I am glad to know that what i really do is pretend to be a unicorn.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Its busy time
Finally into my last month or so here, and I'm getting to do what I want to do. Not completely but at least its something. I haven't been able to accomplish much in terms of journalistic work or travelling but hopefully this should lay the seeds for me to come back in the future. Nepal is awesome and my mind about that has not been changed.
I wish I could have done more though. It seems like such a wasted opportunity to have spent more than a third of the year here without anything yet to be proud of showing. As it is, it is annoying that I neither got to work on stories I really want to nor did I get to travel.
I'll leave you at an alley in Patan, where kids jump around like its still the 60s.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Do What You Like
by Samantha Ann Branson
And I would think that’s the issue for the most of us. From primary school, to secondary school to junior college or polytechnic, do we really know what we want?
The most of us don't (I know I didn't). We just go with what we think will work out for us in the future, and of course where our interest lies. And up till junior college or polytechnic for that matter, our choices are limited by our aptitude. And by that, I mean grades.
And I think that’s what changes something in us. Grades. And the fact that up till university/work we’ve been under the notion that how well we do determines whether we’re good at something.
You need to do well in school, our parents have been telling us this from young. Because when you do well, you succeed, you get a job, you get paid, you earn a stable income. And then they tell you, when you’re earning a good amount and you’re doing well, that you’re successful in life. It makes sense. Logically at least.
And so, at the end of the day, we tell ourselves, we will do what it takes to do well in life, to be successful. We climb ladders like everyone else in the world. It’s normal. We do what it takes to survive, because at the core of everything, money makes the world go round.
And how I wish it didn't.
What ever happened to doing something because you like it? Or simply because you wanted to? And I don't mean small decisions like buying an ice-cream cone because you feel like. I’m talking about our priorities, in general. When grades mean more to us than doing something for fun. I’m talking about all the times that we let grades define us.
Whether it’s eating, writing poetry, taking photos or whatever else you can name, everyone enjoys doing something. Sometimes what you enjoy doing, is something you can make money out of. I would say that’s the best situation to be in. But what about the zillion other things people like to do that doesn't make them money?
I guess, in principle, when you do something you like, you dont (and rightfully so, you shouldn't) bother whether people notice you. It doesn't matter if any one pays you for your work, or if anyone recognises you. You do it, because you enjoy doing what you like. Again, it’s awesome if people pay you for what you like to do. But for most people that doesn't happen.
And if you’re one of that majority, I hope that at all costs, you don't stop doing what it is you enjoy. Especially not for good grades.
Never too old for Disneyland
By Samantha Ann Branson
“Too many people grow up. That's the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up. They forget. They don't remember what it's like to be 12 years old. They patronize, they treat children as inferiors.” – Walt Disney
It’s a very strange thing. When you’re young, you want to grow up. My father recalls that when I was 8 years old, we were in a restaurant, and I told him that I wanted to grow up to be a “serve” and when he asked me what that was, I told him- “Someone who serves food!” When you’re 8 years old, you want to be a doctor, a princess, a teacher, an astronaut, and so many other occupations. But all that never really happens for the most of us. We grow up. We become more practical. Reality hits us.
Growing up means becoming more mature, my parents told me- and it made sense. When you grow up, you gain more knowledge through school, you make better decisions, and you become more rational. You understand the concept of reality. But at what cost?
I think the most of us lose that childlike spark of happiness, and the ability to appreciate the simplest things in life. As a child, getting ice cream makes you so happy. I can still remember how happy I would feel as child, when my father would come home with 250grams of Famous Amos cookies. But not so much anymore.
And when we grow up, not only do the things that make us happy change- we have so much more to think about. Life is more complicated. It’s more than just which toy to play with or who you want to be friends with. Now we think about school, we think about work and on top of everything, we think about making money. We go to school and study hard, so that we can get a good job and earn a stable income. Money makes the world go round now, not toys and candy.
A friend once told me, that people want everything, but see nothing. It’s a very sad concept. Being caught up with everything that makes us busy makes us bypass so many other things in life. We find it hard to stop to smell the roses. I can almost say that we try so hard to be happy, when happiness is right there - only if we stop trying so hard. The harder we try, the more elusive happiness gets, or so it seems. All you need to do is to embrace the child in you. Be 12 years old again.
I’m now 21 years old, not exactly old, but not a child either. I feel like I am at the junction of adulthood. Maturity is inevitable, I believe. It may be difficult for a child to retain childlike qualities, but I am going to try. I’ve just booked my tickets to Disneyland. I don't want to ever be too old to enjoy a themepark. And I hope no one ever feels that they are.
Growing up is a double edged sword. It is necessary, and yet we want to hold on to things of the past. And it’s not simple. As Mary Lamberton Becker once said: “We grow neither better nor worse as we get old, but more like ourselves.” And I guess, that is the beauty of growing up.
By Samantha Ann Branson
“Too many people grow up. That's the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up. They forget. They don't remember what it's like to be 12 years old. They patronize, they treat children as inferiors.” – Walt Disney
It’s a very strange thing. When you’re young, you want to grow up. My father recalls that when I was 8 years old, we were in a restaurant, and I told him that I wanted to grow up to be a “serve” and when he asked me what that was, I told him- “Someone who serves food!” When you’re 8 years old, you want to be a doctor, a princess, a teacher, an astronaut, and so many other occupations. But all that never really happens for the most of us. We grow up. We become more practical. Reality hits us.
Growing up means becoming more mature, my parents told me- and it made sense. When you grow up, you gain more knowledge through school, you make better decisions, and you become more rational. You understand the concept of reality. But at what cost?
I think the most of us lose that childlike spark of happiness, and the ability to appreciate the simplest things in life. As a child, getting ice cream makes you so happy. I can still remember how happy I would feel as child, when my father would come home with 250grams of Famous Amos cookies. But not so much anymore.
And when we grow up, not only do the things that make us happy change- we have so much more to think about. Life is more complicated. It’s more than just which toy to play with or who you want to be friends with. Now we think about school, we think about work and on top of everything, we think about making money. We go to school and study hard, so that we can get a good job and earn a stable income. Money makes the world go round now, not toys and candy.
A friend once told me, that people want everything, but see nothing. It’s a very sad concept. Being caught up with everything that makes us busy makes us bypass so many other things in life. We find it hard to stop to smell the roses. I can almost say that we try so hard to be happy, when happiness is right there - only if we stop trying so hard. The harder we try, the more elusive happiness gets, or so it seems. All you need to do is to embrace the child in you. Be 12 years old again.
I’m now 21 years old, not exactly old, but not a child either. I feel like I am at the junction of adulthood. Maturity is inevitable, I believe. It may be difficult for a child to retain childlike qualities, but I am going to try. I’ve just booked my tickets to Disneyland. I don't want to ever be too old to enjoy a themepark. And I hope no one ever feels that they are.
Growing up is a double edged sword. It is necessary, and yet we want to hold on to things of the past. And it’s not simple. As Mary Lamberton Becker once said: “We grow neither better nor worse as we get old, but more like ourselves.” And I guess, that is the beauty of growing up.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
so it's march 18 now.
looking at the dates,
i have about thirty ish days left in jonkoping,
after taking into consideration the days that i'll be out of jonkoping travelling-
that is to russia in april (:
it's kind of weird how i've come to like the place.
you know how people say it's boring and there's nothing to do and all that.
but that kinda is the beauty of it
it's slow and it's nice.
you dont have to rush
it's never crowded (i mean it)
it's so different from singapore in so many ways.
looking at the dates,
i have about thirty ish days left in jonkoping,
after taking into consideration the days that i'll be out of jonkoping travelling-
that is to russia in april (:
it's kind of weird how i've come to like the place.
you know how people say it's boring and there's nothing to do and all that.
but that kinda is the beauty of it
it's slow and it's nice.
you dont have to rush
it's never crowded (i mean it)
it's so different from singapore in so many ways.
with that said,
i cant wait to get to london.
yes i will miss jonkoping for all the quiet, peacefulness and everything
but honestly language is a big barrier.
which is pretty much a big reason why i prefer london-
everything is in english.
so yeah,
it's russia, gothenburg again, then hello london.
i'm pretty excited to start travelling.
it's going to feel great when school's out.
but for now,
there's like three essays due,
and a ton of news articles.
sigh.
time to get down to writing.
tonight i'm looking at immigration and education in singapore.
not too difficult, especially when you just need to pass.
i have to admit that i prefer classes in wkw much more than here.
i dont feel like i'm learning that much of what i want
(that's prolly cos most of the courses i'm clearing here are UEs)
but yeah, it's the travelling and being away from NTU that's been making it awesome.
very ironic.
guess you cant have your piece of cake and eat it.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The Kiruna wilderness has got to be one of the most beautiful, most natural and calm places on earth.
All the miles of snow and fresh air. It was really amazing.
I went on a school organised trip to Kiruna, which included a tour in the wilderness- which was a one night stay.
We also went to the Ice Hotel and to the mines in Kiruna.
It was all pretty awesome. But going to the wilderness first, made the rest of the trip feel very dull.
The Northern Lights were amazing in the wilderness, seeing them in Kiruna city just couldnt match up.
All in all, i definitely enjoyed the trip, but i would have preferred one more day in the wild.
Oh, and the 24 hour bus ride there and back, killed my tail bone and my knees.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Took a short trip near the Tibetan border (which is really China but this sounds so much cooler. If I said Chinese border, it'd sound like smuggling)
Went there on the premise of a journalistically unethical press trip. Had a ton of fun and I realise that I prefer hills, valleys and rivers to mountains. I need to try deserts and like barren space though, see how that works out.
Facing north towards Tibet,
and back towards Kathmandu.
so after much deliberation,
and i do mean, MUCH,
i have decided to fly to london
and by fly to london i really mean:
take a bus to gothenburg bus terminal,
another bus to gothenburg airport
and another bus from london stansted to jing's place.
(not that i'm complaining!)
for.......wait for it......
the florence + the machine concert on 8th of Marchhhh! :D
too excited.
and it's one of those things where i decided to go with my heart and run with it,
so yay.
it's gonna be awesome.
so that's london from 7-11th March!
i'm really stoked cos i get to meet Sarah, and Jing & Gen,
aaand Swah will be in London with her mum at that time too!
so we get to meet up!
i'm kinda really looking forward to just roaming the streets
(safely, of course)
i've been to london before when i was sec 2,
but that's like 5 years ago.
so we shall see how different it looks through 21 year old eyes now (:
before that......
there's kiruna! (:
i'm leaving tmr, so i'll be gone from 1-6th march.
hello northern lights
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(those are the closest thing on the keyboard that looks like the northern lights, lol)
i'll be going on a 24 hour wilderness tour, where we'll be living in cabins in the woods,
and we get to do manly stuff lol, like get water from a frozen lake and saw wood,
and pee in the forest.
HAHA.
apart from that, there'll be skiing, ice fishing, some mine tour and tons and tons of snow to lie in.
jiamin (my roommate) was there last week,
and she says the night sky is amazing.
i really cant wait.
there's something to strike off my bucket list.
(:
and i do mean, MUCH,
i have decided to fly to london
and by fly to london i really mean:
take a bus to gothenburg bus terminal,
another bus to gothenburg airport
and another bus from london stansted to jing's place.
(not that i'm complaining!)
for.......wait for it......
the florence + the machine concert on 8th of Marchhhh! :D
too excited.
and it's one of those things where i decided to go with my heart and run with it,
so yay.
it's gonna be awesome.
so that's london from 7-11th March!
i'm really stoked cos i get to meet Sarah, and Jing & Gen,
aaand Swah will be in London with her mum at that time too!
so we get to meet up!
i'm kinda really looking forward to just roaming the streets
(safely, of course)
i've been to london before when i was sec 2,
but that's like 5 years ago.
so we shall see how different it looks through 21 year old eyes now (:
before that......
there's kiruna! (:
i'm leaving tmr, so i'll be gone from 1-6th march.
hello northern lights
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(those are the closest thing on the keyboard that looks like the northern lights, lol)
i'll be going on a 24 hour wilderness tour, where we'll be living in cabins in the woods,
and we get to do manly stuff lol, like get water from a frozen lake and saw wood,
and pee in the forest.
HAHA.
apart from that, there'll be skiing, ice fishing, some mine tour and tons and tons of snow to lie in.
jiamin (my roommate) was there last week,
and she says the night sky is amazing.
i really cant wait.
there's something to strike off my bucket list.
(:
Saturday, February 25, 2012
so i realised we have rarely been posting :/
the first round of modules for school are over! (:
now it's on to news production and internet & web design,
both of which i am really looking forward to.
i'll be going to kiruna soon too,
and i'm really looking forward to that.
please pray that i get to see the northern lights while i'm there...
apart from that,
it's starting to warm up here in jonkoping.
it's about 5 degrees every day now.
which is warm, lol.
everything is brown now, cos the snow has melted.
and i have to say, i do miss the cold,
and i definitely miss the snow.....
guess i'll get my dose of it while at kiruna :)
post again, soon
the first round of modules for school are over! (:
now it's on to news production and internet & web design,
both of which i am really looking forward to.
i'll be going to kiruna soon too,
and i'm really looking forward to that.
please pray that i get to see the northern lights while i'm there...
apart from that,
it's starting to warm up here in jonkoping.
it's about 5 degrees every day now.
which is warm, lol.
everything is brown now, cos the snow has melted.
and i have to say, i do miss the cold,
and i definitely miss the snow.....
guess i'll get my dose of it while at kiruna :)
post again, soon
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
so i spent friday till monday evening in gothenburg with jiamin and the girls.
it was pretty awesome.
its a million times more hapz than jonkoping
tons more people, streets are crowded and all that
but there's a very different feel to the place.
i like it, but there's something very peaceful and slow about jonkoping that i like too.
what i enjoyed in gothenburg was haga-
the cafe we had lunch at
and the views from skansen kronan.
i also liked universeum!
dani and teo would have loved it..
i found the gothenburg museum kinda boring-
maybe because we were there at like ten am- right when it opened
talk about making the most of the day...
there's a topshop in gothenburg,
and a zara, mango, accessorize, several monkis and some other shops,
including a ton of h&ms
it's like giordano here,
i can memorise all the collections.
and gina tricot shops too.
it's quite funny.
i havent bought any clothes cept that top from monki for 60sek
and it's now 20sek cos it's the SLUT REA- which is final sale in swedish
PFFT annoying.
monki has awesome stuff, but not the cheapest.
h&m has all the stuff i already have
also luggage weight allowance is my biggest shopping deterrent
to date, i have only bought myself stickers, a glass and a polar bear soft toy.
no kidding.
slottskogens park was pretty awesome
cept all the animals were hibernating, sad
the bus ride back from gothnburg was pretty scary
it was a night bus,
and the roads were pitch black
plus on the way back we passed a truck that was entirely in flames
and i saw a dead deer on the road
but then three ambulances drove past us, so maybe it was a human not a deer :/
it was too dark to see even
apart from that last scary bit,
gothenburg was awesome.
i had starbucks 3/4 days that we were there.
next best thing to bubble tea i guess?
if i could have one thing now it would be KOI black tea macchiato.
hands down.
(apart from having wallace around of course)
so anyways now we're back in jonkoping,
makes me feel so lazyyy
and we have to do laundry today cos we brought our sheets over to the hostel in gothenburg lol.
also it's valentines day!
which is zzz here.
back to criminal minds and csi
it was pretty awesome.
its a million times more hapz than jonkoping
tons more people, streets are crowded and all that
but there's a very different feel to the place.
i like it, but there's something very peaceful and slow about jonkoping that i like too.
what i enjoyed in gothenburg was haga-
the cafe we had lunch at
and the views from skansen kronan.
i also liked universeum!
dani and teo would have loved it..
i found the gothenburg museum kinda boring-
maybe because we were there at like ten am- right when it opened
talk about making the most of the day...
there's a topshop in gothenburg,
and a zara, mango, accessorize, several monkis and some other shops,
including a ton of h&ms
it's like giordano here,
i can memorise all the collections.
and gina tricot shops too.
it's quite funny.
i havent bought any clothes cept that top from monki for 60sek
and it's now 20sek cos it's the SLUT REA- which is final sale in swedish
PFFT annoying.
monki has awesome stuff, but not the cheapest.
h&m has all the stuff i already have
also luggage weight allowance is my biggest shopping deterrent
to date, i have only bought myself stickers, a glass and a polar bear soft toy.
no kidding.
slottskogens park was pretty awesome
cept all the animals were hibernating, sad
the bus ride back from gothnburg was pretty scary
it was a night bus,
and the roads were pitch black
plus on the way back we passed a truck that was entirely in flames
and i saw a dead deer on the road
but then three ambulances drove past us, so maybe it was a human not a deer :/
it was too dark to see even
apart from that last scary bit,
gothenburg was awesome.
i had starbucks 3/4 days that we were there.
next best thing to bubble tea i guess?
if i could have one thing now it would be KOI black tea macchiato.
hands down.
(apart from having wallace around of course)
so anyways now we're back in jonkoping,
makes me feel so lazyyy
and we have to do laundry today cos we brought our sheets over to the hostel in gothenburg lol.
also it's valentines day!
which is zzz here.
back to criminal minds and csi
Monday, February 6, 2012
Back from a trek to Chisapani (which literally means cold water).
I assume that in some ways the comparison between a chilly hilltop town and Kathmandu is very much like that of Nepal and Singapore.
Uncomfortable, isolated, devoid of technology but also charming.
If not for the relative inconvenience of distance, I might actually go there every weekend.
Today was strangely cold and sunny, it might be a flu but I doubt it. The daily dose of dahl bhaat is getting boring and attractively routine at the same time. This might actually be the point of settling in fully.
This Thursday there is a day flight to Janakpur. Some OZ ambassador has her little project there so we're meant to cover it. Which means I can gear up like a PJ monkey again.
I wish I could travel like I normally travel. Bus, hotel, relax. Sounds good? Is good.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
so it's the second of february, and this has been the first proper week of classes.
the week started off pretty intensively,
with class from 9-4 and 5-8 on monday.
i was more of a workshop style kind of class,
so it was good.
i'm still getting used to the profs here giving breaks every hour or so.
so like after every one and a half hours, there'll be a half hour break.
i think i would prefer if there werent so many breaks lol.
but i guess i'm not used to it.
apart from that,
this week we visited the match museum-
which was originally the first match factory in the world
(in the world? i think lol)
i thought it wouldnt be so interesting
plus everything's in swedish
but they had this book which translated all the exhibit plagues into english.
and what i enjoyed the most was the artwork in the labels of the boxes of matches.
pretty amazing.
then after the match museum
(this was yesterday)
we went to the john bauers park near A6.
the entire lake rocksjon had frozen over.
and jiamin and i got to slide, or walk on it.
it was incredible.
it was kinda scary at first cos i wasnt sure if the ice could take my weight-
you cant really tell how solid it is.
but eventually we didnt bother
and a bunch of guys walked across the whole lake-
so we figured it was safe.
it was really one of the most awesome things i've done.
it was also snowing pretty heavily then,
so i took some photos of the snowflakes.
which turned out pretty amazing.
didnt expect my lens to be able to do that.
(who knew?)
todaaaay's thursday-
and i have no classes on thursday
WOOHOO.
spent the day on the essay for conflic transformation and international work.
and now i am blogging,
and thinking about how much i want to delve into graphic design.
i'm just not quite sure where to start.
PS. i got my forest green and ox red fjall raven kanken yesterday!! (:
it is awesome, cant wait to use it.
the week started off pretty intensively,
with class from 9-4 and 5-8 on monday.
i was more of a workshop style kind of class,
so it was good.
i'm still getting used to the profs here giving breaks every hour or so.
so like after every one and a half hours, there'll be a half hour break.
i think i would prefer if there werent so many breaks lol.
but i guess i'm not used to it.
apart from that,
this week we visited the match museum-
which was originally the first match factory in the world
(in the world? i think lol)
i thought it wouldnt be so interesting
plus everything's in swedish
but they had this book which translated all the exhibit plagues into english.
and what i enjoyed the most was the artwork in the labels of the boxes of matches.
pretty amazing.
then after the match museum
(this was yesterday)
we went to the john bauers park near A6.
the entire lake rocksjon had frozen over.
and jiamin and i got to slide, or walk on it.
it was incredible.
it was kinda scary at first cos i wasnt sure if the ice could take my weight-
you cant really tell how solid it is.
but eventually we didnt bother
and a bunch of guys walked across the whole lake-
so we figured it was safe.
it was really one of the most awesome things i've done.
it was also snowing pretty heavily then,
so i took some photos of the snowflakes.
which turned out pretty amazing.
didnt expect my lens to be able to do that.
(who knew?)
todaaaay's thursday-
and i have no classes on thursday
WOOHOO.
spent the day on the essay for conflic transformation and international work.
and now i am blogging,
and thinking about how much i want to delve into graphic design.
i'm just not quite sure where to start.
PS. i got my forest green and ox red fjall raven kanken yesterday!! (:
it is awesome, cant wait to use it.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
all settled in
jonkoping's been treating me pretty well.
it's cold but surprisingly i dont hate it.
been getting along pretty well with the weather here,
much better than i had expected.
though i guess it's just the start of wearing the same thing to school for like three months.
here's hello to routine i guess?
food's been pretty alright.
been cooking quite a bit
cos it's a bit too pricey to be eating out
so i guess that's good.
best thing i've had so far has got to be the noodles jiamin made on my birthday.
been spending the days watching at least one tv series on my laptop.
and of course, school.
school this week was pretty boring. lessons didnt last longer than half an hour,
to my surprise.
everything was like just half an hour ish of introductions
reminds me why i missed almost every first lecture in ntu lol.
heh.
that aside,
i havent been doing much shopping
-more window shopping than anything,
which is good
to date i have gotten myself a sheet of dolphin sandylion stickers
and a glass which has the two cutest deers on them.
i cant decide whether to start using the glass,
just like how i cant bear to use the new microwaveable container which wallace got me for my birthday.
it's strange how most of my shopping's for groceries
which is, i guess, a good thing?
to date we've bought everything from gelatin powder to ketchup to pear cider to bacon.
and the best thing-
daim almondy cake.
they have it in ALL the supermarkets here.
it's not exactly the cheapest thing it's like 32 sek?
but they dont have it in singapore,
so i know this is number one on the list of things i'll miss.
also this is kind of blasphemy seeing as how i am in the land of ikea and meatballs,
but the ikea meatballs do make me feel nauseous.
and i have to say i am not too fond of them.
weird, i know.
i would much rather have gravad lax- pickled salmon.
though it's cold and all.
there's school from 10-12 and 5-8 tmr,
weirdass timings and i'm surely gonna fall asleep tmr
but yeah.
strangely i've been feeling like studying,
i think i just wanna be one of the nerdy ones in class who knows what's going on
there's international conflict tmr which is pretty interesting.
except the class tmr is about the exam zzz.
okaaay off to drink some sparkling pear juice.
not sure if anyone reads this space,
it would be nice to know this isnt dead
it's cold but surprisingly i dont hate it.
been getting along pretty well with the weather here,
much better than i had expected.
though i guess it's just the start of wearing the same thing to school for like three months.
here's hello to routine i guess?
food's been pretty alright.
been cooking quite a bit
cos it's a bit too pricey to be eating out
so i guess that's good.
best thing i've had so far has got to be the noodles jiamin made on my birthday.
been spending the days watching at least one tv series on my laptop.
and of course, school.
school this week was pretty boring. lessons didnt last longer than half an hour,
to my surprise.
everything was like just half an hour ish of introductions
reminds me why i missed almost every first lecture in ntu lol.
heh.
that aside,
i havent been doing much shopping
-more window shopping than anything,
which is good
to date i have gotten myself a sheet of dolphin sandylion stickers
and a glass which has the two cutest deers on them.
i cant decide whether to start using the glass,
just like how i cant bear to use the new microwaveable container which wallace got me for my birthday.
it's strange how most of my shopping's for groceries
which is, i guess, a good thing?
to date we've bought everything from gelatin powder to ketchup to pear cider to bacon.
and the best thing-
daim almondy cake.
they have it in ALL the supermarkets here.
it's not exactly the cheapest thing it's like 32 sek?
but they dont have it in singapore,
so i know this is number one on the list of things i'll miss.
also this is kind of blasphemy seeing as how i am in the land of ikea and meatballs,
but the ikea meatballs do make me feel nauseous.
and i have to say i am not too fond of them.
weird, i know.
i would much rather have gravad lax- pickled salmon.
though it's cold and all.
there's school from 10-12 and 5-8 tmr,
weirdass timings and i'm surely gonna fall asleep tmr
but yeah.
strangely i've been feeling like studying,
i think i just wanna be one of the nerdy ones in class who knows what's going on
there's international conflict tmr which is pretty interesting.
except the class tmr is about the exam zzz.
okaaay off to drink some sparkling pear juice.
not sure if anyone reads this space,
it would be nice to know this isnt dead
Saturday, January 21, 2012
it snowed today and it was really awesome.
jiamin and i went for a walk by the forest trail behind our apartment.
it was snowing and snowing
and eventhough it was so cold
it was amazing.
looking up and seeing all the light snow just fall on your face.
at that point in time i realised how lucky i am to be here.
wish my family and wall could be here too.
been settling pretty well here in jonkoping (:
spent the past few days grocery shopping and shopping
as well as walking along lake vattern.
several supermarket trips later,
we're finally stocked up on everything (:
and yesterday we went for a walk along lake vattern,
the wind was insane and we were freezing but we did it to get to the beach end,
which was a narrow strip of sand lol.
it feels like -9 out today, acc to the weather channel report,
and the wind's like 25kph
so it looks like we'll be spending most of the day indoors
hopefully it snows later, so we can head out to play, lol.
apart from that, imma attempt to cook dinner tonight,
so hopefully that works out (:
wall's been busy with assignments in nepal,
i'll bug him to post more.
he's been shooting some awesome stuff which you can check out on fb.
i'm still working out how to get the dimensions of the photos posted here right so that they fit in the column,
so yeah (: pictureless for now.
crossing my fingers that it'll be a white birthday for me (:
spent the past few days grocery shopping and shopping
as well as walking along lake vattern.
several supermarket trips later,
we're finally stocked up on everything (:
and yesterday we went for a walk along lake vattern,
the wind was insane and we were freezing but we did it to get to the beach end,
which was a narrow strip of sand lol.
it feels like -9 out today, acc to the weather channel report,
and the wind's like 25kph
so it looks like we'll be spending most of the day indoors
hopefully it snows later, so we can head out to play, lol.
apart from that, imma attempt to cook dinner tonight,
so hopefully that works out (:
wall's been busy with assignments in nepal,
i'll bug him to post more.
he's been shooting some awesome stuff which you can check out on fb.
i'm still working out how to get the dimensions of the photos posted here right so that they fit in the column,
so yeah (: pictureless for now.
crossing my fingers that it'll be a white birthday for me (:
Sunday, January 15, 2012
so here i am, in jonkoping, sweden! (:
it's the morning for my third day here-
and it's the start of orientation in school.
the first day when we arrived at copenhagen,
it was pretty much 24hours worth of travelling to jonkoping and then settling in our apartment.
it was freezing- cos we just came from our flight and werent really dressed for the weather.
but we settled in the apartment which is pretty nice!
my bed is sorta in the kitchen,
but i think i've already made quite a mess with all my barang heh.
can.
yesterday we woke up early
the jet lag is really bad,
i was awake by like 530am.
and cos the sun sets here really early like at 4ish.
so i ended up sleeping at like 8pm
and not eating dinner heh.
it's gonna take awhile to adjust by the looks of it....
then we spent the day at A6-Ikea-Willy's getting stuff we needed.
managed to spend not a lot so that's good.
i treated myself to candy which i havent even eaten cos of my bad apetite.
who'd have thought the cold makes me eat less heh.
maybe i'm just put off by prices and my laziness to cook
(okay i did not just say that.)
aaaaand
i slept terribly last night,
felt so warm,
not sure if it was a fever but popped two panadols just to be safe.
i kept waking up every two hours zzz.
it's 8am now, and the sun's beginning to rise.
we're gonna catch either the 9.09 or 8.59 bus to school.
each of us have like a bus booklet with precise timings for the buses,
and the buses really come right on time.
each busstop has a sign that shows the waiting time for the bus, and it's pretty accurate.
so thats good so we dont have to freeze out in the cold.
imma try to blog more regularly with pictures too,
so this attempt of wall's and mine at a travel blog,
wont end up failing (heh)
okay an hour till i have to leave for school.
time for breakfast,
and then i have to think what to wear,
dont want to be too cold out,
or two hot inside.
zzz.
it's gonna take awhile before i get this right heh.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
so i'm flying off at 9.05pm tomorrow!
and yes, i am very excited.
but i'm also very tired.
i've spent the past few days running last minute errands from morning to night
and i've been sleeping late too.
every day before i sleep i'll add more stuff to the luggage.
finally, at 11.16pm today,
i'm pretty much done with packing.
my dad helped me repack it,
so it's all good
cept for my laptop charger, a pair of shorts and a pillow case (which are in the wash)
other than that it's all good.
i am really so tired.
i shall sleep soon.
looks like the next time i blog i'll be in jonkoping ;)
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
So its sunny but still cold
And i am stuck in the apartment looking for contacts on Nepali teenagers who volunteer their time.
Status Report: THERE ARE CLOSE TO ZERO.
Now aside from my obvious frustration with this phenomenon (YOUTH ACTIVISTS? YOUNG VOICES FOR CHANGE? KIDS TAKING ACTION?)
This idea was pitched against the rest of these:
This idea was pitched against the rest of these:
Story of paper
Yellow
What do teenagers do
Elite School teen VS Govt. School teen.(not bad but i need time)
Teenagers working(also a good idea but again time)
and
Green
Green
These weren't my ideas, but lets face it, if i'm the one trolling around with my gear, i have a 99% say on the topic. Or 75% and the other quarter going to the editor.
So bitchbitchwhinewhine, i'm still going with my idea.
Also i have no idea why it is so chilly when the sun is totally at maximum power. The dogs still bark at night and there was a special debut by a obviously tormented pre-slaughter sheep.
Rosemary lamb shank? Jyeah! Xinjiang style lamb kebabs? Suuuurre.
This is day eleven of 150.
theres alot more to go but well, it can only get better.
I have to say the gym was fun to shoot. And surprisingly i'm happy with the photos.
Monday, January 2, 2012
bye for now, stay safe
after an epic new years eve and early 21st birthday dinner with wall,
he's happily settled in, in katmandu (:
and i'm still in singapore-
till the 13th of Jan, 9pm at least.
I'm looking forward to flying to jonkoping, which is a town south east ish of stockholm.
it's slightly closer to copenhagen then stockholm,
so i'll be flying to copenhagen, then taking a bus to jonkoping.
Meanwhile, there's my held-in-advance 21st birthday party on the 7th,
so there's cake, invites, balloons and food to settle.
Kinda bummed that wall's away
but the connectivity is pretty decent.
he's got wifi every day cos of his phone plan that he got there-
so it's not too bad (:
we'll skype at the party la uh (:
(my grandma's house has no wifi, gotta rely on 3G zzz)
so yeah!
it's less than two weeks till jonkoping.
time to get packinggg
Sunday, January 1, 2012
2nd day of this year, 2nd place I've stayed in, 2nd meal with tahkari
Just moved into patan and met Mangal and Sidd. The first of many dhal baat tahkari meals is now residing in my stomach.
2 Days sans diarrheoa.
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