Malmo Stad

A 30-minute train ride from Copenhagen Central Station will take you to another Scandinavian city called Malmo in Sweden. The journey along the scenic Oresund Bridge connecting the Continental Europe and The Nordic countries, was a really smooth one and almost noise-less. My travel companions speculated something technical about the rail technology and the gliding manner which, obviously too abstract to me. Well, the frequency of the train (every 20 minutes) indicates that this free movement has been in practice for ages and I heard that, some Copenhageners will actually retreat to their real home in Malmo for the weekend.

Being in Sweden is a dream come true as I always admire her Socialism philosophy and not to mention, her state welfare system. Oh yeah, you pay a really high price in taxes but ask all Scandinavians, they trust their govenrnments in providing the best healthcare, education and other welfare products in their country. All Scandinavians actually feel safe and secure in their own country which I think it's due to the gradual enlightenment process that takes place in the society. And of course, having politicians under public scrutiny all the time, which only a very enlighten political system can achieve.

Despite being a socialist country, Sweden also proves to be a counter-thesis of what we always regard that only capitalist capitalism will prevail. The unsteadiness of Capitalist economic system may indicate to us that, socialist economic system can also be an equally competitive one and not to mention, the stability and equality as their by-products. Well, already the Scandinavian economies are proven to be the most competitive and sustainable first-world economies in the world. No surprise actually. But I'm curious, with the growing influence of the right-wingers like what we see happening in France (I still hope Royal will win the election), will the Scandinavians remain in their amirable position forever? Judging from the investment in technological advancement (R&D)and successfully transitioning into a post-industrial economy, knowledge is what they possess here. And for this, they will remain relevant for another long long time.

One of the more memorable encounter was the visit to a souvenir store in Malmo Central Station. We were greeted by a big Viking doll, some hand-crafted products of Sweden and also, the China-made cute stuff. A vending machine selling flowers also made an impression. And the store-keeper was kind enough to brief us on Malmo must-sees and gave us a city map. A really kind gesture!

We toured Lilla Torg and saw the transition from being a sleepy cafe hang-out in the morning to a full of vibrant life hang-out in the afternoon. We also visited Malmohus where we purchased a ticket to grant us entry to all the museums there. We went to the Technology Museum (went into a real World War 2 Submarine!), Aquarium, Art Museum and saw the Turning Torso from afar. We also took part in an experimental sound orchestra where we encountered music, the combination of sound and noise that was so different from our familiar classics. A truly eye-opening, out of this world orchestra!

Danish Design

In this particular Scandinavian country, I couldn't help but notice that much emphasis was given on the comfort of sitting down. The amount of chair, sofa, and stool designs which are ergonomically thought of, makes a design in the early 1920s looks sophisticated enough for today's living. Yeap, my trip to the Danish Design Centre thought me this. I saw the evolution and revolution of Danish design which I think is quite understated due to their humbleness. Danes don't actually shout out, design from Denmark like how the Americans brand their goods. Which I think is very intelligent of them. The advance of their designs is simply cutting-edge.

Another awakening was the FlowMarket Exhibit. Here is one message I got as my take-out, "Be Best Not IN, But FOR The World" The exhibit aims to educate us on the environmental state that we're in right now. Let's do our part in conservation and the 3 Rs (Recycle, reduce and reuse) for a better world. Oh yeah, another meaningful quote, "Every dollar spent is a vote cast for the world we want it to be", so spend wisely and support responsible brands!

Enjoy Perth!

To see Perth, is to experience outside Perth. Walking in Fremantle, be it the Fremantle Market or the walking street is life at its greatest. The easiness and breeziness of the air makes living here a dream for retirement. The wharf area reminds me of San Fran and Cape Town, one of my favourite places. Buskers were everywhere and made the street crowded with people having a blast of live performances. We had lunch at the famous Fish & Chips restaurant where they claim to be the best around. Eating fried snapper with the company of seabirds, sunny sky and chilly air is a lifestyle I can stick to for a very long time, of course to be followed by a café hang-out for the pleasure of people-watching.

A trip to Margaret River is a must. The 2-hour long drive is worth every minute of great views. We made a pit stop at Busselton for a cup of coffee as breakie (breakfast in Australian). And this small town feels like a good place for chilling underneath the sun with your cuppa. Once we reached Margaret River, we went to the Chocolate Factory, a haven for the choc lovers. Then we proceeded to the Cheese Factory, Yahava Coffee, Berries Farm and countless vineyards. As the trip advances, so do our waistline as sampling of their produce is sufficient to skip our lunch for the day. Driving back towards Kenwick and Thornlie, we stopped at the coastline of Yallingup for the perfect view of the ocean. What a marvellous sight of the vast blue water, sandy beach and high ground of greenery!

Another activity that we did was deep-sea fishing in Blue Juice boat. Though I am never fond of this sport, I didn’t mind witnessing one. Of course, the sight of the fish caught by the fishing enthusiasts was enough for me to feel the pain for the fish. I vowed not to go fishing again. But the boat ride that took 2 ½ hours to qualify as deep sea was a worthy experience. The boat is equipped with GPS detector that can actually tell whether there is any chance for a good catch. The prize fish is known as dhue fish which worth AU$60 per kilo. As the Fisheries Authority imposed stringent rules on conservation, we witnessed how hard the skippers (drivers in Australian but also apply to Captain of the boat) trying to revive a dhue fish which was deemed too small to be caught.

While it is still on Easter season, we feast in family gatherings. Food wise, it’s never short of Perth’s best Corica’s apple strudel, a good beef steak, home-cooked Portugese-style lamb curry, fish with sweet chilli hot sambal and smoked cheddar with Browns Brothers Moscato Millawa red and white wines, all done in alfresco!

The New Old Shanghai

This trip to Shanghai was a rather surprising one. I never had so much fun tagging along for shopping in the land of counterfeits. First of all, it started with an ambitious plan to conquer Chi Poo Loo (7 Steps Street, I suppose), to get the most amazing twin copy of the branded luxuries, graded double-A, I would say. It took us about 20mins, riding in a cab to reach this supposedly well-known shopping haven.

To our utmost surprise, we were being pounced by a group of 4-6 people offering catalogues to attract us to their stores, as soon as we got off the cab! Their persistence exceeded our expectation! We initially thought that by giving them a friendly “No,not interested..” would be good enough to shoo off the fellas, but no! They persisted to the point of irritation till we couldn’t help but berated them. It turned out that, they kept following us, tailing us every step with their constant pursuance and harassment. We felt terribly helpless and victimised by the tailing annoyance. We also joked about how important we are to have such a big group of bodyguards!

We came up with a plan to get rid of them, by entering shops and ignoring them but nothing seemed to work. We grew frustrated but at the same time, we felt pleasurable by making them wait while we were in the shops browsing. After a while we began to regain our spirit of shopping. The amazing part was, they literally followed us for close to 2 hours and by that time , we had already gotten what we came for. Well, almost there, actually. I bought 3 pairs of cufflinks and I was happy and amused at the same time.

Oh yeah, for those who believes that barter trading is a thing in the past, well, do think again. I was sincerely amazed by how this kind of trading is possible with the street peddlers! Exchange policy is so advanced here. Why I say this, is because, I personally witnessed how goods were negotiated to the right price and exchange of goods could be done even with the supposedly “competitor” next door! They do accept their competitors’ goods for exchange! The buyer bought a good from Seller A but found that Seller B got the colour of choice. Seller B accepted the good purchased with Seller A and because of Seller B’s goodwill, the buyer actually bought another good from Seller B. The transaction was done harmoniously and the result was quite a win-win for both the buyer and seller. I truly marvel this art of street trading! Everything seems possible here.

Environmental Issues

Before I left for Adelaide, the news of Sydney switching off their lights for an hour was surprising. It was to raise awareness of how much energy can be saved by this single gesture of acquaintancing with short-period of darkness. Well, of course, the night sky line of Sydney was still visible as not all were that interested anyway.

During my stay in Adelaide, another incident occur that I realise how intolerant our environment has become. News on Solomon Islands hit the SkyNews headline. These isolated cluster of islands seem almost inexistent without the mentioning.

Of course to those Conde Nast readers, these islands spell out paradise with tropical climate and secluded enough to qualify as exotic. I wonder, what went through their mind when this defendless island was hit by tsunami with waves as high as 5 metres, destroying lives and causing loss and fear. Was there any sense of guilt for indirectly being responsibile for it? Well, The States and Australia have yet to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

Natural disasters are unavoidable as most of us know but the frequency of these should strike an alarm. Without these big players adhering to the Protocol, what good is that by having a media stunt on blacking out a city?

Bikini at AUD 20!

My trip to Brisbane was an insanely under-prepared one. Like any other Australian cities, I would have thought. Hence, I just brought the bare minimum to survive this trip. Not particularly knowledgeable about this city, I took the liberty to venture outside for a brief walk. I was actually staying above the Central Station, which I can actually take a train down to Gold Coast. Well, I didn't obviously. Not this trip.

What I am pleased enough was the shopping atmosphere here. Shops selling swim wears are abundant and the coast-y feel of this place makes you want to chill out under the sun, even when surrounded by the concretes. Well, the green gardens between buildings are enough proof to make that statement.

After my big Aussie breakfast, I head back to catch up on much needed rest. Nothing to brag about this time around except that I bought a bikini with just a 20 note.