Post-graduation - Back in Singapore

change of job...

2009-11-28T18:05:00.002+01:00

looks like i have been neglecting the blog for quite some time; life was, well, not that busy, but after spending a whole day at work in front of the computer, one tends to try his best to avoid the computer at night. also, not to mention, there are no pretty pics of me visiting some exotic locations and sorts, so any blogging will be concentrated on complaining about work.

well, my life is undergoing some change now. had taken the plunge to resign from a comfortable job and the certainty of drawing a fixed regular monthly salary. perhaps my previous director was right to say that i had made a hasty decision without weighing the pros and cons - that i should have considered more factors before quitting mof and going in the financial advisory line. i am not complaining, but i certainly had a "preview" of what life will throw at me. met up with some ex-mof colleagues and i was trying to introduce them to some promotions of my new company, but i definitely wasn't expecting such cold reception. =(

sometimes when i looked back at some of my decisions made throughout the past 3 years, there are times when i wondered whether i had taken the wrong step. things would have been so different if i had stayed on the more conventional path - staying in ntu to do my studies (i would still be a student); sticking to my first choice when it came to choosing between singapore prisons and the mof job (i would still be a trainee officer); sticking to mof and hoping that things will turn out better in the next posting after 2 years (i would have gottan my bonus next month and in the process not have to worry about what lies ahead of me).

how will things turn out for me over the next couple of months? with anxiety and uncertainty creeping in every single passing, i will just have to continue to hold my breath and hope for the best!

work is piling up...

2009-03-21T19:42:00.002+01:00

hmmm, dont seem to be having the time to constantly come online to blog, either that or i am simply lazy...=(

work-wise, it's definitely picking up - in terms of workload as well as the number of responsibilities, which definitely suits me more. guess that being a fresh graduate, i wont mind having lots of work thrown at me, at least it's a way to trying to justify my existence as well as an opportunity to prove my worth in an environment where the presence of the 'scholars' severely distorts the playing field.
cant mention any details as yet, but apparently one of the bosses have rather high regards of my work so far. and supposedly if i were to stay on my feet and not get big-headed (in the process changing his opinions), i should have the opportunity to travel quite a bit while staffing this boss. fingers-crossed on that.

17 days of leave entitlement for the rest of this year. 5 days to be set aside for the trip to taiwan at the end of july (which is already confirmed). another 2 days for a possible trip to sri lanka to visit chaminda at the end of next month (wonder if its a good idea after all -sri lanka is still in the midst of a civil war and car bombings in public are never out of the news. besides, is there even anything to see? hahaha. lots of questions. but the opportunity to travel for a mere 248 bucks is tempting. very tempting).
that leaves me with another 10 days for this year. wahhh. shall i just bonk everything down on another trip somewhere at the end of the year? hmmm. australia will be having summer, taiwan (the southern part) will be cool and nice. =)
whoa. almost forgotten. maybe i should just svae some leave for my backpacking trip to eastern europe next year. hahaha. so many plans, so little ammunition (mooolah)...

an 'itch'

2009-03-08T06:01:00.002+01:00

been having a uncomfortable 'itch' these days. a travelling itch, that is.

been wondering why am i feeling this day? after all, i've had my share of fun when i was in europe for 2 years. then it dawned on me that it's exactly why i am feeling this way this very month. i've remembered writing in this blog sometime before, that i can just buy a ticket and then hop onto a train/plane to some unexploited territory whenever i feel like doing do.
however, now that i am back in singapore, this habit of mine has not changed a bit. i've been looking for chances to do my travelling (nope, the past natas fair didnt help a bit). only problem is that it's a lot harder and expensive to do so when i am in singapore.

been to bintan last week (yup, the skin on my back is flaking off now, no thanks to my stubborn-ness), had plans to go climb a mountain in malaysia (no confirmed plans yet) and had my tickets to taiwan in july booked. yet i am still toying with the idea of squeezing something in in the months of april/may or june...hahahah. oh, forgot to mention this, planning for my 'last' big trip - a 3-4 weeks backpacking trip to eastern europe next year! interested parties, pls register your intent with me.

3 weeks into new job

2009-02-21T16:11:00.002+01:00

3 weeks into life as an associate and here's the findings:

(i) life is really slow for me; a fellow new colleague commented this:" i feel that i am being sheltered from the harsh realities of working life, it seems like they (the organization) are trying to nurture me as slowly as they can, and in the meanwhile, make sure that i grow up, slowly and steady...." hahaha... well, i think those words really reflect what i am thinking too...

(ii) prudent, and to be seen prudent, is the key for most govt departments, including mine. was supposed to take over the duties of a colleague, but yet, one of the the kep personnel refused to let me travel for the meeting, cos we dont need 2 staffing officers to go at the same time... then how am i supposed to learn?!

(iii) no traces of any office politics as yet. perhaps i am at the very bottom of the organization, so i dont appear as a threat to anyone yet. hahah... maybe all these politics will set in when i get a little higher up...

(iv) most of the colleagues are really nice =D
they usually try to help me whenever they can, probably becos of the fact that most of us are less than a year with the organization.

(v) signs of the "i-dont-know-as-it's-not-my-area-of-work" attitudes are slowly surfacing. and those words came from one of the head of one of the unit. omans, why ah? why is it that people tend to push their responsibilities to other units?

CNY and past/new jobs

2009-01-29T06:18:00.002+01:00

sorry for the long absence... it's probably the longest time which i've left the blog untouched... ha... enough of the bullshit, let's get down to updating...

first of all, i've finished my 2-month 'assignment' at ChemGrow. was definitely a hell of an experience for me - coming out of school and going straight to the shipyards... i've probably stepped foot into every single shipyard which one can name in the entire Singapore. Not to say that this experience was terrible, but well, it definitely was not what i expected. since my NTU days, there had been a shift in focus from the more traditional sciences (think metals, corrosion etc) to the new sciences (think semiconductor chips, and biomaterials etc), and this had made me 'forget' about the existence of industries which had made singapore evolve into the country that she is now... and this 2 months had definitely made me realize that there is the marine industry right here in singapore (despite many people terming it as the sunset industry). on top of being able to experience this industry first-hand, the past 2 months showed me the hardship experienced by the locals as well as foreign workers in singapore. well, i've learnt a lot about people-management, and i will always look back to this experience with fond memories!

looking forward, i've finally decided on my potential new career. accepted the offer from MOF instead of the Prisons service, and i will be commencing work on the coming Monday. talking about this, i am slightly worried about what may come... from young till now, all my jobs were considered short-term or temporary. and this is probably the first time i will be holding down to a long term job. so whatever i do will sort of have an influence on my future... ha... talking about first-time job jitters...

the past one week was great - not in terms of receiving ang pows or gambling (lost lots) or food (okok, food was great!) but more in terms of the interactions. despite the celebrations being toned down considerably due to the current economic outlook, it's the first time in almost 3 years that i managed to spend some quality time with my extended family during the festival season (last year does not count cos i was practically rushing all over the place, with my friends coming over from denmark and me leaving for denmark on the 3rd day of the new year)...

that's all for now. but i will definitely have a lot more updates (and pictures) coming up soon!

2009-01-20T05:08:00.001+01:00

will update really soon =) been REALLY busy these days...

new blog introduction

2008-12-12T18:36:00.003+01:00

seems like i have to either do away with blogging entirely or i should just change the introduction of my blog... i chose the latter =)

the past one week had been hell... ha~ ok, seriously here, it's rather a rude awakening - having to wake up at 5 plus daily so that i can make my way to Tuas for work... as for the work, it's also something which i've never expected myself to do; a small company performing chemical cleaning for pipes for the marine/ chemical industry... well, it started out as a 2-month assignment, was just there to help out with the management, sort of like an in-transition job before i land myself something more permanent... but uncle andrew seems to be kinda hopeful that i would stay on and help out with Max... and that's a bit of a difficult situation for me...

let me explain: all along, i've always wanted to start my career (or at least the first permanent job) in a large organization... went abroad for the past 2 years to gain myself some international exposure, but my, a hell lot had happened over the last one year, and that this continuing financial crisis sems to put all my plans on hold... every single so-called company in singapore (or even in europe) has started retrenching or freeze their recruitment... now, Max and uncle Andrew had sounded me out regarding me continuing working in the company... ha~ both are equally nice to me - giving me lots of opportunities to learn (you can never imagine the places i've been to and the things i saw during the past one week)...

BUT there is this other potential job opening coming up (went for the final interview earlier today, and everything went pretty ok... i spent 50 min chatting with the 3 interviewers --- the previous 2 guys took 10 min each --- everything seems pretty promising),and even though this job was NO WHERE near my initial expectations, it seems to be challenging enough for me to accept it if i were to be offered the position...

so, here is the dilemma; (i) to stay on in uncle andrew's company - with lots of opportunities to learn but be thrown into the deep end of things (will have to learn everything from technical to the management of the workers) or (ii) to go for this other job (if offered - cos this final interview went well) and start from scratch - go for training, and then embark on a long path to fight for myself in this line?

update...

2008-11-28T18:07:00.004+01:00

whoa, it's almost 3 weeks since the last entry... hmmm, what have i achieved over this period of time? well, practically nothing... i've set myself a limit of 3 months i.e. nov, dec and jan to secure myself a job, otherwise i will start looking abroad for PHD opportunities... however, given the current economic situation, securing even an interview seems to be so difficult...=p

went for one interview earlier today... hmmm, a position labelled as "application and sales engineer"; the interviewer seems sincere enough, and everything went pretty according to plan. despite this, i dont think i will be taking up the job if i were to be offered; first of all, this position dont seem to offer me a viable career path, it seems like i will be forever stuck in a sales position... secondly, the small size of the company does not fit into my desirable first-job-requirements - i wonder if the total manpower of this company even exceeds 15? and lastly, i will probably end up as a so-called "generalist" **as quoted by the interviewer** i.e. will only operate on a superficial level instead of truly understanding each and every product... hahaha... am i too demanding or what? i really feel that my first job has be something interesting, fulfilling and yet, it must be able to tally with my visions for the future, and i seriously dont think that the above-mentioned job will enable me to achieve that...

so, what are my plans? i've received like 3-4 emails regarding the civil sector "still employing despite the downturn" over the last 2 days... and indeed, i've sent out my resume for some of the advertised jobs in the civil sector... it's funny how things often dont turn out the exact same way as one expected... i have NEVER thought of joining the civil sector, but after each passing day, this possibility seems more like a reality... well, no complaints regarding this, let's see how things work out over the next couple of weeks....

oh, one more thing, i've managed to secure a temporary job, for the next 2 months at least...
good: i will get some pocket money while on the lookout for my dream job... **minimizes the nagging that comes from some relatives about not jumping at the opportunities that come my way....**
bad: the workplace is in tuas, and working hours start at 0730... ha~ do your maths, that translates into a lot lesser sleeping hours for me...

lastly, i am available for Xmas! who wants to meet up for dinner?

PS: junxiang, and jiasheng: i will plan for a Xmas get-together ok?
PS: beeyan and gals: i know i know, gathering in dec!!
PS: huisin, huiniang: you ladies too...
PPPPPPS: who else have i missed out?

so, now what?

2008-11-05T20:06:00.002+01:00

well, there just isn't too many jobs around these days huh? back from taiwan, and now it's job-hunting season for me... **shit always happens to me... when i left singapore in 2006, jobs were in abundance; and now?** perhaps i should just do what the rest of my EMMS friends are doing - get a PHD, stay on in europe, and remain a student for the next 3 years... arghhh, what should i do?

ps: the thought that i can fly to most places in europe over long weekends is really tempting...=p

home for good this time?

2008-10-19T18:40:00.003+02:00

4 days since i've touched down in singapore, but to me, it seems like it was only yesterday that i moved out of my apartment in aalborg... and according to chami when he met with the janitor, he managed to persuade him to paint only the kitchen instead of the entire apartment, hopefully that will translate into more money which would be refunded soon (pls pls... that sum of money will go a long way to ensure my survival, at least until i find myself a job)...

i miss my apartment! my beers in my 2nd-hand fridge! my noisy little bed! my messy room! my clean clean toilet which i had spent hours polishing the tiles! my nice Hungarian neighbours! chami! and least of all, the fabulously-cold-and-no-sweating-when-i-finished-my-bath weather!!

did nothing much these days in singapore except to eat, met up with some friends, and complaining how freaking warm the weather was... arrggghhh... will probably slack further over the next 3 days, before i pack my ass off to taiwan... got this feeling that some people feel that i am crazy to be going for a trip instead of getting a job =( it's true, but i figured out that with the job market in the dumps these days, i won't get any job interviews anyway, so i might as well go over to taiwan and take a well-deserved break before i dive into the job-search process full time... nah, that's just an excuse!

ps: london heathrow terminal 3 is a joke...
pps: A380 is even worse...

it's a day of clearing and cleaning... my little cave...

2008-10-11T22:03:00.003+02:00

it's amazing how much stuff we've managed to squeeze into our little apartment over the last 9 months... i remembered mentioning in an earlier entry that my apartment resembled a little cave, and how empty the whole place was... but earlier in the day, tina came over with some friends and carted away a table, lots of utensils and chaminda's bed... yet, the place still seems so congested... ha~ only one more day before we have to thoroughly clear out every single piece of furniture... my my, think i am starting to realize how close i am to leaving denmark, and how much i am going to miss my little cave...

1 can of 330ml beer = 120 calories...

2008-10-10T16:51:00.002+02:00

had not been sleeping well recently, maybe it's the excitment that's keeping me awake... the thought of going home after 2 years seems so scary, not knowing what is awaiting me ahead... coupled this with the fact that singapore just went into a technical recession made me feel more uneasy... ha~ why did i leave singapore in 2006 when the economy was booming and jobs plentiful? =p

another reason which could cause my sleeplessness might be alcohol... just counted, ever since my project defense day on the 30th sept, i have had some forms of alcohol every night... whoa, that makes it 10 nights in a row... must be a personal best of mine... and there is yet another mega party tonight **said to be the best of the year!** who knows how much i will have to drink? must keep a lookout on the calories!!! 1 can of 330ml beer = 120 calories...

countdown countdown =)

2008-10-09T15:39:00.000+02:00

wahahhahaha!!! i am coming home in less than a week!!!

no more norway...

2008-10-04T17:02:00.002+02:00

sigh, even my hopes of going to norway have been dashed...

return ferry tickets - >100 pounds (for whatever reasons, the price was tripled as compared to a month ago!!!!)
4-5 nights accommodation - est. 120-160 euros (cos it's norway)
travel expenses in norway - est. 80 euros
grand total - est. 350 euros...

the price is kinda steep for just a 5-day trip huh?

travel or not?

2008-10-03T11:17:00.002+02:00

another 10++ days before i get onto the plane to london... been going to the university still despite me officially ending my student status cos of the interaction with friends... and talking about friends, there isn't too many of them around now... abresh left, fabio is always staying at home to work, and that leaves with me with only chami and the next batch of juniors...

what should i do over the next few days? i wanna travel to norway, but i cant imagine myself sitting alone in a ferry for 8 hours straight... ha~ i hate the fact that denmark is so isolated from i.e. the fact it's located in the north means that many parts of europe are not that accessible... it's either that or one is willing to pay some serious money just to travel out of denmark... for example, if i were still in hamburg germany, going to budapest (hungary) means taking a 1.5-hour train to bremen followed by a short flight to hungary. this will probably cost me 16euros for the train + another 30-50 euros for the ryanair flight... going to hungary from aalborg = 50 euros for one-way train to copenhagen followed by 2200DKK (300 euros) for the return flight to hungary... arghhh...

so the remaining "cheaper" option will be to travel up north instead... but in case one didnt know it, in europe, the higher north for you are, the more expensive things will become... ha~ going for a 5-day trip to norway will probably set one back by 1200DKK (170 euros) for accommodation alone... sigh, what should i do? stay at home and enjoy my remaining days slacking? or get out there and finish spending all my savings? sigh, how i wish there is another singaporean here in aalborg... if only clare is here right now, we could have been travelling to somewhere now... hahaha~

let me complain..

2008-10-01T12:58:00.002+02:00

well, i've finally finished my presentation, and with that, signals the end of my studies in Europe... however, there was simply no joy on my part...=(

didnt do as well as i've hoped. it's true when the professor commented that we didnt go into detail, or rather, didnt meet his expectations. but i've had this feeling that we were misled, through the meetings we had earlier, into thinking what we had done so far were sufficient. well, what else could i do now...? amount of work put into the project = not necessarily be reflected by the grades... and what is the exact requirements of any project? people spending time inside the lab, collecting data, and coming up with graphs, disgrams and SEM pics end up getting high marks. for us, time spent discussing with various private companies, working towards the agenda set by the company and eventually ending with no graphs, charts end up with nothing? maybe what the professor said in the end was right, we are afterall doing an academic project, so even if we were to include absolutely useless stuff (but through these work will reflect that we have put in lots of thoughts and considerations), we would have secure more points instead... ha~

timeline

2008-09-28T11:44:00.003+02:00

another 17 days before i lug every single piece of luggage i've had over the last 24 months back to singapore...

another 2 days before i have to defend my thesis... a nightmare scenario... what if my project mate gets more marks than me? think i will die... considering our individual efforts over the past 12months...

another 3 days before i start planning for a possible last trip somewhere... really regretted not going to hungary when i had the chance last july with dave... and also, bergen (norway) sounds really tempting... only minus points - i have to do it alone + the temperatures are plummeting, down to a low single digit...

tour de turkey - Istanbul (final days)

2008-09-27T17:54:00.006+02:00

the last 2 days were spent bumming around... breakfast!went to the coast of Bosphorus with Deniz (Duygu's sis's roomie) and Duygu... had some kebab and some forms of pide bread... ha~ duygu said it's turkish pizza... and this particular flower is pretty unique... pink with white flowers... and the seed inside is bright blue! the morning view... had to leave the house before 6am to catch the ferry...

tour de turkey - Istanbul Day 4

2008-09-27T17:28:00.007+02:00

lots of walking for this day... went to Taksim district...

followed by the Spice Market, which is the 2nd largest closed bazaar of Istanbul... this bazaar was designated to herb sellers, quilt sellers initially, but the number of herb sellers decreased tremenously in the 70s and they were replaced by lewelers, dried fruit sellers, drapers and other stores...

along the way to the spice market... omans, this man is goooood... hahahah...

oh, yummy lunch... it's known as kokorec (minced intestines)... the mussels with rice is known as midye dolma...

tour de turkey - Istanbul Day 3

2008-09-27T16:42:00.012+02:00

day 3 was spent at the Besiktas district which overlooks the asian part of istanbul... but first of all, we went to taksim district which is the main entertainment street... here's my lunch... at the besiktas district... dont know the name of this mosque, but it overlooks the bridge that connects east to west...this little girl is soooooooo adorable! and yes, this place is "infested" with well-fed cats! along the streets...view along the Bosphorus (waterway) which connects the Marmara sea to the Black sea...the evening view while on ferry back to Olgu's place in asian part... look carefully, and you actually get to see hagi sofie and the blue mosque in the background...Efes Pilsen (turkish beer), the making of turkish coffee and finally, helva which is a palace dessert of Ottomans...oh, i loved this helva more than the baklava...

tour de turkey - Istanbul, Turkey Day 1-2

2008-09-27T12:16:00.015+02:00

Istanbul is the world's 4th largest city with a population of 15m and Turkey's cultural and financial center. nope, it is not the capital of Turkey... It is located on the Bosphorus Straits and encompasses the natural habour known as the Golden Horn, in the northwest of the country. It extends both on the European (Thrace) and on the Asian (Anatolia) side of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only one in the world which is situated on two continents.

ok, before introducing the place, i really have to emphasize on the flight to istanbul... omans, i really thought that the plane i was on would probably end up crashing or something... ha~ considering that i've taken like at least 30 flights over the past 2 years, i think i am well-qualified to say that... definitely the worst flight experience of my life... i was delighted to see Duygu at the airport after touching down, and since it was already almost midnight, there was not anything much to see... well, it turned out that i was wrong... the whole place was so crowded, even at 12mn... imagine traffic jams everywhere, and tons of little stalls still operating... were so tired that i didnt bother taking pics... coupled that we had to travel another 90min (metro + tram +bus) before reaching Duygu's sis place... day 2 - we started out with a short ferry ride... Olgu's place was located in the asian side, and we were going to check out the european side... Kizkulesi (the maiden's tower) was the first place of interest i've seen... this tower was situated on a little rock at the the entrance of the Bosporus and served as a lighthouse... legend has it that when the empire was told that his daughter was going to die as a result of snakebite, he locked his daughter in this tower in fear... but in the end, she died after being bitten by a snake hidden in the fruit basket sent by the prince...

Basilica Cistern was built by Byzantine Emperor I.Justinianus (527-565) and was used as an underground water storage facility... this cistern is rectangular in shape and is supported by 336 9-meter columns...2 medusa heads were used as the bases of 2 columns at the southwestern part of the cistern...

the Hagia Sophia museum is among the most important monuments in Turkey... it was used as a church for 916 years and a mosque for 481 years...after which, as a museum since 1935...didnt want to pay 15 euros for the entry, so i've only pics of the exterior...this was one funny ice-cream guy... dondurma which is the actual name for turkish ice cream is so yummy...=) next, the blue mosque is one of the most famous monuments of turkish and the Islamic world... it is the only mosque in the world with 6 minarets... we managed to get into the interior and the place was absolutely amazing... see the video clip...

roasted corn and chestnuts are the most common street flavors of turkish cuisine...oh, and not forgetting tea and turkish bagel... went to one of the most famous restaurant in istanbul at the sultanahmet district... the historical sultanahmet grilled meatballs!! and i tell you, it's the best meatballs (ahh, it's not round) i had ever lay my hands on in my entire life...tons of food around...baklava is a significant pastry dessert of turkish cuisine... various kinds, but most of them are made of thin pastry phyllos and filled with grinded walnut, pistachios, nuts and turkish cream... finally they are sweetened with sugar sorbet...these are known as lokum (turkish delights)... turkish candies made of water, sugar and starch... finally, we went past Yenicami Kulliyesi mosque which is located in the Eminonu district... and see the motor iskelesi (motorboat port) where fish and bread are grilled and sold on boats... and across the new Galata bridge connecting Eminonu to Beyoglu... along the streets... lastly, you little duckie seems to be enjoying yourself... see what will happen to you eventually!! =p

oh mama, the holy land of kebab, here i come!!!

2008-09-19T10:30:00.003+02:00

think i am getting a little paranoid about the trip to istanbul turkey... ever since nicole passed away in that accident in US, i started wondering what if the same thing happens to me while i am travelling...? i mean, i do go on those little trips outside denmark every now and then, and most of the time, i am usually the lone-ranger.... and this time to turkey, i have no idea how safe the country will be (the most recent trips were to sweden in may and june, ireland in march... these are no doubt first-world countries where everything is so orderly)... so turkey represents a question-mark now... no offense here, turkey will probably be a fascinating country, but maybe, just maybe, it will represent a higher element of risk there...

so just in case, i will pass chami all my insurance documents... ha~~~ at least he can "send" me back if anything unfortunate happens... hahahaha... touch wood!

PS: duygu and umut said that food in turkey is not like the kebab we get in germany... hahah...

crazy weather + crazy plans

2008-09-18T10:03:00.002+02:00

omg, the weather is crazy! the temperature here has been hovering in the 10-15 degrees range for the past 2 weeks... and it's not even autumn yet! shucks, any chance of it snowing in oct before i leave for singapore? ha~ it happened in oct 2006...

and i have done one of the craziest thing of my life! i am going to istanbul turkey this coming sat!!! will be staying there until the following thurs... ha~ all these just days before my thesis defense on the 30th sept... am i worried? no chance! in fact, i am more than thrilled to be going to istanbul... i have only seen images of that city on some travel&living channel...

crazy danish immigration part II

2008-09-17T16:31:00.002+02:00

wahahhhahah!! i finally laid my hands on that re-entry visa! or rather, yes, the kind people at the danish immigration have finally concluded that i am just a little harmless singaporean who sincerely wants to do some sightseeing before he departs for home...

went down to the police station earlier, and here's what went on between me and the entire department...

me:" is it true that with this re-entry permit, i won't be able to go to any of Schengen states?"

guy who processed my permit:" yes..."

me:" what if i don't need a visa to enter these states in the first place??"

guy:"....... **blank look**"

lady at the counter **decided to come and help this poor little bugger**:" yes, this visa only allows you to go back to singapore for holidays and then return to denmark... you cannot go to other schengen countries..."

me:" but i don't need any additional visa to visit any Schengen states **protesting**"

lady:" what kind of passport do you have?"

poor helpless guy:" singapore passport..."

**finally after a good 5-10 seconds of silence**
lady:" alright, if you don't need a visa, then you can go... remember this visa is only for denmark..."

WAHHAHAHHAHA!!! i've won!!!!!!!!

crazy danish immigraiton

2008-09-16T16:11:00.003+02:00

whoa! just received a call from the immigration services notifying me that my re-entry visa is ready for collection...

that lady:" since this is the first time you apply, we can only give you a C-permit, meaning that you wont be able to go to any Schengen states i.e. most places within the EU..."

me:" but i have a singapore passport, which means that i don't need a visa to go into these countries in the first place...**shocked and confused**"

lady:" no, you need a visa to go into Schengen states"

me:" but i had visited these countries without a Schengen visa before..."

lady:"......"

me:" well, it's ok. i will see you tomorrow during the collection."

hahahaha... what? pasting a piece of sticker (re-entry visa) into my passport instantly invalidates my passport, and revokes my rights to visit european countries without the need of a visa? think i need to clarify things with the immigration services tomorrow... crazy people...

2008-09-16T10:07:00.000+02:00

god! give me my re-entry visa pls!!!!!

magical moments in europe

2008-09-14T15:45:00.006+02:00

now that i've finished the thesis report, i have plenty of time to slowly blog about my experiences in the past 2 years in europe... and i've mentioned this before, that i will post up some of my best moments in europe... and here it comes, my most magical moments in europe....

#1 - Krakow, Poland
date - 11 nov 2007, clare (an exchange student from singapore) and i flew to Krakow, Poland together to meet up with another friend of mine, Stefan... guess what, that day happened to be the independence day of Poland (sort of like the national day of Singapore)! it was forecast to snow during that week, and it will be the first time that i experienced falling snow... and it certainly didn't disappoint us... it snowed at least 10cm that night, and together with the celebrations at the old town square, it made this day the #1 magically moment of my time in europe!

#2 - Aalborg, Denmark
date - first week of april 2008. ok, maybe i have a soft spot for falling snow... but like that time in poland, i certainly was not expecting any snow, well, at least not in april... winter of 2007 in denmark was a relatively warm winter... there was not too much snow - only a week of snow at the end of december 2007, and i had missed that cos i was in singapore... so snowing in the first week of april was definitely a surprise for me (and chami)...

4 weeks from singapore...travel or not?

2008-09-14T15:04:00.002+02:00

darn it, i miss abresh to bits! =((((

argh, if i were to become a politician in denmark (of course this will never materialize cos i am a singaporean), the first reform that i would implement will be to introduce a major overhaul to the immigration services... if there is any problem with the visa application, just reject it, so that i can re-prepare my documents for another aplication...but instead, they rather sit on the applications for infinity, leaving me with no options to travel (i don't need a visa to any of the countries in europe, but i do not want to be in a situation where i will be questioned by the immigation and be denied the chance to enter denmark)...

enough of grumbling... 2 windows of travelling opportunities for me now... 2 weeks before the thesis defense on the 30th sept, and after that, another 2 weeks before i leave for london... however, there is every chance that i will denied the chance to travel during the first window period cos i am still waiting for my re-entry visa to be approved (this one is used to avoid possible problems when i come back to copenhagen)... and i have to pin all my travelling hopes on the 2nd window period (that is if i would get the re-entry visa by then)...

speaking about travelling, istanbul turkey seems to be the best option for me... umut and duygu are expecting me to visit them, accommodation (if i cannot secure a place to stay with the 2 of them) is comparatively cheap (less than 15 euros per night), and most importantly, the food is goooooooooooooooood!

next, considering the fact that i will probably not step foot into europe for the foreseeable future (not until i finish paying off my debts and covering australia/new zealand/ japan/ korea/ HK/ and taiwan), i should make use of the fact that i am in denmark, and i am just one ferry away from norway (a long time - 8 hours to oslo)... even though norway is damn expensive - pricey accommodation sucks, pricey travelling sucks, and most of all, food that taste terrible and is expensive sucks even more!! but the thought of being able to relax by the fjords, together with the view of the winding valley, is priceless!

and not to mention, visiting this place will allow me to be one country closer to the number of countries which my dad visited while he was a sailor (speaking about this, the fact that i missed out on that russia trip to visit stefan in st. petersburg left me with tons of regrets... and guess what made me miss that trip? it's the BLOODY danish immigration again! was expecting my work permit to start my internship, and thats why i didnt apply for the russia visa... coupled with the fact that i didnt get my work permit until now probably explained my immerse hatred for the immigration services)

ok, back to my travelling plans, i should afterall make a trip to norway... so, final conclusion is................. i should go to istanbul first, and then make a trip to bergen via copenhagen... it's going to cost me a leg and a hand, but heck it, i will probably not have another chance again... and all that i need now is my residence permit extension application or that re-entry visa to denmark...so, everything is dependent on the kind folks at the danish immigration again...=(

farewell: Abraham

2008-09-13T10:36:00.003+02:00

just came back from the train station from sending Abraham off... oh man, i almost cried at the train station, but thanks to my sunglasses, my "manly" image has been left intact... hahahahahha... i've known this bloody guy for exactly 2 years, from our time in aveiro (portugal) up to our 12 months in aalborg (denmark), we always been together... watching soccer together, having dinner, fooling around, feeding the ducks etc etc... in short, he is one of my best friends in EMMS... and the thought of not being able to see him again in my life simply made me feel even worse (dont foresee myself stepping into the africa contingent at all)...

schedule for the rest of my stay in denmark

2008-09-06T13:21:00.002+02:00

WAHAHAHAH!!! bought my tickets for aalborg-london and london-singapore, which means that i will be coming home really soon! **counting with my fingers and toes** i have less than 6 weeks remaining in denmark before my flight, but there sure is tons of things to be done prior to packing my stuff...

8-10 sept: pls pls give me my re-entry visa!! well, there is a real serious problem with the immigration side... applied for my residence permit extension more than 3 months ago, and here i am, still fretting over this... and without that, i am not able to leave denmark... ahhhhhh, my travelling plans... ha~ that's why i went to apply for my re-entry visa... should not take that long according to the lady, but i'll never know... so fingers crossed...

10-11 sept: finalizing my thesis report... had my last meeting earlier on friday and with that, all the necessary data is finally in my hands...

12 sept: thesis report submission

15 - 21 sept: i want to go to istanbul (turkey)!!! well, this will depend solely on my re-entry visa...

22-29 sept: preparation of my powerpoint slides for the thesis defense...

30 sept: thesis defense

30 sept - mid oct: travelling to germany or norway/ packing my stuff/ cleaning the rented apartment throughly in a desperate bid to reclaim back my entire deposit/ sending my stuff back to singapore via the danish post service

mid-oct: back to singapore

23 oct- 1 nov: taiwan!

masters thesis

2008-09-02T13:15:00.003+02:00

wahhhhhhhh....... is it even possible to get the maximum marks for a masters thesis?? abraham and abu did exactly that today! it's like getting the grade A+ for the whole of year 3 and 4 for one's engineering course... hahahaha... a little envious, even though i've always insisted that marks are not the only indication of one's success. however, it's really hard to ignore the fact that it is possible to get the maximum grade, and so the pressure will now fall on me... i muussst do it toooo!!!!!!!

deepest condolences

2008-08-31T14:42:00.002+02:00

shucks, the earlier incident effectively ruined my entire day =(

anyway, a friend of mine had been posting up tons of lovely pics in facebook over the last couple of weeks taken in america, and i was so looking forward to seeing more of her pics. but well, things do not usually happen the way you expect them to - she died in a car accident in america on friday, so my deepest condolences to her family... even though we are not exactly good friends (we were in the same class together for 1 or 2 semesters in uni), everything just happened out of the blue...i remembered when i first stepped foot in portugal 2 years ago, i had this dream of finishing my studies and then getting a good job, after all, i am supposed to have a long way ahead of me right? but this incident really really gave me a jolt, and reminded me how fragile life can be... and like what leandro said to me during one of our MSN chat recently, that if we want to do anything, we should just do it, instead of making excuses and pushing it to a later date...

one thing that i have been pushing back for the last one year is me wanting to visit some places in europe (ok, i don't mean to associate my friend's death with something so jovial like travelling), and now i've finally made up my mind. rather than to wait for a couple of years later (who knows what would have become of me), i am going to carry out my plans for one final mad dash around in europe... no concrete plans as yet, but istanbul (turkey) and budapest (hungary) remains top of my agenda...

2008-08-31T13:05:00.002+02:00

i was branded as a thief! ok, that lady didnt exactly mention the word "thief"... as usual, weekends were spent in the uni since most of us are trying to finish our thesis report before the submission date in less than 2 weeks... and i went to the store like always to get some drinks... said "hi" to the lady-owner and she gave me this dirty look, and proceeded to say this:" i saw you leave the shop with a bottle of drink on friday... did you pay? and who did you pay the money to?" bloody-hell!!! how would i remember whether i bought a drink or to whom i paid the money to? it's freaking 2 days ago! i go to the shop on a daily basis, and how would i remember what i bought 2 days ago?! and she kept insisting that she saw me leave the place without paying!! after a frustrating 5min trying to explain to the 2 owners, chaminda and i finally solved the mystery... conclusion:

#1: dont ever walk into that freaking shop with a drink bottle if you didnt buy it from that place

#2: dont give me a fucking dirty look and accuse me of something that occurred several days ago... if you see me bring out something without paying, shout out to me and we will settle the issue on the spot... you think we fucking asians are too fucking poor to pay for a fucking bottle of drink?! catch me in the act of stealing if you have the fucking proof!

#3: will NEVER patronize that fucking shop again! overpriced for undervalued goods...people go to that shop because it'e the only place in school selling drinks and other stuff... from now onwards, i will eat shit and drink pee instead on stepping foot into that fucking place again!

forgotten features of my camera

2008-08-23T10:57:00.003+02:00

a prolonged absence from my last blog... will be coming home soon in october for good, and that will be the end of my 2 years of adventure in europe...=( will be writing a long post regarding my top 10 moments in europe over the last couple of years... but before that, i just realized that my camera has a lot of functions which i had been too lazy to explore since i bought it a year back... here are some of pics which chami (who gladly pose as my model) and i took... see the original color and compare it with the other shot...see the spider upclose...=)

2008-08-19T17:21:00.002+02:00

frustrating one week....

my 3rd? or 4th?

2008-08-17T18:36:00.001+02:00

so that's it!!! it was an lunar eclipse that i saw last night!!!! happie happie....

my little secret crush...=D

2008-08-10T21:34:00.002+02:00

she is so adorable in this show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

national day weekend...

2008-08-09T19:14:00.002+02:00

as usual, weekends have been spent in the university cos we need to tap into the internet network of the university... which sets me thinking - is internet an essential part of my life? ha~ what happened to those weekends in singapore spent far away from the computers, instead i would indulge myself in food, movies and gatherings... ha~

also, with my masters program coming to an end, i started crossing out on my calender the days to my departure - start of october... just found out a couple of days back that sterling airlines has some discounted tickets from aalborg to london starting from only 300DKK after taxes, and with this, i get my ass to london and fly home via A380!! =D

however, to do this, i have to leave aalborg latest 30th sept... kinda rushed but maybe, just maybe, i will be able to push through my thesis defense by end of sept...

found out dave had landed in germany! well, got to know him when i was in my 2nd semester in TUHH (hamburg), and he got himself the erasmus mundus scholarship to spend the next 2 years in europe! it's comforting to know that this scholarship scheme had become kinda well-known in singapore; and that i've managed to convince them (dave and yanling) to take up this scholarship... =)

for yanling, she returned to singapore recently after spending one year in italy and france... she was convinced that the past one year was indeed beneficial for her, and that she would definitely consider moving to europe again after her PHD studies in NTU... see what some international exposure will do to someone? (yanling, to me, is someone who is extremely homely and i was pretty amazed when i saw how much she've changed over a mere 12 months)...

for dave, he enrolled in a 2-year environmental engineering masters, which will see him spend some time in barcelona and hamburg... and i am sure that this experience will help him mature as a person...

lastly, for me, i dont know how my past 24 months in europe had changed me... guess i will only have a clearer picture after i get back...

snails for today =)

2008-08-08T11:37:00.007+02:00

ok, i DON'T have a fetish for ladybirds or in this case, snails... it's just that there is nothing significant things happening in my life at the moment... working in uni, typing report, go home sleep, working in uni, typing report, go home sleep, you get my meaning...=(

so, the most entertaining event(s) occurs during my morning walk to the university... and for today, i am no ladybird shooter, but a snail-shooter!! eeewwwwwww, you can even see the eyes of the snails in some pics...

the bee and ladybird...

2008-08-07T11:42:00.005+02:00

will be going to copenhagen next tuesday! of course, it's not for fun, it's a business trip... hope that the weather will turn out perfect, so that i can be trigger-happy... ha~ the pics which i took for the last trip to copenhagen were terrible cos of the weather...

and hey, i just realized that ladybugs make really good "shooting partners" cos of their colors and contrast with the environment... and don't ask me why the ladybird is orange in color....bees are next in the list...

coming home soon!

2008-08-01T19:48:00.004+02:00

been working hard in lab for most of the last couple of weeks... and with that, my so-called internship will be coming to an end... i felt so bad about "riding" on the hard work of both fabio and abraham, since they were the ones who came up with the concept and the preparation of the test specimens, and i am the one who enjoyed the fruits of their work (i started helping out in the testing and the preparation of the report)... but well, i am due some good luck anyway =p

so, after sending out all those letters of applications for maersk oil and vestas without any tinge of success (ha~ okok, went for a couple of interviews), seems like i am coming home to singapore afterall... and from the look of things, i should be coming home in 60-80 days' time... my thesis defense should end by 30th sept, so barring any unfortunate events, i should move out of my apartment and to make my way to germany, probably hamburg or frankfurt where the air ticket is cheaper as compared to flying from aalborg/copenhagen... hopefully, i will be able to pop by some other european cities before flying back...

why is my ladybird orange instead of being red?

2008-08-01T12:55:00.002+02:00

spent 10min trying to get a shot at the ladybird.... helloooooooooo pretttty!

2008-07-31T17:44:00.001+02:00

one moment of insanity... =(

sunny summer in aalborg

2008-07-30T13:56:00.005+02:00

lots of changes happening in last couple of weeks... the internship issue is kinda solved since i got involved with another group of classmates for their project... come to think about it, it's a pity that things didn't turn out exactly how i would like it to, but at least this issue has been solved...=)

weather-wise, it's lovely in aalborg at the moment... turning out to be a hot and humid summer this year ...(as compared to the rainy months spent in hamburg germany last summer), in fact, it's getting too hot for my liking... and such weather is perfect for travelling, especially to norway, which is impossible at the moment =( no thanks to the fact that i am officially an illegal immigrant in denmark now cos of the expiry of my residence permit... so if i were to leave the country, i might have a problem getting back to denmark... so it's only aalborg for me to explore now...along hjelmerstald, which is the oldest street in aalborg... it's really lovely here!

a walk to remember... literally...

2008-07-25T20:58:00.005+02:00

here's what chaminda and i observed on the way home from school...finally caught on camera!! smile!! whoa, lots of caterpillars around... and snails too!

summer in full bloom; so are the flowers!

2008-07-25T10:43:00.005+02:00

took these pics over the last couple of days while walking to school...=) lovely!! oh, these are apples!

tour de denmark - Copenhagen

2008-07-25T10:30:00.006+02:00

will post descriptions of the pics when i lay my hands on a copenhagen map... so it's just pics for now... also, the cloudy nature makes everything seem so dark and dull...

update...

2008-07-19T17:25:00.003+02:00

alright i'm back! not that i had been away in any case, but there are just so many things happening to me at the moment... guess i was simply overwhelmed that's all... here's an update...

1. still on a lookout for an internship... ha~ the delay in the visa application = the project is no longer available at the company, so that leaves me with the task of having to secure some forms of internship opportunities... and without this precious internship experience, i will NOT be able to graduate after all since it forms an essential part of the whole masters program...

2. finally, i've managed to get some results for my thesis project... let me count, from oct 07 until june 08, that's like 9 whole months of planning and planning... but at least i have the results of the experiments... errr, one batch of readings at the present moment, but at least it's way better than nothing...

3. that will mean that i am able to meet the deadline of submitting my report in the middle of sept = i can defend my thesis by the end of sept!

4. totally stopped doing any forms of job application... decided that it will probably work out for me to find (and to kickstart my career) a job in singapore instead... so, i will probably become a "figure" in the singapore job statisitcs by october i supposed...

5. started sourcing for tickets to fly home... hmmm, the opportunity to fly, via A380, from london sounds really tempting... problem:" how can i get to london with all my luggage?" still working out the details on that issue...

6. still trying to look out for ways and means to do some travelling around the region... ha~ might as well since i won't know when is the next time i get to travel to europe again... ha~ probably not in the near future... suppose it's time for me to start exploring the asian-australian region...

right, that's all for now... will post up some pics taken in copenhagen soon...

my today's "happy hour"

2008-07-08T23:31:00.002+02:00

enough of all the shit in school... anyway, for anyone out there who is even remotely interested in my future...

yes, i intend to have kids after marriage...
yes, 3 of them will be nice...
yes, the eldest will be a boy,
followed by a pair of twin daughters...
and in case any pricks out there want to date my little girls,
here is the list of dating rules which i will pin on my door...

Rule One: If you pull into my driveway and honk you'd better be delivering a package, because you're sure not picking anything up.

Rule Two: You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter's body, I will remove them.

Rule Three: I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don't take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose his compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However, in order to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact, come off during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric nail gun and fasten your trousers securely in place to your waist.

Rule Four: I'm sure you've been told that in today's world, sex without utilizing a "barrier method" of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate, when it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you.

Rule Five: It is usually understood that in order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day.Please do not do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need from you on this subject is "early."

Rule Six: I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you cry.

Rule Seven: As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a process that can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of just standing there, why don't you do something useful, like changing the oil in my car?

Rule Eight: The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter: Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool. Places where there are no parents, policemen, or nuns within eyesight. Places where there is darkness. Places where there is dancing, holding hands, or happiness. Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to induce my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, midriff T-shirts, or anything other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka - zipped up to her throat. Movies with a strong romantic or sexual theme are to be avoided; movies which features chain saws are okay. Hockey games are okay. Old folks homes are better.

Rule Nine: Do not lie to me. I may appear to be a potbellied, balding, middle-aged, dimwitted has-been. But on issues relating to my daughter, I am the all-knowing, merciless god of your universe. If I ask you where you are going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres behind the house. Do not trifle with me.

Rule Ten: Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over a rice paddy near Hanoi. When my Agent Orange starts acting up, the voices in my head frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter home. As soon as you pull into the driveway you should exit your car with both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice that you have brought my daughter home safely and early, then return to your car - there is no need for you to come inside. The camouflaged face at the window is mine

1 "happy hour" per day

2008-07-08T18:25:00.002+02:00

after all the sh*t that happened (or is currently happening), it seems to me that after deducting away the unhappy and frustrating hours of each day, i am only left with around 12 happy hours per day...

since that period of happy hours occurs only at night where 2/3 of the time is spent sleeping, i am only left with 4 happy hours per day...

and then, 75% of remaining 4 happy hours is engaging in friendly fire with my roomie chaminda, so i've got ONLY 1 miserable happy hour left for myself each day...

what else worse could have happen to me?

2008-06-30T22:59:00.004+02:00

important lesson: "no matter how well-prepared you are, or how certain you expect things to happen according to plans; there are bound to have those little stones along the way that one will trip over even without realizing what hit him..."

well, i certainly had one of those days today... looks like it's true that bad things happen one after another... won't say that i am disappointed, but i definitely whined a lot more than usually... and this incident made me realize one thing: that i am still unable to take things as easy as i like myself to...

argh... maybe i should just do whatever i want... after all, how much lower can i sink? might as well use the opportunity to do some more travelling in the remaining time that i have left...

2008-06-30T13:54:00.001+02:00

ok, everything that can go wrong, went wrong...

norway maybe?

2008-06-29T15:12:00.001+02:00

i'm bored... and the good warm summer weather is coming back after MIA-ing for a couple of weeks... should i go to norway?

new computer?

2008-06-26T14:11:00.003+02:00

so, my bro is probably going to move into his new apartment after the renovations, and that means that i will have to get myself a new desktop (figured out that a new desktop's performance will way exceeds my current laptop's)... recently, for whatever reasons unknown to me, iMac seems to be really appealing... so much so that i am spending hours on the official APPLE website... shucks...

disappointment

2008-06-24T10:43:00.002+02:00

maybe i got my hopes too high... even though i previously said that getting the job will leave me in a dilemma, securing this position will give me a big leap in my career... big conglomerate with business units all over the globe, invaluable experience in the oil and gas industry and of course, a multicultural working environment... well, nothing that i've wanted materialize for now, so it's back to the drawing board...

i so want to be happy... but why is it so hard? is the pursuit of happiness making me miserable instead?

2008-06-20T13:32:00.002+02:00

extracted from the straits times online (15 June08)... an article from sumiko tan...

"I have been happy the past five weeks playing the role of yummy mummy to my niece and nephew visiting from the United States.
I took leave from work for three of those weeks and managed to fulfil every aspect of my motherhood fantasy.
There I was, tottering in my four-inch heels as I ushered them around town, to the malls, to the Singapore Flyer, Night Safari, Sentosa and Kallang ice-skating rink.
The kids - she's 10 and he's five - were gratifyingly cute.
('Aunty Shoes, I'm not an artist. You can't expect me to draw everything,' Josh said when I asked him if he could draw a picture of me. He prefers drawing army tanks and planes.
And when I asked him to fetch something for me, he looked at me sternly and declared: 'Aunty Shoes, this is not National Lazy Day.')
Two nights before they left, they came up with The Goodbye Show, a performance in six acts which the girl, Michiko, wrote.
Using the curtain of the balcony as a stage curtain, Act 1 had Josh starring in The Silly Show - he showed off his craziest monkey faces.
This was followed by poems about Singapore written and recited by the girl, a story about a dog they found wandering in the neighbourhood, more poems, and a song about their holiday here.
They were hilarious.
But me being a happy yummy mummy-aunty is just half the story.
The other half wasn't that pretty.
I had looked forward to their visit and had expected to be happy all those five weeks, but that wasn't to be.
There were stretches when being with the kids bored me to death, when their company made me feel plain fatigued, when I was irritated and angry with them, and when I wished I was back at work.
The first 20, 30, times they called me 'Aunty Shoes' - their nickname for me - was sweet. But when they started every sentence with it and when they kept badgering me to 'play' with them when I was busy, it got trying.
The first few times they threw a tantrum, I found that adorable and gave in to their every sulk. But when the bad behaviour was played out day after day, I had to fight the urge to scream at them.
I was both sad and relieved when they finally went home last Tuesday.
Their visit led me to several conclusions:
When a dream comes true, you don't always get the happiness you thought would come with it;
Happiness is not something you can feel every moment of the day;
Happiness comes in small doses, so just be grateful for that;
It's pointless to wish for a Big Happiness because it won't happen;
Perhaps happiness is overrated.
Like most people, everything I do, everything I hope for and everything I regret, hinges on the pursuit of personal happiness.
Wikipedia describes happiness as an emotion associated with feelings ranging from contentment and satisfaction to bliss and intense joy.
It is said that about 50 per cent of a person's happiness depends on his genes. A further 10 to 15 per cent comes from variables such as socio-economic status, marital status, health and income. The remaining reasons do not have a discernible cause.
I have certainly experienced contentment and satisfaction. I suspect I have felt bliss. I have never known intense joy.
I so yearn to be happy and I so want to be happier. The irony is that this hunger and search for happiness is perhaps the reason I often find myself unhappy.
I did a little survey recently and asked around: On a scale of one to 10 with 10 being the pinnacle of contentment, what would you rate your happiness level?
My mother gave herself an eight. My sister also said eight and added that she sometimes feels 'joy'. (Perhaps that is the privilege of being a parent; I wouldn't know.)
A friend gave herself an eight, then added wistfully that it couldn't be higher because she had done things in her life which she shouldn't have and so had to shoulder 'the burden of guilt'.
Another friend said he was an eight, but if a certain beloved person was back in his life, his rating would shoot to nine. A colleague said seven.
Me? It ranges from six to nine. It's six when I'm functioning in neutral gear and nine when everything I yearn for comes my way and life is good, scarily good.
The problem with happiness is this - it doesn't last, and it is subjected to the law of diminishing returns.
Some scientists believe that everyone has an innate happiness 'set point' to which he will invariably return to.
Good and bad events may move you from this set point for a while, but you can't permanently raise or lower your in-born happiness level - or so the theory goes.
What is clearer is that, like most things in life, happiness is subjected to the law of diminishing returns - to attain something you wish for does make you happy, but only up to a point. Beyond that, more and more of that thing adds less and less to your happiness.
I have an avocado shake example.
I love the avocado shake at Sanur restaurant. The rich, ambrosiac, green concoction really hits the spot for me.
Whenever I eat there, I'd order two glasses as one isn't enough. The problem is, while the first glass is so satisfying, finishing the second will make me want to puke.
It's a scenario that plays out in so many aspects of my life. Happiness is so hard to come by, yet when I do find it, it either doesn't last long, or it loses its magic after a while, and I'm back to being six on the happiness scale.
Still, one could argue that happiness would be meaningless if you felt happy all the time. How can you understand happiness unless you have lived through unhappiness and can compare the two?
The trick perhaps is to learn to live for the moment and appreciate what you have.
Like me, my niece Michiko is quite the wet blanket. Much of her holiday here was spent lamenting the past or worrying about the future.
She kept moaning about missing her friends, her cousins, her dog, her bed and even the airplane journey here. Or she'd be fretting about how she might not get a window seat on the way back or why her plane doesn't stop in Alaska.
At the airport before she left, she cried big fat tears because she'd miss us. She was a mess.
Josh, on the other hand, is of a more happy-go-lucky nature. He's been known to declare to his mother in the morning, 'This is going to be the greatest day.'
At the airport, while his sister sobbed, he made monkey faces at us and waved goodbye with gusto. He had been happy in Singapore and was now happy to go home.
I look at them and I know who has been born with a higher happiness set point, and who will probably have a happier life ahead.
It is hard to be happy when you are stuck in the past or the future.
It is hard to be happy when you chase after happiness, forgetting that, hey, it could well be right there, staring at you. "

waiting...

2008-06-19T15:02:00.003+02:00

waiting for something can get so frustrating....=(

...waiting for someone to send me the pictures to be included into the report...

...waiting for the authorities to issue me my work permit...

...waiting for the results of the interview...

aftermath...

2008-06-17T11:10:00.002+02:00

so, the interview's over... it went pretty well from what i've observed, but somehow, somewhere deep inside me, i hope that i won't be offered the job... no job offers = no dilemma = a happy peaceful time for me for the remaining couple of months in denmark...

home sweet home at 2am

2008-06-15T12:27:00.003+02:00

stayed up to chat with my dad last night... this was what i saw at 2am in the morning...

coming interview... and my expectations...

2008-06-15T00:42:00.002+02:00

was chatting earlier and i was mentioning about the coming job interview, and i realized something... it's not that i don't really want the job (if i am to be offered the job at all), but undertaking this will involve lots of sacrifices on my part as well as my family... dad is getting old, and since my brother is married, there will be no one to accompany him for most of the time...

anyway, let's not talk about this anymore... applied for the position for fun in the first, just wanna see how far i can go in the interviewing stage... so for now, let me approach this round of interview with zero expectations, as usual...

2008-06-14T13:55:00.002+02:00

ahahaha~~ these are funnie... STARS WARS from another point of view...

home sweet home

2008-06-13T11:25:00.002+02:00

thought this might be pretty... the view from my apartment at around 9pm in the evening...

3th round is coming up!

2008-06-12T16:01:00.003+02:00

3rd round!!!!

so that means...(i) 12 hours train journey (ii) 5 separate interviews with 5 different engineers (iii) a long talk with the HR personnel again (iv) no more logical test though =)

2nd round of interview...

2008-06-12T08:59:00.003+02:00

yet another 12 hours on the train to and fro from copenhagen... argghhhh, i left the house at 6am and got home at 12 midnight...

yet another logical test (in fact i had to do 2 instead of one, cos apparently there is a large difference between the initial one and the first one i did yesterday... ha~ can't accept that i might have had a "lousy" day during the initial test?)...

yet another interview from the HR dept, but this time it was with the department head... eva is pretty!!

yet, how will this one turn out?

tour de sweden - stockholm

2008-06-08T01:06:00.026+02:00

"The capital of Sweden, Stockholm, is one of the world’s most beautiful capitals. Built on 14 islands around one of Europe’s largest and best-preserved mediaeval city centres, the Swedish capital is superbly positioned, with stunning and extremely varied scenery in every direction..."

well, stockholm certainly didn't disappoint and truly lives up to its reputation! for once, i had a travelling partner and it was a surprise that the 2 of us managed to survive despite the ever-increasing "sniping" at each other....=p ~~chami and vincent go to sunny stockholm~~just a sidetrack a little, we made our way to stockholm via hamburg... part of the reasons was that we missed the kebab too much, and also, more importantly, we managed to secure tickets costing only 5 euros one way to stockholm with ryanair... and no introduction is required for hamburg since i had been blogging so much about that place, here's some shots of the rathaus as well as surrounding locations...back to the stockholm, there were so many things to see! the geographical city centre, which is virtually situated on the water in the bay Riddarfjärden, is a major attraction for me...The City Hall (Stadshuset) is one of the best known landmarks in Stockholm and the city’s administrative and representative center. The Blue Hall hosts the world famous Nobel Prize Banquet every year, followed by a ball in the Golden Hall... and forget about graduation dinners!! this way of celebration is wayyyy cooler!! ever seen graduating students packed like sardines in one of the many trucks parading along the streets of stockholm? omannnns, the sight was definitely unforgettable...food! need i say more?what's stockholm without the ocassional outdoor exhibition?The Royal Palace (Kungliga Slottet) is the official residence of His Majesty the King of Sweden. Completed in 1754, it is one of the largest palaces in Europe. Most of the Palace is open to the public, such as the State Apartments, the Royal Armoury and the Treasury...The historic center of Stockholm (Gamla Stan) is renowned for its narrow cobblestone alleys, beautiful houses, boutiques, restaurants and sights...went to the Vasamuseet (the Vasa museum), Nordiska Museet and Gronalunds Tivoli...Saint Jacob's Church (Sankt Jacobs kyrka) is a church in central stockhom, dedicated to apostle Saint James the Greater, patron saint of travellers + the opera house... Riddarholms Kyrkan is the second-oldest structure in Stockholm...the kulturhuset (culture house)...went visit Fjäderholmarnas which is along the archipelago...lastly, we took a train to gothenburg, where we took a couple of comical shots... wanna a drink? what you selling?

2008-06-02T10:58:00.003+02:00

the bryan adams concert was the best ever!!!

wanderlust strikes again!

2008-05-28T10:13:00.002+02:00

despite the delays faced over the last couple of months, the progress of the project (at least from now on) looks good and smooth-flowing... and with the internship looming (since kirk has got his work permit, mine shouldn't be too far away), time is running out for me to do some travelling... =p

next up, hamburg and stockholm from next tuesday... =)

2008-05-27T22:40:00.002+02:00

how lovely can the sky get?

Grand Parade: Aalborg Carnival 2008 (Part2)

2008-05-24T17:04:00.017+02:00

finally, the day of reckoning! well, at least for the danes... aalborg carnival was said to be the largest carnival in the whole of northern europe, and after going through the "battle of the carnival bands" parade yesterday, i assumed that was it... 12 bands parading in the streets of aalborg, and thats all... but man! i was soooooooo wrong! compared to the st paddy's day in dublin, the display of the bands may not be as colorful, but up to 25 000 participants of the aalborg carnival made it a much more impressive parade! a pic paints a thousand words, and presenting... an equivalent of 65 000 words!

Battle of the Carnival Bands: Aalborg Carnival 2008 (Part1)

2008-05-24T16:13:00.010+02:00

the battle of the carnival bands is a prelude to the actual parade... of course, there is the additional component of competition between the bands... wasn't as crowded as i thought, but nevertheless, it was a great street parade...

ooi! what are you doing? =p

omans, the kids are so adorable!

one of my favourite bands, VIMOROZ... look carefully at how one kid imitate the adults...

reliability of profile-testing?

2008-05-23T15:40:00.002+02:00

i've always wonder why companies are willing to spend insane sums of money performing those personality profiling tests on their prospective employees, and also the reliability of such tests... but after 2 interviews with vestas and maersk, i must admit that i am now convinced by its accurancy...

scenario 1... the hr manager of vestas asked me over the phone interview:" according to our profiling test, you seemed to be extremely frustrated with your studies at the moment..." how true, frustration with the delay of the project was threatening to spill over at that time...

scenario 2... the hr consultant at maersk said this:" from what i can see, you are results-orientated, like to voice your opinions, empathatic, look at the overall picture when it comes to a task..." omg, i've never expected myself to be looked right through based on a few ticks on the profile-test papers...

i hate travelling!

2008-05-21T07:58:00.002+02:00

my ass is burning!! well, what can you expect, i am only one hour into my 6-hour train journey to copenhagen... omans, how am i going to survive the return journey later?

somehow, this could be one of the few aspects in singapore that i miss... the efficiency of the public transport coupled with its small size, where one has not the chance to travel for more than 2 hours in one direction and not fall into the swallow waters surrounding singapore...=p

i love travelling to bits, but the process of getting to a new place (i.e. trains, buses, planes) - i absolutely hate it!!!

homesick + interview in copenhagen

2008-05-20T09:39:00.003+02:00

whoa, what is happening to me? ever since i got home from singapore, i am feeling bouts of homesickness... and the urge of wanting to fly home straight away is getting more frequently... ha~~ shucks, i am becoming weak in the mind...

someone mentioned to me yesterday that i tend to be aggressive in wanting other people to follow my style of working... come to think about it, that's rather true... one of my objectives in coming to europe to study is to learn how to work with people from the various cultures (and not because of the academic program)... but sad to say, i probably fail that miserably... but then again, life is all about learning from mistakes, so instead of mopping over my failure, it's more beneficial to sort out my thinking and start learning how to handle people all over again...

oh ya, got an interview in copenhagen tomorrow, and even though the chances of me getting anything out of this is pretty low, the experience will probably do me some good... =)

travel plans + Bryan Adams' concert + Aalborg Carnival

2008-05-18T20:35:00.003+02:00

now that i've just submitted my visa (work permit) application, that leaves me with a couple of weeks before i can (re)start my work in LM for my internship... and as usual, things are not moving as smoothly, so no point in complaining so much about it... might as well use this period of time to do some travelling around the region...=)

chami and i are planning to go to stockholm next sunday... why sunday? cos aalborg will be hosting its annual carnival before that... so after that, we may just make a short trip to stockholm...=)

first of all, a brief introduction of the carnival... Aalborg Carnival is the largest carnival in Northern Europe with up to 25,000 carnivalists in the Grand Parade and more than 100,000 spectators catching the magnificent wave of colours and fantasy along the parade route...This years' theme is "Magic in the Air", which captures the very essence of the carnival – energy, fantasy and creativity...

next, the 2 of us will be going for the Bryan Adams' concert in aalborg... can't wait for that day...

back in denmark once again...

2008-05-15T12:53:00.003+02:00

back in denmark after a week long in singapore, and yes, all the food and the gatherings with friends (sorry people, time is limited (and for whatever last min reasons that just popped out), trust me, i would love to meet up with a lot more of you if it was possible) and family, the highlight of the week no doubt belongs to the ROM ceremony of my brother and dilys... congrats!! will post up the nicer pics once i lay my hands on them...maybe it's due to the short nature of the trip to singapore, it seems like i am more homesick than usual... so homesick that i would pay off my scholarship just to go home earlier? ha~ probably not but it seems funny that i am actually entertaining these thoughts... what happened to the i-wanna-work-overseas-me? maybe it's the country that i am currently in now, even though the people are friendly, denmark seems to pale in comparison as compared to portugal or germany... perhaps it's the accumulation of the many many unhappy things that occurred during project and internship that are making me feel this way (whereas in portugal and germany, it's the usual lecture-exams format)... nevertheless, it's the last stretch of my 2 years in europe, so i must not slack off, instead i should put in all my efforts and try to make the project a success (the one most important thing that i've learnt so far is that the accomplishment of any task in real life does not always depend on oneself alone, it's the synergy of many people's efforts that will lead to the completion of a task... for example, the project, to me, should have been finished by now if i were to have my way... spent the initial months doing the necessary reading up and planning, but the execution step is way way beyond my expectation, and that probably explains why i am so behind schedule now...)

ahhh, enough of grumbling, shall just sign off this entry with a picture taken off my room yesterday, moments before making my way to changi airport for the return flight to denmark...

tour de denmark: esbjerg

2008-05-07T18:28:00.007+02:00

Esbjerg is a municipality in the South Denmark Region on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. It is the 5th largest city in Denmark a total population of 114,244... went there without any idea of any attractions, but somehow, managed to figure out something to entertain myself with... the centre of esbjerg, the market square (torvet)...as usual, churches... zions kirke is the largest and most spacious church in the city... was completed before the outbreak of the first world war in 1914, and undergone renovation in 2003-04... vor frelser kirke is the oldest urban church in esbjerg and was built in 1887...omans, i wanna be buried here when i die!! no kidding, this cementry is so well-maintained and is one of the prettiest that i've seen in europe...the fishermen's memorial grove...never realized that denmark can be so pretty in the summer... flowers and more flowers... not to mention that the train passed through fields and fields of yellow flowers... man meets the sea... visitors arriving from the sea will be greeted by this monumental sculpture (by svend wiig hansen), which was raised on the occasion of esbjerg celebrating its 100th anniversary as an independent municipality in 1994... the sculpture protrays the meeting between pure, unspolit mankind and the nature...

first impression of kolding...

2008-05-06T14:34:00.006+02:00

arrived in kolding several days back to start the next stage of my studies in denmark i.e. internship in LM glasfiber... the city is small but pretty, and there seems to be a lot more greenary as compared to in aalborg... some pics as usual... the morning in aalborg before i left for kolding...the little pond/lake where i foresee myself running around it for the next couple of months...guess what's this? have a close look, it's a tree full of little wooden houses for the birds to nest in...at the kolding havn i.e. harbor...the may market in the main shopping street...flowers flowers and more flowers... oh, forgot to mention this, wherever there is an empty plot of land, there will be flowers like these... the view in the evening from the balcony of my apartment...

no fridge, no beds, no tables, nothing!!

2008-05-01T22:27:00.004+02:00

leaving for kolding tmr... was just chatting with chami earlier; we used so much time and efforts to convert our pretty little cave into a home, and now i have to move to another empty cave (in denmark, the apartments which are rented out are usually unfurnished i.e. nothing except for a stove in the apartment)... guess i won't be doing anything to furnish this new place after all since i will only be there for 10-12 weeks... probably not worth all the efforts and money to furnish the place, not to mention that i probably won't have the same rapport with the new roomie... i will try my best, but it is really going to be hard...

will have a couple of days before the start of the internship on monday, maybe it's time for me to explore all uncharted terrorities in denmark over the weekend!

addiction...

2008-05-01T22:22:00.002+02:00

楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳OMG!! severe addiction to the show 惡魔在身邊!!楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞琳楊丞

working hours in LM

2008-04-30T12:49:00.002+02:00

just got the schedule from my company supervisor... the working hours in LM are as follows:

monday - wednesday : 0800 - 1600
thursday: 0800 - 1540
friday: 0800 - 1500

whoa, after calculation, it's a total of 38 hours and 40min of working hours per week! and that's including lunch time... wahhh... not bad huh?

more updates...

2008-04-28T14:52:00.002+02:00

more updates...

(i) on the verge of moving to kolding, a pathetic little city 80km north of flensburg... will be situated there cos of the coming internship, which will last probably 10 weeks or so... omans, why why?! why do i have to pay for 2 accommodations concurrently!? ha~ can't pass up on my present accommodation, as it will be impossible to secure another accommodation in aalborg after the internship... so that explains the why-i-am-paying-for-2-accommodations problem...

(ii) staying with kirk for 10 weeks... can i survive?

(iii) coming back to singapore on the 9th may for 6 days...

(iv) little/no progress in my project... the polyester is not drying properly, so i have to work out another method for my encapsulation procedure... the metal-spraying part is also moving slow, cos that guy said not many people speaks english... ha~ i have to be a nuisance and to give them a call again tmr...

(v) my job interview is officially kaputted...

(vi) still working out the possibility of visiting yanling in torino (italy), duygu and umut in istanbul (turkey), stefan in st petersburg (russia) and leandro back in aveiro (portugal)... all in june/july...

tour de sweden - Göteborg

2008-04-21T10:53:00.033+02:00

Gothenburg (Swedish: Göteborg) is the second largest city in Sweden with approximately 485,000 inhabitants in the municipality. It is situated on Sweden's west coast at the outlet of the Göta river. With over 60,000 students Gothenburg is the largest university city in Scandinavia. Was once offered a place in one of the masters programmes here, Chalmers University, and that probably explains why i am desperate to visit this place.. well, the place didn't disappoint at all... the place was lively (much more than aalborg), and city is beautiful with the BEEAAAUUTI-FULLLLL ladies...not to mention that people are friendly... was in a restaurant drinking beer alone when some swedish guys started chatting with me... ha~ the whole trip was simply lovely... at Frederikshavn in the morning...the ship that brought me to sweden... stena express... the city...churches, rivers, statues +++ the fish market (aka fish church)... this building was built in 1874, and was so called a fish church since it resembles a church...at the harbor and the Gothenburg Opera House....in front of the Gothenburg Art Museum. Götaplatsen is a public square in Gothenburg, at the southern end of Kungsportsavenyn (The King's Gate Avenue), the city's main street. At the centre of the square presides the Poseidon statue by Carl Milles...

sunset..

2008-04-17T19:59:00.002+02:00

sunset as viewed from my room... 9pm in the evening... omans, i just hope that the view from my new place in kolding will just as lovely...

busted knee & i can smell spring!!

2008-04-15T09:13:00.005+02:00

omg, one moment i was going to the toilet, and the next moment i found myself sitting on the floor with a cut on my knee... this happened last night, one last visit to the bathroom before bedtime, when i felt my head spin... suddenly i was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wardrobe, wondering what i am doing on the floor(feeling totally disorientated)? next to me was my totally crushed laundry basket, and the hook on the wall (which was holding my jacket) broken into 2 pieces... shucks...

and this morning, i found myself unable to exert any weight on my left knee... there goes my frisbee training session tmr...

on a brighter note, i can smell SPRING!!!! wahhahhahh!!! the landscape is turning green...and the sky is staying bright for a long time...this pic was taken at 8:30pm in the evening last night...

the weekend came and went...

2008-04-14T10:02:00.002+02:00

the weekend came and went just like this, nothing's done nor achieved... the project is moving, slowly but surely... now all i have to do is to "push" my supervisor a little harder regarding the coordination of the metal spraying process, and the samples would be ready for testing... 6 months of intensive planning, coupled with all the unexpected pitholes along the way, and everything boils down to the next 4 weeks... anymore mistakes/ delays and it will be officially game over for me...

internship gottan start soon for me too... and that will mean ZERO travelling for me, save for the short trip back home for my bro's wedding... and last-min air tickets are just so expensive, so its probably not worth the effort, as well as the expenses, to go for short trips around denmark... wahhh.... i would so love to visit the balkan states or the baltic states...=(

BUT an idea hit me while lying in bed on sat night! if i can't fly, maybe i can take a ferry instead!! ha~ denmark is part of scandinavia, so why don't i visit sweden or norway? hee~~

there goes the opportunity...

2008-04-11T15:55:00.002+02:00

14 days since then... don't suppose i will get a second chance after all...

it just don't feel like a home without chami....

2008-04-10T23:50:00.003+02:00

the house seems so quiet tonight... from the moment i stepped home until now, i have not spoken at all... ha~ i just can't get used to all this silence... chaminda wont be at home for the next 10 days, and somehow, i kinda miss him...

tour de denmark - Hou & Hals

2008-04-08T16:33:00.024+02:00

Hou and Hals... said to be where the best beaches in denmark are supposed to be located... the places are pretty, but the strong winds plus the cold weather kinda made it unbearable to stay there for long... ha~~ abraham and chami had to dance to keep warm...how come the pic of me jumping with the rest dont look as nice as the other one? must be the photographer!! boys will always be boys... "chinese/japanese style" of taking pictures... say "cheese"!!!

denmark under a cover of snow...

2008-04-08T14:38:00.016+02:00

it has been said that winter this year in denmark has been pretty mild, by usual standards... but nevertheless, it did snowed for an entire week at the end of March 2008...
the diffraction of light made the whole place so blue-ish...
time for some fun!! eewwww!! have i gained weight or what?

free spirits no more?

2008-04-02T11:31:00.003+02:00

have always considered myself as one happy-go-lucky soul, and nothing can actually get me down... somehow, things over the last couple of weeks are beginning to spill over, and as a result, i am feeling so demotivated now...

(i) my thesis project is starting to look like **** now... it's not a matter of me not putting in the efforts to keep it going, but everything seems to be out of my control... whatever i do, i still have to wait and depend on others for approval before i can go onto the next step... if spending more time in the project room and working my ass off can help, i would have done that...

(ii) internship was supposed to start on 1st april... maybe this is my fault, i should have started sourcing for accommodation earlier, but i was waiting for the reply of the company... excuses excuses...

(iii) messed up the one opportunity that will enable me to embark on my future career... don't know why, but it feels exactly the same as that time when i failed to secure the one job which i would die for in 2005...

shucks... omans, am i really that vulnerable? even that personality test "sensed" that i am currently frustrated with my studies at the moment...

alternative?

2008-04-01T09:29:00.001+02:00

after so long, is it alright to dream of an alternate future...?

2008-03-31T10:28:00.000+02:00

demoralized.... will i get a 2nd chance?

2008-03-28T10:06:00.001+01:00

i'm screwed... =(

2008-03-28T00:10:00.001+01:00

wish me luck!! what's going to happen tomorrow morning may affect my life for the next couple of years... **fingers crossed**

snowing!!

2008-03-23T12:17:00.003+01:00

check this out...

update...

2008-03-22T19:34:00.004+01:00

after all the fun-filled weeks since i got back to denmark from singapore, it's time to get down to the project and coming internship... was still hoping that we can finally proceed on to the "execution" stage after so many months of tedious planning, my plans were dashed on monday when i received the email reply from the galvanizing company (after 3 weeks... no joke)... seems like we have to start all over again =( not to mention that we are running out of time for our thesis...

on the topic of internship, seems like everything is going smoothly and that we can start in april... however, we had not gottan our accommodation yet, so maybe things may be delayed for a week or two... hmmm, do i look forward to the internship? yes, because i get to experience some true working environment, and also i will be pretty well paid... no, because i have to shift to another place in denmark, and also, there is a separate project which is absolutely not related to my studies... (well, the problem seems more related to mechanical engineers than materials engineers)

oh, forgot to mention that denmark is experiencing some snow at the moment... ha~ i've missed the last 2 times it snowed in denmark, so this time can be considered as my first time seeing snow in denmark...=)

tour de ireland - dublin (paddy's day 2008)

2008-03-19T13:30:00.071+01:00

day 6 of my ireland trip - paddy's day!

finally, the highlights of my trip... and yes, i am really impressed with the paddy's day parade... it's amazing! omans, imagine me taking pics and video clips and finishing my entire available disk space i.e. 1.8GB... a total of 500 shots and 12 video clips in a space of 120min... so here it goes...

tour de ireland - dublin

2008-03-19T12:49:00.030+01:00

day 5 of my ireland trip **no more rain**

finally, after 4 days of exploring the rest of ireland/northern ireland, i have time to explore dublin itself... and the guide for the day is ashween **thanks sweetie**... walking around the cityand the shopping street; Grafton street...GUINNESS storehouse!!! the place where the black stuff is produced... i was taken on a journey through the history and the making of the famous beer...4th floor of the storehouse whereby people leave their wishes...on top of the storehouse, the Gravity bar... omans, the views of the city are astonishing, not to mention that the sun is finally shining down on us...shopping for something for the paddy's day... view along the main street, O'Connell's street... see the Spire? it is a 120m high landmark located prominently in front of the irish general post office along O'Connell's... last will be the Trinity college... oldest uni in ireland (1592) with its ancient seclusion of cobbled squares, gardens and parks...dinner time at the korean restaurant along Parnell street... the Su Jeong Gwa (Cinnamon punch) is good...

tour de ireland - dublin

2008-03-18T23:33:00.008+01:00

day 3/4 of my ireland trip... **the skies absolutely hate me**

day 3- after the day hike at the wicklow mountains and glendalough, it's time for me to meet up with some friends whom i met in madrid exactly a year ago... students in dublin, and that's exactly what i need... **ha~~ not exactly locals, but they perform admirably well as guides =p** oh, forgot to mention that they provided me with a roof over my head for my remaining time in dublin... first, anusha and ashween came to pick me up, and brought me to O'Neill bar... lamb shanks is good!! grace joined us after dinner...day 4 - **washed out!!!** by the weather of course... spent the entire day at their home chatting... oh, almost forgot to introduce yolanda and xiangyun...

tour de ireland - dublin

2008-03-18T23:14:00.009+01:00

day 1 of my ireland trip... **the skies hate me...**

woke up at an unearthly 4am in the morning cos i have to travel 2 hours in order to get to the airport in aarhus... and to make things worse, it was raining heavily... ahhhh.... rain + 4 oC = unbearable...

home--> aalborg train station--> randers train station--> randers bus interchange--> aarhus airport... and there i was to board a plane to london... at london, this is what i saw... and my plane to dublin...

reached dublin at 5 pm... that means a total of 13 hours (including one hour difference between denmark and UK)... since it's late and with no food since morning, it's time to embark on my dublin food trail... at the OVAL bar in dublin... traditional irish stew **with tender lamb, vegetables, potatoes and homemade brown bread** oh, not forgetting, a pint of beer... smithwicks...