.::. Coursemates .::.

At our union house today.

Every faculty has their own union house, equipped with TV, sofa, tables, kitchen and all for students. It's where we heat up our lunches and drink tea or hang out.



For some reason, there was a 'celebration' and they made Glögg. It's a traditional Swedish drink, alcohol that is drank heated up together with rasins and almond. There are also non-alcohol versions.

And yea...'cooking' alcohol in the school's kitchen in between classes - something which will probably never happen in Singapore.

This is the cup of deadly Glögg. I couldn't stomach it, just drank a mouthful, and I felt it. =_="

Alla from Estonia love it.

The lovely coursemates.

.::. Seminar Aftermath .::.

I've finished reading the whole 500 pages of the textbook for CSR and have concluded our group seminar today. I'm not that great with group work and I'm not a natural public speaker. Alot of the times, I'd just rather blend into the background as an observer. I do get nervous but I've got to say that preparation makes alot of difference. I'm thankful that our seminar went well and I didn't screw up. It helps that our group is rather tight. =)

So yea, I'm trying to convince myself to be more confident and brave.



It's a relief to conclude the seminar really. I'm not that worried about the written report.

I rushed home to cook today. My roommate invited 3 of her friends who also live in Malmo over for an Asian dinner. I'm not sure if it's really that Asian though. I cooked krapow, curry chicken and sauteed mushrooms. My roommate cooked ginseng chicken soup and red bean soup for dessert. Sauteed mushrooms is my new dish and I love it!

I love having dinners and long chats. The conversation gets interesting when people of different cultures come together. You really do get to learn things and see things differently. It has been a great night.

CSR has been an interesting subject and the seminars in which we students host about different topics involves alot of group work. It sometimes gets crazy when the class is 60 people big.

I enjoy this term alot more. It helps that these subjects are alot 'softer' and more interesting than accounting regulations. And it's great that I get to know more people and work with different people.

Although getting to know more friends wasn't exactly on the top of my list when I came here, it is certainly a bonus. You really get to learn when you open up your heart and learn how to work with different people. I shall be more open and get to know more people!

New Moon is going to be screened here!

It's winter...I got myself a thick wool scarf and hat from H&M at a really good price. I realize that people wear hats for a reason, it really do keep you warm, so do scarfs. It might sound stupid, but I have never thought of things like boots, scarfs and hats to be so functional (to keep people warm) since we wear it most of the time just to 'look good'.

November has been busy, but great.

.::. 我的另外一半 .::.



我的心。。。在新加坡。

终于明白‘另外一半’的意识。

自己就真的只剩一半，另外一半在他那儿。他可能也一样吧。思念真的不好受。

One of my all-time favourites.

Anyone who knows him knows how difficult it is to get him excited or to take that 'straight' expression from his face, making pictures like that is really precious.

一起加油吧！加油,加油,加油!

.::. H1N1 .::.

We're all included in the Swedish insurance and could take H1N1 injections for free. Went with my roommate to take the vaccination sometime last week. It was at the more rural area in Malmo and we took quite some time to find it!




It was a building with a big sign in front. But it was so dark around that area, or most areas here anyway.

It was really quick. You just go in, fill up a form, they'll check your identity and explain about some side effects and stuff before the jab you. It took barely 5 minutes, then you had to sit there for 10 minutes, in case there are any side effects.

I didn't take the jab though. I avoid medication as much as possible and I heard about the controversy surrounding the jab, like how it was not tested thoroughly. During dinner tonight, Emma who studies biology was saying that there's alot of mercury in this vaccine and there wasn't enough time to really test it, so nobody really knows if there will be any long-term side effects.

Sometimes medicine really scares me, you don't really know what's in it. Mercury is something so toxic yet it is added into many vaccines to make it more effective. Seriously, what the hell is in medicines and I wonder if they are really really sure about the effects on our bodies.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Choo for H&M just hit the stores and ads are everywhere. I love it.

I had a great Friday night and Saturday night. Need to mug really hard to finish my textbook and to prepare for my seminar tomorrow.

.::. Learning .::.

I felt like I've learnt so much since I've been here though it's barely 3 months. It's so difficult to pinpoint exactly what, but I reckon my vision is alot wider.

I'm taking electives this term, Corporate Social Responsibility which is alot about business ethics and Management Consulting. CSR has brought many issues in our everyday life, problems about the environment, consumerism, economy and the sort while MC is something I thought that I might be interested in since it sounds cool.

Perhaps the most important thing I learnt after the first few lessons of Management Consulting and listening to real consultants from big consultancy firms is that - I do not want to be a consultant. It's such a political industry, high stress, high uncertainty, high work load, cruel and ruthless. I think I'll totally hate myself. Then I hear about so many issues such as strategies implemented which requires laying off alot of staff. Despite knowing that it's a reality of the economy and business, it doesn't make it easier to accept and I don't think I could live with myself.

CSR has made me aware of many issues, issues which I think are impossible to resolve or find a solution to. Would you really pay more for 'ethical' products? Are 'ethical products really 'ethical' or beneficial for the environment?

These 2 electives have the luxury of many vocal classmates who engage in all sorts of debates in class all the time. Listening to these different opinions on a wide range of issues makes me think alot. It makes me feel very small and ignorant in a way, because as a Singaporean or an Asian, we seriously do not take such matters into heart or really bother having opinions about it.

Coming here has made me realize how precious Singapore's prosperity is today. It made me realize that it wasn't such an easy thing to come thus far. It made me cherish the fact that we managed to develop and gain such international recognition without being suceptible to too much manipulation today. If we were dependent on international loans and funds, the picture would have been totally different. It's amazing that despite being this small, without any natural resources, we managed to grow this strong. However, we all know that we have to work extra hard to maintain these success.

There were times when we dreaded being this competitive. It is ingrained in us that we have to study really hard, go to top schools and get good results to survive and to be 'successful' in future. Gap years are non-existent and we might well be the country with the youngest graduates who step into society and start climbing the corporate ladder, spend most of our waking hours slogging hard.

It has become such a norm and we're so into this whole process that it seems like we're enclosed in our own world, striving for 'success'. Everything we do has to add value in our career, then there's the mad rush to get the car, the apartment...

Despite these, I'm very much nationalistic. I'm offended by racial discrimination and the way how people perceive Asians here. It might be their actions or what they say, but it can be felt. The most remarkable incident was when a China guy who told me that 'Geographically, Singapore does not exist'. Instantaneously, I feel smoke coming out from my ears. I was like, you've got to be blind not to see Singapore on the map though it's small. 5 million people live here, what you mean geographically it doesn't exist? Then he was there struggling, 'Geographi...geographically...' And I repeated myself, you've got to be blind.

Europeans are a much more relaxed lot. They value their free time and have lots of it. They spend 35 hours at work every week (that's probably half of our normal work week), come home to spend time with kids and spend weekends in the nature. They put alot of attention in supporting certain 'causes' and issues too.

Coming here made me rethink about knowledge and education. There are times that I feel that I'm so ignorant and that there are many things I don't really think of. Do I really have an opinion or stand on things? Do I really know what is going on around the world?

One thing I do know I am good at is studying and scoring for exam, and I'm not proud of it. I know that if I studied, I'll do well. But I'm clueless when it comes to doing reports and the scope is too wide. Answering a question or writing critically is fine, but I find it hard to frame my writing or approach a very broad report. I think I lack the confidence to speak up too. Somehow, I'm nervous when I speak, especially with people who speaks with those accents which makes me feel like my English is lousy. It doesn't help when you can sense people fidgiting and exchanging glances whenever someone with 'not-so-good' English speak and I wonder if it happens when I talk too.

Maybe it's an asian thing. When we learn, we usually accept and take the knowledge as it is given without really questioning it. We are not used to criticising things we are taught though we might be aware of the different approaches. Perhaps we are afraid of being wrong or 'sticking out' in our opinions since we're such a collectivist society.

All I can say is that it has been an eye opener. You don't know that there are things that you do not know till you learn those things. The learning style here is rather different and people are so much more proactive and takes alot of initiative. I might never be like that, but I've learnt alot anyway.

Everything triggers a reflection in me nowadays. Perhaps that is why new environments give you opportunities to learn yet feels so difficult to adapt to. Actually what I've learnt most about is probably myself, my strengths and weaknesses, what is important to me and what I want out of my life. I'm beginning to think that I'll never be happy if I pursue a corporate career, especially in accounting or finance. *sigh.

It has been a long week. There's so much reading to do and we're supposed to be well-versed in the whole textbook and several articles by next Wednesday, barely 2 weeks since classes started. That's probably 600 pages of information to digest in 2 weeks.

I shall take a rest tonight and work harder. =)

On a lighter note, I really liked this 'case study' in my textbook:

Nike gets stitched up

NIKE: Your Nike ID order was cancelled for one or the more of the following reasons:
(1) Your personal ID contains another party's trademark or other intellectual property
(2) Your personal ID contains the name of an athlete or team we do not have the legal right to use
(3) Your personal ID was left blank. Did you not want any personalization?
(4) Your personal ID contains profanity or inappropriate slang, and besides, your mother would slap us.

Pertti: Greetings, my order was cancelled but my personal NIKE iD does not violate any of the criteria outlined in your message. The personal iD on my custom ZOOM XC USA running shoes was the word 'sweatshop'. Sweatshop is not: (1) another party's trademark, (2) the name of an athlete, (3) blank or (4) profanity. I choose the iD because I wanted to remember the toil and labour of the children that made my shoes. Could you please ship them to me immediately. Thanks and Happy New Year.

NIKE: Your iD order was cancelled because the iD you have chosen contains, as stated in the previous e-mail correspondence, 'inappropriate slang'.

Pertti: Thank you for your quick response to my inquiry about my custom ZOOM XC USA running shoes. Although I commend you for your prompt customer service, I disagree with the claim that my personal iD was inappropriate slang. After consulting Webster's Dictionary, I discovered that 'sweatshop' is in fact part of standard English, and not slang. The word means: 'a shop or factory in which workers are employed for long hours at low wages and under unhealthy conditions.' and its origin dates from 1892. So my personal iD does not meet the criteria detailed in your first email.

Your web site advertises that the NIKE iD program is 'about freedom to choose and freedom to express who you are.' I share Nike's love of freedom and personal expression. The site also says that 'If you want it done right...build it yourself.' I was thrilled to be able to build my own shoes, and my personal iD was offered as a small token of appreciation for the sweatshop workers poised to help me realize my vision. I hope that you will value my freedom of expression and reconsider your decision to reject my order.

NIKE: Regarding the rules for personalization, it also states on the NIKE iD web site that 'Nike reserves the right to cancel any Personal iD up to 24 hours after it has been submitted.'

In addition, it further explains: 'While we honour most personal iDs, we cannot honour every one. Some may be (or contain) others' trademarks, or the names of certain professional sports teams, athletes or celebraties that Nike does not have the right to use. Others may contain material that we consider inappropriate or simply do not want to place on our products. Unfortunately, at times this obliges us to decline your personal iDs that may otherwise seem unobjectionable. In any event, we will let you know if we decline your personal iD, and we will offer you the chance to submit another.' With these rules in mind we cannot accept your order as submitted.

Peretti: Thank you for your time and energy you have spent on my request. I have decided to order the shoes with a different iD, but I would like to make one small request. Could you please send me a colour snapshot of the ten-year-old Vietnamnese girl who makes my shoes? Thanks, Jonah Peretti.

Jonah Peretti is a student from MIT, Boston.
'this will go round the world much futher and faster than any of the adverts they paid Michael Jordan more than the entire wage packet of all their sweatshop workers in the world to do.'

.::. My Love .::.



Super cute boy.

.::. Food .::.

Joined my roommate and her course mates for lunch nearby on Sunday at a Thai restaurant.



I went out in a rush, without even combing my hair. Changed and chiong out.

Rice served in a star-shape with tomyum soup!

Pad thai which doesn't taste like pad thai at all.

The food sucked.

Seriously, I have not really tried food which I really liked here. Pizzas and kebab are so-so, that Indian food was saltish and bad, this thai food is sweet and just simply bad.

Any hawker food tastes better back home. Nothing here really makes me go like 'wow'. There's not much of a food culture here like Asia does. Bleah. I'd rather cook myself though I'm getting lazy.



If my roommate ain't eating with me, I usually just stir-fry some minced pork with carrots, mushroom and broccoli or red peppers and eat it with noodles or rice. It's easy to packet to school too. I fell in love with red peppers here!

I'm so going home to stuff myself with food and load a luggage full of food back here.

I'm so deprived.

.::. Blue Saturday .::.

My roommate didn't come back on Friday night and I went marketing in the morning by myself. We've pretty much emptied the fridge and run out of rice. I managed to get 5kg of rice, cabbage, broccoli, mushrooms, apples, bananas, red peppers, and eggs. Gave me muscle aches.

But then, it was one of those rare days which we get sun and blue skies.



And days like that, you just HAVE to get out and have a walk. I can't remember when was the last time I saw blue skies seriously.

I took a very slow stroll to the beach and it's still as beautiful.

Spot me!

There are so many swans floating around in the sea. Pretty.

I spent the rest of my weekend reading 4 chapters out of 12 in my textbook. Need to prepare for presentation on 17th and exam on 27th. Hopefully I can finish all 12 chapters by next weekend since I'm going on a short getaway during the short 'break'.

It's the 9th of November already. Time passes rather quickly, doesn't it?

I can't wait for December to come.

.::. Taco pie & Movie Night .::.

Another wonderful Friday night. Went to Tobias's for movie and Taco Pie.



He has a nice pad! Bigger, nicer and cheaper than our apartment! Ahhh...Then he has those electric guitars, keyboards and sound systems with the computer linked to the TV.

He was the one who made dinner for us and did the base of the pie from scratch! It's Swedish-style Taco Pie.

The finished product, with salad (without dressing).

We watched 'Family Guy' as we ate dinner. I'm still pertubed as to why would people make such cartoons or enjoy watching such cartoons! It's somewhat like 'South Park' or 'Simpsons' - adult cartoons. I've never fancied cartoons but this was funny, in a crude way.

Then we had desserts. Emma's French Apple Pie and Tobias's chocolate pudding.

Movie of that night was District 9. I've totally lost touch with the movie scene and what's new. Ahh, I actually miss those dinner-movie nights out back home. I had no idea what movie District 9 was, but it was simply not my type of movie, somewhat gross too. Bleah.

Still, it's another great Friday evening. =)

.::. With Love .::.

Finally got the package from the boyfriend after visiting the post office on the 3rd time. I'm 'getting used' to the many inefficient processes here.



He bought a very nice box and wrapped it up with 2 layers of very pretty wrapping paper. Silver with embossed flowers and pink with embossed hearts. Sometimes, it amazes me that he does go into such details too.

I've got my books and journal readings! There's also a box of highlighters, 2 pen refills (one pen costs SGD$5 here), 2 boxes of Pocky, 1 box of hello panda, 2 long john tops, one packet of M&S Percy Piglets, a postcard and the pack of techy stuff from home. *yayyyyy!! I feel like a little girl opening up my Christmas present on Christmas, only better. =p

I've finally got my ipod cable, extra SD cards, mini MP3 player and extra phone (for my sg sim card).

With love,
xoxo

.::. Snow .::.

4th November 2009

Today, I caught my first glimpse of snow in my life. Despite weather reports predicting snow, I was skeptical. It's cold, but it's still early November afterall. I wore my thickest long coat today, all wrapped up but still not warm enough for comfort. The 0 degrees wind was bitingly cold. I think I'll need another layer of leggings beneath my jeans very soon.

It began snowing around 3pm or so and it was already turning dark outside. It wasn't that heavy, it simply looked like very small dots of white floating cotton. I looked out at the sight through the classroom window, secretly devouring that few seconds of novelty in my life.

It's probably not a big deal to most people, but I've spent some time in my life, wondering how it would be like when I ever see snow. I didn't envisioned it this way, but it was still somewhat special, probably a moment that I'll remember in my short student life here.

I'm acutely aware of how time passes. The surroundings change almost every minute here. It's been some time since there were blue skies and sun strong enough to make me darker by 5 shades. I used to take walks around, enjoying the cool yet sunny weather and beautiful landscapes. Before long, leaves started changing colors. There was just a few weeks of beautiful autumn before all the leaves started falling to the ground. The trees are mostly bare now, leaves are being swept away. It's like winter is announcing it's arrival.

It's extremely difficult to describe the whole experience here. It's like an extended holiday, where you experience new things every single day. It's extremely enriching and I felt things which I never thought I would and thought about things which I never thought about. I feel so much at the same time, it's overwhelming. It made me know myself better and reflect about how I really want to live my life.

I reckon that I've fulfill one of my dreams in life - to study abroad. People tell me that they admire my courage to come to such a faraway land alone, without knowing anyone here. But to me, it was a no- brainer - it was my only chance of fulfilling my dream in this lifetime. Making the decision wasn't that difficult, going through with the decision is the difficult part. It's not true that the first step is the most difficult one because it takes more courage and strength to cope with everything here. The change is overwhelming. I didn't realize that getting out of my comfort zone in that little corner of the world was this challenging.

"Travel is freedom... one of the last great sources of legal adventure. Travel is intensified living, with maximum thrills per minute. It's recess, and we need it."

It's ironic that this time, I'm going home because too much 'traveling' has been too intensifying. I need to go home and recharge before running the next lap. This time, the recess I need is home.

.::. Autumn Then .::.

Took this photos probably a month ago, when it was really Autumn.



Obviously, we chose a sunny day. First time in my life I bother checking weather forecast whenever I want to go out. This is right opposite the train station, one of my favourite views.

This is the main university library. It was covered by red leaves, which have now dropped and bare.

Whole building with red leaves!

There are cubicles in quiet rooms inside and I think it's the library with longest opening hours, 9am to 7pm. Other libraries open at 10am and some even closes at 3pm on Fridays!

.::. Exam Aftermath .::.

A tad late for this. Exams ended last Thursday, and we had 3 days break before starting 2 new electives this Monday. 7 weeks, 5 reports and 2 exams are finally over! We spent 2 days around Copenhagen, Hillrod and Helsingor and visiting castles. I loved Fredriksborg Castle! It's really irritating that it turns dark at 4pm and you really can't do much sightseeing.



This is our exam hall. It's very much like what we've been used too. But the great thing is that, FOOD is allowed!! Any food actually, and I think it's kinda cool that it's the first time I get to actually bring food into exams! The exams are 4 hours long (used to be 5 hours)!!! The papers are relatively short and straight-forward (like 5 questions worth 10 marks each) and 4 hours is way too long. I'm not used to such exams because all my life, we always have to write really quick and fight for time which have never been enough. I always thought I had a slight advantage because I tend to write and think fast, but no more advantage this time round and I can't seem to make myself slow down. I reckon writing really quickly help me to keep my flow of thoughts and arguments.

I brought potato salad and some choclate the first day. Dark chocolate was really good though I barely ate my potato salad. It's weird, stopping mid-way to eat. There's this chinese guy who brought one big bag of groceries and the invigilator was shocked to realized that it was all FOOD.

Fallen leaves are everywhere now. As much as I think boots are pretty and I've a very legitimate reason to wear them now (boots really do keep your legs warm), I find it rather uncomfortable, especially when you have to sit down for long periods of time. It's getting so cold that my toes goes somewhat numb at times. In fact, my feet, and lips too.

On the last day of our exam, it was a rare sunny day with blue skies. 5 hours or so of sun.

Autumn is almost over, leaves are all falling off trees and being swept away.

I've started 2 new modules, and exams seems like a long time ago. The two electives I chose this term was relatively 'softer' and more interesting subjects - Corporate Social Responsibility and Management Consulting. CSR is rather a strength here I reckon. But it's quite demanding, having to finish the whole textbook and many articles in 2 weeks since exams are on 27th, not to mention 2 group reports and a 30minute presentation and defending our report. Still, these 2 lecturers seem alot more fun and I think I'll enjoy the lessons somewhat. =)

Our landlord decided to get us beds!! It's those foldable kind, but it's still a bed, for free. So yea, it's a good thing.

.::. Black Silk .::.

Last Thursday night, I came home right after exams, exhausted. My roommate asked me along for this performance, but I thought that I would be too tired to go and didn't get tickets. Who knows, last minute her friend couldn't make it and I rushed down.

Malmo's concert hall is beautiful. It's rather big, bigger than Esplanade though different feel. It's the first time I watched a dance performance with a live orchestra and choir! The first sequence was really good, totally syncronised and fluid moves. The other 2 dances were good too, but it was annoying that they weren't syncronised enough. All of them were really good dancers and right on beat, but it's just that the angles of their poses weren't the same!

But still, for SGD$20, it was quite an experience and good entertainment.

.::. Highlights of Denmark .::.

Finished exams. Finally. Loved Denmark.

.::. Kopi .::.

Coffee with my roommate last Friday before dinner at Coffee break.

*hearts.

Very nice and cosy cafe, very reasonable price.

Nothing beats connecting with someone over a cuppa coffee. Coffee breaks are always special. Most unforgettable one was in Tokyo on that cold night before I had to fly back - the most expensive cup of coffee in my life and arguably the 'best' one.

.::. Gray Skies .::.

I've been stuck at home, mugging my sorry ass off everyday. *sigh. So sick of it.

Wake up, eat, study, eat, study, eat, study, sleep.

So sick of thinking of what to cook too.

I was telling Ju, at least back home, I can study for the day and head to the malls or go out for movies and dinner during the nights or have some great food for supper. Malls are almost non-existent here and it closes by 7pm.

All I can say is, I'm a city girl.

Too much gray skies is taking its toll on me.

You just feel like the skies you see - Grey and gloomy.