Welcome to my blog! Happy you found me! Don't take the things I write too serious, I don't.

July 14, 2012

We did it!!

I am very happy to report that we have managed to raise enough money to get Dillon his tiptop new iPad. Thank you all for being so supportive of this young boy.
I'll keep writing updates on Dillon but for now, please stop your donations.
Thanks so much
Sophie

July 12, 2012

Dillon's quest

Hello again
Since my last post, I've had many people asking me how they could help Dillon. What I came up with (for now) is we should help him get his own iPad so he doesn't have to borrow the only one they have at school. The iPad has been an unbelievably valuable tool for his progress.
Since I’m fairly useless when it comes to setting something up online, I’ve worked my tail off trying to set up this PayPal Donations link. I have to say I’m very proud of my newfound programming skills ;-).

It should be added that since I'm not registered as a non-profit organization, your donations won't be tax deductible this time around.

Everything will of course go 100% to Dillon and his quest.

Everyone that donates will receive a code, to get a free Kiddori app, in the App store. It’s my good friends app and he is happy to contribute to our effort!

At some point I'll get sorted and set up properly for nonprofit fundraising, so I will be able to help out kids that need this kind of support...for now... this is all we got, and let's do some good in this young boys life.

Thank you
Sophie


June 27, 2012

Dillon

I know I joke around on here and on twitter quite a bit but for once I want to get something serious out to you.

Dillon is a real 12 year old boy who's mum got in touch with me. She told me his story and it broke my heart. I want to share it with you because I believe we can all do our part to help.
Dillon has a severe stutter and has had all his life. He gets teased and bullied in school. Even adults sometimes don't give him the time of day. At one point things seamed so hopeless for Dillon that he tried to take his own life.
When his 4 year old sister had to have an operation, the hospital were doing a fundraiser. Dillon wanted to help and while going around their neighborhood, three adults shut the door in his face before he even managed to get out what he wanted. One local doctor diagnosed him with mental retardation.
The school Dillon goes to has one iPad and they have lent that out to him so he is able to communicate better. Unfortunately there is one more kid at the school that stutters so now Dillon is trying to save up money to buy an iPad so they can each have one. With this iPad Dillon has managed to make honor roll! So much for mental retardation...

He is also a great little writer. Wrote the poems that you will see below.

-----
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Dear Bully,
Beacause I wear glasses, you call me four eyes and think your friendship I should not seek.
Because I stutter, you think I should be quiet and not speak.
Because I am too fat, too short, too thin, too tall, you say harsh things and think I have no feelings at all.
Dear Bully,
Because you don't like the color of my skin, or the fact that I may be gay, degrading words are all you can say.
Because my clothes are not brand name, you laugh, don't you know in God's eyes we are all the same?
Dear Bully,
Because of you, at night I cry,  I think I am worthless and deserve to die.  Will I put the rope around my neck and hang or a gun to my head and end it with a bang?
You teased me, hit me, kicked me.  Don't you know that to my mommy I was her heart and soul? Because of you, I am now six feet under in a hole.
Dear Bully,
Because of you, now I am dead, all because of those cruel words you said.
Forever my blood is on your hands.  Because of your cruel words that cause harm, tonight, many mothers can not hold their children in their arms.

------

------

Every day I wake up, bow my head to pray, Dear God, help this kid make it through another day. I grab my books, kiss my mom and get on the bus. I dread that ride like every kid that's bullied does. Walk through the doors of school, enter into a world so cruel.
  
   Head held down, too afraid to make a sound. No friend to walk with, all alone, no buddy I can
call, Dear God, will you walk with me through my school hall.

At lunch I sit alone. Kids talk about their plans for the weekend, Dear God, what I wouldn't give for one true friend. Kids go by, call me names. In gym no one picks me for their partner in the games.  On the playground, I get punched in the face.  Dear God, how much can one kid really take?

    Head held down, too afraid to make a sound.  No friend to walk with, all alone, no buddy I can call.  Dear God, will you walk with me through my school hall.

Will I ever date a girl or play football? Will I ever go to a school dance?  You would see I"m not so bad if you give me half a chance. A kid that's not perfect is what they saw, every time I walk through that school hall.

    Head held down, too afraid to make a sound.  No friend to walk with, no buddy I can call, Dear God, will you walk with me through my school hall.

Force a smile on my face, walk into my house, into my mom's embrace.  Tell her my day was okay, can't let her know how her big guy felt so small walking through my school hall.

-----
-----

I was very lucky not to be teased growing up and hearing this story breaks my heart. That kids can be very cruel we all know. That's why we all worked so hard to fit in when we were growing up. We didn't want to stick out of the crowd. But how adults can be so cruel to a kid that is clearly struggling is beyond me.

Can we all just think twice before we totally dismiss another human being?

April 6, 2012

Acceptance speech

Hi again!

Long time no see.
I'm such a rookie doing blogs so every time I go on here (read; once every third month), I'm struggling to log in. Not because I have forgotten the password but because I just can't find where to log in.
There is another definition of donut for you.
I want to start by giving a big thank you for all the comments I have gotten on here. I'm sorry I haven't responded but most of the time, it's because I don't know how to.

I was up at Augusta this week to accept the Ben Hogan Award. Brought my brother over from Sweden. He watches golf on TV like there is no tomorrow so being able to walk the sacred grounds of Augusta National where like heaven to him.

To make a long story short.. the taped acceptance speech I did got such great response so I have decided to post if on here.

If you don't know what the Ben Hogan Award is, it's given out by the Golf Writers Association of America to someone who's remained active in golf despite physical handicap or a serious illness.
I'm very humbled to have been chosen for this and below is my video taped acceptance speech.

Well imagine that... I wasn't able to post it on here. I was however able to post it on youtube so here you go...
http://youtu.be/2mVwQPdoIxM

December 9, 2011

Incredible !ndia



When Forest Gump spoke his famous line "Life is a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get", he might as well have been speaking about the roads in India.
I have never under my 37 years and 40+ countries visited, seen anything like it. It is, without exaggeration, extraordinary.
With a driver, my two friends and I spent 10 hours in a car going from Delhi to Taj Mahal yesterday and I found every second highly entertaining. It's only 220 km (138 miles) but with the roads and it's occupants it's hard to break the 5 hour barrier each way.

People had told me that I would see everything on the roads here. Cows, pigs, donkeys, monkeys, elephants, goats, water buffalo. Little did I know that reality would exceed my imagination.




It's started off with a lorry crash on the highway early in the morning. Since our side was blocked, people, us included, made the executive decision to turn around, drive against the traffic, make the first U-turn, go against the traffic on the other side and when the accident were behind us, cross back over to the right side of the road. All of this while it was still dark out.
Kajsa, Bo and I were, of course, a bit surprised at this strange way of going against traffic. The only time we see that at home is on the evening news. Little did we know that it was far from the last time we saw that this day. We had all sorts of stuff going against traffic. Granted, most of it on, or fairly close to, the shoulder. Highlight in the going-against-the-traffic department was won by not one, but two, not at the same time I have to mention, horse and carriage rides coming against traffic in our fast lane.


Dinner or sweaters?


For as long as we spent in the car I can't remember seeing one single traffic light. The intersections were free-for-alls. Someone should build a hotel at an intersection in India and charge "sea view rates" for the rooms facing the street. They are that entertaining. Not only did you have all the animals and cars. You had bicycles, motorcycles, tractors, lorries and buses using up every free inch available. It was like the post office slogan "if it fits, it ships". If you could fit into the space you saw, that is were you were going. That's is probably why most cars had their rear view mirrors tucked in. That or the fact that they would be taken out if you left them out. 


Propane gas??


Since they go under the motto "if it fits, it ships" white lines are pretty useless. If you can squeeze three cars in two lanes, you will see three cars and a donkey pulling a vegetable van. Doesn't matter in what direction any of them are going.


Everything in/on the Taj Mahal is symetrical


We took little over and hour to walk around the Taj Mahal and it really deserved to be one of the seven wonders of the world. When we first came thru the archway, it looked fake it was so white. I guess when you build something out to only white marble, it going to be white.. Construction during day and night for 22 years with 20,000 people working, the eye for detail is extraordinary. You really have to see it to understand it. Built between 1631-1653, it's really a tomb for one of the sultans wife that died at child birth. He also built a mosque to the left of it and then decided on a guest house to the right of it so it would look submetrical. No one ever stayed in the guest house. Why he decided on a guest house next to his wife's grave is a bit odd if you ask me. 
He was planing on building a black Taj for himself across the river but his son convinced him to stop waisting the tax payers money. The son became very popular with the people and went on to rule for a very long time. 





So while I did learn some great stuff about the Taj Mahal, what I learnt on the street was almost better.
To summarize my trip I would say I know that direction is merely a suggestion, intersections are entertaining and white lines are a waste of paint.  

What else did I learn?

I learned that if it's a big white round thing in front of you, it's being pulled by an extremely old tractor or a camel.

I learned that you can fit 15 people in a tuck tuck.

I learned that cows like the median strip of the highway cause the breeze from both directions keep the flies away.

Smart animals


I learned that you honk the horn to announce you are coming, not cause you are pissed off and you want someone to move.

I learned that cows rule and dogs get run over.

I learned that you shouldn't drive a scooter behind a woman throwing up.

I learned that if you take a picture of a monkey with a dress and lipstick on, the owner is going to want too much money.

Sanitizers were needed afterwards


I learned that you yield for herds of water buffalo.

He fell behind the herd


I learned that road rage doesn't exist even thou it would be a prime location for it.

I learned not to have my camera in my lap when a monkey on a stick comes and breathes on my car window.

I learned that if you load a lorry with 100 bags of rice unevenly, it going to turn over.

I learned that only the driver of the motorcycle is required to wear a helmet. His wife and 2 children are not.




If you ever have the opportunity to go and see this vastly different country, I would warmly recommend it. Not just for the fact that you can have curry morning, noon and night but it's one of those, you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it places. It is, as the CNN commercial says, Incredible India



October 3, 2011

Solheim week

Where do I start?

The team
We had such a great team and I can’t praise my team mates enough. For the first time ever I felt we didn’t have a weak link. We had 12 strong players and with that comes freedom for the captain. I know I needed one match rest and with that I was able to go out in the singles and pull out what I needed. Without that match rest I’m not sure I would have been able to keep my good play up on the back nine on that Sunday.
When reporters asked us what we did during the three rain delays the answers were “we sang songs”. I know that sounds real lame but if you heard the songs.. you know were did it in true Euro style. The fun we had I will always remember.

Ireland
.. the greatest golfing country in the world for Sophie. Solheim was my 7th win on the Emerald Isle. I know I come off sounding like a right plonker but for months before Solheim, all that was running thru my head was “I have never left Ireland disappointed and I’m not about to start now”. I was not going to loose in the country where the people had adopted me as their own.

The interview
I have gotten so many responses for the interview I did during the week and I wanted to talk a little bit about that.
Many people don’t know how hard speaking is for me. For most people who stutter, the more comfortable they are, the better they speak. If you put us alone in a room, asking us to talk to ourselves, I can promise you, none of us will stutter. If you put us up in front of people, I can guarantee that we will all struggle.
For me to be able to do this I knew we had to do something out of the ordinary. As you can imagine, having camera guys and a reporter in the room with me would have totally messed me up. I knew I had to be alone in order to have any chance of making this work. So with the help of Val Skinner, the Golf Channel set me up alone in a room with a rolling camera. I had gotten the questions written down for me so all I had to do was read out the questions and then answer them. Sounds pretty simple.
What you saw in the 3 minutes and 30 second interview was a 70 minute struggle for me and a 2 hours and 30 minutes editing for the poor bugger at the Golf Channel.
I am, however, very glad I did it and I am overwhelmed by the amount of positive response I have gotten. I had absolutely no idea that this interview would stir up so many emotions in people.
I just wanted to say a few words about the tournament I love.

April 14, 2011

Spain

Well it's been awhile.
Don't get too excited, this will be a short post. It's 21.46 and we have the second round of the European Nations Cup tomorrow so I'm not far off my bed.
I just wanted to share a couple of pictures I took tonight while we were out searching for dinner.



 It's kinda vital that you speak Swedish to get the joke




The moon is up early here




  In search of food




Nice little square where we had dinner.