Cheryl Marie Cordeiro

Chasing marbles

Posted on July 15, 2015July 16, 2015 by cheryl

Swedish summer fruit cake made with layers of tigerkaka. Tigerkaka is a variation of the Marble Cake.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro, Sweden 2015

As a child attending school in Singapore at the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ), I thought the convent was good at putting together one thing, a fundraiser event. The convent had fundraiser events at least once every year where the monies collected were allotted different purposes. In a good number of years, they were to go to the building of our very own new convent and school grounds. In other years, they were to go to the vicinity’s Catholic Church or a designated children’s charity.

A large part of the fundraiser event consisted of nuns, teachers and parents putting things out to sell to an open house public. To this end, the foyer and the school sports field would be lined with the wooden benches and tables taken from the school tuckshop / canteen. The tables were then covered over neatly with various items. It was a school fair where you could find odds and ends, from old clothes and used school books to handcrafted works of art, embroidered decorative items. My favourite items were the homebaked breads and cakes, much like the kind still available at a small neighbourhood bakery in Singapore. Continue reading “Chasing marbles” →

Project Atman

Posted on July 12, 2015July 22, 2015 by cheryl

Carnival! was the first thing introduced to me the minute I touched base at the airport in Trinidad back in 1999, as Singapore’s delegate to the international Miss Universe Pageant 1999.
Text & Photo © R Yong Cordeiro, JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro, Sweden 2015

2015

The seminar ended and a colleague, Stefan, and I walked out of the room. The topic of the seminar was about Southeast-Asia (SE-Asia) and its developing context in the latest wave of globalisation.

“What did you think about the ideas from the seminar?” I asked.

“Well it was interesting. All very interesting.” Stefan said.

I knew Stefan to be of a brilliant mind, and knowledgeable on the region of SE-Asia, “But you said not much at all in feedback.” I queried.

“Yes, well there is not much to say. The entire perspective is different from how I see it. So the departure point for argumentation is different. I would not have approached the topic of SE-Asia from that point of view.” he said. Continue reading “Project Atman” →

That vintage blue dress

Posted on July 1, 2015July 1, 2015 by cheryl

In a vintage dress, brought home from Maastricht, Netherlands. Looking out across the very departure point of the Swedish East Indiaman ships in the 18th century.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro, Sweden 2015

In April 1750 Olof Thorén, disciple of Carl von Linneaus and Ship’s Priest on board the Swedish East Indiaman Götha Lejon, wrote in his diary while enjoying a short stopover in Cadiz:

“Portugueze ladies are not common birds in the streets. But as far as it could be discerned when they spectature and spectande pulled up their window grills, they appeared to display a fine fair complexion and merry eyes. Those, who are seen in Cadiz do not appear to be able to count to five, are tall and brunette. I noticed there, that the Virgin Mary had correspondent air, complexion, and shape in their pictures; and judged from thence, that this was the taste of the nation with regard to beauty.”

Continue reading “That vintage blue dress” →

Finally, a strawberry harvest!

Posted on June 28, 2015June 28, 2015 by cheryl

Enjoying strawberries, the Swedish old fashioned way.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro, Sweden 2015

This year, Sweden saw one of its coldest and rainiest Junes in twenty years. Between 1920 and 1991, it has happened only once that temperatures in the month of June had not gone upwards of 25 centigrade, until now. The Västerås cucumbers know this, so they’ve refused to grow, insisting on a bedding temperature of at least 14 centigrade before showing themselves. It was a pleasant surprise however, to have found that the strawberries thought it was alright to unfold their leaves, flower and produce fruits that are now ripening heavy on the soil beds.

In traditional Swedish farmlands, strawberries as with most other fruits, were summer luxuries. Their presence at all on the outdoor tables depended much upon the proper amounts of rain and sun. As soon as the strawberries were ripened and picked, it would also be customary to go into the barnyard and get some fresh cream straight from the cows.

If there was a favourite way of enjoying freshly picked strawberries, it would be that time honoured manner in having them with cream, generously dusted over with sugar.

That, and curling under the bed covers with a good book and a hot chocolate. Best summer evening doing. Continue reading “Finally, a strawberry harvest!” →

Visiting Maastricht, the oldest city in the Netherlands

Posted on June 25, 2015June 25, 2015 by cheryl

St. John’s (left) and St. Servatius at Vrijthof Square Maastricht, Netherlands.
The St. Servatius cathedral is in complement to the Cathedral of Our Lady in Maastricht, which constitute the two main cathedrals of worship for this city. St. Servatius contains a large number of church treasury and continues till today, to draw Roman Catholic pilgrims to its ground. Beginning in the 14th century in a seven-year cycle, in collaboration with Aachen Cathedral and Kornelimünster Abbey, a Heligdomsvaart is held for pilgrims, the next being in July 2018.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro, Sweden 2015

The invite card from the 10th Ph.D. and Post-Doc Seminar and Conference: Global and Cross-Cultural Organizational Research hosted by the Hofstede Chair, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASoS), Maastricht University, read “Basilica”. Basilica was the venue for the group’s first evening meet. Continue reading “Visiting Maastricht, the oldest city in the Netherlands” →

Markt Maastricht, Netherlands

Posted on June 23, 2015June 28, 2015 by cheryl

Skyline of Maastricht, St. Servaasbrug.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro, Sweden 2015

Something I had not expected to do much in Maastricht was shopping and marketing. But as circumstances have it, it was one of the more entertaining daily activities outside of the post-doc programme at Maastricht University that filled some hours of each day.

There are several ways to sightsee in the city. One that caught my attention was an old yellow School Bus, that toured the city streets. Bicycle rentals from hotels or hostels are also available, else the city centre of Maastricht is quite small and walking can get you to many places of interest within minutes.

A memorable place of interest where I had spent quite some hours browsing its shelves on different floors was the Domenica bookshop. The building is a 13th century Dominican church converted by Merkx+Girod Architecten into a gorgeous bookstore, whose contemporary space is sometimes used to showcase creative arts projects. Continue reading “Markt Maastricht, Netherlands” →

In a corner at the Vrijthof, Maastricht

Posted on June 22, 2015July 15, 2015 by cheryl

A landmark of the city of Maastricht at Vrijthof square: the old post office building that currently houses 19 gorgeously designed apartments for rent.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro, Sweden 2015

Close to parts of the Maastricht University at the heart of the city of Maastricht stands the old post office building in the corner of Vrijthof square. This great old building has now been done up to house a collection of 19 apartments called Urban Residences.

Besides the proximity to the University a number of numerous places of interest are in walking distance that include the Museum Aan Het Vrijthof and the beautiful as imposing Saint Servaas Basilica, that dates back from 1000, holding gold artwork from the 12th century.

Impeccable in combining function with design, Urban Residences Maastricht won the Victor de Stuersprijs in 2013 for best monumental renovation in the city. Continue reading “In a corner at the Vrijthof, Maastricht” →

The chocolate room, Helsinki

Posted on June 14, 2015June 15, 2015 by cheryl

It was lunch hour, and a break in the 2015 GEM&L (Groupe d’Études Management & Langage) conference schedule. Across the road from the Aalto University School of Business located in the Töölö Campus in Helsinki where the conference was held, stands a pastel seated chocolate boutique. I’ve always found pyramids of macaron on display in confectionaries attractive. Maracon coupled with chocolate pralines and chocolate cakes in the colours of cocoa heaven proved impossible to bypass and ignore, so I stepped in. Continue reading “The chocolate room, Helsinki” →

Bicycling through Helsinki

Posted on June 13, 2015June 13, 2015 by cheryl

I took one last look at the map before stepping out of the door. Kasarmitori Square. Right. I wasn’t sure if I was going to find the place, but thought to try, because that was the meeting point where I read a bike tour of the city of Helsinki would begin. The tours leave in a group of maximum eight persons twice a day, at ten in the morning and at two in the afternoon. I made no prior online bookings at the company’s website, but noted that their bicycles were single geared of Finnish make, and in an identifiable cobalt blue. Easy! All I had to do was to make it to their office, locating it by spotting a row of conspicuous looking chirpy blue bicycles parked just outside. Continue reading “Bicycling through Helsinki” →

Kullen Lighthouse, Höganäs, Sweden

Posted on May 22, 2015 by cheryl

Kullen Lighthouse sits atop a cliff, at the apex of the Kullaberg Peninsula in the southwest Swedish coast.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro, Sweden 2015

Being in Mölle to attend the 17th annual conference on European Integration in Swedish Economic Research, SNEE 2015, provided the opportunity to visit Kullen Lighthouse or Kullens fyr in the neighbouring town of Höganäs. Continue reading “Kullen Lighthouse, Höganäs, Sweden” →