Posts in May 2009

Eurovision 2009 - Blogging the Final Live

Posted by Anna Ikeda
May
16
2009

OK, are you ready? I know I am. We have plenty of popcorn and drinks and as soon as this bizarre intro of Cirque de Soleil is over, the final will begin for real.

How will Sweden do tonight? I have no idea. I doubt we will win, however since it just so happens that I’m not in Sweden right now, you know who will get my vote. I may not like the song, but I’ll vote for it anyway. Oh, the things we do for the glory of Sweden…

First, the repeat of last year’s winning song “Believe” by this guy with a very difficult Russian name. What happened to the skater? His fee must have increased this year…

The MC lady is wearing a dead chicken for a dress. Very strange…

Lithuania goes first. Not a bad song, and I predict it will get high votes from the UK (lots of Lithuanian immigrants over there), Ireland (lots of Lithuanian immigrants over there) and a few former Soviet republics (bloc voting at its finest).

Israel has the most politically correct song in the contest. But it won’t win anyway.

Number three - France - Patricia Kaas. It won’t win either. It’s not tacky and schmaltzy enough. And there are no fiddles in it. You gotta have fiddles in your song if you want to win…

Number four - SVERIGE SVERIGE!!! Malena, go, go Malena! The robotons in black are still very distracting, and Malena still can’t hit those notes. But she’s getting my vote anyway. :)

Croatia - meh… I’m going to get some popcorn now.

Portugal - this song is way too classy for Eurovision, and the lady’s not attractive enough. Sorry, but you can’t win without showing some flesh.

Iceland - the more I listen to it the more it sounds like a Sarah Brightman rip-off. It’s a nice song, and it has string instruments (absolutely necessary for a winning song). But what would happen if Iceland wins this contest? Can they really afford to host it next year? I don’t think so…

Greece - a dude named Sucky? Channeling David Hasselhoff? This might win. I wouldn’t be surprised.

Armenia - they have fiddles, ethno-beat, smoke and fire. A total nightmare. Which means it will go far.

Russia - I like this song very much, actually. But I can tell you right now that I like the official music video even more. The lady looks awful on the big screen. Yuk!

Azerbaijan - Arash! Arash! Yes, definitely, the duo is showing off her best assets, if you know what I mean. They can win. Malena or Arash? This is a tough choice indeed…

Bosnia - those guys are kind of good-looking, but their costumes? Who thinks up these things?

Moldova - more ethno-pop, turbo-folk and some very energetic dancing. Oh my… I predict some tough competition for Azerbaijan.

Malta - did Sarah Dawn Finer move to Malta and nobody told us?

Estonia - they’re very pretty and have fiddles. But no fires, no smoke and no undressed dancing men. Hmmm… The song is stunning though.

Denmark - not bad at all. Would have been even better if the lead singer had decided to show off his six-pack. Didn’t they learn anything last year. The flying, open shirt? Hello?

Germany - my eyes, my eyes!!! I’m blinded by those pants…

Turkey - we have fire and plenty of those assets that really matter in the Eurovision song contest. And that she can’t sing, well, that’s besides the point, right?

Albania - are the dancers wearing face masks? They really took this swine flu scare very seriously.

Norway - I’m yodeling along. I like it. Norway definitely has been paying attention (unlike Sweden) to what the Eurovision crowd enjoys.

Ukraine - plenty of assets on this stage. Very little talent, but who cares about talent in this contest, right? The men in my household just went crazy…

Romania - the men in my household are still going crazy… Unfortunately, strategically positioned silicone has that effect on some guys…

The UK - a song composed by Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber. Must have been one of his rejects then.

Finland - sorry, but Waldo’s People can’t compete with Moldova and Ukraine.

Spain - anything is better than their Robocopo entry of last year. Better but not good enough.

OK, let the voting begin :)

Still waiting for the very classy intermission to finish. Are they swimming on the stage??? Whoa!!! This is better than a wet t-shirt contest. Eurovision sure has come a long way…

And the results are in:

Spain gives 12 points to Norway!!! Sweden - zero.

Belgium gives zero to Sweden (12 to Turkey)

Belarus gives 12 points to Norway (of course! Alexander is from Minsk). Sweden - still zero.

Malta - Thank you Malta!!! 4 points for Sweden.

Germany - 12 points to Norway, just as I thought.

I don’t like this new voting system… Now 50% of the votes from any given country come from a panel of judges and 50% from the viewers. And that is messing the stuff up this year.

Sweden - I see Azerbaijan moving up. And Norway is still leading…

Iceland gives 12 points to the cutest guy in the contest - Norway.

France liked the Turkish assets, I see.

Israel - another 12 points to Norway…

Russia - same as above…

(Nobody loves Sweden…)

Latvia - OK, Norway is going to win it!!!

I can stop counting the votes now… And I am super pleasantly surprised that the best song is leading (sorry Malena).

Sweden has lost, again. It’s sad, but then again, that was to be expected. Sweden hasn’t been paying attention, again. Norway came up with a really cool, original song that almost everybody predicted would win. And we? We should have kept Arash at home. Then at least we could have placed in the top 5. And now? Zip. Zilch. Nada.

Grattis Norge!!! The best song won! See you next year in Oslo! :)

PS. Didn’t I tell you that you need to have fiddles and folky dancing in your song, if you want to win? ;) Throw in a couple of pretty girls and it’s a slam-dunk. And oh yeah, a nice, catchy tune helps too.

Unlike Sweden, Norway has been paying attention.

 
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Eurovision 2009 - First Semi-Final (Live)

Posted by Anna Ikeda
May
12
2009

We’re waiting for the results now to see who’s going to the final on Saturday.

I’m proud to say that Sweden’s entry has turned out better than (at least I) expected it. However:

  • Malena’s choice of dress was tragic!!! On the white background she disappears and despite all her spray-on tan, she looks washed out. On the black background she looks like a very tanned ghost.
  • What’s up with those background dancers? They’re totally useless, distracting and badly choreographed.
  • Malena did seem to have some trouble hitting certain notes, but hopefully those background dancers were hideous enough to distract from any vocal shortcomings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP07YbJCSAI

Iceland’s song (”Is It True” - Yohanna) was stunning. And I liked Finland (”Lose Control” - Waldo’s People) too, but then again I’m happy to listen to Europop anytime, anyplace.

OK, we’re still waiting for the results.

In the meantime, it just wouldn’t be a Russian event without a military band, Kosak dancers and sappy folk songs… Hey, only the balalaikas are missing… Eeeeekkk, I hope this intermission will be over soon.

France, Russia, the UK, Spain and Germany qualify to the final automatically. The rest we will know soon.

OK, here we go:

  • Turkey
  • SWEDEN!!!!!! yay yay yay yay!!!
  • Israel
  • Portugal (this one I’m surprised that it got through)
  • Malta (huh?)
  • FINLAND!!!! yay yay yay yay!!!
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Romania (whenever I hear this song I have a feeling that a rather large chunk of its lyrics is missing)
  • Armenia
  • ICELAND!!!! yay yay yay!!!

I’m happy, all my favorite songs will appear on Saturday in the final. And once I find a better video of Malena’s performance, I will replace this one. This is the only one that appeared on youtube immediately, still during the broadcast.

And here’s an interview with Malena right after she arrived in Moscow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVfEndlYsa8

PS. What I can’t figure out is why Arash is representing Azerbaijan… I read that he has Azerbaijani roots, but still… This means that practically anyone, from any European country (and beyond) can represent any other country in the Eurovision song contest… Which, at least in my opinion, is kind of pointless…

 
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Swedish Adjectives - following a possessive word

Posted by Anna Ikeda
May
10
2009

“I hate those Swedish adjectives,” my friend proclaimed, “they make no sense!”
My friend has been studying Swedish for a few weeks already, and as she says, it’s been a slow going, painful process. The fact that she’s doing it mostly by herself, with only her Swedish boyfriend as a reluctant teacher, outside of Sweden, is not helping her efforts either.

This time it was the adjectives that incurred her wrath. She explained the problem to me, because apparently her Swedish guy was no help.
I know that she expected a clear, logical answer to her grammar question from me, but unfortunately, I had to disappoint her. All I could say was “well… that’s how it is in Swedish.”

And what made her so upset? This goofy, little thing that Swedish adjectives do when they’re stuck between a possessive word and a noun.

Take a look:
We say – min bil (my car) and ny bil (a new car), right?
So why do we get this when we put it all together?

  • min nya bil – my new car

See what happened?
The adjective changes its form and gets the definite ending –a.

Why does it happen? I don’t know. It just does.

Here’s a few more examples:

  • ditt hus – your house
  • stort hus – a big house

but:

  • ditt stora hus - your big house

It doesn’t matter if the possessive word is a pronoun or a noun. The adjective still changes.

  • pojkens mormor – boy’s grandmother
  • fattig mormor – poor grandmother

but:

  • pojkens fattiga mormor – boy’s poor grandmother

So, in conclusion:
1.    If you have an adjective following a possessive word and preceding a noun, the adjective must be in the definite form ending in –a.
2.    There’s no other way but to learn and remember this rule.
3.    No need to get upset about it.
4.    Because really, this is one of the easier quirks of Swedish grammar.

See? It wasn’t that difficult after all. :)

 
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Summer Plans 2009 - Vacationing in Sweden

Posted by Anna Ikeda
May
7
2009

It’s (almost) the middle of May already. Time’s fun when you’re having flies, or rather, the other way round. The weather may not be very summery yet, or up North – not even very springy yet, but summer is already on everybody’s mind.

Yes, it’s time to plan your summer vacation, if you haven’t done so already. Where to go, when exactly to go, how much to spend and all those other pesky little details of your long-awaited summer break.

My friends and co-workers all seem to be discussing their semester (vacation) plans right now. Global crisis, or not, semester is sacred. After all, what are you going to do? Stay at home for four weeks in July? Nah, you gotta go somewhere.

True, many people are concerned about the economy and about whether or not they can actually afford their summer breaks. Some of my friends have downsized their normal plans. Instead of a trip to Thailand or another exotic destination, they choose more mundane places like Spain or Egypt. Those who normally would go to Spain or Egypt are opting for even more budget friendly choices like Turkey and Bulgaria. But few of the people I know say they will stay in Sweden during the summer. Why? All things considered, it’s cheaper to go abroad. And oh yeah, the weather’s better elsewhere, too.

But let’s pretend for a second that staying in Sweden this summer is your only option. Or that visiting Sweden this summer (for those of you in other countries) is your only option. In that case, where would you go? Which places would you like to visit? Where in Sweden have you visited already and what would like to recommend to others?

Anybody who’s been reading this blog for more than 5 minutes knows that I’m a huge fan of Lappland. My number one destination in Sweden is the Far North – Kiruna, Abisko, Jukkasjärvi and the whole Tornedalen (Torne Valley) area. There are no ancient castles there and no Viking huts. There are no gothic cathedrals and splendid art museums. Instead, there is plenty of nature, gorgeous views, different culture and midnight sun (after all, we are talking about summer here). If not for the mosquitoes, it would be an ideal adventure destination. The drive along the Torne river is, without a doubt, one of the most gorgeous in Sweden.

A bit more south (if you’re in, let’s say, Pajala) there’s Luleå with its World Heritage listed Gammelstads kyrkstad (Gammelstad Church Town). Oh yes, and why is Luleå calling itself The Capital of Swedish Lapland? Just how many capitals does Lappland have? What about Lycksele’s claim to “Lapp Stockholm”?

So, now you know where I would like to spend my summer in Sweden. How about you? What are some of your favorite Swedish summer destinations?

PS. And just so there is no misunderstandings – it’s “Lappland” in Swedish, but “Lapland” in English.

 
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The Mysterious Ways of Swedish Post Office

Posted by Anna Ikeda
May
4
2009

People abroad are always very surprised when they hear me say things like, “Oh, I have to go to the gas station and pick up my package” or “we pick up our mail at the supermarket.”
“What? Don’t you have normal post offices over there?”, they ask.

Well, as a matter of fact, we really don’t.
Posten (the Swedish Postal Service) decided to abandon normal post offices sometime in 2001. Since then, we’ve had “postal service points”, where we can send and pick up letters and packages. Those are for individual clients, such as you and me and can be found, yes, you guessed it, at gas stations, supermarkets and convenience stores.
There is one main “post office” in our town, and while anybody can send stuff from there, in order to pick up your mail there, you need to be a business client. And they don’t even call it a post office anymore – it’s a “Postal Service Center”. Because the Post Office, as we know it in the US, or the UK, in Sweden is no more.

I like the current system. You have to admit, it’s very convenient. You go to buy milk and bread and can pick up that parcel your cousin in Chicago or Sundsvall sent to you. Just be sure to remember to take that little slip of paper (avi, it notifies you that there’s something waiting for you at the “post office”) you got in the mail with you. No paper – no package. And don’t forget your ID either, you may need to show it when signing for your package.

We send and pick up mail at our local ICA supermarket. But not always. Express mail (but not EMS) ends up at a nearby gas station. That’s why it’s important to read the avi very carefully. It tells you where you need to go. And you will need to go, because unless your cousin in Chicago (or Sundsvall) used DHL to ship the package to you, chances are it will not be delivered to your door. In fact, at least in our town, anything larger than a C4 size envelope (big enough to stuff an A4 page in it) has to be picked up. Ordered a book from amazon? You’ll hike to pick it up. Expecting a registered letter? You’ll get on your bike and ride to the supermarket/convenience store/gas station with the avi in hand. I don’t mind, our postal kiosk is very nearby. But it’s not so convenient anymore if it’s 10 below outside, or snowing, or raining, and you have quite a way to go.

The problems also arise when a package goes missing. If you have a “normal” post office, it’s much easier to complain and find out what happened. If all you have is a “postal service point” it’s very hard to even locate a person, who can tell you how to file a claim. Simply because your average ICA employee working a postal desk shift has no clue himself.

Luckily, most of the time, the system works amazingly well. Things get delivered, and things get sent. Except for EMS – the kids at our ICA still haven’t figured out what it is and how to deal with it.

  • avi (def. avin, pl. avier, def. pl. avierna) – meddelande o matt man har fått t.ex. ett paket, brev, eller pengar som man kan hämta.
  • kuvert - the final “t” can be silent or not, depending on where you live (def. kuvertet, pl. kuvert, def.pl. kuverten) – brevomslag av papper – envelope
  • frimärke (def. -märket, pl. -märken, def.pl. –märkena) - pappersbitt som man klistar fast på t.ex. ett brev för att visa att man har betalat för att skicka det. – postage stamp, and despite the “fri” part of the word, it’s not ;)
 
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