The World vs. Emma

I made a map that shows the countries I have been to. It made me realize that, even though I travel alot, I haven't been to that many countries and that I still have so much to discover!



create your own visited country map
or check our Venice travel guide

Coffee time

Christmas keeps rolling, soft but full of life. Now I'm here at my sister's place where we're gonna have more coffee and more sweets :) It never stops this time of the year, the eating. I think another "not" promise of excercising and eating healthy will be needed in January.

Yesterday I got the last shopping done and I feel more or less satisfied. The city wasn't as full of people as I had feared luckily and dad and me could cruise between shops without problems. I wanted to find that jacket at H&M that I know is coming in these days, but of course they didn't have it here in Östersund yet. The small city syndrome ;) I'll have to go check in the next days if they have it, I really want it...

Coffee's ready!

Diggin' Agnes

Right now I really dig swedish Agnes and "Release me" - diggi diggi digg!

Decorate tree - check!

Last nite as we decorated the Christmastree, me and my three neices and two nephews. And one finishing picture to show you how much snow we have here :)

Touchdown

I'm here. The traintrip was ok, I slept through most of it. It is incredibly beautiful here, loads of snow and more sun than in Stockholm. The house was full of family when I arrived, the best way to be greeted. I am a complete family person and Christmas is one of those times when I absolutely wanna be with family.

We decorated the Christmas tree tonight and I'll put you some pictures as soon as I can. Tomorrow will probably mostly be spent buying the last gifts, even though I do not feel like entering the city at all... Just the thought of all those people...*shivers*. Anyway I need to go to bed to be prepared for a new day FULL of kids and all that they do (ALOT).

I hope you are all having a great start of the holidays out there!

My first Christmas present!

The sweet man at my office that always comes in to chat with us gave me this yesterday at work! I also got a gift from my two bosses, a giftcertificate that I can choose where to use, very good idea :) I'm still hoping to get something more on Christmas eve, but even more that my gifts will be well received, it's always so hard to buy them. Now I'm gonna watch another episode of Tru Blood...

Brunch today

The four of us had brunch at Mosebacke today, yumm!L is moving back to Germany and I try to see her as much as I can and we all spent like four hours just sitting there, eating eating eating, drinking obscene amounts of coffee and talking about the world and nothing. Stockholm has no snow but is still pretty at Christmas. And dark already at 15:00.

The result

One of the two photos that I bought the other day. What do you think?

Happy birthday

Grattis busungen på 4-års dagen!

Många pussar från faster!

Last working day

Last day of the working week. Do you get it?? Last day!! Tonite party with L who is moving back to Germany. I'll miss her, she's been here for quite a while now, like 1,5 years. Oh well, I have one more friend in beloved Berlin now ;).

I can't wait to go back home to winter wonderland and just be. Ok, I will have to study a bit but it's ok because I'm home :). I long for Christmas food, sweets and my babies, I want the old and rugged mini-santas that lack both hair and bodyparts nowadays. But they have always been there and always have to be. So on Sunday the 21st I will arrive in Östersund at 13:45. I'll see you there!

Model for a day

Yesterday I had a new experience. I got to be a "model". It sounds quite cheesy, and it was. My friend H got an offer through a friend from an event firm called The Studio to "be a model for a day". We would get to do this for free to promote this firm. For free, sure. She invited me and S to go do this model thing.

It took more than four hours. Stylists did our makeup, the hair we had to do ourselves (if you pay like normal people they do that for you too) which kind of ruined the thing. I mean, I can't really "style" my hair any different than usual. I grabbed a curling iron and turned my head into a curl inferno. Oh well. After a little while of waiting in the white leather couches we were called by a photographer who took us to a room full of different settings and backdrops. We had two outfits each and she shot us one after tha other in our different pants, skirts and tops.

The photographing itself was quite fun. The result not so much. We got to sit down and look at eachother's pictures together. None of us were especially impressed but we were offered to buy as many pictures as we liked. We had about 70 photos each to choose from but they were expensive as heck so we bought between 2-4 each.

It was fun even tough the photos didn't exactly turn out well. I guess that might depend on me not being so photogenic rather than the photographer being bad. I'll give you a look soon.

Dinner for me

Sundaydinner with some friends, last night Christmas dinner with friends, tonight potluck dinner with other friends.

I love dinners!

"We just wanna be part of mainstream society..."

I've gotten myself hooked. The object of my interest is now a series. About vampires... Even just the thought is scary. It is scary, the series I mean. But I am hooked. We are talking about "Tru blood". Even the name is scary.

I started this scary journey a few days ago, in the evening, just before bed, alone... Bad idea, I know that I get scared. But I had heard so many good things about this series that I just had to keep watching. Now it's more scary in an exciting way. I want to see the next episode now now now! Being an HBO production the result is rough. But, somehow fascinating. I will keep watching, until the end... moahahahahahaaaa!!

My cousin and me

Had a nice dinner with one of my cousins this evening. Thai wok, I love it. She envied me for getting to go north for Christmas, I would too. We talked about travelling and how she just wants to get away for a while. That my friends, gets me going. I talked and talked and talked and talked a bit more. This is my Gebiet, travelling and I will talk about it if I get the opportunity. So we talked.

She wants to learn Spanish and I want to improve mine, so I suggested we take a course together, let's see if we can pull that off sometime soon. But for now we both have smaller trips to look forward to, me the wedding in Italy and she's taking the boyfriend to Rome.

Puppy love

I love animals, I always have. But most of all I am a dog person. I love how loyal and intelligent they are, how they make you happy and how cute they mostely are :) I ahven't had a dog in my family for some years now and if I could I would get one myself. Footage like this makes me long for one even more!

Hi, my name is Emma, what's yours?

Wow, my Feedjit (the little map down to the right) tells me I have hits in the USA, in India and even Kuwait! I am curious who you all are out there, feel free to leave me a comment!

Home sweet home á la December 14, 2008

My dad just sent me some pictures he took at home. Home sweet home, soon I will be there!

Wishes

Despite the stressed out day in town, I woke up on a Sunday morning, weekend, rest, calm, white sheets, coffe... A morning quite like this.

Christmas shoppin'

Hui, what a day! I have been out almost all day, fighting the crowds, ellbowing my way around to buy the christmas presents I have so long hesitated to get. I normally love shopping, but not this kind. When you are, like me, on a stricter than strict budget, this kind of shopping isn't fun. Although I love t give, but you don't want a stupid budget to stop you.

Well anyway, I got ALOT of things and for almost everybody I have to buy for. I think I bursted that budget anyway after all. It was worth it. Even though it means I can't get my hair cut or buy that winter jacket. Man I hope I will find a job next year.

Grattis vännen!

Idag fyller allra bästa A år! Grattis säger jag och skickar många goa kramar!

Lucia

Weekend finally and again. The weeks fly by which of course is both good and bad. I'm excited that it's only one more week before I get to go home to the family but it makes me a bit stressed that I don't have more time to study. So as u can see, everything is like always :)

Last nite we went to I's housewarming party to celebrate and see her great new appartment on Götgatan (noooot jealous...) She pulled out her magic box with "ears" of all kinds and everybody loved them. This is me and M in our cute ears.

Today is of course LUCIA, one of Sweden's biggest Christmas traditions, and me, B and some others are going to see our friend sing with her choir and have some tomtegröt :) I'm excited because this for sure gives you a good Christmas spirit and I need and want that.

:)

B, the american bride to be, wrote this when I told her I'm coming to the wedding:

YOU ROCK!!

XOXO

B

I do rock.

Crêpes voila!

Another day of ONLY studying. I'm sorry to bore you all, I should write about more fun stuff. Just, there isn't that much fun going on at the moment. I am working and studying paralell and I am lucky to squeeze in something else in the rest of my time.

A time like last nite. I went to N's goodbye-party, she's moving back to France, and we all ate thousands of selfdesigned Crêpes! So good, especially since we could put anything we wanted on them so it turned into an orgie of Crêpes and fillings! I brougt Kinder chocolate (yumm!) and Nutella and I wasn't the only one t think sweet so I ended up bringing home alot of Nutella again and now I'm looking for recepies with Nutella so that I can use it somehow. Maybe I'll make a Crêpes fiesta here at home ;)

Italy and France

As it turns out I will probably share room with the girls, G and C, at the wedding in Italy. Yeah, what a girlsweekend! We all, including the bride, got to know eachother in Barcelona learning Spanish and living la vida loca, a reunion will be awesome. Yay, I can't wait!

And just the thought of getting the reason for shopping for a superchique dress, just...just...just makes me jump! It's still a while until the wedding but it doesn't hurt to start thinking and planning a little bit. :)

Now I am off to a French Crêpe dinner, yummy!

Bossing around

Now I finally got myself a ticket back home for christmas. I had to pay full price for the first time, not with a student discount like before. I don't study enough this semester to get that privilige. It sucks getting older.

My boss turned up more or less unannounced at work today. We had heard the rumour but weren't 100 % sure. Suddenly there he was, with a big bag of Danish :) It was a rather calm and easy meet and greet, he was really on his way south and just stopped by the capital to visit us shortly. Luckily. Mean I know, but I don't like the feeling of having someone checking my work behind my back.

I had a long talk with D tonite, I needed it. It's nice to just unload to good friends sometimes when alot is going on and she understands me very well. She's an excellent amateur therapist ;)

Ciao bella!

I haven't been on the blog for some days. I have waaaay too much to do right now and I am stressed. Stressed. Yep that's what I am. I have to write thesis, study for an exam and find a job. All this while also juggling my life. The little rest of it that is left when I don't do the first named things.

Today I got a very nice letter though. It made me see some light in this dark winter. In April I'm invited to my american friend's wedding in Italy! Can you imagine how cool?! I'm so excited, for them and for me who gets to be there. I will do everything I can to be there. The invitation says:

Transportation to and from Milan airports and your accomodation from 1-6 April, 2009 at Hotel ..., have been reserved.

:D

Hmmmm...

Heute ist Nikolaustag und ich bekomme GAR NICHTS! Ich will auch kleine Wihnachtsmänner aus Schokolade. ICH WILL ICH WILL ICH WILL!

Sauer.

I sure told you

Yeah that's right! I am grown up and I CAN eat breakfast at 1 pm if I want! Ha!

Smile

Just back from work. This is the moment where I love my couch more than anything. More than once I have fallen into a sweet-hour-or-two-sleep, watching afternoon crap on TV and just...just... smile. And today it's Friday, the beginning of the weekend and maybe something fun will happen. :)

Brunette?

It's been a while since I payed my hairdresser a visit. Then, she helped me prolong my summerblond curls (not, but you get the point). Now, that summerblond is halfway out and I'm starting to look like a tiger. The thing to do is another makeover. But blond again, or BROWN?

Yeah, what do you think about that? I am a natural light brown head so it wouldn't be anything else but going back to the roots really. But it's been so long now and it feels a bit scary... I'm thinking as a transition a dark blond would be good, kinda like this.

Picture

Gäralaus

Man kanske ofta beklagar sig över sin jobbsituation eller bara att man för tillfället har ett ganska trist och händelselöst liv. Men som gäralaus, som vi säger på jamska, blir man den bästa uppfinnaren. Jag lyssnar som bekant på mycket radio när jag jobba och inte mycket händer och idag har jag lämnat den vardagliga radiostreamen på P3 och lyssnat mig igenom en mängd "Sommar i P1" program från i somras.

En sådan lycka. Underhållande och informativt. Mest underhållande dock, då de flesta pratar om sitt liv. Men ett tips är att om du missat något Sommar-program i somras så kan du lyssna på dem igen via deras hemsida. Jag har av helt okänd anledning lyssnat på tre komikers prat (David Batra, Mickael Tornving, Pia Johansson) och en popstjärna (Annika Norlin), av vilka två kommer från mitt Östersund (Tornving och Norlin).

Ai ai ai

Man, so many things going on right now and not the good kind. I can't even go into it. Just think of me every once in a while folks.

Thanx.

Klausur

In ca zwei Wochen habe ich eine Übersetzungsklausur in Deutsch. Das wird echt nicht einfach. Ich kann schon einen Text mehr oder weinger korrekt übersetzen, aber es geht nicht nur darum. Man muss auch einen besonderen Stilistik haben, wenn es ein Fachtext ist muss ich auch Fachsprache benutzen (ja, ich bin überpädagogisch). Und manchmal kann man das gleiche mit mehreren Wörtern schreiben, aber sie passen nicht immer alle in dem Zusammenhang rein. Das muss ich dann beurteilen können. Glaubt ihr, ich schaffe das?

The Hills maraton

Jag har varit så uttråkad idag att jag haft The Hills-maraton. Då fick jag lite roligare. Lättroad var ordet. Seriemaratons är förresten jättebra när man har trist en helgdag eller kväll. Man slipper liksom det där "vänta tills nästa vecka". Ett tips bara.

Got nothin'

Yep, I had another day off, unwillingly. Days off can be cool, but that's when you know that there is something waiting for you the rest of the days. I am not so sure right now. These times of transition suck, they make me insecure and I feel stressed about nothing. I still haven't heard from the new comapny, only that "these things take time" and "we get back to you as soon as possible". Right.

I did do something productive though. I studied for the exam I have in a few weeks. It is an exam in translation so it isn't that easy to study for, I do execise translations. That'll do. There is really not much else I can do right now. I am broke out of my pants. Don't have a nickle over for fun. *Sigh* I'm not sure how I will survive this month. I just hope I can start that new job soon and make two salaries for next payday.