rose's random rambly writings

Far from all my friends here on Opera blog more or less regularly. However, some of them do, and how they do it!
From my personal point of view, let me present to you this year's friend bloggers in different categories - in no particular order.

*drumroll*

2007's...

...writer
It's always fun to run and check if it's a story whenever Mart has a new blog post up . Of course, that's not as often as I'd like, but hey... quality is better than quantity, right?

...photographer
Nobody on the side - nobody above - Tillas daily blog posts, mostly with her own photos has become a habit .

...heads up
Another blog with a great mix is Kimmie's . From weird e-Bay auctions to moodswings - and everything in between. Princess Pirate - the girl we all love to love.

...eclectic
Is there any quiz the angel Callya hasn't found yet? Sandwiched with a personal iDiary and informative posts makes for a (rather huge) blog we all enjoy visiting .

...goldheart
Carol receives many e-mails, both funny and thougtful (and sometimes naughty too!). And the best part? She shares them with us !

...allrounder
Mik has that mix of things that are bound to hit everybody. If you're not interested in mobile technology, there are game reviews, stories and other really fun and entertaining stuff - as well as more important issues .

...laughsmith
Need a laugh? Go to Cois' blog and look at all the weird pictures travelling through the internet. Also reveals a more serious side from time to time, and shows he's an excellent poet .

...spongebob
Another varied blog is that of Dannii and his Imagigaytion. From craziness to serious and then back again .

...quizmaster
Nick and his brilliant weekly music quiz! Did I mention I was the first guru ?

...superman
Marcus' blog is a mish-mash of reviews, e-mails he got, quizzes - anything you desire .

Honourable mention
Dennis - I wish you'd blog more often
Sarah - A very popular MyOpera blog - get your recipies, random silliness and personal reflections here.
And, of course, the rest of the clique chic - you're not forgotten!

Oh, and don't forget to read the comments too!
Keep this up, and 2008 will be another great blog year!

Last, but not least, I wish you all - friends or not - a Happy New Year!
Hey, is that a rocket in your pocket...?

Well, it's the day before Christmas, and I think I'm finally starting to feel a wee bit Christmassy.
According to tradition, me and my cousin went shopping for the last presents today. Amazingly, the millions of people I was expecting to be packed together with, were elsewhere today .

We celebrate Christmas on the 24th here which means there's only hours to go now. This year, my cousin has invited us over and I'm really looking forward to going. Also, rumours has it that he's got a Wii and that we'll be playing off the heavy Christmas dinner tomorrow night .

Today it's the traditional "sitting up all night, making preparations for Christmas" night. These preparations include drinking mulled wine, prepare the ham, decorating and rhyming on the presents. I wonder if that's typically Swedish... Do any of you write rhymes on your presents?

On another note, they were just talking on the news about how many people choose to spend Christmas online instead of being forced to socialize with old aunts they meet once a year. I know some of you are far away from your loved ones and others of you have other struggles. Although I won't be online for the most of tomorrow, I will think about you lot, hoping your day will be great!

Oh, and finally - here's a Christmas card from me to you (I think you might need to watch it on a PC). It seems somebody has been following me, recording my every move !

Best wishes from all of me to all of you!

It's not very celebrated elsewhere, but Saint Lucy's day (that would be today) is a big thing in Sweden (and the rest of Scandinavia plus some other European countries). I've brought one part of the tradition with me...After slaving in the kitchen (some of you might remember the kitchen isn't the room where I shine) for several hours yesterday evening(ok, a couple of those was waiting for the dough to rise), here's the result...
A batch of fresh from the oven St. Lucia buns .

This will be the third year I'm baking these and bring them to work - much to my colleagues' joy. This is the only day you're allowed to eat Lucia buns...
The buns contain saffron, the world's most expensive spice.
Did you know that it takes about 100000-150000 flowers to 1 (yes, one) kilo dried saffron? I bought 1 (one) gram for NOK 99 !

Santa Lucia's Day is dedicated to the Italian christian saint who is often portrayed with her eyes on a plate. Legend has it that because she refused to marry a pagan, her husband-to-be simply put her eyes out. She is now the patron saint of the blind.
Celebrating a christian saint is very rare in Sweden, but I guess we need the light in these dark times. You see, every year, Lucias are elected around the country. Then, there's a ceremony where Lucia walks (in a white gown) with a crown of candles, followed by women (in white gowns) holding candles, and "star boys" - boys (also in white gowns), wearing pointed caps and a star on a stick . When I was young, we had gingerbread men (dressed in brown) in our Lucia processions too.
They then go on to sing some Lucia songs, and, if you're lucky, hand out gingerbread biscuits and Lucia buns to go with the mulled wine.

Have a great Santa Lucia!

.:*blah*:.
How tall are you?
1.60 m (about 5'2)
Do you like bananas?
Yes!
What is your favorite song of all time?
It's impossible to choose only one. I have different favourites for different occasions, I guess.
What do you do on Fridays?
Smile. And I'm usually tired. Unless something special's going on, I go home and rewind.
Flip flops or sandals?
Flip flops. Sandals if the occasion is more formal.
Vitamin Water or Gatorade?
I don't know. I love water.
Have you had a beer in the past week?
No
If you could have one super human power, what would you choose?
Invisibility, I think. Sometimes I am actually...
What is your favorite place?
Somewhere I feel completely at home - whether that be my own home or a friend's.
Do you read Harry Potter books?
I haven't yet.
What is your favorite food?
Italian and mexican.
Where do you want to travel next?
Somewhere I haven't been. A big bonus if it's a warm and historical place.
What is your favorite PJ fabric?
I don't use PJ's.
Boat or bus?
I'm not very fond of either, but boat I guess.
Walking past a beggar, spare change or ignore?
I'd rather buy food. Or a magazine if they're selling.
Do you shower every single day?
No... Not when I'm ill.
Kill the spider or let it out?
Let it out.
What is your favorite TV show?
Simpsons, Family Guy, Hipp! Hipp!, Rome and maybe some others I can't think of right now.
Do you eat cold cereal at night?
I hardly ever eat cereal.
Define yourself in 3 words?
Lazy, indecisive and nice .
Would you rather be blind or death?
Death? I guess they mean deaf. At least that's my answer.
Are you a cat or a dog person?
Dog.
Which is worse? A bad laugh or a bad cough?
A bad cough.
Favorite fruit?
Apple. Or pear. Or maybe peach...
Juice and crackers or milk and cookies?
Juice and cookies.
Firefox, Internet Explorer, Netscape or other?
Opera, Firefox and Safari.
What was your last thought?
Whoa! That dough is really rising! (And that these questions are quite hard.)
Favorite element?
Water.
Where is Waldo?
He is everywhere! Did you check your closet today?
Do you support Paris?
Huh? Hilton? No.
Why did the chicken cross the road?
On the contrary to popural belief - it didn't.
Your favorite Disney films?
Must be the old shorts.
If you had to pick one car, which would it be?
A retro. Maybe an old Fiat, or Alfa Romeo.
Most embarrassing moment?
Falling off a cliff while pretending to be drunk. Age: 15.
What is your favorite clothing brand?
I don't have a specific favourite - it's all a mish mash.
Opera, Musical, Concert, Play, Performance, or Other?
Concert.
Favorite Place to Eat?
In the sofa .
Would you rather lose an arm or a leg?
A leg.
Would you rather be hot or cold?
Hot.
Water or 100% Juice?
Water!
What size shoe do you wear?
EUR 37 (UK 4.5, US 6) - depending on the type of shoe.
How do you feel?
Tired and stressed.
Get the number or give the number?
Give.
When do you plan on getting married?
Probably never.
Do you have any tattoos, and if so what and where?
*nods*
Who do you admire most?
People who fight for their cause - personal or global.
Do you own any pets, and if so what do you have?
No
If you had only six months to live, what would you do first?
Let everybody I love know how I feel about them.
What is your favourite word?
Smultron. That's Swedish for wild strawberry.
If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Utopia.


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Every year, it's held on December 10th. This is also the day the Nobel laureates present their lectures, and receive their respective prizes - diplomas, medals and money. This year, 1500 people had received an invitation to dine with the Swedish royal family, the laureates and their families and lots of other prommies.
At the same time in Oslo, Norway, the Nobel Peace Prize Award ceremony takes place.

But let's get back to the banquet.
20 chefs and 200 waiters and waitresses are cooking and waiting on 60 tables.
470 meters of linen cloth is used and around 7000 pieces of porcelain, 5000 glasses and 10000 sets of cutlery.
A look at tonight's menu in Stockholm, which, by the way, is always presented in French, but never announced before 19:00 on the same day, reveals the following:
First course: lobster in aspic, dill baked halibut and whitefish roe. Served with creme of cauliflower and apple salad.
Main course: cockerel with sage flavoured cock sausage. Almond potato and celeriac tureen, (silver) onion purée, artichoke and a red wine sauce.
Dessert: Raspberry and blackcurrant Marquis (sort of a tureen) on pistachio, served with vanilla ice cream.

Wines:
Jacquart Brut Mosaïque Millésimé 1996 Magnum
Corton Grand Cru Grèves Bourgogne 2002 Domaine Jean-Claude Belland
Tri de Vendange Coteaux du Layon 2003 Raymond Morin
Coffee
Remy Martin VSOP
Cointreau
Eau minérale Ramlösa

Makes my falukorv dinner today seem so... simple.

Hi everybody .
I got home alright yesterday after a four-hour delay. Apparently, a man on the flight heading south to pick us up died on the way, so they had to do an emergency landing on the Azores. I guess all things considered, four hours wasn't so bad after all...
I went from GMT - 4 hours to GMT + 1 hour, so I'm still feeling the jet-lag. I have close to a ton of laundry to take care of in addition to other chores and, of course, the watches here, but I'll be joining you soon again.

Well, at least it will be starting tomorrow noon-ish.

After a long and rather stressful autumn, I'm awarding myself with a two-week vacation. Tomorrow, I'm getting on a plane, fly for 11 hours, and land somewhere sunny, warm and relaxing .
Hopefully, that'll be time enough to really unwind and re-charge my batteries.

I'll be back sometime on December 1st, but I'll probably need another week or so to catch up with the watches . In the meantime - take care!

Well, what can I say. I'm not a cake baker, and I'm the first to admit it. That's another one of my mother's skills I never inherited...
I gave it an honest try, though, and this is the result:

I know! I'm not exactly wife material...
Another dead give-away is that I hadn't thought of garnishing it. I don't have anything at home that I can use. At least I don't think I do... Anybody got any ideas on what would look good on it - and more importantly disguise its looks?

Anyway - I thought I'd let you guys have a bite before it's all gone.
Help yourselves .



Updated, Nov 14 - behold the final product:

I was going to take the tram to work this morning when I suddenly realized I didn't have a ticket. If you buy a ticket on the tram it costs 50% more than if you buy it beforehand, and since I didn't see the tram on its way, I decided to buy one at 7-11.
In I trotted to the register and asked for a "flexikort" (which means I get eight discounted clips on one card). The man behind the register looked at me and asked "Right, will that be child?".

Personally, I think I look pretty much my age, and I don't mind people thinking I'm a few years younger than I am, but come on... I do not look like a teenager!
With those few words he actually halved my age...
If this hadn't happened twice recently, I'd say this man might earn a place between gemstone guy and sausage guy .

Have a great Friday!

I took another walk around the lake today. Most of the people had already left, as I arrived there only a half-hour or so before sunset...
And once again, I only had my mobile to take pictures with.

I had almost finished walking around the lake, and the sun was just about to set behind the ridge in the background, when I saw these two ducks swimming at a rather impressive speed.
(They would be the two black dots on the picture.)
I thought the picture was fitting for a sleepy Sunday.