Urban Suburbia

Today has been spent lazying about watching La haine (Hatred), drinking green tea, eating porridge, and sketching EP ideas (well the early morning). Nina is helping out (she studies drawing at Westminster) which is great because I don't love the "concept" Christian's come up with. I'm not into tacky geeky-lego covers.

In the evening, we met up with Glenn (our old art teacher) for some pints at Gyllene Praag once again. I had a Czech beer saugage-thing on the side which is a "typical Czech beer snack" apparently. I will know once I'm in Czechoslovakia, thank you very much. We concluded that women can't afford to be unattractive, they make sure to stay fit, it's pre-natively programmed as well as a necessity to climb on top of the competition and avoid social ostracism.

Then I walked back to my home in Urban Suburbia.

Gyllene Praag:

My hood:

Artsy Dreams

Yesterday I met up with Regina in town, boy, Helsingborg is looking snazzy!

We went to Ebba's Fik to shot some coffee and eat some cake.

Then we skipped on to the pub Utposten were we got ourselves a half litre of the cheapest beer, equivalent to £4.20...

We scurried on to Gyllene Praag (Golden Prague) my favourite pub to hang out in, to get ourselves some Czech lager. Yeah lager is pretty much the thing here in Scandinavia (if you want a half litre of Guiness you pay £6.60)

I spotted my old art teacher from high school, Glenn and so he joined us and we concluded that it would be best in this current social construct if everybody was gay (because you know, men are cultured to be animals)

Then Nina joined in from across the other side of the ocean

Nina and I called it a night, the fat man waved us goodbye and "see you tomorrow"

Nina, Regina and I decided that we want to go to New York again in August when we're all 21 (I'm the last of the bunch)!!!!!

here is the proof:

Regina on a crazy post-modernist bench!

One of the It-clubs in Helsingborg:

The super-organised architectural structure of Scandinavia:

Ebba's Fik (Café):

Utposten:

Gyllene Praag:

Glenn and myself:

Nina and frost in her hair (it's only -5):

Silly Americans

After returning from my country house yesterday, eating dinner at my dad's new place, after spewing my guts out from the cream in the vegetable mash (lactose intolerant) I ran over James' and we had some shots and Danish lager, it was merry. But I skyped with his Puritan friends over in Champaign, Illinois, what recluses! They're silly for calling a man with a scarf (dressed really quite ska-like) a woman! And they asked why I wasn't in the kitchen "why isn't the woman in the kitchen when you guys are hungry?"

They weren't kidding.

Now I'm off to meet my good freind Regina in Town, o lala!

Regina and I in New York last year catching Asobi Seksu, rummaging through Williamsburg Arts & Crafts Fair, hunting rarities in Record Stores in Downtown Manhattan, clubbing in Greenpoint, chilling at our place in Williamsburg:

Christmas Fairy Tale

This summarises the days I spent at my country house outside of Gothenburg celebrating Christmas. It was very quiet and cosy and we just watched movies and ate loads of fresh home made food, really. Didn't get much reading done. But whenever we did go outside it was vastly beautiful and very cold (-15), my step-mom freaked me out by saying "your tights will mesh with your thighs!"

My dad bewildered by saying that mice lie deep in the snow to stay warm in the winter. I don't think that's true. The tiny little wild forest mice came in from the cold, traps were set in most corners, my step-granddad said "the best way to kill them is to shoot them" so they brought forth a shotgun.

Here is the proof:

Where I slept:

Living room

Frontyard view:

Various views from the terrace:

We're in the yellow house!

Christmas dinner:

The day after, traditional Swedish food: lutefisk

Ice skating, the winning activity of the visit:

Glad to be back in civilisation!

I am the Angel of Cakes!

It's really cool when your step-mom's parents adore you!

Bake you cakes and call you Angel!

This stay at our country house isn't too bad after all, very overindulgent in terms of meat, whisky, wine and schnapps. I don't like schapps.

But I like having lunch from 2.30-6, having glögg (mulled wine) and Roquefort on gingerbread as an appetiser, have intermissions between the meals and then two mains and finally dessert in the couch with great Swedish coffee and home made gingerbread cake, saffron buns and all that jazz!

Now I am off to watch Chaplin in The Great Dictator, shazam!

But not gonna lie, I miss the spontaneity of Dundee and the lovely grazable people!!

I miss...

going out in Dundee with Ken (yeah we're in Kings and Cowards together, me and this master of music) and Andy (womanizer, you need to treat your women better)

because you meet loads of people that you love (Kirsty)!!!!!

.. and some really funny chaps (Aled)

.. chilling at Lindsay, Annuka and Mandi's (here with Paul)

...Dan and Annuka of Dizzuka!

See you soon - I come bearing more Christmas-y spirit!

Geneva trip!

Annuka is the bomb!

Oawaiy!

I have booked a flight to Geneva to visit Annuka!

And skiii!

Finally!

Oh what fun!

Finally, made it over to Scandinavia!

Ah!

After being "trapped" in Dundee for an extra few days (I really don't mind cause some really cool people are staying there over Christmas) I managed to fly home yesterday in this really old tiny miniplane. I looked at my ticket prior to boarding and was like "oohh" good I get to sit in the front.

12A was 3 rows from the far back of the plane, 3 people per row, you crouched as you were boarding, and the aisle was for skinny people only. Like a business class jet from the 80's.

I was passed out the whole time like a baby probably dreaming obscenities not drooling too much, I missed breakfast and as I left the aircraft the stewardess was like "Nice to meet you!"

I was like "yeaaah..."

Everyone was way too keen for my sleep-deprived liking.

But when I got out of the airport and on the train I remember what I miss about Scandinavia, and what I only fully appreciate when I have been away for a while - everyone is so attractive, was eyeing up quite a few bodies on the journey home! And everything is so pretty, the architecture is nice, clean and minimalist - Scandinavia is (too) vain for it's own good!

We celebrated Christmas at mom's yesterday, pretty awesome with a Swedish julbord, meatballs, eggs, smoked salmon, herring, ham, the lot!

The present I appreciated a lot was the stack of LP's I got (basically making up my collection since I only own 3, Jon & Vangelis Private Collection, Jean Michel Jarre's Equinoxe, and Latin Kings) including Steppenwolf, Joe Cocker, Elton John, the Animals, Rolling Stones, Beatles, etc and some crazy titty covered LPs.

Now we're off to take the bus up to our summerhouse outside Gothenburg to celebrate Christmas at dad's!

Best hurry!

Yesterday's julbord:

Snaps! C'est trés degoûtant!

Mom as Post-Modernist Santa Claus!