guide to understanding women...

for all the guys out there, read this...

For thousands of years, men have tried to understand the rules when dealing with women. Finally, this merit/demerit guide will help you to understand just how it works.Remember, in the world of romance, one single rule applies: Make the woman happy. Do something she likes, and you get points. Do something she dislikes and points are subtracted.You don't get any points for doing something she expects. Sorry, but that's the way the game is played.Here is a guide to the point system:

SIMPLE DUTIES

You make the bed.....+1

You make the bed, but forget to add the decorative pillows.....0

You throw the bedspread over rumpled sheets....-1

You leave the toilet seat up.....-5

You replace the toilet paper roll when it is empty......0

When the toilet paper roll is barren, you resort to Kleenex.....-1

When the Kleenex runs out you use the next bathroom.....-2 (Got the idea? Don't worry, it gets worse....)

You go out to buy her extra-light panty liners with wings.....+5

In the snow .....+8

But return with beer.....-5

And no liners.....-25

You check out a suspicious noise at night.....0

You check out a suspicious noise and it's nothing.....0

You check out a suspicious noise and it is something.....+5

You pummel it with a six iron.....+10

It's her cat.....-40

AT THE PARTY

You stay by her side the entire party.....0

You stay by her side for a while, then leave to chat with a college drinking buddy.....-2

Named Tiffany.....-4

Tiffany is a dancer.....-10

With implants.....-18

HER BIRTHDAY

You remember her birthday.....0

You buy a card and flowers.....0

You take her out to dinner.....0

You take her out to dinner and it's not a sports bar.....+1

Okay, it is a sports bar.....-2

And it's all-you-can-eat night.....-3

It's a sports bar, its all-you-can-eat night, and your face is painted the colors of your favorite team.....-10

A NIGHT OUT WITH THE BOYS

Go with a pal.....0

The pal is happily married.....+1

The pal is single.....-7

He drives a Ferrari.....-10

With a personalized license plate (GR8NBED)...-15

A NIGHT OUT WITH HER

You take her to a movie.....+2

You take her to a movie she likes.....+4

You take her to a movie you hate.....+6

You take her to a movie you like.....-2

It's called Death Cop III.....-3

Which features Cyborgs that eat humans.....-9

You lied and said it was a foreign film about orphans.....-15

YOUR PHYSIQUE

You develop a noticeable pot belly.....-15

You develop a noticeable pot belly & exercise to get rid of it.....+10

You develop a noticeable pot belly and resort to loose jeans and baggy Hawaiian shirts.....-30

You say, "It doesn't matter, you have one too.".....-800

THE BIG QUESTION - She asks, "Does this dress make me look fat?"

You hesitate in responding.....-10

You reply, "Where?".....-35

You reply, "No, I think it's your butt".....-100

Any other response.....-20

COMMUNICATION - When she wants to talk about a problem:

You listen, displaying a concerned expression.....0

You listen, for over 30 minutes.....+5

You relate to her problem and share a similar experience.....+50

You're mind wanders to sports and you suddenly hear her saying "well, what do you think I should do?".....-100

You have fallen asleep.....-200

IT'S THAT TIME OF THE MONTH

You talk.....-100

You don't talk.....-150

You spend time with her......-200

You don't spend time with her.....-500

You seem to be enjoying yourself.....-1000

second impression of aalborg + spider-killing adventures...

i am so going to HELL for the number of spider fatalities in my room over the last 2 days... spent yesterday trying to clear out all the spider webs and the corners of the room, and killing the spiders to ensure that they wont be able to multiply... but again and again, i spot them making their way to the corners of the room...

so, the total fatalities totalled up to double digits in 2 days and who knows how many more i will be killing over the next one year in denmark...

and ways to kill spiders? let me recall, i had tried the (i) suffocation with a wet cloth (ii) body spray with lighter (iii) dripping hot wax and (iv) insecticide methods... maybe i will be able to come up with more in the coming weeks...

and i love the environment of aalborg so much!! there are just so many bunnies hopping around... saw one lost bunny on the road outside my house yesterday, and when i approached it, it was just frantically hopping from one garden to the other, trying to get away... and at one moment, it was on the road, and i thought that would spell the end for this creature, but thankfully nothing happened... and today while at the field for ultimate frisbee, there was another one nibbling on the grass along the perimeter of the field... nice...

first weekend in aalborg, denmark

ok, my recurring dream of me getting into a car accident didnt happen on our way to denmark...=p

my journey up north started on friday... with stefan coming over to bunatwiete 6 with our rented car...**grasped... its a brand new MINI COOPER!!!** and luckily for us, we didnt manage to get someone to hitch a ride (to help pay for the petrol) cos my luggage is unbelieveably too much... so much that we had problems trying to squeeze into the boot, as well as the entire back seat area, of the car... well, we should have expected that since a mini cooper is not a big car to start with... my conclusion: its a "dating" car... in contrast to a family car...

on the way, we stopped over in flensburg, germany... for more shopping!! bought 36 bottles of beer as well as 50 euros of grocery... everything in expectation of the high prices of food/beer in denmark...

shucks!! along the way to aalborg, some car went past us at like 160km/h and "BAM!!!" and as a result, we had a little crack in our windscreen... must have been some little rock that was sent flying into our direction as a result of that f**king car!!!!! mannnns... i wonder how much we have to pay for the repair... we are so f**king dead!!!

and the unpleasant things didnt end there for me... new accommodation for me in aalborg, denmark? some little grey building that looks super run-down for my standard... considering that i am paying almost 700 singapore dollars for a room, this is really unexpected... worse is yet to come, as i tried to open my window, little black insects started falling off the ledge, and in front of me!! apparently the entire section (when the window closes in on its frame) serves as a nice warm heaven for these creatures... arghhhhhhh....... the next 30min was then spent exterminating them... how? just say my bottle of adidas body spray and a lighter did the job...

but looking on the bright side of things, i do have the biggest bedroom (which by the way, isnt that large anyway), a garden right outside my room (birds chirping in the morning can be pretty irritating, especially when one slept only at 3am the previous night), nice roomies (spent the entire afternoon with one of them in the emergency department of the local hospital today since he was complaining that his foot was still hurting from the fall from the football game with stefan and me the previous evening... ha~~~ at least now i know where is the local hospital...)

PS: it's true... things in denmark are sooo expensive!! an average box of cheese cost almost 4 euros whereas a similar one cost only 1.5 euros in hamburg... 40 pieces of chicken nuggets cost 8 euros... omg... what have i gottan myself into?!

feelings...

well, time to do some blogging since it was a long time since i can just sit down, and not care about the having to mug for my exams... and since i will be leaving germany after the last 5 months, think this will be an appropriate time to talk about my feelings...yeah, all those studying for the past one month has got me all cranky once again...

things that i appreciate:
- efficiency of everything... the punctuality... be it transport, or classes or the number of days it took for my atm card to be replaced by the bank...

- the structure of my study plan in TUHH... there is always an objective to every class... the well-defined structure of workload... the technical modules...

- my 4 roomies... staying with leandro in portugal sort of spolit me... in the sense that we do not just leave unwashed utensils in the sink for days... and everything was so clean, tidy and so...me... it feels like i am with family... however, staying with fellow students made me understand the difficulties of having to cope with the habits of people from various upbringing... not to complain about my roomies... they are absolutely lovely people... great fun hanging out with them... the beers, beers and more beers... of course, i did steered clear of the smoking part... remember the first weekend i got here, i was so irritated by the state of the kitchen, that i picked up a mop and a bucket and the rest is history... ha~~~ thats the last time i cleaned the kitchen... =p
over the next 5 months, i learnt and understood how each individual behaves... and then i customized my behavior to suit everyone... ha~~~ well, put it this way, i still cannot stand the unwashed utensils, but i learnt the art of "digging" out usable utensils for my own usage every now and then...

- the fellow SINHAs - SINgaporeans in HAmburg... always have the belief that in order to fully enjoy the studying-overseas experience, i should minimize my contact with people from singaporeans... remember how once the coordinator at my summer university 2005 once mentioned that singaporean students tend to stick together too much... looking back now, i realized that she was right, we tend to stick together too much that we tend to "ignore" the rest of the exchange students around us... that's why i told myself to learn to be more independent, and not hang out too much with fellow singaporeans... however, it's with these people (namely kelvin, dave, cailin, and ching weng) who reminded me that no man is an island... sometimes, it's nice to be able to connect with people who understand what you are trying to express...

- fellow exchange students... everyone from various countries... everyone was new, but yet, at the end of the 5 months, tears were shed and laughter was shared together... the essence of studying overseas...

- weekly ultimate frisbee games... have to admit, training/games are tough... everyone has to speak english because of me... but everyone is so nice to me... even though i will never be able to remember the names of everyone, i will definite remember them... oops, not to mention my "baptize" to the liberal behaviors of germans... topless chicks, naked chicks... you get the idea...=)

- numerous kebab stalls and the unbelievably-delicious pastry... know something? my first conversation carried out in german was with the assistant in the kebab restaurant... and whenever i was there, i would get a huge portion... well, eventually he was promoted to a cook, and that's the end of our "friendship"... never seen him again... ha~~ but i am building up a rapport with the new guy... still along way to go before i get that kind of generous servings again... ha~~~~

- the many kinds of beer... never finished a single bottle of beer in singapore, but here, i am exploring the option of walking into the exam hall tmr with a bottle of beer in my hand... oh, know what? i've learnt the art of removing a beer cap with my spoon... cant tell you how proud i was when i first did that...

armed with all the lovely memories of my stay in hamburg, germany, it's time once again for me to bottle up these feelings, and to hide them in one little corner deep down within my heart... and on this friday, i will have to open my mind to a totally new culture, since i will be moving to aalborg, denmark...

for once, a promise to myself... i will not compare what i had experienced so far to the next adventure of my journey...

(PS: where is the list of things-that-i-dont-appreciate? well, what's the point of remember unpleasant things?)

beer + chocolates = lethal combination for the tummy

too long the exams period...

the exams are dragging on for way too long... been having absolutely no life for the past one month... i need to break free and get away for a while...!!

meanwhile, i got 1.7 for my project management module!!
(in germany, the grading system is as follows: 1.0 is the best possible grade, followed by 1.3, then 1.7, then 2.0, 2.3, and... on and on... 4.0 is the minimum passing grade, and 5.0 is the lowest you can get)

3 more exams and my last 12 days in hamburg...

3 more papers to go!!! have to spend the remaining 4 hours trying to remember all the details and to improve on my drawings... cos there is a man yoo match at 5pm!!! still wondering where to go to catch the match on tv...

after the last paper on 20th, i will be going to spend my remaining days roaming along the streets of hamburg, and of course, post up pics of hamburg... it's definitely as pretty as the rest of germany... oops, not forgetting the last-minute shopping too... i need to get a big bag for my clothes...

resolutions + mini tour de germany: flensburg

ok, sorrie that i have been neglecting my blog for the last couple of days... and before i start, here's wishing Singapore a happy 42nd birthday!!!

was doing some serious thinking earlier... what are the things that i would like to accomplish during my time in europe? well, it's certainly not the academic excellence, cos if i were after that, i would have stayed in NTU and finish my PHD studies instead... more likely, it's more of the chance to be able to grow up mentally... as in, as a minority in europe, interacting with people of different cultures is part of adapting in europe... furthermore, the chance to live for extended period of time in various countries gave me the opportunity for much more interaction with people... and looking back at my reactions when thrown into various situations, i realized that i could have handled things much better than the way i did...

well, maybe being brought up in singapore made me think that all things should be carried out in a certain sequence... but then again, i failed to see things from the other parties' prospective... so if there are things i would like to achieve before going back home in singapore, these are definitely the ones:

(i) learn to be more tolerant when it comes to differences in opinions...

(ii) think before speaking...

(iii) self-confidence... constantly looking at others in the eye when engaging in a conversation...

(iv) learn how to judge the situation and choose the right strategy in handling (eg. stefan mentioned to me that the Chinese people are very conscious when it comes to giving "face" to the people they are talking to... but the european way is to be more direct... something that i had encountered and found it hard to comprehend... like my first time in amsterdam, when i asked for a new piece of clothing from the shop assistant, and he said this straight into my face:" why?! why do you need a new one? is there any problem with this one?" cultural shock i would say... )

on a lighter note, i went to Flensburg yesterday to collect my danish visa from the consulate... lots of things happened on the way, like the incident with the train conductor who said that i didnt have a valid ticket... but i insisted that i got it from the train centre, and in the end, i must be appeared to be super-desperate, and he decided to let me off... (incurring a fine cos of not having a valid ticket is very hefty...)

next, 2 policemen appeared on the train and asked for my passport... as i handed mine to them, i asked:" why are you checking my passport? are we near the danish borders? or did i just cross the border??" ha~~~ think it's probably the first time the policeman is being questioned about his authority...

lots of nice pics at the town of Flensburg... too lazy to start explaining the pics... so enjoy...

and on the way back, i saw a couple of hawks, lots of wild hares in the vast open fields (of course, the hawks didnt see the hares, otherwise we will be having lots of hide-&-seek actions), and most funny action of all: ok, you must have seen how little creatures like hamsters trying to mate... the male will try to climb over the back of the female and start humping away... but imagine the same actions from cows... yes, big big cows... amazing how it can try to balance on 2 legs...)

Sebastian and Manu's visit to Hamburg...

after the departure of my fellow sinha, praparations for my exams took top priority over the next couple of days, until...... the arrival of Sebastian and Manu in Hamburg!!!

well, they arrived on friday evening, and as the host, i had to give up my bed as well as the room... can't expect them to drive all the way from stuttgart only to sleep in the living room right?

ok, i didn't spent as much time as i would have like, since the exam on monday (that's today) happens to be the much-feared solid state physics... besides the frisbee throwing followed by the 6-hour BBQ session at Stefan's place, as well as friday's night visit to the seafood restaurant, i pretty much left the 2 of them to the company of Stefan (which i am really grateful to)...

but nevertheless, we did had a great deal of fun while hanging out together... and here's some of the 150 pics taken on my camera...

stefan and manu performing for my "pleasure" before starting the BBQ...

sebastian passing me the sauces, and the food we bought...

ahh... the sunset... and sebastian...

oh, before the BBQ... when the 2 of them were too lazy to continue throwing the disk...

4 of us and 24 bottles of beer... you do the math....

and i thought that this was a information pamphlet... cos of the similarities of the sign... how wrong... thank you for safer sex...

after the session and on the way to st pauli... ha~~~

the last SINHA...

ok, finally i have some breathing space and time to myself...

lots of things happened over the last couple of days... firstly, i finished 3 of my exams (with another 4 papers to go)... good thing, the last 3 papers were supposed to be my speciality topics since i had, to a certain extent, studied before in either portugal or NTU... bad, they didnt turn out as well as i would like them to...

the next 4 papers will definitely be much more challenging... solid state physics, microscopy & spectroscopy, metallic materials II and fracture mechanics & fatigue II...

on a more personal note, i seemed to have lost a part of myself when both dave and cailin left hamburg yesterday afternoon... it was fun, considering the difficulties of lugging all those stuff of theirs... and of course, kinda wrenching to see friends leave... them, being fellow singaporeans made things worse for me... when kelvin and ching weng left for singapore earlier last week, things were not that bad for me since we didnt really spend too much together...

but in dave and cailin, they are the ones whom i turned to whenever i feel bored/ or simply in need for someone to confide in... i just have to cross the little corridor in between the 2 apartments and i will have a little heaven for me to chill out and catch up with them...

a little tribute to my fellow SINHA... also known as SINgaporeans in HAmburg...
all the best for your final year in NUS, take care and we will meet up again when i get back to singapore... arghhhhhhh.... i wanna go home now!!!