time there, I've not seen another asian giving money, despite the fact that they were filming, photographing, listening and enjoying the music.

i'm embarrassed that i need to state this: ASIANS ARE REALLY EL-CHEAPOS!!!!

maybe not all. but you know who you are.