Mesut Özil’s Monster Inspiration headphones engraved with his special M1Ö initials. Great work done by a small shop in the basement of a Karstadt department store in Wedding, Berlin. They were super proud being able to do the job. Others weren’t able to do it because headphones would not fit in the machine. They did it freehand. Well done!
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Mesut Özil’s Monster Inspiration headphones engraved with his special M1Ö initials. Great work done by a small shop in the basement of a Karstadt department store in Wedding, Berlin. They were super proud being able to do the job. Others weren’t able to do it because headphones would not fit in the machine. They did it freehand. Well done!

Spotted Mesut Özil walking past some journalists during EURO 2012 while wearing Monster Inspiration headphones. Those headphones come with interchangeable headbands and he got some unique ones designed just for him.

It is hard to see but on that day he chose the Germany/Turkey friendship headband. Love it!

10 Things I Did NOT Come Back To Germany For

I often get asked If I like it being back in Germany (after 6 years abroad, most of the time in the UK). I usually say “yes, I like it”, following a list of things I like about being back. But hey, there are also those things that you wish they’d change while you were away. So here is a (not so serious) list of ten things I did NOT come back to Germany for (but unfortunately have to deal with again now).

In no particular order!

  1. The dreaded escalator freeze syndrome
    A German walks on an escalator and all brain functions go into standby. Blocking the whole thing. No matter how slow it is. Must be some energy saving function for the battle with…
  2. The bureaucracy super soldiers
    Can’t really comment on it because I did not fill in the right form. But maybe we can…
  3. Play DOOM!
    Yes! Finally you can play Doom in Germany after it having been banned for years. Apparently because teenagers would not be interested in it anymore and now it can be considered art. Unfortunately those old enough to be interested in art played it already…as teenagers! So let’s…
  4. Watch television
    It still sucks! Now even more because I am used to the English voices. There’s still live sports and the occasional special show gem. Most of the times however I start to wonder how this thing did not transform my brain completely into a vegetable when I was young. But hey, we can always…
  5. Watch stuff on YouTube
    Yeah, right. Not if GEMA has something against it and blocks videos with music. Makes me want to…
  6. Drink Jägermeister
    That stuff still doesn’t taste better. And it still reminds me of those Indie/Grunge clubs my friends used to drag me to. So how about…
  7. Listening to crazy German music
    I’ve got an onion on my head, I am a Doener! Now…well…I got to admit I did not come back for this but there are occasions where this is unexpectedly fun. With the right people. Don’t even think about listening to it alone! Unless it’s…
  8. The super amazing no shopping sunday!
    Just what we need. A day where consumerism stops and you are forced to rest. Or spend money on food and drinks in restaurants - if you don’t want to stay at home. I might as well just spend my time…
  9. Standing in queues
    I could not possibly come back to Germany for this. Queues are often more similar to flash mobs than straight lines. It’s survival of the fittest. Evolution. Some might wonder what people are even queuing for because you…
  10. Have an extremely hard time paying with credit cards
    Well, I’m fine now. I have a German bank card. But I’ve seen several tourists more or less giving up at ticket machines or look like they’ve seen a ghost in shops. This little plastic thing that used to buy you everything abroad can best be used in winter to scratch ice from your car’s front window. Which you bought with cash by the way.

But hey, it’s easy to get used to these things and have a good time!

7 Horrible Mistakes To Avoid At Gamescom As An Exhibitor

  1. Still bet on your mother’s life that the free-to-play business model is just a fad.
    It’s here to stay. Because you swore on her life, your mother never existed. Bad news for you - paradox and so - you never were born. The good news, you never made that stupid bet either. Now it gets complicated.
  2. At 9:00 sharp, when thousands of fans run to the halls towards you, drop a bag of lanyards right in front of them.
    Happened to a colleague of mine. He fought with a tiger, swam with sharks, stole a banana from King Kong but is still traumatised since then. Don’t do it. Get to your booth on time - and hide the swag.
  3. Say that you could die for a Schnitzel
    Nothing to add. Lots of Schnitzel there. You eat, you die! Gone! Game Over!
  4. Queue for a super popular game on Saturday (when the business centre is closed) after partying the night before and skipping breakfast.
    You’ll starve! Simple. 
  5. Throw a t-shirt so far that it flies all the way to the booth next to yours, hitting the moderator on stage right in the face while he’s giving a demo.
    Naughty, naughty! They won’t like it. Don’t…hmmm…actually…that was fun.
  6. Come back to your hotel room late at night and turn on the TV.
    Your IQ will instantly drop to 60 and go down another 5 points with each commercial you watch. After 20 minutes you’ll start calling every phone number on the screen and there goes your company’s marketing budget for the next five years.
  7. Cut yourself on a piece of paper and spill red blood.
    Very bad idea! It’s Germany. You should have eaten something to colour your blood green. Now you will have to get turned into an android or hide forever. You’re a threat to society. More than those late night commercials.