Day 9: 01 February 2006

It's the start of a new month. My brother's birthday is coming and I can't be there to celebrate it with him. It used to be, for me at least, nothing much. Birthdays (and holidays) come every year, so they are nothing special. But it's days like these that makes you miss home.

Well, it's the first of February and the weather has been good so far. The today's forecast is calls for fair weather, with temperature ranging from between 0 and 5 Celsius, and for intermittent showers. What worries me is the weather forecast for the next few days, especially for Saturday and Sunday, when the temperatures are expected to go as low as 9 below 0, and more often than not, the actual temperature felt is colder than that. Would I experience some thing like minus 15, as some of them said I would? Again, I have to qualify that at the usual temperature range of minus 4 to 4 Celsius, the cold is not that bad IF there's no wind. It's the wind that makes the situation bitter and unbearable. But at 15 below? I've been advised not to walk in such temperatures and to take the bus, but hor I have to walk for about 15 to 20 minutes to get to THE bus stop. How ah?

It's 0700 and the sky is still dark. While there may be daylight, I have not felt the warmth of the sun ever since I stepped into Changi Airport. I miss the warmth.

Actually, for Uppsala, the common things to do here are exactly the same as what I can do back home. Eating and shopping during the weekends. Yup. It's like any other city in the world. Of course, there are some more interesting things to do like to go up to Gamma Uppsala (Old Uppsala) where there are glass blowers, and more historical artifacts. BUT to travel up there by myself, and to see the exhibits by myself? Banish the thought. It'll be more boring than to stay at home watching TV. Some things have to be done with people, with friends.

It's the start of another day, and it's the middle of the week already. Time passes more quickly during the weekdays. Maybe I'll be home soon. Maybe by then, I won't want to leave. Ha! Fat hope. This is not home. No place will ever be home without family.

To home, family and friends! Cheers!