Closed For Holidays

I'm off on me holidays. I shall see you back here in three weeks and a bit.

"Bruno" vs. "The Beautiful Truth"

I was going to write a review on "Bruno" but I got side-tracked by this film posted on Facebook. It's called "The Beautiful Truth" and is both shocking and thought-provoking but luckily it also has a positive message. You MUST watch it! Don't let the length of the film put you off. Once you start watching it you will want to watch 'til the end. Definitely.

This is what it's about (to quote Amazon): Raised on a wildlife reserve in Alaska, 15-year old Garrett was interested in the dietary habits of their animals. After the tragic death of his mother, Garrett s father decided to home-school his son and assigned a book written by Dr. Max Gerson that proposes a direct link between diet and a cure for cancer. Fascinated, Garrett embarks on a cross-country road trip to investigate The Gerson Therapy. He meets with scientists, doctors and cancer survivors who reveal how it is in the best interest of the multi-billion dollar medical industry to dismiss the notion of alternative and natural cures.

http://vids.rationalveracity.com/v/677,the-beautiful-truth.html

My "Bruno"-review: Shocking. Just shocking.

60-foot penis painted on roof

Oh, kids......

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/newsbeat/newsid_7961000/7961224.stm

And When The Sky Was Opened....

... down came the rain! Lots of rain!

Spending Saturday Eve With ABBA-Benny, Tommy Körberg and Helen Sjöholm

When I did my micro-teaching session last Tuesday the tutor who observed us was Swedish. She told me that Benny Andersson was playing with his new band in Hampstead Heath today. I had already planned to go out with a friend this evening but luckily she didn't mind coming along to a Swedish day out in the park instead of going to a bar. I arrived early so I decided to go for a coffee whilst I waited for my friend. What better place to go than Mamma Mia Sandwich Bar?!

The Swedish Embassy was organising this day out with various artists including the highlight - Benny Andersson Orchestra featuring Helen Sjöholm and Tommy Körberg.

I took loads of pictures. I love Benny! I've said it before and I'm saying it again. I just want to give him a cuddle.

I wish I could show you how absolutely bloody amazing it was! BAO is nothing like ABBA at all. They play Swedish folk music ("happy music" to quote my Japanese friend) which is mostly instrumental. They also throw in some "schlager" where they have singers like Tommy and Helen. "Schlager" is a Swedish phenomenon. It's also called dance-band music and traditionally when you go to a dance-band gig everyone will be... you guessed it dancing (you know, old-fashioned two people actually holding on to each other). Well, there was space meant for dancing but the people who stood there were not going to move. But I have to give credit to this guy for shaking his bootaaay to a "schottis".

BAO played for 2.5 hours. They played some excellent folk songs. Helen Sjöholm sang their new hit "Story Of A Heart". Calle Moreus did a great cover of "O Sole Mio". They even through in some ABBA songs! Oh my God, when they started to play "Hasta Manana" I took a serious walk down memory lane. I felt like getting my hairbrush out of my handbag and sing into it like I did when I was seven years old and couldn't speak English but sang in ABBA-English. They also did "I do, I do, I do" and "When All Is Said And Done".

Hampstead Heath was rockin' this evening. And the best (and quite unbelievable) thing is that it was FREE! The Swedish Embassy paid for it which I can only assume means that the Swedish tax-payers forked out for this TREAT.

So on behalf of all of us who were there I'd like to say a big THANK YOU to all you hard-working Swedes who dutifully pay your taxes. It was bloody brilliant!!!

Time Flies When You're Doing Course-Work

It's been over a week since I last posted something. I can't believe how quick time flies. Last Tuesday was the big day on my course. We had to deliver our 30-minute microteaching sessions in front of some of our peers, a tutor plus we were being filmed. The DVD is going to go to City & Guilds for... yeah, for what? As far as I understand it we all passed. But I guess they need to see evidence. Or maybe they just want a bit of a laugh. I chose "An Introduction To Reiki Healing" as my subject.

It went really well. I got everyone to feel their own auras, perform an aura scanning on each other and I also let them feel my reiki energy. I handed in the last assignments yesterday and now I feel like this huge weight has lifted off my shoulders.

The weather has been scorching hot here the last few days. It's so hot it's not pleasant to be outside. It's not pleasant to be inside either.

Today I covered for another therapist in a different branch to where I normally work. It was dead. I mean, who wants to go for a massage when it's 32 degrees outside. Come to think of it... if people had known that there was air con in the treatment rooms they probably would have wanted a massage. So I was on the shop floor with the sales assistants. I had forgotten that my favourite therapist of all times works at this branch. It was a delight to see him again. I sensed that he felt the same.

Now I'm just looking forward to going home to Sweden on the 15th. I cannot wait until I get to go to this paradise.