Nova

22 March was the international water day instituted by the UN. We celebrated it today in the shopping mall Nova Lund. There was face-painting, balloons, a fish pond (not literal) where you could catch popcorn and an ocean where children could draw whatever sea animal they felt like. I thought it was a great success, I've learnt to paint butterflies and spiderman on 4 years old that are not too keen on the idea of sitting still for 5 minutes!

Sweet little twins, my first butterfly!

I also fell for the temptation of Topshop, damn... I was about to try some clothes on in H&M but I literally couldn't justify even trying them on, I felt such bad conscience since I don't need any more clothes... However, it didn't last long enough since I bought a pair of shorts from Topshop, but I have been looking for a pair of brown shorts a while now! I know I'm only convincing myself....

Freckles!

Since it's a rainy day today I have to gloat with the fact that I've got my first little freckles! Can't wait for more sun, more heat, more rosé in warm summer nights, oh give me summer now now now!

Whilst waiting for warmer weather I guess I have to get my sore ass (from exercise!) to today's seminar on the very uplifting subject of genocide and crimes against humanity...

took out my little jewel from
 Diane von Furstenberg

Hello Spring!

This is what I've been doing most of today =D

Apart from the constant wind, which in Lund is against you wherever you go, the sun has been shining brightly. I'm so glad to have a balcony with sun all day!

Another thing that makes me incredible happy and hopeful is two recent articles in one of Sweden's biggest newspapers about the crashing current economic system. Doctors in industrial restructuring (own translation) and technology working for SEI (Stockholm Environment Institute) have written two articles about the unsustainablility of our economic system. They suggest radical changes which I can't be bothered translating but one of the most interesting is the incorporation of environmental elements as part of value and assets, which would mean that Brazil wouldn't grow economically from cutting down the rainforest... The articles are in Swedish and you can find them here and here.

Not entirely unrelated, this song has been going on repeat on Spotify today 

Keep the sharks in the ocean and out of the soups

I know this is a sensitive time to be saying bad things about Japan but seriously, would you stop killing our oceans?! That also goes for all other countries allowing shark finning and genereal over fishing of the oceans as well!
Big minus today to the IOTC (Indian Ocean Tuna Commission) for failing to provide the much needed attention and protection of sharks! article

Another big minus is the amount of disposable plastic being used so widely even though most people have a great knowledge about the consequences. If you've forgotten here are some:
- plastic is nondegradable which means that it doesn't disappear.
- oceanic life consumes plastic which means that when we consume seafood we also get a fair share of plastic.
- many plastics contains toxic chemicals such as Bpa (Bisphenol A)
- if you need more reasons go to plasticpollutioncoalition.org 
There are some very very simple things you can do to lessen your use of disposable plastics:

• Stop buying bottled water. I have a steel bottle, but any non-disposable is fine...
• Bring bags to the supermarket. Don't buy plastic bags every time...
• Think about the packaging. Buy in bulk, buy the product with least plastic or simple don't buy it at all.

the easiest steps really! It'll probably be good for your wallet as well...

UNICEF children's rights advocate

The most wonderful weekend in Stockholm! Thank you UNICEF for this inspirational educational weekend!

Beautiful location, very luxurious, almost made you feel a little guilty. It was a truly great weekend, they made us feel very important and filled us with motivation and ambition and I can't wait to get out to schools and hold workshops!

Room in the hostel. I shared with a girl from Malmö
who also studied Human Rights.

Lund and Malmö group

Krischan spääx

Thursday night I defied the weather (it was literally painful to walk there because of the hail-rain-storm) and went to the auditions for the show group in my nation. There are several different groups in Lund that put up shows, and our nation one is supposedly really good. I had to sing. erhm. yeah. I sang the first verse of landslide by dixie chicks (Stevie Nicks). If you have to sing then why make it easy for you?

I didn't think I would get in because I'll be away for one out of the three intense weeks of rehearsal but an hour after the audition I got a call telling me the good news! So all of you Lunda students, come and watch the show!

Glee

Totally stuck on it! Love the singing and dancing, makes me want to play theatre and be able to sing, oh I wish I could sing!

Love their version of Forget you

Looking outside today it looked like a real springday, I even did a little sun-tanning on the balcony, the wind was freezing but the sun was really warm. I think, however, that I was a little too eager to wear my new shoes and my spring jacket, was extremely cold, but worth it!

We're doing a course in violence, interventions, war, international law and accountability, it is really interesting. We have a good lecturer who has a lot of experience in the military. I've been watching armadillo, hotel Rwanda and now the killing fields about Cambodia. War is awful, undescribable really. I don't understand how one would willingly enter into war...

Annikas and Maddes dance hits!

After a quiet and very pleasant Friday night filled with wine, pizza, games and good company I was pumped to max for a night out filled with crazy dancing! Annika and I started just before eight, with the prospect of joing Marcus and Ale at a preparty across town, however, suddenly it was past ten so we thought we'd go straight to the club but Ale and Marcus said that the queue was over 30 metres so the boys joined me and Annika and we had our own little crazy dance floor!

explains my sore neck...

I don't recall being yelling at Marcus
so it must be a dance move....

 Finished with some cookies and a drink at a pub, really good night! 

Remember this one? Perfect preparty song! We danced to so many old goodies, must be done more often!

Right, no more fun, time to start my second application to Geneva University... I hate writing personal statement............

LUUP

Done and done!

So with some luck I'll be studying in Perth or in Edinburgh next spring! So glad to be finished with the application process! I've applied to subjects like environmental studies, sustainable development, climate change management etc. Sounds like my kind of thing? Well, I sure hope so, I'm very excited about it! I enjoy studying human rights but I would like a focus on the environment. I believe a healthy environment is a human right...

Earthquake

I know I complain about the weather but really we should be lucky we're not in Japan right now. My heart goes out to everyone affected by the earthquake and tsunamis.

And seriously Denmark? Isn't it taking it a bit too far to charge Greenpeace activists for the majesty paragraph for getting in to the climate meeting dinner in Copenhagen?! Firstly: get better security if you don't want your guilt shoved in your faces and secondly: come to your senses!
Swedish article here
English article here

Guilt

Everytime I buy something I feel guilty! Still every spring my card is burning from my shopping craze and I'm worried (and unfortunately rather certain) that the shoes were just the spark of a season of senseless purchasing. Once you are stuck in a consumerist mind it's hard to get out, but I intend to do my very best to get out of this addiction. Fact is that the less I spend on useless shit the more time I can spend with my boyfriend and travel, and maybe, maybe I won't have to sleep at the airport to get the cheapest flight! Oh, the thought, the beautiful thought!
So this lead to my search for the oldest items in my wardrobe. I found my grandmothers old red kind of gown but it just doesn't really seem suiting, so I picked my oldest pair of jeans, a jacket from Gina Tricot that I've owned for ages and a vintage top from Paris.

On a second thought I might just put on my rain boots and put a big plastic bag on because it raining diagonally outside at the moment... Mixed with some snow. WHAT THE FUCK!! It was sunny this morning!!!!
Frickin decide, if there is anyone who can have it all it's the Weather!

Fettisdagen

is two days too late for me but thank you kåren for the semlor, they were d.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s

traditional swedish semlor

Annika persuaded me to come with her shopping which I knew would end up in me buying something... I said I wouldn't but whom I kidding... It's just that I feel bad every time I buy something I don't need. Like shoes...

Urban Outfitters

Lindex

Out to meet the girls! It was pouring with rain today so after washing my hair I thought, no point drying it, so for the first time I tried the wet look backslick, think I pulled it off ok. Now it's just a big mess though...

Hopefully tonight will be more successful....

Rachel Carson

Breaking Barriers: Women in the Environmental Movement

Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, 1962
"we should no longer accept the counsel of those who tell us that we must fill our world with
poisonous chemicals: we should look about and see what other course is open to us"

No success

Yesterday night was, as stated above, no success. There were literally a queue to the dumpsters. Try again later...

All is fair in love and war?
When it comes to the war between Japan and the Sea Shepherds some beg to differ. An article in The Independent (uk) discusses the methods used by the environmentalists...

Shooting red paint at the Japanese fleet

Apparently three Japanese men had been mildly hurt by ... rotten butter! I'd say the only thing that got hurt was their pride...

Dive in

Dressed for success for tonight's event... 

Dirty days

I love going over to Soton, hanging out with Fynn and his house mates. There is one thing that I struggle with though. Well, actually there are two; the cold and the dirt! Imagine four boys living together and you probably already have the picture in your head... I literally almost wanted to cry when I went into the bathroom that's how filthy it was. Is. I was inches away from calling up Soph and asking if I could stay with her while they cleaned the toilet. But I pulled through and when I got back I had a nice long hot shower, scrubbed myself from head to toe and treated my face to a chocolate face mask. It's really good, so good I want to eat it! Literally, the smell just makes to crave chocolate so badly!

Not one of my best looks...

This morning offered beautiful but rather chilly weather. I decided to defy the cold and went for my new t-shirt from Urban Outfitters. Can't wait to wear it a sunny spring day together with jeans shorts.

I keep going on about sea shepherds and Taiji and whaling, but it's so important and really interesting. Japan has ended its season in the Antarctics early specifically because of the activities of Sea Shephers, hurray! And now they've also finished their season in Taiji! Another hurray! But the biggest hurray of them all has to be that  The Cove (haven't seen it? SEE IT!) has been allowed to be released in Japan and the producer has sent a copy to every single resident in Taiji! HURfrickinRAY! 

Exam in Soton

I've been really lazy with the blog, just not in a bloggin mood at the minute. But when I think of stop writing it I get right on it again...

So the past week I've done my exam in Soton. It was definitely the most difficult yet. When I read the three questions I was at first completely blank, then I thought erhm and finally; SHIT I'm going to fail, might as well not do it... But it went fine, I think so I'm going to go through the fun things instead!

Firstly, I had sushi, vegetarian sushi, with my cousin Jemma and delicious coffee at Monmouth in Borough market, think I've recommended this every time I write about London, and I will keep recommending it!
I made my way to Clapham junction, quite a nice neighbourhood, and met up with Fynn and his friends for a murder mystery party. Unfortunately I didn't get any good photos of all the masks.

Really good night, great people, wicked fun! The morning after, Fynn went down to Soton to play football whereas I stayed for a nice breakfast in the beautiful spring weather and I just had to visit one of my biggest vices... Urban Outfitters! I came home with a t-shirt and a pair of shoes (surprise). I didn't have much space since I only brought handluggage which meant I had to constrain myself...

Down in Soton I mainly wrote my exam, watched the boys play football, played squash (in my opinion I beat Fynn! Considering it was my second time playing...), Fynn and I went for a nice walk in the common when the Friday when I sent my damn papers in.

Time to go in to class, new course, new teacher, apparently loads of work... Great.