A tiny uni-reunion

On Monday I had three of my ex university friends over for dinner. 

Three very “down-to-earth” people and we had a very cozy evening. We are four completely different types of people but we also have lots of things in common. We met our first year at university in 2002, afterwards we all went different ways in life and now suddenly we all happened to live in the same city again so it was about time to have a small reunion. 

xoxo

Good morning 17th of March

Good morning Stockholm! Or actually, I wouldn’t call it a good morning as the first thing I see when I look out of the window is… snow! We have been having kind of spring weather the past week with beautiful sunny days and then suddenly from nowhere the snow comes back. I couldn’t believe my eyes! But people say its normal, March is not a spring month here in Sweden so I guess I just have to bite my tongue, get my double jackets on, stop complaining and walk to work as the buses won't run regularly... 

Have a great day people! 

xoxo

My brilliant weekend

My new colleagues and I at Cafe Opera

 My weekend started off at 5pm on Friday afternoon when three of my sweet colleagues and I went to the fancy club Cafe Opera for the "soul train after work". I had heard so much about it but never been there, now I have. It was interesting. It didn't feel we were in Sweden at all. A mix of ages between 20 and 60 years old were dancing and mingling around with complete strangers already at 6 o'clock in the afternoon. I say it didn't feel like Sweden as here in Stockholm the clubs normally neither mixes people of different ages and people wouldn't dance before they get very drunk in the late evening.But now I know that it is different on friday evenings at Cafe Opera. 

Unfortunately I couldn't stay very long as I quite early had to move on to an international event at Collage. It was the group Internations that organized the event and it was actually my first time I attended one of their happenings here in Stockholm but as you might now I used to join frequently Internations in Milan when I lived there. It was Johanna, Arancha, Cicci, Laura and I that went together and it was well organized with people from absolutely all over the world. 

Saturday evening was a bit more relaxed. I met up with a friend for a very good pizza and a pop by the cinema. We saw the movie Her. Even if it won an oscar I didn't expect it to be very good but it was... interesting. Very interesting. I have actually though a lot about if afterwards and I love movies that makes me reflect about things. 

Today Sunday has been just lazy. I went to my yoga class this morning and afterwards I took a long walk (actually I got lost so the walk got very very long) to Enskede ridskola - a riding club like 30 minutes walk (2 subway stops) away from where I live. I sat in the sun watching girls running around with their horses and I even managed to see part of a pony jumping competition. Do I need to say how bloody much I miss riding. I am thinking to sign up... but then, once again, I wonder when I gonna have time for it? 

xoxo

Second time climbing

On Thursday it was time for my second time on the climbing wall. 

I was exited and had high expectations this time and I guess that is why I got a bit disappointed when I wasn't as good as I hoped I would be. My arms got tired quickly and once I even had to give up as I couldn't manage to get up the wall. 

I don't have the right technique when I climb. Not at all. I use the fact that I am light, flexible and have got quite strong arms and thanks to that I can get to the top on some of the easier walls. Those three attributes together with a tall body would be the perfect climbing mix but well, I got three of them at least. I just need to understand the techniques to be able to improve. Or actually, I should sign up to the course and in that way get both some theory lessons, climbing exercises with an instructor and most important of all I would get the green card and learn the safety around climbing and to be able to be a belayer. I just need to find time to do it. 

xoxo

One Republic live in Stockholm

For many people One Republic is a completely unknown music band while some people might at least recognize the song “Apologize” but haven’t heard anything else by them. Let’s say that’s not my case as I really like them a lot since a couple of years back. I think I even mentioned on the blog last year when they were on their European tour I was in Stockholm when they played in Milan, and then I managed to be in Stockholm the day they played in Milan and I was so disappointed. 

That is why I got so happy when I saw they were on tour once again this year. I managed to convince Laura and Cicci to join me and yesterday we went to see them at… Fryshuset. They were supposed to play at “Globen anexet” but the place turned out to be too small and the event was moved to Fryshuset, a (sorry for saying this) terrible stage here in Stockholm. The good thing is that it is walking distance from where I live. 

However, the concert was so great. The Avicii concert the week before (attracting 100 000 people over the weekend) was nothing in compare to this one. Most people wouldn’t agree on that but I really believe so. I had the time of my life at the concert and felt so excited when I walked home afterwards. 

xoxo

Attitude Sthlm

Me, Foki and Lisa

My favorite brand Burts Bees

On Saturday Lisa so kindly invited me to join her to visit the Attitude Sthlm fashion and beauty fair in Kista. It was smaller than I thought it would be but it was fun. Full of beauty, makeup and fashion brand showing off their products together with some famous fashion bloggers showing off themselves. Lisa and I found our favorite blogger Foki among the crowed, talked a bit to her and even got a picture together with her.

 I have met around 10 people that knows me though my blog which is always lots of fun. But I can admit it is strange to talk to people that knows so much about myself and my life when I don’t even know their names. This time the situation was the opposite, for the first time in my life I met a blogger that I have been followed for years that obviously didn't have a clue who I was. But it was fun to get a true picture of little Foki, that turned out to be as sweet and cute as I thought. 

xoxo

Week 10 in pictures

I have been ridiculously bad at blogging this week and I am sorry for that. At the same time I don't believe blogging should be an added stress in my life, it shouldn't be a must do but something I do with pleasure when I have time. And that is the thing, to find time for it. 

However this Marliina-blog has become a ture part of my life so I won't close it but I might just add new blog posts a couple of times a week further on. 

Here below follows some pictures from this week...

Monday, cosy and yammi dinner at Zarah's place. 

Tuesday (called The Fat Tuesday) was all about the Swedish bakeries "Semlor" which by tradition  the Swedes eats one Tuesday a year, normally in the end of February. It is a sweet bun with almond paste and wipped cream. I don't really like it to be honest but I better not say it out loud as everyone seems to love it. 

Anyway my consultant agency nicely sent me 50 "semlor" to share with my colleague at the bank and I had a piece of one. Then the same evening I went for dinner at my mum's that also had mini-semlor so I had another one. Now for sure I won't fancy even seeing semlor for another year. 

Thursday I went crossfitting efter work and straight from there I met up with my dad to try a Swedish restaurant both of us have been talking about for a while, Stekpannan. It actually was as good as we thought it would be. Delicious Swedish food and nice atmosphere. 

On Friday I was invited for dinner and movie evening with Oscar's theme at Anna and Håkan's place. We ate homemade soup, drank real champagne and saw the Oscar winner movie, Dallas Buyers Club. I didn't have high expectations but the movie was actually very good. 

Saturday evening instead was all about the Swedish euro vision final. Sara, myself and Erika had dinner at Erika's place celebrating her birthday, ate Erika's speciality chocolate cake and watched the funny final. Great evening even if the totally wrong song won. As always.

Oh I have forgot to say the spring has arrived also to Stockholm. Or at least the Swedes calls it Spring time. We have got blue sky, 10 degrees and a splendid sun. Even if I don't call 10 degrees for spring temperatures I get equally happy and energetic of having the sun shining without a cloud on the sky. This Sunday morning I had yoga and then lunch with my dad and then in the afternoon I went for a over two hours walk in the Årsta forest and along the sea. So beautiful. 

A quite good week, right? :) 

xoxo

Celebrating Laura at Cliff Barns

(All pics are from Bara Enkelt)

Happy birthday Laura! 

The other day it was my sweet friend Laura’s birthday and on Saturday it was time to celebrate it. We went for dinner at “Bara Enkelt”, a bar/restaurant that is becoming a favorite in town. So why a favorite? Well, the location, the prices, food, the place itself and the crowd is simply really good. Not great but a good mix that suites most people independent of their styles and tastes. 

The newcomer of the evening was Cliff Barns, a kind of a dancing bar in Vasastan. I have been there, maybe 10-15 years ago (yes it is a very old place) and the place still looks the same. I don’t really know what so say about the place. The music was great, people happily dancing and the entrance was free which normally would be a successful receipt for me, but I didn’t like it anyway. I didn’t appreciate the sort of people hanging there, it was far too much of a desperate feeling in the air. Then it was too packed. The place is really small but honestly it was far too crowded, we could hardly move from one corner to another. 

So many people have talked about this Cliff Barnes since I moved to Stockholm this autumn and we all wanted to try it. Now I know it is not my kind of place but it is good to know that it exists and what to expect when going there. 

xoxo

Avicii live at Tele2 arena

Few years ago I didn't even know Avicii was Swedish. On Friday I was one of maybe 50 000 proud Swedish young people welcoming Avicii to his home town for a spectacular concert. 

Which risk to sound old and not very into the new electronic music trend I must admit that for me these kind of concerts are quite strange. The 24 year old Avicii turned up on the stage without saying a word, turned on "hey brother" and went on mixing his own music with other popular dance music tunes for two hours. He did actually say "thank you Stockholm, you have been fantastic tonight" before he left but that was all. During these two hours he was standing alone on the stage mixing music with one hand and waving the other hand hysterically in the air. 

He might be a music genius being able to mix tunes that no-one else (read it in the news paper) are able to but theoretically he could just have played a pre recorded cd and no-one would had noticed. The music was great. The light show was very cool. The atmosphere inside the arena was indescribable. Well everything was pretty fascinating. But I must admit that I kind of missed a true performance. Maybe I should add that we had seats and were not among the crazy crowd on the so-called "dance floor" and that obviously made a big difference. 

Anyway, it was an unforgettable show and now I can't wait for the summer burst festival.

xoxo