Monthly Archives: April 2011

Swedish Tax

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Every year Swedish people have to declare their income to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket). Many years ago this was a cumbersome task with a lot of time spent filling in small text fields on a printed report. The next step was to simplify it for those that did not have anything special to declare, which meant you could write a cross in a box on the report and sign it. Still it was paper based and you had to send it to the agency or drop it in a box at one of the agency’s officies.

Today you can do it from anywhere in the world. Either via a web browser like Safari, Chrome or Firefox (I guess you can do it from Internet Explorer too… If you are a looser ;-)). Or you can download the agency’s app for iPhone/iPod Touch or the equivalent for Android, and do your tax declaration from it. Simple! I did it today, and it was almost fun. But only almost 🙂

Sakura Report #8 or so

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Though I have implicitly promised to not report anything more about the cherry blossom (cf. Final Sakura Report and Final Final Sakura Report) I intend to break that promise here and now. And report yet another time about the phenomenon called sakura in Japan.

The cherry blossom is approaching its end for this year. At least here in Tokyo. You can notice that by what looks like snow in the streets or rivers, but are nothing but cherry blossom petals. Billions of them. If you are lucky you can catch one on your tongue as they fall from the sky (or maybe more accurately from the trees ;-)).



This particular day it was actually raining. Still people do find means to have the yearly hanami party during sakura. Like under a bridge over river Meguro, as in the picture to the right below.



So for all of you that are getting a bit tired of all the sakura reports. Fear no longer. This is most likely the last report. For this year. Maybe 😉

One Month

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It is now one month ago since the Tohoku 9.0 earthquake. It was honored with a silent minute at 2:46 pm today. Mother earth wanted to have a saying in it as well. And added quite a few after-quakes to the gozillions of after-quakes she has already provided.

I have to say, I am getting a bit tired of it. I am seriously considering to stop buying eco-friendly things. I cannot even start to imagine how the people living in the Tohoku area are feeling.

The biggest after-quake today was 7.1 and just outside Fukushima. On some 40 km depth.

Coco the Dog Meets a Friend

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Sometimes I wonder if Coco the dog is really a dog. First of all he does not like other dogs at all. He does anything in his power to get away from them. Second, he is very interested in cats. But not chasing them as other dogs.



Today Coco and were enjoying the nice weather both in the morning and in the afternoon. Both times we met the same cat. Both times Coco approach the cat and then sat down watching it from a few meters away. If I had not urged him to come with me I guess he’s been sitting there still. Watching the cat.