New blogg!

I will be switching to a new website for my blogging and focus more on my music.

http://siljestam.blogspot.com/

I have also started sending out emails so if you want to receive them, subscribe with this link: http://eepurl.com/mONgT

Sommar sommar sommar!

Har hittat en bra sida med mycket svensk musik, sommar och vinter!
http://banken.musikattminnas.se/Text-med-ackord.htm

Subscribe to get Siljestam Music updates!

<!-- Begin MailChimp Signup Form -->
<link href="http://cdn-images.mailchimp.com/embedcode/slim-081711.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
<style type="text/css">
#mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; }
/* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block.
We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */
</style>
<div id="mc_embed_signup">
<form action="http://ubetoo.us5.list-manage1.com/subscribe/post?u=dd2c2735e6b4490ccb010dd85&amp;id=1aea4efa72" method="post" id="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" name="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" target="_blank">
<label for="mce-EMAIL">Subscribe to our mailing list</label>
<input type="email" value="" name="EMAIL" id="mce-EMAIL" placeholder="email address" required>
<div><input type="submit" value="Subscribe" name="subscribe" id="mc-embedded-subscribe"></div>
</form>
</div>
<!--End mc_embed_signup--
I've been uploading some of my music online at www.ubetoo.com/siljestam
If you want to subscribe to an email list to get updates, click the link below and enter your email!
http://eepurl.com/mONgT
My most recent song is called "Praise" and has uplifting lyrics about all the good things in my life.
I've also uploaded my Valedictory speech from Maharishi University of Management May 2012.

Stay tuned!

Love

For now we see a blurry reflection in water,
but then we will see face to face.
Now I know in part,
but then I will know fully,
just as I am fully known.

Graduating

So, it's been a while since I last wrote here...
I'm graduating on December with my Bachelor's Degree in Business at MUM and will start with my Master's degree in Business Administration with a speciality in Sustainability. I will be doing my Master's studies as an internship where I work daytime and study evenings and weekends, more specificially 28.5 hours of work per week and 9 hours of studies, diveded half and half in classtime and homework.
The internship position I will get will be to work with the endowment fund that the university is currently in the process of raising. I'm excited about this, since I like working with important tasks!
I just finished a class in marketing and this coming month I will be taking a class called "Jazz Ensemble" which I'm really looking forward to! I love music and to be studing music full time for a month is going to be very fulfilling. After that I will go back to Sweden for Christmas and finally get to see my family and all my childhood friends again. Less than a month until then!

Swedes in Fairfield!

Today I met a woman with Swedish ancestry whose family celebrates some Swedish holidays so that was nice to connect!

Music!

Dear readers,
I have written, composed and recorded acoustic, heartfelt music that is available to listen to online.
I'd be happy if you would like to listen to my art and enjoy what I have created!

On my own - http://www.ubetoo.com/silyestam/33924
On my own (with lyrics) - http://www.ubetoo.com/silyestam/33923
It's not a Fairytale - http://www.ubetoo.com/silyestam/43486
Vinterkänslor - http://www.ubetoo.com/silyestam/43487

Within a boy (Story) - http://www.ubetoo.com/silyestam/49548
Erosion (Story) - http://www.ubetoo.com/silyestam/49508

My profile page - http://www.ubetoo.com/siljestam
My facebook fan page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Silyestam/222268027797177

Please spread this to all your friends as well!

Nya sommarplaner

Hej kära läsare,
'
Som ni vet hade jag planer på att åka till Sverige över sommarlovet, men det har nu ändrats.
Jag och Julee har bestämt oss för att låta bygga ett hus i Vedic City och det är något jag vill kunna fokusera min fulla uppmärksamhet på, så kommer stanna i USA och se till att mitt hem här blir så bra som möjligt.
'
Det ska bli kul att bli en del av Vedic City eftersom det är den enda av sitt slag och det är ett väldigt ungt samhälle som startades för 10 år sen så det finns gott om plats att delta i utformandet!

Erosion

He was Earth, presumably stable, nurturing and full of life. This was not the case. Earth was loose, vulnerable and barren. At the whims of others, a gust of beauty would blow him away and a downpour of trouble would wash off the rich soil he carefully accumulated. Still, he was true to his nature and always acted on it. That is, when others weren’t stampeding him with demands, unsettling the very particles of his being into a cloud, obscuring his vision.

Being loose and barren, Earth didn’t form many deep attachments. He would swirl around, sometimes settle down for a while and bring some stability and nutrition, only to realize he wasn’t anchored. Wounded, he would move along. What he was looking for, he didn’t know, but he had a feeling he would know once he found it. Truth is, he was completely oblivious when it happened.

One day, much like any other, Earth saw something floating in the air. He wasn’t very concerned about it; he had seen many things floating in the air before without them significantly impacting his life. This was something small, but beautiful and charged. As he observed the small thing, he realized it was charged with life. “So it is not just a something, but a someone,” thought Earth. Getting closer, this someone was being tossed left and right, up and down, by the currents of the wind. Sometimes landing at a place only to be lifted up once more, tumbling around here and there. After some observation, Earth thought he knew the pattern of this someone’s existence. He was in for a surprise.

She was Seed, presumably creative, expansive and full of life. This was the case, kind of. Seed had been travelling a long, long way from her Creator and always used her creativity to find a way for her to expand to her full potential. Still, something always stopped her. Others would expected her to stay small, hard and full of nutrition and sometimes consume all that potential for growth before it even got a chance to be realized. They would be intimidated by all the sudden expansion, that she no longer was who she used to be, taking more space each passing moment.

As Seed was drifting around in a stream of water, the flow took her next to Earth. She felt that maybe Earth could be a good place to land, at least for a while. Trusting her intuition, she asked Earth if she could stay with him. Earth thought it could be a good thing; he enjoyed company of others. So it came to be that Seed and Earth joined together, neither of them realizing what the future held in store.

When Seed settled into Earth, he gave her stability and nutrition, something that Seed soaked up gratefully. At first, Earth noticed nothing in particular happening, which he was accustomed to. Subtly though, Seed started sprouting tiny strands of roots. In the meantime, she gave creativity and expansion to Earth, inspiring him with ideas and courage. They grew closer to each other and Seed continued to expand more and more into the life of Earth, to his great joy. Her roots grew and without knowing it, Earth was anchored for the first time in his life.

Eventually, rain poured down but Earth wasn’t completely washed away this time, although it took some time to rebuild himself. At first, he didn’t realize why. Then a strong gust of wind came blowing, but this time it didn’t affect him at all. He understood now, all this erosion that made him barren, vulnerable and loose was prevented by the steady roots of Seed that anchored themselves around the core of his very being. No longer was he at the mercy of others.

He is Earth, now stable and nurturing. She is Seed, now creative and expanding. Together they are truly full of life, on a path of abundance. What will grow of their union only the future will tell, but one thing is for sure: both of them will be ready to truly overflow with love for their surroundings.


Personal Essay

Within a boy


My lungs fill themselves with air and I feel blood rushing to rejuvenate itself with the fresh oxygen. My heartbeats are somewhat unsteady and faster than usual. I worriedly observe my watch once more, as if knowing that three more minutes dragged along will end this vigil swifter. My knees lose their faith in the worthiness of keeping my body upright and in response my now trembling hand clutches the cold and dirty steel railing next to me. I remain on my feet in a slightly crooked pose, looking like an old man. Anxiously, I grasp for air and with a surge in my body a current of emotions start to flow. Doubt rushes up my spine and agonizes my mind with thoughts that overpower any shred of hope left within.

I search my environment desperately. People hurry to wherever they are going, their narrow vision anchors itself at a distant goal so that they won’t have to recognize the presence of other human beings around them. With gloomy clouds, the sky obfuscates any merry influence the sun could have which dulls the already grey city and the few colors it has. Everything around me screams for my money, lures with the assertion of fulfilling my desires and threatens with the hollowness I will feel if I don’t cover it up with their artificial stimulants.

I tell myself that she is going to come and decide to wait longer. To confirm that the promised time already has passed, I hauntingly dig my eyes into the watch once more. My eyes catch a glance of my fingers and I realize they turned purple from the damp chill of a spring that yet has to allow a single flower to blossom. The vehement fumes from the blustering traffic reach my nose and I wish we’d chosen another rendezvous. Maybe at a cafe with smells of freshly ground coffee, sofas to sink into and playing the kind of music that will make you want to stay there and order dessert to savor with your cup of hot chocolate.

Lost in my own world, my body twitches when vibrations in my pocket indicates I’ve received a text message. Without really knowing what to feel or expect, I pick up my phone and see that it’s from her. She missed the train and will be about half an hour late, it says, and part of me feels relieved. She is still on her way. I look around, this time with a sliver of hope again present, and decide to head over to a nearby cafe. What I find is more of a generic coffee shop, but I don’t have much time to be looking for a cozier place. I decide to order some hot chocolate, but I skip the dessert since the ambiance isn’t exactly what I was looking for.

As I look for a table to sit by, I see, except for the nice but somewhat bored barista, an old woman reading a newspaper. She looks unusual and has a vibrancy not often found in people her age. Her eyes meet mine and feeling compelled to say something, I greet her and turn toward an empty table. Her voice confounds me as she asks if I can help her read some of the smaller text in the paper, since she forgot her reading glasses. I should feel slightly annoyed, since I was looking forward to have a moment to recharge my confidence before the girl arrives, but instead I just sit next to her with my hot chocolate and start reading the passage. It’s about indigenous people struggling to keep their traditions alive and although I’m not aware of it, something within me shifts.

We end up talking in a timeless manner. She entrusts me with her purpose in life which is to preserve the knowledge of her indigenous culture passed by her father onto her. She didn’t realize this until she had a car accident in her midlife. Then it became evident that if she had died, all that spiritual and natural knowledge would have been lost forever. Moved by her words, I uncover seeds of desires for my life, which to my superficial surprise and deep satisfaction revolve around much more than just a girl. Realizing the potential depth of my path in life and the dedication needed to walk it, I tell her about various things all carrying the same essence: fulfillment of human existence.

Time subtly intrudes this sacred space as I realize half an hour already passed. My lungs fill themselves with air and something even subtler, connecting me with unseen filaments of wisdom. My heartbeats are emanating life, pure and strong. Standing up, I feel my feet connecting to the core of the planet and an ageless immortality assures me that whatever may come, it all has its purpose. Serenity settles and I look through the windows of the coffee shop. My knees soften as I take in the view of an impatient girl waiting for me, folding her arms against the chill of spring.

Swedish Visitor

Last week my friend Malin from Sweden came to Fairfield for a visit, which was really nice!
I've met some Swedish people every now and then here, but this was the first time one of my dear friends made the effort to come over :)
We had a good time with photography walks, cooking lasagna, pytt-i-panna and other delicious things. She also brought some salty liquorice fish candy and Ahlgrens candy cars which she bought at an IKEA in New York :)
I've also written a personal essay in my current class, College Composition II, that I will post probably on Monday here at the blog :)
I'm currently reading "Kafka on the Shore" by Haruki Murakami which is a spellbinding book I got from my aunt Monica who lives in Australia. Can't wait until I get to the end of it!

Spaghetti-O's

Today I had Spaghetti-O's for the first time in my life. It's basically just small spaghetti rings in tomato sauce.
It was delicious.
.
I also had some of my homemade buckwheat bread with ghee and maple syrup which also was delicious :)
I also had sparkling red grape juice.
.
The nice thing about living with someone is that you get to cook and eat together!
And since you have different preferences with food you get to taste stuff you wouldn't have bought by yourself ^_^

Back to blogging

Hey everyone, I got a request to get back to this blog and start updating it again.
Remember, it's always motivating for me to keep writing if people comment on the blog!
.
Soo... right now I'm studying Business Law & Ethics, which is an interesting class where I learn about contracts, business forms and who can sue whom for what, which is necessary to know if you want to avoid being sued.
.
I've also gotten a new roommate who moved in about two weeks ago which has so far worked out really well. Her name is Julee Mason and she's also a student here at MUM.
.
I've also started thinking about moving to Latin America once I'm done with school here, maybe 3 years down the road. I feel like the whole Western Culture is not that appealing to me anymore... I'm seeking a life closer to nature and with more spirituality in it, rather than just a material society exploiting nature. We'll see though, these are just plans.

Hummus

För två veckor sedan åt jag hummus för första gången i mitt liv utan att få någon allergisk reaktion. Jag har sedan dess provat denna vegetariska, proteinrika röra gjord på kikärter flera gånger och mått fullständigt bra efteråt :)
Nu kan man ju undra hur detta kommer sig? Svaret är att jag håller på med en leverkur då jag fått höra att allergier och eksem oftast beror på orenheter i levern. Leverkuren har bestått av ayurvediska piller (Indisk örtmedicin) för levern samt ett te gjort på läkemalva, fänkål, kardemumma, koriander och spiskummin.
Linser är hittills ett problem för mig, men jag arbetar mig mot att kunna äta dem också någon dag framöver!

Demo

Spelade in några låtar för ett tag sedan och nu är de redo för högtalarna!
Många tack till Andy Toepel som hjälpte mig spela in låtarna och som dessutom fixade redigeringen.
Demoskivan kallas "On my own" och innehåller följande låtar:

1. On my own
2. You are the Moon (cover)
3. Den feges lögn (cover)
4. It's not a Fairytale
5. Vinterkänslor
6. Blowing in the Wind (cover)
7. Kom ihåg mig (cover)

RSS 2.0