1954 Ockelbo car, based on Volvo P1900 parts.

Aston Martin DB2-4 Mark

Mercedes SL

De Tomaso Panthera GR4

Mercedes 600 Pullman

More pictures are available here.

via Chonsa

This post is dedicated to the Facebook groups Every time I go to IKEA I steal the little wooden pencils! and Vrem IKEA la Durlesti

The article is written after my first purchase at IKEA Stockholm, Kugens Kurva (biggest IKEA store in the world, kind of…they haven’t seen yet the Stejaurul factory outlet in Chişinău ).

IKEA is seen by many as the happiest place on Earth. I have even applied for a happy job in Älmhult (living room of Mr. Ingvar Kamprad). After being recruited as a supply planner and seeing my happy salary I have decided to leave immediately – I guess I am not mature enough to understand that happiness is not only about salary

IKEA is said to have been derived from I-Kill-Y(e)A due to the furniture’s ability to cause heart arrest in people who like popcorn. IKEA makes and sell flat-pack furniture but due to restrictions in the law in many nations are unable to deliver. Many people get around this by driving Volvo station wagons to IKEA and filling them to the brim with gaudy plastic tat made by Lars Larsson and Per Persson and as well Fredrick Fredricksson.

Three geeks getting excited over an IKEA catalog

Nevertheless what better way to spend Saturdays then by carrying a wardrobe through a car park or enjoying a meal of meatballs. IKEA is also a great place to spot the elusive argumentative couple, who can usually be found arguing over lamp shades and the right to bear arms. It has been proven beyond reasonable doubt that the reason for 50% of modern marriages ending in divorce is because those people try to go to IKEA together for a relaxing afternoon.

IKEA self-assembly furniture is made of balsa wood and comes with a small metal key. Instructions are usually of the standard “insert flange A into sprocket ZB-5001C” type. Unfortunately, the instructions are written in Japanese (not English or Swedish, contrary to popular belief), translated to Bulgarian, THEN Swedish, then German, Portuguese and finally Esperanto before being translated into English eaten by a grue. Fun stuff :).

Many Swedes have been banned from IKEA and taken to court for not returning the pencils that are given at the start to help fill in order forms. This created a new sport, which has not been officially named yet, where the participants run into IKEA and attempt to escape without either being caught or purchasing the popular KRAPP piece of furniture.

All of the items featured in IKEA are made with product specifications such as: they are 5 cm too big to fit into a car boot, they are missing at least one vital construction piece, the person who wrote the instructions thought it would be funny to include pictures of other instruction manuals.

IKEA was founded by the Swede Ingvar Kamprad, despite the chronic lack of style in design so typical of the Swedes. The only thing that mattered was supply chain management, namely persuading people to buy stuff directly from a warehouse.

Some tips about your shopping at IKEA:

# Having decided on which of the billions of items sold by IKEA it is that you wish to buy, you will need to visit your local store, which is probably at least 80 Swedish miles away -~800KM.

# Take a pair of binoculars with you, because your item will be on the top shelf of a 70 meters high metal rack.

# Once you have located it, spend another hour attempting to locate a member of staff. They will tell you that, very shortly, a man will come with a ladder and get it down for you. The man will never come :).

Some importants facts about IKEA:

# The royal residence of the Swedish king has only furniture from IKEA.

# Where else can you get meals for 15 SEK in Sweden (25 MLD)? At least at IKEA Korvkiosk.

# IKEA names the furniture after the child labourer who designed and constructed it.

# Apple is suing IKEA over the Apple iKea

Now I guess you are curious, what item I bought from IKEA :

p.s. I have some official videos from IKEA:

Från: Ion Ciorici [mailto:ion@minister.com]
Skickat: den 14 juni 2009 10:49
Till: Bokning HTL
Ämne:

Hello,

Thank you in advance for your kind answer,
Ion Ciorici.

The answers which I recived within the next 24 hours, were simply delicious:).

Dear Mr. Ciorici,
thank you for your email.
I think you mean Switzerland when you write of cows and Alps. We are in Sweden – the big, lovely country in northern Europe. We do not have violet cows, cheese or chocolate, but Stockholm is a beautiful city to spend the holidays. And the surroundings are beautiful too – with the archipelago and breathtaking scenery.
Please let us know if you are interested to come to Sweden and which date you would be interested to stay in Stockholm and we will send you an offer.
Best regards from Stockholm, SWEDEN

**********************

Dear Mr. Ciorici,
I think there is a littel mistake Stockholm is in Sweden not in Switzerland. Alltought we can offer you the room but we need the date of arrivial and departure.
For any questions we will be glad to assist you.
Kind regards!

**********************

Dear Ciorici,
Thank you very much for your inquiry and your interest shown in the Grand Hotel. In order to offer any rates I do need the exact dates due to our rates can change daily.
Concerning the supporting program I think you interchange the countries Sweden and Switzerland – we do have any Alps or Violet cows around.
Kind regards,

**********************

Dear Sir,
thank you for your kind E-Mail.
Before sending you an offer for your inquiry I would kindly let you know that the atraction – Alps and violet cows and normally the good chocolate – are in Switzerland.

Plese confirm that you have planed to visit Sweden in Northern Europe and not Switzerland.
Wishing you a nice day we beg to remain
With kind regards from Stockholm, Sweden (Northern Europe)

**********************

Dear Mr Ciorici
Thank you for your email.
We are sorry, but please check if you really like to stay with us. In Sweden there are no violet cows, there is no cheese and no Alps.
Please get back to us if you really like to stay in Stockholm and not in Switzerland.
Kind regards

**********************

Dear Mr. Ciorici!
If you like to come to Sweden and stay in our hotel we would be pleased to welcome you.
But if you like to see violet cows and Alps you have to travel a few thousand miles more, then you are in Switzerland (small rich country).
Switzerland = Central Europe (next to Germany, Italy, ..)
Sweden = Northern Europe (big country far away from US)
Best regards

Though the route is changed to accommodate various ports of call, the race typically departs Europe in September or October, and in recent years has had either 9 or 10 legs, with in-port races at many of the stopover cities. The current race started in Alicante, Spain, on October 11, 2008. The route for the 2008-2009 race has been altered from previous years to include stopovers in the Middle East and Asia for the first time. Below are the pictures from Stockholm stopover:

Why not joining the ARMY*? Army is cool and is like a big parade ! If you join the army and become a Scout Trooper, you get paid, you get a cool gun and of course you don’t pay tax!

You get free training, free food, free accommodation, and a free funeral (how encouraging) for the entire period of your service, and a military pension afterwards (if you don’t die).

You can then spend the rest of your life with two cats and talking about the huge sacrifice you made to your country. You also get to tell civilians that you know more than they possibly can about the complexities of defence policy. You can also make fun of the Navy because they are a bunch of pansies who have it so much easier than you, (because the Navy is for pansies)

So how about to become a Scout Trooper :

As you can I was trying to avoid taxes as well in Denmark and Norway

*The term ARMY is a backwards acronym for Yes. My. Retarded. Ass. or Aren’t Ready to be Marines Yet. This term ARMY is also known as the ASSKICKERS – a large collection of brave men (but not brave enough), women and others who defend any country from such hazards as “armies” which are evil organizations of trained killers which exist in foreign countries.

…or just go clubbing.

Going out in the evening Stockholm is a strange affair. There are about a hundred little rules one must be aware of in this image-fixated city.

First important thing to remember is this: you are how you present yourself. This goes for clubs in the bohemian part of town as well as chic Östermalm. How you present yourself dictates everything from how people on the street will size you up to how snooty the guy in the 7-Eleven store will treat you. Read on and you’ll get it.

Regarding transportation:

How you get to a club doesn’t always matter, as they’re often located in a district where there are clubs everywhere and people just walk between them throughout the night. Some clubs however require a certain something upon arrival. For example, pulling up to Spy Bar in a cab filled with 8 people just won’t fly. A VIP club like that has a (if arriving by taxi) 2-3 person limit per cab. Pulling up in a limo with 10 people on the other hand is fine.
This is of course taking the whole transportation bit to the extreme but you get the drift.

Regarding the doormen:

One thing to always remember is that the doormen at clubs seriously mean business in this town, and they have no self perspective whatsoever. This is where the humor part comes in. Always let them have their power-trip and laugh about it with your friends over drinks inside. Getting into clubs in Stockholm has pretty much become as tough as getting through New York airport security. So don’t be drunk, and if the doorman tells you you’re an idiot then just agree . He’s just looking for an excuse to keep you out from all the fun.

Also remember that a mean doorman doesn’t necessarily mean a fabulous party inside, which is what many people seem to think. It all comes down to what your goal for the evening is. In general, the meaner the doorman, the more scantly dressed women and men inside, and a relaxed doorman often means a relaxed atmosphere inside.

Another thing to avoid when it comes to doormen is name-dropping. Telling him you know the princess Magdalena or the King won’t get you inside any faster. Honestly, the likeliness of him even knowing who either of them are, are slim to none.

Regarding dresscodes and stuff:

Many places in town don’t have an official dresscode, but still refuse people entry when dressed improperly. This is of course far from fair but that’s the way it is. So here are a few things to keep in mind when dressing to go out on the town.

The south side, Södermalm, has the least pretensions when it comes to clothes. Sneakers, jeans and a t-shirt are considered OK even if they’re not plastered with brand names like Gucci, Prada or D&G.
If you ask anybody if they’ve spent any time at all in front of the mirror preparing their ensemble they’ll lie and tell you of course not, but that’s part of the Stockholm charm!

The east side, Östermalm, with the chic uppety clubs takes clothes to another level. Sneakers will probably get you stopped at the door, so wear something a bit fancier. Same goes for jeans if they’re not fancy label material.
The bottom line is basically that the party clubs are meant to be enjoyed by nicely dressed people with a nicely filled wallet, and the bohemian clubs are a bit cheaper and more relaxed and people dress as such.

Regarding ordering drinks and tipping:

When you’ve finally made it through the hassle of actually getting into the club the next obstacle appears, namely ordering drinks. Basically waving money or yelling at the bartender will be ignored by bartender until you stop. Just standing around, looking politely at the closest bartender will get you the best service. If you’ve got the confidence, a little flirting can get you a long way also.

Tipping isn’t a necessity but it might get you a couple shots at a cheaper price later in the evening. Another thing to keep in mind is that coins in general are frowned upon, so keep the bills at hand. If you do receive a couple coins as change when buying a drink then just leave them at the bar. Scrambling for öre is considered pretty cheap.

Stockholm flirtation etiquette :

So you’ve gotten in, you’ve got your drink, the music is great but now what? Everybody wants some love so here are few tips to keep in mind when venturing into the jungle of Picking Someone Up.

The rules of flirtation are pretty universal. Start by scoping out the potential victim and see if the eye contact seems to be of the appreciative or the “leave me alone” variety before heading over for a chat. If appreciation is sensed then step two is in order. Step two consists of starting up some easy conversation, and NOT over-the-top compliments . The person already knows you’re attracted to them, so save the massive compliments for when you’ve at least spent a few moments together.

After that you’re on your own. Either you’ve got it in the bag or you’ll be left with your drink alone on the dance floor. Keep in mind that buying somebody a drink in Stockholm doesn’t mean a thing to most people. Some people will politely decline so as not to give the wrong impression, but most will take the drink, say thanks and then hook back up with their friends in 2 seconds if they’re not interested.

When the party’s over:

MAAAAAAAX –

photo by Sanna Samuelsson

Now go out, have fun and be safe, because Stockholm is a great town to party in.

Photos by me ©

Photos by bb ©

To manage to find an apartment in Stockholm, convince the owner that you are the right person, convince the owner of the whole building, convince the district, where the apartment is located is not an easy thing – it is like you are trying to convince the nation that you are the right president.

First let me start out by saying that this article is not designed to be critical . One thing above all should be stressed: There is an acute shortage of rental accommodation not only in Stockholm, but in every Swedish city.

An article written by a Swede in Stockholm describes that “moving every month, living illegally, and paying double the actual rent” is normal in Sweden in order to have somewhere to live.

Sweden’s rarely mentioned dark underbelly is the rental property market where large sums of cash change hands daily in exchange for rental contracts.
Housing shortages are caused by three factors:

A. Rental levels and rent increases are tightly controlled

B. The rent for an apartment is based on it’s ‘use‘ above all else and not it’s location. The word ‘Use’ in this context can usually be interpreted as the apartment’s size. So an apartment will probably cost the same to rent whether it’s in central Stockholm or a 1000 kms away in the middle of nowhere.
Rents do tend to be slightly higher however for recently built or renovated apartments. The Swedish rental system gives little benefit to those that choose to rent in the countryside.

C. Renting can often be cheaper than buying an apartment.

As you may know I have decided to remain in Sweden because of the new job. When I started looking for a flat I got an uneasy feeling because I had a problem finding anything. I looked on the all possible web pages, local paper’s and there was nothing.

Anyway an excellent free website to find something to rent anywhere in Sweden or to just look at costs is Blocket. I also want to add that finding a short term rental of a couple of months with a second-hand contract is not that difficult, it’s long term rentals that are the problem.

Basically in Sweden there are two forms of rental contract. A first hand contract which the tenant takes out directly with the owner of the property gives the tenant a high level of security. They can be fairly sure that they can continue to live in the property. But first hand contracts are scarce because apartments in many cities are scarce.

The second hand contract however is basically a sublet by someone who has a first hand contract and doesn’t want to loose it. Maybe there are going away on holiday, maybe they are working somewhere else for a while but often they are moving with no intention of ever coming back. You come across Swedes all the time who will tell you about some first hand contract they have on the other side of the country for an apartment they haven’t seen in years and which they have no intention of giving it up because…. well they are hard to get aren’t they! And only the clinically insane would relinquish a first hand contract in Stockholm (without a substantial cash payment that is).
A first hand contract in a desirable location is so hard to get, people will make an illegal under the table payment to get them ranging from 10,000SEK to much much more. In Stockholm it might cost 150,000SEK in black money to get a central one room apartment. On Blocket.se you find grainy digital pictures of unremarkable washing machines and the blunt question: ‘who will give me 30,000sek for my washing machine?’. Welcome to Sweden’s massive black economy .

One of the fastest way to find an apartment is just to post on blocket.se a short info about yourself, something like “Nice tall Moldavian seeks apartment…..everything of interest”. You can get lot of calls and rental proposals.
If you don’t choose this way, you can just keep sending your CV and picture and try to convince.

Another strange thing that happened was that I was rung up by a small property company who wanted to offer me a first hand contract. They checked me out and seemed happy and invited me to view the property. What I didn’t know is that I was invited along with about 20 other people. It was an annoying waste of time and illustrated how property companies feel they can create a ‘beauty contest’ out of unwitting participants.

So in conclusion my advice on renting an apartment in Stockholm is:

* Put an ad in the paper and see what comes up. You might get lucky.
* Don’t live in Stockholm unless you’ve got a really good salary and a lot of patience.
* If you have the right contacts in a property company, apartments can appear out of thin air.
* If you’ve got the money and plan to stay awhile then buy don’t rent.
* If you are offered any first hand contract, take it, it’s a bargaining chip.

After 3 months of unsuccessful apartment search my employer helped by contacting a real estate company. In the end they also find an interesting add on blocket.se. The employer really did a great job by convincing the owner of the apartment that Moldavians are nice guys and they don’t keep guns at home .

If you are so curious, the apartment is located in a very cosy area – Aspudden – just 10 minutes from the city center.
Some pictures:

Guests are welcomed anytime

Below you’ll find some pictures with the castles/palaces owned by the Swedish royal family and believe me you won’t find inside any IKEA decoration .

Drottningholm Palace

The Drottningholm Palace is on UNESCO´s World Heritage list. It is the most well-preserved royal castle built in the 1600s in Sweden and at the same time is representative of all European architecture for the period. The Palace is also the present Royal Family’s permanent residence. The rooms in the southern wing of the palace are reserved for this purpose. The rest of the palace and grounds are open to the public year round.

Gripsholm Castle

Gripsholm is known as Gustav Vasa’s castle, since he decided to build the castle.

At Gripsholm you can take a royal stroll around the romantic castle grounds or meet the royal deer at the Hjorthagen nature reserve. Gripsholm Castle is also home to the oldest national portrait gallery in the world. It is also one of the largest, with around 4500 pieces, primarily oil paintings. The earliest portraits date from the late 15th century and the collection includes contemporary works.

Despite these nicely decorated locations, in Sweden there other nice destination like Vaxholm. Vaxholm is, despite its small population, for historical reasons normally still referred to as a city. According to Statistics Sweden, however, only localities with more than 10,000 inhabitants are counted as cities. The name Vaxholm comes from Vaxholm Castle, which was constructed for defense purposes, by King Gustav Vasa.

Time is passing by so fast that we don’t even realize how fast the seasons are changing, I still have the feeling that the university started yesterday:

The semester ended with the final presentation of the business project. The business project is an obligatory part of the CEMS MIM curriculum and is supposed to be a real life learning experience for students. Basically student teams solve a real business problem as a one-semester part-time activity tutored by the company and a professor in parallel. The project results are evaluated by an academic and corporate supervisors. Sounds quite easy, but when you have an academic supervisor like ******** P.O. it is just intolerable. For example in the official curriculum of the CEMS organization is said the we need to write a report of about 10-12 pages, but Sweden would be all the time an exception, and is better to write a report for at least 50 pages…never mind, the most important thing it was a great opportunity to meet new people, make friends, was really a very pleasant team to work with – I guess this is the most important factor when you do a project like this.

Now on the queue is Storkolm or Stockholm, which is probably the biggest city in Sweden, but nobody really knows. Over the years, it has garnered a reputation for its edibility, and the most famous kebab district.

Quite strange was how Swedish people celebrated their National day on 6th of June. Of course this holiday was celebrated only by Central part of Sweden, since those from North part consider themselves as part Antarctica and those from South consider themselves as part of Greenland. The first thing you notice during a national holiday in Sweden is the Americanized style of celebrating and the immense amount of flags with the similar colours of the Ukrainian flag.

I though Sweden is really a cold country with could people who don’t know how to celebrate an event and stay at home during the National holiday and watch some ABBA clips – wrong, very wrong. They really know how to celebrate their independence and it seems that their laws are not so rigorous:

Since it was very hot outside some sweet Swedes went to the woods to solve some family duties far away from paparazzi lenses, but of course they didn’t forget about the most important thing (Swedish flag):

Some of them decided for a romantic dinner or just went out for a beer with best friends :

…or just for a glass of selected wine : (please notice the Lidl shopping bag – again celebrating in the spirit of national colours)

Anyway it was a lovely day and even bears around enjoyed it: