Tuesday 27 January 2009

Now I know

I have received confirmation from relevant 'authority' in relation to my blog posted 20 January 2009 - "The Virgin Mary can't be hot".

Feel so much better knowing.

Smart-ass remark?

Since childhood I’ve struggled to shut my mouth when observing someone doing something stupid. Can’t say much has changed.

The other night around 11pm I passed by a clothing store where I spotted two women borderline climbing and staring through the shop window talking about that they’d like to try on that dress and that blouse...

Couldn’t help myself, so I walked over to point out the obvious – “I’m sorry ladies but they’re closed”.

Not sure why they got so upset.

All Arabs and Muslims aren’t evil- despite what TV says

My sister keeps having fun at our Mom’s expense by being upset about her dating, or at least claiming to date, Muslims or Arabs, which to our Mom is exactly the same thing.

As my sister pointed out on her blog (Sun 25/1/09), dating a Muslim/Arab is apparently dangerous- at least according to TV and movies, which according to many small-town Swedish people, is always a true reflection of how the world really works.

Can you imagine her horror when I, 10 years ago, called her from an island in the Caribbean to tell her I was marrying a Lebanese?!?

All worked out good, and I love my Mom, but a little less reliance in western media would go a long way. They’re not all evil!

Wednesday 21 January 2009

Great Moments in Presidential Speeches

Watched Barack Obama’s inauguration speech, which really wasn’t bad at all.
What really got me was his message to all religious and political leaders (the fanatic ones):

Remember- your people will judge you by what you can build, not what you destroy”

I hope this goes down in history as a well quoted line.

Tuesday 20 January 2009

Did you know..?

In Peru you can’t get fired for being drunk at work. The country’s High Court said so!

The Stig revealed

Say it ain’t so!? Why would anyone in their right mind do such a thing? The whole point with the Stig is not knowing who he is!

So now some idiot wanna-be big-shot reporter at a small town paper wants to make a name for himself by pissing off the vast majority of motoring world.

I am sure there is a law in some country somewhere, where they apply severe punishments for such idiocy- let’s all chip in and buy this wanker a one-way ticket to this country!

A Hot Saint?

A prominent fashion designer has sparked outrage in Chile by dressing up models like the Virgin Mary - in some cases with ample, near-naked breasts.

The Roman Catholic Church condemned Ricardo Oyarzun's plans for a show featuring the models, and a conservative group tried unsuccessfully to block it in court. Oyarzun said he had received telephone threats and had excrement smeared on his doorstep.
"There is no pornography here, there's no sex, there are no virgins menstruating or feeling each other up," Oyarzun said ahead of the catwalk show set to be held at a Santiago nightclub later on Thursday. "This is artistic expression."

He said his designs - which include halos, look as though they come from a nativity scene and include religious icons - were inspired by the Virgin Mary but not intended to represent her.

Even it was meant to be the Virgin Mary- why couldn’t she be hot? I’m sure Joseph wouldn’t mind!

The little things that annoy me

Email to local book store:

Hi, Do you have the following book in stock?
Brethren Trilogy 2: Crusade by Robyn Young. ISBN 9780340839744

Regards,
Patrik Nilsson
[phone number]


The response:

Good morning Patrik,
No I'm sorry we don't have it in stock but I can order it in for you, its distributed through one of my bigger suppliers and they have it in stock so it would take about a 7-10 days and costs $19.99. If you'd like to order it email us with your full name and your best day time contact number or call us on [phone number].
Thanks for your inquiry.

[name]
Assistant Manager


How silly of me to forget to include my middle name and country code!

Friday 16 January 2009

Prioritising News Stories a la Western Media

This morning’s news on TV started with a 30 second story of how Gaza is being bombed to bits and how Israel even managed to blow up the critical food supplies provided by UN, all accompanied by some really horrifying footage. The news reader covered this story in a cold matter-of-fact kind of way which made it sound like the story was more routine for her rather than news.

The Gaza story was immediately followed by what the news reader at one stage referred to as “really terrifying”- a plane in US had to make an emergency landing on the Hudson river. The tone of her voice was now serious and she was evidently moved as commented on “those poor 136 passengers who were forced to stand on the wings in minus 6 degrees waiting for rescue”.

Western media have certainly got their priorities right

Saturday 10 January 2009

Caught in a Vicious Circle

- Decisions can be hard to make.
- What can be even harder is to make a decision to make a decision.
- Making a decision to make a decision to make a decision isn’t quite as hard but it’s certainly more complicated.
- Making a decision to....well, you get the picture.

Monday 5 January 2009

Holiday needed after holiday

Had a great holiday with a jam-packed schedule (although the actual ‘planning’ was very ad lib) from morning til bedtime. Kids had a ball, as did I and all other family members and friends- a good result in other words.

The trouble is that I am now more tired than I was before the holidays, and I was pretty exhausted back then. Not sure why people always cram in so many activities during the days when they really need a bit of rest!?

Another case of the old cliché “I need a holiday to recover from my holiday”.