As 2010 draws to a close

These days, life does not just pass. It whizzes pass. I do not recall that it was a year ago that I splurge on my LV bag, went on tour for 3 weeks in Japan and Taiwan, and got all bumpy about finally graduating from NUS. In fact, it seemed to me all that happened just months ago. It is insanity to actually tell people that 3 years ago, I went to Stockholm for exchange and lived one of the happiest moments of my life there.

Recently, the weather has been erratic. Snowstorms all over Europe, even the temperature in Hong Kong fell below zero (simply ridiculous). That has indeed brought back memories about my Stockholm days, when Kim and I got uber excited about seeing snow in Stockholm, outdoor ice-skating, building snowman, etc. My love for Europe is beyond imagination. Some day I will return, I told myself.

And how has my 2010 been thus far?

The working world is indeed really different from school. You have income but you have more responsibility. You have holidays but it also means you have more work. I have never doubted my own desire to educate, but I have been questioning my desire to stay on in the job. The job really derives a lot of satisfaction, especially when you see your students making progress along the way. However, I think that satisfaction is unable to fill me, fill my desires and make me contented. I want to do more, with each passing day. Life at work is mundane compared to life when I was a student: more happenings, more jokes, more laughter, more friends, more conversations, more learning, more knowledge, more control.

Your friends at work discuss about the same things everyday. Their conversations are much like a routine. The conversation revolves around the same topic; students, results, exams, CCAs, shopping for girls, etc. I feel that the number of intellectual conversations that I engage in has decreased exponentially while in school.

Honestly, I feel that when you step into the working world officially, you start to think more (not necessarily deeper). You become more risk-averse, you try to calculate and weigh your benefits and costs for each step that you take, you behave more appropriately socially. However, you lose your innocence and candour. You become overtly mindful of other people's feelings, so you lose yourself. I still prefer the me when I was a student.

Then I was dumped into NIE and overwhelmed with assignments. I had less time for myself but I got to meet new friends. I meet interesting characters; people of diverse background but at least we share something in common: we all have a passion for teaching. I do not get to engage in conversations outside of assignments (tons of project discussion) but I spend more time reading the Economist, Nat Geo, news, and books that I like. So there is a trade-off. My writing has toned down a lot, less of the fanciful analogies, idioms, catch-phrases but more of formal expressions, which I really disdain.

The highlight of 2010 was probably the trip to Egypt, the land of civilisations. Egypt has really aroused my interest in ancient history. I have always been fond of history, be it ancient, middle ages, european, asian, or whatever. However, I lack the discipline to actually visit the library to get the books and read them. But well, yesterday is not representative of tomorrow. We should move on.

My 2010 is definitely not as colourful and vivid as my 2009, and you can corroborate from the number of blog posts that I made this year. Hopefully, my 2011 will be more fascinating. :)

A weird and silly dream....

The weirdest dream appeared last night! I dreamt that I was back to Stockholm, Sweden, back to SSE, Saltis and all that. I was with the wrong company, the sort of people whom I will never imagine being with while overseas. But nostalgia overwhelmed me when I awoke from the dream. SSE was still there, Saltis never changed a single bit, but Lidl was gone. Our favourite supermarket no longer stands as it is. I really wonder how much Stockholm has changed. I miss Stockholm, I really do. Truly, deeply, badly.......

The End in 2 days.

I have two more posts from Athens that are scheduled to be posted in the next two days. Yes, I am just two days away from my departure from Stockholm. Where am I heading to??

WESTERN EUROPE FINALLY!!

Like I planned, Madrid.Porto.Lisbon(maybe).Marrakech.Barcelona.Paris.Strausbourg are on my itinerary. However, I may squeeze a day trip to Basel (hopefully I can get a match ticket at a good price) to soak myself in the Euro 2008 feel~~

What have I been up to the past week? What else but studying? Never in my life have I ever mugged so hard before. I guess not even when I was in NUS. This course is extremely difficult and most people are just aiming for a PASS when they study the shit out of them! I studied the shit out of me too but that's because I really hope to pass and hopefully get a prominent grade though they don't matter to me. :)

However, everyone needs a break at some point or another right? So on Sunday afternoon, I went out with my neighbours to catch the Sweden Vs Ukraine friendly match!! It was great. The match wasn't that exciting considering the fact that they only netted one goal. However, you can feel the difference in culture and the atmosphere of the stadium in Manchester and Sweden. The Swedes are really reserved people and their cheering was soft and usually in the form of clapping or encouragement. The stadium probably only had 30 Ukrainians but they were so loud that their voices simply covered those of the Swedes. So my Spanish neighbour & I came to a conclusion: It's quite a shame for the Swedes honestly. Though this isn't a match-game in any form of competition, but supporters should establish the HOME-GROUND status and give players the right form of encouragement.

When I was in Manchester, the cheering was SO Loud that it sounded as though the Stadium was ROARING!! English fans are more hard-core I guess and they really go all out to sing and keep themselves entertained.....

Anyway, I cycled with my neighbours there and it was definitely one of the best experiences one could ever have!! :) That match kind of motivated me to go to Basel to try my luck?!

Okay, last but not least, right after my exam, I actually took a walk to one of the parks in Stockholm with my roomie. We were supposed to go to the Nordiska museum but apparently it was closed because the opening hours changed after MAY!!

As I was talking to my roomie about the fact that we are leaving in another 2 days' time, she told me that I should be glad that I am leaving. It's always better to leave a place when you still have good memories rather than to leave it because you feel sick and tired about it. Yeah indeed, that very evening, something happened and finally triggered my desire to leave a bit.

But, I must say I really love this place and I still feel reluctant to leave. It has given me too much happy memories that no single bad event is able to override. :)

Lost Ring.

I lost my ring!
Yes the one that has been with me for the past 6.5 years!
Blame it on myself.
I had to lose it just before my paper.
I was so affected that I totally lost concentration during the exam itself.
Pray for me that I will pass my exam !

Pussy me.

I discover 2 new things about myself these few days.

1. I am a PERSISTENT person. At least that's what my roomie told me. We were revising for our exams and I actually spent 2 days revising 4 lectures because I didn't understand the content despite reading them 2-3 times. I was so fed-up! I tried different methods, asked different people (my roomie, kenneth & seng wee ) for insights but no one could enlighten me! In the end, on Fri night, when I was on the verge of giving up and decided to attend the Hungarian guy's departure party, my French neighbour talked to me. He saw me studying in the afternoon and perhaps I looked really stressed up. So he asked if I was doing well with my revision.

I was so unhappy about the whole thing and told me I am really screwed though all I need is just a pass. I casually asked him if he's good with international trade policy and he say "yeah, he's quite good with it." So in the party, when everyone was busy drinking, shouting with the music going on, we talked about INTERNATIONAL TRADE. He actually spent 10 minutes trying to explain to me some mechanics (& I sincerely appreciate that) of it but I guess I was too drained to think. Ended up, he offered to help me the next day. He told me to just go to him with my notes and book. In confusion, it ended up that he helped me that very night.

I took a bath and went to his room with my notes and book. Though he didn't physically help me out by explaining the mechanics of how the graphs shift, I must say he provided me GREAT INSIGHTS and psychological help. I guess most people will understand why. That very night, I was so motivated and I FINALLY FIGURED OUT what the 4 lectures were about!! I was so happy. Or maybe the alcohol help a bit? hahaha...

So my roomie commented that I am SO PERSISTENT. I refused to move on to the remaining 8 lectures when I am just 5 days away from my exam. :) But my persistence pay off. Now I really pray I can pass the exam!!!

If I really make it for the exam, I know who to THANK!!

2. I develop attachment to people easily. These few days or rather I should say these few weeks or past 2 months, the bond between my roomie has become so strong that I feel sad that I will be leaving her soon.

Remember how I used to whine about how untidy she is and inconsiderate blah blah.. Now that I look back at it, I think I am so CHILDISH. It's a fact that she's probably untidy etc but all it takes was for me to be more accommodating. I am glad I managed to do that after 4 months :) As exams are round the corner, we are busy studying now. But we all need a break in between some time or another so we started to talk and share a lot of things.

We chat all the time, help each other with our revision, me cooking for her, her offering her "ready-made" food etc. I started to introduce her my favourite music, Yang Zong Wei, Fish Leong, Xiao Huang Qi etc.. You guys must be really taken aback now, right? In fact when she was traveling during the past 2 weeks and I'd the whole room to myself, I felt lonely at times. I need to be around people all the time. I like interaction so when I am by myself (though I felt good about enjoying the double room to myself), I miss her presence, miss someone who's been around the past 5 months to share my stuff with me.

We even talked about our "back-to-singapore" life. We are planning to go for YOGA together if time allows or even blade together. I will miss her after I am back honestly. :)

First Departure.

I hate to face departures and separations.
Yes, nothing goes on forever in this world.
There will always be an end.
Last night, the first person in our group left.
It's this Hungarian guy.
I am supposed to be mugging super hard which apparently I am
But I promised to be there to bid goodbye at his "party"
So I went.
I don't interact with him much
Probably around 5-6 times but he takes really good care of me
Like when we go out to watch football matches etc.
He says he thinks I am a very well-behaved girl, carry myself well etc.
So he asked me when am I going to visit him in Budapest?
I told him about my problem with the expensive tickets to Budapest at around 80 EUR.
Guess what he said?
"I will pay half the price for you."
Plus accommodation is provided.
He's a rich guy apparently.

I would love to do that but NOT THIS SUMMER I GueSS
My trip has already been planned.
I don't want any changes. :)
But bidding people goodbye is just so sad...
I could contain my tears though because we still weren't that close.
I can't imagine when I have to bid someone goodbye,
I doubt I can control my tears.

The thought of not seeing someone maybe for the rest of my life just hurts me so much. :(

"It's too late......"

Grona Lund.

Grona Lund.24th May 2008

Grona Lund is the theme park in Stockholm! It's like the Tivoli in Copenhagen but I think it's slightly smaller? I missed the tivoli gardens in Copenhagen because it was Easter and winter. Theme parks only operate in summer!

Posing with all the small kids! :)

There's even a live band performing inside the theme park!!

It was a great day out. Kenneth.Seng Wee.Fazli and I were supposed to be visiting the secret rooms of Stockholm that morning but the queue was long everywhere so we decided to skip it and go straight to Grona Lund first. :)

Anyway, one lesson learnt in Stockholm-NEVER EVER MEET UP AT MACDONALDS!
Why? Apparently there are always a million Macdonalds wherever you go. So Kenneth told me to meet at the Macdonalds at T-Centralen when he was actually at the Central Station Macdonalds. The thing about all these European Cities is that there's always the RAILWAY station (Central Station or Terminal Station they call it usually) and the Metro (MRT) Central Station. It's different! Yes, the metro and the railway station are usually close to each other but it's still not the same! So I went to 2 different Macdonalds in T-Centralen and I couldn't find them! Fed-up as I was, I just called him and asked him to explain where the exact location was? Then I REALISED he was at the one at CENTRAL STATION!!! But I don't blame him. I should have guessed it was that one because he said it's the SJ ticket centre and SJ is the service for regional trains to go to other cities in Sweden or maybe Norway or Copenhagen.

Hanging around by the river before we set off for Grona Lund. It's just so relaxing. Which explains why I don't want to leave...

There's like this March Pass on our way to Grona Lund.

We bought a RIDE PASS plus the Entrance which costs us 290SEK since we got a group discount because we bought 10 tickets altogether. There were some other students from the school that Kenneth and gang were studying at and surprisingly, they are students from SINGAPORE! 1 NUS.1 NTU!! Surprise! Their friends were mostly Engineering students and from what I observed, I really think that Engineering students are in stark contrast to Business or Finance Students! Their thinking, their behaviour, their attitudes, their DRESSING... I would argue that their personality and their field of major is like the chicken and egg problem. Does their personality determines the kind of major they choose or did the major they choose shaped their personality? Like my neighbours and friends from Stockholm or Europe in general, they are always about being stylish, appearance, communication etc.. But those Engineering students that I met were more stylish, simple and casual, less open etc... Of course, I am not judging anyone here. It's just my personal comments and observations... :)

Crazy Frit Fall...

See how high we were!

Katapult.It bounces while in air. Damn Scary but I like it! There's this waiting period which lasts about 20 seconds in between and I thought we would be lowered slowly already since we have gone up and down twice! So I just talked to my neighbour pointing at the sky tower which we see from afar. God knows the katapult was released 1 second after I say "SKY TOWER!" Shucks. Totally unprepared.

Back to what we did... it was crazy! All the free falls, katapult, roller coaster, viking ship, magic carpet, scary train blah blah.. We figured out that we need to complete 11 stars to break-even with our ticket so we visited all the 3-stars rides first. Also, it's because 3 stars are usually the more exciting ones that give you the adrenaline rush! The whole idea was about SCREAMING! If you don't scream, you don't get the excitement and thrill. I see some people who were really cool during the whole ride and I seriously wonder if they feel anything?? How can they just keep quiet and not make any sound at all?!!?!! I can't wait to go to Gold Coast to try on the THUNDERBOLT. Everyone says it's damn scary but I love such excitement! It thrills me!! There were videos too but you guys gotta go to Facebook to see it because Kenneth tagged me in them but I am unable to download it.

5 adults squeezing into a small teacup! Gosh! We are so extreme. But it's fun!

Reliving our childhood. That's the merry-go-round horse ride. :)

Along the journey, we met these 2 really cool kids, one from Russia and the other Ukraine! The Russian one was slightly older and he could speak English rather fluently. The Ukraine one was so reserved and he's quite closed to outsiders. I thought he was really cute and our conversation was as follow:

71:"Do you speak English?"
UB:"No."
71:"Where are you from?"
UB:"Ukraine."
71:"Do you know Shevchenko?"
(Ukraine Boy immediately takes off his jacket and turns 45 deg displaying his AC Milan Jersey with the wordings Shevchenko!)

I decided to disturb him a bit so I took off my outer jacket and showed him my MANCHESTER UNITED Jacket. Guess what he did?

He gave him a THUMBS DOWN.

Throughout the conversation, we were just using body language to communicate. But he's so cute! I think he should be a Chelsea fan now though he's wearing a AC Milan shirt. Further, Manchester just beat Chelsea to the UCL. So that explains the THUMBS DOWN!

I wanted to take a picture with him but he wasn't too willing to. The Russian kid was more spontaneous and immediately agreed! To spice things up, before he left, he said,"Give me a call if you want. My number is 2919**!"

All of us were STUNNED! He's probably 10 or 12 at most but he sounded he's like 20 or 22!

Russian.Ukraine (him & his Sheva Jersey).Singaporean.

Don't you think that Ukraine boy is really good-looking? Ukraine boys are smart! :)

To the rides.. Initially everything was great. But the thing about theme parks is the queues are long so after some time, you get sick of it when you have to keep queuing for it. So we started to get a bit restless but I would say we covered at least 70% of the rides so it was worthwhile! Then it was almost sunset by the time we leave at around 8:30 p.m. Managed to get a few really good photos but we didn't watch the sun set totally because that would probably be around 9:30 or 10:00 and we were starving already since we didn't really eat anything for fear that we will all PUKE!! haha...

Group photo! :)

And the beautiful sunset at 8:30 p.m at night! :)

Anyway, it was a really nice day out! Something I like about Europe, you slow down. After the whole thing ended, we just "recky" around the island. Btw, the time was 9 p.m when this photo was taken. The sun never sets fully now!
Honestly, would you ever have a picture of your friends and you just sitting on the grass in Singapore? I doubt so. :( But we should try when we get back okay? But you have to not mind the dirt and wet grass though. :) We all have to learn how to slow down seriously.

Out-dated pictures. Stockholm Panorama.

Lost and Found.

I found this bag of money with 4,000 SEK at the bike stand. 

Guess what? 

I turned it in to the bank. 

That bag of money is supposingly the cash receipts for the previous day. 

I wonder if I made the right decision. 

After turning it in, I felt I made a wrong choice. 

Usually I am very rational and make wise decisions.

However, this seems to be a pretty bad decision. 

Why do I say that?

I had no assurance that the bank would return the money to the customer. 

But BANKS are supposed to have HIGH integrity right?! 

I told my mom.my neighbour.my roomie. 

Other than my mom, both said I should have kept it for myself. 

I wouldn't say that thought never surface at all when I had the money with me. 

But I won't do that. 

The person who lost that bag of money must be super panicky. 

I never know what's the consequence of not returning it. 

Imagine if I were in his shoes, I would break down :( 

That's why I never kept it. 

I strongly believe that there's always a good and evil side in everyone. 

At least for this time, my good side triumph over my evil side. 

Maybe people would think I am stupid to do it. 

But it makes me feel better when my mom said I was right not to keep it. :) 

I SINCERELY hope the bank staff thinks the same as me and not keep that money for herself. 

Honestly, I wouldn't know if she did. 

Maybe I will go back to the bank to check it out tomorrow. :) 

Farewell Dinner.

23rd May 2008 Farewell Dinner by SSE.
The last time everyone dresses up for an occasion.
To gather, to drink, to mingle, to have fun.
I can't believe my Exchange's coming to an end! The dinner was simple. Cocktail.Wine.Starter.Main Course.Desert.
Everyone was walking around chatting up with friends while waiting for the food to be served.
The experience at SSE has been great.
The people I met.The courses.The culture.The receiving etc.
Courses are slack and since I skipped most of them, I can't comment much
But during the 1st period, my attendance was almost FULL.
It was only in the 2nd period that I started to skip classes.
The Swedish culture_Sweden is really a nice place to live in.
Or like what I mentioned before, anywhere except your own country is nice to live in?
Some people don't like being in a foreign nation, being a minority.
To a certain extent, I AGREE.
Why want to be a 2nd class citizen in a foreign country when you can be a 1st class one in your own country?
But Sweden is so different.
First, LAND is never a constraint for them.
Population of 9 million when their size is at least a 100 times larger than SINGAPORE!
Second, LANGUAGE is not a barrier.
Almost everyone speaks English though knowing Swedish might be an advantage.
Third, SECURITY is not compromised.
It's extremely safe to be around into the wee hours.
Fourth, PEOPLE are open to immigrants.
Even if you are not a Swede, they welcome you!!
Fifth, EDUCATION is FREE!
So if anyone plans to go overseas to further their studies, Sweden is definitely a good choice. Of course you must save up for your own food and lodging which is relatively expensive. With all these reasons that I have stated above, why NOT SWEDEN?
I was discussing with Sergio about it.
It's a big and cool city.It has everything.
People are nice and friendly.It is big yet safe.
I would definitely want to come back here one day.
Honestly, I do dream about living abroad in future. :)
The world is too big!
I don't want to conform myself to any norms or attitudes of traditional thinking nor the collectivistic culture.
I will choose to stay away from my family to pursue my own dreams.

Back to the dinner.
A lot of my friends were there at the farewell dinner.
Talked to this Spanish guy which I admire deep from the bottom of my heart. Mature.Sensible.Smart.Confident.Friendly.Loving!
His girlfriend is so lucky to have him as his boy.
Though it's still 3 weeks from the actual departure of most of the people,
(2 weeks for me cos I am leaving on 7 June for Madrid)
I can feel it coming.
This place has brought us so much memories, mostly happy ones for me.
The laughter, the sharing, the drinking, the parties, the dinners, the cooking etc....
We ARE a FAMILY too.
Whenever my neighbours and I talk about it, you can feel everyone's reluctance in leaving. Sometimes I really envy all these Europeans.
They can do as many exchanges as they want in their university life!
But I think NUS only ALLOWS one exchange per student. :(
Of course it's crazy partying after the dinner once again.
Headed back to our Common Kitchen for more wine.beer.alcohol.
There were people who did crazy things, sitting on the window latch!
But it's really gonna be the last so why not just be crazy this once?
There's was also an after-party.
But Grona Lund was the very next day.
So I didn't go out.
I stayed in and slept so I would be able to wake up in time the next morning.
I do miss partying with them, miss all the fun, miss all the drinking, miss all the hangouts... But nothing lasts forever.
All things must come to an end some day.
If it's not tomorrow, it will be some other day in the next 2 weeks too.
So why not just let it end with the mark of the Farewell dinner?
Now you guys must be thinking AM I really sad about leaving?

71 shouts:"YES I DO!!!"
As this post ends, I can assure you guys I am all prepared to leave this place too. :)
In the next coming week, I will really have to focus on studying and stop dreaming!

Movies..

I finally caught a movie in Stockholm!!! It's Iron Man! It wasn't a planned thingy. It just happened that those 2 Singaporean guys and I met up for ferry to Djurgarden but there was a strike going on and the ferry didn't operate. So we headed for dinner and decided to catch a movie. The theatre is kinda cool.. The lights are different from those in Singapore.. The most hilarious thing is that before the movie starts, curtains drew close then drew open again.. haha.. I guess it was meant to be a signal that the movie is starting.... For people who have been complaining that movies in Singapore are expensive, wait till you come to Stockholm! I paid 95SEK for that movie.. But I am leaving this place... So that kind of explain why I am willing to spend that amount of money for a movie. :)

Plus, the number of advertisements and thriller before the actual show is no less than what Golden Village does in Singapore... SO no complaints yeah? :)

I wonder if it's screened in Singapore? I encourage everyone to watch it. There are always a lot of latent morals in these childhood superhero shows. Just like Spiderman, I always remember the saying, "With Great Power comes Great Responsibility."

The world we live in today is full of politics, complexities etc. When you try too hard to defend yourself, you are indirectly hurting yourself too. If you watch the movie, you will get what I am trying to drive at. :) We will discuss about it when everyone has watched it. I am not supposed to discuss too much about the storyline.

P/s: Movies is definitely something I badly miss... Still remember how I used to catch a movie almost every single week back in Singapore....

a) Chronicles of Narnia
b) Will Smith's latest hit (I can't recall the name)

Update me on all the latest blockbusters... I wanna watch tons of movies when I am back!!!!

Don't YOU ever say I am a JINX again!

Happy Birthday, Weisheng! (dated 22nd May 2008)

God Damn don't ever say I am a JINX again!
Why?
Manchester United completed their DOUBLES tonight!
21st May 2008.
Now who says I am a JINX?
I was there on 10th February 2008 to catch the match and yes, they lost but so?
The accomplishments at the end of the SEASON says it all.
Now, 2007/2008 when Man Utd are double champions
I WAS IN MANCHESTER TO CATCH A GAME!

Anyway, talk a bit about the match.
As usual, went out with the group of boys to watch the soccer match at this Irish Pub.
I missed the first 10 minutes sad to say.
Was carrying my International Student ID card and the bouncer refused to let me in!
He say I could pay 5 EUR to buy that card so it wasn't a valid form of ID!
I hate that!
Everywhere else accepts that card except them!
I wanted to head back and not go out again.
But the group of friends who were with me were like
"Ginnelle, if you are not coming back, then either we head to the next pub or we will just all head back to Saltis."
I didn't want to spoil everyone's day.
A lot of coordination had been done to get everyone to meet there.
So I promise to go back, get my Passport and head back to meet them.
That was the only way to convince them to get into the bar and wait for me.
Of course I wouldn't cheat and not go back.
Missing 10 minutes of the game in exchange for 80 minutes of exciting company is DEFINITELY WORTHWHILE.
I don't want to be watching the match by myself for sure!

The atmosphere in the pub was GREAT.
That's the thing about being in Europe.
Football is such a huge thing everywhere, you see fans EVERYWHERE.
I would say there was a good balance of fans inside the pub.
Some Man Utd, some Chelsea.
But the Chelsea fans were much more rowdy
They were cheering all the time..
Especially during the penalties, I felt as though I was in Stamford Bridge?
I hate watching penalties.
It's just so random and dependent on luck.
Further, it always goes against my wishes.
But my best friend, Simon who was behind me and rooting for Man Utd as well just told me not to WORRY.
Yeah, he was right!
Honestly when Ronaldo missed the penalty, I did think all was lost.
To the extent, I nearly surrender to the claim that I AM A JINX.
But I remember what Damien said before.
"You should be proud of your team and never succumb until the last minute or when the game is over."
So I convinced myself that Chelsea is going to give way some point in the 4th or 5th penalty.

I feel sad for JT.
It's like he should be the last person to miss the penalty.
If Man Utd had lost, the same goes for Ronaldo.
They had put in so much effort for the teams they represent.
No way should the responsibility for loss be on them again!

Lalala...
No more words to say...
Manchester United are CHAMPIONS of the CHAMPIONS once again after 9 long YEARS! :)
I'll definitely have a good night's sleep...................

Yvonne's visit in Stockholm

Yes, Yvonne's my friend. Primary school friend in fact. We've known each other for 12 years but of course, in between, we lost contact... Still remember the times when we young, we exchanged letters all the time... I was staying in Jurong and her in Queenstown... After which, she shifted back to Malaysia and we lost touch after secondary 2. I never expected myself to have her back as a friend let alone her visiting me in Stockholm! Friendster and Facebook work wonders and miracles in life!

Her 2-day visit was a short one because we decided to go to Italy together instead... Her arrival was 7 in the morning and I'd to pull myself really hard out of bed to get to the city terminal to pick her up at 8! I only had 2.5 hours of sleep that night because I slept at 5 a.m! As I had been to most of the attractions in Stockholm already, she'd no choice but to visit some by herself... But most of the time, I would company her to the specific attraction then leave her there...

If you had seen the pink flowers in the 'Spring in Stockholm' post, you can see that those flowers had turned GREEN!! Amazing right??

Yvonne said I looked like a typical undergraduate studying overseas in this photo. Do I?

She wanted to take really nice photos but find the sun unbearable!

@ the guard post. Like in Copenhagen, there's actually a certain distance you have to stand away from him. To top it up, there's a semi-circle boundary on the ground. Hilarious!

We were super lucky. It was May 1st, a public holiday. A lot of people gathered to see the change of guards. Guess what? We saw the King & Queen. They were waving from the window. Catch the pictures that follow.

See the small opening in the building? that's where the king and the queen stood...

I was just trying to be funny. Doing all sorts of naughty poses.. hahaha

Us Playing with the CityHall!

The next 2 are simply hilarious! hahaha.. All the mimicking poses...

I tried hard not to laugh. But I couldn't control myself...

We visited a cafe which I've always wanted to go and everyone strongly recommends-Cafe 60! Nice ambience in that cafe and it's not too expensive. :) Catch some photos of her visit.....

Attempting the Jump Shots.

yeah.. Cafe 60 & the yummylicious food....

Yvonne wanted to get to Ikea. But we didn't want to wait 45 minutes for the shuttle service. So we attempted on our own. Taking the train then the bus.... My first time!

We tried to take photos of IKEA in the background. But FAILED! The cheapest and best Ikea food. Hot Dog with Pizza! Just s$1/- each! :)

She said I blended with the COUCH extremely well.... I like RED! I AM A RED DEVIL :)

If you are a frequent visitor of Ikea, I bet you must have seen this building behind before. Yes, it's the Stockholm National Library. It's probably 5 minutes away from where I stay. :)

That's my School! Stockholm School of Economics.... It feels great to have a friend visiting... Sad that my family couldn't come to this beautiful city... I would love to bring them all around Stockholm... Likewise my other friends couldn't come..... You guys will love this beautiful city, trust me!

Spring in Stockholm

Happy Birthday, PeiYing! (Dated 18th May 2008)

I realise I didn't blog anything much about Stockholm. Spring arrived 2 weeks before I left for Italy. Over the 2 weekends between Edinburgh and Italy, I went to the park where Kim & I ice-skated when we first arrived. The whole scene had changed drastically. No more ice skating rings, only green bushes everywhere, people sitting by the "pond" to "sun-tan" etc. The exact same scene in Hyde Park.London. There were fairs in the park every weekend. I saw two different ones, Japanese concert fair and Turkish fair... It was buzzing with people, families etc. That's what I like about Scandinavia or rather Europe. People here emphasise a lot on family-togetherness. They are willing to let go of commitments in other aspects for family. :)

At the Japanese fair, I learnt how to make some origami... Simple yet creative... At the turkish fair, I headed straight for some really nice turkish cuisine... hehe.... I saw trees with pink flowers... I see sunshine.... Everyone was cycling around town. As usual, I couldn't resist the temptation so I went to buy a bike rental card which costed me 250SEK. I'd wanted to buy a 2nd bike initially but it isn't that easy. The online website had everything listed in Swedish and communication was very much affected because some of them couldn't speak English. There were some good bargains but they live really far from the city and I wasn't willing to go all the way out to the suburb to get the bike.

Flowers.Origami.

The culture theatre bustling with people... Fountain up!

Trees with pink flowers and people sun-tanning...

Turkish Fair Photos.... Turkish Dance Performance

Turkish traditional costume

Ahem! Turkish FOOD!! Fenerbahce Football Club. I didn't know they were a Turkish team until the fair. hahaa...

Rock-climbing was on too...

After getting the bike card, my Mexican neighbour went for a biking trip! We cycled to Djurgarden, a museum area, up and down slopes..Really enjoyed the scenery around... Too bad I forgot to bring my camera out otherwise I'd have been able to show you guys the nice weather, beautiful scenery... But like what Sergio told me, it's enough to keep those images in your heart and mind.... Yeah I kinda agree... Images will never fade.... :) We are going to bike soon now that I am back! :)

Not to forget, a day out at the park with my neighbours for some soccer... The afternoon after we cooked char kway tiao in my room, my french neighbour and some other guys were going to play soccer in Djurgarden. So he asked if I wanted to go since he knew I was quite a bit of a soccer fan.. Initially I didn't want to go because I'd classes going on BUT, I couldn't resist the temptation of a day out in the park... He was too convincing.... SO I went... It was really relaxing.... hanging around with them in the park watching them play soccer blah blah... Of course not to miss out, gossips flying all over.... Trust me, girls are gossipy so do GUYS! Got to know a Friend's friend and we walked back together from Djurgarden! It took us about 30 minutes to walk back and along the way, we share a lot about traveling, life, culture, city etc. He's from Switzerland anyway... I really cannot deny Swiss guys are perhaps the most reliable lot among the Europeans. I think it's because of their culture that sets them apart. I discussed this issue on culture before, didn't I? It's always easy to enter into conversations with them, talk about life etc.. I like this kind of interaction...

When I arrive back in Stockholm on 14 May at night, the weather was really cooling once again. I thought it was because of the time. Who knows, it's like winter once again.. It's a common phenomenon. There will be 2 weeks in between Spring and Summer where the weather turns cold once again... :( BBQ might not go through given the bad weather.....