Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Bump on my head
Thank you for all the concerned emails regarding my big fall this morning. I do have a big bump on the back of my head but I'm pretty sure I'm not seeing double or if I am this this email email would would just just not not look look right right. My EGO though is heavily bruised.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Finnish hospitality
Conversation 1 with receptionist:
-Please can you ask the carpenter who is hammering in the corridor just outside my room to work somewhere else for an hour or so.
-No, he has work to do.
-So do I, I have to make phone calls but I can't hear anything.
-Well you'll have to call from somewhere else
- Ok, can you give me a key to another room
- No, you have a room
-Yes, but I can't work there
-Why don't you use your mobile phone outside
- I don't have a Finnish mobile phone. I want to use your landline.
-We don't have any other rooms available.
(I went over to talk the carpenter instead who didn't mind working on another floor for an hour)
Conversation 2 with the same receptionist:
-Can you tell me how long it would take to get to Esbo by taxi
- No, I can't. It depends
- Ok, well ballpark
- I don't know, it depends
-Are we talking 30 min, 1 hour, 2 hours?
- I don't know. I can't say!
- How far is it?
- It depends on how you drive.
- The shortest route
- I can't really say.
- Can you phone the taxi company and ask
She phones the taxi and hands me the phone
- Can you tell me how long it would take to get to Esbo
- No, I can't really say. It depends.
- Are we talking 30 min, 1 hour, 2 hours.
- It depends.
SIGH!
-Ok, I need to be in Esbo by 12.15. So should I order a taxi now though (it was 10am).
-No, that's too early
-When do I need a taxi by?
- I don't know. It depends
- Please send me a taxi anyway.
- It's too early
- I don't care. Just send one.
-Ok
Furious with all of Finland I strutted out of the hotel with my head held high...only to slip on the ice and fall flat on my back, where I stayed for a while pondering over what I might have done lately to deserve this.
It took 20 min to Esbo so I took a long penguin-style walk in a snowy park.
-Please can you ask the carpenter who is hammering in the corridor just outside my room to work somewhere else for an hour or so.
-No, he has work to do.
-So do I, I have to make phone calls but I can't hear anything.
-Well you'll have to call from somewhere else
- Ok, can you give me a key to another room
- No, you have a room
-Yes, but I can't work there
-Why don't you use your mobile phone outside
- I don't have a Finnish mobile phone. I want to use your landline.
-We don't have any other rooms available.
(I went over to talk the carpenter instead who didn't mind working on another floor for an hour)
Conversation 2 with the same receptionist:
-Can you tell me how long it would take to get to Esbo by taxi
- No, I can't. It depends
- Ok, well ballpark
- I don't know, it depends
-Are we talking 30 min, 1 hour, 2 hours?
- I don't know. I can't say!
- How far is it?
- It depends on how you drive.
- The shortest route
- I can't really say.
- Can you phone the taxi company and ask
She phones the taxi and hands me the phone
- Can you tell me how long it would take to get to Esbo
- No, I can't really say. It depends.
- Are we talking 30 min, 1 hour, 2 hours.
- It depends.
SIGH!
-Ok, I need to be in Esbo by 12.15. So should I order a taxi now though (it was 10am).
-No, that's too early
-When do I need a taxi by?
- I don't know. It depends
- Please send me a taxi anyway.
- It's too early
- I don't care. Just send one.
-Ok
Furious with all of Finland I strutted out of the hotel with my head held high...only to slip on the ice and fall flat on my back, where I stayed for a while pondering over what I might have done lately to deserve this.
It took 20 min to Esbo so I took a long penguin-style walk in a snowy park.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Melodifestivalen
I was feeling a bit homesick. Wishing I was back in HK, spending my Saturday evening as usual down in Stanley Main Street. But then I discovered that the Swedish Melodifestivalen will be live online! Provided the connection is reasonable I should be able to see it. I AM SO EXCITED!! I also think I might be a sad sad person- but I will raid the mini bar and think no more of it.
What is Melodifestivalen you wonder? It's the Swedish Eurovision contest. Only, in Sweden there are semi-finals, 2nd chance semi-finals and the big bad final. All in all Melodifestivalen takes up every Saturday for about 6 weeks! I've watched all three semi-finals so far and have the following comments on the finalists:
Semi-final 1: Christer Sjogren made it through due to people like my grandmother, whom I am sure voted multiple times. The song is embarrassing and what were the girls with the big feathers ala 30s cabaret doing there? The whole number belongs on a cruise ship. Only Germans will vote if Christer ends up in the Eurovision. He's very popular over there.
Amy Diamond: Good, cheerful song that is so cheesy it could win the whole thing - I love it! She reminds me a bit of Sandra Kim, who won the Eurovision in 1986 with J'amie La Vie - she was only 15, just like Amy. (I've heard rumors that she was only 13 but lied to be allowed to compete – juicy stuff).
I also liked how Suzzie Tapper made it to 2nd chance. Her voice is still fantastic, she must be pushing 50, so a very cool cat!
Semi-final 2: Sanna Nielsen, the girl from Smaland, did incredibly well! The best entry in the first 3 semi-finals by far.
Rongedal: Fun fun fun. I think maybe I liked the choreography most...especially in the tick-tick part. I liked the red suits too!
The best thing about semi-final 2 was that CAROLA only made it to 2nd chance semi. She is so SCREAMY. I don't know what Andreas Johnson was thinking when he teamed up with her. Carola has appointed herself the Eurovision Queen of Sweden. Three times she has represented Sweden in Europe. She won once, in 1991. In my world that makes for only a 33.3% success rate! I think you should win at least twice to be allowed to act like a diva.
Semi-final 3: The poorest semi-final so far.
BWO was ok but nothing new. I used to admire Alexander Bard for his inventive spirit but it's now kind of same old, same old. Nothing much has happened since Army of Lovers really.
Frida: I can't honestly say that I think singing in Skane-accent is a good idea but oh well. It livened things up.
Semi-final 4 starts in 1 hour! So exciting!
What is Melodifestivalen you wonder? It's the Swedish Eurovision contest. Only, in Sweden there are semi-finals, 2nd chance semi-finals and the big bad final. All in all Melodifestivalen takes up every Saturday for about 6 weeks! I've watched all three semi-finals so far and have the following comments on the finalists:
Semi-final 1: Christer Sjogren made it through due to people like my grandmother, whom I am sure voted multiple times. The song is embarrassing and what were the girls with the big feathers ala 30s cabaret doing there? The whole number belongs on a cruise ship. Only Germans will vote if Christer ends up in the Eurovision. He's very popular over there.
Amy Diamond: Good, cheerful song that is so cheesy it could win the whole thing - I love it! She reminds me a bit of Sandra Kim, who won the Eurovision in 1986 with J'amie La Vie - she was only 15, just like Amy. (I've heard rumors that she was only 13 but lied to be allowed to compete – juicy stuff).
I also liked how Suzzie Tapper made it to 2nd chance. Her voice is still fantastic, she must be pushing 50, so a very cool cat!
Semi-final 2: Sanna Nielsen, the girl from Smaland, did incredibly well! The best entry in the first 3 semi-finals by far.
Rongedal: Fun fun fun. I think maybe I liked the choreography most...especially in the tick-tick part. I liked the red suits too!
The best thing about semi-final 2 was that CAROLA only made it to 2nd chance semi. She is so SCREAMY. I don't know what Andreas Johnson was thinking when he teamed up with her. Carola has appointed herself the Eurovision Queen of Sweden. Three times she has represented Sweden in Europe. She won once, in 1991. In my world that makes for only a 33.3% success rate! I think you should win at least twice to be allowed to act like a diva.
Semi-final 3: The poorest semi-final so far.
BWO was ok but nothing new. I used to admire Alexander Bard for his inventive spirit but it's now kind of same old, same old. Nothing much has happened since Army of Lovers really.
Frida: I can't honestly say that I think singing in Skane-accent is a good idea but oh well. It livened things up.
Semi-final 4 starts in 1 hour! So exciting!
Putin is still our man
I feel like I ought to comment on the up-coming election in Russia.No, I don't think I'll bother - I'll just leave you with some images of this hunk of a man!
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Am I a prude?
I have just decided NOT to go for an evening sauna. It seems the sauna towels are the size of hand towels. As the typical Swede that I am, I have never been too bothered about nudity. However, I don't find the idea of sitting stark naked in a sauna together with fat Finnish men very appealing. Perhaps the 7 years I spent in England has rubbed off more than I thought?
He did discover Austria!!
It was by mere chance I discovered that my secretary had taken it upon herself to change my flight Copenhagen-Helsinki from Sunday to Saturday. I'm a little bit upset about this because I wanted to watch the Swedish "Melodifestivalen" tonight.
Never mind. I'm now in Finland and there's snow! Not a lot, but it's the first snow I've seen since Gstaad. I'm wondering what the hotel clientel is like here. Perhaps I should go over to the communal sauna and find out?
My travel plans are now changing on an almost daily basis. Going through my emails it seems my boss did indeed discover Austria. I am currently booking meetings in Germany, Prague, Vienna, Trieste, St Petersburg and Moscow.
Never mind. I'm now in Finland and there's snow! Not a lot, but it's the first snow I've seen since Gstaad. I'm wondering what the hotel clientel is like here. Perhaps I should go over to the communal sauna and find out?
My travel plans are now changing on an almost daily basis. Going through my emails it seems my boss did indeed discover Austria. I am currently booking meetings in Germany, Prague, Vienna, Trieste, St Petersburg and Moscow.
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