Moody Talk

The weekdays are finally over and tomorrow is weekend again. Times flies and today is my two months anniversary in Copenhagen.

For some reasons, I feel extremely moody and restless today. I even took out my old "The Da Vinci Code" to read. The thing is, I never like to watch any movie or read any storybook a second time. I find that there is no more excitement because I already know the plots. So you can imagine I was really goddamn bored.

I thought summer was coming but it suddenly became very chilly in the past few days. The view from my window shows the outside is sunny but what I actually feel in the house is a completely different story. The coldness must have somehow frozen part of my brain for I no longer can think of what can entertain me. However, I am not moody just because I can't think of anything to do.

Everytime I call the old folks back home, they always tell me the same old stuff:
"Better find a job, it's good to earn some pocket money",
"Don't be too dependent on your husband, you should earn your own pocket money",
"Don't waste your time, do something!",
"If you don't want to work, then you better have a baby",
"What do you do everyday, aren't you bored?" etc etc.
Honestly speaking, I am very tired of listening to those craps and everytime the topic starts, they make me cringe. Anything motivation words? Nothing, ZERO.

I mean, have they ever considered my feelings?
Do they know what I actually do at home everyday?
Do they think I have become a burden to my husband because we have only one income now?
Do they think I feel good that I may have probably lost my competitive mind because I no longer have deadlines to meet and clients to please?
Do they think making baby is as easy as making a cup of tea?

Anyway just to prove that I am not a freeloader, I had a meeting with someone yesterday, who might possibly help me get a job. However after the meeting, I felt more confused than before. When I think about it now, that meeting must have had an influence on how I felt today, moody and restless.

Actually, as much as I yearn for the financial independence that a job brings me, I also enjoy the space and freedom I am having now. For 5 years, I did not touch the electric mixer that my mum saved to buy for me because I loved to bake back then. But now, the electric mixer is able to see daylight again because I bake cakes, cookies or muffins every week. And to my mahjong kakis, I will take you on anytime when I go back because my skills have improved (I think).

(sigh) Why am I always standing at a crossroads? (sigh, again) I need some encouragement, even if it is just a bit........

My Italy Trip Part 3 - Rome

The last stop of my Italy trip - Rome. Hmm.... what can I say about Rome.... Romantic? Not really. Ancient? Yes, very. My initial impression of Rome was not good because firstly, people told me there were a lot of pickpockets. (Thank god our wallets were not stolen but when we were having breakfast one morning, the girl next to me lost her mobile phone the day before).

Secondly, the streets were filthy and smelled of urine. (yaks, i feel like puking whenever I think about it).

Thirdly, people working in the service industry like train station, newspaper stand or information counters are rude.

Lastly, shopping is horribly expensive. (ok, i'm exaggerating a bit here because I could not afford to buy the pretty dresses and shoes which unfortunately I still can't get them out of my mind)

Nevertheless, we spent our 3 days in Rome quite meaningfully visiting the ancient sites and monuments. Fortunately, we joined two local tours so that the tour guides could explain the history of the monuments to us. Otherwise, they were just ruins and it would be difficult for us to appreciate their significances. For someone who came from a country that is barely half a century old, the glory history of the roman empire is something that I have never thought of nor imagined before. Hence for the 3 days in Rome, despite of the not so favourable living condition, I did enjoy looking at and understanding the magnificent roman empire. Well, they say "pictures speak a thousand words". So check them out (with the link) and this time I included some explanations.

Ciao!

http://sg.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/vanacchong/album?.dir=c649re2&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//sg.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos

India vs Copenhagen or shall I say, vs Singapore?

I was reading a friend's blog, who is currently staying in New Dehli because her husband was posted there by his company. In one hour and 15 minutes, I finished reading all her 47 diaries posted in 2007 plus some posted in December 2006. Well, I'm free mah and they were actually very interesting.

India, a place that I have never thought of going there for holiday, let alone stay there. I know I am horrible for discriminating this country but you can't blame me because all I see and hear are mostly things like the streets are very dirty, people are living in poverty, high crime rate, systems inefficient, bad traffic etc. You can imagine living condition there is a complete opposite to Copenhagen and I kinda pity my friend (Not in a condescending way but as a girl friend)

However, I do admire her greatly for the move to New Dehli in order to be with her husband. For love, she gave up her comfortable life in Singapore.
You may think that life is not that bad as an expatriate in India but from what I read, I will never have that view again because a lot of things are just beyond their controls. They may have a maid, two cars, a driver, big house but think of the inconvenience and frustration they have experienced when a cable channel suddenly disappeared while they were watching a program, traffic condition so bad that it took 4 hours to travel to the office and my friend's head was rocking to and fro because the road was so bumpy, they never knew whether the lighting or cable guy would turn up even though they have made an appointment.... tsk tsk tsk... if those are not bad, then what are? Oh one more thing, my friend said there is only 1 acceptable shopping mall in the whole of N.D. OMG!

While I was reading her blog, I did feel a lot in common between us. We are both very, extremely, super homesick. We miss our families, friends, food and a familiar environment.

Now, does this mean Singapore girls are not cosmopolitan enough to accustom to new countries? Of course not, we are just more sentimental ...... ;-)

I'm meeting Royana for dinner today and we are going to have Thai food. I shall have tom yum goong and fried rice later. Yippee!!

My Italy Trip Part 2 - Genoa

From Venice, we took a train to Genoa, a city and seaport in northern Italy. The ride was about 4 hours but it was all worth it as we could look at the sceneries along the way compared to taking the plane.

As Genoa is still quite undiscovered by the tourism industry except for the italians coming from other parts of Italy, the ambience is still very authentic in its own way. Although it lacks the hustle and bustle of Venice, it has its own charming qualities. For a start, things are generally cheaper than the major cities. Then I also felt that the locals are friendlier. Lastly, there is just simply a good blend of nature and civilisation.

In Genoa, we received the warm hospitality of Maurizio and his girlfriend, Paola. Maurizio is Edmund's colleague and also Edmund's roommate when they were working in Dubai. Since the second largest emirate is just lots of sand and modern shopping malls that offer mostly high-end shopping, the two men kinda clicked together as they both have the same liking - Italian Cuisine.

Therefore, when we arrived in Genoa on Saturday evening, Maurizio and Paola picked us up from the railway station and brought us to a very fine restaurant by the harbour called "Porto Antico". We had a wonderful dinner of foccaccia and cheese, tortelli in walnut sauce and of course italian white wine.

After that, Maurizio took us to our hotel which was situated near a promenade. The hotel is very lovely and our window actually opened out to a luscious landscape. Being close to the promenade also meant that we could stroll along the promenade to enjoy the cool seabreeze and the picturesque scenery anytime.

The next day, Maurizio took us to visit his parents for an Easter tea. We were treated to a traditional Easter sweet eggbread topped with candied orange peels and almonds, a humungous and decadent chocolate egg and a 1997 year old Ferrari Brut Champagne.

When we had satisfied the sweet tooth, we met up with Paola at downtown for sightseeing. Although there are not as many big churches and museums in Genoa as in Italy, the old city oozes charm nonetheless. When we were there, there was a temporary market (something like "pasar malam") and there was a wide selection of cheeses, salami and other types of cured meat. Ingredients for making delicious italian food like fresh porcini mushrooms and local vegetables/fruits were also in abundance. I was very tempted to buy some of the fresh food back but I knew I couldn't because I still have a next stop, which was Rome.

Subsequently, dinner was at a cosy restaurant by the seaside. I wished I had taken a picture of the restaurant because it was a very cool place with glass walls and we were basically sitting above the sea. Contrary to popular belief, Copenhagen is not exactly a place where you can enjoy fresh seafood because the only thing fresh and easily available in the supermarket is probably only salmon and some fish fillets (no mussels or squids or prawns or crabs). So on that night, we had delicious Trofie with Pesto Sauce and a big fish baked with olives and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

After dinner, we had dessert in one of the cafes at Portofino, which was a small fishing village and tourist resort on the Italian Riveria. It stretched like an arch of the moon around a quiet basin and at a corner, it provided many sailboats a place to moor.

After dessert, we ended our holiday in Genoa as we had to head out to Rome early next morning. It was a short but certainly memorable visit.

My Italy Trip Part 1 - Venice

Ciao,

Long time no blog! We went to Italy last week and we visited Venice, Genoa and Rome.

Due to the number of pictures I am posting, I will post a few blogs according to the cities that we visited.

First City - Venice. World famous for its canals and one of the most romantic places in the world (where else can it be when it's the birthplace of Giacomo Casanova), is stunningly beautiful both day and night but the little alleys and waterways also add a mysterious touch to the city under the moonlight.

To go around Venice, one has to either go on foot or take the motorised waterbuses called "vaporetti". Of course there are the famous Gondolas, which for centuries, were the chief means of transportation. I used "were" because they are mostly hired by tourists now. And by the way, a ride on the gondola costs between Euro 80 to 150 depending on when and where you hire it and it only lasts for about 30 to 35 mins. During the time, the gondolier will "attempt" to tell you stories and history of Venice.

There are an incredible number of churches and palaces in Venice. Most of them have undergone restoration and are serving as either churches or museums. They stand majestically next to the canals and everyone of them screams stories from different eras. They are such awe-inspiring sights that if you are inside any one of them, you can easily lose track of time from imagining what had happened in the past.

We spent about 3 days in Venice and fortunately, we managed to visit most of the major attractions. Hence, if Venice is your next destination in your holiday list, let me know and I will be glad to share some tips with you.