Protected: The waiting…

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Protected: An exceptional life

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The smell of Barcelona…

The city struck me as something colorful, something completely alive, so different from the nordic dark cold countries where I come from. The smell was different, with a weird mixture of trash, mold, over ripe fruit, water with too much calcium, hot strong espresso, sweat, garlic and a breeze of salt water… The city was just waking up, the noise was just getting started, construction work at the same place as last year, had they not finished YET? Expectations, a sense of adventures for thousands of young people arriving to the city with that mysterious exciting idea of this city where you find love from every corner of the world and experiences to remember forever. This city that is a meeting point for so many people, for a short while. You meet, you live you love and you move on to different parts of the world. Keeping that experience on Barcelona in the suitcase forever…

Spain in a nutshell

Yea I admit, I am turning Spanish. My roots are almost turning brown… Highlights please.

People here LOVE to complain, its not an opinion, its a fact. But I’m not saying people are negative, its just a way of talking.
I fell in love with Spain about 2 years ago, and now I’m starting to sound like the people here, complaining about exactly the things I like, in some twisted weird contradictional way.
Complaining about the uncontrolled spontaneous risk-taking-live-right-now-love-life attitude.

I admit, I used to love it when I walked down the street and 3 guys whistled and called me GUAAAPAAAAA (Gooorgeous). Now I turn to them, show them the middle finger and say “Shut up you Dirty scum bags”.
How NICE I am!

They have the worst radio in the history, they put some wanna be cool “BANG” noise in the back ground while the host is speaking. I’m like, WTF I cant hear every 6th word he says cus of that sound effect that should be “cool” but it just ends up an absolute disaster.
Then there is the phone line that sucks and my intl phone calls that occasionally breaks up all of a sudden due to… hm, could it be the phone lines that probably 15 people SHOULD be working on right now but 14 of them are taking the daily coffee break…the 27th coffee break today probably.
Then there is the manana attitude and a few more things that can upset me until I scream “RETARDS” so loud that I immediatily need to appologize after.

Then again I choose to be here right? And I absolutely love it.

Swine flu vaccine…

Heater is going strong here, it’s cold cold cold in bcn…. But it’s a different cold, its humid.

In sweden we had minus 15 degrees but I wasnt half as cold as I am here…It’s dry there. So dry that you start coughing cus you feel like a piece of desert in your throat.

They ahd a record in the north os sweden yesterday, Minus 40,8 degrees… Just imagine, can you actually breath then?

New year, new opportunities, new challanges, new goals.

Well I know one thing for sure for 2010, I will not get the swine flue. I am one of the 4 million swedes, or 10 million europeans who got the vacine. Hurted like hell in the arm for 4 days but now I can at least stand being in the subway among all the coughing people. This gives me the creep either way but knowing my body will not accept any swine-shit make me wanna say just cough me in the face motha fiiiiii. I wont say that though.

Like after the football games, I cant take it being in the metro, people squeezing themselves so freaking close I can feel what they ate for breatfast…yesterday!! Gross.

Anyway, thats that, I feel I have a need for writing lately. There might come more..

Adeu for now wordpress…

To be driven!

Suddenly I got this URGE to write about one thing so here I am, hyper typing to have time to do everything I have to do.

I read a couple of blogs and articles about todays teenagers and young adults, that they are so freaking lazy and they´re lacking drive. One article said that the young adults born in the 80s are the most spoiled generation of the human history.

One blog said that “we” (the 80´s generation) are too spoiled and that being spoiled doesnt create Drive.

I absolutely agree in one way, but then I think of myself and how spoiled I was and how driven as freaking animal I am. I must be one of the most driven people from Sthlm, honestly!
What is DRIVE and What creates DRIVE?

Drive is WANTING to achieve more, and to FINDING the way to do it, even though you have obstacles in front of you. It´d being a DO-er and a person taking initiatives.

What creates DRIVE?

This is where a certain amount of “spoilness” is neccesary.

To be showed what is out there and to experience it. When you have something you want more, everyone knows that.

My parents showed me what it´s like to see the world, what it´s like to go to the nicer restaurant instead of the shitty, what it´s like to be patted on the shoulder after having acomplished something.

I didn´t get the extra money at the end of the month if I had spent my money, however I did get the opportunity to work at home, do something to gain a few euros.

I remember my friends saying “Your parents PAY you to wash the car”??? Like it was something really bad when it was just pure jealosy. Hell yeah they did I and I will do the same to my children one day.

Work as much as you can and receive profits.

Respect to the other driven people out there, you know who you are!

Xx

Cultural differences

…discovering them more and more, every day…. I’m black or white, he is grey, brown, dark grey and white with stripes. I’m do or don’t, he is maybe, perhaps, probably, most likely and we’ll see.

Both me and my boyfriend have agreed that the pro’s of being with someone from a different country are so much better and they win ten times over the con’s. Having

 said that, its still not easy…

But I tend to never choose the “easy” way anyhow so why would I make an exception with my boyfriend? ha!

 

At least we went to IKEA and got the Parasol! IKEA rocks, same everywhere in the world…

New definition of “Tired”.

I´ve never fallen a sleep infront of my computer before. Until now. There is a first time for everthing…

I´m absolutely addicted to my computer.  Just realized that when I woke up after a 10 min nap and the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was the beautiful white word “MacBook” and my sweet black best friend was sitting here just waiting patiently for me to be done with my nap. One click and then all there, my friends, my work, all info I need about absolutely everything. Maps, invitations, dictionary, news, music, pictures…

Going back to sleep. Time-zones….

Every Day Happiness…

How weird is life…. When you least expect something to happen it just happens. Doesnt it make you wonder if there is a universal power that is there just to surprise you and make you work a little harder, make you step out of your comfort zone and make you believe in things?

I don´t believe in LUCK at all. Well, there are exceptional cases such as finding 50 eur on the street…That would probably fall under the tag LUCK but apart from that I believe you create your own happiness. Most of all you´re responsible for your own happiness. 

What makes me frustrated sometimes is that people dont understand how easy it is.

Mentality and attitude stands for everything. How you approach a grey rainy day, how you deal with the enormous electricity bill, how you explain to yourself why you´re gonna do something that you dont feel like doing.

Life is one thing; The days you remember. Life is short and to make each day count is so easy to say and so easy to do, but yet few people do it.

Life is not rules, musts or anything negative at all. Life is possibilities, opportunities and experiences. And it´s not expensive, it´s absolutely free tp push the button “Happiness”. I had an amazing stroll in Barcelona with my roomie the other day, 2 hours costed us 1 euro (the coffee) and it gave us a million laughs, incredible views of beautiful buildings, the most amazing smells and a really kick-ass-good coffee.

I met a guy who has this amazing energy. Absolutely mind-blowing. Together we´re like a Duracell-team made up of energy, happiness, belief and so much apetite for life.

It´s really the small and kind things he does that blows me away the most. Like placing a blanket over me, like putting the heater next to me while I´m resting on the couch, like making sure I have the jacket on… 

He makes me smile every day…

Thanks…

The beauty of friendship

To say that I was feeling so sick I thought I was going to die is not enough. If you imagine the drunkest you´ve been and multiply it by 4, you´re about halfway to my level on New Years Eve.

“If you wanna be really hot you have to suffer” is an expression that I had to experience the hard way.
An XSmall dress has its prize, and I´m not talking about euros now.

So smartypants figured I would hardcore-slim for 3 days to make the dress feel comfortable. Apples and water.
It did feel nice, unil the whole  world started spinning and all I could think was BREATH.

This post is not gonna go into the nice details of what I went through, BUT it will highlight the most amazing roomate in the world and what she did for me.

Getting me water, tea, putting 14 blankets on me because I was “shaking like a polaroid picture”  (was that 2004 that song was everywhere?), even wrapped my sweat pants around my lamp to give it some nice dim-effect! Can you believe that?! 

Sat next to me and helped me focus on something else, rubbed my back to make me feel better, talked about funny things to take my mind off of dying.

Simply really nice.

And now she is leaving me in 2 weeks.

New chapter is beginning, just in time for the new year of 2009.

2008 was a year I made 2 of my dreams come true. Getting my dream-job and moving to Barcelona. Quite big things.
I have no real expectations for 2009 really cus I had such an amazing 2008. However I have aspirations and hopes.

Health, happiness and strength to stay on my dream-path is what I wish for. Everything else will be a bonus.

5 important new people in 2008

Wow, I haven´t written here in ages. Let´s pull the “been so busy-excuse” shall we…or shall we not?

Christmas in one week. I will bring my whole winter wardrobe back to bcn that´s for sure.

Christmas time brings different feelings to everyone but nobody can argue that whatever feelings you have it hasn´t changed over the years.
Personally it´s a somewhat weird feeling, maybe due to the fact I haven´t had a “base” anywhere in many many years.

I can´t make up my mind whether I look forward to it or not. To be 100% honest it leans against not actually. Maybe cus I always hate leaving Barcelona, maybe cus everytime I get back to bcn it gives me a hard time the first week, maybe cus I know I will run around trying to meet everyone in as little time as possible…

I have met some absolutely incredible people the last 6 months and this christmas will be my personal thangksgiving to them.
Carito of course, how could I start with someone else? My everyday sunshine, my comfort, my “safe place”, arms so warm that always makes me feel like we´re part of the same family. Thank You.

Victoria! The big surprise roommate who turned out to be an absolutely amazing friend. Now she is leaving me in january and there is no other word to describe it than it SUCKS.

Matteo, who knows me better than I know myself sometimes. Thanks for always being there and listening.

David! One of my absolute first friends in bcn. My sport student  :-) Personal trainer project who passed my level after just a week. Nice. Ha ha ha…. My Barça friend, who´s always there and who I laugh with SO MUCH. Thank You!

Marc, another big recent surprise… Intercambio goes something else ha ha… Don´t know where we´re going but I know that I like the start. Thanks for knowing how to “take me” mentally. Thanks for being such an amazing listener and thanks for your warmth.

 

5 really amazing people that I didn´t know existed 7 months ago. How mind-blowing isn´t that?!

I have to pack…

Considering when I blogged last time it´s probably safe to say Merry Christmas already now

MUAKS!

Send me some L.A vibes

Mind ghosts… We´ve all had them.

Today when I walked home from class I had my first serious moment of missing L.A in a long time.
Actually let me re-phrase that, the first moment of missing the materialism that only exists there.

I was listening to american music on my iPod. Good quality, great produced music, on really loud volume. Sometimes over produced, but commercial really fucking good hiphop.
I had a sad moment when I remembered 3 people here in Barcelona, 3 people in the age of 20-30 who did not know of the names Missy Elliot, Timberland and Bustah Rhymes.

I had a moment of missing all the loud car music, the superficial jokes and the loving-everybody-mentality…

I can not wait!!!!!

After 3 weeks of different time-zones, taking off and land a million times from different airports, living in a suitcase I am sooo ready to unpack all my stuff and “LAND”.

I am so ready to walk up the 156 steps to my apartment if the elevator is broken (which is very likely in Bcn), breath the mold-car-gas-over-ripe-fruit smell, order my simple 1 euro cafe solo that kicks the shit out of the 4 euro Starbucks “Cafe Americano”.
I cant wait to be woken up by the noise of Barcelona and say “Callate!!!!!” (SHUT UP) to the noisy people playing basketball outside my huge terasse at 9 in the morning. I cant wait to go to the first football game of the season sept 14th!!!!! I CAN NOT WAIT!!!!!!!

I can’t wait to argue with the waiter for better service, I cant wait to feel totally stupid speaking my beginners spanish at the food-market trying to explain I want one kilo of the peaches that are NOT ripe and I cant wait to take cold showers when the water heater is broken which happens sometimes.

I can’t wait to play squash in Tibidabo with David, or go climbing in Montjuic with the other David. I can’t wait to do intercambio with Gaby or argue with Matteo about why avocado is healthier than pasta.

I cant wait to wake up sweaty in the morning cus of the lack of AC and eat my breakfast cereal in front of my computer with the view of Tibidabo on my left side. (Ok the sweaty part I CAN live without haha)

I cant wait to eat sushi on our local buffet until I have salmon hanging out of my ears and I cant wait to take the metro with a hundred rude catalans.

I cant wait to meet my Daila Lama september 6th CARITO How I have missed her so much. The champion of “living the moment appreciate the small things in life”.

Barcelona turned out to be so much more than I could ever wish for. It turned out to be my own personal medicine, life-medicine. 

After being in L.A, the contrast will be even more evident now. The country of surface and smiles, compared to the country of something completely different.
Both have their good and bad sides, like everything in life. But the true enjoyable things in life ARE the smallest things and I dont CARE how much of a cliché that makes it cus it is true, and have you ever seen anything SMALL in America? haha…its the country with the biggest meals, the biggest beers, the biggest coffees, the biggest houses, the biggest cars, the biggest salaries and the biggest people in the world!!

L.A adventures…

Aaaahhh….

Just loving it…

Loving Barcelona…

Its so hot here now. People are literally dying… 

But still it´s the most amazing city I´ve ever been to.

I was walking around in the city yesterday, desperate to breath it all in as much as possible before I take a 3 week break from BCN to visit L.A and Stockholm.

I was sweating, walking in dirty streets, the air smelled (as always) like a mix of poluted air, mold, cigarette smoke, birds, salt water, over ripe peaches and coffee… Weird mix? But I just love it. I walked around for 5 hours in 40 degree celcius (110 farenheit) and I was just smiling nonstop…

I have a strange feeling of separation anxiety at the moment, even though I know it´s just for a limited time. It´s like, my new found love here is still blow away when I turn around.
The city has everything but you can still walk to alost everything. And the city is like a huge scene, something to see everywhere it is SO beautiful. The buildings! I mean, I knew Stockholm is a beautiful city but this, THIS is something that words can not describe.

Going down to Ciudadella now for the last time in 3 weeks, please time – go fast