Heatwave

Snapped a quick photo of the pink clouds the other evening before I headed out

The heatwave that has struck Sweden has left its population in awe. It has even made me feel like I'm not in Sweden at all. It has been around 30 degrees for the past two and a half weeks, and it's bloody sweltering. It makes me a little upset that I have to work during this glorious heatwave, but I am grateful that I finish in the early hours of the afternoon, so I am able to quickly head home and enjoy the sun for the rest of the day, and perhaps a quick catch-up with a friend in town.

Even though I enjoy the sun and heat, I have to run inside for refuge when my body is clammy with sweat and my head all dizzy from the scorching sun. I chug a glass or two of cold water to quench my thirst and then head down into the wine cellar for refuge in the blissful 15 degree A.C. After a few minutes inside recovering from my my minor heatstroke, I head back outside to read a chapter or two of The Great Gatsby and then a nap in the shade to recover from my early mornings. 

I spend my weekends hanging around the house and the garden, sketching, reading, listening to music and drinking cold iced tea. In the evenings I either opt for a chilled dinner with the family or a few drinks with a couple of friends at Satin until the early hours of the morning.

Music Monday #86

I found so much good music this past week, and it was a good mix of genres too - I love that! 

Also, here is my most recently updated playlist which I listen to when I want to relax: "Nap Time" Spotify playlist

Stenshyttan

On Friday morning my mum, dad and I left to go to our summer house. This is the place where Oskar and I (and mamma) spent most of our summers growing up. Every time I go back I feel very nostalgic and peaceful. It's very quiet out there which is extremely relaxing for someone who lives in a city. We got back a few hours ago, and I'm super tired for some reason. I slept almost the whole way home. I hope I'm not this tired tomorrow morning when I have work!

Sunny weekend

Tired and ready for work at 6.30am on Monday morning

My mother and I went out for a terrific dinner at the newly opened restaurant Makeriet on Friday evening. My mum recommended a sublime white Italian wine for my seabream and paella. For dessert I enjoyed a crème brûlée, which is probably the best one I have ever had in my life!

The weather this past weekend was excellent, so I decided I would lay out in the sun and read The Catcher in the Rye (this is my mothers book from the 70s!). I didn't like it. But at least I can tick this book off my book list, as it's on of 'the classics'. I started reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain today. My dad also recommended a few books by Hemingway and Steinbeck.

I spent Saturday evening with Natalie, Juno, Ronja, Ewelina and Jenny, driking wine and enjoying fresh fruits and crisps with dip. My mother let me have this bottle of white Chenin Blanc from South Africa, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Ronja and Jenny went out at about 11 or so, and Juno and Ewelina left a little while after that. At around midnight, after Oskar, Robin and Emil arrived, we headed out to Satin where we met up with Juno and Ewelina again and had a beer. We sat there until closing at 2.30am

Everyday photos

This was the view of the sunset the other day from one of my bedroom windows. The clouds were more pink in real life. It's a shame the camera couldn't capture it

I would like to think of myself as quite an avid photographer. The truth is, I hardly ever take photos on a daily basis, lest the sunset is nice as depicted in the photo above. However, I feel I should resurrect my habit of taking photos, to make these update-posts more interesting!

After Helen left to go to Spain after spending a week here in Sweden with me, I suddenly felt very lonely and bored. I usually feel this way when I have spent a lot of time with people, it's a slight separation anxiety I have. I especially get it after getting back from vacation/holiday! Post-holiday-blues, as they say..

But alas, life goes on and after a week of sleeping in until noon and watching Mad Men on Netflix, I started work. I normally work for 7-8 hours a day, starting either at 7 or 8 and finishing at 15.30 or 16.30, depending on what my duties are for the day.
Ideally I would be soaking up the D-vitamin in the sun after work but it has been chucking it down with rain for a fair few days now. It was sunny for the better part of today, before the torrential rain and thunder returned. Due to the ghastly weather conditions this past week, I haven't been able to go strawberry-picking, much to my dismay. But this'll have to wait until the sun decides to stick around for a little longer.

I don't have work tomorrow so I'm assuming I'll be sleeping in and taking it easy. I do have a pair of jeans that need altering, may haps I'll commence that project. If it rains, I'll probably be playing GTA 5 or watching some more Mad Men. I'm not liking the series as much as I thought I was. I find the characters quite odd and distant, and sometimes they get on my nerves. Oskar can't seem to understand why I keep watching it, but at the end of the day I want to know what happens to Don Draper, so I keep watching.
Here's some trivia for you that I learned from my brother: Aaron Staton, the actor who plays Kenneth (Ken) Cosgrove in Mad Men, did the facial and voice acting for the video game L.A. Noire, in which he portrays the protagonist Cole Phelps.

Music Monday #85

Okay? Okay.

Last night, after dinner with Natalie in a Greek restaurant, Juno met up with us in the cinema to watch The Fault in our Stars. When Natalie first suggested that we go see it, I was against it. I'd seen the trailer countless times on the YouTube adverts, heard about how good the book was through several individuals, but the story just didn't appeal to me. Mainly because the outcome in these sorts of stories is always the same; death.
However, I gave the movie a shot and before I knew it I was letting myself be entertained by the many light-hearted, humorous comments and jokes throughout the movie. It was hard not to get a slight attachment to the characters and shed a few tears along with them. In all honesty, you'd have to be an extremely cold-hearted individual not to shed a tear and sympathize with the characters.

Keep on keepin' on

Dunes in Scotland, June 2011

That's my motto for the time being. I regard it as a less cliché version of "Keep calm and carry on," which I bloody hate at this point if I'm perfectly honest.

We are constantly surrounded by people. We live in big urban cities, that come alive with the hustle and bustle of its inhabitants. However, I think there is an overwhelming feeling of loneliness amongst many of us. I have always been comfortable being by myself, I just don't like feeling lonely. I'm not one of those icky people who has to be with someone for the majority of their time to get by with their lives.
I'll leave it there for now, as I will most likely get carried away with my thoughts and ramble on about everything and nothing between heaven and hell.

On a happier note I started work yesterday and will be working all through July until around mid-August, if I'm not mistaken. Furthermore I saw an ad in the newspaper this morning about a strawberry-picking-farm located a mere 20-min ride with the car. If that doesn't scream summer, I don't know what does.. Our strawberries haven't ripened yet, but there's heaps of them to munch on once they have turned red in July!
A few days ago I was researching vacation destinations on the Interwebs. I seriously need to stop doing this to myself! I just get sad when I realize I will most likely be spending my whole summer in Sweden…
Also, yous should check out Ed Sheeran's new album X!

Midsummer's Eve

Our midsummer consisted of singing snapsvisor, traditional dancing, eating mass amounts of food and talking. As usual, we all gathered at our friends' house out in the countryside for the annual celebration of the summer solstice. Just like Christmas, midsummer is celebrated the eve before the actual event in Sweden, which always falls on a Friday. For half the day I was wearing my grandmother's handmade folkdräkt from Ramsele. It was incredibly warm and I had to change into something more appropriate before dinner, as it felt like I was going to melt right there in my chair. However, towards the end of the evening, the temperature dropped drastically and several people wrapped up warm in their down-feather jackets and blankets, the scene resembled an after-ski event in the alps. Someone even told me that in the past it has been warmer on New Year's Eve than on Midsummer's Eve! Shocking, to say the least…

Class of 2014

I woke up to the sound of exhilarated and slightly obnoxious students singing "Vi har tagit studenten, vi har tagit studenten, fy fan vad vi är bra!" I jumped out of bed and opened my blinds to catch a glimpse of the graduates dressed in white caps, looking so confident and happy.
It instantly brought me back to the 8th of June 2012, when it was my time to graduate. I remember my class walking to our school from my house, feeling so high on life in the morning sun. The feeling is so fresh in my memory, almost as if it happened yesterday.
But an overwhelming feeling of jealousy came over me when I stood there in my window, watching the students walk by. I want to do it all over again. My graduation day was and still is one of the best days of my life. When I see the graduate students I get goosebumps and a shiver down my spine, because I know the feelings they are experiencing, and how incredibly happy they are right in that moment.

Taking it easy

Drinks and tapas upon arrival in the motherland

Wallpaper in my room in Stockohlm

Enjoying the gorgeous weather

My alarm went off at 5am on Thursday morning after 2 and a half hours of sleep. I more or less jumped out of bed, got dressed, packed the rest of my things into my bag and hurled my way out the door to my taxi, leaving behind what has been my home for the past 9 months. 

As I said, I did go out on Wednesday night, partying it up in Institute with a few friends. I got home at around two, and crashed on my unmade bed at 2.30. Most of my day was spent traveling down to London, and up to Stockholm, where my dad picked me up.

The 6th of June was spent painting my room pink, and going out for dinner in the evening at Kitchen & Table on Kungsholmen. The rest of the weekend was spent putting up wallpaper and cycling around Stockholm. A much needed chilled-out weekend in other words.

These past two days I have met up with Natalie for a pizza at Paolo's, soaking up all the D-vitamin I can muster, and eating my mother's good food. I have also finished the second season of Orange is the New Black on Netflix, and started reading A Feast for Crows (book 4 of the Game of Thrones series).

The rest of the week will most likely consist of reading my book in the sun, going out for drinks, eating food, catching up with friends, and eagerly awaiting Helen's arrival on the 16th.

2nd Year

Now that second year has come to an end I feel an overwhelming feeling of relief. However, I feel as though this year has gone by a lot quicker than last year… I have no idea how this is even possible. Even though there have been times where I have felt that time stood still, but looking back at those times, they actually went by pretty quickly.

I'm looking forward to going home and spending time with family and friends who I don't get to see as often now that I spend most of my time in the UK. I am also looking forward to my work/internship, it'll be a good experience for me and will give me an insight into the field of work that I'm highly interested in. Of course I am looking forward to the week where Helina comes over to Stockholm to visit me. I have a lot of things planned for that week and I am excited to spend that time with my closest friend! Surprisingly, I haven't booked a trip abroad this summer and it makes me a little upset because I love spending time in the sun, preferably at the beach, reading good books, drinking cold coca-cola, swimming in the sea and eating good food.

Tonight I'm pre-drinking with my flatmates and then going out to Exo with a bunch of friends. Gaah! I can hardly contain my excitement! It's going to be a good night :D Tomorrow I'll be packing up my things and putting it into storage. I plan on going out tomorrow night as well with a few other friends, and pulling an all-nighter as I have to catch a flight at 7.35 down to London on Thursday morning. Wish me luck!

Music Monday #84

In true procrastination style I found some new music for my ears, and it's perfect for studying. 

Summer Style

A few things on my list to check out once I get home.

Getting there...

We seem to have stumbled into the month of May rather quickly, and in 5 days it will be June!
Okay, how is this possible? As much as I want my exams to be over and to be home in Örebro, I am not ready for it to be June. Mainly because I don't like how bloody fast time flies, and that the weather here is proper shite. We have our sunny days of course, just like any other country, but I'm stuck inside with heaps of revision…
My first exam is on Monday and my second is on Tuesday. Wednesday will be spent packing up my room to put into storage for the summer. I then leave early in the morning on the Thursday to fly back home.

I've planned my June to be a chill month. Mostly I will be hanging out with friends, relaxing, and a bit of traveling (hopefully). Helen is arriving on the 16th which means we have 6 days to faff around Stockholm and Örebro. We are planning on cycling, kayaking, possible visiting Grönalund, having picnics in the park, going to the cinema, eating food, going out for drinks, visiting one of the many islands in Stockholm's archipelago, and most importantly making sure to show Helen how Swedes celebrate Midsummer!
I then hope I can catch a train down to Copenhagen to visit Christel. I think Sofia, Matilda and Lauren will also be there, which means we can all explore Copenhagen together.
I then start my work experience in July.

As a distraction from this term's exam revision, I have been planning my holiday next summer. A little bit ambitious perhaps, but I like getting excited for things!
I want get a 22-day rail pass to go Inter-railing around Eastern Europe, starting off in Berlin and working my way down towards Split, Croatia. Stopping in Warsaw, Krakow, Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Ljubljana and Zagreb, before getting to Split. Hopefully it all works out as I've been wanting to go inter-railing for quite a few years now!

Music Monday #83

Valborg

Stefanie, Irma and I at the Tunnels

On the 1st of May the Nordic society got together on campus for a meet up which included champagne and strawberries, music and good times. We spent a few hours on campus enjoying the sun once it finally appeared amongst the ever-grey clouds of Aberdeen. After a few hours of chilling in the grass a few of us headed over to Wavell in Hillhead for a few more hours of socializing.
In the evening, Irma, Stefanie and I headed over to the Tunnels where the rest of our evening was spent with the rest of the Nordic society, and eventually the Politics and IR society. We snacked on the nibbles available, had a few drinks and danced to some golden oldies. All in all, it was a pretty successful day :)
As the new Swedish representative for the Nordic society, I am excited to plan next year's events along side the rest of the new committee!!

Music Monday #82

Scotland Road Trip

On Wednesday the 23rd of April, Kalle, my mum and my dad came up to Aberdeen for a quick visit. We went out to Yorokobi by CJ for a delicious meal! We then headed to Tripple Kirks for a Crabbie's. The next morning they picked me up, and we started our road trip around Scotland!
We first headed up to Dufftown where Kalle and my dad bought one or two bottles of whisky in their whisky shop. We then headed 3 minutes down the road to the Glennfiddich distillery for a quick look-see and a fantastic lunch! My dad and I had a butternut squash and chili soup and a pulled pork sandwich. We then headed to Macallan for a tour of their distillery and a taster of five of their whiskies. We spent that night in a ginormous hotel in a little village that I can't remember the name of.

The next morning we headed to the Tomatin distillery for a quick taster of their whisky and a little video presentation. I actually really liked their whisky, it was very floral-y and pear-y. Might I add that this little taster session was at 11 o'clock in the morning, haha!
We then headed up to Inverness, which was a short drive away from where we were. We walked around town for a bit, trying to find a nice place to eat. We ended up in a restaurant where we all ordered a Aberdeen angus beef burger. Inverness was quite chilly and windy, so we headed to the car to start our drive down the west coast of Lochness.
The drive down Lochness was incredible, it reminded me of driving around lake Lugano in Switzerland or even Lago Maggiore in Italy, although the mountains weren't as big. We stopped at several places to take photos and to pop into the many gift shops. We also stopped to take photos of the famous Urquhart Castle.
About half way down the lake we arrived at our Bed & Breakfast that we were going to stay in for the night. It was situated in the little village of Invermoriston, and it had a fantastic view of a mountain (last picture).

Lochness

Lochness

Urquhart Castle

View from our B&B

The next morning we headed down to the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct from the Harry Potter movies, stopping on the way to take some photos of Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in Scotland. Once arriving at the viaduct, we walked the short distance from the car park to the actual bridge, and in a few minutes it was right there in front of us. It was massive and incredible to see it in person! I climbed up a little hill to get a better picture of it.
We then headed to Fort William and found a restaurant to have lunch. I have spaghetti with mussels, and my, oh my, they were heavenly. I then had a pavlova with whipped cream and raspberries which was delicious!
After our lunch we headed over to the little town of Oban. It reminded me of a fjord in Norway, the sun was shining and the town was right on the water. We went into the Oban distillery which, to our surprise, was situated right in the middle of town!
We the proceeded our journey over to Perth. This journey took longer than I expected and when we finally arrived at our accommodation for the night, I was relieved!

The next morning, after our hearty Scottish breakfast, we headed over to the beautiful town of St. Andrews. We walked around campus and strolled around town ending up in Costa where we had a coffee. We then drove up to Dundee and had a quick lunch before I hopped on a train back to Aberdeen.
All in all, our road trip was a massive success! The distances between places in Scotland aren't very big, compared to driving distances in Sweden, where you can drive for hours in the middle of nowhere and not see one single house…
One of my favourite moments from the trip was driving up to Inverness, where we passed through a gorge. My favourite town was probably Oban. It was such a quaint little town and the drive in and out of Oban reminded me so much of the fjords in Norway.

Easter Break

I thought I would write a quick little recap of what my life has consisted of during my Eater break.

Once I got home from our weekend in London, I chilled in rainy Stockholm for two days. I strolled around the wet city, absorbing that special Stockholm-vibe that I always get when I am there. I ate some amazing food at several restaurants.
On the 2nd of April I took the train up to see my grandma. She cooked amazing food for me, I read my Game of Thrones book in the warm sun, we had a fabulous barbeque on the river. She has now sold her house and it was an emotional moment saying goodbye to that amazing place; the place where I spent most of my summers when I was a kid.
Two more days were spent in Stockholm doing practically the same thing as last time. I then took a short flight over to Helsinki. Jenny and Chris had flown over the day before, and for the majority of Wednesday we chilled in the house. Thursday we spent out in Helsinki, we went to Torni and Kamppi. Jenny and Chris baked cookies. We considered going to Tallinn on the Friday, but the boat is 2.5 hours one way, and in the end we decided that that was too long for us. On Friday night we watched Argo before we picked up Helina from the airport. The next morning Helen and I played badminton and then went into Helsinki for a quick shop and a bite to eat in Stockmann, before we headed over to the cinema to watch The Book Thief with Jenny, Chris, Roos and Naomi. I liked the movie, although it was quite sad. The highlight was probably a cute little german boy named Rudy (not in a weird way...). We then headed back to the Jacobson's for dinner with Roos' family and a ping-pong tournament.
I got back home in Örebro on Sunday night. Monday to Friday was spent chilling at home, shopping in town, eating sushi with mother, cycling around town in the sun, meeting up with Sangeet for a cuppa and a slice of cheesecake (which was phenomenal I might add), going out for dinner with family friends at an amazing restaurant, celebrating Easter on the Saturday with my parents and grandparents and then going out for drinks with Natalie in the evening (it felt like summer again, we were so happy!). On Sunday morning, my parents and I left for Stockholm, I drove half the way there before mother took over. I then left for Aberdeen early on Monday morning.

Stockholm

Getting back to Aberdeen felt very odd. Prior to the Easter break, I was just not feeling myself. I wasn't happy, I wasn't social and I was just fed up with university. Obviously, the break did help me a little bit and I feel revitalized for my last term of second year.

Peace!