Thursday, December 31, 2009

This is the Best List of 2009 – OF ALL TIME

It was the year that:

On a tech-basis:
Showed its doubters that Twitter is an unparalleled message distributor with Michael Jackson’s death.
The rise and vanish of Google Wave. Tried to convince us that we’ve been living in a bubble for 30-years. That our email-system we’ve so foolishly been using to everyone’s content was so poor. We’re all highly anticipating Part 2 of Gooogle Wave: “This is all part of their ingenious plan – soon they’ll surprise us by showing why only sending cryptic/weird/none-functional/no-making-sense emails to someone only using that certain email-supplier is the best way of connecting”. Phew. Can’t wait.

On a movie basis:
Gave us goose bumps. Transformers 2 (GHA! #1), Star Trek, Terminator – Salvation, The Hangover, District 9, Avatar (GHA! #2), Inglorious Basterds, Where The Wild Things are (that I was so over-excited to see that I forgot to watch it when it was finally released – but I know I’ll love it), and so many, many, many more that I get all anxious for leaving too many out; GHA #3.

On a sport basis:
Made AIK worthy Swedish champions. Barcelona European Champs. Manchester United English Champs. Zlatan into a real superstar. All in all – a good year.

On a sexiest picture of ALL TIME basis:

Leighton Meester competed with herself with pictures that I shot in my apartment on a cozy morning:




On a monthly basis:

January.
First time I actually realized I was getting older. Turning 28 is the first time my age was closer to 30 (27 is still evened to 25 and so forth) and the first time I felt anxious about aging.

April.
Biggest change in my life when I moved to New York on a win/win three-month deal. Loved it from the first second and it has only increased. All while Albania and Croatia joined NATO.

June.
As the outbreak of the H1N1 influenza strain, commonly referred to as "swine flu", is deemed a global pandemic,
I went back home to Sweden for Daniel and Josefine’s wedding. Never been so scared in my entire life when returning to New York; “What on earth have you done that were so utterly important that you had to return after a weekend in Europe, sir?” – the phrase that was never mentioned and my lack of reply that never needed to be freestyle-imagined.
Then MJ died, and no music would ever be the same again.

July.
The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century, lasting up to 6 minutes and 38.8 seconds, figured to be the most widely observed total eclipse in human history, occurs. I experience the hottest summer in mankind with trouble just getting my ass to the subway and ride the three stops to work without totally soaking my clothes from sweat. I frequently fail.

August.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il who pardons two American imprisoned journalists in North Korea and I am stressing out over the whole visa issue while doing my best to enjoy New York to its fullest for my last month. I achieve the latter part with bravura.
And no one believed it when Usain Bolt showed us that some are just made to make unbelievable – believable – when shattering his own two world records from Beijing, in 100m and 200m.

September.
Polish-French film director Roman Polanski is arrested in Switzerland on a United States arrest warrant and I returned to Sweden. With mixed emotions.

October.
The International Olympic Committee awards the 2016 Summer Olympics to Rio de Janeiro and Sweden turned out to be pretty good after all. Realized my visa was going to take a bit longer than planned & expected and adjusted mentally to the situation.

November.
I never ran the New York Marathon that I had planned and prepared for – wasn’t really close to do it – but who can plan for things only signed off for, ey. Yet all faded in comparison to the fact that I moved back to New York at the end of the month.

December.
Astronomers discover GJ1214b, the first-known exoplanet on which water could exist and New York turned in to a blizzard within a few hours giving us all a bit of Christmas joy.

On a 2010 basis:
It will be the best year OF ALL TIME. Fantastic. Mighty-merry-jumbo-hurrah! new year to us all.

Crazy Times Square

There's no place I'd rather skip to be in than Times Square on New Year's Eve. Cool but complete madness; from people to the energy consumption.


So crowded it was ridiculous.


Even the Police Department was neon-lit.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Yesterday was so cold it was like, really, really cold

Insanely cold yesterday

Both (all) directions

Request from Macy's

Christmas lit Ambulance car

Monday, December 28, 2009

La Esquina!

Best Mexican place in town. 50%* of the experience is just entering and going down to the 'hidden away' brasserie section. Hurrah! for Mexico.

This is from my last visit with Sandra, Ludde (www.<3.oui), Carl Fredrik and the rest of their gang/posse/crew.


*96%

Mechanic Bull WINS




Went to this nutty bar that had a Mechanic Bull. Now I don't know what your inital feelings/thoughts are towards this raging inferno - but IMMA TELL YA - it is soooooo fun. Hand is absolutely shattered though. Gloves are recommended for next ride.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Nice arc you got there


Go ahead and CLICK for an almost guaranteed better view of this fascinating & equally beautiful spectacle of nature (pictures on blogger SUCKS).

Star Wars Weather




It's like, pretty funny. CLICK to check your city.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Scrabble & wine

We played Scrabble at Sarajane's place and I want to brag cause I really rocked it.

Emmelie gave Pierre a head-massager for Christmas and it was (surprisingly!) unbelievably smooth/nice/hurrah! on your head. But you had to let someone else do it for you - took away 70% of the comfort if you did it yourself.

They had a huge selection of cheeses. Which we ate.

Sarajane, Emmeli & Jonny

Nancy in my lap. Tried to force her to love me by feeding her loads of gingerbread cookies.. Worked so/so.

Jonny and Pierre

Emmelie and Jonny

Lé tree

Friday, December 25, 2009

10:07:38 on Christmas Eve



I love this building-clock. Just so very right. Want to have it as a huge wall-clock.

Big tree

Thursday, December 24, 2009

...my room got the "tiny light"

There, in the corner. Glad it's dark. And it is a light. That is lit.

UPDATE:
I tied it to the Venetian blind cord. Brilliant, I know.

Guess who just Christmas decorated the apartment!!


Realizations about experiencing New York with mom:

Everything takes about* 2 h hours more/longer. From leaving the apartment, eating, going to where you're going to everything else in between. Amazing. At least I found her a gift. She desired good coffee, so I bought fresh grounded coffee beans for her. From Starbucks.


*at least.

Merry Christmas


I still haven't bought a single present. doh.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Drip drop








CLICK for more dripping. It's rather nice.

You dress the way you are

Black man, mid 50 approaches me and everything else stops. With a big chunk of smile attached to his face he's rocking a gold chain that's hanging outside his shirt and under the collar and a deeply confident money-gait moves him forward. He mesmerizes me as it strikes me how this is just something that white people will never fully and truly appreciate the way a man from Harlem on a trip to Financial District do. It’s so one of my most utterly right New York moments thus far.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Christmas [about to] FAIL

I haven’t bought a single Christmas gift. Not one. Mom arrives today and she’ll be the only one I have to take care of on an immediate basis. But even that looks to fail. I am such a bad, horrible, naughty son.

On the happy chapter of this post is that Jakob, my boss and creative director invited us to his place on Christmas Day/Eve (no clue actually – he’s Swedish – but we’re in nutty USA) for home cocked Christmas dinner and joy. Bliss covered my face before I realized the pressure-cooker about this. Which means I probably have to buy his whole family presents too. Even when Christmas spirit really proves to exists and shows there is hope after all it fails.

We are back in Kansas!

Red Sky At Night





You should probably CLICK for better view.

Singapore Turf Club

Canon 1DmkIV at the races - test shoot from Dan Chung on Vimeo.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Photographer Okano Yasushi











If you want to can CLICK here to get to his blog - and realize how I snithced the entire lineup of photos in sequential order.