City of Buzz, Revisited.

A repost of the article that I wrote for the Enquirer, unedited. Not that I feel my points were murdered or bastardised, hardly so. But sometimes seeing the points in conjunction enables a better train of thought and transmission of ideas, rather than them being disjointed by breaks and spaces. Which, unfortunately, is what the nature of news is still unable to provide for. And that's when blogs step up.

Building the City of Buzz – Concrete Instructions Please

Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong threw down the gauntlet yesterday to NTU students - to build and imagine a future for Singapore as a “City of Buzz”. Singapore has grown from a third-world backyard to the first-world nation, and it is now up to the current generation to take Singapore further, he said.

Except the current crop are clueless architects in the wider scheme of things. Even when weaned off the mother’s milk, we still stand in the long shadow of a paternal government.

SM Goh spoke of the importance of a good, strong government that can be trusted to “look after your lives”. Only then can the “bottom-up buzz” that the government seeks to grow flourish.

Undoubtedly, the “hardware” is up. The Senior Minister spoke at length about the government’s efforts in creating an infrastructure and economy that can support buzz at a grassroots level. The “software”, then, would need to be implemented by the people.

So What’s the New Buzzword?

Which begs the question, how do we define the ‘bottom-up buzz’? Is it solely buzz generated by the people, or must it be supported by the government?

Unfortunately, SM Goh spent the better half of his speech totalling up Singapore’s recent successes. Students were left hanging on the exact kind of buzz that Singapore needed, which explained the recurring theme of the Q&A session. It centred on concocting the right kind of buzz in areas such as civil and political participation and the arts scene.

There are clearly approved buzz and those that aren’t, such as the droning of vuvuzelas. Certain brands of criticism are not as welcome. Where then to draw such a distinction is still unclear. Ng Wai Mun, a Year 4 student at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communications and Information, brought out a similar point when she asked whether the ‘buzz’ that the government was encouraging included a certain amount of chaos and creativity.

In response, SM Goh emphasised the need to maintain a sufficient amount of control through “step-by-step” deregulation instead. It seemed to imply that an invisible hand was at play in moulding what the government thinks is the appropriate type of buzz.

Organically Grown – But By Whom?

Indeed, much of the current ‘buzz’ can be considered artificially generated by the government. The Senior Minister mentioned Duxton Hill, which now oozed “financial buzz” after being cleaned of vice and sleaze. Yet, some might contend that such areas reflect the real Singapore beneath the shimmery surface.

Furthermore, the government took the lead in transforming “a cultural desert only for makan” into an oasis in Asia. But how much of that oasis is left for the touristic consumption and how much for genuine local nostalgia is anyone’s guess.

The Youth Olympic Games also showed how our sporting talents took second-place behind the much-vaunted need to showcase and promote Singapore. The development of the sporting culture seemed like more of an afterthought, a bonus to Singapore. One just needs to remember the sorry state of the National Stadium and the current FAS troubles to realise that. Buzz that has little economic potential just isn’t worth the government throwing its weight behind it.

Economic imperatives have ruled the day Singapore won its independence. The common wisdom doesn’t seem to have changed much. Buzz seems to be appropriate as long as it doesn’t meddle with the government’s magic formula of stability and progress.

It is essential to have citizenry buy-in into this vision of buzz. So long that the population deems the creation to be entirely artificial and only within accepted government parameters, the “bottom-up buzz” that it hopes for will never take flight. If not implemented with the human factor, buzz might just dissolve into pure hype and marketing, which fails to translate into tangibles.

Not Yet Ready to Leave the Nest

Some ground sentiment expressed dissatisfaction at “stupid” questions being tabled in the Forum. Macro issues of paramount importance were neglected in favour of micro concerns that should be more appropriate somewhere else. Yet, that is just a reflection of the conundrum at heart: has the authorities opened enough channels in engaging us, or do we lack the initiative to voice our concerns, since the government has always specified the correct route of action?

The Senior Minister also dropped a hefty election hint when he called upon NTU students to think hard and decide the kind of government they want to make it work, especially if they want to pass on all the problems they have to the government. But judging from the audience, we already know.

A complete schematic of a city on a silver platter, please. If the government has held our hand every step of the way, why stop now? The obedient child only gets spanked when he’s out of line. And this line is increasingly blurred as the government plays a game of hopscotch: one step forward in deregulating, and one step back when it deems certain buzz inappropriate.

Bottoms-Up to Bottom Up

Rome wasn’t built in one day, and Singapore isn’t likely to either. But for Singapore to truly succeed in being a “City of Buzz” for everyone, someone has to stop passing the buck, and build the bridges that really matter. Perhaps the ‘buzz’ needed, is to better market the channels between the government and the people.

When Alvin Pee, a Year 3 student from Aerospace Engineering, bemoaned the lack of avenues available for Singaporeans to be heard, SM Goh responded that the engagement process was always there. Whether citizens use it or not is up to their initiative.

The Feedback Unit has shed its image of being a government mouthpiece, but it is still essentially an avenue only for the elite, students, and the politically and socially concerned. Previous resources, obviously, should not be allocated mindlessly for widespread consultations on minor policy decisions. Such a process would no doubt curtail the efficiency of the government. But when it comes to policies such as HOTA, which affects everybody intimately, including the common man on the street, perhaps it would be better for the government to actively engage the citizenry on such issues, rather than relying on existing mechanisms.

question.

Why am I paying the school for my internship, even if I self-source? It's not as if their industrial contacts represent the golden guildhouses of Singapore, nor has NTU's administrative support been extremely forthcoming when it comes to job scopes and crucial information regarding PI.

Reality is a harsh mistress, so let's commit adultery (again).

something similar to david foster wallace, which i've promised myself to write but never had the motivation to.

The egoist has done it before, and seen it all before. or rather, them. in their naked, all-revealing splendour. Somehow their genuine honesty appealed, seduced, and brought him to bed them (and with them). But then the egoist grew tired, as all children will with their newfound toys. he outgrew that anal phase, the times when the egoist used to play the anti-hero just for a romantic, pseudo-masochistic fun (and still does, somewhat, because it's no fun being non self-centered), with all of these Greco-Roman muses surrounding him, on his frescos, on the buttresses, chiding, busying themselves about the egoist, changing his soiled nappies, and molly-coodling the frequent cries for attention. The egoist doesn't need parents as much as he desires the centering of all sounds equal upon him - as if the inertia of the whole world resided, not outside of him, nor independent of him. He felt, in a sense, like meta-inertia itself, defining the laws of motion, of speak and thought, so much that he felt a very delightful sense of weightlessness whenever coos and 'chiaks' punctuated his constant need for adoration - he felt like giving birth to small samples of himself, and very often it was so.

Then the egoist couldn't take the centering of undivided attention around him anymore. Because no matter how he was placed upon the pedestal, elavated to pseudo-climatic heights, showered with pomp, flair, and confetti, he couldn't stop feeling that the entire act was one of pseudo-irony (the irony being that he, the egoist, manufactured the entire stage upon which he carefully manipulated others to parade him on - it was a glaring hole in his heart that ate away at him unconsciously - he never realised the absurdity of the situation, otherwise he would perhaps have delighted himself, for a full month, wallowing in that half-conundrum-half-nectar of pseudo meta-thought. That (by that meaning, that general feeling of satirised showmanship) was only found out on hindsight, and even then, long into his second marriage) where he was the sole true actor, director, and stage-hand who carefully preened himself before indulging in majestic hand-waving upon his ivory tower, between occasions of royal appearances. Being the hypocritically egoist that he is, nothing defined him so much as the courtly scenes, but he craved an understanding of self and purpose that he felt could make him even more outstanding that he already is. It was self-actualisation, nor self-endorsement, that he would later come to understand in the last few years of his life, that defined his tumultuous periods while ding-donging between the blatant acting-acting, and acting phrase.

The egoist first met Reality during a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous (which he, in the tumultuous and trying periods of his self-centered, grand life, was forcing himself to eat some humble pie in the form of a condescending period of woe-is-me-battling alcohol addiction, which he mostly staged by play-pretend, which at that turning point in life where he had already impressively impersonated so many diverse personae that acting out such a 'weak' character, was, in his own way, eating humble pie. Except with one hand tied behind his back. This was to characterise his own 'blue' period that was similar to Picasso (so he would have thought, if he had familiarised himself with Art earlier), where he battled numerous depressions and addictions in an admirable way to once again centre numerous forces upon inertia (i.e, himself)). At first, the egoist thought nothing about Reality as she seemed so much like the harem before (which he now had nothing to show for but growing disdain, day by day, like the alcoholic poison that was secreting into his veins), right down to the coos and sighs, almost like the gentle rhythm of the arm-cradle they always put him on when he was young. Reality took turns listening to each attention-seeking scoundrel without fault, nodding and encouraging at every turn, giving the compulsory Group Therapy 101's constant eye-contact (with nary a judgement - she was consciously forcing herself to, or so he thought she thought. The intrigue was haunting.). Later, he was to realise that she had nothing but the utmost contempt for the bunch of intoxicated lost souls that literally fell over their own logic and reasoning feet trying to explain their cesspool of misery. To her, it was just a day-job of constant prodding of cattle into emptying their foul bowels, nodding repeatedly so much she could almost fall asleep at their mantra chants with the usual mix of depression, regret, humiliation, and the like. A toxic cesspool of nothing else that even the egoist doesn't dare to tread, knowing that a single misstep would swallow him up like quicksand and leave him flailing and indulging in the everyday delight of woe-is-me-misery (which in this sense would not fulfil him his meta-desire for attention seeing that he only succeeds when he consciously knows that he gets it, not when he doesn't).

The egoist did not recall the first meeting when Truth stripped bare and stood in her naked splendour in front of him. He had an impression that a cunning snake had just shed its ridiculously camouflaged skin (which he felt, much like his, was the product of society being unable to see past mere façades, its impotency at handling below-surface, unconscious and yet all-too-evident inconvenient Truths, which excited him further) ready to wrap itself around its prey (ie. him) and swallow it hole ((since he desires an acknowledgement of his own existence, and a partner well-versed at façade-deconstruction, (ie, who takes no shit from him) who reveals his most inner core emotions that is unbeknownst even to himself, which he knows really that would perhaps destroy him utterly and render him a stark raving fool)).

For five long years the egoist carried on his sordid affair with Reality, eager to discover his true purpose and character from his self-appointed prophet. Her initial words sprouted like pearls of wisdom which he eagerly lapped up (which in retrospect, was akin to horoscoping or interactive personality tests, much to his disgust). Her economy with words left him starved for more as he felt it explained the very depths of his soul. Catharsis on a cigar pipe. Sometimes the situation called for a waterweed one with numerous fruity flavours that bubbled constantly, just like his certain insecurities, which were tremendously breaking the surface, breaking waves, before dissonating down to calm waves again. He quickly adapted the part of the armchair patient, couched into a foetal position (which she explained as a natural reflex from having too little love too late), while Reality adopted the cross-legged, Freudian approach, listening for long stretches before telling him 'how I feel' which for short, she knew he knew, and he knew she knew, stood for what-utter-rubbish-nonsensical-hyperbole-ridiculously-overblown-self-concocted-misery-this-is-others-have-much-more-to-worry-about-like-the-famines-in-Africa. Yet while he secretly hid that innate desire and defense reflex to belt around her oft-nodding posture and tug tightly around her slender, slim neck, the non-judgement of the woman left him reeling, much in a sadomasochist fashion (if experts in that area were to agree, but they tend to live awfully short lives). The pain let him grow and question his true meaning in life. He could no longer deceive nor could he stand to. Rather, his characteristic evolution in mindset led to an eventual understanding that he could do no harm both to himself and Reality.

Yet, in the later years of the affair, the egoist found his interest waning. No longer did he view her as the all encompassing truth, but rather just a second-level discourse masquerading, as a natural law. (As an empiricist, or rather, as pressured to feel and talk and think like an empiricist, because he couldn't take the humiliating stand as a relativist, seeing how that would demand stating that he was, at best, as right as everyone, which certainly to his all-powerful-righteous-let's-take-the-opposite-path, not-because-I'm-right, but-because-I-can perspective, would obliterate his tightly-held belief.

Ok, shit, so you can't write anymore. Because you know that it's been going downward really quickly in the grand trajectory of all things good. It's like the rollercoaster going off its rails, which to everyone but the passenger is great stuff, really, but not to you. You wonder how you can continue calling the bluff, like adding more chips to the table and maintaining that scornful, scoundrel smile, like you've cheated the entire world, including your mom and the poor abandoned puppy dog to be here, piling chips, looking suave. When in fact you have. Because you've lead your readers into such a quagmire of anti-climax. Like the imp-things that lead the adventurous into the oasis only to lure them into quicksand and grin while they drown in the language of make-believe that you know they know it's make-believe but hey it's OK, since everyone does that to make themselves look smart anyway and everyone wants to pretend to know how to read some smart-ass' book on the public transport and say hey that's the way I see it and thus look smart by association and then you can stand up on your podium and sign books and just point to any prominent smart-ass' book review and say that's how you meant it all along when in fact it's just smart-ass analysing that counts for nothing and you just wrote something to bring in the dough and look intelligent doing it.

So how are you going to solve it? And worse yet, how are you going to stop the smart-asses from telling faithful smart-ass readers that the egoist draws parallel with your own life? Because you aren't sure at all are you. Like looking down a mirror, or the oily patch of water after rain, that it's not yourself. That you just write 'on the spur of the moment' since spontaneous talent, obviously, is the desired intellectual high snuff, as unexplainable as spontaneous combustion, except with more longevity. So how do you convince them that it's not you, or maybe, not only you, that it's something everybody can relate to (since that sells copies like none other), that their favourite author has not jumped the shark and sold out and sold his naked baring soul for a princely sum of twenty-one dollars and sixty-nine cents inclusive of GST at all major bookstores just for your adoring fans' pleasure?

You can, maybe, include that above. By looking at it as a meta-meta-fiction, it seems as if it's deliberately saying something about nothing, putting a higher level upon the pyramid. You know how nothing appears. It's the idea of nothing that seems like something that everyone just so crazily loves to bits. Like how everyone wants to see the wonders of the world, and the word meta sounds so damned high-concept by default when in fact it's just a Ponzi scheme except that you market intangible incomprehensible pseudo-ideas that really, when boiled down to its core, makes no sense at all. Especially when everyone has their own takeaways since they'll link it to some traumatic parts of their lives and comprehend it as if it's that that, and they'll argue over book clubs over how their take is the best and finally, because they really can't leave the book club where they stake their entire social intellectual lives upon, agree to disagree on the finer points and instead conclude on how talented and feted this work of the century truly should be.

So Reality, is, what it is. Is that cryptic enough yet? Maybe you should sleep awhile and wake up with a new muse instead. And the egoist? Damn the egoist.

The Complete Walkthrough to Jonkoping

(Update: 14 August 2012 - Noticed that there's quite a bit of traffic being diverted here... so a bit of update since Jonkoping has changed quite a bit since I've done the exchange there! - even though I've been back 2 times since)

Prior to choosing and going to Jonkoping, I did not have a lot of information on it, so it was slightly difficult going. But with the benefit of hindsight, things could have been much much easier. So here's a complete guide to the little town I call home!

Please let me know if you have any questions, or how this guide can be further improved!

Why Choose Jonkoping in Sweden?
1. The chance to travel Europe. It is much more diverse than the US (different countries have vastly different cultures – plus quite a bit more to see and do)
2. Cheaper than the US (if you plan to travel a lot – due to the weak Pound, Euro, and Swedish Krona, and also Ryanair, Easyjet, or Wizzair)
3. Sweden is the cheapest country in Scandinavia
4. Very safe, and people are friendly and speak English very well
5. The Swedish ‘Quality of Life’ mentality gets to you
6. Vastly different from Singapore’s urban environment – Jonkoping is an urban small town, with a generous dose of nature. You might find yourself lost and bored after 6, since there’s not a lot of shopping to be found, but you’ll slowly love to appreciate their way of life.
7. Slack classes!
8. Relatively close to budget airports (Stockholm Skavsta is around 4 hours away and services Ryanair and Wizzair. Goteborg City airport is 2 hours away and services Ryanair and Wizzair as well. Copenhagen's International Airport is 5+ hours away and services Easyjet). I can only recall Hertfordshire being closer, of all the universities that offer SCI courses.
a. IMPT – Being close to budget airports is essential if you intend to travel cheap and tour all of Europe – Flights are the cheapest way to travel, and beats trains and coaches all the time (tickets can cost as little as 10 pounds one way, without check-in baggage of course)

Burning Course-Related Questions
You’ll be able to do a maximum of 5 courses, 19 AUs. Choose from News Production (match for COM221), TV Production (COM225), Multimedia Production (COM229), Internet Production, International and Intercultural Communication (COM458) Swedish Language (UE).
They’re more project based, but it’s still quite slack and easy to just pass. Swedish semesters are divided into 2 periods, each lasting about 2 months, with a recess week in between. Internet Production stretches over 2 periods, so it’s not as recommended.

Before You Depart – Getting Ready
1. Visa matters
a. Apply for a Visa at the Swedish Embassy, which is near Newton (the Singapore Power Building). Costs 200 SGD.
i. Application is pretty fast, note that they will only give you a Visa that stretches you 2 weeks before and after term time (which gives you very little time to travel)
1. But most classes can be skipped (teachers are pretty liberal about that) – I travelled during term time and for 1 month after my term, covering about 25 cities
2. You can either:
a. Overstay – Potentially dangerous, since there are frequent passport checks for domestic (which means Ryanair) flights. You will confirmed be checked when flying back to Singapore, so it’s dealing with luck. Overland travel (train, coach) will have significantly less visa checks, but might still occur.
b. Apply for extension – Can only be done when you reach Jonkoping. Must have valid reason (but the school will try to help you). The Migration Board is a bit difficult to find. It’s in an ulu building in the City Centre. Costs 200 SGD.
c. Leave the UK for the last leg – Travel the Schengen Area during term time, and leave for the UK when your Visa expires. The UK is out of the Schengen Area, so you have 1 month to travel there. But you will have to lug your luggage around and find one place to store.
i. Schengen Area explanation – Swedish Visas are also Schengen visas, which permit you to enter other Schengen areas (most European states are Schengen) for up to 90 days (although they won’t really count). But once the Visa expires, you cannot enter the areas even as a tourist (some countries might take exception but you have to ask their immigrations first)
2. Buying your plane ticket
a. There are no direct flights to Jonkoping (Jonkoping’s Axamo Airport is relatively small), so the best way to get to Jonkoping is by flight to Copenhagen or Stockholm, and then a train/coach to Jonkoping.
i. Copenhagen is a very busy airport, and while tickets to there are usually cheaper than Stockholm, the airport staff is extremely picky about luggage allowance (only 7kg hand carry, and 32kg check-in). Stockholm is said to be more lax, but tickets could be slightly more expensive.
ii. Look at Thai Airways, Scandinavian Airlines and Qatar Airways especially. They’re usually cheaper.
iii. Normally the earlier you buy, the cheaper it is. But occasionally airlines run promos.
iv. STA dangles the extra luggage carrot. But the fact is that you can also get the extra luggage (at least for Thai Airways) if you go to their office with your e-ticket and your acceptance form to Jonkoping. STA is a travel agent, and will still get a bit of commission for their efforts. Do check, however, if the airline offers extra luggage for students.
b. From Copenhagen International Airport, you can take a Swebus coach to Jonkoping. Book online, the earlier it is the cheaper. Check the timings first, as there are only 3 trips a day. You’re looking for FROM Kastrup Terminal 2 for Copenhagen (Kastrup is Copenhagen’s Airport – Just wait outside the terminal, at the bus stop, earlier than the time – Europeans are VERY punctual) TO Jonkoping.
c. From Stockholm International Airport, there seems to be a new route as well, You’re looking for FROM Arlanda to Jonkoping.
d. Trains are available also, but the duration is similar. It’s also more expensive, and you have to make transfers. They can also be late, causing extra stress. Also, they don’t allow online booking for non-European credit cards. You’ll be looking at from Köbenhavns Lufthavn/Kastrup (for Copenhagen) or Stockholm C to Jonkoping.
e. Try to time your arrival so that you can use the pickup service from the University. It’s much easier than trying to find your way around, lugging 30kg luggage in the snow (not fun at all in negative temperatures).
3. Travel Insurance
a. Buy NTUC Income’s travel insurance, not AIG’s. The AIG plan that STA recommends does not cover you for travel delays (it’s just illnesses and lost belongings). I recouped 1k for Iceland’s volcanic eruption. AIG plan-holders won’t. Get more people to purchase as a group for more savings.
4. Luggage Packing
a. Get space bags for packing from Daiso (it’s 2 SGD for one really big one) to vacuum your stuff, compared to DIY fixit which costs around 15.
b. Don’t bring too much clothes, especially if you plan on shopping there. Winter and Summer sales (mid Jan and Jul) has 70 percent off, which makes most things cheaper than Singapore.
c. Try to top up the 32kg with foodstuff (instant noodles and porridge, etc). There’s only 1 Asian supermarket there, and stuff is pretty expensive.
5. Winter Clothing
a. You’ll probably arrive in early-mid-Jan, so Winter Sales are still ongoing. Winterwear is much cheaper there, and much better as well. Just one winter jacket is fine. Boots are pretty optional.
b. You can make a trip to Stockholm to stock up on clothes, or the flea market (every Saturday 8am – 1 pm at the Culturehouse) or the Red Cross shop (near Sofiakrykan – Sofiachurch)
i. Winter jackets can be as cheap as 10 SGD used or 30 SGD new from H&M
c. I found thermalwear to be useless, so it’s your call whether to buy any from Singapore.
6. Apply for ISIC and Hosteling International Cards
a. ISIC card is cheap, and can be used for discounts in Germany (especially Berlin’s CityHostel Berlin) and Spain
b. Hosteling International lets you pay lesser for affiliated hostels, and some hostels can only be booked by members. These hostels tend to be better serviced and have curfews.
7. Keep up to date with the International Association at Jonkoping University.
a. They run pub crawls, overseas trips (eg. Russia and Norway), and the very popular Kiruna trip (which is worth every penny, even if you don’t see the Northern Lights)
b. Sign up for their contact person and contact family programme. You’ll be offered help in finding your way around the town, and experience Swedish culture!
8. Apply for Accommodation
a. You’ll be offered a few choices – Vilhemlsro, Grashagen, Delta, Raslatt, Tenhult
i. Vilhemisro is pretty far from the university, and the bus service is very infrequent. You share a common kitchen and bathrooms, and interact with a lot of international students.
ii. Grashagen is relatively closer to school. The bus is frequent, and you have your own kitchen and bathroom. If you choose a double room, one bed is in the kitchen/living room. But it’s still pretty good for me, plus you get to meet our friendly Swedish lady! (see below)
iii. Delta is in the city centre, and you can walk to school. But it’s the oldest of all the accommodation. Common areas also.
iv. Raslatt is in the suburbs (previously the ghettos of Jonkoping, but still very safe) Further than Grashagen. You share the kitchen and toilet, like a HDB flat, with your own room.
v. Tenhult is a train ride away. The furthest from school. It’s the biggest and you pay the cheapest rent, but it’s really inconvenient.
b. Bring your own bedsheets!

Once You Get There – Orientation Time
1. Buy bus tickets
a. You can buy the Periodkort (like our concession card) at the Pressbyran stores. It costs around 100 SGD. In the spring/summertime, you can save money by walking (which is recommended – soak in the Swedish summer!)
2. Buy Prepaid Mobile Plans
a. You’ll get a SIM card in your welcome package when you get there. The best plan to buy is the Kompis plan, which allows free SMS to other Kompis plans, and free calls (with a 69 ore startup cost).
b. You can buy the plan at any supermarket or Pressbyran.
3. Supermarkets
a. There are a lot of supermarkets, such as ICA, Coop Forum, Willys, and Netto.
b. Generally Willys is the cheapest (and the one at Tokarp is quite convenient). So is Netto, a new upstart that is conveniently located at Juneporten. Maxi-ICA (near the industrial part of the city) and Coop Forum (at the A6 shopping centre) can also be cheap sometimes when there are promotions! Just look at the ads!
c. The only Asian supermarket is at Tokarp. It’s pretty expensive.
4. Eating Out
a. The student meals at Evergreen (near the school and the Lassaretsparken bus stop) cost 59SEK, which is pretty cheap. You can get a salad buffet, drink, and a pizza of your choice.
b. Afterwork Buffet (a Friday evening tradition) is also cheap at O’Learys Sportsbar at 49SEK (but there’s a coat charge of 20SEK..)
c. Cheap lunches are also plentiful, especially at Jensens (at the city terminal, costing some 49 SEK), or IKEA (16 SEK for meatballs)

Tips for Travelling Cheap
1. Budget airlines
a. Ryanair, Wizzair and EasyJet are the common European budget carriers. Ryanair is usually the cheapest. Wizzair is vital for Eastern Europe travelling. Easyjet is great if you want to connect to international flights (since it services Copenhagen's International Airport)
i. Ryanair runs special promos most Mondays and Thursdays. Buy tickets when they run their promos offering special prices tickets (5-10 pounds)
ii. These budget carriers don’t let you do transfers easy, but you can make your own transfers between them.
2. Swebus (and now, Bus4you, a new competitor that has wider and more comfy seats!)
a. More expensive for travel during Thursdays to Saturdays. Try to buy for other days.
3. SJ
a. You can buy them in the ticket machine at Jonkoping’s train station, with your credit card (strangely)
b. Some tickets are ridiculously cheap, as long as you buy early (eg. 1 month in advance). Can be cheaper than Swebus.
c. Or, buy last minute tickets (24hours till travel), which can also be very cheap.
4. Other train services
a. DB Bahn (Germany’s trains) often has specials for their City Night Line sleeper trains. Check regularly, and you can get 39 euros for a ticket.
5. Hostel-booking sites
a. Hostelworld, Hostels.com, or Hostelbookers.com
i. You can check their prices, which tend to differ somewhat, even for the same hostel. Availability might also differ sometimes. Hostelworld charges an admin fee though.

If you’ve gone so far and are still reading, congrats! You’re ready for Jonkoping! If you have any questions, please email me at kayejaye87DOTgmailcom! (Also, if you would like to befriend a very hospitable Swedish lady who lives near Grashagen, please let me know, so we can introduce you to her!)

the featherquill.

how life changes in six months, i don't know.

you probably go back, smarter, older, wiser, more jaded, and yet more cheerful. you want to go back bringing tales of exploits, of wonders, like the sailors of yesteryear.

with the mere difference being no bards to sing your song.

it's this time where you try to find something you desperately want to remember. some souvenir to chip off the wall or some photo to take to immortalise a place/person. or sum up the entire experience somehow, and how it was worth it, life-changing or extraordinary. being cursed with poor memory dictates that i not waste time doing the former.

but i'm content with the developments, with the connections. perhaps a little bit more time would be nice, now that there is so much more to savour and kindle. to sit down, chat, and talk about so many difference perspectives, life problems, life histories, and amidst all the silent judgement and contention, being able to find some common grounds of agreement.

but perspectives change, and i suppose one of that is how you define relationships, and time. some things you leave it as that, with a tinge of regret and sadness, but still happy that it was there, at that moment. at least you discovered it, somewhat. at least you know what's out there, and part of it has been imprinted upon you, and something's for the better.

then again, having a memory so bad, you might just go back, and be your old self again.

sweden shenanigans, pt deux.

a bit overdue, so lucky there are days where the weather's too cold to do anything worthwhile outside, and buses arrive too infrequently.

ok, i foresee the posts getting way too overdue, but that's the lazy me exacerbated by the lazy sweden weather. extremely 'lat'.



they have rebate coupons on the shelf, ala the US. Not like Singapore. Probably cause less people read the papers. Oh, and their offers come out every Sunday, not Thursday.



welcome to IKEA. the budget fitted out section that is. ice ground included free of charge, dammit.



doctors work weekdays in sweden, and they're kind of appointment based. foreigner rates hang around the region of 400SGD for a simple consultation. ouch. no wonder the apoteket receives much more visitors. pharmacists are more qualified here, and their advice is treated seriously by patients. unfortunately, they're more of the 'home cure' and 'no antibiotics' kind. strange given their reliance on public health systems.



jonkoping is awfully small if you're looking for real shopping. besides the city centre, and the A6 shopping mall, there's seriously not much else to shop for. but they're a shoe culture, with as much shoes as clothes. not totally unexpected given their snowy weather.



you can't resist a little graffiti now and then. so much for enlightened europe.



swedes are kind of crazy over carbonated drinks. even normal coke taste more gassy here than back in Singapore. and their carbonated drinking water, plus a funky machine that can make sparkling juice. coke can sort of replace the big mac index, but it still IS possible to get a 1.5litre at only 2SGD. plus, you get the swedish pant system, which gives you some 80 cents back for recycling. kind of like the old Singapore jackpot machine.

sweden shenanigans, pt 1.

been awhile since i blogged, although i've been playing with the idea of a travelogue (that will probably only materialise in my dreams)

so let's just put on some stuff that's interesting (and perhaps informative) for future exchang-ers as well.



not ordinary white bread you see back home. comes with a mean expiry date (often 1 week), and available in (most commonly) 600g packs. Means you wolf down 4 to 6 pieces a day if you don't want it to go bad.

the cheapest brand is eldorado, which is a budget brand we're making fast friends with.



mr milk also comes with a great price to pay. even though it's very much cheaper than the watery milk we have in SG. (1+SGD/litre) dairy products expire DAMN fast, even though there are opportunities to pick up half-prices for almost-expiring or expired ones (which i'm not gonna try).



the siemens stove we have in the accommodation. runs on electricity, which is good (and bad). i suppose you can't have a closed room filled with gas anyway. but the oven is always good (since i've never used one) for food experiments, like grilled chicken, grilled hotdogs, grilled meatballs...



corn. you don't have a lot of vegetables here in ulu Jonkoping. only broccoli (green and white, for variety), some peas, carrots, and frozen stuff. corn is only available frozen and their texture is.... smudgy. Very very soft yucky corn. Or maybe i just cook too long. not cheap too, even for frozen ones.



weird minty vegetable. unknown thingy, but apparently it's part of a soup mix. tastes like carrot, but don't think it's white carrot leh. in any case, some potatoes also taste minty.



Rice! Not cheap here, at 4-5SGD/kg. It's really 粒粒皆辛苦. Although you do find rice cookers as cheap as 60 SGD, super cheapo me prefer to steam rice and chicken instead. The only hard part is defrosting, which takes A LOT of time. And also the metal stand, which I'm still unable to find, so i get lots of ceramic marks on my pot.



Sauces! No Chinese (and sometimes Western) dishes are complete without a hell lot of condiments. BBQ (for marinating grilled stuff), oyster sauce , pepper, soya sauce, salt, sugar (which can all be bought here), and MSG (which i haven't seen - maybe not looking out for it)

Just bought starch powder today, which means no more watery 'zup' from vegetables! Yay! Tempted to buy 麻油, but seems to be more limited, for rice, chicken, and instant noodles.

Speaking of which, one of the best instant noodle brands Nissin can be bought here, but for 1.4SGD per packet. Compare that to the 6 pack in SG, for 2+SGD. Daylight robbery, but oh well. Time to gam with the Cantonese owner....



crazy weather for nighttime jonkoping today. the floor is icy and i keep feeling cold drafts at my feet. apparently the room isn't airtight enough and lets cold air from outside in. free aircon.

shall never complain that marina square is cold again.

it's been tough.

never been one to wish out loud, but i hope life goes easier on me, starting from tomorrow. else, i'll have to content myself thinking that everything has a reason (which is obvious crap - some things surely can be spared 'the experience').