Canon EOS 50D + Asahi-Pentax SMC Takumar 50mm f/1.4 + 16mm extension tube.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
The System Is Improving
They have finally realized that something is wrong with it and relaxed the rules. I have finally managed to apply for a Swedish ID. Well done, Sweden. I'm really glad it's improving.
Monday, March 15, 2010
KTH Massacre
The Local hasn't mentioned anything about it but googling for "KTH massaker" reveals a bunch of news articles in Swedish regarding the issue. Apparently an anonymous person posted somewhere on the Internets—judging by the screenshot Aftonbladet posted (assuming it's real) it's been 4chan.org—a message of the following contents: "Ni ska fan få se. Jag ska slå de jävla finnjävlarnas för svensk polis lär ju inte direkt vara snappt på plats" that can be translated as "I'm gonna fuckin show you. I'm gonna beat the fucking finnish guys' record since Swedish police will hardly be there quickly". Seems like I'd better take my camera with me tomorrow since something interesting might happen. :)
Friday, December 04, 2009
Finland vs. Sweden
I've spent the last 4 years living in Finland and I've enjoyed my life there quite much. I've had an opportunity to move to Helsinki but I've moved to Stockholm instead. I've been looking for new experiences and I found them. But so far it has been nothing but frustration. One huge frustration with pretty much everything. I do love Stockholm. But unfortunately it's in Sweden.
I've visited Helsinki last weekend to see some old friends of mine there and after I've went through some troubles with loosing my wallet I've been thinking a lot how it would have been in Sweden. And it would have been way worse. I'm pretty sure.
So I did loose my wallet in Helsinki and I was very lucky to loose it in Finland. The first thing I did is calling a special number and blocking both of my cards. Then I went to the nearest Nordea office, showed them my Russian passport which they were more than happy to accept as an ID, asked for some cash from my bank account and asked them to block my internet banking as well. Just in case. I didn't have the username in my wallet, but my passwords were there. I ordered new cards, new passwords and got the cash. Easily and without any problems.
Then I went to Helsinki train station to look for my wallet since I left it in a train on my way to Espoo. At the information desk they sent me to the station services whew a worker gave me a card of Helsinki lost and found office and told me to go get my wallet there on Monday. Unfortunately, I've lost my wallet on Friday evening and on Sunday I had to return back to Stockholm. I've explained the situation to the guy, told him that I have no chance of getting my wallet back since I can't stay here until Monday. He advised me to try to ask from conductors lounge and explained where it is.
I went there but the door was locked. Luckily, some conductor came and was about to enter. I asked him to help me and he let me in. We went in and walked into some room. He asked something some guys sitting there. One of them opened a table drawer and took my wallet out. I told her my drivers license is in it if she wants to make sure its mine. She checked it and happily returned me my wallet.
Then I had to unblock the cards and internet banking. I called customer service number and explained the situation. The worker who picked the phone told me in perfect English that he doesn't speak any English. :) Another person is responsible for English-speaking customers and he tried to connect me with him. As it turned out, the English-speaking operator wasn't available at the moment and he agreed to help me though it is not part of his duties.
He told me that my Visa card is blocked permanently and I will receive a new one by mail. Visa Electron and internet banking can still be unblocked and he told me the nearest address where I can do it. The time was about 8 pm and I was lucky that Nordea office in Stockmann is open until 9 pm. There I showed my Russian passport and successfully unblocked my Visa Electron and internet banking.
How would it be in Sweden? First of all, I have no means of proving my identity in Sweden. My Russian passport is not considered to be a valid ID due to "insufficient level of security" and I cannot get an ID issued by Skatteverket since I have no relatives with Swedish citizenship who could vouch for me. Therefore even though I have a Swedish residence permit and a personal number, I have almost no rights in this country. In Finland I enjoyed and still enjoy all the rights and freedoms just like any other citizen who has Finnish personal number does.
Here I can't open a bank account, I can't get a phone subscription. I can't do anything just because I can't prove my bloody identity and I have no way of doing it! In Finland my Russian passport was accepted everywhere. I could get any subscription I wanted, internet, phone, car insurance, bank account etc. I've never had any problems. Banks used to issue IDs here but they don't do it anymore. The system used to be pretty bad and now it's even worse.
Second, Swedes do enjoy bureaucracy. I've never seen so much of it in my life! Everything is so complicated and takes awfully long! Getting Swedish personal number took me more than a month. It took me couple of days in Finland. Dealing with taxation issues was also quite a pain in the ass. I am still working for my Finnish employer but taxation office in Finland told me I have to pay taxes here. I was ready to pay taxes here. I went to Skatteverket and explained the situation. I was told that it's possible but it took me more than two months to get taxation percentage estimation! In Finland I would have got it right away!
And Swedes do enjoy rules and following them strictly. I tried to open a bank account here. KTH has an agreement with Nordea and students can open accounts even without a Swedish ID card. I just happened to go to the wrong office. Couple of friends of mine and me went to Nordea office near Sergels torg. Got queue numbers, waited for our turns. Two friends of mine managed to open their bank accounts. I didn't. I was the unlucky one to get a very mean worker who refused to open an account for me.
I've had all the forms filled in with me, everything ready. All he had to do is just check that everything is correct! But no! He told me to go to the office near Odenplan. And instead of explaining nicely he was very rude to me! I tried to draw his attention to the fact that the two friends of mine, also KTH students, have managed to get their bank accounts about a minute ago from different workers and it didn't seem like a big deal for them. He still refused to help me. I tried to address the other workers who agreed to open the account but the guy told her something in Swedish and I left with nothing.
I went to Odenplan office the next day and I faced rudeness again. It turned out they deal with students only on Mondays after 6 pm. And I wasn't told that nicely. No! I was almost literally told to piss off! These are the rules. No can do. What's the big deal to open an account for me on Tuesday? Why am I any worse than other customer just because I don't have a valid ID? I went home, calmed down and the next Monday I returned to Odenplan office, got the account, got the papers. I was told I will receive my Visa Electron card by mail. I still haven't heard from them. And I don't even want to bother to go and ask why.
I simply don't want to be their customer anymore! I was very loyal to Nordea Finland because of their excellent service but Nordea Sweden turned out to be totally different! I am treated as a nobody by the Swedish government but Nordea Sweden is making it even worse. And Nordea workers aren't the only ones who were rude to me. When I went to Skatteverket to ask about possibility of getting an ID card, the worker was pretty rude to me as well.
These things have ruined the whole impression of this country. I'm pretty sure if I would loose my wallet here, nobody would bother to help me. I wouldn't be able to prove my identity in bank to get anything. I'm pretty sure nobody would give me my wallet back unless I go to lost and found even if they would have it in their drawer. These are the rules and we don't care if you are in trouble and have to leave the country before lost and found office opens.
I really did have high hopes and expectations about Sweden but it has been a disappointment for me. I really hope my opinion about this country is wrong and it's just me being unlucky. But I really don't like the way I am treated here. Finland used to be way more friendly to me.
I've visited Helsinki last weekend to see some old friends of mine there and after I've went through some troubles with loosing my wallet I've been thinking a lot how it would have been in Sweden. And it would have been way worse. I'm pretty sure.
So I did loose my wallet in Helsinki and I was very lucky to loose it in Finland. The first thing I did is calling a special number and blocking both of my cards. Then I went to the nearest Nordea office, showed them my Russian passport which they were more than happy to accept as an ID, asked for some cash from my bank account and asked them to block my internet banking as well. Just in case. I didn't have the username in my wallet, but my passwords were there. I ordered new cards, new passwords and got the cash. Easily and without any problems.
Then I went to Helsinki train station to look for my wallet since I left it in a train on my way to Espoo. At the information desk they sent me to the station services whew a worker gave me a card of Helsinki lost and found office and told me to go get my wallet there on Monday. Unfortunately, I've lost my wallet on Friday evening and on Sunday I had to return back to Stockholm. I've explained the situation to the guy, told him that I have no chance of getting my wallet back since I can't stay here until Monday. He advised me to try to ask from conductors lounge and explained where it is.
I went there but the door was locked. Luckily, some conductor came and was about to enter. I asked him to help me and he let me in. We went in and walked into some room. He asked something some guys sitting there. One of them opened a table drawer and took my wallet out. I told her my drivers license is in it if she wants to make sure its mine. She checked it and happily returned me my wallet.
Then I had to unblock the cards and internet banking. I called customer service number and explained the situation. The worker who picked the phone told me in perfect English that he doesn't speak any English. :) Another person is responsible for English-speaking customers and he tried to connect me with him. As it turned out, the English-speaking operator wasn't available at the moment and he agreed to help me though it is not part of his duties.
He told me that my Visa card is blocked permanently and I will receive a new one by mail. Visa Electron and internet banking can still be unblocked and he told me the nearest address where I can do it. The time was about 8 pm and I was lucky that Nordea office in Stockmann is open until 9 pm. There I showed my Russian passport and successfully unblocked my Visa Electron and internet banking.
How would it be in Sweden? First of all, I have no means of proving my identity in Sweden. My Russian passport is not considered to be a valid ID due to "insufficient level of security" and I cannot get an ID issued by Skatteverket since I have no relatives with Swedish citizenship who could vouch for me. Therefore even though I have a Swedish residence permit and a personal number, I have almost no rights in this country. In Finland I enjoyed and still enjoy all the rights and freedoms just like any other citizen who has Finnish personal number does.
Here I can't open a bank account, I can't get a phone subscription. I can't do anything just because I can't prove my bloody identity and I have no way of doing it! In Finland my Russian passport was accepted everywhere. I could get any subscription I wanted, internet, phone, car insurance, bank account etc. I've never had any problems. Banks used to issue IDs here but they don't do it anymore. The system used to be pretty bad and now it's even worse.
Second, Swedes do enjoy bureaucracy. I've never seen so much of it in my life! Everything is so complicated and takes awfully long! Getting Swedish personal number took me more than a month. It took me couple of days in Finland. Dealing with taxation issues was also quite a pain in the ass. I am still working for my Finnish employer but taxation office in Finland told me I have to pay taxes here. I was ready to pay taxes here. I went to Skatteverket and explained the situation. I was told that it's possible but it took me more than two months to get taxation percentage estimation! In Finland I would have got it right away!
And Swedes do enjoy rules and following them strictly. I tried to open a bank account here. KTH has an agreement with Nordea and students can open accounts even without a Swedish ID card. I just happened to go to the wrong office. Couple of friends of mine and me went to Nordea office near Sergels torg. Got queue numbers, waited for our turns. Two friends of mine managed to open their bank accounts. I didn't. I was the unlucky one to get a very mean worker who refused to open an account for me.
I've had all the forms filled in with me, everything ready. All he had to do is just check that everything is correct! But no! He told me to go to the office near Odenplan. And instead of explaining nicely he was very rude to me! I tried to draw his attention to the fact that the two friends of mine, also KTH students, have managed to get their bank accounts about a minute ago from different workers and it didn't seem like a big deal for them. He still refused to help me. I tried to address the other workers who agreed to open the account but the guy told her something in Swedish and I left with nothing.
I went to Odenplan office the next day and I faced rudeness again. It turned out they deal with students only on Mondays after 6 pm. And I wasn't told that nicely. No! I was almost literally told to piss off! These are the rules. No can do. What's the big deal to open an account for me on Tuesday? Why am I any worse than other customer just because I don't have a valid ID? I went home, calmed down and the next Monday I returned to Odenplan office, got the account, got the papers. I was told I will receive my Visa Electron card by mail. I still haven't heard from them. And I don't even want to bother to go and ask why.
I simply don't want to be their customer anymore! I was very loyal to Nordea Finland because of their excellent service but Nordea Sweden turned out to be totally different! I am treated as a nobody by the Swedish government but Nordea Sweden is making it even worse. And Nordea workers aren't the only ones who were rude to me. When I went to Skatteverket to ask about possibility of getting an ID card, the worker was pretty rude to me as well.
These things have ruined the whole impression of this country. I'm pretty sure if I would loose my wallet here, nobody would bother to help me. I wouldn't be able to prove my identity in bank to get anything. I'm pretty sure nobody would give me my wallet back unless I go to lost and found even if they would have it in their drawer. These are the rules and we don't care if you are in trouble and have to leave the country before lost and found office opens.
I really did have high hopes and expectations about Sweden but it has been a disappointment for me. I really hope my opinion about this country is wrong and it's just me being unlucky. But I really don't like the way I am treated here. Finland used to be way more friendly to me.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
La Neta
Looking for an authentic Mexican experience in Stockholm? Head straight to La Neta. Don't even consider Taco Bar though to my taste their stuff is pretty good. It just won't be authentic. I am not the one to judge but my picky Mexican friends do not approve.
In case of La Neta they really did enjoy today. So did I. Owned and ran by Mexicans, this place is the closest to Mexico you can get here. Delicious tacos and quesadillas, authentic salsa and hot habanero sauce. You have to taste them! They will change the way you think about Mexican cuisine.
In case of La Neta they really did enjoy today. So did I. Owned and ran by Mexicans, this place is the closest to Mexico you can get here. Delicious tacos and quesadillas, authentic salsa and hot habanero sauce. You have to taste them! They will change the way you think about Mexican cuisine.
Cocaine
Saw a chick doing cocaine on the subway. She was squatting on the floor and the only thing she cared about is getting another dose. I’ve seen pretty disgusting stuff on Friday and Saturday nights after going out but this was way beyond regular puke every three meters. This is the side of Sweden I haven’t experienced yet.
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