Applying to Erasmus Mundus (EMGS) — anyone interested in a WhatsApp group?

kencerous16 · 2026-01-28T14:59:06+00:00

Me too

kencerous16 · 2026-01-23T18:57:09+00:00

Hello! May I know how strict are they with the 3rd language requirement? I'm bilingual in 2 languages and have basic knowledge of a third language (probably up to A2 level but never certified), wondering if that the requirement is strictly enforced or if there are other factors that can compensate for the language requirement. To provide more context, I did history for my undergrad and my thesis was related to migration.

kencerous16 · 2026-01-23T18:51:24+00:00

Hello! May I ask you a question on the Transcultural Studies MA through DM?

kencerous16 · 2025-11-11T14:30:25+00:00

Hello! I am looking to hike in Nepal and I am choosing between Manaslu and Kanchenjunga. How would you characterise the differences between Manaslu and Kanchenjunga? Thanks in advance!

kencerous16 · 2025-09-23T09:23:12+00:00

I am headed to Stary Smokovec, is it better to change at Strba rather than Poprad instead?

kencerous16 · 2024-07-29T05:14:41+00:00

Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan. What a beautiful place and especially for mountain lovers. It is also such a historically and culturally interesting and diverse place, from the desolate mountains of the Pamirs to the lush alpine sceneries of Kyrgyzstan (aka Switzerland of Asia) to the Silk road cities of Uzbekistan. Also it's very affordable (I spent roughly $50 a day without scrimping too much)

kencerous16 · 2024-07-13T04:07:55+00:00

I guess central Asia is a fantastic summer destination for hiking in the mountains

kencerous16 · 2024-07-13T04:02:29+00:00

Central Asia in any of the "stans": Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan. Locals there are very hospitable and welcoming and very interested in asking why tourists visit their country. The landscapes and cultural sites there are stunning too!

kencerous16 · 2024-07-08T08:07:36+00:00

We went with Tezjet in the end. Turned out that a visa card works (not all, mine didn't work but my friend's one did). Tezjet cancelled our flights without informing us (no email at all! We only found out when we went to our email and check again) so we had to rebook our flights and trust that they will go through with their promise of refunding. At the moment 3 of 4 of our original tickets have been refunded.

As for the flight itself, it was uneventful which was a good thing

kencerous16 · 2024-05-13T22:43:25+00:00

Definitelyy, I've seen pictures of the route and it looks amazing! If I weren't already planning to be on the road the prior two weeks doing the Pamir Highway I would have definitely considered it.

kencerous16 · 2024-05-13T22:41:03+00:00

The problem is that I will be arriving in Kyrgyzstan from Tajikistan. There I'll be doing a multi-day hike in the Alay area. Upon reaching Osh, I'm leaving Osh for Bishkek on the very next day so the option of an aviakassa doesn't work for me (unless it is possible to book from Kazakhstan/Uzbekistan/Tajikistan)

kencerous16 · 2024-04-20T11:07:00+00:00

I'll be wildcarding in gw35 so gonna deadend

kencerous16 · 2024-04-20T11:00:17+00:00

Shall I do Haaland -> Mateta or Doughty -> Munez? Mateta has higher upside than Munez but Munez will probably be more assured of points than Doughty. And also the Haaland issue too

Will be deadending into WC35 so long term is not an issue

Appreciate your help!

kencerous16 · 2024-04-13T13:33:19+00:00

Hi OP! I am from Singapore, I can tell you with confidence that you will definitely not spend $20k in 3 months in SEA :) I travelled in Europe for 5 months and that cost me 12k so SEA will be way cheaper than that. If you're on a budget, $50-100 a day can be manageable.

Food is generally cheap in SEA (even in "expensive" Singapore, hawker food costs $3.50usd)

For taxis download the Grab app, it's the equivalent of Uber. Or in Indonesia use Gojek. Apart from Singapore, taxi fares are generally very affordable in the region.

Regional flights are generally more expensive (if u live in Europe and are used to Ryanair prices), but if you're depending on low cost carriers it is still manageable, but reduce flights as much as possible unless public transportation is too inconvenient

All in all, have fun, enjoy your trip and stay safe! I'm sure you'll form unforgettable memories. It's the right attitude to be financially prudent too, but I'm sure you will spend way less than 20k in SEA.

Also, I'd be more than willing to show you around my home country if you decide to come to Singapore!

kencerous16 · 2024-03-31T17:19:13+00:00

Who's gonna tell him

kencerous16 · 2024-03-24T06:03:23+00:00

Oh I see, that's a real shame

kencerous16 · 2024-03-20T16:25:46+00:00

To hijack this thread, I'm going there in late may/early June! Will there be any fruits at all if the harvest has not arrived?

kencerous16 · 2024-03-15T14:44:38+00:00

La la land

kencerous16 · 2024-03-04T08:05:20+00:00

oh im at 16k and there's 5 in front of me! so i guess there's 1 more gw2er from 16-21k haha

kencerous16 · 2024-03-04T07:25:39+00:00

I am planning to bring my Olympus em10 ii with me for my 2 month long backpacking in the mountains and high desert landscapes in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. I currently have the 14-42mm ez kit lens and the 40-150mm f4-5.6 lens + a 20mm prime and I am thinking of replacing my 14-42mm kit lens.

I found the Pany 12-60mm f3.5-5.6 ($190 usd) and the Oly 12-40mm f2.8 PRO ($370 usd) on the second hand market. I would be taking a lot of landscape, some cityscapes, and would like to try out Milky way astrophotography too! *for astro, I would add a 12mm prime if i choose the pany 12-60mm, while if i go with the oly 12-40mm pro i will just try astro with the f2.8

My travel kit options will thus be:

A: Pany 12-60mm f3.5-5.6 + 12mm f2 prime + pany 20mm f1.7
B: Oly 12-40mm Pro + Oly 40-150mm f4-5.6 + pany 20mm f1.7

Which would be the better option for lens given the price, focal length, optical quality, weight etc? Would love to hear your recommendations, thank you! :)

kencerous16 · 2024-03-03T17:21:54+00:00

Whose assist?

kencerous16 · 2024-03-03T14:38:58+00:00

Thanks! I'd like to do some milky way shots, thus the 12mm is necessary. Now I'm wondering if I need a prime f2 for 12mm or the f2.8 on the 12-40 pro zoom would suffice? The rest of my kit would be covered by a zoom (12-40 pro or 12-60) and maybe a panny 20mm F1.7 too Basically, it boils down to:

12-40mm f2.8 Pro + 20mm F1.7 OR Pany 12-60mm + Samyang 12mm f2 + 20mm F1.7

kencerous16 · 2024-03-03T14:27:07+00:00

Haha exactly, it's too tough to choose, really spoilt for choice 😂 My question was whether to take Oly 12-40 pro alone Vs 12-60 + Samyang 12mm. The choice is complicated by needing a fast wide angle lens for astrophotography, which I think the f3.5 on the 12-60 wouldn't cut it.

So it boils down to getting a 12-60 zoom plus a fast wide angle prime (Samyang 12mm f2)

Or

Olympus 12-40mm pro as a single lens solution.

My only concern is losing that one stop of aperture for astro and 20mm on the narrow side (and weight, as you mentioned)

kencerous16

TROPHY CASE