Showing posts with label Fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fun. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
For My Secret Book Friend
Lately I haven't read as much as I used to do (I blame it on lots of good TV series and my blog addiction) but I still love reading and want to pick it up again.
Here are three posts listing what I have read over the last few years:
2008
2009
2010
And all my book related posts
I like "spinned" books with subtle or sly humour, for example I really envoyed Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann. I also like non-fiction such as Bill Bryson's books and The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester. I also read chick lit but I prefer books with "more", so-to-speak. I'm not keen on fantasy or science fiction but I like e.g. Jasper Fforde's books about Thursday Next. I like crime novels but I'm tired of historic or classic novels and romance.
I welcome books both in Swedish and English!
In terms of "extras", please don't send any scented candles or similar as certain smells give me a migraine.
Hope this helps but don't worry too much about my preferences! I'm just excited about participating in Pocket & Prassel for the first time and see what someone chooses just for me!
Here are three posts listing what I have read over the last few years:
2008
2009
2010
And all my book related posts
I like "spinned" books with subtle or sly humour, for example I really envoyed Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann. I also like non-fiction such as Bill Bryson's books and The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester. I also read chick lit but I prefer books with "more", so-to-speak. I'm not keen on fantasy or science fiction but I like e.g. Jasper Fforde's books about Thursday Next. I like crime novels but I'm tired of historic or classic novels and romance.
I welcome books both in Swedish and English!
In terms of "extras", please don't send any scented candles or similar as certain smells give me a migraine.
Hope this helps but don't worry too much about my preferences! I'm just excited about participating in Pocket & Prassel for the first time and see what someone chooses just for me!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Silly Hats
James and Jill "forced" all guests at their wedding to dress up in silly hats and pose for a picture. Isn't my rockstar builder so sexy?! :) Maybe he should grow his hair and start wearing a yellow hat, whatcha think?!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Cook-Up
Tonight's activity: wine tasting and pasta making with Alexandra (Swedish chef and winner of Robinson, i.e. Survivor, 1998). Peter's work organised. Fun and delicious!
à la iPhone
à la iPhone
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Show & Tell: Morning
Morning has broken. That's the first thing I thought about when I read Saltistjejen's theme (our hostess for the month of March).
Thought this particular version about lent/spring was fitting since I really hope spring (morning) comes soon after the long winter (night).
That song used to end all parties at St Antony's College (my Oxford college). The thing is that we had to end all parties at 1am due to the college's location in a residential area. Didn't really feel like morning at 1am...
We had a lot of fun at St Antony's Late Bar. We were considered the party college, at least as postgraduate colleges go. It used to be pretty crowded on a regular Friday bar night but it was especially so on Saturdays when there was a big party (about once a month).
Sometimes it would be a fancy dress party:
Thought this particular version about lent/spring was fitting since I really hope spring (morning) comes soon after the long winter (night).
That song used to end all parties at St Antony's College (my Oxford college). The thing is that we had to end all parties at 1am due to the college's location in a residential area. Didn't really feel like morning at 1am...
We had a lot of fun at St Antony's Late Bar. We were considered the party college, at least as postgraduate colleges go. It used to be pretty crowded on a regular Friday bar night but it was especially so on Saturdays when there was a big party (about once a month).
Sometimes it would be a fancy dress party:
And every year there's a Ball (I was on the Committee one year):
The Hilda Besse, or the Hilda Beast as it's more commonly known, is not a looker from the outside (though listed and can't be torn down - it won an architectural price in the late 1960s) but it's functional, especially for parties.
The ground floor of the building houses the Late Bar (or Buttery as it's called during daytime when it's used for seminars), a TV room and a couple of smaller meeting rooms. Upstairs has Hall, i.e. the eating area/canteen, also used for fancy dinners (so-called High Table) and big parties, and kitchen.
The second upstairs (which is a smaller area, as Hall has very high ceilings and is open all the way up so-to-speak) has the Junior (JCR) and Senior Common Rooms (SCR), Junior for us students and Senior for professors et al. (at other colleges which have both undergraduate and postgraduate students - St Antony's has only the latter - the JCR is for undergrads and Senior for postgrads and the rest). Concrete doesn't look so good on the outside but inside the mix of cement and wooden floors is actually quite alright. Especially with some art and Persian rugs on the walls.
So despite its name I have some pretty good memories from the Beast!
Sorry if I digressed a bit too much from the subject... :)
All own photos except for the one of the Hilda Besse building which comes from Flickr and St Antony's College
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Birthday Treat
My day today:
7:15: Woken by the alarm. Peter says "Happy birthday! You're not going to work today, I have a whole day planned." (He had to repeat a few times before I believed him!)
8:30: Breakfast at Sheraton Hotel (using a voucher I had in the Christmas lottery at work)
10:15: The ultimate spa experience at the new spa at Grand Hotel (Raison d'être) including swim in the pool, steam sauna, so-called experience showers, and massage with hot wheat and bean bags (in addition to regular massage). I skipped the cold bath and the cold bucket shower in the picture though...
15:00: Light lunch and coffee followed by some dress shopping (we're going to a wedding party on Saturday and I wanted something new and found one!)
17:00: Back home after shopping for my little birthday party ("kalas") for friends and family on Saturday
Tonight: Dinner out but I don't know where yet!
Pretty good day! :)
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
New iToy!
Image from pickids.netMy iPhone arrived today, ten days before I thought it was supposed to come, and I'm about to get to play with it soon, as soon as I have emptied my old phone and copied contacts, etc. Yippi ki-yay! And since I probably won't get around to doing any Show & Tell fruit post I thought I illustrate today's event with the above photo :)
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Show & Tell: New Year's Eve
I'm still behind on Show & Tell posts but I thought I'd get something right and post a Show & Tell contribution on the correct day even though it's not today's topic (more on my dream room later)...
Sparkling, this month's host, asks us: how do you celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of a new one? Do you have any particular traditions? Do you make New Year resolutions? What are your hopes and wishes for 2010?
Before I show you some pictures from our New Year's Eve party I thought I'd answer these in turn. I think I've been at a dinner or a party with friends most New Year's Eves, since I was a teenager at least. Sometimes at my place but more often somewhere else. I have celebrated away from Sweden at least three times: 1995 in the US and New York* with aupair friends; 2001 in D.C. with my then-boyfriend and his friends; and last year, 2008, with Peter, his family and 20 or so of their friends in Paris**. When I lived in London and Brussels I went home for Christmas every year and always stayed over New Year's (if I remember correctly). Next year we may celebrate in Helsinki with the same bunch of people that went to Paris, if so that's another one to the New Year's abroad list.
Traditions? None, really, except that I have mostly celebrated with friends while Christmas (obviously) is more of a family event. I like fireworks - missed them in the US - but I'm satisfied with looking at other people wasting their money up in the sky :) This year I didn't see that many though as we just stayed in the flat and there were both buildings and clouds in the way.
I have hardly ever made a resolution, not a serious one at least. When I was little I would say things like "I will eat less sweets" or "I will work out more" (I say that now too) but I would never set myself a proper challenge or task and I still haven't. Except perhaps reading a specific number of books.
My hopes and wishes for 2010 are private and personal but it ranges around the usual stuff of love and happiness and a hope that all my loved ones will stay healthy*** and happy.
And now to our Old Year's Night party that we decided to throw this year (well, technically last year). About ten days before nyårsafton we still didn't have any plans****. So we sent out some invitations, expecting 10-15 accepts, maximum. We ended up being 25 with a further 5 people arriving after midnight (though 6 people left at the same time)! And as most of you already know, the last people left at 06:10 on January 1 so I think it's safe to say it was a successful party!
I won't be showing all photos here to protect our "customers" (those of you who are friends with me on Facebook can look there) but here is a selection to give you a flavour.
Ready for the guests to arrive. We think there are so few occasions for formalwear so we decided to set a dresscode, however we didn't ask anyone wearing jeans to turn away at the door ;)
We didn't fancy cooking food for 25+ people so we asked everyone to bring something. Note to self for next time: ask people to bring cold dishes, especially when there is only one oven... Also, don't ask any Italian guests to bring hors d'ouvres as they have a tendency to be late :)
Ghost of New Years past?
Some of us braved the cold and had our champagne on the balcony whilst the others (most people) stayed inside
Tomten kept to his corner, sipping a drink and getting a head massage
There was dancing, both freestyle...
...and classic pardans (couple dancing??)
As there wasn't much of fireworks going 'round we had to make our own sparkles
Around 5:30 in the morning...
...and the next day...
Sparkling, this month's host, asks us: how do you celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of a new one? Do you have any particular traditions? Do you make New Year resolutions? What are your hopes and wishes for 2010?
Before I show you some pictures from our New Year's Eve party I thought I'd answer these in turn. I think I've been at a dinner or a party with friends most New Year's Eves, since I was a teenager at least. Sometimes at my place but more often somewhere else. I have celebrated away from Sweden at least three times: 1995 in the US and New York* with aupair friends; 2001 in D.C. with my then-boyfriend and his friends; and last year, 2008, with Peter, his family and 20 or so of their friends in Paris**. When I lived in London and Brussels I went home for Christmas every year and always stayed over New Year's (if I remember correctly). Next year we may celebrate in Helsinki with the same bunch of people that went to Paris, if so that's another one to the New Year's abroad list.
Traditions? None, really, except that I have mostly celebrated with friends while Christmas (obviously) is more of a family event. I like fireworks - missed them in the US - but I'm satisfied with looking at other people wasting their money up in the sky :) This year I didn't see that many though as we just stayed in the flat and there were both buildings and clouds in the way.
I have hardly ever made a resolution, not a serious one at least. When I was little I would say things like "I will eat less sweets" or "I will work out more" (I say that now too) but I would never set myself a proper challenge or task and I still haven't. Except perhaps reading a specific number of books.
My hopes and wishes for 2010 are private and personal but it ranges around the usual stuff of love and happiness and a hope that all my loved ones will stay healthy*** and happy.
And now to our Old Year's Night party that we decided to throw this year (well, technically last year). About ten days before nyårsafton we still didn't have any plans****. So we sent out some invitations, expecting 10-15 accepts, maximum. We ended up being 25 with a further 5 people arriving after midnight (though 6 people left at the same time)! And as most of you already know, the last people left at 06:10 on January 1 so I think it's safe to say it was a successful party!
I won't be showing all photos here to protect our "customers" (those of you who are friends with me on Facebook can look there) but here is a selection to give you a flavour.
Ready for the guests to arrive. We think there are so few occasions for formalwear so we decided to set a dresscode, however we didn't ask anyone wearing jeans to turn away at the door ;) 
We didn't fancy cooking food for 25+ people so we asked everyone to bring something. Note to self for next time: ask people to bring cold dishes, especially when there is only one oven... Also, don't ask any Italian guests to bring hors d'ouvres as they have a tendency to be late :)
Ghost of New Years past?
Some of us braved the cold and had our champagne on the balcony whilst the others (most people) stayed inside
Tomten kept to his corner, sipping a drink and getting a head massage
There was dancing, both freestyle...
...and classic pardans (couple dancing??)
As there wasn't much of fireworks going 'round we had to make our own sparkles
Around 5:30 in the morning...
...and the next day...* We missed the ball drop though because we were busy partying in a hotel room in Tribeca and by the time we left (10pm'ish) there were simply too many people also going to Times Square. But we had fun anyway, despite not getting into the club we wanted to go to (as we were all underage by the American definition).
** Which I now realise I never blogged about!
*** And I hope 2010 is the year when my friend Maria finally gets well from her long illness!
**** Some of our friends are not very good at organising things, even if it's just a small gathering and some drinks... So we had hoped someone else would organise something but when that wasn't happening we had to take matters into our own hands!
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Great Commercial
At Liverpool Street station in London, T-Mobile did this great commercial unbeknown to the daily commuters. They practiced for 8 weeks and on 15 January 2009 at 11am, with hidden cameras and 400 dancers, their plan was put into action.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
The Icing on the Cake
Last night I went to an ice hockey game for the first time in 15 years or so! My hometown team Södertälje played the Stockholm team Djurgården. Södertälje hasn't won a single game for the last six games (out of 15 matches played since the beginning of the series) but last night they won with 5-3!! I guess this means I need to go to all the games for the rest of the season since I clearly bring some luck! (Especially since they are still at the bottom of the league and need to win a lot more matches!)
Peter and his two friends who are Djurgården fans (though not huge fans; none of them had been to an ice hockey match for a while either) were not that happy of course but they still enjoyed the game since it was quite a happening one with lots of goals, beautiful play (mostly by Södertälje) and some action (read fights).
We were seated quite close to the Djurgården supporters and I must say that despite the fact that I had to cover my ears a lot for the shouting, it was quite interesting to watch as some sort of social study.
So a fun night for me and I may go again soon!
Peter and his two friends who are Djurgården fans (though not huge fans; none of them had been to an ice hockey match for a while either) were not that happy of course but they still enjoyed the game since it was quite a happening one with lots of goals, beautiful play (mostly by Södertälje) and some action (read fights).
We were seated quite close to the Djurgården supporters and I must say that despite the fact that I had to cover my ears a lot for the shouting, it was quite interesting to watch as some sort of social study.
So a fun night for me and I may go again soon!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Grocery Shopping Extraordinaire
One of my favourite bloggers, American Beverly living in Skellefteå in north Sweden, did a very impressive thing the other day. When she and her husband went grocery shopping they let a list they found in the trolley completely decide their shopping! Isn't that daring, in such a cosy and safe way?!!
Folded up in the back corner was a forgotten piece of paper, the kind of thing I usually disregard. This paper caught my eye, though, the words on it not written in your usual list style–item by item, vertically–but horizontally, and grouped closely together. At first glance, it looked like a note or a letter instead of a shopping list, and curiosity got the better of me so I unfolded and read it. Alas, closer scrutiny revealed it to be a grocery list after all, and I commented to Olof, a little disappointed and put-out, 'That’s a strange way to wrive a grocery list.'.
The story continues...
It reminded me of the book "Dice Man" by Luke Rhinehart where the main character lets the dice decide everything in his life. I once saw a documentary about it - apparently the book/guy even had a following for a while.
Folded up in the back corner was a forgotten piece of paper, the kind of thing I usually disregard. This paper caught my eye, though, the words on it not written in your usual list style–item by item, vertically–but horizontally, and grouped closely together. At first glance, it looked like a note or a letter instead of a shopping list, and curiosity got the better of me so I unfolded and read it. Alas, closer scrutiny revealed it to be a grocery list after all, and I commented to Olof, a little disappointed and put-out, 'That’s a strange way to wrive a grocery list.'.
The story continues...
It reminded me of the book "Dice Man" by Luke Rhinehart where the main character lets the dice decide everything in his life. I once saw a documentary about it - apparently the book/guy even had a following for a while.
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