Sunday, December 16, 2012

Oh Brooklyn, Brooklyn take me in!



One of the more surprising discoveries we made during our trip to New York was not in Manhattan ...
Rooftop bars with ridiculously expensive drinks and drunk kids with daddy's credit cards are nothing compared to this ...

Is anyone surprised I felt more at home in Brooklyn?

the Eagle street rooftop farm was only one part of the enchantment though.

Greenpoint also happens to be the home of the owner of this blog I've been following for a while so of course I was secretly hoping to randomly bump into her or spot some of her street art ... 
I didn't, but then we walked past the Renegade Craft Fair at the Williamsburg Waterfront and I immediately forgot my sorrows :)

Williamsburg is also the place I had my first real HOT chocolate (with chili!), an experience I'll never forget :p

Oh and if you want to go out in New York but want to stay clear of places where you feel out of place, go to The Woods!




Monday, December 10, 2012

Not so Hidden message ...


With less than a week to go before I leave my precious island again, I feel both excited and stressed out.
I've been listening to classical music on a playlist with a title that promised me I'd calm down, but the best solution was a walk in the snow to get my thoughts straightened out ...

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Point of View

Would you prefer to follow the game or gaze at the skyline?
Browse a second hand market or focus your attention on the background?
The amazing high line park didn't make the decision easier ...
and I was wondering if these pigeons even realized ... 
One thing is for sure, eating a Magnolia Bakery Red Velvet Cheesecake with a view like this isn't easily beaten :)

Saturday, November 24, 2012

A walk in the park





New York City second time around. It's such a cliché, but this place actually is magical.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Riding this train as long as I can


I spent quite some time in trains these last few days ... from Ghent to Utrecht and from there to Cologne and Bonn ...

Maybe that's why I was drawn to the model railroad in a toystore I wandered into during my stay there ...


I think it's a little bit of a hype, as this miniature house is one I spotted in a Marc Jacobs window in Soho today :)

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Talking about success ...



Randomly walking around Utrecht stumbling into the most amazing bakery ... totally made my day :)

www.debakkerswinkel.nl

Friday, November 2, 2012

Book-inspired Ramblings on a Fabulous Friday







I rediscovered my love for reading in bed. 
So far today I have finished a book called 'Failing Forward - Turning mistakes into stepping stones for success', by John C. Maxwell and continued in my current favourite book 'How to be a Woman' by Caitlin Moran. (a must read for EVERYONE, not just women!)

I have a huge problem with the first book. 
I have a huge problem with the currently widely accepted definition of success.

I think I'm pretty successful having managed to stay in bed until 11h15 on a Friday morning, and being able to show up for After Work tonight without actually having worked :)

I have a hard time being defined by what I do workwise - there really is no simple answer to that question anyway - and I think it says a great deal about how we are as a society when the first question about a new person in your life is "So, what does he do for a living?"




Monday, October 15, 2012

Gotland & Sápmi United!


Even though this video is in Swedish without subtitles, I'm sure everybody can agree that there shouldn't be any more mining projects in Sweden's wilderness than there already are.

In the same way as Ojnare Forest and the people of northern Gotland are threatened by the greed of a big mining company, so are the stunning wilderness in the north of Sweden, the Sami people and their generations-long tradition of reindeer herding.

Last week a delegation of the Ojnare-activists drove from Gotland to Sápmi to spread awareness, show their support and unite forces in the fight against the ruthless exploitation of our precious nature.
(check out their journey here)


This short clip shows quite shockingly what we're up against ...

Let's support the local people! Everywhere! (because unfortunately similar crimes against the environment are happening the world over)
Let us be heard and show the big businesses and governments that we DO care, and that won't give up the fight that easily!

Globalize the Fight!
Globalize the Hope!

Friday, October 5, 2012

Compact Living








I must admit I had a couple of panic attacks after I signed a contract for the tiniest imaginable room (albeit in a fantastic location) but now I've lived here for 3 weeks and I couldn't feel more at home!
It's not that hard to surround yourself with pretty things when you only have a little space to fill, and with the many yellow accents in my room it feels like the sun is always shining :)

Monday, October 1, 2012

Winds of Change


Visby's harbour is quite empty these days ... but some time ago we did have some very special guests sailing into the port!

I'm afraid I wouldn't do them any justice by trying to explain who they are and what they do but lets say it all started with an amazing social entrepreneur training in Järna (check out the school's website) and now they are on a mission to change the world for the better, bringing positive social change to places they visit by means of a methodology called Oasis Games, helping communities realize their dreams!

I do recommend reading more into this - it's absolutely inspiring! - and you can follow the adventures of the crew of the Oasis Armada here.

Copied from their blog:


“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do it.
For what the world needs is people who have come alive”
 Howard Thurman – (1900-1981: Minister, Educator & Civil Rights Leader)

Saturday, September 22, 2012

The Instagram Curse



One thing that happened since I got my iPhone is that my camera (momentarily) got pushed aside and doesn't get to come along on daily excursions anymore ...
I never got back from France with so little pictures! (but here's a few anyway :))

Either way, I did get back, and although there's a huge temperature difference between France and Sweden and the sun has gone into hiding ...
It's good to be home!!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Sweet as Honey

Seriously beautiful work by Lisa Ferber.
There's loads more cool stuff on her website,
but this music video is my favourite.
A pure invitation to start beekeeping.


Friday, September 7, 2012

I think I'm an island person ...



Yesterday we discovered a hidden gem:
l'île de Porquerolles, one of the so called "Golden Islands", just off the coast of Toulon.

If you ever want to get away from traffic, this is the place to go, as the only people you have to share the roads with are hikers and mountainbikers.

Mum remarked that the biking felt a lot like downhill skiing at times, but without the ski lifts for the uphill parts.
I think we did an amazing job balancing the sporty bit and the lazing on the beach bit (intense birdwatching included)
and those peaches were a great reward after all the effort!

There's something fascinating about islands ... I can't put my finger on it, but I love it!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Ojnare Forest

image via here


It's no secret that big corporations are used to getting their way ... and usually get it as well, very often at the cost of the environment.
This is a great example:
Nordkalk, a Finnish mining company has been given the right to expand and dig yet another quarry on the island of Gotland (my home, for those of you who didn't know), and doesn't seem to care that by doing so they will be destroying the habitat of about 265 endangered species and run a very high risk of polluting the island's biggest freshwater reserve.

The beautiful side of this story is that a group of activists who represent a growing number of supporters have set up their camp in the forest to make a stand and won't give up until the EU Environment Commissioner puts a stop to this (as he's the only hope now).

They need all the help they can get though - and guess what, you can contribute by signing THIS petition! :)

Please help save Gotland's protected nature from mining!

Who ever you are, where ever you live, get together, join forces and dare to speak out and stand up to the bad guys!

Amen.