Random

For the first time, I made my own healthy vegetable soup with a lot of mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes and cabbage. I felt really good about myself but half an hour later, I succumbed to the chocolate cake I bought yesterday. Oh well, I tried.

I love this semester. I only have 15 hours of class every week with Monday and Friday off. And they all end by Christmas and I will only begin my professional practice in March so you know what that means - more travelling! I just love every little thing I learn from each new place and to be paid to do it in the world's most expensive continent, I can't complain.

c.o.f.f.e.e t.a.l.k

One Year

Friday, 1 am.

The courtyard looks painfully romantic if that's even possible. I wonder where everyone is. We've been living in the apartment for over two weeks and we've seen only five people. Our damp hiking boots are still by the window, which reminds me what a great time we had last Sunday. Who would've thought we would go on a road trip with a group of Hungarian somewhere in Budapest, hiked for one whole day (and a bit part of night), ate wild blackberries and learned which mushrooms were safe for dinner. It's funny how much I plan and only half materialise while the rest just happen naturally and most of the time, is the better portion.

I didn't plan to have a candle light dinner with my newlywed hubby in Sri Lanka. When I teased my dad for watching too much Monaco F1 Grand Prix, I didn't plan to see the circuit myself in Monaco. I didn't plan to write my blog from the Eiffel Tower in Paris. I didn't plan to meet anyone nice while backpacking all over Italy, definitely not when I was trying to get some sleep in a deserted train station at 3 in the morning. I didn't plan to have a cup of coffee in a beautiful cottage of a Mont Blanc mountaineer. And those are only a few of so many amazing impromptu moments I've had. One more year before another beginning. I still have yet to see the ruins in Greece, the passionate Spain, the wonderful Netherlands and the icebergs in Greenland. So even when life is hectic with decisions to make, just taking a moment to reflect really makes me realise how lucky I am to have variety of options. There is no wrong way, they all lead to the same thing eventually; to grow and become the best as I can possibly be.

Another Crossroads, Again...

Is there such a thing as the right decision? Surely the proverb of one man's meat is another man's poison stands true to a certain extent? Is it silly to leave a comfortable corporate job in a European city and do research somewhere in Vietnam just because you love doing it? Or will there be a day when you look at a friend's photo wearing a suit in Brussels and realise that the desk you're sitting at is actually too small? Does the grass always look greener on the other side or sometimes it is greener? How do you know which to choose?

f.u.n.n.y b.u.s.i.n.e.s.s

Did you know that a man was fired in 2007 for posting it on the office bulletin board because his boss found it offensive? Making decisions, my friend, is a serious business.

Presenting (drumroll please)...

...my new blog design!

I absolutely love it, I think it reflects me more (alright, I know the last design was a bit childish but the flowers were too cute for a girl to resist!). Class starts tomorrow. The professors haven't informed us the schedule for the engineering subjects yet but I know the Hungarian language course is 10am tomorrow and I'm going to take the Economic Policy course as well because of the singing professor.

Let's get started with the third semester, the final one before the professional practice!

Welcome to Hungary

Here we are in Budapest, the wise and silent grandfather which happens to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It was a long day with breakfast in the sunny Copenhagen, followed by lunch in the rainy Berlin and dinner in the cloudy Budapest to wrap up the day. Our new old apartment is so charming and it's a great location. It's a quiet neighbourhood but 5 minutes down the road, the city bursts into colours and people.

Eid is in a week and we're still looking for any celebration to gatecrash. Unlike Nice last year where we got to know a lot of fellow Malaysian students, there's absolutely no sign of them here. But you know what, I think it would be interesting to celebrate with other Muslim communities, if we can find one that is!

Hubby got a job as design engineer in a really good company in Nuremberg, Germany. I'm glowing with pride! When he decided to join me in Europe last year, he planned to have two gap years but when he saw that job opening, he couldn't resist trying his luck. So now when he actually got it, he's having second thoughts because taking the job means leaving me alone in Hungary and wherever I end up this January and the reason why he put his career on hold in the first place was to support me and enjoy the same path. Honestly, I just want him to be happy. People (especially Asian) tend to think that it's all about work, work and more work and get more money that never seems to be enough. We're more about experiencing the present (with calculated risks of course). Whatever he decides, I remain his greatest cheerleader.

As for now, he'll be joining me with my optional Hungarian language course in the university. We literally spent about 45 minutes sketching on papers and demonstrating sign language to get a mobile broadband which was exhausting but a fun experience nevertheless. It's silly to blame the people for not learning English when we are just visitors in their land so the least we can do is to learn their language and culture. I love languages, I can speak decent French but it was a bit hard to pick up Danish when everyone can speak fluent English there. I have at least four months here and the locals don't speak much English so hopefully I'll be able to speak some Hungarian by end of our stay. And oh, I must admit I had predefined notions of the Romanian because of the gypsies (one even stuck out her tongue when Rafiee refused to give her money) but we have a Romanian repairman here and he's such a nice lad that I feel ashamed of myself. C'est la vie eh.