pinche-fjun in action...

thought I'd cheer you all up with some work shots of yours truly!

(wed 14/10)

check out the difference in the amount of mail! I know this may seems insignificant to most (or maybe all of you)...but I can assure you it is VERY significant to my back!

(fri 16/10)

nothing else to report at this very point in time...but might have something soon if things go to plan, hehehe!

to be or not to be...

...is more than just a question. it's also the name of danish artist, thomas kluge's current exhibition at kronborg (a.k.a. hamlet's castle) in helsingør. went to check it out with some friends on saturday, then went for a few drinks at bixen and later at strandborgen, also in helsingør. had a lovely day, all in all! cold though...VERY cold!

(the kronborg exhibition poster)

can't find any good thomas kluge websites, unfortunatelly...in fact, it's proved VERY difficult getting any info on him at all. I was really impressed by his work though, but feel I can't quite do him and/or it justice here on this blog...you'll simply have to go and see it for yourself! also, not completely convinced why they've chosen the crown prince of denmark as the "poster boy" for the exhibition...? great painting, yes...but not the best one in my opinion. my guess is that they're trying to make a connection between the exhibition and the castle...successful? nopes, just obvious!

(thomas kluge in front of his painting "betonmanden")

walter mauser

"anything that happens, happens. anything that, in happening, causes something else to happen, causes something else to happen. anything that, in happening, causes itself to happen again, happens again. it doesn't necessarily do it in chronological order, though."

- douglas adams, mostly harmless

not only one of my favorite quotes...it has also proved to be mind boggeling accurate! I am of course referring to my adventures with none other than walter mauser!

walter mauser, as some, maybe all of you know by now, is my sometime work "car". I had a two week stint with walter a few weeks ago, and we were briefly reunited again last week. ...to the despair of the people of Maria Park (posh-ish part of helsingborg - swedish only on wiki).

I don't have a driving licence...only a certificate to drive an eu-moped - despite looking nothing like a moped, walter is classed as an eu-moped so therefore I am allowed to drive walter. just wanted to make that clear!

NORMALLY you'd need to take driving lessons in order to drive a vehicle. NORMALLY you'd drive with an instructor that tells you what to do, what you do right, what you do wrong, and so on. VERY RARELY do someone just plonk you in a vehicle and tell you to just go for it! but, when this happens...what do you do...you go for it! you make the best of the situation...you try and figure the vehicle out as best you can and then you just sort of drive...I guess! that's what I did anyway...and it's gone pretty well! ...if you don't take into account the numerous small accidents I've had during my three weeks with walter. as I'm a bit of list-lover...here's my walter-mauser-accident-list:

crashed into...

the edge of a pavement

a traffic sign

a large rock

a wall...the same one on several occasions

went flying over...

a speed bump...or maybe that should be bumpS

near misses...

a number of letterboxes

two jehovah's witnesses

I don't actually think I'm a bad driver as such...there just happens to be a lot of stuff in "my way"...ALL THE TIME!

obsessions...

here are some of (fairly) recently acquired obsessions of the Veg...

obsession #1: MAD MEN

I'm not a series-type-person...in fact I avoid anything that has the intention of running more than one to two seasons. but there is always an exception, and mad men is that exception!

why mad men?

it's the best looking series around...probably ever!

the people are beautiful...the clothes are beautiful...the set is beautiful...the acting is beautiful...the cars are beautiful...the words are beautiful...the details are beautiful! and if I could be any woman from any time period, real or fictional, I'd be joan holloway (christina hendricks - pic) - she IS the most beautiful lady I have ever seen!

obsession #2: ORCHIDS

yup, I'm a passionate orchid lover/grower! I only have three so far, but I'm planning to get a few more soon! this is what I'm guessing that you are thinking right now: orchids, yep, they're pretty but what's the big deal...?

the big deal is that in the not so distant past, I could, with minimum effort, kill a cactus in under three hours (I didn't torture the poor things, they simply died on me...). so it is a BIG DEAL to me that I, with sheer love was able to keep an orchid (phalaenopsis) not only alive, but in full bloom since march through to three days ago! just for the record, it is still alive, but all the flowers have fallen off. my next project is to read up on orchids and how to care for them!

obsession #3: PUCKO

it's chocolate milk...CHOCOLATE! I always have and I always will love everything and anything chocolate...!

don't laugh now but...

I look like a right "fjun" here, but your request is my command...so here it it is, a pic of me and walter mauser (it's the name of the "car") via knut*, bluetoothed to feynman** and then bluetoothed onto fry***. I really hope you appreciate all the effort I'm going to to get this rare pic to you peeps... ;)

all's good in swedenland...you wouldn't have thought so by the look of this pic but we're experiencing a right indian summer right now. it's been 21+c all week. I know...talking/writing about the weather is dead boring, just didn't really have anything else to write about, sorry!

laters....

* my dad's mobile phone

** my mobile phone

*** my mac

BEWARE...

...the pinche-fjun has been unleashed...in a posten "car" that is actually an eu moped...disguised as a car...on four wheels, with a steering-wheel and all things car-like (minus a gear box)!

it's not me in the pic, hence the clumsy cropping...but the car's the same and that's what's important after all.

can't quite believe they're letting me drive one of these mini-monsters...but still! it feels really cool and I can't wait to drive a real car!

that's all folks...can't really think of anything else to write about and don't feel much like writing anyway. just wanted to share this little car-experience with you's!

take it easy and DON'T PANIC (my favorite quote of the moment courtesy of mr douglas adams).

WARNING - ACHTUNG - VARNING

As from today, I am legally allowed to drive a EU-moped!!!!!

passed both my theory test and my driving test. got the top score on my theory

test and to balance it out I was the worst driver...by far! hahaha. I've only ever driven a moped once before...and that was between 16-18 years ago and I drove it for less than five (5) minutes. I didn't fall over, but I can't say it went well by any means. but then again, I'll be driving a three-wheel-monster-moped at work, so I guess it doesn't matter that much. the differences between the two are enormous, and I've been practising on a Posten moped and that went pretty well.

I've also got a very special little friend staying with me this week...namely katt-fjunet zlatan, my sister's cat!

(pic borrowed from TheMillaN)

katt-fjunet is a bit of a j cash fan...

chocs!!!

have recovered slightly from the whole alfakassan fiasco. slightly, NOT completely! let me put it this way, I have recovered enough to be able to articulate my anger and dissapointment in an appeal to them!

now on to something much yummier...chocolate balls!

they're so easy to make and so yummy to eat...I've just made a batch. the mixture is currently resting in the fridge before it gets balled up, so I thought I'd share the recipe with you peeps in the meantime. how geneorus of the pinche-fjun...!

chocolate balls

• 100 g butter
• 1 dl sugar
• 1 tbs vanilla sugar
• 3 tbs cacao
• 3 dl oats
• 3 tbs strong cold coffee
• (coconut flakes)

melt the butter. mix all the ingredients together and let the mixture rest in the fridge for an hour. make little (or large) balls (really, it's up to you) and roll them in the coconut flakes (or whatever you want to cover them in). that's it...now yum away on the little beauties!

work :) / alfakassan :(

Seems Posten is going to need me until (at least) the end of the month...signed my third contract with them yesterday, for 11-31 aug. that's the good news...! :)

the bad news is that alfakassan (a type of jobbseekers allowance) has rejected my claim. a claim that I did at the beginning of MARCH this year!!! almost six months ago!!! exactly 23 weeks ago!!!

reason for rejection: I hadn't worked a minimum of one day in sweden between arriving back in sweden and registering myself as unemployed at arbetsförmedlingen (AF).

just for the record, I arrived in sweden at approx 1am tue 3rd march and registered myself as unemployed at arbetsförmedlingen wed 4th march. in order to qualify for alfakassan (to my and AFs knowledge) I had to register at AF as soon as I became unemployed. which I did. I guess you can already see where this is going...!

five+ months, countless forms filled in, certificates/p45s/contracts/leaver letters etc provided and several phonecalls later...this is the result: rejection! they tell me one thing (you QUALIFY for alfakassan as you've worked/paid taxes in another EU country) but the reality is, that is not the case, because none of my work in the UK counts as I hadn't worked a single day in sweden before registering myself as unemployed at AF. and this, they completely and utterly fail to tell me everytime I speak to them on the phone AND it's not in a single letter I've had from them either OR on their website (my aunt has been reading through their website info meticulously and found nothing to support this claim)!!! in fact, one girl I spoke to at alfakassan in mid june told me that as long as I could get someone to employ me for just one day, ANY DAY (yup, that's easy...), everything would be ok and I would qualify. turns out, she was so so SO wrong and I've waisted five+ months where I haven't been able to seek out alternative solutions, study etc.

confused...so am I and I'm so angry I'm not able to articulate myself properly.

here's a breakdown of the past few months:

• tue 3rd march 1am: I arrive in sweden.
• wed 4th march: I register at AF and receive alfakassan forms to fill in. AF tells me I should qualify for alfakassan as I've worked in another EU country.
• week 11 / march: I receive a letter from alfakassan and they ask me to phone them so that they can tell me exactly what other documentation they need from me - I phone them up but there is NO MENTION of this minimum-of-one-day's-employment-in-sweden-since-I-arrived-back-rule.
• 16th march: I send off copies of EVERYTHING they've asked for to alfakassan.
• late april: I ring them up since I there has been no correpsondence since mid march and I'm worried they've lost my papers etc. I find out they've only just sent me a letter and it arrives the same day in the post. it states that they're processing my claim and will be requesting a certificate from HMS customs in the UK.
• mid may: I receive another form to fill in, I do this and send it back to them immediately.
• mid june: I receive yet another form to fill in. it's a work certificate in swedish so I ring them up explaining that my former ENGLISH boss might find this a tad bit difficult to fill in. they tell me it's not for him, it's for my supposed swedish employer... I explain to them that I have been unemployed since arriving back and that my last job was in the UK. the girl then tells me "can't you just get someone to employ you for just one day, any day...that's all you need to do". the deadline for the work certificate is 10th july.
• early july: I find out I might be able to get some work at Posten over the summer and I ring up alfakassan to tell them that I will be able to provide a work certificate from a swedish employer but that I won't be able to make the deadline. they move the deadline back to 20th july and I am able to get the certificate in on time.
• monday 10th aug: I get a letter from alfakassan. they've rejected my claim. reason: see above!

it's all just such nonsense...and I'm going to appeal!!! they are NOT going to get off that easy!!!

big day tomorrow in pinche-fjunland

I'm getting a driving licence...but not just any driving licence...a EU moped driving licence!!!

reason? so that I can drive one of these, hehehe >>>

I'm doing a theory lesson/test tomorrow and then a driving lesson/test the following monday. that's it then...as long as I pass of course.

really looking forward to driving one of these three-wheel-thingys...it beats a push bike full of post and junk mail any day!

good news everyone...

disaster has been averted - fry (billy west), leela (katey sagal), bender (john dimaggio) and co will return for the new futurama episodes that are currently being filmmm... drawn!!!

a nasty rumour (well a bit more than just a rumour I guess) was circulating a couple of weeks ago that fry and co would be voiced by other actors as the production company and the actors were in disagreement over pay (money...it always comes down to money).

I've been like, totally like heart-broken by the bad news that, like the original cast would be replaced by some weird fry/leela/bender etc fakeos yea! ya get me?! so the news that the old actors have come back delights me no end...! :)

I first heard about the bad news from the robster and then read about the good news in a swedish tabloid a few days ago. checked it out on the can't get enough futurama website and they're also claiming that the entire cast are indeed back! I just hope and pray (ok, maybe lose the praying bit as I'm not exactly religious...but had I been, sweet baby jesus...) that the good news is indeed true!!!

postman pinche-fjun pt 3 - the return of pinche-fjun

finished my stint as postlady pinche-fjun on friday...but my unemployment was not to last for more than 48 or so hours as they called me from posten this morning wondering if I'd be able to work today through monday next week! :)

suits me just fine as I have my eyes on some billy bookcases at ikea and I'm in desperate need of some funds to cover the cost for a more permanent home for my beloved books (they live in book "skyscrapers"on my bedroom floor at the moment).

be gone yucky yellow and rusty red...

me, my mum and my dad have been painting the living room today...in an antique-white-sort-of-colour. it looks really nice and fresh! a vast improvment from the horrible pastel yellow and deep terracotta red!!!

we're going to paint the kitchen next, then the bedroom and finally the hallway. all in the same white colour.

I'm off to bed now to read the cox/forshaw book!

laters...

thanking you mr mojo!!!

I haven't even started reading it yet...but I know I'm going to LOVE this book!!! it was a present from mojo and it arrived today.

mojo and I were skyping the other night and he told me he had heard something about this "thing" on the radio and immediately thought of me. he then started dropping hints and telling me he's ordered something for me and that I would never, ever be able to guess what it was... he was right!

the book in question is why does E=mc²? (and why should we care?) and is written by (one of my all time favorite physicists) professor brian cox and jeff foreshaw.

think I'm going to...

1. have a well deserved shower (being a postie-lady is haaaard work)

2. make some pancakes

3. eat pancakes (with sliced banana and vanilla ice cream)

4. curl up into my big, cosy armchair and start reading my new book!!!

mmm, life is pretty sweet right now! :)

the pinche-fjun awards 2009

and the award for "the bestest parents in all the known and unknown universes got to"...

drum roll...

drum roll...

drum roll...

Jan and Siv!!!!!

postman pinche-fjun pt 2

here it is, me in my three (3) sizes too big posten uniform, as per request (moster janet)!!! the colours are a bit weird in this pic, probably because I took this against a light background. so just for the record: my face really is NOT that red , and my hair is not that light in real life.

...and this is my mode of transport at work!!! it's an electric bike and I LOVE IT!!! it makes life that little bit easier when you've got 90lbs+ of mail on your bike to deliver...

really enjoying my job as a postal worker. it's a job that suits me VERY well as I'm completely self-reliant! if I f**k up I f**k up, but at least no-one else will have to take the blame for it and vice versa. it's quite a solitary job a lot of the time...again, I like very much! plus, I get loads of exercise AND I get paid for it!!!

this is my day as a postal worker:

5.15am: wake up and have a shower

6am: leave for work

6am-6.20am: cycling to work at företagscenter at berga

6.30am: I start work

6.30-8.30/9.00am: sorting mail for approx 500-600 companies' postal boxes

9.00am: cycle to posten norr

9.00-ready to go out and deliver mail: sort mail into households + some paperwork

whenever I'm ready to go out and deliver mail-I'm finshed: deliver mail to approx 520-540 households in the dalhem area of helsingborg

when everyone in my area has got their mail: home time! (usualy between 12.00-2.30pm)

I was training with my colleague Klas this week and the latest we finished was at 12.30pm (finished at 12.00 yesterday)!!! life is sweet...! I'm on my own next week as Klas is on holiday, so I know I won't finish quite so early, but I'm aiming for 2.00-3.00pm, which is still not bad. I get paid by the hour, so it's a win/win situation either way.

...and here's some I made earlier

your eyes are not deceiving you! I am indeed the cup cake-baking-genius behind the beautiful creations pictured right (these three cup cakes were especially happy to pose for a picture on top of my 1950s scales). and they don't just look good, they taste like little bursts of heaven too!!!

this is the recipe I've used (swedish only...see below for english translation).

chocolate cup cakes

• 4 decilitres plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 decilitres cacao
• 125g butter
• 2 1/2 decilitres sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 decilitres sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

icing

• 100g philadelphia cheese
• 350g icing sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons cacao
• approx 1 tablespoon water

(1 dl = 0.35 UK cup / 0.42 US cup / 0.4 metric cup...confusing!!!)

mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl

whisk butter and sugar

add one egg at a time and the sour cream to the butter/sugar mixture

add the dry ingredients

mix mix mix

pour into the paper cake cases (approx 10 large or 15 medium) and half-fill each case with the cake mixture

cook in the oven at 175c for 25-30 minutes

allow the cup cakes to cool before spreading the icing on top

I modified the recipe a little (as I always do...and not always successfully sadly) and added half a tin of hot choc milk chips to the mixture...and I also sort of forgot (oops) to add the salt and vanilla extract, but the cup cakes still tasted great so I guess it doesn't matter that much!

breaking news: witnesses claim five cup cakes were abducted and eaten in central helsingborg on sunday evening. the five cup cakes were reported missing at approximately 8.30pm. there has been no sign of the five since then and local police are currently investigating the crime scene and interviewing witnesses to the, what can only be described as, cup cake massacre. there has been no arrests as yet, but police are believed to have identified five suspects, four of whom are believed to be from the same family and one is the boyfriend of one of the women.

the disappearance of the five cup cakes have caused a lot of anxiety among the cup cake community and a further four cupcakes have reportedly called the police demanding police security as they believe their lives to be at risk. one cup cake has allegedly been taken to hospital to be treated for symptoms of shock.

(disclaimer: no cup cakes were harmed during the writing of this blog post)

it might get loud

I CAN'T WAIT to see this documentary!!! I'm sooo going to lobby my local cinema to show this!!! check out the official website and the it might get loud trailer.

that's all...just wanted to share that with you!

(nice poster too...it would look great in my front room)

oh, and by the way. got my posten uniform yesterday. all I'm going to say is this: it's a very efficient uniform in that there's a built in time-saving device made especially for small people. small people have the luxuary of not having to unbutton/unzip the shorts before taking them off after a long day's work delivering mail...lucky me! ;)

mommes pannkakor: the best pancakes in the world!

given my questionable record with all things food and cooking, you probably won't believe me when I write this...but the fact is, I make the second best pancakes in north-western skåne and at a stretch, swedenland! my gran makes the best pancakes in the universe! she is the grand-pancake-master of all time!

so I've decided to share my gran's not-so-well-kept-"secret" pancake recipe with you all. you have to promise to try this out though!!!

before we start, make sure you have the following...

tools:

a cast iron frying pan (see pics - I have tried many different types of frying pans, but cast iron ones are the best by far)

a spatula (I prefer a metal one, but whatever works for you is fine)

ingredients (approx 7-8 pancakes):

2 eggs

5 decilitres/approx 2 cups of milk (full fat)

2 1/2 decilitres/approx 1 cup of plain flour

1 tablespoon of sugar

unsalted butter (for frying only)

• mix the eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk for a couple of minutes
• add some of the milk and all of the flour
• whisk for a bit then add the rest of the milk to the batter
• whisk whisk whisk
• let it rest in the fridge for an hour
• fry until golden brown (again, see pics) in a cast iron frying pan with a little bit of butter...
• EAT and ENJOY!

pics top to bottom...

my gran's recipe in her own handwriting

my gran making pancakes, my granddad is in the background

the pancakes I made this evening (and my kettle nikki)

I know you english peeps like your pancakes with lemon and sugar, but why not try a swedish style pancake next time! may I suggest cloudberry jam,you can get it at IKEA - it's not cheap but it's sooo worth it. I haven't got any cloudberry jam at home at the moment so had vanilla ice cream and sliced banana with my pancakes instead this evening.

postman pinche-fjun pt 1

got a call from posten (the swedish equivalent of royal mail) today and they asked me if I was available to work starting next wedndesday! YAY, finally! it's only temporary, but so VERY much better than nothing at all.

camilla and my dad works there and have been bigging me up the past week...I hope I can live up to their expectations of me now...eek!

on a pretty unrelated note...we had a dog like the one on the stamp (a saluki, his name was sheik) when I was growing up. been wanting to use this image for a blog post for some time now, and finally found a befitting occasion to do so.

keep your fingers crossed for me next wednesday at 6.30 am...