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.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
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').
Thursday, December 31, 2009
not yet gone.
It's less than 1 week till I fly off. But the feeling of both anticipation and apprehension makes for a disconcerting feeling to swallow. The unknown is always a terrible factor to handle, given how much I like to source for as much information as possible, and the uber ulu Jonkoping doesn't offer too much of that.
But then again, it's been a fun affair learning how to put my OCD tendencies to good use. Learning how to pack the right way, source out the good deals, learn cooking and choosing food, as well as the ins and outs of visa bureaucracy.
Anyway, on to lighter stuff. Here's tips that I've amassed from exchange preparation!
1. Money exchanging
Seems like the Arcade at Raffles Place and Mustafa is the way to go. Remember to check online Google rates before you go, and check the rates for multiple changers. Flaws in the free market at the arcade still exist for some reason (possibly a cartel?). Also, a long queue does not always mean great rates.
USD and Euros rates are more or less equivalent to Google rates. Rare currencies such as Swedish Krona has a significant discrepancy, but bo bian. Even rarer ones (such as Czech Krona) is unavailable, even at the airport. Most people will change for USD instead (easily convertible, even in Europe)
When withdrawing money overseas, a good card to use is the UOB Campus Debit Visa. Allows 3 free withdrawals monthly (otherwise it's 5 SGD a pop). Most withdrawals conversion are done by converting the home currency to USD, then from USD to SGD. Thus, you suffer twice.
2. Winterwear
Uniqlo turtle necks are good at ten bucks a pop. Adidas winterwear from Korea can be sought out at Song&Song (with outlets in AMK, TPY, Jurong East, Clementi) at 50 apiece. Timberland winter boots are available at up to 70% off at the Timberland Outlet store.
3. Packing
Vacuum packs work wonders for saving space. That and heat packs of 5 are available at Daiso for 2 apiece.
4. Communication
Phoenix Comms is great for cheap calls from Singapore to abroad numbers.
Voipstunt - Free internet calls from foreign countries to Singapore at a rate of 10 EUR for 120 days!
Hopefully, this will prove to be good information for future Googlers going for exchange. Makes life SOOOO much easier if you have all this information.
But then again, it's been a fun affair learning how to put my OCD tendencies to good use. Learning how to pack the right way, source out the good deals, learn cooking and choosing food, as well as the ins and outs of visa bureaucracy.
Anyway, on to lighter stuff. Here's tips that I've amassed from exchange preparation!
1. Money exchanging
Seems like the Arcade at Raffles Place and Mustafa is the way to go. Remember to check online Google rates before you go, and check the rates for multiple changers. Flaws in the free market at the arcade still exist for some reason (possibly a cartel?). Also, a long queue does not always mean great rates.
USD and Euros rates are more or less equivalent to Google rates. Rare currencies such as Swedish Krona has a significant discrepancy, but bo bian. Even rarer ones (such as Czech Krona) is unavailable, even at the airport. Most people will change for USD instead (easily convertible, even in Europe)
When withdrawing money overseas, a good card to use is the UOB Campus Debit Visa. Allows 3 free withdrawals monthly (otherwise it's 5 SGD a pop). Most withdrawals conversion are done by converting the home currency to USD, then from USD to SGD. Thus, you suffer twice.
2. Winterwear
Uniqlo turtle necks are good at ten bucks a pop. Adidas winterwear from Korea can be sought out at Song&Song (with outlets in AMK, TPY, Jurong East, Clementi) at 50 apiece. Timberland winter boots are available at up to 70% off at the Timberland Outlet store.
3. Packing
Vacuum packs work wonders for saving space. That and heat packs of 5 are available at Daiso for 2 apiece.
4. Communication
Phoenix Comms is great for cheap calls from Singapore to abroad numbers.
Voipstunt - Free internet calls from foreign countries to Singapore at a rate of 10 EUR for 120 days!
Hopefully, this will prove to be good information for future Googlers going for exchange. Makes life SOOOO much easier if you have all this information.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
gobbledydook.
tik-tock, the clock in the background
(why'd most poems begin with sounds, sighs or frowns)
no matter, it'll get better
or it'll clink-clunk straight to the gutter.
not ruby red, but jaded green
if only things were as it seemed
how many ticks, how many sounds
sixty-seven? nah, i've lost count.
puncture me, dear hyphen-
at least you're something i can discern
from the mish-mash of commas, full-stops,
jumble of half-told tales and flops.
gimme inspiration, something like plaith
nay, not the thrice-damned galbraith
always wanted to write about a rook
all the other pieces, i suppose, you took.
so here it ends
stapled incoherence bends
curse sticky-notes, save the stitch
knowledge is a cold-weathered bitch.
(why'd most poems begin with sounds, sighs or frowns)
no matter, it'll get better
or it'll clink-clunk straight to the gutter.
not ruby red, but jaded green
if only things were as it seemed
how many ticks, how many sounds
sixty-seven? nah, i've lost count.
puncture me, dear hyphen-
at least you're something i can discern
from the mish-mash of commas, full-stops,
jumble of half-told tales and flops.
gimme inspiration, something like plaith
nay, not the thrice-damned galbraith
always wanted to write about a rook
all the other pieces, i suppose, you took.
so here it ends
stapled incoherence bends
curse sticky-notes, save the stitch
knowledge is a cold-weathered bitch.
aircon and its perils.
sbs employee #1: eh brudder, how should we go about doing the Jurong Point AIRCON interchange ah?
sbs employee #2: dunno leh, aiya, actually very simple one. just put aircon and sliding doors (that might or might not work) can liao. Singaporeans (and other nationalities) very impressed by those high-tech looking things one.
#1: ya hor, and then i just put somemore land space filled with nothing to make it Singapore's biggest AIRCON interchange! wah lau, sure very popular one.
#2: then we put single entry and exit lanes for the buses, and we rotate some bus services so they do a pointless roundabout the entire Jurong Point and the old interchange! wah lau eh, Singaporeans sure love us for this! Extra 10 minutes in an AIRCON bus for FREE leh! and then and then, so many buses and so little lanes, sure jam, then the interchange sure look damn popular with people!
#1: then the bus services that ply the industrial estates and dormitories how ah? since they're 'different' and create long queues, why not transfer them to the old interchange....
#2: shhhhh! so xenophobic! sure kenna whack one! we transfer the ntu buses la! students only mah. they also always so long queue, make so much noise. we achieve the same effect but with less bad press! AHHHH!
#1: then hor, i noticed that the Boon Lay residents have so many bus services available to them! how can? you heard of tyrannry of the majority a not! wah liew so many choices wait they cannot make any! then they miss bus! then they die!
#2: ya! so let's remove 2 of the 4 existing services ok! let them PASS THROUGH THE ROUTE BUT NOT STOP THERE. then the residents will not take SBS for granted liao. they think Singapore so connected without us meh! Also, then next time gahmen can restore the old services as the elections carrot!
#1: ya ya! budden, we cannot be so unfair, wait people write to forums. so let's just remove the services going to the AIRCON interchange from that bus stop, budden for the opposite bus stop, we DON'T TOUCH! Creative solution right? Wah lau, upper management will surely love us for this!
stop screwing around with 'innovations' and 'service enhancements' and gimme back what worked in the past, SBS.
sbs employee #2: dunno leh, aiya, actually very simple one. just put aircon and sliding doors (that might or might not work) can liao. Singaporeans (and other nationalities) very impressed by those high-tech looking things one.
#1: ya hor, and then i just put somemore land space filled with nothing to make it Singapore's biggest AIRCON interchange! wah lau, sure very popular one.
#2: then we put single entry and exit lanes for the buses, and we rotate some bus services so they do a pointless roundabout the entire Jurong Point and the old interchange! wah lau eh, Singaporeans sure love us for this! Extra 10 minutes in an AIRCON bus for FREE leh! and then and then, so many buses and so little lanes, sure jam, then the interchange sure look damn popular with people!
#1: then the bus services that ply the industrial estates and dormitories how ah? since they're 'different' and create long queues, why not transfer them to the old interchange....
#2: shhhhh! so xenophobic! sure kenna whack one! we transfer the ntu buses la! students only mah. they also always so long queue, make so much noise. we achieve the same effect but with less bad press! AHHHH!
#1: then hor, i noticed that the Boon Lay residents have so many bus services available to them! how can? you heard of tyrannry of the majority a not! wah liew so many choices wait they cannot make any! then they miss bus! then they die!
#2: ya! so let's remove 2 of the 4 existing services ok! let them PASS THROUGH THE ROUTE BUT NOT STOP THERE. then the residents will not take SBS for granted liao. they think Singapore so connected without us meh! Also, then next time gahmen can restore the old services as the elections carrot!
#1: ya ya! budden, we cannot be so unfair, wait people write to forums. so let's just remove the services going to the AIRCON interchange from that bus stop, budden for the opposite bus stop, we DON'T TOUCH! Creative solution right? Wah lau, upper management will surely love us for this!
stop screwing around with 'innovations' and 'service enhancements' and gimme back what worked in the past, SBS.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
chinese opera.
from whence did the suona
begin their song
clashing cymbals heralding
the curtain draw?
whereupon did we adopt
roles of sheng and dan
speak in sing-song vernacular
and walk the pretentious gait?
did we roll up our water sleeves
to draw the false rouge red?
or was it to prune
the wretched pheasant feather hat?
if only we could tell
sharp eyebrow from
withered frown.
(but we didn't)
and so we circle the motions,
a linear timeline.
tri-sided relationships
paraded on rectangle stage
how we turn our backs
only to stare at
the once-familiar, once-detested, once-contemptuous,
the once-upon-a-time.
'do i know you?'
cue the endless tragedy of the deja vu.
begin their song
clashing cymbals heralding
the curtain draw?
whereupon did we adopt
roles of sheng and dan
speak in sing-song vernacular
and walk the pretentious gait?
did we roll up our water sleeves
to draw the false rouge red?
or was it to prune
the wretched pheasant feather hat?
if only we could tell
sharp eyebrow from
withered frown.
(but we didn't)
and so we circle the motions,
a linear timeline.
tri-sided relationships
paraded on rectangle stage
how we turn our backs
only to stare at
the once-familiar, once-detested, once-contemptuous,
the once-upon-a-time.
'do i know you?'
cue the endless tragedy of the deja vu.
Friday, October 9, 2009
metahegemony.
you know the world has gone to nuts when the elitists find nothing better to do than to critique their own.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
not the guy in the bowler hat.
As much as it's useful to claim some sort of portfolio (i have none, still), it's more important to quell an interesting rumour (and the resulting implications on my political leanings) and also to have peace of mind at night.
So, here goes: i'm not the kj on toc.
There are some similarities in prose and style (he does have a fiery breath which i lost somewhere transversing youth), but I'm too old and cynical to write pure dissident posts and take up the mantle of change (or liberty. or freedom. or whatever else high-minded tenet). But i can't bring myself to critique his work, because that would incur the armchair sin.
Ok, no need to fear the knocks on my door now. :)
So, here goes: i'm not the kj on toc.
There are some similarities in prose and style (he does have a fiery breath which i lost somewhere transversing youth), but I'm too old and cynical to write pure dissident posts and take up the mantle of change (or liberty. or freedom. or whatever else high-minded tenet). But i can't bring myself to critique his work, because that would incur the armchair sin.
Ok, no need to fear the knocks on my door now. :)
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