.::. Staying in Sweden .::.



Here's the building I'm staying at.

My cozy little room. The wardrobe is behind the table.

And these are the stuff I've been eating. I usually cook and eat it for lunch and dinner. Chicken soup with brocoli and carrots. Damn healthy, though the chicken skin made it abit oily.

Then today, I cooked pasta to bring out in case I stayed out late and was hungry. I had a heavy lunch - pasta with ham and cheese omelette. *yums.

Weirdly, I don't have much appetite here and eating is purely to fill my stomach since I don't have much choice. It's a hassel having to think what to cook and what I've to buy all the time. I'm lazy to head to the supermarket all the time, I can imagine it'll only get worst during winter. I might just buy some chicken and meat to freeze and eat slowly.

.::. Street Theatre .::.

The highlight of my trip to Malmo Festival today since I didn't stay till late for the concerts. The sun was so scorching hot today.



This guy is from UK, London and he says he does street theatre and thinks TV shows are a waste of time. He's quite cool, and his only income is through performing on the streets.

He can actually go through the tennis racket as he balance the ball on his head!

Then he slid this fire ball all around his body.



He's actually very flexible and smooth with his actions.

I've never really heard of street theatre, only basking in Singapore. But as he says it, it brings good energy and makes people happy. And since he's unpaid, the only way to keep the streets alive is to give him a token for his performance.

I like the idea - keeping the streets alive.

.::. Taken? .::.

I visited Malmo today. A very nice lady whom I approached to confirm the bus to Malmo directed me to stop at the right place for the festival. It was so sunny today! The sun was really scorching hot, just like Singapore! I actually felt hot and everyone was in shorts and tank tops. The weather changes quickly here. It was so cold and windy that I needed a jacket and scarf when I reached, but it's so hot today that I went out in sleeveless top.

Malmo has alot more shops and shopping compared to Lund. I walked into a stationary shop in Lund and asked for correction fluid, and the woman said that they didn't have it and that I should come back next week!!

It's quite difficult to enjoy walking around alone. After a few hours of walking and shopping, you just get tired and feel like going home. When I was walking towards the bus-stop to come home today, a indian-ish guy (just like the one in 'Taken' if you've watched it) came to talk to me. He commented on my 'nice' camera and asked me where I'm from. He started guessing when I only gave him a forced smile and had no intention to respond. And after that he started asking me if I stay in Malmo, if I'm visiting and for my name. Goodness, it was totally like the show and I freaked out. I started to walk back the other direction and loitered for abit before walking to the bus-stop again. To my horror he was infront, loitereing and came to talk to me again!! *arghh. He started calling out to my 'name' when I walked to the other direction and waved him off yet again. My goodness, it totally felt like the scene in 'Taken'.

Things are quite different here. The supermakets do not really sell things like bowls or those household stuff like baskets and stuff. Maybe it's Lund, but there don't seem to be departmental stores here and I've to go to many places to get things I want.

I got most of the stuff I need already and I'm quite broke. I'm shocked by the prices of things here! To think they asked me not to bring stationary and foolscap paper here!! Pens here costs about SGD$5 and I just paid SGD$10 for correction fluid!! Pillows are too expensive that I really can't bear to buy it. Even soft drinks outside is SGD$3 in convenience stores. Everything is expensive and it's depressing going out to look at stuff.

The only cheap stuff here is probably clothes. I got a Zara harem-like pants for about SGD$12!! There are lots of stuff for that price there but I can't shop! The things here are similar to those in Singapore but much cheaper.

I'm tired. I miss home and Singapore so much. Maybe it might be better as school starts and I get to know people. Else I'm always out by myself or stucked at home to entertain my landlord who tend to go on and on about things. I've alot of rules to follow here and the most ridiculous one is not being able to bathe after 9pm. Else he's very particular about many stuff and like to let me know what he's doing and stuff. *sigh.

It's really not easy...

.::. Dogs .::.

Saying goodbye to Chinook was so hard. I cried. I didn't know how much he has came to become a part of my life after 2 years with me. If I feel this bad, I'm sure he feels worst since I used to be his world.



*hugs.

The cute boy.

Bear bear - Chinook's first real friend who played with him and didn't bark at him or bully him.

Bear bear is 9 years old but still look so 'young'. =p

.::. Farewell @ Ju's .::.

Had a late lunch with the girls and dogs at Ju's.



Ju's mum cooked really nice soup and there's lots of yummy stuff.

Ju's dog (bear bear) always barks non-stop when anyone goes to her house. But this time round, because I brought Chinook, bear bear was too busy checking him out and following around to bother about us! He barely even barked and followed Chinook everywhere! They like each other and had so much fun that even Chinook didn't want to go home and we had to drag him out of the house.

Just look at the dogs. We think that they might be gay! They simply can't get away from each other.

A nice group photo of us. *loves =)

.::. The Present .::.



The girls got me a notebook and a cashbook and I love it! It's so nice and quite useful really, though the diary is abit too thick. Shall use it to document my stay here. =)

I miss everyone already. I finally understand the meaning of being homesick. Maybe some things in life are meant to be really understood after experiencing it.

.::. Last Saturday .::.

Last weekend in Singapore.



Went for Joey's nephew's birthday. I always remember that 6 years ago, it was the first time I met his family. That makes Ethan's birthday alittle special for me.

Christian - Ethan's younger brother. He's very cute! They actually cut the cake while we ate upstairs! They booked the bbq area upstairs and the function room downstairs.

Wayne. He's very lovable! His brother, Glenn used to pose for pictures but don't want to take pictures anymore!

Bak Kut Teh with Ju, Jo and ly after that. Damn stuffed.

.::. Leaving & Arriving .::.



The 13 hour flight felt really darn long. I can barely sleep and after 1 mask and 1 eyemask, my skin still looked so dry! How do the stewardess do it?? I can barely sleep and it just wasn't comfortable.

My luggage upon reaching. This is the fastest custom I've ever been to. They just look at your passport photo and chop! No forms no nothing. But the luggage took some time to come out. My luggage weighs more than 50kg in total and it was so tiring! I miss my 4-wheel-pink-Samsonite. This soft case is lighter but it keeps toppling to the front!

I had a huge scare when I reached. I tried to call the 4 numbers the landlord gave me, but all 'wasn't in service'. I almost thought that I was cheated and stranded without a place to stay. But luckily, he answered the phone in the end - think the mobile wasn't switched on and the house phone was engaged or something. *phew. Scared the shit out of me!

The weather is really good here, the sea is dark blue! But it's like 15degrees and really windy. It feels really cold!

Malmo station which I passed by. It's having renovation. Think I'll drop by for the festival which ends this Friday.

I managed to walk around (till I was so tired) yesterday. I wanted to get a bicycle (walking 3km to and back home is no joke), but they were all too high for me. Bikes are so expensive here, new ones on offer are SGD$500!!!!!!

I need to go get groceries at the nearby supermarket (15min walk for the cheaper outlet), but without the bike it's going to be difficult to carry much! Then there are some stuff I need to get.

I think I'm jet-lagged. I slept at about 7pm yesterday. *yawns.

I took some pictures but realised I didn't bring my USB2 - another thing on my to-do-list.

.::. Saying Goodbye .::.

It wasn't that bad since everything went by so quickly. I cried when I left Chinook the last time, I can't get his puppy eyes out of my mind. And I know that I was his world, he must have felt really bad. *sigh.



Mama and Papa - the people who gave me a chance to do this.

The supportive boyfriend. It wouldn't have been the same without his support.

The sweet girls who have always been there and will always be.

=)

Bye guys, see you in 10 months time. Take good care!

.::. Last Moments @ Singapore .::.

The last day was a blur. Headed to the temple, to photocopy my textbook, then went with Joey to get me my card and beanie with bunny tail before going for dinner with my family and having less than an hour to do last minute packing.



Last local food - Char Kuay Tiao with sugar cane juice.

The sister, the only one willing to pose for pictures.

Family.



Us.

.::. Stressed .::.

I'm leaving for the airport in about 20 hours time and I've not finished packing! My luggage is overflowing, my backpack looks too big for handcarry. I'm feeling damn stressed. =(

.::. Nice People .::.

Had dinner with the ex-colleagues at Vivo's Sushi Tei tonight. It's Tai's last day and I'm happy that she has found her direction.



Thuy and Tai. They are few of the nicest people who made working alot more bearable. Thuy still makes me laugh like crazy and Tai was the one who made me know how to stand up for myself. I still miss our lunches together.

Honey with her boyfriend. She's one with great endurance levels - the first one who wanted to leave but hasn't.

Yanni came to join us after dinner. She quit after 3 months of working till midnight and burning weekends. She finished her ACCA but is going to start teaching soon - a job that enables you to go home for dinner.

=)

After my first real job, I'm really unsure of what I want. I'm really not sure if I would like to work more than 12 hours a day and burn my weekends. It's so depressing if I had to spend so much time at work that I do not have the energy nor time to maintain relationships with my friends and family. I reckon the working culture makes alot of difference too.

I guess I shall just study hard the next year and give myself a second chance.

.::. New Look!! .::.

I look like that now! Hahs. Totally different from yesterday's picture.



Went to collect retainers and to get my hair coloured today. Honestly, it wasn't quite what I wanted before I went today. But as usual, I always let Max do his stuff since I wasn't quite fussy. I didn't quite like it at first, but after praises from the ex-colleagues and playing with my hair, it's actually quite nice. Something different and playful. =)

Just look at the amout of herbs mama bought for me to cook soup in Sweden! It's damn alot, but I managed to fit everything into my backpack.

Problem is, I wonder if they will let me handcarry my 60L backpack into the plane?? It doesn't look it, but it's actually quite enormous and heavy! Ahhh, maybe I should take a picture carrying it to show it's size. But....how?!! I wonder if I could take the risk and what if they don't let me up the plane?? Hmm...

I met the ex-colleagues for dinner before catching Bruno with Joey. We only watched half the movie because the boy was late and couldn't find parking. *sigh. Maybe it's my mood or that we only got to watch from halfway. I just didn't find it that funny, comparing it to Borat which I laughed till I cried. It was below my expectations since I was so looking forward to this movie!

Had Bak kut teh for supper again! *weee.

.::. Brace-less!! .::.

I've got my braces out!!!!!!! *yay.



This is how I look now. My face shape has changed so much! I think it's longer which makes my chin sharper and cheekbones more defined and mouth smaller when I don't smile. Actually, I prefer my old face shape! But it feels damn shiok looking at a set of perfectly aligned teeth. I hated the gap in my 2 front teeth and the overbite was so bad too. Now its straight!

I keep wanting to take pictures yesterday, but Joey refuses to take with me. *sian. My face looks damn sharp here. Hahs!

Anyway, thinking back of my one year journey with braces, I really wonder what made me have the courage to do it since I'm so scared of dentists and pain since young. Perhaps it's the desire for something perfect on myself. To me, it's the only thing which I can make it 'perfect' since I'm darn scared of plastic surgery and I jolly well know no part of me is perfect physically. So yea... Of course there's all the benefits of bitting better, brushing easier and oral health. But obviously, I was motivated by vanity, as with many people!

I went shopping alone at Ion after my dental appointment while waiting for Joey. We watched UP and he was so late that we only had time for a quick Long John Silvers dinner. He complained that I took too long to eat - 40 minutes. But since braces, I've been careful and gentle with bitting and it takes more time to eat. I think it's a good thing since I bite properly before swallowing!

Anyway, I loved a new shop at Ion called "New Look". They have damn cool shoes! Not as cool as Zara but cool enough for me to buy 5 pairs of shoes there easily! There were so many cool heels and flats too. I liked quite a few pairs. Then the clothes are quite reasonably priced too. I like one pair of flat oxfords too. Hahs. Might well be my new favourite shop since the shoes are lovely and I'm such a shoe lover.

I think my dentist is quite nice! He gave me back my 'old teeth' mould! My upper teeth used to cover all my lower teeth and there's a gap between my 2 front teeth and the bottom teeth is crooked. He's going to give me the 'new teeth' mould and the before and after pictures together with the xrays too. *yay!!

I can't believe I've 4 more days. There's so much which I haven't done! I need to wake up early the next few days and get these stuff done...

At least I've got my passport and resident permit back. Most important thing is done.

.::. Spring Cleaning .::.

Just a very quick one.

Did major spring cleaning yesterday. So tiring! The bed is so dirty below! So dusty and Chinook's dounut toy, some rope and fluff managed to get in there!! Goodness. My mum finally allowed me to get rid of this bed frame. Such a bother to keep getting the mattress up to clean it since the mattress is so heavy. My mum gives all sort of weird reasons when she doesn't like things. She used to say how I'll spoil my mattress and the floor if I put it on the floor without the frame yet now she agrees to let me throw it out. I quickly dismantled it before she could change her mind!

The sleeping half of my bed looks like that now. Feels alot 'cleaner'. I never had the chance to get gold paint to paint stars on my blue wall though. Maybe when I come back...

I'm braces-less now!! My teeth are straight! It feels weird. But my dentist is so nice. He gave me the mould of my 'old' teeth and will be giving me my xrays, together with a disc with all the photos of my teeth too. *yay. I think my face looks slightly slimer. Hahas. I think...!

I'd better get to bed quickly else I won't wake up in time to collect my passport and meet Ju and Chye for breakfast!

.::. Saying Goodbye .::.

I finally moved Chinook over to Joey's place since there's nobody to take care of him while I'm gone. I know Chinook will be well taken care of and showered with lots of attention since his family and even his maid loves dogs.

Bathed the guy and groomed him before bringing him over. That boy is so happy and clueless that I'll be gone for so long.



Though it's been like 2 days since he left, I miss him so much already. I almost feel like calling out to him "Chinook, come!". I usually sleep late and he's always keeping me company, following me to the toilet and everywhere I go, scrambling to me whenever I call him and I always get to hug him. *sigh. I even miss his 'smell'.

He has settled well in Joey's place. Their house is under renovation and Chinook would have a big garden to run about in after they move. Joey's dad likes bringing him out for walks too. Chinook was so busy running around the house to check on every single on of us that he barely slept nor had time to play with his toys when I was there.

We went to look at lights with his parents before going to catch G.I.Joe. I didn't know lights were that expensive! But it's not like we're making the choice, so it doesn't matter much if we went along. It seems like we've very different ideas from his parents. I wonder if I'll ever have my own house and get to choose everything...

I liked G.I.Joe! I thought that it was a cool and exciting movie. Hahas. I think I like action hero movies. I think that Duke guy is shuai!

We wanted to have Bak Kut Teh after the movie, but it was closed! We ended up having frog leg porridge in Bukit Timah. That stretch of shops includes a popular prata shop, G7 frog leg porridge branch and Five Star Chicken rice branch! Looks like the famous food in the East is moving over to the west too.

Gong Bao Frog legs - another of my favorite food which I'll miss dearly. But the Geylang branch seem to taste better, I think because they marinate the frog legs more thoroughly.

6 more days!

I'm going to get my braces off tomorrow! *yay. I wonder how I'll look. =)