Why don´t I talk at parties / gatherings / events?

Over the past three years of my life living here, I have realized that I developed some patterns of not talking to people.

These are the patterns:-

1. I don´t understand the language
2. I am too tired to translate the language
3. I am too tired to make sentences.
4. I am too tired to mingle around.
5. I am tired to mingle.
6. I am giving a chance for my husband to get the spotlight.
7. I am not in the mood for socializing.
8. If I stay quiet, someone talkative would want to start talking to me.
9. I stay quiet because I don´t want to create meaningless conversations.
10. I keep quiet because I do not want to make unnecessary efforts of creating possible friendships that would not last.
11. I keep quiet because there are some other people who have more interesting things to say about themselves.
12. I keep quiet because I do not have any interesting things to say.
13. I keep quiet because I feel that whatever I am going to say is not worth it.
14. I keep quiet because I feel that I keep on saying negative things and then I keep on getting pity looks from people - and I don´t like that!
15. I speak very bad Swedish.
16. I speak bad Swedish and the Swedes don´t understand my jokes!
17. I enjoy my drinks more than talking to you.
18. I enjoy my surroundings more than talking to you.
19. I pretend to enjoy my surroundings.
20. I pretend to listen to the laudest dude talking in the room.

Actually there is more to the list, but I am just too tired right now.....

:-p

WATCH THIS SPACE!

 

Wait for my next post! 

 

I am back and fuelled up to write more exciting news and adventures about a Malaysian girl living abroad!

Credit to http://lapetite-presse.blogspot.se/

Promenad med farmor (A walk with grandma)

Det var väldig mysig promenad, tycker jag. Novemberssolen var fortförande ganska varm, och det gjorde hela jorden varm också.

Vi gick för en stund, tittade på frusna torftiga träden och pratade om våra framtiden och vad som hade hant före med våra familjer.

Säxeröd and Toröd -- jag blir kär i er mer från dag till dag.

Paprika i Nordstan

The first time I saw the sign board of this place, I thought it was a copy of Restaurang Glada Paprikan in Askim, but turned out that it was quite a unique café concept, serving mostly salad and you can mix it yourself. I kind of like it, very healthy and good choice for me especially, who is in bad need of eating healthy food. The café location is very convenient considering it is in Nordstan, accessible by public transportation and mass public. Although the entrance was a bit confusing to find, as you have to go up the escalator of another clothing boutique to reach it. But for 79 kr for a big portion of salad, I think that it was totally worth my student money (though somehow I wish it could be cheaper).

I will come back here for the salad! :-)

Food       :  4 out of 5
Service    :  4 out of 5
Decor      : 3 out of 5
Cost        :  3.5 out of 5
Location  :  4 out of 5

The Midsummer Festival

Every year on the 25th or 26th of June, the Swedish people celebrate a very interesting event. The Swedish Midsummer; back in the old days, today has the longest sun ever during their short summer days. Usually the sun would be visible for up to 10 hours on this day.

I like it during Midsummer. Everybody is merry, everybody is happy. You can feel it in the air that it is a celebration.

My mother-in-law usually prepare a lot of food on this day. Sometimes the whole neighborhood will be here, most of the time we have a big feast just within our family.

After the big feast, the tradition of drinking shnapps, or shots are consumed and then everybody became very loud and funny.

Happy New Year 2011!!

Wishing all of my readers for more upcoming years of prosperity, happiness and good health, in love, life and after-life, with God¨s will.

Do you think 2011 is going to be a new and more exciting year for you?

I believe that the year 2011 can be the year where all of your prayers are answered. I would like to think so, at least.

For some reason, after a year of being jobless, I feel more rejuvenated and refreshed now. My mind tends to think that 2010 was the year when I took the time to rethink and relax. And wake up again in 2011.

Okay!

When the snow is here, you know Christmas is coming!

This time of the year is *almost* the happiest time of the year for me.

Well, at least in the beginning when the snow began falling.

What a wonderful feeling!

It will also be my first Christmas with Sayang and his family!

There is a lot of Mariah Carey's song playing; on the radio, in the mall (always at the mall to see and get the mood of Christmas), on the television.

Selamat Hari Raya, Eid Mubarak.

On the occasion of this special month, I'd like to wish everyone a great time in your life. I pray that Allah will grant our wishes, providing that we will work very hard to achieve it (if we're ambitious), otherwise you can wish for something small, and work small, and obviously the result will be small as well.

I'd like to wish for us to be His most loyal believers and for that we will always be happy and blessed by Him under whichever situation we are in. Be true to yourself and treat others with kindness. Happiness comes from within and this is an exercise that you must practice in order to achieve it.

This is my first year celebrating spending the month of Ramadan and Syawal without my family's presence. It feels very strange. I could vividly see my family breaking their fast every evening. The times when they rush out to buy food from Bazaar Ramadan for the whole family. When after iftar, Dad would summon for us to go to the masjid and before going out, we will perform Maghrib prayer together at home. In my mind, I could see my brothers performing their ablutions. And in our room upstairs, my sisters putting on their praying gown. Mom would already be sitting down on the praying mat, reciting surah Yaasin or maybe some other verses from the Quran.

Alhamdulillah, I haven't really had the chance to celebrate the first day of Syawal, but I had the opportunity to spend some hours during an open house with fellow Indonesians and Singaporeans residing in Sweden and they're very friendly towards me. I felt instantly at home when I entered the house of Mbak Lala and Pak Mat.

And next week it will be the meeting with Malaysian ambassador at Malaysian embassy in Stockholm. Also going to be my first time in Stockholm. I'm super excited! I'm planning to give my business card to the ambassador :-)

Sommar och jordgubbar

It was a really great time for anyone to be in Sweden - during the summer. Even the Swedes admit this themselves. Everyone becomes the cheerful, friendly human beings, so much unlike the norms we find on the streets in the winter.

We celebrated Midsommar, and it's really a great, great celebration! I shall post you some photos, but it's not the usual photos as I will post some that is quite unrelated to my introduction :-P

Nearby of Siv's home there is some strawberries growing wild. I'm not sure how they grew there, but it's just right on the side of her walking paths.

There is also the photo of a couple of souvenirs our friend bought for us from Paris. Foie Gras and Olives Au Chocolat (olive flavoured chocolate) which was very, very nice!

Malaysian in Sweden Summer Gathering 2010

Lygnereds Camping in Alingsås

Last weekend I spent it with Malaysians from all over Sweden. A lot of good food and really nice company. I was quite disappointed that the weekend had to come to an end. But so does every other thing in life.

That New Grey Dress

I love this dress! It was on 50% less and I got it for only RM75! Murahkan? :-) *Gloats with happiness...

Update: I still never get to wear this dress. The reason? Because I swear that I need to lose 10 kg in order to gain back my sexy body like two years ago! And I might just rethink of wearing this dress, because I saw an old sexy lady during an event not too long ago, and yes, she was wearing this exact same dress! *cringe*

Labor Day in Göteborg, Sweden

As usual, every weekend I will go to the city. Either to take a walk and people watch, or to just satisfy my curiousity in the latest fashion and window shop to my favorite store; H&M.

It was quite a peaceful Saturday and the weather was really good. When you live in a four season country, you tend to learn to appreciate good weather. Back at home, I never really cared about the weather. I enjoy going out every day, regardless if it is sunny, rainy or thunderstorm. But over here, a day outside with the bad weather really flips your mood upside down.

So as I was walking, I saw a few policemen standing and giving hand directions to the traffic, indicating that the road ahead is closed. I thought it was a road block. That I have never seen yet in Sweden. But maybe because I don't ride cars as often. I walked a few metres ahead and saw so many people in the street. So many that for a moment, I almost thought I was not in Sweden (it's hard to see so many people in one place, because Sweden is a very large land with comparatively small population).

And then I saw the May Day Parade. I found out later that this calm parade happens in most European countries to show to the governing party that they can do it better for the people.

It Will Begin..

I noticed that this would always be the pattern if I am writing on a blog. First there would be some excessive writings and posts. And then the posts frequency decreases week by week. This morning I took a peek into this page and I was quite surprised that it has actually been three weeks since I wrote last.

I have to admit that this is not the first blog I've started, there were few others but I don't think it's necessary to write the names of my previous blogs. They're actually not worth mentioning, apart from the fact that the contents in them are very personal.

So let me explain to you why I have disappeared for the past three weeks.

familj

Swedish entry word

familj [fam'il:j] familjen familjer noun

föräldrar och barn; hushåll 

English translation

family

 

Compounds

• trebarnsfamilj---family with three children
• familje|medlem -men---member of the family
• familje|bil---family car
• familje|terapi---family therapy

I remember the day when I left Kuala Lumpur.

I had a mixed feeling of emotions, first of all because I was very excited to live in a new country. I have never
lived abroad before in my life. My dream of studying in another country was not established as I did not work
towards the dream so much. And was accepted to a local university, so back then that was enough for me.

Everyone else around me was always telling me of how sad they are that I am leaving, that they don't know when they're ever going to see me again, if they are going to see me again, ever. I didn't get this. I mean, in my mind, I know that I am coming back to Malaysia again. I will get a job to support myself and buy flight tickets back to Kuala Lumpur, maybe twice in a year, if I could afford that.

Glad Påsk!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all friends and family a happy easter! :-)

Right now it is good to spend some time with friends of family and I will continue writing on Monday (wait, that is also a public holiday in Sweden!) Okay, maybe on Tuesday. Okay, no I will write on Monday! :-P

The tradition here is during Posk little boys and girls would dress up as witches and evil man and walk from house to house and receive candies in exchange for their soet drawings. At first I thought it is almost like Halloween but the more I know about it, I started to not associate it with Halloween.

Back in the old days, people who have different mentality or those who practiced (black) magic were considered as witches. And it was hard for the other people to accept them and they burn these witches in a bowl put over a burning fire.

It is believed that during Posk, the witches fly with their magic brooms and meet at a place. So to avoid this from happening, local people started to burn big bon fire and this will stop the witches from flying.

Look at the photos of these girls dressed up as witches, they are just the cutest!

(Actually I just realized that the camera is downstairs and I am too lazy to go down and get it now, I will have to upload the photos tomorrow. I'm sorry guys...)

lycklig

Swedish entry word

lycklig [²l'yk:lig] lyckligt lyckliga adj.

full av lycka, glad (also "fortunate")

English translation

happy

 

Examples

• ett lyckligt beslut---a propitious decision
• ett lyckligt leende---a happy smile 

With an ordbok in my hand, and farmor Siv holding Ajja in her röd jacka by the leash, we took a walk around the neighborhood and I learned a new word that I am sure I will not forget easily after that day.

There were piles of snow, and the streets sometimes slippery from being icy and marks from car tyres having run on them countless times.

mat

Swedish entry word

mat [ma:t] maten noun

näringsämne som man äter (also of meals)

English translation

food    

Examples

• laga mat---prepare food
• äta mat---eat food
• mat och dryck---food and drink
• före maten---before eating 

Compounds

• mat|bord---dining table

Every day when it comes to meal time, my feelings are always divided of making something local (in this content I am referring to Swedish meal) or preparing a Malaysian meal.

I am not too much of a fuss when it comes to eating, so I pretty much eat what I can as long as it does not contain any pork or pig based produce. So I don't know why sometimes I take into consideration of what to have for my breakfast, lunch or dinner.

It is always easy to make something simple, like frying a beef burger and boiling spaghetti, or unpacking the pre-packed mixed viggies and fry them wok-style.

Or I could just have bread and a glass of milk, put it in microwave so it is not too cold from being kept in refrigerator, and tear small pieces from the bread to dip it into the warm milk.

Oh isn't that nice..?

Perhaps I will have just that now -- bread and warm milk.

Wonderful Ski Moments in Hemsedal, Norway! From Sweden from Malaysia.

Standing a Malaysian flag on the top of snow mountain of Hemsedal in Norway. 

And now I could tick off skiing from my Life To Do list. :)

I will come back to provide update for you my loyal readers to read, but for now I really need to take a rest -- as my body is in so much pain, I feel sick and my muscles are aching; the ones I never knew existed before.

And I thought that skiing could never be so much effort.

Abba joins Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame - The Local

This headline caught my eyes as I was browsing through the internet. But as soon as I viewed them, I can't help but to feel disappointed that I could not recognize my evergreen performers! They looked so old and do not even look like Abba anymore. Of course, going older is the only way to go, but I didn't expect to see them this old. C'est la vie.

Abba joins Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame - The Local

krydda

Swedish entry word

krydda [²kr'yd:a] kryddan kryddor

något som sätter (extra) smak (figuratively, "something that brightens up one's day")

 

English translation

spice

 

Compounds

• krydd|ört -en---herb 

In Southeast Asia, the usage of herbs and spices in cooking was first introduced during the time Indian soldiers and traders sailed into Melaka strait when the sultan back then ruled Melaka (also known as Melacca).

It is amazing that so many spices and food types have been integrated into our lives, the people who live in
Malaysia. I will not specifically mention only Malaysian here, simply because in my view, Malaysia is not only for Malaysians, we welcome so many people from other countries to live with us. And to support my statement here, our government has formed a new program for expatriates or foreigners who are interested to live in our country. You can read more information about it here.

Back to the topic today; spices really help you boost your cooking one notch up. Without any effort at all.

Trust me, I am no expert in cooking. Before I lived here, I have spent some time getting worried of how I am going to survive eating my own cooking.

The most important thing is; you have internet at home, and you have a nearby store that sells a variety of spices.

And from then on -- internet and experiment ;) It worked! Not wonders, but good enough for my simple taste buds :P

I am still at awe as to how great spices and herbs are. To me, they are the most wonderful discoveries ever in the history of mankind.