Aquarius Living turns one!

I thought I had missed the anniversary of my blog, but it is today that my blog turns one :) Another reminder of how quickly a year goes by! It's great to see that people keep reading, despite my irregular posting. I have had lots of positive feedback from friends and family and I am so grateful for that!

I would love to know what you think of my blog even if you do not know me personally, feel free to leave comments in the box below. You do not have to register in order to leave a comment and even of you are required to put in your e-mail address it will not appear on the blog, nor will I see it.

Is there anything particular that you would want me to write about, what type of stories do you like or dislike? It would be great to get some input from you guys, because sometimes I find it hard to come up with ideas. Other times I might think I have a great story, but you might not find it the least intriguing...





This is your chance to let me know what you think, I am all ears!

Aquarius Living fyller ett år idag! Jag ställer inga till med något kalas, men kanske jag ska baka nåt... Ganska svårt att fatta att det redan har gått ett år sen jag började blogga! Är det bara jag, eller gå åren fortare ju äldre man blir?

Jag är jätteglad att ni fortfarande följer med bloggen och jag har fått mycket positiv respons från både vänner och familj! Tusen tack!


Jag skulle gärna vilja veta vad ni som inte känner mej tycker om min blogg, lämna gärna en kommentar längre ner. Ni behöver inte registrera er, eller ha nån sorts login för att lämna en kommentar, e-mailadresser publiceras inte på bloggen och jag ser inte heller dem.

Det sku vara kiva att veta vad ni vill läsa, är det något särskilt som ni gillar eller ogillar? Ibland får jag idetorka och andra gånger så tycker jag att jag har något hur spännande som helst att berätta, men det kan hända att andra tycker det är urtråkigt.

Nu har ni chansen att säga vad ni tycker, jag är idel öra!

Something to remember

"Because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean that they don't love you with all they have"

- Unknown

I am grateful for all the love that I have around me, near and far. Have a great Monday everyone!

20 days!!!

A long time ago I posted this and it was very well received. A lot of things have changed since then, but my travel plans have stayed pretty much the same! Over the weekend I finalised my travel arrangements thanks to my awesome friend T! *happy dance*

I am so looking forfward to all the time that I will be able to spend with my friends and family back home, it has been nearly two years since my last visit! I am also very excited that my husband gets to join me for part of my stay!


Nån gång i slutet av förra året skrev jag om dethär. Saker och ting har ändrats, men reseplanerna är så gott som oförändrade. Under helgen bokade jag äntligen min flygbiljett (och en åt min bättre hälft också). Ska bli så skönt att få träffa min familj och mina vänner hemma i Finland! Mitt senaste besök var i oktober 2009, så det är verkligen på tiden!

Pargas, nej tack!

Segelbåt på Keistiöfjörden augusti 2006

Missförstå mej rätt: jag har ingenting emot Pargas. Men vill jag att min hemkommun (jo jag kallar det så fast jag inte har bott där permanent på flera år) ska kallas Pargas? Nej.

För det första så ligger min hemby så långt från Pargas som man bara kan komma i Väståboland. Det är tom. närmare till Åland! Jag tycker att dom som en följd av denna brilljanta kommunsammanslagning skulle kunna komma på ett helt nytt namn, istället för att använda namnet på en av de kommuner som är del av sammanslagningen. Därför tycker jag att Väståboland är ett riktigt bra namn. Eller kanske ett uniname som de kallas på engelska, t.ex. ParNaKoInSkär. Eller kanske en förkortning, t.ex PHINK.

Vad tycker ni, kanske har ni några namnförslag?



P.S Vem var den ENDA person i Iniö som röstade för Pargas? Det skulle jag gärna vilja veta...

The people that make this country work

The Grand Mosque Mekka
Mekkas Stora Moské

Browsing the internet today I came across this article on the BBC website regarding life in Saudi Arabia. The article highlights quite a few issues that exist in this country, amongst others the constantly hot topic that is the status of women in this country. But the story also touches, ever so briefly, on another significant issue, which is the way immigrant workers are treated here. Third world country immigrants to be specific, the people who actually keep this country running. The people who do the jobs that no one else is willing to do: hard physical labour outdoors when the temperature can go beyond 50 degrees (in the shade), rubbish collection, cleaning... These hard workers are often being treated badly by the Saudis and are spoken to in the most appalling manner. Many times these workers might be owed several months in salaries.

I would like to point out that by no means do I want to say that all Saudis treat third world immigrants as third class people. But I do want to point out that it is far too common and I feel that this issue does not get enough attention in western media. Many tend to forever dwell on the status of women (which is another major issue), turning a blind eye on other problems that do exist.

Jag hittade idag denna artikel (på engelska) på BBC's webbsida angående livet i Saudi Arabien. Artikeln skriver en hel del om kvinnans status i Saudi Arabien, vilket är något som alltid kommer upp i västerländsk media. Men dessutom reflekteras i förbifarten också vardagen för de arbetare som kommer från uvecklingsländer i Afrika och Asien. De arbetare som är ansvariga för att saker och ting i dethär landet fungerar som det ska, mer eller mindre. De arbetar med fysiskt krävande sysslor utomhus när temperaturen är över 50 grader, de samlar soporna, städar osv. De och alla andra arbetare från U-länderna behandlas av saudierna som tredje klassens medborgare. Dom tilltalas väldigt illa och många fall får dom inte ens betalt på flera månader. 


Dethär betyder förstås inte att alla saudier behandlar dessa u-landsimmigranter lika illa, men tyvärr så förekommer det alltför ofta. Jag tycker det är viktigt att problemet också uppmärksammas i västerländsk media, istället för att konstat upprepa historien om hur dåligt status kvinnor har i Saudi Arabien. Faktum är att det inte bara är kvinnorna som lider, det finns många andra som också har det svårt.

Go West

The discovery of gold made Western Australia what it is today

Our move to Saudi Arabia happened very quickly, once all the pieces came together and it became clear that we were going we only had a couple of weeks to pack up and leave. There are so many things that are involved in a relocation of any kind, even more so when moving overseas. I dreaded the packing, but I'm the type of person that hates packing even for a two week holiday! I don't mind the holiday, but the thought of deciding what to take, fold, pack, screaming and jumping to make the suitcase close... No thanks.

On top of packing we had a long line of things on our relocation to do list. So what do we do, we go on a holiday around Australia. We like to get our priorities right :)

First on our list was Perth in Western Australia. Imagine flying for six hours straight and you are still in the same country! The trip to Perth wasn't strictly speaking a holiday as my husband had to go there for the induction for his new job.

I on the other hand had all the time in the world to roam around. I must say that it seems like a Swedish lady called Maud has had a great influence on Western Australia. You see the Miss Maud cafes all over town and in the city center they even have a Swedish Hotel!

As I do like my architecture one of the places I visited was St Marys Cathedral. The building was started in 1865, but the cathedral in its current shape was not finished until 2009! That too only after receiving 5 million dollars worth of state and federal funding.

St Marys Cathedral

The first two stages of the cathedral were built in a gothic style. But fast forward about 80 years and it is decided to finish it all off...

St Marys Cathedral

... with something far from gothic! It's very modern with clean lines and one can argue whether it is a fit or not. When you walk around the cathedral you do get the impression that you are looking at three different buildings.

Another thing to see when in Perth is the Perth mint. After all, gold is what attracted thousands of white Australians and immigrants to settle here. Back then people were tripping over gold nuggets the size of human heads (if not larger), I would have been there in two shakes myself! But it seems that very few of the locals realise the importance of the Perth Mint. The bus driver did not know what nor where it was. A mature aged fellow passenger was also puzzled and could not understand why quite a few passengers (tourists I presume) were wanting to go to this place!

View from Kings Park

Perth, like any other major Australian city sits on the water, with the lovely Swan River flowing through. Had I not already developed this nearly exclusive relationship with Sydney, Perth could have become my favourite Australian city!

Gum trees

In Perth they are taking the concept of parks in the city very seriously. Kings Park is an area that covers 4 square kilometres (nearly twice the size of London's Hyde Park) and a majority of it is natural bushland. It is a park that you can get lost in. That's nearly what happened to us and we were travelling with a local! 

I would definitely go back to Western Australia, just to see other parts of the state. There is some amazing wildlife to be seen and there are people who say that the coral reefs in Western Australia may not be as famous as the Great Barrier Reef, but they are more spectacular. Oh well, another time maybe...

To i or not to i

I do not own a single Apple gadget, not even an iPod. Somehow I manage to get by with day to day things regardless of what Steve Jobs and his people come up with.

I'm not keen on the iPhone either, for a few reasons: the main reason is that I think it's too big. I carry a plethora of items* in my handbag so I need things like wallets and phones to be as compact as possible! I also know that the shiny screen will be shiny no more once I have put that phone against my cheek. What I do like about the iPhone are all the functionalities in it, but I guess that all depends on the apps that you download, so does it really matter which phone you have?



I have now set my eyes on the newest iPhone 4, the white one. I have to admit that the colour is the only reason i am even contemplating getting the iPhone, which is not a very valid reason is it? The fact remains though, that I have had my current (very basic Nokia) for nearly three years. So I feel that an upgrade is way overdue.



Any comments from iPhone as well as non-iPhone owners would be hugely appreciated!

*I am not one of the worst though, a friend of mine carries around a mini pharmacy everywhere she goes!

I heart green

I've always loved colour and for a long time the favourite was blue. It still is, although it was nearly replaced by white. Right now it's all about the colour green. The reason for this is the fact that the sofas and chairs in our living room is green. When I saw it, I immediately thought of reupholstering it. But then I saw the selection of the fabrics and colours that were on offer and I instantly changed my mind. There's nothing like a bunch of fabric samples in various shades of mustard yellow to make you start loving green!

But what goes with green? If anyone has any ideas, please feel free to ጮምመንት! In the meanwhile I'll be browsing the internet and my photo archives for inspiration.

 

Grönt är faktiskt skönt. Men det har tagit mej ganska länge att inse. Vårt hem kom utrustad med två gröna soffor så jag är nu på jakt efter saker och ting att komplettera det hela. Om ni har några förslag så lämna gärna en kommentar!

Go Oskar!!!

Now to the most important event of the year, the Eurovision Song Contest! In my books the Olympics, Football World Cups and the like do not even compare to the ESC. This is the time when the best, and probably also the worst, in European music making will be showcased. I've been watching it since I was a kid, back then I always feel asleep before the show got to the point where the winner was announced.

As a Finn I have grown used to the fact that my home country has limited success in this contest. There have been costume disaster after another, on occasion the singer has forgotten the lyrics. But a couple of times the Finns have contributed with something quite decent, but we end up last or second to last anyways. I think the other countries have gotten used to the horrid specimens of Finnish music, so by default we don't get any points. Our fellow Scandinavian countries will always feel obliged to give us a point or two. These points may be given out of pure pity but the Finns are always happy to reciprocate - it would be rude not to - so we give the other Scandinavian countries some of our points.

So in 2006 when I woke up one morning to the fact that Finland had actually won the contest, me and my flat mate thought that the whole thing was a very belated April's fools joke! Finland's contribution that year was a freaky interesting heavy metal/ hard rock song! Did anyone see their victory coming, I should think not!

Back then I was living in Australia, where the Eurovision is aired on TV nearly 24 hours after the event. So the element of surprise is gone, but I still watch it. Here in Saudi Arabia I think I'm going to have a hard time catching the show on TV though...

When checking up the news from home this morning I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Finnish contestant for this year, Paradise Oskar, has made it through the the final. Since the introduction of the semifinal stage a few years ago, the Finnish contestants have many times been eliminated before the final. Let's see how things work out this year. Go Oskar!



Sclagerfestivalen är för mej det viktigaste evenemanget i året. Jag har följt med tävlingen varje år sen jag var liten. Men varje år är man ju nog lite nervös över det bidrag som Finland sållar fram. Många år har det gått SÅ fel. Jag måste erkänna att jag aldrig trodde att Lordi skulle ha en chans! Dom hamnar nog bland med dom fem sista som vanligt, tänkte jag. Men skam den som ger sej!

Under åren i Australien följde jag också med Eurovisionen som visades på lokal TV. Enda problemet var att showen visades dagen efter, så jag visste alltid vilket det vinnande bidraget var. Här i Saudiarabien tror jag att det kan vara lite svårare att hitta en kanal som visar showen.

I år har vi en finlandssvensk kille som representerar Finland, Paradise Oskar. Jag hoppas att han gör bra ifrån sej på lördag, Finland har ju faktiskt gått vidare till finalen! Personligen tycker jag att sången är ganska färglös. Men det kan vara att det är en av domdär sångerna som man gillar bättre när man hört den några gånger! Heja Oskar!

One month on

Yesterday marked one month since our arrival in the Kingdom. Time has flown by and it really doesn't feel like we've been here a month already!

People here and overseas do ask me what I do to keep myself busy during the days. So far I have managed to keep myself from getting bored by catching up on those things that I rarely had time for before. Like reading, fiddling with my camera and just chillaxing in general, really. It has been a year since my last annual leave, that too was only 2 weeks long, so I think I deserve to take it a bit easy...


Vi har nu varit  i Saudi Arabien i en månad, otroligt hur fort tiden springer iväg!

Många undrar vad jag ritkigt sysslar med på dagarna. Vilket e en bra fråga, jag trodde att jag skulle vara så uttråkad efter en månad. Men ännu har jag inga haft tråkigt, jag har för det mesta försökt sysselsätta mejmed sånt som jag inte hade så mycket tid med tidigare. Läsa, pyssla med kameran och alltid emellanåt så gör jag rent ut sagt ingenting! Det är ett år sen jag sist tog semester, så jag tycker att det är helt lovligt att bara slappa ibland.

Janadriyah Festival

I told you in my last post that I would share some photos from my weekend. On Thursday we visited the Janadriyah Heritage and Cultural Festival in Riyadh. Just for your information, it takes 4 hours (one way) to drive to Riyadh. That is if you drive at a decent speed, unfortunately our driver took the "slowly, but surely" approach and was driving at 75 km/h along the highway...

The Janadriyah Festival showcases the traditional lifestyle of Saudi Arabia and they sell traditional handicrafts (someone did spot something marked "made in Vietnam" though) as well as food.

More pictures and information on this event can be found on the blog of my fellow Finish expat, Blue Abaya.

I helgen besökte vi Jandariyah festivalen i Riyadh som ligger ca fyra timmars bilväg härifrån. Festivalen pågår i ca två veckor och den första dagen inleds med kamellöpning. Tyvärr besökte vi festivalen under en av de sista dagarna så det belv inga springande kameler för oss. Men vi såg traditionell arabisk arkitektur och hantverk och mat som var mer eller mindre traditionell, av nån orsak fanns det en hel del snabbmatskedjor representerade på festivalen. Om ni vill veta lite mer om festivalen eller om Saudi Arabien i största allmänhet, kolla in Blue Abayas blogg.

Along he way we saw camels - plenty of them
Längs vägen såg vi en massa kameler

 

This is how crowded it was at 3.30pm
Antalet besökare klockan halvfyra på eftermiddagen

Dates - Dadlar

Detail showing traditional Arabic architecture
Ett exempel på detaljerna i traditionell arabisk arkitektur

The crowd just before 6pm
Antalet besökare klockan sex på kvällen

It's Sunday but not a weekend

One of the hundreds of pictures taken on my own wedding day in 2008. Photo by the amazingly talented Toni Snell.

It's Sunday which means that the weekend has started for most people on this globe, for us here in Saudi Arabia the weekend has just ended. As Friday is the compulsory day off in muslim countries, it means that our weekends are on Thursday and Friday. This makes it quite confusing and I find it really hard to know what day of the week it is.

We had a busy weekend, we did some exploring of this land of sand, I'll post some pictures later. Yesterday I had to watch the royal wedding, I needed to see what the dress and the hair looked like. I was stunned by the beautiful trees that were used to decorate the Abbey, it created such a romantic feel...

Have a great weekend everyone!