Going down under

Finally, it's time! We're leaving to Australia today and I don't think I've been this excited about a trip... ever. I'm almost a bit freaked out because I'm scared I'm going to be disappointed due to sky-high expectations. But then again -how could I? I won't bring my computer so unless I manage to convince my significant other how important it is for me to blog while on a holiday (...) there won't be so much blog action going on. Until next year ;) Have a good one!

2010 -The year that went by

It’s been an amazing year. When 2009 was coming to an end, my friend Malin and I promised ourselves that 2010 was going to be a good one. And that turned out to be a true promise.

I started this year in Sweden, with all of my closest friends that I haven’t celebrated new years with since… 2002! Yeah, I actually haven’t been home during NY since then. Mad.

Celebrating NY with friends

Back in China I went from Suzhou to Shanghai to find a flat. I was kind of in a hurry since I was supposed to start my new job on Jan 11. Eventually I found a perfect crib, moved in, and got settled, the day before my first day at work.

February came with a business trip to Stockholm. Freezing, but beautiful Stockholm. I almost slipped on the roads, became a "celeb" on a plane with a Chinese performance troupe, and longed for Shanghai.

Stockholm

March was a busy month, gearing up for a big fashion project, as well as the World Expo. Then at the end came Easter, and I got the brilliant idea that we should go to Inner Mongolia. Don’t ask me what I was thinking, but anyway, off we went.

Hohhot

Back in Shanghai (now April) it was work, work, work: Ann-Sofie Back at Shanghai Fashion Week, Expo hysteria, and then, BAM: The World Expo opened.

Ann-Sofie Back at SFW
After-show talk with Daniel Glasman

May was Expo Month De Luxe. I met the minister of trade, the Swedish King and our (at that time) deputy prime minister.

Opening of the Swedish pavilion at the World Expo, Minister of Trade Ewa Björling
The King of Sweden

June was moderator month. I first acted Chinese translator (to a Chinese guy who spoke English –just to make it a bit more interesting) at a Nordic film event, and then, some week later, I dressed up to be a princess host at an event that celebrated the marriage of Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria. Nerve-racking but fun! But I never blogged about it, as I decided to take a blog break.

Moderating in Chinese
Princess host -also in Chinese

July came with a well-deserved break. Off I went to Finland, a country that was experiencing the warmest summer yet….

Relaxing in Finland

And in August we went to Sweden, hung out with friends and family and paid a short visit to the island Ven, and another one to Göteborg.

Biking with friends on Ven island
The classic crayfish party
A visit to beautiful Göteborg (here in Haga).

Back in Shanghai I made a blog comeback, and then life went on with more Expo and more events, combined with a quick work trip to Stockholm, and then another one to Berlin. Time passed faster than a Chinese bullet train. And I got a chance to visit my hometown again, where a new nephew had been born…

Catching up with friends in Sweden
Welcoming new baobao Malou to the family

Then came October with event madness: Odeur at Shanghai Fashion Week, Jazz Festival with Nils Landgren and the Funk Unit, dress dramas, The Swedish Crown Princess and her hubby in town, and then, finally, the closing of the world Expo.

Odeur
Backstage at Odeur
Nils Landgren at Shanghai Jazz Festival

November was filled with catching up and recovering, and then we squeezed in a wknd in Suzhou in order to catch up with our old friends and city. Not a place we miss, to tell the least. I also met a famous artist and his mean wife.

Suzhou visit

And that brings us to December, that has been a busy month at work with a TV stunt, a different, but fun, Chirstmas, and that will end with a trip to Australia.

Seeing myself on web TV -weird!

I can only hope that 2011 will be as good as this year (can you make the same promise to yourself twice?). At least I will start it at one of the best places on earth.

My Chinese Christmas

Shame that I decided to turn my iPhone while filming, but you probably get the point! A different Christmas with gift stealing games, bongo drums, "helan går" in Chinese (Swedish snaps song), and a Chi speaking, drunk santa! We had a blast!

Merry Christmas! God Jul! 圣诞节快乐！

The cutest baobao/kid in the world: Malou and Sam!

Best wishes from a homesick Jonna in Shanghai! (And no, I'm not a single hour too early. In Sweden we celebrate Julafton on December 24).

I miss my family, friends and cute little nephews like crazy today! It's actually a bit depressing to be in Shanghai. I wish I was with them instead. All the best to you guys. Don't get stuck in the snow!

Snow chaos in Europe

Xmas 2006 in Sweden, probably "peanuts" compared to now!

I feel so relieved over the fact that I’m not heading home this winter. When I read about the snow chaos in the papers it makes me shiver. I feel for all those people that are stuck at Heathrow as a result of inefficiency and pure stupidity –how can the company being in charge of maintaining the airport (BAA) turn down an offer of help from the military?! Pure idiotic behaviour! London is still in Europe and even though a massive amount of snow at this time of the year isn’t as usual over there as it might be in Scandinavia, it still shouldn’t come as such a surprise. And more importantly: travellers shouldn’t be stuck at the airport as a result of a pure “catch-22” situation.

I’m just thinking about how China acted in 2008 when it suddenly started snowing and simply didn’t stop. Sure, the train traffic was horrendous, but in a big city like Shanghai the local government managed to solve the problem despite not being equipped with snowploughs. People got rid of the snow manually as thousands of volunteers and military soldiers went out to shove snow away from the bridges, airports and roads. A little bit more of that and a little bit less of management meetings would do Heathrow good.

In Sweden (especially in the south where I am from) where the snow is more than overwhelming, the trains and are having difficulties (a lot of delays) and some of the main roads are being closed due to the heavy snowfall, but at least the planes are still being able to take off/land. I feel for my parents that are more or less “snowed in,” and although I feel relieved that I don’t have to get out and battle the weather by trying to fly home, of course I miss them terribly, especially at this time of the year. This is going to be a long, white, winter...

Insects and street food

We have guests visiting and this time, taking them around was kind of challenging. Why? Well because the girl is pregnant and isn’t interesting in drinking (obviously!), eating sushi or shopping. Hm… what to do then in Shanghai? Shopping is the best over here. Suddenly we had to think of other things to do. So, we decided on trying some new things and took them to the insect market, which in fact is a market full of pets, birds, fishes, flowers and insects. I personally cannot handle animals in cages so I found it horrible. Also, cockroach farms and grasshoppers? And bowls of big bugs? Yuk, yuk, yuk. Never going back there.

Afterwards we went to Yunnan street to have a look at what used to be the “Yunnan street food market”… but not so much anymore. There were barely any vendors left?! Such a shame! When we moved here in 2006 that street was buzzing with life. Maybe it’s better at night time, but still.. I was disappointed. Why is Shanghai getting rid of the parts that makes the city so special, like local food markets? Just look at Wujiang lu? It used to be packed with vendors and now it’s just another commercial district with all the boring chains/franchises. Such a shame.

After some mango/tofu pudding at Yunnan road we continued to Tianzifang (Taikang Lu), which is a nice area to walk around in every now and then, even though it’s a bit hyped. Then we had a chocolate break at whisk, followed by a manicure and a foot massage, some walking around, and finally dinner at a local joint. Amazing how much you have time to do over here if you don’t stay for too long at one spot. Still, I have to say that having visitors is kind of like a full-time job, because you have to spend a whole day entertaining them. But all in all it’s great fun, and I’ve taken the time to do some good vendor shopping while we’ve been out: how’s a pair of leather gloves for 30 kuai for instance? Or 3 books (perfect for our upcoming Australia trip) for the same amount of money? Me likey!

A ride to remember

A blonde from the country where the sky is "always" (OK, often!) blue -yes, that could be me!

In a city that has more than 45 000 taxis, you would think that what happened yesterday wouldn’t be possible. I was running late, and caught a cab to meet a friend at Sinan Lu.

As soon as I said the address to the taxi driver, he started smiling and nodding to me:

-You know what!? If it wasn’t for your big nose or your blonde hair, I would think you were Chinese! You speak like a local!

-Nali nail… hahahaha!

I was in a good mood and so was the driver, so we went on chatting. Once he discovered I could talk he wanted to know everything about me: where I was from, how often I went home, how long it took for me to fly home, what I was doing for Christmas, why my parents didn’t live here with me, how many siblings I had, what Sweden was like, how old I was, and so on…

I told him accordingly. Then we arrived at my destination, said our goodbyes and parted.

Ten minutes later, a Swedish friend of mine called:

-Jonna, did you just get off a taxi at Sinan lu?

-Eh.. yes… how come, did you see me?

-Eh… no… but I think I’m sitting on the taxi that you just got out off! I’ve got a driver who simply cannot stop talking about the Swedish girl he just dropped off. He told us she was tall and blonde, spoke good Chinese, has lived here for 4 years, studied in Suzhou, and comes from a country that has a smaller population then Shanghai but where the sky is always blue! She has 2 older sisters who both have families, and one little brother that still studies. All of her family members have been to Shanghai to visit her, but they don’t want to move here permanently. She is going to Australia for Xmas because she thinks it’s too cold in Sweden… sounds familiar? This is SO YOU!

-Oh my god.. Yes it is. It’s me!

-Anyway, he loved you. I just thought I’d share it.

-Awesome! Thanks!

Hilarious!!! Or like my male colleague said when I told him:

-Oh, a taxi driver targeting tall, blonde laowai chicks! (Because the friend of mine who jumped into the same taxi is as tall and blonde as I am). There you go, some of them choose their customers carefully!