Dear Santa

I recognise that I have been a particularly good girl this year.

I have eaten all my vegetables and taken vitamins and everything. I also did something nice for someone else the other day, I ate all the clementines so they didn't go bad so Helge didn't have to eat clementines gone bad. That was pretty nice of me. And I did it without him asking or anything.

I never listen to rap-music (voluntarily) and I only swear because other people do it and I do like they do because I can't help myself.

Included in this letter you will find my humble wish list written in random order.
And I also wanted to say you're a nice guy!

1. Hot Hair Rollers
2. Settlers VII (PC)

3. Fable III (Xbox 360)

4. Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii)

5. Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure (Wii)

6. Okami (Wii)

7. DJ Hero 2 (Xbox 360)

8. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii)

9. World of Goo (Wii)

10. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)

11. Ice Cream Machine

12. Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa (That's a book)

13. Dishwasher

14. Snow goggles

15. Snowboard boots

16. A pair of good dancing shoes (nice ones!)

17. Glitter

18. Mountain boots

19. A nice knit hat that doesn't itch (but keep my ears warm!)

20. Scarves

21. Moomin cooking pot

best wishes and a happy holiday!
Tora

What is your wish list this year?

My Gingerbread cutters

This is my window sill, that jar with stars in are actually some really weird outlandish treats meant to be deep-fried before served. Honestly I didn't try, I put them in a jar. Was I disappointed when it wasn't colourful pasta!

Here are my gingerbread cutters! I guess they are also eligible as cookie cutters or other things cutters. Not for paper though! I've used some of the bigger ones for pancakes, they get really hot, but the pancakes turn out beautiful. To be honest some of these are actually Helge's, but I bought them for him last year because I wanted them myself and needed an excuse. What? At least I'm honest!

The fox, moose, bear, snail and hedgehog are from IKEA, the one shaped like the moomin is from the Iittala Outlet. 

Fish, dinosaurs, foot, jigsaw and crocodile are from Christiania Glasmagasin while the squirrel is also from IKEA.

Keep them in a box so the drawers don't get stuck all the time. (Well, they do - but I tried).

I also bought some gingerbread dough at IKEA. Their recipe is actually really nice and is good to work with so when I'm constructing my annual... uuum... construct... of gingerbread I wont have to do much but roll it, cut it, bake it and glue it together! But I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to gingerbread houses - I try to make sure every part of it is edible so it is glued together with hot sugar. It is deadly stuff. And I always end up burning others as well when I ask them for help. You should've seen the hand of my younger brother!

But all of that later. I do hope I get to do a gingerbread construct this year! Any suggestions as to what I should make? Are you making one this year? Any tips and tricks?

Snoodle snoodle

So what else is new? I can't wait to go to Singapore to visit Sigrid, I'm most excited. At the same time it appears I will have my hands full until then, Got some pretty massive assignments to do at school.

Do other people elsewhere in the world eat their bread with smoked mackerel or are we just plain weird here? If you don't, I can't blame you - it makes your burps taste funny.

It's snowing again, despite the fact that the weather on Sunday was delicious in every way, went for a walk aaaall the way to Kampen and looked at the beautiful old houses. (It's not really that much of a distance, but it's uphill all the way!) Of course I didn't bring my camera, but you know I'm kind of useless. At least it was very pretty bathed in sunlight and all the icicles massive and dangerous looming over the sidewalk - dripping conspiratorially.

There were people everywhere! Well, in a Norwegian way, so not crowded or anything. But people were skiing up around the church under the old trees, and both icerinks were covered in stiffly sliding children flapping their arms not to fall. It was a nice day, a very different take on Oslo from what I'm used to. I've always thought of Oslo as a tasteless, semi-soviet city of concrete and chewing gum. But the old part of town in which I currently live - there are so many adorable, brightly coloured wooden houses snuck together, it looks unreal, like Disneyland. Obviously we live in one of those concrete monsters, but you can't win every time. I'll bring the camera next time though, and show you!

I got this dragon for Christmas, that my dad brought aaall the way from Australia, and you can put a candle in it, so it looks great in the dark. Bleuhrg, mackerel. I better go drink some Biola to make it go away.

Happy New Year!

Oh MY! Would you look at that? 2010! We finally made it. Congratulations!

Snow is smothering Oslo in its freezing clutch, whisking evasive snowflakes against our puffy, Christmas-greasy cheeks like razors on a kittens bottom. Just peeking outside can be painful, and so accordingly we make sure to travel at length, go outside, visit relatives and dress in fancy (read: thin) clothing as often as possible. In a way, it is most illogical to position Christmas at this climatic juncture.

We're all full and wobbly in nylon tights staggering through cold, dry baths of snow, occasionally slipping to our death on the black ice on the ground beneath. As the searing pain of the fall was not enough, our pride has taken a fatal blow, and the snow now sticking to your knickers and the inside of the glittery dress is melting.

DID I MENTION YOUR TIGHTS RIPPED?!

Actually this didn't really happen. It was a strange scenario conjured in the moist corners of my brain cockles. However, nonetheless likely to happen.

From all of us, to all of you - merry Christmas and happy new year!

Prodigy, Spektrum, Oslo, November 09.

Merriest of Christmases!

I just want to take the opportunity to wish everyone an extremely merry Christmas. Unfortunately I haven't had the time to hand out all the presents in time, -That's another reason why I would be a terrible Santa. But know that you will have it in time for your birthday. (Not you, Jonas).

We are celebrating in Sweden and my sugarplum will be in Molde. He's already left, so I have the flat all to myself, it's weird because even though I've had before - he's not even close, like, school or work, or just in the bedroom sleeping. I don't have any internet connection in Sweeeedeen, which is actually going to be really relaxing. Looking forward to it! But that means that I had to make this post today!

Hope you forgive me for the extreme lack of Christmas posts this year. Or posts in general, for that matter.

You should see the fantastic Christmas decorations I have in my window. Excellent.

Have a great Christmas! You are the best!

Christmas is here!

Very very very soon! Hurra!

God jul!

Merriest of Christmases!

Feature Post: Audun: Christmas

Christmas is right around the corner, , and just like anything that is right around that all too well-known corner, chances are you'll walk straight into it. Because of this, I have been asked to provide some in-depth information about this beloved time of the year.

Christmas gets it name from the chemical element Christmasium. Christmasium has the unique property that it will radiate energy when cooled down, rather than being heated up, as is the case with most other substances. This energy is radiated as cherub-waves, which look like this:



When cherub-waves hit other particles, it first transforms into light. If this light hits particles with specific properties, such as for example the carbon compounds found in sugar, then this light will transform further into joy and happiness. This is why children often are happier than adults at Christmas, as the sugar levels in their blood generally is higher.

Origin

Christmasium is created under high pressure and temperature over 200 hectic millimetres under the surface of the earth. Since gold and diamond is created under the same circumstances, christmasium will often contain traces of these matters, causing christmasium to glow and sparkle. Arctic areas, such as the north pole, northern Norway and Finland is known have large concentrations of christmasium in the ground, and many people in these areas make a living by extracting it. Uncovering it is usually done by keeping large herds of reindeer which will dig for it with their hooves. The christmasium must then be kept warm in order to contain its energy.

Discovery

Christmas has been known to man for millennia. The first descriptions of the substance can be found in old Egyptian hieroglyphs, and there are also references to christmasium in Roman recordings of Hannibal's crossing of the Alps. However, it was not until year 643 AD that the matter was determined as a chemical element. This was done by the viking chemist Gveirdfinn Sveleson. The vikings had mined christmasium for many years before that, and it is believed that the goal of Gveirdfinn's research to was to improve the efficiency of the mining processes, as the vikings had recently begun to export it to foreign countries. The vikings called the substance «Jol», as it was stored and used in great quantities during their annual mid-winter feasts, Joleblot. Gveirfinn thus gave it the chemical name Jolium. He writes in his chemical journal; «Gvanungar heitar rakti, honungor rakjt vitjahord.» No one has any idea what that is supposed to mean, but modern linguists has said that if they were to have a wild guess, they would guess it meant something like «I once bought a spoon, and it was
bent.»

Modern name

The first mention of the name christmasium being used is found in a Catholic church book from the late 900's, where it is described that the bride was given by the groom «4 pounds of the purest christmas, kept in crates of stone filled with hot coals to contain its heavenly powers» (translated from old latin).

It is believed that as Christianity adopted the tradition of a mid-winter feast, it also adopted the use of Jolium, as the vikings did much trade with European countries at this time. The ending of the word quickly disappeared in common use, and today it is simply known as Christmas.

Merry Christmas!
Audun

Remember to visit Auduns blog at www.Dontstabmeplix.blogspot.com or www.Lamegunner.com!!

Gingerbread Rocket!

5  - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 -- LIFT OFF!

Well I know it's not perfect, it's quite fat and it looks like a house, but I wont hear nothing about it. One of the sides is covered in licorice, but I forgot to take a picture of that, so I'll add it later! Guess we'll be spending Christmas eve on another planet! Pretty cool. huh?
The edge of space is naturally covered in sweets and otherwise made of plastic.

Post #770!

Yeah so it's been a bit of a bother to figure out what this years gingerbread creation was to be. I've made a truck, a lighthouse, a watermill and a vikingship previous years, so this year I was actually set on making a Swiss chalet. But then I figured that it would probably be quite boring, so I wanted to make a train.

But it's going to be a rocket. A spacerocket, a really plump one. Sooo-- I actually put it together last night, but I haven't decorated it yet. We'll see. 

In other news I'm listening to the new The Killers album "Day & Age". Err.. It's definitely different, that's for sure. They have found a new sound indeed. But if it works for sure I'll have to evaluate for a bit longer... Same goes for the new Razorlight album "Slipway Fires" which I think is just plain dull and also quite boring, but maybe it grows on me. Obviously I'm listening to Travis' "Ode to J. Smith" as well (which is their newest) but I have no clear opinion on that yet either. But new music is freshy-fresh, so maybe it'll be cool in the end. Who knows?!

Anyway, how are you?

The elementary particles of Christmas

Most people don't understand Christmas decorations. For some reason people have got this crazy idea that these are supposed to have some kind of resemblance with style or taste. Where did that crazy idea come from? That doesn't even make any sense! At all! Christmas is supposed to look like a mumbay taxi threw up Marie Antoinettes wardrobe into a baroque Christmas tree. Which would look something like this:

And - a happy new year...!!

You been calling the moose in the white telephone all day, have you?

Well I haven't, even though I've been restraining myself so much to avoid it - that in the end I got stuck with the exact same feeling anyway. I'm still covered with chizzels, and I still feel like my body's filled up with washing-up water.

Goodness me. What a way to start 2008? I don't know what's wrong with us.
Today, the very first, blank page of a new year I have watched season one and two of The Mighty Boosh - which I thought was absolutely worth my time, and also comfortably creative, so I didn't go braindead from the .. oh ...I'm trying to think of the word, but somehow my fingers remain clutching the sad remnants of yesterdays curls - and then my headbrain made a soft, kind of empty 'schlop'... and honestly now I don't know what's happened.

Exhaustion maybe, maybe that's a word that could do the trick. Or a shower, maybe. Too.
I'm going to clear this place up after christmas, with a broom, so it wont look as much as a cramped shop you might suspect of selling 'kebab meat' from the 'secret' counter of 'unsuspicious-stash'.

All these long words.

Gingerbread Project Day 2

The end result!! Sorry it's late!
(and if you missed it, here is day 1.)

Christmas is in the house

This is our staircase with blinking lights on it.
This is the door to the toilet.

This is an angel I made with my own hair.

This is our christmastree!

This is candlelights in a bowl of glittery rocks and very nice burgundy disco balls!

Merry Christmas!

Gingerbread Project day 1

The moment we've all been waiting for - is now finally here! As usual I have been busy in the kitchen, it was my stepdads suggestion that I this year made a gingerbread lighthouse! And, and I did. Of course. And I tell you what, and I shit you not - but working with melted sugar as glue hurts real bad. I want you to know I've been through much pain for this strange (though 100% edible) nautical piece of architecture. Hmm. Right.

Without any further ado, (only a quick reminder of the prestigious Viking Ship back in 2005), I now present to you:

The Shazmazing Christmas Gingerbread Lighthouse of 2007!

I will be back later with some more images, and of course - the finished result!
Above: Lighthouse paper model and Lighthouse gingerbread creation with gingerbread shed and gingerbread trees at display on a tray.

whoop!

Doesn't that make you feel all christmasy?

The Christmas Equation

You haven't gone on holiday just yet, have you? Well you better not have - because here is something for you to think of before you go and frolick in all the cake!

The Christmas Equation, also known as Planck's Constant - is a clever little thing able to calculate your weight-gain per second during the Christmas festivites. Planck's Constant is also equal to h, which means heaviness. If you ever wonder about having that extra gingerbread otter, you may sit back and relax - because Planck is going to work out the end result for you, anyway.

The brilliant aspect of the formula is that you may choose if you want to have your answer in Square metres per second, or kilos per second. This opens up for some delightful elbowroom during the feasting on mulled wine, even if you are gaining 0,00614 kg/sec this only equals to 0,00614 m²/sec which is when converted to millimetres equal to 0 mm²/sec!
So mathematically - you're not gaining a milligram!

Merry Christmas!

(To anyone who may have heard that Planck's Constant has something to do with Quantum Mechanics, I wish to inform you that this is in fact wrong).

Xide Xmas

Well as you may already know, there are so many things that I like in life - take Giorgio Locatelli, Birol Ünel, Gary Oldman, Jude Law, Matthew Macfadyen, Dylan Moran, Clive Owen, Patrick Fugit, Rupert Grint, Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Justin Chatwin and Ioan Gruffud for example, to name a few. (From left to right)


Full Size

Then there's always the delight of rainbows, shoes, mopping out ones ears with a q-tip after taking a shower, listening to a new CD, going to bed in clean sheets, Optimus Prime, getting rid of something that's been stuck between ones teeth, laughing, travelling to a new place, the cool mists of sunrise - where will this end? Well, it goes on for a long bit, and then it ends with food (for the simplicity of things, and to keep this as short as possible - everything within the amazing world of both beverages and appetizers has been forced into one word).
Obviously, I love food, best thing there is. I thought I'd never see anything within the world of food that would be able to set itself above all the other food-things that I love.

And then, then I watched a commercial on Swedish MTV (as you may already be aware of - it's illegal to advertise for liquor/spirits, well alcohol in general in Norway). And...

Oh, how can I cut this as fine as possible?

Well there was a glossy glass bottle, filled with deep red, tantalizing alcopop. Oh. And. And then. Then the bottle was turned upside down... And it was full of snowflakes and glitter!! Imagine that?! That's like religion to me! It just simply can't get any better than that. I want alcopop with glitter! That's what I want, I want it for Christmas! Oh why, oh why can't we have this delicious thing in Norway? I would keep the market rich and sustainable on my own, no problem! I promise! Just give it a chance! ... Whaaaa!! Glitter! Please!

*sniffle*

I decided to list the different Xide flavours for you with a particular interest in alcopop. You will find they be links to the Swedish alcohol retailer (which, in similarity with Norway has a complete monopoly on selling high-alcohol-content drinks (above 4.7%) called Systembolaget in Sweden and Vinmonopolet in Norway).
Xide bright pomegranate rhubarb
Xide cactus/lime
Xide mandarin/chilli
Xide pine/citrus
Xide strawberry desire
Xide wasabi/lemon
Xide X-mas Mistel Orange
Xide X-mas <--- this one, please. Oh, and for you crazy penguin Mormons across the street - if you still think I am a raving alcoholic: ... Well I'm not. So stop trying to steal my ID when I'm watching, it's such an embarrassment.

And what I would give - for some snow! ya?

Did you know that nailpolish hardens and dries faster when kept hot? That is why chicks store their polish in the fridge, because it keeps the fluids soft and runny.

Something else which is strange is my odd attraction to the male cologne - Acqua Di Gio. I am simply enchantedly obsessed with that scent! How gay is that? Actually I can recognise it from yards(!) away - which is actually not only strange, but maybe also frightening?

But it's advent! Yayay! Now I can finally initiate the use of my giant computer folder of glitter, called "Christmas". Perfect!

I have way too much homework to do, and I'm at work all the time. It's been snowing lots in Oslo lately just to be washed away by rain a short time after. But I want snow, I like snow. It is time to get into that Christmas spirit - yes? Yes! Of course! And do forgive me for not updating in a while, busy busy you know. I will make it up to you by updating some time again during the week and perhaps give my blog a delightful round of Xmas pimpage.

Pompous ship!

Look at my new header!

is it not grand?
is it not spectacular?
is it not way too big?
is it not entertaining?

Why do I begin a question with "is it not.." - do I not make the question more difficult to answer that way?

I suppose I do!

Quite stupid, isn't it?
But splendid indeed! Now all this sad blog need is some more glitter, and some more snow! Because Christmas is really really close and some of us just simply can't wait to pimp out their blogs to a dangerous extent. Something which is very righteous for Christmas time. Indeed. Bring on the glitter! Strap on the shades, we are in for a sight*.

*for those of you who can see.