Today I realized that I have been here in Singapore for 30 days already. I guess it is like they say that time flies when you are having fun and I have most certainly enjoyed my stay here in Singapore so far. I’ve spent a lot of time in the lab since the working hours here in Singapore are from 9.30-18, but I have also attended many different lectures and seminars. Many different aspects of neuroscience have been discussed at these seminars and lectures, which I have found to be very interesting and sometimes even eye opening. My supervisor Dr. Lim stated that he thinks it is good to explore different fields of research, not only your own and I couldn’t agree more. I think in order to be a good researcher, you have to try to see the bigger picture of things and get inspiration from other fields of research to apply to your own.
Moreover, two of the speakers at these seminars and lectures have been professors at the Karolinska Institute and it has been almost a bit ironic that I had the opportunity to meet them here and not in Sweden.

Last week my friend Aida came to visit me in Singapore, and we took the chance to go see Kuala Lumpur (also commonly called KL).
Many people warned me before I went to Malaysia that pickpocketing and robberies are common, but luckily we did not experience this side of KL. I did however feel less secure in KL compared to Singapore. Despite this I enjoyed my time is KL and I am happy I got the chance to go. Also, Aida and I were very lucky to have a personal guide, as one of the interns (Shee Man) in my lab just went home to KL and took some time to show us around, which was very much appreciated. It was very interesting to see the differences between Singapore and Malaysia. Despite these differences, there were many similarities between Singapore and Malaysia in terms of cuisine and culture. For instance, many of the dishes people have told me to try in Singapore come from Malaysia. If you want to go shopping however, Malaysia is the country to go to since most things were half price there compared to Singapore.

Yesterday was the start of the Chinese New Year’s celebration. Therefore, we had a Chinese new year’s lunch last week. It was very interesting to take part of this celebration and everyone really took the time to explain all the different parts of the traditions of the Chinese New Year, which I am very grateful for. For instance, we did a prosperity toss (yee sang). The different ingredients in this prosperity toss represent different things:

Fish – “abundance through the new year”
Pomelo or Lime – “Good luck and smooth sailing”
Pepper – “Attract wealth and treasures”
Oil – “Make 10 000 times of profit with your capital”
Carrots – “Good luck is approaching”
Shredded green radish – “Forever young”
Shredded white radish – “Reaching higher level with each step”
Peanut crumbs – “Household filled with gold and silver”
Sesame seeds – “Prosperity for the business”
Plum sauce – “May life always be sweet”
Deep-fired flour crisps – “Floor full of gold”

This dish is often served as part of a multi-dish dinner and it is served in steps by a leader amongst the diners or by the restaurant server. First, the ingredients that make up the base are served, and the person serving then proceeds to add the ingredients such as the fish, the crisps and the sauces. As the ingredients are added the person serving says “auspicious wishes”, typically related to the added ingredient. While this is done, all diners at the table stand up and  proceed to toss once everything is added. Wishes are said a loud while tossing and the height of the toss is believed to reflect the height of the diners’ growth in fortunes. In other words, you should try to toss as high as you can.

Hope to see you here again soon and happy Chinese New Year!

//Paulina