The room that didn't WOW me..

When we first saw the pictures of the hotel when we booked it, both husband and I liked the look of the hotel. But when we finally got there in the late afternoon, I was more than just a tad disappointment by our room. I was inconsolable by how horrible I felt by just being in that room.

The moment one entered the room, all one saw were white walls. Not only was the room incredibly small (one could sit on the edge of the bed, which is pushed against one wall, stretch out one's leg and touch the table that is pushed against the opposite wall.) there were NO windows at all. The only thing it had to provide us with some natural light was one skylight in one corner of the ceiling. Unfortunately, it was a very cloudy day i Gothenburg so all I saw were white clouds with not a hint of blue sky. More white. I felt like I was in prison and the ceiling was so low!

Since we arrived so late, we couldn't get another room straight away as the hotel was full. So one advice is try not to check into a hotel late, ever. The good rooms are always given out first and after that it's a what's available.

But we got to change rooms the next day and even though it still wasn't great, I was so happy to get out of that first room. Since I was so upset in that first room, I forgot to take pictures. But here are pictures of the 2nd and note BETTER room we had

View of the foyer from the bed. It was a separate room that led to the bathroom and the space for our clothes. Notice that my camera captured 3 walls. The room was not big, that's for sure.

View of the bed from the doorway. Only 1 window in the entire room but it was a huge window. No bedside table cos one could walk all the way around behind the bed to open and close the massive window wich makes up one wall.

See what I mean about walking behind the bed?

What the hotel seems to view as great and innovative clohing space. 2 shelves and hangers with a 'nice', very narrow mirror. Lovely room right? Hai....Luckily the location of the hotel is so great or I would never go there again.

It all boils down to energy...

It's been WEEKS since my last entry but let's just say that the past couple of weeks have been tough and challenging and absolutely energy draining. So at the end of the day, I simply don't have the energy or desire to update anything going on in my life.But now the spirits are lifted and my mood has been cheered by recent developments so I got some of my spirits back. Recently, I have been having a rough time and have simply lost my mojo. But in the coming weeks, I will be embarking on a journey that I KNOW will help me to find and regain my mojo.

But until Dian has gotten her mojo back up and running, my energy levels will only allow photo updates with occasional comments. So enjoy the pictorials.

Trip to Gothenburg during summer (July)

The Götheborgutkiken is a building that allows tourists a birds eye view of the whole city of Göteborg at the top, 86m above sea level. We were kind of excited to go up but we never made it up there. We entered the lift with at least 12 other people and within seconds of the doors closing, the lift stopped and we were stuck. It was hot and very cramped and we were stuck for 45 minutes. After that, nobody wanted to go up.

Husband is very happy standing practically in the middle of a cross junction with people watching and a tram speeding by behind him.

The day we arrived in Goteborg, one of the rides at the famous theme park, Liseberg, broke down in the middle of a ride, injuring a number of people. We went there the next day for fun and caught this picture of the broken ride, all covered up and looking quite sad.

Right behind our hotel was a university which really reminded me of SMU since it's located in the middle of the city. But it so didn't look like a school except for the many steps in front. I also picture universities with lots and lots of steps at the front of the building.

This is the famous Fish Market, Fiskekyrkan, which is an indoor fish market where one could get really fresh seafood, something that I found to be surprisingly difficult to find in Sweden. Seeing how there are so many lakes and rivers, one would think that fresh seafood would be relatively easy to find. Not true!
The Fiskekyrkan is although supposed to be a wet market of sorts, it is really clean and doesn't smell too bad. They actually sell cooked meals at lunchtime that tastes really decent and at good prices.
Finally a view of the gorgeous and rare fresh seafood found at the Fikekyrkan. See how salmon takes centre stage. It's the choice of Swedes.


This is the smoked section where the fish is actually cooked. It is ony in Sweden that I learn that things can be hot smoked or cold smoked and it apparent produces different tastes. I dunno the difference in process or taste but I only eat smoked fish when it's summertime so it's not so often. Not really a big fan of it personally.

Some of the funkier fish products that Sweden has to offer which is actually raw fish in various kinds of sauces. Doesn't smell great I doubt it tastes any better. But Swedes, especially the old, love it.
View of the Fiskekyrkan from the outside. The reason why this fish market is called Fiskekyrkan or Fish Church is because it is in obviously in the shape and architecture of a church. But it is a very pretty building. I like.
Close to our hotel was the Saluhallen, another indoor market which is so colourful and bustling although a little cramped but then again, that's the kind of architecture that I realise the indoor markets of Gothenburg is about. Here they sell almost everything including lots and lots of bread!


I love all the colours and tins found in this shop in the Saluhallen. It had all sorts of teas and coffee and some other stuff I couldn't recognise.

Me in the middle of the bustle although it wasn't that crowded yet. The sign above me says butter, cheese, bread. More fine Swedish cuisine.
Even though I didn't really like my hotel room, I loved the location of it. It was so close to everything and here we are just 5 minutes walk from our hotel facing what I think is the city hall. But I love the architecture of the buildings and the statues that one comes across every other corner.

Gorgeous lion statues where one could sit on the steps right next to the canal which runs through the city all the way out to sea.
In Gothenburg, one of the best and most interesting ways to go sightseeing is to go on a boat trip called the Paddan. I didn't manage to get a picture of the boat but it's basically like a large rowboat with lots of seats. One of the most interesting things we did on the boat trip is to actually go under the lowest bridge in Gothenburg called (I dunno why, seriously) the Haircutter. I guess cos it's so low but we couldn't go under that bridge on that day cos the water level was too high. Instead we went under the Cheese Slicer. As you can tell, the Swedes have innovative imaginations in naming bridges..many Swedes blame it on the Gothenburg humour. Very corny..
As part of the Paddan tour, we were brought out into the harbour area where big ships dock and most interesting of all, at least for me, boats get repaired. This is one of the boat repair docks and it is HUGE! Both the ship under repair and the actual dock. It's really interesting when one gets to see what a huge cargo ship like that looks like under the water level.
BIG ship repair area. Made me feel like I was in a land of giants. Heh heh...

Ramadan in Askersund

The time has finally come again to fast for a month and this time I will be doing it in Askersund, Sweden. It is so exciting because of the new experiences of fasting in a new country, breaking fast in a new environment and on top of it all being married and knowing that I am responsible for nourishing my family before dawn and at dusk.

I'm really lucky in the sense that the husband is not too fussy about what he gets to eat since he is almost always guaranteed something good anyway. Plus the fact that he can't eat a proper meal in the mornings so that means that I don't have to cook inthe early mornings like my mother, aunties and grandma do. Yay! So we actually eat breakfast like toast and cereal at dawn and then a proper dinner come dusk.

It is a strange feeling to be sleeping next to a man and know that on this extra holy month, it's ok to be sleeping next to this particular man. It's a very weird reaction I know but there's this tinge of guilt that maybe this is wrong. I'm not supposed to be this close to a man during Ramadan! But the husband just laughs it off, kisses me goodnight and falls right back to sleep. Fine, it's just my paranoid self rearing its ugly head. But a girl is entitled to be paranoid. It's just part of our biological make-up.

But with the start of Ramadan, one usually gets more thoughtful, more philosophical and in some ways start to think too much. And that tends to happen to me. So last night as I lay in bed, my thoughts start flying around in the dark.

I am now a girl who can no longer call herself a girl. I am a married woman with a family and responsibilities. With the fasting month, I am reminded once more of my responsibilites as a wife, as the mother of this family, the nourisher of both the body and mind. I was told of my responsibilites when I got married and now as I turn my thoughts away from the problems of my physical world into what is inside me, I suddenly feel a panic.

I can't be the bearer of such responsibility! I'm not ready to guide anyone especially not any children I am have. How can I think of bringing anyone into this world when I'm not confident that I can take care of a child and prepare it for the challenges of this world and the uncertainties of the netherworld. If I can't take care of myself, how can i even think to care of someone who will be totally dependent on me for years and years?

I will be responsible for the education of any child I have. Be it in school or in religion, I'm not ready to do that! I don't want to f*** up a child's life and I don't want to mess up so bad that I turn out a selfish human being who shows no respect and hates me. Ugh! I'm not ready to be married...to have a family...to bear such responsibilities!!! What was I thinking 10 months ago when I signed those papers?!

See what I mean when I say that I think too much? I mean, we're not even planning to have kids just yet! But these are thoughts that occasionally and without reason enter my brainand refuse to move out. So irritating.

I just needed to vent out and I probably will do so a lot more. This will be a bumpy month. Thanks for listening.