thoughts

lately i have been thinking alot. in the bath, while cooking, while washing plates. basically when doing the routine things that i din have to do in Singapore like cooking, washing plates, clearing my room, etc. now i've got to come back early to plan for laundry, coz it'd be too noisy to do laundry at night. so only 9am to 9pm.

so all these thoughts kinda just float around. oh i remember i am supposed to type jie wei an email telling her how i felt when i left. in short i felt so loved. serious. before i start on that:

some random thoughts: i just felt life could be so short, because when i looked at my dad's life, e seems to highlight his peak of his life to be the time at the top of his career when he was real rich. there wasnt much of a mention to his student life, which was not much. and zuup, its like almost 55 years already, and its like i've seen him for the whole process of this highligted part of his life til now. and it just went by so so so fast. and when i look at myself on the highlights i have so far, to a certain extent i feel so accomplished in life, of all my episodes. i guess i couldnt pick out a single highlight like him because each part to me has their moments. from the early dunman high basketball days, to VJC basketball, to army, uni and so. each phase has been somewhat of a highlight to me and of course now in Copenhagen. I am glad i am making each moment in life count as much as it is now and i would certainly look forward to have the same impact when i work.

running in Copenhagen

running. one of the things i kinda dread doing here. had a run with my buddy one of the days. but turns out its like hard to breathe in such cold weather. its really gd to run here coz you dun really perspire tat much. but its not easy. probably not for long distances.

the irony: i just ran home. from a party. it must have been like 3 or 4 km, but i really ran home. alone. i felt a sense of freedom, one that brought me away from the slight fear of the dark when i walk home alone. i felt like i was running so fast, even if there were spirits/ghosts whatever you call it, i would kinda outrun it.

i lost my camera. i kept thinking its ok. but of course it did ruin my night. i had some pretty good pictures today. but i lost it. why din i upload it? why did this happen to me? i might get it back tmr by having my danish buddy call the club and if they have it they'd return it. i dont know. i'm keeping my fingers crosses. i should buy one? or what? hm. we'll see. i've been spending quite a bit. which explains why i would rather die than to take a cab.. (again_), which explains the bizarre run. i kinda feel pretty at home in a foreign country. running home at this hour. i wouldnt run home in singapore.

activities on the sides.

visited a museum that was free of charge over the weekend, and they've got like hell loads of like greek sculptures and stuff. this one on slaying medusa caught my eye. and many more.

and check out the camera skills for that one. haha. \

blogging in a faraway land

each time i am on a task like cooking or bathing or whatever. anything that allows me to think about other things on the sideline, i'd think of things. and i always have so many things to say.. i wish i could really jot them all down here or somewhere. sometimes i wonder, we have all seen so many people on exchange who blogs a lot about their adventures and so on, posting pictures again and again on facebook, on their blog. but being someone who's not so much a picture person like me,.. i really find it a chore to be posting picutres up here everyday or every other day as requested or someting. but then again i guess i do enjoy posting certain kinds of pics. esp those on the food that i cook here.

on top is my exchange buddy and her name's maren. she's kinda different from the average Danish people in a way that she's probably much more international, and she's really into like latin american culture and so on. she's going to columbia for exchange next semester. that explains everything doesnt it. nice lady.

the other picture is on international dinner night where we all prepare food fr where we come from. singapore prepared curry chicken as our participating entry.. haa. that table is the German table where their food presentation is marvellous. haha. and of course the rounding up of the Chinese cities. :)

this week marks the end of my crash course in Danish and i must say i've really enjoyed tremendously from the course. one of the reasons being our tutor being very skilled in linguistics. thats the class photo as requested by me. haha. at first there was like an awkward silence, but then people started saying its a gd idea. might be too kiddy for the westerners? haha. we did it anyway.

Le Gourmet Pasta by Lim Kian Fong aka Gustoff i Danmark.

a lot of uncertainties. not really going to care about. just again, my to do list piling up loh. haha.

sometimes i wonder the people who can consistently upload stuff on their com, arent they the ones that have no life, since so much time is spent in front of their com updating to the world wat they have been doing in the day? hm.. but i guess this is an efficient way of updating a big grp of people about your life.

i've not really slept intentionally in denmark that much. most of the nights, i doze off with the intention of lying on bed for a few moments only. thus sleeping with the lights on most of the time. another reason is my light switch is outside my room also. dun ask me why. haha. little incentive to off the lights i guess. funny considering how i cant sleep with lights on in singapore. now i wake up normally wondering what time it is. i think i need a clock.

'budt'

so much has passed and i've been thinking so much i cant even differentiate what i have blogged or what i havent.

some random pic i took in school. probably means 'tobacco forbid' if you can see the root words in danish. actually its not tough to learn danish, since most european language have their affiliation. one of the things i am so thankful for is our government's choice of making us learn both Chinese and English. and think abt it, it makes it so muc easier for me to learn so many other languages. my teacher for the Danish Crash Course sounds like some linguist and he told us a lot of about the diferent roots of european languages, like affilations between German, english and danish and swedish etc. its cool to hear from him. so english gives us good footing to learn other european languages easily and chinese lets us learn other east asian languages like japanese and korean so easily!

curry chicken that my buddy and i cooked for the singaporeans here. it was really good. too little in fact. and we all these yao guis finished the curry til the last drop. rice in itself is like high morale. haha. so thankful. \

ice skating at Kongens Nytorv. which is like the city centre. imagine ice skating in orchard road. obviously people here regard aesthetics more than economic utility. fancy building an ice skating public place in the middle of expensive in our orchard rd equiv. wow. but it was a great night out. we had warm red wine and some danish snack.

the danish crash course hav been intensive but fun and meaningful. i think i am someone who ha a lot of interest in learning languages.

'Vor den gor det?' -how are you?

'Det gor fint. van med dig?'- i am fine, how about you?

'Det gor ogse godt' - i am good too.

haha. interesting. esp the pronunciations. frens tell me to pronounce Danish well, just sound like you are throwing up.. aha. serious.

the nice lights are the lights surrounding the skating ring. outdoors one. really like one of those that you see in shows. lights, infront of you is a hotel that looks like its centuries old kind.

on a sunday afternoon

our day out at a sunday church service turned out to be a whole day affair. with the youth there inviting us over for dinner and after which we watched a show that had no meaning at all. haha. reached home at 11 pm. late considering Danish Culture... maebe not their culture, but the length their days. pretty cosy feeling, in some Slovakian dude's place, mixing with all the international people. with dudes from England, the States, Lithuania, Romania and so on. plus the big bunch of us from Singapore. we outnumber anyone from any other country.

saturday

this is one saturday in which i am staying at home. now i understand what it means to be stuck at home because of the cold weather outside. considering someone like me, its a rarity. i know i'd brave the storm if there was something worthwhile. i even declined a dinner invitation from the other students coz i was just too tired. and thinking that i'd have to be alone coming back again tonight is a little too much.

i wonder how come i'm still not active on facebook even though i am on exchange. i conclude its not a matter of whether you're free, its a matter of lifestyle?

by the way, tonight i experience what its like to feel lonely. the feeling of being stuck at home, not knowing what to do. and i guess its really just about the friends.

on top is my first meal. never bluff you all right, instant noodles with 1 x egg. and 1 sheet of bak kua worth, being cut into bite sized pieces. ps: i cooked 2 packets and ate 1 for lunch at home. after which i packed the other packet into my thermoflask to be brought out. of which i ate later that night at a friend's place. one of the best investments ever made in my life must be that thermo flask! things are so crazy expensive in supermarkets! first hand info: 1.5l coke costs like 25Kr which is like over 7 sing bucks. mama. i bought a house brand of cola today which cost me 12.90 Kr, SGD$ 3.68. which is ok. but the tatse sucks. i havent had any other liquid other than water for days.. since the time i was here. and its tap water. drinkable but with some taste. my other investment that def paid off would be the nike waterbottle that i redeemed with the vouchers from the volleyball competition. it doubles up as my thermo flask in the room now. and to hydrate yourself in weather like this is a must.

i now hav a checklist which reads like this:

before you leave:

• wallet




• keys




• hp/ iPod




• transport card




• scarf




• hood




• gloves




• pack lunch




• water bottle




• camera




• vitamins taken?




• adaptor for sch

without anyone of those, life would be so miserable. because you'd have to pay a bomb or suffer in the weather or someting.

below: one of the pictures of my room. its rather big. double bed. a chair which i throw all my clothes on. feels like i moved house. my table: all the wires are in. another great investment: i brought a 4 pin adaptor which nicely functions my laptop, speakers, harddisk, all at the same time while my table lamp is switched on. coincidentally almost 90% of the furniture i'd say is from IKEA. my favourite place.

Denmark is a really green city, with lots of people on bicycles.. (i wouldnt be riding in this kind of weather) very seldom will you see plastic bags from groceries shopping. we hav to bring our own shopping bag. another of the smart things i brought. :)

i'm really starting to wonder what i should cook tmr for lunch. i mean brunch. i kinda hav 2 meals a day now. not sure why.

below: bing kai who has been travelling for the last few days, coming to CPH to pay us a visit, before he eads to aarhus this afternoon in fact. sent him to the central station after which we discovered the little Asian town. with all the cheap maggi mee there avail, i think i can afford to down more 2 packets at a time now. :). cheap meaning like 80 cents a pack. yes thats cheap by standards. i think i am alr adapting. today was so tempted to buy the almost $8 burger king meal. which is ok i think.

i think i will soon be able to finish touring the whole of copenhagen. but its true. i think this place packs as much as probably HCMC. def less than Singapore. considering the budget. hai. i think i will soon be able to test the limits of my discipline on food. haahaha.

the funny thing is spent over 1000 Kr at Zara just yesterday. crazy. and the thing is we brushed by H&M. i think i'd just go back in there tmr...

blogging on the plane

Blogging this right in the seat of the plane. not an easy flight despite the SQ brand of making you travel in comfort. ours ago i was in Terminal 3, overwhelmed by the number of friends/family wo showed up to send me off on my short 6 to 7 mths trip abroad. it was a time marked by relatively few tears but much introduction to the various groups of people in my life. for the first time jie wei's parents saw my mum. :)
so this flight probably marks the start of my exchange programme. certainly something i've been looking forward for, for half the time i was living. i recall a distant memory of someone advising me that i should not study overseas, since i could get the same experience just by doing a smemester abroad thru excange programs. true indeed. i also recall having enormous amounts of fascination about spending an extensive amount of time overseas.. well, i've tried a month away, but certainly not 6.
there's certainly a great amount of anticipation, and lifestyle will be very different. i sure hope i could articulate it in a way that makes you feel equally excited, but i probably cant. aha. and i guess there'd certainly be times when blogging would be the one keeping me occupied at night. i am still fondling with the idea that i could call people every other night or something. i guess i'm done for now, when the plane touches down, i'd have either of my assigned buddy from CBS or the daughter of my landlady pick me up from the airport, another of those come out of the gantry got someone holding out your name one. haaaah. shiok sia. and immediately i'd have many things on my agenda to settle for today alr, such as my CPR number, my mobile sim card, my student card, banking.. etc.
i look forward to settling into my new room, and certainly explore my new 2 degree celcius neighbourhood in thick wear. seems like all the things i wanted to do before i came on exchange, a good half of them had to be done here.. with the past few days marked filling up my time slots in the day by the hours to meet up with friends, family etc.
so well, i guess finally i am here. even jie wei says that its like i am taking damn long to leave. okok dear, i'm finally here and i hope you are already missing me, coz the last time i was on a plane, you were like konked out beside me. i wonder if i'd put on weight or lose when i'm there. i think our planes reaching real soon... ooh.. haha 3 more hours, but it looks like just another slice thru the globe. hm.. our world is bigger than i think.
i think its time for lonely planet. and of course, psalms.

packing

ever get that feeling that you'd never finish packing. coz the more you pack, the more you'd just try to stuff the whole freaking room into your little suitcase. to a certain extent i am just short of going to the extent of Mr Bean.. remember the classic scene where he cut his long brown pants to make them berms... just to save space.. and brought 1 sock instead of a pair to save space... etc... just to realise that he has a bigger suitcase just beside... hahaha.

i've been really trying hard to figure out how to stuff everything that i want to bring into the few bags i am going to bring.

and each time i pack.. the sooner i realise that i am leaving. true its just a short while. but i guess it'd be an experience for someone who travels frequently but never to such an extent. secretly in my heart i always hope for a crowd when it comes to sending you off. it kinda confirms that you have been someone in people's lives. haha. the need for affirmation. yes and no lah i guess.

i used to think i am such a nomad. but i guess over the years i have accumulated once again quite a number of belongings. but its amazing how i just stuff everything into 1 room, without anything in common spaces like the living room and stuff. my whole life is in my room now i guess.

the past few days have been marked by catchin up with frens for lunch slots and dinner slots, and nights are for packing. the next day i wake up at noon and the cycle carries on, til i realised tonight that i have less slots than friends. damn. tough.. and there still seems like there are 1001 things to do. i hope i dont neglect jie wei or anyone else. family as well.

i cant seem to find my bible. online bible verses?

what does community service mean to you?

psalm 12

Help, Lord, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men.
Everyone lies to his neighbour; their flattering lips speak with deception.
May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and every boastful toungue that says, "We will triumph with our tongues; we own our lips- who is our master?"

"Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says the Lord.
I will protect them from those who malign them."
And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.
O Lord, you will keep us safe and protect us from such people for ever.
The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honoured among men.

Today Jie wei and i went for a picnic at east coast park. just the 2 of us. few at ECP, pretty quiet. we found a shady spot near the beach and laid down our mat with gd music and hot food from vacuum flask. one of those things that you really appreciate doing. no need to take photos, since all the memory is stored in. no need to show, since its just a moment we share. :)
so thankful for this girl.

psalms 10

Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble ?
In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.
He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses te greedy and reviles the Lord.
In his prde the wicked does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him;
he sneers at his enemies.
He says to imself,"Nothing will shake me; I'll always be happy and never have trouble."
His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats;
trouble and evil are under his toungue. He lies in wait near villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims.
He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
His victims are crushed, the collapse; they fall under his strength.
He says to himself, "God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees."

Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless. Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself, "He won't call me to account"?
But you, O God, do se trouble and grief;
you consider it to take it in hand.

The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out.

The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted;
You encourage tem them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.