But, yeah. Life, you know... It's pretty hectic and I am tired all the time as well. And the snow. The snow isn't helping either. Just when I thought it was gone, is shows up again and messes with us. I can't stand the cold as well, although it is colder in Sweden right now I think, so there is something positive at least.
Classes here at Eichstätt is almost finished as well, and I'll soon be on my way home again. It'll be good to see everybody, I miss everyone like crazy when I'm here.
-My mom is getting more knowledgeable about technology at least. She now knows how to use Skype :) Hilarious.
Next week I have three tests and one presentation (that should last at least 45 min!). It's too much. Just...ugh.
On another note, I can't wait until tomorrow when I can see the next episode of Supernatural. The excitement is already building up :)
- Location:Eichstätt, Germany in a small apartment
- Mood:
curious
Wow, it's been forever since I updated my journal. But to my defense I have been a bit busy.
Right now I am living in Germany, studying as an ERASMUS student. I am going to stay here for a whole year! It's a small town, which is okay with me, but I do miss all the things a bigger town offers, like a cinema! More variety in clothing stores and etc.
It does not help with my homesickness either, when my mom sent me a package from Sweden last night. A BIG package, filled with Swedish stuff and candy <3
God, I miss my mom so much!
Anyway, from today I now have been to all my classes. Don't you hate when you start a new lesson? It's all awkward and I'm nervous as hell. Let me just say I have played alot of introduction games, as well.
Some lessons are going to be real difficult, like my Advanced English Grammar course (Why did I take this course? I HATE grammar! Oh, right, I need to improve my writing skills...)
Others like my course in American pop-culture, Books, Bites and Bats... About Vampires seems really interesting and the teacher is just made of awesome!
There are some downsides and upsides, as always. Just need to keep going on, and study like crazy and I'm sure it will be alright...Hopefully.
- Location:Eichstätt, Germany
- Mood:
crazy
My grandmother just called to tell me the latest news in the family.
My aunt's apartment was set on fire! Or rather someone had tried to anyway. Luckily she wasn't home at the time it happened, but when she and my grandmother went up to the apartment, the whole place smelled like gasoline and the hall carpet was burnt to ashes. There was ashes all over the place.
The police is calling it an arson, which is creepy as hell. I sincerely hope they catch the fucker, because my aunt has been through enough and this shit isn't helping. The stupid thing is that she had just moved in there as well. Hadn't even lived there for two weeks!
Two and a half years ago, my younger cousin died - the same aunt's, mentioned above, son. He only became 15 years old. This destroyed my family and in some ways also strengthen it. Some family ties are closer than ever, while others have irrevocably been broken.
The latter goes for my aunt's, now former husband. He has done some horrible things, towards me and the rest of the family. It's too private for me to be comfortable mentioning it here, but let's just say that he is a no good bastard who do not deserve any sympathy, whatsoever.
Why can't something good happen?
- Location:Bromölla
- Mood:
crushed
I know it is not celebrated outside of the Nordic countries which is a shame, since we have so much fun! Dancing, singing, drinking and eating strawberries in truly, enormous amounts. I just love it so much!
This is what we dance around. Though usually it is only kids and their parents that does it. I had so much fun dancing around the Midsommar stången (Midsummer pole) as a kid and singing songs. Nowadays for me, I only drink and eat... and sing some roundelay.
~~~~~~~~
~Happy belated birthday Nino! Two days late but it's the thought that counts : ) One year older yet he never seems to age, does he? Never stop being who you are, 'cause you are fabulous!
- Location:sweden
- Mood:
excited
I'm going abroad for one year in Germany to study. It's insane! I have never done anything like it before. I have never lived in another country or lived by myself, so it's going to be one-hell of an experience. I am so nervous...
The semester doesn't start until 1 October, but still. So much to be done until it. So much to prepare... All the paperwork until I got accepted was killing me, but now I have even more. How difficult does it have to be, really? They really like to complicate things for us.
The thing is... I don't speak German! I know, I know... But I have studied it for 4 years, but that was in junior high, so I don't know how much I'm going to remember. Thankfully, if I pay a certain amount of money I can get into the Orientation programme and get intensive German lessons, so that's what I'm going to do. Hopefully that will be enough. That, and the German surrounding.
This is a picture of one of the buildings, it does look rather nice, if I have to say so myself:
- Location:at home
- Mood:
chipper
- Location:at home
- Mood:
crazy - Music:Mando Diao - Dance with somebody
Today is the day to vote for the EU elections in Sweden, and I'm going to do so in about 5 minutes : ) I have been working all day and when I went to return the car to my grandfather, I found out that my grandmother is in the hospital and have been there since saturday morning.
Shock!!
I'm really worried about her, since the doctors said why she was feeling ill, had something to do with her heart. She is only 64 years old! God... But my grandfather told me not to worry since it didn't seem to be that bad. The doctors take heart complications seriously (Thank god!) and that is why she has to do so many tests all the time. Still, you can't help but to worry, right? Anyway, my grandfather gave me a number so I can call her and talk to her, and see how she is feeling. Much better, I hope.
~~~~~~~~~~
I voted just a couple of minutes ago! I'm not embarrassed to say which party I chose as well : )
The Pirate Party, YAY!
I'm off now to watch the Valvakan (election night watch party) or whatever they call it. It's kinda exciting, isn't?
- Location:at home
- Mood:
surprised
: ) I'm going tomorrow after work! So looking forward to it. I go every year, have done so since I was a child, really. Either with my mom, dad or my friends.
I only live like, 20-30 minutes away from the Festival. Actually, me and mom drove by there yesterday, and there was so many people! It is so much fun looking at them, the diversity. Not just hard-rock fans, not at all. All sorts of people come, but what I really love is the whole atmosphere that surrounds it. It just feels soo good to be there! There are hardly any fights there as well, and that is saying something, considering it's the biggest festival in Scandinavia.
I love it <3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yesterday was my last day at school as well. Feels nice, but it's kind of sad considering I'm going abroad for a year to study and I won't see all of my classmates. Not until our third year will we gather again... Ah well, that's life I guess : ) People come and go through your life.
- Location:at home
- Mood:
ecstatic - Music:2NE1 - Fire
No, it really does. Right know I'm in school, and has been since 12.45. The clock right now is 15.00, and I have had nothing to do for about an hour. A complete waste of my time.
We had a small meeting at 13.00 and then we were sent off to discuss in groups, which lasted for about half an hour, and then we are supposed to meet again at 16.00. Why do they plan it like this?
Why am I so unfortunate enough to get placed in the last group? *despair* I will be home at 19.00 tonight. That is way to late for me. This. Sucks. So. Badly.
Though, I could be productive and start working on my B-level essay. But, I'm lazy :)
~~~~~~~~
On to fandoms *glee*
I'm so looking forward to the next Supernatural episode!
Sammy, what is happening with you? You are breaking my heart.
When I get home, I'm going to watch the Himitsu no Arashi show Special. I'm really looking forward to seeing Nino's skill in gaming! I want to see him floor the others with his skill :) I guess I have to wait until tonight to find out.
So happy with him winning that Award too. He deserves it!
~~~~~~~~
Now I'm gonna go and be productive. I will work on my essay. Go, me!
I really need that cheer :)
- Location:At school - computer room
The thing is, I love spring and now it's finally here! It's so nice I actually decided to take some pictures :)
Our backyard from my window. Isn't nice? Just look at that blue sky... The time I took this pictures were at 19.10. I'm still not used to how bright it is outside during the evenings.
This is how it looked like almost a month ago.
Snowy isn't? And so freaking cold as well.
Anyhow, tomorrow it is Valborgsmässoafton, nicked-named Valborg. We light fires, I guess you can call it bon-fires, and we gather round. Have a bite to eat and drink. It is also the holiday when most teenagers get roaringly drunk. Most teenagers have their first drink at this holiday, otherwise known as under-age drinking :P Hopefully not too many accidents will happen, 'cause I know there will be.
Light up the fire, baby!
- Location:at home
- Mood:
contemplative
One year in jail. Millions of kronor in fines.
My reaction: Hold on. What?
I am pissed off, right now. Apparently, they are contributing to file-sharing - and that's their crime.
The whole movie and entertainment industry can go fuck itself. Pardon my language, but people and, for that matter, the whole world, needs to realize that society is changing. File-sharing is never going to disappear and because of this, the rules should change, and by that I do not mean by making new laws, so it will be more "illegal" for us to download but for the industry to change.
They make shitloads of money, ridiculous amounts of it even. Most of it does not go to the artist, but to the stockholders and the company. Why should we make them even richer?
www.youtube.com/watch This is a clip from a Swedish newschannel and it has english subtitles about how America is putting pressure on Sweden to shut down the Pirate Bay. Insanity.
It's a load of bullshit, and I am so tired of the whole thing.
On the bright side, my birthday is on Sunday! We are only having a small gathering since my mom is working the entire weekend. I have no idea when I am going to my dad's - haven't spoken to him in over 2 weeks. Need to call him...
- Location:at home
- Mood:
crazy
But, today is a new day, Easter Eve to be exact, and I'm actually not feeling to tired from work, and it made me decide to at least put up the link to the youtube clip my teacher showed me.
Here it is: www.youtube.com/watch Thanks for calling us boring, by the way.
It's from CBN News, and it's about the third largest city in Sweden, called Malmö - it's the city were I study and commute to almost everyday. They have really angled the whole piece of this, to make the muslims in Sweden appear bad and that Swedes "famous" tolerance is coming back to bite them in the ass!
Everything that is showed in this clip is so false, that I'm so horrified thinking how many Americans have seen this, and actually believed it!
Almost everything that this reporter, Dave Hurd is talking about, can be proven otherwise and it has been!
http://malmolund.city.se/nyheter/2009/03/1
The year 2049, Sweden will not be a muslim majority. We do not even make statistics of people's religion in Sweden! How have they counted?! Morons...
White people are not fleeing the town, either. In fact, people are moving in. Mostly students and Danish people. Wrong again...
And implying that religion have something to do with crime! I see were you are going Mr. Reporter, and it's looking damn shady. Crime is a social problem, it does not have to do with religion and ethnicity.
The Swedendemocrats is not the fastest growing party, they are actually losing voters.
The rape issue he takes up is both true and false. Yes, rapes have tripled during the last 20 years, but that has more to do with more people going to the police, and the fact that more sexual crimes is classified as rape.
CBN tried to reach Ilmar Reepalu for a comment, but wasn't available...my ass he wasn't. Reepalu tried to call this reporter for 3 days! But he got no response...
Ahhh...It just upsets me that they try to slander Malmö, which is a wonderfully multicultural city. One of its kind, in my opinion.
Well, now that I gotten this off my chest, I feel so much better :D
Turning Torso
- Location:at home
- Mood:
pleased
So, I am at school right now. I have a seminar in about 30 min. where we are going to discuss our essay drafts! Fun...
Anyway, we had to watch a clip from youtube on the last lecture, and it just... blew my mind (and everybody elses as well) with how ignorant some people are, and how they can not get their facts straight. I will put on the clip when I get home later, it's from an american newschannel.
Just wait and watch... We almost died laughing when we watched it, and that the americans were saying it all so seriously. Man, how they got it wrong...
- Location:At school
- Mood:
amused
01) Are you currently in a serious relationship?
02) What was your dream growing up?
03) What talent do you wish you had?
04) If I bought you a drink what would it be?
05) Favorite vegetable?
06) What was the last book you read?
07) What zodiac sign are you?
08) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.
09) Worst Habit?
10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?
11) What is your favorite sport?
12) Do you have a Pessimistic or Optimistic attitude?
13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?
15) Tell me one weird fact about you.
16) Do you have any pets?
17) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly?
18) What was your first impression of me?
19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
22) What color eyes do you have?
23) Ever been arrested?
24) Bottle or can soda?
25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?
27) What's your favorite place to hang out at?
28) Do you believe in ghosts?
29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
30) Do you swear a lot?
31) Biggest pet peeve?
32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?
33) Do you believe/appreciate romance?
34) Favourite and least favourite food?
35) Do you believe in God?
36) Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?
- Location:at home
- Mood:
cranky
*gapes*
Are they seriously trying to kill us fangirls? *sighs happily*
I love this show so much :D
The thing is, I am so worried about them, about what is going to happen and their relationship with each other - it feels like they are growing further and further apart. And the next episode! A new brother?! WTF! Am I watching a real live fanfiction or something? Feels more and more like it...
- Location:At home
- Mood:
ecstatic
Yes! So happy that the Swedish government is finally taking action and allowing gay people to get married, for their marriage to be counted as equal in the eyes of the law - just as it is for straight people. It is a big step and if i may say so, a principal thing. One of the Swedish politicians said that the government had to follow the stream of Swedish society - which is very supporting of gay people and their rights in society.
The only party against gay marriage was, of course the Christian democrats (Kristdemokraterna, Kd). Not so surprising, but they were over-voted so many times, and now things are changing.
In May, gay people from all over Sweden can get married! My cousin can get married if she wants to :D So can I, if I find a girlfriend or boyfriend!
On to other matters. This fucking new law that went into practice, on the 1 April, called IPRED -lagen, is something I foresee to become a big problem. The law is supposed to frighten people, so they won't up- or download files on the internet, and if someone do, their identity can be given to the company which files has been used. And they can sue, big time. A part of me understand that the whole downloading of files is a serious problem for artist and such, but. And here is a big BUT, if they want people to start buying CDs and DVDs in the stores, then they should make them cheaper, because seriously, they are sometimes ridiculously expensive.
Someone said that they would pay for their downloading if, it were at the right price. I would totally do that, at an reasonable price.
Now, we have this law that will probably turn into some sort of witch-hunt, with the authorities hunting down ordinary people up- and downloading files. Just during the first day, the internet-traffic in Sweden was decreased by 30%. The first day! People are afraid.
I foresee a big storm ahead. I just hope I can continue with my downloading of subtitled Arashi vids, I know I would go insane otherwise.
This is an awesome video, watch it: www.youtube.com/watch
- Location:At home
- Mood:
worried
HippHipp is a swedish comedy show so awesome, that hilarious do not even begin to cover it. I just saw the two persons that play most of the characters in the show (sort of like the show Little Britain, another funny show), a few moments ago on television.
I just had to reminisce - so I decided to search on youtube and I found some clips that were so funny, I had tears in my eyes.
First one is this clip, which is called Swedish for Beginners or Swedish for noobs. The "teacher" show some pictures and then under it, it shows how to pronounce the words, written hilariously - at least for Swedes it is. Such useless words and sentences it is, as well :D
Here is a clip were they have gathered most of the words used in the show, so freaking funny: www.youtube.com/watch
I just hope people realize that swedish people do not really talk like this: www.youtube.com/watch
This is not their only scit, there are so many of them, playing so many different unforgettable characters.
This is goofy picture of the two main actors, Johan Wester and Anders Jansson.
I just love them so much, and I am really looking forward to their new show, that will come sometime 2010. In the meantime I just have to buy the rest of the DVDs that I don't have.
- Location:At home
- Mood:
enthralled
The Crown-princess of Sweden is finally getting married!!!
It was announced a couple of days ago that Victoria, the crown-princess, is engaged to her man-of-the-people, Daniel. They have been together for over 7 years, I think, but there is a lot of political stuff surrounding the royal family - they can't basically marry anyone they want and still have their titles as a prince or princess, if they marry someone non-noble. The government and the King has to approve of the engagement, unless the person decides they don't really want to "rule" a country and instead abdicates the throne.
But now we will have Victoria as our future Queen (Which makes me very happy, because she is sooo likable <3 ) and Daniel, the-man-of-the-people, will rule beside her! Makes me all giddy inside... She will be the third ruling Queen in the history of Sweden, and the first Queen in the Bernadotte dynasty.
The King though had one requirement from Daniel, and that was he had to stop working in his company... Yikes, I wonder what he will actually do now? Follow Viktoria everywhere she goes around the world? Makes me wonder what the royal family does all day, besides representing our country.
Hmm, well anyway here is a clip when the royal family announces the engagement: You just gotta love the stiffness of it all, its hilarious!
www.youtube.com/watch
And here is some pretty pictures of the lovely couple:
Victoria
The Swedish Royal House
- Location:At home
- Mood:
bouncy
I have just seen the movie Män som hatar kvinnor, translated into english as Men who hate women. It is origionally a book by the late swedish author: Stieg Larsson - they translated the book into the title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I wonder why it is, that they never can translate a book into the same meaning? It is something that seriously annoys me a lot.
But anyhow, the movie was fantastic! The cast was superb - only the best among the swedish actors; the story was handled well - books made into movies can never be as good as the original source but, they really made it into a fantastic movie this time.
I had already read the book (In sweden only, the book has sold 3 million copies!!!), and I was hooked after the first chapter. It is a scary book, filled with the moral corruption society has today - and it just makes you realise that there are quite a few bastards out there. But there are also the-every-day kinda hero guy that fight for, well...justice, and that sheds some sunshine over it all :)
The one character in the book, and in the movie, that stole my heart is Lisbeth Salander. The problem girl. The disturbed girl. The frighteningly intelligent girl. The one that never takes a blow and forgets about it - one word: Payback.
It is just such an amazing story (It is a trilogy called the Millennium series). I recommend everybody to read this book, it has even been critically compared with the epic War and Peace for its depth.
Here is a small summary of the first book from Wikipedia:
A middle-aged journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, publishes the magazine Millennium in Stockholm. He is hired one day by Henrik Vanger, the aged former CEO of a group of companies owned by a wealthy dynasty, in order to chronicle the family history. His real mission, however, is to solve a cold case - the disappearance, some forty years previously, of Vanger's great-niece when she was sixteen. Blomkvist encounters "the old Miss Marple closed-room scenario with all the wealthy suspects marooned on the family estate on an island; a village we grow familiar with, full of hostile locals peering out from behind their curtains". The real main character of the story is Lisbeth Salander, an asocial punk who has been victimized by authorities throughout her whole life. By accident she meets Blomkvist and the unlikely couple become another classic detective pair where the hunters become the hunted.
The opening courtroom drama where Blomkvist as publisher loses a libel case brought by corrupt Swedish industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerström, has serious repercussions for his Millennium magazine's future.
Blomkvist reads crime novelists Sue Grafton, Val McDermid and Elizabeth George and enjoys amateur sleuthing and investigative journalism. Later, he is asked to investigate a family mystery by Henrik Vanger, the elderly scion of a wealthy but dysfunctional family. Henrik has questions about the disappearance of his 16-year-old great-niece Harriet 40 years before. Ever since, on her birthday Henrik has received an unusual flower from various parts of the world, which he believes to be sent by the killer. Blomkvist is certain that he can discover nothing new, but delving into family secrets produces shocking results. When he teams up with Salander they shed disturbing light on the four decade long puzzle.
The historic scenario of a locked-room mystery applies since the island on that fateful day was cut-off due to a road-tanker crash on the only bridge that connects the inhabitants to the mainland. Henrik Vanger believes that Harriet (his brother’s granddaughter) was murdered by one of his family members, as the island was sealed from the mainland when she vanished. In disgrace due to losing his libel defense, Blomkvist takes on the Vanger case when the old man offers him not only to help his financially strapped magazine, but also promises to give him information to prove Wennerström is corrupt. His cover is spending a year writing the Vanger family history.
Just read this book! You won't regret it.
The book cover Movie poster
- Location:At home
- Mood:
contemplative
I think I am so tired because of school, and all the little worries that comes along with it. Lectures, seminars, essays and making good grades. Plus the long way I have to travel just to get to my school, it's so tiring. Feel like I need a break, to go away somewhere. Would have been really nice, and I know just the person to go along with me, my close friend Anna.
She is another person who needs to go on a vacation, seriously fast. She is working for what feels like 24/7 even to me, and never seems to slow down. The fact that she has an eating disorder as well, do not help matters.
Before I went to study, we worked together at Biltema and then, when I started working every other weekend we still had those two days working together. Not anymore, since they changed her schedule. Now we don't work together anymore.
We don't see each other that much anymore, with me being in school and her working at so different times, there is hardly any day we are both free or not exhausted from everything, to see each other. There is still the phone of course, that is used almost every single day - to update each other on what's happening.
If I am going on a vacation, I will bring along Anna and just escape from everything. We both desperately need it.
Ps. I just love that icon of Sho, and quoting Nino: He looks so dirty somehow. I love it <3 *snigger*
- Location:At home
- Mood:
blah
