Back to (almost) no sugar diet!

Martin and I just decided we were feeling so much better off sugar than now that we are back and slipping back into old habits. So we decided to adjust the rules slightly, so we wouldn't feel as restrained especially in our normal social activities. 


Ruled out: Chocolate, sweets, ice cream, pastries, crackers and cookies, desserts, pies, squash (as in mix juice/concentrate crap), flour: meaning white bread, rice, pasta, syrup, all kind of marmalades and jellies, food with refined sugars, sweetened soy milk, sport drinks, sweetened coffee.

Still in: Fruit, fresh juice (make sure no added sugar!), raisins, nuts. Obviously all kind of veggies, cereals, whole wheat bread, rice and pasta, lactose such as milk and unsweetened yoghurt, eggs, coffee, tea, mate and honey, but only for cooking. Alcohol is ok too


Allowed in small amounts: Pastries such as desserts or fika is allowed once a week, pizza but only as a treat and so is white flour. Meaning, if someone invites you it's allright, but not ok to buy it yourself! Martin is allowed marmelade once a week too.

So, this starts on monday. We are to do a 3 month "challenge" with a monthly update session (every 21th). Seems like we are sort of organised this time, like we know what we are getting into and the aim is not to push ourselves as hard as possible but to create a sustainable relation to food. Yay for us and for treating your body the way it deserves!

Sugar free: Day 29

Second last day of no sugar. AWSOME.

It's been up and down. Hard, but not impossible. Knowing that the day would come when I could have it again and that it wasn't forever has helped me keep the spirits up. This last week I've actually not thought that much about it, which has been nice but also resulted in some accidental fails...

List of fails
1. Ice cream dinner (emo breakdown)
2. Giffel
3. One slice of white bread
4. Lingonberry jam that I thought was sugar free but that wasn't
5. Mum's home made müesli which contains syrup
6. The white bread on a falafel, it was impossible to eat only the content

And I am completely fine with this. Actually, this is sort of how I would like my life to be. (You see an attitude change here? Psychologists say behaviour change attitude). Maybe have a dessert or something nice now and then, but not every day and not feeling bad about it when I do. My skin has gotten a lot better, and I can eat heaps without gaining weight since your body can't take up fat if you don't eat sugar (that's how Atkins work too). And an occasional glass of wine or beer, even though I've managed very well without too.

So everyone, try this. I really mean it. It's so worth it!

Next 30 day challenge then? I have decided to go for Creative Writing: 30 min per day. I want to boost my poetry writing and work on a scene project I'm putting up for May. Woop!

Forgetting Fun

Ok, I need my blog again. I need to ventilate my heart, I need to empty that litter bin that some people use as a head, for proper thinking. Glitt is back.

So now what, was my thinking. The other day, I was studying and I figured I deserved a break to go do something else. And my mind answered my thought by "what else is there to do?" I guess that is a warning sign of being shit boring.

And yesterday, a friend was trying to teach me a game. I didn't even give it a proper try before I decided it was not worth while. WHY? When did I turn this boring? Asking myself that question, I have actively searched for something fun to do. And there is nothing that comes to my mind, that I think of as fun. I sure hope this is temporary and that I can do something about it fast.

What do I think is fun? I mean, I like running, because it makes me feel good, but funny? Not really. I write poetry of free will, but it is an urge to put words on a paper and I'm not sure that's too funny either. Watching comedies make me want to go and get my life sorted.

Ok, fun. Any input is good. Until then I will pause studying and read a book. It's not funny, but good.

Café review XI-XV

Here come some more café reviews. I think I write them mainly so that I can map how many of the cafés in Malmö I have been to, and make sure to try different ones.

Chez Madame: This café re-opened in a place which used to be called Old Bridge. This is one of the new hot spots in town; it is trendy, organic, healthy... But also very noisy, long tables and very crowded. I was actually a bit disappointed, since cosiness is very important to me at cafés. Not too comfy (I can ditch a café if their chairs look uncomfortable) and there is just no peace and quiet. But I was there at rush hour, so it might be nicer at some other time of the day.

Café Agnez: This place is a bit more expensive than others, buuut it is vegan, they have some raw food snacks (that are cheaper than in other places) and a backyard where you can sit even if it is cold since they have heating and blankets. it doesn't get windy because of the high buildings surrounding it, but that means there's not much sun either... Everything is home made and organic, which makes your stomach and conscience happy, but your wallet a little sad.

Kungsgatan: Prepare to fight for your table and have lots of trolleys around you. this is the favourite hangout for Swedish "latte-mammor", but they have all the reason to be here - it is gorgeous. Their sunday brunch is crowded but used to include waffles, they make their own bread, and the interior design is beautiful. Big windows, 19th century furniture in white, blue and gold... Sweet and classy but still not overpriced.

Glassfabriken: The alternative, vegan, "I'm so cool I fuck the system" hangout. But it is really nice actually, nice furniture and good food, only home made (vegan) pastries. Prices are all right too, but since it is run completely by volunteers, the staff is the slowest and crappiest ever. Don't order anything they have to prepare for you if you don't have a lot of time. It will be yummy, but prepare to spend a good amount of time waiting for them to even notice you are there.

Puls Espressobar: One early morning I walked around all of town to find a nice place to study. This place has amazing coffee and the owner was super-nice, and you can really tell he cares about the coffee. The interior is not too interesting, no wifi and no cool pastries but I got to be alone on the almost secret second floor. Not too pricey either.

Sugar free: Day 22

So just above three weeks have past and only one week left to go! It feels pretty amazing, it was so hard in the beginning and every day of no sugar was a great challenge. Now it is part of my everyday life to say no.

How long did it take me to get rid of the cravings? Well, I would say maybe five days to get rid of the worst, then maybe two weeks to not get random cravings regularly. I mean, I can still feel the desire to eat something, but the thought of it is not overwhelming. One very good thing to do is to sort all the sweet thinks out of reach. I have a little stock of hidden goods, but it's a bit complicated to reach them... I saw the importance of that today when I decided to have a little "giffel" (mini-cinnamon roll) just because I had bought them (to bribe others) and there were some left. It was good, but not that good. And no desire to have more than one, which I feel immensely relieved by.

I have gone through an emotionally pretty rough period, which means that I otherwise would have comforted myself with heap loads of chocolate. Now I know there is sugar free chocolate, but I think that would just make me eat heap loads of that so I ruled that out too. One evening I felt completely miserable and had ice cream for dinner. I actually didn't feel too bad about it, maybe my stomach wasn't too satisfied but I had no wish to go back to my prior diet.

Alcohol then. Yes, I miss having wine sometimes (had a dinner out where I really missed it) but as for the partying, I had a great night out and saved quite a lot of money. This has never really been an issue to me, but I will definitely drink more carefully after this challenge.

So, where do I see myself after this? I understand the people who decide to live like this always, but I choose not to. I will really try hard to keep my sugar intake restricted, maybe something like only weekends, or twice a week. I have done that earlier (2008) and it worked out fine. When it comes to my weight it really hasn't changed, which I interpret as I have more or less my ideal weight. I was happy with it before, and it is great if I can maintain it.

Today I had a weird mishmash of fruit, oats, hemp protein and tahini for breakfast, a few cups of coffee, a root vegetable/bean stew in coconut milk for lunch, some cereals with yoghurt in the afternoon, stir-fried veggies with whole grain pasta for dinner and topped up with some raspberries for dessert. Ok I would say.

Martin just wrote to me and asked me for new 30 day challenges. Now I would really like to do a vegan challenge, but I think I would need a week of normality to have the energy to do that. I have a new, very encouraging friend to help me out with motivation there, but I think that's a little over the top for Martin (you gotta be able to live somewhat normally, and I'm just saying this would require a lot of work, not that he wouldn't be able to). Another one I would really need is the no caffeine one, which I think would be all right since I could just replace everything with tea.

Other ideas...
Draw something everyday to boost creativity.
Write a poem every day.
Take a picture every day.
Write with my right hand (I am left handed) for 5 min every day.
Live only of dumpster dived food (hardcore...)
Practice yoga/tai chi/whatever every day.
Write emails or letters to friends you struggle to stay in touch with, for example 10 letters in 30 days (maybe hard to do as it requires some time).
Brush your teeth with your "wrong" hand.
Write down something you are happy about and something you could have done better/differently every day.
Keep a dream diary.

What do you think, Martin?

Sugar free: Day 6

This is what my breakfast smoothie looks like. Given its funky colour by the super food Spiroulina, an algae!

Food of today:

09:00 Breakfast	11:00 Fika	15:00 Lunch	20:30 Dinner	Other
Smoothie: Banana, apple, oat flakes, spiroulina, oat milk	Whole grain bun 2 cups of coffee	Tofu fried with sprouts, millet and salad	Buckwheat porridge and a hard bread sandwich with cream cheese	Mate Crisps

Café review V-X

So, I have been to quite a few cafés that I haven't reviewed yet, so here comes a little guide to some tops and lows...

Café Grannen (the neighbour): Kind of artsy place that I like because it has cheap coffee, only 15 sek. They have a pretty unpretentious breakfast buffet for 65 which is a good deal. Moreover, they have big tables suitable for studying/working, and they have free wifi. It is located not too far from where I live, but not in the centre, which means that it's generally not too crowded. A place to spend time!

Café Mocca has a good location and is not too crowded, since it is big but still not noisy. They have good opening hours (until 20:00) and their pastries look all right. My friend said their smoothie was really good, and apparently they also have wifi. Still, it's pretty impersonal and slightly boring.

Café Mys: Seriously, don't go here. They charge extra for your coffee refill (5 sek more, and it is 20 for the first), all their (4 different) pastries were pre-made delicato and pretty expensive. Also, the door doesn't shut properly so we had to get up about 10 times during the time we spent there to close it, as our feet got cold. They had reasonably comfortable chairs though, and as we sort of expressed that it was pricey and had to get up to close the door all the time, the owner refilled our cups for us. Thanks for that.

Espresso House at Davidhalls torg: Now I generally try to avoid this massive chain and they sometimes feel like a plague (there are 15 of them in Malmö!), but truth is, they make good coffee and pastries. They are a bit pricey (25 sek for a coffee) but they give you student discount and they refill your cup. This particular one is located slightly of the beaten track and I chose it because of their comfortable chairs to sit and read, but I was still distracted by all the families. And of course they have wifi.

Café Simpan (simrishamnsgatan): Ah. This is one original coffee shop. Everything is odd and funky, they make extremely good soy latte, home made sandwiches and carrot cake... Open until 01:00 three days per week and wifi, in the most popular hipster area of Malmö. Awesome? Yes. Too crowded? Pretty much always, which is a shame. If you are heading out at odd hours, try it!

Sugar free: Day 5

No more night mares but I am unfortunately getting a cold. My second this year! What have I done? So I take Kan jang, a natural medicine, make tea from fresh ginger and press lemon into it, and eat raw garlic. Its not so bad since I can't taste the garlic. Have spent some time in a café studying, will be doing much of that this week so should try to write some reviews. Today my flatmate had a chocolate cookie while at the café and I didn't get a craving. Yes, I think I have it under control. Tomorrow will be another test though, as it is Fettisdagen!

Today's food:

09:00 Breakfast	15:00 Lunch	19:30 Dinner	Other
Smoothie: Banana, pear, spiroulina, oat milk hard bread with cheese	Millet salad with blue cheese, avocado, fresh spinach, tomato and sprouts	Omelette with mushrooms and salad Fruit salad	Tea (fresh ginger) 2 cups of coffee

There is a lot of cheese in my diet right now, which is only because I managed to dumpster dive a lot of cheese last week...

Sugar free: Day 4

Lunch!

Tonight I dreamt that I accidentally ate sugar, which reminds me of when I became a vegetarian and used to have night mares about eating meat. But, then I went to a café (in real life, that is) and sat next to families having cup cakes, mud cake, etc etc. And I felt that yes it would have been nice, but I can do without it. Yes! Sugar cravings definitely going away, which feels awesome. But I still don't think I would want to live my entire life like this. There is something so nice and social about most foods and especially alcohol. I'm so glad I can still have coffee, but maybe that should be another 30 day challenge...

Food of today:

10:00 Breakfast	14:00 Lunch	19:30 Dinner	Other
Smoothie: Banana, orange, oat flakes, spiroulina, oat milk hard bread with cream cheese	pasta with tofu, tomatoes and fresh spinach bread with cream cheese	Buckwheat porridge and a cheese sandwich Fruit salad	Tea 2 cups of coffee A mandarin

Sugar free: Day 3

Lunch! Sorry for the crappy picture, Iphone camera in my kitchen...

Definitely less sugar cravings already. Went to yoga class today, since I had gained ½ kilo in those two days. Guess it's just natural variation, and I'm not worried at all about it.

Food of today:

10:00 Breakfast	14:00 Lunch	17:00 Snack	18:30 Dinner	Other
Smoothie: Banana, orange, oat flakes, spiroulina, oat milk yoghurt and müesli	Mashed potatoes with brussel sprouts, beans and carrot	Fruit salad	Buckwheat porridge and a hard bread sandwich with cream cheese	tea, some glasses of water

Sugar free: Day 2

How do I feel then? Cravings? Oh yes, but I can handle them. They make me understand that I need this detox, that I want to find a balance between an occasional treat and the every day sugar overdose. I so hope I can find that.

Food intake of today then:

7:30 Breakfast	12:30 Lunch	16:00 Snack	18:30 Dinner	32:00 Nearly midnight snack
Smoothie: Banana, apple, oat flakes, spiroulina, oat milk whole grain bread with cream cheese	Bulgur with tofu, beans and sprouts	Some avocado and bean sprouts	Mashed potatoes with brussel sprouts and a cheese sandwich (yes, whole grain)	Müesli with yoghurt

Doing fine! No coffee today either, which was good for me.

Sugar free: Day 1

Stumbled out of bed early this morning and got my body onto the scale. For a dietary experiment, controlling my weight seems like a good idea. I am very happy about the digits on the display, but I would like for my body to have a little more muscles and a little less fat. Let's see where this month will take me.

So, my food intake of today has looked like this:

7:30 Breakfast	12:30 Lunch	16:00 Snack	18:30 Dinner	Other
Smoothie: Banana, kiwi, oat flakes, spiroulina, oat milk Knäckebröd with cream cheese and tomato black coffee	Veggie stew with coconut milk	Whole grain bread with mozzarella cheese and tomato Walnuts	Bulgur with panfried vegetables (broccoli, zuccini...) in soy sauce	two apples, ½ litre of water, more coffee and tea

So far, so good, I would say. I have had some slight sugar cravings, but I'm pretty sure they arise because I know I'm not allowed to. I need to stock up on berries! (after defrosting the freezer...) I saw another Ted Talk the other day about keeping your goals to yourself, since talking about them apparently made you less likely to fulfil them. In this case I think they are wrong! Another Ted Talk was more into the same thinking as I am, that sharing the updates of his challenge gives him supportive pier pressure. Let's do that!

And how is Martin doing? Check out HERE

Countdown - last day of sugar

My idea was to eat as much sugar and unhealthy crap as possible today, to disgust me into doing this internal cleansing. It's been both tasty and yucky, I would say. Chocolate müsli, white bread and pasta, sweetened soy milk, pastries, sweets, crisps... yeah. It could possibly have been a little worse, but I definitely feel like I need what is coming. I should to remember to drink more water too during this.

How are you doing Martin?

30 Day Challenge: Sugar free diet

So, inspired by a TED talk by Matt Cutts about trying something new for 30 days, Martin (Cornish traveling friend) have decided to cut out sugar for 30 days. We both really need it. I mean, really.

So, we are to start on the 16th of February to end the 16th of March. Right now we are in the build up period: say goodbye to all the good stuff, meaning we just shared a Terry's chocolate orange for dinner. Great. (I'm going running tomorrow morning). And to put pressure on myself, I am going to blog about it so that someone reading my blog will come and kick me on the shin if I break the rules.

We still need to clear out the rules though. Martin has spent some time today researching sugar free diats, to see what is considered sugar and what's not.

Ruled out: Chocolate, sweets, alcohol, ice cream, pastries, crackers and cookies, desserts, pies, squash (as in mix juice/concentrate crap), flour: meaning white bread, rice, pasta, syrup, all kind of marmalades and jellies, all kinds of food with refined sugars (sweet chili sauce for example), sweetened soy milk, sport drinks, sweetened coffee.

Still in: Fruit, fresh juice (make sure no added sugar!), raisins, nuts. Obviously all kind of veggies, cereals, whole wheat bread, rice and pasta, lactose such as milk and unsweetened yoghurt, eggs, coffee, tea, mate and honey, but only for cooking.

Wish us good luck because we so need it! And I hope our day 31 will not look like Matt's.

February holidays

February has two big holidays in Sweden - valentine's day and the fat tuesday ('fettisdagen'). It is celebrated 47 days before Easter, which means 21 of February this year. The fat Tuesday means that you get to eat a pastry called 'semla'. However, due to rape of old traditions, it is now served all month. It's a sweet bun with an almond paste in it, and lots of whipped cream. The top of the bun is cut off, it is filled and is then given a "hat" when the top is put back on and powdered with icing sugar. Yeah, calories! There is also an online contest (found here) on who can eat the most of these during this month. Another fun (tragic) fact is that a Swedish king, Adolf Fredrik, died after having like 14 of those...


The other day, Valentine's day, is celebrated as everywhere else, the American way. This year I will celebrate slightly different by a Free Hugs-campain at Stortorget in Malmö. Feel free to join us, the event can be found on Couchsurfing! Last year I forgot about it, since I was working on a farm in Bolivia with no connection to the rest of the world... But if someone feels like giving me a gift this year to prove they love me, this is what I would like -->

TED talks

Ted talks is note just one guy, but randomly brilliant people from all over the world who hold speeches for 3-20 minutes about... anything. The slogan is "Ideas worth spreading" which results in a lot of science, but also generally cool projects, some economics, just good stuff.

So I found this smashing guy today talking about The happy secret to better work - his name is Shawn Achor, watch it HERE. Its really funny and his sister Amy is a unicorn.

Another super-inspiring woman is Karen Tse who holds an amazing speech about how to stop torture. Watch that HERE.

And last but not least, Sarah Kay is a spoken word poet who reads a jaws-dropping poem called "If I should have a daughter". Please watch it HERE.

Enjoy my dear ones, and please give me your favourites too.

Book of the month- January

Title: Lolita
Author: Vladimir Nabokov
First published: 1955
Rating: 3.5/5

Comment: So I have been interested in reading something Russian for a while, but afraid that it would be dry and too long and complicated. But this one caught my eye and since it is not that old, I thought I'd give it a try. It started out very nice, one gets puzzled by the protagonist and eager to get to know his mind - he is a paedophile. It is very rare and the perspective is certainly interesting. One gets to follow this man through his life and the girl he falls in love with - Lolita. Her real name is Dolores, meaning 'pains' in Spanish. Figure that one out. And the language is certainly creative and not dry at all. However, it is way too long. There is just too detailed descriptions of his everyday life, and after 300 pages of more or less the same message, you just want him to get through with it. Still very well worth a read, in my opinion.

Have you read it? Leave a comment!

Café review IV

Today I went out to have breakfast and study for a while, so I was looking for a place with wifi. I had walked past café Sockerbit before so I thought I'd check it out.

When it comes to pastries, it looks absolutely brilliant. It's creative, it's home made, it's food for your eyes and sweet tooth. I had a breakfast which was 49 sek (5 €) and included a coffee or tea, sandwich and a little cup of yoghurt and granola (müsli). It was good because it was enough, without leaving you hungry but still fairly cheap. Staff seemed allright and there are nice tables and chairs, quite a few in a pretty small room. Nice music but it is a new and popular place, so it gat pretty filled and loud around noon and I felt like I was wasting their precious space as I occupied a table for about 4 hours... I would love to go back but avoid rush hours! Nice organic fairtrade coffee with one refill, 25 sek (2,5 €).

Eyes on food and consumption

About doing something for someone else in this harsh world - there is a group in Malmö, Sweden, called Matförmedlingen - the food distribution. They get food thrown out by ab anonymous bakery and grocery store and then distribute it to people. It can for example be given to a shelter for homeless or distributed in the streets, but the main goal is to lessen the waste and show people that our consumption is ridiculous. They have a blog in Swedish that can be found HERE, have a look and get inspired!

Restrict the information flow

I have a pretty decent measurement of when I get too stressed - my hands blossom with rashes. Since this is not only ugly, it is painful, and the only way I've found to actively 'cure' it (I have been to both a Swedish and a Chinese doctor and tried many creams) is not to stress. Very easy for an enthusiastic little bouncy-ball like me. Not.

But one way that I definitely think is worth trying, is restricting my information input. Because the more information I get, especially if I don't get it when I can deal with it, stress me out. in this modern world, we get information ALL the time from all directions, and if I cant organise it, I get a red light blinking Overload. Not good.

So what can I do? Because I want to know things too. The most important thing to do for me was to get an extra email address, and this is where all my newsletters and really interesting things go. I can open it whenever I want, but I don't have to see it all the time. So now, my inbox is limited to mails concerning school, work and friends. Mainly. I know that whatever comes in is directed to me and it is important. If not, I can delete it immediately and unsubscribe from that source.

Another thing which I have to improve is not maintain my inbox open at all times. It's OK to not check my mail all the time. I don't have to be available. And the same goes for Facebook - it turns into a very addictive rape of my time and it is stressing to constantly remain updated about everyone, all the time. I am never alone anymore! The mere thought of it freks me out, and still I choose to live that way.

I was given an Iphone a while ago, which is very useful in many ways. Actually, I like it. But I don't like the idea of always staying connected and always be available. So far I haven't pursued an internet-all-the-time service, meaning I only use it online when I'm somewhere there's wifi. Yes it would be useful to eg. be able to check time tables and maps all the time, but it is an extra cost and I managed without it for 21 years, so I think I'll stay out of it for a little while more.

I was happy when I lived in the mountains of Colombia without electricity. No phone, no internet, no news other than what people who came there told me, which was not much. It allowed me to get to know myself more, to connect spiritually to my inner being and the environment. I miss it, even though I like my current situation too. I just have to learn how to compromise these worlds.

Now, I'm going to log out. I'm going to be alone. Sweet.

Date a girl...

"Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag.She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilightseries.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes."

Thank you, R.

Happy List

I decided to make a list of things that make me happy, because sometimes when it feels shit, well, I need it. And I thought that many of those things are probably things that make you happy too, that could inspire you to star thinking about those elements of your life. Writing, or just reading through the list actually makes me happy without even realising or performing what's on my list, because I remember beautiful things in my life.

Things that make me happy

1. Smoothies and fresh fruit juice
2. Learning things above the "common knowledge level" just because I'm interested
3. Reading good novels and poems
4. Skype conversations with my man or friends far away
5. Dumpster diving and finding something tasty
6. Long breakfast with my mum
7. Yoga
8. Travelling, especially by train
9. Give appreciated gifts
10. Swimming
11. The feeling after cleaning up
12. Get compliments
13. Good film/TV series
14. Feeling pretty in my clothes
15. Beautiful nature
16. Talking to friends
17. Cooking for someone
18. Tasty coffee
19. Walking in the sun
20. Running as exercising
21. Tasty vegan food
22. Being with my man
23. Making sprouts grow
24. Having a good hair day
25. Sweet text messages, both sending and receiving
    
26. Hearing foreign languages
27. When the ground freezes so that your shoes don't get muddy
28. Music that matches my emotional estate
29. Beautiful people
30. Writing poems or reflections
31. Couchsurfing
32. Meeting people that are enthusiastic about something
33. Successful jokes with strangers
34. Handing in an essay/exam that I'm proud of
35. Trams
36. Watching pictures of friends and travels
37. Art museums
38. Concerts
39. Chocolate
40. Stage performed poetry
41. Maps
42. Dogs
43. Beautiful/exciting animals in their natural habitat
44. Learning from criticism
    
45. Colourful clothes, especially dresses
46. Grandma
47. When people throw their garbage in the right place (generally a bin)
48. Talking to people on the bus/train, especially cute old ladies
49. Horses
50. Comfortable shoes
51. Speaking Spanish or English
52. The word Butterfly in different languages
53. Candles and a cup of tea
    

I'm gonna make it to 100. How about you?

The Splashy Man

I was talking to one of my friends the other day about swimming as exercising. We both enjoy going to a public bath, get into a tight little piece of fabric and share sweat with innumerable other people in a little gathering of water treated with chemicals. Exercise. Yeah. But the problem we both always have to deal with, is the illogic swimming patterns of others - everyone tries to swim back and forth in a straight line, and since the pool is too small for that, you have to stay focused and try to swim around all the older, generally ranging from chubby to severely obese people that slooowly paddle their way through the water. And there he is:

The Splashy Man
He is at least 60 years old and very fat. Often also covered in large amounts of body hair, except for his head. And h doesn't know how to swim. Hence, he lies on his back and paddles with his arms, splashing and causing tsunami-like waves in the little pool. It is very hard to get around him since he takes up about 95% of the lane, and if you swim in the opposite direction, he is likely to swim into you since he doesn't see where he is going and thus can't swim straight, following his lane.

And this man, you will always find in the public swimming pool. Wherever you are, there will always be a splashing man there. Comforting, isn't it?

Layout

So, the blog got a little updated with a new wall paper, go 2012. It reminds me of chocolate, and I thought it would give the appearance of being a little less boring than it actually is if I changed it now and then. I'm really not that into webpage construction, and I honesly don't give a fiddlers fart. I just want to write, damn it.

Last Year's Literature

So, here's a list of my accomplished reading of last year. I would say it's about half of what it usually is, I have prioritised differently. Also, reding Vargas Llosa in Spanish took a very long time, being my third language, and I also wasted a lot of time trying to get through a book by García Márquez that I never finished due to it being utterly boring.

Carlos Ruíz Zafón: Vindens skugga
Gabriel García Márquez: Love in the times of cholera
Mario Vargas Llosa: La fiesta del chiv0
Isabel Allende: La suma the los dias
Mitch Albom: The five people you meet in heaven
Frank McCourt: Angela's ashes
Roberto Bolaño: The savage detectives
The Bible, Genesis
Haruki Murakami: Norwegian wood
Jack Kerouac: On the road
Oscar Wilde: The picture of Dorian Gray
Lotta Abrahamsson: Full koll

Interestingly, four of the authors are Latin Americans, and having spent 10 months of last year there, well, you get the point. I wanted to give you a favourite and the bottom mark, but it is very hard! The over all most pleasurable reading was probably Murakami, even though Vargas Llosa (who took me several months) was well worth the effort, top quality literature. Bottom one would be Albom, Allende saved by her absurdity.

I am currently co-writing a literature blog- The Mighty Book Blog. My idea is therefore to publish my book reports there as I finish the books, and then do a Book of the month-review for this blog, not to overwhelm it with literature. Please have a look there and get some reading tips!

And oh, its true what they say - I have a little red noteook where I've written down every book I've read since I was 16 or so, starting with Hamlet. Yay!