20 things to know about Swedish culture

I just found this article about Sweden and Swedish culture on a friend's Facebook page. It's a few months old, but it is very accurate and will continue to be very accurate for many years to come. If you plan to visit Sweden, move there or are simply curious about the country, this is a good article to read.

If you can't remember all 20 things mentioned in the article, I, personally, would try hard to remember 1, 2, 10, 12, 14 (especially 14).

20 things to know before moving to Sweden - Follow Sweden - The Local

Another note, if you're moving to Sweden and planning to live in an apartment complex with shared laundry facilities, please make sure to find out everything there is to know about the booking system. Some places you book a time slot, some places you book half days, some places have allocated specific days etc. Just know that an empty machine does NOT mean it is free to use. Swedish people are generally not confrontational, but if there is one thing that can turn the most mellow Swede into the green monster, it's violation of the laundry regulations. If you would fail to comply you can expect angry neighbors, neighbors holding a grudge and angry notes (which is a Swede's preferred way to solving problems).

How do garlic grow?

Gilroy Garlic Festival was this past weekend. After feasting on garlic and parmesan stuffed mushrooms, garlic fries, garlic chocolate and delicious garlic escargots, my tummy was full and my breath was reeking.

On the way back from the festival it dawned on me that I've never seen a fresh garlic plant. I wasn't even sure how it grew. That in turn got me thinking about other fruits and vegetables with mysterious origins. I write this post for people as clueless as me. Let's learn together:

Garlic

Pineapple

Peanuts

Kiwi

Asparagus

Artichoke

Skilled professionals

I just came home with two pairs of shoes. It might seem a bit excessive but they were both used. Used by me. I've had them repaired and sole protectors were added so they will last longer but more importantly, so that I won't be slipping around in them like I have since I bought them. The cobbler I found did an amazing job. I couldn't be happier. I will definitely be going back!

Last Saturday I went to the tailor to pick up two pairs of jeans that needed altering. I have the body proportions of a giant baby, my legs are surprisingly short. She did an impeccable job and I will be returning to her as well.

Tomorrow I have an appointment to have my eyebrows threaded. I've been going to Natasha for a while now. Right after my first appointment I knew I was hooked.

I don't even need to write about my beloved hairdresser. I've already dedicated a blog post to how awesome her skills are and what a a wonderful person she is. I don't see her often enough, (I'm too cheap to see her more than twice a year), but I can't convince myself to go anywhere else. I've passed on a handful of great Groupons just because I can't "cheat" on her.

I've grown totally dependent on the wonderful and skilled professionals around me and I don't even know when it happened! I used to apply me very limited DIY skills on everything! I've ruined at least two pairs of shoes by super glueing things that are not supposed to be super glued. I have managed to destroy a handful of trousers by failing to shorten the legs the same lengths. I've cut my own bangs once and there is a reason why I never tried it again. As for my eyebrows, it's a good thing I don't have bushy eyebrows and that I wear glasses, otherwise my lazy predisposition would be for everyone to see.

When I come to think of it, why didn't I discover these great services until now? It would have saved me a lot of time, money and some fairly intense pain (it really isn't funny or comfortable to clue your fingers together). Lesson learnt, trust the professionals.

Cutest thing ever!

Oslo Terrorist Attack

One of the most peaceful countries in the world was attacked today. A bomb was detonated in Oslo and the Norwegian people had their first true encounter with evil since the Second World War. While chaos ripped through the center of Oslo, a mad man pointed a gun at children and young adults at a political party's youth camp. The two incidents are believed to be linked. It is most definitely a terrorist attack, but it is unclear if it is an international terrorist organization behind it or if it was a domestic terrorist.

In the end of the day, it makes little difference, especially for those who lost loved ones. To them the challenge is to understand and come to terms with the fact that lives where lost for no reason at all. I feel the deepest sympathy for them and I also count my blessings that I'm not one of them.

Regardless of the motives and people behind this act of madness, I ask you to judge them for the individuals they are and for their actions, and not to judge them for their nationality, color of their skin or their religious beliefs.

I have an unsettling feeling that many hope and wishes for the perpetrator to be a muslim. It would "fit" better. It is always easier to be afraid of someone foreign and unknown than to be afraid of your own. I really don't care. If you take an innocent life I don't need to know your reasons, I just need to know you've taken an innocent life.

Google makes me cry

I bet you think I'm going to write about Google+. I'm not. But if I was I would have written a rave review. Maybe I'll do that later. Instead, I'm letting you now how Google makes me cry.

A few months ago my husband showed me an ad for Google Chrome. I've seen it and showed it countless times since. There is no explanation to why I haven't blogged about it until now. Well, better late than never. Here is how Google makes me cry:

Glorious predictability

It's 4:37 am and I'm wide awake. I wish I was sleeping, not because I'm tired, but because I should be and could be. It's the never ending battle between me and jet-lag.

I came back from Sweden two days ago. I was gone about three weeks. I spent my days doing the usual stuff, chatting and eating with my favorite people. I also managed to squeeze in a weekend in Birmingham, to attend a re-union with my former university flatmates.

Usually I'm all about experiencing and discovering new things. But sometimes nothing beats the tried and tested. This becomes blatantly clear every time I'm back in Sweden. I always stay with my parents, in my childhood room. I enjoy my mum's cooking like there is no tomorrow. At every dinner we sit and talk for hours, just like we've always done.

I've also spent countless of hours with my BFF and I knew we'd do what we do best. Talk. We talk each other's ears off, and it has always been that way. We've been on countless trips together and never found the time to open a book or a magazine. We live continents apart, but she still knows every intricate details about my everyday life, as I know hers. We are so predictable that we literally know the next word out of each other's mouths. Not only can we finish each other's sentences, on multiple occasions we say the exact same sentence at the exact same time.

I also got to catch up with a childhood friend. She became a mother about 6 months ago and I hadn't had the opportunity to meet her since. It was great! But I would've been surprised if it wasn't. We've known each other since we were six and she's one of my closest friends. Since 1994, when I moved to another part of town, we've had, periodically, a very sporadic relationship. We haven't lived in the same country since 2002 and we usually meet up once a year. But I know we'll just pick up where we left off and our friendship is completely effortless.

The trip to England was another fine example of familiarity. The city of Birmingham has barely changed in 6 years. Maybe that's no surprise. However, my old flatmates and I live very different lives today compared to 2005. This had some interesting consequences. The amount to taxis we used this weekend by far exceeded the amount of taxis we used during our three years at uni. One of us owned a house where we stayed. We could't and didn't want to drink like we used to. But despite all these new changes, we were all pretty much the same people. We shared a home for a year and when we prepared dinner together, it felt amazingly familiar.

My theory is that you will appreciate predictability in a whole other way, when you live a fairly unpredictable life. Cause when you do, predictability and familiarity is not just about security and control, it's about having a harbor to return to. So, after three amazing weeks, I returned to the familiar arms of my husband and the feeling of coming home was great, just as predicted.

TOMS vs BOBS

I've said it before and I'm saying it again, I LOVE my TOMS shoes! Not only are they the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned, the brand is all about making a difference in the world. For each pair you buy, TOMS gives a pair to a child in need.

The business model is very admirable and the founder of TOMS has said that he hopes more companies will follow in their footsteps.

And some companies have. Some more than others.

Last weekend I was in Birmingham for a university reunion. As I passed by a shoe store, I saw that they sold TOMS. Curious to know how much they are in England, I went in to have a closer look. But to my surprise, they were not TOMS, but BOBS! Not only were they not TOMS, they were more expensive than TOMS!

I was outraged! Did BOBS have the same social conscious as TOMS? Why were people buying a "copy" when the real deal is cheaper to begin with? There had to be an explanation! And of course there was!

Apparently, BOBS are produced by Sketchers. And just like TOMS, Sketchers donates a pair for each pair sold. So far so good. In the end of the day, children in need don't care if they wear TOMS or BOBS. However, the fact that BOBS is an EXACT design copy of TOMS, infuriates me! BOBS copied everything, down to the name, logo and placement of labels. A big company like Sketchers surely can afford to design their own shoe! But instead of creating a design that could add to the "one for one" market, they are trying to steal TOMS customers! Is that really something a company should do if they are trying to position themselves as "socially aware"?

In conclusion, I urge you to buy TOMS. Not only because they did a great job at designing an appealing shoe, but because it's important that they are encouraged to continue their good work. Nowadays, TOMS also sell sunglasses and apparel and everything they sell are matched with equal donations. Sketchers is a huge company, with hundreds of shoe models. But only one shoe model is matched with donations and they still couldn't even be bothered to dedicate time and money to design their own product. Shame on you!

Drawing the line

I'm happy to report back from my Portrait and Figure Drawing class. I've now completed the class and I have about 18 hours of drawing under my belt. It's been fantastic! Not necessarily my drawings, but the experience was great!

Before this class, the last time I drew was in Junior High. And back then it was not so much about the drawing as it was about having a fun class that didn't require homework. But this time around, it was all about the drawing. I still have a lot to learn, but now I know that drawing is something one can learn. And I plan to sign up for the fall classes so that I can continue to learn.

I leave you with a few drawings of mine I've produced over the last few months:

Gaming is for men!

... And women are missing out!

I was at Fry's Electronics store today. A random stranger stopped me and said: "Wow, you look happy. You must be having a great day!"

He was right! In my hand I was holding "Infamous 2". I've been looking forward to the release of this game like a child waits for Christmas. It's a Playstation 3 (PS3) game and if it's anything like it's predecessor, I know I'm in for many hours of pure joy. I played the last game so much that I ended up collecting 97% of the trophies (if you don't game, ignore my last sentence).

Gaming... I can recall reading multiple articles in different magazines dealing with the problems of gaming. Ignoring the obvious problem of children gaming rather than doing homework, many of the problems around gaming seem to be between women and men, specifically it seems to be women having trouble with men's gaming.

Ladies, if you can't beat them, join them! Do you really think men and women are soooo different that something enjoyed by millions of men can't be fun for women? It's time to get with the program!

I'm here to encourage women to give gaming a try. If you don't know where to start, here is my "how to guide". You don't need to have any previous experience. I surely didn't. Even though I grew up in the "Super Mario" generation, I never played a consol game until 2007.

If you have the possibility, you can do as I did and start off easy with a hand held Nintendo DS. Nintendo Wii is also a good way to start. Most people find the Nintendo Wii less intimidating than the Xbox and the PS3. However, I'm not suggesting you to buy three gaming devices. You can go straight to the Xbox or the PS3.

My consol of choice is the PS3. A good introductory game is "Little Big Planet 1 & 2". It's a platform game, so you might recognize the format from Super Mario. Just the cuteness of the game makes you wanna play and keep playing. Don't get me wrong, the cuteness is just a cover for a great, and sometimes very challenging, game. Sackboy rule!

The next game might be something driven by a good story. "Heavy Rain" would be a great pick. It's best describes as playing, watching and directing a detective's story. It's well made, the plot is interesting and the character's have a real sense of personality. You will wanna know how it all ends!

From there you might want to venture into some of my all time favorite games. Still driven by an interesting story and interesting characters, games like Uncharted, Grand Theft Auto and Infamous are high-action games and if you're anything like me, you'll soon fall in love with the adrenaline kicks of shooting, fighting, running and stealing cars.

When you've come this far, you might be satisfied with staying within one of the genres you have already played. God knows there are plenty of games within each genre to keep you busy for a loooooong time. However, I strongly encourage you to try a First Person Shooter (FPS) game, especially one in the Call of Duty (COD) franchise or one of the Battlefield games. If you've played and enjoyed one of the action games I mentioned earlier, I know you will be loving to shoot stuff, and when it comes to shooting, nothing beats a good FPS. The story and characters are no longer particularly important, it's all about the gameplay. However, if you still like a bit of humour and enjoy characters with a little personality, I would recommend one of the "Battlefield: Bad Company" games.

If you've made your way through these steps, the intimidation of gaming should be completely gone. Hopefully you've found a new hobby along the way. Obviously you don't need to pay any attention to my suggestions, you can go straight to the FPS games if you like. You might not need the "warm up" like I did. Regardless of how you do it, I recommend you to play the games I've mentioned, they are all pretty darn good.

Furthermore, if you have a friend or partner to join up with, there a some great co-op games out there. And also, there are many more genres to discover, such as sports games, racing games, roleplaying games, interactive games (singing, dancing, music), strategy games etc. And if you are really brave, you can go online and get you butt whopped by 13-year olds.

What lies in my gaming future? In December I will be back at Fry's, buying Uncharted 3, which I expect to be the game of the year. Eventually, I also want to beat my husband in any racing game, at least once. I might try some roleplaying games and hopefully I will fine-tune my already acquired skills. I loved playing Black-Ops (COD) on Hard. Next time I get my hands on a good FPS, I might even go Veteran.