20.000 views under the sea

This is not going to be a really big post. And its amazing to see less than a year in here 20.000 views.

I have been sick for the past 5 days with loads of fever and spent them in bed. Apart from today. Today i had a presentation at university in the environmental assessment course. For you interested in that, an environmental assessment is an activity/process that is used to determine the impact of projects or phenomena on the ecosystem/human health and they offer solutions, methods to minimize or prevent them.

I felt the need to write about what happened today. I had 39 fever and i made a colossal effort to stay awake all night and complete my presentation. I presented about the Great Barrier Reef and the effects of dredging and the politics behind this in the Australian government.

I was there sitting for 3 hours with burning eyes waiting patiently for my turn. We were around 10 people in the room plus the supervising professor, Henrik. He is pretty young, cool and helpful.

I spend hours in the presentation. I really did. When i hear the word presentation i expect some visual material, at least in academia. Or something innovative that will keep me interested or that i will be able to absorb the information.

So we were stuffed in a microscope room for presentations. The computer had issues working as well. Definitely not a great start! Moving on Erika starts first. I like how she is not only pretty but also very intelligent. She pays attention, she has always questions to ask and she has a vibrant and colorful personality too. I was a bit nervous because i did not know if i picked the correct structure for my topic. So she reassured me that i was in the right path after she finished.

The problems started after that. Another girl spoke for 3-4 minutes when the presentation should be around 15. She had around 8 slides when i had 22 so i started to worry again. Then another one showed up and she had only one picture with a few information and she went on to talk about her project for 10 minutes. It is very hard to retain all the information and make constructive criticism just like this.

Then another one from my group came on. She had an interesting project on wind mill parks in northern Sweden and the Sami people are protesting. And then she says she has no presentation. She pulls out a chunk of papers and starts reading from them. I frankly do not remember almost anything. And that makes me sad because i really liked the topic and i really like the Sami people.

Then my turn comes. I do great considering my condition. But when you are up there and you look at everyone, you are like a teacher. You see every detail going around. And i could not take my eyes off someone in the far back who was sleeping or trying to keep his eyes open every 10 seconds.

Most of the presentations had great topics and some came with good presenters too. But i felt really offended by the other occurrences. In the effort i put to make one and others didn't at least. I don't know maybe that's me. Maybe i do not expect this in a masters level program. Oh well.

Lastly i might make a review on the Dumb and Dumber To movie one day. It's is unreal. You should watch it in 24 monthly doses because i just close it every 5 minutes. Its unbelievably bad.

That's it for now. Goodnight Sweden

“Sweetie, your shorts are shrinking by the second.”

I have been sitting here in front of the screen for 2 hours. Scratching my head trying to find something worth writing.

Some of you anonymous people might still follow me and read what i write. I could complete the adventures of the kid. I could make fun of things and tell you about my lazy sundays playing Hearthstone or simply fooling around with Jaime and his incredible dad. I could write a new story or share what happened last new year. I could write more from my memoirs regarding my past love or the dreaded army days. Or i could actually do something useful and tell you which bus goes where in Uppsala, how much the fares cost or the prices for food. I could teach you chemistry, statistics or how to write a proper report and then present it without death by PowerPoint.

These things are all good but the things that bother me are 2.

I always ask for support, a share, a like, a comment on what to do, what to write, if i suck or not. The last comments i received helped me regain my grip on reality and were a strong smack in the face. I want that. I need that. I don't want to be stale. So please, any suggestions would be nice. Hell i can vlog you through Uppsala sometime with a goPro camera.

A few months ago i published 2 informational interviews with two incredible women. Women that make a difference daily and were so interested in sharing their information with people like us, aspiring young students, professionals, ambitious people or people that needed guidance and to light up their spark. The interviews of Sandie Will and Sara Dolatshahi.

I posted them up in facebook, stumbleupon, vkontakte, google+ and any place i could think of. Because i thought it was worth it. I got 0 comments, a couple of likes and a very warm reception from these two women. I thank them very much.

Yesterday i was browsing the facebook news. I saw a girl i did not know, probably around 15 dressed in the most disgusting, repulsive and sexist way in a playboy style pose. She was probably a friend of someone i knew and represented everything that is wrong in the modern society. Objectification of women and the need that is instilled to them by social pressure and the modern woman of the 00's that they have to wear as less as possible to be attractive. I bet she feels nice about herself. I don't care, it's good that she does, but do i have, no wait, do i want to see the butt-cheeks of a 15 year old on my wall? Because that's how short were her pants.

But that is not the case, it's her life and the freedom they have been granted by their parents. But noooo kind sir, not only i will dress like that, i will post it on facebook so everyone can tell me how pretty i am and i can feed my ego and raise my self esteem. What the fuck is wrong? Where did the strong, independent, intellectually stimulating women go?

The rant stops here and i will get to my main point. That photo had 352 likes. Another one of my friends drinking vodka and being "skål bitches" had 200. And it kept going like this. Maybe they had more friends who knows but these photos have become so generic yet people continue to like them. But when there is a text that has something actually interesting to read and learn, they don't care.

Last week on new year's i was in Flogsta after seeing the most depressing fireworks in the world with my friend Elizabeth. It reminded me why i don't go out in clubs or party like mad. It was disgusting, funny at times and worth making a documentary about. Maybe you blokes would like to see a video in action. A man approaches me tilting his head like he was seeing Joan D'arc and he kisses me on the chick, then his first line was:

"I'm bisexual, no homo" 

I am really irritated because he smells like vodka and his behavior is repulsive. So my reply was:

"If you touch me again i will snap your dick and shove it up your ass"

Can you guess what his reply was just as i was about to punch him on the throat and break his kneecaps?

"Ok i will not talk about politics i am sorry". Like, my tiny little nipples have went to France and i like to do the cha cha like a sissy girl. Then he jumped on top of an asian dude lying dead on the couch.

I could post pictures or videos of these crap and get 50-100 likes per photo.  I don't want to. I want to escape from this. No wonder i have nothing interesting to write about. And YOU are going to help me do it i hope. Suggest something to write about. Something about politics? Greece? Info on Uppsala life? Info on my shitty masters program? Or maybe you would like to know how my idiotic colleague sent a report with the phrase "very crash, a lot of sad".

Peace out, goodnight Sweden.

Sadly i had to eat Rudolf.

PS. Elizabeth, i am going to miss you. Kevlar, you too man.

Adventures of the Kid

The Kid woke up.

He was sweaty and tired, trying to understand what was real and what was not. He had a very vivid dream he could not escape from. A black void with a distant light that was beyond reach. He looked around, searching with his hands blindly in the darkness, trying to find his glasses.

He grabbed them finally above his head, they were strategically placed on the hand holder. When he wakes up he always feels what a terrible burden bad eyesight is. It is a curse, maybe a blessing in disguise too sometimes, not to see the abominal things that people do to each other and animals every day.

He regained his composure, then he wiped the window with his right arm. It was cold, he felt the ice on the window penetrating his bones, reaching into his soul. But he forgot all about it in a split second. For he was about to witness things few people in the world will. He would see worlds you could not possibly imagine, dream or draw, worlds of such beauty and exotic that you would have to be in a barren moon in the other side of the galaxy.

There was snow everywhere, sparkling into the darkness like a tiny million stars, engulfing everything in a white veil. Trees as high as mountains, little wooden houses hand built in the middle of a white snowy plain. The arctic circle before his very eyes. He would be engrossed in this majestic sight for over a week and felt so alive as never before.

The Kid was never frightened. Because he looked around and he saw people he liked, that made him happy and made him forget all his problems. He looked on his left and he saw the Fox sleeping in an uncomfortable position, like an S letter. He giggled inside and he grabbed her legs and stretched them on his lap. She let a shriek of comfort.

He looked on his left again. He saw the Joulu Koira. The Dog of Christmas. For most of the trip she was nervous, looking left and right with a constant gaze that oozed with nervousness and uncomfortableness. The Kid touched her and tried to comfort her. She was shaking. Poor thing. The Kid squeezed himself in the corner even more, trying to make as much space for the Fox and the Dog. He was uncomfortable, as he was never able to sleep in a moving vehicle. But he was rewarded with the warmest look from the Dog, like she appreciated his move and cuddle into a furry round ball to sleep.

Food??!

He then turned his sight on the middle row. On the left, the Squirrel was sleeping. She was Fox's twin sister so sleeping was normal for them. In the middle slept the little sister of the pack, the Camel. And on the right Groot. A tall, slim man with a deep voice. He could easily be converting people into believing him with that voice for sure. He was also Squirrel's boyfriend.

In the driving seat there was the Beer. Dad actually never drank any alcohol and he spoke little to no English. Yet most of the times he told the Kid: "Kid! Beer!". Next to him was Aiti. Mom was quiet most of the times, except when they were all playing cards. The Kid already misses her cooking.

The Kid looked at his iPad. They begun their journey around 4am and it was barely 11:00. He spent the first hours playing silly games, listening to music and radio stations, hugging the dog and pretending to sleep. He needed to stretch his legs so bad.

And his wish came true. A gas station with green colors and a warm place, in the middle of nowhere, completely covered in snow.

A place to rest.

The kid took a moment to stretch his legs and arms. He helped the Fox and the Dog get out. They jumped like little children, a little sleepy and drowsy. And then they opened the trunk to unleash the hounds of hell. Red-bull, the Belgian Malinois and the Black Queen, the Belgian Shepherd. Red-bull was so energetic running around like it was the end of the world, while the Queen walked patiently and with class, as she was an older veteran.

Then the Kid forgot all the distractions and gasped at his surroundings. White snow turning the earth into an icy palace, all the way until the woods far away. All the family then proceeded to the building in order to drink and eat.

The Kid decided to buy nothing and went in the bathroom to empty his bladder. Oh the relief. They sat down in a big table large enough to fit 7 people. The Beer said something towards the Kid in Finnish. The Squirrel translated it for him.

"In this family you always have to eat", she told him.

The Kid wondered what that meant. But he would soon discover this.

They set on their way again into the endless straight highway. There were about 7 hours left on that road trip. The Kid spent his time playing and watching the Avengers for the 10th time. He played some more games. He listened to the entire GTA IV radio stations. He watched the others play a weird game with Finnish names. He listened to Camel and Groot laughing as hard as they could playing a weird football game where small people jumped around like Robin van Dolphin.

Occasionally the Fox woke up to drink some Pepsi or play Binding of Isaac. The Kid always loved to hear her play, because she made ridiculously funny commentary in English that reminded him of himself.

15:00

The Kid felt a whole week had passed in that car. The sky was already pitch black but they were so close. The radio was on the whole time, playing traditional Christmas Finnish songs. He saw a sign saying Kittila and Levi. He was fueled by curiosity, trying to guess how would the cottage would look like.

They entered the town. Dad pulled off in a local supermarket. They would visit it so many times. The Kid went inside and it was like a stampede. All 6 members of the family spread, divide and conquer at its finest. The Kid was wondering what was this sorcery, as they kept throwing things inside the baskets and the cart. They were going to war. For the cheese a whole cow must have been milked. For the 12 bottles of Pepsi and Coke either a secret deal was made or a pact with the Devil. Meat, vegetables, candies, enough to last a generation, or 2 days with a Finnish family. He did not forget those 24 cans of beer either.

Were they going to a war bunker? Were they going to live underground hidden from humanity and social contact? The Kid was about to be surprised in a very pleasant way. They entered slowly a small snowy road with huge buildings, each with each own garage, snowmobiles, stairs and all kinds of luxuries. Just a few meters away the carriers for skiers that led to the top of the slope. Wow. The Kid was staggered. The adventure had just begun.

Next to Levin Rolli.

Goodnight Sweden.

From dusk till dawn

Why always me? This is a thought that accompanies me whenever i travel. I always find myself into sticky situations i loath and try to avoid.

When i have a big trip i just want to relax, since i can rarely sleep in a moving vehicle or aircraft. Every time there is a person sitting next to me or in close proximity that i end up wanting to choke with my bare hands.

My usual co-passengers are:

A) Smelly

B) Loud and cracking worse jokes even than me

C) Couching like they are dying in a corner with tuberculosis

D) Poor young children that unavoidably cry so much i want to shoot myself in the foot.

E) All the above

Today i had a mixture of b) with a lot of d). It's ok i will survive. I always do.

The trip to Athens though was good. I had my own seat in the bus. I spent most of those 3 long hours listening to music. Thoughts spun like a whirl inside my head, the lyrics of each song reminding me something from my life, some of them looking like they were tailor made for me. I caught myself staring at the dark abyss outside the window with a blank stare while i was thinking, trying to relive those situations. I wrote everything in paper on my notepad so i did not forget a thing.

I made it to Athens and took a cab. More than 20 years i take taxis but it was the first time ever i woman was driving it. We had a chat until i made it home which was nice because she was super friendly and discussed her story with me. She has a 30 year old son and a 28 year old daughter. I wish them well. She was amazed by my story and kept asking me questions about Sweden and life here. As a good ambassador i told her the best things.

I greeted my sister and we watched some really terrible greek shows that remind me why i don't watch greek television. I remember loads of tits, porn filming by amateurs and an erotic festival that is there to promote dildos of any kind. This is entertainment at its finest.

I upgraded my Dark Energy Drill to level 2 and i slept on the couch. I had to wake up at 5am and get the bus, change two metro lanes and finally wait 1.5 hour in the airport.

As you have probably noticed i have a lot of strange dreams lately. But last night's was even more bizarre than usual. I don't remember the purpose or every little detail but some things were pretty interesting. Apparently i was black and my name was "Devon Alexander". I was sleeping with a half naked Charlize Theron which is peculiar because i don't really like her and i was attending a weird espionage like event/school were i used a hydrogen fueled jet-exosuit. No i don't play CoD: Advanced Warfare.

Next morning i actually googled Devon Alexander. Guess what. He is a black professional boxer. A pretty good one i might add as well. I also played boxing myself. What a strange coincidence i have never heard of that guy before. How dreams work i am so amazed.

I will sleep a bit and continue later because there are more airport stories and i really need the energy for my trip to Finland tomorrow.

--------Short Break---------

Back in action. Why do we always have to overthink? Wouldn't all of our lives be much simpler? Everything has been said and done, let it go. Always looking for answers, if only one. An endless loop every day torturing our minds, from dusk till dawn.

That was what i was thinking during my stay in Athens International Airport. A guy with turquoise pants and glasses approached me during my entrance there and asked me where should he go. I pointed him to the right direction and i printed my boarding pass. Luckily my luggage was not overweight by half a kilo so i proceeded to a cafeteria to drink some overpriced energy drink so i don't fall asleep.

Then i went to exit B26 through the body check and x-rays. Apparently you can't transfer olives because they have liquid. I was pretty sad since we wrapped it up in a great little package for Carita and her family.

I sat in the lobby at my exit gate waiting patiently since i still had 1 hour till boarding. There was a young couple next to me with a cute little baby. The man turns to me and asks me in english if i know where people smoke.

He sounded russian so i told him in his language i don't know and that he has a very pretty little daughter. I wanted to talk more to practice my russian but he did not seem interested. Oh well, it's not like my social skills are fantastic lately.

A middle aged couple and their daughters sat down next to me. I overheard them visiting their niece in Stockholm as she was getting her PhD in Biology. Congratulations! We had a friendly chat as the boarding was delayed a little.

Then i watched half the avengers movie trying not to kill myself from the 5 babies crying everywhere. I was really tired and the poor things were stressed by all the flying, noise and bumping. My luggage took forever to arrive and i saw snow outside waiting for the bus to Uppsala. I felt so drained and incredibly hungry but i managed to hold on until the arrival at the train station. I raced towards the closest Pressbyran to buy some cinnamon buns and i almost ski'd there due to the slippery ice.

Then the man at the cashier took 5 tries to understand that i want a "kanelbulle". Deal with it. I devoured it on the way and crawled to bus number 7 with my oversized bags. And now i am at home. Preparing for my next trip. And the next after it. 14 hours in the car oh the horror! But it's with the greatest company ever so i am also very excited!

Why do people hurt each other? Why does almost every love story end up in ruins? Or even worse. Why can't we all put down our weapons so the other guy inside us doesn't make a mess? We already have a life that is so demanding. Anger will lead to stress and that will lead to pain and loss of health and neurological and mental conditions. We will make it don't worry. Stay happy and keep it real. We will get to that in a future post.

Until then i will leave you with a picture from outside my house. Welcome in Sweden.

Winter is upon us.

Goodnight my friends!

PS. If anyone noticed i incorporated some ads on my blog. They give me revenue simply when you enter my blogpage. YOU DON'T HAVE TO CLICK ON THEM. Thank you!