Here we go with some more sample pics from the Scandinavian Chill out and a link if you want to view the whole kaboodle.

I havent been able to figure out how to make the pictures flick on and off on the side of my blog but as soon as i do...my blog will look even cooler... I think!

Here is the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/41564970@N00/

A Dane, A Finn, a Norwegian and a Swede...

Well actually it was 4 Danes, 1 Malaysian-Dane, 2 Swedes, 1 Nigerian-Swede, 1 Indian-Swede, 3 Norwegians, 1 Icelander, 1 Icelander-Czech and No Finns! (Unless you count that extremely cute girl, Annika who was here for the Agenda meeting 2 days prior!)

It was the Scandinavian MCs in Stockholm for the chill out weekend and it turned out to be quite good actually. Night out at a pub/bar on Friday night, couldnt dance much there as it was packed full of people!

Saturday was spent at the Gruna Lund Amusement park where i rode a roller coaster for the first time....and the second time....and the third time!!! Couldnt get enough i couldnt. There was the Free Fall which was basically hurtling to the ground from a height of maybe 100 meters high in less than 5 seconds(?) and stopping just before you smash into the ground! Extreme, haunted house, Bumper cars, shooting games, candy floss, disco rides...THE WORKS! And getting to spend time with the Scandis was really cool.

One interesting thing though was Jens Christian Borgen couldnt go on the Free Fall as he was too big to fit! Not surprising though as he is 6ft 8' (or 2m) tall!!! Talk about Giants! i STILL havent met anyone as big as JC!

We had a crappy meal at some Pizza place afterwards but people were too plesantly tired to care i guess.

All in all! Quite a cool weekend! Thanks Stefan, for the conversation about different cultures; Renbin for the insight into Malysian culture ( I might be visiting soon); and all the others for a truly "Chilled Out" weekend.

Pic here is a group one at the Gruna Lund amusement park. Will post a link with the rest of the pics from the weekend soon.

eL

Sweden...The Secret Files Revealed!!!

I just came across one of the most hilarious books i have ever had the pleasure to read in a really long time. it is written by a Mr. Colin Moon and it had me in stiches by the time i got through it! The book's description by the Swedish bookshop goes thus:

"This small booklet (120x170 mm) is not just another travel guide with fancy pictures of forests and lakes. It is not just another factual, dry businessman's guide book telling you Swedes are decent but boring, serious and have no sense of humor. This booklet will give you an insight into things Swedish. Things they themselves think are quite normal, quite sensible, and quite logical. Bless them, for they are often unaware that the rest of us, the foreigners, often find them amusing, entertaining and at times simply quite odd..."

Now of course if you have not lived in Sweden or dont have a close(?) Swedish friend, you might not really appreciate the humor in this book which is why I will be taking excerpts from the book, (i hope i dont get my ass sued off!) posting it here and relating it to some of MY actual experiences in lovely lovely Sverige!

If you have lived in Sweden before (or still living here come to think of it) then try and get your hands on the book and read the secret files!!! If you are Swedish, you might find yourself agreeing to quite a lot of the stuff in the book! As an example...

"A Swede was told he had only five weeks to live, he replied by saying 'I hope those 5 weeks are in July"

...refering here to the way Swedes ENJOY the summer and make the most out of it! The whole country practically shuts down as everyone tries to get the most of those 5 weeks of sun after what must have surely been a long, cold dark winter!

And just to give you an idea of what is in the book before you read it, please go to

http://www.fika.de/typical-swede.html#essay

...and crack up!

Jose, Ruud and Shevchenko

I love football!

Just in case anyone was in any doubt...I say it again. I LOVE FOOTBALL!

The great Arantes Dos Nascimento (Otherwise known as Pele) called it "the beautiful game". It is the most popular game in the whole world, fortunes have been made and lost in the game and nothing could be more thrilling to see a Henry in full flight; a Ronaldinho at his most mesmerizing; an Eto`o at his most ruthless or a Jay Jay Okocha bringing a whole stadium to its feet to applaud his sheer brilliance or dare i say it? Magic?

But from time to time, because it is such a high octane game situations occur that make you feel dust in your mouth! Or how else can you explain the change in fortunes of one of the most lethal strikers the world and Old Trafford has ever seen in just over 6 months?

I am talking about Ruud Van Nisteroy, he is only one of eight peole who have scored 150 goals(?) for Manchester United and his place in the United record books and in the hearts of true ManU fans is secured! Yet, he is almost likely to leave the club and has almost certainly played his last game for the Red Devils.
To be honest, Sir Alex Ferguson is not a man to be trifled with. If David Beckham could leave without a whimper and Roy Keane be sacked from the club, Ruud had no chance! He fell out of favor with the Treble winning manager since February and has seen first Louis Saha climb up the pecking order and then at the twillight of the season, Giuseppe something something...

Players are a good excuse for soccer loving enthusiasts to choose a club to support. If I hadnt wanted a house in West London and Blue wasnt my favorite color and Gianlucca Vialli and Ruud Guillit (among many others) hadnt caught my fancy first, I COULD have been a ManU supporter. And Ruud would have been one sure fire magnet!! Its kind of like the affection i have for that gazelle in Highbury...sorry Ashburton Grove. Too bad, he had to be an Arse! hehe

Talking about ruthless goal machines, one of the most well oiled pieces of machinery plys his trade in the dizzying heights of Serie A. I am talking about Andriy Shevchenko! He has also announced his intention to leave AC Milan this season and the "Special One" has said he will like to bring him to Stamford Bridge!

Now if Jose wants a player, damn near not anyone can stop him on the basis of money right? Think of a pairing up of Shevchenko and Ruud? Wouldnt that just be a dream? Aaaaarrgghhh! I get goosebumps just thinking of it! And if Ruud wants to admit it, he would look really cool in a blue jersey! Ditto Andriy!

I can only dream I guess. All eyes on the transfer market!!!

Connected Thinking Dream Over

Well thats that!

Got the email from Norica saying i 'have not been selected' for the next round of the PwC Global Coordinator selection process'. You have to understand, this is something i was really looking forward to doing and thought i would be DAMN good at doing as well. But it IS a selection process and you win some, you lose some! It didnt help when i heard of other people who have made it to the next round, but you cant turn back the hands of time though. I just need to take some learning points away from this and make sure its positive feedback for the future.

But it still hurts though!

I have had a lot of work to squash the hurt though, getting ready for transition, and having LC Visit in Gothenburg! Now that was really cool. The more you work with the Balanced Scorecard and explain it other people, the more you understand it yourself. Spent 2 wonderful days with Sabina and her EB team as Aron and I facilitated NFAs, CSFs, Culture Review, Budget Drafts and so much more. Played a really interesting game of "I have Never Ever..." If you dont know the game, you should learn. You learn all sorts of quirky stuff about people! And some shocking ones too. (Although i think i was the only one with REALLY shocking stuff!)

And another highlight of the trip of course is that i got to meet up with Ayda Moayezadeh again. Is she the cutest, most mischevious person i ever met or what? Always a laugh, always a prank to be played on you, it's almost like being 11 again!!! We still have an ongoing conversation dont we Ayda? We must finish it soon, dont you think? Thank you AIESEC in Gothenburg for a great planning weekend, and Ayda for the invitation to your sister's place. It was amazing to interact with your nephew and niece.

One particular incident stands out here, Hilda a cheruby 4 year old and Ayda's niece, walked up to where i was sitting and started to touch my head and hair. Kinky hair must be a first for her. (haha) And when i was leaving and she held on to my hand and kept repeating that she wouldnt let me go....broke my heart! But I guess my charm with kids still holds true then. And the funny thing is that we couldnt understand each other. They were speaking Swedish and Persian and i was muddling along in English!

Picture here is of me mesmerising the kids and their guests with my charm! (Actually, i am bribing them with chocolate so they talk to me.)

Just Cruising...

I am not going to be telling you the full story of my team's trip to Helsinki becasue Amit has already made a wonderful post on his blog concerning this. So please click on http://amitdesai.nomadlife.org to find out how the trip went.

I just have a picture here of the impressive Helsinki Cathedral with the big square. Sitting there and eating Ice cream with the Finnish MC, i tried to imagine KGB and CIA operatives making secret rendevouz in the square.

I also learnt a very interesting fact about Finland. The current President is a woman who when she was elected wasnt married BUT living with her partner. She was at some point the President of the Liberal Women's Union (or something....) Well...now after pressure, she has married her partner, but just imagine the liberalism and forward thinking required to do this! I dont see this happening in obodo Naija o!

Thank you very much Diamonds! You guys rock! In this year of balance and pure excellence, you guys have made it a year to remember!

Connected Thinking in Belgium?

I have been afraid to commit this particular topic to blog but now i am about to send in the application and i just thought i should say something about it here.

PricewaterhouseCoopers. Definitely employer of choice. Proffesional, Global, leading player in their industry. And a company i have always wanted to work for. Well...now is my chance I guess. There is a Global Coordinator position open in PwC now, you get to manage the quite extensive partnership the firm has with AIESEC Intenational. Did i hear you say dream job??? Tell me about it!!!!

Well...here goes nothing. I am going to push the send button now. Norica! Check your email now!

ICX SALES CRUISE

I had a kick ass sales session on the ICX Cruise yesterday! 16 wonderful people from all around the national network. And i didnt realize it was a luxury cruise! Well....i havent been on many of this kind of things before and we DID get a glass of champagne with breakfast. hehehehe.

There's a whole story there with the ICX Cruise but i am waiting for Ann-Christine Arnesson to send me the pictures so i can tell a good yarn! There was drama from the very beginning at 0700. Watch this space for more details.

My team are off now on yet ANOTHER cruise to Helsinki and this time for 2 nights! We leave in the next couple of hours, sail all night and arrive Finland tomorrow morning. Spend the day in Helsinki and catch the boat again in the evening and get to Stockholm on Wednesday morning. Pretty cool ehn? And we have Amit to thank for this! He got us free tickets!

Watch out for the pics!

Espanol in African Context!

In making my last post about Maria, I realized that there are so many people who in the last 11 months have meant so much to me. They have touched me in different ways and made an impact on me.
This was driven home again by an email I received from an individual who i have known for barely four months and spent 10 days with in person. I am talking about Ana Gabriela Perez!

Gaby as she is more commonly known is from Guatemala and has for the last two years been MCP of AIESEC in Guatemala. My personal Odyssey with her started at IPM in the Netherlands on the bean bags. (anyone from IPM in the Netherlands remember those beanbags in the ABN Amro Lounge?)

I didnt get to know Gaby as well i would have liked, but the little she allowed me to know....I would like an opportunity to know more! One of the things that struck me most about Gaby was her passion. For AIESEC, for her friends and as i have been in contact with her over email and phone...her family!

Her passion is so typical of the Latino black haired beauties you read about. Hot Fiery and can consume you if you are not careful! Reminds me of the 'drama' you get with your home grown African Queen!

Ana Gabriela Perez, thank you for the email you sent to me. And for the 'gift' you sent to me immediately after IPM. Most especially, thank you for helping to believe in myself that much more...when i think of the 'gift' you sent to me...It makes me think that I can DO ANYTHING!

Becasue of you...I have actually started considering the South American continent as a destination.

Here is to YOU and to ME and to our friendship... and all the promise that tomorrow might bring!

Happy Birthday Maria Klockar Johansson

I am swamped with work here in the office but I just have to take time out and pay tribute to my friend, colleague, teammate and flatmate for the last 11 months. Maria Gotzamani!!!

Maria is one of the sweetest, cutest most adorable people i have ever met. Like i used to tell people...she couldnt be mean if her life depended on it! A good deal of my life in the last 11 months has been interwoven around AIESEC and Maria seems to stand out in that circle of AIESEC. Some REALLY memorable experiences have Maria and I (and Amit) shared together!

Amit and I woke Maria up this morning with breakfast in bed and singing Happy Birthday in Swedish. I think she was happy and pleased with that! I now share some aspects of Maria Gotzamani with you...

Moving apartment in October...we had to rent a van and as Maria was the only one of us three who had a Swedish driver's permit, she had to do the driving while Amit and I read (or tried to read) the map. Boy did we get lost!

Working in the office...Maria is the one of the most detailed people i know. There is a template for everything and if it can be given a stucture...Maria will get that structure. You might be tempted to think she is a stereotype blonde...but when she uses force of arguement and analytical thinking to stump you...You are well and truly stumped!

Sharing an apartment with Maria...My Swedish cuisine lessons have definitely been enrichened by living with Maria. Always something new to try out and going shopping with her, i ALWAYS save some money for sure! And does she bring the structure and organization with her into the house??? You bet she does! The house is always spick and span and not becasue she cleans it all herself but because, she kicks mine and the Indian's asses to make sure it is so! Who would imagine that someone so slight would be able to bully 2 grown men!

Spending Easter with her family....Maria was kind enough to invite me to her parent's house in the country and what a wonderful experience it was. Not every Swede is like the Stockholmer's then are they? I could almost believe that Gothenburg was the front side of Sweden (but more on this later)
I met some wonderful people, Maria's parents brother, sister and her dog! Her cousins, her neighbours, roasted sausages over an open fire, searched for Easter eggs in the woods, and took long walks in the beautiful woods. That weekend defintely went too fast!

MARIA, as you turn a year older today...I wish you the very best in life and know that no matter where our steps take us in this small world, you have a friend who is willing to answer your call no matter what!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
PS
Main Picture is of me and Maria in February when she and my 2 other teammates threw a birthday party for me. And some other random pics of me and Gotza!!!

Valborg, Ayda and Chelsea

What a Weekend!

As if winning back to back Premiership titles arent enough...i was in Uppsala town to celebrate the official first day of Spring and what a Valborg celebration it turned out to be!!!

In the preparation email from AIESEC in Uppsala they had warned that mobile phones might not work as there would be too many in town! I thought it was a joke. But true true, i got the "Network Busy" answer quite a number of times when i tried to use my phone and what a day it was.

Lunch on a nice hilly slope with the sometimes fierce wind blowing dry leaves into our faces was accompanied already by alcohol consumption. Schnapps, Beer, White wine and Cider all combined to give a nice fuzzy feeling by 12 noon! And when i found myself 'watering' the bushes in full view of the whole gathered assembly with narry a blush...I knew i was well on the way.

The Champagne gallop was a study in "How to make perfectly normal Swedes who usually dont express emotion in public go berserk" hehehehe Crazy crazy people, spraying champagne all over themselves, getting nackered and passing out, making out...Oh Man!! Crazy Crazy FUN! Here I post a pic of Amit and I hoisting the girls (Emma and Maria) just to prove we could.

Ayda Moayezadeh was also there for Valborg and her presence in Stockholm as well in Valborg was defintely a highlight for me for this weekend. In this weekend, i have learnt more about the Persian culture and way of life than i would have if i had studied it for 3 months. Thank You very Ayda! And here is hoping this is the beginning of a special friendship. Mwah!

And the party is still going on with our winning of the title with 2 games to spare! Jose Mourinho, you are THE MAN!!!! Dont let anyone tell you different

eL
PS
For complete pics of Valborg please click here http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ladajay/album?.dir=/e4d1re2