Life & Experiences
It was only after chatting with my neighbours and was halfway down the street that I discovered chocolate stains on my shirt, prompting a return home to change.
I was on my way to meet a friend who I haven’t seen for several months. I went to Lismore, and she went to Alice Springs. She’s been back for a couple of weeks, but this is the first time we’ve had a chance to see each other. … Read the rest “Sunday at the movies”
My mind was taken back this weekend, to my last visit to Stockholm in 2017. In particular, to Gröna Lund, the amusement park on Djurgården, located on one of the central islands of the city.
Although you would normally associate the idea of an amusement park with a story that is light and fluffy, the film Swoon (original Swedish title “Eld & lågor”) tells a far deeper story of crime and corruption, as the original owners of the park, and a nearby park across the road competed for customers in the 1940s.… Read the rest “Movie Weekend”
My friend and I both laughed out loud when we saw Rufus Wainwright appearing on stage reading from one books by J.T. LeRoy. In the documentary, “The Cult of JT LeRoy” (which we saw last night at the “Antenna Documentary Film Festival” in Sydney) we had already seen Sandra Bernhard, Carrie Fisher, Susan Dey (Patridge Family) and many, many other celebrities extol the virtues of the books written by the young author. “Madonna was really into it too”, my friend whispered in my ear.… Read the rest “The Cult of JT LeRoy”
Sadly, my “Swedish” is not sophisticated enough to understand the complexities of some of the discussions you might encounter at an event like Stockholm Pride. While it won’t be too much of an issue at events like the Schlagerkväll (the pop music night), I’m still very interested in going to talks and events, especially since Stockholm Pride usually has a very “global” outlook. I remember a few years ago there was a talk given about LGBTQI rights in Australia, for example.… Read the rest “Stockholm Pride – Chinese Queer Film”
Having seen Au Pair, Kansas the other day and all of its faux Swedish-ness, it was great to see a real Swedish film, as part of the Mardi Gras Film Festival.
“Fyra år till” (Four More Years) tells the story of two Swedish male politicians with contrasting lives and viewpoints who fall in love. From the right-leaning Folkpartiet, there is David who is thought of as a potential future Swedish Prime Minister. From the left-leaing, Socialdemokraterna there is Martin who also has a bright future ahead of him as Party Chairman.… Read the rest “Fyra år till – Four more years”