Memoirs of Århus

Wrapping Up

2008-08-11T09:21:00.000-07:00

Back in Singapore for a long while now, the journey home was relatively uneventful, consisting of a 100 dkk taxi ride to the train station, 4.5 hour journey by train sitting next to someone with a severe case of OCD/paranoia/some psychiatric condition, dropping off my load of 3 bags weighing about 45 kg total at the airport without paying extra, having the plane to London delayed by more time than the transit window, getting my flight switched to Lufthansa instead, making the journey home via Frankfurt. Piece of cake.

As you may already know, the purpose of this blog was my exchange. And now that its done, the show's over so to speak.

Thanks for being a great audience.

How do you measure a year

2008-06-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

D-day, H-hour.

In just a few hours I'll be having my room inspection and then its all systems go out of Aarhus.

Not really in the mood to reflect right now cos I'm exhausted from all the packing and cleaning. Oh yeah, and the amount of waste I generate is astonishing.

So a year has gone by. And some people measure it by the skills attained, relationships formed, job promotion.. the tangible stuff. As for me, I honestly do not know what I have to show for the past year, probably nothing significant to the outside world. Yet I know deep inside me that this entire exchange experience has probably transform my life for good.

It all sounds like hogwash, I know. And I shall end on that note.

See you people in Singapore soon. And to all my fellow friends from exchange, thanks so much, it was a very excellent ride :)

Breaking Up

2008-06-12T15:50:00.000-07:00

Breaking up with her is that much harder when she looks this good.

I always imagined that I could be perfectly chill, calm and at most slightly wistful in the last few days of our relationship. Instead I seek to distance myself from her, to harden my heart, and to focus on her miserable points. How unbecoming.

Obviously I knew this time would come. But still, I ought to pause and reflect on this for a while, since our fates were after all, intertwined for over ten months. Admittedly I was often unfaithful, choosing to have flings with other exotic places. Yet I always felt safe when I returned, and she always welcomed me back.

Of course there are negative aspects to her - frequently cold, high maintenance, sometimes emotionally unavailable. But in that way she helped me to grow stronger and more independent. I shall not blame her for being an alcoholic, that I shall attribute to my lack of willpower.

And so it is, Aarhus, or in your language Århus, that we must move on, without each other. I shall forever remember you, but for my sake and sanity, please do not call or write to me, and I in turn will reciprocate this kindness.

Perhaps, as a fitting closure, the burning of notes:

All good things come to an end!

The Final Trip

2008-06-11T03:07:00.000-07:00

And so the final trip on exchange was to be Marrakech, Morocco. It was just a total different feel - the houses made of clay, sahara desert, tiny windy streets, cuisine of tajines and couscous comprising a lot of vegetables, stew, grilled meat.

Jemaa el Fna square, orange juice at 3 dirham a pop, dozens of stalls selling identical cuisine and produce. Its too bad I didnt get to try the goat's head.

Bulk of the time was spent on a 3D2N tour to the Sahara Desert with really fun travellers. Oh and there was a cameraman on board too, cos his boss Hassan wants to make a promotional video of the desert tour. Haha if only I could see the final product. Let me know if any of you stay in one of Hassan's Riads and get to see the video.

LJ holding a Highland Rose.

House where they filmed a scene in Gladiator. There was also a poster of Drogba in there somewhere which is quite retarded and seem all the more touristed.

One of the many "panoramic" views of the Atlas mountains we got en route. The guide kept using the word to describe every view until we started to mimic him.

Viewpoint from an outlook. Think it was at the top of the Casbah after climbing past the gladiator house.

Valley of Human Bodies along the Dades gorge.

And our painful bumpy ride on the dromedary. We were so excited when we first saw the camel but the next day when we had to ride it back, everyone was kind of dreading it and wishing we had a jeep or something more comfy.

Night in the desert with music and campfire. Felt like being in a field camp all over again, but with sand getting in my face throughout the night.

I'm actually a lot more excited than I seem to be about the trip. Just that right now I'm in the final few days of my time on exchange and the waves of sadness is seeping in. Not that I do not want to return to Singapore, but the magic of travelling and being on exchange is something else, something I will miss dearly.

Updates and whatnot

2008-06-01T04:24:00.000-07:00

3 weeks of exams over, happy to report that I passed everything, although not getting mad grades like Khelvin (spoil market!).

Decided to host a dinner party together with Nunthiya, partly as a reciprocal obligation of our clandestine group known as The Food Club (Madklubben?!). Yea it involves forcing down strange concoctions of food down other people's mouth and seeing when they'll give up and cry for help. Ok no seriously, I am thankful for this Food Club group cos of all the great people in it, and as a born-and-bred Singaporean, the best way of cultural exchange is of course food. Although sadly I was not around often enough to attend every dinner.

So off we went to do grocery shopping for our meal that evening... Prior to that I had to lug my huge sack of stuff (rice cooker, sauce, meat, more sauce, mixes) over to her place. Great success!

Bazaar Vest! Came here to grab fruits and vegetables, ended up buying some junk like nuts as well. I think I would honestly come here a lot more often if it wasn't that inconvenient. The prices are way better, the stuff is fresh, and the atmosphere of the market is just great.

Haha the selection of water pipes were great too.

Nunthiya posing with... i dunno, something. Note her attire - thats how warm it is around here. im wearing more because at night it gets cold again.

All right there is a lack of photos regarding the food so I'll just say what it is we cooked up:

Dumpling soup with seaweed, vegetables, mushrooms
Chicken rice with cucumber, eggs, tomatoes
Stir fried vegetables

And finally, chocolate fondue provided by Pieter!

End result - EVERYTHING got eaten. I am quite pleased that it turned out so well, but a bit angry for not churning out more rice / chicken / vegetables. We were just quite worried that everybody would give up eating ala fear factor.

It was crazy tiring bustling about in the kitchen but in the end its just worth it. This has been our market research and now that it seems a success, I guess its time to start thinking about opening a restaurant in Europe, eh. And not those crappy chinese nonsense with sweet sour sauce either.

Oh yea some of us ended up watching Borat after the meal with a shot of Absinthe. To anyone who cares, I think I found a minor contradiction within the show. I've actually watched it quite a few times :|

Ho well. Tomorrow I leave for Morocco.. just Marrakesh. To all the folks back home, see ya real soon. To all the folks right here, hope to see you all again before I leave!

The Cravings

2008-05-24T16:47:00.000-07:00

Things to do when I'm back:

1) Eat all that is tasty

2) Lose weight

... that can't be right

Just as an additional footnote to anyone who cares, my sg number has been suspended/not used from August last year. So if I did not reply your sms it is not because I dont love you. But I'll be back to reclaim my number so dont delete it just yet

Student House - Where It All Began

2008-05-21T03:07:00.000-07:00

Going to the Student House on your own is both a joy and a dread. Its a joy when you see lots of familiar faces and people you can catch up with; its pure crap when no one you know is around. And the sheer anticipation of not knowing what you'll get.. priceless. I dare say I'm not the only one with such a state of mind (cant remember the word i was looking for) which explains why people start going there later and later as the semester goes by.

So anyway I was there last night for the Farewell Party, lured by promises of free food. Food in the cultural context means hot dogs and potatoes, in many ways Denmark is not too far off from Germany. And while thankfully there were a few people I knew, more than half of the people there were unfamiliars. Or, Semester 2 people. It's a bit like JC days where the people who were together for the "first three months" did not readily integrate the "2nd intakers". In this case, said Semester 2 people (hereafter S2P) had formed their own groups, cliques, bunch and were quite settled. Me on the other hand, most of those I knew from the previous semester were either home, or had outgrown the childish idea of meeting in the student bar on Tuesdays.

Sure enough Student House was where the socialising began, since there was an (almost) infinite amount of beer to satisfy everyone. At the beginning when groups had not formed, and people were all cheery and excited at this magical realm of exchange, it was wonderful. And I'm happy for the S2P who had it too.

And as much as it would be great to know more people from all over the world with the simple step of saying hi, I guess it seemed sort of meaningless to say Pleased to meet you and farewell in the same evening (one night stands excluded).

So there. Thanks for the memories Student House, you were a great place with the right company.

Meaning

2008-05-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Dreaded exams are here.

In some way I guess the meaning of exchange would be lost if I did not have to study or have to pass any exams. Yes I know some people who have to do neither, either cos they're here just to write a thesis (i.e. do it at your own pace), or they have no credit transfer whatsoever.

But yes the end of exams would seriously mark the end of exchange for me for my actual work here would be done. Right now I'm just seriously feeling the pressure of reading a ton of backlog and memorising chunks and chunks.

Help!

Scenic Ireland

2008-05-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

This trip was by far the best I've had in terms of coastal scenery, mostly the Glens of Antrim in the North (near Belfast), and Glendalough / Wicklow Mountains in the East. If I ever do go back, please remind me to rent a car and go crazy.

Spanning a chasm some eighty feet deep is the famous Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, it's construction once consisted of a single rope hand rail and widely spaced slats which the fishermen would traverse across with salmon caught off the island... The area is exceptional in is natural beauty, to the left as you come down the steep hill is Larrybane headland which once stretched out towards Sheep Island and had a promontory fort on the top dating to 800AD, underneath large caves once served as home to boat builders and a safe resting place from winter storms.

- http://www.northantrim.com/carrick_a_rede.htm

At the Giant's Causeway

The coastal scenery adjacent to the causeway is some of the most beautiful and awe inspiring that you are likely to find anywhere. The majestic cliffs and inaccessible bays combine with myth and legend to inspire, but look carefully amongst this breathtaking landscape and you will find echoes of another reality, isolated ruins, kelp walls and shoreline fields bear testament to the harder life of subsistence farming and fishing endured by past generations.

- http://www.northantrim.com/causeway.htm

Behind me was a location which was used in the filming of Braveheart. Our tour guide (cheeky Irish man) entrusted a bottle of Jameson's Whiskey to Liz to pour for the rest of us weary travellers. Needless to say, it served as a nice social lubricant. Very beautiful scenery.

Glen-da-lough, Irish for Glen of two lakes.

Round Tower, standing 110 feet, standing strong and erect since the 7th century. Apparently many people come here to be inspired by it.

Only thing I knew about Glendalough before this was because of the Viking Ship Sea Stallion of Glendalough, which made the journey from Roskilde (in Denmark, one of my super early posts) to Dublin, where it is exhibited at the National Museum of Dublin currently. I do think it would be an experience of a lifetime to have been part of the historical voyage.

Ireland is truly a wonderful place to visit for its sheer amount of natural beauty. I just can't really put it down in words, the whole experience being magnificent, and knowing that this would forever be embedded in me.

Days of Sunshine

2008-04-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

Plenty of daylight and sunshine these few days in Aarhus, essentially a rare occurance. And its not the super humid, omg get me into an air con room type of heat ala Singapore. Seems like everyone decided to move their activities outdoors - lay down a sleeping bag, take their top off, read a book, take a nap etc.

Unfortunately, Aarhus seems colder than ever to me.

Maybe its the super long romantic holiday with a loved one that lifted my spirits up high, and now that she's gone, my mood has dived to a new low.

Maybe its the fact that after nearly 9 months away from home, I just want to get my exams over and done with and be on the plane home but my last exam had to be as late as 27th June.

And finally just maybe, that despite being in Aarhus for some time now, I still feel like a foreigner in a foreign land, unable to appreciate that sunshine means prancing about outdoors.

For now, the flickers of sunshine in my heart is kept there by memories and photos.

A Sad Moment

2008-04-19T01:37:00.000-07:00

Kyle Lee Wei Chiat

Departed: 19th April 2008, 1435 hrs

Age: 22

Will be missed by the brothers in Europe

SAFE TRIP DUDE!!!

Memory Lane

2008-04-12T22:29:00.000-07:00

I think I was supposed to have seen this thing before many many years ago but I'M SORRY MOM AND DAD I don't remember it. All I remember from that Europe tour was sitting in a coach all day, eating in chinese restaurants every night, popping out once a while to take a photo and go to the gift shop. But of course I'm eternally grateful that you chose to bring little ol me along on the family vacation and put up with my whining and restlessness, and the fact that many years later I'll return to the same spot and not remember anything :D

The flagship LV store is soooooooo nice. It's like walking in some posh palace / throne room inside. Can't take any photos otherwise security would have manhandled me.

Contrary to popular belief, the French people I met were not particularly snobbish or unhelpful just because I could not speak French. But still, a part of me wished I knew the language.

Time Extension...

2008-04-08T01:52:00.000-07:00

It's crazy how time passes so quickly on exchange, and in less than 3 months I will be back in Singapore.

In between now and then I still need to pass some exams, book the plane ticket home and see some places with some people.

But first it is time to enjoy Barcelona :)))

Band of Brothers

2008-04-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

Present this photo and get a 50% discount on Tris' service. Which works out to about 10 baht. Hur hur.

Felt really nice chillin in Amsterdam with the guys and gals from Utrecht. The surrealness of it can just, sadly, never be replicated in Singapore.

Snowfall

2008-03-25T17:49:00.000-07:00

Been snowing in dribs and drabs here lately, and its quite hard to feel warm and fuzzy like they seem to do in movies when I'm actually shivering inside with no desire to leave the warm shelter my room.

Maybe I'll take some nice pictures of the University Lake tomorrow when I'm actually forced to go out for class.

Edit: View from the outside. Open door straight up is my room/apartment/lejlighed.

Hamburg = Reeperbahn?!

2008-03-24T17:47:00.000-07:00

Reeperbahn being the Red Light District of Hamburg, one nice S-train stop away from our hostel.

From my German friend Dirk: You can have a whopper at Burger King and at the same time take a look out of the window and see hookers at work contacting every passerby. How cool is that?

More on that later. I made a short trip to Hamburg to join up with Longjin, Khelvin and Weihan for a few days. After checking out the hostel and not finding them, I went out to sightsee on my own. It's straight out of Lonely Planet, but hey, I have PHOTOS!

St Pauli Fischmarkt. But no real fish market since I was there on a weekday. According to Dirk, they fence off their lousier grade fish to drunks who were out all night and on their way home. I guess they deserve to wake up to a crappy fish to remind them that drinking is bad (yes this is hypocritical).

Rathus (Town Hall)

St Michael's Church

Kiao ka tua lam pa

Me and Dirk. I look damn gross in the photo - thanks to a whole day of junk food (KFC CRISPY CHICKEN), beer and cola.

We checked out the DOM Fun Fair on our first night after an uneventful walk down Reeperbahn. Left our cameras behind because we probably thought we were gonna get mugged or something. Food tents, roller coasters, games tents - we combed the whole area and ate all sorts of stuff like curry wurst, candy apples and steak. Amusement parks are just great fun.

THOSE UNDER 18 PLEASE DO NOT READ FURTHER.

Righto.. What to expect at Reeperbahn? Pimp daddies along Reeperbahn luring you to enter the live sex shows, hookers grabbing your jacket if you're a single male walking along their territory looking remotely interested. On the 2nd night Dirk showed us a small alley which had more high class hookers wearing lingerie sitting behind windows. Feel free to knock on the windows and have a nice chat with them. We agreed that the girls did look quite fine and could speak decent English, plus they had a certain level of class and charm (what I would call X-factor) about them. I guess this Window thing operates on a much larger scale in Amsterdam, but people told me the quality control in Amsterdam just isn't there :P

Estonia! Okay Just Tallinn

2008-03-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to Larry Leong Bingxun

After getting back to Stockholm from Uppsala, slack for a bit, we packed for our trip to ESTONIA! On board a Tax-Free Cruise Ship no less, not unlike Superstar Virgo/Gemini/whatever of Star Cruise Singapore.

Khel's friend came to pick us up and we basically crashed at his place for the few days we were there. He goes by the name of Wayne in some circles...

We got to enjoy a traditional estonian sauna at his place while we were there, after watching Arsenal thump AC Milan.

Step 1: Get naked

Step 2: Proceed into sauna room with cold beer and towel

Step 3: Start pouring water onto hot coals to get on with it

Step 4: Sit tight, talk shit, chug beer

Step 5: When sitting tight is no longer an option, dash out of sauna room with your new best friends, burst through the front door and start rolling about in the snow outside

Step 6: Get back in for more pain and pleasure

I told Larry that the girls in Estonia were more beautiful than the ones in Sweden, to which he replied that he knew not of any Estonian supermodel.

So here's a lovely photo of Carmen Kass, recommended by Lonely Planet, courtesy of whichever website I 'borrowed' it off.

Raekoja Plats (Town Hall Square). As you wander around, you can't help but notice that the old historic buildings are being converted into swanky restaurants, designer shops, cafes .. and it's all quite jarring sometimes, especially when taking a photo. But I suppose it breathes new life into the buildings, giving them a purpose, fueling the economy.

Let's play Tower Defense!

Good view from Toompea. I just love such areas where you can have a good view below. We also tried throwing snowballs down at passer-bys but we kept missing :(

Kyle and the Great Coast Gate. Contrast, I say.

It was a very great trip, although I fell a little ill at the end of it (could definitely be the hazardous sauna experience). Have to thank my two great friends for persuading me to stay longer, which I was very hesitant to. And of course they made the trip really enjoyable.

Some People Call Me Maurice

2008-03-13T16:51:00.000-07:00

One week Easter Break Holiday coming right up! I actually miss the constantly-having-no-time-to-study lifestyle back home. Beats the constantly-having-no-money-to-get-out-of-here lifestyle here. Ah, well, grass is always greener.

The past week was not bad. Attended Sydbank Shareholder Meeting on Monday night, giving me access to both the Radisson Conference Hall area, and a very delicious Danish buffet to eat up the losses that my ONE share in Sydbank has suffered due to the stinkin US economy.

Looking forward to meeting up with some of the guys in Hamburg :)

Stag Party Woooo!

2008-03-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

Executive Summary: 9 days, 2 countries with arguably the most beautiful women, great food, great company, loads of gambling and alcohol.

Let's start from the very beginning...

Sergels Torv

Landed in Stockholm after a really scary Sterling flight - both the take-off and landing were really bad. It was very 感动 max! to see Kyle and Longjin, who was decked out in a damn nice CK leather jacket. Khel should have a photo or two; it was just too gay for me to start whipping out the camera and firing away, so we did what guys do best - eat.

Photo above is the square every tourist will keep seeing in Stockholm, where the main train station is, along with stretches of shops, cafes etc.

Entrance to Gamla Stan, or Old Town. Not very sure what I was supposed to admire in there, in any case it was quite dark by the time Kyle brought us there.

DesignTorget shop - it looks very beautiful from outside because of the layout, colours and collective attraction of the designs. But I didn't get anything because I wasn't sure if I should get something pretty to just sit there and collect dust, or something functional that costs a bomb and won't be so pretty after wear-and-tear sets in.

And finally there was MAHJONG. OMG. After all the many months of Mahjong Withdrawal Symptoms, I actually gave up the nightlife of Stockholm for this. Ho Ho Ho. Ok more on Stockholm later, chronologically we went to Uppsala on Day 3.

And in Uppsala we had the famous Swedish tradition of... Fika! Or Coffee Break. I am obviously a strong supporter of traditions like coffee breaks and naps (siesta). There was a traditional Swedish pastry called Samla in there.

Pay attention to Khel's lovely long locks as well, because you won't see it for much longer.

Ah yes the mask party. This is... us. ~~Obviously I'm not putting up a photo of me in a mask~~ I'm not in the photo because, well, somebody has to take the photo, right?!

The masks of the two Swedes + one german seated across me. It was a very good party, with enough alcohol, plenty of bad rowdy singing, and very delicious food prepared by lovely ladies.

And Kyle donning the Jester mask-hat, which won the Best Mask Competition. Whole day steal other people's glory/mask/food.

It was a nice cozy party, with the Swedes making an effort to talk to us the foreigners, and happily condemning Denmark, my place of exchange. Hahaha. No love between neighbours. After the party we walked back to Yue En's toasty place in Flogsta.

Presenting.. Yue En's labour of love in the morning. Pseudo-char kway teow, teh, and blood orange. THANKS YUE EN. It was such a good sight and smell to wake up to.

And for now I shall leave you, but rest assured I will write of the next leg soon.

Self-Interview

2008-02-23T13:25:00.000-08:00

Absence diminishes mediocre passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and fans fire -- Francois La Rochefoucauld

This post shall take the form of an interview, just for fun.

Q: I see that you have not updated your blog for some time. Where have you been?

A: Well many things have been going on but nothing particularly blog-worthy. I've stayed put in Aarhus for the longest time ever, planning trips, going for classes, chilling with people - enjoying myself in a nice, easy way.

Q: Now that Chinese New Year is long over, how was it like spending it in Aarhus?

A: It was a little strange and disconcerting. No fireworks, no visiting relatives, no mahjong. And there's just no real Chinese restaurant in Aarhus - just as an idea, Chinese cuisine here consists of dubious rice and noodles, spring rolls, fried shrimp rolled in flour, fried chicken pieces rolled in flour, prawn crackers, and sweet and sour sauce. However, I did do the usual like get a haircut, wear new clothes, observe silly rituals which no European would understand. Gotta keep up with tradition!

Q: You did not decide to travel during that period?

A: Yeah not really. I figured everywhere else would be more or less the same. Besides, I had exams till late Jan so I could not do much planning for a trip. It was either to return to Singapore, or suck it up and stay put.

Q: How is it with you and travelling in general then?

A: I suppose every exchange student has the urge to travel, some more than others. I do like to take my time with places, and I have long given up the thought of visiting every part of Europe in my year here. A combination of terribly cold weather, over-travelling, and being on a budget after the last vacation has also made me just want to laze in Aarhus for a while longer.

But on that last note, I will be headed to Stockholm in a few days, if everything goes well.

Q: Any last words for your loyal readers?

A: I urge all those who are feeling lonely and homesick to go ahead and read A Prison Diary by Jeffrey Archer from your local English bookstore/library, if any. Things could certainly be worse :)

As a parting gift, this video was brought to my attention on the first lesson of Comparative Constitutional Law, which happened to be the first day of CNY.

Awaiting the New Semester

2008-01-29T04:21:00.000-08:00

Presenting ... Bak Kwa!

Or sweet meat. Sam, you totally rock!!!

Not really been up to much, hanging out with friends who were due to return home. Khel came to visit for a few days and I paid my first visit to the Bazaar Vest then. Right now planning a few trips for the upcoming semester. If anybody wants to do a short trip during the Easter Break let me know :P

Hoho and I made all these sushi with my "teacher". It was a demystifying process because usually all I know about sushi is how they taste. Now I learnt how to roll it up and prepare the ingredients, but boy was it a lot of hard work!

Need to know, No need to know

2008-01-16T04:11:00.000-08:00

Kinda went off the radar for a while to do some serious studying. Hahaha okay thats a joke considering the academic rigours here - 15 mins oral exam do or die! Well but since I need to pass, it means I had to show up for the exam and not appear a total dolt. Oh yes and for some inexplicable reason I took a course requiring a Research Paper. Not gonna make the same mistake this upcoming semester since I hope to clear all the exams asap.

Just me saying hi. Sorry if this photo gives you nightmares.

Wonder what this new semester will bring with it. Its still raining everyday and it still gets dark at 4pm, but the good news is that it will only get better. I do hope this applies to things generally because right now I'm getting the restless feeling, not so much to travel a whole bunch, but to try something new, to take advantage of the luxury of time and freedom I have right now. Sadly the language barrier is proving to be quite the nuisance in this regard.

For now it will be the packing up of my insanely filthy room stuffed with all the remnants of my travelling. Couple of things that have interested me, that may interest you:

NME Awards Big Gig at the O2 Arena in London. Featuring Manic Street Preachers, Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, Klaxons, The Cribs.

Northern Lights in Kiruna with doggie sledding.

Enjoy!

Quiet Is The New Loud

2008-01-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

Back in Århus after a super long bus journey from Prague. The part from Prague to Berlin was not too bad; got talking with the Japanese gal sitting next to me and she was nice enough to wait with me at Berlin for my connecting bus. Watching her disappear into the night as I boarded the bus, I could not help but feel a tinge of sadness at the transient nature of such meetings. At the same time, the rational side of me knows that there would be no point in exchanging contacts - far better for her to live on in my memory than anything else.

New batch of exchange students should have arrived for Denmark Today.. feels like a new chapter is about to begin. Very eager to join in for some of the activities like Danish Cooking Lessons, except for the fact that I still have exams upcoming.

Reasons to fly home for CNY	Reasons NOT to fly home for CNY
Family and Friends	Expensive
Reunion Dinner	Takes away the surrealness of being away for a whole year
Mahjong	School starts in the same week as CNY
Get to bring home goodies and bring goodies here	Troublesome

As with many dilemmas, it is hardly an exact science. Wherefore art thou, deus ex machina?

The Fun Post

2008-01-03T01:33:00.000-08:00

Before the Absinthe

Our subject looks pretty eager. He holds the shot glass which contains the innocuous clear liquid of only 4cl. He has just had a big meal of beef goulash, bread dumplings and a dessert of Czech Apple Pie. The liquid seems the perfect way to end the meal...

After the Absinthe...

Country roads, take me home...

Our subject has just experienced spurts of insane burning sensations in his throat. Aforementioned big meal nearly jumped back out on the table.

Success Rating: 8.5 / 10

Charles Bridge in the quiet early morning. Normal times the bridge would be choked full of lousy tourists (which includes me, I know).

New year fireworks. Seems like the people going nuts setting them off were mostly Chinese, scaring away the bad luck I suppose. Felt really itchy to set some of them off myself.

Good King Wencesclas and his Square. Landmark of Prague.

Just for a slight rewind - got to see the Vienna Boys Choir in action last Sunday at Mass.

Dream car 101. Notice how it totally matches my outfit.

New Year in Prague

2007-12-31T23:52:00.000-08:00

Never thought I could be sick of firecrackers and pyros, but after about two hours of seeing people set off all manners of firecrackers last night, I've pretty much had enough.

Bye 2007, Hello 2008.

It was while lying on the hostel bed that I realised how much I miss the revelry back home, even if I would be just watching the 'celebrations' from television. New Year as a tourist in a foreign city just does not have the same feel; although I do feel envious that the locals get to experience such life in their city every New Year's.

Salzburg

2007-12-28T00:47:00.000-08:00

Well before I leave this place, just some final words.

Salzburg was where I officially had the worst Döner kebab ever, and the worst excuse for a beer (which smelled and tasted like piss) at the YoHo hostel, where I'm typing this out.

But I suppose there is some charm in this City, refer to earlier post, but its just not quite for me at this point.

Cheers!

The Hills Are Alive

2007-12-27T12:09:00.000-08:00

With the Sound of Music :)

Took this photo on the train from Slovenia to Salzburg, rather glad to be out of Slovenia.

And into the land where Mozart was born, where there are Sound of Music tours, mountains, snow, and loads of Asian people. Haha.

Mirabell Gardens. Been told by my financial controller that budget is tight, therefore did not enter the extort-tourist places like the Hohensalzburg Fortress. That may explain the lack of photos this trip :P

Not sure when will be the next time I get internet, but its off to Vienna tomorrow!

Merry Christmas!!!

2007-12-24T13:15:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all from Slovenia!

Just got into Bled from Ljubljana, hoping for a white Christmas tomorrow. Would make some magnificent photos of the lake.

Christmas market and atmosphere in Ljubljana City Centre. Very nice, never seen anything like it before.

The ski place called Krvavec. Still aching a lot in areas I didn't know existed. Only thing more bruised is my ego from falling down a dozen times.

The famous Lake Bled on a foggy day.

EAT FIRE! Had a torch tour around the lake during the night.

Slovenia really is an interesting place. Maybe not the place for the faint hearted but also not totally rough and backward. We took a little long clearing customs, had a bunch of nonsense with London customs, and Slovenian customs... I think I'll work as a customs officer next time, so I can kick around even businessmen and politicians flying in. Ask them all sorts of nonsense questions and the like. Price wise the system is very pay for exactly what you use, and their idea of service is not quite first world.

All in all, its the road less travelled. And that has made all the difference =)

Have a jolly good Christmas 2007, Y'ALL!

Quiet Time

2007-12-16T04:41:00.000-08:00

Did you feel the mountains tremble
Did you feel the oceans roar
When the people rose to sing of
Jesus Christ the risen One

Did you feel the people tremble
Did you hear the singers roar
When the lost began to sing of
Jesus Christ the saving One

And we can see that God you're moving
A mighty river through the nations
And young and old will turn to Jesus
Fling wide you heavenly gates
And prepare the way of the risen Lord

Open up the doors and
Let the music play
Let the streets resound with singing
Songs that bring Your hope
Songs that bring Your joy
Dancers who dance upon injustice

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. -- 2 Corinthians 12:9

Today I felt the beckoning after a long dry spell. And I'm glad I responded. Many times I think I can handle my life by myself; I have been blessed and have very little to worry about compared to many. But its not the material comforts or surface level that needed help, it was my soul. Tears streamed as I listened to songs, read the text, did my prayers... maybe it was the exams getting to me I thought, but not really. I needed time to take stock of my life, give thanks, seek Him and His wisdom.

And know that I am never alone, that I can never shut the door. And Christmas season is a time to remember, to say Happy Birthday Jesus, thank you so so very much.

More on Spain

2007-12-12T06:31:00.000-08:00

The Mau Travel Fund is always open for donations. Feeling a little generous this festive season? Big year end bonus and feel like sharing the love? Contributors will receive a nice big postcard from an exotic city of Mau's choice. Especially generous donors will get signed glossies of any photo on this website.

Commercial break over. More on Spain.

First day in Madrid, Spain! Got out of the Sol Metro Station to find... Aberdeen Football Club was in town for the UEFA match against Atletico Madrid (guess what, its not ALWAYS about Real Madrid). Loyal fans kicking a ball around. You could imagine how disorientating it was to be me.

Conveniently marked out in the photo is El Oso y el Madroño, statue of a bear and a strawberry tree. Symbol of Madrid.

Took this in Chueca. Gay friendly neighbourhood. Haha. But also great shopping district (big spenders should look into Salamanca district. Or hell, fly to London, Paris, Milan). Start here, walk towards Gran Via, then along Gran Via, turn into Fuencarrel and walk that stretch. Just to clarify, Zara's not fantastically cheap in Spain, perhaps due to the 16% IVA (tax). I did buy a pair of jeans, just not ten pairs of jeans, five shirts etcetc.

Plaza Mayor. There was a small time bazaar / Christmas market in the day.

Best toilet signs I've seen. User friendly, straight to the point.

Dinner was from 11pm to 2am. Then headed for some party until 5am. Took the first metro at 6am home to pack my bags. Headed out again to catch my 7.30am bus to San Sebastian. Great success! Meal timings in Spain are a "little" different from the rest of the world.

Yes Kyle I hate you too. I'm so glad you're on exchange in the country just North of me. Wait... whats new?

This was us arriving at Seville early Friday morning with too little sleep. Apparently we hit the jackpot going Spain because it was the Constitution Day on Thursday, and a Bank holiday on Saturday. We had to hunt down a hostel to sleep in that night, which Oasis Backpackers found for us in the form of Seville Urbany.

Also, somehow or other I left my Student ID at Oasis Backpackers the next day and at the time of writing they're preparing to mail my ID back to me in Denmark. What a fantastic place! What a forgetful moron I am!

Spanish Kopi Tiam. Churros and thick chocolate instead of kaya toast and kopi.

Traditional Flamenco in Seville, Andalucia. I'm not too great with the history and politics in Spain, nor do I want to be involved, but lets just say that flamenco originated from this region first. It was a lovely performance; the dancers were skilled, graceful, good looking.

And this is the Plaza de España in Seville, planet of Naboo in Star Wars Episode II for the Star Wars fans like myself. Very, very, very nice.

BIG THANKS to Liz Wu for letting me set up camp at her place in Madrid for several days, and for being the excellent hostess/tour guide/gourmet that she is. Don't blush now!

Spanish Heartache

2007-12-07T14:39:00.000-08:00

Decide to do a little blog post from my hostel in Seville, all part of the whole backpack and travel log thing.

Little tired and will furnish better details of my journey in time to come, enjoy the photos :)

Artistic shot (if I say so myself) of the back of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. Sadly I did not get to go in because the museum was closed. But I was still happy to be there, to take in the architecture of the museum.

Nearby the Prado Museum of Madrid is this roundabout with Neptune in full glory. I like to think he's snickering at the motor vehicles honking during peak congestion time.

Cove of San Sebastian, Donostia. Santa Clara island in the middle. I was out climbing Mt Urgull that day.

And finally, lovely spread of pintxos and the bartender pouring txakoli of the Basque Country.

If by now you do not know which country I have been in, uhm, got nothing to say.

Quotable Quotes of the Journey

Kyle: Life is good

Liz: I *must* come back here again

Health Care

2007-11-24T11:43:00.000-08:00

Been having a cold the past few days, which is nature's way of telling me... to buy loads of smart-looking warm winter clothing which I will not use at all in Singapore. Was quite looking forward to utilizing my free health care, one of the perks of being a Danish resident. Okay maybe looking forward is not the right word - but again I'm a sucker for a new experience.

I gave the clinic a call and got put through to an answering machine in Danish. Big load of help. Then I decided to haul myself down to the place. Thats when I got introduced to.. the system, something I thought would never occur since the days of SAF Health Care. (Although if you draw the links they are both free health care supplied by the State, and both have no interest in seeing more patients, only in getting their asses covered and enjoying cushy hours. Therefore, THE SYSTEM makes perfect sense!) Apparently all the doctors are busy and they do not take walk-ins. Either I make an appointment, which would be in a few weeks' time, by which time I would be cured or dead, thereby negating the need for a doctor; or I had to call between the hours of 8am and 10am, at which time the doctor would pick up and I can make an appointment for the day. Okay. So the next prudent thing I did was to ask for a thermometer just to check if I was running a fever. But, the clinic// did. not. have. one.

I was sick, but sickly curious: "So how do you tell if patients have a fever?". Nurse/Recep's answer: "Well we do a blood test. Because the thermometer is not very accurate."

Now I just HAVE to see this for myself. But the next morning I had a class, and calling at 9am to make an appointment got me straight to the answering machine again. Lying bastards!

For those who care, I've been depleting my tea reserves, my vitamins, some medicine, and I made chicken soup. Should be getting better on my own. Kudos to Danish Health Care, aka: Visit your nearest Apotek, do not trouble the doctors!

Fairytale of London

2007-11-19T15:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Mau Speaking:

That was how the three days felt like to me - being in a place so comfortingly familiar, yet with so many wonders and attractions for me to explore; a fairytale of sorts.

Broadly speaking, the whole exchange experience is one long fairytale. Recently, some of the other ERASMUS exchange students felt their time on the fairytale clock ticking more acutely because they only had a month left to go; and long for this period of enjoyment, carefreeness, surreality and decadence to never end. Happily ever after, so they say.

But back to the fairytale of London. While I would have liked to have stayed there much longer, perhaps it was also good to leave after just a few days, that the magical experience would linger on.

Cranky Mau Speaking:

By now you should realise I'm just talking nonsense, part of the whole London thespian image. I would definitely be going back London, because my lovely flight back to Singapore takes me via there. And the entire fairytale image was partially damaged by the fact that the idea of Fairytale seems to be very marketable. And so it is only as real and magical as you can afford it to be. Just for illustration, I was quite keen on getting a haircut there with English Stylists, but 40 pounds a pop at Toni & Guys nearly gave me a cardiac arrest.

Let's start now from the very beginning...

Early morning pick-up by Michael in his Mitsubishi. Great start to the trip.

Liverpool St Station, where the STANSTED EXPRESS took us. It's just a fancy name for a crappy ol train. From there we decided to hike it to the hostel. I was all right with that, cos I only had on a backpack which weighed 5kg.

Got to see a lot of the city in the one hour. I really like the architecture and huge buildings of London; gives the place a very majestic and impressive look.

Top left: London eye. Funny how it was the one thing I aimed for in my London trip, but I ended up not going for it. It certainly looks pretty at night when its all lighted up, but in the end, the hefty price tag just was not worth it for me. I might do it in the summer, on a nice clear day, when I can see for miles up there.

Top right: Ooh I see a Big Ben. Michael insisted I delete the picture when I took it but I am rather pleased with the result. My rationale: if it looks too perfect and whole, you can get it off a postcard.

Bottom left: Horse guards. The guard was looking totally shagged out. The sign is kind of funny, but nice warning to all the people who went to take photos with the horsie.

Bottom right: Admiralty Arch. Go google it for more information, I'm not a History Major.

\\\ MUSICALS ///

Whats a trip to London without experiencing a musical (or two! or three!) in West End. For that you gotta ask the Austrian brothers. Hahaha. The girls went to watch Lion King, while I happily whacked these two.

Lovely, absolutely lovely.

Except for the curious stares I get from people wondering whats my story watching a musical like Dirty Dancing on my own. Or maybe its because I know my Mom notices people like that, so I'm being self conscious.

---FOOD---

The sad part was that I actually ate McDonalds while in London. That was really a low point in my life. Big N Tasty! Sheesh.

Breakfast at The Breakfast Club in SOHO. I suggested it, and I don't think there was anything to complain there. The waffles were so good. And the atmosphere, lovely.

Fish N Chips with Ale in a nice English pub called Wellington's. The bartender was really friendly, and let me sample three different ales before I settled on Abbot Ale. Fresh fish, nicely done mashed peas... my tummy felt really cosy after. Normally I wouldn't even eat peas.

Thats Emilia playing with her food - Wanton Noodle Soup. Heh heh. I had Roast Duck. The real fun was when the others dropped in while we were having dessert. What I learnt: Europeans find Red Bean strange. But they love Mango Sago.

Tower Bridge at night. It was the only well lighted one - my photos of Tower of London were pretty much useless. Throughout the journey in London, while we were freezing our butts off, we saw many joggers decked out only in tights running comfortably along the Thames River. Some had backpacks on, I suppose for a reason. But it was just too strange for us to fathom.

And yea, ever the Arsenal supporter. Just took a walk around and went into the souvenir store - only way to enter the stadium was to take the stadium tour. Fairytale with a price tag.

Maybe not the best photo to end off with. Changing of guards at the Buckingham Palace. Nothing spectacular, but just do it, to say you've seen it. Haha.

Happy Mau: And they all lived happily ever after
Cranky Mau: Yeah right, b*tch

Male Bonding

2007-11-15T05:37:00.000-08:00

Wasn't Me.

In other news, I'm back from London (England, not Ontario) and very very sleepy. Having to wake up at 3am to catch the morning shuttle to the airport just plain screws with your body.

London was like the land of dreams for me - Rich, Majestic, Affluent; Chinatown, Musicals, English. But it left me broke as a Brokeback Mountain. Still, I'm properly inspired to work or get an internship there for the sake of staying there for a longer period.

Quote a Malaysian waiter I met while eating in Chinatown, "Ah I work in Denmark before. Can't find Chinese food there. Everyday only steak, steak, steak. Run fast!" I think a literal translation to Hokkien would be the correct way of interpretation.

Before KO-ing, just like to say that Tris' exchange blog awoke the inner girl in me.

HUGS AND KISSES,
Mau
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Land of Bofferding

2007-11-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

Bofferding's the Luxembourg Beer. And no, Luxembourg is not renowned for its beer, or for its amount of beer consumed per year, unlike Germany and Denmark.

Caught my first snow here as well, on the final day. And it was snowing quite heavily on the Autobahn journey back. Though sadly, not seen any snow in Aarhus yet.

Luxembourg turned out to be a social cum study tour, which was really a good thing. It felt like the turning point of Orientation where everybody's just comfortable with one another, whereas previously we were just strangers in the same class.

What is Luxembourg famous for? Banks, fortresses, historical buildings and sights, and of course the European Court of Justice. Its not really much of a tourist place, a day or two should cover it sufficiently. That being said, the sights are AMAZING.

Top left: Gellen Fra Memorial. Gold plated female figure to commemorate the Luxembourgers who perished in the First World War.

Top right: Bronze statue of Grand Duke William II

Bottom left: Palace of the Grand-Ducal family. Was lucky to get a photo in when the gates were opened.

We were tremendously lucky that we had a juicy oral hearing to listen to for our study trip. The case was about State Aid to the Danish Television channel TV2. Language of the European Court of Justice was French, but the parties were speaking in Danish and interpretors behind glass windows were translating the case into the many different languages of the European Union, which I could hear from my headphones. It was very impressive. Knowing many languages is really very useful in the European Union, unlike Singapore where its the academic grades that count.

Our photo-op backdrop was a stunning view with the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge.

Thats my roommate Martin. He's in the Danish course rather than the English one, and he has a girlfriend who's in Medicine. Such a lot we have in common. Or perhaps the resemblance is more striking in the photo below with someone else...

Concluding thoughts: Had a lot of time to ponder and think, had a lot of socializing and fun, managed to see how an International (ok, European) Court functions, had some time to roam about a new city -- I would say it was a great trip.

Luxembourg Bound!

2007-11-06T16:11:00.000-08:00

Going off on a Study Trip to Luxembourg in just a few hours. Looking forward to seeing a new country, getting a tour of the European Court of Justice and hearing a case relevant to what I'm studying; not looking forward to a combined total of 24 hours on a Coach.

But I will bring my laptop along for entertainment. Hope this idea won't bite me in the arse, however that might happen.

People seem to be the most excited when you tell them you've been to London, Paris, Milan, Rome and Spain. They'll just give you a blank look when you tell them something like Luxembourg and sometimes I wonder if I should really bother mentioning about such travels. Its almost as bad as telling people you made toast and eggs for breakfast.

But I will have photos when I come back. Aha! And this is my blog and my right to post boring stuff. If you no like, feel free to Alt Tab :D

How you wish you have the best of both worlds

2007-11-03T16:05:00.000-07:00

How you wish you were living independently overseas, yet have your loved ones and dear friends to turn to when you need an intermission from the Alpha Male charade.

How you wish you had a communal kitchen and dining place to know your neighbours, yet not have to worry about your stuff going missing or your privacy being intruded upon.

How you wish you could go to parties during winter, yet not have to go through the cold weather.

How you wish you could spend all the time on exchange enjoying the exchange and picking up skills, and not worry about studying and passing exams.

---

I think watching Grey's Anatomy brings out the emotions. I should really stick to Boston Legal.

Nothing's much been happening the past two weeks. Maybe the most eventful was the Daylight Savings Time change. Denmark's going for elections Nov 13, but unfortunately I'm not going to be around for it.. not like I'm going to follow the elections or understand it anyway. And Christmas Beer (Julebryg) has hit Denmark on 2 Nov, also known as J-Dag. Tried it out for size while watching the Arsenal - Man U game today.. wasn't too bad. But more like a girly beer, heh.

Workload for school is picking up. Got to choose from 2-3 choices of exam dates for the courses. With luck I'll be doing an exam in Dec just before Christmas, and the other two will be in the middle of January. Seems like I should be studying a lot harder from now on.

Cultural Highlights of Odense

2007-10-27T04:29:00.000-07:00

Located in Denmark's garden island Funen. Odense is also the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen and Denmark's third largest city in terms of population.

First up is the Hans Christian Andersen museum which is a must-see, number one tourist attraction of Odense. Photos are below. Personally my childhood was more about TV than fairytales, so I did not really know what made me so interested in knowing more about HCA. Perhaps to know how legends are made, or to know how his fairytales have conquered over 150 language barriers, or maybe just the deep desire to dwell in imagination and fantasy of a childlike sort.

(Above): Papercuts, which he did as he was regaling children with his stories.

It is at this point where I apologise to all past Mandarin teachers/tutors I have had, for my inability to even pronounce the translation of Nightingale. If I had to guess it would be ye4 ying1. I laid down my Chinese Broadsword, Pen and Brush in 2000, so give me a break.

AND... Travis!

Whats this got to do with Denmark? Nothing. They're a Scottish Band. But they were actually the reason I bothered going to Odense, Funen, Denmark in the first place. It was an awesome concert, the cover band was an alternative Danish emo rock band Ave; you can listen to their music on their myspace website here.

Showmanship was good, vocals were great and they played all my favourite songs, and some which would later add to my list of favourite songs. Managed to get a few short clips of Selfish Jean, Love Will Come Through and Flowers in the Window with my trusty Canon.

The rest of the photos are just the nice scenery on the second day, while we were biking and exploring. Got to watch the strange Everton - Liverpool derby match as well but thats not worth blogging. Or not. Liverpool scored two penalties (duh) and the only goal they scored that was not a penalty was an own goal (clearance gone horribly wrong). Haha. Everton should have won. Liverpool could not even put a goal through when Everton was reduced to 9 men.

All thats left for me to visit in Denmark is probably Skagen for the meeting of the seas, and Frederikshavn to take a ferry out =)

My Hero

2007-10-21T13:47:00.000-07:00

Oktoberfest

2007-10-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

Photos from Oktoberfest 2007 in Munich. Did not spend my entire time in Munich there - first night to recee, second was a full day, and the final was the last night of the Oktoberfest.

Oktoberfest is basically just a huge carnival. May not make sense to everybody why there is a huge carnival just to drink beer at extortionist price and the crowd can be quite putting off. But everybody still goes to Disneyland and amusement parks - this one has exceptional beer on top of all that! Therefore rule out little kids, and add in open-minded, slightly tipsy tourists from all over the world, some wearing the traditional Bavarian costume, and theres definitely a recipe for fun. Food was fantastic too - grilled fish, metre long hot dog, fish and chips, and the delicious aroma from roasted chicken which I did not try.

Experience of a lifetime. For now I'll let the photos do the talking, so you can make your own judgement.

Look closely at the final photo of the "Cupid" and you can see lots of knickers draped on it. Here's to a happy love life! Or sex life.. I honestly have no idea what it represents :)

Procrastination

2007-10-14T04:48:00.000-07:00

is my middle name...

That, plus how much I do not want Facebook: Filled up my DOB as Christmas 2006, and got my email disabled. HAHAHAHA.

In other news, Denmark played Spain for the Euro 2008 qualifier yesterday in Aarhus. CESC FABREGAS!!! Only reason why it was in Aarhus was due to a spectator assaulting the referee in the Denmark-Sweden game, and subsequently Denmark had to play its next four home matches at least 250km away from Copenhagen by orders of UEFA.

Score was 3-1. Guess I won't be watching Denmark in Euro 2008. But the way they played was absolutely horrible - missing so many chances and showing a lack of sportsmanship.

Love the irony of this photo - Spanish guy holding up Denmark flag post-game :))

Of Berlin-Munich

2007-10-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

I know I should kick start a post about where I've been and what I've been doing for a whole week (or 8 days to be exact) but I'm very reluctant for a few reasons. Firstly, the photos are split over a number of cameras and I've not gotten all the relevant photos. On this note, it means I have to get the dreaded facebook, something I have tried to procrastinate for as long as possible for no real reason. But thats just a minor thing. More importantly, I find it hard to reduce the great time I've had into words and photos. I'm not great at descriptive; I would suck as a novelist. But a friend kindly suggested that the photos would serve to remind me of the journey I have taken, the memories of which I hope would be etched in me for a long time to come, and which no camera lens can truly hope to capture in all its essence. So here goes...

Day 1 (Mon 1st Oct)

7.5 hour train journey to Berlin cooped in a small carriage with 5 others is no joke. I'm just glad I did not suffer any cramps, and I was sufficiently beat to sleep more than half of the time away.

First day was pretty much meeting up with Kyle and Khel, checking out our sweet accoms, and gushing at how the prices in Germany are so cheap compared to Scandinavia. I just remembered the day as eating all sorts of greasy food like Döner Kebab, Curry wurst, hot dogs, fries, hamburgers and thinking this was the life. Plus checking out a nice Mexican pub with a limited song list but good prices for beer and cocktails - three of us just spent some time catching up and doing some solid, intense discussion.

Day 2 (Tue 2nd Oct)

And we have a new member from Madrid! We all headed down to Potsdamer Platz intending to go on a City Tour but ended up going on the Third Reich tour, which was all about Mr Hitler and how well he made history. Our tour guide was really good - armed with interesting snippets and knowledge of things liks assassination attempts. It really made history come alive, unlike secondary school history lessons and textbook mugging.

Soviet War Memorial with a bronze Russian Soldier and his rifle hanging in the non-alert position. And the 2nd one is some grave which all I can recall is a memorial to victims, and it was felt that the size was too small in light of the sheer number of victims - 200 000 from 1939 to 1945. Disclaimer: Facts may not be accurate .. I really should have jotted down facts in a notebook.

This one goes out to all who like to make me 'lao nuah' over the food I cannot enjoy in Singapore. Muahaha. Towards the end of dinner it got a little uncomfortable because every other diner was in a formal attire.

Next we headed off to the super huge open-air concert set up specially for reunification day. My camera batteries conveniently died at the top of the ferris wheel we sat in, but here's a photo of the ferris wheel taken from on top the Reichstag:

There was a huge festive mood at the open-air concert. Young kids were dancing wildly, pushing into the people around them. The idea was that those people would join in and the wild dancing would grow contagious.

Afterwards we just bummed around because we were half expecting some form of countdown into the Reunification Day, but promptly at 12am, the crowd was gone and the stalls started closing. So much for a countdown.

Day 3 (Wed 3rd Oct)

City Tour Day!

Jewish Memorial: sides of the blocks have been coated with some substance that would allow easy removal of graffiti/dirt. Its rather tasteful compared to alternatives such as a giant vat of blood or giant ovens, which apparently had been suggested for the memorial. Various theories have been suggested what these blocks represent, one went along the lines of a bar chart representing the victims over the years.

Next photo is the Berlin Wall. Huge piping on top of the wall is to prevent people from getting a grip on the top. Apparently barbed wire was not enough to deter desperate people, and our tour guide gave us funny stories of how some made it across the wall - dressing up as a cow, using the ID of a west berliner who looks like the fella's gf in east berlin, sob story of having a dying grandmother and forgetting the proper papers etc.

Finally Checkpoint Charlie. Its so commercialised now, saw someone posing with the fake American guard there and paying him money afterwards.

After the tour we parted ways - me and kyle headed off to shop, liz and khel went to see some museum and have a romantic candlelight dinner together. Okay thats all the gossip I'm leaking.

However, shops were closed on this fateful Public Holiday, and we were so shacked out that we nearly went back to the hostel to nap for a bit. Rather glad we didn't. Spent some time at the Topography of Terror before heading to the Reichstag. Caught a beautiful sunset along the way.

This is Kyle resting up before the pub crawl at night!

No photos of the pub crawl simply because this is a family-oriented blog. Hahaha. Anyway this marks the end of my stamina and energy for this post. Of course I should have added Part 1 to the title, or deleted Munich from it, but then I would not be able to say SURPRISE!!! now, would I.

Wake Me Up When September Ends

2007-09-30T06:39:00.000-07:00

Yup, I be heading down to Germany for the next 8 days. Berlin first, then Munich. Slightly worried that there has been a general lack of preparations apart from finding accoms and booking plane/train tickets, and that no one has been to Germany before. Okay I have, but a package tour more than 10 years ago does not really count. And no one is going to bring a laptop along. Because we only want the enjoyment and usage of a laptop without the responsibility, and our risk-adverse nature thinks the laptop might get stolen. Altruism does not exist.

Shoving these pessimistic vibes away, I'm happy that I'll be there with people I know and I do think we'll have a lot of fun together - at Oktoberfest (real and genuine!), German Reunification Day and so on.

Something to lighten the mood, also known as my daily conversation with home:

Dear Mom/Dad,

$chool i$ really great. I am making lot$ of friend$ and $tudying very hard. With all my $tuff, I $imply ¢an't think of anything I need, $o if you would like, you can ju$t $end me a card, a$ I would love to hear from you.

Love,
Your $on.

Dear Son,

I kNOw that astroNOmy, ecoNOmics, and oceaNOgraphy are eNOugh to keep even an hoNOr student busy. Do NOt forget that the pursuit of kNOwledge is a NOble task, and you can never study eNOugh.

Love,
Mom/Dad

Just remember I picked a a course which has NO such negative words in them. Its never coincidental :)

To all who are returning back to school after the one week break, cheers!

Autumn Reflections

2007-09-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

Usually my thoughts go wild and crazy almost all the time, but the minute I start to blog, they decide not to party anymore. The same goes with assignments and essays. I suspect its because the blank white screen fails to stimulate those brain cells. And this is why I think I will not make a good lawyer, or even office worker for that matter. But aside from having reflections about my thoughts, I decide I will just a pose a simple question:

Can there ever be a best time to visit a place?

Yes this is partly aimed at the failed road trip, because we had the transport, the company, and the weather to back us up. But yet a part of me is glad that I was in Aarhus for this weekend, this slice of time, because I actually got up to many things, which I would have to forego had I spent it in Sweden. On another sidenote, just to maybe get more COMMENTS ON MY BLOG, would you rather go to a safe country alone when the timing was perfect (i.e. theres a festival going on, the weather is great, whatever floats your boat) and not have company, or would having a buddy or group of friends be more important?

Photos from pub crawl on Friday:

Its a bit sad that the name translates to Kurt's Mom. And because it was raining so hard outside, it was filled with people, who would probably be sitting outside in an al fresco cafe along Aboulevarden.. like the next one we went to!

I kinda cycled home tipsy by the end of the pub crawl. My legs felt like lead.

And now photos from the LIVE! soccer game I was at, Saturday. The ticket was complimentary owing to the beer (or two, or five, or ten) I bought at the big university fredagsbar a week ago.

This is what happens when you don't support the correct team...

All in all, it wasn't too bad for a soccer game thats free. There were a few yellow cards, 1 red card, goals were scored (Aarhus team lost 2-1), and a lot of missed opportunities which my german friends cringed at. One said, "if this game was played in Germany, everyone would just get wasted".

Half-time show. "They should sell these cars and buy better players". Hilarious.

As for my bicycle, I've been getting a lot of mileage and exercise from it. The lack of suspension still makes every bump hurt like hell, though.

And finally, my good lock which has withstood the perils of a file:

Turns out my neighbour had her doormat stolen as well. Quite a lot of savages around. There was some guy roaming around the residence in his scooter, peeping into windows, checking whether bicycles are locked etc. Me and another resident didn't take too long to figure out he wasn't up to any good, but theres nothing we can do if we didn't want to cause trouble (something like running a rusty pole up his candy hole. its a nice rhyme too. sorry but this topic just gets me angry. its probably a reason I'm glad I do not share a kitchen with people and my food goes missing)

And for Sunday I stepped out of my comfort zone to learn some basic salsa steps at the Student House. Don't figure I'll write about it this time because I'm planning to keep going there in the weeks/months to come.

The Road Trip that didn't happen

2007-09-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

Originally planning to head to Sweden by car from Friday to Monday. I was all tingly and excited at having to drive a Manual Car and controlling the gears with my right hand. But alas, it was cancelled because the primary driver was hum - or rather he said he did not feel so well. And another member was down with a cold too. I guess its all for the best, otherwise I might be sick too by the end of the road trip.

So hey, went to check out a golf course since I had a free Friday.

Beautiful course, but annoyingly hard to reach. Think trying to get from city to countryside, and navigating with a self-made hand-drawn map.

Only went out on the driving range. Supposed to drop in 20 kr for unlimited time and balls at the driving range, but no one was enforcing so.. you get the drift. Anyway my camera batteries went flat after the last photo so, could not take anything else. Headed to the IKEA AARHUS after that by chance because I was searching for the bus stop. Still thinking whether to get a comfortable swivel chair for 450 kr, or to loot my neighbour's apartment at the end of the semester. Heh, heh.

Here's a meal I made the other day, courtesy of pre-packed paste/sauce/condiments. But I take full credit for the presentation.

Shall try to make full use of the rest of the weekend, starting with a Pub Crawl later! Nagging feeling tells me the road trip won't just be postponed, but that's life.

Pay And Pay (PAP)

2007-09-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

The irony will probably be lost on all but a few. But anyway this post is not political at all, rather it is a rant on certain things which have made me pretty unhappy on this otherwise fun exchange.

Denmark is expensive. That comes as no surprise, being a Scandinavian country with a welfare system, supported by a punishing 25% tax on all goods and services. How this translates - I had to pay an extra 25% for the crummy bike at the Police Auction on top of the price I bidded for. Should have just followed some people and quietly whisked an unlocked bike away. What sucked was after that I still needed to pay someone to break the lock on the bike. Only conclusion is that the police do NOT sell stolen bikes, more like unwanted/unnoticed bikes, belonging to owners who died or broke their legs. Most lucrative business ever, getting income with absolutely no capital needed whatsoever. Bet the morale at the police department must be really high ("quick find more bikes, we need a bigger bonus this year!!!!")

Next up, how do I benefit from this tax system? Free medical care, free education, no homeless/poor people to bother you. Its so obvious! Yeah right. I'm sure I should fall sick more often to get mileage out of the free medical care (which does not include dental. Apparently dentists are smarter than doctors and did not get subsumed under free state health care, go figure). As for education - while Danes get PAID an allowance for studying, I still have to pay school fees at my home university while I'm undergoing free state education over here. Hooray! As for hobos... well. I'm sure my doormat got stolen by a filthy rich billionaire. Plus my crummy bike caught someone's attention enough to try breaking my lock. And when I think I'm far enough away from home, the same people going round dustbins looking for bottles to recycle and get cash remind me that some things do not change.

Now for the finale. Telco. Yes I have a Danish number, a pre-paid one to be exact. How did I choose it? Went to a kiosk (convenience store), decided that it would be the best because then someone could explain all the unfathomable words to me. More than a month later, while surfing on the telco website, I found out that the amount you top-up each time affects how much you pay on your talktime. WOW. So had I bought a 100 DKK top-up, I pay 5 times more than the person with a 500 DKK top-up. Economic lesson: Perfect information is non-existent in a foreign country, especially when you're a newbie. And the Danish language barrier ensures you stay ignorant as you watch the dollar bills fly out the wallet. Just today when I decided to activate roaming after considering the roaming charges, I found out that they charge 200 DKK JUST TO ACTIVATE THE ROAMING. All for the tedious administrative labour of a mouse-click. Seriously, I swear this system makes me just want to screw it royally. I think the only reason the Danes are the happiest and most contented people is that they drink a lot and forget all their financial worries. And they do hire greedy Americans to formulate ways to rob money from you legally. Now you know.

Welcome to Denmark!

Aarhus Festival

2007-09-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

Figured I should at least do a little write-up about the Festival thats ongoing. City centre is indeed buzzing with excitement and swarming with people. There was The Police concert on the day I returned to Aarhus, but.. wrong era for me I suppose. Huge tents have been set up for Live music makeshift bars; a huge stage dominates the centre with a performance each night; many performances/activities/shows are found in various places, open-air and indoor alike; theres the World's Longest Couch (and comfortable too!) set up in town for people to relax. Atmosphere is definitely different the past week.

Unfortunately, when all is said and done, I think it is still not much of a tourist attraction. Most of the people in the streets seem to be Danes just back from summer holiday and eager to catch up / grab a beer with friends and acquaintances.

I did watch a fantastic performance entitled "The Waiting Room", where two performers did stunts and acts to literally kill time. It was very artistic, especially the use of recorded video to complement their on-stage performance. And oh yes, no speech was involved, which was perfect.

Lack of photos can be attributable to the fact that school started this week. Readings are by no means easy or skimpy. It remains a wonder how it is rumoured that exchange students totally do not need to study.

Post-Grad Holiday

2007-09-02T08:24:00.000-07:00

Roskilde

Three huge vases which are supposed to symbolise life and death (because it stores food, and stores ashes), and the youth hostel I stayed in. After dumping my pack there, I headed over to.....

Viking ship museum! The main reason I went to Roskilde. Some boring history (disclaimer: could be inaccurate): On showcase are 5 viking ships which were found and restored as best as could be. In the past when Roskilde was the main town, it is likely that these ships were loaded with boulders, sailed out and deliberately destroyed to ward off possible attacks by makingthe route inaccessible. Ironic how in the past, inaccessibility is key to survival, while now it is quite the opposite.

Second photo is about the voyage of a ship called the Sea Stallion which they created after Skuldelev 2 (one of the 5 viking ships). It is to sail from Roskilde to Dublin and back. Just pure wind energy and manual rowing. More can be found at this website.

Last photo is some random display ship for aesthetics/to fill up empty space and the area was useful for restless kids to run about. Oh and there were some viking costumes available to play dress up. But I think I'm a little too old for that.

Dont think this is some easy voyage. I actually had to row the darn thing (see the oars by the side). And later on when the sail was up, the wind/waves became very strong and my pants got wet as a result (no, not what you're thinking). Nevertheless it was a very very fun experience.

Roskilde Domkirke. Admitted to 1995 UNESCO's World Heritage List. Also the place for royalty to be buried in. But I wont be putting up photos of coffins on my blog, no matter how elaborate looking they are. Took a photo of an illustration, I do think thats supposed to be Adam and Eve. The architecture of the Cathedral was brilliant, and someone was playing on the organ when I was there, so that certainly boosted the experience.

Copenhagen

After more than 2 days of solo travelling, was very happy to meet up with Khelvin, who was to be my host in Copenhagen for the subsequent few days. Took some time to get used to the S-train and Metro system, and living in his huge shared house but with only 1 bathroom for 5-6 people. That aside, it felt good to finally be able to kick back and relax, and explore buffet places(!!!) Actually it was just one buffet place, but we were there three times in five days. And all three times I didnt need to eat dinner.

Ok on now to the tourist things of Copenhagen...

Icon of Denmark. I will definitely come by here again, not because its so fascinating, but because its very interesting to see the 1001 people doing all sorts of poses with the Little Mermaid. One person climbed all the way up and.. had some light petting with her. So do drop by to see! Just remember you're neither the first nor the last to... you know.

Carlsberg Brewery. Me and Khel totally went there with the intention to learn about the beer making process, and to see what goes on in a brewery. After all I've never been to APB. The drinking at the end of it was part of the educational experience. Great success!

Just trying out some artistic poses. Ahem so I went to the Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum, and *of course* I did not take any photos there. Distinctive feature of the wax museum was its house of horrors - Pandora's box, wax figure on an electric chair etc.

And finally Tivoli. Weihan and Khelvin posing with their year long membership card of Tivoli. I swear they bought it just so they can go in and collect Tivoli Cups to return for 5 kr each. I think thats the scariest ride in Tivoli.. may do it the next time I come, when I buy the unlimited rides ticket. Heh, heh. Or I may chicken out.

Here's a video of the Live Band playing at Tivoli for the Friday Night Rock. I was informed that this genre of music is techno, so if Danish Techno is your thing, click on...

Graduation

2007-09-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

After many years of hard work... okay make that weeks, but make it *very* hard work, I graduated from DENMARK TODAY on 24th August 2007. Yes I have a certificate to prove it.

Guess which one, eh?

Seated (L - R): Elaine, Laura, Elisabeth, Nora, Kristin
Standing (L - R): Petra, Mathilde, Juanmi, Marisa, Johannes, Tim, Matthias, Mau
Not in Picture: Ana, Anna

Obviously being a relatively short stint, it was not a teary moment. Possibly the only tears that were shed were from the teachers when we did our singing in Danish.

The Post without a Photo

2007-09-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a week long travel to Roskilde and Copenhagen. Whereas 1st August saw me hauling my huge bundle of stuff all the way from Singapore, 1st September was just a backpack and a few hours' train ride - definitely a lot more pleasant. Also because I had friends with me at the train station, the train did not seem so scary, and having a seat made me seem like less of a bum.

So that has been one month away from home. And I find myself integrating more and more into a place that is growing less strange and less unfamiliar. It shocks me when people bring their old baggage into a new society, and stubbornly reject a different way of life. And it shocks me even more when these people are 'on exchange'.

That does not mean I do not have my grouses. Especially when I return to find my doormat conveniently missing. But I much rather blend in and see things from another perspective.

The Road is Long

2007-08-23T14:55:00.000-07:00

But there is always Shell and Mcdonalds

Took this shot as I was walking home from Børglum Kollegiet, where I went to watch the England Germany soccer match. It was a pretty tough room - think many germans there to support their country. I cheered quite loudly too when Frank Lampard put in the first goal (now you know I would never do that had this been an EPL game), only to catch some dirty looks. Not going to talk more on this; I got the feeling that the danes who were there were secretly hoping for England to win, if only to see some anger from german exchange students. But alas it did not happen. Denmark was also hosting Ireland around the same time in Århus. But Ireland won 4-0. Heh.

Random trivia: Børglum was my second choice of accomodation, and their huge shared kitchen always leaves me wondering if I made the right choice in opting for a puny personal kitchen.

But the bloody long walk home reassured me sufficiently.

Methodist Church on Sunday

2007-08-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

Felt moved to write this post. Woke up early on Sunday morning, which was a good thing because I was led to the Methodist Church in Aarhus.

Click on the photo for the link to the website, if you wish. I was not expecting much because - the service would be in Danish; I was told that Danes do not go to church every Sunday, only on Easter and Christmas; Methodism is not a smash hit denomination in Denmark.

What did follow was truly amazing. A kind lady sat next to me and offered to translate so I could follow the service and sermon. And while singing a Danish hymn, tears just started flowing freely. I used to wonder in the past when it happened, whether it was just that I liked the song so much. Now I truly know that it does not matter whether I know the lyrics of the song, but whether the presence of the Holy Spirit stirred me sufficiently. And it did. And I came out of the service feeling truly blessed.

!!! ANTI-CLIMAX WARNING !!!

After the service as I was wandering about the City, a gentleman came up to me and started talking. He was standing close to the cathedral obviously for a reason, which I only knew on hindsight. After chatting for a bit, I left, with a copy of a Watchtower magazine and some other publication.

For those who need me to elaborate.. (law students, shame on you).. I met, for the first time, a member of the Jehovah's Witness.

Har du haft en god weekend?

2007-08-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

Ja tak =))

The weekend came a lot sooner because there was no Danish class on Friday, what we had was a tour of a Folk High School in Denmark. "A stay at a Folk High School is... not part of a formal education, but rather an element of the individuals personal development and general education" .. taken from here. Education in a Folk High School is not compulsory and the view is that all there are interested in the learning.. whatever it is they want to learn.

Here's a photo of the jolly teacher who was also tour guide to my group.

And here's what I actually feel about the place: It seems a very alternative place to the traditional formal education that generally most would opt for. But we only had a guided tour and no interaction with any students there, so I do not have a full picture of the type of people who go there. Also, the folk high schools are very much autonomous in how they want to run their school and the teaching methods to employ, all of which I do not feel comfortable about. There was a method called the "Walk and Talk" where you line up in pairs and start talking with your neighbour about something you find interesting, then switch partners every ten minutes.

Here's the kicker: Apparently theres a lot of group discussions among peers to "gain enlightenment" and the teacher told us that students "owe a responsibility" to other students because if they do not show up, there will be "less energy in the room". It was indeed very enlightening for me, in the sense of "Thanks, but I think I will stick with Aarhus University.." Anyway, the tour ended with a group singing a Danish song for everybody (because their teacher tour guide is the school's music teacher). Which was pretty all right, considering I had a lesson in Danish Politics, for the third time. Whoopdee doo. More insight on the Proportional Representation system and "weak coalition" governments!

Party!!!

This is what usually makes a good party...

I was asked to bring stuff to mix the alcohol with. So being the obedient Singaporean, I brought a 2L bottle of coke and 1.5L of orange juice. By the end of the party, my coke was untouched, and more than half of my orange juice was still standing. But all the alcohol was raped, including my bottle of white wine. Ho Ho.

We met this random Dane at the kollegiet. After some alcohol, and cross-cultural learning of alcohol-drinking songs (If you know of any from Singapore, pls share) and suddenly he showed us some circus stunt. The photos speak the truth. Man.

Legoland

Managed to wake up for this trip the next morning. The fact that I paid big money for it helped, too.

Landed straight at Legoland. Why bother with the airports at Aarhus, Copenhagen or Billund?

Viking made of Lego. And behind's a huge splash from a not-so-scary ride.

This one's for you

And a place not unlike Underwater World, but instead of feeding Stingrays I get to hold a crab.

Other photos:

The Days Are Just Packed

2007-08-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

I'd like to say the days have been packed with bumming around, tasting all sorts of culinary delights, watching a stunning performance at ARoS.. but no, thats not what I do.

Weekday mornings are spent in class.

And theres homework too. Its hard to imagine I will be studying at a tertiary level next month when these days I have trouble doing my grammar homework.

More immersion programme in the afternoons: visits to museums, lectures on Denmark, sports and games etc.

Standing at the top of the Town Hall, aka Rådhuspladsen. I need a danish keyboard for typing such words.

Couple of ashtrays outside the Wedding Room within the Town Hall. Apparently weddings done in the Town Hall are really quick, so they can pack in more couples. And two ashtrays! Maybe so they can blow a smoke ring in the shape of a heart.

ARoS Art Museum. I'd say it was a very good experience for me. But I'm not so sure I like it so much as to go there every week, or month.

Of course there are fun moments as well.

Its hard to sum up what the immersion programme is like in a few photos and words. What I do know is that I am glad for it. Glad to pick up a new language, which I am actually interested in knowing to communicate, if only just to get a few sympathetic smiles and painful winces. And I get to do all the touristy things as well, just I have to keep reminding myself to resist buying all the fantastic looking things at gift shops. Because, well you know.

Chokoladefabrikken

2007-08-13T12:48:00.000-07:00

Live band that was playing at (literally) The Chocolate Factory on Saturday Night. I'll let you judge for yourself...

Airport Photos

2007-08-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, they've been wanting. Go on, right click and Save As. And use it as your Wallpaper already. Thanks bro, the shots are wonderful.. but thats also cos you have a solid camera :P

Beer Buffet

2007-08-11T04:38:00.000-07:00

Theres free beer for one hour every Friday and Saturday nights at the social club in town, and free entry for students. So thats what I was up to last night, and it was fun because all the ERASMUS, exchange and foreign students thronged the club for the free beer and everyone was very, very happy by the end of that hour.

Inevitably there was the tinge of loneliness which stood out in stark contrast to the huge smile plastered on my face and a full glass of beer in my hand. Its not quite missing home... rather its the knowledge that everyone I meet are but mere acquaintances, and there is totally no common background or connection. Every other question feels like Comparative Studies, i.e. : Do they have XX in your country? But this is why I am here. To get way far out from my comfort zone, where I have to meet new people, and to rethink my filters and view of the world.

Here's what it looks like when I finally reached home about.. well.. early enough. Honestly intended to be home much earlier, but as I pulled out my map a Danish girl asked me if I knew where I was going. Then we started talking and I went with her group of friends to some club where they were playing old school Danish Rock Music. I'm an old geezer for liking such music

View of my room from outside. Glad to be home!

Laundry & Cooking

2007-08-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know me will know that I don't cook or do my laundry. So this post of great jubilance is going out to all my fans, and people who are like me and going on exchange.

Laundry was a nightmare - all the instructions everywhere in the laundry room were in Danish, even the one that says Warning: Remember to remove everything out of pockets. Thankfully some Danish people helped me with the translation; one of them had also gone on exchange in Singapore, but in SMU, unfortunately.

Anyhow, my laundry success could be attributed to beginner's luck. But I'm sure not gonna post about any laundry disasters (c'mon you've had them too. c'mon. don't lie)

As far as cooking is concerned, I've decided to eat out during lunchtimes, partly because its too much hassle cooking and washing up, partly because whats the point of going another country and not trying their food. And while its definitely true that cooking is more economical than eating out, I think the capital outlay for cooking is scary. Think oil, sauce, ingredients, washing up stuff.

And here's where I messed up. Bought a packet of frozen stuff from an Asian shop thinking it was fish, and when I defrosted the 'fish', it felt rubbery. So then I spent some time googling how to cook squid.

Boil the sucker, add some sauce, cook it some more and...

Great success! Will do calamari with the rest of them squids. Yum!

Photos Galore

2007-08-08T09:24:00.001-07:00

Okay this post will contain photos from the stuff I have been doing over the past week. Mundane stuff have been intentionally left out. Suffice to say it feels like a big adventure game, where I need to complete one quest, gain a rare item to bring to random undisclosed location, proceed with another quest etc. Obstacles include lack of FAQs, loss of memory and insufficient experience.

Bicycle Culture

Besides the fact that in Denmark they drive on the wrong side of the road (other side of the road if you want to be PC), they do have something nifty called a bicycle lane. Many people own a bicycle, and use it to commute to work etc. And they look good too, unlike the stereotypical sweaty man cycling hard and panting even harder.

City Tour

City tour conducted by the Student Society.

My group for the city tour. Nothing much, except the guy in red looks like Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Stella Polaris Party

Think setting up of beer tents, playing weird monotonous music (supposedly chill-out music) type of party. This took place after the City tour where me and my friend Juan Miguel from Spain were walking. We originally intended to go visit the Botanic Gardens but hey this is way more interesting.

Some guy in the water after having a bit too much to drink. His friend is baiting him out with a can of beer at the end of the line. Heh! The guy at the bottom of the photo has brilliant abs. Just fyi I'm not homosexual, just green with envy at guys with hot bods.

The group I was there with. Basically Juanmi's friends from Spain and the girl second from left is from Greece. Great cultural learning of Singapore, only its Mau instead of Borat.

The view. BBQ, cook-outs and stuff. We so did not come prepared. I had to buy some Tokyo Noodle from the food tent which was horrible - think spaghetti with peppers, coriander and other exotic veggies bought from discount supermarkets. If they served crap like that in Tokyo, it wouldn't last two seconds.

But the evening went well. Learnt quite a bit about Spain, and in turn shared about Singapore. Headed to a pub near the train station after the 'party', had a few more beers and caught the last bus home. The very first bus ride I took and its the last bus of the night. Its a miracle I got off at the right stop.

BBQ by the University Lake

Aint my mentor great? Thats the guy sitting opposite me. He arranged the BBQ, brought sausages, the pit, beer and all. I brought uhm.. Ribs, Party Pack of Lays, Bananas. All the three food groups, beat that. Girl next to me is from Germany, also studying law. Other girl's from Finland, studying Marine Biology. Around here no one knows the names of one another, just where they hail from. So I'm the strange guy from Singapore, who brought good stuff for the BBQ, and brought his laptop along to use the wireless. I was suffering withdrawal symptoms can? Did not have the cable for the internet in my room.

Day at the Beach

'Twas a nice Monday afternoon at the beach in Risskov. This came after a boring lectures about Norse Mythology; its all very history - about Vikings, Valhalla, historical findings, written sources etc. I was on MSN the whole time and even ran the game Box World. Then came some obnoxious German sitting behind me who was staring at my screen and commenting to his neighbour that I sucked cos it was so easy. Those who do play Boxworld will know that looks are deceiving. So anyway I held it in and refrained from calling him...... stuff. Or challenging him to complete it. He can so suck it cos I'm the one with a laptop and internet whereas he's the one who can do nothing but wank.

Culture shock cos some people here sunbathe topless. By some people, an example would be the woman on the extreme right. No I do not have explicit photos, but if you were to buy me a good DSLR with telephoto lens, I'm sure we could work something out the next time I'm at the beach.

Clockwise from left:

1. German girl, friend and classmate of the german girl in previous photo.

2. Polish girl studying law

3. Thomas, aka mentor to me, the polish girl, german girl, italian girl and two more incoming law students.

4. Italian girl studying law

That should about bring things up to speed. Could always MSN or email me (the gmail email!) if you want to know more about my room, the weather, the prices (generally horrible), the culture and if you miss me.

Farvel!

Farewell Singapore; Hello Århus, Denmark

2007-08-08T08:43:00.000-07:00

Its been a week since I've left Singapore. Once again, a big thank you to all who came to see me off and those who sent me kind words of encouragements. Photos will be up soon I promise.

Journey was long and tiring. Started off with a passenger who fell ill on board the plane, which caused a delay in take-off, which then caused me to miss my connecting flight in London. So here is a photo of my meal at an airport cafe in Heathrow.

The meal costs 5 GBP. Good luck to all going UK.

祸不单行

After finally reaching Copenhagen Airport, my huge 29kg luggage went missing. But hey I got my golf bag all right, so maybe the idea was I could take out my clubs and threaten to bludgeon people if they didn't give me clothes. In the end the luggage was located, somehow it was on the next flight and I was delayed yet again for another hour =|

Next came my first encounter with the Danish Language cos I wanted to buy the train ticket at a discount price. Had to fill in some form which I could not understand, the lil old lady selling tickets was possibly quite annoyed that she had to do it for me. But yay I saved some money. Well technically I didn't, but I'd be saving future money.

Train ride lasted 3.5 hours. By this time I was so exhausted because I forgot to reserve a seat (like what the heck?!) and I was booted out of my comfortable seat by someone who trumped me with her reservation. Met a girl from Romania on the train; Chatted with her cos I saw that she was reading the Denmark Today book (immersion course) and found out that she had her luggage lost, too -_- . Sheesh.

Drama ended at the train station. Mentor came, grabbed my stuff, and headed for the Kollegiet where I will call home for the next year. I was just so happy to have a place to dump all my stuff and a bed I collapsed into almost immediately =)

Truly humbled by this entire experience. I went into it thinking I've got everything worked out, nothing can stop me. Maybe arrogance and pride did. Found myself needing Him a lot, and feeling blessed that in the end, everything worked out fine. And I gained +250 travel experience. Hurrah! Level up!