Sunday, October 16, 2011

New Roads Ahead

Hi!

Glad you found this blog! I haven't updated it in quite a while, but if you are interested in what I'm up to, follow my new adventures on OnGettingTraction.com.

Monday, July 09, 2007

Shanghai!

After Wuhan our second weekend trip has been to Shanghai. I can report that Samuel and Neale with respective are alive and kicking!



Shanghai Trip: Web Album

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Wuhan!

Me, Wen, Wen's cousin Zhang Siyue, and Edward took an overnight train ride to Wuhan and woke up in the hottest city I think I have ever been too. And with insane traffic. Dispite that we had a blast and Li Xuesong with friends made sure it was a weekend we will never forget! Another weekend in Wuhan and I would be round as a ball!



Link to Pictures

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Beijing Summer 2007

Me and Wen are off to Beijing tonight and will stay until the 23rd of July. We will make a tour to the most familiar faces, probably including stops in Wuhan, Shenzhen, Xian, Dalian and Shanghai. When not on the road I will attend classes at Beiwai and Wen will be working at a business center.

I've uploaded a bunch a pictures here: Web Album



Get in touch if you are around!
Johan & Wen

Friday, June 01, 2007

Blank blank blank

Post that includes all the stuff that I have been doing this year, but have been too bored to post.

It was a dark winter and we know very few people in Stockholm. On top of that I had to learn a new job and adapt to a life defined by my work, i.e go to boring meetings, keep office times, do boring stuff. In return my bank account is not red anymore.

Work, work, work.

Football with Chinese students (as usual and everywhere)

Party, company party, other party.

Spring and summer has been such a great change. We have now gotten to know people, I do plenty of sports with friends at work and now I'm on my first paid vacation. I will return from China with more money than when I left. :-)

My sister Ella graduated from high school.

Edward skrället came to visit with Valentina.

Stefan is moving to Stockholm.

There is a lot to fill into this blank, but I doubt that will happen. It is just not very fun to blog when staying at home working.

Monday, April 23, 2007

Next Beiwai

Heading for Beijing during my summer vacation. Haven't I seen enough of that city already? Well, I guess we could go some place else, but I think it is good Wen get to see her mum as often as possible.

This year I've been enrolled in a half-time distance course at Lund University and as a part of that they have summer courses at Beiwai University in Beijing. So this summer I hope to collect another 5 credits Chinese, inhale a lot of dust and eat a whole bunch of yangrouchuan.

We'll head off 15th June and come back 21st of July.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Hibernate

Returning back to Sweden has been quite different from what I expected. I think I have spent all of my life chasing something. Now I realize how important it is for me to have that something in front of me to chase. It might have been getting that degree, learning those languages, getting to those places... Now that I've come back again, and more out of need than anything else, have started to work, I really feel SO BORED. Constantly. From the bottom of my heart. It was already starting when I felt that my stay in China was starting to get too long and frankly, too pointless.

Having started to watch a lot of TV and endlessly surf the web have also taken it's toll. I think everything I ever read on the web I have probably forgotten all by the next day. That fact that I write this at all is probably a good sign that I'm waking up from this. Hopefully I will have enough will-power to start moving again. Guess I've been waiting for the spring to set out for a new start. With a fresh injection of money, some sunshine and the first paid vacation in my life, I think I might be ready to start heading in a new direction.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

So impressed!

Wen wrote me a letter in Swedish! I'm so impressed how fast she is improving! :) Miss you much!

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

She is coming back!

Rumors say she is coming back and that she was only making a short trip back to spend some time with her family.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Snowman Blues

The whole winter has been very warm and cosy. Then Wen went back to Beijing after New Year. Now it is suddenly like this. Baby... please come back!

Really. It has been a record warm winter and a couple of days ago it became normal. Unfortunately I happen to live in Sweden, so 'normal' in this context equals FREEZING FUCKING COLD!!

Now when that has been said. I do enjoy it! Far better then the dark and grey. Wish the climate change would somehow make the days a little longer and brighter. Then I would consider buying a car. Nah. I still don't want one.

Monday, January 01, 2007

New Year 2007

Happy New Year!

Some pictures from Skansen Stockholm 2007









"Ring klocka ring..."

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Christmas Game

Keeping up the Christmas tradition of playing quiz games, this time "När och Fjärran", a game from the travel program on TV. My sister Cissi took the initiative and invited Lova and her family. The game is just as much luck as knowledge about other countries. That's at least how I justify the fact that I didn't win. ;)

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Christmas 2006

Me and Wen has been down to Värnamo to celebrate Christmas with the family.

The greenest Christmas I can remember.

But the rest was as usual.

Tina with a lamp.

Perhaps not the most successful group picture ever! :) But contains all the familiar faces.

Merry Christmas!!

Friday, December 22, 2006

Last day of the new job

Yep. It is true. I've been let off. :-) But it is not as bad as it sounds. I was hired by a recruitment company who pimped me out to a consultant company which in turn sold my soul to Ericsson and Sony Ericsson. The 13th of December that company was shut down by their Norwegian mothership and I will be expunged on the 28th.

But... this is in fact sort of good news. The consultant company wants to hire me the first day I'm without job, with some additional benefits. Well, no contract signed yet so we'll see. There is also a slight chance that there are projects in Beijing coming up, but most likely not in the short term. Since I will still get salary for January from the old company, I will in reality receive twice the pay then. :-)

I've been working for about one month now and it has been dead boring. I've gotten so used to do what I want, when I want, so it is kind of hard to adjust doing something that I not necessary wants to do. I don't really feel like programming test systems for telecom companies. But... I need the money and something to do. They seem to appreciate the work I'm doing and that is a big bonus. And the pay will change our life quite drastically. We will probably become fat and fill our house with electronic gadgets.

Monday, November 20, 2006

First Day at the New Job

Today was the first day at my new job.

It was a weird feeling walking over there, but the the whole day was very relaxed and mostly involved having coffee with colleagues. I guess I will (unfortunately) do somewhat similar things to what I did 5 years ago, but hopefully that will only be for a short period while I get up speed. Guess it is actually rather good since I can be of use right away and instead of having a long training period. Off to my new life as a working man.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Stockholm Filmfestival 2006

Since I have some time before I start to work and Wen is waiting to go back to Belgium in December, we got involved in the Stockholm film festival.

Premiere and red carpet outside cinema Skandia.

Wen going through the schedule at the festival center.

Our roles were to be guest hosts to one of the visiting directors and to the director of Hong Kong film festival. Meet them at the airport, bring them to their hotel, update them on their schedules, organize with cars etc. In return we get to meet a lot of cool people, watch movies, and party!

Our first guest was Jay Jonroy, who has directed the movie "David and Layla". We helped him around the first couple of days promoting his movie. He forgot his SIM-card at a kebab-restaurant and when we went back they had already sent away the trash. One of the guys working there still went through the only garbage can left and found it! I must say that it was a small miracle!

We went with to the Iraqi embassy to talk to them about the film. The ambassador is Kurdish, which I understand would be impossible a few years ago. I guess that book with the mugshot of Saddam wouldn't have been there either. They said that just a few years ago they would have been outside throwing rocks. Apparently there is a power-struggle around the embassies around the world between the ethnic groups in Iraq.

We also went to the Kurdish library which was very interesting. I guess Turkey is not very enthusiastic about the existence of such. Jay had just put up his fliers of his film on the background.

Our other guest was the director of Hong Kong film festival. Unfortunately I have no picture of him. He went right from the airport to start screening movies. Very efficient guy indeed.

Altogether we have seen 9 movies. One of the most memorable ones were Ye Lou's "Summer palace", which I highly recommend.

Friday, November 03, 2006

Our IKEA home...

Finally a place to stay on our own. At least for a little while. It is small, it is temporary, but it is close to where I will work. I'm sure we'll be alright staying there. We are quite used to living in small places.

IKEA is the one-stop shop if you need everything, including plates to eat on.

Putting up our Billy the shelf.

Having our first meal. We had to stop putting up furnitures because it was getting too late and the neighbor complained!

Friday, October 27, 2006

Change of seasons

Her first day was a colorful autumn day.

The second the whole color spectra changed with the first snow.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Applications on track

Wen yesterday handed in her application for "Swedish residence permits on the grounds of family ties" to the Swedish embassy in Brussels and got told she will have to wait until December for the interview. Instead of waiting around in Belgium she will fly here tonight! (I will write more about that application later)

Today she also got her letter of admission to Stockholm university!

Dear Wen Zhang,
I have the pleasure of informing you that you have been accepted to the International Graduate Programme in Social Science at Stockholm University. You have been accepted to the courses Global Environment – Sustainability, Governance and Politics and Cosmopolitan Democracy, spring semester 2007. I will send you a formal letter of acceptance by postal mail.

Things are on track!

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

All Work and no Play

Since it is quite a long time until 1st of December, I started to make plans of going to HK and travel up to Shanghai. I really wanted to see some friends there. I even booked a ticket to go tomorrow! Then during the night I made a little budget for the coming months and realized that this would be way to much of a stretch! Just considering that I will have to pay rent for three months before I will receive any money! Then we have Christmas, and basically, I will have to buy a whole new wardrobe for the new job and for winter. :-(

So all work and no play for the dull little me.