croeso i gymru

That's Welsh for "Welcome to Wales!"

People are probably wondering if I've drowned in Welsh rainfall but no, here I am, finally able to update my blog.

The last three weeks have been a whirlwind of sorts, what with me moving house, getting used to British English, braving the rain without an umbrella and trying to have a life in between. Not to mention the fact that going back to being a student after five years in the corporate world is not as easy as it seems.

Anyway, to more important things.

Cardiff is a lovely city, and as people say most places can be reached by foot - though admittedly sometimes the trek might be an hour or more. Most of the university buildings are concentrated in one area, very close to the city centre which is where I live. I spend most of my time in the Bute Building which houses The Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies (JOMEC.)

Rain is an intrinsic part of everyday life, apparently even moreso in Wales compared to the rest of the UK. So it could happen that one minute it's all nice and sunny and the next minute it's raining cats and dogs. Pardon the pun.

The Welsh have developed an immunity to the rain which has them walking about with their heads held up high in their tight miniskirts and short-sleeved shirts as if it's not raining. I regret leaving my denim miniskirt in Denmark categorising it as 'summer clothes' because apparently it's the only thing girls wear on Friday and Saturday nights (with a top or some semblance of it, that is.)

In a nutshell the move to Cardiff was off to a rocky start due to a barrage of things coming in all at once; but as the days go by the more I think that it's not that bad a place to be.

The Bute Building and Cardiff Skyline

next stop: cardiff

In just 12 hours I'm about to board the plane that will take me to my next destination: Cardiff, the capital of Wales. (And for the nth and surely not the last time, NO, Cardiff is NOT in England!!!!)

I just finished re-sealing the boxes I brought to Denmark which I thought I could take with me, but alas, remain full. If there's one thing I abhor about moving, it's not so much the move itself, but rather all the packing involved. If I could just teletransport all my things to the next place I'm living in, then surely I will.

I look forward to tomorrow: breakfast with a friend at the Central Station in Copenhagen (for lack of a more convenient venue) then off to the airport for my flight that will take me to London Heathrow. Cardiff University has arranged coaches for us that will take us all the way from Heathrow to our doorstep - literally - for free. Isn't that grand? My evening is already booked - dinner with a British friend I met whilst she was in Finland on exchange. Lovely.

That's it for now. I should get back to sorting the mess around me. Attached is a map of Wales, for perspective. Clearly, I'm not moving to England (can you see how frustrated I am when people ask me "When are you moving to England?" Gosh!):

john legend live!

Last night, I had the opportunity of watching John Legend live! The concert was held in the Vega Kongressalen (=concert hall) which made for a really cozy atmosphere - room for only 1500 standing and 900 seating guests. My friend and I arrived early enough to take our pick (20 minutes early), and eventually decided to mesh with the rest of the crowd in the standing area - 2nd row, close enough to touch John Legend (which of course, we did, when he went down the stage and started singing right in front of us!)

The concert was absolutely amazing! Especially when he did "Used To Love U" which was my personal favorite, and obviously the crowd's as well. He sang with so much soul and you could really 'feel' the emotion in all his songs. I could go on and on about how great it was, but words cannot do it justice.

The opening act was by Jonas, a Danish singer who does 'modern soul.' It was actually really good and I think that his album, Sweet Dreams Guaranteed, is well worth checking out.

ny carlsberg glyptotek

"Probably the best beer in the world?" Think again. While it uses the same name (well, almost) the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek has little to do with the famous Danish beer - save for the fact that the founders hail from the same family. The Danish word Glyptotek, meaning 'collection of sculpture' was used in order to stray from the stereotype of a museum where people can expect detailed explanations of everything on show.

Consistent with the founder's idea to give people a place where they can enjoy, the Glyptotek has an indoor lounge area knows as the Winter garden. Note that it is not a botanical garden in that there are no signs explaining the particular plants either - it's all just there to give off a relaxing atmosphere. This was practically a highlight, because I am so used to museums being massive buildings with nothing to give off a cozy feeling.

We were lucky to take part in a free guided tour in English of the Greek and Roman sculptures. It was great, very informative and actually quite interesting. Thereafter, we visited the rest of the museum(unfortunately, since it is undergoing renovations for its centennial anniversary in June 2006 not all collections are on display) and stumbled upon a Van Gogh (pictured on the right), some works by Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin and even a Picasso. All in all I really enjoyed my trip there, and look forward to seeing the entire collection in the future.

last chance saloon

Finished reading: Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes
Fun fun fun! Marian Keyes never fails to make me laugh - from Sushi for Beginners to this! It started out a bit slow and I almost thought that she's lost her spunk, but she pulled through in the end. I read it in just two sittings, one of 200 pages and another of roughly 400 (since I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to watch a tennis match.) It was an enjoyable read, chick lit as it is.
Rating: 4 out of 5 bookmarks.

a dose of culture

Today being a Wednesday was high time to hit a museum due to free entrance! I went with a Danish friend to the Statens Museum for Kunst (kunst = art) where we spent a few hours browsing the collections. Both fans of more conventional art, we did not really appreciate everything on Sculpture Street where there were strange fixtures (say, statuettes of 20 grisly growling dogs entitled "These are dogs" or something like that) nor the 'modern art' that was in the last room we entered. We were lucky though to see a few pieces by Matisse and Picasso in the Highlights section. That was enough to make the trip worthwhile.

laughable loves

Finished reading: Laughable Loves by Milan Kundera
A compilation of seven short stories about love and what not, this was probably an easier read than most. In any case, I found that I had to plough through the last few short stories. The plots were odd, but somehow not riveting.
Rating: 3 out of 5 bookmarks.

walking after the camino

On Yahoo! Music: One Thing-Finger Eleven

If living in Scandinavia has taught me one thing, then it's this: never pass up the opportunity to stay outdoors when you can. Today was one of those days: sunny, over 20 degrees Celsius, but not too hot because of the wind. So what's a girl like me to do? Don her bikini, grab her beach towel, pack a good book and obviously... hit the beach! Luckily, there's one near where we live.

The 2km walk (give or take) there and back seemed like nothing after doing the Camino. My aunt insisted that I take the bus (which would only take me half the way anyway) but I politely declined saying I'll make a day of it and enjoy the good weather outdoors. I didn't regret it at all. It was a pleasant walk to the beach and surprisingly, I was able to stand the cold sea breeze - lying on the sand for almost 3 hours and making it a point not to sit up to avoid feeling the wind in its full force.

200 pages and 4 hours later, I am home - happy and content at a day well spent. Glad I took advantage of the weather, since tomorrow they are forecasting rain. Time to hit the museums!