Reality Bites Back

I don't know why, but there is something I find aesthetically pleasing in the picture to the right... A "sculpture" Ivan made with my bag underneath the cushions when I left to get snacks for our little physics study group. He said that the the three chairs were worshipping the chair god.

It's been around two weeks now since I started school once again. It's amazing how time flies so quickly. Already I've done so much. Reality bites back.

I know that during the winter break I pretty much made myself promise to write often but already as school started, that promise kinda went downhill. At least I'm trying, that's why I'm writing now! One promise that hasn't failed though which is rather encouraging, is that I have decided to go to church everyday with Teresa. I have been doing that for two weeks now, actually since the very very first day of school, the day before my mom's birthday!

It was an odd first day of school I think. I felt really uncomfortable, like something was missing. So I decided to go to church and pray for my future term, and for my mom's birthday. I went to mass in Domkyrkan and tried to pray the rosary afterwards but I got kicked out, so I went to mass once again at St. Eugenia and THEN completed my rosary. It felt nice doing that, and wondered if I could do it everyday. I wouldn't want to do it alone though, so I thought I could go with someone, like Teresa... Out of the blue I saw Teresa after mass, then we decided together to go everyday (except Saturdays :P).

It was very satisfying to go to two masses that day. It was just a spur of the moment decision for me. I feel like it is necessary to hopefully be able to have yet another successful year. So, I want to continue that feeling, lift my problems and thank God for my blessings during my daily life everyday at 18.00 in St. Eugenia. Afterwards, like a simple reward for another day passed, a small "fika" and chat-time in McDonalds with Teresa (sometimes with other people from church too) fits rather well, making the entire daily journey complete.

Reality bites back rather quickly, and already I have accustomed my daily routine for the next six months. I can already feel the summer coming!

Back to School

Back to school... Konkordia's typical math book every term (loads of writings which she has to erase before handing it in) to the right and Mom's birthday celebration to the left.

Well I guess it's not that bad. I've missed my friends, teachers and the school environment anyway. What I don't miss however is all the stress and blääh... Ah well, that comes alongside the experience I guess and without it, I don't think I'll be able to appreciate school as much. To realise the good, one must see the bad, right? Otherwise you won't have anything to compare it to. Plus if you don't see the bad, you will take the good for granted and not take the good seriously.

School-wise, I can compare this situtation to for example grades. If you always get good grades and never get a bad grade, you may take your grades for granted and in the end get sloppy and lazy. Result? Bad grades later on. This happened to me sadly. In the end I just told myself with confidence that there's no point in studying if I know what I'll get. Result? I got my very first G that made me cry in the hallways. Haha. I guess I deserved it.

In other notice, it was my Mom's 46th birthday on the 8th of January, yesterday then. What did we do? Well, we ate at Vapiano where we had to wait an hour to get a table. The food was good at least. Although my pasta was far too oily so I couldn't eat it up. Sayang.

So here I go welcome the New Term. Hello challenges! Hello obstacles! Hello another term of SUCCESS?! Let's hope for the best! In a blink of an eye, it will be summer again anyway.

An Iceland-er in Stockholm <3

Wow, the photo is so dim... Anyway, if you didn't know who we were in the photo, wouldn't it be hard to guess who of us was from Iceland? xD

Kuya Garri was here for nearly 24h, just arriving from Vienna then the next day (today) moving onwards going home to Reykjavik (oh wow I learnt how to spell it). We picked him up from Arlanda and was at our place at around 4 pm. We just enjoyed each other's company here at home until 6pm, then trying desperately to catch the malls. In the end it became Kista Gallerian. Once the shops closed, Kuya Garri, Criss, Ate and I went back to our place, spending the night together whereas the others went home.

To be honest, I haven't had proper sleep for two days now, and that's very rare considering that it's the holidays and it's school tomorrow. Why? Well, first of all, I didn't sleep when we picked Kuya Garri up, and then we didn't really sleep when he was here. Not being able to meet him since last summer, we had loads of catching-up to do. After watching Gabriel, Brüno and Seven Pounds (never cried so much in a movie before) after one another, we just decided to catch up with things and "chill". It's amazing to hear one's new stories since we last met and also one do realises that time passes by real quick.

I can't believe that it was only months ago since:

• I happily went from school to summer vacations with an award
• I was in Greece for almost two weeks making another extended family I just got to know there
• I was singing with 3000+ people from all over the world in Stockholm
  
• I was in Turin together with 400+ other Catholics my age from around Europe
• I was in Vienna to be in Lisabel's debut :)
• I was in Marseille in their wonderful beaches
  

Now recently during this autumn:

• I happily went from school to the Christmas break with the Pavlovian "Dog Bone Award"
  
• I was in Åsljunga, Skåne, making another extended family I just got to know there
• I have been singing in my choir in so many different concerts
  
• I was in Vadstena with 400+ other Catholics my age from around Sweden
• I was in Oslo to be in the Nordic PDA
• I have been around Stockholm to see its wonderful snow (?)

Well as you see, a lot has happened, and I can't believe everything is happening so quickly. There are similarities to what has happened a few months ago and to what has happened this autumn if you may have noticed. To be honest I didn't realise the similarities myself until now. Quite interesting though.

However, despite the new things that do happen as you notice as time goes by, there are things that do stay the same, or even develop - if you treat it right. Change doesn't always have to be a bad thing. An example would be yourself, your skills and of course even friendships. I guess my perfect example of this for now, would be Kuya Garri from Iceland. Despite that long time we haven't seen each other and the distance from Sweden to Iceland, we still keep contact and of course keep the friendship. I guess it's nice to know that even if everything is changing, your friends' availability to you never will.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

I was in a real crap mood yesterday (hormones?), that's why I didn't feel like writing. Nevertheless, I did feel that I had something worth mentioning here, and so I write about it today.

Yesterday was a regular Sunday, however it was the first time I EVER came late to mass. It was amazing, I came late so I couldn't serve due to me forgetting my bus card. I felt guilty and I guess that was the reason for me to come late, to realise the real meaning of serving. Lesson learnt, okay?

After mass, I went around with the friends a bit, ate McDonalds and looked at the NK annual Christmas display (photo). I didn't have the chance to see them until then. It was cute, as always. Afterwards, my family and I went to watch a movie - the Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. It was Heath Ledger's last movie, and I really don't know what to say about it. The story was not the best (I can understand why since the main character died in the middle so they had to improvise) but the concept was nice about dreams etc., and the effects were awesome.

In the movie, the main characters were in a touring show featuring the chance for you to be able to go "behind the mirror" and experience your wildest imaginations. Imagine, for a moment, you have the chance to experience everything you have ever dreamed of. You can experience what it is like to be the president of the entire world, fly, or why not the best thing of all, meet the one person who always seems to linger in your imaginations. It can be exactly anyone I guess, an old friend, a late relative, your loved one...

If you think about it, isn't the power of imagining remarklable? By simply doing this, you can find yourself in a distant place, you can have whatever you've ever wished for, you can meet any person you've ever wanted to meet... You simply have all the power to experience whatever you want to experience. It's a great tool to escape reality for a while. Escape your fear, escape your grief, escape all your hardships. As if those never have existed. It's just all up to your imagination to decide.

2010!

Happy New 2010 to everyone!! Let's hope that this year will be the best we'll have - so far, right?

So what did I do to wait for the new upcoming year? Well to be honest, I didn't do anything actually. I just sat here at home and watched tv. I didn't even mind when the fireworks came.

My original plan for today was to spend it with friends outside, but as my sister already was going out I didn't want to leave my mom at home alone, especially on this special day. The day was spent at home with mom and a bottle of Pommac.

Nevertheless, I couldn't ask for any better New Year. I was at church on the 31st and on the 1st, whereas the 1st being a day of obligation. Despite it being a red-day there were not so many at church then. Just a bit more than the mass the day before, where there were hardly anyone.

Teresa's mom told us on the 30th that one should always come to mass on the last day of the year. One should be thankful for the year that has passed, especially for all the blessings and all the happiness. In my opinion, that should even be more important than coming on the 1st of January, asking for yet another great year. Isn't it better to be thankful than asking for anything? In my eyes it is anyway, as I believe that it was just not under my power that I had a successful 2009. No, I believe I also had a little help from a friend above. :)

The 2009 Album.