Sitting at Arlanda waiting for my flight to start boarding. Was supposed to go via Zurich at 19.35 but it was delayed so they re-booked me for Helsinki. I feel very lucky, since the layover in Zurich was only 45 mins and I would have missed my connecting flight to Hong Kong otherwise. Now I will only be arriving in HK 2 hours later than planned.
I expect a lot of sight-seeing and shopping but I'm also excited about 22 degrees instead of the recent chill in Stockholm. And most of all, to see Peter again after ten days! :)
Friday, March 23, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Days of Our Lives
I've been challenged (what would I blog about if people didn't keep challenging me I wonder?!) by Skolfröken to write about the years that I have experienced that end with a 2 or a 7.
1977 - I was 1 and don't remember too much. I do have a memory of standing in a big field (I know now that it is Öland) and getting afraid because my parents were ahead of me (they were probably not very far away but at that age even 10 metres is probably an abyss). This must have been in the summer of 1977 so I was a year and a half.
1982 - I was 6 years old, in pre-school and longing to start school. We had Kindergarten classes once a week but I mostly remember learning how to light matches (some sort of safety lesson I guess) and drinking coffee with lots of sugar and milk (some sort of becoming-an-adult lesson?). My parents contemplated putting me in school one year early but decided against it as they wanted me to stay with the friends I already had and let me play for another year. I started school in 1983 instead, which is perfectly fine with me now because otherwise I wouldn't have the same friends I have now.
1987 - A highlight this year was that I got a new cousin and was able to play with her instead of my dolls (now she's 20 and wild!) We had a caravan in the yard of our little country house that I pretended was my own home (much bigger than my little playhouse) - mostly playing with my friend Malin who used to spend a lot of time with us there.
1992 - I finished compulsory school. I think the end-of-year party both at the end of eight and ninth grade was at Folkets Park, where we tried - unsuccessfully - to get in for free. I had been madly in love with the same guy for the last three years of school but nothing never happened between us, not a few years later when he was interested in me either. By that time I had moved on.
1997 - I started university in January that year, after having been an au pair in the USA for a year and worked at a pre-school for a few months. I spent one term at Stockholm University before moving on to Uppsala in the autumn of 1997. At Uppsala I met two girls, Jenny and Lena, who talked about studying in the UK, an idea that really appealed to me. In an interesting twist Lena ended up staying only for six months or so and Jenny went to the US instead, while I remained in the UK for four years.
2002 - I finished my MPhil at Oxford and did an internship at the European Commission - two really important milestones in the beginning of my career. After the period in Brussels, in March 2003, I moved back to Sweden, something that took a while to get used to. It probably wasn't until 2004 I felt that Sweden was truly my home again.
2007 - The best time is always the present. I am madly in love with a guy who seems equally in love with me, so I think this is the beginning of the rest of my life!
I challenge Johanna and Karin!
1977 - I was 1 and don't remember too much. I do have a memory of standing in a big field (I know now that it is Öland) and getting afraid because my parents were ahead of me (they were probably not very far away but at that age even 10 metres is probably an abyss). This must have been in the summer of 1977 so I was a year and a half.
1982 - I was 6 years old, in pre-school and longing to start school. We had Kindergarten classes once a week but I mostly remember learning how to light matches (some sort of safety lesson I guess) and drinking coffee with lots of sugar and milk (some sort of becoming-an-adult lesson?). My parents contemplated putting me in school one year early but decided against it as they wanted me to stay with the friends I already had and let me play for another year. I started school in 1983 instead, which is perfectly fine with me now because otherwise I wouldn't have the same friends I have now.
1987 - A highlight this year was that I got a new cousin and was able to play with her instead of my dolls (now she's 20 and wild!) We had a caravan in the yard of our little country house that I pretended was my own home (much bigger than my little playhouse) - mostly playing with my friend Malin who used to spend a lot of time with us there.
1992 - I finished compulsory school. I think the end-of-year party both at the end of eight and ninth grade was at Folkets Park, where we tried - unsuccessfully - to get in for free. I had been madly in love with the same guy for the last three years of school but nothing never happened between us, not a few years later when he was interested in me either. By that time I had moved on.
1997 - I started university in January that year, after having been an au pair in the USA for a year and worked at a pre-school for a few months. I spent one term at Stockholm University before moving on to Uppsala in the autumn of 1997. At Uppsala I met two girls, Jenny and Lena, who talked about studying in the UK, an idea that really appealed to me. In an interesting twist Lena ended up staying only for six months or so and Jenny went to the US instead, while I remained in the UK for four years.
2002 - I finished my MPhil at Oxford and did an internship at the European Commission - two really important milestones in the beginning of my career. After the period in Brussels, in March 2003, I moved back to Sweden, something that took a while to get used to. It probably wasn't until 2004 I felt that Sweden was truly my home again.
2007 - The best time is always the present. I am madly in love with a guy who seems equally in love with me, so I think this is the beginning of the rest of my life!
I challenge Johanna and Karin!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
That Explains It
I may have misheard - I really hope I did - but it sure sounded like Göran Persson said (in the documentary about him on TV tonight) that Helmut Kohl used to eat butter. Plain butter. Not plenty of butter on bread, but just butter. With a spoon. Especially when he was nervous.
Yuck!
No wonder he was so fat.
Yuck!
No wonder he was so fat.
New Times
The Social Democrats selected their new leader this past weekend, the first woman chair in its history. Eric Sundström has written very well about Mona Sahlin here. Let's hope she becomes Sweden's first female Prime Minister (yes, for some peculiar reason we haven't had a woman leader yet) in 2010! We also said goodbye to Göran Persson after almost eleven years at the post (and as prime minister for over ten).
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
The European Story
One of the professors from my Masters programme at Oxford, Timothy Garton Ash, has started an interesting web project ahead of the EU's 50th anniversary encouraging people to contribute to the "story of Europe". Garton Ash has written a first draft around six goals that he thinks most Europeans aspire to: Freedom, Peace, Law, Prosperity, Diversity and Solidarity.
Join in the debate or vote for your favourite story!
Join in the debate or vote for your favourite story!
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Challenge
Rules - Each player starts by listing six weird/curious things about themselves. S/he must write down the rules of the game and choose six new bloggers to challenge by listing them here and posting a comment on the challengees' blogs so that they know that they are being tasked.
1. My boyfriend says I'm the least loyal employee there is, the reason being that I'm always looking for a new job (though only applying for the occasional one) even though I'm perfectly happy with the one I have (for now at least).
2. I like embroidery. In fact, I've been taking it up again after two years' break. It's a really relaxing pastime while watching TV or keeping Peter company while he has to work from home at night. I hear knitting is in but I'm really bad at that.
3. I like paying taxes. I actually don't mind at all, even if I pay 50 %. I figure that if I earn that much that I'm required to pay over 50 % tax, I probably have enough to share it with the less fortunate. And I feel I get pretty good stuff for my money: education, healthcare, aid to the world, etc.
4. When I was little I used to have a recurring dream when I was sick (usually when I had a fever) that I was in a hospital in 19th century (or early 20th century; don't think I knew too much about different time eras to be accurate) England (hadn't been to England back then but I must have watched the Forsythe saga too much or something) and that my mum was a nurse at the hospital but since she was working she wasn't able to take care of me. I think it was probably dealing with having a little brother that competed with me for her attention.
5. I'm afraid of the dark even though I'm an adult. I often sleep with the lights on if I'm at home by myself (like now and for another 9 days).
6. I cannot count to 6 so I will only list 5 things...
Challengees
Aunty Marianne, Nonnka, Perfume girl, Beverly, Johanna and Karin.
1. My boyfriend says I'm the least loyal employee there is, the reason being that I'm always looking for a new job (though only applying for the occasional one) even though I'm perfectly happy with the one I have (for now at least).
2. I like embroidery. In fact, I've been taking it up again after two years' break. It's a really relaxing pastime while watching TV or keeping Peter company while he has to work from home at night. I hear knitting is in but I'm really bad at that.
3. I like paying taxes. I actually don't mind at all, even if I pay 50 %. I figure that if I earn that much that I'm required to pay over 50 % tax, I probably have enough to share it with the less fortunate. And I feel I get pretty good stuff for my money: education, healthcare, aid to the world, etc.
4. When I was little I used to have a recurring dream when I was sick (usually when I had a fever) that I was in a hospital in 19th century (or early 20th century; don't think I knew too much about different time eras to be accurate) England (hadn't been to England back then but I must have watched the Forsythe saga too much or something) and that my mum was a nurse at the hospital but since she was working she wasn't able to take care of me. I think it was probably dealing with having a little brother that competed with me for her attention.
5. I'm afraid of the dark even though I'm an adult. I often sleep with the lights on if I'm at home by myself (like now and for another 9 days).
6. I cannot count to 6 so I will only list 5 things...
Challengees
Aunty Marianne, Nonnka, Perfume girl, Beverly, Johanna and Karin.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Broody
No, not me. But there seems to be no end to Brangelina's baby-making, eh, baby-acquiring (don't want to say buying). Do they even have time for the three they already have? Maddox was all alone for over three years and then a new dad and two sisters in less than a year's time. I wonder how he will look back on that as an adult. I'm not saying that they are bad parents, just that I hope that they have time for each individual child. It's difficult to be adopted in the first place, and having über famous parents is probably not easy-peasy either.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Sick Memories
I stayed home from work today. I've had this terrible cough for about a week and over the weekend it got worse and even though it feels a bit better now I decided I needed some extra rest. I should probably have stayed at home already last week but there you go.
Laying in my bed this morning I remembered that when I was sick as a child I used to always do the same jigsaw puzzle. I used to sit in bed and do the puzzle on a big tray while drinking tea or hot chocolate and eating sandwiches. The puzzle was a three-in-one set and featured animated scenes from the life of a cat family (animals in clothes, living in houses, you know the type). I remember that the pieces were really thin and soft. I liked doing (and still do) puzzles a lot but when I was sick I particularly liked this one.
I also remember hearing the radio somewhere in the distance in an otherwise quiet flat/house. I couldn't hear any distinct voices, just a sort of buzzing or humming noice. To this day I associate very low radio or TV sounds with being sick or home from school/work for some other reason. I think there's something special about silence during daytime when most people are at work.
Laying in my bed this morning I remembered that when I was sick as a child I used to always do the same jigsaw puzzle. I used to sit in bed and do the puzzle on a big tray while drinking tea or hot chocolate and eating sandwiches. The puzzle was a three-in-one set and featured animated scenes from the life of a cat family (animals in clothes, living in houses, you know the type). I remember that the pieces were really thin and soft. I liked doing (and still do) puzzles a lot but when I was sick I particularly liked this one.
I also remember hearing the radio somewhere in the distance in an otherwise quiet flat/house. I couldn't hear any distinct voices, just a sort of buzzing or humming noice. To this day I associate very low radio or TV sounds with being sick or home from school/work for some other reason. I think there's something special about silence during daytime when most people are at work.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Book Frenzy
With the yearly book sale having started this week it's seems very fitting with a book challenge (thanks to Skolfröken)!
Favourite book as a child: I read a lot as a child (I wish I did now too) so I really can't choose one favourite. The books that I re-read the most are probably Astrid Lindgren's. My mum tells me that when I was very little I liked "Lisen cannot sleep", "Grandpa and me" and lots of nurseries rhymes and music (I used to sing all the time!). Also, and this I remember myself, I had this favourite book about a boy whose dog died and he was so sad. My dad used to cry when he read this too me and I used to make him read it to me for this particular reason. My dad has always been a soft guy but apparently I wanted him to be even softer! :) In general I liked when my parents read to me even though I learnt how to read myself quite early.
Favourite genre today: For fiction, mostly crime novels or just regular drama/fiction (not romantic Danielle Steele crap and I don't read too much chick lit either). For non-fiction I like books about science, society, language, etc. (e.g. Bill Bryson, Jared Diamond).
Types of books I don't like: Science fiction or fantasy, or romance (I have to admit to having read some Harlequin crap in my youth). Never read Lord of the Rings but I would like to read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Underestimated genre: Maybe non-fiction in general
Authors that have meant something special to me: Astrid Lindgren for writing about really independent, go-get-it girls.
New authors I would like to read more of: Swedish new authors in general
Favourite character in a book: Going with the above team, I guess I would have to say Pippi Longstocking or Ronja then.
Character in a book that resembles me most: I hope my friends and reader will answer this one! Probably some studious and rational character :)
If I wrote a book, what would it be about: Well, I tell you. I would write about my lovely but crazy host family (from my aupair year) in the US. Highlights are deceit, infidelity, bigamy... can't tell you more now.
Favourite blog with a literature connection: Well, none with that focus specifically. But I like when people do reviews or list the books that they are currently reading.
Favourite book as a child: I read a lot as a child (I wish I did now too) so I really can't choose one favourite. The books that I re-read the most are probably Astrid Lindgren's. My mum tells me that when I was very little I liked "Lisen cannot sleep", "Grandpa and me" and lots of nurseries rhymes and music (I used to sing all the time!). Also, and this I remember myself, I had this favourite book about a boy whose dog died and he was so sad. My dad used to cry when he read this too me and I used to make him read it to me for this particular reason. My dad has always been a soft guy but apparently I wanted him to be even softer! :) In general I liked when my parents read to me even though I learnt how to read myself quite early.
Favourite genre today: For fiction, mostly crime novels or just regular drama/fiction (not romantic Danielle Steele crap and I don't read too much chick lit either). For non-fiction I like books about science, society, language, etc. (e.g. Bill Bryson, Jared Diamond).
Types of books I don't like: Science fiction or fantasy, or romance (I have to admit to having read some Harlequin crap in my youth). Never read Lord of the Rings but I would like to read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Underestimated genre: Maybe non-fiction in general
Authors that have meant something special to me: Astrid Lindgren for writing about really independent, go-get-it girls.
New authors I would like to read more of: Swedish new authors in general
Favourite character in a book: Going with the above team, I guess I would have to say Pippi Longstocking or Ronja then.
Character in a book that resembles me most: I hope my friends and reader will answer this one! Probably some studious and rational character :)
If I wrote a book, what would it be about: Well, I tell you. I would write about my lovely but crazy host family (from my aupair year) in the US. Highlights are deceit, infidelity, bigamy... can't tell you more now.
Favourite blog with a literature connection: Well, none with that focus specifically. But I like when people do reviews or list the books that they are currently reading.
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