.::. Loves .::.

BBQ at the boyfriend's place last Friday night. I love BBQ!



The men at work.

Perhaps the best thing I love about BBQ is when people gather around and chat while they BBQ and wait for the food to be ready. It's the same logic as steamboat!

My favourite. I love the fluffy eggs cooked to perfection, crispy kaya-butter toast and kopi.

*loves.

I have 4 more days in Singapore. Gotta make the full use of it.

.::. Happy Birthday .::.

Celebrated Ju's birthday together with my birthday today. Went to sing karaoke in the afternoon before having dinner with J4+4.



I'm turning 24...leaving early twenties, approaching mid-twenties. *sigh!

With dear Ju, who has found her happiness. Happiness is infectious!!!

Happy Birthday my dear girl. Stay happy and blessed. =)

J4. *loves.

The boyfriend. *loves.

I'm going to miss everyone so much. It's been a long and busy weekend, busy with lotsa gatherings and meeting-ups. I'm happy.

I almost can't bear to leave. I knew this would happen. I knew it!

.::. RP Gathering .::.

Went to LY's house for steamboat on Saturday. It's a mini RP gathering with the usual people, also a farewell for LY who will be leaving for U.S. the same day as me. He's going to stay there for 2 whole years...



The view from his place at 730pm.

The early birds.

It was also GD's birthday, so we got him a birthday cake. Then the guys bought 10 durians to share too. Imagine how stuffed we were.

Happy moments.

We've to admit that we're no longer the secondary school kids fooling around in school. Many stuff changed, yet some do remain. It's interesting to see that our conversation topic is about buying HDB flats, job hunting and marriage.

How time flies...

.::. Hello 2010 .::.

Technically, I counted down to 2010 alone. The boyfriend was sleeping like a log beside me while the dog was curling on his bed, fast asleep. I watched Taiwanese countdown shows and fireworks and watched Leehom and Mayday sing.

The boyfriend have been working in the workshop for days without much sleep. When he picked me up for dinner on new year's eve, he has been working for 2 days without any sleep. Though he said we could do whatever I felt like doing, we ended up heading back home after dinner. Part of me felt like going to where the action was - Marina Bay countdown and fireworks. Yet part of me dread the crowd and heat. He was could barely stay awake throughout dinner and was totally knocked out right after a bath. He had no inkling that I wished him Happy New Year at the stroke of midnight nor told him that his favourite band Mayday was playing.

So there, I gave up counting down in Europe and came home for this! It wasn't as bad though, since I get to spend this festive period with my loved ones instead of feeling lonely and homesick.

2009 has been challenging. There has been many moments which left me jaded, lost and depressed, moments when I had to make important decisions in my life. All and all, it has been a great learning experience and I feel like I've grown so much in the past few months. There were so many moments which were surreal and I felt really emotional and thankful to be able to experience those moments.

We celebrated our 5th Anniversary in December. It has really been 5 years. Long-distance relationship has not been easy, yet it wasn't that hard either. I reckon it has made us stronger. He has been really supportive and encouraring throughout the past few months, though the time difference is annoying.

Perhaps he didn't realize it, but it's the first time he told me that he wanted to be with me for the rest of his life. Some might think that 5 years into a relationship is a long time but I feel that the past 5 years is only a tiny fraction of what's left of this relationship...I'm thankful, for he has brought so much joy into my life (though he accounts for alot of the saddness too) and made me a better person. He's probably 'the one' but honestly, I'm not ready for marriage and all the responsibities (and problems) it brings. Love is about the 2 of us but marriage is not, especially if you don't get to stay alone. I dread the pressures, the naggings and advices which people shove into my face. I hate accounting to people and not being able to speak my mind yet have to keep up with a facade. Perhaps most of all, I resent giving up a dream of building my own love nest with my beloved. I don't see any good out of marriage at this point of time. I see it as an end to my dream and I envision all that I have to give up and put up with. I really don't want to mess this up or have this end up in divorce or endless arguments. I probably have to spend the next 5 years cultivating more courage and tolerance for this.

I loved living alone, having to clean up after myself, cook whatever I felt like, buy everything I needed, wash my own clothes and to be responsible for every single thing myself. I felt liberated and carefree. Truth to be told, if I could, I really would love having my own place, being in charge of every single detail...

My only resolution for 2010 is to be stronger and brave. There have been many moments which I felt fear and lost faith in myself. I realized that the only thing which stops me from being better and achieving more is fear. I need more courage to stand up against fear, more courage to do things I set my mind to and more courage to achieve more. I will try to be a better person, cultivate more patience and tolerance. I will be good. =)

I will spend the next half year studying harder and playing harder. This is probably my last shot at student life before a lifelong of work awaits me - cruel reality and a debt to pay. This might also be a last chance for me to tour Europe more extensively for I might not have a chance for god-knows-how-long. I will live my dream to the fullest in the months to come.

I have got to thank the parents for helping me fulfill my lifelong dream of studying abroad. The boyfriend for being my pillar of support and being so encouraging always. The girls for always being there. The roommate for company when it gets dark and cold out there. Anny, Hsiao Feng, William and Aom who has made great traveling partners. Rita and Eden for hosting us. Emma for her great desserts and contagious laughter. Fai for always making me laugh (at her) and everyone who has made Sweden such an enjoyable experience. Those strangers whom I've met along the way and taught me a thing or two about life, thank you guys!

Hello 2010...bring it on!

.::. East Coast Park .::.

Now that the boyfriend has moved back to Siglap, we can walk to ECP like we used to years ago. We used to walk to ECP almost every weekend and rented bikes to cycle around.



East Coast Park is one of my favourite places in Singapore. There are many dog-lovers and people walking their dogs, jogging, blading and strolling on the weekends. I love it when dog owners approach you to let the dogs socialize and chat with you about dogs. There's also lots of greenery and blue skies, very relaxing, I like.

Blue skies and a couple with their golden retriever. I honestly think that skies in Singapore is never as blue as those in Europe or Australia. It's always baby-blue, never deep blue. Perhaps it's due to cloud cover?

My boys. People have been saying that the boyfriend looks like the dog or the dog looks like the boyfriend. Hahas!

My beloved dog.

Time flies. I have slightly more than a week in Singapore. I feel sad that I've to leave Singapore soon, yet I miss Sweden and the cold. It's weird I know. I'm feeling so hot that I bathe cold water a few times a day and drink lots of icy drinks to cool myself down. It doesn't help much though, I'm always sticky. *yucks.

.::. Christmas .::.

Christmas came and went. It simply whirled past, with me battling jet-lag and struggling hard to stay awake.



Reunited with the boy and the dog.

There was lunch and dinner at his place on Christmas day. I was cutting up ham before lunch, stuffing myself with food before realizing that I was falling asleep on the sofa. Then I went to his room for a nap till dinner, only to find myself falling asleep again on his sofa - for 2 hours straight when everyone was so noisy. =_="

Then there was the Christmas stuff, tree, presents, ham, turkey, lamb, log cakes and whats-not.

Then there was Glenn's birthday. This is the 5th time I'm celebrating his nephew's birthday. 5 years, 5th Christmas together.

Has it really been that long?

.::. Great Food .::.

Met up with Ju, Chye and JS to have dinner at Newton Circus. I love the Heng's Carrot cake and A1's BBQ stingray and lala. It's heavenly!



Most of the food we ordered. These goes really well with a cup of sugar cane juice with lemon. =)

The girls wanted to have durians and JS drove us to Geylang for durians. This is not the usual stall I usually have my durian fix though...

*yums!

The girls.

I'm enjoying the good food, and I still have a list of food which I want to eat before I go back to Sweden! Super deprived from good food there, especially spicy food.

I'm totally jet-lagged. I sleep at totally weird timings and my body feels really weird.

How can I sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night, feeling so darn pissed and angry that my house is so darn messy?! Arghz!

I swear I'm going to throw half the stuff out in the middle of the night. I'm so sick of this mess. It's almost impossible to do anything when they want to keep all the old furniture, then bring in more furniture and can't bear to throw away any old stuff because it 'might be useful'.


The biggest realization - it's really difficult to live with others. That very reason is more than enough to put me off marriage.

Although there are many lonely moments in the past few months, I realized that I feel more calm and at peace with myself. No anger. It's like I've put all my stress and problems in life on hold and went out to explore the world. Carefree.

Free.

.::. imustbegood .::.

I came back home and realized that my room has practically become a storeroom. Then I realized that practically every single drawer of my stuff has been repacked and what I wanted to find is no longer where it used to be anymore and I've no freaking idea where it is now. I curse when I try to freaking find it again, only to realize that another of my drawer has also been repacked. Everytime I can't find my stuff, the anger rises within me and consumes me all over again.

I hate it when people goes through my stuff. I hate it. Period.

It pisses me so bad when I can't find my things and all I feel like doing is curse and scream the house down. It takes so much self-restraint, so freaking much self-restraint to shut up and take deep breaths to contain my anger.

imustbegoodimustbegoodimustbegood.

I'm so going to spend the next few weeks putting my stuff back to where I like it to be and pray that it won't be repacked when I leave again.

Living alone all my life seems like a very good choice.

.::. Farewell @ Lund .::.

It was my last night in Lund. We met up for dinner since all of us will be leaving for home or traveling.



I whipped up an Asian dinner.

From left: Me, Elaine, Hsiao Feng, Emma, Tobias and Anny.

A group picture, without Jessica since she has already left for holidays!

My last night in Lund, going to take the train.

Be back in January!

.::. In Umeå .::.



From left: Eden, Claire, Anny, Rita and Me.

It was quite a relaxing trip and we spent alot of time chatting and cooking. We had dumplings and stir-fried pork for dinner, it was great! Rita made the dumplings from scratch sometime back and freezed it. I want to learn how to make the dumpling skin! It's one of the nicest handmade ones I've tasted.

This is our 'room' for 2 nights. Rita was really nice to host us and bring us around for 2 days.

There was so much snow and that I really felt like diving into the snow and scamble in it. Hahas. We made snow angels in the snow though!

There was alot of snow.

Did I mention that I love snow?

.::. Catching up .::.

Met up with the girls the very day I arrived in Singapore.



J4. *loves.



Welcoming a new member..J4+4 =)

The engaged couple.

The boyfriend. He barely slept since he finished work at 2am and went to the airport to pick me up at 7am; before going back to school to work till the evening, then picking me up for dinner.

I slept the whole afternoon away but could still barely wake up.

Satisfied my craving for Suan La Tang La Mian and Xiao long Baos at Imperial Treasure. *yums!

It feels so good to catch up with my closest friends and see that everyone is happy and blissful. Loves my Christmas present too! Ju got me a 2010 organizer and Jo got me a very nice book while Chye got me a pair of earrings. =)

*happy.

.::. First Snow in Malmo .::.

We went out in the snow at midight. To our amazement, the snow was still there when we woke up the next morning. There was even some sun! Obviously, we grabbed our cameras and went out for some shooting.



Really loves the scenery!

It's probably the snow, but it makes me look really young. Hahs.

Jumping shots!

A whole row of Christmas trees!

It's Christmas Eve today and I've been sleeping so much. Totally jet-lagged. Hopefully the boyfriend finishes his work soon to bring me out for dinner, else I'll be stucked at home on Christmas Eve...

.::. Home .::.

I'm home!

It feels so good, except that I feel like I'm in an oven and I feel so darn hot despite a cold shower. Even the aircon feels warmer than our indoors with heater. The sun is shining so brightly outside.

My room is like twice as messy since I last seen it. Goodness, it drives me crazy.

I'm totally jet-lagged. Couldn't sleep o the plane at all. I watched 4 movies!

Shall go get some shuteye before meeting the girls and their other half tonight. Christmas exchange! *weeeee

.::. Saying Goodbye .::.

It has been a good 3 days 2 nights in Umea. It's a really peaceful and beautiful little town with spectacular scenery. We've to thank Rita for hosting us, and also Eden and Claire. =)

I was rather worried that our train back to Lund would be delayed or canceled due to the heavy snow. Thank god, it was only delayed for 30 minutes and we got back on time. Even managed to have a 'farewell' dinner before all of us leave for home or holidays.



My first (ugly) snowman! It was so cold that the snow was too dry to 'stick'. It's like trying to make a snowman with sand.

On the bridge.



Beautiful winter.

Frozen lake.

In a few hours time, I'll be on the plane back home. =)

I can't believe it has been more than four months since I left Singapore.

It is probably the most adventurous four months in my life and I've experienced so many different things.

It's amazing that I've gotten so used to life here. I used to complain about the cold even when it was like 15 degrees. It felt so unbearably cold when the temperature dipped below 10 degrees. Yet now, I'm comfortable with subzero temperatures and could survive with just jeans and a good jacket.

There's snow everywhere now. There's a ridiculous amount of snow! They say that it has been like 8 years since there's so much snow in this part of Sweden. I love snow, but I've experienced how such weather could cause lots of delays and disturbances to everyday life. The snow on the roads are all melting into a brownish heap, looking like mud. Roads are all wet and slippery. There's an ugly side to snow too.

There's so much I felt, so much I'm feeling. There have been so many moments which made me feel really touched and contented.

It's time to say goodbye to Sweden for now. I'll be back for more. Despite the many obstacles and not-so-pleasant stuff I've experienced, I still find myself loving it here. I'll miss it here.

I'm looking forward to catching up with the girls. It's been four months and dear Ju found a really nice guy while dear Chye is engaged! I'm so happy for them, and so excited to catch up with gossip.

It's the longest time I'm away from the boy and the first time we are so far apart on our anniversary. It's been such a long journey, and I'm really thankful to have him behind me all the time.

I'm going back home, where the heart is.

.::. Nydala .::.

We walked for 30 minutes to Lake Nydala nearby, this very beautiful lake.



Enroute, with Eden and Anny. I look like a giant beside them, especially Eden!

This is the lake, but it's all frozen (it was minus 24 degrees) and we were walking on it.

A group picture after making a not-so-nice snowman.



The scenery was really beautiful!

.::. Umeå .::.

Umeå is in the Northern part of Sweden, a 15 hour train ride away from Malmo.

We were really unlucky. The train which we reserved seats was delayed for more than an hour. We had to change our tickets and ended up taking a train to Sundervale before changing a bus to Umeå. It was freezing when we reached Sundervale at 4am and had to wait for an hour before we got up the connecting bus. It was minus 24 degrees that night, ridiculously cold.



The sun rises at about 9am here. When I opened my eyes, beautiful skies greeted me.

There is always beautiful scenery enroute on bus rides, but it's so difficult to capture them on a moving bus.

The weather was really great yesterday, though it's a freezing minus 24 degrees.

This was when we almost reached town. The whole river was frozen.

How cold is minus 24 degrees? Very very cold.

My feet was so cold, numb and painful that I had no choice but to buy a pair of warm snow boots here. I'm really warm and cozy after getting that pair of boots though. Minus 24 degrees is bearable!

Then again, snow is beautiful. Really beautiful.