random pictures:
this week has been super foggy. yesterday was like this. and today is worse, can hardly see the building opposite.
winter sales in full force. bought this pair of low cut boots for 390Sek, down from 1000sek original price. Adidas with Goretex, so its waterproof. Very good coz got good grip and wont get my feet wet in those slush conditions.
and i finally got my internet banking!!! so long to wait, and so sweet the reward. can start paying all my bills online now, and buy cheap train tickets, which means more holidays!!
the singapore club in sweden had a gathering last week to celebrate CNY. steam boat at a restaurant in Nacka.
buy raffles tickets for 10sek and get a chance to win a prize.
interesting consept. in this ring with paper rolls. you tear of the bottom part leaving a stub. on both ends of the paper roll there are numbers. so you hold on to your end and the other end gets into a basket for the draw. very simple and easy method.
a japanese american who somehow came to a singapore gathering in sweden.
the usual cheong-ing during the first round.
the only two other young faces. the rest were families. all the uni students didnt turn up. so it was quite boring staring at each other.
floating tau poks
my first round of many many rounds
the lucky draw starts
one big box of chocolates!
the mess after the meal
dessert is dong yuen in red bean
one of the kids of the guy at the same table. he so looks like his father when he smiles. like a mini version,
this is the so called swedish cake. its just layers of bread with filling of butter and minced meats. there were a few flavours to choose from. this one is shrimp. by the way, no one calls them prawns here. its either small shrimp or big shrimp.
this is my fav. red meat. the filling is the same type of meat, only minced.
chocolate yoghurt, 1kg of it. vanilla tasting with shreds of chocolate inside. but doesnt the chocolate cancel out all the goodness the yoghurt should bring. it just sounds so wrong, to eat a healthy food like youghurt with a more sinful thing like chocolate
erm, whatever, its 3/4 gone.
another peculiarity i picked up is baby kiwis. doent look like it but tastes just like it. comes from Chile. and its tiny, about the size of a finger digit. I think its related to the original kiwi but a different species.
at Abisko, we tried dogsleighing. 4 dogs one person, 12 km, -10C, 9am.
the dogs are just mad to start running so got to pin them down and tie them up. if you let go, they will zip off
'please let me out to run'
warming up for the exercise.
it was an amazing experience with the dogs, wide open country space, the soft snow making quiet slushes as the sleigh zips by. the dogs running silently and swiftly. the cold breeze in your face. one of the points in time where your mind will forever remember.
the dogs get hot because of the run and burry themselves in loose snow to chill out, even at this cold temp.
can see my reflection in the dogs eyes.
ice kacang anyone?
we stopped to rest halfway for about 5 minutes. the view of the mountain range was just great.
then it was off again. the first part was lots of uphill, but the second half had more flat ground and downhill, so it was more enjoyable.
you have no idea how precarious it looked to hold the sleigh by one hand and click with the other.
another amazing white scenery.
why did we stop?
the frozen lake just lies yonder.
one part was through narrow ways lined with the bare branches of trees. the dogs know how to keep in the middle.
beautiful pink clouds
the famous valley in Abisko, forgot its name though... not so famous after all.
i would do this again one day, but would go for a longer trip, the dogs were fantastic, friendly and just enjoyable to be with. the feelign of being pulled in the sleigh was great. felt like you stepped back in time, and were on this adventure into the wilderness with no human contact for the next 100 miles.
priceless.
the 2009 ice hotel
the standard entrance that stays almost the same every year. the blue blocks are ice hewn from the Torne river at the back of the hotel, into which it will melt when summer comes. the white is made of a mash of snow and ice, named snice. they collect ice from the river, then mash it up and blow it overy metal frames that give the structure of the building. sort of an ice casting process.
reception
the crystal hall in the day
dark alleys leading to exquisite rooms. i think there are 70+ of them
clear blocks
some of the rooms are shown below. each is hand made by various artises from around the world who submit and the winners get to create their room designs.
treetop bed
will the chair melt or the person freeze first?
bedroom of a racing car theme
frozen in time
ice-plosion
optical illusion. the farthest chair is fake, and the table is not that long.
on the opposite side are fake doors and linked rooms.
vain room
mush-room
evening sun, and the ice turns to dark blue
next to the hotel is the chapel, where you can get married for 500€ in a 30 minute service.
basin for infant baptisms. they pour warm water into the dish immediately before the water sprinkling.
the hanging things are for candles.
at the back of the hotel is the river Torne, where the block of ice comes from. now its solid ice.
