Tastebud : Wagamama

28 February 2019

Dinner at Wagamama Restaurant. I posted this in Instagram and I found out that this is an international name in UK and Dubai. This can explain the expensive prices here. They serve the meals in a huge bowl. So, I am not complaining that much.

I had Wagamama noodles which are japanese ramen with prawns, barbequed pork, fried oysters, and mussels. I love the noodles. SEK179/RM89.50. Includes green tea too. The only thing that I did not enjoy of how we were seated so closely to the next customer i.e. no gaps between tables that made me uncomfortable in talking to my friend. I won't know who is the person related to or know anyone who knows someone. We left after dinner to find a cafe to fika in peace. 

Tastebud : Ikki Sushi Bar

27 February 2019

Today, for dinner, my friend and I went to a Japanese restaurant. This is a real Japanese restaurant that sells Japanese dishes ONLY! Called Ikki Sushi Bar, it is located in a food court - Kungshallen. There were a number of diners here. The food presentation was excellent and I thought that it was a huge portion for me too.

10 spicy rolls (salmon option selected) for SEK147/RM73.50 that includes miso soup too. They are really good and I was stuffed.

Tastebud : It's Pleat

27 February 2019

Today, I met a friend for lunch. Since it was a weekday, we had a quick lunch in a cafe called It's Pleat which was located above a H&M Store. When I asked my friend on how did she know about this place, her reply was - I just know. I think I need to get out more often!

I got a small salad bowl - rainbow season that contains veggies, avocado, pickled cauliflower and cabbage and tricolour hummus for SEK45/RM22.50. I took a seed cripsbread with hummus topping of the day for SEK25/RM12.50. I love that seed crispbread. The hummus spread was perfect! 

Lyktvandring (Lantern Hike)

23 February 2019

Lyktvandring = Lantern Hike. Another activity brought to you by Kompis Sverige. This time with me leading as the volunteer! Yes, I have become a volunteer with Kompis Sverige. I thought it was the right time for me to give back because this organisation gave me so many opportunities to appreciate Stockholm - theatres and concerts. Plus, I have finished my Swedish course, and I am more confident in communicating in Swedish now. 

As a volunteer, I ensure all the participants gather at the place, call anyone who has not shown up, walk to the bus or train stop, meet the activity's organiser, snap a group photo and write a short description of the activity which will be posted on social media. 

We walked around Djurgården (a park) with lanterns to learn about its history and the nature. There were a couple of oak trees in the park as the then-king ordered these trees to be planted so they can be chopped to make warships. One of the famous warships that used oak trees was Vasa Ship (the 333-year old warship that is in a museum now). Only the King had the authority to chop down the trees but this law remained until 1870 only and after that, steel took over as a main material to build ships.

The guide provided fika (coffee, tea and cookies) at the end of the 2-hour walk with Kaknästornet (pronounced as 'cock-nest-tor-net'), which is a radio tower, in the background. The guide served a fine set of teacups with tablecloth too. It was cold, of course, but manageable at 3 degrees. 

Japanese Film Festival 2019

20 February 2019

Today, I watched a 2-hour Japanese film courtesy of Japanese Embassy. A Living Promise. Not a romance movie. It is a movie about friendship and traditions. After the movie, there was a lucky draw, and my queue number '6' was chosen and I got a flower-inspired calendar.

On a side note, the days are getting warmer now. Spring is coming! Yay!

I got a job!

15 February 2019

Today marks the end of my 6-months probation and I am now fully employed. 

To find a job in Sweden, one must be really emotionally and mentally prepared to face rejections over months and months of job-searching. 

Before I moved to Sweden, my boyfriend told me that it will be easy for me to find a job in Stockholm because I can speak English and my profession can be found in international companies in Sweden. I moved to Sweden with that thought - that I can easily get a job.

But it turned out to be the hardest thing to achieve.

Job Searching

For the first six months (after I moved to Sweden in June 2017), I sent out 200 job applications (I have never sent so many in my life) where half got rejected and the remaining half did not reply. I met other foreigners where some told me they sent more job applications than me and got rejected. I got really upset by it. I started to question my own credibility in my profession. I even read in an article that employers in Sweden are cautious in employing foreigners, especially those with last names (family names) that they can't pronounce. I was skeptical when I read the article in the beginning, but when I went through the rejection phase, I started to believe in that article. If you are not in the IT line, it is really challenging to find a job, unless you have got a good network here. Network - another thing that I learnt is so important in Sweden. It is easier to get a job if it is through word of mouth rather than by your resume. Of course, I don't have a network since I just moved to Sweden. I was at a loss.

I decided to apply as a substitute teacher for a kindergarten but my Swedish was not good enough. The interviewer told me to come back when I am more fluent. That was 3 months after I started learning Swedish. So, I decided to focus on my Swedish. 

In December 2017, I joined a job-searching program that was under the Swedish Public Employment Service. It is called Korta Vägen (The Short Way). It helps tertiary-educated foreigners to find a job. It was a 6-month program. This program was a god-sent for me. At the same time, I thought how difficult it must be for foreigners to find a job if the government need to have such programs. There are many job-searching programs, by the way.

For the first 3 months, we learnt on Sweden's job market, the culture and little bit of politics. For the next 3 months, I worked as an intern at a company I chose. We were also reminded on how this internship does not guarantee us a job in the end but a stepping stone in the job market. I listed down about 20 companies with their contact emails (that I got from LinkedIn or the websites). I had a job coach who helped me to liaise with the manager and asked the manager if they are interested to hire an intern. Some of the companies said no as they did not have any vacancies for me. I was sad because I was one of the remaining few in the group to not have an internship yet. And being rejected in my 200 applications did not actually give me a positive outlook to the situation.

When my job coach informed me that a company finally agreed to meet me, I was overjoyed! Then, 2 more companies agreed to meet me. I could not believe my ears. It was one of the best news I have heard since I moved to Sweden. I was so nervous when I did the interviews. I had to carry out the interview in English because I did not know how to describe my work experience in Swedish. The companies gave me a call back and said that they would have me as an intern. I chose a company that I wanted to intern in because we were speaking the same 'financial' language. I was not paid by the company. Instead, I was given a monthly allowance by the Swedish Public Insurance based on my daily attendance. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be an intern because it opened my eyes to how the Swedish working culture is. 

Theatre - 'Fordringsägare' by August Strindberg

30 January 2019

I watched a play in a small theatre (Theatre Galeasen) today. The theatre is so small that if one makes the slightest move, everyone in the theatre can hear you. I am not joking when I said that the theatre is extremely small. I went to this play with a ticket from Kompis Sverige. I was seated on the front row and the only movement I did was crossed and uncrossed my legs. 

This is a play written in 1888 by August Strindberg, one of Sweden’s famous author. Titled ‘Fordringsägare’ which means Creditor. I was informed that almost every kid who studied in Sweden had seen this play. 

A 1 hour 40 minutes play about an ex-husband (the bald man) who is jealous of his ex-wife (lady in the play)’s husband (the man with hair). Ex-husband manipulated current husband when ex-husband became current husband’s psychiatrist when the ex-wife was away for 8 days on a boat trip. Ex-wife came back and found husband different. Ex-wife confronted ex-husband and almost had a romantic encounter but got into an argument and current husband overheard. Ex-wife looked for current husband and he hung himself. The end. 

I did not understand the first 30 minutes and I got the gist when the lady came into the picture but there were a number of screaming scenes where I could not catch the words. Also, one of the lines had the word ‘nonsense’ and I was surprised - Did Mr Strindberg use English in his writings?

Pan flute by Dana Dragomir

29 January 2019

I have not heard of the pan flute until I went to an event that was organised by the Romanian Embassy to celebrate the Romanian Presidency of the Council of European Union. I was in awe of the performance for that night - by Dana Dragomir, the first female professional for the pan flute which is Romania's national instrument. If you have no idea how a pan flute sounds, you should find it on YouTube! She shot to fame in Sweden when she played a repertoire that was written by one of the ABBA singers.  

The pan flutes (also known as panpipes or syrinx) are a group of musical instruments based on the principle of the closed tube, consisting of multiple pipes of gradually increasing length (and occasionally girth). Multiple varieties of pan flutes have long been popular as folk instruments. The pipes are typically made from bamboo, giant cane, or local reeds. Other materials include wood, plastic, metal and ivory. Source from Wikipedia.