Like mother, like daughter

Researchers have now find the truth behind the saying - Like mother, like daughter.

Experts found that the faces of mothers and daughters wrinkle and sagging in exactly the same "pattern" as they get older.

They scanned the faces of mothers and daughters and saw that the skin and soft tissues-especially around the eyes – showed the same pattern of wasting away and loss of elasticity.

The similarity becomes most apparent when the daughter reaches their mid-30s claimed the researchers who presented their findings at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons conference in Seattle, Washington.

Quite fascinating I think. According to the researchers it has do with the fact that a woman's face changes form from oval to square as the skin sags. But also of course it has to do with genes. If you mother started to get wrinkles early then you will most likely too. Also if you skinny and your skin slowly is starting to sag it will show more than if you're curvy. So I guess I should be happy then. Good genes (Thank you Mum!) and curvy which means for a woman in her late 30's (Eek!) I don't have that many wrinkles. Something to think about the next time I try on something that doesn't fit well...

The secret of a happy marriage

To most people having a happy marriages takes a lot of devotion, patience and true love. But to some statisticians there is more to it than that.

According to a study the couples with the best chance are those where a woman with a superior education marries a man who is five or more years older than herself. Neither should be a divorcee.

By comparison, a marriage where a woman partners an equally poorly educated male divorcee who is five or more years her junior is up to five times more likely to fail.

To me looking at those statistics it only shows one thing, Birds of a feather flock together. Either it's education or the lack of eduction. You chose something that's familiar to you and your background. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't... Somehow I stil do believe that love and respect for each other are the most important things for a happy marriage.

Two months till Christmas

And three months since my birthday. I really can't say I feel stressed that it's only two months left or happy, just very surprised over how fast time goes. Soon another year has passed. Again. So where does time go then? Maybe it is like my Gran used to say: The older you get the faster time goes. But I'm not old, am I?

Lot of philosophical questions this Sunday afternoon, I better go and back to my book and just let time pass on...

Oxford

Ever since I was a child have always wanted to go to Oxford. At some point I also dreamt about studying there, but since my academic career never turned out to be a very long one it never happened.

So finally last Saturday I decided to jump on the train and go to Oxford. I immediately feel in love with all the old colleges, cobblestone streets and the charm of a small city which have grown around their colleges. The term had just started so everywhere I went there was students wearing caps and gowns since there was some starting ceremony at Sheldonian Theatre. I couldn't believe how young there were, and then I realised that it's probably me getting old...

I was also able to visit Exeter College and Christ Church College, which were two very different colleges. Exeter small and right in the middle of everything and then Christ Church, the largest college of them all. Famous for its dining hall and church that actually is considered a cathedral. The porter at Christ Church made my day with saying that I looked like a student and charged me as one, i.e. nothing. Of course I also had to visit Blackwell's bookshop and stop by at one of Inspector Morse's favouite pubs next door.

Just being in Oxford for one day was almost too short so I'm very sure I'll go back again. There are plenty of other things to do and see and as usual the Anglophile in me wants to see it all.

Inherit the wind

Just wow! That's still all I can say after seeing Inherit the wind at the Old Vic last Thursday. I thought the ticket at £50 was rather expensive but now I know it was so totally worth it. The production was just phenomenal. In the end the performance by Kevin Spacey and David Troughton was so intense I got goosebumps, and people sitting on the balconies were standing up to be able to see what was going on.

I guess acting can't get any better than this and I'm so happy to been able to see what apparently is the talk of theatre London at the moment. It also made me think that I need to go to the theatre more often. Not musicals and stuff, but real theatre. Talk theatre, drama and acting at its best. To get blown away and think about the production for days afterwards. To feel some wow.

Home again

The last couple of days have just flown by and being home again feels almost unreal. It's so quiet here compared to the constant noise of a big city. It's also a lot colder and two of the three trees I have outside my kitchen window have gone completely yellow. I haven't been away that long, have I? Even though it feels so... A completely different world... Just 1½ hour flight. I will probably need a day a or two to get back into Swedish mode and sort all impressions and thoughts. Inherit the wind, Oxford, seeing old friends over curry and so many other things all have to go into the right boxes...

To London

Catching the early flight tomorrow to London. Business and pleasure as usual. Have to get up at 4:15 am. Ugh! But going to my favourite city in the world I can live with that. Ask me tomorrow night and I might have another opinion as I try to stay awake...

Besides the obvious shopping, catching up with friends and eating curry I have finally got tickets to the Old Vic and will see Kevin Spacey and David Troughton in Inherit the wind on Thursday night. There is also an exhibit at the V&A about Maharajas and the splendour of India's royal courts which I'm thinking about as well. I have a feeling it will be a couple of very busy days, but fun ones. Just like every time.

Dinner with Godparents

Growing up my Godparents were a big part of my life. Mum had been friends with them since she was 15 and she is also Godmother to both their daughters. Our families met more or less every or every other Friday night. The grown ups playing cards and putting money in a jar which were going to be used at our annual summer holiday. We kids watched TV, ate hot dogs and candy and eventually fell asleep on the sofa or in someone's bed.

Midsummer and New Year's Eve, the same thing. Always together and of course the two weeks every summer. Looking back it was a the best of times. Very happy and innocent time (the 70's and early 80's). After dad died we all grow apart. The adults were not two couples any more and we were becoming teenagers and starting to have our own lives.

We still met at big occasions such as birthday, graduations and so on and every time it felt like we hadn't been a part. We started talking right where we left off the last time even though it might been a year since the last time.

Yesterday we all met at Mum's for dinner and I realised walking over there that I hadn't seen my Godparents since I turned 30 which was quite some time ago (7 years to be exact). Then I almost cried when they surprisingly showed up. So yesterday when seeing them at the parking lot I choked up and felt such a joy and love that they have and still are part of my life.

The hours just went by and we all talked and talked. Old memories and stories of course, but also more serious things such as illness and that life isn't always fair. Today I can't stop smiling. Whenever I think about yesterday my heart fills with joy and I feel so happy and blessed. They will always be part of me and who I am.

Quote of the day

A couple of weeks ago I watched an interview with Jan Eliasson, former President of the United Nations General Assembly, former Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs and currently the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Darfur. In the interview he said something that went straight to my heart.

~ Live your life with passion and compassion ~

Yes, that is what life is all about. Passion and compassion.

I had the fortune to hear him speak at company event about a year and a half ago and afterwards say hello to him. A truly amazing person. Some people have an aurora or thing that make people around them feel special and inspired. Jan Eliasson is very much a person like that. I don't get impressed easily but he's one person I'm really impressed by. And inspired by.

Match point

I watched the film Match point on Sunday. A typical Woody Allen film contemplating the bigger things in life such as love, lust, deception and truth. As usual the the footage was fabulous. This time from London with views to die for.

Woody Allen films make you think and this one was no exception. Would you rather be lucky than good? A question asked in the beginning and in the end of the film. Would you? Because really, luck probably plays a bigger part in the events of our lives than we care to admit. Which refuting the comforting misconception that more of life is under our control than really is. It is all about luck, and which side the tennis ball lands on.

To feel beautiful

I found the blog RealDelia some time around Easter this year and every time I stop by I find interesting posts which makes me reflect on myself and adulthood. I mean, is this really what it was all about?!

In post earlier this week she talked about ways of feeling beautiful taken from Real Simple's August issue. 5 quite simple ways of feeling beautiful. My favourite is number 5 which makes me think about my father who embraced his quirks to the fullest and told me it just gives you character and individuality. Love your quirks.

1. Feel loved
Most of us know that someone – a sibling, a parent, a friend, a child – loves us unconditionally. Remind yourself of that.

2. Be active
It is all about the way in which staying active as we age makes us feel lively on the inside

3. Invest in your work and your kids
Work – especially writing – can be a way to simultaneously touch other people and discover more about yourself. Children do the same.

4. Drink A Glass Of Wine
In short, wine=freedom.

5. Embrace Your Quirks
Source of individuality, character and…yes, imperfection. Love it.

The wine flu

With the weekend soon coming up some of you might catch this - the common wine flu which has a tendency to occur on on Saturday and/or Sunday mornings... A friend of mine describes it like this:

I went to a dinner party last night, where I, and other guests, enjoyed copious amounts of alcohol.

I awoke this morning not feeling well, with what could be described as flu-like symptoms; headache, nausea, chills, sore eyes, etc

From the results of some initial testing, I have unfortunately tested positive for what experts are now calling Wine Flu.

This debilitating condition is very serious - and it appears this is not an isolated case.

Reports are flooding in from all around the neighbourhood of others diagnosed with Wine Flu.

To anyone that starts to exhibit the aforementioned tell-tale signs, experts are recommending a cup of tea and a bit of a lie down.

However, should your condition worsen, you should immediately hire a DVD and take some Nurofen (Nurofen seems to be the only drug available that has been proven to help combat this unusual type of flu). Others are reporting a McDonald's Happy Meal can also help in some cases.

Wine Flu does not need to be life threatening and, if treated early, can be eradicated within a 24-48 hour period.

If not, then further application of the original liquid in similar quantities to the original dose has been shown to do the trick.

I suffer from this so often, I never knew it was a real disease!

Cheers!