Born in the vibrant city of Singapore with a unique Eurasian blend of Portuguese and Chinese heritage, my journey has taken me from the bustling streets of Singapore to the serene and open landscapes of Sweden. My educational pursuits in Singapore culminated at tertiary level with two separate Master degrees, after which I embarked on a new adventure in 2002, moving to Sweden. In Sweden, I pursued with deep interest, the knowledge field of applied linguistics, particularly corpus linguistics research methods, earning a doctoral degree from one of northern Europe’s largest universities, the University of Gothenburg. I currently work as Project Manager, focusing on EU and international projects, at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, at the Division of Bioeconomy and Health, Department of Agriculture and Food. My office is located in Mölndal municipality. Mölndal, known also as the Valley of Mills, is located about ten minutes by bus ride from the city center of Gothenburg to the south. If you’re ever traveling south from Gothenburg to Malmö, whether by train or car, you will likely come by Mölndal municipality. In these pages at cmariec.com, you’ll find my lifestyle musings on culinary and travel adventures from Singapore to Sweden, and from when I lived and worked the Arctic City of Tromsø (2018 to mid-2022). SINGAPORE | SWEDEN | NORTHERN NORWAY Life in Singapore Pursued all academic interests in Singapore, of which the post-graduate years were founded in two separate disciplines. In 2000, graduated with two separate Masters Degrees: (i) Master of Science in Information Studies at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore (ii) Master of Arts in the English Language at the National University of Singapore (NUS). In 1999, represented the Republic of Singapore at the Miss Universe Pageant in Trinidad and Tobago. With this came a variety of film, educational TV, media, and ambassadorial work for the Singapore Tourism Board. Life in Sweden In 2002, moved from Singapore to Sweden in order to pursue a PhD in Gothenburg, where a number of international corporate head offices were located that all had a substantial business presence in Singapore and also Asia in general. In 2009, graduated with a PhD in applied critical linguistics from the faculty of humanities at the University of Gothenburg, with a cross-disciplinary thesis entitled, Swedish management in Singapore: a discourse analysis study, looking particularly into the concepts of assimilation, integration and hierarchy, at top management levels of Swedish-Asian corporations in Singapore. 2013, as research fellow at the Centre for International Business Studies (CIBS), School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, researching the future implications of increasing Asian-Swedish cooperation within the field of international business. The project is entitled Gothenburg in Asia, Asia in Gothenburg, funded by the Anna Ahrenberg Foundation. The project is aligned with the 400 years anniversary of the city of Gothenburg in 2021, and falls under the broad category of Kunskap Göteborg 2021 initiated by city representatives of Gothenburg, Göteborg & Co, University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology. 2015, was granted the Flexit post-doctoral scholarship by Bank of Sweden Tercentennary Foundation (Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, RJ) for a three year project together with the Swedish-Swiss multinational enterprise ABB. From 2015-17, the research will take place at ABB Corporate Research Sweden HQ in Västerås, and at CIBS during 2017-18. The research focus of the project is how new technologies are perceived and accepted by users and customers, using linguistic methods of data analysis. More information can be found at RJ’s website, at Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (RJ) Felxit 2015. Life in Northern Norway (2018-2022) 2018, late summer. I acquired new work as Market Scientist at Nofima. Having moved to the county of Troms in August, I’m currently enjoying myself, exploring the island city of Tromsø. From the 1900s, this city became known as Paris of the North due to how the people of Tromsø were exceptionally stylish and sophisticated in contrast to the fishing village preconception that many might have of a city located in the Arctic Circle. In my years in Sweden, I have known Sweden to be called the land of the midnight sun. During the long summer mights, it was beautiful to sit and watch the sun’s languid pendulation between east and west, touching the horizon out at sea before going up again. Northern Norway takes this languid pendulation of the sun to the extreme. It is not only known as the land of the midnight sun, but it is also the land of polar nights and the northern lights. This is my new adventure. And in these lifestyle blog pages, you’ll find my personal thoughts, insights and musings. Cheryl Marie Cordeiro | PhD MSc MA ACADEMIC REFLECTIONS | CV LIFESTYLE BLOG

Love at first bite

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Cutting the steak

Personally I would leave the steak some eight minutes before serving to let it rest a bit and even out the temperature. I have found that this leaves the steak much juicier too.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro 2013

Admittedly, it was a feeling of pure lust that washed over me from the moment the succulence of it appeared under my visual radar. I wanted it. I knew from the first instance I saw it, it was mine. Without a doubt, I wanted all of its deliciousness home with me.

It was not so much a question about how many inches of it I could have, but the fact that already the first two would give me a really nice piece, with both strip steak side and the tenderloin.

I really don’t know what it is with big chunks of beef that releases so much of the primitive hormones in me, but it seems the case that I often end up buying way too large steaks to a small household. Perhaps I just like large, in general, like fruits, diamonds, cars, houses. Anything.

However, there is no way any one single person can down a four lbs (2kg) T-bone steak alone. Not even two grown up persons can do it comfortably. With some modest side dishes, you need to be at least four.

And there you have it, a perfect reason to call a few friends and throw a dinner party.

I have always also felt a little bit intimidated by outdoor barbecuing, because it seems so hard to get any steak exactly the way you want it. Too many burst and charred tomatoes, too many raw and inedible chicken parts etc. have left their scars on my self confidence I’m afraid, but this would be the day, with a gorgeous find of a T-bone.

¨wine_rioja_2001

After considering a Barolo, my choice fell on a full bodied 2001 Rioja which worked out well.

When planning a dinner, I like to choose a wine that will complement the food, as soon as the menu is settled. In this case I felt a steak this brutal, would take a robust, mature red wine that would stand its own ground and not fade into the wallpaper when a medium rare two inch thick steak landed on the plate.

My rule of thumb when preparing a meat dinner, is one glass in the sauce and one in the chef. In this case I was not planning to have any sauce, so I recalibrated the wine ratio, which also worked out OK.
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Istanbul end terminus of the Orient Express

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The Sirkeci Terminal in Istanbul, by the Golden Horn,
marks the end terminus of the noted Orient Express railroad line.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro 2013

The Orient Express, was the first long-distance passenger train service to connect the Orient with Europe. It began its operation in 1883 and in various forms continued to operate until 2009, after which the “Orient Express” disappeared from European ordinary railway timetables, reportedly a “victim of high-speed trains and cut-rate airlines”. In fact, the Orient Express had stopped serving Istanbul already in 1977.

The Orient Express ran between Paris and Istanbul, the original endpoints, sometimes listing ‘Londres’ as a starting point however there were no rails between London and Paris at that time. Istanbul or Constantinople was its easternmost destination and eastern terminus.

The golden age of this service was the 1930s with three parallel services with sleeper cars running between various destinations, providing the very real service of connecting continental Europe from one edge to the other. It was during this time, the Orient Express acquired its reputation for comfort and luxury, carrying royalty, nobility, diplomats, business people, probably spies, and the rich and privileged in general.

The Orient Express eventually became synonymous with intrigue and luxury travel also through literature such as the Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel, Murder on the Orient Express and was felt to attract guests as varied and mysterious as from their lands of origin as from their interesting conversations, as for example between Sigmund Freud and Gertrude Stein.

It was also the first of its kind to have sleeper cars furnished with dark polished wood and velvet bed covers, that defined luxury traveling of the golden age of travels.
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Pera Palace Hotel, Istanbul 2013

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Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul was built at the end of the 19th century
to host the passengers of the Orient Express.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro 2013

Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, Pera Palace Hotel Istanbul courtyard

From the hotel outdoor terrace we had a splendid view over the old City of Istanbul,
straight across the Golden Horn.

The original Orient Express was a normal international railway service that began in 1892, the name of which has become synonymous with intrigue and luxury. The two original endpoints were Paris and Istanbul. Here at the easternmost terminus the Pera Palace Hotel was built also in 1892 to house its passengers. The hotel is located on the Pera side of Istanbul overlooking the Golden Horn and with a panoramic view over old Istanbul. It is within walking distance from İstiklal Cad, one of Istanbul’s more elegant shopping streets and lies within walking distance of the European and Russian consulates, being just downhill from the Swedish consulate that was built here already in the mid 18th century.

The hotel is filled with memories and mysteries of the Orient, much of which can be traced in writing, in literature and fantasies of the 19th century. The original chandeliers and the oriental rugs are all here, feeling plush against your toes. Immediately when you enter the Hotel, you feel whisked back into the romantic era of the Orient Express. Even more so, if you sit down in the Orient Bar and enjoy the atmosphere, and maybe order that whiskey sour that was the favourite drink of Ernest Hemingway when he stayed here. Continue reading “Pera Palace Hotel, Istanbul 2013” →

Çay içer misin? Drinks that carry culture in Istanbul, 2013

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On the Bosphorus ferry carrying you from Europe to Asia, tea, coffee and orange juice
are offered as refreshments amongst hundreds of passengers.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro 2013

Whether seated on the ferry along the Bosphorus, in a narrow cobblestone paved side passage coffee stall or just standing in a street corner with a cup in hand, the drinking of hot beverages makes up part of the vibrant daily fabric and colourful streetfood lifestyle of old Istanbul.

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Istanbul’s street foods and the Karaköy fish market

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Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, Karaköy, Istanbul.

One of the more refreshing of drinks available in the city of Istanbul, is freshly squeezed orange juice you can easily find along the streets.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro 2013

The days in Istanbul found me drawn to the various available street foods the city had to offer, despite being warned by some local friends to not eat street food:

“And what is that? Roasted chestnuts?” I asked in enthusiasm.
“Yes. But that – you do not want to eat that.”
“And how about those breads? They look good.”
“That – is something you can buy also in the cafés. Go there instead. Not the street vendors. They are completely not healthy!”

Still, when alone, I couldn’t help but exchange coin for bread or coin for boiled corn whilst roaming the cobbled streets of this historically rich city.
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Jenga off Taksim Square, Istanbul

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Cheryl Marie Cordeiro at Uçanev, İstiklal Cad

Round of Jenga with Ozi.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro 2013

İstiklal Cad is a lively street located in one of the most modern areas of Istanbul. This evening, it was a matter of whether it was crowded, or very crowded. Weekends are almost impossible to navigate with so many people wanting to take in the sights and sounds of one of the city’s most elegant walkways, filled with shops, cafés, bars and clubs from old to new.

I found myself in the company of a group of engineering students from the ERASMUS program of Istanbul University. Being an international group, we communicated across languages with some hand gestures. They navigated the crowded street in determined steps, as easy as fish in water that knew the streams of movement well. I had no clue where I was headed, except that it was according to them, a popular university student hang-out with cheap food, cheap beer and good music, all elements tailored for their purposes. I tried to keep up with the stream best I could.

“Do you play?”

“Play? Play what?” I shot back.

But there was no time for answer because I was immediately thereafter swept into a narrow blue wooden door that looked in desperate need of repair, up a winding staircase to land first at the third floor of this narrow shophouse, then back to the second floor where more students seemed to have nestled themselves.
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Ragdoll blue

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Sila
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro 2013

Her name is Sila. Her startling blue eyes and colour point coat is distinct of her Ragdoll breed. Extremely homey, she seems most comfortable curling up half in the sun and half in the shade, dosing soon after. The matching vibrant blue wool blanket that brings out the likewise vibrant blue in her eyes, is hers.

Antonio Gaudí: Casa Batlló and Casa Milà

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Barcelona is a city that can truly inspire and touch the soul of a visitor. Not in the least because of its education institutions, of which I especially was taken in by IESE, but rather by looking at what is silently said through its culture, art and architecture.

Antonio Gaudí is one of the many geniuses of Catalonian descent that have left their unforgettable imprint on the city. His art speaks loudly, but only to those who can listen with their eyes and peek into each wrought iron entanglement and crack of a mosaic, rearranged to a new meaning.

In this post, a walk-through of Casa Batlló and Casa Milà.

Casa Batlló

There’s a constant stream of people to visit these buidlings, so having some quiet time whilst walking around the conserved apartments is not quite possible. Still something fun to do and worth discovering.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro 2011-2013

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