Lund, malmo, goteborg

after what seemed like a 247987214-hours flight, desmond yun and i reached Lund. itinerary for our first week in sweden was simple. reach lund, drop off our bags at the Lide's, and head to malmo and goteborg before school starts.

about the Lides. Sarah is an SMU Alumni, and is happily married to Emil, a Swede she met during exchange. She met Emil in church during her exchange. after she graduated, she was posted to a workplace (i cant remember) with a timezone that was off tangent to Singapore's. her Singaporean friends will be offline while she's awake. and that meant that Emil was usually the one online to chat with her during those hours. sparks flew between them when she made a return visit to Lund. a sweet fairytale, indeed. (disclaimer: details may be slightly off :P)

Sarah and Emil were like guardians to us in Sweden. they were really hospitable in welcoming Singaporean exchange students, be it from SMU/NUS/NTU. Every semester, Sarah makes the initiative to contact the university officers in-charge of exchange programme to get in contact with the Singaporeans who were going over to Lund. if they were in Singapore, the Lide's would meet us for some authentic chinese food before we flew over.

a family portrait of 3-semesters worth of SG-Lund exchange students with Sarah and Emil in the middle!

Thanks to Email and Sarah, the few of us had a church outside Singapore - Ad Fontes International, where we continued to experience God and fellowship with His people. He's the same, in Singapore and out. Amazingly, i could worship with Swedish christian songs. being an international church, they have a system of mikes and headphones to cater to the non swedish speaking crowd. translators will take turns to translate the service for the bunch of us.

i didnt miss Chinese New Year-- the bunch of us at Ad Fontes brought the Chinese New Year festive mood into church, and we lau-ed yusheng together :)

first trip was to nearby malmo. desmond managed to get 50% off for our stay in Hilton Hotel. probably the best hotel we stayed in during our exchange. awesome spread of buffet, awesome room, awesome wifi which inevitably turned our room into a mini smu (loaded with laptops, gadgets, and wires). it was a time of many firsts. getting used to the freezing cold, getting used to the sight of snow, trying new european food (breads and cold meats), getting used to left-hand drive and looking to the left for oncoming traffic. we kept dropping our gloves!! totaly not used to it

malmo facebk pics

we headed to goteborg and checked out the universeum (universe museum). it's a little like a natural historic museum (waxed figures of animals), underwater world, science centre combined into one. also, we checked out the archipelago islands that was pretty serene and breathtaking during the winter season. pity, the amusement park wasnt open during the winter season. u should check it out if you can!

goteborg facebk pics

before i reached Sweden

how fast time flies..

about a year ago, i was in the hyped-up-exchange mode. busy doing exchange shopping, making my rounds of farewell dinners before my arduous flight to Sweden.

looking at the farewell photos gives me an indication of who my core group of close friends are. friends who are important enough to me, and vice-versa, to have a simple farewell meal before i head off for my exchange adventure.

im glad that my exchange gave impetus for stardust to travel to malaysia to simply hangout. i thank God for you girls in my life *beams*

doing stupid things with my favourite friend

"crying or smiling"

such usual days are my best treasure

- words on neoprint machine

i remember being torn between having to spend good times (and money) during the numerous farewell outings, and having to save money for the expensive cost of living in Europe. but for me, friends and relationships take precedence over money. i always believe that money can be earned later, but opportunities dont stay. if you're thinking of not going on exchange because of the lack of funds, i urge you to reconsider. the life of an exchange student and the joys of travelling as an exchange student with international friends is an amazing life-changing experience with an expiry date. say goodbye to such opportunities when your life ends (yeah, ends) in the workplace.

i remember vividly the friends and family who came to send me off at the airport. although i hate goodbyes, i must admit, i get over them (most) pretty quickly, as the adrenaline for a new adventure ahead quickly takes over my mind heart and soul.

so off i went, with a skip in my steps, with the company of desmond and yun. i must say that the flight was so bad, it made me regret going for exchange even before exchange started. with no on-flight entertainment, the 11 hour flight was HELL. didnt help that i was in the middle seat. i didnt wanna wake up those beside me to go for a walk in the plane. so tired, ass so sore, body so weak, i decided to document my horrendous ride in the toilet. and my, even the toilet was more spacious and comfortable than the plane seat.

here's cheers to LOL-ing at myself (evidently, i wasnt functioning well. taking a good 5 seconds to read the time on my watch?!)

my 2010 exchange diary series

unless i start blogging about my exchange experience now, my thoughts and experiences will forever be lost in the cold winds of europe.

so, this diary series is for myself :) nevertheless, i hope you enjoy reading vicariously

a new chapter

the old has gone, the new has come

coming back from exchange has changed my outlook on many aspects of life. Substantial change, i say.

after 5+mths worth of change in europe for my exchange stint, my world has changed. MY world. ceteris paribus (yes im an economics student) - everything else stayed the same.

i came home expecting things to be different. but nope. family's the same (yay). room's untidiness is the same (if not worse. others invaded my territory! plus, after-travelling unpacking doesnt help the situation, not one bit). friend's are the same. church's the same. school, oh school, school's infinite times worse!

managing relationships

just a disclaimer before you guys get excited over me talking about my relationship with a boy. sorry, not this post, haha

we manage relationships everyday

since young, i make it a point to smile at the provisional shop people whenever i pass by them. these are people whom ive been calling "uncle/jiejie/auntie" since i was 3, and i still address them the same way today. same to the uncle who deliver eggs. same to the crazy uncle who used to humour me when i was a kid.. daily, i start my days to internship with nods and hellos. there is this uncle who sells CDs whom i never dared to make friends with. he too, never really made eye contact with me, i could tell. today, about 20 yrs later, i smiled, nodded, and stared at him to "force" him to acknowledge me. it was a good 1 long second before he smiled and returned my gesture in a nod. yay.

At work, we got to manage relationships. relationships with the people we report to, relationships with fellow colleagues, relationships with people who report to us. even at a setting outside office, e.g. bonding session over BBQ, we have to manage such relationships well. while it is good for my colleagues to see the joker side of me, people usually attach stereotype on these people that talk too much cock -- that they arent reliable to get things done.

just a few days ago, i was assigned to lead in the game of charades for my colleagues. during the games, i had to constantly be politically right. i had to make sure that the words they lucky-draw-ed were neutral words that were not too tough nor too easy. else, i would discard them and ask them to draw another.

it's good to take some time to off the comp and reflect on the week. it gives me insights and learning points about this journey called life.

listen to this

ive been keeping journals of all the countries i travel to, so fret not. slowly but surely, i will update. but this song, i gotta promote this song with the rest of the world noww

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2Amgsxr_lM&feature=related

Applejack

Raise your hands and sing it with me
Sometimes the strongest and most wonderful things are those we cannot see
Sing a song, sing a song
About how things seem more important at night
So sing apples, sing drumkits
Sing moonlight, sing lungfish
And sing a song mitochondria
Whoa whoa whoa whoa
Raise your hands and sing it with me
Sometimes the strongest and most wonderful things are those we cannot see
Sing apples, sing drumkits
Sing moonlight, sing lungfish
-The Triangles

it reflects a little bit of exchange. the friends we make, the sights we see, the parties we go to, the beers we enjoy, the feeling of a holiday, the cycling trips we make, the love we share, the goodbyes..

ive been listening to this song on repeat mode. i feel kinda emo yet kinda blissful about this whole exchange experience. u know, the bittersweet feeling

listen to it. im quite sure u will enjoy the song :)

it's nice to feel special

you know how sometimes angmohs in singapore get preferential treatment? they are viewed as the upper class, the more atas race?well, i experienced the same atas feeling in poland. however, it wasnt quite the same as how angmohs are treated in singapore. in singapore, they're often approached or tended to in boutiques. singaporeans take the initiative to reach out to them.

in poland, however, we were stared at -- with surprise/shock/awe. many tried stealing looks at us. i returned their stares with a monster face + BOO! and that got some of them startled and jumpy. heeeeheee. the kids saluted/waved and us or gave friendly hellos.

so anyway, i was in gdansk, poland, with some SG peeps. Old town hostel had really knowledgeable receptionists that gave really useful tips and directions. i have this knack for talking to those who do what they love. in this case, the receptionist really enjoyed meeting people from all around the world, and helping them explore poland. i wonder what hostels in singapore are like. shall have a look at them when im back!

food in poland is pretty cheap. we were like carnivores the few days there, and this meat platter is da bombz.the highlight of the trip, in my opinion, is the trip to strutoff concentration camp, where i got a glimpse of how POWs were treated and how the camps were run. i cant imagine how life was, in prison camps. really thank God for everything i have today. picture above shows the small gas chamber where numbers were gased. there was this peculiar smell from the chamber =/

we got to end the trip with a bang -- ok not quite. there was a 3 hour delay. but as kiasu singaporeans, we were somewhat at the front of the queue to board the plane. but the phrase 'zero to hero' was most accurately portrayed tt day. they changed the boarding gate to the one directly behind us. from the first ones in the queue, we became the last few. hurrrrrr.

but oh wells, there was this terror kid that was there to entertain us. he created quite a scene, running to the luggage belts at the check-in counter that they had to push the emergency button just before his fatty bom bom self reached the end of the conveyor belt into the walls (storage area). and he came to me, pointing a finger at my face, and shouted (vulgarities maybe?) into my face. i simply smiled back and that irritated the shit outta him. lol

all in all, a good fulfilling trip!

i like zebra print

quick update

i know i havent been updating. here's a quick one (hence no photos)
i shall tell u abt this new module im taking "violence, gender & culture"

i think this module is a pretty dark/hard course for the professor to "teach". we cover discussion questions like "why do men sexually abuse children".

there are by large 2 schools of thoughts amongst psychologists. one that believes in the innocence of children, and one that believes that children only tell tales/stories.

this reminded me of my primary school days. i was sitting beside this irritating boy called sim si yu (i tried searching him down on facebk, but sadly i didnt manage to), who commented "mrs ong's backside very smelly" when she walked behind him. and so i raised up my hand, and said "mrs ong, sim si yu said your backside very smelly". how innocent(ly stupid i was).

before i knew it, *SLAP*.
"I DONT LIKE PEOPLE TELLING TALES"

i didnt know what "telling tales" was. and at that age, i didnt make sense of what was happening. i felt guilty, even though i was punished for doing something i thought was right. i went to recess with a red handprint on my face, ashamed.

it was until yrs later when i found out what telling tales meant.. i wasnt lying! and it didnt help tt my teacher's name was mrs ong teng chiong, similar to tt of our president then.

grahhh!!!!

i must learn to forgive. mrs ong, if you're seeing this, you're forgiven. (in fact i use this story as a joke during gatherings). and lucky you, at tt time, teachers were allowed to physically "abuse" or hit the students. which reminds me, mrs seah whacked my head with the assessment book before. poor me ;(

back to my module on violence, gender, and culture. it is said that in court, the lawyers and judge are mostly men. men and women are constructed differently, in terms of thoughts, emotions, what they perceive as norms, as what ought to be.. are women's and children's safety at risk?

in today's lesson, i learnt tt it is women's responsiblity to say "NO" to pre-marital sex. firstly, it is socially accepted that men is the more violent/aggressive gender. and second, women are the ones that bear the brunt of the act. the men simply get to scatter their seeds around, deriving pleasure. women, on the other hand, get pregnant during unprotected sex. this has loads of other implications to society: abortions, taking absence from school, being frowned upon etc. with such an imbalance in consequences, women HAVE to have the say. women have to make the decision in their heads to say NO, before hooking up with guys at parties/prom etc.

tough luck, huh.

we also talked about female genital mutilation. there are still some communities in Africa (Narok i tink) that practice female genital mutilation as a traditional ritual, one which 'tames' the women. sex becomes a men's game. after the ritual at about 14 years old, these women stop going to school, bcos the ritual is something like an announcement to the whole village tt she is ready for marriage. these ladies quickly get married off after the ritual and lose their chance to be educated. they become sex toys for the men. they cannot enjoy the pleasure of sex after the ritual (their clitoris is damaged/cut).

what's the point of all these cutting? senseless tradition.

this is one module which classes i never pon, despite it being a morning class. it gives me a glimpse of how small i am in this world, and how vast the world out there is for me to explore.

i dont want to go back to reality (singapore), yet.

fulfilled wants

i just realised, im able to take 2 things off my "wants" list!

` finances for xchange jan 2010

` a trip to greece

whee. happy :)

i want to skii

exams are looong over. i think i did ok for my exam. ok tt was very humble. im quite sure i will score full marks for it. look, im so confident that i even ticked this box on the exam paper:
'the department scans exams awarded the top grade and publish them anonymously on the department's website. if i receive the top grade, i do NOT allow my exam to be published (tick the box)'

i think my marker's gonna have a good laugh. HAHAHA. i wont fail, but i definitely wont be achieving the top grade. hoho

p.s. i want to skii. but spring's somewhat here. ahhh

the right to fart

well, exam is in two days' time, i have about 14 chapters left, but progress was good today, so i`ll reward myself by allowing some blogging time!

ive been studying at my fren's apartment for 3 nights, it's my smu-equivalent of a gsr (grp study room).

so anw, here's the main point.. the thing about sweden and my digestive system.. they aint very chummy with each other -- i fart alot, ALOT, ever since i came to sweden. i guess my body's still not used to the food here. or mayb im eating alot more veggies here than in singapore. so, studying in my fren's place made it very tough for me to hold my fart in. HAHAHA. i know you know tt we can hold our farts!

unlike studying in my own room, i have the right to fart and stink up the whole room and faint from the poison gas, but noooo, not in my fren's place. and come april i will be moving in with another fren. i`ll have a housemate henceforth.

my, what am i gotta do with this farting issue. i lost my right to fart (freely)!

positive °C today!

finally, spring is coming. lund, sweden reached a POSITIVE 4 degree celcius today. the first time it ever hit positive ever since i get here.

well, a fren from church burst the bubble when he emailed the church peeps for snow sledding tmr at St Hans Backar, albeit with " "if the snow is still around" in parenthesis. (imagine this slope covered in snow. we could have skied/slided alll the way down!)

WHY, DIDNT YOU SUGGEST EARLIER RON? WHY WHY WHY. but he's so nice i cant get angry with him, for long.

yes, ive been wishing for spring everyday, but i dont want it to come tmr! not tmr! so tt i can go snow sledding! but it's raining outside now. not snowing. soooo, i guess snow sledding is off :( yes, we will be able to slide down the hills much quickier, but we're gonna get real wet and cold too. we shall see.

im not sure if spring is a good idea. just today, an insect flew into my fren's room. there are puddles everywhere, not very good for cycling. my back/bags are nicely painted with brown spots whenever i cycle. my shoes get wet. i believe things will start to smell.

if spring wants to come, COME FAST! quick transition, please, and usher in the warm summer.
nice, i can imagine it already-- the soft sun in the distance, just me in a cafe with my book and coffee, looking over the seas in Santorini, Greece.



on a totally random note, i started reading chapter 1 for my economics module (we're supposed to be at chapter 15 now), and it explained how Easter Island became what it is today:

the existence of the enormous statues carved from volcanic rock and the fact that they were erected such a long way from the quarry suggest the presence of an advanced civilization, but to current observers it is nowehere in evidence. what happened to that society?

a rising population, coupled with a heavy reliance on wood for housing, canoe building, and statue transportation, decimated the forest. the loss of the forest contributed to soil erosion, declining soil productivity, and, ultimately, diminished food production. how did the community react to impending scarcity? apparently the social response was war and, ultimately, cannibalism.

i didnt know that, wow.

i just feel like blogging

am down with headache --too much drinking
down with stomachache-- too much eating

but i feel like blogging. lol. was up in london for a week meeting old frens from rg/rj/church. it was the first time this exchange travelling out alone. and here were my thoughts during the journey:

travelling alone gives me the satisfaction, esp when i catch the correct bus/reach the correct terminal. it's like an amazing race, at a slower pace, but gotta be fast enough for me to reach my pitstops in time, else get eliminated by a missed flight/bus. haha. it's like amazing race with God as the partner/helpline. Alone, i speak to God. Asked Him to keep the bus at the dock while i rush to it, asked Him to keep me safe as i wait along the london streets at 4am. Tuning my body clock into travel mode -- making journeys at weird hours, speaking in the british accent, trying their kind of food.

everything's just great.

best host in the world kat! bumped into tohtoh

AWESOME DUCK RICE WITH FB-STALKER CHHH!

5 housemates for the week. wesley, eugene

Amelia, junli
(and kat of course!)

watched les miserable with edwin :)

YingQueue @ cambridge with danT

rj so6i reunion in cambridge

love much! peeps bringing me for awesome korean food in london!
lynner, zhu, tohtoh

simply awesome. would love to go back london again.

blessed

it's CNY as usual in sweden!

there was a reunion dinner at the church i am attending, and oh my, there was a huge spread of chinese food and asian food. altho home steamboat + yummylicious food during cny is ALWAYS the best, this yr's spread was still good! we were pampered with bak kwa, bak kut teh, pineapple tarts, tandoori chicken, ginseng chicken, dumplings, kimchi pancake, sushi, mua chee etc. im quite sure i will return to singapore weighing heavier than before, ha!


about being blessed, i realised that my previous tenant left LOADS of stuffs for me, unlike my other friends.

foremost, she (it better be a 'she') left a princess poster for me. hahahaha.

there were pretty nice postcards at my kitchen area. plus, she left washing liquid, Gif, clothes washing powder, hand soap, toilet paper, multiplug, laundry baskets for me! i got to $ave quite abit on those :)

happy CNY and Vday! time for me to sleep :)

some thoughts

in a new place, with a new life, it's hard to be bloggin about everything. want photos/videos, checkout ma facebk. this blog will be for serious stuffs, i guess?

school started for a week. being a student town, there are LOADS of student activities to go for. mostly parties. in the midst of all these buzz, im reli glad that the other 2 travelling with me are people i can depend on. coincidentally, we're christians/catholic -- sth i didnt know when i contacted yunqing and desmond to form a "clique".

yunqing

desmond

amongst these nightsload of activities, we found time to worship tgt (on our way home), say grace before every meal, and attend church together. coindentally, the SMU Alumni, Sarah Lide (she eventually married the swedish guy she met during her exchange), is a christian. She makes effort to be the host for all the exchange students, and minister to the christians amongst us. she invites us to fika (dinner), cell group, church.

i`ll be heading to her church tmr morning. service is in swedish but they have english translation.

God's good. He puts me in the right places, and brings me the correct people. All the "coincidences" above? i now say they aint by chance.

living the life here, am independent, nevertheless cold. need to be xtra careful and disciplined in a foreign land, a student town, where booze, stuffs, and mindless young adults reign. in all honesty, it's hard not to "go with the flow", but no worries im in control ;)

xoxo

one day left

one day left to 5th jan. ah my gawd. starting to feel the reality sinking in.

there are loads to pack, farewells to bid, words to say, hugs to give, mistakes to correct, people to forgive..

a 6mth long journey. one w/o the familiarity of friends and love ones, where breezes or winds will be desired no more (hello, negative 10-20 degree celcius. not summer singapore). it will be hard to keep in touch with things back here, hard to integrate back in 6mths time. well, we'll see how it goes.

havent decided if i shld blog abt my trip in this blog or just do videos and upload on youtube whenever i can. somehow the idea of raw uncut unglamz unrehearsed video entices me more than sequenced blog entries. hopefully, i`ll be so hapz in sweden tt i wldn have time to blog/upload videos. haha! i can do skype tho. add me hazel.ang.yingqi

for now, am just really excited with jumping into europe with no concrete plans and limited finances. wld be a challenge of a lifetime!

5th jan. terminal 1. 9pm flight (but pls be there at ~630pm)

thanks :)

even though im due for my exchange in a week's time, memories of last semester just slips into my mind every now and then. for some, i managed to bid proper goodbyes. (yay). for those whom i didnt, tough luck, but i hope we meet again somewhere in life!

Natalie Lennox. somehow you feel like an older sis to me, tho we're of the same age (right? 21?). im soooo thankful that i joined u guys @ ICB after the last corp creativity class lesson. i think that was THE event that brought me into the world of the exchange people! if there's one word to describe you, i`d say you're "wow". wow in the way you view things in life, wow in the words you speak (they speak volumes, lady), wow in your creative answer for corp creativity paper (if i were the prof i`d have given you a perfect score for your bravery and creativity mannn!!), wow in your amicable nature, wow in so many ways lah! it's a pity we didnt say a proper goodbye :( but im sure you had your share of fun travelling around asia! i see in fb updates tt you're sick? i pray that you recover soon and get ready for more partaye-ing before sch starts! *hugs* love u





PAULINA.
you diva. i secretly like the way you speak. haha! you pace your words and articulate them well, i simply enjoy hearing you speak. i feel that you're one sincere lady that's trustable. i must say you're kinda cute, the way you KNOW how you're knocked out after one glass but DONT KNOW why you end up with so many business cards in the morning. you're hilarious! and thank you for enlightening me about europe's SOS number "112". ive been wondering about the importance of "112" for eons. anyhow, i think im going to changi airport the same day as you, 5th jan? im having the 9pm flight. it'll be cool if we bump into each other. i hope we can meet up in denmark while im having my exchange in sweden! DO BRING ME TO PICK MUSHROOMS PLSSS.





chelseeeeeea, the little one.
i remember meeting you for the first time outside sch of biz. you were with your mum, right? it's cool how we were hanging out on an almost-daily basis at the end of the term. i felt more like the foreigner since you guys were bringing me around and inviting me to parties every other day! this makes me a bad bad singapore host. thank you for being such a good host (haha) instead. it's cool how we sometimes have the same "no i dont like this party" feeling, and slowly disappear from the pack. lol. my, im reminising those days, and i really hope to drop by canada some day to meet the whole bunch once again! love u



JAYbanks!
well SADLY, i dont have a solo picture with you, buster. but i love you still, with your kickass attitude and nasty end-of-the-sentence-word-fillers, you ROCK the town, punkhead. hahahha.
I MISS U LAH. i am sure you miss my scream-that-pierced-through-the-midnight-silence-at-havelock too. how ru doing? hope all's well and good. SCHOOL'S IN, nerd.




danny ma man. you shld be danny chaplin (charlie chaplin) instead of a chapman! u're hilarious, funny, downright goofy! i mean, LOOK AT THIS PICTURE i really enjoyed being around you, you bring laughter everywhere you go. you made it so easy for me, the odd local out of all the exchange peeps, to hangout with you guys. u made it soo comfortable for me to mingle, and that gave me the chance to make friends with people from all over the world. and THANKS FOR INVITING ME TO THE HELIPAD PARTY, tt was quite an experience. omgosh i totally love the blinding lights and the temporary blindness WOOHOO (ok u can tell im getting quite high now) how i wish we could savour some kick ass stingray meat and la-la (the shell fish) many times more. SET UP A BBQ STINGRAY SHOP IN CANADA! i reli hope to meet up with you guys someday. for now, pls treat owen well
p.s. you can always send me some love through him (hmm, some BROWNIES tt made you reli high wld do good ;)). haha!
p.s.s. i wont tell anyone im your fake singapore gf, ha!
p.s.s.s neh, just wanted to try a p.s.s.s LOL
p.s.s.s.s (does this even exist?) i miss your nonsense LAH.



Thomas Parente
the youngest kid of the lot! well i must say you are one fortunate dude. i envyyyy your sumatra trip, and am glad to know that youve been touring Asia! corp creativity was cool. i like how we communicated across the room with our silent facial gestures! the roll-eyes, winks, and smiles. chemistry, i say ;) like what i said to danny, i reli wished to be pigging out on stingrays and yummylicious chilli with you guys right now.

anwayy im quite impressed with myself for pulling off your fake birthday trick, HAHA!!

"hi everyone, no, it's NOT my birthday"

cmon, you had better remember the birthday surprise farhan & i had for you. im 200% sure that no other smu exchange student have had such an experience! :P you're a nice chap to talk to, a sincere dude, and hopefully we will have one last chance to meet in singapore before you fly back to queens. do skype me when natalie heads down to find u! ;) will miss u

braden hufsmith!
thanksssss for making me feel like a part, not apart. (hey, nice words there hazel. haha!) am thankful for that session at ICB after the last corp creativity class lesson, else we probably wldnt be frens, and i`d have missed all the exciting parties and gatherings youve invited me to! a pity that our dates didnt give us a chance to have a final farewell after australia, but we did have a farewell at holland V yeah. lol. with soo many of you from canada, i shld totally make a trip down some dayyyy!





PETER BAWIEC!
you smart ass crazy dude. you surprise, or shld i say shock, me everytime. with the crazy on-stage-hair-ripping game at starry night, to the jagerbombs tipsy dancing & silly kissing stunts (haha, stunts!), i declare you a HAPPENING NERD! ("happening", in singapore terms, is coooooool). you bring gags of laughter and buckets of KERAZY wherever you go, esp if there's alcohol involved. lol.i really enjoy the chats we had, really. besides that crazy playful side of yours, you have this serious side that's inspiring and admirable. you hold conversations really well and your intelligence is attractive! there aint that many intelligent singaporean men with a decent level of EQ out there you knoww. i dare say you've got a rare balance of both IQ and EQ. ive learnt important lessons from you, and have post-it(ed) these tips on my laptop. thanks for all the times, and am looking forward to see you in europe AND then back in singapore! BRING ME SKIING PLSSSS! let's go find paulina to pick wild mushrooms too! :)



i love all of you muchies
thanks for the awesome company :)

testing 123

let's see if i can blog easily using the hp. Hmm. Looks ok. How abt uploading pictures?

Ok photos kinda phail

christmas?

what's the right attitude for Christmas?

it's Jesus' birthday (happy birthday Jesus)

not many Singaporeans celebrate Christmas. by "celebrate" i dont mean hording the streets of orchard and spilling into shopping malls to wipe out the discounted stocks in store.

i mean having a whole family gather around a big ass roast turkey with awesome salad and sides and other foodies. Coupled w a jolly good time of laughter, sharing, thanksgiving. after which a time of gift-giving and ferocious session of gift-unwrapping would end the day pretty well.

Christmas eve this year is, boo. sister's in thailand for mission trip. brother and aunt went over to a friend's house till 11pm (and left mum reallllyyy hungry). im either napping/watching tv/ in front of the computer settling exchange stuffs or creating a mess in my room in an attempt to pack for exchange, while dad snooooozes in the nice weather/watch tv. This yr christmas eve no family time. no having dinner tgt. no watching tv tgt. everyone's doing their own stuffs. sigh. Hopefully tmr will be lined up with wholesome gd family time!

besides giving christmas cards when i was young, i dont remember giving my parents anything for christmas. i am so fail.

will probably give them something they love before i fly off on 5th jan then.

merry christmas everyone
(shikes it's 1130pm and i have no clue what to prepare for church peeps tmr)

away

tanjong sutera till 20th. gotta wake up in 3.5 hours. bah.

busy bumble bee

my.

somehow, life's much busier after exams.
am bogged down with so many meet ups. meet up with the angmohs who're heading back to their home countries. am very emo over this now by the way. i hate goodbyes :( meet up with singaporeans before i fly, and spending as much time i can have with family before 5th jan.

with meet ups come the emptying of pockets. somehow, every gathering requires food/drinks of some sort. past 12 midnight and cabbing from anywhere to boon lay will cost a bomb. ahhhh. money money money (or rather, the lack there of).

to fund these meet ups, i squeeze time to go work at office/start small little crash-&-burn biz/ make quick bucks. hope all these running around and draining of energy makes me thinner. HAHA.

im tired (from work). and sad. why do all good things come to an end.


i hope i have the energy to make the effort to keep in contact with this bunch of smu exchange peeps man. and hopefully we'll all meet someday somewhere to continue from where we left off.



sigh. (yeah ok i tink ive been talking abt this farewell for qt some time alr).

road trip

road trip to malaysia with family
something we havent done in a long time!

im gg exchange soon, in jan. there's so many things to do, so many ppl to meet, so many things to pack.

i guess going malaysia is the easiest, fastest, most convenient, cheapest way to "go on a holiday" in my last few weeks here in singapore before flying to sweden huh?

aye.

Update on food biz & goodbyes

was a tad too busy to update on the food biz. well, new food on the menu was fried rice in egg omelette with fried chicken!

i continued the udon salad that i made on the first day. had some feedback to make the sauce more saucey (watery). i wld say 2nd days salad sauce became abit too diluted bcos of that. boo. shall continue to perfect it.

sad to say (haha!), hazie's bentos are no longer on sale since exams are now over. i wldnt have any food-sleep-rest-deprived muggers in the libraries to love/feed.

thanks for the feedback so far, and i sure look forward to cooking more stuffs during my exchange in sweden. CANT WAIT.

speaking of exchange, im starting to miss the current SMU exchange students. all the close ones are away in australia/vietnam or going travelling or going back home :( my, my heart aches when im typing this. heh.


i will definitely remember you guys, and hopefully we will still keep in touch after yall fly back to your respective countries and return to "reality" and your normal lives. hope this exchange stint has been an awesome one for u as it was for me!


it's amazing how i ended up hanging out with you guys on a daily basis. you guys are superbly friendly, and included me as one of your own even though im a simple normal singaporean girl. times with you guys are just full of laughters. u guys showed me what true friendship is like, even tho we only knew each other for just a short while. i really hope you guys can stay longer in singapore, and even go on these asia trips with you guys. but i guess i gotta save up for my own exchange next term too.

i still have alot more to say, i guess i will be dedicating the nxt few blog entries to you guys. its 4am and im just missing all of you.


cheers to many years of good friendship ahead. till we meet again, someday, sometime, somewhere. im quite sure we will :)


XOXO