St Lucia tradition

Hi,
If you did not know, we in Sweden love the sun and the light so much and have done for Ever, I think.
We stole the Saint Lucia and the tradition from Italy ( in the 1400th C some times) and made it our own., St Lucia is celebrated on the 13/12 every year, with out fail... and is a welcome of the lights return,( hence the all the candles in the Lucias hair..)
The Italians made the song St Lucia and we stole that one too, and translated it in to Swedish " Sankta Lucia"... lovely song.

When I was a child we use to dress up and walk in procession through snow and dark early morning,
4 am to visit our dear school teachers and serve them coffee and Lusse buns in bed ! Yes,can you imagine we actually, walked in singing the st Lucia song surrounding their bed with them in it, in their pyjamas, LOL.
It is still a big thing in Sweden this with Lucia, every town has their beauty pageant and the public have to vote for the  prettiest girl...  I really don't like that part of it, but hey.. it is a nice tradition.

 The boys are star boys with cone hats with 3 stars.. *( standing in the back) Yes, I know it looks a bit like klu-klux-klan, but no resemblance...

Christmas is here !

Merry Christmas to all of you from all of me.
.
Summer is finally here and I have quit my job :)
Plunged into my own business 4 weeks ago and is finally seeing the light .. and then a Holiday.
I don't know if I like this!
I was ready to start working and now I have to put a lid on things and just chill out and eat, until every body is back to work.
I guess if you can't beat them join them.

Kevin and  are joining his family in Melbourne for Christmas, it is a long overdue visit and it will be fun ( I think).
 Looking forward to see a bit more of the Country I am living in, as the past two years has been pretty much head down to make a  living without living it.

The year of the TIGER is almost over and thank God for that !!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.........

Think and Grow Rich

Do You love what you are doing ?
Do you earn what you think you should ?
Do you live the life you deserve ?

Just think about it!!
"THINK AND GROW RICH".
Yes, it is actually this simple, but you have to "get it".

I didn't understand it at first either, putting all sorts of limitations on myself and how much I was worth. How much I was earning and what kind of job I had.
It was VERY scary to take the first step!
I did it and have no regrets, the contrary !
Why did I not do this a long time ago?


What is your worth ?
Just think about it.. what do you really think you should earn for the job you do?
$30.000 $60.000 $100.000 a year or more?
Have you really thought about it ?

Well, you can have it all and unlock your blockage  " Think and Grow Rich" will uncover how to get what you really think you are worth.

Now, if it was that easy why doesn't everybody do it, you might ask.
I agree with you.. it is not easy, but once you get the hang of it, it will change how you think.
It will change how you work and it will change your limiting believes about yourself.
 Yes, we all have them!

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!

WE HAVE DONE IT

Hi Guys,
Spring has sprung and we with it!
Nici, Christina and I are working on our new project. We are so excited about this new project and it's possibilities, not only for you but for us as well!
Stay tuned for more to come

Have a great week end!

Did You Know?

Heads up

Left the Hospital on Sunday afternoon, Kevin came and picked me up. We could not find our way out from the hospital!!
I said to Kev, "maybe they let you in but not out". He did not find that funny at all?

After I had landed in my own bed I started doing the Eply manuver. It means you actually stimulate the sensation of spinning until you fatigue the symptoms. Easy, NOT !!
If you can imagine spinning out of control every time you try to move, and how well you feel for hours after. This I had to do 3 times a day.
I did it and way and behold on Monday afternoon I was cured, or at least that was what I thought.

Woke up Tuesday morning and felt like I had been out partying, I felt sick and every thing was moving even when I sat still. I did not do my Eply manuver at all as I was to neasous. A big mistake!

Woke up Wednesday morning and the walls were falling in on me, could not stand up.
Prior to this it had only been spinning when I was laying down and moved my head from side to side, and a bit shaky walking.
Called my work and told them I would not be in on Thursday or Friday either, went to see my GP and he gave me see sick pills. Nothing helped ... Wednesday evening I was so miserable it was not funny, could not sit or lay down with out spinning out. Fell over in bed and passed out for a few seconds.
I was violently sick in my stomach and did not want to be me any more.

Had an appointment for Thursday morning to see a Neurologist. Kevin had to drag me in as I was like the leaning tower of Pisa.

Dr Redell made me walk  on a line and I could not keep my balance, he checked every thing and was not happy. He sent me down to have an MRI urgent, to check for any abnormality on my brain.
Kevin dragged me around, or maybe it was I who dragged him, cause If I had fallen he would have gone down with me :)

Great news the MRI scan can back normal, but the fact remains I am still dizzy and still have problems standing or walking. Dr Redell will have me do the "rostisserie". No, you do not get a tan with it, it is a special ride where they test Nasa Pilots and dizzy girls like me to see if there is something wrong with their ears.

So here I am propped up in bed waiting for life to begin

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I have been in bed for a week and if I could wipe this week from my life I would.
Acute Vertigo, every time I move I spin like a fast spin in a washing machine.
Could not stand up with out falling to the left.
MRI scan was good so I am happy about that !

Lots of needles and blood taken.. spent 2 days in the hospital.. can't believe one week has gone by!
I am so happy to be almost well and nothing serious. But I tell you it was a wake up call.
We do not live forever and we are so fragile .... I for one will start living more and taking better care of myself.
How about you?

Love life and yourself
Irene

Always Mondays and Fridays

Hi Guys,
Have you ever noticed that is seem to be Monday or Friday, anything in between goes like a blur!
Why is that ?
Life seem to be spinning out of control!! I do not have time to do what I want, between working full time, taking courses, going to weight watchers, spending time with Kevin.

No wonder people don't know who I am after they have interviewed me for a job opening...I hardly know myself :).
Actually I am a bit disgusted with recruiters. Not one but many recruiters seem to do the same thing. They promise you the world and to call you back, then they never do! What is that all about. Is it about making them feel better about themselves ?  Where is customer service !

Yes, I know I am wining.. but I just had to, as I am getting very frustrated with people who promise and not deliver

I have now started working on a project that might help me with the problem !!
I will tryt it out this week end and then let you know if it works or not.
see ya

Just another day!

Hi guys,

Just another day! Or maybe not.

Rolled out of bed at 5 am.. checked for New jobs ! Bingo there was one with a fabric and interior design company. I applied at 5.30am, maybe a mistake as I was not quite awake yet. Time will tell.

Today I was told my company where I work have no money to give me the raise they had promised me in Dec 2009, as long as I stayed on, and they could tap in to my knowledge and experience, to help the new Practice Manager. I stayed .......... and got no reward! Will have my talk with them tomorrow, will keep you posted as I am, Not happy to say the least.
More to come. Please keep you fingers crossed for me.

The queen of commute!

The Queen of commute, that is me !  Not very funny, but so true.

Yesterday I was ready to crawl out of my skin... It took me two hours to get home, it take takes17 minutes to drive.
You tell me what is wrong with Sydney's infra structure and with the public transport. One morning you wake up and they have taken away 2 direct buses out of 3 on my line, but they have increased the bus fare with $1.30 a day. The connections don't work any more and I had to wait for over 40 minutes at the Queen Victoria building for my 2 bus connection to go home. It is really pain full !!
What can we do ?

We want the right people on our team.

Are you the right person?
Are you a giving loving and fun person ?
These are the people that we want on our team, to help Ame win her gold medal at the 2012 Paralympics.
We need Your Support in spreading the word to all your friends and family and ask them to do the same. Can You help us get 19.000 people to donate $10 each ?
We need this by June 2010 to get Ame to Medemblick, Holland for the Disabled Sailing World Championship.
That is all we ask from  you to become a part of the Ame's Army Team
This will make you feel so good!  Go to Ames army
If you still are in Doubt that giving is good for you  check this out
29 gifts healed her life !

You can folllow our progress on Ame's Army.

So far, Kevin our Team Manager has succeeded in getting over $200,000 worth of charitable contributions from people and organizations to get Ame's Army to where it is right now.
How is this for giving??...............A wonderful lady named Tish Ennis has donated $35.000 to buy a SKUD 18 race boat, for Ame and her team mate Lindsay Mason. How good is that !!

We are so thankful for all the support and help we have received so far from almost every organization we have approched, such as a Shipping Line, to help us get the boat over to Europe , a PR company to get the word out and get publicity,  a Law firm to help us with the legal aspects and Sailability New South Wales, we would have been lost with out their support!
Not to mention the thousands of hours that has been put in by our team.

Now we want YOU and your Family and friends on our team too !!
By clicking on this link:

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THE BEST PASTA DISH EVER !!!

Hi Guys ,
Pia, my Swedish artist friend asked me what I was doing over Anzac day week end.
This week end I am not doing much but taking care of me !

Louise have gone to Jindi Bine for the week end and Kevin is marching as the veteran he is, in the city, which leaves me to my self.
It is not often I get a chance to be all by my self and I do treasure it when it happens.

As you figured I love food, and as I have promised Pia the best pasta dish ever, by Jamie Oliver.

I made this for Louise and Michelle, and I tell you Michelle cleaned her plate twice.

PRAWN SPAGHETTI WITH CHILLI,TOMATOES, BASIL AND LEMON
Serves 8

800 g spaghetti
olive oil
1-2 chorizo sausage ( about 225 g total)
slice on an angle into 5 mm thick slices
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 red chilli, halved, seeds removed, finely sliced
4 baby fennel bulbs, sliced, leafy tops reserved.
A bunch of basil, leaves picked, stalks reserved and finely chopped.
750 mixed cherry tomatoes, halved.
A large glass of dry white wine, and one for the chef !
1 lemon
40 large green tiger prawns, peeled ( leave a few tails on if you like ), devined
Extra virgin olive oil.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add a good pinch of salt. Add your spagetti and cook according to the pack instructions - you want it still to have a bit of bite "Al Dente"
While your pasta is cooking crack on with your sauce.
Get yourself a large pan on medium heat and add a splash of olive oil.
Fry your chorizo for a few minutes until crispy and golden brown, then throw in the garlic,
chilli, fennel, chopped basil stalks, I wait with the tomatoes until the last minute otherwise they will turn into much. Pour in the wine and squeeze in most of the juice from your lemon, then simmer until the sauce thickens and most of the liquid has evaporated. Now add the tomatoes.
Add your prawns and cook for a minute or two until they are nice and pink.
Have a taste and season with a pinch of slat and pepper.
Drain your pasta, reserving a littke of the cooking water, then add it to the pan with your sauce.
Give it all a good toss together, the put it on a beautiful big platter and garnish with the leafy parts from your fennel. Bon Apetit !

Winter in Australia

Hi Guys,
Why is it that it is sooo cold in Sydney during winter ??? It is the worse place to be in winter!
Can any one tell me why?
Why is it so cold inside ?
It is as people try to ignore that it is winter, and just don't have heating inside their houses. For me who comes from Sweden and is used to cold winters, but warm houses, have never experienced anything like it.
It is like trying to live in a summer house that has been closed for the winter, you know how cold and damp it is when you first arrive in the spring to open it up. That is how many people live in Sydney during the winter, I just don't understand it ??

Oh, the fashion in the winter is a winter parka, scarf, hat with board shorts and flipflops, now does that make sense ??

Yarra Valley wine and cheese trial

Hi Guys,
You know that I am a member of weight watchers, so hard and so much fun??!!
Kate our leader at weight watchers has the best sense of humor and she is such an inspiration to all of us. We all need a Kate in our lives!! Some one that keeps us on the straight and narrow, when we don't.
Easter Saturday morning we woke up really early and went for a lovely walk in the area we were living, such beautiful houses from the Victorian time, large houses with large windows, wide streets and beautiful gardens. We had a coffee at the corner shop and went back to pack up as we intended to go shopping before every one else woke up.

Louise and I went back to COSCO on Saturday and filled the shopping trolley... here is where we fell off the wagon :) Areas with cheese, gorgonzola, blue stilton, goat cheese, cheddar, parmesan,
Jarlsberg, mozarella. We had to buy something !
Gorgonzola 1kg, spreadable goat cheese 500 gr, Jarlsberg middle cut, blue Stilton 500gr is what we checked out with, well, pork , lamb, prawns, pretzels in a jug bigger than life, the mayo in toe, salad dressing to last a life time, Not to mention the toiletpaper and kitchen towels, olive oil and sparkling water. We ended up paying over $500, "for toilet paper "??
Are we Crazy?
Apparently we have a problem with shopping or with food, what ever comes first.

We loaded the car and had really thought this expedition through.. we had a hugh eski box full with ice for the cheese, meat and fish, in the trunk.
As we left it was an exodus of cars driving in to COSCO, we had beaten them all !!

We drove out towards Yarra Valley, the wine growing area.
Wow !! This was an experience we promised to do again...!!
Like being in France. Mountains and valleys with Lavender fields and wine in rows as far as you could see. Large estates luring you in with all kind of goodies.
The route we had taken was called the gourmet route on the map.

Our intention was to visit the magical forest, and see the sculptures placed in the forest.
Intention went out the window when we visited Dominique Portet winery over a mediterranean platter and a beautiful bottle of chilled Savignon blanch wine in the French garden with the most beautiful view!
www.wineyarravalley.com
Life worth living !!

Listing on the internet

Hi Guys,
To get my messages out in to the ether I need to verify that I am the author ;)
I like the word "author", never thought of it for myself until now.. i Guess we are all authors of our own destination GUR44KZAVXQM, is my destination today!!

Chinese Massage and Oriental tea house

Hi Guys!
I have to tell you about the best Yum Cha in Melbourne!

Louise and I woke up to a sunny day and rolled out of bed. Wow, it is a great feeling having time off and doing what you want!!
We decided to go for a long walk and explore Melbourne by foot.
The first thing we went to was Fitzroy Garden conveniently located 5 min from our little hotel.
In Fitzroy park we found Captain Cooks original home delivered from Yorkshire UK.

http://www.visitvictoria.com/displayObject.cfm/objectid.00004969-98E0-1DB4-9D0380C476A90000/vvt.vhtml

Interesting and the best of all was the guy in the souvenir shop! Talk about loving his job, he could not stop talking about Captain Cook, we absolutely got our moneys worth out of him.
We meandered down to the green house and walked through, not wishing the girls in there to much sun as it was quite hot and steamy in there. We took of to Flinders ave and walked down toward the central part of Melbourne. As it was Easter friday we passed a chathedral so packed with people they had speakers out on the street as there was at least 100 people outside as well as a packed church. Very nice! We found ourself having to go through the masses and we were wished "Happy Easter" by every one, even the police wished us Happy Easter. Really Nice!

We bought an all day tram ticket and hopped on the tram.
Melbourne have a great trams system!
Almost as good as my home town Gothenburg in Sweden.

My friend Elaine had told me about a great place to have lunch, Chapel street in Praharan.
Armed with a tourist map and an all day tram ticket we went to Praharan, and with out a passport!!

It was a different world, almost like Soho NYC 20 years ago. We walked around and finally found the Oriental tea house.
We got great service and even better atmosphere, green tea and the food just went on coming. I truly recommend that you visit this little gem if you ever visit Melbourne.
"THE ORIENTAL TEA HOUSE" on Chapel street Praharan.
http://www.orientalteahouse.com.au/photos/w1/i1001216/

We left with a full belly and walked back , got lost in the shops, and found a lovely Chinese acupuncture/massage place. As I had a frozen shoulder and was in pain, I walked in.
$30 later my shoulder was healed and booth the little china man and I was totally worn out . he did a great job... forwarned me that I would have pain "tomollow"... did I ever.. and a hugh lovley bruce to remind me of him. Hey, I am not complaining .. different pain and full movement in my arm, Thank you :)

We took the tram back to the City and went to the Casino, to try our luck !
Our luck was that some one had made a BIG MISTAKE and locked most of the machines via computer and you could only play at the tables.
We played at the Piano bar instead, with a cosmopolitan and some free food.
We did not need a lot of persuasion to go home to bed, after all we had been out walking for 12 hours and after two cosmopolitan, sent on our merry way.
What a great Easter Friday !!

Cosco and Mayo in a jar

Happy Easter!!!
Louise and I went to Melbourne for the week end. The purpose for the trip was to get away and have some fun, and go shopping at COSCO wholesale.

We drove and drove through a very beautiful and for a change in 50 year ( I have been told), a green Australian out back. We started on Wednesday afternoon and got as far as Gundagai, where we stayed at the Budget Motel, in a purple clean room, charing the facilities with 100 truckies, we felt safe and slept like babies.
The next morning was glorious with sun and mist on the ground, the Coppers having "brekkie" at McDonald as one does! Especially if you are with Weight Watchers, as we are.
Whops! Hope Kate won't read this .

The countryside offered rolling green hills and a wast landscape you only find in Australia, the road was straight as an arrow for hours, and we were ahead of every one!
We stopped of in Aulbury for a quick pit stop, coffee and Dan Murphy's for some wine for the week end.
Aulbury turned out to be a beautiful little town with plenty of golf courses and good shopping.
The landscape did not change much as we drove towards Melbourne, but it was a feast for the eye to just let is slide by outside the car window.
Louise had bought a new Car, white with large windows LOL and a built in navigator !
Great we thought and left the Tom- Tom at home, big mistake !!!
As we approched Melbourne in the late afternoon, we wanted to go by COSCO to check it out before the Easter Friday close down. So we put in the Docklands and the street adress, the navigator took us to, God know where........ we eventually got there, more by default than with navigation help.
Finally we entered the world of huge shopping carts and free sample food. We joined as members, was photographed and printed out with little white memeber cards with our faces on them.

We could not resist the seafood counter and bought our dinner, giant Alaskan crab legs and oysters. Louise wanted Mayo, she found Hellman's real mayo in a 5 kg jar !!!
She had to buy it :)
Louise have carried that jar with her as her Teddy bear, in and out at every hotel room on this trip.
You see the Jar and then you see Louise !!

We checked everything out at COSCO and decided to come back on Saturday before we were due to drive back.

Just as a tip, if you ever go out of State with your navigation system, make sure it changes from one State to another. We learned the hard way!!

We left COSCO around 6 pm and thought we headed towards the hotel in Melbourne East. Wrong!
We were still driving back and forth at 9pm calling the poor man at the hotel asking for directions. He asked us " where are you?" We had no idea. We stopped and tried to ask at a petrol sation, The "moron" refused to tell us if we did not buy a $30 map. I do not want to tell you what we said.

We called the hotel again as we now knew where we were, the guy told us, Take a left on to Hunt road and then another left on to commonwealth road and then a right to , well it was not Hunt road but Punt road...... Oh dear we went around the stadium again and decided it has to be Punt and not Hunt, and did the exercise one more time and finally arrived at 9 pm. We logged the food and Mayo jar upstairs, as we had the top floor with no lift !! Yippie. So good to move the legs after having sitting for so long :)

We had a lovely dinner and some well deserved wine, before passed out.

The Art of saying NO !

Do You now how to say No ?

I find saying No is one difficult thing to do !
Why is it so hard to be nice to yourself ?

I had an E-mail from one of my dear friends, who had turned down a friends request to become her friend on face book. My friend needed to turn the request down, not because she did not like the person who wanted to be her friend, but what feelings that person brought out in my friend. gosch this is even difficult to explain..can you imagine living it ?

The point is, my friend was strong enough to look after Her self by saying No in a nice way.
This way she took care of her own well being and did not fall for what most people would have done, gone with flow, been nice to the other person , or to please that person hurt herself.
How many of us would have said "Ok, sure you can be my friend", been polite and done the "right thing" even if the right thing was wrong for us. I am so proud of my friend for actually standing up for herself. So easy to say but so hard to do.
I salute all of you who dare to be nice to yourself !!
Take care of yourself, love yourself first and make every one in your life happy, even if it means not complying with their wishes.

LIVING TOGETHER

Hi,
I was thinking about all us women out there going trough changes in life, and many of us end up on our own, by default. I was living with a young student and he moved out after 3 years. I was very lonely as he had become my "adopted"son. I arranged his wedding, and I was a proud" "mum" to help him find his job. When he moved there was a big gap, and you can't just fill it with anyone or anything.
So happened my dear friend Louise got a new job in the City and was living out in Narrabeen, ca 1.30 hours North of Sydney. She spent 4 hours a day in traffic and came home to her empty home, as her two girls had flown the nest. I could not find a good "roomie" so I asked Louis eif she wanted to move in with me, as I lived 15 minutes from the City.
She came the next day !
We lived in Rose Bay for about 9 months and felt we needed a bathroom each. We went house hunting for 3 months and saw what I think EVERYTHING !
We finally found a great place with 3 bedroom, two bathrooms and two car garage! They also threw in a swimming pool and two terraces with water view... We absolutely love living together! We would never have been able to afford the standard and the food with out sharing it with some one.
You should not be afraid to try it if you find yourself lonely. It is great for your soul.

Missing In Action

Some times life just takes over and time runs away from you!
Have you ever wondered what happened to time?
I do all the time. I have been at my " what I thought,temporary" work for over a year!
I do not have have time to waste on things like, but what do you do when you do not have time ??
Every day is so important, and still I have wasted so much time.
Does any one have any idea how to stop this ?
I will try to find some answers and tips to find more time, as I could really use it.