All good things come to an end

Haven't written now for almost a month. It's been so much going on so I haven't really taken the time to post here (which is quite ironic since that's what the blog is about; all the things I've done in Durham and around). Also, it feels a bit weird writing in this blog since my Durham year now is over. I have done so much fun things, met so many people which of many I now consider as good friends, seen places and cities, partying to great music and laughed a lot, and many many more things (and of course learned some geography stuff). It has definitely been all together one of the best periods of my life. I have both felt I've kind of became younger, and older and more mature at the same time. I have probably changed a bit from this experience (hopefully for the better), even though I'm the same person as before.
Since my last post I have had friends over from home, a 12 hour summer ball that didn't end until long after the sun had risen, been a guest on a radio show, seen Manchester again and got an apertizer of Liverpool, had an afternoon at the beach on the coast, and some crazy party nights, and said goodbye to people I've lived very close to during this time, before going down to London for two sunny days and then home.
Since my time as a student abroad now have come to an end I'm gonna put this blog to an end too. Feel a bit locked writing wise to Durham and Britain and everything with it, but as I really like to write about stuff when I feel the insperation I will definitely write more about my life and things that interest me. So someway, someday (soon) I will start to blog again. See you!

A jerk not to go to York / Word of the day X

What is the hell is The Big Apple?? Just some New shit! You have to see the original of course! So yesterday I killed two birds with one stone and got the chance to see the old city of York and also catch up with a friend again and get some nice company for the day. The city is not more than a 40 min train ride south from Durham and shares many features. They both have really big old cathedrals (although the one in Durham is free of charge to enter, and the one in York is not) and other old buildings and streets. Basically just a very nice and charming city to walk around in with lots of small original shops and stone walls etc. And again the weather was much better than expected, just started to rain in the afternoon when it was time for a Frappuccino.

Of course I took the time to do some shopping when I was in a new town. I don't have that many real souvenirs from England so I decided to shop a pair of Union Jack boxers, which I actually thought of buying when I was in Cambridge two years ago, so now I have the UK up my arse! I had also looked at a pair of jeans, but only just week ago, at H&M from their new guest designer line. They are blue (like almost sky blue) with some extra things on them, and after being finally convinced to take them I decided to buy them as well, and £20 for a pair of designer jeans is nothing less than a real bargain! As this "Word of the day" is No X it gets a bit x-rated:

• Stud: Nit

(Note: 'Stud' refers to the metal things around the waist on the jeans, and not the guy that drops the jeans, even though he can be referred to as one as well but with a different meaning.)

The Parent Trip

The past weekend I had the opportunity to spend lots of time with my parents who were on visit here. So I met up with them in Edinburgh were we spent one night and half a day walking mostly in the old town and looking at lots of tartan design. Then we took the train down to Durham were I had booked the balcony flat in college for them and had dinner there before going out to have a drink in town. Had a great time with lots of sightseeing, walking, coffee breaks, very good food, and of course great company. Wonderful weekend!

Shorts shopping

It has been really super weather the past days with lots of sunshine and warm temperatures. But I didn't bring enough summer clothes with me after the Easter break, so I went yesterday to Newcastle to get some shorts and stuff. Went to one of my favourite shops here in England, TK Maxx, which feels a bit "white trash" sometimes but you find really nice designer labels for up to 60 % less than the normal store prices. It takes some time to go through all the clothes in there, but eventually I found two nice pair of shorts, so now I'm really ready for summer. Also found a cool coloured top in H&M, which had actually lots of cool stuff, so they hold the Swedish banner up high.

Örebro's Got Talent

Last evening it was the final of the tv-show Britain's Got Talent. I don't really care about competitions like this, but a lot of people do and the bar was packed when the winner was gonna be announced. It seemed like most people wanted one of the dance groups to win, which they also did, even though I liked these guys better. Poor Susan Boyle looked so nervous she looked like she would mess herself, so maybe better that she just got the silver medal.Of course there's not only talent in Britain, but lots of "talent" also in Sweden, and especially in my great home town of Örebro. This guy is a doorman at small pub where you go to start off a night with some cheap pints. He really likes the "power" his badge gives him and always asks you how much you had to drink when you get there to see if you're too drunk, even if you are totally sober, and then says "hmm, ok....but take it easy tonight!" He also always used to ask for ID from one of my friends (who at the time were 23) to let him in, even though he used to go down there a couple of times a week, and they also lived in the same building across the street from the place. You would think he would remember him and his age, but well he gotta do his job, right.
Judging from his participation in the tv-show he does some stuff on the side, when he's not keeping everything under control in the pub. But I think there's no need to say he didn't make it through to the next round. Enjoy his performance!

Summertime!

Yesterday I finally had my last exam! Had 5 in 9 days, quite hectic...! But now it is all over, and I'm free from everything that has to do with studies, and very conveniently the sun decided to sun the whole day! At first it felt very weird to have really nothing you had to do, but I went out in the sun and read a good book and worked on my tan. In the afternoon me and Felix walked down to town to just walk around, buy some small stuff, and have ice cream in the sun. Loads of people were sitting along the river and had picnics and just relaxing, and in town there were people all over and an outdoor market on the market place.
After we got back to college I went down to the gym, where I spent quite some time this month, so I could get away from the books and clear my head. Also, I think I can count the beer and drinks I had this month on my fingers, so haven't been in this good shape since I did my military service. Feels like a bit of shame to "ruin" it all now when you can have a drink whenever you want, but there's still plenty of time to keep up the good condition, and I don't really have problem with gaining weight, I somehow stay slim like Iggy Pop almost no matter how much I eat and so. Tonight I hope to top this amazing start of the summer with a good party night at Revolver tonight and rock out! Tomorrow will probably look the same, at least the sun is supposed to shine!

Gangstas just wanna have fun

Just read that Ice Cube will fill the void after Cyndi Lauper, who had to cancel her show, at this summer's Hultsfreds Festival in Sweden. This is the most funny replacement since David Bowie cancelled his gig at the Roskilde Festival in 2004 just two days before he was gonna perform, and most people were already there camping, and got replaced in the last minute by Slipknot. There were a lot of confused 50-year-olds hanging around then I can tell you! Now I can see in front of me a bunch of girls in crazy coloured hair and neon 80s clothes waiting in front of the stage, and Cube comes out and ask "where mah muthafuckin gangstas at??!". Priceless. Well, this gives me a reason to get my gangsta out and pump some ol' Ice Cube, before he was doing shitty films. Chickity-check yo self before you wreck yo self!!

Ice Cube - "It Was A Good Day / Check Yo Self"

Ice Cute, in a girlie bandana

In the backstreets of Dirrty Durham

Yoghurt treatment

Today it has been sunny the whole day! So great! I still had to study, but could do it in the sun at least, so not so bad. However, since it was one of the first really sunny days in a while, my skin wasn't ready for all this sun, and like most years in the beginning of summer I burned myself a bit since I didn't have any sunscreen. I didn't have any after sun lotion either, so I took what I had; a pack of yoghurt. Helped to chill a bit, and made me smell like summer strawberries! A bit of tip if you burn yourself and need to cool to skin down and don't have anything else.

Tomorrow I have my third exam out of five, so I can see the light. So far it has gone pretty alright I think, even though I can't really know for sure. I was really nervous before the first one I had Wednesday morning. Didn't know how everything would work and stuff, but it was more or less like any exam. On Friday I have my last one, then it's just fun and games. Can't wait!

Durhamdales

My mate Felix put together this amazing video! This is how it gets down on weekend nights in Dirrty Durham!

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Exams / Word of the day IX

On Wednesday I have my first exam, which I must say I'm quite nervous about. But that's how it's supposed to feel, and if it goes not so good, so be it. I have four more exams after it, and even though I feel a bit stressed I can't be too much bothered. Right now I just look forward to get over with them and enjoy June here fully free!
The exams here are bit different than I'm used to. Fewer questions and more writing, but hopefully not too much problem as we get to choose two questions out of six. Also, as an Erasmus-student I get a concession, which means I get to use a Swedish-English dictionary and also in most exams get some extra time. Not bad with some extra benefits. Some people, not I though, even get to answer less questions, which I think is a bit weird. Speaking for myself I might be a bit slow with things, but I got no knowledge problems.

• Concession: Förmån

Summer vibes

A great way to start off the day is to listen to some nice, happy music to get you in a good mood. This morning I found two new (one is almost two months but new to me, while the other is banging new!) songs that with their latin Copacabana feeling get me in the dance-all-night-at-the-beach-in-the-summer-vibe. As soon as the exams are over I will not get out of my shorts, top, and flip-flops, and just relax in the sun.
Both songs are the first video from each artist's new album. Jack Peñate's second album "Everything Is New" comes out June 22, and Mos Def's fourth album "The Ecstacic" comes out June 9. Perfect time for the summer!
For those who wants to dance a bit longer there's the Extended Mix of "Tonight's Today" on Spotify.

Jack Peñate - "Tonight's Today"


Mos Def - "Casa Bey"

A day at the library

Today has been like most days now for a bit more than a week. Going up at 8am (today Bibo knocked on my door since I overslept a bit yesterday), take a quick shower, eat breakfast, and then head to the main library with some of my fellow Erasmus-students to be there at 9am for a full day of studies. Even though we were there pretty early today there were hardly any places left to sit in the whole building, but found some eventually. Crazy! I wonder when some people go there, like 8??! I'm still a (Erasmus-)student, no way I get up that early! I can't describe how tired I am of just revising and revising everything before my exams, but it helps that everyone is in the same position, and also the really nice lunch breaks we have together in the sunny grass outside with lots of laughs helps a lot. The lunch consists of a double sandwich with egg, tuna, chicken, BLT etc, a chocolate buscuit and some fruits. Kind of actually like it now, and a bit fun to compare with the others and see what sandwich they had. The only negative thing about the break is that it is so hard to get back in again to the books and papers. Well, now you know what I will do for another week from today when my first exam is.

Nasty drinks

Last night I did my second shift in the bar in four days, but luckily it was a lot more relaxed than the Friday one. However, it was still quite a lot of people in there since it was the North East Tyne-Tees derby between Newcastle and Middlesbrough, but I had some time to watch the game. It was a very intense and important game for bothe teams, but Newcastle won finally with 3-1 and moved up over the regulation line, yey! And my own Örebro also won their home game too!
One thing I have experienced working behind the bar in the college bar is all the weird, disgusting drinks people sometimes order, which I never ever heard about before. First we have the Snakebite, which is half a lager and half a cider (and usually topped up with blackcurrant cordial), and is quite alright. Then you have Shandy, lager and lemonade, which I never tried but it doesn't sounds good. But last night I got to mix the nastiest drink I ever heard someone ask for seriously. A guy asked me to pour up half a pint of lager, put a shot of Amaretto in it, and then top it up with coke!! Mate??!! And also, girls, if you order like three doubles of Malibu, then mix it with diet coke instead of regular won't matter! Furthermore, don't get me started on the flavour of crisps! Salt and Vinegar?! Melted Cheese and Bacon??! Steak and Ale???!! Makes me wanna puke! Well, it's still a great and cool job to be behind the bar, and I get to talk to a lot of people and try out something new.

Word of the day VIII

Two nights ago I was in my friend and corridor neighbour Tom's room, when I all of a sudden see this big disgusting insect flying around and climbing on the ceiling. I knew very well what kind it was, just didn't know the name in English. I remember when I used to have my mom or dad come into my room and kill them before I could go to sleep, I hated those long creepy legs! I still do, but not so much anymore that I need others to take care of them. Well, in this case though Tom tried to save it by force it towards the window, but I handled him a rolled up tourist folder and told him to smash it. What happened to it, and the proud warrior, you can see below.

• Daddy longlegs: Harkrank

Don't call it a comeback!!

Been two busy weeks since I came back here to Durham again. Brought my boys, Joel and Aron, over with me for the first week. We left a sunny Stockholm and arrived to a rainy Durham. But the sun finally showed up after two days of rain (think I never actually experienced heavy rain two days in a row here before that), and no matter the weather we had some great days and even better nights together! After that it's been all about revision, just repeating everything I've studied (and not studied) this year, so just imagine there's loads to do. But as always you find tons of stuff that you think is more important to do, so think it's about time to start up this beautiful blog again for real, and see where it might going!

The Stockholm Syndrome

From The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, about how the USA may turn into Sweden:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
The Stockholm Syndrome
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
The Stockholm Syndrome Pt. 2
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

Note: There is no IKEA furniture called "Flurven" (can't even type that 'u'-letter, doesn't exist!) or "Gimmelböp", it's not even Swedish words that mean anything! Also, Social Democratic politician Leif Pagrotsky's beard used to be much bigger!

Reunion

This Saturday I had a reunion with my former senior level school class, since it was 10 years ago we finished school. I've got good contact with around half a dozen of my former class mates, but still quite a couple I haven't seen in some years, and also fun to see everyone since most people live other where now.
I met up with Joel, Johan, Isak and Aron to start off the night a bit at Joel's place. As always, very cool to see the guys again and be all together. Then we headed off to the place where we were going to have dinner with the rest of the people that had signed up for the reunion. It was really enjoyable from the start and there were lots of things to talk about without feeling like it was forced. After the dinner and desert we went down to the ground floor where there was a nightclub for everyone (not just us at the reunion), and some more old class mates joined in. All in all I think we were around 15 of us, and I think everyone had a really great time!

Football fest!

In England I used to have Arsenal as my favourite football team. Mostly I think because they had a some Swedish players during the 90s. But more or less just had it as my team if someone asked who I supported, didn't really knew that much about them. However, now I think I found a team that I really like. After the amazing Champions League-game on Tuesday between Chelsea and Liverpool I consider myself more and more of a Liverpool-fan. Can never count them out, The Kings of Comebacks! Very likely I will be even more of a fan after I visited the city in June.
Still, not a team in the world can compete with my home town team Örebro SK. After have lost two games with 1-0 we really needed to win last night. I went down to a sports bar, which was packed, with Per, Tomas and Jakob to see the game and down a few pints. Of course the boys on the field finally won their first game and played quite well too, and I think we have Sweden's finest between the posts! Went to another bar after the game for some more beer and chat with my mates, and that always cheers me up when there's too much other things passing through my head, with the revision and everything.

Tjuvlyssnat

Idag på eftermiddagen satt jag någon timme på Örebro universitets biblioteket och fick äntligen lite studier gjorda. Har ju tidigare uttryckt vad jag tycker om universitetet, och blev inte mer imponerad idag. Visst, en öppen, ljus och vacker byggnad, men (utan att låta elitistisk eller så) det var verkligen ingen ordning på folk som satt där. Folk satt och hade högljudda diskussioner inte långt ifrån läsbåsen, och flera pratade högt i mobiltelefon utan att gå därifrån, väldigt störande. Det sistnämnda gjorde dock att jag fick ett litet skratt mitt i det tunga läsandet. En tjej svarade i sin telefon och sa bland annat detta:

- Vet du vad jag gjorde imorrse då? Cyklade till skolan, och blev då stoppad av en polis, för att jag cyklade mot rött. Fick böter på 1500 kronor ... Visste inte ens att man fick böter om man gjorde det! Och då fick jag ändå 500 kronor i rabatt för att jag var så snäll.

Får man inte cykla mot

Ayo technology

After having been without a camera since Manchester and without a mobile since I came back from Uppsala I killed two birds with one stone and ordered two new ones at the same time. Don't know much about technical stuff, especially not mobiles, but got some help from my brother and a friend. I settled eventually for a Nikon Coolpix s560 Blue and a Sony Ericsson w890i Mocca. Even though functionality and that they are convenient to have in the pocket play a big part, I must say the design do too, and I really like colourful things (like my laptop). I think it gives the extra touch to normally boring looking things. So in time for the weekend I will probably be able to take a lot more photos again (and put on here), both with my new camera and phone! Yey!!