Nostalgia

Yesterday when Chris and his friends were climbing i kind of wondered off on my own and found a track and field court. I basicly spend all my summers on these courts (and everything else i did was designed to suit the training) until 5 years ago. Haven't even put my foot on such material since. I loved the warm summer evening; training with spike shoes, barefoot in the grass or jumping over hurdles lined up after eachother. There is a certain smell to a track and field court. A smell which makes me remember great things, happy moments and a light heart. I don't miss it or am sad that i quit. I'm just very happy that i have these memories and choosed to really go for something even though it turned out that my joints and tendons coulnd't handle it. When my 15-year old friends startade partying and drinking i went training. God i'm glad for that today.

LOTR - NZ memories

Isengard - Glenorchy (it's acctually water were the tower stands)

Poeple of Rohan leaving for Helm's Deep - Deer park heights, Queenstown

Where Frodo hide for the Dark Rider - Mt Victoria in Wellington

Pillars of the king - Shotover river, Queenstown

Mordor - Mt Ngauruhoein, the Tongariro national park (i climbed to the top of the volcano)

Chris just bought the lord of the rings on blue ray so we've been watching Peter Jackson's amazing movies every night. I remember that these movies was one of the reasons i choosed to travel to New Zealand 4 years ago. After hearing that every set was filmed in that one country i just had to see it with my own eyes. And it was even better. I think New Zealand is sooo amazing. It will always have a special place in my heart. Standing on top of one of the mountains, sourrounded by snow covered alps, is one of the greatest feelings ever and i think i almost always cryed by the impressive sight. I've visited all the places above, hiking, yet boating, rafting, horse riding... I still cry when i see the movies - out of joy for the amazing landscape of a little country far away.

Graduation 5 years ago...

Elin at the champagne breakfast

Me and Kikki in our graduation hats

Elin, Daniel and me

Me, Kikki and Emma after the cermony

With brothers and cousins

Cutie!

Me and Emma had our party with friends and familly together in the backyard of my apartement in Karlstad

Kikki, Emma and me at the prom the next day!

While preparing for Marc's graduation i remebered mine 5 years ago. It was agreat day in Karlstad with familly and friends. Hope Marc have just as much fun as i did!

The last 5 years of May..

1 year ago - spend May in Strömstad with familly and cookies in the sun

2 years ago - hiked in Scotland and visited friends in Wales and England

3 years ago - travelled the west coast of New Zealand's north island

4 years ago - Visited Line and her boyfriend in Dublin

5 years ago - on a training camp in Spain

Bad consumtion

Swedish people eat the biggest amount of candy á capita in the world! 17 kilo a person/year which is twice as much as any other European country. Easter is probably the weekend we eat the most candy during the year.
Some people wants us to pay a special candy-tax in order to decrease our consumtion. Even though i'm a big consumer of candy i think it's a good idea. Especially as i red an artical about all the stuff they put in it. Pigs rinds, lice and other discussion things. Apparently is just in the gummi candy and not in the chocolate. Thank God!

What's the deal with Apple?

I think our teachers all work for Apple. They constantly make examples where they compare how good Apple is to other companies. The teacher we had today mentioned Apple about 50 times and he was just talking about marketing (for 4 hours though). I love my mac but I'm almost starting to feel like it's a little bit too big deal here. Honestly i really think they all are working for Apple. And it workes because alot of my classmates are switching even though they just bought a new PC and the ones which still have one is feeling very left out...weird, right??!

There's no excuses

All my recycling bags

I can't understand how people wont bother at all about the fact that we're slowly destroying the environment. I think the problem is that no one thinks their action effects at all as they're only one person. But it does. Just a small thing like walking or biking instead of using the car is doing something. I think every city in Sweden (more or less) is equipped with recycling storage rooms or stations, so why not use them?!

A trip down memory lane...

Found these photos from 5 years ago. They are of me and the most important people for me at that time...

A 19 year old me

Marc 14 year old - the cutest brother ever

Kikki made my high school years ten times better...

...allong with Emma - what would i have done with out you two?!

Kikki and my beloved brother Philip

Joey - love this girl, best high jumper companion ever!

Distance never made a difference, i always had a blast with Sanna

I've had lot of great times with Jojo which i met autumn 2005, just after finishing high school

Isa and Marc - during one of mine and Marc's many sunbathing afternoons on the balcony

A lot of things will happen during 5 years...

Once upon a time...

Malaga 2005

...i was a highjumper beilive it or not! I was thinking of it today as it's almost exactly 6 years ago i jumped my personal best at a competition (i jumped higher on a training 1 year after). That was also about the time i got my big injury. It took me a year (and alot of tears) to get passed that problem. I have no idea how many hours i spend training rehab, swimming etc.
This photo was taken when me and my friend Johanna joined Johnny and Stefan Holm (won the olympic gold medal in the olympics 2004) on a training camp in Spain, May 2005. I was in my best shape ever and thought that i finally had overcome my injury. Sadly my first competition after the come back ended in tears once again. This time it was my back. I took a break short after that. I never started again.

New Zealand top 10

1. The tongariro crossing, North island

2. The routeburn track, South island

3. Trekking up Ben Lomond, Queenstown, South island

4. Champagne pool in Wai-o-tapo thermalpark outside Rotoroa, North island

5. Wellington, North island

6. Lake tekapo, South island

7. Cathedral cove,Coromandel, North island

8. West coast, South island

9. Nevi's bungyjump (2nd highest in the world), South island

10. Sailing outside Pahia, North island

My dad asked me to write down my favourite places in New Zealand as one of his co-workers were about to travel there very soon. I loved New Zealand from the moment i stepped out of the plain to the moment i left 9 month later. New Zealand has everything you need in one country. Dessert, fiordlands, beaches, wine yards, great trekking, lot's of activities, culture...
This was my top 10 list of New Zealand but could have made it alot longer.

just a little bit...

Tulum, Mexico

It seems that everyone always is looking forward to different things. Coming home from work, the weekend, a vacation, finish school etc. I was thinking as i walked to school that i don't mind my life right now. Sure I would like to have Chris here with me or less schoolwork or more money. But I shouldn't spend my days looking forward to things instead of appriciate time right now. But one thing i can't help but miss and look forward to is the sun, the warm, glowing sun. I whish i was back in Tulum or Fiji or Greece or any worm place. Or maybe just here with just a bit more sunlight, less snow and definitely less darkness.

helathy and good

normal lunch

I love vegetables, i really do. I know it's good for you and everything but regardless i think i rather eat vegetables the rest of my life then only meat or only carbs. Weird? I guess so. Then a fika (coffee and cake) with a good friend kind of weighs up the good with the bad after.
That's my philosophy =)

A precious human life...

Every day, think as you wake up

" Today I am fortunate
to have woken up.
I am alive,
I have a precious human life.
I am not going to waste it.
I am going to use
all my energies to develop myself,
to expand my heart out to others,
to achieve enlightenment for
the benefit of all beings.
i am going to have kind thoughts towards others.
I am not going to get angry,
or think badly about others
as much as i can."
His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama

Philip send me these wise words written by the Dalai Lama as a christmas gift from India. I put it up on the wall in hope that i might read it once in a while and reflect upon my life and how furtunate I am. I wonder why Philip thought I would need these worlds..."expand my heart to others"..."not going to get angry"..."have kind thought toward others"...=)

Wait a minute...

I just red what i wrote here earlier and i realized that it's quite funny how i suddenly find a 6h drive extremly long after travelling in Asia for up to 40h on trains and buses on the worst roads you can imagen. Not to think about the cages with chickens, constantly staring men, puking children and 3h long stops in the middle of nowhere without explanations; that you have to put up with. Here i freak out if the bus is 20 min late. Over there it's more likely the bus will be 3-6 h late. But i guess everything is different when you're home, back in the punctual reality.

Sleeping bed. Your lucky if you get the top one because if you don't you'll probably end up having illegal train riders sitting on you during the night.

Hours after hours of constantly staring men.
Don't be blond in india.

We arrived in Delhi on my birthday after a 40h train ride (not the same as above). This time we acctually ended up next to a nice Indian familly. I think both of the young girls got a crush on Chris.

Chinese trains are an upgrade. People are serving you tea and classical music is playing in the morning.

My favourite busrides is the one on the top of buses, like here in Nepal. The most thrilling ones are also the most dangerous ones. Nepal have the most bus accidents per capita in the world.

The roads in western Tibet is not great. Count
on getting at least 5h late.

Chris looks happy but this is probably the worst busride i've ever done. 35 h on a horrible, dirty, bumby bus going from 1200m above sealevel in western China to 5200m in western Tibet. A German guy died doing this illegal trip the year before. I had never herd about altitiude sickness. I have now.