Christmas time is here again!

That was a tribute to all you Beatle fans out there who might be reading this humble blog.

Aaah. At home at last. And I haven't been able to update until now as I've been busy with work and stuff. Stuff as in shopping Christmas gifts and sleeping. I haven't had proper time to rest since I got home as I voluntarily jumped on the bandwagon of vacant evening shifts at work. I'm done for now, but I've let them know that I'm available for other vacancies should they need more workers.

Anyway, tomorrow's the Day with a capital "D". All gifts have been bought, cards have been sent (albeit only one - and kinda late at that...) and I can't wait to put my feet up for some days and just relax.

Grades have gone as expected for now, but I still lack the results for SFG. Frankly I'm a little concerned. I mean, conventionally, we should get our grades before Christmas, right? For all I know it could just be that our teacher hasn't gotten the grading done before vacation, but still... I can't help but feel a little (i.e. slightly) distressed. Nevertheless, all that can be done is just to wait.

Meanwhile, I also need to get done my application to my pedagogy year next fall. I kinda wanna apply to more than this uni, as it only has 360 vacancies reserved for students outside the profession study program. I just want to make sure that I can complete it next year and not have to postpone it more than need be. Ideally, what I want to do is apply to various unis across the country and see if I get in anywhere else. Just to have something to fall back on in case things in Oslo go completely awry.

Anyway, academics aside, I haven't gotten the chance to see all of my friends yet, but I hope to do so as much as possible within the coming days. Seeing my best friend again was really nice. Obviously she's looking forward to her Big Day (i.e. the one after Christmas), although she appears to take it all with an air of ease. A good sign, I think. Besides, it won't be a big one either. They aren't exactly the people who like to have big and lavish parties in the first place. I still can't wait, though! :-D

Another thing I can't wait for is resting this vacation and really absorb the Christmas spirit. Me, Mom and a friend of hers went to a concert yesterday at Bjergsted (you know, the one with Bettan and Rein Alexander) and although it was almost straight after work and I was utterly knackered, it was still a really nice way of getting into the spirit. When it comes to Christmas songs, these guys can really evoke that warm, fuzzy feeling inside that you used to have as a child during Christmas - or at least a slight tinge of it. They even did Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli's "The Prayer". As in most cases, it doesn't beat the original, but it was still quite good, though. Not much of the vocal acrobatics from her side as in the original (not that I care for too much of it in a song, mind you), but it was still good.

So, without further ado, I round off for now with this Christmas greeting from the Beatles and a slightly tweaked Christmas classic - just to set you all in the right spirit. Or at least close to the right spirit... ;-)





Signing off (*bells jingling*),
Elise

A little exam prep relaxation.

It's almost Christmas, so it's high time that I post a Christmas vid here. Found this treasure just now. And yes, it's with Scottish sock puppets.



I'll let this vid speak for itself, as I am too tired to elaborate on it. :-)


Signing off (*zzz*),
Elise

*pants*

More... time... please... Lord...

2 study groups today. Hispan. Lit. Need to know when the authors/poets lived. Literary eras.

Systemic Functional Grammar. Need to get definitions sorted. Know how to analyze, describe problems in analysis. Beneficiary? Receiver? Target? Scope? Range? Difference between these, please???

I need more energy. I need more time. 2 days (plus the rest of this evening) before the double Judgment Day.

I'm tired yet slightly panicky (well, not exactly panicky, but neurotic nonetheless; I always am, but this time a little more than usual). A slightly unfortunate combo.

Ayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayayay. Ayúdame, por favoooooor.

Time is ticking out. And I'm not sure if I like it. I'll like the aftermath of this double Judgment Day, but for now I need to make sure I know it all to be able to survive it and not run away screaming like a maniac. Or, alternatively, crying like a baby. Either reaction is NOT good. In fact both are negative inscribed appraisal, i.e. bad. Uy.

Enough whining already. Pucker up.


Signing off (whimpering),
Elise

Exam theme song? Whatthe... huh?

Long time, no blog. Let's just say I've been really quite busy these past few weeks. I started with my exam reviewing in the beginning of this month and feel rather good about that, as my first exams will be on Dec. 4. Uy. So, where's my confidence at? My reply in this case would be "no comment". A great big part of me just wants to get this over and done with.

Meanwhile, a small tradition of my unconsciousness has been to find a theme song for the days before and during the exams. Yes, it's a rather peculiar tradition of mine, which I really wasn't aware of until a few days ago, as so far I tend to get a song stuck in my head for no apparent reason throughout this time. It just pops up in a few weeks before exams. And it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with them or have anything related to overcoming an obstacle. My first semester here in Oslo I had a S&G song in my head, "Feelin' Groovy". Now this one has at least a connection with destressing, at the very least. Then there was... what was the song for my second semester, again? I kinda appear to have forgotten. I think it was a tie between A-Ha's "You are the One", Bananarama's "Nathan Jones" and Ylvis's "Reven på hønsejakt" or something. Now, I don't remember much of my 3rd or 4th semesters, but according to my YouTube list, I must have listened to Billy Joel's "River of Dreams" or something of the likes in my 3rd semester and Elvis and Céline Dion's "If I Can Dream" (still love it!), George Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun" (do-do-do-do) and a Josh Groban drum solo in my 4th. What's strange, however, is that I still haven't managed to find my song(s) for this semester. Wuzzupwiddat?

So far I've been going all Ralph Wiggum and John Lennon ("Ah-no-le-reeshee-gad-blee-bloochigoo", cf. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eONdc_qR3Mg; and the song in this clip didn't really appeal to me either). So yeah, I'm still searching for that one song. Or those songs.

Well, there's always Rob Thomas's "Little Wonders"... Or maybe not. But then there's Switchfoot's "Dare You to Move", which is also a very nice one... Maybe so. Josh Groban's "Caruso" or "Hymne a l'amour"? Europe's "The Final Countdown" (*whimper*)? Queen's "The Show Must Go On" (õ.O)? Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights"? Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel's "Don't Give Up"? Yeah, I listened to that last one earlier today whilst doing yoga and I think that would be a potential candidate. Or maybe the Thrills' "Big Sur"? Potential choice as well. It'll come to me in due time, I reckon.

The Thrills' "Big Sur":


Kate Bush & Peter Gabriel's "Don't Give Up":


Not that this is the thing which should worry me the most. Of course.

Right. Off to Bedfordshire. Big day tomorrow.



Signing off,
Elise

Pray for him! || ¡Rogad por él!

I feel as if it's my duty to give you the URL to this moving blog:

http://philipgerardjohnson.blogspot.com/

His condition is heartwrenching and I ask for all the faithful reading this blog to pray for him that he may continue his life and become a living witness to the goodness and benevolence of the Lord. Please, keep him in mind during your daily (or otherwise regular) prayers as his condition is worsening. Additionally, in accordance with his wishes, please also pray for those who are suffering from similar pains and those who are doing much worse than himself. If it is possible for you to offer masses for him, please do so. He needs as many prayers as possible!

May God deliver him from his sufferings and grant him life.

Praying,
Elise

* * * *

Siento que es mi obligación que os doy el enlace a ese blog tan conmovedor:

http://philipgerardjohnson.blogspot.com/

Su condición es desgarradora y os pido a los fieles que leen ese blog que rueguéis para que pueda seguir viviendo y convertirse en un testigo vivo a la bondad y benevolencia del Señor. Por favor, tenedlo en cuenta durante vuestra oración diaria (o por otra manera regular) ya que su condición está peorándose. Además, según sus deseos, por favor, orad también a ellos que están sufriendo de enfermedades parecidas y ellos que tienen situaciones más graves que él mismo. Si es posible para vosotros a dedicar misas para él, por favor, hacedlo. ¡Necesita la mayor cantidad de oraciones posible!

Que Dios le libere de sus sufrimientos y le conceda la vida.

Orando,
Elise

Aletargada.

Un homenaje pequeño al presidente electo reciente de EEUU. ¡Nadie ha dicho que su nombre era fácil de articular! ¡¡¡Felicidades!!! Espero que no hayas mordido más que puedes masticar... (No sé si se puede decir esto en español - ¡corrígeme! Tengo ganas de comprar un libro de dichos y expresiones fijas en español, pero todavía no he tenido tiempo para hacerlo. Estoy pensando en comprar el de Espasa, ¿alguien sabe si ese es recomendable, o si hay otro mejor? ¡Estoy abierta por sugerencias!) Pues, el tiempo lo dirá, ¿no? Vamos a ver si se puede verdaderamente.

En otras noticias, los exámenes se acercan y estoy intentando a estudiar. Pero ahora NO TENGO GANAS PARA HACERLO. Entonces estoy escuchando música mientras exploro la red en vez de esto. Tal vez haré el yoga esa noche también - es decir, cuando mi cena ya se ha asentado. Ya verémos.

Bueno. Ahora no tengo mucho para escribir. Pocas noticias y esas son aburridísimas, entonces no voy a molestaros más con esas bagatelas. Entonces será mejor no escribir más por ahora.

¡Hasta el blog próximo!


Despidiéndose,
Elise

Brainwashed or just easy to pronounce?

I'm going for the last alternative. That and because his family may have mentioned Obama's name a lot in the house. He's cute, though. I remember CNN showed this vid some 6 weeks back and I tried to find it on the net ever since. Now, as I'm taking a short break from SFG ("Systemic Functional Grammar, or rather "Sane Friendly Giant") I suddenly stumbled upon it. Yay. *tired and content*

Anyway, looking forward to seeing the results of the election. Although right now it seems that Obama's in the lead, it's only just barely. The official count on Tuesday's gonna be a real thriller.

Seeing and hearing Obama speak, I can't help but thinking how proud Martin Luther King, jr. would have been had he still been alive. It doesn't really matter if he becomes president or not, I think he'd still be proud to see that he reached as far as he reached.

Be that as it may, this election has to be one of the most thrilling and the most revolutionary election in the history of the US. May the best candidate win. Buena suerte a ambos!


Signing off,
Elise

A very enlightening conversation of nothing of consequence, i.e. "Much Ado About Nothing" (#2, i.e., the sequel)

Just a quick post before I embark on yet another academic journey into the lands of Systemic Functional Grammar (or Hispan. Lit... Or Conversational Spanish... we'll see). As me and Jalita were obliged to divide our marathon into two laps last week, there were a few things we had to clarify. To be honest, as far as yours truly is concerned, the humor of it all faded a little as we proceded to the end of this message conversation. Note also the interesting development of "etc." to "&c.":

* * * * * * * *

Me:

My dear Ms. Christiane,

The purpose of this post is to hereby thank you - yet again - for having bestowed upon me your presence in this by no means complete cinematic marathon (which, incidentally, was not concerning physical exercise, unless one takes into account the muscles used for laughing). I enjoyed myself indeed and I hope this may be continued on a future, albeit not too distant, occasion, so that we may gaze upon Mr. Firth's fine eyes, utterly justifiable pride, somewhat odd-looking pants, exceedingly long side burns and - lastly - wet shirt.

Mary: "Misfortunes, we are told, are sent to test our fortitude, and may often reveal themselves as blessings in disguise."
Lydia: "Lord, I'm so hungry!"

Yours etc.,
Elise of West Frontier Hall (yes, I do have an exceedingly small hall, and yes my windows are full west, but that is of little matter)

Jalita:

Dear Ms. Elise,

Indeed, it is I that should be thanking you for the most excellent party you held in honour of 'Pride and Prejudice.' Yes, we must and shall continue the immense pleasure that comes from gazing upon a television screen when such beautiful pictures of times past rolls across it.

I have an inquiry about our next meeting. Will you be hosting the movie marathon, or will you be as good as to call upon me? I wonder for you have never before been invited to my humble abode. Though I do not possess a television apparatus, I am the proud owner of a laptop on which I can play digital video disks.

So kindly think carefully about my proposal, and I beg of you, to answer as quickly as possible! I hold my breath in suspense. My poor nerves! You don't know how I suffer! But then I never complain!

Yours e&.,
Ms. Christhiane of See-Around Cottage

Me:

Dear Ms. Christhiane,

I humbly bestow upon you my sincerest gratitudes for your most speedy reply of yester-day, and can only wallow in my own shame for not having had any opportunity to send you a more swift reply than this. However, rest assured, it will pass. No doubt more swiftly than it should.As for your kind request for hosting the sequel of our cinematic cerebral and ocular extravaganza, I accept it with great elation and eagerness, since - as you have so considerately and justly observed - I have never had the pleasure to call upon you on your most agreeable place of residence. I can answer for myself, I have no fixed engagements besides yet another day of extensive reading and taking turns (it's so refreshing!). Thus, I hereby give you leave to exhale. To have an apparatus which does not coincide with the regular definition of a television, is of little matter to me. I shall be quite content with viewing it on a carriable personal computer.

Pray, when are you available the remainder of this week? As you may be well aware, I am obliged to attend a lecture to-morrow from 12 to 14, but - I flatter myself - I will be vacant the rest of this week apart from this mandatory seance. Due to our rapid discussion the other day upon your departure, would Friday be most convenient for your person, perchance?

I await your reply with great enthusiasm, dear friend, and deeply apologize for having caused so much trouble with respect to your nerves and for having vexed you greatly. I notice from your previous letter that you are quite put out. However, I am sure that this will swiftly pass as well.

Yours &c.,
Ms. Elise of West Frontier Hall

Jalita:

Dear Ms. Elise,

I thank you for your quick reply. Let me than you for your excellent suggestion, for Friday is a highly convenient day for a visit, although I do have a few priory fixed engagements. I myself am obliged to do household necessities, take a turn about the room, and to attend a group meeting at three to four in the afternoon, but thereafter I shall have no more engagements, unless, of course, we fix this date for the continuation of our Pride and Prejudice cinematic marathon.

At what hour would you be so kind as to come to me? I was pleased with meeting at 6 last time, and meeting at this hour shall provide me with the ability to get myself in order after finishing the obligations outside the home this day.

And I thank you again for your relatively quick reply yesterday, and I bed of you to make haste once more as the day, I hope, we now have agreed upon, is fast approaching.

Yours &c.,
Ms. Christhiane of See-Around Cottage

Me:

Dear Ms. Christhiane,

Yet again, I humbly thank you for your most cordial reply. I dare say I would be honored to call on you upon the sixth hour tomorrow. Shall we perchance encounter ourselves on the carriage stop - I believe the less archaic term for it is "tube station" - of your home? As I am not accustomed to the area surrounding your most agreeable cottage, I would be very much obliged to encounter your person on that point instead of walking around aimlessly speculating if the passing-by redcoats are here to subdue the discontented populus or to defeat us against the French.

I humbly implore you for providing a hasty reply, as even now our date of encounter is hard upon our heels - make haste, make haste, make haste!

Yours &c.,
Ms. Elise of West Frontier Hall

Jalita:

Dear Ms. Elise

I am sorry to say, but there is a slight problem meeting at the carriage stop. If everything has its due course, the masses spilling out of the carriages will most probably prevent you from catching sight of me and not be carried with the wave. I therefore propose that you choose a seat at the very front of the carriages. When you reach the destination, follow the flow of folk down the flight of steps, under the underpassage, over the road, down another staircase, and you ought to see the green sign of the convinience shop, Kiwi. I shall meet you there when you descend from the stairs.

Yours &c.,
Ms. Christhiane of See-Around Cottage

Me:

Dear Ms. Christhiane,

That of which you write is of little matter. I am certain that given the circumstances surrounding the disembarkment of the carriage I will be able to maneuvre myself towards the great green sign of the all-too-familiar convenience shop. I look very much forward to seeing you there to-morrow.

Yours &c.,
Ms. Elise of West Frontier Hall

Postscript: It has come to my attention that there was a slight error in my last letter. Notably, the passing redcoats are not to "defeat us against the French", but rather "defend us against the French". Surely redcoats are not that cruel to their own countrymen. "I remember once when I fancied a redcoat myself - and I do still, in my heart..."

* * * * * * * *

*LOL* This is the longest conversation I've had with this kind of language. Really great fun!



Signing off,
Elise

A very enlightening conversation of nothing of consequence, i.e. "Much Ado About Nothing".

An SMS conversation between me and a friend of mine (and these are actual unrevised quotes):

Me:

My dear Ms. J.,

I write to inquire about our encounter on this very day. As I am aware that your prior engagements may be tentative, I would be very much content with a short account of your whereabouts for the day. Furthermore, as I myself have somewhat imperative matters to deal with (including extensive reading), I also wish to inquire if it may be possible to shorten our meeting slightly.

Yours respectfully,
Ms. Elise of West Frontier Hall

J.:
When should I present myself to her ladyship? Will around six be a good time to call?

Ms. C. of See-Around Cottage

(followed by...)

It is now my intention to do some slight exercise for 30 or 20 minutes slightly past 4 o'clock this afternoon. After which I will engage in stretching for an extended period of time. If God be willing, I will arrive at your stately mansion at around 6 this afternoon, or if it suits your ladyship, I will postpone my engagements an hour, and arrive upon your doorstep at the good hour of 7 this evening.

Yours truly etc.
Ms. J. of See-Around Cottage

Me:

My dear Ms. C.,

After having had time to ponder upon the time in which I will yet again have the pleasure of enjoying your amiable company, I believe it will suffice to place our encounter upon the sixth hour if, God willing, your time of exercise will not prove to be a vexatious conflict to it. If so, please permit me to offer an olive branch by adding that you may arrive at my humble hall at any time in concordance with your schedule of events between the aforementioned hour (the sixth hour) and the subsequent (the seventh hour). I look exceedingly forward to the encounter, my dear friend!

Yours etc.,
Ms. Elise of West Frontier Hall



This is some of the most beautiful nonsense in which I've been able to partake. Stay tuned. There may be more.


Signing off (while undergoing a giggling fit),
Elise

THIS SUCKS. BIG TIME. (HENCE THE UPPER-CASE LETTERS.)

I just found out that I can't take the Newer Hispan. Lit. course I wanted to take Spring '09. For SOME reason, the teacher had cancelled all lectures/classes for that semester. So NOW I have to settle with Older (Elder?) Hispan. Lit. instead.

*grr* (#1)

IN ADDITION, I also found that there are virtually NO courses regarding American History or Civilization in said spring semester EITHER. So if I'm aiming to fill my 30-credit minimum quota for what is supposed to be my final Bachelor semester, I have no other choice but to take "American politics, institutions, geography and economic system". Which will suffice, I guess, but was not quite what I had expected. I wanted more of the American history bit instead of simply just a focus on the contemporary stuff.

*grr* (#2)

FURTHERMORE, it's not possible for me to take the introductory course in Iberian history EITHER. That TOO is only offered in autumn semesters.

*GRR* (#3, more forcefully this time as my agitation rises)

Needless to say, I feel ripped off. Very ripped off, as a matter of fact. And I don't think I'm the only one who's ever felt that before. I just CAN'T BELIEVE what the uni's done to the supposed "array" of courses per semester. This goes particularly to the British and American courses offered here. As far as Spanish is concerned, there have been a few cuts, but not quite as substantial as those concerning English language and English-speaking cultures. Us students are supposed to CHOOSE our own study path without having to resort to taking courses against our will due to inflexibilities of others. Whatever happened to the free choice that the politicians have talked about for what seems ages? Whatever happened to the focus on the educational system and the promotion of higher education?

("Whatever happened to [y]our love? I wish I understood..." (FYI, "S.O.S." by ABBA) Yes, there's still room for randomness in the midst of a fiery rant of the faults of Norwegian higher education.)

Bah. Humbug.

In times like these I just wish that I could flee to some other uni and study there instead, be it another Norwegian uni which actually DOES offer the courses I wish to take in the spring semester or a uni in another country, preferably one in either Spain/Latin America or Canada/the States - where I might perhaps get an even BETTER offer of such courses than here in Norway.

But naturally I won't resort to such drastic measures. I won't jeopardize my being in the Oslo system for this. Besides, it's too late for me to apply for a semester abroad anyway. The deadline for these applications was a couple of weeks ago.

*heaves a deep sigh*

Anyway, enough ranting. On the brighter side of this, I still am able to complete my criteria for entering the Pedagogy year next autumn, as I just had to make a few minor adjustments to my Spanish (future) credits. Older Hispan. Lit. instead of Newer Hispan. Lit. (GRRRRRRRRRRRR!) I'm still able to qualify for that year, at least here in Oslo. The rest of the stuff I'm planning on taking are just things that may come in handy when I'm working.

If only I could take Iberian History. If only I could take an American history course.

If only students had a better course selection.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. I repeat: THIS SUCKS.



Signing off (frustratingly),
Elise

"No leave-o!"

After having frantically read through the last text for tomorrow's lecture and scribbled down a few sentences for each of the questions we're supposed to have answered, I'm finally done and utterly knackered. Forgive me for any errors in this post, be it orthographic or semantic. I'm tired. But I'm determined to post this. :-)

Lately I've had a song stuck in my head (absurdly enough?!). Ever heard of Nik Kershaw's "Wouldn't It Be Good"? That's the one. And it's just as 80's as it gets. The riff with the trumpets and the electric guitar just gets me for some reason. And then there's also the lyrics themselves. Really quite nice, to be honest.



And a newer song which has a more Latino feel over it. Quite nice as well, this one.



Ooh, and speaking of vids, in Spanish class today (the conversation-based one) we were shown a YouTube vid which really cracked me up. For you who don't speak a word of Spanish there are a few instances in this vid which may make you chuckle as well. Apparently this was/is quite the popular vid on the site. After all, who can resist his Latin passion and charm (heck, just observe the look in his eyes, oozing with desire), not to mention the shirt of his which so sensually complements the paleness of the skin on his chest. Now THIS is the Latin Lover. Rawr.



That was the first semester. Here's the second. And notice also his silky shirt in this one. Enrique Iglesias, eat your heart out. I'm going for this one!



A real catch, innee? I have to admit that the first one is more palatable to me than the second one, though.

Meanwhile, what's going on in the small and insignificant bubble of that is otherwise called "The Life of Elise"? (Yes, circumlocution is my friend. I *heart* long, elaborate sentences and big words!) Well, that could be summed up in two words:

Not much. (^.^)

Yesterday I arrived back in Oslo after 5 great days at home wherein I visited family and cuz and just basically had a wonderful time. 7:30am in the morning after having taken the night train from home to Oslo. The seats there are hard. In fact, the muscles around my tailbone still hurt a little from all that sitting. However, I've had a good night's sleep last night and felt (somewhat) up and at'em today.

I was hoping to see my best friend again last weekend as well, but she'd already made plans of spending time with her fiancée and consequently wouldn't be able to come home. (Obvious Circumlocution #3, or was it #4? #5? Who's counting anyway?) Ah well, just one of the many wonders of timing, I guess.

It was really good seeing my cousin again, however. She's just completed her first month as a social worker and is enjoying it despite the somewhat frustrating challenges with having to figure out e.g. the computer system and not to mention dealing with pushy clients. Luckily they've got a security guard in close vicinity in case matters should get out of hand. So yeah, she told me a few stories about her job and all that jazz.

And needless to say, we were just as silly as usual. Just like one part of our endless conversation, wherein we talked about blondes vs. brunettes. She's a blonde while I'm a borderline-chestnut-haired brunette. She'd just stated that she enjoys being a blonde more than being a brunette (she's dyed her hair a few times since her teens). So to counterattack this accusation, I responded that "Blondes may have more fun, but brunettes do it better!" After a few minutes of elaborating around this issue, she suddenly bursts out with this gem of a comment: "Brunette rime' på BÆSJ! [Brunette rhymes with POO!]" This was then followed by an awkward silence and me laughing my head off while she promptly and in vain continues her defense: "IN YOUR FACE!!!" And just to clarify in case there was any doubt: We're 22 years old. Yes, both of us.

Anyway. Off to BEDfordshire (which should not be confused with the English county having only the "B" capitalized - yeah, I just killed that joke. Requiescat in Pace).

The princess is tired.

(OBVIOUSLY ironically meant. Yup, killed that one, too. I must be a serial killer of jokes when I'm tired.)



Signing off,
Elise

Remember the guy who's gray lamb's wooI sweater I bit?

Yeah, he performed at the Emmys this year. Without the sweater. I didn't know my drool was that hard to remove... (In case the guy in question should read this, I sincerely apologize. Next time I'll bring a hankie and put it on your shoulder before we hug. And remember to wear cologne next time, too! Because of that I couldn't use that pick-up line I'd thought of the night before!)



Qué cariño... I almost laughed my head off watching this. And strangely enough his voice kinda fits with the "Love Boat" theme. I don't know whether I should laugh or cry... Nah, I'll just go with laughing. Apparently this was the most controversial things he's ever done. Quite the bad boy, innee?

Meanwhile, sorry for not posting for a while now, but I've been really busy - as some of you might know. And besides I've got an SFG assignment due Tuesday, so yeah, guess who's isolating herself in her flat this weekend... :-S Nonetheless, my conscience is clear as we had a 3x birthday celebration on Wed. I think we all had a good time, despite the somewhat inconvenient hours for some. I, for one, certainly had a great time! Oh yeah, and we also happened to watch a movie which definitely isn't for the faint-hearted... *lol*

And did I mention that my best friend's ENGAGED?!?!?!? SHE FRIGGIN' IS!!! :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D I'm so indescribably happy for her!!! It happened last Sunday and they've already started making plans. I won't mention which plans that have been made (in case this info ends up with someone she doesn't approve of), but I will reveal that yours truly has been appointed as MAID OF HONOR!!! *happy-dancing and bouncing around the room for what seems like ages* I've met the groom several times already and he really deserves her. I am so incredibly thrilled for her you can't even imagine! It may sound cheesy, but she and her siblings have been like my own siblings ever since we moved to V., so it's almost like a sister of mine were to be married. *sentimental*

Meanwhile, I have absolutely NO clue how to do this whole Maid of Honor thing. Yeah, I walk up the isle behind her, arrange the hen night (which won't be anything fancy) and support her if she should feel too stressed out, but what else? Is that it? Probably so. As I said, I've never done this before. Still, it's gonna be a wonderful once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of us, and I wouldn't miss it for the world!!! I don't care if we're going to the Philippines or anywhere else this summer; I'm gonna friggin' join in on this!!!

Anyway, besides this, uni's treating me ok. Got my first mandatory assignment (which is in front of me right now), Hispan. Lit.'s getting increasingly challenging (but I'm hanging in there) and Spanish in Practice is the easiest, but the most annoyingly time-consuming subject I'm taking this year. I should be focusing on SFG and Hispan. Lit., really, but it's difficult, as the the harder subjects have less things to be done in writing. At the moment. Hence, prioritizing is of the essence.

Intenté participar en un café español y portugués el martes pasado. Yo y una amiga de mi clase fuimos a Frederikke para encontrar al grupo allí ya que nos habían mandado un mensaje a través de nuestro profesor que iban a encontrarse en Frederikke. No podíamos irnos el martes antepasado, pero intentamos irnos esa semana. ¿Y qué vimos? ¡Que no había nadie allí! No conocimos a nadie que era parte de ese grupo ni podíamos distinguir a alguien que hable español... No entendimos nada. Yo me intenté ponerme en contacto con la Asociación Latinoamericano para que me pudiese dar información del encuentro. Encontré dos direcciones por correos electrónicos, pero una me devolvió mi mensaje y otro no me ha dado ninguna respuesta.

ME DA ASCO.

POR FAVOR.

Voy a preguntarle a mi profesor la semana siguiente sobre eso. Espero que puedamos ponernos en contacto ésa vez. Uf.


Signing off (slightly annoyed at the two emails that aren't functioning, but still generally happy),
Elise

The Muppets go classic and Spanish nonsensical blabber.

The most heart-wrenching rendition of "La Habanera" I've ever come across.



Heart-wrenchingly funny, that is!!! XD *points and laughs Nelson style ("the Simpsons")*

As is this:



And this one is just pure genius! Bet the cast had a blast when recording this!



Who needs Helmut Lotti when we've got PPP (Pitch-Perfect Poultry)?

Beautiful. If I do say so myself.

(Bork, bork, bork, even.)

Uy, hay alguien que está al lado de mi habitación y está tocando su tambor... :-S Pues, ¡mejor que la música techno del año pasado cuando quería dormirme por la noche, por mi parte! (Tengo que deciros que no había esa música tantas veces, tampoco ahora, pero cuando podía oírla...)

Anyway, I won't complain about this. There are so many other things that are more worthy of complaint than just this simple dude hitting his drum. Besides, he stopped already, so there we go. His hand probably hurt from all that vigorous hitting. Which reminds me, I'm going to see if I can find any patterns to embroider this weekend. I suddenly felt the urge of embroidering... Bordear... Or perhaps start up knitting again. Perhaps advance to something more than just a mere scarf... I dunno. We'll see what will become of this idea.

Signing off (bork, bork, bork),
Elise

Randomness.

I don't know why I suddenly remembered these vids. I just did. So I added them. Here. On my blog.




(Yes, I know I've posted this vid before. Still exceedingli funni though.)





Yarr.

Signing off (somewhat lethargically),
Elise

Patosa.

Jeje, una buena manera de empezar esa entrada. A mi me gusta esa palabra. No sé por qué, pero por una razón extraña u otra me cae bien. Y no tiene ninguna enlace ni de mi personalidad ni de la de alguien otro.

Y si hubiera tenido una conección con otra persona, no iría a decíroslo. Luego os dejo especulando... ;-)

Ya. Entonces empezamos otra vez. He llegado a Oslo después de un verano con poco tiempo para descansarme, pero estoy contenta de lo que he logrado en ese tiempo. He hablado muchísimo español y me siento que he mejorado mucho en expresarme y usar el idioma. Por ahora. Es que solamente he tenido dos de tres clases y no sé cómo saldrá la última. (Hm, un poquito al lado del tema que estoy escribiendo ahora (!yo quiero multitasking!), debo escribir más en español, pienso; es una buena manera de practicar y mantener mi español - y también puedo hacerlo por otras razones, por supuesto. Seguimos.) Esa clase pienso que será la más difícil ya que se trata de un curso preliminario para introducir la cima de la montaña enorme también conocida como la literatura de la lengua española. Uf. No sé cómo va a salir... Me han dicho que voy a sobrevivir (o "sobrevivirá" - no estoy segura de su nivel de ser convencidos de eso...), pero no voy a estar segura antes de que haya tenido mi primera clase. Que empieza mañana. Bah. No voy a quejarme más sobre eso. No lo vale.

Anyway. I've realized that for some reason or another I don't seem to have any classes with any of my friends. *tear* What with two Spanish classes and only one in English, chances were rather minute this time of being in one of their groups, I guess. I just hope I'll be able to spend time with them - at least a little bit - outside class. I'm thinking... su-... yeah, took the word right out of my mouth. Or maybe... dim s-... there you go again. What's the point in writing this down? I'm as predictable as our former Brit. Civ. prof. doing the basic salsa steps by the blackboards in the auditorium when he's nervous. Without the graceful hips. I.e. as if watching an ironing board doing the same thing. ("AWW".)

It's strange to watch the little quirks teachers have. Some dance. Others laugh fascinatingly strangely. Still others start twiddling their little piece of chalk and put that still-twiddling hand to their face so they end up drawing a white streak across their chin. Some do all of the above at the same time. I'm not mentioning any names here. I wonder what my quirk will be. I'm sure I'll end up with one quirk or another - I know myself as much. Come to think of it I'll probably end up with having a certain set of buzzwords that I'll say all the time. And if I'm lucky I'll probably even elaborate by myself in front of my students in an endless monolog about some incomprehensible theme in which the students are not interested at all - and which is not part of the curriculum either.

There we go. Ms. S. Doña S., even. Otherwise known as "the Buzzer". (õ.O)

Guess this might lay the foundation to something a little "patosa" after all. As Enya once sang: "Who knows? Only time..." Doesn't get any clearer than that!

Anyway, anywhere, anywhat, anywho,

Procrastination has led me to

BED and SLEEP

Wherein I'll keep

A lookout for creepy-crawlies, goblins and worms,

And all other things that contain germs. (Well, they DO, OK?!)

So "good luck", "break a leg" and to all a "goodnight"

Bla-di-bla, I should stop, crash on bed and sleep tight.

So I will.

Signing off (creatively),
Elise

La última semana en España.

¡Qué experiencia han sido esas 5 semanas! ¡Y que tan rápidas salieron! Cuando veo al tiempo que he tenido aquí me da cuenta de lo que he aprendido y lo que he experimentado.

He echado de menos de mi casa. Me he puesto más fuerte. Me he acostumbrado al clima española. Me he encontrado con gente de todas partes del mundo, con la cual espero que pueda ponerme en contacto después de mi llegada a Noruega. He aprendido mucho de mi mismo, de la gente en mi alrededor y de la historia española. He sentido España en casi todas las maneras. He practicado la siesta debido al calor después de mis clases hasta las 6 más o menos. He respirado el aire español (aunque estaba un poco contaminado en las ciudades). He comido la comida española. He tocado los edificios construidos por los árabes y los cristianos en el siglo XV (o algo así). He caminado en los mismos caminos donde ha caminado Hans Christian Andersen (o donde es posible que haya caminado). He visto paisajes increíbles y que se han cambiado de terrenos fertiles hasta terrenos secos, con poco más de árboles de olivas y arbustos robustos. He experimentado la humedad de la costa y el calor seco del interior. He visto pelís buenísimas y pelís peorísimas. He aprendido mucho sobre los pintores más famosos del país. He visto el Mar Mediterráneo.

Pero ahora quiero volver a casa. Quiero ver el Océano Atlántico. Quiero respirar otro aire más fresco. Quiero oír nada más que el silencio, ya que aquí no es totalmente tranquilo. Siempre hay ruído o por las calles o del tivoli o debido a otras cosas que pasan. Echo de menos del tiempo más frío. Hay que decir que a veces estoy un poco harta con el sol que no está cubierto por unos nubes al azar en el cielo. Salvo ayer y hoy. Esas fueron las únicas veces cuando había nubes en el cielo. Un milagro, os lo digo - y un milagro muy cómodo, en mi opinión.

Pero bueno, cuando vuelva a casa es cierto que pasa lo contrario; es decir, que echaré de menos de España. Ese país siempre tendrá un lugar especial dentro de mi corazón. Volveré. Si no puedo hacerlo el verano próximo (tal vez a otro lugar español), lo haré en otro tiempo cuando pueda, Dios quiera. No tengo prisa. España siempre va a quedarse en el mismo sitio como antes.

Y me alegro de eso. Y para mostrar mi alegría, aquí es un vídeo de la canción "Azul" del grupo Muchachito Bombo Infierno:



También hay otras canciones buenísimas. Buscad a "El Canto del Loco" (o ECDL) y ve las canciones "Volverá" y "Eres Tonto". ¡¡¡Me encantan!!!

Bueno, ya está por ahora. Tengo que dormir. No tuve tiempo para dormir por la tarde a causa de las actividades en el colegio. Vale. Bueno. Me voy.



Vooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooolaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaando (pronto),
Elise

A la mitad de mi estado (el miércoles que viene)

Todavía la vida está buena. :-) Cada día me encanto más ese ciudad, ese país, la gente, su cultura, el idioma, y la comida. A veces mi dueña prepara la comida típica de España y hasta ahora me gusta todo lo que ha hecho para la cena. ¿Pensáis que tengo hambre? Claro, es la verdad. ;-) Ahora estoy esperando a la cena y empiezo a tenerlo...

Supongo que algunos de vosotros sabéis lo que pasó anoche en Viena. ¡¡¡España ganó el partido final de la Eurocopa!!! No realizé el significado de eso hasta hace dos días, cuando descubrí que España no había ganado la Eurocopa hace 44 años (o algo así). Entonces, como dije a mi dueña anoche: "Lo merecéis." Aunque no soy una hincha fuerte del fútbol, estaba muy alegre cuando fueron campeones. ¡Ojalá pudieráis oír el ruído en las calles por la noche! ¡Qué tanto había! Pero no era tanto como esperaba yo. Los otros días cuando España ganó los partidos contra Italia, Rusia y otro país (que no recuerdo ahora...) la fiesta en las calles duraban más tiempo de esto. Pues, puede ser porque la gente debó trabajar hoy, ya que es lunes. Tal vez no quisieran hacer un "manic Monday", como dice la canción... Y la gente la entiendo.

También el sábado pasado fue un día muy agradable. Participé en una excursión a Córdoba, y aunque hacía muchísimo calor, ¡me encantó la ciudad! Una vez en el futuro quiero volver a ese sitio. Los partes de la ciudad donde estuvimos era la Mezquita y el Alcázar, ambos edificios hechos por los moros, pero modificados por los Reyes Católicos cuando la ciudad fue conquistado por los cristianos. El Alcázar es más conocido por sus jardines increíbles. La Mezquita era un edificio hecho para los musulmanes pero que fue "modificado" en la manera de crear una iglesia católica en la mitad de la Mezquita. Lo interesante para ver es el contraste profundo entre la arquitectura musulmán y la arquitectura cristiana. Ambas coexisten con ellas mismas. Pienso que los Reyes Cristianos no querían destruir los detalles complicados y maravillosos que se puede ver allí, pero tampoco querían evitar la oportunidad de declararse gobernantes de esa área. Entonces pasó lo que pasó con la construcción de la iglesia en la mitad de las columnas y arcos musulmanes. ¡Os recomiendo ver esos edifícios!

Vale. Voy a terminar ese post con un vídeo de YouTube (¡qué sorpresa!) que muestra las partes de la cultura española estereotípicas en sólo 33 segundos. Y es un anuncio de MasterCard... ¿Quíen pensaría en eso?



Hasta el post siguiente,
Elise

Ps.: ¡No os preocupéis! ¡Recibiréis vuestras cartas pronto! Es que no he tenido mucho tiempo para mandároslas debido a clases hasta las 4 o las 5 de la tarde... Espero que pueda mandarlas mañana...

¿¿¿Por qué no escribo más???

Greetings from sunny Spain!!!

Esta es la única oración inglesa que voy a escribir en este post, ya que si estoy en España debo escribir y hablar en español. Quiero ser estricta con ese criterio. ;-) Además es una buena manera para practicar mi lengua escrita, aunque mi objetivo es hablar más fluído.

Entonces, ¿qué ha pasado en mi vida pequeñita durante ese tiempo de no escribir nada? Pues, puedo decirte que mi estado ha sido muy bien hasta ahora, y me encanta el colegio con sus profesores ya que tienen mucha paciencia y también describen y explican todas de mis dudas. En mi clase hay gente de niveles diferentes, pero estaba sorprendida de saber que algunos de estos estudiantes no han aprendido nada hasta su estado aquí en España. Por ejemplo, hablé con un hombre inglés (en mi grupo hay una mayoría de estudiantes de Escocia y Inglaterra) que me dijo que había estado aquí en diez semanas y llegó sin saber nada. Ahora está en mi clase de nivel intermedio. ¡Pienso que esto puede describir mucho de lo que se puede aprender en ese colegio, sobre todo del tiempo que pasa para aprender cualquier cosa!

Aparte de esto, me parece que mi familia, que sólo constituye por la madre ya que los hijos se han mudado a otras partes del país, está bien. Había algunos casos cuando yo no podía entenderla muchísimo, pero se ha solucionado y (por) ahora me cae bien. Pues, todavía no puedo esperar mucho de mi misma ya que el uso de la lengua todavía es muy básico en mi opinión. O sea, puedo escribir y hablar, y la gente puede entenderme por la mayoría, pero aparte de eso tengo muchos yerros. También había un caso cuando me entendí una cita mal. No recibí consecuencias malas ya que los profesores sabían que yo no había usado el idioma muchísimo y que no necesariamente podía entenderlos. Entonces digo que tienen mucha paciencia y que los estudiantes recibimos lo que vale el dinero que hemos pagado. ¿Y por qué no? ;-)

Por fin, lo que me gusta también en ese colegio es que organizan excursiones a muchos sitios alrededor de Benalmádena (donde vivo yo). Por ejemplo, mañana los estudiantes que quieran pueden ir a Sevilla - después de pagar una cantidad (pequeña) de dinero. La gente que pueden ir serán todos, o sea bien los jóvenes bien los adultos. El sábado próximo iremos a Córdoba (de lo que había entendido). No participaré en la excursión de mañana ya que la madre/dueña (;-)) me ha invitado para ir con ella a su gimnasio (antes trabajó como profesora pero hoy es jubilada) para ver una fiesta hecha por los alumnos. Así que quiero relajarme un poco este fin de - caminar en el centro, comprar algo a mis amigos y mis padres, investigar el lugar... eso.

Bueno, no tengo todas las direcciones completamente (pienso), ya que falto la de Oeinao. ¿Puedes dármelo? ¿O tal vez me has dado ya? No me acuerdo... Pues, entonces ya está. No tengo nada más para describir por ahora. Entonces, hasta luego.


Ya pensando en español,
Elise

Long time, no blog entry.

Creativeness galore! I'm clearly not the only one whose middle name is "Silly". Actually my birth certificate suggests otherwise, but that's irrelevant in this case.

O take me back to today's lunch gathering...



EC's gonna love this one!

Befuddled? Well, I'm clearly not the only one who speaks Silly. Which is a good thing. Most of the time, there is no such thing as too much silliness. Oh, and the part from 1:16 to 1:20 reminds me a little of Prince Charming from Shrek when he's performing in the musical finale and singing "... with soft and bouncy haaaaiiiir..." (of course flicking his hair L'Oréal style). *giggle*

"Or not."

He even does Superman! :-D



"And I know you can see my underwear..." ;-) This guy's really talented!


Signing off,
Elise

"I am the Alpha and the Omega... who is, and who was, and who is to come" (Rev. 1:8)

This beautiful video almost made me cry.




A believer,
Elise

Gooo Roooogalaaaaaaand!!!

Another YouTube raid...

It's times like these when I feel great pride in being from Rogaland! And if you know me well enough, you know I'm serious about this.



And another one from the same, sane (?) and silly Stavanger/Sandnes duo:



Look at another example from the British (and original) version of the show:



Aw, man, these are the funniest skits ever!!! Thank God there's still a lot of silliness out there!!! XD Enjoy!

Anyway, off to Bedfordshire.


Signing off,
Elise

I'm getting tired of this bull.

Lord, give me strength. Again.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

FROM: THE DESK OF THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL
MR.KOÏCHIRO MATSUURA (UNESCO AWARD INC)
PRIZE AWARD DEPT.

REF NO:ELX23649/441
BATCH NO: 005874652/252

ATTN: WINNER.

RE: AWARD NOTIFICATION, FINAL NOTICE.

We are pleased to inform you, that as a result of our RECENT LOTTERY DRAWS HELD 2008.

Your e-mail address attached to winning number:
kST/571/UNNP with serial number:345 drew lucky
numbers: 10 which consequently won in the 5th
category.

you have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay of (FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND US DOLLARS) in cash credited to file with REF:?.NDP/EGS2309/05

Note that all participants in this lottery program have been selected randomly through a computer ballot system drawn from over 10,000 Officials and 15,000,000individual email addresses from all search engines and web sites,from Asia, Australia, NewZealand, Europe, North and South America, Middle East and Africa, as part of our International Promotions Program.

This promotional program takes place every year,and is promoted and sponsored by theUnited Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization with the help of Bilgate of microsoft and computers.

THIS IS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE LEVEL OF EDUCATION AMONGST STAFF AND STUDENTS AND ENCOURAGE THE USE OF INTERNET ACCROSS THE GLOBE.

Your fund is now deposited with Union Bank and insured in your name For security purpose and clarity,we advise that you keep your winning information confidential until your claims have been processed and your money remitted to your account.

This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claims and unwarranted abuse of this program by some participants.

We look forward to your active participation in our next 1. million dollars slot.

To begin the processing of your prize you are to contact your claims agent through our accredited Prize Transfer agents as stated below:

Name..(DR) MARTIN JOHNSON.

TEL: +234-703-391-8573

CALL HIM IMMEDIATELY WITH HIS ABOVE DIRECT PHONE NUMBER IF YOU ARE CALLING FROM (USA) THIS IS HOW YOU DIAL 011-234-703-391-8573 .

You are also advised to provide your claim agent with the under listed information as soon as possible send it to his email addresses below,

E-mail: drmartin227@yahoo.com


1. Name in full
2. Address
3. Nationality
4. Age
5. Occupation
6. Phone
7. Batch/ref numbers

All winnings must be claimed not later than one month After the date of this notice.Please note,in order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications,remember to quote your Batch number and Serial numbers in all correspondence.

Furthermore,should there be any change of address do inform our agent as soon as possible.

Congratulations!!!once more and thank you for being part of our promotional program.

Bear in mind that 10% of your fund will be going to the lottery organization that played the lottery with peoples name and email addresses that should be after you most have received the fund in your account,the 10% would have been given to them,just because the fund has been insured and will not be deducted till the beneficiary receives it in his or her account.

Sincerely,
MR.KOÏCHIRO MATSUURA.
THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL.
UNESCO AWARD INC.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Once again another scam was bestowed upon yours truly and her innocent uni mail address. And the grammar mistakes and spelling mistakes nearly knocked me out. Mind you, this was considerably better than the previous mail I'd gotten from... err... what-his-name, but still, there's no hope for 'em.

Firstly, there is NO SUCH ORGANIZATION AS "UNESCO AWARD INC" (with and without the full stop after "inc"). The only hits I got were two, which described this letter as being little more than a scam. Furthermore, there are orthographic mistakes (e.g. too much space, too little space, lower-case instead of upper-case letters and PUNCTUATION) and evidence of stylistic mistakes. ARGH.

And what's up with "Bilgate of microsoft and computers"??? What is this "bilgate" thing; some sort of armadillo?! And the postmodifier is one of the lousiest excuses of a grammatical construction I have ever seen. It just screams credibility, doesn't it?! Not to mention the following sentence, which they so generously bestowed upper-case letters upon: "THIS IS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE LEVEL OF EDUCATION AMONGST STAFF AND STUDENTS AND ENCOURAGE THE USE OF INTERNET ACCROSS THE GLOBE."

I can hear the subliminal message now: "So yeah, you can really trust us on this one. It's for educational purposes. Honest."

And do I REALLY need directions for how to dial a phone?! "THIS IS HOW YOU DIAL"??? HOW UTTERLY DUMBASS DO YOU THINK I AM?! I think I know how to count and use my phalanges and the surrounding muscles and tendons to guide my index finger to the buttons on my phone to which the given numbers correspond! I am pretty sure I was not born yesterday. Hm, come to think of it, all of the sentence in itself is quite nasty: "CALL HIM IMMEDIATELY WITH HIS ABOVE DIRECT PHONE NUMBER IF YOU ARE CALLING FROM (USA) THIS IS HOW YOU DIAL 011-234-703-391-8573 ." Why place the US in parentheses? Does that mean I cannot call them? Does that mean I cannot collect my "prize"?

Bummer.

And did you notice that there was absolutely NO trace of a full stop at the first mention of the so-called "director-general", his name and his alleged workplace? No indication of an abbreviation whatsoever? Did you also notice that there were almost too many at the last mention of the "director-general" at the end of this mail? ("Oops, I forgot to put in the full stops at the very beginning. Well, it's too late to change it now. I've got to get to the streets and sell illegal drugs within the next 2 minutes, so I gotta complete this now before it's too late. I'll just compensate with putting the full stops at the end, then. I'm sure the reader will understand.")

So, over to the email address: "drmartin227@yahoo.com". Yeah. Seriousness galore. Especially when you see that this is a Yahoo! email address. The address I received it from was also on the same level of seriousness: "unesco.inc08@luckymail.com". "Luckymail"??? Heh. Indeed.

You'd think that "UNESCO Awards, Inc." would have their own domain being as renowned as UNESCO is, but no. I reckon this is because of all of their lotteries. They should cut down on that crap and spend it on someone who really needs it instead of focusing on all of these unprofessional pastimes.

We are not amused.

Signing off (and starting to get a little annoyed at such spam entering my uni email),
Elise

Britain's DEFINITELY Got Talent!

Seriously, if you don't get chills from this performance, there's no hope for ya.



Signing off and trying not to procrastinate any longer,
Elise

Dershtikt zolstu veren!!!

The most beautiful rendition of the Irish classic I've ever heard. Besides, these lads are three of the funniest characters in their show anyway.



*sigh* I'm... speechless. There's nothing that can be said about this at all.

No, really, there isn't. I won't even try.

Meanwhile, I had an epiphany in Spanish today. Man, did that feel good when it suddenly occurred to me the answer to analyzing that sentence. Well, sort of a mixed feeling, really. Euphoria because I'd finally been able to see how the whole thing was analyzed, and a tinge of annoyance that I hadn't been able to see it before. Grr.

Furthermore, I've lately found a fascination in Yiddish words and expressions. They're so much more than "shmuts" (dirt), "gelt" (money), "chutzpah" (gall, brazenness) and even "kosher" (you all know this one!) The title of the post, for instance means "you should choke on it". And then there's "draikop" (scatterbrain), "dumkop" (for all you who know German, you know this means "dunce". Homer Simpson, on the other hand, would go for "stupidhead", which would be the direct translation), "tuchis"/"toches" (butt), "farblondzhet" (lost, bewildered, confused) and even the glorious "Gai shlog dein kup en vant!" ("Go bang your head against a wall!")

Man, that last one's almost on the same level as the French Taunter in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". :-D

And then there's of course the procrastinator's slogan: "Kum ich nisht heint, kum ich morgen." ("If I don't come today, I'll come tomorrow.")

Yes, when utilizing a sick mind the meaning of it changes slightly, but you get the main points, don't you?



So, to end off this endless rambling, I leave you all with the follwing wish:

"Vahksin zuls du, tsu gezunt, tsu leben, tsu langeh yor."
("May you grow to health, to life, to long years.")



Chutzpah,
Elise



Ps.: Here's another beauty:
"Vahksin zuls du vi a tsibeleh, mitten kup in drerd."
("May you grow like an onion, with your head in the ground.")

I particularly like this one. *giggle*

Did you know...

... that MC Hammer has a BLOG?! *lol* I must admit I had to giggle a little when I saw this! Can I... "touch this" this time???

Oh, man, some people just don't know when to quit while they're ahead! And of course he's included a rendition of his ONE hit. You know which one I'm talking about. Look at "Saturday March 22" and enjoy (or cringe - take your pick)!

Anyway, I've managed to be a relatively good student today, and have started on revising for Spanish, which no doubt is the most challenging of my exams when it comes to expressing yourself. And of course there is the curriculum part, but that's just a matter of getting into one's cassava and making it stay there.

It's nothing like Brit. Civ. I seriously don't know how that exam's gonna turn out. It's just the sheer size of the curriculum that scares me. How the heck am I gonna remember it all?! PRAY TELL!!!

Meanwhile, things are starting to get a little better now, emotionally speaking, thanks to the major quick fix of happiness from my friends this weekend! Thanks you guys, it helped a lot! *gives everyone a group hug and continues taking in the sweet smell of leather while her earrings dangle joyfully from each ear and the faint sound of "That's What Friends Are For" is heard from a distance*

And now it's finalized: I'm off to Spain for 5 weeks this summer, i.e. Málaga, to expand my vocabulary, improve my oral Spanish and meet new interesting people. I'm really glad I got in at such short notice, not to mention utterly relieved. Hope all of this time, money and effort won't be wasted... If it is - well, at least I'd get a nice vacation. :-)


To grape, or not to grape (that is the question),
Elise

Hiiiiiiiiii-yah!

Tired of looking at a black-and-white blog now - so I changed the color of it from something melancholy to something more pleasing to the eye. So there. :-) Now it matches Miss Piggy.



Purdy in pink.

Meanwhile, I've managed to be a good student (though not as good as I was when I started uni, but I'm getting there!) and prepared for class tomorrow, although I haven't been able to catch up on the things for my other classes as much as for CALL. *sigh* I wish I was on schedule in all my classes!

Anyway, time for a shower and then hitting the books again one last time before bedtime.



Signing off (in pink!),
Ms. X (EKS - you know, my initials... Geddit? Funky, innit?)

... And yes, he knows how to groove, too.

Cooking while lipsynching to Finnish heavy metal? Why not?




Laughing her head off (almost) whilst doing Spanish,
Elise

My future husband. *swoon*

The Swedish Chef. Again. Yes, he is out of my league (and polyester), but there's always hope - isn't there?



I.e.: "Es vong-vong de-de lettuuce, en vear ges-vuur de boom-boom. Es vur de lettuuce derr-hup! *bang* Vork-bork de sallad... Ying ges-vuur de hum des voor de biggie (?), en yim de voong de boomed-boom. Es vur de voor de hup! *bang* Es vuur de bruussel sproots."

No, I might not completely understand what he's saying, but at least he's a Cordon Bleu chef (albeit taking a few shortcuts in the cooking process), which makes it all the easier for my part.

Imagine me and him... and little bork-borks running around inside the house making bruussel sproots... and with their keeken smooshers chasing after Japanese chocolate cakes like their father:



Or shooting coocoonoots...



Now how to get a hold of his phone number...



Off to use her own keeken smoosher,
Elise

Tiempo libre... Por ahora.

Phew. Done. At least for now.

After having frantically written 3 assignments, wherein two of them were overlapping by two days (*gasp*), I have now come to the point of relief. Kind of. The only thing preventing me from feeling complete relief is that I asked my teacher a question which he still hasn't answered. Ah well, if he doesn't answer by the deadline (at noon today) I'll just assume that we are required to put up a bibliography in the assignment and that I am permitted to cite to the Ex.Fac. book of my very first semester.

Mind you, several of the things we'd gone through in our Ex.Fac. classes were surprisingly relevant to my subjects, albeit expressed with Norwegian terms. Like, say, for the Spanish assignment I found some Norwegian compound words which we were to translate into Spanish. Really interesting to see how the Spanish explanation of compounds related to the Norwegian - and also kind of challenging to unite them together.

*sigh of semi-relief*

Besides this, life's just the same as usual. I think I'm finally managing to recover some of my long-lost pizzazz for studying after having suffered from an on-and-off academic dryspell for about 2 months straight, the longest time that it's ever lasted so far. These assignments appear to have given me a real kick in the butt in terms of catching up with material. I just hope it will last for a while, at least until after the exams.

To think they're only less than two months from us now. Man, time sure does go fast. (Cliché) Too fast. (Cliché #2)

Speaking of time going fast, there are a group of people in YouTube who post old Barne-TV clips from when I was a little kid, including the opening titles for the show itself. I'm really having fun with this these days. *sigh* The memories... "Elefanten Bums" ("Bump the Elefant"), "Kalle Klovn" ("Charlie Chalk"), "Postmann Pat" (...), "Mumfie" (...), "Sesam Stasjon" (remember that pinball number counting animation?), "Portveien 2" (my neighbor!), "Vertshuset Den Gyldne Hale", "Regnbuebyen" (I think that was the name... Anyway, that show with Gullars), "Albert Åberg", "Pingu", "Huset Med Det Rare I", "Den Lille Andungen Kvakk Kvakk" ("Quaq Quao"), "Oksen Anton" ("Ox Tales"), "Lokomotivet Thomas" ("Thomas the Tank Engine")... The list goes on and on and on - and for every clip I see, I get more and more of that nostalgic feeling. *sigh*

Yay, my teacher (finally) answered. As far as I could see, I'm in the clear. So, another thorn removed from my side. :-)

Anyway, off to YouTube. Or perhaps HIMYM. We'll see. And of course even more studying. Just need to procrastinate a little first. And eat my brekkie.


May the Force be with you,
Elise

Wide Open Spaces...

And suddenly we were back in Oslo after a long-ish Easter break. Sure wish it lasted just a little bit longer, as I only have this one class this week. Still, it was good to come home again. To think that it snowed too! Man, was I surprised to wake up one morning just to find that there was about 15cm layer of PERFECT snow on the ground (not too dry and not too wet, just RIGHT). Coupled with blue sky and absolutely no wind at all, the weather was awesome! Jæren really is a beautiful place, either it's rainy, snowy, sunny, windy, whatever... While taking a walk outside with Mom and Dad I had this tingling feeling inside as it reminded me of when I was a kid. All I wanted to do right there and then was just to plunge myself into a snowy field and make an angel in it (had it not been that I also wanted to leave the scenery untouched).

Beautiful. Absolutely unspeakably and indescribably beautiful. I'll post some pics on Facebook once I get some more time in my hands.

Mind you, it's good to be back here in Oslo as well, but it was so nice seeing my parents and my friends again that I wanted to stay just another week more... Hehe, guess I'm feeling a little homesick at the moment... Ah well, sea lo que sea, I'll be plunging myself into another scene in due time anyway; that is, mandatory assignments and reading.

Just to inform those who may have noticed a slightly cold front from my part these past few weeks, I apologize, but I would appreciate some space for the next couple of days. It's nothing serious, I just need some space, that's all. Hope you understand.

Hehe, and on this cheerful note (!) I thus end my blog post.


Weehii,
Elise

P.s.: Or well, it's not quite over yet; check out these funky vids:



Pray, what are they saying? Here's a dubbed translation:



Awww...

'K, now I'm done. :-P

O noes, not again!!!

I can't believe that people still do this. I don't know how they got hold of my UiO mail, but somehow they did. Here's the pack of lies the crackpots SPAMMED me with today (note: I succumbed to temptation and removed the annoyingly inappropriate spaces within the sentences and made the paragraphs):

* * * *

Subject: hi
Date: 2008-03-07 05:25

From: Mrs Monica Hasan

ENDEAVOUR TO USE IT FOR THE CHILDREN OF GOD.
I am the above named person from Kuwait. I am married to Dr.Philip
Hasan who worked with Kuwait embassy in Ivory Coast for nine years before he died in the year 2004.We were married for eleven years without a child. He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days. Before his death we were both born again Christians.Since his death I decided not to re-marry or get a child outside my matrimonial home which the Bible is against.When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of $28Million Dollars (Twenty eight Million United State Dollars) with one finance/security company in Europe.

Presently, This money is still with the Security Company. Recently, my Doctor told me that I would not last for the next three months due to cancer problem. Though what disturbs me most is my stroke sickness. Having known my condition I decided to donate this Fund to church or better still a christian individual that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct here in. I want a church that will use this funds to fund churches,orphanages and widows propagating the word of God and to ensure that the house of God is maintained. The Bible made us to understand that Blessed is the hand that giveth.

I took this decision because I don't have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not Christians and I don't want my husband's hard earned money to be misused by unbelievers. I don't want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly manner. Hence the reason for taking this bold decision. I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going. I know that I am going to be in the bosom of the Lord. Exodus 14 VS 14 says that the lord will fight my case and I shall hold my peace. I don't need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health and because of the presence of my husband's relatives around me always. I don't want them to know about this development.

With God all things are possible. As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the Finance/Security Company in Europe. I will also issue you a letter of authority that will prove you as the original- beneficiary of this Funds. I want you and the church to always pray for me because the lord is my shephard. My happiness is that I lived a life of a worthy Christian. Whoever that wants to serve the Lord must serve him in spirit and truth. Please always be prayerful all through your life. Any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing for a church or christian individual for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein and I have set aside 20% for you and for your time.

Hoping to hearing from you.
Remain blessed in the name of the Lord.
Yours in Christ,
Mrs. Monica Hasan
hasanmornica@aim.com

* * * *

Lord, give me strength not to spam this email address with hatemail. Notice how the email address at the end has a type-o in it ("mornica" instead of "monica")... And also, notice how she does not write the name of the US "Security Company" at all. I.e. you can't google it. Furthermore, the grammar is downright ABSURD in many of the sentences, and if the "lord" is her "shephard" she should at least learn how to capitalize the "L" and learn how to spell, so the reader won't think of the singer in "Ally McBeal". In fact, she should have capitalized many other words in this mail.

Lastly, what kind of lame excuse of a disease is "stroke sickness"????????

I tell ya, if she really was a Christian, she would learn how to write this properly. She would also donate her stash to a Christian non-profit organization at once instead of trusting a complete stranger. Her intentions of putting this play money to use would be slightly more credible then, but only just slightly. Or if she really wants to put this to good use, at least use some of it to pay for a proper class in English Grammar before writing this crap.

Lord, have mercy on whoever wrote this - 'cause I don't think I can.


Signing off (slightly annoyed and still befuddled as to how they got hold of my email),
Elise

The Great Trafalgar Square Freeze, a serenading mouse and eternal strawberries.

Man, I wish I'd been there... :-D I bet all the tourists were really confused as to what these crazy Britons were doing.



Just goes to show that we can find crazy events everywhere - not only in Norway. ;-)

Oh, and speaking of crazy/silly, here's the infamous mouse serenading a piece of cheese on a mousetrap:



XD!!!! Always makes me laugh out loud, this!

And furthermore, here's one of my all-time favorite songs (which happens to have a line quoted on this blog:



Mmm... strawberries... Call it artsy-fartsy if you will, but to me it's sheer randomness. And we all know how I love randomness.


Hungry,
Elise

"Juno".

As the YouTube maniac I am, I thought I would seize this one-off (?) opportunity to do some real advertising for this movie.

GO WATCH IT, PEOPLE!!! IT'S ONE OF THE BEST AND UNCLICHÉD TEEN MOVIES THERE IS!

To prove it all to you I hereby post this vid of this utterly cute song where the two main characters Juno (Ellen Page) and Bleeker (Michael Cera) are singing. Drumroll please!



Meanwhile, I'm still waiting to get my hands on the "Across the Universe" DVD AND looking for a companion (or companions) to come with me to see "Sweeny Todd". (Mmm... Tim Burton... Mmm... JOHNNY DEPP!!!) Anyone care to join me?

Anyone at all?

Hello?

Drat.

*turns her heel with a squeak (á la Fogell/McLovin) and walks away*



Blah,
Elise

"Hallo? Frederikke?"

A couple of weeks ago after me and my friends had attended class, we were approached by two media students (I think) who asked us a series of questions about Frederikke Kafé. This is the long-anticipated outcome of it (featuring us, among others):



Man, was that fun! XD We really had a laugh doing this, and the guys who asked us told us later that they were so amazed that we were actually willing to take it to those lengths! If this won't give Frederikke any more street cred, I don't know what will!

So, how many minutes of fame do we have left now...? *counting on fingers*

Happy Valentine's Day to all!

Euphoric,
Elise

(Ps.: Notice the all-too-discrete alliteration at the end...)

To think that... nooo... can it really be?

Yes indeed.



Man, this was... gobsmackingly weird, yet fun(ny) to see the source of Pikachu's voice.

Meanwhile, I discovered that the meaning of Eva's life was popcorn. Who'd have thought, eh? ;-)

Blip.
Elise

2007? What about it?

(Ok, just for your information I stumbled over this idea in a blog by one of my friends, and I found it such a nice way to shake off the old and look towards the new. So I copied. Hope this ain't subject to copyright... List may be truncated and subject to change.)

• Gained lots of new friends, all of them dear to my heart and hopefully with long-lasting friendships.
• Gained contact with family members I hadn't seen for ages
• Searched for old relatives (and the search continues)
• Maintained my values
• Tested my emotional strength (and got stronger!)
• Lost a grandfather
• Got a closer relationship with my family in Oslo
• Traveled (albeit in the same country...)
• Was meticulous
• Endured hardships
• Encountered a slut-looking drug-addict looking for needles for syringes at Stavanger University Hospital (...)
• Got some tactless remarks thrown in my direction
• Threw some tactless remarks in other people's direction (tsk, tsk, tsk...)
• Was addicted to Facebook
• Failed to write in my diary about things that mattered and didn't matter
• Earned good grades
• Busted my butt in studying
• Took yoga classes
• Ate good food (sushi and dim sum, anyone?)
• Laughed (should have laughed more)
• Cried (with accompanying good reasons)
• Read good books
• Received good books (again, thank you soooo much, Eilen!!!)
• Got closure
• Found out who were true friends
• Became dependent on and close to God
• Trusted myself more
• Became irate
• Smiled a lot (not the same as laughing)
• Improved my English and Spanish (still got a long long way to go, especially as far as Spanish is concerned)
• Became slightly less harmonious
• Spent time with my parents
• Played with my cousin
• Spoke Spangwegian (...)
• Made reachable goals for myself
• Made UNreachable goals for myself (somewhat more here than in the former...)
• Met people I looked up to
• Brought home my keyboard so as to get an outlet for my ivory-tickling cravings
• Missed home (a little)
• Discovered new music
• Felt free, happy, depressed, lonely, lucky, embarrassed (a lot! *lol* But heck, as one of my friends say: "Make a fool out of yourself; it's good for you!"), frustrated, tense, content, calm, lazy, self-centered (hence this blog), haughty, humble, down-to-earth, mad, silly, ignorant and RANDOM!

In short, not so bad. In hindsight, I find that there were a few things I should have done instead which I didn't do - but that's the beauty of new years; you get another chance to start afresh and improve.

On this philosophical note, me voy para comer y estudiar más.

Peace out,
Elise