This thread is LONG overdue...what I HATE about travelling...

Mo:

We´re off to London today. Leaving the house in 1h, so probably should pack?





The best thing with travelling is actually being in the new place. The worst thing is the travelling.

What I hate the most is the airport security control.

WHAT A SCAM AND TOTAL BULLSHIT!

They make up rules about "security" which are just laughable. Like the liquid rule-or the lap top-crap, I mean,

what on earth can you REALLY detect from staring at an open laptop, turning it upside down and frowning your forehead???

Or what about having to take your shoes off because some idiot tried to smuggle explosives in his trainers??? And I absolutely LOVE the fact that after you have walked through the detection bars, in your bare socks (feeling like a 5-year old), they still have the stomach to scan off the soles of your feet?????? What the hell is that all about?

I´m sick and tired off being felt up by (Hello, exactely how dangerous can my breasts be??? Obviously LETHAL) different power-hungry and sad "översittartyper" (read Airport-Gestapo) at different airports around the world.

And I know, what some readers will think now: "ohhh, but it´s all good...all these terrorist attacks and don´t we all want to be safe?...etc etc etc". Yes. There needs to be some airport security control - check for guns, drugs, knives, machétes, etc.

But get a grip when it comes to the rest. If someone REALLY wants to blow something up, they won´t attach a big red sticker on the bottom of their laptop saying "explosives" or glue a bomb to the soles of their feet!

Get real and slope the liquid rule, the laptop rule and the laughable shoe rule, Airport Security do not even apply the SAME rules to different airports within the EU!...ehhh, let´s just say that this fact makes it very difficult to take you guys seriously....

Easiest way of losing 2.500SEK...and not even getting a pair of shoes!

Mo:

2 yoga classes this morning.
First one at 7am at Hagabadet and second one at 9am at Gymnasium, Sisjön. A lovely start of the day. Hooked up for breakfast with some wonderful people who used to take my classes when I was still at Badet. Nice.

I thought that maybe it would be quiet this week, being the Autumn break and all, but no.... the 9am class was really packed out...

Went home to work for a few hours and had lunch with a friend of mine, M, who is opening a new restaurant in a couple of weeks. He was actually supposed to be opened by now, but due to unreliable handy-men, the whole project is more than 1 1/2months overdue. He was pulling his hair out and looked quite stressed and tired. What´s with that? WHY is it so difficult to find great tradesmen/women when it comes to the building trade? Will that change now, as times becomes tougher? One could certainly hope so.
It´s just as hard finding a good carpenter as it is finding a good doctor these days (ie virtually impossible...).

By the way, Sterling Airways went bust this morning.

Bye, bye return tickets to ROME next May worth 2.500SEK...


If I look at it soberly, there went my extra 2 pairs of London shoes in an instant....
(....hmmmm.....unless I find something in the sale???...)

2 more classes tonight. 60min spinning (interval) & 45min Kettlebell. Oh, yeah!

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Bye bye Diamond Touch....

Mo:

I gave up in the end.

This morning it went out on "Blocket" and in 30 minutes the lucky buyer will come and pick it up (the first caller got through less than an hour of the ad going live...).

Bye, bye beautiful HTC Diamond Touch. It was fun whilst it lasted, but you were far too unpractical for me...

This must mean I can afford at least 2 extra pairs of shoes in London, mustn´t it????

Talking of which... I SOOO wanted to wear my black GUCCI ankle boots today, but with my retro NIKE-outfit, I´m afraid it was comfort over glamour yet another day!!! Explanation (but NOT a valid excuse): I overslept this morning and had to rush out the door...

Tomorrow is another day....

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Tuesday in London

Just had some delicious breakfast, painted my toe nails DARK RED :) And the cleaning lady arrived!

Next mission is to teach a 90min class here in Southfields, an intermidiate group of lovelly yoginis!
After that I'll take a brisk 45min (love the word Brisk, so English : ) walk down to the Bikram Yoga. 90min of Hot Hot Hot asana, a sweet cold shower and then I am on the tube to Nothing Hill Gate. There I'll have lunch with a beautiful yogi (perhaps the ELECTRIC, love that place). Some walking and shopping in that amazing area before my next class at Jivamukti with CAT (a wicked teacher from New York, grrr).

Hope I'll have time to stop by Whoole Foods after the class before I take the tube back to Southfields in time to teach my second class that finnishes at 9pm.

So there you have it, just another full on day in LONDON!

Hope you'll have a MAGNIFICANT Day

LOVE jo

Tomorrow is a HIGH HEELS day

Mo:

Ok, so today wasn´t a normal Monday...
First of all, I tried to have a lie in this morning, but woke up at 8am, bright and awake.
The sun was shining, so I went out for a run.

Actually, my legs felt fine, but my breathing was heavy...

Had lunch at my favourite lunch place Picadeli. Enough food to last a Monday full of training.
Worked out with my PT at 15.45



and taught Spinning+kettlebell straight after. Just enough time to go home, pick up my yoga mat and leave for Hagabadet, where I subbed JoJo´s evening yoga.

All in all, a day of training and training gear. Tomorrow needs to be a day of glamour to make some kind of balance... High heels, ahoy! :)

By the way, got an email from our lovely, lovely Jo today. She has it sorted for my visit in London and I think I´ll be doing both Pilates, dance, shopping and a hell of a lot of fika in the big city when I arrive! YES. Just a weekend in my taste!

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Hahahahaha

Rang my brother in stress:

What am I suppose to change the clock to tonight??

Him: eh, what do you mean?

Me: Well, aren't we supposed to change the time back or forth?

Him: Well, that was yesterday

Me: Ohhhh..............., Thanks, Good Night!

(Thank God for Iphone :)

Sweet Dreams Jo

Ps Did you turn the clock?

Wacko

MO:

How normal is it to write someone the following message on Facebook, saying: (headline) "Do you know me?" followed by:

"My name is xxxx xxx and my surname used to be xxxxx. If you are the one I´m looking for , we met in the US and used to sing Swedish songs for a Swedish audience. That cannot be you in the photograph, can it?
Regards xxxxx"

Ehh, no. You so seriously got the wrong person. Which you most probably already knew, didn´t you? How do you explain the "...that cannot be you in the photograph, can it?..."-comment otherwise???

Weird.

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Warning: "I will tell you the truth"

So my BIKRAM Journey has begun!

Today is my third class in a row and I am actually excited about it J

I long for the heat and the 90min of strict asanas that I have now come to know (kinda, still don’t get how that man could have been practicing 30 days in a row and still suck like that?!).

The BIKRAM Yoga is in Fulham, a 45min brisk walk from where I live, I like that as well. After the bikram class I take the tube in to London and OMG! It’s just too much. I can’t handle it all. Those of you who know me know that I hate missing out on things. I would rather run around (some en skallad ratta) then miss out on a class, an exhibition, a shop or an event! And the problem is that London is jut TO BIG for little me.

However I have made some progress:

1. The first Bikram Class I was thinking that NO, am I not going to push myself 150% at the first class, so that I feel sick to my stomach, NO I am going to ENJOY it J (Even though Bikram says: Doing anything 99% right really means doing it 100% wrong!). The teacher was really nice and gave some great tips!
2. Later that same day I went to DANCEWORKS to take a few classes (still a bit exhausted from the bikram I started with a lovely Afro Contemporary 90min class. The teacher was lovely, a black puma and the class were great, still there were only about 6 or 8 of us there. After the Afro my plan was to do a 90min Stretch for Dance class (being a bit tired by now, 99% of me wanted to skip it, but the Hard-Headed Jo decided that I don’t have many days in London so Sharpen up missies!). Half way into the class I decided to LEAVE (very mature of me, another sign of my progress). The class sucked! A black gorgeous hard ass male was screaming at us to keep the rhythm, go on, go on, whilst we were forced to do stupid aerobics a la 80 exercises for forever! And believe it or not the class was packed??! It is so unfair, this business…..
3. Today I took SOVMORGON (even though I’m in London, every minute in bed= missing out on the city!)

Even though Bikram wouldn’t be proud, I am

Things I LOOOVE that I have occupied myself with the last few days:

v Teaching YOGA

v SHUE UEMURA Shopping (the BEST makeup, hair, facial stuff in THE WORLD)

v WHOOLE FOODS (OMG! I would be ruined if they came to Sweden!)

v HARVEY NICHOLS, Harrods is so 90ies

v LIBERTY

v WALKING everywhere, I love it

v Sitting reading with a coffee in Nothing Hill

v Victoria and Albert

v TATE MODERN

v Borough Market

So now I am off down to Old Village Wimbledon to have a coffee and some scone before the Bikram class (Bikram says that you can eat ANYTHING when you do yoga, as long as you don’t tattoo yourself, cause your body is not yours, it is GODS, hmm?!, oh well TO LATE J

CIAO Jo

Are you Monika Björn???

Mo:

I was booked to do a continuing education in Ljungby today.

I left Älmhult around 8am to arrive in Ljungby by 9am (decided that there might be far too many elks just waiting to jump out in front of my car, so better safe than sorry and drive legally for once...).

The center had sent me a great map to follow and it was fairly easy to find the way. After I had parked the car, I brought all my luggage with me inside. There was a lot of people running around with children´s clothes, toys etc, and I spotted a big sign saying "Carboot Sale - Saturday 25 October". There was no one in the reception area, so I walked into the main studio. Lots of tables, stuff and people, but no familiar faces around. (Not that I had ever met the woman who had booked me...).

I walk back out to the reception area and hear someone calling my name: "Monika??"

As I turn around, I see a blond woman approaching me with a friendly face.

"Are you Monika Björn???"

It struck me as a very strange thing to say to someone whom you have booked for a full day to train your trainers....

"I saw you in there, and I thought to myself: Isn´t that Monika Björn?" the woman continues.

"Yes, it´s me..."

"WHAT are you doing here?" (not said in an unfriendly manner, just in sheer curiosity...)

???
"Ehhhhh... I thought I was working here today?...." I desperately look around. I see the club´s logo... it seems to be the right place?...and then I see the address...It is NOT the right place! What is the likelihood of that? I´m in the deepest forest of Småland and there are two places with almost identical names just next door to each other????

"You´re probably going across the street" the woman smiles and points to the building just opposite where we are.

There I see the right logo.

"I would love to book you another time for us!...and our 3 instructors who went to Millennium 2 weeks ago were SOOOOO pleased and inspired!!!!"

A different start of the day, but oh, so funny!

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Siberia - Småland

Mo:

Sibiria - Småland.

Traveling to the depths of Sweden´s forests seems like an easy task after a week in Russia. :)

Found the following photographs on JB´s webpage:

Order in the classroom!....

JB playing air guitar with my leg...

Album of the month I

Mo:

"Tell him" by Stephanie McKay

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Album of the month II

Mo:

If you´re looking for two CDs to buy this month, make sure it is "The Way you love me" by Marc Evans and Stephanie McKay´s "Tell it like it is"...







Thanks Per, for introducing me to Mr.Evans and Ms.McKay...

Marc Evan´s "Underneath the crescent moon" is the best song I´ve heard for ages...

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All go

Mo:

Have been home for 48hrs and it feels great!

Tomorrow morning I have breakfast with Febs and then I´m holding a 75min lecture for 40 people from HSB. I´ve been stressed out for a week in Russia, so I decided to feel relaxed about tomorrow´s presentation - and - so far, so good.

On Friday I´m off to Småland, to work in Ljungby on Saturday. Sunday we´ll leave after breakfast to hit Daisy´s name giving-party at 14.00.

And although it´s still all go, it feels quite relaxed in comparison to last week´s havoc. :)

Next week, I´m subbing 2 classes, Monday & Wednesday for JO at Hagabadet, and next weekend I´ll be at the Yoga Show in London. P is holding 2 presentations,"Yoga & injuries-lecture" + "Yoga & injuries-workshop". I´ll be taking classes, shopping and hanging out with Katy Appleton & JO.
Planning to have some time at the Burberry outlet as well. (P doesn´t know yet, but that´s the plan for Sunday...)

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Yoga + Competition

Well DARLINGS!

I'm in london now and I'm thinking of joining a BIKRAM Studio (Hot Hot yoga). They have a challange, 30days non stop Bikram! I remember taking a bikram class here last year and at the end of the class the teacher announces: And a big congrat to MARK who just completed the 30 Day Challange (meaning he had been doing 90min of HOT hard yoga EVERYDAY for 30 days!) All I could think was: Oh my GOD, 30 days and thats the BEST he could do!!?! (Mind, the sequence is THE SAME, always!!)

Well perhaps it is my turn, to step up for the callange? Was thinking of starting today but... I got stuck reading, so I'll start tomorrow! U can follow my challange here on MOJO!

Wish me Luck :)

Love Jo

World Wide Traveller

Well, I thought so….

After some quality time with my family in Skane:

$ playing ROCKBAND with my brother
$ cooking, grocery shopping with my mom
$ baggage lucke loppis in lund with the world’s BEST grandmother, and mom off course!
$ THE worlds best pedicure (there is a piece of glass left in my foot from having a bit too much fun this summer, ask TONI J)
$ Wonderful late night dinners and tea in front of the TV with my family (including two cats and one dog)

I was off to LONDON to run APPLEYOGA! The business of the amazing KATY APPLETON

Took the train to Copenhagen airport, all set to check in when the attendant asks for my passport, I can’t find it. But hey I have my Swedish EU drivers license, that works J the answer I get is that GB is NOT part of the EU! What?! Come aging…. Off course they are! Well, well some schengen stuff… the final answerer is that they WON’T let me on the flight!!!

It is 930am, I am supposed to teach 2 big classes in London at 630pm… and more classes the day after.

I can only start to imagine what I would be like without my yoga and meditation…

This is what I HAD TO do:

$ Store my luggage (50DK)
$ Take the train back to MALMO (200sek)
$ Walk to the POLICE STATION in Malmo
$ Sit and wait to get a temporary passport (980sek)
$ Take the train back to Copenhagen (200sek)
$ Buy a NEW ticket to LONDON (2000DK)
$ Have to sit and wait until 8pm for my flight (let me tell you, airports do NOT have good FENG SHUI!)

Arrive in Southfields where I stay in Katy’s wonderful appt. at around 1am… what a day!

So there you have it… If I cried?! No, but I really felt like it at times! So if you saw a HARD HEADED short hair blond walking with brisk steps and a mad as killer focus around malmo and Copenhagen yesterday, it was most likely ME!

Off to teach a class now, jihaaaa!

See u soon

LOVE Jo

Novosibirsk I.T.S convention - Tony Stone

Mo:

It took 17hours to get home. 3 flight changes & 3 time zones later I arrived in Landvetter airport last night at 17.30. What a trip it has been! Jeez.
You know, I swore to never go back after the first 4 days....Again, never say never. The feedback after my five (!) yoga classes was great and the people were so happy... Maybe I just need to sleep on it. For a year or so.
Thanks Sergey for driving all the way out to Domododevo with my heart rate monitors! I hope you enjoyed the breakfast. :)






See photos added to the Russia-threads below...

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