Christian indoctrination

When I was a kid, my favorite story was Disney's "The small one". The story is about a donkey, called "Small One", and his close relationship with a young boy. According to the boy's father "Small One" has to be sold because of old age. In the end "Small One" is sold to Joseph and Mary, to carry pregnant Mary to Bethlehem.

I watched the film this morning, for the first as a grown up. And I forced little Noam to watch it with me. The poor kid did not seem very impressed. Neither did her father.

"What kind if Christian propaganda are you brainwashing our daughter with?" he said.

"But it's a beautiful story" I said, while crying like crazy in the end of the film.

When hearing this story as a kid (had it on a cassette) I cried every time, and obviously nothing has changed. This as, in my world, carrying Jesus mother to Bethlehem doesn't seem as fun for the donkey, as playing with his dear friend, the boy.

I guess that's where I fail with my Christian indoctrination.

"The girl in the cafe"

Watched a really good film yesterday called "The girl in the cafe". Dialogue from the movie:

"Why were you in prison?"

"I hurt a man"

"Why did you hurt a man?"

"Because he hurt a child"

"Was it your child?"

"Does it matter who's child it was?"

A fun blog and a bad movie

I've started reading a pretty fun blog and want to share it. It's in Swedish. So those of you that understand Swedish, and want to read something better than the pointless posts in this blog, check it out. The address is: http://spankk.wordpress.com/

Also want to push my sisters blog again. Very entertaining! You can find the address to the right on this page. But I'll write it here too: http://geishaq.blogspot.com/

And finally, I wanted to prove my sister wrong today. She claims that I don't like any romantic comedies or chick lit movies. So I decided to watch the movie "Sex and the City". Thought I would actually enjoy it, as I thought the series was pretty fun, even tough I did not follow it fanatically. Well, unfortunately it seems like my sister is right after all. Had to add "Sex and the City" to the pile of chick lit movies that I didn't enjoy.It was all "on the nose", many scenes and lines seemed a bit forced, and it all felt a bit cheesy.

But despite all of that I managed to cry at least five times. This crying business, inherited from my mother, that both my sister and I have got, is almost embarrassing. Can barely watch an ad on TV without shedding a tear. Sad.

"Arn" sucks

Just watched the Swedish film "Arn". Probably the biggest budget ever in Sweden. Based on probably the most known books in Sweden.

It totally sucked! Can't believe that they are actually shooting part two. Who's going to watch it? Don't they have anything better to spend money on?

But at least there was some entertainment, caused by the person who ripped the film. He/she seemed to have done the subtitles with the help of Google translation. Hilarious!

Pissed at "Canada's Next Top Mpdel"

Ended up watching "Canada's Next Top Model" while I was stuck in the sofa breast feeding the other day. What I saw pissed me off!

They were doing a shoot for a mobile phone, and somehow they thought that wearing solely sexy lingerie under an open coat, with the mobile phone in one hand and a dog on a leech in the other hand, outdoors of course, was a good advertisement picture.

In Sweden, sexist advertisement, that has nothing to do with the product being advertised, is not allowed. When advertisement like that happens anyway (because it does unfortunately), anyone can report it, and the company behind the advertisement can be forced to take it down, and, as I've written before, it's also being discusses if companies should also be fined for this.

I guess this is not the case in Canada. What the hell does a half naked woman has to do with mobile phones?!!

It's true, I'm a geek

You go through quite a few transformations when you become a parent. Been writing about a few of them and will now tell you about one more.

It's the one when you go from a normal, sane person, to a geek. Yes, dear Caroline, you wrote it in a comment on a previous post, and it's true.

Was zapping through channels this evening, and ended up watching a bit of a crappy English program, that claimed that the amount of parents embarrassing to their children has escalated.

It made me think about my own behavior this morning, when I was trying to entertain Noam, by singing some stupid, made up song, while making some odd movements with my arms and legs.

Noam didn't even smile. She just looked at me with a facial expression saying: What the hell is wrong with you?!

Back on Facebook

Got back on to Facebook yesterday. Don't know why really. Just felt like it all of the sudden.

But as soon as I got back on, I felt like leaving. Don't know why really. Just felt like it all of the sudden.

Maybe it's the stress of being sent loads of emails from Facebook.

Maybe it's the strange feeling of being observed by strangers. The strangers that see me as a target for advertising, but also all the strangers that are on Facebook and for different reasons end up on my profile.

And on top of that I can't remember half of the people I had added as friends before I left Facebook, and I'm now having a strange feeling of guilt for not adding them as friends now when I'm back on.

I know, I sure seem to be able to care about something totally irrelevant. Probably have way too few things to care about in life. Or just way too much time on my hands now when I'm on maternity leave.

Anyway, now I'm there, on Facebook. So I guess I have to hang in there for at least a few days or so. Just to not seem like a total nutcase. Or at least to not seem like a bigger nutcase than I actually am.

Lars and the real girl

Watched a great film yesterday called "Lars and the real girl". It was both funny (laughed loud quite a few times) and beautiful. It's about a delusional guy, called Lars, that orders a so called fuck doll online. When it arrives he introduces the doll, as his girlfriend, to his family and the whole town, believing that the doll is actually a real woman. And out of care and concern for Lars the whole town goes along with his delusion.

I am a liar

Being a mother seems to go hand in hand with being an involuntary liar.

As soon as I say something it only takes about 24 hours for it to no longer be true.

Yesterday I said that I'm grateful about getting enough sleep and not being tired at all. Today I'm really tired from not having slept much at all, due to my daughter having stomach ache.

The other day I said that my daughter is awake most of the days, nowadays. The next day she ended up sleeping all day.

A few days ago I said that Noam never cries. The same evening my sister was babysitting Noam while my husband and I was supposed to be watching a dance performance. I'm writing "supposed to", as I only got to see in total about ten minutes of the whole performance. This as Noam started crying from hunger as soon as the first part of the performance started, and again as soon as the second part of the performance started, and a janitor had to come and get me twice for feeding.

So, you get the drift, since I became a mother I also have become a skillful liar.

When did the Olympic Games stop being politic?

Some people say that we shouldn't make the Olympic Games politic. That we should separate the two.

My question is: When did it STOP being politic? Hasn't it always been? Will it not always be?

I think it's brilliant that people are speaking up against all different kinds of crimes against humanity that China is involved in. Weapons in Darfur. Record holders when it comes to the death penalty. Tibet.

And not to forget cruelty against animals.

I think it's great that a boycott of the opening ceremony is being considered.

Why are people watching the Eurovision Song Contest?

The Eurovision song contest is a big thing in this country. I can't, for the life of me, understand why.

Yesterday one of many competitions leading up to the final was held. And while my husband and I were making dinner we watched it for fun.

But that's the thing. It's not even fun to watch as a goof. It really sucks!

So I do not understand why it's such a big deal in this country. I know lots of people that watch it, and it's all over TV and newspapers for months. Even established artists participate.

If anyone could tell me what it is that makes the Eurovision song contest such a big thing in Sweden, I would very much appreciate it. Maybe getting tipsy before the show starts is the trick?

Leaving Facebook

Have been thinking about leaving Facebook for a while now. Facebook doesn't do much for me anymore.

Today I stopped thinking about it and took action. This after watching a documentary about it on BBC. The amount of money that is being made, based on information on Facebook, is ridiculous.

It's okay, if I also gain. But as I, as mentioned, don't feel like Facebook does anything for me anymore, I do not see the point of being a target for marketing either.

So I sent mass messages to my Facebook friends about me leaving soon. I deleted all photos (as I've heard that you have to delete them one by one for them to REALLY be deleted). I kept on deleting all wall posts, took away all applications, made my profile as slim as possible.

Now all I have to do, the day I decided will be THE day, is to do a simple click, and I will have left the world of Facebook for good.

Somehow it feels good. Don't ask me why.

Ghana didn't make it

Ghana unfortunately didn't make it to the final in the African Cup of Nations. Lost against Cameroon (0-1) in the semi final.

I'm a bit disappointed. But life goes on.

"The Life of David Gale" and the death penalty

Watched "The Life of David Gale". Good film! Although I guess I'm a bit bias, as I both love Kate Winslet AND films about the death penalty.

Not sure why I love films about the death penalty so much, but it probably has something to do with that they make me very emotional. Angry, sad, frustrated. Or maybe I just love to cry. They always make me cry. So did this one.

In the film the statistics "66 percent of the American people support the death penalty" was mentioned. That can't be true I thought. But I googled it, and it seems to be fairly true.

Then I decided to google the same thing, but this time about the Swedish people. I found that the newspaper Aftonbladet had done a survey asking their readers if the death penalty was right or wrong. 40 % said it was right, and 60 % answered that it was wrong.

As I'm not a big fan of Aftonbladet, and as I do not understand why people read it or consider it news, I kept on checking.

I found that another survey had asked if there was any crime that should be possible to be punished by death. Almost half of all Swedes said yes. When the question was changed to "Should Sweden's strongest penalty, life in prison, be changed to death penalty" about 20 % answered that it should.

So, I'm not sure exactly how many of the Swedish population that are pro death penalty. But whether it's 20 %, 40 % or 50 %, it's way too many.

I'm glad though that it seems unlikely that the death penalty will ever be reinstated in Sweden.

"Blood diamond"

Watched "Blood Diamond" yesterday. Has wanted to watch it for a long time, so I'm glad I finally got round to do it. DiCaprio is just great. That guy is an amazing actor. And Djimon Hounsou is also great, as usual.

Brilliant film set in Sierra Leone during the 90's. Very scary, as you know that many of the things, about the situation in Sierra Leone at that time, is based on reality. Recognized certain things from what I've read and heard. Horrible. Just glad that it's over.

What is not over though, is how the West affect and often manipulate situations in the rest of the world. Thinking about the cutting down of rain forest for the production of palm oil in Malaysia and Indonesia. Or the nasty fur markets in China. That's just two of many horrible examples.

Ghana in the semi final!

The African Cup of Nations is getting existing now. Ghana did just beat Nigeria in the quarter final and is now on to the semi final. Felt a bit nervous all through the game, but now it's over and the whole family is breathing again.

The Pursuit of Happyness

Watched "The Pursuit of Happyness", with Will Smith, from 2006, the other day. We all know the film and what it's about, I guess.

The story, as it's based on a true story, is pretty amazing. Have seen interviews with Chris Gardner before, and it sure does make you think that almost anything is possible.

The film was okay. Nothing ground breaking, but still okay. I was most impressed by Will Smiths son though. He played Chris Gardner's son and did it very well.

I'm always impressed by great child actors. Probably because I, myself, even though I'm a grown up (or supposed to be), could not act myself out of a paper bag.

But maybe that is just the problem. Me being a grown up I mean...

"The Lives of Others" (Das Leben der Anderen)

Just watched a BRILLIANT film! It's a German film called "The Lives of Others" (Das Leben der Anderen) from 2006.

The plot outline from imdb: "In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police, conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover, finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives."

Read more here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405094/

You just have to watch it! It's really, really great!!!

"Gone Baby Gone"

You know the film "Gone Baby Gone", directed by Ben Affleck (who can't act, but actually is a very good producer and director). The film that had the premiere in the UK postponed because of the Madeleine case.

I watched that film yesterday. I had no expectations really, as there has been so many films about kids going missing, and many of them are not that good.

Well, this film was actually pretty good. It was darker than I thought it would be. And it had some nice twists that I did not expect in a film like that.

Not a master piece, but I liked it. It's worth watching.

"The Kite Runner"

Would like to recommend a book: "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini.
It's not a masterpiece. Rather "light" reading. But you will find it difficult to put it down once you've started reading it.

The story is about friendship and about the relationship between father and son. Most of it is set in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion and later during the control by the Talibans.

Worth reading if you just want to relax for a day, because that's all the time it takes to finish the book.

Read that a movie, released in 2007, has been made from the book. Haven't seen that though, but it seems to have gotten some good reviews.