Cultural excursion day
Singapore is 31 degrees all year and 100% humidity. Pretty sticky sometimes... I really miss the ''colder'' weather in Vietnam. I put on my new dress and went to the museums of the city for a cultural excursion all day. Needed to do this visit to be able to finish writing my cultural report for my Managing Communication Campaigns class by tonight. Ta-ta! *Update: I got an A on my report, I don't know if I should be offended but I heard the professor was surprised about how well-written it was. I guess they did not know I love to write pieces like this. Well...thank you! ;)
I went to the Asian Civilisations Museum first of all, so many interesting artefacts to see.
In the next museum I took in more culture and saw a modern exhibition of wedding dresses throughout history.
Nothing to wear and no food either
Being on exchange in Singapore offers many chances to travel as well. So far we have been to Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, and somehow I have managed to forget to bring proper PJs to each trip. Maybe cause I didn't remember to bring any from Sweden? :) So instead of writing my cultural report for class, I went to the shopping mall Vivo to get some cute PJs.
I also did some grocery shopping because I noticed my fridge was empty after coming home from our trip to Vietnam yesterday. Had to get my favourite cereal with banana nut crunch! ♥ Ended up buying a lot and had to take a cab home, because I couldn't carry all of the bags in this humid weather. Paid less than 10 SGD all the way from the city to my student accommodation at NUS, you can't complain about the cab fare in Singapore!
Pictures from Vietnam
What a wonderful time we had in Vietnam. First of all, what a beautiful country. And second of all - what amazing food. We went to Hanoi, sailed Halong Bay and visited the mountains of Sapa. It's great to be back in Singapore now though. I'm looking at my photos (both my cameras gave up on the way to the third part of the trip) and I wanted to share some of them before going to bed.
Hanoi was the first place we arrived to in Vietnam. I took some snapshots on the way in and while walking the city later in the day. I remember you just had to walk into traffic (and hope for the best). Noone waits for anyone, the traffic flow is neverending. People here are brave; we had to be, too.
We saw local women start the day with calming tai chi by the water, went to the museum of female history, visited beautiful temples and other cultural sights.
In need of a refreshing break we went to a secret café I had read about; with a huge cat guarding the reception desk! Enjoyed the terrace lake view and ordered iced tea and coffee drinks.
We had locally brewed beer for 5000 Dông (2 SEK / 20 cents), went to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, relaxed at a charming Spa and met with local students volunteering as guides to get more insight and cultural exchange.
We had cocktails at nice hotels a couple of times and we ate the best food! Vietnamese food was really my favourite out of all while traveling during my semester in South East Asia. I loved the lemongrass chicken and catfish springrolls we had at the amazing restaurant Highway 4. Or the best phở (soup), which we enjoyed at a lunch spot where they sat everyone on simple plastic chairs, and the memorable owner put the cash into the neckline of her top. :)
We also visited the mountains of Sapa to go hiking and see something completely different than Hanoi. We took an overnight train, drinking gin from cups feeling very much like in the classic movie "Some like it hot". :)
Then we went to Halong Bay. We got a ride from Hanoi and three hours later we were at the harbour ready to board the boat. Saw a hot captain, unfortunately not ours :D Stayed in a comfy cabin each and had a few days of sailing Halong Bay ahead of us.
This was such a great trip. A tranquil journey on a vintage wooden boat, no haste, plenty of time to read and enjoy solitude or conversations. ♥
We ate amazing seafood, stopped at quaint spots to go swimming, visited a fishing village and did fun stuff like kayaking. Thank you, Vietnam! What an amazing vacation! ♥
Now I am back in Singapore and this weekend is going to be one of true student spirit. I'm going on an excursion to various cultural spots of Singapore doing some research for my Managing Communication Campaigns course project.
Casino and 1Altitude
We went to the casino! You are not allowed to enter if you are Singaporean so we suited up and took our respective international passports to try our luck one night. One of us bet his rent as a dare with himself...luckily he won. ;) I am not a fan of gambling, even though or maybe because I used to work as a croupier (Black Jack dealer) during my bachelor studies. I played the slot machines for a few coins and then joined the others to cheer for them.
You are not allowed to take pictures at the casino. We might have taken a sneaky snapshots or two but then we went to a nightclub instead - 1Altitude - while we were dressed up anyways. We had such a blast there. Fun people, good music and awesome nightclubs at amazing locations, like this rooftop bar several hundred metres above ground, really make for a good night! ♥
Vietnam, September 21st-27th
Gone off to Vietnam!
What a day!
Had a wonderful day with a long lunch with friends and relaxed group work planning as well as a lot of rest and Gossip girl watching. Then I went for a run and had a nice cold shower. The nice day is about to end somewhere here. Imagine this: The fire alarm starts and they tell you to evacuate the building through the stairs immediately. Got it? Ok, now imagine this:
1. You live on the 25th floor.
2. You're wearing a towel.
3. You have to gather with hundreds of students on the grass outside of the building.
Bananas
What is it with my banana obsession lately? In juice, smoothies, as a milkshake, sliced, diced, mashed, as banana bread and in pancakes (YUM!) Gone bananas? Surely. Could be that they taste so much better over here in Singapore...
I'm alive
Since I'm feeling well now I am going out for a jog with my favourite music! It's almost midnight so it should be a little bit colder outside. ♥
Note to self?
Aside from my somehow throwing a laundry hanger into my friends sealing fan - nothing happened :D - there was a lot of other stuff going down at last nights Swedish theme party with all my Swedish and international friends. We continued at our penthouse after leaving the terrace behind. This was definitely one of the better, if crazier, party nights here on exchange! Another fun thing: Aside from the prepared Resorb (fluid replacement), I found a note next to my bed and have been spending the last hour trying to decifer it. I always find new, good music everywhere I go and I usually add it to my phone. Yesterday all I had to write it down was my mascara (?) it seems... Update: Turns out I meant the song Fallskärm by Timbuktu, hahaha!
Swedish kräftskiva, gone räkfrossa
What a wonderful party night with great people! We had decorated the 8th floor terrace of our building with red table cloths, red chinese lanterns and even a swedish flag - thanks to Sven! Everyone got big party hats, we listened to Swedish music, ate loads of shrimpies (because IKEA was out of Swedish crayfish for some reason), sang Swedish drinking songs and drank many bottles of Swedish nubbe, aka shots from IKEA. And check out my wonderful booklet for the party, haha. With songs, Swedish party rules and even a specially altered version of our university logo. Legal note! Non-commercial use only. ;)
Since I never drink shots like these on traditional Swedish parties I felt like sh*t all day today. :D Also might have something to do with that Rob and I thawed the last shrimpies a bit too fast. ;) Gotta say it was worth it! We had an amazing weekend. Life is great and I am grateful for both the people I share this experience with and the adventures that make up my life right now. ♥ P.S. ''Someone'' may have lifted a laundry hanger into the boys electric ceiling fan during her shrimp and Swedish shots-fuelled crazy partymood last night. Hrm hrm... ;)
Cazzette at Zouk, Swedish party weekend
Zouk had the Swedish guys from Cazzette playing a DJ set last night and they were awesome! The boys went out prepartying before we met them at the club and everyone was in a crazy good mood. Some even more than others. :D I remember being lifted up in the air multiple times while we danced to the house and dubstep mixes, haha. ♥
We partied until 4 AM and I got to bed at 5.30 AM! You know it's been a good night out when the store is open for grocery shopping after you are done partying. :D But I only got breakfast, now on the other hand we're going to buy all we need for our Kräftskiva (Swedish crayfish party) tonight!
School's out, the weekend is here!
Studying at NUS is quite intense at times. My post-it notes even got stuck to my clothes, I marked so many sections in my book. :) But now, no more studying...for this week at least. Cold or no cold, the weekend is here!
Tonight we're going out to Zouk cause they got some Swedish DJs coming in to play house music. Wohoo! Tomorrow we have a fun theme party planned for everyone around here, we are gonna introduce some of our Swedish traditions to our international friends. We already got the party hats! :D
Puppy in the family!
Look at him, so precious... He is a Schweizer Sennen. Dad's puppy has been living with him and my stepmom since I went to Singapore almost 7 weeks ago and even though I havn't met him yet - Skype aside - I love him already. Carlo, I'll come and visit you soon! ♥
SATC saviour!
This week with two exams and more is finally over, thank goodness I'm free tomorrow! I was right to call off my travel weekend and get some relaxing in there, otherwise I will never get rid off this cold I've had for a while now. I'm spending the rest of this day in bed with a slice of pizza and the laptop on my belly, playing the sixth season of Sex and the city. Just making these plans make me feel better already. ♥
I have watched SATC since 2001 and am still not sick of it. I love this show and Samantha makes me laugh most of them all! Carrie: I don't wear furry shoes. Samantha: They're not for you, they're for him! :D
Thai food, at last!
Who would have thought it can be hard to find Thai cuisine among all the different restaurants and hawker centres with Malaysian, Indian, Indonesian, Chinese, Korean or Japanese (not much sushi, though) food here in Singapore? But now my friend Jaga who is from Singapore finally found a place.
I have been craving thai red curry for so long. They only had green curry at the place we went to tonight, but still fun to have Thai food in Singapore. Panaeng curry with creamy coconut will always be my favourite though! After that we went to Arab Street for some lounging in comfy seats with silky pillows. Found a café with my nickname while walking around as well: Blu Jaz Café!
Dare to live your life!
Concept paper aftermath
I was invited to a 1 AM walk around campus to get a study break. Just what I needed before my final study session last night. Going over all the material once more, I was happy with my knowledge status and felt calm so I got some decent, deep sleep.
The exam is finally done now, and so is my class and my group meeting. Next up is a tutorial and yet another exam, tomorrow. :)
Open book tests are worse
Moral development with ethical reasoning & decision making is one thing. But Public Relations and moral development with ethical reasoning & decision making...ahhh! The fact that this is an open book test freaks me out even more. But...all soldiers are gathered, as you can see! :D
Funny Asian culture videos
Everyone here is Singaporean but most have different roots a few generations back. Many from China, Malaysia or India. The local language is English for all and often Mandarin, Malay and Tamil after that. However modern Singapore might be or seem, being lost in Asia (or having the feeling of it now and then) turns these videos into a helping hand and distraction. This guy is Asian and brought up in Australia, he makes really funny Youtube videos.
Some things I really do recognize, hearing stories from local students about their family and relatives or cultural roots. Watch the video if you have the time, he is really funny! "I didn't float to Australia...on a jelly fish...so you two could fight all day!" - *Click on the picture to get to his channel. :D
Facebook knows and NUS slogan
Facebook knows I should be studying. FML! :D On another note, I really like the NUS slogan: The change is me. A focus on the individual, and equal parts of responsibility and potential to reach as far as you can imagine. It takes more courage to be in charge on your own, but at least you do not blame circumstances throughout life. At some point you need to see how your involvement and decision-making are influencing your life. ♥
Storm on the 25th floor
The wind is making loud noises here in the penthouse, on the top floor of our 25 story building. All windows are secured but the ventilation is going nuts. The building sounds alive, a refreshing little storm bringing us new, fresh air to breathe on the 25th floor. I am supposed to study right now. But after the night I have had I can only dream of finding the right focus to study... Think I am gonna take a cold shower and then give it another try - Lets do this!
Just a little more studying...
Going to do a little bit more reading for school and then I am off to bed! Tomorrow I have no classes which equals...study time! All day looong! All this studying, I need to make some travel plans again soon. Gotta keep my spiritual balance, and my sanity... :)
Work, play & Tutu cakes
Group work, class, group work, from early morning until 5 in the afternoon. But then it was time to balance it all out, so we went shopping, had a delicious varieties of Asian food for dinner and did a little more shopping. I spent about 70 SGD alltogether and am loving Singapore student life yet again!
By the way - I have had a lovely dessert over here a few times now. A warm spongecake called Kueh Tutu. The name was derived from the manufacturing process, because the steam made a sound like a little train... :)
From the beginning there were no fillings in these Chinese sweets but now they are made with shredded coconut among other, which is my favourite. What a craft - everyone, locals or not were standing in line to buy them from a lovely auntie, and every single tutu cake was made with the calm certainty that years of experience give you, before they were served on pandan leaves.
Tall and blonde in Singapore
I feel like a freak amongst all South East Asian nationals now and then, it might be useful to have experienced it but still, let's not hurt each other, okay? I hope that no delicate person is getting pointed and looked at, cause I can take it (kill them with kindness!) but what about others? I would never do that to another girl, cause guess what, we look different in Europe that you do over here, but I don't point and laugh at others for being different than my norm, even if my norm is that we all look different. I am tall with curves, tanned, blonde and proud. :) // L♥ve, Jas
Wanderlust
Not all those who wander are lost.
Studying, our Starbucks & a night out
Starting to get used to the real student life over here in Singapore. Group meeting yesterday and the same today. When I stop to see that I actually can manage to study multiple hours each day things become a lot easier. Flow...
There is always time to have fun now and then as well, in between or after study sessions. We often sit at the student court in Utown and study late and there are students present at all hours of the day. Don't mind that we have our own Starbucks café there as well. Talk about student life with a yummy edge ;) Banana bread, iced green tea or sweet coffee makes any study session a little more fun.
Talking about having fun, yesterday we went to 1-Altitude, the open air rooftop bar 282 m above ground. Always worth a visit. But then it started to rain and everyone was sent indoors, 10 floors further down and the buzz was gone.
We decided to run away and went to Highlander to dance until they closed up instead. Had so much fun, especially when the DJ was replaced by the band playing rock classics.
Felt very Aprés-ski... Also loved the small camera they had indoors. My friends and I entertained each other, and all we did indoors was displayed on the outdoor screens, haha.
We ended the night with delicious food at Senor Taco's. I love their chicken quesadillas! Had a good laugh at everyone that did not listen to my warning about their insanely hot habanero sauce.
(I had the pleasure - or pain - of overdoing that habanero sauce when I had tacos there the first time). Thanks for the laughs, everyone. Hate to say it, but I told you so! :D
Happiness is time spent with friends
With friends like these no need for anything else. :D My happiness in Singapore is made up of the people I spend time with and the memories we make together.
Dinner and a movie
After a study day all of us decided to turn this into a Thank God It's Friday and we are going to get steaks and burgers for dinner at Aston's in the city before catching a movie. I love going to the movies and have never been to the cinema here in Singapore, so it's about time! We're going to watch Ted, haha, it might be fun even if it's not my kind of film. :o) *Update: most of the time is was a funny, feel-good movie indeed! :)
Spooky dress and horror film studies
Happy midnight, I'm awake! Woken up several times now, getting scared of my dress moving under the ceiling fan, each time. Might have something to do with my elective course in Film studies, where we watch Horror films? :) That, and the special lighting from my purple lamp, which up until now has been relaxing and fun...
Singapore nights and time management
If you want to stay in the mix - and own it too! - you gotta do well in terms of time management. We really wanted to head out since tonight is Ladies night here in Singapore, but knew we had to get up early. I for example, have a tutorial tomorrow. So, we decided to head out for a delicious dinner in Chinatown and then took a short trip to Helipad in Clarke Quay. Yet another club in this wonderful city, with a real helicopter platform! We met up with some of the other ladies from Utown and danced like there's no tomorrow. The thing is, we rocked that place for barely two hours. Now I am at home, ready to do my work for uni before getting some sleep. It turns out, you can have it all, you just gotta plan well. :) Good night! ♥
Ps. Got this one awesome photo of one of the girls, which I really would love to share right now, especially cause she told me she reads my blog! ;-)
Welcome all new blog readers!
My blog centers around my life on exchange in Singapore and my travel adventures in South East Asia. I have been seeing this project as being "under construction". Have I found my style yet? Well, we're getting there. I have actually been getting feedback from blog readers. So much fun! Next time you pop in, leave a trace below in the comments. Or just keep on sneaking in and out anonymously. ;) Welcome! ♥
Smile - It's a brand new day!
Travel plans
Finally we have some more travel plans. ♥ Nothing depresses me more than plans that never turn into action, so this evening has been a real energy booster! Today I have booked my tickets to spend recess week (rest and study time before mid-terms) at the end of this month in Vietnam as well as a weekend stay in Hong Kong (and Macau 40 minutes from there) in november. Wohoo!
My new iPad & a personal quote
After a journey from Apple in China and some difficulties on the way my new iPad finally has arrived at my apartment in Singapore; including the quote I chose to engrave on the back: "Let go of illusions and develop a new vision for yourself" - Wohoo!
Blue Valentine
I am taking actually a film studies class here in Singapore and I watch a lot of movies and take stills of scenes or moments I love, for some creative reason...
When I first saw this film I was in Australia, felt a little bit lonely and was not sure where to go to escape the heat. So I went to the outbound movies with a friends friend on a hot summer day and saw this sad and beautiful indie film called Blue Valentine.
True Blue or writing from the heart
It's hard for me not to share everything, I would love to be mysterious but it does not feel honest unless it is said or written; both for the biggest and the most random things. Not just because I, in many moments, can be quite easy-going, relaxed and open-minded. It is because I in my darker moments feel like the emptiest of empty shells, and I have to use the reflection of my person which I get from and through others, to detect and make sure that I even exist at all.
Now, I write like this again. Well - the difference is normally I never publish thoughts like these. I keep them in a neat little folder (okay nothing is neat with me, but hidden away anyways) on my laptop. And I'm tired of seeing my thoughts as something negative, something I do not like or do not want to be a part of me. For it is me. It is time to accept who I am and, if I dare, even use this as an opportunity to keep looking into myself and my soul. And more than that; use this ability of opening up to my advantage. It's time to let out the things I so sincerely love or have to do, because that is how I am. So, I think I’ll continue to write some more...
Pink hair ends?
I'm so keen on doing something fun with my hair. It's long, sun bleached with blonde highlights now. I'm thinking of cutting a proper 10 cm soon... But before that I'd like to do something different. A fun change that I've been wanting to try for a while is to dye my hair pink, or well the hair ends to be precise. Check out my inspo pics!
I DID IT! - 5k run in tropical weather
So, last night I went to no club or party but to bed in order to get up early on this lovely Sunday. About as far from my Jönköping student life as you can come... Anyways, I joined a 5k charity run here in Singapore via my university NUS. Being less than not competitive at all in sports, this is big to me. ♥ Singapore feels like a new life! :o)
Short trip to Kuala Lumpur & monkeys!
Sometimes short trips are the best ones. We spent 2 days and 1 night in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur. We met up with my friend who lives in KL, partied at fun clubs with his friends, ate yummy food and went to the Batu caves outside of the city. Finally I got to see my damn monkeys, been bothering everyone with that idea! :D
I gotta go to bed now though. The NUS Charity Run is tomorrow morning and for people like me - meaning those who have not been getting in shape for longer than a few weeks ;) I think a 5 km run is a lot in this tropical weather and up-hill streets!
