Home sweet home

As I said we spent a few hours in the lounge at Brussels airport, it was one of the best transfers I've had at an airport. It was quiet and nice, we had free access to refreshments, snacks, drinks - everything from tea and coffee, juice and soda to wine, beer and spirits. There was also free internet and of course more comfortable furniture than out among the shops and gates.

When it was time to board we went down to our gate for our 1 hour and 15 minute flight to Copenhagen. Time for new snacks because we flew so-called "flex". Not the best I’ve tasted, but free.
Once in Copenhagen, we got our luggage and went out. It was time to wave good bye to my travel companions and thank them for a wonderful week. They went on to take the train across the water back to Sweden, while I pulled the luggage tag on the suitcase and went up to the counter to check in and get a new one. Tried to make an earlier flight to Stockholm, but everything was fully booked. So it was another wait for three hours at Copenhagen airport. Found a nice recliner and sat down to read my book. After a while I dropped the book in my head and realized it was a risk to sit there and fall asleep. Time to walk around to stay awake.

The flight took off and landed when on schedule. Also on that flight, I was invited to a snack, which actually tasted good.

Got my luggage out, and with the long leg first I took off to the train station. Missed a train with about a minute, but luckily there was another just minutes later. The last leg of the trip started. On the way, I called for a taxi to avoid walking home in the cold. Instead I got to stand out in the cold and wait for the car. The driver was kind enough to turn off the meter just before we arrived as compensation for them being late. Thanks!

Unlocked the door and stepped into my own home almost exactly 24 hours after we left the hotel in Serrekunda, then I had been awake almost 36 hours! Tired, happy after a wonderful week and happy to finally be home I was just a short step from my own bed ...

I feel wonderfully refreshed and with fully charged after a great week of sun and warmth!

"Just what the doctor ordered!"

THANK YOU Mom and Dad for a wonderful week!

PS. You can now find pix at: https://picasaweb.google.com/carwahl/GAMBIA2011

The days that pass

A normal day starts with breakfast outside and then preparations for a day under the sun. We pick our favourite spot and get three sun beds. The next few hours we spend in the sun, in the water, in the shade, in the water… Later when we’re hungry we go to the restaurant at the beachfront and then back to the sun bed for more sun, shade and swims.
When the sun begins to set and the skin had enough it’s time to go back for a refreshing shower and a drink to get ready for dinner. In the room we have an air con and a fan, but neither is very effective and I am constantly sticky… But hey, I can take that.
We have a late dinner and then we’re so tired we fall asleep. Strange how tired you can be when doing nothing might be the heat. The other day I put my thermometer in the sun next to me – it was 48 degrees. When I moved it in under the umbrella it dropped to 36. In the mornings and evenings it’s normally only 30.
This is our normal days.

A not so normal day started the same way, with a good breakfast and then we decided to have a look in the neighbourhood. Walking up the road from the hotel we passed only pizza places. More or less all of them wanted us to come have pizza at their place. It was 9.30 in the morning.
On the top of the road we found a small craft market. Looking around everyone was selling the same in their small shops, and everyone wanted us to buy something from them. We did buy some small things and the best prices were given us from them who were selling things from their brothers or sisters shop…
When we got out of the market we went to the pharmacy. After that nothing was in our hands anymore. We got to see the “real Gambia”. We met a guy that asked if we enjoyed our breakfast this morning and told us he was working at the hotel. He also told us he got married the day before and wanted us to come and greet his wife. She was just around the corner.
Well, just around the corner was many corners away… We were taken to his place and where his grandfather was a holy imam. We never got to meet the holy man, but we got his blessings and a coke. And yes, we got to greet the lady he said was his wife.
After the visit we were taken to “his sisters” place. Now we were deep into a neighbourhood with big fancy properties laying next to simple houses and chacks. The “sister” had a nice place with a wonderful fruit garden. In the middle there was a grapefruit tree full of fruit, they had papayas, lemons, bananas, avocados you name it, and a big mango tree, but sorry enough the mango season has passed.
It was in this garden I changed my style the first time.
So our little look around in the neighbourhood took us on a little adventure to see the real people. Very interesting day.

But I guess one of these days is enough and it’s back to our normal days by the pool!

It's a hard life...

After a long trip starting at 03.45 am on Saturday morning we reached our destination, Serekunda, Gambia.
The trip was fine. A slight delay after our transfer in Brussels, on arrival in Banjul it was only about 30 minutes.
The flight from Brussels started with bubbles to celebrate that we now finally were on our way. When we touched ground at the small little airport in Banjul we stepped out to the stairs and straight into the heat!! 34 degrees Celsius, right in the face… Lovely!!

To get from the airport to the hotel we caught a taxi. We were shown to our car by the supervisor and I saw this row with nice cars, most probably with air con which made me happy since I was still in my jeans from the trip. But, we passed the nice shiny cars and ended up with something that I don’t know how old or if it should last for one more kilometre… It was a different ride, but we did arrive at the hotel and that was a relief.

Checked in and got installed in our room. We took a small walk around the area and then went for dinner. After that and the long travelling day, and the heat I guess, we were tired and went to bed.

Nice and fresh we woke up this morning and the toughest question was: Beach or Pool?
After a great breakfast outside and some small errands the pool won today.
The whole day was spent on a sun bed, in the sun, in the shade or in the pool. It’s great when you can cool down in a 27 degree pool. Lunch break by the beachfront.
Late afternoon we went back to the room, had a drink on the porch and relaxed before dinner. Then comes the next question: What to have for dinner? Chicken, beef, fish, soup or no soup, desert or no desert.
It’s a hard life to live – so many questions!?

GOING ON HOLIDAY!!

The first phase of a long awaited holiday week is done. I have left the north for the south for a pitstop.
At 04.00AM tomorrow morning we pack ourselves into the car and drive over the bridge to Copenhagen. The trip will go through the EU capital Brussels to Banjul, Gambia!
It will be so great!! Sunny and warm!

Gambia is Africa's smallest country, surrounded by rainforest and bamboo trees, large savannas with mahogany trees, oil palms and rubber trees. Last but not least, there is also the coast, consisting of 50 km white unspoiled sandy beach, just where the river empties into the Atlantic.
Gambia is 11 300 km2! Small that is ...=)

They say it's possible to have Western food at most tourist hotels and restaurants. But I thought to try the colorful Gambian cuisine, which offers very good food what you heard. The Gambian cuisine offers many different vegetables, rice and beans with different kinds of meat. The meat is often spiced with exciting spices and gives a very special treat. Fruits like mangoes, bananas, grapefruit and oranges are a delicacy. In the case of beverages, you can get hold of both wine and beer, however, the best being the local fruit juice. It should probably be investigated when there ... I get back to that!

There are not very much info to find about this small country, but I stumbled upon quite funny info regarding infrastructure. There are two different roads, a paved road along the southern side of the River Gambia and a dirt road along the northern side. The southern part is served by public buses, while the Northern largely served by taxis. It runs public buses to most towns in the country. One should be aware that buses are often overcrowded.
Perhaps it is best to stay on the beach and not venture out in traffic!

Anyway, it will be nice and it will be interesting to discover this small little country. It will complete my circle - having visited the North, East, South and West Africa ...

If the connection is with us, I will try to keep you updated and tell you how many degrees above 30 the temperature is from day to day ...

Wahlen has stranded

Shortly before estimated arrival time we hit the ground at a sunny, 19 ° Stockholm Arlanda ... The flight went smooth - as soon as we left the ground and the seat belt sign was switched off (but for your own safty we recommend you to keep your seat belt fastened while seated) ... I stretched out on the four seats I was happy to get even on this flight ... In under the blanket, and yep, the seat belt also, clearly visible to the staff. ;)
Then I stayed there until they said it was time for landing, more than five hours later. So I can not complain of the sleep I got. Maybe not the absolute best, but one of the better aboard a flight anyway. For departure I was very tempted to pinch one of the blanket. Qatar Airways strikes at large and offers its guests very nice fleese blankets. But I couldn't take one, and why should I, do I really need it? As if I didn't have enough blankets as it is.

The way out went smooth too, even though I for a couple of seconds was sorry that I got in the wrong queue at passport control. Of course I would end up in the same queue as a "suspicious" black man ... and of course the only reason for him being "suspicious" was that very reason - because he was black... *sigh* He had his papers ready and in he went, and right behind him was I. The baggage was already on the carusell and out came my little flattened bag.

After an airport bathroom facelift I'm now sitting here waiting for my best colleague to come pick me up and take us to a conference call and subsequent meeting ... Well, here reality hits hard ... but first we'll get some nice breakfast!

It may have been a hasty decision, but certainly not a bad decision. I've had a wonderful weekend with good and much needed rest. If I look back I would probably have taken one of my trips out or rearranged the schedule a bit, but this is how it turned out and I am more than happy with what I got. Above all, I am pleased with myself that actually threw me into the adventure ... it's probably not for the last time! Look out - suddenly, it happens - and I'm back here with new adventures.

Thank you for following and a special thanks for all greetings, SMS, etc. on my birthday ... What a fab day I got! =)

Bye bye Dubai

After another hour or so in the sun I was packed and clean... Instead of spending the rest of the time in the lobby I decided to try and find the Electronical Shopping Mall... After not finding a taxi that knew what I was talking about and the hotel staff sending me to a very strange place I decided to take an earlier shuttle to the airport and go shopping there instead.

I shared a shutlte with a couple from India, on their way home from South Africa. The lady had earlier worked at a university in Sweden close to where I live. It's a small world sometimes.
The couple had a different terminal from me and they was dropped off first. When all their lagguage was off loaded the car didn't wanna start. It was totlly dead...
I took the airport shuttle to my terminal... and left the poor stressed boy with the broken down car.

Some small shopping later it was time to board the first plane - to Doha. 45 minutes in the air and now a little more then three hours wait for the next flight. So a little bit more shopping, but I must say Doha airport doesn't have much to offer...
Well, my waitnign time is almost over and soon I'm on my way back to reality. And I can tell you that - reality hits me hard tomorrow. Getting picked up at the airport in the morning and going straight into a full day meeting! But hey, I've had four nice days of sun!!

Ok, time to leave Doha now... See you in Europe!

Lazy-Day

This morning a year ago, I landed in Johannesburg and was invited to bubbles for breakfast, and it was the start of an exciting adventure!

Today is the last day of a new adventure. It will most probably be no bubbles this time, but that's fine. I don't do much today. Took a long and nice sleep in. Dragged myself down to breakfast just before it closed and then before it gets unbearably hot in the heat, I went up to the roof. When the sun was at its highest and the water bottle was empty I was overcooked and went back down to my room - I made sure to keep it for the day. However, the key stops working at 12 when it is actually checking out. So, not too fresh in my ceiling-clothes I had to go down to reception and get my card activated again! So much for respectable outfit! Well, atleast I wasn't naked...

It was nice to get into the cool room again. Will stay here for a while now when it's so hot outside. Then it's time to start packing and return to reality.
Have a few hours to "kill" between the time I leave the room to when shutteln to the airport leaves. Thinking of taking a trip to a shopping mall nearby that is filled from floor to ceiling of just electronics, cameras, computers and that kind of stuff ... Not that I plan to buy anything, but because it can be a great experience and that they have AirCon there! HAHAHA!
If I don't go - I will be probably pay the roof another visit to try to change the color even more ...

I must admit I can think of worse ways and worse places to celebrate a birthday!
Without detracting from the present, but the thought did hit me - "What adventure awaits this day next year! =)

City Tour

For this morning I had booked a private driver to take me around town and show me what this emirate has to offer. It started out well, but after a while you could tell he wasn’t very interested in talking – to something else then his cell phone. But he took me to all the places I should see around here; The biggest Mosque in Dubai, The Worlds highest building, The worlds one and only 7 star hotel, The Palms – an island build as a palm tree with a 6-star hotel at the end.

What hit me was that the magnificent skyline with all the sky scrapes and amazing buildings are far from finished buildings. Lots of it is standing still since the big world financial crash a few years ago. I wonder if they will ever finish them. Big parts of town are construction sites, so they need to get it going to make it look good.

After the three-hour tour I was dropped off at The Mall of Emirates. The big mall the most people have heard about, due to the indoor ski slope they have there. I didn’t go skiing; I’ve had enough of snow for this year thank you very much. But I had a look at it through the windows. I must admit it’s amazing, but at the same time rather stupid… People seamed to like it though, there were lots of people running around in overalls and boots… I wonder how cold it is in there.

I sat down to have lunch while I was studying the map of the mall. It’s an enormous place, with not only the Ski Dubai, but an indoor amusement park as well, and loads and loads of shops of all sorts. My favourite shop was the department store. I enjoy walking down the aisles checking it out.

A little bit further down I saw a sign saying “Taxi”, without thinking about it I walked out that door and into a taxi and I was on my way back to the hotel. I’m not really a good shopper, am I??

Back at the hotel I spent a few hours on the roof, by the pool. That was really nice.

Tonight I will have dinner at the hotel, for the first time since I arrived I will have the dinner included in my half board that I have actually paid for already. After dinner I’ll have a quiet evening at my room and just relax. Just as I planned when I bought the trip!

New PHOTOS

Days of water

It was rather hard to wake up this morning. When the alarm went off I wanted to stay in bed, but since I had an appointment with a group of very clever creatures I had to get going. Fueled up with pancakes and juice and off I went. I must say I’m happy for my experience of “Africa Time” … cos I have need for it here.

So I went to Dubai Dolphinaruim. Maybe not what I would have chosen my self, but when the guy from yesterday suggested it I thought: Why not? Lets do something different. And it was a good show, seals and dolphins jumping, singing and playing around. It was me and a lot of kids and their families.

After the show I went for a stroll around Creek River Park in the heat. Trying to find as much shade as possible under the palm trees. Every here and there I passed this signs saying “Refreshments”… but whenever I came to the kiosk it was closed… like walking through the desert and seeing water, but when you get there it was just a vision.

After a walk in the heat I had lemonade at the Dolphinarium while planning for the rest of the day. Plan was to go to a mall where it was cool. I got a taxi, and just as I walked in to the car I changed my mind and asked him to take me back to the hotel. Why should I go to a shopping mall when I’m not even a shopper – and has another mall booked for tomorrow?

Back at the nice and cool room I had a rest before I put on the training clothes and went to the gym. After a good workout I relaxed on the roof by the pool. Not in the pool though since the doctor said I wasn’t allowed in the pool due to my eye… For the first time since I arrived I felt cooler winds blowing up there. Nice!!

For the evening I was booked into a Dhow Cruise on the Creek. Got picked up – a little late as usual, and after picking another couple up we headed for Al Khor and our boat. It was a pretty dull arrangement. We sat on the boat and got entertained by a very bad magician, the spoke Arabic or Hindi or something all the time. Later, dinner was served. Nothing fancy, but not too bad. I would have thought that there would be some kind of guiding of where we were and what we passed, but nothing – just a dinner on the boat. At least I had good company. Shared table with a great couple from Durban.

We can call this the day with water theme… let’s see what tomorrow brings!

I'll try get the pics to work now. If the link doesn't work try and copy paste the adress from yesterday.

PHOTOS

First day

The first day in Dubai is about to end. Since I got to my room at 4.00 am I over slept breakfast. Took a stoll around the hotel to check it out. Roof top pool and a nice gym and downstairs a number of restaurants. Inbetween 693 rooms.
Visited the tour company in the lobby, which resulted in a desert tour later in the afternoon and evening. After a small brunch from the coffeeshop I met another man that really new how to sell things to do. And all I wanted to do is ask if there was something in the area to have a look at. Now most of my days are "fully booked"...
He suggeested I got to a local market for a few hours beofre it was time to go to the desert. He put me in a taxi and off I went. A short ride later the driver dropped me off at an area that looked rather closed and empty. Hey, it is midday Friday... Everyone is at the Mosque.
Well - I took a small stroll back to the hotel. It wasn't too far, but when it's 45° and mid day - even a short walk is hard...

When I got back I went to the gym and believe it or not - amongst other things I did - I ran!!! I can't run!! but I did!!

A shower and an hours wait in the lobby later the car was here to pick up for the desert safari tour. Four of us from our hotel and three already in the car made it packed. It was a rather disorganized tour with a driver that didn't spoke to us, not even answered questions. Well well, after some stops and wonderings what was going on we found our selfs rollercoasting on the dunes in a 4x4... That was pretty cool.
The tour ended at a camp where you could go camel riding, quad biking and sand boarding. I didn't do any. I went to the bar and had oads of water!!!
A bit later we got food and entertainment sitting in the dark desert. It was nice and cool. Strange how you can say it's cool when the temperature is still over 30. =)

I think I will find sand in all my things for days to come...


Have a look at some pix here: https://picasaweb.google.com/carwahl/Dubai2011

Suddenly it happens,

After months of head over heels of work, long hours, many days, a lot of travelling and a lot of meetings (will not tell you how much because then I'll just have a law-abiding section riders after me), the body and mind said stop. I believe it’s gone well so far, been a bit tired and drained and unfortunately completely cut off from my surroundings, but I guess that unfortunately is what happens in this kind of situation. When this week began, however, my energy was gone. Spent a lovely weekend with good friends and felt really relaxed after that. But that feeling changed - it got bigger and different. I did not work very well and when I woke up on Tuesday morning with a bright red, watery and irritated eyes felt like it was time to slow down.

Since the work situation is like it is the plan was to work much of the weekend - the weekend being a long weekend off for most people due to two public holidays, Thursday and Monday and a “squeezed in Friday” that’s just tells you to take a holiday. One day of holiday gives you five days off. When I got home Tuesday evening, totally drained, with my irritated eye and a juicy my brain, I made a decision. I would not be working this weekend - not even on Friday. Why would I do that? Why should I wear me out like that?

That evening I had two words in my head - run away! I wanted to run away for the weekend. Started to think about where to go. Where could I find some peace of mind and stop thinking about work, get myself going and energize? The idea of ​​total solitude at a neutral site was attractive!

After some aimless surfing on the web, I suddenly sat there with a planned weekend ahead of me. Should I press the button!? Of course I should - and I did. The result: a long weekend in Dubai, a city that has attracted and is now reality a few days.

Right now I’m on the train going to the airport. I’m looking forward to a weekend of sun and warmth, relaxation and just taking care of my own time! So many times my colleague and I have been at the airport recently and each time we’ve said the same thing: "Imagine the day we may come here to go on holiday instead of work!" Sorry O, that day is here for me today!

The only fly in the beaker is my red eye. Turned out to be a corneal ulcer that may, very possibly may have a tendency to inflammation to it. So with me is a crème that I will smear on 4 times a day and drops to be taken every two hours... The doctor dismissed me from all swimming in the ocean and pool, and sauna. Sauna won’t be problem, but to not be able to have a swim when it’s 40 degrees can be a bit tougher. May well try to keep my feet cool ...

Now waiting is the check-in and after that a lunch in peace and quiet at the airport before Qatar Airways takes me to Dubai via Doha. Estimated arrival time is 3:10 Friday morning local time.

Fingers crossed that the hotel will welcome me at the time! At its worst, I guess I'll hang in the lobby a few hours ... It'll be all right when we get that far. Right now I sit back and breathe easy and enjoy a few hours in the air. Hoping for good food and good drink, and perhaps even a good movie.
See you ...

Same shit different day...

Most of us the same routines every day - and so have I. I get out of bed at more or less the same time every weekday morning. The alarm is set so that I can snooze once before the weather report. If I'm very tired I stay in bed until after the local news, other wise I get up just before them. I get ready for work and get on my bicycle and ride the same route to work - and a differnet going home.
Since I go the same way every morning at about the same time I normally pass McDonalds at the town square just before 7h00 am. I'm not sure, but I can imagine they open at 7h00, cos every morning the same three older men are standing outside waiting for them to open.
These men are probably homeless or close to anyway.
On Sunday when I had to go to work I passed the place half an hupr later and now it was open - and inside around a corner table sat the gorup of men.
I can help wondering what other daily routines these men have. I can't see that they are allowed to sit at McD all day. It makes me a bit sad.

But then, why do I react that way? What is it that makes me think they have a miserable life only cos they are stanidng outside McD early in the morning?!

If they have done the same observations as I have, they must have seen me on my bike with my helmet on my head and head phones in my ears with a big bag on my bag pedaling passed them every morning - and I don't think I look like I'm having the best of times there and then. In their world I might be the miserable one... They probably see me going to some kind of work and maybe they even feel sorry for me doing just that.

Then we have the man in the black suit, white shirt and tie with his black leather brief case walking towards the train station, and the girl with the very red hair walking in to town from the other way that I always meet in the tunnel under the railway...
All these people on the move - same thing every day!! We are very gridded characters!

For many the daily routines are a safety to function and for others it is just a routine...
same shit differnet day!!

Be a little brave and crazy.... change something in your routines every week!!
Refreshing..... or scary.....

What if??

I can find myself thinking and wondering "What if?" Not so much about what if I do this or that. More about what would have happend if I hadn't done as I did, taken the decision I did or met the poeple I met.
I find it rather interesting to think about what decisions, options, and some luck that has taken me to where I am today.
It is impossible to try and find out what had happend if I didn't... but I find it interesting to see the critical situations that set out the path to where I stand rihht now.

I was born in a town where my parents stayed just for a few years. When I was three we moved to the little town where I grew up and my parents still lives. What if they hadn't moved? What if I had grown up in the town where I was born. Who would I be today? What would my interests be? I think I would be a different person. Probably with al lot of the values I have today, but still very different. I believe we are shaped by the invironment and the people we have around us. Even if my parents would have been the same, everyone else around would be different.

After I graduated from school and was going to varsity I only applied for one course - Occupationl Therapist, but at eight different varsities. I was accepted at one, and while I prepared to go, I was accepted to another one too. I decided to go for the second one.
What if I had taken the first one? What people would I have met that I now don't know. How strange to think that I shouldn't know the poeple I met by going for the second choice.

So, what has taken my to where I am today and what what if's has taken me here?
If it wasn't for that application for that job I sent in that I was sure I would never get, and if it wasn't for the girl saying no and me actually getting the offer I would have never moved to the small little village where I then stayed for eight years. If it wasn't for me starting my new job the week I did I would have never came across Wheelchair rugby, that has been a big part of my life for the last 15 years. And if it wasn't for me getting that involved in the WCR I wolud have never got the chance to go places, like South Africa. And if it hasn't been for my trip to South Africa 2005 I would have never met the most amazing people in the world!!

Another "what if" is when I asked my self "What if you quit work and go back to school and do what you are really interested in?" What if I hadn't spoken to a friend of mine that knew that a new education was about to start? What if I hadn't told anyone and a colleague had told me about the ad in the paper saying it was still possible to apply for the course even if it was five months since the deadline. What if I hadn't made that phone call when I did, and found out that the aplication commitee was to meet the next day. What if I hadn't got my aplication in and what if I never started graphic school...

I will never know what my life would look like with other "What if's"... but I'm quite happy with the ones I have, that has taken me here. Now I'm looking forward to sit here in a few years time to see what more "What if's" I carry with me...
I do have some "What if's" for the future... let's see if they will be the one I look back on in the future...

W H A T A D A Y

03.50 AM

alarm goes off. Time to get read for a trip to Copenhagen.

04.25 AM

leaving home. Walking through an empty quiet town center. It’s the paperboy and me.

04.48 AM

the train leaves – on time… Heading for the airport.

05.57 AM

arriving at the airport.

Since I checked in online I walk straight to security. Today I’m flying “upper class” and can take the “Fast Track”. Not so fast this morning though… A line of first time flyers… or just people making easy things like taking your laptop out of the bag, very complicated.

07.10 AM

Take Off… The airline that likes to tell that they are “The most punctual airline in Europe” leaves on time.

Since it is an early morning flight and I’m “upper class” I’m beeing served breakfast – with warm rolls and everything… Yum!

I take the opportunity to work a little on the way while sipping another cup of tea.

08.20 AM

Touch Down! 5 minutes ahead of schedule – as “The most punctual airline in Europe” really like to point out…

BUT – this is now when it all starts…

Someone took our gate… We have nowhere to park! The flight that was 5 minutes ahead of time is now suddenly late!

Well, it wasn’t too bad. It took a few extra minutes but then we found parking and everyone was happily in Copenhagen!

I found the guy I was going to spend the day with. He left the same airport as me just a few minutes before. Different airline – different price! We belong to different companies! =)

We went to fetch our rental car, a small Japanese, and hit the roads of Denmark. Since we got into a bit of trouble already yesterday late afternoon when we realized the material we were about to make a trial with today hadn’t arrived we stopped for coffee on the way to see if we could get info from the people back home spending the morning trying to trace the parcel!

While having a snack we got the phone call – the material was now found and delivered. Yay!

10.30 AM

We arrived at the place where the trials should take place and started… This is now a big part of this day that I’d rather erase from my life… but since I can’t I have to live with the fact that it just didn’t work!! I can’t get into details and I don’t think you would enjoy that either. Let us just stop with saying it didn’t work very well… what I have spend hours and hours on without having a very important fact that now showed and kind of made the whole thing unusable!

We got it packed up with a little help from a lot of tape and sent them of to me to adjust! Not really the way I hoped for when I woke up very early this morning.

But ok, project number 2 was a little bit better then the first one and I think we can live with that one.

13.10 PM

we were done. Not much more we could do. Time to hit the road and get back to the airport.

Got the little Japanese filled up and returned before we got to our different terminals just to meet up again on the inside.

Had lunch and were suppose to talk business but got into talking travelling and holidays instead. Which was much more interesting at the time.

16.30 PM

It’s time to split up and take our different flights at the same time to the same airport. My flight is at 17.10.

16.39 PM

On my way to the gate (B9) when I receive a text message telling me the flight is delayed until 17.20. Only 10 minutes… but if it’s something I’ve learnt from flying frequently is that if they say 10 minutes it never stops there.

We were told to change gate to B7, because they were changing out aircraft.

17.09 PM

A new text message saying we will now take off at 17.50. AND we have to change gate to B5. They are bringing another aircraft. This is now number three in less then half an hour. The aircraft is on the way from the hangar.

18.00 PM

We are finally in the air. Once again the privilege of flying “Upper Class” is shown. We are being served a small cold meal. I get my box and open it. It’s a small potato salad and some roast beef, together with some bread. But hey, where’s my butter?? And I’ve flown enough to know that in that box is also a small little chocolate. Since I’m having a lot to do with chocolate at work I find it interesting to see what kind of chocolate is in the box this time. And guess what – there is NO chocolate in my box! I’m looking around and the people around me have a piece of chocolate in theirs.

So, how come that out of all the people on that plane receiving a “small cold meal corrugated box” I have to be the one getting one without the chocolate?? (and butter)

No question about it, when that drink trolley passes I ask for a bottle of red wine!! I actually should have taken two!

19.00 PM

I’m back on the ground. I have now missed my train by 12 minutes.

Going to the train station to see what options I have. I have to by a new ticket of course and the next train leaves at 19.37. Not too bad. I will be home at a quarter to nine. That’s ok.

19.37 PM

Onboard the train and it starts to move.

I’m sitting there watching the landscape passing by, at first very slow and I do get a bit frustrated and is wondering why they are going so slowly. But after the first stop they pick up the speed a bit.

While sitting there I go through my day (and the day of yesterday that was really a “kak” day too) and wonder why this is happening… I remember checking the time at 20.34 and thinking it’s great that our days now are so much longer. Outside the window is a beautiful sunset. I make myself smile a little while watching it thinking that it was “one of these days” but in ten minutes we’re home and it’s all over.

20.42 PM

They announce that in a few minutes we’ve reached our destination and it’s time to prepare for getting of the train.

20.43 PM

The train suddenly stops.

After a few minutes they announce that it is something wrong with the signals going in to the station so we have to wait for further information from the traffic planners office.

The minutes passes by and round about 21.15 they say that the preliminary time they’ve got is 22.00…. not before anyway!

At this time I’m preparing myself to stay the night on the train.

Just after 22.00 they say that the new time is “maybe” 22.30… but then suddenly we start to move…

22.15 PM

We arrive! 1 hour 30 minutes late!

22.30 PM

I’m finally back home! 18 hours after I left!

Twas a loooong day! A day that I don’t want too many off. But I have to see it from the bright side – I have filled my life’s memory bag with a few more experiences.

Never on a Monday...

How many of you start a "new life" every second Monday?
Whether it is going to the gym, losing weight, watering pot plants or recycleling - the following Monday will always be the perfect day to start? Why is that? Is it so that we can use the weekend to not do whatever it is we are starting on Monday...
Do we use the weekend as some kind of excuse to do it all before it's "too late"...

THE Monday comes... We are ready and it feels sooo good!! It's a new person waking up and walking into this new life!! Nothing can change your mind now! You are on a mission!!

What is it that happend then - after a few days... or if we are lucky and doing really well a few weeks!! The determination is fading away and more and more "cheating" occur!


I've been there a few times myself. I often think about what and why. What is the reasons to why we (I) are losing it.
As most of us, I should think, I have a few projects that I've started but have trouble to keep, or even to finish. For the moment I have a few!
The thing is I have the desire to succeed, but for some reason I lack motivation and character. My mind constantly tells me what I should do to accomplish what I've started and wish for but for some reason the little devil sitting on my shoulder tells me differently and it is so easy to follow his orders...

"Ok, I a bad day today - I start again tomorrow!!" How many times a week are you allowed to say that! "I can bunk gym today and do another session later in the week!"
NO you can't!! Cos you never will!!!

"I know how to do - I'm just not doing it!!" heard that before??

Either you have to force yourself and be tough, or you just have to give up and realize you failed! Guess what is easier! But what feel better?

I've been told that you can never accomplish something big and life changing if you can't answer the question "WHY?" And the answer can't be - cos I want to?!
You need to really answer the question Why? to reach your goal!



Another thing is to never start on a Monday... Why not try a Thursday or a Sunday?! Why always a Monday?!

I think most of you can remember the last time you thought you have to or need to make a change in life - and it didn't really turn out the way you planned!?

So let's start our new life!! Why not tomorrow... on a Wednesday!?

Special friends

The other night I was chatting to a friend on Skype and we got to talk about friendship and special friends.

It all started with a chat she had with a very special friend of hers and the feeling of having a friend that is always there for you no matter what.

For me there are three kinds of friends; friends, real/good friends and special friends. Everyone needs friends, but not everyone has the same need of friends. It’s important to be surrounded by people that you enjoy, trust and respect and that do the same for you. That makes you rich. Amongst these people that you call your friends there is a few that you know a little bit better and that you have a different relationship to then the others. These are your real/good friends. Then we have the special ones. They are not that many, but they are very important to you in some way. These are the ones knowing you inside and out and are still standing by your side when the wind blows, those who loves you and care for you no matter what…

The tricky part is not to find friends; it is to keep them… and to find out whom to trust to be your special friend. Who you can share your darkest secrets and your happiest moments with without using them and draining them.

My special friends are very important to me. I have a few, a handful or so, that I call my very specials, and them I care about and love lots. I could walk to the moon for some of them, but it’s important to not overdo it. Be there, but not interfere. Care, but not overprotect. It’s like a balancing act.

The most important in any friendship is to show who you are and allow people love you for the true you.

Yesterday, with this chat in mind, I got reminded of another kind of friendship and love, the unconditional love you get from animals, and how close we are to our pets.

A friend, a special friend I must say, contacted me to tell me she had to put her dog down earlier that day. I know the feeling of doing that and it is the worst ever. You feel like you are deciding for someone else’s life and that is horrible. Even if your pet has tried to tell you for a while how ill or hurt they are you still have to decide when to end it. That is awful. But at the same time you know you’re doing the right thing for the animal. Keeping it alive with pain and sickness would be cruel and selfish, but it is still a tough decision to make. A decision based on a lot of love, trust and respect – something you can only get from a very special friendship, whether it’s a human being or an animal.

Brake down...

There are two things that has to be done at least once a year that I really don't enojy. One is the dentist and the other is the annual check up of my car. It's not that I'm scared of either - it's just that if something is wrong it will cost me loads of money...
One of these I had to do to day... I had to take my car in for a check up. Every year I sit there while they knock with their little hammer, have a close look with the flashlight and what ever all they do - and is so nervous they will walk up to me telling me I'm in big trouble.
My car is almost 10 years old now, but in very good condition, and every year I've walked out of there with a paper saying "Passed"... but not today! Today was one of these days that I'm affraid of every time.
We didn't pass, my car and I. The front breaks are "uneven". I need to get them fixed and come back and show them befor mid May. I went straight back to the office to call the car service place...

Even if my wish was to pass without remarks, I think it wasn't too bad. Breaks get worn out and does need to be looked after every now and then. I'm glad it wasn't a bigger problem then that.
The guy even said it might be some kind of "coating" and will be fixed rather easy.
Anyhow, I will hand the car in and have it checked and let them go through it too to see if something else needs to be done at the same time - new oil or so...


And no - no dentist appointment in the near future! =)

"Handle with care"

Today I was (again) reminded of how fragile life is. How a split second can make a major change.
I am kind of a "what if" person and do suffer from "catastrophic thinking" on and off. So, today when my phone suddenly made the noice of an incoming text message and I didn't really get the message - I instantly thought it was bad news. And in a way it was...
Luckily this time the news, that was kind of bad - was to tell it was still pretty ok after what happend.
Still it got me thinking...

When you have most of the family and friends far away the fragility gets very obvious. When something happend to a person that is close to you and that you care for you feel very small when all you can do is send a text message back telling how sorry you are. When what you really want to do is give the person a big hug while telling how sorry you are.
In these situations you feel pretty small and useless for not being able to be there for the person you love.

I'd like to take the opportunity to tell all the people I care for that where ever you are in the world my aim is to be there for you - always!

Take care of your self, your life and the people you love and care for!
You never know when that split of a second changes things around! Good or bad!


TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER!

Time?

What is it about time?
Why is it that we always think we don't have enough time?
Time must be the most fair thing in the world - who ever you are, where ever you live - we all have the exact same amount of time! 24 hours a day - no more - no less!
The 24 hours are as long or short every day, and still we think that one day are passing quicker then the other.
The experience of an hour can also be very differnet from one to another...
We all know that time goes faster when we are enjoying our selfs, and is very slow when things aren't as fun.
We often complain about not having enough time... and that is what got me thinking!

If we don't have enough time - why is it then that we wants time to fly when we have something to look forward too and wants to get there as fast as possible... and at the same time we wants to get the most out of the days leading up to the D-day!
And then - when D-day is laying for your feet - again it's time for time to slow down...
cos now we got where we wanted and now we have to get the most out of it!

What if we could rule over the speed of our time!?
No, I think it's better to take care of it and make sure to use each and every minute well!

… but I will always make sure I have something to look forward to -
to help time go a little bit faster!! =)

Spring Bike...

Today I decided to start spring... Most of the snow is gone and the roads are free from ice - meaning it's time to get the bike out of its winter storage. That is bike as in bicycle.
Yesterday morning I woke up and I heard the birds singing outside my window. Today I woke up and I heard the rain... Not until late afternoon the rain decided to stop. That's when I started spring, at aobut 4.00 pm today, the 3rd April.

After I moved into my castle a year ago I don't have a parking for my car. I have to park on the street (and pay for it too). Due to our snowy winters we have to park on one side of the road each day - changing every day... If I keep my car here not only do I have to pay for it I have to move it every day too. So I took a drive and parked it where it can have a safe and good rest after a long winters hard work. I took a walk back home to get my bike out of the storage where it spent the long cold winter and out in the fresh air.
On the way back I walked through the big city park and I had to smile when I saw the tiny greens comming up of the ground... in a few days with good weather there will be spring flowers all over!! Lovely - it means there is still hope for the winter to go away for this time...

So from tomorrow morning it's me and my bike going to work!

From now on I will spend a lot of time on bikes... Outside my "city racer" and inside on a Keiser spinbike!!

Pictures from Google

And I must say I'm really looking forward to it...
I've missed my bike this winter!

Am I back?

After almost 2 years I suddenly felt like blogging again. Don't know why, cos I haven't been very good at it the other times I started... Well, let's see if this time is different and if blogging is something for me.
I enjoy writning and express myself with words and I enjoy sharing my thoughts - but will I enjoy doing that in this forum. Time will tell!

As a start I thought I let you get to know me better...

I Live: in a castle! Well a nice flat up under the roof in the center of Gavle, Sweden.

I Work: far too much!!

I Talk: too much when I get nervous and not at all when I get upset.

I Wish: my bank account was fat - obese even..

I Enjoy: a glass of good red wine - or two...

I Look: for options for my next life project.

I Find: life rather difficult!

I Smell: the tulips on the table.

I Hide: from confrontation.

I Walk: when I don't need to drive - should let the car rest more often tho!

I Write: very long emails, to-do-lists and from now on maybe a blog...

I See: the snow is almost gone and spring is on it's way!

I Sing: very rarely and pretty bad.

I Can: if I want!!

I Watch: TV every day without watching!!

I Daydream: a lot! It even gets too real sometimes!

I Want: my dreams to come true!

I Cry: easily and often!

I Read: crime novels and travel magazines.

I Love: travelling!

I Sometimes: wonder what the meaning of life really is!

I Touch: only if I'm allowed to!

I Hurt: my bum 3-4 times a week - after spinning! Hey, naughty...

I Fear: I'm the one standing in my own way!

I Hope: to make a differense to someone.

I Break: my own heart every now and then - I hope I don't break anybody elses.

I Eat: far too much chocolate!

I Quit: my job and went back to school about 10 years ago. Good plan!

I Bathe: in the sea when it's warm enough.

I Drink: 1 liter of sparkling water every day.

I Stop: at red lights.

I Save: Flight Miles!!

I Hug: people that deserve it.

I am in: a funny state...

I Play: along

I Miss: my friends

I Hold: on to my hat when the wind blows...

I Forgive: you if you appologise and really mean it!

I Drive: a blue Ford...

I Learn: something new every day, but can't remember it all.

I Have: sat my feet on the gorund in at least 35 counties! So far...

I Don't: drink coffee

I Made: a fool out of myself and I'm sorry!

I Kiss: you back any day! :*

I Believe: I need a change!

I Wait: for the right moment - but I'm affraid I have to stop waiting and act instead...

I Need: that change! and a lot of money!

I Feel: lost

I Know: the word "Cheers" in about ten languages.

I Wonder: if anyone made it this far...

I am: Carina, a lost soul