life, love, food!

Shall I compare thee to an eggplant?

2009-12-30T04:26:00.000-08:00

It is a curious thing, our love affair with food. Sometimes the feelings of passion do not surface until one's tastebuds mature. Like a girl who discounts a perfectly lovely man and potential lover at first glance on the sole demerit of his crooked teeth, or all-too-wide smile, so we pass judgment on the fuel on our plates, often dressed enticingly for the purpose of seducing our palates. You would think bright colours would do for a child. After all, sweets are coloured brightly and attractively and my favourite ice-cream was the rainbow paddle-pop, precisely because of the rainbow, and my other favourite the kueh lapis, of which my favourite colour is the first layer of bright red. But no, my hospitality did not extend to... the horrors.. bell peppers. They were cut in chunks and presented with chicken, and my mother forced it on me. I protested with tears and a mock spitting, it was too strange, the taste of it. Nevertheless, she expounded their health merits at the dinner table with a vengeance. It was conflict that recurred, it was almost a ritual, this haggling over bell peppers, and lady's finger (okra), and eggplant.

In a child's mind, vegetables are for the most part-- green. Anything else was an anomaly. Certainly purple is a strange colour, sliced-up barney presented on a platter, with gooey slime at that. There was no way it was going to be palatable. Not on my life.

Ten thousand miles and many years later, I found myself in a foreign land, living a life apart from my mother's wild gesticulation of health food. The first time we made spaghetti, the boy and I went to the supermarket for the ingredients. "Green peppers," the boy said, "green peppers will enhance the sauce." Certainly not. " Your mother didn't teach you?", he asked, nonchalant. I did not respond. Certainly she did. Not wanting to seem uncooperative or unsophisticated or ignorant, I timidly chose a green bell pepper. There was only one way out, chop it down till its negligibly small, and so I did. But boy, was the boy right? I never tasted green bell peppers until then.

And then there's the red. Sliced, juicy and plump red peppers lined the fika (coffee) table after church, and also for breakfast in Jerusalem, to be eaten with cheese, cucumber, tomatoes on an open top sandwich. The Swedes crunched on it and talked over it, as if it was the most casual thing to eat in the world. Well, how could one treat with hostility what was so loved among the majority? So begun my acquaintance with the red bell pepper, and soon I joined the ranks of them chomping and crunching over talks of the weather and the world. My mother would be proud of me. I will bring her the good news.

Over skype, there was no time for niceties,

Mom! I was triumphant. I am eating bell peppers!

"Bell peppers are good for you. Their vitamins are...." She began her usual rant, as if I was still protesting against it. Never mind, it'll take some time for the news to sink in.

One perfectly lovely and lazy evening, I caught a whiff of a most delectable scent from the kitchen, and followed it promptly (I am often led by my senses). My German neighbour was baking something in the oven. What is that? I peered cautiously.

"Oh I'm roasting rice in a red bell pepper."

Sure enough, that was a red bell pepper sitting comfortably in the oven. Illuminated by the warm orange glow of the oven, it was every inch the forbidden fruit from the Garden of Eden.

Wow I didn't know it smelled so delicious. My German neighbour gave me an impish grin, and returned to his room, leaving me alone with the bell pepper, confused and bewildered at my sudden influx of passionate feeling towards that past forsaken vegetable.

Then there was eggplant. If your memory served you, you would remember that I have sworn not to like it on my life. Well, i suppose we must be used now to the ironic workings of the universe. I am sorry to express that I have had to eat my words. There is an interesting theory, one could begin to love someone, crooked teeth and other flaws notwithstanding, if one was irrevocably betrothed to him. It was the case with me and eggplant. I had no other choice. Austrian airlines only served beef with eggplant, and I was hungry. It was a staring contest, to sum it up. Will you eat me or will you go hungry, the purple taunts. Yea, well...yea we could be friends, I ventured.

I chanced upon my Canadian Indian neighbour making lasagne. What is that? I quipped my usual.

"Oh I'm making eggplant lasagne, having a few friends over for dinner."

Ooh, you like eggplant?

"Yea well it pretty much works with lasagne."

Indeed. His friends took several helpings of it. Judging by the smell from the oven, and how easily their conversation flowed, I'd say it was a huge success. And that to me, was eggplant making its grand debut.

Finally, there was spinach. A kindly Swedish lady took to me, and we began cook-outs at her place. Frozen cube spinach was melted with cheese, mushrooms, chili and onions in the pot, and to say the least, I became receptive to Popeye's diet.

Well, what can I say? Would you love a foreigner in your own land? Perhaps you would love the same foreigner in his land.

Perhaps it may not have been love at first sight if he had been dressed in a polka-dotted shirt?

Eggplant with rice? No.
Eggplant with meat. Yes

Bell peppers in huge chunks? No
Bell peppers, chopped, in a stew? Certainly

Spinach in lasagne? Heaven, and it creates colour
Spinach in leaves? Sorry.

Perhaps we are all frivolous that way.

But one thing is for sure, my lovely Swedish and other international friends have re-shaped my attitudes towards some of my former enemies: I have been introduced properly and civilly to some of the most wonderful and versatile vegetables in the world, because of your exceptional diplomatic culinary skills. And for that, my mother would be proud of you.

A note: They are the same by any other name. Bell peppers: Capsicums, Paprika
Eggplant: brinjal, aubergine

1.5 years later...

2009-11-16T06:32:00.000-08:00

Almost a year and a half later, here I am re-visiting the pages of my past. It is almost as if I cannot bear to write another page of memories for fear of washing out all that had transpired. But by-gones must remain by-gones if we are to live continually in the present. The journey has been tough, insightful, delightful and sometimes painful, but thats not the point. The point is, it has not ended. The parables and stories in our lives do not conclude until we leave this world, and there is hope for a bend in the river. As in all stories, we should expect the unexpected, because we are not really the author of our own lives, are we?

2008-05-01T07:55:00.000-07:00

Culinary Adventures! (Part One)

2008-04-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

Our status is currently: students living on a budget. So the following are some simple meals we've prepared at home.This is a picture of the beef stew I made. Credit goes to http://www.videojug.com
Potatoes, carrots, beef, tomato puree, leftover port wine, butter, chicken stock. After simmering for 2.5 hours. This is what you get! Delicious and comforting on a cold day.
Here is our Mexican styled Popiah. haha.. the tortilla! Easy to make. bought minced beef, and spice mix. Pan-fry with onions. Serve on tortilla with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, red pepper, cucumber and lots of taco sauce. Great for a no frills lunch!

On one particular day, I was fretting over what to cook for dinner. I had some very precious beansprouts from malmo china town and it won't last long. I also had cold fresh chicken in the fridge. What could I possibly make out of this? Didnt take long for the lightbulb to illuminate: Chicken rice! So i compared many chicken rice recipes on the internet, and found a suitable one for the ingredients I had in the fridge. Here is the final product:

First I took about 5 cloves of garlic and sliced some ginger, spring onions and boiled it in a chicken stock. Rub the chicken with salt, and added it to the stock. Boil for 5 mins. Turn off the fire and let it sit for 25 mins. After that I plunge each chicken part into cold water for about 30 seconds, and served with some chicken soup, soy sauce and sesame oil, arranging it on this plate with cucumbers and tomatoes. Didn't take any pictures of the rice. But I pre-fried the uncooked grains first with oil , garlic and ginger before transferring it to the rice cooker to cook with the chicken soup from the chicken. haha and it worked! The rice tasted somewhat oily like the ones you get in the hawker centres!

And here is the last of our precious beansprouts:
Panfried with carrots and oyster sauce. It was quite delicious!

On another afternoon, I chanced upon a salmon offer in ICA, the supermarket we usually go to. 89crowns for 1kg of salmon! (thats about 20+SGD) for 1 kg. Usually its 159crowns per kg. So I hurriedly got 600g of salmon about (11SGD) which can last me and the boy for 2 meals. And here is what became of one part of it: Teriyaki salmon.

Because it was so fresh, I merely panfry it with a little olive oil and some garlic, before adding teriyaki sauce. You can see its quite pink in the centre. And thats how I like it. Slightly undercooked! The accompaniment to the fresh salmon is what else, every student's favourite meal: Pasta. (cos its cheap and easy to cook)

The sauce here in the pasta is made quite simply by frying garlic and onions, adding mushrooms, and usually, capsicium (but I forgot to buy) and euroshopper pasta sauce for 9.90crowns about $2+SGD. Can be used for the 2 of us for 4 pasta meals. Or one pasta meal and one huge lasagne.

And our favourite is:
Haha! Pig Liver's Mee Sua. For some reason, our caretaker here does not provide as with many bowls. Lots of plates, but not bowls. Think maybe Westerners don't really use bowls, cos they drink soup from a soup plate. So we have to use these plates as well for soup. The tur qua here is really cheap. A fresh piece of pig's liver from the supermarket costs about 9 crowns. $2+SGD, and can last the 2 of us for 2 meals. so thats 4 plates of tur qua mee sua. Our guess is that the people here don't really know what to do with it. On many occasions, when I was slicing tur qua in the kitchen (an activity which I really enjoy, cos I love the feel of the soft liver), many corridor mates have come to ask me what that was. What I told them, pig's liver. They usually do a double take. hahaha.

Then there's sweet and sour pork:
Heh. I was really enthusiastic about making the sauce for this myself. But, as it turns out, a quick check on sweet and sour pork recipes on the internet will show that you need rice wine to make the sauce. We went to system bolaget (a state monopoly in Sweden for alcohols) to find that the only Asian wine they stock is Sake. Oh well, so the sweet and sour sauce is from a bottled sauce bought from the supermarket. Still, it serves us well and taste quite authentic. Thanks to my family who sent corn flour from singapore, I could fry the pieces of pork first. (though i'm no good at frying, can't guage when the oil is hot enough, or when its too hot) and then fry the condiments, a generous helping of onions, green peppers, and garlic with the pork in the oh-so-delicious sauce. Very appetizing!

There is one dessert we've made several times: Italian panna cotta.

The Italian "panna cotta" literally means cooked cream. And the recipe is courtesy of www.videojug.com. Vincent really loves this dessert. It requires simmering cream with milk, and sugar. After which, we will add about 100g of dark chocolate into the mixture to melt, whisking together to blend. Then adding 3.5 gelatin sheets, before refrigerating overnight. This is one of the favourites with our guests.

Then there are the frequent dinners with others when we will each cook something and share, and partake in a big feast!

And the steamed egg in the middle of the setup was cooked by me! recipe courtesy of the spoletorp south singaporeans.

A big feast shared in the midst of hearty conversation! Company is always the best appetizer!
More coming up! Thai green curry! Chicken paprika! Baked fish! Lasagne!

By the way, we can sympathise with you when we read about the rising price of rice in singapore. Be assured its worse here. A 2kg bag of rice here can set us back by about 6SGD, and thats only for 2kg at the cheapest supermarket.

How to live richly when poor

2008-03-31T18:22:00.001-07:00

April is the month we begin our new life, humbled by our bank accounts. Thousand miles away from home, we have become cooks, tenants, accountants, and homemakers. Boy, do we love our adventures, and we treasure the memories of all our visits to exotic places. But as we've painfully learnt, such memories are expensive and our journeys and may I add, mishaps, have zapped our savings in Singapore to zero, and the search for high and lofty experiences in wonderful places must give way to paying the rent, feeding our stomachs and buying course books.

I'm not complaining, don't get me wrong, I still cherish every minute that I have here in Sweden, although I'm keenly aware that our current situation merits a new perspective on lifestyle and creativity in stretching the Swedish Crown. I will see it optimistically, as a personal project to make the most delicious meal with the least amount of money, to find pockets of nature in this little town of Lund to visit, instead of taking an expensive trip to Norway, on the most scenic route in the world.

We have 2 more big adventures to look forward to, lack of money notwithstanding, because we believe in the value of these experiences: 1. Study Tour to Jerusalem. (need I say more, to go to the Holy City and feel the light gentle touch of centuries of history) 2. Planning the trip of our lives for our siblings. (and I must say I think I'm more excited than my sister that she will be taking her first airplane ride when she visits us). It's no fun travelling alone, its more fun to bring suakus along like anthony and esther, that we will feel the joy all the more.

Till May and June, there's April, and April will be the month of living simply, as poor students in a foreign (expensive) land, and so be it, being poor is an experience, a challenge, a project, and why not? a fond memory retrospectively from 2020. ( I hope I'm at least richer than I am now)
An interesting question for you: Would you rather be poor studying in Sweden or rich working your socks off?

And so, without any other exciting adventures to share with you in the immediate days ahead, this post marks the beginning of the series: how to live richly when poor. I will try to chronicle how we get by our daily lives on cheap but good food, and the leisurely activities that we will embark on that are cheap and fun! So stay tuned!

Many many thanks goes out to both our families for lending us that extra finances. It may sound cliche but we can always count on family. Having said that, we will return the debt, in cash AND in kind.

Prague!!

2008-03-31T13:40:00.001-07:00

The BOY says:

And finally, our final leg on our 9-day trip through ‘slightly-off-centre-and-to-the-east’ Europe was Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. Having heard horror stories of pickpockets, scam artists and other would-be undesirables, we were on an extra high alert when we got here. However, the city proved surprisingly peaceful and accommodating, something we really needed after a 6-hour train ride.

The Prague Skyline

After a good night’s rest, we embarked on our own walking tour of Prague, trying to take in most of the major sights around the city in an afternoon. We made our way past the Prague National Museum, the famous Wenceslas Square (which is not really a square, just a wide road), under the powder gate, through the Old Town Square, across the St Charles Bridge and finally arriving at the famous Prague Castle. By this time, we were totally beat and gave up trying to do anything else and took the tram back to our hotel where we napped the rest of the afternoon away until it was time for dinner, where we went for a simple Chinese ‘cze-tzar’ meal and retired to our hotel room soon after.

The National Museum of Prague

Wenceslas Square (the museum in the background)

The powder tower

The famous Tyn Church at Old Town Square

The world famous astronomical clock!

St Charles' Bridge

The next day, we went straight to the Prague castle, determined to get a thorough run-down on this attraction on the last day of our trip. Having accidentally alighted at the wrong train stop, we found ourselves outside of our handy map and somewhat lost. Fortunately, Prague castle is big enough of a landmark for us to gravitate towards and we eventually entered the medieval compound through the back door. Here, we saw the actual Royal Palace, St George’s Basilica and the famous St Vitus Cathedral. Once we had taken enough photos, we headed straight back to the Old Town where we signed up for a river cruise on the Vltava River and did our sight-seeing on something other then ‘Bus 11’.

The castle gates

St George's Basilica (one tower is bigger then the other to reflect medieval gender status)

St Vitus' Cathedral

The guide that we registered with for the river cruise told us an interesting fairy-tale story about Sir Bruncvik and his lost sword. Bruncvik was a native Czech who went abroad to seek out adventure. And as how fairy tales go, adventures usually find the protagonist. After numerous adventures, one day Bruncvik stumbled into a forest where he witnessed a cosmic battle between a lion and a 9-headed dragon. Bruncvik decided to help the lion and together they defeated the dragon, chopping off all of its head. From then on, Bruncvik found his best friend in the lion and vice versa and the 2 of them became inseparable. With the lion, Bruncvik came to another kingdom in a strange land who were plagued by demons. Naturally, Bruncvik and his lion made short work of the demons and the Kind awarded Bruncvik with a magical sword that allowed him to chop off the heads of all his enemies just by shouting ‘Off with your heads!” and knighted him Sir Bruncvik. By this time, Bruncvik had grown tired of adventuring and began to make his way home to Prague (naturally encountering many adventures en-route but none a match for his magical sword of course!) where he reunited with his wife and died a ripe old age. Sadly enough, his lion and best friend, died of a broken heart just days after his death. The lion lives on as the 2-tailed lion in the state symbol of the Czech Republic. As for Bruncvik’s sword, it is said to be lost but many believed that it is buried under his statue at the St Charles Bridge and one day, when the Czech Republic is threatened again and lay at the very edge of ruin, the statue of St Wenceslass, patron saint of the Czech Repulic will come to life, uncover Bruncvik’s magic sword and lead the Kinghts of Blanik (knights said to be sleeping in the mountains of Blanik) to battle and slay all of Czech’s enemies and bring peace and prosperity to the land again. As you can see, ‘Praguers’ as they fondly call themselves are either extremely imaginative or very very free.

Sir Bruncvik!

Saint Wenceslas!

The cruise was a novel experience. Immediately upon getting onto the small boat, the crew, all decked out in sailor’s uniform, served us some gingerbread and hot wine. The hot wine was really peculiar at first but in the unrelenting cold, it came in quite handy. Our river guide gave us a quick run-down of all the major sights we could see from the boat and some interesting tidbits about the city as well. Unfortunately, our refreshing ride lasted only for about 30min and that was it.

Our rustic tugboat.

The River Vltava

We took the time to go check out the narrowest street in Prague. This was extremely interesting. In order to avoid people getting stuck in the middle, this alley is actually controlled by a pedestrian crossing light, i.e. only cross when the green man flashes. Following that, we headed back towards Old Town and did our last minute shopping for gifts and souvenirs and as you’d expect of Goon, last minute snacking at the Old Town Square. After which, (since she is never full) we went to have dinner at a somewhat traditional Czech restaurant.

Looks like Goon should lose some weight.... block the whole street!

One of many reasons why Goon is getting fatter.....

Having nothing to do, I persuaded Goon to go on a Ghost Tour with me. Basically, a local guide brought us around the more secluded parts of the city and told us stories of ‘ghosts’ that are rumored to still haunt the area. It was interesting, but not fantastic. The tour company even arranged for someone to dress up as a ghost and burst out of dark alleys suddenly which I found pretty amusing. I caught him twice lurking in the street corner although I must apologetically admit that I kind of ruined his entrance for the third and final time.

And that was about it for Prague and that wraps up our longest trip yet. Not only did the trip take a lot of time, but a lot of money as well and as such, we won’t be traveling anymore until our next major trip which will be to Jerusalem!

Munich!

2008-03-28T05:42:00.000-07:00

The BOY says:

We spent rather little time while in Munich, perhaps just over 2 days. We arrived on Sunday night and couldn’t do much but have dinner and retire to our hostel room for ‘Cluedo’…..

The next day however, we took a long expedition (2 hour train ride) out of Munich city to a small town called Fussen in order to get to the famous Neuchwanstein Castle. This was the ‘fairy-tale’ castle built by the ‘Mad’ King of Bavaria, King Ludwig II. Apparently, when Disney was designing their iconic Sleeping Beauty castle, they modeled it after this particular one. Neuchwanstein was truly a sight to behold. Situated on the foothills of the Swiss Alps, it was literally a castle in the clouds. To top off this fairytale experience, the girls were obsessed with taking a horse-drawn carriage up to the gates of the castle to arrive in true Cinderella fashion. “Insert yawn here.” For me, the horses kind of stank, the carriage didn’t really look quite impressive and I could have walked faster then the 2 poor horses that’s been dragging fat tourists uphill all day. We eventually got to the castle gates, albeit somewhat late but managed to pop in just before our dedicated admission time expired for the tour of the castle interior. Though far from complete (due to King Ludwig’s sudden, untimely and somewhat questionable death), the completed sections of the castle interior is one of the most opulent ones in existence. Solid gold decoratives, numerous tapestries and paintings of Wagner’s Operas and even a man-made grotto. This was truly a castle of castles. We were, as many have already guessed, not allowed to take any photos of the castle interior. Is it really because the camera flash damages the paintings? I think they just want monopolize the photos and sell it to tourists like us. It probably wasn't the best day to see the castle cause it was snowing/raining extremely heavily, which explains the somewhat blurry pictures.

Castle Neuchwanstein, a fairy-tale castle in the clouds

The other less famous castle, the Hohenschwangau.

Horse carriages to take you up the hill!

A section of the castle up close

The castle shrouded in the mist, now it looks kind of haunted.

After the tour of the castle, we took a walk to up the mountain trail to Mary’s Bridge, a metal bridge across the mountain valley. This was a nerve-wracking experience crossing the bridge because it was snowing ever so heavily and the metallic bridge was really slippery, and it creaks. After snapping some photos here, we went down to catch a bus back to the train station and thus was the end of our adventure here at the alps.

Goon walking up the mountain trail with a snowball on her head.

Goon and Mary's Bridge.

Goon in the forests, look how tiny she is.

The next day, we went on a free walking tour of the city because firstly, its free and secondly, our train to Prague only departs at 4.44pm in the afternoon. Our Canadian guide brought us to all the major sights within the city area. An especially interesting place is the Frauenkirche or church of our lady, which is rumored to have been built with the help of the devil. Long ago in ancient Bavaria, the people decided to build an extremely grand and impressive place of worship. So they came together and started construction on the Frauenkirche. This naturally angered the devil and he decided to destroy this grand building before anyone could use it as a place of worship. So he walked into the front door of the church ready to raze it to the ground when he realized that there were no windows at all. So he thought to himself, that if this church were completed, it would be a church of darkness and nobody would ever think of using this place. So the devil summoned the architect and promised to help him build it if he would not put any more windows into the building. The architect agreed and the church was built in record time. (I can’t remember how long but it was really quick, hence giving the story credibility) When the church was completed, the devil came back to gloat only this time, he entered through the side door. Lo and behold, he saw streams of light coming in through numerous windows, choirs singing and everyone was happy and joyfully worshipping the Lord. The devil summoned the architect and demanded to know why he went back on his word. To this, the architect calmly led him to the front door and showed him into the church and sure enough, the devil could not see a single window from the front door. (This is really true because the pillars of the church block the windows from view if you look from the front door) The devil, having been outsmarted by a mere human architect was mad with rage and stamped his foot hard on the ground and vanished with a puff of smoke. To this day, the imprint of his foot can be seen at the front door of the church. Nice story?

Frauenkirche

The front door of the Frauenkirche

The devil's footprint?!

Notice that there are no windows?

The Frauenkirche is one of the few buildings still intact after World War II. The church was spared from being bombed by the allies not because of religious reasons but because the twin towers served as a landmark and reference point for the allies to target their bombing missions and thus, the pilots were ordered not to destroy it. Most of Munich’s other sights are recreations after the war but perhaps the most accurate ones in Germany as Hitler had a soft spot for Munich and ordered photos of Munich’s buildings taken before the war in order for reconstructions to be as accurate as possible. He did so as Munich was where he initially rose to power and the birthplace of the Nazi regime.

The Rathaus, the new town hall.

The old town hall

St Mary's Statue

St Peter's Church

The Munich Opera House

After the tour, we quickly went back to collect our luggage and headed to the train station where a 6-hour train ride would take us to our next destination, Prague.

Berlin, Germany!

2008-03-26T04:57:00.000-07:00

The BOY says:

Well everyone, it’s been the end of a long journey, the longest trip we’ve done since our time here. It was a whole 9 days and we got to see 3 cities in all, Berlin, Munich and Prague. To condense our 9-day experience in 1 post will take up the whole web page so I’m gonna split it up by city…..

We spent 4 days and 3 nights in Berlin. The city was something very different from European cities that we’ve been accustomed to. Berlin is a very modern looking city with very avant-garde architectural designs all around.

The streets of Berlin

Berlin's Modern Architecture

The Berlin Tower

The first problem we encountered when we first got to Berlin was that the transport company was on strike. Yes, an actual strike. As such, the underground train, the trams and the buses were completely non operational. This bode well for the taxi drivers around town but took a toll on our feet as we had to walk and walk all day round.

Tram tracks with nothing running on it......

Our feet took us to quite some places during our 2 full days here. We visited the Reichstag building, Berlin’s parliamentary building, the famous Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Dom (cathedral) and made our way down to Postdamer Platz, the city’s central district. Here we saw some remnants of what used to be the Berlin Wall. Goon for some inexplicable reason found it exciting to buy a piece of the wall from a local souvenir shop. Maybe it’s just my lack of background in history…….

Goon jumping outside the Reichstag

The Brandenburg Tor

Goon in front of the Berlin Dom

Postdamer Platz

Goon in front of a section of the Berlin Wall

Here, we decided to take a trip to ‘Legoland’. I know what many of you are thinking but there’s nothing wrong with wanting to relive your childhood! (although we were the only people who were NOT accompanied by an adult….) There was a lego factory demo on how lego blocks were made, many lego exhibitions, an extremely slow ride and a 4-D movie. (I shall not ruin the surprise of 4D here....)

Goon and Einstein!

Goon in a lion's jaw

Goon with Harry Potter & Hagrid.

The next day, we also visited the Kaiser-Wilhelm Memorial on our way to check-out KaDaWe, which is said to be the world’s largest shopping mall. It did turn out to be an enormous departmental store but it just didn’t feel like the largest in the world, or perhaps I was just completely uninterested in walking around.

We took the scenic route...

The Kaiser-Wilhelm Memorial.

And well, that’s it for Berlin and we were on to Munich!

Krakow, Poland!!!

2008-03-06T08:30:00.000-08:00

The BOY says:

Hey everyone!!!

Despite the long gap in posts, here is our latest post, from POLAND. We went to the city of Krakow last week and just came back yesterday, so here are some pictures and chronicles of our time there!

Our Poland Gang!! (I am of course holding the camera...)

We took a plane from Malmo early in the morning straight to Krakow. As it was in the wee hours of the morning, most of us were still groggy and dazed. However, as our plane was landing, all of us got a VERY timely awakening. As some of you might know, there is a huge hurricane, hurricane Emma right now in Germany. As Poland is right on the east side of Germany, we were hit by the remnant of the hurricane. As our plane was gearing up to land, the turbulence was so heavy that the plane shook extremely violently from left to right. It made numerous long and “stomach flying up to your throat” dips. Just when we were all grabbing onto our seats and praying hard, the emergency exit signs suddenly flashed on. Scenes from the popular TV show “Lost” began flashing across my mind as I begun to think what would I do if the plane suddenly split open. After another 5-10 minutes of the roller coaster ride, the plane slammed into the ground with a loud “THUD” and begun to decelerate. All our friends heaved a sigh of relief while many other passengers at the back began applauding unanimously. With that, we were officially in the city of Krakow.

After passing through the airport customs, which took EXTREMELY long for us non European Union residents, (I thought Singapore was a pretty well known country but the custom officers checked my passport like it might be counterfeit and slowly read through EVERY SINGLE page of it, even when it was obviously a blank page) we took a 2 hour bus ride from the airport and reached the city centre of Krakow. It was an extremely gloomy day, cloudy and drizzling and we had to walk in the rain in order to get to our hostel, where we’ll be staying at for the next 3 nights.

The gloomy streets of Krakow

Everyone scurrying into the underpass and away from the rain...

Trams are a major source of public transport.

One of many public parks.

The hostel, Greg-Tom Hostel was a pleasant surprise. It was definitely not what I expected. The entire place was well furnished and equipped and we had free TV, Internet access, DVD and PS2! The friendly staff there cleared the admin and gave us directions to get around town, pointed us to some of the famous sights and sounds of Krakow and recommended us places to get good Polish food. With that, we set off for a walkabout of Krakow.

Our hostel common living area....

.....TV & Games Room....

.... and of course, our bedroom!

First up, we went to the Jewish quarter of the city. There really was not that much of a difference between the Jewish quarter and the city centre, except perhaps the numerous temples or synagogues. This was pretty interesting for us because most of us, have never SEEN an actual Jewish synagogue, until now. We stopped at a café here for a short break and had some drink and snacks. I ordered a Polish Beet Root Soup and a Panna Cotta (yes I know, it’s not a Polish but Italian Desert, but I like it!) while Goon had a really aromatic and creamy iced coffee. After recharging, we went onwards towards Wawel castle, a local medieval castle built by an ancient Lord to his mistress or something. As it was evening time, it had closed for the day but we could still walk about its perimeter which was a great scenic experience on its own. All this would have been much much better if it had NOT been raining profusely. To make matters worse, I wasn’t wearing anything with a hood on and my head was soaking wet. Photo-taking was a chore was everytime I whipped out the camera, raindrops will hit the lens and thus, BAD blurry pictures. Nevertheless, it was nice to see this quaint town, one that is rather different from Sweden and Denmark which we’ve grown accustomed to.

The Jewish Quarter of Krakow.

One of the many Jewish Synagogues.

Another Jewish temple.

A small Jewish Memorial for those that died during the Holocaust.

A distant view of Wawel castle.

The Wawel Catherdral.

The Sukiennice or Krakow Cloth Hall, the world's oldest shopping mall!

Inside the Sukiennice.

The Basilica of the Virgin Mary, Krakow's principal church.

A town square in Krakow

The ancient city walls of Krakow.

The next day, half of our group went on an organized tour to the local Salt Mine on the outskirts of the city. This was a really fresh experience for Goon and I. Neither of us have EVER been in an actual mine of any sort. The mine is obviously no longer in operation, since 12 years ago when the salt deposits ran out. To start things off, we had to go down over 600 steps or about 56 flights of stairs to get to the “top” level of the mine itself which just happen to be over 100m below ground level! It was both exciting and scary at the same time and definitely NOT for the claustrophobic.

A peek over the railing...

Goon on the stairs!

At the first level, we were told about the mine’s origins. Geologists believe that the mine was actually full of sea water but due to tectonic movements of the earth mantle, the sea water evaporated, leaving behind salt formations. The locals however, have a much more exciting tale of the mine’s beginnings. Legend says that a certain Princess Kinga from another country (I forgot!) was concerned for the well being of the Polish people. As salt was an expensive commodity in the past (hence the nickname, white gold) she wanted to establish a salt mine for the Polish people. Before embarking on her journey, she accidentally dropped her engagement ring into a salt mine in her home country and was greatly saddened. Nevertheless, continued onto Poland. One day, at some obscure village of Wieliczka (which is where the salt mine is right now), she saw some spring water coming out of the ground. On tasting it, she realized it was salty. Seeing this as a sign, she ordered her men to dig a hole in the ground and not surprising, they found some salt deposits. Her men presented her with the salt deposit and lo and behold, embedded in it, was her engagement ring. The salt had followed her from her homeland to Poland and thus, was the origin of the salt in Poland.

A Miner presenting a salt block to the princess. (the glint there is the ring!)

In the mine, there are numerous chapels from the miners in the past. Salt mining was a dangerous job and the miners built chapels to pray for safety and to thank God if they survived at the end of the day. There were also many exhibits of the medieval machinery miners used in the past and also other ornamental statues within the mine. Hardly to anyone’s surprise, all these statues and decorations, were carved from salt.

The dark, dank mine passageways.

One of many chapels.

One of the exhibitions on medieval mining machinery.

A statue of a Polish King instrumental in the development of the mine.

These are medieval steps that miners used in the past.

Lastly, at the deepest levels of the mine, over 130m below the ground, there is a chapel. St. Kinga’s chapel (I think!) is and probably will remain in time to come, the LARGEST underground chapel in the world. What is more surprising, is that until now, the chapel is STILL being used for services, weddings and other religious events! The entire chapel was built over many years as there were only 3 men who worked on carving out the decorations on the wall and of course, carving out the chapel chamber itself. On one side of the wall are numerous carving of Jesus’ childhood while on the other, Jesus’ adult life. Also in the chapel, are numerous chandeliers, with the centre one being the largest chandelier in the world made entirely of salt crystals.

The St Kinga's Chapel, largest underground church in the world!

A nativity scene carved from salt. (the baby Jesus carved from pink salt)

A salt carving of Da Vinci's 'The Last Supper'.

The largest salt crystal chandelier in the world....

..... and the view of it from the bottom up!

After which, we were nearing the end of the tour when we were told that there is a postbox right in the underground mine. Seeing it as a novel experience, Goon bought and sent a postcard to her aunt. We took a quick walk around to see the underground ball room and restaurant, the only ones in the world 125m below ground before proceeding onwards to the elevator that will take us back to daylight. The elevator was a 4-storied elevator, each storey capable of taking 9 people. It was somewhat like a cargo life as it was not enclosed but had sheets of metals with holes as its floors and walls. It was also a rather fast elevator, going at 11km/h, adding to this already nerve-wrecking experience. And that was the end of the tour of the salt mine and we headed back to our hostel to meet up with our other friends for dinner.

A mailbox, 135m below ground!

The world's 'lowest' restaurant.

Fancy a 'down to earth' ball in this ballroom?

On the hostel staff’s recommendation, we went to try this quaint little Polish restaurant nearby and boy were we impressed. The food was excellent and the boss extremely friendly and accommodating. All of us ate till our bellies felt like bursting. There was complimentary bread with some buttery thing and lard. I ordered veal in crème & wine sauce while Goon ordered Pork Casserole. We also shared a Polish wild mushroom soup. It was extremely delicious. It made many of us want to stay in Poland just for the food. We quickly changed our minds on that when the bill arrived. It wasn’t expensive but if we had to pay that much everyday, we would be broke very soon.

The bread, if you can believe is an appetizer on the house...

This definitely beats Campbell's.

Pork Casserole!

Veal with Polish dumplings!

Our motley gang after dinner!

After a good night’s rest, we set off again toward our next destination, Auschwitz Museum or rather the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp which was used by the Nazis to detain and worse, to conduct mass killings of its prisoners, predominantly the Jews in what is now known as the Holocaust. This proved to be another unique experience. It wasn’t a scenic tourist attraction. Neither was it a fun and exciting place to visit. This was a walk through history itself, a re-enactment of the past, a sombre reminder to all about the atrocities of yesterday and a stern warning of how such horrific event might just come to pass again. Here we were shown in details the going-ons within the camp during World War 2 and evidence and remnants of what used to be a living nightmare to its residents. As such, I will comment less and let the pictures do the talking, as a fitting respect to this place. (photos aren't allowed indoors, so only outdoor ones are here.)

The entrance to Auschwitz.

These used to be charged with electricity at extremely high voltages.

The buildings within the camp.

A wall where the Nazis executed their prisoners by firing squad.

The entrance to the crematorium, where the Nazis burnt the dead bodies.

The entrance to Auschwitz II Birkenau, another camp nearby.

The prisoners living quarters, 6 prisoners to a bed.

Toilet for the prisoners, which they were allowed to use only twice a day.

An view of part of the camp.

After returning from Auschwitz, Goon and I took some time off to walk around the city centre and of course, grab souvenirs on our last day here, both around the city centre and the major shopping mall nearby. After that, we joined our friends for dinner at another nearby Polish restaurant. This was much much cheaper but the food paled in comparison to that of the previous night. And that just about wraps up our little tour of Krakow. We left in the morning the next day and headed back home where unfortunately, our term papers were waiting for us............

International students- International christians.

2008-02-17T15:21:00.001-08:00

I LOVE EXCHANGE!!

We introduce ourselves with our names attached to our countries, like little ambassadors. The real "exchange" has begun! Bible study with Credo (their christian fellowship) was so comforting! It's so amazing when everyone read Hebrews 3 and 4 in their own language! The African guy next to me was so surprised to see chinese characters in my Bible. (As you know I used the combined chinese and english Bible.) We think it nothing in St James. But here, there are Bibles of so many languages. It really makes the truth vivid to me, that every tongue, every nation and every land will praise God in the day of His glorious appearing!

AMAZING.

The greatest trip of my life

2008-02-02T07:02:00.000-08:00

THE GOON SAYS:

And so it shall be called: the greatest trip of my life. My 21^st year is no doubt a year of many firsts. I saw my first snow in abundance, and played like a crazy kid, I remembered thinking its even better than ikea balls.

We started out, all 5 of us, for our adventure on the 28^th of January, before the sun rose, and made our way to Malmo airport. Filled with anticipation, we boarded the plane, only to hear an announcement that we had to get off, and the flight would be delayed for a few hours because there was an oil leak. Better safe than sorry, I had no qualms about it. We went for a leisurely lunch with the meal coupons of 75SEK per person as means of compensation from the airport, and all was well and we were up in the air by 1:30pm.

Malmo Sturup Airport

To get to Kiruna, we had to transfer planes and that for me, is very exciting indeed, because it meant 2 take-offs and 2 landings. I cannot explain my fear and fascination for flying. The first of two priceless moments for me, was when the aircraft gathered enough speed to lift itself into the air, defying gravity and soaring like a free independent entity into the sky, taking all of us along for a joyride. The second of course, is when the airplane descends where we could see everything like a small toy city, when the coast approached us, and we merged into the ground, as the airplane wheels touched the runway. While the plane was about 1 kilometer away from the ground during our descent, I looked down to see a peculiar texture on the ground. It was dark, so I squinted my eyes to see: why are the waves in the ocean not moving? Are they trees? Forest perhaps? The boy turned, and in an illuminating moment whistled to me: Goon, look! Its snow.

In this manner, we reached Kiruna.

The place is an avalanche of ice and snow. I was startled to observe that snow really does glitter, especially in all that abundance. Its all white, but dotted with silver snowflakes, that reflects the light shining on it. I basked in my wonder of all that glitters, of mountains of snow next to the roads, and set off to do crazy things when we reached our cabin. I tried to make snow castles, and snow man, fell backwards to leave my imprint on the snow, stepped into loose snow which came up to knee deep.

Mounds & mounds of snow......

.......... that glitters!!!

Leaving my imprint in the snow!

Snapshot in the snow!

The snowmobiles we took to the ice hotel can go faster than a motorcycle. It was exhilarating to ride across frozen rivers and vast expanse of snow. On the way back from the ice hotel, our snow mobiles were going much too fast, and we were losing control. Suffice it to say, the boy braked and swerve, and at that speed, I was flung out onto the snow. It happened so fast, by the time, I lifted my head, there was a dull throbbing pain, and my helmet was out of place, the two snowmobiles behind me with our friends on it had also toppled and were all on the ground. The boy was on the other side of the snowmobile picking himself up. We went on our way, much slower this time round, and I was convinced never to ride a motorcycle if I can help it.

Embarking on our soon to be ill-fated ride...

The site of the accident....

Living at the Lappish hut was one of the most novel experiences one can ever have. We chopped firewood for the fireplace in the hut to keep warm, as there was no electrical heating. and realized for ourselves that it was indeed back breaking hard labour, drew water from the river, which was quite dangerous, as the ice around the ages might be thinner. So we had to go on all fours to collect water.

I still cannot believe I survived minus 20 over degree Celsius of cold. But that cold and temperature was really hard for us, our extremities, fingers and toes were cold and numb all the time. The worst biting cold, however was on the dog sleds back from the Lappish hut the following day. The sun had set, and there was no light. I went with the American couple, both of whom took takes to drive the dog sled. Every inch of our bodies was covered save for the eyes. On the way back, we had yet another accident. The boy was in the first sled, with the china couple. The Americans laughed and joked their way along, and at a particular moment, paid little attention to the down slope bend approaching. The dogs ran very fast, and the sled slid off the trek, throwing me and the American woman off, and the sled fell on top of us. It was a light wooden sled, so we were fine, but it did knock the wind out of me. The dogs rushed right ahead, with no one on it, (for the American man had lifted his foot off the brakes to help the woman) and crashed straight into the boy about 200m after. And even then they were struggling to run ahead, but the boy was the obstacle that blocked the sled, so they were prevented from it. It was a very painful experience for him.

Kiruna is a lovely lovely place. We saw reindeers and dogs, ate reindeer meat, and had a good time talking and laughing with all the companions that we met there. The man, Arne, cooking for us at the Lappish hut in particular was one interesting person. We had a good story telling time with him on the night we stayed there. On hearing that we were exchange students, he told us that he too was a student and this little place was his school, for he enjoyed talking to all the people that came here, and always learned something from them.

There is so much more to say, more pictures are posted in the boy’s post below.

I will write again soon.

The Kiruna Adventure

2008-02-01T14:31:00.000-08:00

The BOY says:

Hey all!!!

We've just returned from our 5D4N adventure up in the north of Sweden, in a place called Kiruna, a city so far north, it lies within the arctic circle. This post would chronicle our trip highlights!

Departure from Malmo! Our jolly group of adventurers! (I'm the cameraman)

We set off from Lund to Malmo by an early morning bus hoping to take the 9.40am plane to Stockholm where we'll transfer to another plane that'll take us to Kiruna. Unfortunately, due to a major oil leakage in the plane, oue flight was cancelled and we were rebooked for another flight to depart at 1.00pm instead. Luckily, the airline gave each of us meal coupons and we were treated to a sumptuos feast on Scandinavian Airline's dime.

SAS' treat to me! This and a salad buffet with free flow drinks!

We eventually arrived at Stockholm at around 2pm and had to wait till 8.10pm for the next flight to Kiruna. Without anything to do, we decided to take an express train to Stockholm city for a short day tour.

Goon and I on the Arlanda Express, a train going at over 160km/h!

Stockholm city was a sight to behold! It was certainly a bustling metropolis compared to Lund. The city was spectacular and unique, with the many rivers running through the city, it almost looks as if the entire city was a city in the water. We spent our short afternoon there touring the palace grounds, home of King Carl XIV, current monarch of Sweden and 'Gamla Stan', also known as 'Old Town', before heading straight back to the airport for dinner (free once again thanks to SAS) and our flight to Kiruna!!!

The streets of Stockholm.

A city on water?

All 5 of us in front of the palace!

The palace front gate.

Goon riding a lion........

The night skyline of Stockholm.

We reached Kiruna at 9.40pm and was immediately whipped by the freezing cold of the North. We saw our first snow, mounds and mounds of it piled everywhere. Once we got our luggage, a taxi driver with my name on a board (we had chartered one through our hotel) came straight to us and helped load our bags into his cab and drove us to Camp Ripain, our acccomodation for the night. We arrived at around 10pm+ and was so tired we almost immediately changed and showered and just cooped up in our cabin playing card games, unaware that above our heads, the aurora borealis was performing its spectacular dance. We missed the Northern Lights over cards.........

Welcome to Kiruna!

All of us here in Kiruna!!!

View from our little cabin at Camp Ripan.

The cabin interior. Pretty small.

The next day, we were promptly picked up by Leif, the owner of Camp Alta, our designated accomodation for the next few days who took us straight there where we would begin our tour of the internationally acclaimed, Ice Hotel! The Ice hotel was 15km off though, how would we get there? SNOWMOBILES!!!!!

All dressed up and ready to go!

Our Rides!

Goon and our guide, Tomars.

On our way there, the GOON once again did extremely stupid things. While she was driving the snowmobile and me riding pillion, she went off course and crashed into a tree. Instead of squeezing the brake, she squeezed the accelerator when she saw the tree. Next, she drove us off the track and straight into a ditch filled with snow and we were stuck for quite awhile. Luckily, accidents aside, we managed to get to the Ice Hotel in 1 piece.

All of us at the Ice Hotel

The Ice Hotel was amazing. Almost everything was literally carved out of ice. The entire place was kept constantly at -5 degrees Celsius as that is the optimal temperature for the ice there to glitter. Though a hotel, the Ice Hotel is open to public tours from 10am - 6pm, with guided tours at 12 noon and 4pm.

Goon flushing an ice toilet bowl.

Goon & I, the King and Queen of the house.

Goon riding an ice chariot!

This is an ice bed. Yes, it is a dragon's head.

Another icy bed.

The main hallway of the Ice Hotel.

Same hall, different view.

The Ice bar.

The Ice Church, fancy preaching in here.

After we had our fair share of the place, we began heading back to Camp Alta for lunch by the frozen lake. On the way, the unthinkable happened. For some reason, I found myself too close to the snowmobile in front of me and unable to brake because of the slippery ice below me. When I tried to swerve out of the way, my snowmobile overturned, flinging Goon and I rolling in the snow and causing a domino effect to all the other snowmobiles behind me as well. We got ourselves pretty banged up with cuts and bruises in various places and worst of all, smashed the windshield to my snowmobile and ended having to pay 1500 SEK for the damages........

Traditional Lappish food, Reindeer Meat!

Sitting on reindeer skins around the fire eating reindeer meat!

The next day, we got up really early again to start our 2D1N wilderness tour. Our guide Henrik picked us up and brought us to the end of the road, where civilisation ended and wilderness begun to outfit us and brief us on driving a snowmobile and dog sleds to our destination. It was a 10km route to his wilderness camp and we would travel half of that by a snowmobile and the other half on dog sleds.

Some of the dogs pulling our sleds.

Henrik, our guide, a legend in Kiruna.

A view of the countryside.

A nightime view of the wild.

Nothing but ice and snow, with mountains in the far distant.

We soon arrived at our campsite in the wilderness and our hut where we'll be staying th night. The first thing we realised that this was indeed the wilderness. Things like electricity did not exist. At minus 14 degrees, the only way to keep warm was to start a fire in the fireplace in our traditional hut and so, we went straight to chopping firewood. It was really back-breaking labour but we eventually got enough wood for our fire, our sauna and our BBQ.

Our camp in the wild.

Our Lappish hut made of wood. This inspired the Hobbit's House from LOTR!

The 'living room' of the hut.

Goon wheelbarrowing the wood we chopped.

We spotted a reindeer!

After chopping the wood, we had to go to the river to fetch water. We all took the chance to play in the snow awhile before climbing to the edge of the ice and helping ourselves to the freshest and cleanest waters we've ever tasted. Drinking straight out of the river, the feeling was fantastic!

Goon lying in the snow next to our beloved water supplier, the River Torne!

Goon on the edge of the ice!!! Just scoop and drink!

The BBQ fire where we had our dinner.

Life in the wilderness was simple. Do whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted. We used most of our time playing. Ice skating, skiing, sliding down the snowy hill on mats, life was carefree and absolutely relaxing.

Ice Hockey!

Resting from skating and massaging our feet.

Goon and I going skiing!!

After which, we were picked by Henrik and his dogs again in the evening and that was the end of our wilderness tour. We returned to Camp Alta, to be greeted finally after days of waiting the Aurora Borealis in the sky. It was dancing there ever so faintly because of the cloud cover and we couldn't see it very clearly. It was impossible to get a picture of it, it was way too dark.

Well, that about sums up our 5D4N adventure up north! Much much more pictures are available on request!!

Check here often!!!

More pictures from Copenhagen!!

2008-01-24T14:45:00.000-08:00

The Danish boy thinks we're nuts...

The start of the journey, all in high spirits!!

By the time we end.....

Simplicity in a foreign land

2008-01-21T08:42:00.001-08:00

Amidst all the excitement, travelling, and meeting new people, I have found a simple joy: cooking. Funny how I need to travel thousands of miles to claim my newfound hobby. But on deeper inspection, it must be the circumstances; no mum to cook for me, eating out is expensive, our communal kitchen is conducive for cooking, everyone cooks, cooking together is fun! And so, we crossed seas, land and mountains and arrive here, only to be domesticated.

Every sunday, we will have a corridor dinner, where everyone living in our corridor cooks something for the table. Come dinner time, the smells that waft through the air is fantastic! Austrian desserts, French pizzas, salads, soups, and broth! Greek dips, sauces, baking bread and pastas. The kitchen runs like clockwork, and suddenly all the chefs hailing from different countries work together like a well coordinated football team to pass the flour, the sugar, the salt and raw materials, to create works of art becoming to our five senses.

There is another wonderfully simple enjoyment; the worship service at the International Church of Lund. Most sundays, they meet in an attic of sorts, about 30 people. Their service is traditional, they sing from a methodist hymnal and read from their common book of prayer, not unlike the ones we have in church. They sing, without any instruments, the classic comforting hymns that people everywhere know. Holy Holy Holy, Great is Thy faithfulness, Amazing Grace. And there was particular verse that totally arrested me at the service, I've known it all my life, but its meaning became crystal clear to me on sunday:

When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days, to sing God's praise.
Then when we'd first begun.

It so encapsulates the meaning of eternity, all this people I've never met from different parts of the world, of all races, praising God for 10000 years and more!

I keenly feel this exchange is a beginning of another leg of journey in my life. In my wildest dreams, I never thought I would spend my 21st birthday in a foreign land. But I did, and as the day passed without any fanfare or drama, I looked back at God's special grace in my life, and was truly thankful.

Here I am, in another season of life that God has prepared for me.

LUND, Day 13 – Copenhagen!!

2008-01-20T04:39:00.001-08:00

The BOY says:

Well it’s Sunday again and much unlike back in Singapore, it is our designated rest day of sorts. This is the day where we do our laundry, clean our rooms and of course, update blog entries. Service here starts at 5pm so we’ve got plenty of free time till then.

Yesterday, Goon and I along with 2 other Singaporean friends Jimmy and Eng Seng (his surname is Gan by the way…. Hahahaha) went for a little trip to Copenhagen, Denmark. Many of you might think it’s very far to go to another country but Copenhagen is about 1 hour’s train ride away, something like JB and Singapore. And guess what, you don’t even need your passport because of some central agreement between the European countries here.

Me and Goon at Copenhagen

Goon and our 2 friends, (from left) Eng Seng & Jimmy

In Copenhagen, we went to see the famous national museum, which was SOOO big that we only managed to cover 1 room on 1 storey in 45minutes. (There’s many rooms per storey and 3 storeys so you can see how big it is). We also went to see the palaces of the royal family, the local art museum, and walked all the way across the city to a seaside park (nicer then east coast). At this seaside park, was the famous little mermaid. It’s basically a stone statue of a mermaid who according to the famous fairy tale, is waiting for her prince to come back to her and eventually turned to stone. However, to be perfectly honest, it was pretty disappointing to walk over 40min to just see a statue in the sea…

Well that’s all I’m going to say and I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

Copenhagen streets!

Copenhagen Buildings!

Another building that almost looks like a castle!

No idea what building is this though.....

One of many river running through Copenhagen!

Police patrol the city on horseback!

Public toilets are underground!

A Danish boy with his dog!!

The famous Tivoli Gardens, an amusement park that opens in April.

The gateway bridge leading to Castleborg Palace, home of the Danish royal family.

Goon in front of the palace which seems to be under renvoation.

Gateway to the Amalien palace, winter palace of the Danish royals.

The Amalien Palace

The Carlsberg Glyptotek, an art museum.

Hungry Goon meets the Hungry Lion.

The National Museum

A Knight in Shining Armor!

A picture depicting judgment day, with the holy trinity, saints, sinners etc.

One of numerous medieval religious artefacts.

A medieval bed, looks comfy!

I wish I could have one of these!

Goon in front of a medieval fireplace.

Goon trying to fire a cannon?!

One of many local churches.

The Copenhagen Central Square.......

...... complete with a ice skating rink!!

A local park, complete with a running river!

A view of the Baltic Sea.

The Little Mermaid! (not the disney one)

She's looking out to sea for her prince.....

CHEERS EVERYONE! SEE YOU SOON! (the ice cream doesn't melt...)

Lund, Day 9 - Malmo!!

2008-01-16T09:33:00.000-08:00

The BOY says:

Well, here we are, over 1 week into our stint here at Sweden and it has been really fun! Been getting more and more busy these days which explains the lapses in BLOG entries. Yesterday, we went to Malmo, the 3rd largest city in Sweden (Sweden only has 3 by the way, so its the smallest actually...)

Malmo is somewhat different from Lund, being a city and all. Much more industrial buildings and constructions going on, more shops and people too! However, it does offer up some spectacular sights that you just can't see in Lund. For one, in Malmo is the Turning Torso, a 190metre building with a really unique design. It has 54 stories and a 90 degree twist from top to bottom. Also, in Malmo there are quite a number of public parks which look spectacular and wildlife like ducks and swans roaming freely. It really is a far cry from those back home.

We rounded off our trip of Malmo with a trip down to IKEA where we had our dinner. It was largely similar to the one back in Singapore but this IKEA was way bigger.... We ordered the famous IKEA meatballs to share thinking it would be expensive but guess what, 10 meatballs cost us only 16 SEK = about 4 SGD!!! Apparently they were having some promotion at that time, can you believe our luck??

Goon in Malmo!

The Turning Torso, don't worry, it's won't fall!

Waterfront living in Malmo. The sea is on the other side!

Clear green fields, too bad this is a park for dogs.

Goon, dwarfed by the tree.

Goon walking into the distance....

Goon on a bridge, lagi like Korean Drama cancer patient.

One of the many rivers in Malmo.

DUCKS!!!

A windmill, very different from the one at Holland Village.

The public park (for humans)

Malmo city square, and yes, it's an outdoor ice skating rink!

The statue of King Gustav that marks the centre of the city square.

City Hall of Malmo.

Look, it's IKEA!!! It looks dark but its just over 4pm...

Meatballs in Sweden! Only 16 SEK!!!

Lund, Day 6 - Dinner Time!

2008-01-13T14:09:00.000-08:00

The GOON says:
We had a very pleasant evening with our corridor mates. All of us made a dish. We tried a very interesting austrian dessert, only I don't know the name. Here are some pictures. We've got a good mix of students from all over the world here, and I foresee a very peaceful and interesting experience living with them. Seated in this picture are boy and I from Singapore, and friends from Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Canada, Taiwan and Japan.

Our Dinner!! Yes, it's RICE!

Our international group of friends!!

Lund, Day 5: Excursion Day!!

2008-01-12T08:59:00.000-08:00

The BOY says:

Day 5: Well, nothing on day 4 cause it was relatively uneventful. Though we managed to get our local SIM card for our handphones, so we’re now officially able to sms our friends here in Sweden without having to pay exhorbitant amounts!

Today we went on an excursion organized by the university as part of our orientation programme. We took a 1 hour bus ride to the south eastern tip of Sweden to visit a Middle Age Castle called “Glimmingehus”, pronounced [glimminghews]. It is apparently the BEST preserved Middle Age Nordic castle in the entire region, built by a Danish Lord over 500 years ago. The castle is not a typical one we see in paintings and movies, with battlements, turrets and the works, but it does come with a moat! It used to have drawbridges, fenced gates but was of course removed for the safety of tourists like us. Within the castle there were servants quarters, soldiers quarters and bedrooms for the lord and lady of the castle. There was even an archer loft right at the top for the defense of the castle. This was certainly an eye-opener. Goon, being the technological “genius” that she is, forgot to charge her camera batteries so not long after we arrived at the castle, the camera was dead. I hadn’t brought mine so throughout the day, we depended solely on her handphone camera, so you’ll have to pardon us for the poor quality pictures!

Glimmingehus - The Castle

Here it is again with a view of the moat

Goon in front of Glimmingehus - it's HUGE

The Banquet Hall

The Soldier's Quarters

Stairs to the top!

The Master Bedroom, with a fireplace

A window with built in seats!

Goon standing under an archway in the room of the Lady-of-the castle

Goon and I at the castle's front door

Next, we were shuttled to the nearby port-town of Ystad, pronounced [istahd]. At first glance, it seems largely similar to Lund but during our guided tour of the place, we were shown many facets of this port city that gave it its unique identity. The tour there would have been a lot more enjoyable of not for the horrendous wind. It blew at us non stop throughout our tour, freezing our faces and hands whenever we wanted to take a picture!

The streets of Ystad

Another picture of Ystad's streets

A pond in Ystad, ducks and all!

One of the museums in town.

The Church of Mary, a local landmark.

A Latin School (one of few remaining)

The Ystad theatre, well known throught Sweden!

A wine glass to mark out Wine Street, how apt!

Good luck finding a tree like that in Singapore!

We arrived back at Lund at 4pm and took the chance to pop into the Domkyrka or the Cathedral to have a look see. The interior was as good as it looked outside but because of the lighting and our lack of proper photo equipment, the pictures just do not do it justice....

The Altar

View from the altar

A miniature model of the Domkyrka

A HUGE Lectionary

That's all for now I guess! Here's todays Swedish phrase!

Hur ar det? - pronounced [heur ehr dey]. This means. How are you?

Lund, Day 3: BLOG Post Number 1!!!

2008-01-10T14:02:00.000-08:00

The BOY says:
Hi everyone! This is obviously not my BLOG (not that I have one) but everyone who knows GOON knows me so I’ll be posting my entries here for the next 6 months or so to update all on our adventures in Lund, Sweden and subsequently other parts of Europe! (GOON is still recovering from jet-lag… so its up to me to do the bulk of the BLOG updating…. FOR NOW)

It’s our 3rd day in Lund and its now 11.03pm on 10th Jan (which means its 11th Jan 6.04am in Singapore). For some of you it might mean that its time to wake up to go to school, for us, it’s almost time to go to bed. Much has happened since we flew off from Singapore on the 8th but this is the first chance that we got to be able to sit down and write BLOG entries.

DAY ONE, (08th Jan) - We arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark at around 7am. After collecting our luggage, we immediately boarded a train bound for Lund. It was a pretty short train ride, slightly less then 45 minutes but it gave us a good view of the Scandinavian landscape for the first time in our lives. There were no HDBs or tall commercial skyscrapers, just the occasional low-rise buildings and cottages sprouting out from what seems to us as the middle of nowhere. Rolling plains and withered trees, everything seems so surreal and fantasy-like.

When we finally arrived in Lund, we were finally hit by the cold winds of Sweden. It is really cold over here. Though officially, the weather reports a temperature of 5 degrees Celsius, but when the wind hits your face, it’s so cold, it stings. Thanks to the many generous donations of winter clothes our bodies were well insulated from the cold but nothing would be able to shield our faces. Eager to be rid of our heavy luggage and to be out of the cold, we quickly made our way to “The Train”, a youth hostel we booked for the night as our permanent hostel here won’t be ready till the next day. The Train is really a train, an old unused train that someone converted into a youth hostel. We slept in train cabins, each cabin having 3 single beds on top of each other, much like the famous KTM train from Tg Pagar to Malaysia you can take in Singapore. Most unfortunately, we could only check-in at 5pm so from 8am till 5pm, we had to “entertain ourselves”.

The Train, view from outside

The Cafe Cabin Car (that's the Swedish breakfast on the table!)

The Recreation Room Cabin (Yes, Europeans play Ping Pong)

We spent the rest of the day wandering the streets of Lund. This town is really different from cosmopolitan cities like Singapore. All the buildings are at most 5-7 stories high and reflect old Nordic designs, definitely NOT modern! There are a few major roads here but mainly, the city comprises of cobblestone streets, shared by cars, cyclists and pedestrians alike, governed by nothing but zebra-crossings and good judgment by all road users. There are over 10 cathedrals here, each with its own unique design, we hope to photograph all of them for you to see!

View from outside the train station

Buildings in Lund (not very tall right?)

However, the problem with Lund is that prices are VERY HIGH. Almost everything is double or more compared to those back in Singapore. For example, a Burger King meal here cost 65 SEK, equivalent to about 15 SGD; a bottle of coke 15 SEK, equivalent to 3.50 SGD, a LAN cable for 120 SEK / 30 SGD. Because of this, food is scarce over here as its really too expensive, with main courses at restaurants costing between 20-40 SGD. Even a visit to the toilet costs over 1 SGD. Speaking of toilets, Lund has numerous public toilets available. What makes it so special, is that toilets or rather cubicles are erected in the middle of the streets. For 2 SEK you can lock the door to this cubicle, the size of a phone booth, often found in the middle of the streets. Just imagine doing your business while cars, cyclists and pedestrians are zooming around you, inches away from where you are “doing your thing”. INTERESTING……..

Fancy doing your business in here??

Our dinner for the night.... Is it any surprise we couldn't finish it?

The grass is greener on the otherside, the vegetables sure are fresher in Europe!

Next we walked around the town, taking in the sights and sounds, snapped a few pictures of landmark buildings and promptly went back and checked in at the train at 5pm and fell asleep at around 8pm. The sun in Lund sets at 4pm so the darkness coupled with our jet-lag made 8pm feel like 11pm and so we slept like logs…..

The town's landmark, The Domkyrka or the Cathedral

Cathedral side view

Another section of the cathedral

The main Lund University building and its grand fountain

DAY TWO, (09th Jan) – We woke up promptly on arrival day to a traditional Swedish breakfast. Swedish food is EXTREMELY healthy, and some of you might feel, EXTREMELY NOT WORTH what you are paying. There’s bread, cereal, muesli, fruits, eggs, ham, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce among other very healthy stuff. For those of you who can’t et enough of Delifrance and its over-priced sandwiches, you might consider emigrating to Sweden. Next, because we were late and GOON was feeling lazy, we dialed for a cab to take us to the University building (this cost us 89 SEK / 20+ SGD for a short 5min trip). We did all our paperwork and collected our key to our hostel and home for the next 5 months, Spoletorp.

Spoletorp comprises of 2 buildings, Spoletorp North and Spoletorp South. We stay at Spoletorp North or Norra Spoletorp in Swedish. GOON and I stay on the same corridor, she stays in room 409 while I stay in room 406. We share the corridor with 4 other people, a guy from Japan, Hiro, another guy from Germany Pantaline, a girl from Canada, Anna and another unknown tenant who has yet to check in. The 6 of us share 2 toilets, 1 male 1 female and a kitchen and a common living room area with 6 other students from the opposite corridor.

Our rooms have a VERY IKEA feel about it (with half the furniture from IKEA) and is quite spacious for 1 person. We have a table, a cupboard, 3 wall shelves, an arm chair, a computer chair, a nightstand, a notice board, a single bed, a sink and a good view out the window. Besides not having a personal bathroom and kitchenette, our rooms are really quite comfortable to live in and convenient as well with the city centre where all the shops and amenities are just 200 metres away.

My Messy Room

Me and Goon outside my room

The rest of the day went on simply enough, we grabbed bedsheets for our bed, some dinner and went straight back to our hostel. Both of us did not even notice it was GOON’s birthday till about 6pm and we were so tired by then already. So we went back, cooked spaghetti for ourselves and fell asleep at about 9pm. This decision came back to haunt us the next day, when we got up at 5am for sleeping too early…

DAY THREE, (10th Jan) – Our first day of the orientation programme! We started the day by attending our first lesson of our Swedish Language Course. It was a grueling 3.5 hours!! But we did learn some useful things which we will share with all of you guys!

“Hej”, pronounced [Hey] which means “Hello” in Swedish.
“Tack”, pronounced [Tahck] which means “Thank you”.

More to come with every BLOG entry! A few words a day!

We opened an account in Sweden today! However, we have also spent over 3000 SEK / 700+ SGD within this short span of time due to high prices everywhere.

We also met our mentor group and quickly toured the place. Apparently, ALL alcohol, besides beer is sold in shops designated and controlled by the Government and the legal age to purchase alcohol in the shop is 20 years old!

More to come from us at Lund! Do leave your comments! It's great to hear from home!

The GOON says:

It has been quite a journey here. All this way, and God's blessings never fails. We'll be posting up pictures soon, as soon as we get the chance to take them. Lund is really a beautiful town. It has got cobblestone-lined streets, with european architecture, and bicycles and cars and pedestrians that share the same roads, with hardly any traffic lights!

We've met and made friends with really wonderful people from all over the world, and we just came back dinner with 2 people from Finland, and 2 Germans. We've also met many Singaporeans here! 5 of whom are in my Swedish class! Haha, the boy and I cooked dinner last night, spaghetti, oxtail stew and warmed roast chicken and we shared with our German neighbour who just arrived.

Our new friends, too bad they're leaving for Germany soon!

And right from when we left you guys at the airport, God has been faithfully providing, sending nice people to give us directions and all!

Friends are like wine, the old ones are always the best!

2008-01-09T22:18:00.001-08:00

Updates from Sweden. VERY SOON..

WATCH THIS SPACE

Driving

2008-01-05T08:49:00.001-08:00

I drove jacqueline safely home today!!!.

Haha.

Still very exciting and scary!!

I passed driving!

2008-01-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

I'm on the brink of my 21st birthday, and suddenly things are moving so fast, that I can hardly catch my breath. Things that I could only dream of are happening right now in the present! Turning 21, getting my driving licence today!, and leaving for sweden in 2 days time. I can really hardly breathe.

It was really God's grace, I couldn't have passed otherwise.

Driving home today in my father's van was really scary!!! The clutch's biting point was so high, and the van is so high, and the visibility is not as good as in the day.

I can really feel the weight of responsibility on a motorist's shoulder. One mistake, and lives may be lost.

I had 18 demerits, and 0 points in the circuit. AND I didn't even finish the route, yet i had 18 demerits! Imagine if I had finished the test!

Still grateful, and a little afraid of my newfound freedom on the roads.

Its really not easy to drive, esp my father's van.

Church 30th anniversary pictures

2007-12-30T22:55:00.001-08:00

Free will and the universe

2007-12-16T08:08:00.000-08:00

The worrisome self is starting its onslaught again. if it is not this, its that, and if not that, this. a ding dong merry round around 2 polar worry magnets, that suck the very life out of me, and make me fretful over the hole in the bridge.

In my mind, is a mental list of all the things I will lose, if I lose just that one thing, and a frightful movie of my world collapsing all around me. In this matter, my imagination knows no bounds. While its purpose is to free others from the confines of their present state, mine cripples and binds me in a distant uncertain future.

Even while looking forward to the Sweden stint with the boy, I fear for the time when we come back, and face that dreaded hole. This is not the way to live.

Free will - we love it and hate it. God gave us free will, a mighty brave thing to do, and He lets us experience what free will means, when He gives all our loved ones a will of their own. We experience His anxiety as we watch our loved ones make choices around us, and that is love in the deepest sense, to let go, and let the other have the freedom to choose.

God created the world, and designed it to be a massive treasure hunt. He put delicious secrets in the universe, and designed our brains to understand and seek them: the medicinal value of plants, the solar system, intricacies of the atom, uses of penicillin, radio and sound waves, unique properties of water, time's own fabric, lightning and electricity.
He gave us clues here and there, intervened in history to nudge a scientist in the correct path, whispered to inventors unbeknownst to them. Yet the arrogance of Man, attributed intelligence to their very own existence. God's gift to Man was knowledge, and He gave it solely to Man, not to animals, but the gift has corrupted us and made us proud.

I firmly believe, the only way to understand our very own existence is to know God, or we will lose ourselves in a labyrinth of knowledge, and never find the reason behind all the profoundities in the universe.

my choice

2007-12-13T07:29:00.000-08:00

I will let him have the autonomy to decide whether he wishes to play computer games or to go play with the kids.

I will try not to think too much into his decision, and to extend it to other matters.

I will try to enjoy myself anyway in his absence.

I will try to find a balance between an independent life, and interdependency.

Life and death, leaving and arriving

2007-12-10T04:51:00.000-08:00

These past few days have been a whirlwind for me, thrown into a whirlpool ever since my last paper ended. I told the boy, that the last paper is an unseen but very real threshold to cross, and beyond that, life takes on another pace of its own. True enough, everything we had suspended in lieu of the examinations came back to life with a will of its own, and we fell along the strong current.

Children's Camp was unbelievably exhausting, fun and most enjoyable. We loved every minute spend with them. I had the opportunity to really talk and enjoy myself with them all. Really hope that this relationship will continue, then when we all grow older, we will all become firm friends.

These days, I keenly feel I am gaining some perspectives on life and death. The other day the boy had to fetch Katrina to his grandfather's deathbed, he shared with me later on his ambivalent feelings towards hospital. Hospitals and Airports are places where the atmosphere is almost always choked with emotion. Departing and arriving, birth and death. In the airports, perhaps there is some hope for respite, for the person is merely going away for a while, but in the hospital, people come from and leave for another world. It is a place where people become fathers and mothers, and a place where they lose their own fathers and mothers, where life comes full circle.

Seeing Ezekiel at George's funeral brought back many childhood memories. More importantly, it reminded that time had moved on, and people had change.

Micro exam

2007-11-28T06:40:00.001-08:00

Robinson Crusoe Economy
Sequential Games
Market for Lemons
Insurance
Cournot and Stackelberg

Micro 2

2007-11-27T21:06:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling very restless now, this is what afternoon papers do to me. Suspend you in a limbo, when the time passes much too fast, and much too slow.

Its at 5pm.

To illustrate the magical concept of time and the precious information which it reveals.
I shall attempt to guess which questions will be presented in the exam.

and in about 6 hours time, I shall return, and tell you what was tested.

I think the following will be tested:

Theory of the firm.
Bargaining
Incentives Contracting
Uncertainty and insurance
robinson crusoe economy
Stackelberg
Collusion

The hole in the Bridge

2007-11-26T07:09:00.000-08:00

I was reading Crystal's latest entry when I was struck by her account of her baby cousin, she wished him; "may you always be honest about the things you love".

In fact, that's what I want to be. But in this world, being honest about the things you love, means vulnerability, to the object of love as well as to the whole world. The world has become such a cynic. And we mask our love in every other contrary thing, to make us look invincible, and powerful.

A very meaningful conversation with the boy that day taught me something about myself. I told him about a time bridge that extents from now to 3 years from now, and I told him about the little hole in the bridge, and the fear I have that we cannot jump over that hole.

Then he told me that if I were to cross that bridge and come to that hole, I would actually realize its not that big a deal, but from far it looks more dangerous than it really is. And the problem with me, he said, is that I let the hole become my world, and lose sight of the bridge. It was thought-provoking. That happened a few days ago, and yet I have been chewing on it.

I really wish I can keep up my worry-free state of living.

2007-11-16T03:37:00.001-08:00

The exams are here again. And we have confirmed our air tickets to sweden. We fly on the 8th of January at an untimely hour.

I am fascinated by stories. Amazing how people can come up with characters, larger than life, that commands people to believe them, love them, hate them. I do admire actors too, not for their fame, or looks or money, but for their sheer love, and service they do to such characters, in giving them a life, a time, and a space in our 3 dimensional universe.

The versatility of good actors is like a fine canvas. They lend their bodies, face and time to art, and the audience's amusement.

What a wonderful life!

Failed

2007-10-23T08:22:00.001-07:00

I failed Driving. BOOHOO

D-Day

2007-10-21T18:14:00.001-07:00

This is it folks!

its THE DAY. haha. Quite scared really, i am.

More updates

No worries

2007-10-09T06:46:00.001-07:00

I just remembered, I wanted to update my readers on something.

Ever since Miroris, I have not worried. I think I have put on weight, and that's a good thing, because I'm happy. Worry really does eat away at the bones, as a very wise man said in Proverbs.

I think something my budz said was stunningly accurate. When you stop thinking that you can't live without something, you stop worrying you will lose it, and in so, you keep what you want.

Driving test approaches...

2007-10-09T06:31:00.001-07:00

I am really looking forward to my driving test. This is in no way an indication of how confident I am, because I can assure you, I'm not one bit confident. I still make silly mistakes once in a while, like lifting up the clutch too early and making the car jerk, or moving off too slowly at traffic light junctions. I still get nervous and sweaty whenever I have to make a U turn or a right turn at a complicated junction.

It was only when I started driving as an 'L' plate learner, that I began to appreciate the difficulties a driver has. I still find it amazing, the amount of coordination that is going on, between signals, motorists, and within the driver himself, between his brain and limbs. I find it miraculous that:

- when the light turns amber or red, everyone steps on the brake pedal and slows down.

- thousands of fast speed vehicles safely changing lanes at any one time on the roads.

I can't wait for the driving test experience! I may not pass. But still I think its exciting. And for the kind well-wishers out there, its on 22nd October, thats next next monday. Keep me in your prayer, do. I'll be grateful!

melancholy

2007-09-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

The boy is sad, and so I am.

It's not the same as the boy is sad, and so am I.

You get my drift?

An economic perspective...

2007-09-23T05:11:00.000-07:00

Let there be 2 goods. Time spent alone and time spent with you.

Let there be 2 agents. Me and you.

Is it possible to find a Pareto efficient outcome that will make both of us happy? Who would the results skew to?

We want to max our utilty subject to the time constraint.

max u(time alone, time spent wth you) s.t. t = 24 x 7

The question remains. What does our individual utility function look like?

Happily ever after

2007-09-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

There is something about happily ever after endings that isn't quite complete. There are people who believe in it, and there are those who think that it is a fiasco. I am straddling between the two.

I just realized that Ralph Fiennes is an extremely versatile actor, and he now makes my list of favourite actors of all time. Somehow, watching him portray the role of Marshall in "Maid in Manhatten" redefines the meaning of happily ever after. I don't know why, but even up to now. I still get a thrill up my spine whenever I watch a "happily ever after"ending, and I would remain dazed for quite some moments before I revert back to my, not so happily ever after life, by Hollywood's standard, of course.

When we discover more of a person, does it make us love him/her more, or less? Depends on what we see, doesn't it? But sometimes, mystique is such a powerful aphrodisiac.

Some of us like to think that we are past the stage of exciting love rapture, and sweet talk, and have somewhat graduated to a more mature and less showy love, thinking that it gives us the license to laugh and scorn at love-raptured notes of adoration, or to view such intense romance with cynicism.

Oh, they will get over it one day. Wait till the fights start kicking in.

Then we wonder why our lives are so empty and devoid of excitement, or why our feelings have faded away.

I attended Zhou Ming's wedding yesterday, and encountered once again that powerful passage in 1 Corinthians 13. And I wrote down my thoughts on the bus home today.

The Bible says love is patient, love is kind, love is not self seeking. It doesn't ever say that love is exciting. Is it really possible to love another human being so ideally? It doesn't seem humanly possible, because human nature is just simply unlovable. Only with God's love can we love so unconditionally and selflessly. Yet this love is deemed weak in a dog-eat-dog world. Which bugger can really keep no record of wrongs? Only those with Alzheimer's! But I think God didn't paint this perfect picture of love to make us despair, but rather to give us a blueprint of the kind of love that we are all searching for.

the new sem

2007-09-05T08:36:00.001-07:00

I have mixed feelings about this semester. There are ups and downs. Of course, I am still thankful for the PGP rooms, makes life alot easier. But the workload this semester is quite overwhelming, in terms of the content that we have to internalize.

Thats it for now. I'm tired. Now the boy just wrote a funny passage about my chin. But i am embarassed to post it. Those closer to us should know what I mean by that.

Hostel waiting list -- Successful!!!

2007-08-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

I know I've gone on a hiatus for quite a while, and that's because i have been mulling and fretting about my hostel application via waiting list. and GUESS WHAT! the boy and I both got rooms! hahaha.. He got TYPE A, while I got TYPE C room.

It was quite an adrenaline-filled and nerve wrecking process. The boy was smart enough to begin applying at 11:59 while hitting the SUBMIT button at 12 midnight sharp. His application clocked in 00:00:23. On the 23rd second. Me, however? I began logging in at 12 midnight, and... needless to say, of course the server response was slow, given the hundreds of undergrads logging in at the same time. My application was clocked, I believe, between 12:03am and 12:04am.

Little wonder, that the boy got allocated his room a whole 24 hours before me, which sent me into a silenced frenzy for the day. And today on the 23rd of August, I got it too!

God blessed us! Thank YOU.....

More updates from PGP soon!

Gone Cold

2007-08-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

The altar is cold, and barren against the touch
Warm wine poured forth into silver goblets
Drunk by silhouettes, murmuring.
They come and they leave,
Circulating like the warm wine in the body
That gradually turns
Cold.

The keyboards sing a praise
A resounding cymbal
Clap your hands, all ye instruments
They compliment the bassist with the brilliant
walking bass line,
and listen to the 16-beat roll of the drums.

Weekly, they pass like shadows
From the noonday sun,
The same handshakes, the same smiles
The same greetings,
Hows your baby doing?

We do not have ears, we cannot hear.
Vengeance is mine, I will repay.
Sounds the great and terrible Voice
And even the pews tremble.

W.J.H

National Day Parade 2007

2007-08-09T05:21:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed this year's NDP. The theme was brought out so very well, a world of possibilities. Every act and spectacle serves to reinforce once again, that we can dream big, as a nation and as individuals. Even the location was ideal. The Singapore River where we humbly began, and yet now the skyline testify to our success and prosperity in a mere 42 years. All that was captured very beautifully, in a harmony of sky and water.

"It was the best of times, It was the worst of times." The morale is unbelievably high this year. We are undoubtedly born in one of the golden periods of Singapore, and perhaps of the world, having seen neither the toil and hardship of our forefathers, nor the poverty of their contemporaries, yet being able to enjoy the fruits of their labour with a prospering economy and good governance.

Of course, some able-bodied NSF may retort about how NDP may be a highly "wayang" affair. As in every cause, we will have our fair share of cynicism and satirical jokes. Yet let spectacle, glory, and patriotism have its hour, for there is a place and a time, for the celebration of the nation, for the fireworks and for the tingling of the spine at the Singapore flag flown high, for the lovely harmonies and the new and adventurous tunes that capture the essence of our time, for the resolute and immutable national anthem.

Happy Birthday Singapore.

A day will come...

2007-08-08T23:07:00.000-07:00

There will come a time, when I'm old and haggard, with saggy cheeks an sallow skin. But it is not this day.

There will come a time, when I will gaze at my children or grandchildren with all the raptures and longing to be young again, but it is not this day.

There will come a time, when I will dispense words of wisdom and caution to the careless youths of tomorrow, but it is not this day.

There will come a time, when I will count the days I have to live by, and wait for that hour, but it is not this day.

This day...

I AM that reckless youth. I have the right to be careless, and to dress up and travel and do all the things young people do.

lest I should regret when i reach that fateful day.

SO let the worries fly out of the window. We're going SWEDEN!!!

Watch this space for Boy and Goon in Sweden!

Owl Post and other musings

2007-07-23T07:12:00.001-07:00

There is something very dramatic about millions of books travelling to the world at the same time, arriving at people's doorsteps. This bomba-lastic (this funny, non-existent word came to mind) phenomenon seems to be something that just might happen in the world of Harry Potter itself, thus fanning the magic and excitement. Granted that if it were their world, we could possibly suffer from an attack of owl droppings. Yet, behind these astronomical figures, every book that arrives at a home seeks to consort a private audience with its reader, making this Harry Potter event not just phenomenal but also very personal. It is clear that we all seek an alternate reality from time to time, and the more vivid this other world is, the more willing we are to escape into its realms. I shall be quite reluctant to leave the world of Harry Potter, and would be sure to bequeath this wonderful legacy to my future children.

The magical world aside, I came across a most pointed and poignant column in Life! today, by Teo Cheng Wee. His bolded summary of the column read,

"I've always been dismissive of the relationship between my youngest brother and his girlfriend. But at their wedding recently, it dawned on me that what they have is what I've always dreamt of having."

Apparently, this young couple tied the knot two weeks ago, on 070707, after 10 years of courtship. In this column, the writer recounts how his immediate family members had disapproved of the courtship because "they were all of 16 years when they got together." And the couple had to suffer a whole decade of doubts and disbeliefs that they will ever last. The cloud only lifted after they had announced that they would be registering their marriage, it was then that "the ice started thawing.. you [they] see each other as family rather than enemy, attitudes and behaviours change and the bonds start re-forming." The writer guiltily admits, "Before that, I had never imagined them as mature adults ready to commit a lifetime to each other." And we wonder what they had been doing for the past 10 years.

As to why this particular article resonates with me, my dear friends and family, should be very clear. I was, all of 16 when I got together with the boy (he was 18). I remembered rather vividly the disapproval from my parents, and certain adults in church because we were far too young. I am now hurtling, in 5 months, towards my 21st birthday, with the boy by my side, squabbling away like a pair of eccentric magpies. And I wonder, how peoples attitude would change 180 degrees in another 3 to 4 years, when that time comes. I am bemused, because people never seem to really recognized a couple until they are officially married.

Till then, we shall work on being "ready to commit a lifetime to each other", or, haven't you already known?

And now, Book 7 beckons...

Pride and Prejudice

2007-07-18T07:06:00.000-07:00

I have had a most uneventful day at home. Sleeping the afternoon away, and busying myself in finding things to do, and rather uncharacteristic of me. I have, however, discovered the joys of Pride and Prejudice after having watched the 2005 film version of the book, and finally understood how it can be such a much-loved classic.

Hostel

2007-07-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

Is there anyone out there not keen on their PGP room?

Xiaoni, the boy and me

2007-07-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

I wanted to upload a photograph and xiaoni, the boy and me taken during the boy's POP in 2004. But I couldn't find it. I will when I do.

Xiaoni, the boy and me is a funny trio. "the Ni" , or "xiaoni" 's real statutory name is Anthony, he is the boy's (vincent's) smallest brother, who follows us around whenever he can, since he was very young. For this reason, we often spend time together, playing cards in the hostel room last year, watch movie, eat.

Xiaoni, the one who bites from my subway sandwich while I am not paying attention, who calls me "AH GOON" just like the boy does, who hears my worries and laugh at them, who calls me 'gila'. Who, when the boy doesn't want to bring him around, says " i follow ah goon" and comes along anyway.

He, whom I treat as my own brother.

I wonder how our dynamics will change as we grow up. I hope nothing will change.

We've decided, he shall be called "Uncle Ni." although to us, he will always be "Xiaoni", no matter how old he grows.

To skim the heart's surface

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

I admit, I am wary.

The miroris event has taken a toll on us, that much is true. The events of the past few days have made me somewhat tired, and weary. I feel like I'm just waiting for this performance to pass. Waiting for next week to be over, after Campus Crusade freshman orientation camp, then I can finally have my own time and freedom again.

This blog may seem to depict a rather discontented life. But I would have the readers know that this view of my life is one-sided, because I usually cannot find the motivation to write here when I am happy or contented. My darker moments are usually also my more pensive moments.

I can understand why some famous writers and poets live tumultous lives. Perhaps, for them, such anguish is mettle for art, and sorrow the writer's opium.

What does it mean to guard one's heart? I cannot afford to ride an emotional roller-coaster, especially when the plunge downwards comes unforseen in the dark. So how can I smooth the peaks and the troughs?

We are created to be independent, and dependent at the same time. This balance is never easy to strike, especially when we put our trust in fallible human beings, knowing that we too, may fail them.

I need to rest.

Disappointments

2007-06-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

My living tree shrivels in its own hope,
Strangled by the absence of promised sunlight.
Waited too long for a friendly bird's visit.
These little deaths that happen every day,
What does it matter.

Why make the heart jump, when you know it will stop?
A break in its constant rhythm is not welcomed
Its peaks and troughs are
Unpredictable, I will suffer
A cardiac arrest.

A tree with a pumping heart is not so hardy,
It dies sooner than you think.
Just takes, the absence
Of promised sunlight, and the no-show
Of a friend.

But the friend did come. A cheery bird, hopping,
Looking for the tree with a heart.
Puzzling, though, where did she go?
The little bird thought,
While perched on the dry dead tree.

W.J.H

On space, time, and the past. - A tribute to my victorian days

2007-06-26T00:18:00.001-07:00

The mathematical equations describing the relationship of space and time is not understood by many. At best, we know that space consists of 3 dimensions, and time is the 4th. Yet, the very concept of time is abstract and mysterious. We exist in its very fabric, but can't quite comprehend its substance, what it is made of, how it looks like, how does it look from higher dimensions. My greatest guess is this, we can understand 3 dimensions more because we exist in 4 dimensions,we can only truly 'see' time if we exist in the 5th dimension or higher. But I am not going to dwell on the physics of the matter in this post, but rather, to speak of my personal experience of the intricacies of space and time today.

I felt keenly its relationship today when I passed vj and met michelle at parkway parade for lunch. My senses picked up, the things that had change, and the things that had not. The things that endureth gave me a sense of place, the things that had not showed me lucidly, the passage of time. For sure, the vj building and the 24 hours glass panes I glimpsed remained as endearing, like an old faithful friend, but my delight and comfort turn into ambivalence as I gaze carefully at each student decked in vj uniform. None of them looked familiar.

I stepped into the familiar zone, and it seemed like the past did not completely disappear. The buddies laughter, and the big butt's bickering, the starbucks study sessions, and conversations over apollo char kway teow and dim sum lingered like pleasant ghosts of the past, in the bubble tea shop, the curry puff lady by the bus stop, in the treats food court, in macdonalds, at the flag pole in parkway.

The things that had changed reminded me that life had moved on without us. That parkway was in the hands of others, and we are mere visitors.

Once we leave the past, and move on seamlessly into another phase of time, the times of the past get frozen into a sacred shrine, invisible to human eye, but keenly felt in our souls.

I grazed the curtain of that shrine today, and felt the its breeze and breath on my face, ever so gently, and elusively.

The breeze of yesteryears, and the breath of its warm wind.

Hostel application and its agony

2007-06-18T04:06:00.001-07:00

Sigh, hostel application results have disappointed me again and again. Not that I expected to get a room in PGP through the appeal process. For sure, my reasons for appealing were not that compelling. Still, I felt it was worth a gamble as there was nothing to lose. Now i would have to wait till August to register on waiting list. Can anybody tell me what are my chances if I register on wait list? if you've been there, done that, my email is depth_of_grace@hotmail.com I would love to hear your story and get some well meaning advice from you. Never mind if we don't know each other, I would still love to hear from you.

IF any there are any friends out there who wishes to give up their hostel room, regardless if its PGP or elsewhere in NUS, please contact me. even though i know chances are slim. my contact number is 98772756.

Thank you, kind souls.

Mission trip

2007-06-16T05:31:00.000-07:00

There is a certain lull in the very heartbeat of Malaysia that holds a mysterious allure. Somehow, my worries seemed to dissipate a little, in my 8 days spent there,during the church retreat and the mission trip. Both trips were, enjoyable in their own special way. The retreat in a, "the fellowship is great and warm" kind of way. The mission trip in a, "fresh experience, communal living"way. But I must say that these 8 days have been really memorable and special to me. Already, I'm beginning to miss the little sanctuary that we spent our 3 nights in.

I really loved playing with the village children. I am very inclined to believe that in their young lives, they have never taken a picture with a digital camera before. They run and snatch the camera to see themselves displayed on a small screen, only to laugh and roll on the ground, they literally did. When we gave them lollipops, they put them into their mouths without removing the wrapper. And we have to cajole them to take the sweets out just so we can remove the wrapper.

I had a great time fellowshipping with churchmates, and I told them about a stupid worry I had that was plaguing me for months. And by telling them, I released the grip that the worry had on me, and I am glad that they were very understanding, and they will shoulder this burden with me, imaginary as it may be.

This post is not complete. I will write more after the pictures are in. because they will trigger my thoughts.

Musings on seafood.

2007-06-05T07:14:00.000-07:00

The supermarket is a mini-zoo, it is. We went to purchase necessities for retreat, nick, the boy and I, and I wandered off to the raw food section, to observe some of my dead scaly friends. It wasn't an uncommon sight: Housewives and a host of other people, poking and fiddling around with the dead fishes, obviously heeding no attention to the cold dead jelly eyes staring back up at them.

These days, I have an unexplainable fascination with lobsters. I saw a couple of them today, they look like gigantic sea insects. There were also some live prawns swimming in a bubbling tank, staring at me with their black beady eyes. The way they stare at me, makes me wonder who's really the exhibit.

Eels are a slimey lot. They wriggled and slithered in a big bathtub of water, I pictured them as Ah boy's favourite unagi, and they suddenly seemed comical.

Crabs. Ah! I can't even begin to explain my ambivalent feelings towards them! I have always had a predatory attitude for them, because they are one of my favourite seafoods, (and as I say this I'm looking forward to eating one of them tomorrow en route to the retreat destination) . But looking at how they were man-handled or rather, woman-handled today made me feel a tinge of remorse and pity. Their huge brownish glory pincers were strap tight to their shells, and signs of struggle can be detected as they are picked up by human hands, examined, and then thrown back into the pile. In such a situation, their size and their strength becomes their folly, for the good ones always get cooked and eaten first. I spent a good minute staring at them, contemplating their sorry fate. But soon, the cloud cleared, and my momentous grief at their impending funeral dissipated like the wind, and the image of huge chili crabs of tomorrow began to float in my mind's eye. With that, I was forced to confront my hypocrisy, and to move on.

I saw remnants of a medusa. A tentacle of a many-legged (or many-handed?) creature, and shuddered at its raw form, having just ate a small baby one hours ago. Friends of Davy Jones, perhaps.

Seafood is such a delicacy. The fruits of the sea come in many succulent colours that entice our eyes as well as our stomachs. Yet, the fish market, albeit an upperclass supermarket, is evidence of the barbarity of nature and man. A morgue for the magnificient creatures of the sea. Here, they are ripped apart for autopsy by the pathologist, the fish-monger no doubt, but we know the cause of death alright, "acute airway occlusion" , whatever. Lets just be thankful they didn't die for nothing, for their deaths would sustain many lives of a superior, literate race, or so we rationalize.

Yet in such barbarity, I can see the wisdom of God's plan for nature that began in Genesis. I am not sure if I'm saying this because of my voracious appetite for food, as my friends would know, but surely, if it were otherwise, seafood or any food for that matter would not taste that good.

Of course, nothing on earth can be entirely objective. I am a human being, so I am biased.

If you are a fish, salmon or trout, tilapia or prawn, you would treat me as an enemy, someone to be FEARED.

Such is the law of the sea.

Its a man eat fish world.

To eat or not to eat, that is the question

2007-05-28T04:29:00.000-07:00

My appetite for food has burnt holes in my pocket beyond any repair. I have plans to channel or change this craving for food, to fashion, (just like any girl my age), books, you name it. But I can't help having a higher marginal rate of substitution for food over anything else, although it might not be a good thing.

For one, the food I crave for are not really very healthy, I may literally "eat myself to death".

They are, most of the time, not cheap, and disappear quickly. There is nothing to take home.

I must find other joys in life that can distract me from this rather annoying habit, I feel like I live to eat.

Irrational worries, or are they?

2007-05-28T03:01:00.000-07:00

I worry every day about that strange woman's appearance into my life.

God help me.

People would find this worry peculiar if I told them what it really was.

But its real to me, an imminent threat.

Please, disappear, strange woman. Don't come into my life.

a brush with the past

2007-05-27T08:21:00.001-07:00

Went for Jason's choir concert, and keenly felt the sense of nostalgia. Saw many familiar faces, and greeted many old friends and juniors. It was like meeting up with my past.

Walking hand in hand with Ah boy in esplanade made me really thankful for having him with me. But save all the mushy stuff, and let's get to the point (obscure as it may be):

In acquiring so much, I stand to lose everything.

What a pessimist I am!

Audrey Ho, teach me to be optimistic like you are.

Good Fellowship in homes

2007-05-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

The past 2 days were spent with churchmates and were filled with much camaraderie. It was fun, spending the night at xueying's hse. Ah boy and wei wei shared room with james, while I with xueying. I got to glimpse into their family life, and their parents were very hospitable. I love to observe the lifestyles and families of others, and you get to learn alot, just by visiting their homes.

The concept of home, is a very comforting idea. Everywhere you look there are pictures of day-to-day life. Laundry basket, cupboards full of bed sheets, stoves, shampoos, washing machine you name it. And the activities that go on inside the home, simple, mundane perhaps but comforting. Mothers cooking in the home, simple dishes for sustenance and health, which is what we really need isn't it?

We tend to overlook the effort that goes into just preparing a simple meal for the family. From the purchase of ingredients, to preparing them, chopping, to cooking, to serving, then finally cleaning up, washing the dishes. All for a meal that last 15- 20 minutes, that disappears into our stomachs, but sustains us and gives us energy.

I must kick the habit of eating supper. It is extremely unhealthy. Really I must. I have been eating supper for the past few days, and its taking a toll on my pocket.

These days I have been talking to Ah Boy about property. Hmm but a more elaborate discussion on that later perhaps.

On a brighter note, its parents day tomorrow. And Ah Boy and I are worship leading. God help us. =)

Seeing the world on hot wheels

2007-05-24T07:52:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

I have been away for awhile, busying myself with certain tasks. For one, I've began working, pouring ice water, clearing plates, setting tables, seeing the world in a restaurant. I wanted to 'see the other side of dining', and hope i would one day be able to set up my own restaurant. I don't know, however, how long I will last there, because I am already feeling restless, wanting to move on to new things. But it really is interesting, the different types of people that I've observed. There are rich expats, (presumably) who order a piece of tiramisu for 7.90, take a bite, ask for the bill and leave, leaving us dumbfounded as we clear their table, and relegate their tiramisu to the garbage bin.

There are those who say 'thank you, darling' and smile at you as you top up their ice water.

There are those who nod and avoid eye contact.

Some pretend you don't exist, and presume the water will just keep topping itself.

Funnily enough, some hover or grab their glasses protectively as you approach them with a jug of ice water, and you have no choice but to pass them by.

The other project I've been working on, is to get my Class 3 driving licence. Driving, for the time being, is as exciting as learning how to walk for the first time. Its therapeutic, and every lesson is something to look forward to.

Come back my friends, I promise to update more as blogger has become more user-friendly once again.

ramblings

2007-05-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

I am eager to fly, but am held back by conventions of society, family ties, money or lack thereof, and perhaps my own impatience and immaturity, ironic as that may seem.

How to guarantee a return on an investment? There is always risk, and I have a love-hate relationship with risk.

Time eludes us, but at the same time, it binds us, or paralyse us from going where (or when?) we want to go. We could transport outselves thru space, but not through time. Sometimes, it is ephemeral, sometimes, its inexorable permanence is excruciating, especially if it stands between now and an anticipated event.

But, they say everything has a season, for every season there is a purpose. I can't pin my purpose down, perhaps it would only be revealed in time.

I am 20 years old, or 20 years young. would the next 20 years before i reach 40 be faster or slower than its precedent?

Why, does the opening of the train door at my designated stop always seem like an eternity, while the journey to that destination was so swift?

It's a strange thing. A decade can be gone in a moment, but a moment can stretch to eternity.

Weird layout

2007-05-10T23:14:00.000-07:00

Can someone tell me how come this page where I'm suppose to post my entries has a funny layout? Are all bloggers from blogspot experiencing this too?

Harmony and Disharmony

2007-05-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

Everyone has these moments. Of harmony and disharmony, with the people close to them, including oneself. Movies often end on notes of harmony, a 'happy ending' but really it doesn't just stop there. It's like a business cycle. They chose to end on a high, but you know somewhere down the line, there will be another trough, and you know it will pick itself up from there again.

So, everyone has their ' i love you' and 'i don't love you' moments. But its the choice to believe in the 'i love you' moments that gets them through their next 'i don't love you' moments.

YO

2007-05-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen such a comical sight? Our dear church friend Zihao has gone and got himself a very unique lorry. He painted over "TO" and "TA" in "TOYOTA" just so he can have a "YO" at the butt of his lorry greeting the world. If you do see this lorry on the road, chances are, its him. He who steers the lorry with one hand.

Imagine. 2 lorries pulled up beside each other at the traffic light. One has TOYOTA behind, the other one is just YO.

Well, we helped nicholas' mother move house today, and he treated us to a very nice lunch at Hooked on Heads. We had curry fish head, sambal stingray, black pepper beef, prawn paste chicken, mapo tofu, kangkong. I wanted to take pictures but GUESS WHAT?

Yup you guessed it, forgot to do it once the food arrived. But it was appetizing I assure you.

Indifference

2007-04-27T11:47:00.000-07:00

Indifference -- a technical term. The indifference curve maps the consumer's marginal rate of substitution of Good A for Good B

Indifferent -- such a nonchalent word. I am indifferent about going to the movies or having dinner at this restaurant.

Indifferent -- such an easy going word. I am indifferent about yellow and red. You make the choice.

Indifferent -- cold and hurting. I am indifferent between spending time with you and doing my own things.

the end of year 1

2007-04-27T07:11:00.000-07:00

There are issues of immediate concern that I am reluctant to write on, because I am afraid that doing so would open a flood gate of torrential feelings and reminiscence. Setting these embodied thoughts into black and white gives them too much wield over me. I prefer them relegated to some inaccessible part of my mind.

Exams has ended, so year 1 flies by.

On a brighter note, will be going to xian de lai for steamboat in 5 minutes. I hope I will remember to upload some pictures of a hot steaming comfort boat, and some moments of good fellowship.

Till then.

a quilt of memories

2007-04-25T21:14:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

The other day Ah boy and I were talking about our past, and I thank God for giving us such a long history together, so many numerous shared experience. In retrospect, I think God has really been really good, they way he interweaved the both of our past to cross each other in so many occasions.

I still remember him when we were in Sunday School, when I was 7 and he was 9. Subsequently, his mother became my sunday school teacher. How comical is that? Even now, I call her 'yu rong laoshi' after so many years. I guess I can't really dismiss the fact that she once taught me when I was young. Once a teacher, forever a teacher. At that time, Ah boy was always hanging around the back during Sunday School, with his 'i can't be bothered' and 'this is lame' attitude. But Ah boy was not my ah boy then, I merely called him 'Vin' short for 'vincent'.

I remember our awkward adolescence. Ah boy was skinny then, and he had a lot of leg hair and i was abit afraid of his sullen face. I was afraid of people with alot of leg hair because in my mind, leg hair = pervert. hahaha. How funny is that?

When I grew to Sec ONE and joined Nanyang choir, he was the VP in Cat High choir. And as Providence would have it, both choirs along with dunman high, travelled to the beautiful sandy Waikiki beach in Hawaii for a choral festival. I liked him then, and it was rumored he had feelings for me.

We continued interacting in church, being in the same cell and all. There were pleasant memories of church retreat, common jokes that happen to certain comical people in church, the camaraderie of youth camp, of christmas carnivals and carolling.

In 2002, he went to Hwa Chong choir, which shares the same choir instructor as Nanyang Choir. This seemingly trivial circumstancial 'coincidence' proved pivotal for the start of our relationship on 1 March 2003. Follow the train of argument; because we shared the same instructor, we had a choral workshop at Victoria concert hall, because I had worship prac that day, Ah boy followed me to church, on the MRT, HQ (Bless him!) messaged him saying he wanted to talk to him, I instinctively knew he wanted to talk to him about our 'too close for comfort behaviour' so I told Ah boy what the discussion would be about

The events of March 1st 2003 merits another story on its own, but suffice it to say, I became his girlfriend. The rest, as they say, is history.

God was gracious in granting him the MOE scholarship (local), even though he only applied for the award. And the Almighty's act of graciousness enabled the both of us to be reading economics in NUS under the same scholarship, and provided us with the financial means to finance our education and our future.

Today, we are the cell leaders of the youngest cell in the youth zone. And our teenage years have come full circle.

Thank you Lord for writing our love story.

A place to call my own?

2007-04-21T06:41:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

We had a gathering today at Nick's house for the worship ministry. Wish I had pictures to show, but the phone battery was flat. It was alright. A little blander than expected because we discussed the same issues year in year out. The best time was the fellowship we had, playing heart attack and mahjong. haha. This is about the 3rd time we've used Nicholas' house for church events since he and audrey moved in.

Ah boy sent Grace Buy and I home. We went to the hawker centre to get some dinner, and she invited the sis and I to her beautifully renovated home. We shared some views abt our love for singing, which is very encouraging indeed.

The boy and I are looking forward to the idea of owning our own house in the future. The autonomy of owning your own piece of property is amazing. You can renovate it however you like, invite friends over for meals and movies, use it to bless others. The prospect is indeed thrilling. Not that living with our parents is without merit, it does have its benefits. But somehow owning property is a sign that one has truly achieved the "status" of adulthood.

Our ideal, is to have a few close friends (you know who you are) come on a regular basis to just hang out and fellowship. Young people usually have to resort to meeting at crowded places like town, or east coast to catch up, and so end up spending alot of money just finding things to do outside. Seldom do they meet in each other's houses, because you know, after all the house is not really theirs, and we have to put up with all the formalities of being courteous and polite to their parents.

To have our own place, means we really and truly can have uninhibited fellowship, and is definitely a plus if we plan to do youth work in future.

Still, one must not always look to the future and cease living in the present. I tend to do that often. Each season of life has its own joys, and I must be careful not to miss them, because time waits for no one.

I suppose what we can do actively in the present to make that dream come true is to build up our support network with the friends among us. Church people like James, Nick Audrey, Phoebe, Amanda, Xiaowen, Yanru, Youjun, Wei Wei, the elijahs, abia, dot, fish, suatyria, dominic, maggie, sharon, anthony, jason.. basically all our youths. grace buy, eugene etc. Not forgetting school people, perhaps even my old time friends and buddies,michelle, Zhonyun, Rebekah and Gabriel, Erica, Daphne, ruth, etc. I desire very much to keep in contact with these wonderful people and hope that they will not just be my friends, but our friends. Who knows when we might need them in times of trials, or they us?

God help us to make and keep good friends in life, they are a gift from Him.

Juicy Steak!

2007-04-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

This coffee shop at the void deck of Toa Payoh Lorong 5 has been featured in Lifestyle Food!
This is a picture of the tenderloin steak that costs only $10! The rib eye (thinner) goes for $9
The stall is called UNO beef house, and it sells affordable and quality western food!

The potato ball looks deceptively like bread at first, but is actually creamy mash potato! Quite a refreshing change from the normal baked potato with sour cream that we usually have with steaks.

The steak itself is flavourful and juicy, of course it cannot beat Jack's place steak, but its still commendable.

Exams prep and a surprise meeting

2007-04-19T23:37:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

Exam preparations are rather gruelling. It never pays to work at the last minute, but, as human nature would have it, I have not changed my undesirable habits.

It was pleasant having a chance meeting with Amanda this afternoon at the subway in school. I love spontaneity, well, at times, makes life exciting. But I prefer spontaneity that leads to a good outcome, not one that would result in an unfavourable circumstance, but don't we all?

By this time next week, my exams would have ended, and so Year ONE would have flew passed. Then there's 3 months of idleness, well not really. There's still church retreat and mission trip to look forward to.

Now, its back to psychology and economics, somehow, i'm more thrilled by the latter, contrary to popular opinion.

A crab craving!

2007-04-17T09:16:00.000-07:00

dear friends,

I suddenly have a craving for seafood, after seeing an advertisement for seafood platter for 2 on Jack's Place seafood harvest. Its got all my favourite foods, crabs, prawn, oyster, sushi, lobster. Wah! heaven. The boy refuses to go because he doesn't like seafood and says its too pricey. My father loves crab but he can't eat it because of his arthritis. Sigh! When will I taste it again?

The perfect birthday meal happened some time ago at Noble House Restaurant, where Grace Buy got married. But we went on my birthday for a buffet, Nicholas, Audrey, the boy and I. I had 2 big servings of crab! One in the traditional egg chilli gravy, and the other in white wine and egg white. It was small, but fantastic. I also had my first taste of pigeon soup there. Wow! I was so caught up in the atmosphere and the taste of the food, savouring every moment I was there, that I forgot to take pictures! And now I can only transcribe my memory into words, and hope you can imagine the exquisite taste.

As I type this entry, I'm, at the least comforting myself with chilli crab flavoured cup noodles. Haha.

More soon

Finally, a virtual space of my own!

2007-04-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

I am an avid blog stalker. I love to read the blogs of others, friends, acquaintances, strangers alike and catch of glimpse of their thoughts and musings. It is a way of sharing life with others. I may not write as beautifully as some of my friends, you know who you are. =). But I sure aspire to.

I have named this blog hungrygoon because my beloved calls me goon, and i'm hungry most of the time. This is the simplest explanation I have for it.

I have a few purposes for this virtual space I call my own. To recommend good food! because that is one of the most glorious pleasures God has given us on this earth! To record my thoughts and musings, and also to do pen my memories.

Do visit often.