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Art of Science..

2008-04-23T23:04:00.002+07:00

Anybody took Sociology before?

Wonder why I am finding it so hard to think and write in a sociological way. Took this module out of pure fun but it is not really fun. It forces me to rethink and relook at society in an entirely different way-- in a totally objective manner devoid of the personal attachment, personal bias, personal religious inclinations (if I have any at all) and personal views about it. Especially issues like human relationships and family.. something so private and intimate, and to think sociologically, u got to stop thinking like a feeling-human with emotions and study the topic like an alien studying human species.

Though I still don't think like an alien yet, the more I read, the more (some) things are making sense.

Issues like simple love between man and woman. I had long find it a real pity for couples to break up when they were truly madly deeply in love with one another not because they had lost their love for each other, but because they were too preoccupied or simply get too mad at each other with practical issues such as financial problems. I often think it is a real pity when true love gets tainted and hurt in this manner

But Sociology starts off by claiming that there are social factors constantly influencing human relationships, for example. Human relationship is not just simple as a romantic love between a man and a woman. The process and outcome of a relationship are largely shaped by social forces: state policies, economic situation... whether you like it or not. We are all caught up in the dynamics of sociological processes and can't escape from it.

Another interesting thing is: high divorce rates in a society are not a cause for concern in Sociology, much on the contrary of what we've learnt or heard from the government and the media. Because at the same time, remarriage rates may be on the rise. Divorce may instead serve to enhance marital satisfaction of both spouses and the children, by enabling people to get away from unhappy marriages and rebuild new happy homes. Children from divorced families are also sometimes better off than children locked in unhappy, high-tension families.

Oh well... nvm about me: the above are some attempts to prepare for the essay exam this coming Monday. And I think I still need to work harder at understanding and mastering this art of science!

So long...

2008-04-23T22:46:00.002+07:00

Yep, it's been so long

so long since I had a gd break
so long since I've come here even
so long since just a month ago

Yea, it was just one month ago, but it was a painfully long testing period of my 4 years in NUS. Thought last year doing FYP was bad. Alone suffering completing experiments. But this time is equally bad, chiong-ing with everyone else. A marathon of projects. I shouldn't be whining, but I think I was really quite amazed with myself and everyone how we managed to tide over this period. And now I am taking a break at this period. Study week-- 1 more week to first paper, 1 more week and 2 days to the end of my NUS life.

I need the grades. But the long-battered spirit of mine isn't willing to work as hard as last week. Bernard gave me a wake up call yesterday. I tried, but I think I still have to try harder. To give my last burst. How apt.

I still need to be mentally stronger, to deliver my last burst.

Wish me luck!

Of fences and walls

2008-03-13T19:14:00.003+07:00

Probably handling human relationships is something I will never get it right my entire life...

From a young age, I have struggled with manging relationships. It doesn't come easily to me like other people who naturally have a gift interacting with people.

I think too hard, too much at times. I care too much about the way people look at me from the way I speak, behave and act. I care too much about how my words and actions will impact them.
That's why every word, every action I do..is after much consideration.
I am too sensitive to other people's feelings.

My mum says I will go crazy very soon with my brain thinking about all these seemingly trivial things.

To prevent myself from hurt, I have also started building fences and walls around myself and other people.

There is a barrier that I create around me, such that I don't naturally get close to people and it's hard for people to share my thoughts, my feelings.

But at the same time I desperately want to connect to people the same way as people do. I want to have great friends around me.

But I guess it's hard, when there's a wall that I've already started constructing around me since a long time ago.

Maybe one day I will start to tear down this wall around me..

I guess that's when I have mastered the art of dealing with human relationships.

Right now I am still learning and trying hard at building doors and windows on my walls.

Milo Mochaaaaa!

2008-03-04T16:52:00.003+07:00

Haven't been to the supermarket in a long time. So I didn't know now Milo comes in 3-in-1 Milo Mocha flavour until my mom bought home one pack of this:

The Star: Milo Fuze Mocha

I've actually experimented making my own version of Miloc Mocha with coffee and a few tablespoons of Milo powder. But it usually tastes different everytime, depending on how much milo I feel like putting each time. Ha!

But this Milo Mocha doesn't have too strong a coffee taste... It just taste alot less sweet than the usual instant Milo because of the balance by the bitterness of the coffee added to it.

I will still very much prefer adding Milo to my own cuppa coffee. It helps to keep me awake too!

Wisdom Teeth

2008-03-01T20:50:00.002+07:00

Extracted both my wisdom teeth yesterday. Right side, top and bottom.

Did it at Alexandra Hospital Dental Clinic.

I was supposed to do all 4 at a time under general anasthesia (GA), but having the ultra-worried mum, she made me do 2 at a time under local anasthesia (LA).

Ok I was just scared about enduring the injections to the gum for LA so I opted for GA at first. Heard about all the horror stories about injecting numerous times directly to the gum and I was cringing in fear each time I heard it, as though feeling the pain already. Thot that the worst part of the surgery was the injections. But boy! I was very wrong!

The injections to the gums were okie and it was nothing like I've heard. Just fine, almost painless needles inserted to almost every corner of my right gum. She refused to tell me how many injections I needed, but silently counting.. it seems like 5-10 injections!!
I am quite lucky to have a skilfull surgeon and at first I was still having doubts about doing in a hospital, and regretted not being able to go for a private surgeon.

And the read ordeal really began after my right side of the mouth turned numb and when I was covered under the green surgery 'cloth'...

Being fully conscious throughout the surgery cooks up lotsa (unneccesary) fear in me. Maybe opting for GA would be much better, cos ignorance is indeed bliss during the surgery. Whatever I could not see but can hear conjures up all the imagined visual images in my brain.

First it was the drilling sound to split my horizontally growing wisdom tooth into half for easy extraction. The scary drilling noise terrifies me so much, especially when I thought of whether she'll lose control and continue drilling into my gums if she did not stop the drill in time. I really regretted not having a faith at that point in time. Because my hands were clasped so tightly but I could not utter any prayers to any higher-being which I firmly do not believe in existence. So I could only keep assuring myself to be brave and strong and have absolute confidence in the dentist and changed to crossing my fingers instead.

It helps. :)

After the drilling, the yanking of the teeth took place. It took 2 more nurses to pin me down while the dentist extracted my 2 bottom molar fragments and the top wisdom tooth. Somehow I wasn't feeling so scared at this point, at least the worse or so I felt, was long over.

Luckily the few minutes did not drag forever and it was really a simple operation.

Now my right side of my jaw jus felt empty, for the 2 wisdom teeth that I've been keeping in my mouth were gone. But there will be no more digging of food morsels after every meals, especially nuts.. all kinds of nut fragments tend to get stuck in the gap.

But now I am already dreading having to relive the ordeal all over again.. definitely a few months later!!

15.02.2008 Goodbye, my beloved Ah Ma

2008-02-20T09:03:00.003+07:00

You will always occupy a special place in my heart.

Rest in Peace...

Yee Chong's ROM

2008-02-13T01:09:00.001+07:00

Been 2 years since I had celebrated CNY in Singapore! So this year was a little refreshing and enjoyed myself more! Moreover, I attended a wedding during 3rd day of CNY..my first time witnessing the solemnisation ceremony! I had missed my sis last year..

It was Yee Chong's ROM! I was supposed to buy a present for them, but I remembered his BIG day wrongly and in the end byon and I ended up giving ang baos instead..

It was a 'garden' wedding held in the small pavilion at his condo... refreshing idea and very romantic!! with the green green grass and the outdoor setting. The weather was great too! Though the noon sun was a killer...

The pretty pretty bride!

Solemnisation Ceremony

The small pavilion

Exchange of wedding bands..

Happily ever after...

See ya at the wedding dinner in June/July! :)

One year ago...

2008-01-18T22:05:00.001+07:00

One year ago... exactly 1 yr ago... I was in Changi Airport, waiting to take my first long distance flight to Copenhagen Denmark at this time 11pm. Seems like everything is still so fresh and vivid in my mind.

Feelings of anxiety, excitement, eagerness, last minute confusions were all racing through my heart. Tears, photos, quarrels with my forever caring mom, hugs, handshakes, well-wishes... Really hope I can relive everything again!

A 1 semester exchange to Denmark-- A trip that I had envisioned in my mind even before I entered NUS. A trip that was once fraught with many difficulties.

But I had been there and done that. And I still want to do it again.

Even after a year, my eyes still glisten with delight whenever I recall my adventures and experience to my friends, or help prepare my juniors who are going for exchange. It is really one of the best experiences u can get while in NUS.

Maybe some pple will think why I am always dwelling in my exchange times, even after a year had passed. Well, I guess its the best thing that happened to me during these 4 years in university.

I guess especially our generation is a very mobile lot. More and more people going overseas to do all sorts of things, even during their jobs. Well it is really true that the grass is always greener on the other side.

Once we've tasted a little of the sweeter greener grass overseas, we are always lusting for more; once we have seen a bit of the bigger world, we want to see all of it.

Since I can't turn back the clock, I really yearn for a job that can take me to all corners of the world. Be it business trips/an income that can satisfy my lust to see the world. My goal in life: I will try to save $$ (read: try) and travel the world and visit my friends again.

The Perfect Lover

2008-01-08T00:44:00.000+07:00

I have watched those soapy dramas since young. And I would often imagine and fantasise about love before I could have the chance to experience it.

From all the storylines and characters that I've seen:

My conclusion was:

The Perfect Lover is
A romantic and sweet man.
One who is willing to wait for u out in the rain downstairs, willing to die for you, willing to wait for you FOREVER.

Of course, until recently I still feel this way.

But recently, I feel that there's always an ideal situation, an ideal timing, an ideal lover for the above to be possible.

If any of the above elements are not ideal, the Perfect Lover as described can be classified as an irritating pest, a pain in the ass, a sore eye or just a fanatic who harrasses/pesters u non-stop.

See the big difference?

Maybe the Perfect Lover only exists in my soapy dramas.
And no, I will still continue watching them.

When will he stop?

2008-01-07T23:47:00.000+07:00

Two people are separated by a barrier.
They can't physically touch or feel each other.
But they can see each other (if their eyes permit);
and hear each other (if their ears permit).

But alas.
One is a deaf and mute; the other is blind, but with good lungs capacity.

The blind guy keeps shouting to the other guy.
Shouting nonsense, ramblings, anything that get to his mind.
He just wants to connect to the other guy, desperately.

But sadly and well, unfortunately the other guy can't hear wad this guy is screaming.
He attempted to signal to the blind man that he can't hear nor talk.
But well the blind man can't see!
So he ignored the blind man after a while.
and continued to savour his eternal peace and silence.

When will the blind man stop yelling, stop trying to get the attention of the man at the other side?

All he has is patience (and a gd pair of lungs).

He probably would not know that the other party is oblivious to him from the start.

He probably would not know that he is wasting his effort all along.

But he would probably know of a dry and sore throat as a result from prolonged shouting..

Only then, will the blind man stop yelling over to the other side of the river.

Happy 2008!

2008-01-01T14:34:00.000+07:00

Happy New Year to all.. and have a great year ahead!

Didn't manage to celebrate NYE last night. Rather, spent the entire night rushing through my report. I have still not completed and I guess there's 20% more. Hope to wrap up the report tonight before I sleep.

Not going to have a mad rush tmr morning. It is sickening to be so stressed out.

Feeling sick of everything now..

But just now managed to sneak back home (cos of my grandma's 80th Birthday splash) and read all the belated Xmas cards from my friends!

It always feels great to be loved.

Thanks all! :)

the end is near!

2007-12-27T14:16:00.001+07:00

Gosh!

What I am feeling now is exactly how I felt a month ago.
Feelings of anxiety, stress, desperate-ness..

5 more days to handing in of FYP report feels just like 5 more days to my first exam paper.

Maybe it's cos I'm a last minute worker. Sigh, it's really hard not to procrastinate. As one of my fellow last minute workers put it, we work better when its nearing deadlines. In other words, we work better when stressed.

I'm bored, stuck in front of my computer trying to churn out my first draft by tomorrow.

I so so want to go home, slack on the couch, read the long-overdue Christmas cards that are lying unopened at home, sleep for more than 12 hrs a day, try out new baking recipes, rebond my hair, meet up with friends (before the new sem starts) and go shopping!! I suppose there are many Post-Xmas sales going on right now and definitely Post-NY sales early next year! New clothes for a permanently up-sized me, new shoes for the new sem and new bags! My shoes and bags are pathetically worn out now :(

But the end is near.. :)

Just like a star (Grey's Anatomy)

2007-12-24T00:32:00.000+07:00

Just like a star across my sky,
Just like an angel off the page,
You have appeared to my life,
Feel like I'll never be the same,
Just like a song in my heart,
Just like oil on my hands,
Honour to love you

Still i wonder why it is,
I don't argue like this,
With anyone but you,
We do it all the time,
Blowing out my mind,

You've got this look i can't describe,
You make me feel like I'm alive,
When everything else is au fait,
Without a doubt you're on my side,
Heaven has been away too long,
Can't find the words to write this song,
Oh...
Your love,

Still i wonder why it is,
I don't argue like this,
With anyone but you,
We do it all the time,
Blowing out my mind,

I have come to understand,
The way it is,
It's not a secret anymore,
'cause we've been through that before,
From tonight I know that you're the only one,
I've been confused and in the dark,
Now I understand,

I wonder why it is,
I don't argue like this,
With anyone but you,
I wonder why it is,
I wont let my guard down,
To anyone but you
We do it all the time,
Blowing out my mind,

Just like a star across my sky,
Just like an angel off the page,
You have appeared to my life,
Feel like I'll never be the same,
Just like a song in my heart,
Just like oil on my hands

and Xmas comes to WOW

2007-12-23T22:50:00.000+07:00

It's not easy having a gamer as your bf, you have to be understanding that the seemingly not important game is actually very important to him. So instead of fighting (with the game) for his attention, understand and show interest in the game and talk game with him.

Hey I think I've mastered that.

And World of Warcraft is actually quite interesting at times. Like for example today, it seems like the characters in WOW also celebrate Christmas Day! They were dressed in Santa costumes and taking a group photo... Can u imagine..

Nonick who is usually a hunky hunter is reduced to a dwarf in Santa Claus costume today

The group photo of their beloved characters dressed for the festive season. Can u spot the snowman and reindeer?

1 Santarina and 3 (vertically-challenged) Santas!

Ok, I can't imagine that I've actually taken photos of his characters too! haha maybe I'm too boliao watching him play the game. Must join in the fun at times.

Happy 22nd Birthday to Vivian!

2007-12-23T22:31:00.001+07:00

Because of some important events, I've been spared from spending this weekend in lab. First was meet the parents and today is Vivian's Birthday!

But but my mind was too preoccupied with my less than half done FYP report and the last few set of data that are still lacking. As well as the xmas presents that I've yet to buy! and today is already the eve of Christmas eve. Was kind of a mood-spoiler during Vivian's birthday celebration. Vivian, I am truly deeply sorry.

So I did not really enjoy this break and would rather be back in lab, I think I felt guilty not being in lab. OMG, can't imagine I actually feel that.

But the break was great, nevertheless. (I am seriously self-contradicting, ain't I?) Had a sumptuous cantonese meal prepared by yinye's mum yesterday and some shopping done today! At least I managed to buy my Christmas presents at the last minute. Tomorrow (xmas eve) will be my usual lab day, so die die have to get today.

We had pasta at Pasta de Waraku, a new Jap fusion pasta restuarant. I think this kind of restuarants are quite popular nowadays, there's also another one in Citylink.

The Birthday Gal!

Lisa + Viv + Zer = 66 yrs of age..

Poke the egg first and let the egg yolk flow down and coat the fettucini!
Reminds me of the carbonara prepared by Emmanuel aka Pitto, except that he mixed the egg and pasta before serving!

Mine! Spicy Prawn Carbonara.. Look at the prawns.. EIGHT of them! :)

Lisa and I didn't have time to get Vivian a birthday present and we bought her a book that she saw today. Something about a beautiful mind. Hope you like the book and hope it helps! :)

Happy 22nd Birthday again! Hope u had a great day with your friends and family!

Super size ZER

2007-12-22T11:28:00.000+07:00

Urgh. It's holidays and I've been having macdonalds every other day for the past 2 weeks.

It's fast, convenient, junkie and can-gobble-down-within-10 minutes.

Talk about losing weight. Gotta wait till 2008 comes.

One more week left to 2008 and deadline for FYP report.

Happy Holidays!! (for now..)

2007-12-10T00:51:00.000+07:00

Zer had a great and fantastic weekend! Slept till 2pm on Saturday and went to Ruoxuan's 21st birthday party and saw most of the CAC peepz.. and today had ktv with the pub peepz and fencing friends! Its just great meeting up with so many pple whom I had hardly seen this semester or even since I returned from Denmark! So many things to catch up with some old friends and it just feels like the old times.

And during the gatherings, we planned for more future outings! like new year's eve party, xmas gift sharing, MORE ktv sessions (no longer lookin forward to them) Sounds quite exciting eh, but I can hardly truly feel the excitement in me. Somemore in the back of my mind, I have this nagging ominous feeling that I may not be able to join my friends in the festive celebrations as freely as I want to. Somewhere in my brain is screaming.."FYPPP!!" How I wish I do not have to do that this holidays. But I must pull through and wrap up my experiments soon. I must I must I must...

Just pray for me and wish me best of luck when I resume my experiments come this (much dreaded) Tuesday after my much deserved stress-free wkend!! Wish that my microscope will be in top condition, pray that my lovely bacteria will be in good mood, and hope that my mentor will give my more timely feedback for my results....

I really really need the luck!

And I'm so looking forward to the next weekends already. Mahjong and maybe some peaceful (sleeping) at home. Really envious of pple going for holidays.. tingyun to hk... mel to melbourne... xinling to genting, yian to cambodia, max to pangkor and yanli to taiwan... I also want!! But I have to wait till after graduation I guess...

-----Vietnam, Taiwan, Hongkong and more!! (I hope:)

Renewed::Refreshed::Rejuvenate::Reborn

2007-12-08T02:12:00.000+07:00

Change is always a good thing.

I've changed my blogskin again. Call me a Capricious Woman! Cutesy Cartoony drawings with my favourite cotton-ball SHEEP, and everything Cheery Merry Bright and Shiny. It is so me!! Must be mirroring my current state right now.

So sorry to all for my no-post in the past few months. No, this blog has not died yet. Haha was just taking a break, cos was going through a rough patch and it just doesn't seem right not to reflect the true me in my blog. So I had to take a break. Right now, I guess I'm back to face the whole world for good. Not ever going to hide or play a game of cat and rat (is there such game?)

Anyways, some recent updates: My examinations are finally over and which means I am supposed to have my holidays now!!

But but but... my FYP deadline is Monday, 31 Dec 2007 6pm.

This means I won't be enjoying much this holidays. No time and no mood I guess.. I'm so craving for a short-getaway trip too! But I guess anything too fanciful have to wait after graduatioN!

So its the time to put in hard work and work our asses off this hols.
To all fellow friends doing FYP this hols: Good Luck and We can do it! :)

Oh and one last thing: I'm glad I changed it.

Chocolate at Max Brenner.

2007-08-21T21:39:00.000+07:00

Finally I've tried Max Brenner at the Esplanade!

Took the chance to sit down after watching the firework display on Saturday n try the delicacies after hearing from friends about a year ago how good is it.

Well the concept is great for chocoholics cum sweet-tooth like me!!

Imagine a place with only desserts and all kinds!! drinks, brownies, crepes, ice cream... muahh!

But it was kind of disappointing. The food isn't [[WAH]] but a rather silent wah.
Disappointment always comes with great expectations.

Tried banana split waffle and venezuela hazelnut milk chocolate drink.
Interesting serving.. isn't it?

Banana split waffle: 2 cute spongy fresh waffles with ice cream and some chocolate! Just above average??? Looks great though!!

Chocolate drink: Rather thin and tasteless. Expected thicker and sweeter chocolate though. Would prefer my 3-in-1 Milo drink anytime man! But the ice-blended and Suckao (chocolate expresso) looks nice though.. Next time ba!!

Maybe the fondue is fantastic; it comes with 3 small fondue 'apparatus' (how do u call that with the candle at the bottom to keep the choc fluid?) and mini marshmallows, strawberries and bananas. LOOKS exquisite... But having tried the chocolate cum ice-cream fondue at Haagen Daz long long ago, I have eyes/mouth/heart ONLY for Haagen Daz's fondue!!

But I have FINALLY tasted Max Brenner's chocolate after walking past it for countless of times and always imagining how heavenly the smooth thick chocolate would taste down my throat...
It isn't as heavenly as I had thought to be though..

Chemical Engineering? That's so not GLAM!

2007-08-20T23:25:00.000+07:00

That was what a Biz professor remarked casually when he enquired what my major was.

Does it matter whether your job is glam or not?

Maybe it didn't matter to me sometime back, but I am sure it does matter to me, albeit just a little now.

Been thinking alot recently, especially on issues that I've not considered before. Talk with Alvin this afternoon prodded me to think more.

U can either say that I'm naive and still living in my own world; or that I am unambitious and easily contented with the little things around me. But this painful and late realization made me regret not planning adequately for my future earlier. Guess I am not alone in this.

With seniors graduating and entering the workforce and looking at the people around me who are going to graduate the same time at me.. it prompted me to think further, about my life after graduation, about my career, which will be what my life will depend largely on.

Friends busy securing internships with high profile companies during holidays; going for extra courses to get external certifications like CFA; busy planning their academic future, like pursuing a PhD and ensuring they graduate with good results; taking entrance tests to proceed on to do Masters in US...

What have I done to pave the way for my future? My future in 1 yr's time?

All along I was leaving in zer's world. A few years back, she thought she will be contented being a teacher for the rest of her life. Cos she just wants to bask in the joys and satisfaction from educating young kids. There was even a pt when she would be just contented to be a housewife for someone she loved. But now, I no longer dream of becoming a teacher. It would not fit in the kind of life that I would want. Suddenly there is this urge in me to want the same things as some of my other friends would want. Things that I denounced as worldly possessions and unimportant parts of life... Things like having a successful career, high income (high meaning not just 3k, a figure which I all along thought would be just nice). Basically just a cushy and comfortable life (that would include travelling yearly!!) which I do think I would glady want it in the future.

I was rather surprised at myself for bearing those thoughts. Cos all along I have no big ambitions and wouldn't want to be caught in climing the corporate ladder. Afterall, so what if u win the rat race? U are still a rat. Maybe I was just escaping into my own zer's world again, by blocking out all these thoughts that I used to think would affect adults only. And now suddenly I feel like I am thrust into this adult world, without much warning and preparation.

But maybe I should just live in zer's world again. Be contented with a job in PUB, which is after all doing what I like. Don't hanker over the worldly things. Cos they only make pple suffer in the process of doing so. (Look what its doing to my small undersized brain now; overworkin it) Are people who opt out of the rat race escaping from it? Or are they just savouring their life in their own right and standards?

I really do not know.

Maybe the better option is just focus on my short-term goals as of now.
Shall slowly straighten out my thoughts and consider what I really want and who I really am.

Life ain't the same anymore

2007-08-20T21:51:00.000+07:00

I miss school life.

Realised it for the first time when I met Alvin (one of the 6 Alvins whom I know) in Central Forum today. There was a bazaar in Forum! Walking past the same familar stores that sell the familar accessories and to my surprise, the t-shirt cum jeans skirt stall sells Little Miss Tees for only 10 bucks, and 2 for 18 bucks!! (that's besides the pt..) When was the last time I had jalan jalan in a bazaar? How I miss school life in NUS!!!!

Not that I've dropped out of school, but rather I no longer attend classes like I did in the past 3 years.. I miss attending lectures with the rest of the Chem Eng peepz and this sem I am not taking any common modules with the entire cohort since I had already cleared my Design I module in Denmark. Ironically, I used to dread long lecture days, and those days with long breaks in between. But now I am missing them. I miss hanging around on benches or having long lunches in canteen or walking around the bazaars at Central Forum in between lectures. There's less get-together session with my friends from Chem Eng and I've got specially jio them for lunch every now and then whenever I miss them. And the electives I take are together with the graduate students, so few of the other undergrads take them as well. But at least I still see some friends around, like Sharon, Lisa and a few others. Plus, tt doesn't help that I am taking 2 science GEMs this sem, spending half of my time in Science Fac instead. :(

Now that I'm in Year 4, there is more free time in the day for me due to the less number of hours clocked in for lecture and tutorial time overall. But at the same time, I will use my free days to do FYP. FYP is individual and again I'm left alone to do my project and could only say Hi, Bye to friends whom I met in the lab corridor. Although school had already started for a week, I do not feel like a 100% student when I still have to juggle between work and school.

Maybe when work ends I will be able to spend more time hanging around in school and meet up with friends! :)

And Boy... At the same time, I feel old...

Continuation of lousy day

2007-08-16T08:35:00.000+07:00

Well, apparently that was not the end of my lousy day yesterday.

My bacteria cells didnt grow cos I added too much antibiotics n killed them instead.. I'm so sorry abt that, my bacteria babies...

And I realised I left my office's thumbdrive in comp centre when I was there in yesterday's morning... and of course its not there anymore..

Hope yesterday was not the worst day in my life, so far...

What a depressing start to yet another long day in school in sucha gloomy weather..

What a (almost) totally lousy day!!

2007-08-15T22:55:00.000+07:00

Haven't had such lousy day in quite some time...

1. Specially woke up at 7.30 am today (even though today is my day off at work) to finish some readings for my FYP... this was only 0.5hr more than my usual waking time.. *sleepy*

2. Couldn't finish my readings (cos I fell aslp) and so I read till the very last minute and realised I was late for my school.. *still sleepy*

3. So I took a cab to school and I only realised that my mentor sent a msg (before I left home)telling me she will only be in lab after lunch when I almost reached NUS.. WTH!! wasted my 8.50 cab fare! Should have checked my hp before I left home!! *heart pain*

4. Was looking forward to lunch at the newly refurbished Arts Canteen, but the Gong Bao Ji Ding I ordered sucks... apparently they changed the chef for that claypot stall..
*sorely disappointed*

5. Had a slight buzzing headache in the afternoon while I was in FYP lect and later in the lab.. must be due to lack of sleep for the past erm 1 mth.. (!!) *head pain*

6. Lab work today was not smooth going either!! I FELT SO LOUSY!! ):
This was only the 2nd time that I was doing and first time without guidance from my mentor. So I was abit (very) jittery about doing it independently. I forgot where many of the things were placed in the lab and was 'snooping' around every nook and corner, then kena scolded by another PHD student for intruding his 'territory'. Sorry lah, I didn't know..
Miscalculated some parts and in the end I left lab at 7pm --> Tired and Hungry and Late for Kboxing with XBox!
*lousy feeling*

7. Luckily the day was saved by KBoxing with Xbox.. Felt so good while singing with sijia, jac, junhao and terence... Thanks guys! Too bad we got the student package (and I arrived 1 hr late) and didnt feel too shiok cos the time was too short.. We tried to drag the time though, but the guy keep coming in to tell us "this is the last song"... till we were quite paiseh!
So gian to organise another FULL KBox session again!! :)

Ended my day with Happy thoughts!

Happy... Sha La La!

Today isn't a bad day after all! :)

Bits of NDP 07

2007-08-13T21:47:00.000+07:00

Definitely not a pro-photographer.. but chanced upon interesting sights from NDP 2007.. Singapore is 42 years! and when people grow older, we sort of lost count of age.. it doesn't matter how old, as long as we age gracefully.. :)

Change of colours (flags) at Suntec Convention Centre!

Pin Heads? Nooo.. Black Heads...

Kids rushing down from Suntec Convention Centre to proceed to the Esplanade..

Little cute starfish!!

How cool is it to stick the flag on your caP!

Mad rush up the escalator to get fresh air..
Esplanade Underpass.. seriously the ventilation system needs to be improved

Singapore's skyline as the backdrop of this year's NDP.. I like!!

Even the expats join in the celebration by dressing in our national colours!

Singapore's skyline again.. This is one of my favourite pic (:

Fireworks atop Singaopore's tallest buildings!

Fluorescent Bacteria.. how cool!!

2007-08-13T21:24:00.000+07:00

SIGH

Been sort of neglecting my FYP from the start.. cos zer chose to work rather than do her FYP.. >< But now she seriously hopes she can stop her work (in 3 weeks' time) so that she can have more time for her family, friends, S.O, her tuition kid, herself and of course, her FYP...
*screams for just a wee bit more time*

My own prepared agar plates with 2 successes at the top and 2 flops at the bottom..

I had 6 agar plates to play around with and only the last 2 turned out to be alright! I was quite clumsy and broke the agar surface while streaking bacteria on it.. But in the end, my mentor was quite proud of my streaking skill!!!

Things like the above keep me going.. I have grown MY OWN bacteria! The last time I cultured my own bacteria was during secondary school when we made our own thumb imprint on the agar plate and see how dirty/clean your thumb is! What interesting bio classes we had back then! This time, no more dirty thumbprints on my agar plates --> Bacteria with Fluorescent Genes! Tadah! haha I am still quite fascinated by what my mentor does and thrilled everytime I go to do my lab! (Probably cos its still the starting... as I've been to my lab for less than 4 times!!)

I am sure there are people out there who are already sick of going to labs!

Cute II

2007-08-05T22:14:00.000+07:00

Short and spiky..
Like the new feathers of a fledging baby bird...

Yet at the same time...
Soft, ruffled and cute

So cute..
So irresistibly cute..

I Like!

Random moments I like..

2007-08-05T21:41:00.000+07:00

Dancing water in the light of the slanting sunrays...

Glaring, yet you still want to stare into the burning sun..

Just to catch a glimpse of the rays glistening in the water.

Vivocity entrance Fountain

Alone in a big (ok not sooo BIG) city with a big cup of frothy mochaccino..

Hiding behind a thick forest of bushes,

Away from the noise of the heavy traffic at Orchard Road;

Away from the frantic shoppers.

Who says you can't find peaceful solitude in a bustling city centre?

Day and Night

The Marina-Esplanade area.. and Beyond..

Marina Reservoir, Singapore's first city reservoir,

is currently under construction;

So is the Singapore Flyer, modelled after the London Eye.

And can you spot the largest Stage on Water to the right?

Built for NDP 07, to celebrate Singapore's 42nd Birthday

View from Equinox, 69th Storey

Breathtaking and..

Happy Birthday Singapore!!

Rest.Peace.Refresh.Refuel

2007-08-05T14:27:00.000+07:00

Finally a day with only yours truly at home on a lazy Sunday!
Been meeting up with friends after work everyday and sometimes even tuition after work.. it's really tiring and I wonder where I sometimes get so much energy in a day.
The times when I try to study/clear my work during semester time really pale in comparison!

Actually I'm forced to stay at home today, not because of I want to but rather because my NEW writing desk and other barang barang I got from Ikea last week is FINALLY here! Will wait for my dad to be back at night to help me fix the new and BIG table! Finally after 9 yrs of using an old and small desk (converted from my mum's dressing table) I will get a new desk and ironically, in my last year of studies...

And I will have a new pin board, new pretty floral storage boxes, new glass shelf to display my loves.. Dunno why, but ever since I come back from SEP, I've got a serious urge to revamp my room and make it more cosy... My room used to be (and is still) my work + sleep only corner, Let's make it a cosy corner too! :)

Oh and another reason to stay at home today is to START reading my FYP readings on transposans (?) and more cheem microbiology stuff.. Haven't started my semester and I am already procrastinating.. not a good sign as I am seriously in the mood for pulling up my cap. It's gonna be an ever uphill challenge and zer will try her very best this semester!! Try like never before! and like Jade says.. Don't ever have any regrets when we graduate (in a yr's time..)

THANK YOU

2007-07-31T22:57:00.001+07:00

Thanks to all who have listened to my woes..

Really grateful for ur ...

listening ears,
immense patience,
all sorts of advice (whether lousy or gd or crazy),
scoldings,
understanding,
reassurance,
not judging me (I really appreciate this!),

And ur support jus cos I'm ur friend!

Friends are forever... I really see the meaning in that..

Thank you for being my friend!

Game of hide and seek

2007-07-29T23:35:00.000+07:00

The little girl doesn't like playing hide-n-seek when she was young..
She doesn't yet know of good hiding places,
and would be always be the first to be found by her play mates.

As she grew older, she learnt how to conceal herself perfectly well (or so she thought)
So her friends would no longer find her so easily.
Gradually, as years go by her friends stopped playing hide-n-seek,
but she continued to play.
And felt a secret joy in herself whenever she could not be found.
But the truth is, her friends have stopped playing this childish game in the real world of the adults.

She felt lonely and finally it comes a day when she didn't know how to face the world
Cos she has been hiding in her secret place for so long...

So long...
Maybe it is time to stop playing hide-n-seek and
start facing the reality for once...

So You are a Has-Been-Exchange-Student...

2007-07-26T09:26:00.000+07:00

Some Reflections after my exchange in Denmark..

The experience is BLAST! and I personally encourage everyone (who does not have the fortune to study abroad) to at least try a stint overseas.. even if it means paying an arm and leg to go for it!
Take it as a break from NUS! I mean we all need that.. right?
General (mis)conception is that SEP=Travel travel travel... It's true that I've travelled alot and even started off with the single aim of conquering Europe! However given another go at it.. I would rather spend more time in Denmark with my foreign friends and not travel so often.. U can travel anywhere any other time in your entire life.. but interaction and experience with friends from all over the world.. it's just now or never!!
RL and I both feel that it is actually more fun if u take part in school activities and interact with the local community more.. it's really one thing that I regret most!
Europe is an ideal place for SEP! Actually I think it is equally fun in any country, so it doesn't really matter where u go.. (according to my friend: anywhere other than Singapore is FUN!) More importantly is the company that you have!
Loved the change of seasons... The feeling when Spring comes after Winter and the first time of experiencing snow... it is truly indescribable
Do not stick so much with fellow Singaporeans.. Have a right balance and go all out to know new friends from all over the world! Bring in new perspectives and much fun to your life toO!
I've made some life-long friends during my exchange and although I live the farthest away from them (cos they are all in Europe), I promised I will visit them at least once in my lifetime again..Missing all of them now...
Promise I won't break this promise.. (Edita got my promise recorded down!)
Don't worry so much about studying! (Unless u go to the states)... I think it is generally quite slack, especially in Europe.. Have fun partying and travelling!!
SEP in denmark made me not shy away from Project work. I used to siam modules that require project work in NUS.
At any one time, I was working on more than 2 projects! It also made me realise that I actually learn much more when I do project work rather than doing (or rather copying) tutorials and assignments and mugging for incessant tests and exams. Most of the time it doesn't matter if they don't make sense to you cos u just have to follow the standard steps to solve problems and tadah- u get good grades but u still don't quite understand but it is ok cos everybody is equally clueless.
Probably project work in Denmark seems so much more manageable to me cos u don't have to juggle project deadlines on top of tests, assignments, tutorials and exams at the same time!
Life is really so crazy in NUS...
Looking back.. SEP seems just like a dream for me.. aWONDERFUL dream.. and many of my dreams were realized during SEP too!
Too bad dreams only remain in your memory and you hardly ever get a chance relive your dream after you wake up...
And sometimes.. you just don't want to wake up but you have to
But you just can't dream forever...
This dream will be etched in my memory forever!!

Live your dreams too!!

Blue skies...

2007-07-26T07:45:00.000+07:00

I want my blue skies...

Go away.. gloomy clouds..
Give me my cheery white clouds, azure blue sky and sunny sun back!!

Ok, on hindsight, the only gd thing abt the weather is that it is cooling n u don't sweat much..
Well u can't have the best of both worlds everytime..

Obelisks obelisks!!

2007-07-23T23:09:00.000+07:00

Whoa..after reading 7 Deadly Wonders, I am inspired to do a blog post on my favourite obelisks! Well what are obelisks? Ignorant me didnt know it till I went to Europe and tadaaa obelisks became our (or rather my) favourite spot-the-thing activity while sight seeing in Europe...

It all began in Paris (which was my first trip) when I wanted to see an obelisk badly in Place de la Concorde... I thought it was an amazing sculpture or some sort (according to shoe-string) and in the end it turned out to be just a column to me then... Then whenever we see such column-like thing, we will excitedly exclaim "Obelisks obelisks!!" and the guys will point at it from a distance and make a joke out of it..

Until I went to Rome, I didn't know obelisks originated from Egypt and those we saw in Paris and more in Rome were all shipped from Egypt!This explains why there are hieroglyphics on the obelisks! They are the ultimate symbol of sun worship of the sun god, Ra and were located outside temples in Egypt. Sigh.. earlier on pk told me it was a symbol knowledge..Bluff me!! There are also a pair of obelisks called Cleopatra's Needles located separately in London and New York.. Don't remember seeing them in London though..

And Rome is the ultimate capital of obelisks! It is said that Rome has more obelisks than in all around Egypt! And I went obelisk-hunting in Rome.. and so delightfully surprised to spot one in Istanbul in Hippodrome Square too!

The various obelisks spotted in Rome and Istanbul!

Only the one in Istanbul had an inscription writing detailing the origins and name of the obelisk.. they should have this at ALL the obelisks so I can know!

But too bad I didn't manage to see the tallest obelisk in the world at Lateran (in Rome).. was so near but it was out of the way so I didn't have time to search for it..

How can I miss posing like an obelisk beside my favourite obelisks.. haha

Soo CUTE

2007-07-23T08:43:00.000+07:00

Smiling.. like a contented child
Dimples etching deeply in his cheeks

So cute
So irresistibly cute...

Smile Always...

Heart attack? No.. Heartburn!

2007-07-18T00:32:00.001+07:00

Yesterday before dawn, I was woken by a seizure in my chest area.. Never before had I encounter such a sensation.. It is like your internal organs contorting and contracting inside u.. extremely uncomfortable!! Made my heart beat damn fast and cause breathlessness and nauseous too!

I thought I had a heart attack.. seizure around the chest area...

After a few minutes, it subsided and I went back to sleep.. and when morning came, I experienced the same attack again!

Then I recalled last night I had late dinner but my stomach feel extremely empty just before I sleep.. and right now I am feeling the same feeling too! (downing a cup of chocolate nestle to curb my hunger pangs now..) Both my mum and doctor didnt think it was heart attack, cos my blood pressure and pulse rate are normal and one doesn't usually get a heart attack while sleeping!

It was the first time I heard the term heartburn and fyi, it is caused by regurgitation of gastric juices aka hydrochloric acid up the oesophagus and the reverse direction up the oesophagus caused the peristaltic movements in the muscles, thus explaining why I experienced the seizure in my chest area.

Although that was real relief for me (that it was not heart attack).. I was advised to cut one of my loves in love: FOOD!

No more coffee, alcohol, chocolates, spicy food, tomatoes (!!!), citrus fruits for me at least the next half year... Guess I'll be a good gal starting after tmr! In fact today I sneaked out to have a hawker feast with Why-so-ex group..

Guess it's hard to exercise self-control.. but I shall TRY!

Constantly on my mind...

2007-07-15T11:19:00.000+07:00

Disillusioned
Troubled
Lost
Remorseful
Confused
Guilty
Uncertain
Unconfident
Vexed
Cynical

Hopefully no more

Looking forward to a NEW start

Back from Camp and tidying starts..

2007-07-12T00:03:00.000+07:00

CAC Camp had been great! Forced me to adapt to Singapore's weather.. cos I was under the sun for hours for a few days straight and no air-con at night... It made me feel young again and at the same time emphasized how old I am.. no longer so garang and leading all the cheers... Shall cherish the last year of my school life!

Anyway.. Group 5 finally got Best OG! Our friendly strategy worked well.. guessed it built good ties with all the groups.. including the Camp Committee! haha.. gd job Shrekkers!

Now I am officially a slacker! Hope to try out a waitressing job.. at least before I graduate and start working proper! Banquet waitressing maybe! :) But meanwhile I've been going out the past few days and booked for the next few days as well! Packed Packed Packed! A bit tired of going out everyday.. But I've still not met up with many pple yet!

And it is time to start tidying up my room.. Went to Ikea today to shop for a new desk, new shelves and a new cupboard! Think I will start buying after I've cleared my room! Plan to throw away lots of things and revamp my room!!

BTW, I met my FYP Professor today.. A/P Loh K.C. Saw from the photo that he looks like a nice smiley guy.. and he really is! Very personable, flexible and pleasant :) and best of all... He told me and Kai Wai that most or all of the students who had worked under him so far got A.. Cool! But it doesn't really matter to me now.. cos I have no hopes of getting a First Class.. so just take it easy and enjoy my FYP! I'm dealing with bacteria culture and may have to stay for long hours in the lab.. Oh and I've got my own workspace and computer in the lab toO! Let's hope it will be enjoyable :)

Zer Screams of Insomnia!!

2007-07-05T05:06:00.000+07:00

Maybe it is.. Maybe it isn't..

I really don't know.. But I just can't sleep, even though when I am supposed to be tired..
Today is the 2nd night of CAC Camp and its now 6.21am... Got officially 2 more hours of sleep!
Although I am physically tired and drained... I still can't fall asleep! And the rest are sleeping soundly and some had even just started snoring!! I can't imagine I can't fall asleep during a camp. OMG

Haven't been able to have a good night slp ever since I returned from Denmark. Initially I attributed it to jet lag and the 6 hr time difference between Denmark and Singapore.
But 1 week has passed and I'm still unable to sleep normally.

Isit due to the weather?
Perhaps.. these 2 nights at camp are the first nights that I'd slept without air-conditioning ever since I had returned from Denmark.. How I missed those days in my comfortable big sofa-bed in my cosy campus village room hiding under the blanket and fall into deep slumber the moment I lie on bed.. It's so comfy!!

But is it also because there are too many trashy thoughts whirling about in zer's tortured brain? Hopefully her mental health isn't deteriorating any furter. It is definitely not good.

ok..at this point in time, I am already feeling the heaviness in my eyelids.
Perhaps it is time to TRY to sleep.

Hope I won't end up staring at the whirling fan.. with my mind whirling with other thoughts.

Good Night and Sleep tight (to mysefl first) !

Back to Camp!!

2007-07-02T23:43:00.000+07:00

I will be going for yet another orientation camp --> CAC camp!

Too bad I missed Engin Camp.. I was not back then.

It shall be my last orientation camp in my NUS life I guess..

I think I'm so used to spending my holidays on camps such that I feel there is something missing when I got back from Denmark! And it was great to see everyone again today at pre-camp, although mostly are new people whom I had never seen before.. but it was still great to see old friends and seniors like Jiayao and Beng Chang (yes I am definitely not the oldest in the camp!!)

Made me think of all the wonderful camps I had and the people I had met!

Made me feel damn old at the same time... had to intro myself to freshies as YEAR 4 tmr.. Can u imagine? So old liao...

Will be available after this week!! Jio me out!!! :)

Ruoling: I want to eat everything again! Kushinbo, Marina steamboat and hawker spread is FINE!! Just want to see everybody and eat alot! LOL

Oh and my dear sister got married last Saturday...So sad.. so soon after I got back.. Havent had time to spend with her after I got back and now she's (physically gone) Cried when I saw their video that night and a stupid waiter asked me why I so emotional.. rahh

Here are some photos from the BIG day:

New Addition to my familY!!

Dear Sisters...

Wish u happiness and bliss!! and I want to be an AUNT soon! :) Haha~

Back home!!

2007-06-28T22:08:00.000+07:00

OMG! Latest news: Why-so-ex group (minus zer n rl) kena caught in budapest for cheating in the subway! Got fined for 41SGD per person! But I guessed along the way we saved more than that.. so dun be so glum n sad for the rest of ur Budapest and Krakow trip.. ENJOY!! I dun even have the chance to be there! :)

Came back on Tuesday and haven't had the luxury of time to nua on my new couch yet. (yea! there is a new couch in the living room!) Went out everyday to search for dresses and shoes... and today I finally found suitable ones! But I haven't bought them yet, will go for the 3rd and last time again tmr! 1 more day to my sis' wedding! So excited for her and myself!! Hope it will be fun and smooth-going!

Oh and I caught up with jq and mark in the meanwhile.. most of my girlfriends are either interning or not in town! And I specially ordered seafood during the meals!! Had creamy scallops, Ebi and unagi sushi and soft shell crab at a jap restaurant with jq.. and shared a seafood platter at Manhatten with Mark this afternoon! SHIOK! But there's more to come.. I still want to eat Fish n Co seafood platter.. anyone interested too?

Happy zer with her seafood!

Tadah! Seafood galore!! Specially taken for WHY-SO-EX group (minus zer) who are still currently in Europe: Yummy prawns, calamari, mussels and fish!! We dun have much chance to eat seafood in Europe.. its either too expensive or there isn't any at all. Like in Copenhagen.. they only have frozen salmon fillet and small tiny prawns or rather shrimps.. But I do eat ALOT of can tuna, sardines and herrings... and WE ALL MISS EATING BIG PRAWNS!!!
WHY-SO-EX: Come back quick pple! I miss all of u!!! Let's go n have a feast when u all return!

Need to choose my FYP... think SEP has made me so bo-chup about sch work now.. FYP deadline is on 30 June and I still fooling around.. time to choose a project seriously! I missed the specialisation deadline while I was still in Denmark.. it just slipped my mind.. and I shan't miss the FYP deadline.. else I'll be sorely sorry for it!

I'm coming back!!!!

2007-06-25T01:41:00.000+07:00

Whoa! I will be back in 2 days' time! touching down in Sg on tuesday, 4pm... so EXCITED!
Right now, I want to go home more than I want to continue staying in Europe.. Maybe it is really time for me to be back see my family n frens and nua at home! The other guys are in Vienna right now.. hope they enjoy the rest of their Europe tour! Buy me some nice souveniers!! *HintHint*

I'm right now back in Copenhagen, staying in Emel's room.. So sad.. someone has occupied my previous room and I no longer have my own room and bed in container B. But the good thing is: most of my friends from container B are still around and we are going to have a container B midnight tea later!! I'll bake my last cake in campus village container B for the last time.. so sad.. it will be banana chocolate cake again.. my favourite combi! Tastes so yummy together!

Oh and finally I went to try almost all the rides in Tivoli!! I went with Emel and we got the unlimited ride pass for about 50 sgd or 200 DKK... I tried the free fall 2 times! And I was still very scared and horrified whenever I experience free fall.. but at least it doesnt make me sick like the one that rotates 360 and turns me in all directions u can imagine! Totally made me unfit for any more extreme rides after that! And I tried 3 types of roller coaster.. thumbs up! It was my first time in a proper amusement park.. not to mention Escape.

Too bad Marina had already returned home if not 3 of us can go scream our heads off together at Tivoli today... I was hoping Marina will still be in Copenhagen, but she changed her flight and returned to Bulgaria early.. and I heard that Edita's bf proposed to her and they are engaged now! Oh man.. so many things have happened during my Europe tour and I seriously need to catch up with my friends when I've got my own internet connection...

Ok will try to catch some rest: my head is still spinning from the after effects of the rides..
See all of u real soon!

Wheee!!

2007-06-09T20:43:00.000+07:00

Hi all!

Haven't been updating since ages and time has been passing real fast these few days (or rather weeks) My laptop kena virus the last few days while I was in Denmark and I was still rushing report till the last few minutes.. real thanks to Emel for taking over the whole design project and submitting the final report... feel really bad about it especially when she's really nice about it! u are really a darling!

I'm in Switzerland now (read: sweet-ZER-land) haha it was something rayson came up with years ago while in JC... and I'm finally in my land! :) I just tried paragliding..it was shiok, but no kick compared to what i think skydiving will be... sigh was too hum and just recovered from food poisoning when I was in Geneva 2 days ago.. so decided to go for something less extreme and it turned out to be extremely mild indeed! Will be going up to some mountains in the Jungfrau region tomorrow, but we won't be going to the top of Europe-Mt Jungfrau.. cos the train up is extremely ex about 200 sgd? But I will definitely want to be back again to try more extreme sports like canyoning and maybe skydiving?

Ok.. think my internet session is ending soon.. Will be going to Italy next, Greece and lastly Turkey... sigh time really really flies.. Just realised I'll be back to singapore real soon after a chat with my mum just now.. they are all busy preparing for my sis wedding and I'm not there to help! Hope everything will be smoothgoing back home.. and take care and I'll see u all soon !

New Eating Habits!

2007-05-24T21:08:00.000+07:00

Right after my exams.. Emel and I have started adopted new eating habits.. I won't say they are diets cos there's always negative response when u tell people that u are on a diet!

Ok this is how it goes:

Breakfast: try to have it heavy: had cereal, eggs and toast (alot, isn't it?)
Lunch: cucumbers, tomatoes and lots of fruits!!
Dinner: pasta.. normal stuff I cook usually
Snacks: tried to cut them entirely but I just bought choc chip cookies and I'm still baking cakes (trying to finish the newly bought 2kg pack of flour before I leave).. so u guess the sugar content I'm still ingesting into my body system! ha!

Actually it is not much different, except for the lunch. But it just feels great and pretty to eat the fresh crunchy fruits and vegetables for lunch..
But this eating habit shall only last for 5 more days.. (haha don't expect that it will do do wonders to me in a short time!) But it is still an effort..
Wonder what will I eat during my June trip in Europe.. I will be travelling with 4 other guys and its so natural to eat as much as them (if not more), just like what I did during my easter trip with them --> Lotsa bread for every meal, just to keep our stomachs happy

Trying to get rid of my beer belly (I just hope its beer belly so it's not that I've been eating too much in the past few months!) and get into shape for my sister's wedding the moment I touch down in Singapore. (I know I'm not the bride.. but still..) I will have only 4 days to look for 2 dresses and I hope it will be smooth sailing and fun shopping for cheap and nice clothes..

Miss shopping (and all of u, of course)!!

1 Week Left!

2007-05-23T19:18:00.000+07:00

Wow, I have just booked our train tickets to Berlin next Wednesday.. so I am REALLY leaving in a week's time. There are no cheap air tix from Copenhagen to Lisbon so we are flying from Berlin instead...

My grand June plan!!

Lisbon-Barcelona-Geneva-Interlaken-Milan-Venice-Pisa-Rome-Athens-Istanbul-Copenhagen-HomeSweetHome...

The rest of the guys will tour Eastern Europe after I return to Singapore and RL will continue to tour till almost mid July! But I'm no longer feeling disappointed that I won't get to 'conquer' as many European cities. Travelling is about soaking yourself in the country culture and atmosphere; relaxing and enjoying yourself. Its definitely not about trying to pia finish ALL the attractions in a day and claim that you've visit them all.

Think Southern Europe will be very different from the cities I've visited so far.. plus the great weather and we'll be wearing light! No more down jackets, scarf, gloves, boots and long john... It will be slippers, tank tops, 3-quarts and sunglasses! woohoo! Good transition period for us cos we'll be arriving in the dead dry and hot weather in Singapore in July~

Still can't imagine the day I'm back in Singapore.

Need to start packing now that my exams are over.. I'm going to ship back part of my luggage since I was already overloaded when I came over! Since I'm flying back alone, there won't be any chance for me to spread the weight to the other guys.. guess everyone will also be loaded with lotsa souveniers for their loved ones back in Singapore! (Except for yip.. who only got 2 loaves of meat and they are for himself only!)

There will be 2 HUGE parties for exchange students, just nice after we leave next Wednesday. Guess we'll have our own farewell parties in the meantime.. but we are also trying to explore Denmark as much as we can. Heard there's a huge carnival (think scantily-clad gals dancing sambal) in Copenhagen downtown.. would be nice to experience a large scale festivity in Denmark!
And we are finally going on a short road trip to Mon Clint! They are famous white chalk cliffs in the south of Zealand (the island where Copenhagen is on). Hope the weather is beautiful and we can have a nice picnic along the beach and enjoy the sun!! :) YAY!

In the meantime, I'll try to finish my Design Project Report and 2 more mini assignments before I leave this place, where I experienced my first winter and one place where I've made great friends and great memories...

The snow has melted (long ago)

2007-05-17T02:29:00.000+07:00

Decided the snowflake blogskin has to go...

It's SPRING!

And everything should be bright and cheery...
But choose to go for something more classic..
Though I'm never a black person

At least cannot-make-up-my-mind me won't get sick of it so easily...
or so I think.

P/S: When will I ever see snow again?

Synergy?

2007-05-15T17:17:00.000+07:00

Its amazing how 2 sour things taste so yummy together...

Presenting...

Raspberries and Yoghurt (and cereal)

Heavenly...

One down!

2007-05-15T16:24:00.000+07:00

Had my first exam in the morning! Woke up with a pleasant surprise in my fridge -->Good Luck Cookies baked by RL last night! wow BIG BIG chunks of chocolate and whole hazelnuts!!! Yum yumMM!! Had one for breakfast and another one after my paper! Was actually thinking about the cookie while walking back to Campus Village. Oops! I finished the cookies too soon before I thought of taking a photo of them! But thanks RL! They certainly made my day :) (make more!! haha)

It's MCQ format for materials science.. just 35 questions in 2 hours and I left an hour early.. haha I've never left early for an exam before in NUS! Even if its some really easy (hmm was there ever one in NUS?) or a really hard one, I would have still stayed on and keep looking through, just for the sake of feeling secure and also because no one else left early..

BUT the Materials Science paper was hard, actually felt that it's not so easy to pass after the exam cos there are numerous questions that I wasn't sure of! And I remembered in the last minute (b4 I decided to leave) that wrong answers will be penalised.. So I omitted some of my answers in a frenzy. But I'm feeling optimistic about passing *crosses fingers and toes* I hope that it is not a myth that it's hard to fail your modules on exchange!

Just finished my exam, I'm already starting to rush a report that is due tomorrow. Thank goodness its a group report! And I still have a project meeting with Emel after lunch later to discuss about our Process Design presentation this coming Friday...

Gosh! Just a months ago, I thought I would have plenty of time in May to squeeze in some travelling time.. I stopped thinking that way a few weeks back.. But I still thought I would have more time to blog.. to blog about the trips (that were long overdue and my up-to-date life) But.. Hey! I was wrong again.. Overestimated the free time I had in between the exams..

But I hope to enjoy the last 2 weeks of my stay in Denmark..
and not to spend the entire time cooped up in my rm/databar mugging...

To someone:

2007-05-07T04:05:00.000+07:00

Hey...

most likely u will be reading this post...
I so want to be your good friend and be close to u.. but it's just so hard
with so many unspeakable reasons and ku zhongs on my part...

I don't mean to hide anything from u..
But u are one person whom I can't share with...
At times, I'm really dying to share them with u..
but I really really cannot tell u...

So I chose to share with people whom there won't be any serious consequences...
It pains me to see things happening like that..
Or maybe I'm just thinking too hard.
I think u think alot at times as well...

Just want to let u know I DO care...
And I hope u understand...

Addiction

2007-05-06T04:04:00.000+07:00

It feels great (or just better) today...
Just like triumphing over the withdrawl symptoms that u had..
After u kicked away a (bad) habit..
(habits to be kicked are usually bad, aren't they)

U feel liberated and free (as in more time)...
U feel lighter, but your waistline doesn't feel smaller...
U feel purified, but not so innocent...

.
.
.
.
.
.

In short,

U just feel...GOOD

Just the way to go, gal..
More (and MORE) self-control, restraint and discipline...

And the withdrawl symptoms will be gone.. (unless u pick up the bad habit again)

My First Birthday Party~

2007-05-04T22:16:00.000+07:00

Despite having to finish a report by the evening on my birthday, I whipped up a meal for the SG gang during lunch time! I just wanted to spend some time with them, but I was still feeling quite stressed over lunch and didn't exactly enjoy it. But I guess the rest did, or at least they said they enjoyed the lunch and pk's "No Words" video. But at the end I was satisfied.. cos I really enjoy cooking for my friends! (Not too many tho...)

Baked pasta, Shepherd's Pie, Baked Chicken and Banana Bread Pudding for dessert (not in this pic.. it was still baking) MMMM... I think I simply love baked dishes! However, naturally they are higher in fat content, since butter and cheese are part and parcel of baked dishes... But who cares? (for now..)

Dear Container B! Had a simple container dinner with them before the party started..

Enjoyed a small cake-cutting session with our dear container mates first, before the party began. Peisi has her birthday a day after mine, so we celebrated together! :) People say that we look like a couple cutting wedding cake... errrr

The Mob Party! Brought me flowers, balloons, BIG card, Birthday decorations, wine and presents and cake! Love u guys! :)

*Hugz*

And more *Hugz*

Haha the morning after, Claudia helped me count the number of cakes at the party. There were 10! including a tiramisu..

I cheated and baked 2 myself (hehe), Leticia baked 1 and Claudia baked 3. The rest were brought by our guests (Estefa, David, Albert and Marina!)

I only had 1 beer that night! Didn't have time to eat and drink much.. but the guests were all overloaded with cakes... ha!

Thanks to Claudia for helping out alot at the party.. :)

Me with small and funny Leticia! She says she'll come visit Singapore the next summer.. I'll be looking forward to that! yay*

Me and Yip...

Albert, my coursemate from Risk Assessment made a tiramisu for me! I didn't have any idea how to cut and serve my guests.. so I ended up feeding everyone at the party with a spoon! Neat and fun, isn't it?

Here with Pitto, Mike and Georgio!

With dear RL and Michelle!

With Wayne and Claudia.. Thanks to both for being such great help at the party!

Dancing with My babes~~Emel and Edita

Dancing Salsa at the end of the party....

Estefa and Claudia!

Finally.. it's cake cutting and candle blowing time!

We chose the biggest and nicest cake, made by David for Peisi..

Taken by PK the pro... haha so don't try to spot him!

Presenting.. Da pink gals!

I didn't spread the message about the Pink theme for the party properly and in the end Estefa, Karolina and Michelle had to change their clothes to pink ones.. ooopsies.. But the gals love the pink pics! woot^

My darlings~~Thanks for making my party a memorable one... :)

And not to forget the backstage crew who helped me throughout the night and stayed to help me clean up everything!

CW + PK: DJ for the night
RL: my personal helper
Wayne and SM: Dishwashers and wipers
Yip: Photographer
Claudia: my mummy....

THANK YOU GUYS!

Thanks for celebrating my birthday with me... Even though all of us had lotsa work to finish..

I had a memorable first birthday party :)

Little bundles of joy...

2007-05-04T21:57:00.000+07:00

Greeted by pretty flowers by the roadside amidst the green verdant grass everyday while walking to school...

SUPER nice close up shot of the dandelion by Mr Chua!! Just look at the fluffs!

Dandelions against the blue azure sky.. I like :)

Clusters of small white flowers growing everywhere.. such sweet little things...

So GREEN! so different from the barren winter when we first arrived...

Love to see the flowers, the plants and the trees on my way to sch everyday.. They just lift my spirits and cheer me up for the rest of the day or at the end of a long and tiring class...

Think these are the little things I'll miss when I return to Singapore...
Sigh, don't want to start counting down to the day I leave Denmark --> 30May.

It's too soon, too fast, too little time left....

Just 1 more night and 1 more day to...

2007-05-02T21:36:00.000+07:00

... the END of my hell week! yipeeee!

I just needa hang on and work hard tonight (oh no not again) to prepare for TWO presentations tomorrow.

Yea work hard, for my sweet future :) I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

But there will be another tunnel soon.. after this weekend..
Exams and (more) deadlines (STILL?) are coming!

Wooo!!

Anyway, I had a great party last night! Thanks to everybody who came and all of your Birthday wishes here and my voluntary 'Party Crew'. keke.. Shall put some photos here.. after tomorrow!

Happy Birthday to me :)

2007-05-01T05:38:00.000+07:00

Yay it's my birthday today!

I had received 2 early presents so far! One was a way way early one from xuan and ty. They gave me a handbag before I left for Denmark (and I'm using it over here!). And the second one was a green Coach wallet all the way from US from WQ which I received it 2 weeks ago. Thanks thanks! Made me feel loved and remembered.. :)

Thought that over here at DTU, I could at least enjoy my birthday since the exams start only in mid-May. But I was wrong.. I have 4 deadlines this wk and I've just cleared 2.. and 2 more to go and I have just started them! I'm beginning to wonder whether I'm a procrastinator or just inefficient... maybe both plus laziness too!

Tomorrow I'm going to celebrate my birthday with my singaporean frens over lunch (i'm cooking!), have a container dinner and lastly a birthday party at night! Peisi happens to have her birthday on 2nd May and we are going to have a joint celebration!

Just realised I have invited almost 40 people tomorrow night. Wonder why I ended up with such a long guest list, perhaps its cos I also wanted to have a "farewell gathering" with almost everybody whom I know and know me during the past 3 mths.. including acquaintances, like friends of my own friends. Haha. Let's hope tomorrow won't be too crammed! Anyway, the more the merrier!

Should I bake a birthday cake for myself or should I wait for one?
Shall see..

Ahh... back to work.. shall try to finish as much as possible by tonight..
Still in the databar (again) with pk n cw this time..

5th straight night working in school... :(

2007-04-29T03:28:00.000+07:00

Here am I again, in the databar (comp lab) alone and attempting to finish my report for Risk Assessment course. It's either really tough or I'm really slow in finishing the report as I've spent the past 3 nights on this... And this SHALL be the final night I'm going to spend on it. I swear!

aye everyone's NOT doing work tonight.. RL's friends: Xinli and Yingfong are in Copenhagen over this weekend and RL is entertaining them tonight.. They are baking dark chocoloate cake with hazelnuts now.. I wanna joing em! rah... And as for the guys... bet they just finished taking photos of the sunset on a hill in Bergen... must be really beautiful.. :)

The road to databar (and back from it) is still equally eerie and dark. Although it's ridiculously close to Campus Village, but I'm always still looking out for shadows and always expecting there is something/someone in the dark out to scare me..

kkk, shall attempt to wrap up my report tonight. Sick of the routine for the past 5 nights: cook dinner--> eat --> forced nap (yes I'm a pig)--> bathe --> coffee --> databar--> work--> sleep Shall give myself a break tomorrow!

Not another screwed-up decision i hope...

2007-04-26T21:18:00.000+07:00

I've finally made up my mind --

I will be staying in Copenhagen over this weekend.

Despite forfeiting the 300 over SGD air and train tickets booked in advance..
Despite missing the famous scenic train ride to see the fjords and stuff
Despite the fact JQ and everybody has been telling me how nice Bergen is

But I guess.. there are infinite nice, charming, scenic places in this whole wide world that I can ever see and visit in my whole life.. So I guess its no pity if I miss this trip... Nah, I will NOT ever regret this decision haha.. despite me making screwed up decisions in the whole of my life *sigh* But there are also instances where I make gd choices. hee

Instead I will be

~~soakin up the sun and air in Copenhagen.. I only have a mth left in Denmark! time flies...
~~spending whatever little time I have with my friends here...
~~having some personal time with yours truly...
~~reading a book on the grass outside the containers...
~~baking a cake for my project group on Sunday...
~~accompanying my poor process design project mate --> dear Emel on our Friday class
~~contributing my part for 3 of my project meetings over this weekend
~~jogging and exploring my neighbourhood for the first time

sounds mundane and boring to u? But it's something I look forward to doing long ago...

Guess, like what CW said.. I've already made up my mind last nite. Confirmed my decision today when I said yes to 2 project group meetings during the weekend.

So enjoy your Oslo-Bergen trip guys.. so sorry for pang-sehing last minute.. at least u guys will have more leg space on the train and bigger helpings of the canned sausages and fish (ermm.. haha) and less zer moments? haha can't think of anymore gd things that u all can enjoy when I'm not around! Hope u all can have lotsa fun still!
PK: take more photos for me to see.. thanks!

Wish upon a Dandelion

2007-04-26T04:16:00.000+07:00

~Dandelion~

When you see the first dandelion of the season, make a wish

Blow on a dandelion puff and make a wish. Then say:

"Dandelion, puffs away,Make my wish come true some day."

If all the "whiskers" are gone after the third puff, your wish will come true.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oopsie.. I didn't make any wishes after blowing my first dandelion in Prague.. But I hope all my wishes come true still! (haha greedy me...)

Saw the dandelions outside Prague airport when we arrived in Prague. Read and heard about stories on dandelions (aka pu gong ying).. and here am I! seeing and blowing dandelions! They are actually not flowers, but the seeds of the fertilized dandelion flower. It is actually called a dandelion clock (according to Wiki). The flowers are characteristically yellow, and guess what? There are several of the yellow flowers near campus village and give them a few more days.. I can blow dandelions everyday! Will make sure I plant some on the grass patch just outside my window! haha

It is said to be Northern hemisphere weed. And I always wonder why the weeds in Singapore are not as pretty... And it is also a spring weed! Only when the temperatures are about as high as 20dC do they start popping up everywhere... Oh it just makes my day seeing those dandelions... :) lala

Finally back in copenhagen...

2007-04-25T06:22:00.000+07:00

Hi all.. hopefully u guys still check this site out! I know that it's been quite not up to date its cos the thought of uploading photos and writing all my thoughts and feelings down seem too time-consuming (or I'm just plain lazy... haha) Come May, I'll try to post my pictures from the trips that I've been to! Wanna share with all of u out there! :) I've got 3 exams spread over in 3 wks, and I'm predicting that I'll have quite some free time to spare on blogging and baking cakes! I've tried baking chocolate brownie and banana-chocho cake.. shall attempt to make cheesecake next time! Oh I'm so into cakes nowadays.. and my waistline is growing as well! The weather in Denmark has been gd so far... lotsa sunshine.. shall try jogging in May to shed some weight off!

In the sch databar now, alone, almost 1.30am in the morning... Just back from Prague in the afternoon.. inundated with 2 project deadlines within the next 2 days and guess what? I'll be leaving AGAIN to Oslo-Bergen trip during this weekend. Think I'm suffering from europe-travel-fatigue... Prague didnt excite and move me as much as it did to others...(But the cheap food was great! :) ) Guess it's cos I've been to too many European cities in a short time.. Paris, London, Edinburg, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Heidelberg, Munich, Berlin... But Cesky Krumlov did.. It's a small historical town south of Prague in Czech.. I will definitely (guarantee + chop) do a blog post on that, since I've got no one to leach on, as pk-the-pro-cum-the-survivor-blogger didn't go to Cesky Krumlov.. The weather in Cesky Krumlov was just great! Walked around in just my tank top and got a lovely light tan or burn, doesnt matter which haha! When was the last time I'd bared my shoulders...

Suddenly I don't feel like going for my Oslo-Bergen trip.. Wouldn't mind forfeiting the air tix, train tix and hostel deposit just in exchange for a relaxed smile on my face.. RL says it's not so fantastic as expected.. I'm seriously thinking of spending a relaxed wkend in Campus Village and maybe for a short get-away with Marina and company to Roskilde on Saturday...

Stress.. Thought I wouldn't feel it at this point in time of my life.. but face it.. no matter where u go, what u do.. u are bound to have stress.. But then again, I think it's jus me, that's y.

Oh and I may be holding my first ever birthday party here in Denmark! haha so old already and never had a birthday party... Still contemplating.. but I guess it'll be fun! :)

Happy 22nd Birthday to Emel!

2007-03-26T01:20:00.000+07:00

23rd March

My good friend, Emel from Turkey just turned 22! She's my Process Design group mate and a really nice and sweet gal too! She has a twin sister but her sister is still in Turkey. Both are damn smart: Emel's in Chemical Engin and her twin a dentist in training..

3 of us + dear Emel!

Cake baked by her Turkish friend, Yasin! Lemon cake, made from lemon peel.. taste really nice! shall kop the recipe from him one day!

1. Chocolate cake baked by Emel for herself, with some help from me! Got the recipe from Emel already! Shall try baking it when I buy baking powder.. Just look at the chocolate sauce...

2. Flower with her name HAND SEWN by me! If it was in Singapore, I would have used fabric paint to write her name.. but I only have needle and thread in Denmark.. but I think it looks really sweet! :)

3. 22 recycled candles provided by her container mate Victoria. Who cares if the candles are not new ones..

Look! Singapore flag in Denmark!

2007-03-26T00:47:00.000+07:00

International Party @ Edita's

Nah, its not 9th Aug yet, but its international party hosted by our dear Edita! Her purpose was to take photos of her international friends together with anything related to our nationality. The most obvious would be our national flags. and I wore red and white for the party!! I planned to print one before the party but I couldn't locate the (free.. yes FREE) colour laser printer in our school.. and so I resorted to drawing one!!

Tadaa!!

Emel and her Turkish flag.. Edita with her Erasmus Socrates Lieuthanian flag...

Not bad isn't it? Almost used up Heather's red marker pen while colouring my flag, cos it turns out that red is a popular colour for other national flags as well... It was great fun.. reminds me of when it was the last time I had hand-drawn singapore flag.. and I'm proud to show the Singapore flag to my friends too! Turns out that minus 4 stars and the white part of our flag, u get the Turkish flag. And minus the moon and the 5 stars and rotate it by 180 degrees, hey u get the Polish flag...

And for the group shot!

Party @ Campsacs!

The international party hosted by Edita was a prelude to Happy Hour at Campsacs! So right at 10am, pple start streaming to get cheap beer at half the usual price. After the drunk episode, I've really been a good gal and watched what I drank! *beams* First time my 500ml beer mug lasted for more than an hour. Remained super sober throughout the night and I tried to gek high when my friends pulled me to dance. But its so hard to gek high and dance! haha and the weird thing is.. I only get a little more high after I left Campsacs, cos Emel's friends bought alot of shots to celebrate her birthday and I got to try 2 of the supposedly Danish shots.. Cool mint aftertaste... not bad..

Birthday gal-Emel!

Cleared senses, mind and heart...

2007-03-20T07:45:00.000+07:00

Been jerked back to my direction while I was in London..
More or less back to the road that I thought I was heading to 2 months ago...
It feels great to have sorted things out in my mind..
Especially after they have clouded my senses and thoughts and heart for at least the past month..
Thanks oli, for your listening ear and helping my to analyse and think through what was actually going on..
I know what I want now and in the future...
and I'll remember, cherish and look forward..
Won't be deluded by deceptively attractive illusions again I hope..
I'll continue to put in lots more effort, devotion, time and heart...

And Marina.. I hope u can sort out your problem like I have!

Blog Parasite...

2007-03-13T09:13:00.000+07:00

argghh been accumulating blog debts... and I'll be away for a wk starting tmr to London, Edinburgh and Bath!! yippeee!!

BUT my friends have been conscientiously blogging about our trips and events that happen around us... They have really done a gd job on Stockholm-Kiruna trip and do check out their blogs for more photos, interesting anecdotes and videos!

for videos and more interesting stories: visit Ruoling's blog --> http://findruoling.vox.com/
for more photos: vist peikai's blog --> http://having-fun-in-denmark.blogspot.com/
and for more crap n photos go to yip's --> http://yiphasnoblog.blogspot.com/

haha hope i dont become a parasite forever.. as pk says.. make blogging ur priority... and according to ruoling, blogging is her past time.. oh well, at least I'm abit more up-to-date than cheewei.. haha

Suddenly SPRING!

2007-03-13T09:03:00.000+07:00

Yeay! After the past wks of snow then fog then rain... here comes the SUN! It was particularly sunny on Sunday and it didn't strike me that Spring is here till today when I went to school...

I took a gamble and went to school without my down jacket today... and I wasn't the only one! WOw... when was the last time I feel so carefree walking on the streets without my bulky and fluffy down jacket.... On my way to school, most people were dressed in at most 2 layers with a sweater that obviously is not for winter... Somehow there's this unexplained happiness and delight in me that lasted throughout the day! And its cos of Spring!

The sunshine is warm, the birds are out chirping cheerfully and while sitting in the library rushing my assignments, my eyes were blinded by the afternoon sun's glare as the sun was setting and shone in through the glass windows... Wow, when was the last time I complained about glaring sunshine... hmmm

YES, Spring is here... finally!

Now I understand why discussions about the weather is one of the Dane's pet topics.. The mere notion of transition from gloomy cold winter to spring that is full of life and warmth, of laughter and cheerfulness, is to be celebrated!

Photos up!

2007-03-09T07:18:00.000+07:00

Haven't had the luxury of time to blog about my Stockholm-Kiruna trip... But just wanna tell u peepz that Kiruna is WONDERFUL!!! U must really really visit an arctic city in your life time! You won't regret it!

But I've got sometime to upload my photos! :) My photo album link: http://pinkozer.dotphoto.com

Enjoy!

Wishing for the best...

2007-03-02T21:57:00.000+07:00

Finally waited till end of the week! Woohoo!!

Cos we are going to Stockholm and Kiruna over the weekends! Both are in Sweden and Kiruna is an arctic city far north in Sweden!!

We are going to sit on the dog sled, eat reindeer meat (OH yes!), make snow angel, sleep in a cabin and see the Ice Hotel in Kiruna! We hoped to catch the aurora or northern lights, but Stella, who had just been there said the peak season for aurora was during November and December..

However rl discovered that the airline company "Flyme" that we are going to take tmr to fly to Stockholm had ceased operations as of TODAY! Could things be so suay for us? Thank goodness the ever resourceful and conscientious (at travel planning) rl checked in advance! Else we will be left high and dry at the airport tmr... According to the dysfunctional "Flyme" website, we could try our luck cos we could still fly to Stockholm if there are available seats on another airline's ("Sterling") flights. *Cross our fingers and toes* and hope we dont get a delayed flight or something.. Our travel time is so super precious!

Wish us good luck!

First and Last time?

2007-03-02T18:33:00.000+07:00

Finally I got so dead drunk last nite at Camp Sacs..
Had 6 tequilla shots (3 at one go), 1 cocktail and 1 beer
U may wonder why I used the word "Finally"...
I guess its cos all this while I had been drinking myself silly just to "attain another level" with alcohol.. I never liked the taste of any alcohol.. but I still force myself to gulp down the vile tasting liquid...
I've had my moments of high feeling and craziness.. but had never ever got so drunk...
So what if I had finally gotten so drunk and puked by the roadside (yea and eww) and needed my friends to lug me home like a rice sack?
Woke up in the morning to find my clothes caked with mud and my bed with the dried mud..
There won't be a second time i guess...

What's "high quality polyisoprene"?

2007-03-01T22:17:00.000+07:00

Friends asked why I've not updated my blog for long.. cos I'm busy with my school work! Who says exchange students are slack.. hehe maybe cos I'm a responsible exchange student so that's why! I'm definitely not mugging my time away, cos there's nothing to mug here, since there are no tutorials to do! But I've got projects for all my modules and especially for 2 of my project modules: Design Project and Risk assessment in Chemical and Biochemical industry, I've got to hand in weekly parts of the final project! And this weekly deadlines are seriously sucking up all my free time and recently we started meeting over the wkends jus to meet the project deadlines!

There's more worry when we, SG gang go London for a week, 2 weeks from now... I've got a major deadline to meet in the middle of my holidaying! And its the bulk of the Design Project that I'm doing with another girl. It's a pair work, so I guess it will really be hard on her when I leave for London. Emel's really a nice girl and she insisted its fine that I won't be around then. I would have actually felt better if she scolds me or something.. I seriously hope that I'll be able to help do most of the project before I go, but I guess its impossible because I'm not so zai!!! Back in NUS, I'll used to rely on more zai pple for hints or guidances before I complete any assignments or projects, but here, I've started to become more independent le... hmm wonder if its a good or bad thing.. haha

Ok for something lighter...
"High quality polyisoprene" took me 15 minutes to figure that out. Guess cheewei realised what it was the moment the lecturer used "high quality polyisoprene" for the experiments for our Materials Science lecture today... But I only realised much much later...
and we learnt about the scientfic properties of "High quality polyisoprene" and tips on what not to do with "high quality polyisoprene" in order for it to not to fail in its important duty that will most probably cost a life (or lives):
1. Not to use it with oil-based lubricants like baby oil else it will leak
2. Not to heat it (or else it will contract)
3. Not to cool it to sub zero temperatures like submerging in liquid Nitrogen, else it will snap and lose its elasticity
Haha have u guessed what it is? Leave it for you guys to figure it out...

Back to reading notes and preparing for my projects.. *bleah*

But one more day to our Stockholm-Kiruna trip! :) Gonna see snow once again!

Heavy Snow = Snowman opportunity!

2007-02-23T01:12:00.000+07:00

Wow suddenly yesterday it snowed whole day! The snow was not heavy but it lasted for one whole day! Great contrast compared to the previous mild snow episodes we had come across in the past month. The winds were stronger and you can really feel the snow slapping your face as you walk to school. We could hardly walk back from classes yesterday! And today, the snow was so thick that we couldn't open the container door in the morning! Buses and trains were said to be suspended for today toO! Little wonder why I was one of the 5 students who attended the morning class today. Felt so like a conscientious student! They should just have cancelled the classes, since many people could not attend school. But according to my materials science lecturer: DTU never cancels classes in times of heavy snow... I wonder y...

Some images of DTU in 'heavy' snow (by my standards):

Look! our little containers are almost buried under the snow drift!

Pretty sugar icing on the trees :)

See the bicycle? looks like some cockster attempted to cycle down the 'snow slide', which was previously a staircase. I managed to walk down this 'slide' too!

Another sugar-icing on the stairs.. so pretty :)

But the snow was pretty. Like Chee Wei said, he is feeling the X'mas mood again such that he's humming xmas tunes! The snow prettified the campus pretty much! And I loved the snow drift aka 'ice' dunes that were formed cos of the wind... I loved the sight of snow swirling and dancing in the wind... I loved the fact that I'm leaving my footsteps all over on the pure white thick snow and I also loved it when I sank my feet into the deep snow! And we took the opportunity to build a snowman despite the strong winds and heavy snow!

Our first snowman!!

buttons: stones on the ground, scarf: my mum's (oops), hat: Leticia's, arms and mouth and cigar: twigs and branches, heart and nose: carrots...and it was made with love by us!

The snow is forecasted to continue to fall the next 2 days.. Wonder how DTU will look like with 2 more days of snow! And this is already considered mild snow.. really would like to see it for myself how heavy is heavy snow!

CNY away from home in Denmark!!

2007-02-22T23:15:00.000+07:00

17-19 Feb 07

新年快乐！

This was my first time I spent CNY away from home. I didn't particularly feel very empty or homesick, probably its cos in the past recent years this festival has become more of a routine than a erm festival. But I do miss not being able to have a valid excuse to shop for many many new clothes and shoes! and I particularly miss not being in my family photos. I'm so used to seeing the full family photo and I seriously yearn to be with my folks! 4 more mths! Ironically, the rest of the Singapore gang felt the absence of the 'irritating' CNY festive songs. I guess being away from home in Singapore indeed made us realise many things that we take for granted! For example the reunion dinner. This is our first time preparing our own reunion dinner and we all felt a great sense of achievement!! We cooked sweet and sour chicken, curry chicken (curry sauce all the way from SG), potato wedges and wanton soup! We had reunion dinner together with the other HK and China students!

Everyone's busy preparing for reunion dinner!

Although it may not look like there's a spread like the reunion dinner we have back at home.. But it was our first attempt to cook something Singaporean. All the sauces we brought from Singapore are priceless, so we gotta conserve! Pk and I still have some chilli sauces, curry and bak kut teh spices! :) maybe we shall cook something nice again next month!

We went to a shop named "Chinatown" in Copenhagen on the eve of CNY. At first we thought it is a misnomer or We heard that we can get many asian ingredients there but alas, we did not manage to get any cos it closed early (cos it was CNY eve.. how can we forget that! Blame it on the lack of festive cheer in Copenhagen). But we managed to get the wanton skins, coconut milk from nearby asian shops! We'll be back in "Chinatown" to get the stuff again!

And while walking along downtown Copenhagen, we each bought a take-away lunch box at Beijing Lou for 30 Kr or slightly less than 10 SGD. It was just fried shrimps and chicken/fish with fried noodles/rice. But we were all delirious and happy like small kids who are eating their Happy Meals! Oh man.. little do we realise we miss Chinese/Singaporean food so much. But boy it was damn satisfying and we all gobbled it down while walking!

Seems like CNY so far in Copenhagen is all about good food. YES absolutely! On the first day of CNY, we had a container B dinner. Our container has an unusually skewed percentage of Chinese gals. 6 out of 9 are Chinese! So we had a container dinner cum CNY feast. We squeezed 18 pple in our little kitchen and we treated our ang moh friends some chinese dishes! Like Ba Bao Fan, Nian Gao, Spring rolls, Samosa, Tang Yuan, White fungus with red dates soup, steamed fish and Claudia even gave every guest a red packet, with CNY wishes written inside. It was great! :)

Yet on the 2nd day of CNY, I threw another party for my friends whom I've met from Intro week! The dishes I prepared were no different from those we prepared for reunion dinner, cos of limited ingredients and erm limited recipes and culinary experience. I overestimated myself and thought it was manageable to prepare dinner for 10 pple! In the end, rl, yip and pk helped me out in a huge way! I couldn't have made it without u all! :) Boy I was quite paisei, cos the dinner was for my friends but in the end they had to helped me out. Thanks!! I really owe u guys another treat! Thanks guys!!! :) Maybe the next time I can single-handedly prepare, since got few pple. But then again, I shan't overestimate myself! rahaha

In view of the large number of pple, I decided to prepare baked pasta as the staple, together with sweet and sour chicken and wanton soup (again! haha) My fears were unfounded, cos I seriously thought the food would not be enough. But the food was too much, according to my friends. But to my delight, they love the sweet and sour chicken and the gals wanted to learn the dish from me! They don't really like the wantons but they were fascinated with the dish and were curious of the wanton skins and what's inside. But the dinner was great and I'm really happy to let my friends try some Chinese food prepared by myself!

Love u gals (Edita, Marina, Emel) Became an unwritten rule that the rest of the gals will help wash the dishes whenever one of us host a dinner. I was the last one (from this group) to hold a dinner! Better late than never!

In the end, Marina started this Thank You card written on pages ripped off from her notebook. I was quite touched and felt so loved! Most of them wrote in their own language, like Spainish, Turkish and Bulgarian, I couldn't read but I'm sure they say good things! ha! Then ErKan started this acronym thing with my name. He intended to write good qualities/characteristics for my name, but he was stuck at the first letter 'Z'! And it became an acronym using animals cos according to him its easier. So my name stands for Zebra, Horse, Ape, Nutria, Giraffe, Elephant, Rabbit. They had no idea wad Nutria is, cos someone (I forgot who) claimed that its an animal in his own language. Albert (from Spain) followed suit but used country/city names instead. My name stands for.. Zimbawe, Helsinki, Ankara, New York, Geneva, Espania, Rio de Janerio. Thanks man... haha it was nonsense but hilarious!

This is not the end of our CNY feasts! When pk's sister, Minling comes from downtown Copenhagen to visit us Countryside folks, we shall have another round of Singapore food (hopefullY!) and we still gotta Lo Hei on the 7th day and make tang yuan on the 15th day which is Yuan Xiao! yeay! something to look foward to amidst all the project deadlines...

Paris in 2 days! 12-15 Feb

2007-02-21T22:53:00.000+07:00

wah!! I've been swarmed with work and cny feasts ever since i get back from Paris. I've uploaded my Paris photos if anyone has noticed. Here's my link for my online photo album again: pinkozer.dotphoto.com

Pictures say a thousand words! :)

We arrived at our hostel at 9pm on the first day.. that essentially leaves us only 2 full days to tour all of Paris main attractions! Of course we wont waste whatever little time we have.. Saw the Sacre Coeur Basilica at night... It was on top of a hill and it was one of the tallest points in Paris! We had a preview of the night scenery from the Basilica, giving us a glimpse of what more was to come!

Too bad we didnt have enough time to visit Sacre Coeur in the day! But it's pretty enough at night! :)

One of my first attempts at B&W photography..

We stayed at Friend's Hostel. It is near Pigalle and Montmarte, which was near to the Basillica and the red-light district, which u can find Moulin Rouge along the street. Junquan strongly recommended the Moulin Rouge show but because formal wear is required, we had to drop the plan and whats more, the cabaret show is around 180 SGD!!

The guys' room in Friend's hostel. Haha guess the guys always air the room (despite the cold) to air their smelly feet + shoes + socks! And how could I miss this photo opportunity sitting on the parapet?

The ever famous wind-mill and Moulin Rouge landmark!
Haha the red-light district at Pigalle was an eye-opener for some of us.. the shop names are so obvious that u know what services they offer.. they even had a pedestrian street in the middle of the 2 roads.. which I guessed its for 'innocent' pple like who are just checking out the area.

Chocolate croissant and mint-flavoured tea that we have on EVERY morning before we leave our hostel to go touring.. 2 croissants and 1 tea for 2 Euros..At least it is a brief respite from our ham n cheese toast we eat daily in denmark. I think its one of the cheapest u can find in Paris!

According to the weather forecast, it will rain in Paris during our 3rd day in Paris.. So we rushed to many places in Paris on the second day. It was great.. the weather was great.. the scenery was great and of course the pictures too!

The Arc de Triomphe! Supposedly its for Napolean's victories at war...

Next, we rushed to see the Eiffel Tower! :) We saw it both in the day and at night!

La Seine River.. this is so picturesque.. machiam like those u find on postcards..

haha i think one of the greatest fun is imitating the statues' pose.. check out for more pics on that!

Eiffel tower at night is even more mind-blowing!!

Despite the strong and cold winds, we were super trigger happy when we were at the top of eiffel tower... our fingers were all numb and noses red... but it was all worth it!

La Seine at night!!

Can u spot Arc de Triomphe?

We posted some postcards for our loved ones on the eve of Valentines Day direct from Eiffel Tower in Paris! :)

Tadaaaa!! Yip was able to take nice night scenery pics cos of my minitripod! haha

Musee D' Orsay-- the only art museum I visited in Paris. How about Musee Du Louvre? Haha I chose to explore Champs Elysees instead of entering Louvre. Very Bimbo u might say but there simply wasn't enough time to see everyth!Champs Elysees.. the main shopping district. Rl and I were a little disappointed, cos it didnt turn out to be WOW. There were indeed many international brands along the street and an LV Plaza! Haha think those flea markets suit me more! :)

There is a lovely park just outside the Louvre: Jardin de Tuileries:

Feed the birds.. I wanna feed the birds too! and all the birds will come flying around me in a flock.. Think it will be great!

Ok now for more funny statue poses...

Outside Musee D Orsay.. Yip and I wanted to climb up to pose with the statues.. but kena shooed down!

Which of us look more like the real one? Definitely not the one in the centre!! haha

Yip sacrificed his coat for this shot...

...and his nose for this!

There were supposed to be more such photo opportunities at Chateau de Versailles, but it was raining the day we visited it. So gloomy and our spirits were a little low. Renovation was on at the entrance of the main building. What's more, most of the statues were covered up! It will definitely be more pretty in the summer!

Think I'll definitely visit Paris again within this lifetime of mine... to relax, take a coffee in one of the roadside cafe.. go shopping for LV when I'm more brand conscious (heard that there's LV sales in September).. haha.. go up to Eiffel Tower again with my loved ones.. go shopping in the flea market.. go and see Versailles and its gardens in summer... So many things yet to do!!

Oh man!

2007-02-11T09:25:00.000+07:00

I seriously thought I would be able to do some decent shopping in the flea markets in Paris. But to my dismay, the major ones at Clignancourt Flea Market, which is arguably Europe's or the world's largest are only open on Sat-Mon, morn to evening. After reading so many great reviews about the Les Puces, I was already thinking of what to buy!

And guess what, we'll reach Paris on Monday only in the evening..

Nooooo this is too evil to me!!

But thinking that we are only spending 2 and a half day in Paris, we might not even have time to shop at the Les Puces. Hopefully the beautiful sights and architecture of Paris will keep me occupied for the 2 and a half days we spend in Paris.

Let's always be optimistic and hope that I'll have another chance to tour Paris again :)

Back to my design project assignment, due a day after I return from Paris. Aye.

Ice skating at Kongens Nytorv!

2007-02-10T07:41:00.000+07:00

Claudia from HK, my neighbour who had been here for 1 sem already jioed rl and me to go ice-skating at Copenhagen. She had just bought a new pair of skates, so she wanted to fully utilise it before the skating rink closes in end Feb. Back in Singapore, I wasn't particulary keen on the activity, cos I was so scared of falling on the hard ice! Keep having an image flashing in my mind that my legs will be too fast for my body such that I hit my head on the ice. Ouch.

But still I went in the end, despite my worsening cold that I developed before the ski trip. The skating rink (according to rl is called Kongens Nytorv) is an outdoor one, in the middle of a traffic circle. Yes! It is literally a skating rinG right smack in the city centre. Can't imagine huh? Guess people who likes to ice-skate really ought to visit this skating ring during winter time! It was such a fantastic feeling, skating around and you can see the people on the streets, nicely-architectured buildings with an old feel and breathing in the cold fresh air!

Back to harsh reality... Despite 2 earlier skating 'experiences, I was still very reluctant to step onto the ice. Claudia's friends Ken and Wayne were there too. After a about half an hour of fumbling around and some help from Ken and gathering of courage, I could finally walk and skate awkwardly at times. I had problems gliding on the ice, which explained why I was so slow in my skates. My friends had already skated for around 2-3 rounds before I completed my first! Without Jie around, I was probably more independent and I dare say braver cos I didnt make use of the hand railings while skating (only when I rested). I fell down twice while skating and one while walking across the ice (on my normal shoes). Got 2 big bruises on my knees!!! But nobody ever sees them cos we are all so covered up in our winter clothing here..

Silly me remembered the time wrongly and we were 15min late in returning the skates. This cost us another 40 kr!!! How unfeeling the people are. Told myself to save $$ for the rest of the week to recover back the 40kr. Heart pain.

But I guess very quickly, rl and I forgot abt the extra 40kr we paid and we each bought something from New Yorker! haha this is my second 'splurge' ever since I arrived 3 weeks ago. First splurge was a chain from Glitter during half-price sale. I bought a striped long sleeve top while rl bought a pretty white-pink-purple scarf! We vowed to return to the store the next wkend as the store was closing after we paid for our purchases. We were so deprived of shopping in Denmark and its hardly harldy we see clothes and accessories going for low prices. We were happy and smiling for the rest of the day. :)

Claudia will be going again this Sunday, but I don't think I will join her cos I want to be in tiptop condition when I visit Paris!! Don't want to get more bruises or worse break a leg or two while skating. WhoooHoo! I'll be in Paris on Monday to Thursday. Will be missing 3 lessons though.

My first try at SKIING!

2007-02-10T06:27:00.000+07:00

wah this shall be the start of my week-long backdating... Usually I don't bother backdating my posts, but I really must record my feelings and experiences for the past few days! and of course, show u all the pictures I've taken! Oh and in case u havent noticed, I've changed my blog look! :) Got really sick of the rich purple page I had. I'm not really a purple person so I guess it's really time that page should go!

I have just set up an online photo album. In case u can't see the link on my blog, here it is --> http://pinkozer.dotphoto.com At least this time round I didnt forget my account login+password so I'm still able to use my 'pinkozer' domain... (unlike my blog add, haha)

ok, back to my SKI trip! We signed up for a ski package with NetSki at Isaberg Ski resort in Sweden. It is quite close to Denmark but still the trip to and fro took about 8hrs in all. My second time in Sweden so far!! But we were ferried to the resort and back right after the ski, so we didnt have free time to go explore. The ski and exploring the ski resort was an experience itself!

Great weather, great place!

On the bus nearing the ski resort, it was obvious that it hasn't been snowing for there were no traces of snow. So we guessed the ski slopes were all made from 'artificial snow' since there were many snow machines around the slopes. But at least it is not in an artificial surroundings (like in Singapore snow city..)

We tried the beginner slopes where there are mostly children and the only (other) adults present were their parents! haha but we just went ahead and skiied down the slope! Wheeee!!! rl and I were told that we were the only ones who screamed while skiing down the slope. But I guess the screams serve as an alarm to those in our way, cos I couldn't stop nor turn to avoid people. But in the end, after a danish girl (about 9 yr-old) taught and showed me the method to brake effectively, I could brake for a while. But in the middle of the slope, all hell broke loose and I went free-wheeling down the slope again. The same girl came to my rescue 3 times when I fell to offer a hand to pull me up. She was so small but she insisted on pulling me up. I was so touched by her kindness!!! I only knew 1 danish greeting, which is "Where are you from" and she could understand what I meant! I wanted to ask for her name, but I forgot how to say in Danish. Too bad I can't take up Danish language course with Marina, since I'll probably miss many lessons because of my travelling. With determination, I can self-learn... but well usually I have none. haha

Me taking the ski 'lift' up the beginner slope!

Getting tired from screaming down the slopes and lugging the skis up the slopes and coming down again, we explored the ski resort and we found to our delight, a picturesque view of the coniferous forests and lakes in front of us. To all of us, the breathtaking view looked too surreal as it was a scene of a movie!! We were so stunned and started taking many shots of that. The photos definitely didnt capture the scenery as well and how I hope Jie was there with me to take the pics with his DSLR...

I wanted to take the chair-lift up the "professional" slope simply to see more of the scenery at the top and to just experience it. But the catch is that the chairlift was meant for skiiers to get up the slope and ski down. With our few hours of ski experience, it was definitely out of the question for us. So pk and yip, the 2 'pro' photographers among us tried to take the chairlift up to take more photos. It indeed appeared daunting as the slopes (for the walk/slide down the ski slope) looked damn steep and as much as I wanted to go up with them, decided not to at first. It was only after they came back from the 'challenge' that tempted me to go again, for they assured me its possible to make their way down the slope. Thanks to pk that I got a second chance at it!!! He sacrificed his skiing time to accompany up the slope! But he got a free meal from me in return, cos he was my photographer cum chaperone cum guide. I was shaking when we made our way down the slope, cos it simply looked impossible for pple to go down! It didnt help when the ground was slippery cos of the ice and snow and that I wanted to take photos and pick acorns on my way down. =P Thanks pk!!

Me on the chairlift!

Finally I reached the top!

Rewarded by the view from the top...

Oh man, I can't imagine I walked down this slope!

How can I forget to post pics of acorns that I painstakingly photograph n collect them..

To be able to ski is a great thing! (you don't have to slide/roll down the steep slopes after seeing the scenery at the top) We were full of envy of skiiers zipping past us as we were exploring the ski resort. Especially little kids who can already ski like experts. Nevertheless, we were already enjoying ourselves so much when all we could do was to put on the skis and ski down slopes and fall in all sorts of unglam positions (at least for me!). Given another chance, I guess we'll all want to learn skiing and master it!

School starts!

2007-02-02T22:24:00.000+07:00

Woohoo~ I've finally survived a week of schooL! I ended my class 3 hrs earlier than expected and I managed to call home to haojie and weixuan! Nice catching up! Haven't had the time when school started cos of the sucky time difference! My eldest sis is gg to ROM this coming Monday, hope I'll have a chance to call her before her 2nd BIGGEST day! (Of course the Biggest day is her Wedding day :)

My timetable is not bad: monday free~ tues and wed half-day but thurs and fri full days! from 8-5pm, with only an hr in between. I'm taking 5 modules: 3 chem engin, 1 HR module and 1 UEM. I really dread Thursdays & Fridays, so will terribly look forward to weekends! The class size is really small, cos I'm taking mostly "master classes". The lessons are about 3-4 hours long and can be really boring if the lecturer keeps speaking all the way. But there are group discussions and lotsa break in between to alleviate the long lesson time! For some classes, there are even table soccer, pool table and coffee machines near so that we can have a game or two during breaks!

Except for Material Science, the rest of the classes are less than 20 pple. So I dared to take a photo during Material Science class.

There are 2 bars on CAMPUS! There's international night every tuesday nights at Cellar Bar and one more at Campus Sacs. Haven't visited the other one though, but I've been to the Cellar Bar since orientation and I think it's a great way to connect with my friends cos they all LOVE to drink! haha BEER is the drink before dinner, during dinner after dinner and definitely at pubs. Even I drink during dinner cos everybody does so. haha the rest of the Singaporeans kept saying that we'll get a beer belly when we get back.. Nooooooo!!!

But since it's a technical university, I'm taking all either science or engin modules! But the modules so far are not bad all got project components, so I get to meet and work with new friends! Finally made Danish friends, can you imagine? So far I've been here for 2 wks already and I only know a few Danes. The people I come into contact are very diverse and its great! Italians and Spanish are the friendliest so far and I'm so glad to have good friends like Marina, Edita and Albert. Marina invited a few of us at her Danish home for dinner on Wed nite and the food was great, the house was great and of course the beer!

Bulgarian food (and all those Beer).. YUMMY!

(I was the one who brought the beer for the rest) The rest of the pple, a Greek (oh man so damn exotic, can u imagine? haha), an Italian, 2 Spanish and a Lithuanian and of course Bulgarian (Marina herself) were interested about Singapore and Chinese as a culture. So this was the first time I shared at length with my frens about Chinese culture and Singapore. They were all surprised that there were infinite number of different Chinese Characters and were amazed when I tried writing their names in Chinese. I showed them where Singapore was on the World Map at the house. Edita was even surprised that there are no 4 seasons in Singapore. To them, I guess tropical weather is not considered 'normal' to them Europeans. Guess when I perfect my cooking, I will throw a meal and invite my European friends for a meal! But I guess I gotta wait long, cos I'm still an assistant to Yip so far.. haha. Maybe shall call home one day to ask Mum to tell me receipes! :) I'm going over to Edita's container to help her with cooking later.

What a fruitful week!!

2007-01-29T06:46:00.000+07:00

Finally I've some time to blog! Been busy with orientation wk and last trip before school starts! Here's a summary of the stuff that happened to me the past wk!

Meet my new friends! Most of us exchange students live at Campus Village and the orientation week that we had were great! There were of course lotsa beer and dancing and food and friends! Meet my new friends from all over the world!

Paolo (Italy), Albert, Victor (both from Spain), Silvia (Italy), Marina and me outside the Cellar Bar getting some fresh air!

Me & Marina at Student House! A bar where international students in Copenhagen gather :)

Friendly Edita (from Lithuania) and tipsy me. Edita just turned 21 and was the first student to throw a party in a container! cheers!

Pavo (Polish), me, Thammo (German), Marina (Bulgarian), Roland (USA) and Thammo's friend

Another good news is that, after all that partying, I can finally hold my liquor after so much training! I can definitely drink more than 1 mug of beer without getting abit tipsy! I shall work harder :)

Today was the last day before school officially starts.

As Ruoling said, school finally has started and at least there's something else to do besides holidaying since NUS exams ended in Dec. We went to Helsingor and Helsingborg and oh my, it was definitely a wrong day out! Rain drizzled throughout the day when we were out and winds were so strong! We were left cold and wet in the end. A little history about H-H: Helsingor and Helsingborg are actually sister towns which are in Denmark and Sweden respectively. Helsingborg used to be Danish land long ago and both towns are separated only by a 20min ferry ride! The only good thing we chose today (sunday) to go on the trip was that return tickets cost (21DKK) only half the normal price! But other than that, most shops (as expected) were closed today. We visited the Kronborg Castle Helsingor. It was the castle that inspired Shakespearean work-- Hamlet even though he had not visited the castle during his time. It was the first castle that I've seen and I loved the scenery in the courtyard, the moat, the seaside and of course the medieval architecture! Despite the freakin cold wind and rain, we were very trigger happy and took lotsa photos!

Kronborg Castle

Do you know that swan is Denmark's National Bird? I love Swans!

In the courtyard of Kronborg Castle

And I FINALLY tasted the smorre brod, which is a type of Danish food with fish or meat! We had our lunch on the ferry while en route to Helsingborg. It was a quick lunch as the ferry took only 20min! But the meal was cheap and I gathered there were people who specially took the ferry ride just to have a meal and of course get a cheap beer onboard.

Ruoling and I with our smorre brod!

At Helsingborg, we walked up the Swedish fortress Karnan and were rewarded with a panoramic view of the town. If only the skies were blue today but nevertheless we managed to walk up the long spiral stairways up to the top! Karnan was a 600 yr old medieval fortress and it still stands today. It is one of Helsingborg's main landmark and attraction, after the City Hall tower.

The 600 yr old fortress

Me at the spiral stairways

City Hall Tower at Helsingborg

School is finally starting.. Can finally lead a more peaceful life! (hopefully theres more free time to do housekeeping and stuff I like!)

still... not updated!

2007-01-28T09:13:00.000+07:00

Hi guys!

Inactivity online == Activity offline

Wanted to update my blogs for many days already! But still no chance.. guess will have to wait when school starts! Will have more time then (wad an irony)!

Going to helsingor-helsingborg in 4hrs time! Helsingor is in Copenhagen but Helsingborg is in Sweden... They are considered 'sister towns' haha.

Gonna catch some slp! Look out for my updates in a few days time!

Images of Snow..

2007-01-24T16:04:00.000+07:00

The containers at Campus Village~ Can u see the falling snow?

My footsteps in snow covered grass~

Ice-draped bicycle

The machine that sweeps away snow on roads. What's it called?

Lovely park..

Snow seems kinda gloomy, with only the colors white and brown.. isn't it?

Orientation wk!

2007-01-24T05:24:00.000+07:00

Boy! It seems that I've left Singapore for a really long time!! Perhaps its because so much things have happened ever since I passed the customs at Changi Airport. But in the past few days, I did not feel that I was in Denmark, perhaps cos I was with the rest of the Singaporeans all the while!

Today was Orientation and it was great! We were all split up into groups and they tried to mix us all up so we will not clique together. My group members are mostly from Europe: 2 Polish, 2 Italians, 1 Spanish, 1 Bulgarian, 1 Lithuanian, 1 German and 2 Americans. It was great meeting everybody from so many different countries and I was definitely out of my comfort zone as I've not interacted with so many 'ang mohs' in my whole life! I certainly feel a little out of place as I have black hair, yellow skin and a flat nose. But they are very friendly and most of the Europeans come to DTU for exchange because they want to improve their English. In their home country, they will not have a chance to practise their English. They are all very brillant people as they have won themselves prestigious scholarships to study on exchange overseas.

Me, Marina and Davide (from Spain)

One thing very true about Europeans is that they all love to drink beer! I gather its because of the cold weather, cos it really helps warm their bodies. During dinner, before we even got our food, most of them had a beer already. I got myself a can too! But didn't finish only after I had my dinner. Dinner was cold ham, cut beef with potato salads and vegetable salads. Somehow I wasn't feeling very well and had no appetite when I see the food, even though I could feel that I was very hungry! (and I'm still hungry now :( ) Guess I just gotta get used to their meals with bread as staple, but I think most of the time in Denmark I'll be cooking my own meals so hopefully I'll be able to eat more. Else, dear will get fatter in Shanghai by eating so much n me thinner in Denmark...

My made-in-denmark Carlsberg beer !!

Oh and I went to a Danish home today for the first time! Marina, the Bulgarian girl from my group invited me to visit her room she rented which is quite near to DTU. It was a nice house and looked triangular from the exterior (Just imagine a house with sloping roofs that slopes to the ground!) Marina is so lucky to stay at the attic room! Wow it's my dream to have sloping roof as my ceiling! Her landlord is a nice old lady and the house just looks nice and cosy! I would trade my Campus Village container anytime for that quaint lovely house!

Looking forward to the next few days of orientation! Hope I'll feel much better and can participate in the activities and get to know my new friends better! :)

Continuation of previous post

2007-01-23T04:59:00.000+07:00

Another day has passed.. today besides the exhilaration in the snow that fell... nth much happened. I guess I was expecting more to be done today, but perhaps due to the insanely high cost of living in Denmark, transport, leisure and even food is a problem outside our hostel.

That's why we either go out if we want to get groceries or run errands, or if there's low cost leisure activities (like sight-seeing and taking really long walks!). But I guess with the cold weather here, there's nth much pple can do as well.

We walked to Jaegersborg Dyrehaven (a National park near DTU) on Sunday and discovered it's a popular wkend hang out place for the Danes.

Many photo opportunities!!

A foresty park where there are dirt tracks for bicycles and where u can see ppl riding ponies, horses as well! According to the brochure we got, one can sight moose/deer if one is lucky! But well, we took the main path and didnt explore the park enough.

City folks like us Singaporeas might exclaim boredom in Denmark (when one cannot spend much $$) but to the Danes, I'm sure they have leisure activities, just that I've yet to find out. haha. The long walk through Jaegersborg Dyrehaven ended at Klampenborg, which is a seaside destination. It is the east coast of Copenhagen that can overlook Sweden. Again, I was expecting it to be a littly cosy town with some nice cafes or shops to hang about. But to our disappointment, it was jus a lonely train station with the occassional passers-by walking around. And again I've gotta tahan my hunger till we got home. :( I guess it will be more popular with the Danes when summer comes, cos its really freezing cold standing by the sea when we were trying to take photos at the seaside! But it's great to see something different and the buildings in this little town are really quite nice and old!

Me freezing by the sea!

Images of Klampenborg, the quaint little quiet town..

Nice building at the railway station!

Settling in!!

2007-01-22T15:08:00.000+07:00

wah this post will be rather long! Woke up early today, since daytime is so short here, i shall not waste any more time! yesterday woke up late n everybody was waiting for me to get ready..so paiseH!

It jus started snowing!! Saw specks of white stuff floating down when i opened the door early in the morning, couldnt believe my eyes till i saw the snow-covered grass....

I CAN FINALLY SEE, FEEL AND TASTE THE SNOW!! OMG.

View outside my window~

After 21yrs of my life seeing snow only in tv, i'm finally here... in a winter country... ! The view outside my window is great! a slight sloping grassland, so pretty when draped in snow! yipee!! shall experience walking in snow when i go settle admin stuff n run errands later~

ok shall introduce my room and my hostel.. I live in container B and i think there are 20 over containers in Campus Village, cos siow meng stays in container V! its supposed to be an all-girls container but somehow there's an Italian guy in my container. (Ruoling says its probably cos he has a female-sounding name.. haha) couldn't catch his name, but I call him Peter. Maybe I shd call myself some other names too, cos pple can't catch my name here. Zer doesnt sound like a name (acc to peikai) haha, well I shall see how! Havent really come into contact with many foreigners, except my neighbours. tmr when orientation starts, we'll be split into 'OGs' and will get to know more pple then! *excited*

In Denmark!! and Loving it! despite the high cost of living!!

2007-01-21T08:35:00.000+07:00

Finally I managed to post something on the blog! I could get it the minute I got here (DTU hostel), but due to the absence of lan point (I actually took it out after putting into my luggage..AGRH! pek ceK!) and some home wireless internet settings, it took 3 EE students and 1 phone call to China (to my Jie) to troubleshoot the problem and solved it. Realised that internet is really the 4th most important thing in Denmark, after $$, warm clothing, camera and internet... well lotsa $$ may actually get u everything u want, tho not quite :)

ok, time in Denmark is 7hrs later than Singapore and I've got my local no: +45 27931526 and my very very own address!! ~

DTU Campus Village
Building 330, room B10

Electrovej

DK-2800 Kgs. Lynby

Denmark

I really really have many things to say abt my first 2 days here... but guess shall jus sum it up... This is my FIRST time experiencing winter, wearing cool winter clothing n boots, seeing botak trees, feeling cold on the street and seeing such scenic scenery!! haha can't imagine when sch starts after 1 more wk, gotta yank myself out of this fairytale land! Nooo...

I shall definitely upload more photos of me, my frens n denmark in an album.. But i'm really quite shacked out now.. nearing 3am denmark time. Shall let u see a preview of my photos! my Favorite!!~

and this~

So awesome rite? Guess whether this is sunset or sunrise? hah cant tell rite.. its taken at ard 4pm in the afternoon at a lake that we chanced upon on our way to Ikea.. Pleasant surprise indeeed!! The sun sets early at 4pm and rises late at 8am.. so naturally our activities in Denmark are affected by it as well.

ok more pics.. jus wanna share em!!

and this~ just to show u guys in my winter wear!! haha although its a hassle to wear all the layers.. i still feel very cool wearing the gear walking down the streets in Copenhagen!! Wheeeee!!

Ok! shall sleep! had a long day today.. :) Thanks to all my frens for ur well wishes!! I appreciate lots! Keep in touch ya? Take lotsa care too!!!

Cold weather, Sick nose, Gloomy days ahead?

2007-01-14T22:28:00.000+07:00

It's getting so familiar again, jus exactly 8 mths ago in May 06, I was feeling the same as I'm feeling now.

Tmr 8 am in the morn, Jie will be leaving for Shanghai and won't be back in a gd 1 year's time.

8 mths ago, his Alaska-bound flight left Singapore at the same time and at an ungodly hour, my dad sent me over to his flat so that I can take the taxi with Jie and his parents to Changi Airport. In a few hours, everything will seem to repeat itself again. Maybe I'll just feel a bit more cold (cos of the weather) and more sick.

On the more positive side, I can only say that we've been through more after this 8 mths, and hopefully this 1 yr-long LDR will not be too unbearable for me. Things might indeed improve (as compared to his Alaska trip) since we have more chance to communicate with the internet connection and also the time-difference between Denmark and Shanghai (Denmark lags Shanghai by 7hrs) will not be as great as between Alaska and SG (which was almost 12 hrs!). I've learnt lots from the previous 3mth separation while he was away on Work and Travel in Alaska, but I really wonder if I've really changed for the better since then. Like stop being so imaginative, moody and hurting and be more trusting and loving.

But for the next 1 yr, I will really try hard for your sake and our sake future.

The Countdown begins! ~ 6 more days

2007-01-12T23:47:00.001+07:00

It's now officially less than 6 days left before I fly to Denmark!

I am still swarmed with meet-ups with many friends! Today I went back to NUS and met quite a few friends (Youyun, Vanessa, Shirlyn, Bernard) as well as to settle Funkamania website details with Yongmin and Chonghan. The rain was kind of depressing and gloomy and made Vanessa sick, hope she gets well soon!

Vera's msg came timely when I was still thinking of jio-ing who else to meet up in the afternoon before my dinner date with Vivian. In the end Vera and I ended up spending a relaxing afternoon at TCC @ Citylink.. Nice cushy seats!! And I'll have my last kbox session with Vera and her sis, Serene on wed, the day before I fly! Gonna miss k-box for the next 5 mths!!

Vivian gave me pleasant surprises today! She brought KianHong along too!! They are working at the same IA company (ICES). Haha it was great to catch up with him before I leave.
To KianHong: I won't forget to buy you Luncheon meat from Denmark (IF they really have it over there). haha but too bad he couldn't stay for dinner with us. And her second surprise for me is the dinner treat @ Crystal Jade (Haven't had it for so long and it was really YUMMY!). Thanks gal! I have really been quite tight recently, as I've spent quite alot preparing for my SEP already.. :)

All the way till Monday I'm still fully booked! Shall try to spend more time with my family!! I wanna nua at home, sleep lots lots and just watch tv.. and also.. START packing! Right now all the stuff that I intend to bring over are just piling up in my room, really wonder if I have too much or too little room left after packing all the things that I'll want to bring. And I still haven't exchanged for Danish Kroners, gotten a bank draft, hand over Funkamania and so many things to do still... better clear 'em sooN!

Virgin post!

2007-01-05T22:16:00.000+07:00

Testing testing.. haha I just wanna see how my posts look on my newly minted blog!
Finally my first blog is done!

Actually I've set up 2 before, but never get down to prettify them and much less to post anything on them! But this time I'll assiduously maintain my blog regularly and update all of u peepz on my life in Denmark!

Still feeling abit weird posting blog entries as all along I've been a rather private person. Haha, well if I've become accustomed to blogging, I may continue blogging forever! :)

Do check out this space for more updates!

::zer::