University

29 more days to go... and then I'm done studying!! I have two more weeks of classes, one study week, and then one more exam week.

Today is a monumental day for my SMU studies, because I have completed 2 presentations in non-exam courses, meaning that I am done with them.

However...

I still have 3 exams to go.

21 Nov. The Shipping Business exam encompasses a lot of knowledge. I mostly fear the Bills of Lading, insurance, and legal part of the course as well as the financing (futures etc.) component. On my midterm I got a 9.5/10 so hopefully with a lot of studying I can do well on this final exam.

26 Nov. The Singapore Society exam will be the most obscure one. Without any study books, I suppose I will have to write an essay based on the knowledge I gained during class. One can't really prepare for this exam so I'm just hoping for the best.

29 Nov. The Psychology exam is the most exhaustive, because for this exam I need to memorize (yes, memorize) 400 pages of information.

Interesting fact: SMU grading is based on a bell curve. Rather than absolute grades, relative grades are employed. This means that 15% gets an A, 30% a B, etc. So the person with the highest score gets an A+ and after that the rest follows.

Singapore Library

Food Court in University

Sentosa Sunset

Last night I went to the Sentosa beach and was once again reminded as to why I LOVE Singapore.

Gorgeous Sunset.

Universal Studios Sentosa

On Sentosa, a man-made pleasure island south of Singapore, is Universal Studios Sentosa. Together with my friend Ann-Katrin, I spent the day there enjoying movie-inspired rides and shows.

A person dressed as the main character from the movie "The Mummy" poses with us. Behind him is the coolest attraction of the park; a Mummy themed rollercoaster where you journey through the pyramid to find the Book of the Dead.

There was also a Shrek castle and here I am posing with Gingy, the cute gingerbread man from the movie.

"If there's no candy in Heaven, I'm not going." :)

Crazy Foods

So far, I have been exposed to some crazy foods here in Asia. I shall list them below:

Crickets
Sashimi horse meat
Pig blood cubes
Elephant fish
Durian
Octopus tail

Some were good, some were...special.

Vietnam Part II

The French occupied Vietnam, or French Indochine, between 1887 and 1954. There is a definite French mark left on the city. In the morning, you can buy baguettes at street stalls and the boulevards in the centre are broad and French-styled. There is even a French opera house. In this picture I managed to capture the Cathedral and a couple taking their wedding pictures.

Me and Daniel in front of the city hall.

Vietnamese food is delicious and healthy. I hadn't seen this many green food items since I left Holland. In the picture you see a crunchy pancake and watermelon juicy. I had the best juice EVER that weekend; strawberry apply juicy! Maybe I'll try making that when I'm back in Holland. :)

On our way to the Mekong Delta rivers, we stopped at a temple complex. Interestingly enough, the temple is Buddhist, Confucianist, and Taoist. All these elements are combined to form some stunning temples.

A HUGE statue of Buddha stood next to the temple.

We went to turtle and coconut island by boat, and then we took a traditional fisher's boat to traverse across the island. Only 6 people fit on the long boat and 2 people steer the fleet through the narrow passageways.

During lunch, we were served "elephant fish".

And before we left Vietnam, I got a manicure. The manicurist was able to create the nail art within 15 min. on all my 10 fingernails and the cost was 7 EUR in total.

If you want to travel to SE Asia, skip Thailand and head to Vietnam instead.

Vietnam Part I

Vietnam far exceeded my expectations. The people were nice, I felt safe on the streets, the culture is charming, and the food is delicious!

This image is shocking. I definitely learned a lot about the Vietnam War and its lasting consequences. We went to the War Remnants Museum and there was an area dedicated to the harmful effects of Agent Orange that can still be seen 3 generations later. Note: though the museum rightfully depicted the horrors of the war on the Vietnamese people, there were also obvious signs of propaganda by this Socialist Nation. After all, Vietnam "won the war and the communists were victorious".

Myself and my Swiss travel partner, Daniel Dudler, in front of one of the American fighter jets lefts behind in Saigon.

We visited the Cu Chi tunnels which were used extensively during the war. These tunnels are located in the jungle (though the jungle had been severely bombed during the war) and extend some 200 km. Whole villages lived in the tunnels and guerillas fought the Americans by placing traps with bamboo arrows throughout the region and popping up out of unexpected hatches. "The Americans never saw the Viet Cong while fighting", because they strategically remained underground. After this visit, it was obvious as to why the Americans would never have won. Those of the Viet Cong who killed an American (for instance, by piercing his body with bamboo sticks as those in the picture) were proclaimed "American Killer Hero".

In the jungle. It was VERY hot!

Guess what this is? Poison? Nope. It is snake-scorpion wine. Perfectly safe to drink. Illegal to export to Singapore. I wonder why.

Fullerton High Tea

Last week I went to the Fullerton Hotel, a 5 star establishment located in the city's old British colonial post office. Together with my friend Ann-Katrin I enjoyed a fabulous high tea with Twinnings tea and an unlimited number of savory and sweet treats. Yes, I mean unlimited, because you could re-order your favourite treats! :)