My first birthday

July 1st, 2009

Well not exactly my First birthday, but it is the first birthday i have in Switzerland.

One major differences having your birthday here is that you would have to announce it to the world, and then it is customary for the birthday boy/girl to treat all his/her friends….

It is an office tradition (or compulsory) as well for the birthday boy/girl to bring something to the office to share with all the beloved colleagues…

So to prepare for my big day today, i went to a bakery in advance… to book my cakes, to have it customized, to request for labels on all the boxes, and finally today, to pick it up at 7am before taking the train to office.

In total, i bought 18 pieces(9 different flavours) of lovely awesome delicious cake, torte, from Heini Confectionery, a local household name here in the city of Luzern.

I had a blast last weekend with my ex-colleagues who were here from Munich for a weekend. We had a great time, and therefor, for tonight itself, i am having only instant noodles as dinner.

This year, i received really a lot of warm, sweet, sincere, wishes and messages from all my brothers, sisters, friends. I really appreciate all the messages for it definitely make today a wonderful memorable day.

CHEERS!

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First contact to french.. almost

June 15th, 2009

Switzerland, the country itself is full of surprises and very diversed.

Northern, eastern and central part of the country is often considered the German-speaking region (which border Germany and Austria), southern part ofthe country speaks Italian (which border Italy) ,western part of the country which bordered France…. speaks French, and last but not least part of the south east speaks Romansh…..

This make Switzerland to have 4 national languages and the BEST thing is that most common people from one region do not understand people from the others. People in French speaking region tend to be more focused to France, while their Italian speaking counterparts lean more towards Milan than say, Zurich. Called someone from Ticino (italian speaking region) Italians, and you risked offending them. People often wonder what keeps the diversed, cultural different Swiss, a Swiss.  Perhaps Bolehland officer can use the tax payers’ money to come here for a study trip… and then see how things work.

Nevertheless, i had my opportunity to wander off to the French-speaking region of Switzerland. I went to the region of La Gruyere, a region popular for its medieval towns, castles, awesome swiss countryside, mountains, cheeses, chocolates, markets and what not

My journey start from Bern ( i took a train from Zurich to Bern ), we rented a car from Mobility and we drove our way down….. as per map above we drove on the highway, passing by Lac de la Gruyere, and we exited at Bulle.

From here onwards, the roads are winding, small, passing by gorgeous bridges, impressive gorges, valleys so beautiful that are dotted with towns, castles, churches, and towering mountains. For our first night, we stayed at this frenchly named place, Chatel-sur-Montsalvens, a B&B with a view to die for. This B&B is somewhere before the town of Charmey.

At first we were worried that the place is so out-of-town…in the middle of nowhere, but when we were there, we found that actually everything is very nearby…despite the distances shown on map…. en route to our B&B, we passed by the town of Broc, located near to Bulle. Broc is a chocolate town, and i think the town itself exist because of chocolate and i believed everyone work in the chocolate factory. The factory building itself occupied more than half of the town centre…….. Cailler is the name of the chocolate brand.

The owner of Cailler INVENTED the milk chocolate, and the rest as we know is history. Each and everyone of us has him to thank for, or to hate for, depends on your selfcontrol and discipline.

We did a virtual tour of the factory, that is by visiting the exhibition sections of the factory which opened to public for FREE. There we see on TV how chocolates are made, the machines, the ingredients, the old design, the history, the packaging and etc. Well, if you feel boring, you could always proceed directly to the free testing area.

Here, stripped, uncovered, and spread in front of you, are all different type chocolates available under the brand Cailler. You for sure are more than welcome to try 1, or 2, or 3, or 4…. or all. If i remember correctly, i see no sign or warning or cctv… hehehehe… Well, one thing for sure, i skipped lunch after visiting the factory.

Part 2, to be continued.

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A taste of Home

June 13th, 2009

For a moment, it smells like Malaysia, sounds like Malaysia… and almost… almost taste like Malaysia…

i had a wonderful dinner at a malaysian restaurant in zurich… i heard that there aren’t many malaysian restaurant in zurich, and this one i had…suppose to be quite popular with the singaporean and malaysian crowd.. the name of the restaurant is Teoh Restaurant, and supposely they had been operating like 20 years??

it is also possible to have some pre-book dishes…
like if you manage to get like 10 ppl, then you could inform the owner what you would like to have, for example, Assam Laksa, or Prawn Noodles, or real satay with peanut sauce…

  1. Food - CHF130 (RM416)
    • wanton soup (8 special only-for-malaysian’s prawn wantons),
    • 1 portion gado-gado (indian rojak),
    • 1 nyonya curry chicken,
    • 1 char koay teow,
    • 1 duck noodles soup,
    • 1 curry mee,
    • 2 jasmine tea,
    • 2 bier
  2. Train ticket from Luzern to Zurich - CHF28.20 (RM90.24)
  3. Taste of home - PRICELESS

Well…… not something that i should do frequently as i hav with me canned curry chicken, chicken herbs soup, luncheon meat, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, etc with me…. but it is nice, once in a while, to have something to remind me of how food in malaysia taste like now… hehehehhehehe

Today was a day full of activities, and also full of money using excuses… watched Terminator at noon, had (lousy) Hong Kong food for lunch, went shopping and bought myself a new shirt and a new jacket.

Teoh Restaurant

Bäckerstrasse 37
8004 Zürich
Zürich

Tel.: 044/ 242 14 42
Fax: 044/ 242 14 42

( From Zurich Haupbahnhof, proceed to Bahnhofquai to take the Tram no:14, stop at Stauffacher…. and Baeckerstrasse is just arround the corner. You will see 2 chinese red lantern on the entrance. Do make bookings if you are there during peak hours, as the restaurant is small, there are places for like 30 ppl. )

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Internet addiction

June 7th, 2009

watching the world pass by,
on a june rainy day,
with a coffee in starbucks,
even the loveliest place sucks,

There were a period here that i was so attached with internet, facebook, blogs, etc… it seems like i couldnt survived without internet….

now that i moved to my new place, and i hv no internet with me now…. and i need to go to starbucks, like today… to really have the chance to surf..

the bloody company tht i subscribed suppose to send me my starter kits, but til today i received nothing.

In a way, i was quite sad that i do not have internet and i couldnt do much except to depend on my korean and hk drama….

the good thing is that i start doing some jogging and walk again… as i hv nothing better to do, watching dvd can be boring after 2 or 3 cds…

i must say that the view here, the route i used is awesome, the scenery is amazing, and the weather is good now, not too hot or too cold… so is just perfect… and i could even jog or walk up till 10pm at night, as the sun doesnt set before 9.30pm everyday.

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Last Steps

May 29th, 2009

Updates 3 :

it wasnt a good first night yesterday….

1) i was cheated 10chf… well only have stupid me to blame
2) it was noisy, drunk, party goers, buses, lorries, restaurant patrons, church bells…

tht makes me wonder if i make a good choice for the apartment??? hmmm we shall see how it goes later…

My swiss living room

my Malaysianized living room

my swiss bedroom

my Malaysianized bedroom

my swiss kitchen

my Malaysianized kitchen (see Milo? maggi? indomee? chinese herbs? old town coffee? rice cooker??)


And i am constantly reminding myself my choice is a good one due to these sceneries…






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Updates 2 :

I officially completed my probation period with flying colours… hahahah flying colours wasnt the exact word they used… but then overall…i had great feedbacks…

and now i think i cant really use the phrase “i’m new” often now… hehe

Cheers….and i will be temporary “offline” for some time as i hv no internet line in my place yet.

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I am currently in my last steps of settling down…

I moved to my near, permanent apartment today… all the stuffs from the relocation company, that i sent from Malaysia….

So i had a day off… Moving House Leave…

First i have to de-register myself from the canton that i am in, so that i am able to re-register myself to the new canton where my new apartment will be.

Then i waited for the logistic company ppl, to move all my items… trust me, i moved way way way too little stuffs, i should have bring more… SIGH…..

And then i had the whole afternoon trying to arrange and to unpack my stuffs.

One this on apartment rental here is that you do not need to clean your apartment when you move in… reason :

It is compulsory for the ex-tenant to clean it 100%, windows blinds, toilets, kitchen, nooks, corners, every single inch, for the owner will make sure it is 100% clean, without dust or water stains on the window… Then when they hand me the apartment, they will write down details on the defects and the condition. I have to sign on it and this will be used against me later shall i move again….

I think this is a good concept…. wonder if it can happened back in Bolehland?

For a moment i like the fact that i have my own place now… and suddenly i have lots of idea to make it a nice living place…. to buy sofas, tv, radios, decorations, lamps, perfume, plants, tables, bath curtains, bathmats, vacuum cleaner, nice plates, matching glasses and coffee cups, coffee machines…

and i told my mum about it.. and my mum bring me back to earth…

she asked , am i going to marry here? if yes, please proceed, else dont be silly to have all the luxuries and to have it so well furnished…

speechless…….

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Basel

May 19th, 2009

Basel, a city popular for the very delicious Basel Leckerli….
Or was it popular with its pharmaceutical companies?
Wait, could it be the fact that it is the only “SeaPort” for Switzerland and the rest of Central Europe?
Or perhaps Basel’s unique location at the Tri-country meeting points, Switzerland’s very own Golden Triangle?
But some do says, it is widely known for its museums and cultural activity, otherwise the canton wouldnt dare to called itself, Basel, Culture Unlimited.

One thing for sure, i do find its flag very interesting.

I was in Basel on last weekend, to recharge my cultural and my artistic cells, that never seems to be present. There is currently on-going exhibition of Vincent van Gogh in Basel Kunstmuseum, touted to be the biggest art exhibition in Europe in 2009… and thus i convinced myself to be there, to experience, to indulge, to learn and to understand more about arts. It was my virgin (first) art exhibition and i enjoyed it. Overall, i must say that it is not only merely an exhibition, but also kind of like a biography of van Gogh. So if you plan to visit, i would suggest you not to go now, but later…. as this exhibition will be on till September. The reasons is that it is very very very very crowded and u dont really get a quiet moment to appreciate and to absorb it all…..

There are numerous worthy place, a must for every tourist to visit while in Basel.
The one couldnt be missed and shouldnt, would be the Basel Town Hall. The building is coated with striking red paint and decorated with frescoes, flags, gold gilded spires and statues. The inner court yard of the town hall does ooze a certain romantic old charm. It is located right at the Marktplatz, where there is a fresh produce market every morning except for Sundays. The town hall has been in its present location since 14th century, although the building itself has gone through several renovations and add-ons throught the time.

The imposing Basel Cathedral right by the River Rhine should not be missed as well. Though the cathedral is visible from the old town, one needs to explore a bit to find the way to the cathedral itself. It is perched slightly elevated on Muensterberg (loosely translated as Cathedral hill) overlooking the Rhine. The cathedral itself is an architectural marvel, and you could climb up to the very very top of the spire… with a fees of course. Nothing is free in Switzerland.

From the very top of the cathedral, you have a nice 360 degree,  view of Basel and the River Rhine.

There is also another church, the Elizabeth Church, a more gothic style, i think and not less amazing comparing to the Basel Cathedral.

The Tinguely fountain is a must. No.. it is not another boring european style fountains. This fountain is aliveeeee!!!!! Tinguely Fountain is designed by Jean Tinguely, and it is now a symbol of the city of Basel. This is a metamechanics fountain which moves….. or ppl call it kinetic arts

Despite being the smallest canton in switzerland, basel is full of life. A short walk around the town , i realized that Basel is sort of more lively, more busy, more people and more energy than Zurich…

i love this orchestra by the riverwalk…

and i love them too….

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Upcoming events

May 12th, 2009

Summer is said to be the time where people enjoying the outdoor…. in fact supposedly the only time where the weather is nice enough to be out of the comfort of the hibernation caves…

End of Spring and beginning of Autumn is pretty enjoyable as well….or so they said.. i hv no idea as i hv not been through, and so far… now, the begining of Spring is not very nice as it rains every now and then.

People have party, have festival, have sports events, have bbq, ppl do hiking, ppl do lots and lots and lots of fun stuff…

Below are some of the notable events happening in and around Zurich…. which i hope that i will have the luxury of time to be there, to experience something difference…. you know, afterall, these events are only fun for the first time…

The biggest Gay event in Europe.

Zurich Festival… will hv lots of free concert, orchestra, etc… hope that i will hv time to go and look look see see

The ultimate Street Parade where the city is totally shut down and jam packed with 1 million party-goers, tourist etc… and i hope that i will not miss this……..

Event to showcase Zurich as the a happening back to the nature city of Europe

I will be going to this exhibition to experience for the first time… an art exhibition and the same time to charge and recharge all my artistic cells.

If only my friends, you, you , you and you are here with me…..

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To explore strange new world, to seek out new life and new friends

May 10th, 2009

SOJA…. that is how i intended to spell SOYA… as in soya bean milks…. (german pronounce JA as YA)

2 months here and i think i got the virus…hehehehe, of starting to spell english word…in german ..subconsciously, perhaps it was due to the fact that i was told that i am supposed to forget english in order to learn german… for now, i m still trying to construct phrases first in english then in german, which is wrong wrong wrong in all context…… i really hope that i will be able to manage to speak and understand german up to a certain level….

Besides works, everything has been great… been going to the cinema to watch movies on Saturdays… an activity which i can see will be continuing for the coming weeks, as there are new movies coming up like nights at museum, angels and demons, transformers, and etc…. and it means that i gonna burnt a big hole in my pocket…. train rides, tickets, drinks, lunches, dinners….. i always use Saturdays as excuses for me to splurge, to spend and to “pamper” myself with some real food. Watched Wolverine last week, and Star Trek today. I must say that i enjoyed both movies, and i like it. Hope the other new movies will be as good or better.

May and June will be busy months for me…. and i am glad  :D

My to do list , sorting by date accordingly:

  • clean temporary apartment
  • day trip visiting Basel and to go to Vincent van Gogh Exhibition
  • arranged handover of new apartment and to coordinate with relocation agent to move in my stuffs i brought from malaysia
  • Move house
  • day trip to Zurich 2009 EuroPride Gay Parade (it should be interesting, and good photo opportunity)
  • organizing new place
  • Attending work-related training

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A schoene Wochenende

April 27th, 2009

I had a good week this week….not only the weekend.

It was a fruitful week… lots of things happened and completed… the best is that a chance to meet up my good friend whom was in Germany and then whom was also here… for a run… the Zurich Marathon.
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Had a great time… the chance to be able to swear in Hokkien again was great!Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Suddenly i felt that i am at home… right at home…. the feeling was great….

I took part with my colleagues…in Luzerner City Run on Saturday… for the first time… since many months… i must said that i DID terribly bad….
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Meanwhile, i felt that i started really to like Switzerland…. in some ways. I was in Germany this week, but sorry to say, it feels difference… the people, the street, the scenery, the buildings, the environment… somehow, is just different… in one or many ways…. and then on the way back… knowing that the train i took was approaching Switzerland… i felt delighted… weird… but is true.

Besides that, i had a talk with my line manager about my situation in the company, i was assured that it was absolutely OK… for not being able to contribute much now. Frankly, i was feeling a bit bad… a bit useless and a bit too free and also a bit lost. But then again, i was told that it will only be better…

Not that i had never changed job before… i changed more frequently then most ppl my age…. but then it has been always difficult to start new…all over again…. sigh… hope that i will gain the momentum soon!

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Journey to the Top Of Europe

April 18th, 2009

Last weekend there was this Good Friday and Easter holiday here in Switzerland, and i had arranged earlier with my ex-schoolmate to meet up in Switzerland. He came all the way from London, and we went for a 4 days 3 nighst trip around central Switzerland.

We start our journey from Baar, then to Lucerne, next to Interlaken, and finally from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch, the highest peak in Europe.

From Lucerne to Interlaken, we took the Golden Pass Line, which cut through villages, hills,mountains, lakes and towns. The journey itself took about 2hours…. but trust me… you wont feel like it as there were tonnes of beautiful sceneries that simply take your breath away. The journey took us from Luzern to Hergiswil, Alpnach Dorf, Sarnen, Giswil, Kaisersthul Ow, Lungern, Brunig-Hasliberg, Meiringen, Brienz, and the Interlaken Ost. I particularly love the area around Brienz. It is just simpley refreshing, relaxing and beautiful.

Golden Pass Line


Interlaken is a very old and popular resort town for Switzerland….tourist make Interlaken their base for
further excursions around the region…. Interlaken really survived off the tourism industry….. and i must says… for some moment, i felt that i m in MALAYSIA!!! there are indians everywhere…. there are chinese looking tourist…. which are actually from china, HK, Korea, Japan and other East Asian countries….. but the buildings, the cleanliness, the beauty of it is not doubt… very Swiss.

Interlaken
We stayed at one of the many available backpacker hostels in Interlaken. The price is good…only RM200 for 2 nights… room is ok, except that it is a little noisy as there is a pub at the lobby… But one thing for sure that really sux was the toilet/bathroom….the bathroom seriously need to be enhanced…. visually… it wasnt really dirty.. is just really unpleasant looking tht you wont want to do any business there except for a quick bath or pee…

From Interlaken, you will then need to take the Jungfraubahnen, train to reach the very top of europe, or so they called it….. the journey itself tool about another 2 hours, with stops in car-less ski town like Wengen, Lauterbrunen, Kleine Schidegg….i particularly like Kleine Schidegg a lot… the view was magnificent, lovely ski resort, snow covered land as far as your eye can see….

From Kleine Schidegg, you take a connecting train which then will take you through the belly of Jungfrau…. The end station itself is in the belly of the mountain…and the whole complex… complete with observation deck, several restaurants, souvenir shop, post office, ice palace, some walking path etc. Overall, i will call it an engineering marvel!!!

Kleine Schidegg Train Station




That day when we were up the Jungfrau (means virgin/young lady), the weather was very hostile.. with -8 celcius degree…and wind as fast as 65kph…. everything was white… blur and you can see nothing at all..except snows..but it was cool…just to be there and feel the force of mother nature!!

This is a trip then you dont do often… simply because it is far, and expensive… overall i think you will at least need RM1200 just for the train tickets from Luzern. But then again, ppl say in summer or hot month, the view is spectacular up in Jungfrau, well… i will let u know again, if i am ever up the Jungfrau again…

Overall, i would say that it is a great trip… not because of the end destination (Jungfrau was extremely windy and cold and you cant see anything), but it was because of the journey… the awesome sceneries and a long-time no see good travelling companion makes this trip worth while!!

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