Puzzling

Got a new puzzle from Kristen for my birthday. Great stuff when you have no TV and your CD-player has decided to go on a holiday for the next 20 years. Last puzzle I bought (a few months ago) took me forever and had started gathering dust and small bread crums when I finally got it done. Looked at it for a few nights just to enjoy the view and idea of the effort behind it. Then I just wrapped it all up again and put it back in the box. Might take another shot in a few months time or so.

Am working on a few prospects at the moment, but it is surprisingly quiet, which is both nice and bothering at the same time. Not a lot to do apart from finishing off a quote here and one there and adding some information to our sales system. It will be more hectic later though I would guess, most likely like a big gooshy poop on my head when I get back from my holiday, just to make sure that I didn't enjoy it too much.

That's the nice thing about holidays. You make sure that you really, really enjoy them (although they are mostly extremely boring, just playing on the beach, drinking GTs and being picked up by handsome Latinos)or, if they do not even get to that level, you make up something cool that you at least can tell to people when they ask you what you did. Main reason? To be able to take the poop on your head with a nice little smile and a sigh..."ohhh...the holiday was lovely, can't wait till the next one! did I tell you we're planning on going to Africa to shoot mountain Gorillas?"

Weekend was rather good btw. Went clubbing on Friday with Katerina, first at Fleda which was rather dull and then Hadivadlo which was better than good. Had to shove Katerina in a taxi afterwards though. Good to have friends like that you can use when you get drunk yourself and need someone that makes sure that you are not getting on the train to Munich or deciding to see how long you can hold your breath in a park pond.
Saturday was good as well. Slept off as much as I could, then went to town to get Zdenka a housewarmingpartypresent and me a bottle of wine. It helped to shake off the rest of the headache and we finished off the night at Mersey, shaking our wobbly bits to Depeche.
Sunday had a nice turn to it. Lunch with Vaclav and a walk in the park, then watching other people's wobbly bits shaking together with Jitka at Fleda (Oriental thingy with belly dancing included. No extra charges.)

Leaving my liver and kidneys to rest until next wend now. Tea and water for the rest of the week (would have loved some coffee, but have run out.)

Love

I love You

Johnny was a peculiar guy
Brough up on love and the reasons why
but the reasons why ought not to be said
and so I'm left hands held to my head

I love you
I love you
I love you

It's a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful thing
It's a beautiful, beautiful thing

Chances, changes are all that you have
As you take the hard stuff and lie on your back
The smoothness, strangeness
Fits like a glove
But the comfort of tease
Still rises above

I love you
I love you
I love you

But is it possible, possible, possible babe?
Is it possible for you and me?

Gold and waves and Betty Blue
Are the images that lead to the clues of why
I can't love you
I can't love you
I can't love you
It isn't possible

Tanita Tikaram, vocals
Rory McFarlane, bass guitar
Mitch Dalton, guitar

................................................

Tanita Tikaram is one of my favorite singers, her voice delivering spellbound lyrics, making me sad and happy at the same time.

Never thought I would be tired of loving, but I am. Am tired of reaching out, treating people the way I expect them to treat me back only to realize that they don't give a damn, or even worse, take advantage of your "weakness". Time has brushed up the soft edges now, my heart has grown harder. I regret this a lot and it makes me sad. I have always believed that loving should be easy, not filled with complications and doubts. Somehow that is however the way it always turns out, just as if you were a jumper that you constantly wondered whether the colour was right for you, or maybe it might just not be in fashion the next season. I have to admit, I am sometimes like that too...but if I can pat myself on the shoulder, in these cases I very seldom go into the relationship in the first place and if I do, I break up when I realize that the relationship is not going anywhere.

It is funny though, I must admit, how fast you get over someone that has hurt you. If you just decide that it is the right thing to do, that he does not deserve moaning about and your tears. When there is no point and you have made yourself realize that in every sense of the way (not just superficially) you can block out the black thoughts a lot easier and move on, towards a happier day and a new chance.

Next time, I will however stick with the rules of Tracy Chapman that I have always said that I would follow, but that I have always broken.

This time
I won't show I'm vulnerable
This time
I won't give in first
This time
I will hold out with my love
This time
I will not be hurt
I'm gonna love myself
More than anyone else
I'm gonna treat me right
I'm gonna make you say
That you love me first
And you'll be the one with the most to lose tonight
This time
This time
I won't let my emotions rule my life
This time
I'm gonna keep my heart locked safe inside
This time
I'm gonna be my own best friend
This time
I'm gonna be the one
To win
Your love
Your affection
To hide
My fear
Of rejection
This time

Interesting hair-do. ;)

Jamming session at the Stara Pekarna (Old Bakery).

Adam and Jura doing hackysack tricks while drinking beer. Not the best combination at all times.

Me in the pub posing for Adam.

Me and Jura in the park.

In the tram on the way to the party.

I and Kristen.

The petit Belge and I.

Case, Kristen and me enjoying the night.

Handsome Belgian and Dutch blokes. Mini and Maxi. ;)

Case enjoying some nice Czech beer...

Stijn and Case at the "ball", 16th of April 2005

Going to the ball

Monday and back to work. Weekend being nice and relaxing, more or less just spending it either in bed playing on my computer, watching DVDs, cleaning and shopping. Saturday we however went to a "ball" that we got invited to by Tomas, our Managing Director. It was not a ball by the usual ball metrics set by universal law, but more of an umpa bumpa party with a Czech band playing. As it was the annual ball for the local football club Litrapul (Liter and a half) I am just saying that it confirms my inbread beliefs about footballplayers. ;)

After managing to escape after a few hours we went to town, had some nasty "in the middle of the night food" and went for a beer at the Sports Casino and then just went home. Shorter night than planned, but rather nice actually to go to bed in a reasonable time for once.

This week I'll be planning the visit to Sweden. Spoke to my brother for almost an hour last night which was really great. He might be coming over while I am home for the holidays, and as my sister will be home too, it will be a nice family reunion. Well needed, as I haven't seen them all at the same time since last summer. That is what you get when you're having the whole family scattered all over the world. Or at least Europe. Will be nice to see all my friend and especially Bob, my little nephew.

Spring depression

Am tired, tired all the time. I go to sleep early, but still feel as if I hadn't had any sleep at all when I wake up. Gets to my nerves, and also my motivation at work. The past two days I haven't been overly active, just doing what I had to and very little more.
Went to play hackysack yesterday with the guys, but unfortunately it had just rained and the ball was all wet and dirty. Two attempts and my jeans were ready for the washing machine. Gave it up and spent the time drinking beer and taking photos with Adam's camera at different things in the park. Great thing, digital cameras, you take a pic, see the outcome straight away and can delete it if bad. And the pics are more or less free...Developed two rolls the other day at it cost me a fortune. That's a really strange thing with the Czech Rep. Costs more than in Sweden and no added value. And still one should expect the price to go down as there are so many shops in the city.

After a nice snack (fried cheeze) at the local pub we went over to Fleda to have a look at the exhibition of tv commercials. Didn't go in in the end as it was more than twice the price we had expected and lasted until 11 PM. So, we had a beer in the Cajovna (tea room, deserves a blog posting on its own...) next door and then went to The Old Bakery and watched a crazy band playing some alternative music. Very, very odd...

Then went home and went to bed.

Gotta run. Having dinner with Case and he's waiting downstairs for me...me as usual being late...

Damn boring day

Am having to go up and get to work early this month. And stay late at night...having sales meetings every day to wrap up and put together the processes from our CCS training (Customer Centric Selling) that we had in February. Could really spend my time doing something more interesting. Like staying in bed looking at the sun playing in the ceiling or watching the pigeons in the park. I really need a vacation.

Had a head ache all Sunday from the strain in my shoulders so I just tried sleeping it off. Didn't work. Kristen, Shirley and Cathrine came up for a quick visit (they had been to Shirley's downstairs), had a fag and looked at some photos on my comp and then left to grab a coffee at Cafe 99. Didn't think of the fact that it closes at 9 PM on Sundays...tried Cafe Steiner which was full. Same with Blahovka (the best pub in town, but only room for like 20 people, the rest are standing outside on the street) so Cathrine and Kristen went home and me and Shirley went home to our house, had a coffee and a fag in her flat and sat and talked for some time. The cow is back in the garden, but fortunately not looking in through her kitchen doors. (Explanaition: The cow is a "modern art" thing that our land lady put last autumn in the garden. It is light blue with fish painted on it. Freaky.)

Am going home soon for a nice long holiday. Nice that the company will pay for the actual trip as I am combining it with a business trip to Copenhagen. Will be so nice to just be at my parent's place for some days, enjoying the spring, working in the garden and then going up to Stockholm to see my sister, Jorgen and Bob. Gabriel promised to take me on a ride on his Honda...ahhhhh!!! Will be fun to meet up with him too, quite some time ago now. Probably the best guy in the bloody world, but too crazy. Guess that makes the rest of them rather bad... ;)

Damn, want to leave the office but am waiting for Kristen to finish off her stuff so we can go and get a beer, something to eat and some fags. She's preparing for a kick-off trip to Germany and is getting rather frustrated with the paper work...I don't blame her. Hahaha...

Nah, am now only waiting for some warmer weather, it is occasionally rather chilly in the nights so you have to have a thick jumper if you wanna sit out for a beer. Have made a decision to try paragliding as well this year, Johnny is taking me and I am seriously considering taking up scuba diving again. Should maybe bring my stuff with me from Sweden while I am at it.

So. Am going to download a decoder for my DVD player so I can watch the Harry Potter films Shirley lent me. Wanted to watch them last night, but nahh. Not possible. Sometimes technology is just a little, little behind your needs.

Bye for now.

Finally weekend

Was dead this morning. Not literally of course, but more or less. Every bone and muscle in my body hurt (not sure if bones hurt, but anyway) and I couldn't get up. Woke up early, then fell asleep...again and again. Slept really poorly, don't know why, just had a lot of dreams the whole night.
Had a great time yesterday. Left work early to go to a photo exhibition at the Moravia Gallery (the one by Hotel International, left if facing the hotel)together with Katerina, Adam and his girlfriend Lenka. Lovely photos, taken between the 1st and 2nd world wars by a German photographer, Grete Popper showing German and Czech culture.

After the exhibition, we went up to the castle for some casual hackysack. But nobody was really into it (apart from Adam) so we just enjoyed the spring and the view. Had a beer or so at the cafe by Hadivadlo (one of the theaters) and then went to Gemze's exhibition at the Belle Air cafe. Was by then really, really tired so I went home rather early and just dropped dead. Until I started dreaming...

Weekend now, not a lot of plans, apart from a theater performance, Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses. Will be interesting, Katerina's boyfriend will play so we go there to support him.

Hungry now, going down to see if Stephen is ready to go to Pizza Zaky.

The Belle Air (Case, Katerina and Gamze)

Sea Horse...

The exhibition at the Belle Air. (on the table nearest the camera: Tanja, Radek and Katerina)

Gamze and Ozhan at Belle Air Cafe (where Gamze has her exhibition)

Me and Mr USA.

So, never again will we go anywhere clubbing if there is a camera around...

Me, looking through my new book about Czech Republic in photos, the past 50 years.

Crocuses at the Spielberk

Adam (after having kicked the hackysack ball over the wall...)

Katerina, Lenka and Adam at the Spielberk Castle

Lenka

Moravia Gallery cafe, Lenka and me.

The pity was that we spent too much time in the pub, so we actually missed most of the concert...hmmm. ;)

Plastic People playing at Fleda

The beginning of the night.

Hackysacking

Flexible

Refilling

Listening to music

Adam

Me and Ondra again, drinking beer.

Me and Ondra

Afternoon in the park and Plastic People

Was enjoying the spring weather with some of my friends in the park yesterday after work. Tried my best playing hackysack, but to be honest, I suck. Took some pics of the guys playing though with Adam's new fancy camera, including some pics that Adam took in the evening when we went to see The Plastic People of the Universe (again...).

Am rather dead today, and really don't feel like working. Tonight we are going to a friend's wife's (Gamze Aktan Yigitler) art exhibition called "Mediterranean Breeze" in the Bell Air Cafe. Will be nice to get out early today as well, my head hurts from last night and my back from working by the computer. You can see some of Gamze's work here:

http://www.gamzeaktan.com

Noup, time to get some work done. Ohhh...no, it is actually time to go and get some lunch soon, and I also need to develop some rolls. Ahhh... ;)

Bye for now.

If I had a photograph of you...

So,

Here you go, some pics from the past few months.

80-ies/Halloween party at Kristen's place. (on the picture: Kristen, Case and me)


Company dinner at the Medieval restaurant in Brno. Very fun, very authentic and very drunk. ;)


Me, Jim and Case at the panel discussions at Momentum II (company wide anual meeting in Brno)


Me and my great friend Adam at Fleda, enjoying a dnb evening.


Crazy picture from New Year's Eve 2004 - turning 2005. Taken at Namesti Svobody (The Freedom Square in Brno).

Weekend fun

This weekend was great. Went with Katerina to Fleda for a funk night which was a stupid thing to do. We should have figured out that the fact that it was free entry for girls until 11 o'clock meant that it was crap. After looking at a local boy band for an hour or so and trying to ignore the poor lyrics we gave up and went to Seventh Heaven instead. There the music was good, but the people so boring that we were laughing all the time while watching them. Too pretentious and not a lot of them dancing...we did try our best by hopping around, singing and dancing.
Got home rather late, but without any hangover to mention the day after.
Had a great Saturday in the sun, went for a drive with Katerina to a place a few kilometers outside Brno where there is a beautiful monastery ruin called the Rose of Heaven. Sat and enjoyed the spring sun, running around taking cool photos. Nice and relaxing...
On the way home we drove through small pitoresque villages and stopped in one and had a coffee and ice cream, laughing at the cyclist families that were all colour coordinated that had stopped for some refreshments.

Sunday I spent more or less trying to get my flat nice and neat for the spring, washing all the floors and almost going as far as doing the windows. But just almost...
Met up with Kristen and went to Kino Art to see a very nice French film called Papillion and then a beer at Husa. Suddenly both of us felt absolutely wrecked so we just went home and I passed out really early.

So, have to go now. Am meeting Radek for a coffee and then have plans to go for dinner with our new PM at QASight (our testing department) and some other of my friends.

Can't believe that I'm leaving work before 5 PM. Hahaha...workaholic? Yep, it probably has my name as a description in the dictionary.

Concert at Fleda with Plastic People of the Universe 

Finally weekend

Am getting ready to shut down my computer for the weekend. Need to go home, relax, eat and get ready for tonights party. Am going with some friends to Fleda (as usual...) to a funk night. Last night was cool. Went with Adam to Ondra's place having the second BBQ of the year. Great fun, cold as hell still in the evenings, clear sky and the BBQ didn't do a lot to help keeping the chill away. After a few hours outside, we just decided that we did not want to catch a bad cold and simply went inside the house. It is crazy really how spring makes you go all weird. During the winter I felt quite down and didn't want to do anything else than staying in bed. As soon as the spring came, a thick jumper and you enjoy the first beer out in the garden...

Am going home for a holiday soon which feels soooo nice. Haven't had a day off since Xmas, and it didn't count really as it was only a few days. Will go to Copenhagen for a business trip and will then just stay at home at my parents and in Stockholm for two weeks or so. Need it so badly. Too much overtime, too much party and too little sleep.

Spring in Brno

The spring in Brno comes fast, really fast. One day snow everywhere and colds as in Siberia, the next day snowdrops and crocuses everywhere, warm and sunny.

I decided some time ago to create my own blog about life in the Czech Republic, and then especially Brno. I have lived here now a year and a half, working for a Czech localization company, Moravia Worldwide. The first year I worked as a project manager, but when I was offered to move into account management, I simply took the opportunity. Now I am working on the strategic accounts team and I really enjoy it.

Some basic facts about me. I am half Swedish (dad) and half Czech (mom), but have lived my whole life in Sweden (apart from a year in England where I did my Masters). I do speak Czech pretty much fluently, and I guess it has helped me understanding the culture and behaviour of the people here. And believe me, sometimes you really do need that. ;)

Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, approx. 400 000 inhabitants. The city has a strategic location, with four capitals within 3,5 hours away (Prague, Budapest, Vienna and Bratislava) and the first settlements are from prehistoric times. For more information about sites to visit please have a look at http://www.brno.cz/toCP1250/index.php?lan=en.

Living in Brno is easy, especially at spring and summer. Pubs and cafes have their gardens open and there are a lot of culture to enjoy. Depending on your taste you can go clubbing, to the theaters, opera or just enjoy the best beer in the world.

So, that was the turisty part of this blog. No more of that as this is a blog about me, Linda Hansson, and my life in Brno. To really enjoy the good bits of the Czech Republic you cannot spend three days in a spa or in Prague, you need to live here.

See you. Am going for a smoke now.