Just realised that the content might also go beyond manage... Hang on for another long post! I'll try to summarize, ignore the texts in blue if you want a shorter account of things :) As usual, click on pictures to enlarge, and follow the link on the right for more pictures on my flickr account.
After work after exams after the first semester! (21/12)
There goes a quarter of my master! Just having some fun, some decent food and some alcohol to slow the mind down. I didn’t have to pay the bill~ hurray~~~ And a friend decided to become my official photographer... My first merchandize is a postcard… *sweats*
I kinda do wotever that pops up in my mind nowadays, as long as they don’t interfere with my sleep and my study. But as usual, the only constraint is ofcoz money. Else I’ll be trying to climb over the wall of Berlin instead of telling you about wot I’ve been doing infront of my computer already ^^
Xmas shopping for gifts to popo upstairs and her daughter (22/12)
The aim was actually to take pictures of Gothenburg before xmas ends ^^ Coz I’ve already decided to give Karin the pot I made in the ceramics course with some chocolates filled inside. And naturally a box of chocolate for her daughter who loves chocolate, haha… and I sort of expecting at least a box of chocolate from them too ^^
The problem is, every time when I go out alone and when some of the scenes touch me, I wish to tell you how beautiful they are… and wish that there is someone here to share it with me… aw… how many times do I need to repeat this… well, all de same, look at the pictures that my photo taking skills dun do justice to :P hehe…
Gothenburg was in a great atmosphere. Families going out together. Children buzzing with hype. Santa himself in the middle of the xmas shopping village in Nordstan. There was a smile on every face. People were in good spirit. I was in good spirit. Especially infront of the window display of NK shopping mall. Where children’s faces shone with enthusiasm, pressed against the huge drop down glasses with the cheerfully coloured moving displays on the other side. When will I own my own toy shop? ^^
Liseberg (23/12)
A wonderful day out with Aik Yean and co. First time in MC2, the building that consumes 50% of Chalmers’ funding. And then some tang1 yuan2, some free coffee + cuppacino + hot chocolate wotever composition you like… and finally Liseberg de xmas theme park - the most visited tourist destination in Sweden by a big margin. And we became part of the statistic ^^
It was de day after mid-winter. So I asked Aik Yean to be so kind to help me consume the tang1 yuan2 I’ve got in my pot. And got invited to Liseberg in return ^^ at the end, we decided to eat the tang1 yuan2 in Chalmers’ famous MC2 building and do some little “experiments” with the coffee machine inside. As you might have guessed, Albert Einstein suggested that E=MC2, and so the building named after this famous equation is all about this field of physics, which is wot Aik Yean specializes in. We shared the tang1 yuan2 with another Chinese guy and a drop dead funny Columbian, both who I met for the first time.
Then, the four of us went to Liseberg. Once when asked if he’s been to Liseberg, Anders said “er… (5seconds pause)… yeah… I mean… it’s a romantic thing but… yeah, I’ve been there” haha… The best part of Liseberg is the lights. They are simply breath taking… Part of them resemble a huge xmas tree and can be seen from the place I live :) It’s definitely a place for children, with the Christmas theme and the amusement park not very unlike genting in the fog.
It was raining fine needle like rain all day. Wondering why is it still raining in latitude this high up in a season like this… where has de snow gone?? Anyway, we thought our toes were frozen. The rest of the body felt ok coz there were bbq pits everywhere for ppl to bbq themselves ^^ see picture…
It was the first time I spend money for entertainment in Sweden ^^ 70kr (RM35) and it’s well worth it. Let the pictures take you through the rest of the story…
p/s: I wanted to pour away de water I used to boil the tang1 yuan2. But a last second change of mind and some additional treatments turn the murky soup into a very nice black sesame soup! ^^
Xmas, eve actually. (24/12)
All Swedish. Good food, nice presents and pleasant company!
Had a bloody good Swedish style yule dinner with Karin popo and her daughter Kristina popo. Like most if not all other western dinners, it started with an entrée. With 4 kinds of salads including the famous Swedish herring fish salad, 3 kinds of breads, 3 kinds of cheese, ham and herring by itself. I’ve heard bad rumors about herring. Like how one should open the herring can outdoor and in water so that it wont make your house smell bad for the rest of the day and you can wash it straight on the spot. But I actually enjoyed it :)
Then, it’s time for the main meal. Swedish meat balls, omelet, more ham, some greens, spinach and wotever you like from the entrée leftover. The meal was complimented with beers and a Swedish xmas drink that tasted like cola. The last time I had such an enjoyable feast was probably 4 months and a bit ago, in Bricksfield, with my family :)
After the meal, we had a break and went upstairs to Karin’s room to listen to Luciano Pavarotti and co. They were singing carols from all languages. Feliz Navidad, I learned. Merry Xmas in Spanish, lol. Ice-creams along with the singings. Ah, marvelous ^^
At 9pm, the program ended and we went down to the living room for coffee. Coffee was served with a type of Swedish traditional saffron bread, home made in Karin’s own oven, and a German/Austrian cake I never tasted before.
We exchanged presents and more stories from an 85 who still thinks as clearly as Thomas Elva Edison when he invented light bulbs. Her encounter with ppl from other places all over Europe. Stories that include how she met a guy in a shop in Croatia who was so good to help her translate and become friends ever since. It reminds me of those I travelled with :) Then I was writing in her 60 years old guestbook for the third time. She always says that she’s so proud to have Chinese written in the book ^^ So I thought she might be overwhelmed to have Malay for a change, but still wrote in English for this time. And she looked a bit disappointed, I swear to write in Malay next time, ha~
And then Karin made me show her photos from Malaysia, which I gladly did. She took interest in everything. From my family, my home, to my friends, my job, my study in Australia, places, animals, plants, buildings and even my trip to Indochina. Going thru all these and telling her the stories behind each photo bring time backwards. Wish you all well.
Xmas, the day itself (25/12)
Xmas day itself was spent in my cozy bed. Except for a couple of hours outdoor to get train tickets for Kiruna. For once after arriving Sweden, I was really relaxing, enjoying the leisure of a lazy day, listening to musics and re-watching the only series in my computer – Nodame Cantabile. Even feel reluctant to get off the bed for peasant food again, after the extensive dinner the night before ^^
I finally finished Arsene Lupin the French detective story the day after exam. All I can say is a nice twist at the end :) So, when I’ve had enough of TV for de day, I started to hunt for another book to dispose my excessive free time. And the search result requires me to beg your pardon for writing in Chinese in the rest of this entry. It will be about San Mao (three hairs) the famous Chinese author, and will serve very little purpose if written in English ^^
奇怪，认识三毛那么多年，对她的身平也多少知道一些，却到今天才第一次看她的书。看的就是“撒哈拉的故事”。发现记忆中埋着妈妈在我7-8岁的时候讲过的一个故事，就是其中一篇“沙漠中的饭店”。那时候觉得这个做妻子的怎么那么坏，说米粉是凝结的“雨”，说肉干是咳嗽药不让丈夫吃，还把黄瓜当竹笋炒。。。记得那时候提出来了，不明白为什么妈妈竟然还维护三毛。。。现在明白了~原来这个叫淘气^^
曾经有一个朋友说我和三毛是一个模子出来的，还被莫名其妙的骂了一顿。难怪，看得我要哭。。。在读下去之前，先接受我的道歉好吗？。。。
孤身在异乡的生活，没想到连三毛也受不了。一开始是不着边际地吐苦水，但写到“芳邻”，“死果”，“白手起家”，就赤裸裸地不再报喜不报忧了。在那种地方做家庭主妇。。。拜托，至少也该找一份工作吧。。。不过，如果不是那样的无聊生活，“白手起家”也不会那么精彩了:) 如她那么会欣赏生活艺术，那么会苦中作乐的人，应该是越无聊越能激发潜能，发光发热吧 ^^
来，十岁的小朋友也能看。不过可能会和当年的我一样，觉得三毛坏 ^^
妈妈的一封信(代序)
下面的按“下一篇”就行了。
Boxing Day (26/12)
Funny, the Boxing Day sales, the same culture in Australia, NZ, and now in Sweden. So I presume it’s a common practice in all Christian countries? Shops are slashing off prizes. I need a pair of waterproof gloves for Kiruna, and the one travelling with me needs a hell lot more stuffs. So there we were in Nordstan looking for our booties.
All went well, I got my ski gloves that originally costs 500kr with mere 99kr. Still terribly regret that I didn’t bring my old ones to Sweden. They are selling clothes at one fifth their original prices too. Some thus become cheaper than those in Malaysia ^^ And funny, there aint a lot of ppl... that was before lunch time. Ppl started to flood in around lunch time. And we escaped. To Mölndal.
Yes, Mölndal, the town outside Gothenburg where we had our ceramics classes. We thought it was a shame that we din really get to know the town during the term :) We had a short climb up to the local church, which is quite ancient and beautiful and provides an overview of the whole town, sweet~ The trip wasn't long, but Mölndal is so close to Gothenburg I can go there again whenever I like :) Ay ay, even from this short trip I can tell that this travelmate of mine is not accustomed to backpacking ^^ Kiruna will pose a much sterner test, need a big heart my friend, take in everything!
And ofcoz the football matches! I honour the opportunity to witness Gareth Barry’s equalizer from the spot kick at Stamford Bridge^^ 4-4 can you believe it! Then it was Derby vs. Liverpool on the same channel. I couldn’t find a channel that broadcasted MU’s game and elnino made me stick to de Liverpool game, as it’s then the best of the rest. He's pretty, he's quick, he's a goal machine and he's on about a kajillion pounds a week. What more reason do you need to hate Fernando Torres?! (I copied that right out of soccernet.) And he again proves that I’ve got good taste ^^ Another wonderful individual goal, this bloke is on fire! And so is Ronnie! Wakaka… 0-4~~~~~~~~~ top scorer top scorer~~~~~ and we ended the day on top of the table! Thank you Arsenal~ wot an xmas present~~~
wind flower snow moon (27-29/12)
direct chinese translation of the title might make some sense... it's all about nice chats with friends, musics, picture taking, museums and soul healing after one semester of damage :P
Went to röhskka museet to bid my two favourite pieces farewell, since it would be my last visit and the entrance pass is going to expire as soon as the year ends. I'm clear that cameras are not allowed but I just couldn't resist ^^ This one of ceramic is in a quiet side hall on first floor; the other one of silver, is the centre piece in the centre hall in 2nd floor and there was a guard who watched me watched that thing for 10 minutes ^^
Avenyn, the most happening street in Gothenburg.
Advent is an event where ppl light up the first candle on the sunday 4 weeks before xmas. Then they light one additional candle every following Sunday, and will have 4 burning on xmas day itself. Ever since the first Advent, there are candles and stars like those below on literally every household. and another thing that started to appear was the straw reindeers.
Well well, that brings us to the end of today~ One more thing to add, the big plan going on, which is ofcoz the trip to the Arctic Circle on new year's day :) Yes, Kiruna is in the Arctic Circle! anticipating ^^ Shall start the preparation tomorrow. Keep reminding myself that it's not just another one of places I've visited... I dun even know wot to do with a frost bite yet :P
Good luck to me, and happy new year to you! ^^
