Kamikaze snowflakes, Halloween and "silly English knnnniggets"

The snow finally arrived. I.e. sleet, i.e. kamikaze snowflakes. Doesn't really make sense, as there perhaps is a kamikaze element in all kinds of snowflakes, arguably also in rain, but I thought that compound was kinda cool.

Weird thoughts. Borderline absurd, even. But weird is cool. Weird is unique. Absurd is even better. Anyway... *shoves thoughts aside*

My brain is apparently taking a holiday at the moment. Nothing seems to be penetrating into my head. I guess this is the teflon-covered brain syndrome getting at me again... Grr. Bad timing. Then again, when it comes to this stuff it always is... :-S

Hm. What else to say... Oh yeah, it's Halloween. *unenthusiastic cheering from audience* I don't know about you, but Halloween in Norway is so overrated. It seems so strange when kids here in Norway do trick-or-treating; seems a bit fake in my view. After all, this is an American custom, that the media has managed to integrate (to some extent) into Norwegian society. "Knep eller knask"??? My ass. Sounds even more fake in my ears. Nah, "julebukk" is much better. At least that custom wasn't introduced by the media... But somehow I doubt kids think as far as this. After all, they get free candy. Either that, or get to throw eggs at houses. Which some kids did to us (i.e. family back home) a few years ago. Our excuse was that we didn't hear the doorbell (fyi, it sometimes doesn't sound properly). Ah well, what's two eggs? :-P Enough said on this topic.

Oooh! Oooh! Oooh! Stumbled over a really cute quote from my grammar book (of all things):

"May an anti-hygiene group declare your house a shrine!"

*giggle* Almost on the verge of being an insult, that.

Speaking of insults... (complete rambling, of course!):



Me? Do I like Monty Python? Gee, how can you tell...? :-P

And off we go...

Peaceful and harmonious vibes to the world,
Elise

And while I'm at it...

Yes, another Monty Python vid... This time from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". Absurd, silly and downright bordering to childishness, but still fun.





Would be cool to have the lyrics for this, but just can't be bothered googling for it right now... Need to eat dinner... And watch Ice Age at the same time... Aaah. Perfect. Almost. ;-)

No sign of snow yet. *relieved sigh* Cloudy, but no snow.



Peaceful and harmonious vibes to the world including the regular diapers,
Elise


Ps.: For those of you who are P&P maniacs (Eilen? Helloooo?), check out www.pemberley.com. There's this message board ("Lady Catherine & co.") where you can get "advice" on anything from Lady Catherine and the rest of the P&P characters, plus some others as well. Very, very tongue-and-cheek, but that's the beauty of it! See if you can find one question posted by "An English Rose", that supposedly being from Rose Bucket ("Keeping Up Appearances"), while you're at it. Mind you, I didn't post it, but it's fun to read!

Just had to post this one!

Yes, Monty Python is on YouTube as well! *happy dance* One of the best sequences in Monty Python's "Life of Brian"! (Yes, I'm Catholic, but it's still funny!!!) I know the humor is pretty silly and very childish, but then again, so is mine... Pilate just steals the show with that one!

"Thwow him to the floor..."

"Stwike him, centuwion, vewy woughly!" (said in a slightly poof manner...)

"I have a vewy gweat fwiend in Wome called Biggus Diccus..."

Epic! Simply epic! :-D Enjoy!




Huggies/diapers/pañales to the world!
Elise

I'm baaaack! (I hope...)

Weekend. And I'm good. Finally. Took me four whole days to beat this thing. Have never in my history of getting colds had a helium-filled head for 4 days in a row. But it's gone now. So far. It's as if I'm alternating between feeling sick and feeling good. As if my body can't decide either. This was a weird week. Maybe it was because of the sushi I had last weekend.

No. It can't be that. It just can't. Too tasty to be true.

Mmm... sushi... Naaah... budget... :-P

Am pretty much content with grades for my first Mandatory Assignments in my subjects. Pretty much. Could have been better, but then again I'm just in my first semester, aren't I? I'm not a genius. If I was I would get it right at my first try. I envy people who are like that; people who just seem to get everything right no matter what they're doing. Yaaargh. I just get this urge to go up and ask them: "Excuse me, may I have some of your brain, please? Preferably all of it?" Either that, or attempt to strangle them for being so smart. No, I won't go there.

Stormy weather at home, apparently. Can understand that Eilen/Monsoon/Oeinao doesn't want to get up and go to uni. Weather like that is just so uninspiring. Very nice once out in nature, but otherwise quite dull. Very dull. Speaking of storm, I heard about those 4 people/fishermen lost at sea outside Rogaland. Trying to be optimistic, but don't think there's much hope for these guys. One of them has so far been found dead (as far as I know), so chances are that the others are as well. Praying for a miracle, despite the severe storm and the wave size being up to 10 meters high; maybe even higher. *shiver* Scary. May God have mercy on their souls.

To turn the mood into something more cheerful, there's hardly been any wind here in Oslo at all. There was supposed to be a storm during the afternoon or something, but all I could feel was just a small gust of wind lasting for about 1-1.5 minutes... and that was it. Humph. Some storm. That's what I like to call "pinglevind" in Norwegian (in English... err... "whimpy wind"? Uh...). Come on! Gimme some wind that'll really knock my socks off! Make me feel homesick!!! And yet these urban city peeps complain! Sometimes I just don't understand them.

THIS is what I long for:

I can feel it now...

Still waiting anxiously for that special gust of wind,
Elise

Maybe not...

Ugh. This sucks.

Thought I'd beaten this, but apparently I hadn't after all. Still feel a bit woozy, topped off with feeling cold inside. I'm not being poetic here, by the way. It's just as if my bones feel cold and the rest of the body feels just fine. Just feel so uninspired to do anything even close to being academical today. I really do think I'm coming on to something. Yes, I've gulped down lots of liquid. Yes, I've taken Paracet. Yes, my head still feels as if it's been filled with helium. Now if I could just stick this out 'till after 4pm tomorrow, that would be great. At least this wasn't in the middle of the week. *sigh*

Song of the week: James Morrison with "You Give Me Something". Just plain smooth... Groovy, even. Love it. Quite souly and Joss Stone-y, even though there's not that much of the voice acrobat stuff she's got going on. Which is good. Which is very good. Despite me feeling strange I've had this song stuck in my head for the whole week. Not exactly in the league of "Mahna Mahna", but still. He's got a nice voice. Very calm, very soothing. And his songs are great. Love the way he's integrated the "big band" touch to this one. And the strings. Gotta buy his CD. Once I get past this... thing. Argh. Am posting a live version here, which in my opinion is just as good as the single version, despite all the screaming at the beginning and at the end:



Think I'll nap for a little while now. But before I go, here's another vid; this time of the Swedish Chef (whom I simply adore!), Miss Piggy and the two old guys (can't remember their names off the top of my head). One of my favorite sequences of the series! The video is of a rather poor quality, but the jokes are intact:



Hiiiiiiiiiyah! :-P

God bless YouTube,
Elise

Wow! I feel good! I knew that I would...

Ok. I know I was going waaaay off on a tangent in that last comment/post/thingy/whatever. Heck, I didn't even stick to the main topic of the blog entry this was based on. The curse of having chronic verbal diarrhea, I guess... *sigh* Again, if any of my atheist friends read this, don't take this the wrong way! :-)

The thing is that once I get started on some topic along those lines... well, the post itself kinda speaks for itself, dunnit? I just have to write something about it even though I'm not that good at discussing and even though I'm ignorant of the many facets and varieties of certain beliefs other than my own. In addition to that I'm ignorant to everything else but the stereotypes of certain faiths except those of my own faith. So please correct my assumptions if I've got the wrong info! Hugely appreciated! :-)

Feeling much better now than what I did yesterday and on Monday (as you perhaps can tell from the two preceding paragraphs ending with smileys...). Fruit really did the trick. I'm back. One-hundred percent. Feeling groovy (think that's the title of a song, btw... Hm.). Groovy. My new buzzword.

Enough randomness for now.

Elise

Ps.: Else Catherine!!! Let me into your blog!!! I wanna read your mind!!! (That sounded very strange... õ.O) Aaaaargh!!!

On the other hand...!

Must let grammar book and exfac lie on table a little longer! Read Ole's blog and was drawn to the topic of atheism vs. (other) religions. I had the intention of writing about this topic earlier, actually, but never got that far. So to save him some space on his comments page, I'm gonna post my comment here. :-)

(To all of my atheist friends; this is not meant to be insulting to you as individuals. I fully respect your views - though I might not exactly understand it as much... Ergo, take this statement with a pinch of salt! I still care about you guys!!! :-D)

Personally I believe the idea of atheism is at least a belief and not a religion (based on the stereotypical idea of atheism), though there is/are no god(s) involved at all. I don't think of it as an "authentic" religion, though; to me it doesn't seem right. The way I classify religions is that the members of a particular such have to believe in some almighty and creative being. Mind you, this is by no means the definition. If atheism is a religion where none of the self-confessed members believe in anything makes it kind of self-contradictory (or to put it in slightly more literary terms - a paradox). It kinda defeats the purpose. I can't explain it entirely, but this is what I think.

Atheism to me is kind of like taking the easy way out when it comes to philosophizing over our own existence. It's as if they can't be bothered even thinking about a greater force of life. It's almost like saying that what you see around you is basically all that you'll get. Nothing else. I call it whimpy. I would almost go as far as to call it arrogant myself. Declaring to the world that you are an atheist is almost like saying that there is no meaning to life at all. I don't understand that. I don't get how someone can go on with their lives with that kind of attitude to life. It's as if they're simply saying that the situation is hopeless; as if we're the most intelligent beings in the universe (and whatever must be beyond that). That there is no force that has created it all. That the atoms and electrons of the elements (cf. Periodic Table) suddenly combined together during the Big Bang and suddenly created the things we see today after a couple of billion years. Just like that.

It couldn't have been that way. Neither can it be! It just can't!!! Something in my mind and soul just says that that is wrong!!! Maybe it's just because I'm Catholic. I don't know. But it doesn't add up in my mind!

Though I've got a few atheist friends - whom I respect entirely for their views - deep inside I just can't seem to get around that they don't believe in such a force at all. I stand completely bewildered on that point. It just doesn't make sense! Something must have created the world. Something must have created the universe and all of the galaxies. They couldn't just have created themselves!!! Something more powerful and more almighty than us must have triggered this to happen. I personally know who that is. Others might have slightly different ideas, but it all comes down to that same force.

Subjects such as these make me so frustrated. I have tolerance for agnostics and other monotheistic and even polytheistic faiths in the world, but I don't have much left for atheists. Even though I respect them as individuals (which is a completely different thing!), I can't get around the idea that they're thinking that our lives have no meaning at all - simply by proclaiming to the whole world that there is no God. That there is no such thing as a creative force in the universe. It's like saying: "Oh yeah, we're so clever we created ourselves." Statements such as that really pierce straight through my heart. (Poetic and ever-so-slightly corny, but true.) It's almost on the verge of being insulting, even.

It might also be that people declare themselves for being atheists just to provoke and get themselves some attention, even though they don't really believe what they're saying themselves. Perhaps this reason is not as plausible as the others mentioned, but it is possible. Being religious nowadays is "embarrassing", after all. Believing in God/Allah, or even Krishna, Vishnu and the other Hindu gods is simply ridiculous. Why would you bother yourself thinking about this when there's more "important" things to think about? More earthly and materialistic things, for instance?

Why indeed.

I believe people have a subconscious need to turn to this force in one way or another. Man has a need to think outside the box, if you will, and contemplate on this non-physical and "objectless" force. Atheists are in denial of this force's existence and choose to ignore this need in order to live a "simpler" life. The thing is that life isn't simple. It never was, nor will it ever be. It isn't possible to gloss over the more complex aspects of life and pretend you don't see it. We all see it.

May the Force be with you,
Elise

Ps.: Hope no one got offended by this rambling. I know I won't be able to win a discussion on this when faced with such questions... (I never do, as with all other topics... *sigh*) Still, I can't rest until it's been said.

These are strange times...

Have been feeling a little iffy today. Felt the same way yesterday. Not entirely myself, I dare say. Not entirely 100%... Feeling a little tired and somewhat lethargic. Might be brewing on something, though there's no sign of a cold. Hm. Hope it's nothing serious. *knock on wood* God forbid. Ugh. Just what I need. Have stashed up on all kinds of fruits and veggies plus lemoned water to see if I can battle it that way. Hope this works.

Ugh. Watery grapes without flavor. Might just as well eat a cucumber.

Hm. Don't have that much to write at the moment, though I just feel like writing. I'll save you from all the pointless yapping and just end here. So there.

Elise

Family and diced bacon.

Livin' on the edge...

Haven't done much school-related stuff this weekend. Strangely enough I don't feel any remorse at all. Hm. After church I went home and waited anxiously for my cuz to come visit me. *yeeey* Must have been a year-and-a-half since we've seen each other. Time goes so fast it's almost scary! Suddenly we're both 20; we've left our respective nests and we're currently trying to find our places in life.

It's weird with family such as herself. We seem to still get along despite our differences in attitudes, etc., and can talk about everything. Don't know if it's because we're family, but we're always there for one another and constantly supporting the other and giving advice if needed. It's just the same with my family in the Philz. When I was there last summer I hadn't been there for 10 years, and still me and my cousins connected. I don't know. It's probably a family thing after all.

Today's big thought? Err... Hrm... Well... Ole (get well soon!) left me all gobsmacked after his comment on the last blog post (the looooong one), so I reckon he's said all that needs to be said about literature and art being useless. Which it's not. *lol* So there goes that topic.

Have been thinking about the VG commercial with the old lady with the verbal diarrhea. Somehow she's managed to make me think of diced bacon whenever I see the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs (Jonas Gahr Støre). "Ok, she's officially gone nuts, this girl!" you might think to yourself, but there is actually a logical explanation for this! The latest commercial featured that lady sitting/lying outside in her yard whilst talking to Hjørdis (her friend) on the phone and looking up at the sky and try to find resemblances with other objects/people in the clouds passing by. She suddenly comes with a remark something along the lines of: "Nei, se, der er det en som ligner på han Gahr Støre - eller er det baconterninger?" ("Oh, look, there's one which looks like that Gahr Støre - or is it diced bacon?") *lol* Absurd, I know. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever, but thanks to that commercial they've now imprinted the thought of diced bacon whenever I see the Minister of Foreign Affairs! I have a tendency to laugh out loud whenever I see him now, which is a tad disrespectful. Imagine how it would be if I were to meet him in person (not going to happen, btw) and suddenly burst out laughing!

I'm glad I'm not getting into politics. Somehow I think they'd do better without me. I'll stick to languages and be satisfied.

Elise

Ps.: Have managed to borrow Elise's (i.e. flatmate's, not myself; that would be very split-personality-ish) guitar to try to get a hold of a musical instrument of some kind. Desperate times require desperate measures.(Ach, suddenly forgot how that saying went, but you get it, right?) Now after half-an-hour or forty minutes of strumming my heart out, the fingertips on my left hand are all numb. Steel strings, soft tissue. Not a good combo. Ugh. But the sound is better than with nylon strings, though; much more distinct sound to it. Groovy.

*sigh*

Again, another long one. I'll say this again: Bear with me.

Oh yes.

Argh. Trying hard to be supportive of Eilen/Monsoon/Oeinao and write some heartfelt and supporting words in her blog, but feel like all's been said already. Feel like all the things I've planned on writing would be repeating myself. That Bob should better do what she's been told. I think he has. I hope he has. Both of them could use some closure now. Alas, the pangs of love... *sigh*

Trying fervently to build up my regular cheerfulness again despite this. Not easy, but am determined.

Shopping with Sara today, plus a long chat about what seemed to be everything! Finally I managed to do it. Man, if shopping was a sport... Anyway, went all around Oslo and had a gooooooooooooooorgeous sushi lunch. Yeah baby yeah! :-D Cost me 176 kroners, but it's just once in a blue moon, innit? Will most likely live on stale bread the next couple of weeks (huge overstatement), but it was worth it! Haven't had sushi since the Food Festival in Stavanger (i.e. around the start of August, I think?), so I really enjoyed every single tidbit. Aah. Sushi. Could practically live on the stuff!

The thing about sushi is that in order to avoid making a mess on your plate and at the same time use your chopsticks in a non-malevolent manner you have to gulp down even the largest pieces on your plate in one go. Usually biting off a smaller chunk will result in your plate looking like Hiroshima and the rest of the sushi bit (can you say that?) will fall apart. Not very helpful, especially if you're new to the whole chopstick idea. So what you have to do is basically to simply put the whole blasted thing in your mouth and hope your friend sitting across the table won't make you laugh in the middle of the munching. Oh yeah, and be careful with the wasabi. It can clear your sinuses quite well if you're allergic to pollen or have the colds or whatever, but it can really knock your socks off if you use too much. I speak from experience.

I'm one of those people who'll try anything once. Anything in the food department, to be more specific. As long as it isn't life-threatening for either myself or others (for the latter I refer to gathering ingredients for a certain bird's nest soup), or will damage my budget too much. Heck, if I was told that an insect was a delicacy, I'd have a go at it. Yes, I'm serious. I might not necessarily like it, but I'd try it. Yes, I'm still serious. :-D

Hm. Don't have that much more to write.

Oh, yeah, hang on, I do, actually. Stumbled over this quote from a certain author who'd won a "Princípe de las Asturias" ("Prince of Asturias") literature award for his book called "Letters" (don't quote me on this; I watched his speech yesterday. Memory may fade slightly):

"The very uselessness of art gives it its value." - Paul Auster

After which he further argued that man has a need to be creative; man has a need to dream and use their imagination. The need for literature and other artforms are needed almost as much as we need doctors, farmers and others who have more "essential" professions. Man needs not only to feed its body, but also its soul. Or else, I reckon, we'd go insane. According to Auster, this is what literature does.

Dude. That was deep. Notice how the tone of the blog post shifted from slightly guilty to perky to deep and contemplative. Dude... I'm weird.

Statement of the year, right there. :-P

Elise

I'm going green!

Tired of pink. ;-)

Lazy day at home...

Finally gotten further than ch. 1 of "Wuthering Heights", my new book challenge. Just didn't feel like doing anything uni-related today (besides making the final touches on the last Mandatory Assignment due tomorrow), so I read something I really wanted to read today. Not implying at all that reading curriculum-related material isn't fun at all, mind you. But reading novels is something I haven't had much time to do lately. Have gotten as far as ch. 4 on it, for those of you who have read it, so things are just getting a tad exciting at the moment. Lots of questions remain unanswered as of yet. Haunted estate, grumpy landlord/master suffering from heartbreak (or so it seems at the moment), almost equally grumpy servants, strange dreams, strange books... There's nothing like letting yourself get lost in a book!

Here's by the way the song that inspired me to read it. It's from the 70's (1978?) featuring Kate Bush. It may seem kinda strange at first (the first time I heard it I was reminded of Chinese pop!), but once you get used to the slightly experimental touches, it's quite haunting indeed.



I don't know. I just like it.

Feeling guilty for not reading anything uni-related. I should prepare myself for tomorrow's Phonetics session. *sigh* Enough "Wuthering Heights" for a short while.

Elise

Ahem.

Long post. Bear with me.

Yaaaar...

Back to flat after intriguing Grammar session. I like those classes. During those classes you're always so tired that even the driest joke becomes hilarious. That's fun. I like to laugh. Hence my bad sense of humor. It just lightens the load a bit; makes you handle even the toughest circumstances with ease.

Will be on the radio soon. *lol* My moment of fame right there! I'd written this in a previous post, but deleted it as I didn't want anyone to know after all. But then again I'd remain anonymous during the sequence anyway, so I changed my mind. Whattheheck. (Only fools don't change their minds, ya know...)

Yesterday after our Grammar lecture me and a couple of friends sat in the cafeteria chatting about anything and everything. Suddenly this guy comes up to us and says he's from NRK Radio and wondered if we were available for a few questions. I think this is in relation to the... err ... "Arbeidslivsdag" (in lack of an English equivalent) on campus tomorrow, though he didn't specify this at all, neither did he specify which radio station he was from. Hrmph.

So anyway, in our ignorance we consented to answer his questions (after all, how many times in your life will you get a microphone pointed at you?), which were as follows:

1) "How many piano tuners are there in the world?"
2) "How many golf balls can fit into a Boeing 737?"
3) "If you were to move Mount Fuji, how would you go about?"

After he'd asked the first question we were all astonished, as we'd expected some deep questions on the War in Iraq or something. At least I did; don't know about the rest of the gang. Sara and I were the most talkative of us, mind you. *lol* Anyway, for the first question Sara answered "around 5-10,000, perhaps?" Afterwards we excused ourselves of being mere language students and not math students. Reasoning out numbers isn't exactly our thing, to put it that way. Neither do we need the skill, in that manner, at least. For the second question I don't think we came up with an answer. I think we just accused these questions for being entirely stupid and pointless, and then moved on to the final question, to which I answered "Uh, by prayer?" (Alluding to the saying that faith can move mountains...) That was the straightest answer I could come up with at the time.

Following these questions he posed a final one: "How would you react if an employer asked you questions like these in a job interview?" To which I retorted: "I guess I'd just stare at him strangely. I might even consider walking out of the room." After we'd finished answering this he thanked us for our time and explained to us that questions such as these were used by Microsoft in recruiting staff. Then he left. *cringe* Typical. I knew there had to be a clever catch to this! Imagine staring strangely at a Microsoft executive - Bill Gates, for that matter! Ugh...

So there you have it. I'm gonna be completely humiliated on national radio. Anonymously, mind you, but still. Great start to my years here in Oslo. My first appearance on some radio station and here I come with my absurdities. Wonderful. Just wonderful. So if you hear a loud bang coming from a distance one of these hours, it's probably me hitting my head against my desk.

*whimper*

Elise

My future cat...

Just to have it said, if I'm going to own a cat in the future (which I've planned on having), I have it all planned out. As I don't think Mom would be too keen on having a furball around the house (she's got this thing against cats and any kind of furry animal; think it's because the occurence of rabies is more frequent in the Philz than in Norway), I'm planning on getting one once I get my own place. Not counting this stage, as pets aren't allowed where I'm living and because it would be too much of a burden right now...

But as I've said, I've got a detailed plan inside my head on which kind of cat I'm going to have. It's going to be black, male (would prefer vast amounts of kitty pee rather than pregnant cat) and have the name of Mozart Gråtrastemannpus Rufsetufsgampen Kattegat. And of course with my last name at the end. Obv. A real mouthful, but there is a reason for all this:

1. Mozart is one of my all-time favourite classical composers. Beethoven would give canine associations, so I won't go there.
2. "Gråtrastemannpus" was a name my aunt (Dad's sister) insisted on using for the family cat after Dad had suggested the more tasteless alternative "Katt F***". (Fyi, the Norwegian F-word...) When she was asked about the rather peculiar choice of name, she simply replied: "Ja, kjeme du på någe bere?" ("Yeah, well, can you come up with anything better?")
3. "Rufsetufsgampen" was a name a friend of mine back home had for her cat. Originally the Norwegian translation of the name of a horse in a German cartoon. Can't remember the name of the cartoon itself, though. It was featuring a wise bear and a tiger, I remember. In one of the shows there was some fuss about a wooden box from Panama... That's all I recall off the top of my head. Ring a bell with anyone?
4. "Kattegat"? I dunno, it just fits.
5. My last name? Because it will be a family member, that's why! Mi familia... Am suddenly reminded of "The Godfather"... ("I'll make you an offer you can't refuse...") Don't ask me why... 'cause I don't have a straight answer for that one.
   

Woe on the cat who will be owned by yours truly. May the Lord have mercy on it because of its insanely long name.

Enough already.

Huggies,
Elise

Just had to add this one before I go to bed...

Funni. Verrifunni.

Aplomb.

One of the stranger words in the English language. Makes me think of tooth fillings. Just thought I'd point it out to y'all... Apparently the definition of the word is as follows (according to the Penguin English Dictionary): "Complete composure, or self-assurance; poise". Dude. To think that such a strange word could have that kind of meaning to it. English is a weird language. That's why I'm studying it, I guess. It's a language filled to the rim of big fancy words - which I love. Words like deviously, ambiguous, malevolent, euphoric, concoction, blatant, dwindle, delapidated... The list goes on and on... *giggle* Enough of this nerdy talk already.

So didn't feel like attending the Ex.Fac. lecture today! Should have followed Eva's suit and stayed at home after my Translation class. Ah well. What's done is done. Great to see all of my friends (err... most of them, at least) again, anyway. In addition to that, I took the liberty as to buy myself some cake. After all, it was a manic Monday (after fall break/study week the first day usually tends to be like this). I had a perfectly legitimate excuse to buy one. (Legitimate. Another big fancy word. Kewl.)

*Off topic* Finally feel as if I'm getting on track with all of my subjects. I'm basically on schedule with all of my subjects now. More or less. Notice the faint, yet present aura of worry here. Keeping this up, on the other hand, is another story. I'd probably not have as much aplomb in a few weeks time. Just wait and see if these posts get more frantic after a while, or if I fail to post entries for a certain period of time. You'll know why. There won't be much of a surprise for you there, I reckon!

*Off topic again* Happy to have remembered to bring two DVDs back to my flat; namely 'Ice Age' and 'Pride & Prejudice' (the BBC version). Very happy indeed. Euphoric, even. Could have brought 'Shrek' with me as well, but there was no room in my suitcase. *sigh* At least I'm able to watch Scrat, Sid and the rest of the gang. Good enough for me. Oh yeah, and Colin Firth in a wet shirt. :-P *lol*

Anywho, must turn my cerebral frequency into 'ex.fac. mode' now so I'll be even more on schedule with my subjects.

*snap, snap*
Elise

(Am suddenly reminded of "Schnappi - das kleine Krokodil"... *cringe*... Nooo!!! Make it stop!!!)

Hm.

Too deep a post to handle, that last one? *giggle* Kinda contrasting with my previous posts, dunnit? Once I get started on such topics I have a tendency to get a little intense... A little too intense. Forgive me.

I should start reading for tomorrow. *nerd*

In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritu Sancti (Aaaaamen...),
Elise

One of those deep posts...

Ok, as the past posts have been filled to the rim by nonsensical - and dare I say shallow - trivialities, I'm hereby going to make this one a slightly deeper one. I've been contemplating on a lot on stuff since my last entry, and once I get started there's no stopping me.

Been thinking a lot about one of my all-time favourite songs, "Ordinary World" by Duran Duran. I know, I know, it's an eighties band and that the music video is a major disappointment, but this song in itself is one of those few songs that give me chills. The guitar solos, strings and "flowing" sound added to the lyrics just blend in perfectly in my ears. Gorgeous. Awesome.

In the last verse it gives off the message that the reasons why we argue with each other in the western world doesn't seem to matter that much. Everyday trivialities such as pride, nagging and complaining about what seems to be everything may seem straining to a relationship (whichever kind it may be), but in the end these things are insignificant. In the end it doesn't make a difference in the world. Nobody really cares what happens with you or any relationship, whether it sinks or swims, it's not going to do the world any good anyway. That is, nobody besides yourself. (I know this sounds extremely cynical, but seen from a larger scope this may be true.) A relationship will give you as a person some pleasure and reassurance that there is - after all - some goodness in the world, but won't make a genuine impact on the world as a whole; it won't give food on the table for people in 3rd world countries, neither will it trigger world peace. The slightly naïve dreams of John Lennon and Yoko Ono fades into nothingness compared to this slightly cold wake-up call. One simply can't just demand every human being in this world to love each other automatically, neither can one single relationship make as large an impact on the world as it probably should. It's simply impossible. Or let me rephrase that; I won't believe it until I see it with my own two eyes.

Come to think of it, many artists nowadays who write songs about the achievment of peace and tolerance seem to make the solution easier than what it really is. I mean, the songs themselves may be inspiring enough, but telling people to love and care for each other isn't going to make problems go away at one instant. The world is not that simple. The world isn't simple at all, though we may sometimes wish it was. Usually conflicts arise from long-term hatred that's built up over a period of time before it's finally let out of the bag and wreaks havoc. Well, obviously it depends on what the issue is, of course. A song is not going to make the world any better. A song is not going to make the Israelis and Palestinians suddenly say to each other: "I'm sorry. Let's kiss and make up." I don't think the world is that gullible.

Man, that was deep. :-S

Stay tuned for more crazy thoughts about anything and everything!

Elise

I should really be taking notes for exfac now...

Must... not... blog...

YAAAAAARGH!!! Can't help myself! Must blog!!!!

Yesterday was, as my oh-so-distinguished friend Ole so eloquently put it in his blog, "one of those days"...

Uhuh. Yeah. I hear ya!

Well, won't go in on the particulars (at least not too much), but I'd just handed in one of my infamous semestral Mandatory Assignments yesterday and got a call last night from a couple of my friends who had only started doing the assignment that evening. FYI, the assignment was due today before class... All I could hear were semi-nervous voices on the other end asking me something like: "Ummm, Elise... What did you write for this question? I don't get what he's asking!" After what seemed as half-an-hour of discussions over my cellphone (which consequently caused a slight headache on my part), I finally came to the conclusion that I didn't understand the question as well as I thought myself, and we finally concocted some sort of a strategy as to how to approach the question (in question). Of course, I'd handed in my assignment already through ClassFronter, so I was ever-so-slightly annoyed because I'd already handed it in. Thanks for discussing the questions with me at the very last minute, eh? Yaaar... *whimper, whimper* (For those of you who noticed my screen-name on msn, you may probably sense a certain connection to this.) So the stuff was corrected and I hoped - and prayed - for the best.

And the best happened. I know, I know, I was overreacting (*cough* drama queen *cough*), but I really do despise moments when you think you've gotten it all done, and when you suddenly realize you haven't after all. I always have a tendency of getting all panicky. Hate that.

Hah! Finally found the lyrics for the theme song from the Addams Family cartoon! Woohoo! :-D

And what do you know? Here it is:

They’re creepy and they're kooky,

Mysterious and spooky,

They’re all together ooky,

The Addams Family.

Their house is a museum.

When people come to see 'em

They really are a screa-um.

The Addams Family.

*snap, snap* Neat...

*snap, snap* Sweet...

*snap, snap* Petite...

So get a witch's shawl on.

A broomstick you can crawl on.

We're gonna pay a call on

The Addams Family.

*snap, snap*

Lurch: Oooooh...

Man, that brings back memories! :-D

Anyway, I'm wasting my time. Enough blogging already.

Peace out!

Elise

Lastly... My view on John Kerry has hereby been altered due to this striking resemblance. Kerry, say Oooooh... :-P

"There's nobody else I'd throw myself into a river filled with piranhas with but you, Dad."

Aww, that's so sweet.

I think that was what Wednesday Addams once said to Gomez (i.e. her dad). Not necessarily word-for-word, but you get the idea. Guess that has to be the best compliment a parent can get from their child, eh? Compliment of the year right there. Gotta love that family. Eccentric and ever-so-creepy, but still loveable!

Speaking of the Addams family, I'd better decapitate some hair soon; or else I'll be like cousin Itt:

Vanity strikes again. Anyway, back to notes.

*snap, snap*

Elise

Done! Donedonedonedonedonedone! :-P

Woohoo! Happy and relieved gal behind the computer screen now, I tell ya.

Now all I have left is to finish up writing my notes for one chapter (hang on... it's another week... make it two chapters instead... *cringe*) in Ex.Fac., pack up again and head back home to Oslo. *deep breath*

Weird to have two places I call home. I can imagine that I confuse many by that. Leaving home to go home. Dude...

Wonder how things will turn out for my exams. Seems as if my plans of making flashcards and taking notes has not exactly been plausible these last three days... So much for that.

Oooh. Dark outside. And it's only 7:35pm. And it's getting colder.

Went to visit Eilen (otherwise known as Oeinao) today; only lasted for an hour or so since she had to leave for Stavanger (and I for my infamous shopping spree), but still, it was really nice to see her again. Laughing together like two morons as we used to do at Sonans - she raving about on the inevitable topic of... drum roll, please... Bob. To be honest, I wasn't that surprised (cf. her blog), but it was good to get a personal update straight from her own mouth. She's a fantastic friend - even though she's in her 30's. My oldest friend, besides my parents, obv., but that's probably a different case.

So, what about that famous spree of mine? Hah, think again, my friend! As you peeps may well know, I'd set out to drag my butt all the way to Kvadrat to go bananas there, but as I suddenly realized that I didn't have any season ticket any longer, the trip would cost considerably more that what it would've done otherwise, i.e. if I'd had that blasted ticket. Hence, I decided to go to Bryne instead. Smaller selection, but still. When I came there though, I eventually realized that I didn't really need as much as I thought after all. Besides, I reckoned the same things could be found in Oslo anyways. In addition, the idea of typing up my Mandatory Assignment in Grammar kept breathing down my neck. So after 1.5 hours I decided to return back home. Nice walk outside in the immaculate weather, though. Should have brought my camera...

Enough nonsense for one day. More will come in due time, rest assured. Nonetheless, allow me to end this entry with this quote:

"Who is more busy than he who hath least to do?" - John Clarke

Hm. Indeed.

Huggies,
Elise

Two down, one-and-a-half to go...

Suddenly the shopping-spree-in-Kvadrat idea seems to become more and more faint.

Done with my ex.fac. mandatory assigment (due Fri.) after 6 intense hours of reading, writing, thinking, deducing and listening to Mozart and Vivaldi. With breaks, of course. Loooong and equally intense breaks. Just tumbled down on the couch in the living room and closed my eyes whilst listening to Mozart. Just a desperate try to get smarter and make some of the stuff I'd read/written stick to my mind. Dunno if it's worked... Can't say. My head's so light right now it's almost as if it was filled with helium. Not to suggest at all that I don't have a brain. However, it certainly feels like it's non-existent... Freaky...

Anita came over yesterday and we had one of those loooong conversations about everything. About 40% of the topics was just total nonsense, but it was so nice to see her again! Too bad she can't join me for my spree... if ever there will be a spree. *sigh* I will finish this! I will!!! I'm-a gone cum-pleat this stuff bee-fower tomorrow!


Ok. Bad Texan style of writing. Forgive me.

I'm gonna get started now.


There. Gone. Suddenly.

Lazy Sunday.

Sunny outside. Windy. For some odd reason I feel like driving to the coast and just sit on a rock beside some lighthouse and just feel the cold and salty wind blow against my face. Poetic, innit? I guess I'm in a slightly poetic mood today.

Right now it's rather nice out here. When it's sunny you should really seize the opportunity to drag yourself outside. For once. It's been raining too much.

Sang myself almost hoarse last night and played the piano until my arms and fingers felt tired. That took me a good two hours, or so. My darling piano and I are finally reunited! My sweetest loveliest most utterly wonderful black Casio electric piano, which doesn't have that much of a friction in its keys - but which I love and adore all the same, as it has been my trusted companion through my 7 years of piano lessons! Sad that I should miss an object, actually, but since it's been a while, I give myself an excuse for feeling so.

Hitting that first C major in more than 8 weeks felt really good. The sound of it was something I'd longed to hear for what seems as eons... Ok. This is getting even sadder... I'll shut up now.

That's it. I'm getting out of here. Will hereby drag my Dad out into the cold autumn air so he can enjoy the wind and sun with me and take pics!

O blow ye winds,
Elise

Just to add...

Notice how many days it took for me to write another post on my blog. I'm putting myself in blog abstinence therapy (one of the many topics of BAA - Blog-Addicts Anonymous; The name itself is rather stating the obvious, as most bloggers tend to be anonymous), and so far it seems to have a positive effect.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Imagination running wild. Forgive me. I blame the lack of sleep last night.

Blargh!
Elise

Hooooome! :-D

Strange to be at home again... Seeing my "old" room, my piano (which I haven't even thought about playing on yet - though I most certainly will do so during my brief visit) and people I used to encounter at the grocery shop feels kinda weird. I dunno. It's strange. Feels as if I'm going to wake up again in my flat in Oslo any minute now.

Great to see my family again, though. The rain and gales only made it better. Weather in Oslo is what I would almost coin as "whimpy" (there's no better word for this in English!) - with the intent of illustrating how teeny tiny the raindrops over there are and how weak the wind is. What one would classify as a strong wind over there is basically what I'd call a weak breeze... Crazy.

After having lived away for considerably more than a month it is as if there's some distance between me and my home. I mean, my real home here in Rogaland. Weird. There's no better way to put it.

Meanwhile, I finally came to the conclusion that taking the train back and forth to Oslo is much cheaper and actually more practical than taking a plane. You won't get the issue of luggage weight limit - because there is no friggin' limit! I mean, taking the train is more time-consuming (obv.), ergo more tedious, but you can in theory still bring as many as you like. You also save a couple of hundred kroners as well. Which is always good when you're a student. Even though it's not that much of a difference.

Looking forward to hang with my friends now, even though there's heaps of work that needs to be done, e.g. getting on schedule note-wise on a few courses, and of course the mandatory assignments for this coming Friday and the week after. Blargh! We shall overcome... someday.

Another thing I'm looking forward to is my intended shopping spree in Kvadrat one of these days! Need to get myself some thick sweaters and jeans. Maybe even shoes... But most definitely the second season of 'The Muppet Show', if available! Gotta love that Swedish Chef! One of my favourite characters of the show! Along with Miss Piggy ('Hiiyyah!') and Fozzie Bear (*boooo...*). Hopefully some people will find it in their hearts as to bestow my person with their generous presence and join me for this... Just need to find out who's available first... Any volunteers?! Yoo-hoo...?

Oh yeah, and of course watching my 'Pride & Predjudice' DVD! Man, I've missed watching that series! Plus lots of other movies as well... Dad has just installed a home cinema system in the attic (otherwise known as 'the Itoi Lounge', named after my uncle (priest), who helped us with the creation of the room itself), so I'm getting a bit worried I'll end up as a couch potato during this whole stay - excluding of course the infamous shopping spree.

Anyway, to say all this in one sentence, I'm happy to be home again.

Mahna mahna to you all!
Elise

The Poem/Text/Discourse/whatever you like.

Some thoughts on the impact of Shakespeare on our language

If you cannot understand my argument, and declare "It's Greek to me",
you are quoting Shakespeare;

if you claim to be more sinned against than
sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare;

if you recall your salad days, you are
quoting Shakespeare;

if you act more in sorrow than in anger, if your wish
is father to the thought, if your lost property has vanished into thin air,
you are quoting Shakespeare;

if you have ever refused to budge an inch or
suffered from green-eyed jealousy, of you have played fast and loose, if you
have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if
you have knitted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair
play, slept not one wink, stood on ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord
and master), laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort
or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a
fool's paradise - why, be that as it may, the more fool you for it is a
foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting
Shakespeare;

if you think it is early days and clear out bag and baggage,
if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it,
if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it
involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the crack of doom
because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one
fell swoop) without rhyme or reason, then - to give the devil his due - if
the truth were known (for surely you have a tongue in your head) you are
quoting Shakespeare;

even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing,
if you wish I were dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a
laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded
or a blinking idiot, then - by Jove! O Lord!
Tut, tut!
for goodness' sake!
what the dickens!
but me no buts - it is all one to me, for you are
quoting Shakespeare.

- Bernard Levin

Tuesday, and I feel like writing nonsense again.

So much for trying to cut down on blog entries, eh?! Darn! This is really a serious case of blogitis. I need to see a shrink. Hm. The only thing in the Student Health Service that I need to pay for. Maybe just a "regular" doctor would do the trick. Financially, at least...

Phonetics test tomorrow. Well, actually I'm just going to blabber on a certain topic/read a certain text for 15 mins and get some feedback from the teacher about what to improve. Shouldn't be too bad, I guess. I mean, I've got a bad case of verbal diarrhea (as most girls do...), so that shouldn't be too much of a problem. I think...

The thing is that I'm going to have a dictation test in Phonetics this coming Friday... Still not feeling quite at ease with the use of diphthongs and certain long monophthongs. Not to mention the infamous strong and weak forms of words. And what if the speaker says a sentence one way, then suddenly goes about and changes her way of saying that into another way! The last two things are my weakest points. Gaaaah! I sooo need to study this stuff. Even though we can have 50% of the transcriptions wrong and still pass, I still need to study. I'm aiming to do my best, after all. I'd take the chance of aiming high if I could, but then the chance of me feeling a tad more disappointed when getting the grade would increase. Ergo, I won't go there. I won't go there at all.

Otherwise, I'm still working on a group translation assignment with Marie. Hope to get it done before I head home; would be nice to get that out of the way. Besides, she's really great to work with, and is quite keen on getting the job done. I would even go so far as to claim that she's got more self-discipline than myself! Just wish that some of that would rub off on me...

Lately I've had a hard time concentrating on my studies. Dunno why... I just sit down and try to read whatever I'm supposed to read (be it grammar/translation/phonetics/exfac), and suddenly I realize there's something else that needs to be done, like wash clothes; do the dishes, or words to that effect (OWTTE). Somehow that sounds so much more fun, believe it or not. Procrastination? Fed up with heavy subjects? Too little veggies/fruit in diet? Probably a little of each. I'm not healthy. I need to get healthy.

Hm. Grapes by study table. *munch* There we go. Problem solved. Good. V. good.

For some reason I'm suddenly reminded of a text me and my fellow ISS Graduates (notice the capital 'G'...) got from our beloved and eminent English teacher Ms. Andvik on contemporary use of Shakespearian language (oooh, big words... love it!); and yes, there is such a thing. We (at least those of us who speak English) actually use it more than what we think.

In fact, I hereby grasp the opportunity as to publish this on another entry due to is sheer size. Ok, this text/poem/discourse/(enter fancy big term here) is rather long, so bear with me, yeah?

So there.

Blogstipation, anyone?

The title kinda speaks for itself, dunnit? Lately it's been more like blog diarrhea... Not good. Not good at all. Blargh!

Ya está! Nada más en esta noche! No tengo tanto tiempo. No tengo mucho tiempo. Enmarañamientos. (Una palabra increíble!)

Abrazos y besos por los todos de mi familia querida del ciberespacio! Mwah! Jejejeje...

Saludos,
La conejilla bondadosa.

(Prøveklut, Eilen, en feminin prøveklut.)

Hi, my name's Elise, and I'm a blog-a-holic.

I'm not addicted. Really, I'm not. (My new mantra, btw.)

Hmph. Apparently TV2's going to air a documentary where they'll supposedly show the infamous Muhammed caricatures tonight. Have to hand it to these people, though; if they do show the pictures they've really got some nerve.

Heh, sounds like I've shifted on my opinions on the whole "freedom of speech vs. freedom of religion" debate. In fact, I haven't. It's just that bygones should remain bygones. Nothing more, nothing less. I mean, revealing the pictures now after the violent reactions in the Middle East with respect to those caricatures have eventually died down doesn't seem to be much of a good idea. There's no use of rekindling that kind of blaze again. Why would one, anyways? What's the point? Just some arrogant flaunting of freedom of speech? That's how I see it. Once is enough. More than enough.

Personally I am not opposed to this sort of demonstration. People can - and should - say what they believe in and stand by that, no matter how provocative their opinions may be. Heck, you see it all the time. Remember when someone (can't remember the name of the fella) once said that the Bible was a nice/entertaining storybook? The whole Christian community of Norway was in full uproar because of that one provocative statement. And obviously we all know about the regard that Muslim extremists have of western countries. I shouldn't need to spell that out. And, of course, there's the "daVinci Code". I shouldn't have to spell that out either.

Anyway, my point is that freedom of speech is something that is essential in democratic societies today. Still, I believe in freedom of speech to a certain extent. Stating such things once or twice is fine, but when there is a seemingly endless chain of such remarks it can get a little too much for me to cope with. Regardless of who says (or otherwise expresses) what and how.

If the documentary tonight (which I'm most definitely going to watch, because of the intriguing topic) shows those pictures, my view of Norway's foreign policies will get an ever-so-slight tweak to it. To say the very least. Now that would be western arrogance at its best. There is, after all, a little something called 'respect towards individuals' as well.

When I first came to Oslo I managed to befriend a Muslim lady who has taught me so much about her faith and lifestyle. All I'd heard until then was basically the stereotypical stuff; the halal concept, Ramadan, Muhammed's role in Islam, Shias and Sunnis, Mecca, prayers 5 times a day and... well, the rest was more or less based on the impression I got from the media... Which was somewhat unfortunate, really. Nevertheless, I'm glad I've got her as my friend. Certain things just need some clarification... Yes, Muslims are still conservative and hold a strong tie to the past (which may act as a sort of restriction for them to 'move with the times'), but their faith is so devout and strong it's almost touching. Even for me as a Catholic. I can definitely relate to it. Anyway, I'm probably going off on a tangent now. Please find it in your eminent hearts to be so inclined as to exuse me for my sudden outburst of political and religious reveries.

Dude. That was some sentence.

Cool.

Big words and confusing/intricate sentences are my thing. Words/terms like concoction, scrutinizing, effulgent (FYI, see URL of blog), interrogative, subject predicative, gloat, oblique object, hoity-toity and even bollocks sound almost like music to my ears... Man, am I taking the right course programme, or what? *lol*

Speaking of music, I'm just 5 days left from being able to tickle my precious ivories! ("My precioussssssssss...") I'm-a homeward bound, people! Still got tons of uni-related stuff to do while I'm there, but hey, I'm-a headin' home, y'all! Woohoo! *happy dance* Home to family, house, best friends next door (hopefully...), noisy dogs, cows grazing outside the kitchen window, view of the Atlantic Ocean from the 1st floor and last, but not least... the sweet smell of cow manure... Aaah... (Joking, obv.! I'm not that crazy about it, to be honest! But it does give a homey sort of feeling in me.) Can't wait! Am all psyched up! In fact, I wanna go home now! NOW, I tell you! NOW!

Enough blogging for one evening, already. Have to study for a dictation test for Phonetics (on Friday, but still need to work on some stuff), read up on a couple of ENDLESSLY INFINITE (that was well put, wasn't it? An ever so subtle hyperbole there, innit?) chapters for Grammar and ExFac and... perhaps also work on a Translation mandatory assignment with Marie later this evening. I dunno. We'll see.

Lemme just end this entry with a quote from one of my all-time favorite novels: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." Eilen, had to steal this one from you! Sorry... Good that Ms. Austen isn't exactly copyright, eh? (Or is she? Never got myself quite updated on that...)

One could probably also turn it around so that it applies to women, so that the quote becomes as follows: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman of good fortune must be in want of a husband". But in my case my fortune would be scarce indeed. Rather limited to the monthly payments from the oh-so-generous State of Norway to us poor poor students ("stakkars fattige studenter", mind you. I did not repeat myself).

Ok, this is getting absurd. And time goes too fast.

Must. Read. Grammar. Must. Study. Phonetics.

"Yaaar..." (Direct quote from Charles Field, esq.. ISS, anyone? *giggle*)
Elise