2007/02/20

Received a mobile dishwasher

People I know are renovating their kitchen. Among things, there's a new dishwasher being installed and the previous installed dishwasher was today considered obsolete. Kindly enough, the obsolete dishwasher was given to me for free as they have no need for it any longer and wanted to get rid of it somewhere - they thought I would be able to make good use for it as soon as I find a vacant apartment to move into.

Now all I need is that vacant apartment, of course! As if that would happen anytime soon in this town ...

2007/02/16

How finance affects the mood

It may not come as a surprise that money is key in modern society, but depending on who you are it affects you differently on the emotional level. It is not so much the money itself that controls one person's mood but the anxiety vs cheerful mood that you won't vs will be able to pay upcoming bills. I mean, at least for me it is much easier to be happy about life if the financial part is currently working out and I know the near future will prosper financially as well.

This is why I think it's so important to have a longterm job settled for you: not for the income itself, because money is not everything. But rather because money is one of those critical things you need to have, and if you know for certain that money will keep stumbling in for months to come, you don't need to worry about your bills, food purchase plans, leisure activities including misc purchases. Of course, there are other ways to gain income than having a job. I for one know this very well because I haven't had a job for more than 3 years - my current income comes from the study loan I have.

However, I have been searching for jobs lately since I am hoping to get an employment somewhere, as soon as possible. Even though I have an opportunity to continue study for years to come, my biggest wish right now is to get job experience (including a better income). It's a huge problem in Sweden today, to get just *any* job at all - no matter what grades from school you have. Obviously I can only speak for the city I live in and the northern part of the country in general, but I'm sure more cities in Sweden have job opportunity issues too. It's a shame really, when there are a big bunch of people who desperately want a job and they are ambitious about it, while the corporations who previously offered jobs nowadays tell you that they currently have no room for more employees. It is as if, either it is:

1) Lack of balance in the economy (growing pool of unemployed vs much less-growing demand)
2) Too few companies established - we need more so more people can get employed
3) Political issue with taxes and regulation - scares away the corporations from establishment

I am optimistic about the future of job opportunities, but I don't count on finding a job this year. Maybe in 2008, who knows! Still trying, though! :-)

2007/02/11

Temperature dropped to -18˚C

This is the coldest month of the year, it always is. At least for us who live here up north. I saw weather statistics scroll by on the TV earlier today and noticed how one city clearly is not even close to being part of the "winter cold" climate I'm used to. The numbers showed an astounding +1˚C in Malmö (Malmo, located deep down in the southern parts of the country).
Obviously living in the northern hemisphere has got its disadvantages for people like me who prefer a milder climate, but on the other hand we have not had problems with heavy storms. That is something Gothenburg experienced just a while ago, including other nearby communities on a wider scale.

I expect it to continue be cold for another three weeks, then we'll probably see temperatures leave the minus scale and hit zero, if not even more than zero. Maybe I'll post a blog entry when the time comes to see how my prediction turned out!