Three years of bliss

Today, 3 years ago, I had the privilege of marrying my soulmate. I call it a privilege because it is something we shouldn't take for granted. First of all, you need to find a person to love. Both of you need to be at the right place at the right time, both physically and emotionally. Both of you also need to share the desire to discover if this is the real deal or not. Even if everything goes smoothly and according to plan, you might never reach a point beyond it feeling fine and nice. But it is when it feels spectacular and amazing you know you've truly got it right. And if you both wish to, you might eventually decide to get married.

At the dinner following our wedding, I read a little something I had written. I'm happy to say it was true back then and it still rings true today (with the exception of an electronic device upgrade):

Call it coincident, accident or call it fate

This story has its beginning on www.Spray-date

I was looking for someone to love and admire

Little did I know I’d find someone to be with when I retire

Martin found a girl called Jennifer Lee

And I fell in love with a computer Phd

A man who is tall, blond and slightly pale

A man who loves music, tv and a good garage sale

We all know he loves candy, whiskey and that he is a joker

He is full of surprises, he’s never mediocre

As a couple, we love to travel from nation to nation

But we are just as happy in front of our Playstation

Or battling over the high score on our Nintendo Wii

As long as we’re together, laughs are a guarantee

Sometimes we engage in some friendly competition

Sometimes we discuss, I can’t help but being a politician. 

I don’t necessary share his love for stupid puns

To cheer him up, I give him cinnamon buns. 

We have spend many, too many, days being apart

And with every good bye came an aching pain in my heart

Like when I moved to Trelleborg to work with flooring

I missed you everyday, I even missed your snoring

To spend time together means so incredibly much

Like sleeping in same bed, just you, me and your Ipod-touch.

So, I proposed to you in front of an episode of House

I was delighted you agreed to be my spouse

Today we married and I’m now your wife

I look forward to be with you for the rest of my life. 

I want to be by your side when we’re wrinkled and grey

My dear husband Martin, jag kommer alltid att älska dig (translation: I will always love you)

The Beauties and The Beast

Last week I came back from an epic road-trip with my dear BFF, Theres. We met up in New York (JFK Airport) and picked up a rental car, and over the next 15 days, we drove from New York to Miami, via Philadelphia, Washington DC, Charlottesville, Charlotte, Atlanta, Tallahassee and Tampa Bay. Needless to say, we saw and experienced a lot!

It seems futile to sum up such an intense vacation within a blogpost, especially considering the many twists and turns we had through out the trip. One night we stayed at a shady and dirty road-side motel outside of Philadelphia just to check in at a 5 star hotel, less than a mile from the White House, the following night. We often ate a sandwich for lunch, while parked at a gas station, just to arrive at our destination and go out to have a nice dinner at places like JCT Kitchen and Bar in Atlanta. One day we would buy rain-boots and the next we would be tanning on Miami Beach.

But there are a couple of things worth mentioning, that has less to do with what we saw, ate and did and more to do with the circumstances under which we travelled.

This is the fourth major trip Theres and I do together. 2009 we did a road-trip from San Francisco to LA, Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. The following year we went island-hopping in Thailand and last year we went diving in Mexico. Since our trip to Thailand, we both live much healthier lifestyles. This has resulted in a combined weight-loss of about 100lbs. In the process, both of us has found strength in eating correctly and exercising regularly. So unlike our old selves, we did not use vacationing in a car as an excuse to overindulge and be lazy. We made a point in booking hotels with a gym/cardio-room and we exercised every other day.

One evening when I was up-loading photos onto my laptop, I realized I had our old photos from Thailand on my computer. We were both shocked to see our "before-pictures". It's been about 1,5 years since we took those photos, and look where we are now. I am so proud of the accomplishment  I feel a need to share my excitement.

The other things I need to share is about the car we drove. As I mentioned, we picked up a rental car in New York. As we travelled on a budget, we decided we didn't need a big car, as long as it was reliable and big enough for two. We got our wishes granted. It was with a certain surprise and hesitation we accepted the car we were given. True, it was big enough for two. We were also able to fit our luggage, at least after we folded the back seats. Our new shining steed soon earned itself a name. The Beast.

But don't judge a book by its cover. It was surprisingly strong and fast. We had plenty of space in the cabin and needless to say, the milage was awesome. It costed us roughly $20 to drive from Atlanta to Tallahassee  (approx. 265 miles). Initially, we were a bit concerned about the safety aspect of the car. In a car crash, we would not have faired well. But again, there was no need to worry. Other cars (and trucks) treated us as if we were bicyclists. They gave us plenty of room and drove very carefully around us.

All in all, the road-trip was fantastic. There are so many things I could have written about and so many impressions I would have liked to share. But in the end of the day, places, foods and sights will still be there. It is who you get to share them with that makes it special and turns a trip into a once in a lifetime experience. I can proudly say I got to share this amazing memory with The Beauty and The Beast.

Thinking while running

Yesterday I went running. I did my longest run to date, 13.5 miles (aka 21.7 km, aka a Half Marathon). I tried to keep track of my thoughts, if for no other reason than to keep my mind busy. It is amazing how many thought you can go through (and repeat) in 2.5 hours.

Let me break it down for you. These where my predominant thoughts, mile by mile:

 1 mile: The sun is not up, the sprinklers are still on and all the parking lots are empty. People are preparing to start a new day. And here I am, running... By the time I'm done most people will have dropped the kids off, gotten themselves to the office, had coffee and they might even be planning where to have lunch.

2 mile: Second possible turn to the right, second possible turn to the right, here's the second possible turn to the right. Is this right? I wonder what this surface is called. Bigger than pebbles but smaller than boulders. Rocks? Am I running on rocks? Am I suppose to run on rocks? Wait, why are people running on the other side of the stream? Surely this road of rocks will eventually end up at the same place... or...

3 mile: I'm proud. I remember a time, less than 2 years ago, when I wasn't even able to finish my first 3 mile race. Here I am, starting to feel warmed-up after three miles, knowing I have over 10 miles to go and I know I will be able to do it. This is not even a race, this is just training. Look at how far I've come.

4 mile: Wow, this is really boring. And I have 10 more miles to go. 10 more miles!!! I need to occupy my mind. What should I think about? Maybe I should write a blog post about my thoughts, mile by mile. What have I thought about up until now...

5 mile: Hm... this is kinda neat. I'm strong, I'm capable and I don't hate this. It looks like it will be a nice day. This trail is actually really pretty. Water on both sides and the temperature is perfect. This is not  bad, not bad at all.

6 mile: Maybe I should take my jacket off, it's getting pretty warm. Should I eat my gel now? I wonder what my husband is doing. We should really clean our apartment this weekend.  What's that swarm of insects? Wow, the gel is really sweet. That's a fast cyclist, I wish I could go that fast. I wonder how it feels to fall off a bike. Wait, that's not a swarm of insects, they are birds. Cool! I should take a photo.

7 mile: I feel fatigued. This is no fun. At least I'm half way there. Half way done with a half marathon... which equals 25% of a full marathon... Hm... running a marathon is starting to sound like a challenge. Maybe I should've tried the half marathon distance before I registered and paid for the California International Marathon in Sacramento this December. This might prove to be interesting.

8 mile: It's ok again. I feel ok. I almost feel powerful. My heart rate is still around 155 bpm and I'm able to maintain my pace. I'm not hurting anywhere. My form is good. Short strides to protect my knees, shoulders, arms and hands are relaxed and I can feel how I land on the ball of my foot. This is going well.

9 mile: I can see how people with a lot of things on their mind might enjoy running. It's the perfect time to be alone with your thoughts and it might even help to distract from the monotonous action of running or/and exhaustion from panting. But I don't have a thousand things to think about. I guess I can make things up. What should I think about..? It's difficult to be imaginative when your mind is distracted by running.

10 mile: Ok, this is starting to go down hill. Not literally, that would be too good to be true. I think I'm starting to feel tired. My heart rate is still good and so is my pace, but my legs are feeling heavier and I'm actually struggling a bit. Maybe I'll feel stronger again soon. Just stick with it.

11 mile: I've never run this far! And I know why! Because this sucks! OMG, I want it to be over! The Sacramento Marathon is now, officially, the most stupid idea I've ever had! WHY?!? Why did I sign up? How was that a good idea?

12 mile: Oh no! My knees hurt! Wait, or is it my calves? Or maybe my gluteus and my hamstrings? Or perhaps my abs? No, it's my feet. Or my hips. Wait a minute, everything below my ribcage hurts! And it's about to get worse, here comes the calves cramps!

13 mile: Don't you dare give up now. I have a handful of debris in my shoes, and it's really uncomfortable. But if I stop I don't think I will be able to start running again, so just keep going! One foot infront of the other. Pull yourself together!

13.5 mile: Ok, I need to run further than 13.1 miles. But what if the distance isn't measured correctly? I better run 13.2 miles, just in case. Why not make is 13.5 miles, to really be on the safe side. Maybe I could even run 14 miles. But why in the world would I run 14 miles? I'm so frigging uncomfortable I wanted to stop miles ago. Nope, 13.5 miles will have to do.

The aftermath: I was unbelievably sore, I almost felt broken. My muscles, my joints and my spirit. However, after a good night's sleep, I'm surprised at how well I am doing. I even went to the gym today. But the whole experience taught me a necessary lesson. Don't ignore proper build up when adding on the miles. It's not advisable to run an average of two times a week (one interval and one 6 miler), run 10 miles once, go back to shorter runs for two months and then run a half marathon. Nobody will enjoy that run, not even a person as awesome and powerful as I am!

Written by a Kid

I would call myself an easily entertained person. It doesn't take much. So, when asked if I like something, it might not be a good gauge of the actual entertainment value of that specific something. But what makes me a poor critic could also be interpreted as when somethings stands out to me, you can be sure it is something beyond the ordinary.

Lately I have loved a new Youtube show, called Written by a Kid. It might be one of my favorite shows of all times. The idea is simple, yet ingenious. Let a child tell a story and have professional animators and directors make a short movie based on the material. Each episode is just a few minutes long, and they are presented in a variety of different ways. Below, you will find my favorite episode this far, but I urge you to see all of them. Trust me, I guarantee, you will not regret it!

http://writtenbyakid.geekandsundry.com/

Summer Break

Summer hiatus. One could question the need for a break when everyday more or less mimics a vacation. But what can I say? It is what it is.

It's been two months since my last blog post. Not that I haven't had things to write about or that there has been a lack of inspiration. Au contraire, there has been a plethora of things to choose from. Besides my random thought and contemplations, I had grand plans to write about a bike-trip my husband and I did to Sonoma and Napa. I also wanted to write about the Olympics. I've spent four weeks in Sweden which is always inspirational. In addition, I've tried Crossfit for the very first time and that experience was certainly worthy of a blog post.

As a teenager I used to write a diary. There was a clear correlation between events in my life and the frequency of my writing. The more things that happened, the less I wrote. But as soon as I slowed down, I wanted to go back and write about all the neat stuff I just experienced. But before I was done doing that, new things had happened and I would never catch up so I would eventually grow tired of writing and just stop. When looking through my old diaries, many of the major events in my life (like my first kiss, my first boyfriend and my first solo-trip abroad) can be read in bullet-points.

But don't worry, I will not subject you to having to read bullet-points and filling out the blanks.

I'm a firm believer of living in the present, even though I realize keeping a diary, and writing a blog, is a chronicle of today's events, thoughts and feelings to be kept for the future. But for the purpose of this blog post, I will stick to living in the present. Not only because it rings true, but also because it conveniently allows me to pick up the ball and get straight back into the game.

Culture, Society, Life

Never has a weekend embodied my blog as much as June 23-24. In less than 48 hours, culture, society and life was represented, and experienced, in significant ways.

Culture
One is usually never as patriotic as when living abroad. Since my husband and I moved to the Us, we have turned minor Swedish celebrations into social gatherings in a ways we never did when living in Sweden. Prime example of that would be the new found importance of Fettisdagen (Fat Tuesday) and it's semlor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semla). So, what happens when one of the most important holidays to all Swedes, regardless of where they live, comes knocking on your door? You pull out all the stocks, invite your friends and immerse yourself in all things Swedish. Hello, Midsummer!

What kind of Swedes would we be if we didn't celebrate midsummer? And as cultural ambassadors, it's not enough to just stop by IKEA and pick up whatever they have to offer. In all honesty, I will credit most of the midsummer feast to IKEA, but this year, I cured my own salmon, made my own meatballs and baked my own strawberry cake which required a homemade vanilla custard. We also made flower wreaths to wear in our hair, which I haven't done since I was a young girl, and back then it was mostly me watching my mom make me one.

Society
14 years ago, in 1998, I did my first public debate, defending gay rights. That specific time it was regarding equal rights to be eligible to adopt, regardless of sexual orientation. The battle of people's equality in the eyes of the law, and ultimately society, has always been a passion of mine. I'm happy to say that Sweden has come far in this battle, so perhaps it is just fitting that I have made the US my new battle ground. 

One of my favorite things about San Francisco, if not the  favorite thing, is that the city welcomes everyone. There is room for all to express themselves in which ever way they want. I have stood in the audience, cheering, at San Francisco Pride Parade before, but this year I had the chance to participate in a more significant way, I had the chance to march in the Pride Parade. Joining the hundreds of Google employees with friends and family, we danced our way down Market Street. I can't help but to get a little teary eyed when I think back at all the smiles, cheers and the celebration of love. Cause at the end of the day, that's what it's all about.

Life
I finished my first triathlon! Jennifer vs. Silicon Valley Sprint Triathlon, 1-0! Two years ago, I went out on my first attempt to run. I had to stop and rest after 200 meters (0.12 miles). Last weekend, I swam 800 meters (0.5 miles), biked 30 kilometers (18.5 miles) and ran 5 kilometers (3.1 miles). And the best thing of all, I was six minutes faster than the average female! It might not sound particularly  impressive, but trust me, there were some pretty serious athletes in the race.

Ok, so I'm a TERRIBLE swimmer! Awful! The distance was not a problem, I was just very, very slow. Also, I learnt pretty fast that swimming along side other people in a lake is very different from swimming by yourself in a pool. I swallowed quite the amount of water and I found the whole experience pretty taxing.

Biking was better. I turned out to be just below an average biker, which I feel fine about, considering I've biked for less than two months, and I bike in my running shoes. However, I need to increase my lactate acid threshold. When my legs gave in, I was biking on pure willpower. Unfortunately, willpower will not make you go as fast as properly trained legs. The hills were no joke!

I'm an ok runner and I expected to run faster than average, which I just barely did. Coming off a bike after 75 minutes of peddling, in wet socks, I had lost all feeling in my toes. But I figured, if I just keep placing one foot infront of the other, my legs will know what to do. And the funny thing is, the fastest mile I've ever run, in a race or practice, was the first mile coming off my bike. But then my stomach and legs started to cramp so I had to slow down significantly. But it made me wonder, what capacity I actually have, if I just push myself harder.

My transitions were surprising. Apparently, they were my strong suit. They were not perfect, by any means, but I was fast enough for it to make a significant impact on my overall time.

All in all, I'm very proud to have completed my first triathlon. I was hoping to enjoy it more, but at least it was interesting enough and I know I will do it again. I need to learn how to properly swim. I need to build biking legs and start using bike shoes with cleats. There is so much room for improvement, I'm curious to find out how much I can advance.

Here are some more statistics, for those interested:
800 m (0.5 miles ) Swim: 00:24:40
Transition 1: 00:03:42
30 km (18.5 miles) Bike: 01:14:33
Transition 2: 00:01:00
5 km (3.1 miles) Run: 00:30:09
Total time: 02:14:12
Average time, Female: 02:20:02

Getting our hands dirty

Celebrating my husband's birthday by reinterpreting "whole foods" and "finger food".
The evening's menue:
Appetizer: Salmon sashimi
Entrée: Grilled Top Sirloin served with oven roasted potatoes and a cold yoghurt and horseradish sauce
Dessert: Banana bread birthday cake with a banana and walnut filling topped with whipped cream and blueberries.

Who am I?

Who am I? A very profound question, indeed. I've been on this earth for about 30 years and thought I had figured myself out pretty well by now. But recently I've had my pre-conceived ideas about myself not only stirred, but shaken.

If you know me or have followed my blog over the years, it should come as no surprise when I tell you that I truly enjoy shopping (especially shoes), food and entertainment (an example, The Eurovision Song Contest).

Last year, I consciously added a new aspect to my life, healthy living. I started exercising regularly and I finally found a way to successfully manage my weight. As a part of my healthy living, I picked up running. I can't say enjoy it, but there is no denying, it is a very efficient way to build stamina as well as burn calories.

To sum it up, I'm an almost 30 year old who likes to shop, eat, be entertained, with a healthy BMI who exercise regularly.

I don't just like shopping, I love bargain shopping. So, hitting the outlet mall on Memorial Day was a no-brainer. After a good few hours of scavenging, I had found some amazing deals. I bought a new pair of running shoes, padded bike shorts, a reflective bike jacket, bike gloves and two workout tops.

I also found a pair of sandals I really liked, but decided that $40 was too much to spend. How many pairs of shoes does one person really need? However, when I got home later the same day, I signed up for a 10K race for $45 without blinking. Did I choose racing before shoes?

We live in a small city. But in our small city, there is a restaurant rated in the Michelin Guide. The restaurant, Chez TJ, has a star of it's own, but amongst the chefs who started their careers at Chez TJ, the alumni currently hold eight stars in the Michelin Guide. Ever since my husband and I moved here, we have debated whether we should go or not. Food is a great love of mine, perhaps my greatest love. But more than anything I love simple street-food so spending a minimum of $85 per person on one meal has never seemed reasonable, so we have never been.

Over the past month, my husband and I have planned out our running goals for the near future. We're attempting our first triathlon in a few weeks, he's running SF Marathon later this summer, I'm running San Jose Half Marathon later this fall and next spring we're running Gothenburg Half Marathon. We made sure to register for all the events, so that we can't back out. All in all, we spent over $600 on registrations fees in May.

For the same amount of money we could have gone to Chez TJ and treated five of our friends, or the two of us could have splurged on the Chef's Tasting Menue, with wine pairing and still have $200 so spare. Did I just choose racing before food?

I've been ignoring the signs, maybe because I didn't want to realize I was changing. But there was an incident that opened my eyes and force me to face the truth.

I'm a huge fan of the Eurovision Song Contest. If you don't believe me, you should read my previous blog posts. Sweden won this year's competition and as a reward, Sweden will host the event next year. The Eurovision Song Contest is always held in May and I'm planning to be in Sweden in May 2013, to run Gothenburg Half Marathon. But as it turns out, the Grand Finale of Eurovision Song Contest 2013, will be on the same day as the half marathon, most likely in a different city. If Sweden is lucky, we'll be able to host Eurovision Song Contest once a decade. Gothenburg Half Marathon is every year. However, I've worked really hard on my fitness and I'm hoping to be in the best shape of my life next summer.

I'm making it sound like a difficult decision, but in fact, I had already made up my mind. Gothenburg Half Marathon, I'll be seeing you in May 2013! Did I choose racing before the Eurovision Song Contest? Yes, I did!

So, when looking at the facts, am I actually not an almost 30 year old who likes to shop, eat and be entertained as much as I am an almost 30 year old, who likes to run races, cook healthy food, shop workout gear and occasionally be entertained.

Sweden welcomes you, Eurovision 2013!

WE WON!!! We actually won, Eurovision Song Contest 2012! Or actually, Loreen won! I can't be more thrilled for her, and for Sweden!

Loreen turned out to be popular all over Europe. All participating countries, except Italy, gave Sweden points. With 372 points, we were clear winners with 113 points down to the first runner-up. Loreen is the artist who has been awarded second most total points in Eurovision history, after Norwegian Alexander Rybak. However, she did succeed in braking a record, for being awarded more 12 points than any other artist before her.

With 259 points, Russia was voted as the first runner-up, which to me is a scandal! I had much more respect for the second runner-up, Serbia! As happy as I am over Sweden's success, I can't help but wonder what happened to our Scandinavian neighbors. Out of the 26 countries in the finale, Iceland finished 20, Denmark 23 and Norway 26! I didn't particularly care much for the Norwegian contribution, but they were by no means the worst!

So, what will happen next? Sweden will welcome all of Europe, and anyone else interested, on to our turf. Exactly which city turf is not yet decided. However, the dates are pretty much set and week 20 will be Eurovision week, with semi-finals May 14 and May 16. The Eurovision finale will be held on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

There are several factors to take under consideration when deciding which city get to host the finale. The first bet would be Stockholm, being the capitol city. However, as many times before, Gothenburg has been favored as the event city. Out of the four previous times Sweden has hosted Eurovision Song Contest, it has been held in Stockholm twice and Gothenburg and Malmö once respectively. There are also other, more unusual, factors to consider this time around. Over the same period, Stockholm is scheduled to host the Ice-hockey World Championship (May 3 - May 19). Meanwhile, in Gothenburg, 65 000 runners (and 200 000 spectators) are expected to participate in the worlds largest half marathon, on Saturday, the same Saturday as the Eurovision finale. Will these two events provide the Eurovision Song Contest with an even more spectacular backdrop, or will it deter the Eurovision Committee but creating too much pressure on the hotel and public transport capacities?

I wish I had more information to share, but I'll try to keep you updated. For now, I will wrap up this year's Eurovision coverage with a walk down memory lane. Enjoy!

Eurovision Song Contest 2012, The competitors

Tomorrow, Saturday, May 25, is the grand finale of Eurovision Song Contest 2012! As the fan you know I am, this is almost like a national holiday.

During the week past, 36 countries have competed for the 20 coveted tickets to the grand finale. This was done through two semi-finals, one on Tuesday and one on Thursday. I'm pretty happy about how it turned out. I didn't necessarily have 10 favorites in each semi-final, but most of the songs I really cared for did make it through.

Let me give a short note on the songs competing in the grand finale:

Semi-final 1
Iceland - Never Forget: I liked this song and hoped for it to go through. However, I have a feeling I would have liked it more if it was sung in Icelandic, it would have added to the mystery.
Greece - Aphrodisiac: This, I didn't care for. To be honest, many of the songs in Eurovision Song Contest is on the generic side. When generic music is done ok, it usually stays below the radar, it doesn't excite nor offend. However, the Greek contribution was so generic, it made my angry. The song, the singing, the girl singing, the beats and the dancers all wrapped up into a very irritating package.
Albania - Suus: Not my favorite, but I did put it in my top ten for this semi-final. I shun drama from my everyday life, but some added drama on stage is always welcomed. Also, the artist fascinated me. She was regal and mature, two elements you don't typically find in this competition. So, all in all, she was different, and different is usually good.
Romania - Mandinga: Not the most profound song, but it did make me happy. Any song that makes me think of a sunny day at the beach, sipping cold drinks, is ok in my book. I'm glad this upbeat summer tune made it to the finale.
Cyprus - La La Love: Herein lies the biggest controversy, I really didn't like this song. I didn't hate it, but people in general seemed to really like it. I will admit that the artist, Ivi Adamou, was beautiful. I was also very intrigued by her voice. But the song itself was really annoying. Somewhere deep within, I think I might have been able to distinguish somethings that might have been interesting, but everything was drowned out by the incessant euro-techno beat.
Denmark - Should've Know Better: It wouldn't be the Eurovision Song Contest is there wasn't any wardrobe malfunctions, Denmark being a good example of that. The outfits felt gimmicky and distracted from what was actually a really good song. I will enjoy seeing them again on Saturday, but I really look forward to hearing them again, on a CD.
Russia - Party for Everybody: Old Russian ladies. Cute and adorable as they may be, I challenge anyone who would claim this is good music. Do I need to remind people that this is Eurovision SONG Contest, not a "cute" contest, not a "good effort" contest and definitely not a "it's-actually-better-if-I-hit-the-mute-button" contest! This is not good, not good at all!
Hungary - Sound of Our Hearts: Not great nor offensive. Not good nor bad. Very bland and very boring.
Moldova - Lautar: This I enjoyed. Sure, the stage-show was a bit messy, but this song had an ease to it I really appreciated. It was playful and didn't take itself too seriously.
Ireland - Waterline: Jedward is back. Last year, I was one of their supporters. This year, not so much. You can't blame them for not bringing energy to everything they do, but if your image is a Energizer/Duracell Bunny on speed, you need a song reflecting that image. Waterline was far too meek.

All in all, I was especially happy to see Iceland, Romania, Denmark and Moldova make it to the finale. Unfortunately, my favorite from this semi-final was eliminated. I absolutely loved Finland's contribution.

Semi-final 2
Serbia - Synonym: Well worthy of a ticket to the grande finale, this was one of the most genuine performances of semi-final 2. Simplicity is underrated, sometimes all you need is a good artist singing a good song. Having said all this, Serbia was not one of my favorites, but it had more to do with genre than anything else.
F.Y.R. Macedonia - Crno i Belo: I'm not sure I understood this song. To me, it felt more like a medley of a handful songs, rather than one coherent one. Also, I wasn't too fond of the artist's voice.
Malta - This is the Night: Cheesy is not usually a positive word. Being cheesy in a cheesy world makes you blend in, but it still doesn't make it good. However, once in a while, cheesy can translate into catchy and Malta did just that. As cheesy as this was, I couldn't help but smile. I'm quite happy about seeing this in the finale, though I'm sure I'll grow tired of it really fast.
Ukraine - Be My Guest: Sometimes when you listen to a brand new song, you have the feeling that you have heard it before. I have, in fact, heard this before but with the title "When Love Takes Over" by David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland. The similarities were blatant, in other worlds, Be My Guest, doesn't necessarily fit the Eurovision Song Contest stage, but I'm sure people all over Europe will party to it this summer.
Sweden - Euphoria: I'm not sure how I should comment on this. I'll just say that I haven't been this proud of our contribution in many, many years. Go Loreen!
Turkey - Love Me Back: I surprised myself, I really liked this. Without a doubt one of my top 10 songs this year and I can't even explain why. There was just something about this song, especially the chorus, that appealed to me, for some strange reason.
Estonia - Kuula: My favorite ballad this year. It wasn't very orignal and it did sound awfully familiar, but then I think that's the curse of many ballads in general. The song was pleasant and the artist looked his part. I think what made it stand out to me was his voice. It's not always you get an artist with a nice voice who knows how to sing but when you do, it makes the world of a difference.
Norway - Stay: Dear neighbors, how I wish I liked this more than I do. It's not terrible, it's not even bad, but the artist Tooji needs to work on his singing and I can't get over how feminine they choreographed his dance. But it's still better than many other contributions and I can't help but feel happy about Norway making it to the finale, for no other reason than them being Norway.
Bosnia-Herzegovina - Korake Ti Znam: Nope, this did nothing for me. One word: Boring!
Lithuania - Love is Blind: If Malta succeeded in translating cheesy into catchy, Lithuania took cheesy and added some extra cheese and then some. The song was over the top cliché and it was further exaggerated by the singer Donny Montell, his moves and his dancing. His poor singing didn't help. The cheese-fest wasn't just bad, it was almost offensive.

In summary, semi-final 2 was a mixed bag of goodies. I guess I wished Slovakia would have made the cut, but I didn't care enough to be disappointed. Obviously, I loved Loreen, because the song was great, she is wonderful and because I'm Swedish. I'm a bit nervous about her being listed as the favorite to win, but I'm cautiously hopeful.

I should also mention the six countries automatically qualified to the grand finale. They have not performed live yet, so it's difficult to judge them fairly:

France - Echo: This interests me. Maybe because I'm intrigued by the artist, Anggun. She has a very neat voice and look. I feel like I would like to know more. The song itself is catchy yet a little bit different, so I suspect I will like it, even live.
Spain - Quédate Conmigo: Spain is one of the countries that makes me cringe each year, cause they have had many questionable contributions in the past. Given their track-record, I was pleasantly surprised this year. This is not a favorite of mine, but it sounds good and the artist can sing.
Germany - Standing Still: This is the most radio-friendly song in this year's competition. That is a huge compliment. As much as I love the Eurovision Song Contest, I know most of the songs wouldn't survive in the competitive world of radio and records sales. The German contribution might not be as exciting or glittery as others, but it is a complete package and it's nice to be able to relax and enjoy a good song without having to worry about where it might go next.
United Kingdom - Love Will Set You Free: You never know what the UK has to offer and this year they have prepared yet another surprise. The 76 year old Engelbert Humperdnick is taking us back to the British roots with this ballad. His voice is surprisingly crisp and pleasant, and I appreciate the song for being so distinctively British. Not a winner, but I'm sure I'll happily sing along to this tune in the future.
Italy - L'Amore E Femmina: I hope this will sound as good live. If it does, this will be one of my favorites this year. Flirting with the past, this song is still undoubtedly modern. I like it!

Who will win? I have no idea, but I hope Sweden and Loreen will. Within 24 hours we will know and Eurovision Song Contest 2012 will have its winner!