Spring

Spring energize me. I am listning to Veronica Maggio, glancing at the book I was supposed to read and writing this at the same time as I'm waiting for my mom to arrive. Multitasking is the key to a sucessfull life of a lazy person. Because being lazy makes you strive for the most effective solution, thus maximazing the output and minimizing the input.
Every spring here in Sweden I am suprised to have survived once again. The darkness and damp turns into long days and short nights.
From April to September I am a nationalist, I love Sweden. The rest of the year I spend ridiculas amounts of time browsing internet sites for last minute trips anywere else as long as it is warmer. But now, now it is good. No now it is great. So drop by ( C and M that means you!)

Being 17

I think everyone has this one album, or song or artist that defined their teens. For me it is Håkan Hellström. Some love him some hate him. But I still know all the lyrics and I still love them. And when I listen to him I am transported back to high school. Unfortunatly he sings in swedish, because his lyrics are brilliant. How he plays with words, makes new ones up or just reguarly abuse the word order. For me he perfectly captures the feeling of being 17 years old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ0_2do-Ykk

Being sick is easier in your home country

That is my theory at least. Just knowing what is possiable or not takes loads of my mind.

Sweden and sunshine

I have been back for nearly 3 months and Seoul is fading fast. Now, as spring is creeping up on Stockholm I will probably stop missing it. It is good to be back, though I miss my friends alot. And the bustling crowds, the energy. Sweden is cool, hip but not exactly fast paced. So now I am of to Body Balance class at the gym were I now work part time. The sun is shining, something only people who have lived most o their lives this far north can appriciate. I am sunpowered and a sunworshiper. And it is sunday.

Winding up, winding down

I have just spent 9 days in Japan. It is warmer, cleaner and Starbucks makes coffee in under 5 min. Also, it is beautifull, frustrainting and crowded. I love it. Maybe it is because my best friend lives there, or that I love sushi. Anyway, it is never boring. But now, thanks to a killer exchange rate it is murdurously expensive.
I am broke, but I don't regret spending so much money. I just wished I'd taken more pictures. In the cat cafe, at the Karate World Championships or in the subway. Most of the photos I toke doesn't have that much people in them. That is how I like it. Having the city to myself. In fact Tokyo is one size smaller, and with more people than Seoul. The ceilings are lower, the hallways narrower. On the other hand it has a more permanent feeling, like it was acctually here last week and not put up over the weekend.
I will be going home soon. Christmas with my family!!! Had a great time here but now it is time to go home.

Economic crisis hits my bank account

I haven't posted anything in month. But I just have to say that this economic crisis thing (which is followed religiously here in Korea ) has hit my savings. My 5000$ are now about 3000$ ( not counting the exchangerate ) It doesen't exactly make me want to save more, but what else can I do. I'll give it a year or so to recover and if it is still that puny I'm gonna spend it on a month long Thailand trip...
Strangly my US stocks have only gone down 25% while the eastern european ones crashed 60%. The Russian stockmarket is closed since a couple of days which doesn't really fill my heart with joy or confidance.
On the otherhand Mr Brown has declared the Islandic people to be terrorist so maybe this is the week for freakish occurenses...

Choseok

This weekend is one of the biggest holidays in Korea, Choseok. It was heralded by alot of people carring giftsets. Sets, of grapeoil, fruit, tofu etc. Especially fruit, which means the already expansive apples have become alot dearer. Choseok was from the beginning a Chinese harvest festival kind of thing, it is called the Moon festival or Mid Autumnfestival in China. It has alot to do with family. Here in Korea, outside of Seoul the roads are crowded with people trying to get back to there families, or family homes to pay respect to the grandparents and cook copious amounts of food.
Since my mother arrives monday night I get to celebrate Choseok too. This is one of those weekends were missing ones family is common and out in the open. I'm not sure since most of the expats I spend time with are guys ( and guys don't cry right^^) or maybe it's is only me missing them. I get jeoulous when I see sisters argue with their brothers or laugh with their dads but I get my mom on monday so that will make it better! So brother and dad, if you read this (I know mom does) I miss you!
I have moved, again. From my beloved artsy Hongdae to Mapo, an upscale area, were people drive expensive cares and look very corporate. On the other hand there is an Starbucks 2 min walk from my front door, which is were I'm entrenched right now, with a grande cappucino (extra shot expresso! I'm too european for anything else). There is a 4 lane, in each direction, road going by outside, buildings so high and sparkling that they look like a backdrop for a scifi movie, and a 10x5 m screen. Though I miss my family and friends, I only miss Sweden because they live there. Sweden in summer rocks, the rest of the year it feels like a small country villege. On the other hand I can communicate fluently there... I have a new appriciation for immigrants in Sweden, it sucks not being able to express yourself fully