Just a short message to wish you all a very Merry Christmas from the twinkly winkly green fairy!!!!!!!!
I am off to the North in a search for Santa, his helpers, and more Christmas-feeling conditions - I mean, there has to be a reason why Rudolf's noose is red = the big cold of course! and snowfilled pine forests :)))
god jul!
Tuesday, 18 December 2007
Thursday, 29 November 2007
Tuesday, 27 November 2007
rollerblading
went for a quick rollerblade session down by the lake. wonderful to get out and move around, get some sun, and a lot of wind!!! hadn't realised that the nice morning breeze had turned into a semi-hurricane by lunch... well, just meant some more work for those buttocks ;))
have to do this more often. it reminds me of the reason why i like working in the middle of town, in this beautiful part of the world :)
have to do this more often. it reminds me of the reason why i like working in the middle of town, in this beautiful part of the world :)
a beautiful way of starting the morning
Just had to share my beautiful walk into work this morning. Ever since i moved to Eaux-Vives, I usually walk down by the lake into work in the mornings. A nice walk most days, and today more beautiful than ever. Just picture this (i didn't have my camera on me): a blue sky, the blue lake, a small breeze, birds in the water, walking between the water and the park full of green trees, the bridge full of white and red flags (swiss, red cross, red crescent and red square), the buildings on the opposite side shining in the sunshine, the swiss flags from the bridge reflected in the flags on the buildings, an old boat in front of the bridge, and behind the sunnyl buildings you see the mountains with snow-capped peaks and above all an almost full moon... wow.
Friday, 23 November 2007
rape
Am disgusted today. Just read an article (http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=148&a=718154) about a 15 year old girl that was put in prison, for no apparent reason, in a cell together with 20 men for one month. And yes, she was raped. Several times and forced to perform sexual favours against food. Regretfully, I have to say that putting 1 girl together with 20 men in a prison cell one cannot really expect a different outcome. I'm scared that I think this way, but enough reports, books and experience have taught me that the outcome of the scenario is inevitable. However, it seems like the policemen in the Para region capital Abaetetuba in Brazil could not imagine this outcome, or even the risk of such action. Surprising, especially considering that this was the 2nd similar case in that region where the same thing happened to a 23-year old girl who was put in a cell with 70!!! men.
An extreme example perhaps. But the basic fact stands that many men for some reason believe that they have the right to do what they want with women. And this belief grows deeper the bigger the number of men you put together. Raping someone is one of the worst acts possible, gang rape is of course not better. However, neither seem to get the attention deserved as rapes become ever more frequent especially in times of armed conflicts but also between "lovers", in the homes of people living in countries in peace. Perhaps one of the misunderstandings is the look on women's bodies as objects, so common in the world. An object does not have feelings right? An object can be used as a weapon. The worst example here might be the recent situation in Saudi Arabia where a woman and a man were stopped by a gang of men and raped. And then, they, the two victims, where judged to get whipped. When the woman protested the number of beatings went up and a 6 months prison sentence was added. Because of world protests this sentance has now been cancelled. But the frightening part persists - how can a state condemn a rape victime to punishment???
On rape and the horrible effects it has one the victims and their surroundings the following materials might be of interest: "Rape: A love story" by Joyce Carol Oates, "Jenny" by Jonas Gardell, "Irréversible" à movie from 2002, and perhaps for some more facts: "Women in an insecure world - Violence against women", DCAF publication http://www.dcaf.ch/publications/kms/details.cfm?ord279=title&q279=women&lng=en&id=28582&nav1=4
An extreme example perhaps. But the basic fact stands that many men for some reason believe that they have the right to do what they want with women. And this belief grows deeper the bigger the number of men you put together. Raping someone is one of the worst acts possible, gang rape is of course not better. However, neither seem to get the attention deserved as rapes become ever more frequent especially in times of armed conflicts but also between "lovers", in the homes of people living in countries in peace. Perhaps one of the misunderstandings is the look on women's bodies as objects, so common in the world. An object does not have feelings right? An object can be used as a weapon. The worst example here might be the recent situation in Saudi Arabia where a woman and a man were stopped by a gang of men and raped. And then, they, the two victims, where judged to get whipped. When the woman protested the number of beatings went up and a 6 months prison sentence was added. Because of world protests this sentance has now been cancelled. But the frightening part persists - how can a state condemn a rape victime to punishment???
On rape and the horrible effects it has one the victims and their surroundings the following materials might be of interest: "Rape: A love story" by Joyce Carol Oates, "Jenny" by Jonas Gardell, "Irréversible" à movie from 2002, and perhaps for some more facts: "Women in an insecure world - Violence against women", DCAF publication http://www.dcaf.ch/publications/kms/details.cfm?ord279=title&q279=women&lng=en&id=28582&nav1=4
Monday, 19 November 2007
Filippa - a star is born / or / me a godmother?
my darling little godchild filippa was born friday and i had the immense pleasure of being introduced to her by my lovely cousin (who by the way, still looked like a thousand bucks, even though it was just 24h since she gave birth) on saturday. the baby sister of my all time favourite guy anton (see pics from this summer), though not as of yet that appreciated by the latter as he kind of wonders who this creature is that has taken his mum away, she has of course immediately found a spot in my heart - the 5 seconds she opened her dark blue eyes were indeed enough :))) a little angel with the tiniest hands and nails. though i was less shocked to see how small she is - compared to her mother and her auntie olivia who couldn't remember that anton was ever that small - since i had the great pleasure to see jessica's little moa just 2 weeks earlier and hence was prepared for the smallness of newborn girlies :) 2 new girls in my life in one month - this is indeed a good autumn!!
and as you have already seen, i have been asked to be the godmother of this little wonder :)))) a great honour that gives me enormous amounts of joy as i love this family and am very happy to be a part of their lives and to be there for this small girl throughout her life. It is also my first request (and possibly the last) of this magnitude and it really touches me! however, as you can see from the question mark in the subject line, it also feels a tiny bit strange... not to be the "fadder" of this child, or the more neutral sounding "marraine", but to be her GODmother.... for someone who does not really believe in god, and does not at all believe in church, it's a bit of an awkward title.... but the important part - to be there for filippa for the rest of my life will never be a problem. as for the god business, well, that will be up to her!
kisses little angel!
ps. my excuses for not having any pictures - especially since i did bring my camera, but guess i was just too captivated by this sleeping beauty to actually bring it into action. next time - promise.
and as you have already seen, i have been asked to be the godmother of this little wonder :)))) a great honour that gives me enormous amounts of joy as i love this family and am very happy to be a part of their lives and to be there for this small girl throughout her life. It is also my first request (and possibly the last) of this magnitude and it really touches me! however, as you can see from the question mark in the subject line, it also feels a tiny bit strange... not to be the "fadder" of this child, or the more neutral sounding "marraine", but to be her GODmother.... for someone who does not really believe in god, and does not at all believe in church, it's a bit of an awkward title.... but the important part - to be there for filippa for the rest of my life will never be a problem. as for the god business, well, that will be up to her!
kisses little angel!
ps. my excuses for not having any pictures - especially since i did bring my camera, but guess i was just too captivated by this sleeping beauty to actually bring it into action. next time - promise.
Thursday, 1 November 2007
Helena is work work work but off to Stockholm tomorrow
ok, I admit it, i spend just a bit too much time on facebook.... so much that i cannot seem to write a subject line anymore without starting it with "helena is" ;))
too much work lately so the blog has been suffering... of course having moved flats into a fabulous enormous (well for me at least!) quiet and nice new "chez moi" didn't help, nor does having a new man in my life - yes, it's official, nor having planned and just gone through with a big party at my flat :)) but here i am. when i should be upstairs drinking beer with my friend-colleagues (i never know what to call them) before heading off to a late dinner with an ex colleague-still friend at 9. just thought i would pop in and let you know that, yes indeed, i am still alive!!!
will need to post some pics here soon from my new flat, and possibly of my new (though not so new anymore since it's been 2 months) mister, and definitely of my oldest friend jessica's new daughter who i will have the great pleasure of meeting for the first time tomorrow evening :)))) yes, i'm going to stockholm for the weekend. for once that i was going to copenhagen for a meeting on monday, rather than to somewhere in the ESEE region, i wasn't going to miss out on stopping by at home, especially when the ticket was cheaper, AND when little Moa has just been born!! sometimes work is not too bad after all ;)
ok, so perhaps not the most interesting post of the summer, but then again, where did the summer go. and no, i have not been drinking yet but hey, i'm off for a glass right this minute. cherios, a nossa, skàl and lots of kisses
too much work lately so the blog has been suffering... of course having moved flats into a fabulous enormous (well for me at least!) quiet and nice new "chez moi" didn't help, nor does having a new man in my life - yes, it's official, nor having planned and just gone through with a big party at my flat :)) but here i am. when i should be upstairs drinking beer with my friend-colleagues (i never know what to call them) before heading off to a late dinner with an ex colleague-still friend at 9. just thought i would pop in and let you know that, yes indeed, i am still alive!!!
will need to post some pics here soon from my new flat, and possibly of my new (though not so new anymore since it's been 2 months) mister, and definitely of my oldest friend jessica's new daughter who i will have the great pleasure of meeting for the first time tomorrow evening :)))) yes, i'm going to stockholm for the weekend. for once that i was going to copenhagen for a meeting on monday, rather than to somewhere in the ESEE region, i wasn't going to miss out on stopping by at home, especially when the ticket was cheaper, AND when little Moa has just been born!! sometimes work is not too bad after all ;)
ok, so perhaps not the most interesting post of the summer, but then again, where did the summer go. and no, i have not been drinking yet but hey, i'm off for a glass right this minute. cherios, a nossa, skàl and lots of kisses
Wednesday, 3 October 2007
i'm in loooove....
With my new apartment, what else did you think ;)))
it's so nice and big and lovely, with big windows, lots of light, and so so quiet at night you sleep like an angel, and with a huge wardrobe that actually seems to be able to fit all my clothes (and this is not an easy task). Not easy to move especially not with last minute drop outs, but finally we made it over with everything thanks to my great helpers of the day (anki, nuno, miguel, mikaela and vincenza) and with the huge camionette that i ended up renting and driving... a bit scary sometimes as there was no way to see cars coming from the right side, but quite cool at the same time (picture to come later). so a new apartment returning to my earlier neighbourhood and now living 5 min from the lake and closer to work - it's wonderful!!!
as you can imagine, the move took most of my weekend, but i did manage to go out on friday to see two concerts which were both great, one in a south american surrounding and one at chat noir which really made us dance away, even in my beautiful red shoes which were starting to hurt me by this time...
ok, no more time to write as too much to do at work and need to go home to clean up my place before my mum comes for 4 days tomorrow, plus have anki and julie over for dinner tonight, as julie is only home for a week from ethiopia... catch you soon!
it's so nice and big and lovely, with big windows, lots of light, and so so quiet at night you sleep like an angel, and with a huge wardrobe that actually seems to be able to fit all my clothes (and this is not an easy task). Not easy to move especially not with last minute drop outs, but finally we made it over with everything thanks to my great helpers of the day (anki, nuno, miguel, mikaela and vincenza) and with the huge camionette that i ended up renting and driving... a bit scary sometimes as there was no way to see cars coming from the right side, but quite cool at the same time (picture to come later). so a new apartment returning to my earlier neighbourhood and now living 5 min from the lake and closer to work - it's wonderful!!!
as you can imagine, the move took most of my weekend, but i did manage to go out on friday to see two concerts which were both great, one in a south american surrounding and one at chat noir which really made us dance away, even in my beautiful red shoes which were starting to hurt me by this time...
ok, no more time to write as too much to do at work and need to go home to clean up my place before my mum comes for 4 days tomorrow, plus have anki and julie over for dinner tonight, as julie is only home for a week from ethiopia... catch you soon!
Thursday, 27 September 2007
never enough time....
to write anything here, it's just work work work when i'm in the office, everyone's back from vacation and super motivated, so everything's happening at the same time and my slacking off, looking out in the blue, wishing i was outside in the sun (well this was in august) is now paying as i have sooooo much stuff to do that i really should work this weekend but i can't because i'm moving houses, or rather flats :))))))))))))))))))))))
ok, as the multi smiley above might show, i'm very excited about my new apartment, it's big and nice with lots of light and space in the kitchen, a bedroom, a living room with my new sofa, and a tiny excuse for a balcony, but still a balcony and i loooove balconies... a bit scared though when counting on my budget and realising that it will become a lot more difficult to just hop off to another country or city for a weekend of fun without any pre-planning... and my plans and dreams of going around the world were probably just pushed up another few months at least :(
guess you cannot have everything though, and at the moment i chose to have a great space now rather than planning for then... but then i've always been more of a 'slösa' rather than a 'spara' (swedish expressions)... and with my plans to go to zambia sometime during the spring, perhaps london for a weekend of musicals, indian and fun, perhaps lisbonne for a weekend in the fall since i'm now unofficially part of the portugues maffia in geneva, and perhaps a hundred other places including skiing, sweden for christmas and and and....my plans for my RTW will probably be pushed even further away. argh and to think that this was the reason why i launched this blog to start with...
back to work and then off to dinner and packing my apartment into small small boxes - the amount of stuff one manages to collect - impressive...
ok, as the multi smiley above might show, i'm very excited about my new apartment, it's big and nice with lots of light and space in the kitchen, a bedroom, a living room with my new sofa, and a tiny excuse for a balcony, but still a balcony and i loooove balconies... a bit scared though when counting on my budget and realising that it will become a lot more difficult to just hop off to another country or city for a weekend of fun without any pre-planning... and my plans and dreams of going around the world were probably just pushed up another few months at least :(
guess you cannot have everything though, and at the moment i chose to have a great space now rather than planning for then... but then i've always been more of a 'slösa' rather than a 'spara' (swedish expressions)... and with my plans to go to zambia sometime during the spring, perhaps london for a weekend of musicals, indian and fun, perhaps lisbonne for a weekend in the fall since i'm now unofficially part of the portugues maffia in geneva, and perhaps a hundred other places including skiing, sweden for christmas and and and....my plans for my RTW will probably be pushed even further away. argh and to think that this was the reason why i launched this blog to start with...
back to work and then off to dinner and packing my apartment into small small boxes - the amount of stuff one manages to collect - impressive...
Tuesday, 24 July 2007
3 x M - update take 2
Mikaela & Julien = sant
The civil marriage took place in the castle of Martigny, Valais, which was a
real beautiful surrounding for such a happy day. The only warm and sunny day in two weeks of rain, it was a great day, starting at 8 a.m. with the marriage among close family and the two witnesses, Jean-Baptise (see picture) and I, continuing with breakfast in the castle next to an open fire, then lots of pictures and climbing the castle for the breathtaking view, and finishing with a 4h long lunch up in the mountains at 1400m. Then back to Geneva for me to finish off the day with Anki and some other friends at the Lake Parade, while the newly wed went to a close friend's wedding dinner to continue celebrations with yet another wedding :)
And the final M day, the biggest day and most incredible day took place a week later on Saturday 14 July in a castle in Tuscany not far from Florence. A very busy day for the wedding party, running around in every direction, getting hair fixed, helping the bride into her dress, and then off to church for a beautiful ceremony in Italian (perhaps that's what made it so beautiful for a non-believer like myself) putting tears into most the guests eyes. Singing by an opera singer with a beautiful voice and the bridesmaid of 4 years old (M's little sister) climbing on me and being sooo cute in her beautiful dress did only add to the magic of the moment.
And then back to this magnificent castle for a drink and huge table of anti-pasti, followed by a 4 course dinner in the garden under the stars. Finishing of the night with a few hours dancing, we were happy to all lie down next to the pool the next day for some well deserved rest.
Magnificent! Tack Mikaela
3 x M - update
3 x M as in 3 times celebrating Mikaela - her hen party in Geneva, civil marriage in Martigny and wedding in Tuscany. A lot of fun and quite a lot of work for me who had the great pleasure to be her maid of honor and witness and to share this big event with my oldest friend met in Geneva. From the choice of the wedding dress, and then shoes with multiple trips to Annecy (including quite a bit of non-wedding related shopping as well) to the big d-day it has been an eventful spring and summer. For me, the most work went into organising the hen party which with some help from the weather goods and luck as to timing went really well and was a great day and a good memory for all the gals i hope :)
the cars, we headed of to an hour of cowboy imitation through horse riding in the forest between Messery (where M lives) and Excenevex, France. A cool hour which we all enjoyed, though some might have found it a bit more scary than others. It was ended by a gallop by M in the closed-in area. 
After all this excitement and activities it was time for a well deserved lunch at the one sand beach of Lac Leman which happens to be right there in Excenevex. A delicious lunch prepared by Mikaela's older sister and almost extra mother, Heidi. A dip in the lake later and we were off back to Geneva for some rafting canoe on the Arve which, though we do not have any photos, was a very impressive experience and frankly quite scary sometimes giving us a real adrenalin chock :) But the day was not over with this. Back at Aude's place where we then spend the evening
and night, M got changed into an old dress her mother used to wear in the 50's, her rollerblades, some accessories and the task to ask people down at la terrasse (one of the busiest places in Geneva on a beautiful saturday apero time) for their love recipes which were gathered in a book then handed over to her at the wedding. She was impressive, really taking her task serious and we advanced approx 5 m in 20 minutes while she asked any interesting persons or group of people around for their thoughts - going up to people us others girls considered staying clear off and getting advices from them. 
After a bottle of rosé as ammunition it was then time to head back to Aude's for some well deserved dinner and drinks - two of M's favorites sushi and 
capirinha - and some dancing, singing, laughing and good times. though the plan was to head out afterwards, once we finished dinner at 2 a.m. and after a day full of activities we were all happy to climb into bed and sleep like babies.A REAL COOL DAY :))
I chose the sea...
it has been quite some time since i last wrote anything here, more than a month actually, reason being that i have been first too busy at work, then sick, and finally off on vacation and not wanting to use a computer in the heat more than for a few minutes at a time... however, forced by circumstances to stay two extra days at my father's place in slovenia and seeming that it is raining i thought it was time to fill in some missing information.
first however, why am i here? well, following on my father's notorious lateness we left portorož where he lives and i spent the last week an hour later than planned, meaning that we lost our extra hour of precaution. then the actual drive took about 20-30 minutes longer than what stated on viamichelin, and finally and worst when arriving at the right exit in venice there was a choice between two roads - one going to aeroporto and the other to some city we have never heard of and not the city where the right airport was supposed to be situated - hence we followed the signs to the "airport". only arriving at it did it say the name which was not the right. a lost 30 minutes, the exact time needed for me to arrive in time for my flight to stockholm so hence i missed it as they refused to let me through even though the airport was tiny and there were almost 30 minutes left to take-off grrrr. on top of that, the next flight is only tomorrow and it is fully booked as are all their flight out of venice until 1 august. so now, i'll have to go down there, an almost 3h drive one-way, tomorrow to wait and see if by chance someone does not turn up and then can fit me in.... so, not sure how i will get out of here nor when, and in the meantime, after having looked on all possible flight out of venice, milan etc and realised that no good options existed, i decided to try my chances on wednesday and enjoy my extra day at the beach - but for some reason the bad luck keeps following me and today, after a week of not one cloud, it is raining :((
oh, well, enough of the negativism- at least i got to see venice for the first time in my life. the plan was in fact to go there for a few hours during the day before hitting the airport, but then i chose the sea over the city and decided to go for a last swim in the most lovely water in the world. finally i guess i got both ;)
so, please keep your fingers crossed tomorrow that i get a seat on the plane to stockholm!
first however, why am i here? well, following on my father's notorious lateness we left portorož where he lives and i spent the last week an hour later than planned, meaning that we lost our extra hour of precaution. then the actual drive took about 20-30 minutes longer than what stated on viamichelin, and finally and worst when arriving at the right exit in venice there was a choice between two roads - one going to aeroporto and the other to some city we have never heard of and not the city where the right airport was supposed to be situated - hence we followed the signs to the "airport". only arriving at it did it say the name which was not the right. a lost 30 minutes, the exact time needed for me to arrive in time for my flight to stockholm so hence i missed it as they refused to let me through even though the airport was tiny and there were almost 30 minutes left to take-off grrrr. on top of that, the next flight is only tomorrow and it is fully booked as are all their flight out of venice until 1 august. so now, i'll have to go down there, an almost 3h drive one-way, tomorrow to wait and see if by chance someone does not turn up and then can fit me in.... so, not sure how i will get out of here nor when, and in the meantime, after having looked on all possible flight out of venice, milan etc and realised that no good options existed, i decided to try my chances on wednesday and enjoy my extra day at the beach - but for some reason the bad luck keeps following me and today, after a week of not one cloud, it is raining :((
oh, well, enough of the negativism- at least i got to see venice for the first time in my life. the plan was in fact to go there for a few hours during the day before hitting the airport, but then i chose the sea over the city and decided to go for a last swim in the most lovely water in the world. finally i guess i got both ;)
so, please keep your fingers crossed tomorrow that i get a seat on the plane to stockholm!
Thursday, 14 June 2007
who are those people who would have dared?
do you think that those people exist who actually dare go up to a cute guy or girl and start talking to them? and i'm not talking about a situation when someone is drunk on the dance floor or in a bar, but rather in normal situations, normal circumstances, like ordering a coffee (well a smoothie in my case since i hate coffee, even the smell of it) at the airport after checking in, trying to kill some time while waiting for boarding and seeing a real good-looking man looking in your direction. are there actually people that would have gone up and started to talk with this guy? or even, chosen to sit down next to him? i was contemplating the latter option, but then it felt a bit too much and there were comfortable sofas a bit further away, so the best i did was sitting down in a place where though at a certain distance at least we were facing each other... and he looked a few times. and i looked a few times. and our eyes crossed several times and we even dared keeping the connection for a bit longer than usual once. but that's the best we managed. hmmm and what if that was the man of my dreams? would i have found out if i had actually been cool enough to start chatting with him? perhaps, i would have if the place had been more full and sitting down close by was one of the only options, but now i had plenty of seats to chose from and then sitting down next felt a bit to risky... stupid girl, the worst that could have happened would have been that he laughed in my face which would not have been very bad, and even that seems quite a stretch as people normally do not react that way. but then again, who knows, perhaps meeting someone at the airport leaving a city you are not even planning to come back to anytime soon and not even boarding the same plane might just have been a sign that it would have been way too complicated ;))
but still one has to wonder, who are those people who would have dared?
at least i got a few days in Budapest, luckily in a nice hotel since that is where i spent most of my time since this was a work trip including a day starting with a breakfast meeting at 8 a.m. and ending at 1 a.m. when i just couldn't take it anymore. but i had a nice lunch in the beautiful park next to the hotel (see pic), a walk from the hotel and through the city at
night (see pic), and 3-4h on the last day, walking around seeing the castle, the parliament (way too big for the size of the country, reflecting hungary's history - see pic), one of the biggest markets, several bridges, the main shopping street (and no, i didn't actually shop for once, though i was very close to buying some shoes - as usual - however, the only thing i finally bought were some hungarian spices, ajvar and sausage miam).... and taking quite many photos and walking very fast in 36° heat and finally enjoying my day off after a catastrophic morning when nothing worked. And quite importantly, i got to the plane in time, i got back to geneva only one hour late, ensuring that i was here for the hen party that i was organising for the next day (when i actually managed to not hear my alarm but that's another story).
but still one has to wonder, who are those people who would have dared?
at least i got a few days in Budapest, luckily in a nice hotel since that is where i spent most of my time since this was a work trip including a day starting with a breakfast meeting at 8 a.m. and ending at 1 a.m. when i just couldn't take it anymore. but i had a nice lunch in the beautiful park next to the hotel (see pic), a walk from the hotel and through the city at
night (see pic), and 3-4h on the last day, walking around seeing the castle, the parliament (way too big for the size of the country, reflecting hungary's history - see pic), one of the biggest markets, several bridges, the main shopping street (and no, i didn't actually shop for once, though i was very close to buying some shoes - as usual - however, the only thing i finally bought were some hungarian spices, ajvar and sausage miam).... and taking quite many photos and walking very fast in 36° heat and finally enjoying my day off after a catastrophic morning when nothing worked. And quite importantly, i got to the plane in time, i got back to geneva only one hour late, ensuring that i was here for the hen party that i was organising for the next day (when i actually managed to not hear my alarm but that's another story). 
Thursday, 31 May 2007
Do you ever get angry at the world? (written 27/05)
Angry at people and the way the world works? I do. I get angry and even more so, i get disappointed. Not only about big things either like wars, genocide (i'm currently reading a very interesting book, though a bit too centred around the American response, about the history of genocide throughout the 20th century: "A problem from hell: america and the age of genocide" by Samantha Power), female circumcision, deprivation of rights, mass stereotyping and cultural misunderstandings, world leaders, starvation.... No, I also get angry about smaller more personal stuff.
Currently, i'm more and more disappointed by the people around me, and yes, i do understand that it is mostly my fault for expecting too much from people and consequently allow myself to get disappointed... perhaps this is what growing up means? but still... how not get disappointed when you try to organise a cool important day for a common friend, you put in hours of work, you manage to get places to open earlier, you try to calculate everything to manage a day full of memories for an affordable price, and some people pull out last minute threatening all your plans. It's not that important, I really do agree, but it's a source of disappointment and not really because of all the work, but mostly because you realise that not everyone values friendship the same way, that many are those who come along only as long as they do not have anything more interesting to do, who do not sacrifice anything for a friend, for one day in their lives...
I'm disappointed when talking about the death of a good friend and how it affects me, how it felt to meet up with his girlfriend for the first time since the accident, how spending the evening with her brought back everything when i have tried to pretend he is still alive, when i have hid behind my "wall of feelings" – and then the other person changes the subject to discuss the weather! Now, i understand that it can be difficult to be part of such a conversation, but still!
I'm disappointed when people that i thought were friends turn out not to care, when they disappear at the worst moments in your life - when you've just broken up from a 5 year long relationship, when the guy you like a lot (and the "friends" are aware of it because you confided in them) leaves the country, when there is the slightest complication and for one moment you forget your smile, forget to be happy, party and talk about more important stuff than feelings, such as shoes, shopping, hair, the next party..., when you feel a "friend" slip away and you ask them if something is wrong and they answer "no", but then turn around and tell common friends things about you behind your back....
I'm angry with life because there are great people out there, there are people who are real friends 'come what may', and for some reason these wonderful people seem to be the ones that life turns on bringing them grief, sickness, worries and even death.
I'm disappointed because i used to be a dreamer, an optimist, believing the best in people, and i can feel that i'm changing. I liked to dream! and it makes me angry that i'm loosing this ability to see the best in people, expect the best, but i'm also getting tired of getting disappointed.
I'm sad because most of my best friends live far away, the guy i like lives far away, and one of the best guys i ever met just left for a place even further away long before what should have been his time. I miss your smile my friend.
Currently, i'm more and more disappointed by the people around me, and yes, i do understand that it is mostly my fault for expecting too much from people and consequently allow myself to get disappointed... perhaps this is what growing up means? but still... how not get disappointed when you try to organise a cool important day for a common friend, you put in hours of work, you manage to get places to open earlier, you try to calculate everything to manage a day full of memories for an affordable price, and some people pull out last minute threatening all your plans. It's not that important, I really do agree, but it's a source of disappointment and not really because of all the work, but mostly because you realise that not everyone values friendship the same way, that many are those who come along only as long as they do not have anything more interesting to do, who do not sacrifice anything for a friend, for one day in their lives...
I'm disappointed when talking about the death of a good friend and how it affects me, how it felt to meet up with his girlfriend for the first time since the accident, how spending the evening with her brought back everything when i have tried to pretend he is still alive, when i have hid behind my "wall of feelings" – and then the other person changes the subject to discuss the weather! Now, i understand that it can be difficult to be part of such a conversation, but still!
I'm disappointed when people that i thought were friends turn out not to care, when they disappear at the worst moments in your life - when you've just broken up from a 5 year long relationship, when the guy you like a lot (and the "friends" are aware of it because you confided in them) leaves the country, when there is the slightest complication and for one moment you forget your smile, forget to be happy, party and talk about more important stuff than feelings, such as shoes, shopping, hair, the next party..., when you feel a "friend" slip away and you ask them if something is wrong and they answer "no", but then turn around and tell common friends things about you behind your back....
I'm angry with life because there are great people out there, there are people who are real friends 'come what may', and for some reason these wonderful people seem to be the ones that life turns on bringing them grief, sickness, worries and even death.
I'm disappointed because i used to be a dreamer, an optimist, believing the best in people, and i can feel that i'm changing. I liked to dream! and it makes me angry that i'm loosing this ability to see the best in people, expect the best, but i'm also getting tired of getting disappointed.
I'm sad because most of my best friends live far away, the guy i like lives far away, and one of the best guys i ever met just left for a place even further away long before what should have been his time. I miss your smile my friend.
Friday, 25 May 2007
"Bada bada bada"
Last weekend in Geneva was warm and sunny, even though not as warm as today where it is 30° outside at the moment... in the shadow! Warm weather in geneva of course means going down to the "beach". Now the beach here is not the kind you might expect if you normally travel around the pacific islands, or even greece - there is no sand here of any colour. Instead we have geneve plage made out of grass mostly and with swimming pools, the wake board centre where they have put nice wooden floor to lie on, the popular and cheap "les bains de paquis" which is in fact a pier and hence made out of concrete, lots of rocks around the lake where you can make your own pick and where getting into the water is on your own risk and peril, and a bit further away from the centre a few other grass beaches. The only sand beach is of course fake, and minimal, hence the name "Baby plage" :) Anyway, a warm sunny day still means going down to the lake or onto the lake if you are lucky enough to own a boat or have good friends who own a boat which is even better, but which might not always be that easy to programme except if you chose your friends after their money/boat possession.... which perhaps is something i should contemplate but has not yet been my case ;)
+2007+001.jpg)
So Saturday, which was my day with my cousin Susanne and her little boy Anton, after a lovely "almost home made" gaspacho soup while little Anton was sleeping, we made it down to Geneva plage, one of the more child-friendly beaches in this town (let me mention by the way that on the way back up through the park de la grange, i suddenly understood how come my cousin can be so thin and how she became so thin that quickly after having had her first baby, pushing a pram is hard work!!! - now she's not as thin anymore at the moment but the reason for that will soon be very evident ;)) Our main objective of the day according to 18 month old Anton was to "bada bada bada", hence to swim swim swim.... Luckily for us since the weather had been really cold the week proceeding this "bada"-day, and the lake hence very cold indeed, geneve plage includes swimming pools even for little ones. Thus, after having found a nice empty spot next to a tiny tree (and, as it would turn out soon, next to another group of swedes with a small child - these people are really everywhere...), having spread out our stuff and had a nice a bit over-washed ;) fruit salad, it was time to "bada bada bada"!
+2007+003.jpg)
+2007+001.jpg)
So Saturday, which was my day with my cousin Susanne and her little boy Anton, after a lovely "almost home made" gaspacho soup while little Anton was sleeping, we made it down to Geneva plage, one of the more child-friendly beaches in this town (let me mention by the way that on the way back up through the park de la grange, i suddenly understood how come my cousin can be so thin and how she became so thin that quickly after having had her first baby, pushing a pram is hard work!!! - now she's not as thin anymore at the moment but the reason for that will soon be very evident ;)) Our main objective of the day according to 18 month old Anton was to "bada bada bada", hence to swim swim swim.... Luckily for us since the weather had been really cold the week proceeding this "bada"-day, and the lake hence very cold indeed, geneve plage includes swimming pools even for little ones. Thus, after having found a nice empty spot next to a tiny tree (and, as it would turn out soon, next to another group of swedes with a small child - these people are really everywhere...), having spread out our stuff and had a nice a bit over-washed ;) fruit salad, it was time to "bada bada bada"! +2007+003.jpg)
or at least so we thought.... after a first approval of the almost warm water, it soon appeared that water is actually quite scary business... and especially not very nice to get into your face.... and just when it looked like little anton would overcome this initial hesitation, he tried to clap his hands in the water and splash around him like his old-cousin did (yep, i'm the old cousin....sounds so old!!! an aunt or something sounds younger, so i'm usually just referred to as cousin helena, luckily), +2007+005.jpg)
+2007+005.jpg)
anton lost his balance and dived head first into the water. now, he only stayed under lets say an approximation of perhaps 1 second before his lovely mum pulled him up into her arms but that was enough for one day and from then on "bada bada bada" meant being splashed a bit by water while sitting on mother's hip, and running around next to the pool (a real good idea of course, but guess he's not old enough to understand the idea of slipping and falling into the pool...). In fact, the idea of swimming/bathing was a lot more appealing than the actual act of doing it. It seems like "bada" is something best done hypothetically, at least for the moment, but then again the summer is just starting..... ;)
Thursday, 24 May 2007
Barcelona in April - better late than ever
For my 30th birthday, my dear brother gave me one of the top gifts ever - a long weekend with him in Barcelona!!!! The reason why this was such a cool gift, was not only that I love Barca and was very pleased to go back there again, 7 years after the first time. The main reason why i loved this gift was that it meant that i would spend some quality time with my brother!!
Now, those that knew us when we grow up will remember that from the age of approx. 5/8 years old (and yes, he's the older one, even if some people have had the tendency to doubt this lately) we were like cats and dogs! Not only did we fight about anything and everything, we were also quite mean to each other, and no one ever knew better than him how to drive me crazy through teasing. I admit, we did have our good moments as well, and we did share some cool times on vacations in Slovenia and so on, but most of the time....cats&dogs, or should i say brother&sister. However, once Robert left for a year in the States, or actually, once he came back we started to change our cats&dogs relationship into something a bit more relaxed, and we slowly grew closer. In fact, the more years we have spent a part (him in the army, away studying elsewhere in Sweden, me in the States, and then in Geneva for the last 10 years), the closer we have become until my dear brother is now nagging me about when i'll be moving home again...
Now, those that knew us when we grow up will remember that from the age of approx. 5/8 years old (and yes, he's the older one, even if some people have had the tendency to doubt this lately) we were like cats and dogs! Not only did we fight about anything and everything, we were also quite mean to each other, and no one ever knew better than him how to drive me crazy through teasing. I admit, we did have our good moments as well, and we did share some cool times on vacations in Slovenia and so on, but most of the time....cats&dogs, or should i say brother&sister. However, once Robert left for a year in the States, or actually, once he came back we started to change our cats&dogs relationship into something a bit more relaxed, and we slowly grew closer. In fact, the more years we have spent a part (him in the army, away studying elsewhere in Sweden, me in the States, and then in Geneva for the last 10 years), the closer we have become until my dear brother is now nagging me about when i'll be moving home again...
So, I was excited about meeting up with him in Barca and have some fun together in this cool city of Gaudi. And fun we did have, even though it was the only place in Europe were it was cold and rainy that weekend, we did have lots of fun and even managed to get some sun towards the end. Shopping, la segrada, bars, restaurants, the port, la rambla, a cool nightclub, Barca against Mallorca at Campo Nuevo with some 60'000 other people screaming, cheering, enjoying the match in the cold - the dream of my brother and yes, you were right, it was an incredible experience, just walking in to the stade, feeling the athmosphere, watching one of the best teams play in real, and sharing this with my brother who was pleased like a child! it was really really cool even if the match wasn't the best one (well at least barca won at the end), even for a non-football fan like me, it was still worth it !!!
So all that which Barca is well known for and....of course....what did you expect?... some disagreements ;) It would seem that spending 4 days together just the two of us was perhaps a bit long, at least to start with when we for the first time in years, perhaps forever had to spend that much time together. So yes, we got into some fights, we still know how to get to each other better than anyone else (we are siblings, what do you expect?, it's the law of nature ;), and we are both as obnoxious, knowing that we are right. But those moments passed, the sun came back up and my memory from Barca is that it's a real cool place and being there with my brother made it even better!
Tack lille storebror för en underbar present/helg!!! Du är bäst :)
.... And yes, we promised that we will make more trips together in the future, though perhaps the next time we even allow other people to come with us - so if interested.... ;)
.... And yes, we promised that we will make more trips together in the future, though perhaps the next time we even allow other people to come with us - so if interested.... ;)
More picture can be seen at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lna_la_fee_verte/
Monday, 14 May 2007
Quite happy today - ok, i admit i shouldn't be after having spent another 2h in the phone to south africa trying to confirm 2 meetings tomorrow (in total each meeting has taken approx. 2 calls a day for the last 2 weeks plus a numerous of attempts with no one answering...), with the rain pouring down outside most of the day, working still at 21h at night organising last minute business, with lots of personal mail to write but never finding the time, and after a half-shitty weekend, but i still do :)))
The stressful day was still quite interesting, felt productive, life felt good, there was lots of chocolate from all over the world at work (even some from Sweden - thank you Kristin), talked to my hugely missed friend who's hiding in Azerbaijan and it was great to hear her voice, and got the news that a friend of mine that's coming to Geneva for a very short visit will actually stay a bit longer meaning that we can meet :)))))))))
Good part of Geneva - you meet cool people from all over the world, different people working in many different fields, students, people passing through, people here for many years, it's fun, it's cosmopolitan, there are always new faces around, you hardly ever get bored.
Bad part - your best friends tend to leave after a while, often several at approx. the same time, leaving you sad behind, missing them and wishing they would soon come back....
Good part - you have friend all over the world if you ever find the time and money to travel, and they sometimes come back to visit and it's like they never left in the first place! and with sms you can keep in touch for hardly any cost around the world (exception: ethiopia where one of my best friends has decided to live but where sms are forbidden).
Time to go home for some homemade bolognaese sauce (no, not a new interesting man in my life taking the time to cook for me, regretfully, but my own recepy done in the early morning Sunday after a 2h long fight between my neighbours prevented me from sleeping more than 4,5h.... but my sauce is really good, you should try it sometime, so quite happy about that actually ;)
The stressful day was still quite interesting, felt productive, life felt good, there was lots of chocolate from all over the world at work (even some from Sweden - thank you Kristin), talked to my hugely missed friend who's hiding in Azerbaijan and it was great to hear her voice, and got the news that a friend of mine that's coming to Geneva for a very short visit will actually stay a bit longer meaning that we can meet :)))))))))
Good part of Geneva - you meet cool people from all over the world, different people working in many different fields, students, people passing through, people here for many years, it's fun, it's cosmopolitan, there are always new faces around, you hardly ever get bored.
Bad part - your best friends tend to leave after a while, often several at approx. the same time, leaving you sad behind, missing them and wishing they would soon come back....
Good part - you have friend all over the world if you ever find the time and money to travel, and they sometimes come back to visit and it's like they never left in the first place! and with sms you can keep in touch for hardly any cost around the world (exception: ethiopia where one of my best friends has decided to live but where sms are forbidden).
Time to go home for some homemade bolognaese sauce (no, not a new interesting man in my life taking the time to cook for me, regretfully, but my own recepy done in the early morning Sunday after a 2h long fight between my neighbours prevented me from sleeping more than 4,5h.... but my sauce is really good, you should try it sometime, so quite happy about that actually ;)
Sunday, 13 May 2007
too long time....
Was just going to pass some time writing a little bit about what has happened in my life in the last month since I created this blog - but ended up spending half an hour trying to figure out what my login name and password was, trying 50 different variations of the login name, and several different passwords though i was pretty sure i knew the right one... finally made it, but now it's time for me to leave so will have to write a bit more some other time. serves me right, starting a blog and then not writing anything for a month.... yes i know, miriam, i promise to write more often!
ok, time to go home on my rollerblades as the sun is still shining though the clouds have been menacing the sky with rain the whole afternoon... freedom of rollers - you should join me by the lake some time... (by the way, had my first dip in the lake about 2 weeks ago, 15°, but still wonderful thanks to the warm weather :))
ok, time to go home on my rollerblades as the sun is still shining though the clouds have been menacing the sky with rain the whole afternoon... freedom of rollers - you should join me by the lake some time... (by the way, had my first dip in the lake about 2 weeks ago, 15°, but still wonderful thanks to the warm weather :))
Monday, 9 April 2007
me - a blogger?
well, it would seem so.... it's easter day and i'm at work trying to finish a background paper on defence issues in Montenegro.... yep, you guessed right - i'm bored!!! checking out some friends' blogs hoping for some new entries, i finally decided that it was time for me to join the ever growing crowd - perhaps some of my entries might help a friend or two the next time that they are bored ;) if not, it will be an excellent way for my mum to keep an eye on me once i leave on my planned travel around the world (trying to count the days until i leave, but my fingers and toes.... and hairs are not enough, sadly)
my second year as a green fairy now, and i'm still liking it :)
if ever you want to find me, try the nearest forest or other green little patch where i spend most of my time helping trolls to make snow (not very successfully this year) and cleaning away all the colourful leaves for next years usage (you didn't actually think we threw them away at the end of the season did you - not in today's day and age of environmental thinking)
ok, time for me to return to the immensely interesting and joyful issues of defence reforms, need to finish that stupid paper so that i can go home, turn into a pumpkin and enjoy a real day off tomorrow! bonne nuit, sov sâ gott
my second year as a green fairy now, and i'm still liking it :)
if ever you want to find me, try the nearest forest or other green little patch where i spend most of my time helping trolls to make snow (not very successfully this year) and cleaning away all the colourful leaves for next years usage (you didn't actually think we threw them away at the end of the season did you - not in today's day and age of environmental thinking)
ok, time for me to return to the immensely interesting and joyful issues of defence reforms, need to finish that stupid paper so that i can go home, turn into a pumpkin and enjoy a real day off tomorrow! bonne nuit, sov sâ gott
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