Priceless moments
I cherish small moments :)
This photo was taken by chance in Seville, decided to google translate the quote as I guessed it would be sth nice, and tada a nice inspirational quote!
So international
Through the Business Strategy Class, I learnt so many things. Firstly, that there really is this inevitable division between people, “Asians”, “Canadians”, “Eastern Europeans” etc etc. Even the professor of the course lumped us asians together before dividing us to ensure that there was 1 Asian per group, 1 canadian per group etc. I mean yes, obviously Thais might be more similar to Singaporeans than Canadians are to Singaporeans, but hello we don’t eat Phad Thai everyday, we do not have 400Baht shopping per piece of clothing and we definitely do not have similar cultural backgrounds!
It’s really interesting though, to be grouped with a canadian/US, romanian, spanish and hungarian. Truely diverse team i learnt to work with, tolerate and finally finding enjoyment in their company. The best takeaway from this project: R girl and I were talking about how US has taken over the world with their ideals, making us all (rest of the world) believe that burgers and fries are the best foods on Earth. No matter how we know how fattening and unhealthy these Big Macs are, we continue eating them, believing in them and gradually, our own doubts about Big Macs mysteriously vanish. Such good talkers and brainwashers and after a while you just give up on your own ideas and conform to what the US thinks, even if you have such a brilliant idea, you just don’t get to express it.
Anyway this course required us to stay overnight at Payerbach, a town 1h from Vienna, and there, we were required to present our case.
Fav groupmate and I with the scenery outside our room
My super diverse group
How we are like all the animals, living on the same patch of grass
Me, after pigging out
The Quiet World by Jeffrey McDaniel : The Poetry Foundation
In an effort to get people to look
into each other’s eyes more,
and also to appease the mutes,
the government has decided
to allot each person exactly one hundred
and sixty-seven words, per day.
When the phone rings, I put it to my ear
without saying hello. In the restaurant
I point at chicken noodle soup.
I am adjusting well to the new way.
Late at night, I call my long distance lover,
proudly say I only used fifty-nine today.
I saved the rest for you.
When she doesn’t respond,
I know she’s used up all her words,
so I slowly whisper I love you
thirty-two and a third times.
After that, we just sit on the line
and listen to each other breathe.
Meeting a saint in Vienna/ Visit to the Manner Factory
Today is such an interesting day!
We had a company visit at Manner (Austrian Chocolate Wafer Factory) at 330pm, and the teacher told us not to be late cos it’s a factory and they are sensitive and all…
Turns out when we reached the train station near the factory, the tram we had to take was stalled (Fahrbehinderung) cos of a ‘Demonstration’- many protesters protesting against don’t know what. And we were going to be late! Lucky for Bel and I, we approached this Austrian lady to ask her for directions, and she told us she was going the same way, so we could walk there together (prob a 10min walk)… so we walked on, and along the way she asked us what time we had to be at the factory, it was already 3.27pm by that time, and she was so apologetic!!!! (It was not even her fault that the trams were stalled!!!!!) And the most shocking part was, she told us she would “invite us to take a cab!” And just a few days ago I was telling Jianyi that I would never take a cab in Vienna cos it’s so freaking ex, and here Bel and I were, on the cab… and of course we offered to pay her back, but she kept refusing, asking us not to be silly. We were so so so lucky to meet such a saint :) we left her our contact numbers, so hopefully she will sms us so we can meet her again :) Bel and I were saying that people like her help to restore our faith in humanity :”)
Anyway, Part 2 of the exciting day was the Manner factory! I love the Manner!!!!! So lucky to get to see the production line! And I really love all this repetitive work, seeing these little cubes of wafers getting packed into little wrappers and then these wrappers get packed into boxes… I want to have my own factory too! Factory of little cakes… maybe next time :D
Had to wear cool lab coats and shower caps
The wafer…
Now with chocolate coating
All the rejected Manner pieces (HUGE ones!)
I love these… took videos of the packagings moving on the conveyor belt
And they’re ready!!!
The best part… we all got to bring home a MANNER goodie bag!
Beautiful memories and more to come
Such beautiful memories in Vienna-Hallstatt-Salzburg-Zürich-Lucerne-Interlaken-Milan-Venice-Florence-Pisa-Rome-Vatican City
Feel really fortunate to be able to go for an exchange in Europe, make many wonderful new friends (especially my new Asian friends, and we cook dinners almost every alternate nights, and will be going on many trips together), seeing new things, experiencing how it’s like to live in another city so similar yet so different from Singapore (Vienna is rather similar to Singapore in terms of development but the only difference is the comfort and familiarity of home and I am really starting to miss home), journeying not only to the outside world but also journeying within myself (wise words given to me by Michael- a tourist to Singapore I so coincidentally bumped into and brought around for a day with YS).
Exchange seems to me like a long pause from my 20 years of life, at a time when I can reasonably judge for myself and determine what I really want to make out of my life. And I am still in the process of thinking about it. Sounds cliche but I haven’t got much chance to think about such things back in Singapore, when I am either always busy doing i-dont-know-what or just because I am too comfortable among family and friends to even want to step out of my comfort to worry/ ponder about such things. But now being away and alone now typing in my hostel, I really feel the importance of doing just what I love, and what I love is to be with my family and friends, people I treasure, because that makes me happy, and I just like to see them happy too. Thats why I miss everybody back at home in Singapore because I always think back on all the happy and stupid times we have together.
Ah wells for now my life is in Vienna and I will make the best of this great exchange! :)
We are in Milan-o
Lagging by a few blog posts. After Hallstatt we travelled to Salzburg, then to Zürich, Lucerne, Interlaken, and finally today we are in Milan. Shall talk about Milan first since it’s really still fresh in my head.
Always thought Milan was a atas high-end luxury shopping paradise, and so I’ve always associated it with cleanliness, security, well-mannered people. But today I realized otherwise. And it’s all really a great eye-opener.
Incident #1
Two teens about our age insisted on helping us get our day tickets from the machine. The change we were supposed to get was 1Euro, which she wanted as a tip for ‘helping us’. We refused and she skillfully flicked the coin out of the slot and her accomplice picked it up. Good thing I heard the coin kling and YS managed to get it back from the guy. Even though that guy initially pretended he didn’t know what we were talking about, and even though he dropped it on the floor and said ‘opps’ when he took it out from his other pocket (HOW RUDE AND CHILDISH), and even though it’s just 1Euro, I’m glad we stood up against these people and stood up for our coin. Like seriously. Kind of shaped (or spoilt?) our first impression of the city as a whole.
Incident #2
The trains are heavily vandalized with graffiti… though some actually look quite arty-farty. And not just the trains, vending machines, and even the escalator steps are also covered with all these scribbles. 
Incident #3
Strangers dont smile back to you on the train. Unlike other places in Europe, Italians, or maybe just the people in Milano are super unfriendly? Even the lady we bought gelato from was giving us the you-owe-me-money face! And we don’t even get to try the flavors!!!
Ice cream was nice though :) We had 3 scoops for 3Euros and it came with a crispy cone! YAY!
Incident #4
Outside the Duomo, Milano’s most famous attraction, there’s like super many conmen with bird seeds! And I stupidly stuck out my hand to take the bird seeds when he offered, cos i thought maybe just fling to the birds… so it’s ok right?? But NO! The guy held on to my wrist and let the birds (AND THEY WERE PIGEONS OMG KILL ME HAHA) eat from my hand, and said picture picture?? Which they obviously wanted us to pay them for the seeds. Too bad we just ignored them haha
It was a rainy day in Milano… Not the best day for sightseeing cos of the cold but nevertheless all was still pretty
Incident #5
The hostel is really epic. We couldn’t find it cos it is like tucked away discreetly (signboard so tiny!) But OK GOOD THING #1 THAT HAPPENED TO US, we walked into some fried chicken shop and they were nice they gave us the wifi password so we managed to find the hostel! Anyway we bought chicken wrap meal from them it was pretty nice as well.
Anyway our epic hostel has no stove and a really dirty microwave. But we used it anyway to microwave our pasta! OMG haha! googled how to cook pasta and cook eggs using a microwave and ta-da dinner settled! :) Love our epic meal adventures.
At least from this lao-ya hostel we learnt how to cook with limited resources!
What an exciting day today in Milano. Milano not Milan (act cool name).
WORTH EVERY PENNE
How to cook on the go and stick to your budget
How we managed with PENNE the pasta
#1 Penne with instant mushroom soup and chicken ham
#2 Penne with Tomato sauce from the can, and minced chicken (50% discount WOOHOO)
#3 Same mushroom soup base- this time without the ham
#4 Stir-fry with red capsicum spices (free from hostel kitchen)
#5 Stir fry with pesto sauce (free from hostel kitchen), and vacuum-pack BAKUA from singapore!
#6 BEST PASTA EXPERIENCE AND MOST MEANINGFUL PASTA EVER COOKED: ALL INGREDIENTS HAVE BEEN COOKED USING A MICROWAVE (INSERT SHOCKED FACE :o)! Eggs from Swiss Lady’s chicken farm (gift!), with BAKUA from home!
#7 Though not from this 1kg of Penne, we also cooked PENNE in Hallstatt: Baked Penne with Tomato Bolognese sauce and Cheese slices (CHEFS IN THE MAKING TEEHEE)
Hallstatt, place of reflections
Hallstatt is one of the most serene towns ever. I can’t describe it cos I can only remember it and it shall remain as a beautiful memory. Pictures can show better than what I can tell. (No actually I am just lazy to type hehehe)
Reflections
Monopoly houses, awesome bird’s eye view
Day 2 in Hallstatt we went skiing! Skiing at the kiddy slopes haha. But we were so damn good, from not knowing how to wear the skis, to being able to ski downhill. Especially YS, like a pro as usual. 
CUTIE F1 DRIVER
Look like pro right hahaha
And look what awaited us- a wonderfully prepared dinner! HAHAHA actually we prepared it. Looks atas also right heeee. Koped the plants and tablecloth etc from inside to lay it nicely for our setup
Off to Salzburg!
It’s finally Easter!
Ok this post is actually a couple of days late. I’ve been enjoying my Easter break for a week already! But still… YAYYYYYY EASTER!!!! So happy cos Easter break in Vienna means 2 weeks of holidays, and being on exchange means I can just enjoy my whole 2 weeks in peace without thinking bout school!!!!
YS surprised me by reaching Vienna a day earlier (long story about the half-successful surprise)! So happy!!!! Cos it means that we have 1 more day to explore Vienna before going to the other cities that we have planned to travel to. I havent really explored Vienna actually, so I’m really happy cos within these 2 days, we went to the nicest places in Vienna!
DAY 1 OF EASTER BREAK, VIENNA
We went to the Hundertwasser Haus, which is a really exotic and quirky building with many curved lines, uncoordinated patterns and colours on the façade. Read about this place in my german textbook quite some time ago and long wanted to see it for myself. Apparently the artist, Hundertwasser, said that the only uncreative line is the straight line. But actually I beg to differ cos lines are lines and who said the first line ever drawn was a straight one? It might be curved right, then some creative person decided to draw it straight. But anyway, I really love this building!
Hundertwasser Haus- building that stands out among the rest
We then walked along Stephenplatz and of course to the pretty St. Stephen’s Cathedral! Love the tiled roofs when it reflects light off the sun! Magnificent!!
St. Stephen’s Cathedral and YS
Then we went for Kuk cakes along the atas street. We had Vienna’s favorites, the Sachertorte and Apfelstrudel. The sacher torte is really yummy, sweet chocolate coated sponge with a layer of jam in between. The apfel strudel, best strudel ever- different from Singapore’s Ritz apple strudel cos it has a thin layer of crust and warm caramelized fresh apples. Both are toped with a huge portion of cream (FATS) that tastes so milky it actually seems healthy. Haha ok just sounded like a food critic.
Eat first, think later- don’t think about the ka-ching $$$ and don’t think about being a fatty bom bom
Then came the best part- we decided to walk to the museums district, and we managed to catch a beautiful sunset. A sunset with pink highlighter skies! Never knew this could exist.
DAY 2 OF EASTER BREAK, VIENNA
Schönnbrunn palace!! One of the top must-sees in trip advisor, and finally here to see it! It looks really pretty inside, but no photography allowed…. But of course I took photos anyway ;) The best part about this place, the Easter Market just opened on the day we visited it!!!! Lucky or what!!!
I don’t think we were allowed to step on the grass… much less lie on it…
Look at the neat rows of trees. So funny they are like shaved
Feeling hungry as usual…
Easter eggs!!! So many of them… but what to do with them?
Look at the easter egg chairs!
Pretzel time!!! Apple cinnamon pretzel. Opps #foreverhungry
After this we went to the Naschmarkt. Had a good time just walking around and looking at what they sold as typical Viennese groceries.
Spot the DURIAN
Super yummy turkish delight- THE BAKLAVA. EAT ONE BITE AND U CAN DIE OF FATSSSSS! But how to resist :P
Next stop, Hallstatt!
Bath, bathing in the sunlight, bathing in love
Bath’s name never fails to amuse me. But I guess it’s a really meaningful name since they have the Roman Baths and the people in those times bathed really frequently whether it was for prayers, for blessings, or just to take a shower. Haha. Arrived in Bath and we were once again awed by the place. Nice little ‘upmarket’ town. It was cosy yet it also exuded this feeling of richness, both in materialistic and histroic-cultural sense.
Roman Baths, green water and green-neck ducks
We did an audio tour at the Roman Baths. Later we went to the Bath Circus and stayed a bit at the grass patch in front of the Botanic Gardens. Took some really nice photos. But the best photo of the day’s taken at the Pulteney Bridge, cos of the reflecting water. “It’s the same picture whether you see it like that or upside down.”
Pretty reflections
We had a very filling and yummy dinner (and not expensive cos of the discount!) at St Christpher’s Inn and Bar. And later we celebrated YS birthday too. Sweet end to the trip!
Happy 24th Birthday :)
Loughborough
The journey to Loughborough was a really exciting one cos it was part of a surprise to surprise (or shock?) to surprise YS for his birthday. Surprises always make me wonder if the executers or receivers of the surprise get more excited. Anyway yes exciting!!! And scary as well cos I had to travel on my own for part of the trip. But hurray I made it in one piece! Reached Loughborough dinnertime so it was just in time for dinner with YS and his friends Junxiang, Eepin, Alvin and Chernping. They’re a really a fun bunch of people. So funny you know they are always playing Taiti and punishing the ‘Asshole’ with pushups. What a guy thing and what a Plan D thing.
The next day in Loughborough we walked around the town. It’s a small town but really beautiful. Like it exists on its own. And the houses which line the roads are just like how we see them on TV.
Rows of houses
We went to the supermarket and got some baking things and gummies. At night we made our first ever cake together. Lol hahaha though it’s like no-bake cheesecake. But still…
Cheesecake and the cheesy heart #punintended
Next day in Loughborough we took a 30min bus ride to Nottingham. Walked around the city for a bit, into the Criminal Museum, then met Rophi for dinner! So nice seeing her again after so long, my Vietnam OCIP roomie. She brought us to this restaurant which is at the corner of the Nottingham castle. The place had the cave-castle feel, and besides being cosy the food was pretty good too. Had a good catchup before we left Notts. Thanks for the dinner treat Rophi!!
Us and robin hood, the Notts icon
On the way back it started raining and it was cold. Started getting feverish for the whole night but thank goodness for medicine and a really caring nurse I got well after 1 night… On to Bath!
This is the Donau outside my dorm at 430am :)
