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

A little bit of Southeast-Asia in Scandinavia

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Having a morning cuppa in a light blue Terengganu, Malaysian made sarong.

The sarong as a garment is part of Singapore’s fashion heritage, where most ethnic groups in Singapore (the Malays, the Peranakans and the Indians) have in their basic wardrobe, a form of the sarong. Although sarongs are made in China, Japan and in Africa, the batik sarong in particular is intricately linked to Southeast-Asia and it has been a part of my wardrobe since I was a little girl.

Sarongs can be worn in a variety of ways, the most common would be to wear it tied around under the arms, as I have done in the picture above, or tied around the waist. The batik sarong is opaque in material, usually cotton but sometimes silk or linen and when tied around the waist, it can be coupled with a regular t-shirt (for home wear purposes) or with a hand-embroidered Nonya kebaya (for festive occasions).
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Summer in Sweden – Strawberry and red currant pie in the sun!

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A strawberry and red currant pie.

Today’s sweltering heat of 28 deg C in the shades just wouldn’t allow a heavy meal to sit in the stomach. Snuggling up in the shade of the red currant bushes, plucking red currants in the garden also felt an inviting activity in this summer heat, and so a light strawberry and red currant pie was on the menu for lunch!


Good sun and an occasional summer drizzle is enough to give a generous harvest of red currants. Their fruits ripen around mid-July.

The currants are rather delicate and tend to squish at the slightest of touches. Still, it’s fastest in harvesting by running the stems of the currants between the fingers, so that a dozen land in your hand all at once each time.
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Revisiting the one piece swimsuit

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The Agua Preciosa, a young, fun, one piece cut out crochet top and multi-coloured bottom by Agua Bendita.

It seems that 1951 thereabouts was the last years in which the one piece swimsuit was seen as ‘tasteful’ for young women to don, after which a bikini clad Brigitte Bardot in Et Dieu… créa la femme (1956) and Brian Hyland’s song, Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yello Polka Dot Bikini (1960) created a locomotion for the two piece so strong that even the Vatican’s denouncement of the garment in 1964 did nothing much to slow down its popularity. Today, a search for “one piece swim suit” will currently render 1,472 hits on the US ebay site alone in the women’s swimwear section, whilst that of “bikini” renders 17,320 hits on the same site. From the two piece’s popularity, it seems the two piece (and its micro version) are most vogue these days on beaches around the world.
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Florals on black and the 2.55

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Floral dress, Cubus. Black weave belt, Cubus. Sunglasses, Christian Dior. Chanel 2.55 bag in straw. Seashell ear hoops.

It isn’t always that one gets a chance to don chiffon dresses in Sweden, even in summer. But this year’s warm summer allows for some light, romantic dresses in sheer fabrics. The florals on black dress on is from Cubus and is possibly inspired by the florals of Dolce & Gabbana s/s 2008. H&M also carries some D&G inspired mini ruffled, tiered skirts with florals on black (or cream) this spring / summer season in light chiffon material. The black weave belt is also from Cubus. Continue reading “Florals on black and the 2.55” →

All things Pucci in summer

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Emilio Pucci ad campaign s/s 2008. Malgosia Bela by Juergen Teller.

A pick-me-up designer label for me is Emilio Pucci. The ad campaign above is what closest describes my view of all things Pucci and that is, a burst of colours when all things are bland, a burst of energy when you need it most. A nobleman by birth with a fascinating biography, Emilio Pucci (1914-1992) would spend most of his life at the Pucci Palace in Florence, Italy. Most of us would recognize his signature geometric prints in a kaleidoscope of colours.

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Ice-creams in high summer

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A picture of some home made ice-cream by Keiko, writer of Nordljus. More recipes and all about food can be found at the beautiful blog, Nordljus.

Come spring in Sweden and the newspapers begin to review the upcoming launches of new ice-creams for the summer, everything from tub ice-creams, ice-cream on sticks to ice-cream in cafés are reviewed, to get to know the crème de la crème of ice-creams for the summer. It’s high summer and I’ve been doing my fair share of ice-cream epicureaning, well alright, more like devouring. Continue reading “Ice-creams in high summer” →

All-American bacon and cheese burger at Chili’s, New York

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Nibbling the big apple XII

A farewell all-American bacon and cheese burger, at Chili’s in New York, served up with a tequila mind boggler!

It was during the 1980s that the catch phrase, “Where’s the beef?” became popular in the United States and Canada due to the television commercial for Wendy’s hamburger restaurants, by Joe Sedelmaier. Since it was first used, the phrase has also become an all-purpose phrase questioning the substance of an idea, event or product.

Well, when in New York, we never got the chance to visit Wendy’s, but we did go into Chili’s at the airport just prior to taking off, where we had our very last all-American bacon and cheese burger.

If Singapore has its chilli crabs and chicken rice, Sweden has its meatballs and lingon berry jam, then the United States has its beef burger – in all variations. We ate burgers for most of our meals in New York and when we deviated from the burger, we found that the meal hadn’t satisfied all that much. It was a quaint realization that the all-American beef burger, with all sorts of toppings, was my favourite meal when in New York. We even had burgers for breakfasts.

My absolute favourite burger served is found at Michael Jordan’s The Steak House NYC, along 23 Vanderbilt Ave, New York 10017, at 44th St – Grand Central Terminal. They served up 10 oz (283 g) burgers and 14 oz (396 g) steaks that were grilled to perfection! Being a beef person, Jordan’s Steak House made it an even easier choice of a juicy beef steak over fish anyday!

The classic burger.

We’re not letting go of our burger experiences and here, you’ll find a favourite breakfast burger recipe that is quick to prepare and beats fast-food burgers:

170 grams of ground sirloin beef meat mixed with some salt and black pepper.
Slow fry in butter until as rare as you want it.
Put on toasted hamburger bread on a bed of salad, tomato slices and a pickled cucumber.
Add a helping of melted flavoury cheese (Gouda or Cheddar) on top of 4-5 slices of crispy fried Bacon and a pineapple slice. Add a helping of mushroom stew. Serve with deep fried potato wedges on the side and maybe a fried egg.

Serves one.

Coke or a cold beer on the side.

Should keep you warm and fuzzy until lunch.

Rockefeller Center: the Eiffel Tower of New York

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Nibbling the Big Apple XI

Though it’s not yet Christmas, it’s all the same magical, to view the Swarovski Rockefeller Star topper that adorns the Rockefeller Christmas tree each year.

I hadn’t expected the visit to Rockefeller Center to have been any different from the visit to the Empire State Building. But it was. For one thing, not all visitors were forced to have their pictures taken for souvenir purposes, and one could choose to by-pass all picture taking and head straight to the top.

The weather had let up some and the skies though cloudy, were azure as the eye could see. The view from the Observation Deck of Rockefeller Plaza or the Top of the Rock, proved more beautiful than that of the Empire State Building, with a more open, less cagey design. There were friendly staff on the Observation Deck to help with your queries and take pictures for guests at a minimal fee.

The Observation Deck, at Rockefeller Plaza.

Wooden benches with name plaques engraved with names of those who donated the benches, were placed alongside the wall of the Observation Deck. And because it was such wonderful weather, we took the opportunity to sit, relax and simply enjoy being at Rockefeller. It wasn’t as if there were no others there, but the generous layout and space around the Observation Deck meant that one could have their privacy to take a languid unwind, as others walked by. Continue reading “Rockefeller Center: the Eiffel Tower of New York” →

Galliano for Dior, Fall couture 2008

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John Galliano for Christian Dior, Fall Couture 2008. Photo by Alessandro Lucione

Collections for Fall Couture 2008 are already out on the runways in Paris and my favourite thus far is John Galliano for Christian Dior. An artist who uses the human form in expressing himself, I have thus far, never tired of Galliano’s creations. Even after the season has come and gone, I find myself constantly drawn back to his creations, to peer over them, to study their expressions and sometimes, wonder if they were user-friendly.

Fifties silhouette with wasp waists, full skirt and lace details. Photo by Antonello Trio.

The soft female form seems to be Galliano’s focus this Fall for couture, drawing inspiration from the fifties with nipped waists, full peplum skirts, and sheer organzas that accentuate the luscious curves of shoulders, thighs and thin ankles. But even with an accent on curves and the use of sheer materials, the overall impression is one that is still proper and demure with knee-length or t-length skirts. Continue reading “Galliano for Dior, Fall couture 2008” →

The Chanel 2.55 Classic

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The Chanel 2.55 Classics and Reissues, my favourite colour being the one in ivory with gold chains.

What you put in your bag is very important to you…Traditionally, for a woman, a bag holds the things you need for the day, but it’s also your little beauty factory, which is very important to the identity of the woman. …the modern bag …by 1920, …became a symbol of women’s independence. It said she could go where she wanted to go, and didn’t need a man because he held all the possessions.

~ Farid Chenoune, author of Carried Away: All About Bags (2005)

Chanel bags have previously not appealed to me because I found the quilting too much mademoiselle. But I love bags with a story to tell and the Chanel 2.55 Classic quilted flap is one such bag. Launched in February 1955, hence its name 2.55, the quilted flap bag draws its inspiration into being, from many threads of Coco Chanel’s life, most of which came from the orphanage and convent, Aubazine in the south of France.

Coco Chanel wanted a bag that was hands-free, thus the double function of the chained handles to the bag, where one could wear the bag across the body or on the shoulder. The burgundy coloured lining in the original design for the black quilt flap 2.55s, came from the colour of Chanel’s school uniform at the Aubazine convent and the inspiration for the quilting came from several sources, including the stained-glass windows of the abbey at Aubazine, jockeys’ riding coats as well as her own light-brown suede cushions in her rue Cambon apartment in Paris. The open back pocket of the bag was where she stashed extra money and the zippered pocket was where she had her love letters. The original bags came with a Mademoiselle Lock because Chanel never married and the honorific mademoiselle was the custom. The bags with the interlocking Cs are today known as The Classic Flaps, whilst versions of the bag relaunched by Karl Lagerfeld in 2005/6 are known as Reissues. The Reissues have a twist lock without the Chanel logo on the outside. Continue reading “The Chanel 2.55 Classic” →