Ågesta Friluftsgård (Agesta Open-air yard)

30 December 2018

Last post of the year. 

Merry Christmas, by the way. I went to 2 Christmas parties - one from work and one was invited by a friend. I also tried a Christmas table buffet. It was in my bucket list to try it. So much food and I paid SEK188/RM94. I thought it was expensive but it was way cheaper than those in restaurants. I had mine in a company's cafeteria. There were 5 types of sill, salmon, pork, turkey, beef, sausages, potatoes, porridge topped with cinnamon and sugar, beetroot salad, meatball and their soft drink version of Julmust. Almost every Swede loves this soft drink. I tried it and it tasted nothing exceptional to me. There is dessert too but I did not take any photo. It was chocolate muffin, caramel toffees, cookies and oranges.

I digress. Haha!

I managed to do a 10km winter walk before the year end! Yay! This place is pronounced as O-yes-ta Free-luf-gourd. The snow was too dry and powdery. I could not make any snowman. It is an easy walk and definitely a much-needed walk for fresh air. Just follow the green mark for a 10km trail.

Tastebud : Kajsas Fisk

28 December 2018

I had lunch one fine day during the Christmas break with a friend. I had taken leave from work and had accompanied her for the day. We had yummylicious fish soup (with mussels) at Kajsas Fisk. SEK120/RM60 that comes with an option to have salad, bread and water. I took them because I was not sure if the fish soup is filling. The white thing floating on it is a blob of cream.

There were many people and tourists queuing at this place. Then, I saw the Trip Advisor certificate of 4.5 stars. Sometimes, I am skeptical of Trip Advisor but this was really good. This place is famous but I have never heard of it before. Well, I am not a foodie person, so there are many places that I have not stepped in before in Stockholm.

I completed my Swedish course!

17 December 2018

Today, I celebrate and rejoice that I have completed my Swedish course. 1 year and 4 months of hard work and dedication to finishing this course. From SFI (Swedish for immigrants) to SAS (Swedish as a second language). 

Not to mention, the tears that come along with it. 

The frustration. The disappointment. The anger. 

This was not an easy path for me in the beginning. I stressed myself so badly about it because I wanted to find a job as soon as impossible. I wanted to earn money again. I was bored being at home. I don’t find joy in shopping or eating out. I was bored visiting museums. I wanted to have my own money to buy my own stuff without feeling guilty of using my boyfriend’s money. 

I remembered when I first took the beginner’s course on 7 August 2017. My friend and I wondered when we will ever master the language. I was stammering and stuttering at every single word. My brain was racking so hard to find the right word. I cried when I could not understand what a recruiter asked me on the phone. The recruiter spoke to me in Swedish and switched to English and told me that I cannot hire you because you cannot speak Swedish. I was upset, and I cried. My boyfriend took his phone and went to the toilet and called me. He spoke to me in Swedish and he said that he will practice with me. 

My profession required me to know the language. I wished I had worked in IT and I need not worry about the language. Or came from the States because somehow, the people I know who come from there managed to secure a job even without knowing Swedish. 

So, I forced myself to learn, and in that process, I hated the language. You know, if you force someone to do something, he or she ends up hating that stuff. But he or she reaches the goal with unfortunately, a bitter taste in the memories. Then, when I got to know some of my colleagues who did not know Swedish, I thought how unfair it was because I worked so hard to learn the language and find a job. But I could not find an answer to that. Gradually, I thought that it is great anyway that I learnt a new language and I managed to beat the odds to work in the language’s environment although it has been challenging. 

I completed the national exams for the language. Apparently, we take the same exams as the kids in gymnasium do too. Now, a gymnasium here in Sweden is not referring to an actual gym. It is an upper secondary school for students between 16 to 18 years old. And I was just amazed with myself that I am in the same level as a 16 year old who knows this language their whole life. Here I am, a person who moved to Sweden in June 2017 and has reached this level by March 2018. I am not bragging. I am just surprised at how a human is capable of doing what it needs to for survival if they set their mind to it. 

When I first started as an intern in March 2018, I could not understand 50% of what my colleagues were saying. They spoke so fast and they used slangs. I refused to communicate in English because I knew it will be detrimental to me. I had a headache for my first week as an intern. I was mentally exhausted. Even as an intern, I got rejected by recruiters because my Swedish was not fluent enough. I could not explain on my job experience in Swedish. I thought to myself – So having an internship does not help at all? Why does my work experience not matter at all? At the end of my 3-months internship, I could understand 80% of what my colleagues say. I came back as an employee 2 months later in August 2018 and I just completed my 6 months’ probation last week on 15 February 2019. I am now a full-time employee for the company. I can understand what my colleagues are saying, although I still need to pick up on some of the financial jargons and new words. 

Today, I can look back to my journey and said that it has been worth it. No, I don’t hate the language that much.

I am not afraid to communicate with the locals. 

I am not stressed if I receive a letter in Swedish. 

I am not worried if I need to make a call and speak in Swedish. 

I can speak to a doctor in Swedish. 

I made a police report in Swedish (my phone was stolen in April 2018. Sweden is not as safe as it seems). 

I watch Swedish series now and not needing to pause at every sentence to translate the words. 

I am extremely proud of myself that I picked up a new language. 

I WILL BASK IN THAT ACCOMPLISHMENT because I know well enough that I deserve it!

Of course, my thanks goes to the teachers in Hermods School at Olof Palmes Gatan and ABF School at Sveavagen. 

Tastebud : 6:ans Bistro

13 December 2018

Today, a friend treated me to a Chinese meal for dinner at 6:ans Bistro. She said that this place serves real Chinese food. I have no idea what does she means by real Chinese food. The food here is yummy, nevertheless. Yummy hot, piping food for the cold winter. 

By the way, Stockholm has so many Asian restaurants that serves a combination of Chinese food with sushi (the common Japanese food in an Asian restaurant which is different from a fully Japanese restaurant) and Thailand dishes. The main reason is because Stockholm has lots of Chinese and Thai immigrants. Well, Thai immigrants are the most considering there is a direct flight between both countries. 

So, back to my dinner. We had cooked fish fillets with sauerkraut (fermented vegetables) - SEK165/RM82.50. And handmade noodles with seafood - SEK155/RM77.50. Really welcoming to have in this freezing wintry season.

Tastebud : Arirang

30 November 2018

Korean food today! The day before, I was in a Korean cooking class. I don't eat Korean food often in Malaysia. I can probably count how many times I have tried Korean food.

Also, by far, the most expensive meal I have had so far - Korean food at Arirang! SEK215/RM107.50 for oxtail soup that comes with kimchi and rice. It was described as traditional Korean food. The oxtail was boiled for 6 hours. The soup has a mild flavour and I thought it tasted a bit bland. 

On a separate note, the Korean dishes that I learnt how to cook yesterday cost as below in this restaurant: 

1) Bulgogi - SEK236

2) Bean sprout salad - SEK42

3) Kimchi - SEK54 

Also, I saw the 2 ladies from the Korean Embassy that were at the cooking class, so I guess the food in this restaurant has to be the real thing. Plus, another friend who saw my post in Instagram said that Korean food here is the best. So, I guess it is worth paying for? *trying to comfort myself*

Korean Cooking Class 2018

29 November 2018

For the first time in my life, I joined a cooking class. I am not an excellent cook. I can cook simple meals but I rather that no one else tries them. Haha! Today after work, I joined a Korean cooking class that was organised by the South Korean Embassy. A friend of mine invited me and since there is no fee involved, why not? All the ingredients were prepared and we did not need to bring anything.

This is our menu where each group has to prepare. There are 4 in a group and thankfully, I sat next to a Korean girl (she was adopted and grew up in Sweden) who knows how to cook! There were 14 persons who attended and we were separated into 4 groups.

This kitchen has all the utensils in the world!

Hjulmarknad 2018

24 November 2018

So, I have heard of Julmarknad which means Christmas Market it is very common in December. But this time, I went to Hjulmarknad - Hjul means wheel but the pronounciation of Hjul and Jul is the same. I tell people that I am going to Hjulmarknad with a H. 

Anyone who is crazy about vehicles - cars, trains, trucks and anything with wheels, ought to come here. Too bad it is only for a day. All the collectors' items were selling at not-very-cheap prices.

Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde

22 November 2018

Today's evening's visit to Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde is organised by Kompis Sverige. It costs SEK150 for the entrance fee and I had no idea about this place until I saw this activity in Kompis Sverige's website. I will share with you the reason why it costs that much to visit this place.  

On the way to the residential home which is now a museum, we saw a few Santa Claus on the tree. Innovative decoration.

We had a guide to explain to us about this museum. This is the residential place of Prince Eugene. He wanted to be an artist and he studied art in France. He became an artist and was interested in music and photography too. He chose this area to build his residence because it was close to the waters and he wanted to be near to the nature. By the way, the Prince never married because if he married a commoner, he will lose his title and if he married a royalty, she will not accept his artist friends. It sure is tough to be a royalty back then.

Of course, the first thing that greeted us when we went inside the house was a naked statue. Sweden has so many naked statues that I find it weird if I see a place without one.

SMA - Deepavali & Annual General Meeting 2018

17 November 2018

Today, I was surrounded by my fellow Malaysians in a Deepavali event and the Annual General Meeting of the Swedish Malaysian Association (SMA). I had a lovely time today. The minute I stepped in, I heard a mixture of Cantonese and Hokkien dialects, and the familiar languages of Malay, Manglish and Mandarin. I was at home. 

I paid a fee of SEK120/RM60. There were lucky draws where I bought 4 tickets for SEK100/RM50 but I did not win anything, henna drawings, yummy-licious Indian food, games (charades and musical chairs) and karaoke at the end of the event. We voted for a new committee for 2018/2019. 

Tastebud : Wei Dao, A Taste of Asia (2nd time)

6 November 2018

Asian food today which means Chinese food and sushi for me. My friend and I went to Wei Dao. This was my second time here. My first time here was 2 months back where I had sashimi.

I had the lunch offer - 5 pieces of sushi (2 salmon, 2 California roll and 1 avocado) and a wok-fried dish that includes rice. I chose Sichuan wok - beef, capsicum, mushroom and onions with a spicy twist. SEK130/RM65. More worth it than the sashimi I had a month back that costs SEK130 too. A wok dish by itself costs SEK105. It was a big portion, by the way. Well, at least for me.

National Museum of Sweden

3 November 2018

A new museum has opened in town. Well actually, reopened. Sweden's National Museum was closed for renovation for 5 years. Can you see the museum at the far back in the photo? It is the brown colour structure. Best part - free! Well, not all places. There was a temporary exhibition which needed entrance fee, so that was avoided.

Excuse my humongous face in the photo. :-)

There was a queue to go inside the museum. It was crowded inside the museum and so I believe they need to gradually let the crowd in at a slow pace. Of course, the first sculpture that greeted us is a half-naked statue. Stockholm has a number of half or fully nude statues. Culture shock when I visited Stockholm the first time. 

Alla Helgons Dag (All Souls' Day) 2018

3 November 2018

All Souls' Day. I was here in 2017 - Skogskyrkogården (pronounced as 'skogs-sheer-ko-gor-den'). Here I am again. It is one degree colder this year. 8 degrees. We were here early at 6pm and there were not much candles lit up yet. The candle in the small jar costs SEK10/RM5 in the grocery mart but was selling at double the price outside the cemetery. 

This year, we did not walk through the graveyard but went inside the chapels.

This is the smaller chapel. I was surprised to see that the lamps are the shape of a cross.

The main chapel has a mural of the departed leaving on a ship while others waved goodbye. Lightly colored murals which leaves a soft calm feeling. The main chapel has very weak Internet signal. I wonder if this is done on purpose? So that no one fiddles with the phone during a funeral.

Vasamuseet (Vasa Museum)

27 October 2018

Today, I visited Vasamuseet (Vasa Museum), Sweden's number 1 museum! Vasa is the name of  a warship that sank in 1628 and recovered 333 years later. Once again, a huge thanks to Kompis Sverige for this visit which comes with a 1-hour guide. I learnt so much! I did not visit this museum when I visited Stockholm for the first time in 2015. I did not even know then about Vasamuseet. Then, when I moved to Sweden last year, I found out about Vasamuseet's fame but I did not step inside due to the entrance fees of SEK150. When Kompis Sverige put this up on their website, I did not hesitate to click 'join'!

This is it, the humongous warship that is still standing proudly after 390 years. Gosh, 3 centuries. How did it survive so long? Right after it was rescued from the bottom of the waters, the ship was sprayed with water and glycerin for 17 years to preserve it. It is not sprayed anymore but the museum is kept at 18 degrees with minimal light. Any wooden item will break and disintegrate once it is exposed to the air, when it has been in the waters for 333 years. 

Here is a bit of history on Vasa ship.

The ship took 2 years to build. Experts were called in from Germany & Holland. The leader was from Holland but died within a year and his wife, Margareta took over. The team was not blamed when the ship sank because the King approved the voyage although it was highlighted in the tests that the ship is not fit for sailing. There were about 150 persons on the ship. 30 did not make it. Swimming was a skill not many had as waters back then were associated with diseases, monsters and filth which were dangerous. Those survived were saved by the boats that were close to the ship. 

The bolts were broken when the ship was recovered. They were replaced with non-corrosive bolts that can adapt to the wood expansion due to temperature and humidity. Our guide showed us the non-corrosive bolts.

Archaelogical Site Visit

20 October 2018

Today's 1.5 hour archaeological site visit is brought to you by Kompis Sverige. I have never been to an archaeological site in my life, hence, I am very excited when I saw this activity and I enrolled myself immediately. I was apprehensive for the cold weather because it is autumn. I am aware that this is an outdoor activity but it will be alright when one has the right set of clothes.

So, on a cold drizzling autumn morning, the group walked to the archaeological site because the bus was delayed. We walked from Västerhaninge train station. As we were approaching the site, I realised that I was in a new housing area and there were houses still under construction, and I began to wonder on what sort of archaeological site is this.

It turns out that, in Sweden (at least), before a housing project begins, an archaeological team is called in to see if there are any artifacts in the area. The preservation law in Sweden is very strict. That is probably one of the reason why there are so many museums in Stockholm! The team is based for 4 months from July to October, and they found a few areas where they discovered house structures from the Iron Age and Bronze Age! How cool is that!

These holes, once upon a time, had poles above them and they were poles for a house structure from the Iron Age. They dug a layer of earth which revealed a heavier colour of earth on some areas where the house's poles once stood or even found some poles. 

Here is a grave that has bears' claws and it was believed to be a sacrificial site. 

Tastebud : Dell 'Attore

25 October 2018

As I made a conscious effort to keep in touch with my ex-schoolmates from my language course, I got to try different places to eat. Since I am not familiar with the tasty restaurants in town, I assigned my friends (the ones that I am meeting) to choose the place to have our lunch or dinner. Today, my friend and I are having Italian dinner in Dell 'Attore. She told me that this place has the most authentic pizza ever! I thought that the Italian dinner I had in Eataly was fantastic. This one was equally good too but there was a huge-size television on the wall which was noisy and distracted my attention occasionally from my friend to the screen.

I had an all-vegetables pizza called Ortolana - mushroom, grilled paprika, zucchini, tomatoes, black olives and garlic. SEK142/RM71. Includes a small bowl of salad that is heavy with vinegar and a glass of cold water. My friend had seafood pizza with real mussels. 

Tastebud : Masala Masala

18 October 2018

The gastronomy experience continues to the Indian continent. I have expected Indian food to be very expensive in Stockholm. I decided to treat my friend to an Indian restaurant. I was unsure if the place was good but I just gave a random google and found the place - Masala Masala. I did a reservation a day before and had a table reserved next to the kitchen which was away from the main hall where all the noise is. Considering the restaurant is small, those who reserved had to wait outside for the other diners to leave.

We had complimentary salad as appetizers which I am sure has been included in the price. My friend ordered lamb (SEK175/RM87.50) and scampi - the one with the slice of lemon (SEK175) at a very spicy level which brought tears to my eyes. I did not know each of us got rice and it was a bad move to order garlic naan bread for SEK35/RM17.50. The rice and bread was too much for the both of us. As the curry was too spicy for my friend, she ordered caramel ice cream for SEK49/RM24.50.