I am here, and there are you

I have got to say I am a little jealous at the poor, messy, smelly souls that live in tents at the different festivals around Europe right now. God, why aren't we at Heineken Open'er for example? Cut Copy, Deadmau5, Prince, The Strokes, The Wombats and Two Door Cinema Club are playing, to name a few! Whyy?

Whyy? And the atmosphere at Roskilde! I would love to be there right now, despite the filth. Really. I really would. Arctic Monkeys are there, and The Strokes, Portishead, Deadmau5 (craai), Jesus CHRIST, Deadmau5 is at Hove as well. It is NOT a funny joke. It is as if I am being avoided on purpose.

Mau5, this isn't funny. When are you playing in Oslo? Hm? Hm? HM?!

I am not sure why I am telling you this, or why I am telling myself this, for like the millionth time. I suppose it is some twisted kind of self-harming. It's not healthy to be dwelling on things that can't be done! Should rather be focusing on the things I have!

Like the biggest fly I have ever seen, that is sitting on my door right now. I have a really big fly, that's what I got. And a shopping list, a loooong one. Will stretch my arms by at least 10 cm carrying this stuff home.

But I also have an ice cream machine! GLORIOUS! That I got for Christmas... Which is like ... six months ago! And I still haven't used it. But it's in the freezer now, so tomorrow! Ah-hah! I will commence the ice cream making! Oh yes! Banana ice cream actually! Because I have a lonely overripe banana that cries silently at me when I open the fridge. And I just can't throw it out, because I feel so sorry for it.

Not one of my characteristics to over-empathize or humanize objects. Not at all. Just look at all my stuff, surely not a heap of junk acquired mostly because of "the package has glitter on it!!" or "nobody else wants it :( :( :(" or the classic "Look it is so ugly, it is cute. Naawh. It's ALL aloooonehh :( I HAVE to buy it".

*cough*

And I have Nigella on Youtube! -- Even though I said I would stop that.

But I CAN'T. I am only human.

Chickens abroad

Now that I'm "done" with school, I feel relieved and weird at the same time. I am really going to miss it. Really miss it. I'm going to miss the airy spaces, the smell of sweat, being at school until late at night, working at projects. The inspiring (though tiny) library. The strange decor of the canteen, the smell of food. All the laptops humming, people playing Magic: The Gathering. I'm going to miss having classes early in the morning in the winter, when it's still dark. As will I miss having classes late in the day, also when it's dark. It's going to be so weird not being a part of that school. It's going to be weird telling people what I do, and I can't say "study game design!"

I'm going to miss having exams when the assignment allows me to write about "Pikmin" and "The Emperors New Groove". I'm going to miss all the people, even the ones I don't really know. But especially the ones I do know. I know we'll keep in touch, but it will be strange not to see you all the time.

The rain outside is sort of melancholic. Helge is playing L.A. NOIRE with me, and I love it. It's repeating itself, and it's really hard (especially the interviews! Phew!), but the story is getting increasingly interesting.

We have been watching too much Criminal Minds, I wake up at night from dreams of severed heads in plastic bags, and terrorist groups eradicating innocents. It's hard. I'm painting my brother and his lovely girlfriend a painting for their new apartment! Very exciting. The apartment, not the painting. Haha!

I had some nectarines for breakfast. They were juicy, but one had some mould on it, and I didn't notice until it was too late. Haha! *cough* sorry. My missing pages are being retrieved for me, I am so delighted.

Oh! Oh! And I had a looovely weekend in London with my beau, and it was exciting and calm at the same time. We walked around a lot, and went to the British Museum and saw Big Ben and stuff, because Helge had never been there before. So now the essentials are covered, when we return we can do other stuff! Yay! Not that I don't love British Museum! It is just a tiny bit overwhelming, no way to take it all in. Even after visiting several times. Wow! I insisted on taking some touristy pictures, even though they are lame, they are nice to show family and stuff.

That's me, in a telephone box. It smelled so much of wee... 

This is the view from our hotel!

This is my favourite. Big Ben AND Double Decker. PERFECT!

That's me again!

Here is Pimm's Lemonade and Crabbies. Haha! Crabbies. They were... Interesting.

Today I am cleaning the apartment! We were meant to do it yesterday, but because I have nothing better to do, I volunteered to do it alone so we could have a full day off together yesterday. Yay!

I sure am paying for my generosity right now.

My trip to Istanbul

Some delicious looking mosque

Okay, flay me alive and call me a suitcase! I actually came home from Istanbul on SUNDAY, which is several days ago. And I am so sorry for not telling you "all about it" and posting pictures, or anything at all. Accept my humble apologies!

But yes. I wont bore you more. Here are all the juicy, not so juicy and all the dry details!

Dad and stepmum enjoying some  Lokma Tatlisi

I travelled with my dad, my stepmum and Helge last Thursday like at the crack of dawn. The trip was originally a gift from my dad for my 18th birthday, which is three years ago. And now we had finally found the time to go! We had a flight connection through Riga, Latvia and landed at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul where we sat and watched our own perspiration for half an hour because the driver was stuck in traffic. They really do drive like mad men those Turks! I tell you that much. But somehow he got us to our small hotel close to Sultanahmed on the Golden Horn (which we may consider the "old" part of town, even though most of the city is so old anyway that it really doesn't make that much sense).

Balik Ekmek! Nom nom!

The staff at our hotel were so strange. During a power cut one night we approached the hotel doors and the receptionist pretended to give us a sci-fi face scan in the dark with sound effects and all to see if we would be allowed to enter. It was hilarious! And the waiters at the rooftop restaurants were so animated and gesticulated so wildly that we were entertained every minute we sat there. It would appear the Turks have a really inclusive sense of humour.

All over Istanbul there were old Hamam's (Turkish baths), mosques, remnants of Byzantine city walls, fantastic wooden palaces and parks, pavilions, side walks the size of dachshunds, and stalls selling assorted Turkish fast food. Of which I loved the most the Simit (the skinny bagel-shaped breads covered in toasted sesame seeds),  Lokma Tatlisi (sweet, deep fried doughnuts smothered in syrup, cinnamon and ground pistachio), and the Balik Ekmek (fresh grilled fish sandwiches with onion).

They also had stalls all over selling grilled or boiled sweetcorn, roasted chestnuts and their famous "stretchy" icecream, Dondurma. Of which the latter the Turkish eat a staggering 2,8 litres each a year! This strange icecream is made of a product derived from orchids called "salep" and also arabic gum ("mastic" - not the same as gum arabic!), which is why it is so stretchy. I thought it was quite nice, but as with all other Turkish desserts it is intensely sweet. I wonder what they think of our desserts.

The Bagdad pavillion inside the palace

Detail from a door inside the harem

Anyway, we visited the Topkapi palace which was the home of the Ottoman sultans for 400 years. It was extremely big, and we got to hear of the grand viziers and the concubines - which was exotic to say the least. By the way the audio tour is a grand ripoff and it basically just reads you what it says on the plaques positioned around the palace. Actually - it doesn't even do that. It said less. Anyway. We didn't get to see the treasury because of all the crazy tourist people that had formed a line the length of the great wall of China. We did however get to see the relics - including a golden cast of the hand of John the Baptist, the turban of Joseph, the sword, a cloak and some of the Prophet Mohammed's beard(!). Oh, and of course the staff of Moses - which if I may add - looked very springy despite being about 3500 years old.

Detail from one of the harem windows.

The view from the palace was grand, the harem was the most interesting bit, we saw the guards gigantic mirrors that allowed them to keep watch around corners - the hamam (Turkish bath) of the concubines, the sultan's mother's quarters and even the sultan's toilet! We also visited the large swimming pool "where the dwarves did tricks" according to the audio guide. The dwarves were not mentioned before nor after this statement was made during the tour. But apparently it was probably good entertainment when you were sick of toying with your 300 concubines. 

We also saw the Blue Mosque which wasn't really as impressive as I'd expected. First of all it wasn't nearly blue enough, and though the grand dome and the intricate iznik tiles were very splendid indeed - the spectacular mosque seemed somewhat smaller on the inside because of the low wrought iron chandeliers that hung low above the floor. But now I've been there and at least that's one more thing checked off my list!

One of the gold streets in the Grand Bazaar

We did spend hours traversing the Grand Bazaar which is one of the largest indoor markets in the world. They mostly sold a lot of junk to be honest, we did buy Turkish tea, teacups and a gunmetal hookah that is quite awesome if I may say so myself. I also got a longer gold chain for my opal necklace. The carpets and the jewellery was simply amazing and among the things that are definitely worth purchasing when in Turkey.

Iskender kebab. Really nice!

I would've bought tons more myself, I am just not cut out for haggling it appears. And being a naive Norwegian I absolutely hated to make purchases. They were always trying to rip you off, quite nastily. And because everything is so sickeningly expensive where I come from - then how could I possibly tell? Luckily my stepmum is a badass haggler and dad drove a carpetseller to the edge of madness. He wanted to sell his 250€ carpet for 50€ because he got so desperate when dad didn't want it. Giggle.

So the haggle culture was what I disliked the most, definitely - that and that it felt as if I couldn't trust anyone, they would take my tourist money without blinking if the situation allowed it.

Constantine's Pillar was really nice, and positioned quite near one of the Grand Bazaar entrances. Constantine himself had it brought over at around year 330 to mark the transfer of the seat of the Roman empire from Rome to Istanbul (Constantinople). He also supposedly buried some relics beneath the fantastical porphyry pillar, like the axe Noah used to build the Ark. Yay!

The Bosporus strait

We went on a boat trip up the Bosporus (the strait separating east from west) and saw all the fantastic luxury hotels and houses, the old fortress, a graveyard and countless amazing mosques and wooden palaces.I will definitely recommend such a trip to anyone who wants to see as much of Istanbul as they can if they don't have a lot of time on their hands.

Hagia Sophia from a distance

But there you go. We saved the Hagia Sofia (Aya Sofia) for last. Thank goodness, or nothing else would've seemed impressive. The huge structure is a 1500 year old church that served as a mosque during the 1500s and is now a museum. Kind of both, but neither. Underneath painted plaster are amazing, ancient mosaics of Christ and standard motives - while the world's biggest calligraphy plaques are hung in four corners of the dome. The stained glass are with calligraphic motives, there is a mihrab, minbar and outside is an Islamic washing font. A religious fusion cocktail. At the southern entrance there are Byzantine bronze doors that were added around year 800, really beautiful.

The dome of the Hagia Sophia, if you enlarge it you can see the masked and unmasked angels - the faces were discovered earlier this year!

The dome which is almost 60 metres above the floor took my breath away. It was created by some Greek architects that also decided that the centre of the earth was within the church, slightly to the right in the main hall. It was seriously huge. From the outside it looked like a city all in itself, and it still holds many uncovered secrets as a lot of the original mosaics are still plastered up. It was built with a lot of stolen goods from plundered pagan temples such as some incredible Hellenistic porphyry columns. You see the Byzantine were incredible at recycling. It was the most amazing thing we visited that didn't include food on this trip!

Hagia Sophia seen from the side

We ate insane amounts of kebab and köfte (Turkish meatballs) and drank litres of Turkish apple tea whenever possible. We journeyed home, had some depressing "Soviet-pizza" at the airport in Riga (although it tasted nice!) and when we came home our house wasn't on fire. That's nice.

So yes. I don't think I could've made that any more informative and dry. Sorry. But it's all true what happened. And I am thoroughly fascinated, so forgive me. I am guessing it is TLDR anyway.

Sunset over Istanbul.

Thanks for a fantastic trip everyone!

I think... about 15 tips!

This was a jewellery shop we encountered in Singapore. Brilliant name!

Here I have gathered a few tips for you, if you feel like you need it. And if you do, please tell me how it went.

You have nothing to do.
Tip 1: Turn OFF the television-box, there you go - that's a whole lot better now, isn't it?
Tip 2: Try painting yourself naked.
Tip 3: Go knock on the neighbours house and ask if you can borrow a cup of sugar. Go around to all your neighbours and see if you've wound up with enough sugar to last the rest of the year. Next: Flour!

If you've made some lefse, and worried that it will dry up before anyone finishes them?
Tip 1: Ask for my recipe - there's never any left!
Tip 2: Wrap the finished lefse in a moist kitchentowel and store in the fridge - keeps em fresh and soft for a few more days.

Sigrid is coming to visit and you're worried you have no music to play for her
Tip 1: Buy some discrete earmuffs, say they were a gift and wear them the whole evening
Tip 2: Put on something like this. (Success!)

All your brown sugar keeps drying out in its packaging - slowly becoming one huge block of inseperable sugary mass.
Tip: Store it in the fridge! Nigella taught me this, and it works wonderfully. My brown sugar is always lovely and loose in a non slutty way.

You have something to say to your roommate, but no paper - and you have to leave now!
Tip 1: Use a whiteboard marker, water soluble!! (I felt this was worthy of being a tip of its own).
Tip 2: Write your message on the fridge!

You are hosting a dinner-party on a short notice and have no dessert!
Tip 1: Freeze some grapes! A good 2-3 hours should do it, they're almost like sorbet after.
Tip 2: Serve candy! This might be the easiest dessert ever. Just run to the grocery store and heap up on the most colourful and weird sweets you can find. And then, as dessert is introduced - slab it all into a bowl and ask them to help themselves!

It is awfully quiet in your room.
Tip 1: Whistle a good tune, try "Last Christmas" or "Never Gonna Give You Up" and it will sort itself out in your head.
Tip 2: Go to RCRDLBL and download Take You (feat. Ninjasonik) (Tete-A-Tete Remix) ha, BOOM!
Tip 3. Or, possibly the best tip ever: Go to http://www.prettylightsmusic.com/ and download the lot. Ka-chang! It's all free and delicious, too!

You have a lovely steak, but no sauce!
... er... You have a real problem here.

This is a Singaporean garden gnome from the botanical gardens. I liked his teeth so much.

Sooo. Now give me your tips!

My holiday to Singapore

This is the short version, mind. But if you want the long one you just have to ask. I just figured two weeks mashed into one post would be a little exhausting for you to read.

Singapore was really really hot! I had a great time, and I hope my grandmother and my sister, Sigrid did, too! We ate a little (too much) excellent food and saw a lot of museums, went shopping, saw the botanical gardens, ate some more, did some tours and visited Sigrid's office. Mmh! And we had lots of prata, nom nom!  It was really warm in the peak hours of the day, and we walked and walked - through shops and museums. It was lovely. I don't think I know a place with so many shopping malls as Singapore. And because we were there during the last part of their Chinese new year celebration there were crazy decorations all over the place. Oh oh! And we had a manicure and pedicure done! That made me feel very feminine. I am not known for being that.

We also spent a weekend in Cambodia (Siem Reap), which was incredible. I am so in love with the place, the people were so friendly and happy all the time! A clear contrast to Singapore (they are mostly happy there, that's not what I meant) but skyscrapers and a sleek metro is replaced by shacks on sticks, and tuktuks.

We saw a lot of rice fields and lotuses in Cambodia, I mean, how many times do you see that in Europe? And the rainforest foliage of Singapore is incredibly exotic. So much green mashed in with all that modern architecture. The food in Siem Reap too, was excellent - so fresh and so much delicious fruit! The ruins of Angkor wat were absolutely unbelievable. We also saw a vast amount of other ruins, like Bayon, Banteay Srei and Ta Prohm. The latter being my favourite I think. And we have been very fortunate to go these amazing places. Despite the fact that we were sweating our own brains out - it was still a very humbling experience. This is the sun setting over the floating village in Cambodia.

If you want to hear more, I'd be happy to tell you! Those are my feet :( You should see them without the bandages!

Last but not least, as I had journeyed far and slept little, turned the corner and discovered that my block was on fire!

And this is one of those very unsettling feelings I think I'll have a hard time getting rid of. It is truly unbelievable  to return from holiday and be met with such a sight. I can't even leave you guys for two weeks without you causing a rumpus! Four fire engines, three people taken away in an ambulance, one man rescued out of the window, and across the street, Helge is trying to call me, in shoes with no socks. And what can I do? I laugh.

I mean, worst thing that can happen is that my house burns down and that I lose all my stuff, which would be a true pain in the ass - but what can I do about it? As long as all living things are safe, the rest is just... stuff! And sentimentally valued and irreplaceable stuff at that, I know. But I was standing across the street with two suitcases, freezing - watching the flames lick their way up outside the building.

We've been incredibly lucky, after being evacuated by the police we waited for a few hours as the flames ceased and the firefighters cleared the area. I was given a jumper by a kind neighbour who also took hand of my luggage for me - I gave her a bottle of wine as thanks! And then a firefighter told us we should go check out our apartments and return if they were destroyed. We just went straight up and found our place completely unscathed. That is where I am sitting now. So, yay! And this is what I see when I walk out my door. Close!

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.

Roskilde '09

Was very very very hot. The sun was scorching and we were awakened by this brutally each morning before nine when the tent was suffocating us. Actually every morning proceeded something like this; the other three in our camp, that slept in different tents from us woke up first and initiated rolling the days first joint. Tink has already somehow managed to poke her head out of the inner part of the tent so she manages to breathe normally. Unlike the rest of us. Helge half-runs out of the tent to get air, and I follow half-running, half-falling out of the tent that is now boiling as a sauna. Kristin and Eivind wake up last, usually managing (miraculously) to catch a few more minutes than the rest of us.

The days were spent searching for shade and anything to cool us down. People are everywhere, dirty, tired, hungover, sweating, crippled by the heat. Still music is thumping from assorted speakers throughout the camp-areas, and most start to drink immediately to chase away the thudding discomfort of searing heat in combination with numbingly painful hangovers. In the clearings big shading canvases are set up, underneath which people are napping and drifting off all day in the shade. The "forest" areas looked undisturbed from a distance, but if you lifted the branches away you could see how the cool, moist forest ground was covered with desperate souls. Like a patchwork blanket of shiny, sweaty people, sleeping the pain and heat away.

We too spent one day shielded underneath the trees, but lucky as we were, we had access to a car, and so escaped to Copenhagen and Roskilde by most of the days. We went swimming in the indoors swimmingpool and went shopping and had bagels and chewed on licorice roots (that tasted like sticks with a bit of very strong licorice in them) fun at first, then sickenigly disgusting. Poor Eivind's foot was injured badly before we went to Roskilde, so he had to limp around everywhere.

The evenings were the best. We raved out by one of the bigger camps in our camp (J), and we had some licorice shots and lukewarm beer. We kept getting lost in translation with all the danes and that was really awesome. Like I'd ask someone by the bonfire if they had marshmallows, and they'd go "What's that?" and I'd repeat my question saying "MaaAwRshmellOHyws!" and then they'd be all "Aaah! MEYRshmEllOHws!" XD Classic.

Concerts! We saw all kinds of different stuff, but at least I got to see Whitest Boy Alive, La Coka Nostra, White Lies, Oasis, Coldplay, Haakon Hellström, Röyksopp (which was AMAZING), glimpses of Den Sorte Skole, some Kanye West, and some random DJ's in the lounge. And I mean random. Loads more played, but the ones scheduled before four in the evening were too hot to attend, and occasionally there were better things to do than to rock out in the festival area. Believe it or not.

The food was great pretty much everywhere. Yummy nachos and sweet mangolassi for the spicy indian food, we went to two different tex-mex buffets, probably to the hosts' great despair. When I wasn't sunburnt I was filthy, though it was usually both. But really being clean isn't what it's all cranked up to be. There is a certain charm to not bothering whther you look like shit or not, I stress that it's probably healthy to kick back and don't care sometimes. Though the icky thing is that I got sick during the last day, and it wasn't because I caught a cold, I'd got it from someone else, that place is like a bacteria-theme park. I mean, I am still sick to this day, eleven days later. But I definitely don't mind, was totally worth it.

Tink bought this awesome beachball that we covered in glitter-tape, it was beaaautiful, though unfortunately it got stolen :( It was too pretty to be left alone.

Thanks so much everyone for a really fun trip! Thank you for the music :D

White Lies

Eivind and Kristin with diamonds! O00ooOoh!

Helge and me at Whitest Boy Alive

Tink drew wiskers on me. Beeaaauuutiful!

in my miind

I think smells and flavours are pretty important. Especially the smell of something getting crispily roasted, all juicy and savoury on the inside - over an open fire. The smell of barbeque must be the most tantalizing thing. Like how suntan lotion brings back notions of the sun, beach and the waves in motion. How the asphalt smells after the rain, or the taste of undercooked macaroni.

Actually I don't think I have anything real to write about in this post, I just feel so guilty for not updating so I'm doing something about it.

I really enjoy the feeling of cold, sweet, melting creamy icecream against my lips, and raspberry seeds between my teeth. Actually that is a terrible commotion, it is just that it feels so summery. Like having scratches and cuts all the way up to my knees, stinging and searing with sunscreen and sand and saltwater and sweat. There is just something very real about it.

Bye bye baby!

I'm leaving for the Roskilde festival in Denmark tomorrow morning. Yes parents, I'm going to be careful and take care of myself and drink responsibly, and then we'll party our brains out. Wheee

I'm totally excited, I've never been there before, but hopefully it will be a wicked blast and everything will be kachoom! Oh yes. And we'll be all sorts of funky people sharing a tent, so very it's going to be pure sweetness. We'll see Den Sorte Skole and Friendly Fires and Ginger Ninja and Røyksopp and Oasis and White Lies and Coldplay and The 20Belows and Håkan Hellstrøm and the Whitest Boy Alive!! Ooooh. I know, it's amazing.

BINGBINGBING.

Where would you go, where would you go with a lasso?

Lasso by Phoenix from their most recent album. Give it a listen, pumpcake.

This is a duck from a very beautiful Portuguese garden in Lisbon.

About today

Ulrik was here for lunch, hope he catches his plane - because we got kind of extremely carried away with the eating, so he had to run out the door. Good times. Today I am going to work, then I am going to meet with Helge and hopefully we'll do something awesome. Yay!

I feel like I need to get back into a good rhythm again, I know I complained about everything feeling like a repetitive pattern (and that's not what I mean) seriously, I hated that. But right now it's like I'm not even touching the ground, the easter holiday just launched me into a wayload of relaxing and chilling and having a great time in general, so now I better shape up and get things done. Like I really need to tidy up in here, it looks awful. There's clutter everywhere. You know what? I think I'm going to finish this random gush of uninteresting information and tidy up instead. Here, take this random scenery picture I took in Molde instead. Thank you. I like showing off on how beautiful Norway is.

Now I'm going to eat your brain and gain your knowledge.

Books and my Easter

I'm back from Molde! (I came home Friday actually, but I have been way too lazy to tell you here, anyway). On your left hand you can see some pictures I took while there, mostly from the car though, but still! Whoptidoo.

Today the weather was really depressing, gray and wet, slight seeping rain clouding everything in a hushed mask of cold. On the positive side, I just finished the last book in the Twilight series! That means I read all four of them, "Twilight", "New Moon", "Eclipse" and "Breaking Dawn". I kind of liked them, they were a nice escape from reality (which means they have accomplished the most important task of a book). In some way I have been able to immerse in them, especially the first book - which made me feel all swoony like I believed in love, which was really nice. Obviously I don't need books to feel like that right now, so despite of their apparent ability to make your heart skip beats with the romantic spirit of a fifteen year old - there isn't really a lot to mention.

I am unable to put my finger on why I couldn't seem to devour them with the same thirst toward the end of the series, as the rhythm in the text was pretty much the same. I think it has to be because they were very chick-flicky and also extremely black and white. The good guys were very good (too good) and the bad ones were very bad, like evil. I thought the depth and diversity of the characters wasn't very impressive in other words. But I'm not going to critizise it for that, this is romance for goths and girls - a task it accomplishes perfectly. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone with many literary monsters beneath their belt, this is easily digested and easily enjoyed - unless you let yourself be annoyed by it's naïve blindness.

With an ability to let the defects fall through and with a little restraint - it's been a great read! Stephenie Meyer's writing can be very captivating at times, really. So thank you for that, Steph.

Right now I'm listening to "The Escape" by Harry's Gym - great Norwegian band. They have an extremely diverse sound, and many comforting elements to their songs. Wonderful. Definitely recommended. I hope everyone had a happy easter, too. I sure did myself! Sigrid was home for a bit, lurvely - and I met a lot of funky people out on Friday at Nicholas'. I think I'm still full from all the delicious food I ate in Molde (curtesy of Helge's mother) and the weather's been quite nice, so I am expecting summer even more eagerly than before!

Happy Easter!

Hello you! I am off for a bit (I'm also off a bit, but you knew this) and I'll be back by Friday!

Now I'm sure I wont be missed I'm like only going away for a few days, BUT seeing I've been having the total written diarrhea the past month - I just wanted to ensure you weren't deluded to think my ramblings were delayed due to lag. I am actually out of town. Though who knows -- I might still catch a rare case of CRAZY again and attack the internet while I'm there, but hopefully I will not.

While I'm at it I'd like to say that you're LOUSY at commenting, and that this is upsetting, so you better shape up, because this is turning more and more into an uninteresting monologue. Yes, I am talking to you! Exactly. See my point? Stop interrupting. Heeh, yeeehs. Alright! That's it, I'm off! 

Bye bye byyee! And Happy Easter!

(I might write a review of the newest Röyksopp Album when I come back, if you want, because I've been listening to it a lot lately and I have opinions! I have opin-onions! Onions!).

Hungrrhyyyy

I am at work. It has been a sunny day today, still is. The mall is light and quiet, not too cold - it's nice. I've been reading the papers, taken a few work-related calls, tidied up a bit and thought about stuff with an empty expression on my face. Though more importantly, I'm hungry.

Hunger, I think - leaves one with a pressing, gnawing feeling of restlessness. Nothing - or at least few things - can stop the creeping sensation that something is missing. My mind wanders, my eyesight goes unfocused, my brain is even more distant than usual - and I'd be satisfied eating just about anything. Candlewax, tea leaves, glue, paper - bits of wood, or maybe napkins. That's what my diet would consist of if I got locked in here. That's what I'm considering to eat right now.

The two most satisfying and delicious meals I've ever had have been those random late-night occurances when food have suddenly been presented to me unexpectedly and when I have not been able to fully realize exactly how hungry I was before I saw food. And actually both times it's been pizza. The first time was years ago when out partying with my sister in Bergen and someone behind the bar made frozen-pizzas and I was given a slice. It was a kind of sensation i have later been troubled to recollect at all. All I know is that it was wonderful. The second time was two weeks ago in a hostel bed in Germany when around midnight I split the best pizza I've ever had, with twice as much cheese as necessary - but with twice the delight.

In the end I often suspect that the media can make us want to remember less perfect moments though with more romantic credibility and forget the ones that truly leave an impression. Like in books and in movies the clichéed situations, the expensive ones gets highlighted, while the quirky situations are left unnoticed and without memory. What truly beats the romance in sharing a double mozzarella pizza on a beer infused double bed in a cold, smelly boys room late at night on a schooltrip to Germany? Watching the boats in the cold and dark at Aker Brygge during the autumn? Lying on a green sofa in the basement, listening to the same Mark Foster song over and over? Eating too much sweets - until our tummies ache and watch ridiculous machinima till late at night?

To me, I think... Nothing.

Away and Back again

I've been to Germany for one week, with school - for the CeBit technology mass in Hannover. We stayed at a nice hostel in Bremen and most were drunk for at least 60% of the trip. I had a great time actually, it felt nice to get away and have a change of scenery -- meeting new people was also immensely refreshing, and I'm so happy I went.

Very happy I went, actually.

I've got my laptop back now, and a new external hard-disk of 250gb - which is nice, and it's red and small and sexy. Sweet!

ehm, yes. I'll -- I guess I'll write soon again, when I think of something to write. I feel slightly uninspired at the moment!

Happy new year!

This is another picture I took in Portugal, it is my sister in the corner there. I love this picture, the mood is fairytale-like.

In other news, happy new year! I don't have the time to write you another ridiculously strange post about nothing in particular, because I am writing a novel and my last will and testament. Not because I am expecting to die, but because if you are not prepared - how are you supposed to live? Enough about life and death, have some biscuits!

Tuesday and tea

Another picture from Lisbon!

Today it's the second day in December. There's a little snow outside, I have hot gold tea and a lecture on Java. I dreamt I had both my feet in a stainless steel bowl tucked tightly with woolen socks, then I hopped over to a shop, and in the exhibition window there was a squid in a dress, she was black and white with a big red dress. Coming to think of it the window was more like an aquarium.

My eyes are all dry and tired even though my day has only just started! It is a good day so far, though.

I'm off, you cheese!

Hello beautiful people. I am in Portugal by the time you read this, visiting my sister with my brother and most of my lovely grandparents. It'll be a blast and I'll be back Wednesday! TOODLEDOO!

Where you go pidgeon?!!1 Edited!

(This is kind of like a re-post, or, actually I just moved the post into the future - which is pretty amazing to say the least! But I had to do it, because half the post disappeared when I published it. It even happened twice... Wise as i have grown of blogger though - I saved a copy of the post in its entirety as a draft in my mailbox! So - sorry about the inconvenience, but here we try again!)

Did I mention I'm thuper-dooper exthited about tharting th-choool? (Wearing my critical face next to Skjalg and Iselin).

Elin's off to England, which means I can't really hang out with her for the duration of the next few months. This could mean I have to get a new friend, but I'm not quite sure if I know how to. Well anyway, I made a most excellent Shepherds Pie today, my aunt (tante Bister)'s recipe. Actually I have been extremely inspired by her self-made cookbook (only partially filled with recipes, so that I could fill in the rest myself!). A great present indeed! It's in my shelf, next to Made in Italy by Giorgio Locatelli, also known as The Bible™.

The neighbours must have been struck by some kind of Italian mutation, I've heard them honk their car horns twice this week, which is not normal Norwegian behaviour at all. Actually I am getting quite upset about it -- WHAT'S NEXT?!

I'm also getting a new laptop for when school starts! It will be such a delight to get to properly sort out my documents and music and pictures and all those other files which are currently just lying around in various formats these days. I might also download something by Lindstrøm, he's a Norwegian club dj that's been compared to Röyksopp - which I personally think sounds fairly impressive. His newest album release is "Where you go, I go too". Talk about stalker title! I heard the first few seconds are just heavy breathing through a phone. <_< aha. No, I'm joking. The first track is actually almost half an hour long. And that's the truth ladies and gentlemen and ... Skjalg.

I'm on a row today! (And google once again deleted half my post, it is getting rather irritating). If this is some kind of cencorship I suggest you find some different way to do it, how about the old fashioned way? Yeah? Like a guillotine or some anthrax or - how hard can it be? Really.

On Skjalg's screen I noticed that the Russian World of Warcraft servers were all named stuff like "??", "?", "??" and "?". I found it a bit hard to understand, a little cryptic to be fair, and most of them were either "locked" or "full". I'd like to try to log in to them and ask the Russians themselves how they felt about their incognito server-names, but when Skjalg tried to click on them he got a message saying "You are trying to play on a server with a different language". When clicking "Okay" - nothing happened. I suppose one is not allowed to play on a Russian server unless you have a Visa. But I've been to Russia though, I have an invitation for Topa in my old passport. (You see they all got it a bit wrong, they pronounce their p's as r's! Talk about wild around the elbows).

So that's it. Hasta Luego Mr. Fab! (Zero Punctuation bout Prince of Persia Retrospective was good, you should see it!)

Guide for Norway

Apparently, tourists (especially English, Japanese and Italian) have been lacking in Norway this year. While as usually - we get a handful of them, it has now been reduced to almost nothing! :0 (yeah yeah, there have been the sporadic incidents of locals putting tourist buses on fire, but honestly I thought extreme tourism was all in the "now").

SO, ideally - I have decided to do a bit of advertising on my behalf - to show you exactly what kind of beauty Norway can offer - even for someone who has "travelled everywhere" and "seen everything". I swear to you! You will be surprised! And I have to admit that the theme is a little cheesy, like the headline and everything, but then again, it makes it seem so much more attractive. It's all about style!

Thoughts of a Viking Guide for Norway
- a Northern Odyssey

There are many wonderful sights and sounds in Norway, and I will begin with our proud capital, it was once known as Kristiania - but then went back to it's original name that's still used today, which is Oslo.

A most vibrant and interesting intersection consisting of up to several intersections actually - believe it or not. Today Oslo has approximately 856 915 inhabitants (this is per Jan. 1st 2008) - and also the highest density of lapps (sami) in the entire of Norway. Considering, there are though - very few reindeer. Anyway --

Oslo is:

1. Always under Construction
So many ditches are being dug, church roofs reinstated, buildings rehabilitated, offices constructed that the city is almost to be considered one great piece of versatile, temporary art.

2. Expensive
Oslo is the most expensive City in Europe, and also second on a worldwide basis. As a bonus, Oslo is packed with demanding beggars on every corner.

3. Smelly
Not all over, but right here - right here on the map. It always smells.

4. Democratic
Norwegians are fair and just - that being said; democracy really means that nobody really gets their will - and solutions are based on compromises. Which explains why the shape of the new operahouse is a somehow indefinable three-dimensional oblong.

5. Quiet
There is no such place as Oslo, or Norway (in general) to go when you seek somewhere you can be absolutely free of small-talk. If you speak to a Norwegian stranger, they will most likely think you are either a) American, b) Drunk, -or c) Both! (Which initally might not be bad things overall, but you might have trouble keeping a conversation going).

6. Wet
I mentioned Oslo being rather short on social interaction, this might not always be the case, except when it comes to bus stops and the like. Because in Oslo we have these benches underneath a "shelter" of sorts that can easily fit about seven people on almost every bus stop. But in Oslo, if somebody is standing underneath it, and one is sitting on the bench - it's full. Which means any newcomer have to stand in the rain. It all makes sense if you were Norwegian.

7. Doomed
Oslo has 20 graveyards and 13 hospitals. It all just went wrong to begin with.

From lofoten