Owner: Mark Base - Helsingblog URL:http://mdabase.blogspot.com Join Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2006 08:43:52 -0500 Rating:1 Site Description: A British-Canadian expat's observations and opinions about life in Helsingborg, a small city in the south of Sweden. Want to know what it's really like? Site statistics:Click here
Monday, June 26th, 2006: Helsingborg to Lithuania - What have I done? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Quick post:
I'm being sent to Lithuania
for work. I'm still trying to work out what I've done to deserve this. I have a sneaking suspicion that the Swedish government may have something to do with this.
The point here is that I doubt that I will be able blog from where I'll be.
You'll hear from me again when I'm back; by the weekend.
This would be a great opportunity for you to relive the Read more:Monday
, Helsingborg
Thursday, June 22nd, 2006: 2996 September 11th bloggers 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Just a quick note:
On September
11th of this year, 2996 bloggers
will write about the victims of the attacks in 2001. Each blogger will be assigned a victim to write about. It's about celebrating the lives of those who lost their lives on that day.
The idea was by D.Challener Roe, who is coordinating the event. If you're a blogger, and would like to be involved, visit the 2996 blog > and leave Read more:Thursday
Thursday, July 6th, 2006: Helsingborg Dreamin' (about bitch slappin') 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
Well, there I was. I'd finally fulfilled my ambition of being a bitch-slappin' slave boy in the heart of beautiful downtown Vilnius, specially selected from a panel of super agressive Lithuanian prostitutes, one of whom looked suspiciously like Simon Cowell.
I considered it to be quite a tough competition, even though I was the only contestant on "British-Canadian Bitch-Slappin' Read more:Helsingborg
, Thursday
Tuesday, July 11th, 2006: Embarrassment in Helsingborg 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
Oh, Lordy. When I went to my local (the Charles Dickens pub) the other night, I was informed that they'd caught me on camera "performing" at the Open Stage night that took place on June 22nd, and published it on their website.
I've only just viewed/heard it, and I don't mind telling you that if I was the type to get embarrassed, I would be, but I'm not, so I'm not. But it is truly Read more:Helsingborg
, Tuesday
Friday, July 14th, 2006: Mormons in Helsingborg 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
The other day, I had arranged a little business meeting at the Charles Dickens pub, during which we discussed many important issues. The business at hand: drinking beer. Oh, and we also discussed something about mortgages or something.
The value of my flat has gone up considerably over the past year or so, and I'm thinking about doing a bit of financial consolidation to un-dig my Read more:Friday
, Helsingborg
, Mormons
Wednesday, June 21st, 2006: Weird art in Helsingborg - Mystery solved (sort of) 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
You may remember my post at the beginning of May about some weird glass and metal structure that graces the courtyard outside of the office building where I work. This one:
In my post, I wondered what the hell it is, and what possible use it could have.
I've now been informed by a colleague in my building that this work of "art" is meant to represent a golfball and a golf bag. Read more:Helsingborg
, Wednesday
, Weird
, Mystery
Saturday, May 27th, 2006: A lesson in Swedish architecture 1970-01-01 00:59:59 The city of Helsingborg, located on the southwest coast of Sweden, boasts numerous fine examples of many different types of architecture. Architecturally speaking, there's a lot to see here. Yep, if you like looking at buildings, you really should make a point of coming here.
One example of nice buildings is Helsingborg City Hall, which I have featured before.
But it's so cool that I think it's Read more:Saturday
, lesson
, Swedish
Thursday, June 8th, 2006: The enigmatic Pussi in Sweden 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
I've had a good few people wondering why I hadn't blogged for quite some time. Besides the obvious excuses of laziness, work, soul-incarceration, pursuit by the CIA, Brazilian waxings, lack of inspiration, being in two rock 'n' roll bands, ricin poisoning, and being kidnapped & made to work as a Zimbabwean tour guide, I've simply been sleeping.*
(*NOTE: Some of these excuses may Read more:Thursday
, enigmatic
, Sweden
Monday, June 12th, 2006: More juvenile ramblings about Swedish: Farts 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
I know that I lowered the tone with the last post, and I felt it appropriate to keep it a bit low on this occasion as well. I don't want to shock you all by suddenly writing an intellectually highbrow post after the last one. I think I should do things a bit gradually. I have your best interests at heart. I care about your emotional well-being, you see.
When one first starts to Read more:Monday
, Swedish
Thursday, June 15th, 2006: Speaker's Corner in Helsingborg 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
From juvenile to absurd; how's that for a near-seamless sequence, eh? Here we go.
Most people have heard of Speaker
's Corner in London. For those who haven't, it's located in the northeast corner of Hyde Park in central London, not far from Marble Arch tube station. Many influential and famous people have spoken there, including Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin (of Russia's politcal Read more:Helsingborg
, Thursday
Friday, July 21st, 2006: Beaches and shy people in Helsingborg 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
You know, five years ago, if you'd have told me that there are beaches in Helsingborg
, I would have strongly recommended that you invest in a cerebral enema. I mean, of course I could believe that there are beaches (I know that Sweden is by no means landlocked), but beaches on which people
sit to tan themselves? Pull the other one. Sweden is a cold Scandinavian country.
Soon after Read more:Friday
, Beaches
Monday, September 11th, 2006: Remembering Ginger 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
How, you may ask, can one "remember" someone whom one had never known?
While researching the life of Theresa "Ginger
" Risco, I felt that, even though I'd never met her, I kinda started to get to know her through some of the heartfelt tributes I read about her. And she had the extremely charismatic character of someone I definitely would love to have known.
It appears that Read more:Monday
, September
, Remembering
Monday, October 16th, 2006: Instant sleaze with Sweden's new government! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
The newly-elected Swedish government is off to a brilliant start. In the news today, the new Culture Minister, Cecilia Stegö Chilò, has resigned.
The reasons:
1. She had hired nannies and paid them cash-in-hand (US/CAN: under the table), prior to her appointment as a minister.
2. She hadn't paid her TV licence for sixteen years.
How cool is that? The Culture Minister, who is Read more:Monday
, October
, Sweden
Saturday, October 14th, 2006: Helsingborg to Stockholm: A weekend adventure 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
Firstly, I must convey a very Happy Birthday to my big sister:
Sis, when we were younger, I thought you were a total bitch, and completely unbalanced - especially for a Libra. But now I think you're OK, and I hope you have a good one.
Now that that's out of the way, here's a post about a trip I took to Stockholm
last weekend (October
6th-8th, 2006). The purpose of my trip was Read more:Helsingborg
, Saturday
Wednesday, October 18th, 2006: It's Rude Guru - Yeah! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
I was in a band in Montreal in the late-80's. It was called Rude Guru, and we were truly the pioneers of Goof Rock. We played a quite a few really good gigs, and we even had a bit of a following. We called our fans the "Rude Guru-pies".
The lead guitarist from the band has recently started up a website. It's only in its infancy, but it tells the story of the Rude Guru himself, and Read more:October
, Wednesday
Saturday, December 2nd, 2006:Tattooed in Helsingborg 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
Gosh readers, we've got a lot to catch up on, eller hur? (London-Brit. English, roughly: "innit?")
November is not very well-liked in these parts of Sweden; it's just started to get dark, but it's not quite cold enough to be called "winter" yet. It's generally just a really blahhh month all round.
I, however, happened to quite enjoy this particular November. I met a girl and I Read more:Helsingborg
, Saturday
, December
, Tattooed
Saturday, October 14th, 2006: Playing book tag (all the way from Helsingborg) 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
I was just about to start posting about my trip to Stockholm last week, when I got this book tag thing from Kodos in Raleigh, North Carolina. I'm only doing this because she's a regular poster on www.thelocal.se (Sweden's news in English), and I met her personally in Gothenberg, so I know she really exists.
I know she's not a world-government-employed netbot, trying to get inside Read more:Helsingborg
, October
, Saturday
Monday, October 2nd, 2006: Brits, Yanks and Helsingirls - a night out in Helsingborg (in pictures) 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
A few nights ago, I went out with the Yank (a.k.a. Johnny), another visiting Yank (Kai), and a visiting Brit (Neil). We went to a fairly popular bar here in town called Utposten ("The Outpost"). We had arranged to meet a few girls we knew, who were at the wedding we went to last month.
Neil had just arrived that day, and was rather tired, as he'd taken the early flight from Read more:Helsingborg
, Monday
, October
, Brits
, Yanks
Wednesday, September 13th, 2006: Back in Helsingborg, going back in time... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
Warning: this is a very long post. Get some popcorn, or something.
-> Brief introduction, for your
entertainment pleasure:
Now and the past...
I'm back in Helsingborg
now. I was in England last week, and flew back to Sweden on Monday, September
11th. It was actually quite freaky flying on September 11th, for some reason. Took ages to get through security as well.
Then as soon as Read more:Wednesday
Friday, September 22nd, 2006: Tattoos in Helsingborg - Pain and prosperity (with oyster sauce) 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
For quite a few years, I had wanted to get a tattoo done but, like many people, I couldn't really think of anything that I might not be embarrassed about by the time I reach puberty (which has got to happen one of these years, for God's sake).
It wasn't until about a year after I'd moved to Sweden, at age thirty-eight, that I'd finally made up my mind. I would get two tattoos on Read more:Friday
, Helsingborg
, September
, Tattoos
, oyster
, sauce
Sunday, September 24th, 2006: Thanking The Academy - all the way from Helsingborg 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
As you may have realised by now, I strive to bring you a fair, well-balanced, impartial, as well as informative, view of what it's like for a British-Canadian expat to live in Swedish society.
And I'm extremely proud to say, if I may be so bold, that I fail miserably at doing so.
This is why it is with utter shock, confusion, dizziness, minor palpitations, and a few mysterious Read more:Helsingborg
, September
, Sunday
, Academy
Monday, September 25th, 2006: Blog Emmy results received in Helsingborg 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
Well, the results
are in, and I didn't win the "Blog Emmy" for Best Foreign Blog this time.
Just as well; I probably would have behaved like a cross between Sly Stallone off Rocky, Homer Simpson, the Family Guy, and that stupid baby-faced baldy bloke who's now in charge of Sweden.
The winner was someone called Mar, who lives in Barcelona, Spain. Check out her blog called " Read more:Helsingborg
, Monday
, September
Thursday, December 7th, 2006: A short-legged cat in Helsingborg 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
Firstly, totally off-topic, I've been watching Sky News on telly because there's been a tornado in residential Kensal Rise, Northwest London. Weird. No one was killed - it happened at about 11:00 a.m. GMT, so most people were at work - but six were injured, one of them seriously.
Hundreds of people have to find somewhere to sleep tonight because their homes have had their roofs Read more:Helsingborg
, December
, Thursday
Monday, December 11th, 2006: Tagged in Helsingborg - This may sound weird, but... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
As my regular readers may have realised, I usually write about idiosyncrasies about Sweden I've found as an expat living here. But I got tagged a couple of days ago, by a Canadian blogger called Lost In Life, to list six weird things about myself. I've then got to tag six other people.
At first, I thought this would be quite a difficult thing to do, as there is very little that's Read more:December
, Monday
, Tagged
, Helsingborg
An A-to-Z of life in Helsingborg (so far) 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Hey look!
It's a handy and educational reference post!
For your convenience, I've decided to list my previous observations about life in Sweden by key words, and in alphabetical order.
I will add topics to this post as I go along, so be sure to come back to check out this page from time to time.
I wanted to make this a complete A-to-Z, but it appears that I don't cover all of the letters of Read more:Helsingborg
Tuesday, January 9th, 2006:Speaking English in Helsingborg 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
When I first came to Sweden, I was keen to start learning Swedish as soon as possible; I had moved in with a girlfriend who had two children under ten, and they didn't know any English
at the time.
Animals and body parts
I started studying these little picture books to try to help me build a vocabulary of nouns describing all kinds of things: from stuff you find in every room of Read more:Tuesday
, January
, Speaking
, Helsingborg
Wednesday, January 17th, 2007: Helsingborg: North vs South 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
There's quite a difference between people who live in the northern part of Helsingborg
and those in the south. Many people who live in the north are extremely snobby, and often brag about not living in the south.
It may seem like a sweeping generalisation, but it's been proven to me time and time again.
Example One:
A couple of weeks ago, I arranged to meet a visitor from New Read more:Wednesday
, January
, North
, South
Monday, January 29th, 2007: Recycling: Sweden vs England 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What I think:
In December '05, I wrote a bit about recycling in Sweden
. Now, after a recent visit to London, where I did some extensive research, I'd like to illustrate the difference in attitude between Sweden and England
with regards to this most important topic.
In Sweden:
Most buildings have a sort of shed which houses large bins into which you dump your different recyclable materials. Above Read more:Monday
, January
, Recycling
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