"No one, I think, is in my tree."

THEY TOLD US THEY WOULD ROCK US - AND THEY DID.

2011-03-12T22:35:00.000+01:00

As I said on fb & twitter: THEY TOLD US THEY WOULD ROCK US - AND THEY DID. I’m so thoroughly impressed by this show, I have no words. The combination of somewhat remade songs (IN ENGLISH!!!) interwoven with a great storyline (in Norwegian - which is understandable enough), excellent actors/singers and dancers, a completely amazing band (with the lead guitarist playing on an exact replica of Brian May’s Red Special!!!) and that mindblowingly eargasm-inducing Queen sound made the whole show truly immaculate. This show started on a high and kept it going until the very end.

The set was also wonderful, with its mixture of a TV screen in the back showing 3D images and “webcam” footage juxtaposed the “real-life” happenings on stage, producing a tantalizing and thought-provoking effect, especially alongside the performance of the so-called “Gaga girls” (not really intended as a reference to Lady Gaga, but is an excellent one nonetheless!). Makes you really want to make sure that Rock’n’Roll will live forever. Which it totally should. The increase and progress of synthetic music is well and good, but we should never ever forget the roots of this - the genuine music, made with genuine instruments and not a computer. Music made with real live instruments is what is true music.

The humor of the show and the references to popular culture was nothing short of adorable, especially when the Bohemians unwittingly chose names that were originally for the opposite sex; e.g. Britney Spears was portrayed by a male. Furthermore, Jan Erik Karlsen (Norwegian Pop Idol and X Factor judge) was also represented by a long-haired blond male actor, which was rather amusing, to say the least.

Another positive feature of the show is that it touches on so many emotions, not only amusement. It touches upon irritation, frustration and hope for the future of what one might call “raw” music; again touching upon the dichotomy of using synthetic instruments versus the real ones. The poignant moments when the actors/singers pay tribute to the musicians who died too young and flew “too close to the sun” was tearjerkingly beautiful, especially as the screen showed images of Buddy Holly, Michael Jackson, John Lennon, Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix. The song ended of course with an extra large image of Freddie Mercury gracing the screen which made the song even more touching. As me and E agreed on, it showed a lot better how it is to miss someone you never knew in real life. A strange feeling, yet also somewhat good. I can’t explain why, really. Freddie’s and Queen’s music will, however, live on in our hearts forever. There is little doubt that Freddie would have been proud of what Brian May, Roger Taylor and Ben Elton have done with Queen’s music. I am certain Freddie watches over every show, smiling.

No superlatives can adequately describe how IMMACULATE a show this was. If you haven’t watched it yet, make sure you do! Chill factor from start to finish!

Signing off (ecstatically),

Elise

And now...

2011-02-07T23:30:00.000+01:00

... for a cup of tea.

It's all in the small things.

2011-02-07T23:24:00.001+01:00

It's close to half ten in the evening and I suddenly feel this strange urge to write. You know those times when you suddenly get a boost of creativity where your fingers kinda itch to write something? Well, regardless of whether or not you can relate to this, this is one of those times.

This weekend wasn't that exciting, except from yesterday (Sunday) when I met up with a couple of my closest - I dare say two of my very best - friends. One of them had just celebrated the third (?) part of her 30th birthday celebration and we'd all decided to spend the next day together to really just have a girls' day, afternoon and evening in, talking about anything and everything from most serious of topics to the silliest and stitch-inducing ones. What's so great about these people is how similar they are to me. Well, of course there are differences between us in e.g. our viewpoints on certain things, interests and such, but as my other friend commented - to which I concur - is that the three of us share a common denominator. I would also take the liberty of expanding that by saying that we communicate within the same frequency. My second friend (in whose apartment we were) used also a music analogy which was also rather fitting, namely that we were each of us one specific key, but in combining each key we created a harmony.

Now ain't that just dandy? (And I do not mean this in any sarcastic sense whatsoever!)

There are extremely few people with whom I can feel completely at ease with. Most of the time there is always some kind of barrier between myself and the addressee; either created by myself, by the addressee, or by both. This is always what makes things awkward in meeting up. However, these few people, these few individuals who really get to see me as I really am (besides my parents and close relatives, obv.), are those who I truly appreciate. Those people with whom you can go crazy and act like a complete lunatic (according to other people's minds...) without having any scruples at all about what they may say come tomorrow and consequently just vent your troubles to whenever you wish. Those people with whom you can daydream for eons and not getting any bewildered looks from when you've finished your remark - but who expand and elaborate on what has just been said. Now that's what I call friendship. Besides close family and relatives, the people who see me as me can be counted on one hand.

The thing is with friends like these is that you don't need any kind of fancy gadgets to have a great time. You don't have to dress to impress, if you like. The only thing you need are eyes, ears and (equally as important) a mouth to jabber on about whatever. And of course a brain to process it all with, but now I'm just splitting hairs, really. That's all.

(Too bad I had that cold, though. I still do. Oh well, it'll pass in due time.)

'Cause it's all about harmony. One thing is that life is just one huge balancing act between what is good and what is bad. Neutrality between the two extremes is all good, but what keeps you going is all the good times. Those times when you make good music and when life is worth the effort. When the seesaw tips over to the right side making you sit high above ground and looking over other people's heads (or at least you felt you did when you were a kid). Now that is fun. That is part of the drive you have to keep going.

This post has no thematic coherence whatsoever... Again, I just really wanted to jot down a few things that has made me rather happy lately and has sort of given the monotony of life just a bit of oomph. It's all just in the small things in life; or rather, the seemingly small things in life which ultimately come to mean so much to you in the end.

Signing off,
Elise

õ.O

2011-01-24T20:19:00.007+01:00

Behind every great musician there is a... Paul McCartney? Erm... *scratches head*

Signing off,
Elise

Ok, I wasn't done yet...

2011-01-19T22:04:00.000+01:00

Happy 202th Birthday, Edgar Allan Poe!

Definitely signing out now (nevermore :P),
Elise

I should be reading, BUT...

2011-01-19T19:08:00.001+01:00

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all! Wishing all the best for 2011 for my followers as well as those who just happen to stop by at random.

Now, enough with the formalities, already.

It was about time I changed the layout of my blog. The pink background suddenly became a little too daunting, to be honest. However, I'm still sticking to the tree theme. Might change it from time to time according to my mood and/or the season. Anyway, this one was white, clean and relaxing. Me like.

Apparently this should be the time wherein I make a review of 2010, so here goes:

2010 for me was a time with major revelations about myself, matters concerning my loved ones, the future and other people of my acquaintance. I'm tempted to go as far as to say that 2010 was one huge epiphany, really, but that would perhaps draw it a little too far. One huge milestone was that of me finally reaching my long-standing goal of becoming a teacher. The dream that I'd had ever since I was a child suddenly became a reality to me. The wait, as it were, was over. That in itself was a rather strange realization. Mind you, I think there is a part of me that still can't really believe that I've reached that level already. Nonetheless, it's right there on my diploma and grade transcript. It's just the same feeling I had when I completed my last exams for Senior High. A strange sensation that it was all over and that I'd done all that was required of me and that I was to head off to some (not-too-distant) shore to hopefully reach new goals. Now that I've reached them - well, almost all of them - it's almost like some kind of emptiness there. There's nothing major left to strive towards, in a sense. Sure, I do have my exams for my master's and my master's thesis, but to me that isn't entirely the same. I belong to a profession now. I am a qualified teacher. And there is no other word in my vocabulary that can describe the sensation I still feel inside other than just the mere monosyllabic adjective "strange". Because that's exactly what it is.

Throughout that process I also learnt the importance of just not giving a d*** about certain things. Heh, actually a lot of things. Neuroticism, sulking and over-analyzing is not necessarily beneficial in all cases. Being an ambitious perfectionist is an advantage, though it should not be taken to extreme lengths, or else the consequences might turn out worse than expected. Just leave it and let nature take its own course. Or if you don't want certain things to happen, then don't make an effort to make them happen just because other people want them to. You are the protagonist in your own life, so act only in ways that you can justify for yourself (and for the Man Upstairs, if you are inclined to turn to Him from time to time).

Speaking of the Man Upstairs, I believe I've also grown somewhat more reflected in my approach to Him. I've grown more accustomed to letting Him speak to me through silence and meditation, but as with riding a bike, this takes a bit of time to learn properly. Let's just say that the handlebars are still wobbling. Nonetheless, over the years I've grown fond of meditation in its different forms.

I also realized that progress is a benefit, but that it shouldn't bear the entire weight at the cost of ignoring the past and one's roots. This partially touches on what I wrote two paragraphs above, but also on other aspects of life. Denying one's roots means denying part of one's self. After all, the past contributes in defining you as a person, whether you like it or not. How one can pluck up the courage to do that at the snap of a finger is beyond me. Obviously this can be defended in certain cases, but in other cases this would require a great deal of thought. As regards the cases I have in mind, how one can do that as if it were just a matter of changing clothes - or just a whim - is to me a rather strange approach. Sometimes I feel rather old when I say these things... Guess I probably am an old soul...

Nonetheless, some things just cannot be changed. I will probably remain a scatterbrain for the rest of my life (sorry, people...), but I'm working as hard as I can on softening the blow, as it were. Which perhaps might account for my seemingly perpetual neuroticism. :)

Furthermore, there are some things that I don't want to change either, like my idea of having fun and being positive, random and geeky (or with a slightly concealed, yet still blatantly condescending air, "being childish"). Call me naive if you will, but I don't want to mope around all the time like so many people seem to do nowadays. When I look at several people my age (and older) in shops or in the streets it sometimes makes me wonder if this is how people define being an adult; the more you sulk, the more mature you are and the more accredited you should be because of it. A long time ago I learnt one of life's biggest lessons the hard way. This is already a well-established cliché, but I'll say it anyway: Live each day as if it were your last. Don't waste every inhale and exhale, every blink, every moment with complaining about life. Turn it around into something positive. Sometimes it may not seem as if fate has dealt you a good card in life - and ok, so you won't get that royal flush - but that gives you no reason to continue being negative and/or look down on anyone else just because you have a certain inclination towards a half-empty cup! Count your blessings and you'll discover that you're richer than you'd originally thought. If you still find reason to complain, shut up. There's more than enough negative energy in this world and there's no need to feed the fire any further.

Still, be sure to not forget those who clearly need you. Stay with people who require your aid, either by your physical presence with them, or through other means. After all the natural disasters that last year brought with it, this is a clear sign that we're extremely co-dependent. Remaining family members of deceased loved ones still need support, prayers and aid. People suffering from illness, be it temporary or long-term, likewise.

Hokai. That's enough vagueness from me. In other words, 2010 has been quite a year, really. I reckon it has been a year filled with experiences, both good and bad. Still, the idea of starting off yet another year, clean and crisp, yet to be filled with new experiences and new ways of making amends, is comforting. Most likely, it is probably so for most people. As for those who see no end to it, you are still in our hearts and minds. In correspondence with the co-dependent nature of people, we will continue to fight with you for a better everyday life.

So, in the hope of a better 2011, I sign off with one of my all-time favorite songs and all-time favorite music vids by one of my all-time favorite musicians. I need not introduce him.

Signing off (weehee),
Elise

Speechless.

2010-11-11T22:41:00.001+01:00

There are few people out there that can really spellbind me with their writing, but I believe Adam Young is one of these selected few. Whenever I read his blog posts I am nothing short of mesmerized. His way of describing his emotions and happenings in his life is nothing short of immaculate. (With the odd typo here and there, however, but with that skill of writing, who cares?!) Reading his posts is almost like diving into his mind and exploring the gorgeous things that are going on inside of it - and what a beautiful mind it is (excuse the movie reference; that was not intended).

He a devout Christian, but this reason for me adoring his writing is far outweighed by his beautifully described musings. He has the ability reserved only a few to not touch on a subject and barely scratch the emotional surface of it, but rather to touch on a subject and hold on to the emotion, the episode, the image, for a much longer time than many others. When you think that all words have been used and the topic has been exhausted, you're suddenly served another platter of delightful collocations, metaphors and other imagery.

This is one of those blogs wherein you're left with a fuzzy feeling in your stomach and a sense of serenity whenever you're done reading one of his posts; especially after having read one of his more profound gems. (Because that's exactly what they are - gems.) It is always so intriguingly satisfying to experience the unfurling of the story he writes about in your head. As if it were a bud slowly opening up and becoming a beautiful flower which you cannot see before you've read the entire post. Color me overly poetic if thou wishest, but I'm truly fascinated by his writing skills. It's almost as if I wish he were to write a novel of some sorts to get all of this indescribably beautiful writing on paper and stuck between two covers.

How refreshingly reassuring it is that there are people like him out there. Guess this indicates that there is, in fact, hope for this poor wretched world of ours. That there is a light - however faint - at the end of the all-too-known tunnel.

Signing off (mesmerized),
Elise

Procrastination

2010-11-06T22:09:00.000+01:00

Think I've used that word as a title for a previous blog entry, although I'm not quite that sure. I might be relating this to something else rather than just a mere post.

Things are ok. Gotten good results for 2/3 mandatory assignments. Now trying to write up the final assignment, i.e. the description of my Master's thesis project. But I just can't be bothered at the moment. I've already done some research into articles and studies I can refer to and read up a little on them, but the ~~energy level~~ willingness to do anything just isn't there. In other words, once again I experience the well-known urge to procrastinate.

I'm sure you all know that "procrastination is the enemy of time" (or at least I think that's what my mom usually says), but in a sense there's something quite nice about focusing on something else rather than just your academic passion(s). Just like today, which I intend to make into a "sewing day" wherein I'll be folding pajama pants and... eh... something else. I must admit that this kind of fits with the whole housewife concept of the 50s and 60s. All I need is just a polka-dot dress, an apron, cat-eye glasses and red lipstick, and I'm there. :) And to be honest, at the moment I don't mind either!

Lately I've been totally immersed in this period (post-Baseballs concert syndrome, a.k.a. PBC syndrome). Not only did this period involve the reconstruction of the gut-wrenchingly immense damages after WWII, but everybody just seemed to have such a happy-go-lucky attitude to life, perhaps to make amends for the bleak war years. And then at the end of the 1960s the world lost its innocence; or should I say that that the youth lost its innocence. We were finally forced to see the world as it is and we were completely disgusted by what we saw. Again. But this time it was not caused by a deranged madman as had happened just 20 years prior to this time. It was caused by a supposedly helpful, generous, good and decent world power.* And perhaps as a consequence of this (including several other factors, obv.), the youth had a fervent need to escape from their lives. Enter hallucinogenic drugs, psychedelia and Oriental religions to find something to cling to in the midst of all the pessimism and disappointment of life.

Looking at footage from the infamous Woodstock music festival of '69 I find I laugh out loud when I hear their opinions on several issues. The naiveté of people back in those days is nothing short of risible. They seem so lost; damsels in distress - even the guys. If they really were fitting representatives of the youth culture back in those days, let's just say that the evolution from that until how we are today is nothing short of impressive (and fortunate, to say the least).

Anyway, these are just random thoughts not to be taken seriously (that is, if the reader may be offended of these general musings). Now, to ramble off to watch James Bond... One of those classic ones... :)

Signing off (sashaying over to telly),
Elise

------------------------------------

*Mind you, I do not adhere to those people who generally despise the US. Sure, the whole issue with the US monitoring/supervising areas outside their embassies in Norway, Denmark and Sweden is extremely frowned upon. At the moment, at least, media focus has been on this, which in turn has generated a general sense of disdain. However, if we look at the more general picture, if it hadn't been for their intervention in several global conflicts fewer of them would have been resolved. Color me naive if you wish, but if you have the means to help others, by all means do so - but an elaboration on this will be reserved for a future post.

awkward silence

2010-11-01T16:11:00.006+01:00

Men are confusing. I'm sure they think the same way about us, though.

A couple of months ago the electricity was all out in our building and I'd ventured out in the hallway, as I heard some other people talking there. I talked to one of my neighbors there and we sort of had the same interests and shared the same kind of randomness. He was interested in watching "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", so I lent him my DVD. He also asked me if he could come over some day for a cup of tea or something, so I said "Yeah, sure" and left it at that. This was in September. Now it's November and I've only just now gotten back my DVD and still no sign of that coffee or tea thing. You who know me reasonably well, know that I am an old-fashioned gal. In other words, I strongly believe that the guy should make the first move instead of me, be it in terms of a friendship - as was this case - or something "more substantial", if you will. Not a peep from his part for over 2 months. I even went as far as to ring his doorbell several times (when I hadn't gotten my DVD back). He himself had asked me to do so, but there was no answer whatsoever. I even left plucked up the courage to stick a post-it note yesterday on his front door to ask him if there was supposed to be any get-together. The note's still hanging there and I haven't heard a peep from him. As in so many times before, there appears to be this infamous awkwardness hovering between our front doors when it comes to getting in touch with each other.

This is something totally beyond me. The few times we'd talked together, he himself expressed the ridiculousness of not getting in touch, as we only live 5 steps from each other. Yet he still doesn't get in touch, at least as far as I know. So my question is: Why does it have to be so difficult to converse with members of the other sex? Why should it be so difficult to initiate a strictly platonic friendship with a guy? Why is there such an insane amount of awkwardness in this process? Is there anything that can be done at all to prevent or remove any kind of tension? Again, why is this process so difficult?! I mean, I can talk to them and strike up some excellent conversations - there's no problem in that department - but ultimately it seems as if there's always this kind of strange cloddishness in the air between us. And that's what bugs the living daylights out of me.

Furthermore, if he didn't mean what he'd said or if he'd changed his mind during these past few months, it would be nice to actually be informed about this instead of leaving it all hanging out there like a dangling participle. If he doesn't want a friendship, that's entirely fine by me, but I'd appreciate being informed instead of just sitting there wondering if it was something I'd said. Heck, I stuck a freakin' post-it note to his door. If he doesn't want to knock on my door and tell it to me straight, he could at least have had the decency to respond through another post-it note. Just saying. Bah.

Signing off (inelegantly),
Elise

(Edit: He answered my post-it note and showed up.)

The missing link (pun intended)

2010-09-12T00:33:00.002+02:00

Just finished watching "The Linda McCartney Story" (again). I must say it's quite amazing, really, to see two people who have such an incredible connection. I mean, you don't need a movie to establish the fact that Paul and Linda had one incredible relationship and such an immensely beautiful love for one another (and for their children, for that matter), but watching interviews and movies of this sort kinda makes it all the more... well, alive, in a sense. I mean, they were indeed soul mates and best friends; the latter especially being the case after the Beatles broke up and Paul was at rock bottom. They were so similar in so many ways: idealists, passionate animal rights activists, vegetarians (obv.), artists in their own right and I bet great parents to their kids as well. Theirs is a relationship I truly admire. Obviously besides that of my parents, which is the epitome of all successful and tightly-knit marriages of my knowledge (of course I'm biased).

I love watching people and sensing such a connection between them. A platonic connection is one thing, but this is a completely different ballgame. Sensing this kind of unified vibe from them, yet not bordering over to the tacky and lovey-dovey mush, now that's nothing short of awesome. And reassuring, mind you. Reassuring in the sense that there is hope for mankind.

I have a tendency to fluctuate a bit when it comes to watching the news. Sometimes I simply have to watch it like there's no other option, but other times (like these past few days) I simply can't stand it. There's too much negative energy being released in this world. If it isn't a coverage on war and/or a conflict involving physical violence, then there's rape, mugging, corruption, blackmail and insincerity. I tell you, there's too much of this crap. Way too much.

Those are the times when I'm reminded of something Elizabeth Bennet once said (*sigh* P&P again...): "The more I see of the world, the more I am dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of either merit or sense." *scoffs* You and me both.

Yes, I realize I do sound like some old hippie when I say all of this, but I really lose faith in humanity sometimes. Just like in times like these. Ergo we need to focus on all the good stuff; acknowledge the bad stuff happening and try to do something about it, but not let it get to our heads. Or else we'll all go mental. So focus on the little things; even the tiniest specks of goodness that can brighten up your day whenever you feel like there's no hope in the world. In a larger scale, perhaps look at the people you admire and try to change your life accordingly to -- pardon the cliché -- make the world a better place in your own little way.

Ok. Rambling again. Not sure if that many people out there will be bothered reading yet another long sequence of nonsense, but just needed to get this out. Bet several of you readers know what I'm talking about.

Watching this movie kinda made me a little envious of the relationship that Paul and Linda had. My initial reaction, now as after the first few times I'd watched this movie, was one of sympathy for Paul, really. Looking at how his life has been after his wife died, you kinda start thinking that these women he's been seeing are sort of thought to be compensations for Linda. They're not at all immaculate, but at least he might believe that they show a small reflection of his late wife. Hence why he clings to them. However, the most overriding reason would probably be that he can't stand feeling alone. Now that his kids have all grown up, many of which having families of their own, he is searching for another "post-soul-mate" lifelong companion again. Hence why he remarries. Then when the relationship starts getting a bit iffy, he/she/they file for divorce and he's left alone again. And continues searching. I'm probably not the only one who's got this theory.

Anyway. A slight digression there. As I said, I kind of envy the relationship Linda and Paul had. This was the following reaction I had. Missing having that connection with someone. Having one with your parents, friends, and relatives is one thing, but sometimes you kinda wonder how you're going to turn out in the end. I am a firm believer in that there's one person out there who's meant for you. I believe that God's plan for us is to give us a series of individual challenges here on Earth and when we pass a certain number or kind of them, we may be entitled to get to know this person with whom we're going to spend the remainder of our lives here on Earth -- and meet more challenges; this time together. Either that, or be a spinster/bachelor (cf. in my case, be the "weird cat lady"), or serve Him. Whatever He chooses.

I have my moments wherein I start thinking about where my "mystery man" is, my "missing link", if you will; if he's wondering where I am, what he's doing, or even if he exists. Or if he does exist, if he ever wonders if I exist. I eventually reason out that if he does exist, we already have a special subliminal subconscious connection; that our souls communicate with each other even though we ourselves are unaware of the other's existence or response. Cute thought? Probably. Naive? Not in my mind, it ain't. As most of us already know, there are more things between Heaven and Earth, so why should not this be one of them? We are still quite unaware of the mechanisms of the stirrings of the soul, so again, why not? I've already gotten way past the phase wherein I was simply in love with being in love. It's a long process, but I've started to see past that now and really focus on the inherent connection.

So yeah, I'm still constructing my future at the moment and I'm still waiting per se, but I've asked Him (and him) that he not enter into my life just yet. Not until everything is settled. This thing has to be put on hold at the moment. And if I'm not wrong, he probably feels the same way, too. It's all up to what He wants, though. I'm kind of excited to find out.

Anyway, enough rambling, more sleep. "But before we go" (Kermit the frog revisited), I thought I'd share one of my all-time favorite songs with you -- coincidentally being Paul's homage to his soul mate.

Signing off,
Elise

So... uh... long time...

2010-08-04T21:11:00.003+02:00

You know you haven't been visiting/writing in your blog for a long time when you forget you have an unmoderated comment pending in your comment inbox. Huh.

Anyway, it's been a while since I've been able to really just sit down and post something random here. Guess both me and my blog self have really been on a hiatus for quite some time.

I do get times wherein I just want to write something on this humble pink blog, but nothing seems to really come out the way I want it to. Am I losing my knack at it? Or have I just subconsciously abandoned it? Hm. A question that will most likely remain a mystery.

Or, well, maybe not.

Over these past couple of years, I've been feeling somewhat confined in terms of what I should write both here as well as on Facebook and Twitter. I guess for some reason that the whole idea of publishing things for the whole world to see had become somewhat intimidating for me through these years. Consequently I haven't allowed myself to really let go and write about all the things I really want to write about. I've feared public scrutiny (in more ways than simply through this blog, Facebook and Twitter, mind you), which in turn has led me to become more insecure as a person. Overly careful, some might coin this; or even neurotic. For those of you who really know me, you may perhaps know what I'm talking about, and if you don't -- well, sometimes when I may seem quite calm, inside there might be utter chaos.

This is what I want to do something about, really. Last night I realized this; I had a small equivalent of an epiphany, if you like. What I need to do is really just to pucker up and stand up for myself. It may sound clichéd, but last night the message really came through to me. So yeah, it really dawned on me how influential social acceptance has been in my life up to now. Perhaps it's time to break with some of this. Refrain from worrying about what other people might think of what I believe in and do and just not give a rat's ass about it.

But it's funny, though, to think about how influential other people's regard for you have on yourself. I believe other people influence us more than we are even aware of. I guess mankind is quite pack-oriented. We have the classic dominant personae in our society - both considering society at large as well as in smaller communities, even groups of friends - and we have those that are more, shall we say, subordinate; the people who are guided by the dominant parties and who do little to exert power or influence, seeing as they consider themselves to be a weaker element in the group anyway. Then there are the people inbetween, who are influential to the dominant parties, yet still subordinate per se. I see this division in all kinds of settings, especially in group settings like our group of friends, colleagues, classrooms, even in my own family, though the distribution of these three might vary from group to group.

Ok, this may sound quite tedious to you, but it was quite an eye-opener to me, really.

Anyway, better dash. Off to Bedfordshire soon, just need to pray the rosary first and we'll see if I'll be bothered to stay up any further tonight. :-)

Signing off,
Elise

Right.

2010-06-13T12:15:00.005+02:00

And so the student finally became a teacher. A strange experience, I have to say, but nonetheless quite satisfying; especially seeing as this had been my dream since more or less... err... I first heard my mom tell me stories about her own teaching experiences when she was one. It all really sounded so much fun -- a lot of hard work, mind you, but fun. I guess topping this off with low pay (at least as far as Norway is concerned) will give you even less of a reason to become a teacher. However, what influenced me at the end of the day was not only Mom, but also the teachers that I've had over the years since Elementary up to this day. Many of these people had this kind of twinkle in their eyes, this kind of glow while they taught us. They were really "in to" the subjects they were teaching and had this vigorous enthusiasm that rubbed off on all of us -- at least as far as yours truly is concerned. That and the willingness to listen to us pupils/students to better their classes and adapt their skills to better suit our own skills and personal characteristics. All of this is what I admire in these people. All of this has influenced my decisions in life. All of this fueled the fire, if you like.

My parents have also been a huge influence on me. They have always been influential and supportive of me in whatever decision I've had to make in life. Influential in the sense that I've always listened to them when they told me about their experiences in life and their advice based on that and their perception of me. This may perhaps sound a tad controversial to some, but for me this has been more of a positive influence rather than a means of "brainwashing" me into becoming what they want me to be. (There is a difference. :-)) Consequently my parents have also been supportive in the sense that they have let me evolve into my own person, if you will.

Um, I don't really know why I write this here, but I guess I just wanted to get this down on... err... pixels? Yeah, that works.

Signing off (@ work, for now),
Elise

Well done, Germany!

2010-05-30T00:42:00.011+02:00

Excellent song! Got me dancing around the room for ages! Still dancing in my head! It's about time they won!

Britain came in last? IS THAT EVEN HUMANLY POSSIBLE?! Apparently yes, when you do a Cliff Richard 80s remake of "We Don't Talk Anymore" with backup singers who sing slightly off key more than once, just enough to be annoying. *snorts, points and laughs disdainfully* Guess that's what you'll get when you get a below-par Waterman production. His songs used to be better.

Meanwhile, I'm impressed by how well-organized it all was. Great opening sequence, great English grammar (with a few glitches here and there, but nothing worth commenting on). Over all the contestants were great. Competition was tough this year; THANK GOD the Eurotrash stuff was almost wiped out! For some reason Greece still seems to cling to this whole testosterone-laden fusion/crossover concept. Face it, guys, it's getting OLD. In fact, it IS already old. Lay it off, it's annoying.

As for Norway, I knew from the start that we'd get a low score. Heck, I'd even go as far as to say we were asking for yet another zero. Us climbing up to 20th was really just a small comfort. Why do we always seem to go for cheesy sugar-coated ballads? Don't get me wrong, he's got a great voice; it's just that apart from a few welcomed deviations, we've always gone for ballads. How about something more up-tempo? A ditsy and dorky sound and cute lyrics like the German entry this year? Like say, in the style of Cheezy Keys a couple of years ago? Now that one I liked!

Meanwhile, it was interesting to see how so many countries had chosen a Rybak-related strategy this year, either by hiring Norwegian songwriters, musicians or even lead singers (Georgia, Cyprus and Romania, respectively). That and the all-too-predictable fiddler in the background. Strategic, but perhaps a little passé.

And the whole lung-power and/or vocal acrobatics hoedown given by more than one country was... well, needless to say an essential criteria to be included, although it in some cases was a little over the top.

However, kudos to Denmark, Romania, Cyprus, France (Bob Sinclar flashback!!!) and not to mention Germany for great contributions this year. Didrik did well, despite some glitches at the start of the song. Chill factor? Check. Bettered choreography? Check. Backup singers instead of violinists pretending to play? Check. (Much better!) Bettered diction? Check. (Though I still get somewhat unwanted images in my head whenever he sings "My love is never gone; I feel it rise again (hmm...). Through it all, now my heart (are you sure that's what you're referring to?) is yours". Somewhat unwanted images, not necessarily completely unwanted, yaknowumsayin'.)

Over all, I'm satisfied with this year. Awesome selection of songs and great organization. Special effects were more than impressive and - perhaps as a nod to Bobbysocks - a pink (red) carpet. Nice touch. Generally good British diction from the emcees who were funny at times without being fake (e.g. Erik Solbakken's gags, not to mention Atle Antonsen! I was laughing my head off when I saw him sitting there!). V. g. indeed. I'm impressed.

Let's see how Germany does it next year... Aaaand let's see if we can come up with something else than a ballad. (Mind you, I don't have anything against ballads, it's just that from a competitive p.o.v. they have never really done it for us in general. So there. Competitive side right at'cha.)

Anyway, knackered. Tired. Hitting books tomorrow for last day before getting to know topic for oral exam. Gah. I'm not ready for this yet. Give me 2-3 more days to get the topics straight before I get the topic... *drained*

Signing off (-.-),
Elise

Spreading the word!

2010-02-09T23:33:00.005+01:00

Seriously, how cool aren't these guys?!

Another one for good measure...

Not to mention...

And...

Pompadours, shaking hips and pelvises and rockabilly have never had a better comeback than this! Note to self: Must get me a poodle skirt, bobby socks and polka-dotted silk scarf. First and foremost the poodle skirt.

Signing off (doing the twist and mashed potato),
Elise

Pensative.

2010-01-29T19:43:00.004+01:00

Hm. Ever experienced one of those moments where you seem to be thoughtful, but there's nothing on your mind? This, I fear, is one of those moments. I guess this has to be due to me having millions of things to think about these past couple of weeks. My brain just doesn't feel like concentrating on anything at the moment, so it just pretends. Weird.

Anyway, just thought I'd share a random thought.

Signing off,
Elise

How awesome is this?!

2010-01-17T17:58:00.003+01:00

If only to be able to take part in something like this!

Signing off,
Elise

Part of today's second reading.

2010-01-17T12:19:00.004+01:00

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

(1 Corinthians: 4-6)

To be honest, I was happily astonished to find this written in the Bible. I believe this applies to all religions, really; not just the Jewish, Muslim, Christian and other monotheistic faiths out there. We are all one.

A fascinating thought. (And yes, with a hippie-ish tinge to it, I might add. ;-))

Signing off,

Elise

A new year, a new decade, a new era -- and a new haircut.

2010-01-16T14:20:00.005+01:00

This past decade has seen me grow a lot as a person. God has granted me so many experiences over the years, experiences that have made me change my perception of so many things. All kinds of aspects in life, really. There is one particular episode that stands out which really made me come face to face with the fleeting nature of life itself. It has definitely made me see things from another perspective and made me closer to God. I have also realized that as a Catholic I am not alone. I mean, really realized. And it's a good feeling. Singularity can be fulfilling in many respects -- it can make you grow as a human -- but man is also a sociable creature and most of us would go nuts if we were to be cut off from society indefinitely.

I have also experienced the fleeting nature of human relationships, be it friendships or more intimate relationships. This entails not only me experiencing this myself, but also observing the people around me and their individual trials and tribulations. That in itself is a great experience. I find myself agreeing somewhat with Mary Bennet here when she says (something like the following): "I find that the rewards of observation and reflection are much greater [than dancing in a ball]." Nonetheless, dancing is great fun as well as observing. All depending on my mood, that is.

I also remember realizing at one point that I am much like cats in my personality. Many times I have caught myself in the act of getting tired of doing something, even after just 10-15 minutes. Even when playing with kids I find I lack patience (although I love 'em -- the things they say and the way they think!). I may also get a sudden urge to blog, and then after a couple of minutes, suddenly that urge is gone and I can't be "bovvered" (as a very wise teenager used to say). But generally I find myself committed to most of the goals that I've set for myself. I dare say the most important things regarding my future, my life and the most important people in it are those parts that I commit to 100%. Of course there may be some slight hiccups here and there, but the willingness is, has been and always will be there. This alongside the tendency to contemplate.

And then there's the fun factor. Life is, as we all know, not a cakewalk, but just add a bit of spice and/or sugar, and you get a whole different experience of it all. It sort of lets you dance through it (something Pete Townshend once said when referring to music). But dancing through life hinders you from seeing your surroundings in their entirety, which we need to do increasingly more as we grow up. This is the time when we slowly begin to peer out of that bubble that used to protect us and start seeing that things are in fact not as they seem. In fact, we start seeing the complexity of truth and we start wondering what this implies to our own perception of the world. What is truth? Does it exist at all?

This realization in reaction to our bubble bursting makes us want to create our own lines of defense. A wall. Even though we are surrounded by people all the time, ultimately life has to be lived only by ourselves. So we build a wall to protect ourselves from the harsh environment. A wall influenced by our experience. A wall with a kind of filtrating system where we let only certain things and a certain amount of them to enter into our lives. As we gain more knowledge we decide whether or not to fill those holes in our wall. A fascinating process, I have to say -- although many times quite frustrating and annoying. Still, as I said earlier, life is not a cakewalk. It never was. But we have our guides and a hope and a conviction that in the end all will sort itself out.

Hm. I don't know if this makes sense. At least it makes sense to me. It might to some other people as well.

In other news, I want a white room such as this when I get my own place. And if I end up living in a mansion, I want another room filled with pianos, including a white one -- and another one with cow spots on it. Just a thought.

Signing off (hopeful),

Elise

Shakespeare, my beloved Shakespeare.

2009-12-13T14:48:00.004+01:00

From one of my all-time favorite Shakespearian plays, Hamlet.

Kenneth Branagh in one of his best roles ever! The best Hamlet I've seen so far!

Signing off (frolicking Shakespeare style),
Elise

(Add catchy title here)

2009-12-08T22:50:00.002+01:00

Busy, busy, busy. Virtually no time for blogging at all, or doing anything to willingly waste my energy on something not uni-related. It's still kind of like this at the moment, although the intensity of it all has decreased a little at the moment. Most likely due to the fact that I've handed in 2/3 of my essay outlines for the professors to read through and scrutinize as much as they wish. Well, technically I've already handed in all 3, but -- as the neurotic perfectionist that I am -- I figured I'd hand in one of them a second time. To make sure the professor knows perfectly what I intend to write about. I've also started gathering research for one of my papers, but there's one I simply can't find at all at the library. It's supposed to be there, but -- it doesn't seem to be there at all. Uh...? Note to self: Must seek out help tomorrow.

I also figured I'd take a day off to escape my books and essay-writing things for a while and see my cuz and my aunt (from out of town) who are here for a short visit. A short stop at a shop for my cousin to pick up some stuff for an upcoming wedding followed by a hearty sushi dinner at my favorite sushi restaurant and a stroll on Karl Johan was just nothing short of awesome. The Christmas market beside the City Hall downtown is also the perfect place to get into that festive mood. We all just took in the atmosphere of the place: the sights, the sounds, the smell of glühwein and gingerbread cookies... Aaah. Just perfect. The lights there were gorgeous as well. I thought I'd take the opportunity to take some photos of some of the sights to try to capture the mood there -- with various degrees of success. But it was very beautiful indeed. Sitting here, after having nibbled slightly on my German lebkuchen (German near-equivalent of gingerbread), I'm starting to be filled with the Christmas spirit that I so longed for. Seeing my cousin and my aunt again no doubt contributed to that as well. It's been too long since I've seen them.

My cousin and my aunt are two of those people who possess this element of self-irony, they don't take themselves seriously at all. They also have this kind of relationship where they bicker with each other in a tongue-and-cheek fashion. I admire that in them, odd as it may sound. I need more of this stuff in my life. And the raw laugh that always accompanies goofing around or any ironic/sarcastic comments hitting below the belt is nothing short of priceless. Besides, I felt I needed that laugh attack fix right now, too. It was great to see them again. I sincerely hope we'll be able to meet up again soon.

I'm kind of in a thoughtful mood right now, though nothing of interest really comes to mind. I just think back on the gorgeous Christmas lights at the back of the City Hall and the blissful and calm atmosphere of the place. This is just one of those moments where you look back on the day that's just passed and you smile to yourself, thinking "this day was nothing short of awesome". You sort of try to conserve that feeling of serenity and contentedness as much as possible throughout the last remnants of the day before you hit the sack and another day begins with its own set of expectations and challenges. I hope some of this feeling I have inside will be carried on through tomorrow and the rest of the days of this year. At least.

Right. Off to bed now. Even though Sir Noise-A-Lot strikes again. And it's not really the Arabic crossover kind I hear like the last time I wrote about it. It's got more of a beat to it this time. Yarr.

Must. Not. Taint. Christmasy. Feeling.

Ooh, and while I remember it: The strangest thing happened last night in the corridor outside my room. I'd gone off to bed after a fruitful day of studying and strangely enough I couldn't sleep. I was still awake at around 1:30am when I suddenly hear this noise resembling someone trying to lock himself/herself into my room, but not quite. Thank God it was locked. It sure as hell made my heart race a while afterwards, but when I looked through the peephole in my door some seconds after I'd heard the sound, I couldn't see anyone. So I checked the door again to make sure it was locked and went to bed again. The next day, as I was getting myself ready to leave for uni and later on to go downtown to meet said aunt and cousin, I suddenly noticed the tag with the number of my room had been removed from my door. Hence accounting for the strange sound I heard at half 1 in the morning. Humph. I found, however, that my tag had been stuck to another door across the corridor instead. The same thing had happened to the door of one of my other neighbors. Uh... And the point of this was...? Guess this just goes to show that everything gets funny and/or "just makes sense" at 1:30 in the morning.

Signing off (*zzz*),
Elise

groan

2009-11-22T00:17:00.004+01:00

Ok. Saturday is officially over. And I can't sleep. There's someone in my building who has a somewhat inconsiderate affinity to playing Arabic music loudly after midnight. This usually happens around once a week, so it is tolerable, I suppose (subtle P&P innuendo there). BUT STILL.

I need to get up early(ish) tomorrow to take a shower and head off to church, but there are so many things in my head at the moment that I have to let some of 'em out.

Looking through that previous YT vid again (adorable kid!), I found out something more I'd like to have in a future bf/partner-for-life (note that I didn't write "partner-in-crime" here -- I'm not a criminal (duh)). He has to have a great laugh. I remember I'd gotten for one of my English assignments in Senior High to describe someone in my family, so I chose to describe Dad. I remember describing his laugh like a "high-pitched machine gun laugh". I'd like to have something like that as one of the top features of a future bf/partner-for-life. He has to have a contagious and memorable kind of laugh.

In other news, while the rest of mah peeps are studying for their semester finals, I've ostracized myself from that level of stress, if you get my drift. I'm not going to have any exams before spring (!), so I'm not really feeling the kind of nerves others of my acquaintance are feeling. Nonetheless, this means that the culmination of my classes will be postponed -- which can also be a bad thing. In addition, we've been given the task of writing 3 essays in the course of the next few months, so there'll probably be a lot of IB tendencies lurking about this Christmas... :-S Vacation is going to be somewhat short for me this year, I believe/fear... The first draft of one of my essays is going to be handed in January 4, so I'd better put the pedal to the metal and get started with it. Ugh. I feel really torn between letting myself work a little this Christmas and concentrating as much as possible on these essay drafts, but I fear that I'll just have to let work take a back seat this Christmas. I must admit I do feel guilty for doing so, but considering the fact that I don't have that much time to write my drafts, I don't think there's much for me to do about it.

Ugh (#2). I feel I'm letting people down by doing this, but ultimately uni has a higher priority than work. Still... The guilt factor is sky high.

This sucks. SUCKS, I tell you. SUCKS.

Meanwhile, besides this semi-killjoy attitude of uni with respect to essay writing (bah, humbug), I'm slowly but surely getting into the Christmas mood. At the soccer stadium they've started decorating the adjacent shopping street (it's really not that long/extravagant) with lights and tiny plastic Christmas trees. Purdy. Real purdy. They've also started decorating on campus, albeit just a little. This week there was this huge crane at the southern end of campus, ready to set up Christmas lights in the trees. You should really see those trees when it's dark outside (or after dark). Nothing short of beautiful!

Bought myself a bag of Christmas marzipan today as well. Lord knows marzipan is one of the best things ever created. I didn't really like it when I was a kid, but it's sorta' grown on me over the years. Just like licorice, mustard, brown cheese and raw/unprocessed tomatoes. (I adored spaghetti sauce with tomatoes and ketchup when I was a kid, but ironically enough I couldn't stand raw tomatoes. In case you didn't know, I was weird back then. Heck, I'm still weird in many ways!)

So what's missing now to make the picture complete is SNOW. That and reading by a lit fireplace snuggled inside a blanket in your jammies and favorite slippers sipping gløgg (approx. the same as mulled wine) while huge cotton-like wads of snow quietly fall to the ground. With the sweet and spicy smell of gløgg gradually filling the air and the sporadic crackling from the fireplace in reach. Oh yeah. Bliss. ("Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...")

*snaps out of trance* Hokai. Enough for now. I'd better hit the sack and get my beauty sleep. Going to church with dark bags underneath your eyes isn't exactly ideal. Besides, Sir Play-It-Loud seems to have surrendered to the increasing levels of serotonin in his body. Finally. I should do the same.

'Till next time!

Signing off (zzz...),
Elise

Laugh attack!

2009-10-22T23:09:00.002+02:00

His dad says it's the funniest thing ever, and I couldn't agree more!

In other news, I'm currently halfway thru teacher training and I'm still absorbing everything like a sponge. 2nd English A2 HL lesson taught today and it's gradually getting better. Still nervous as heck, but I'm getting there. A little more relaxed today than what I was on the first day, so this is promising.

As far as Spanish is concerned, I had my first lesson last Monday and I'm sorta' satisfied. Still a lot of work to be done, though.

I wonder how it will be when I get to teach my own class. I mean when I get done with all my studies and get out there in the big bad world to try to impart some knowledge to other people. I probably won't be strict (although I'm kinda toying with the idea of it...), but I certainly hope I'll be respected by my students/pupils. As opposed to this wise-ass case, for instance:

Star student. Without a doubt.

Ok. Off to bed.

Signing off (lethargically),
Elise

Groovy version of one of my all-time favorite songs!

2009-10-14T20:28:00.003+02:00

"Billy Sheeeeeaaaars!!!"

Love this jazzy version of it! So much fun! And the lead singer's got a great voice as well! Hope y'all enjoy it too!

Signing off (drained),
Elise

If you don't feel like laughing out loud, look away... NOW.

2009-10-09T22:13:00.005+02:00

I seriously have to watch this movie again!

Meanwhile, my first practice period starts next week. Hope I can do a good job at this. There's going to be some mistakes, but I hope I'll gain a lot of knowledge from this and grow as a teacher, though I'm still in my diapers when it comes to this.

Hm. Suddenly got a mental image of me wearing a diaper. And with a pacifier in my mouth and wearing one of those baby caps. Somewhat disturbing. And looking something like this, perhaps? (Ixnaying the blond hair, Swedish language and of course the gender):

Or maybe not. (Sorry for any of you who don't understand this, but it's a father-and-son skit at the Swedish sports gala this year, and they're basically bickering most of the time.)

Anyway, to all y'all readers: Have a great weekend!

Signing off,
Elise

"Whatever..."

2009-10-05T19:22:00.003+02:00

Watch her hand gesture in the middle of this clip. Adorable!

Meanwhile, I'm meeting up with my Senior High (Upper Secondary) School tomorrow with the rest of my group (we're 8 people in total going to the same school). How do I feel about that? I'll tell you: It's a mix of terror, happiness, giddiness, worry, nervousness, exitement, anticipation, anxiousness and butterflies. I'll only be observing at this stage (at least officially speaking), but it's all up to the teachers if they want us to participate in the classes instead of just sitting there looking at what's going on. We'll see what happens...

Signing off (and hitting the books one last time for the day, still sensing the butterflies in her stomach already),
Elise

chomp

2009-10-03T18:15:00.017+02:00

Ok, this is a recipe from Momiji that I decided to try out this weekend, which -- according to herself, and with whom I totally agree -- is a meal fit for fall! It tastes super-super good and is ridiculously easy to make, so I suggest you try it out! I just have to post the recipe here; I'm-a gone spread the word!

Momiji's Chicken with Apples

* 2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
* 2 tsp canola oil
* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (in my take of it I used minced chicken meat instead of chicken breasts)
* 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
* 1 medium onion, sliced
* 1/4 cup (about 1/2 dl) apple cider vinegar
* 3/4 cup (about 2 dl) apple cider

These are quantities for about 4 servings.

This is how you do it according to Momiji: "First sprinkle pepper over chicken. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet, add chicken and sauté until browned, don't brown it too much so it won't be too dry, it will take you about 5 minutes per side. (Alternatively fry minced chicken meat until golden. I sorta' sprinkled the pepper over it as I was frying, although it's probably not the best way to do it.) Take it from your skillet. Then put onion on that skillet and cook it until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Do not brown it or burn it, your onion has to be white, soft and sort of transparent (I fried it until it had a sort of diluted milky color). To that add apple slices and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring the pieces constantly. Then return your chicken to pan, mix it all, oninos, apples and chicken, add cider vinegar and apple cider. Simmer until chicken is cooked completely and liquid has reduced - it will take about 5 minutes. And that's it. It is ready to be served."

To this beauty of a dish, I added 2 bundles of boiled somen noodles, tossed it all around and served it up. Having just a teeny kitchen with a teeny fridge (and living by myself) I am very fond of dishes where you can just use one pot or one skillet to mix everything up in. Furthermore, as Momiji herself said, you can serve this with virtually anything: Rice, pasta, noodles, (mashed) potatoes, or perhaps some couscous as well. Might try that next time! And maybe add some finely chopped carrots and/or Chinese cabbage as well. There's definitely room for variation with this dish, if that's what tickles your fancy!

It tasted gloriously! I think I might have reduced the liquid a little too much, though, as there was virtually no more liquid left when it was finished, but then again I have to say I wasn't following the recipe to each and every detail. I kinda like straying away a little from the recipe when it comes to making dinner. (Doing this when baking something is not so wise, however...) You don't need salt in this dish either! I mean, since you fry the chicken, the salt in it will be released anyway, so there's no need at all to add any to it. Besides, the tangy apple flavor from the vinegar, cider and apples is compensation enough! Absolutely scrumptious!

The presence of apples in a dish sorta' took me back to Spain, in a sense. The mother in my host family was very keen on adding apples and/or raisins to her dishes to give her dishes a little more pizazz. And she made some really tasty combos, I have to say! In fact, I should use more of fruits in my dinners. It goes to show that they aren't necessarily just for eating straight away or for sweets, cakes, desserts and pastries. Me likey!

On another note, my family's doing well at home in the Phils. They're experiencing some showers (go figure), but as they live in the southern half of the country they haven't really noticed much more than that. For them it's business as usual, which I'm very happy about. Still, they're busy raising funds for the people up north (and I encourage you all to do the same!) and preparing themselves with the essentials in case things worsen (which I don't believe will happen). So yeah, I'm feeling a little more at ease now, even though I sympathize greatly with the people around Manila and in the north in general.

Anyway, time to hit the books one last time to finish up for today before I make some hot chocolate and watch something fun on the telly. I'm thinking Sweeney Todd, but then again I kinda wanna watch Strictly Come Dancing as well... *sighs* Choices, choices. Oh, the agony of it all!

Signing off (*chomp*),
Elise

A slightly more serious post, perhaps... [post-edited]

2009-09-27T20:59:00.006+02:00

The Philippines has been hit by typhoon Ketsana (a.k.a. "Ondoy"), claiming around 250 deceased and countless more injured (Oct. 1, 2009). This has been the most destructive typhoon ever to hit the Phils in 40 years -- and there's yet another one to come ("Parma", a.k.a. "Pepeng"). According to one of my cousins, it has hit the country already, though they only experience the "outskirts" of the storm rather than the eye of it. They expect the typhoon to reach full strength this coming Saturday. ABS-CBN News (Filipino news program) claim there to be at least 2 possible tracks Pepeng can follow: Either it can directly cross Luzon in a NW path and thus head for Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, or it can change its path upon hitting the island to a more NNW direction and thus head for Hong Kong and Taiwan. So the Philippines and the rest of the world are bracing themselves for what's coming.

Please pray for the souls of the ones affected by it as well as the country as a whole. And if you can, please send in donations or any kind of assistance at all:

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/09/27/09/tropical-storm-ondoy-how-you-can-help

Here are also some Norwegian pages of interest:

http://www.caritas.no/news.asp?c=214&id=10494

http://www.rodekors.no/Nyheter_og_presse/Nyheter/Innsamling_til_ofrene_pa_Filippinene_og_i_Vietnam/

People are doing what they can to assist those in need at the moment. The Catholic Church in Norway are arranging extra collections on Oct. 3 and 4 to raise funds for Filipino victims, as do several non-profit organizations worldwide. (If you don't want to transfer money online, you can always go to your nearest Catholic church, find a priest and tell him you wish to give a donation. They're more than willing to pass them on!)

Just to clarify, none of my relatives have been affected by the typhoon as far as I know (knock on wood!), but the Filipino people need our assistance. Please, please help in any way you can. A little goes a long, long way.

My aforementioned cousin and his colleagues, friends and family are also doing what they can to raise funds. The destruction has been heartbreakingly extensive, even to the point that President Arroyo opened up her presidential palace to give shelter and food to some of the victims and their families. She has her faults, to be sure, but this -- as certain other feats during her presidential career -- shows to me a greatness of mind which is much worthy of admiration. I totally admire her for this deed and hope for everybody's sake that Pepeng won't wreak as much havoc as believed.

So to everyone reading this post, please keep the victims in your prayers and pray for the new typhoon to change its direction. There has been enough damage done already.

Signing off,

Elise

Nobody told me there'd be days like these.

2009-09-12T12:26:00.006+02:00

In case you didn't know, this is part of the chorus in the all-too-famous John Lennon song "Nobody Told Me". It couldn't be more fitting right now, considering the fact that I've got a cold. Again. Ugh. I'd just barely gotten rid of the first wave (hardly even that, seeing as it's still coming out at the moment) when suddenly, after having laughed my head off last evening/night with a couple of friends, I noticed I got a little sumthin'-sumthin' in my throat. In other words, a hairball. Uy. I went to bed last night with the voice of a gecko and woke up today only to find it was still there. Topped off with my head spinning slightly. Again, uy. So, as in so many times before, I've now stocked up with grapes, a banana, 3 apples, soup for dinner, tea, infusions, lemon juice, honey and peppermint essential oil to gargle with (if worst comes to worst) and to just clear the air of my flat.

And then there's the left-over chocs from last night for the more extreme cases of self-pity. ;-)

"Nobody told me there'd be days like these..."

To keep myself preoccupied, then, the professors have been so kind and generous as to overload us with reading material and a presentation next week. Or well, technically we're talking about two. Yarr.

There is so friggin' much to do this year you have no idea. But then again I just might have been spoiled with only having three 2hr classes last semester and sort of waltzing through it. I might have gotten too used to having more time than enough to read up on the texts and take notes. Now, however, eh. Not so much. Or rather, not as much.

Again, "nobody told me there'd be days like these..."

So yeah, anyway, I went to my second Catholic mass on campus last Wednesday. "Why only second?" you may ask so cleverly. Because of classes always colliding with this mass. They still do. However, a friend/classmate of mine invited me to join in on mass + lunch considering the usual Wed. lecture was canceled, so I did. A few people there, actually, although we were only 7 people. Of which were one priest and myself as the only girl there. Hm. A potentially socially awkward situation, but actually it was quite nice. I felt like I fit in instantly. Needless to say it was all small talk, but for me it was nice to actually get to know some Catholics there; and practicing Catholics at that. And no, no potential bf's there. It was all strictly platonic. I'm not exactly looking for one at the moment either. Don't expect me to elaborate further on that.

"Nobody told me there'd be days like these

Strange days indeed

Strange days indeed..."

Signing off,

Elise

My latest find!

2009-09-05T20:37:00.004+02:00

One acronym: LOL!

This guy who dubbed this vid is seriously talented!

Check this one out while you're at it:

And here's the original:

Signing off,
Elise

Ok, y'all know the Swedish Chef is the love of my life, but...

2009-08-30T14:19:00.005+02:00

... Well, let's just say I wouldn't mind having a little sumthin'-sumthin' with this guy either...

*sigh* Nostalgia... Why can't we get Cartoon Network as it used to be?! Like, with the old cartoons as well as this kinda stuff? WITHOUT THE NORWEGIAN DUBBING?! AND WHERE DID JOHNNY BRAVO GO?! I seriously miss the dude. *tear*

Signing off,
Elise

A day wasted academically speaking, but with lots of thoughts (brace yourself).

2009-08-29T20:19:00.014+02:00

Hokai. Back again.

Just finished watching "Moonwalker" on TV, when I really should have continued writing my essay due Fri. It was ok, but you could see that Michael's vids had been pieced together. A little... what's the word... "synthetic"? I didn't really manage to catch the very beginning of it, but with all due respect, Your Majesty, the King of Pop, it just didn't quite... do it for me. I mean, his vids are basically stories in themselves, so trying to piece them together into one story might be too much of a tall order. I dunno. As I said, it was ok.

Furthermore, I'd just finished watching the last part of the televised funeral of Ted Kennedy as well, so by all means, my opinion could have been a little affected by that as well. Catholic as I am, it felt quite nice to see how the ceremonies in the States were in comparison to those here in Norway. Mostly the same, though with a few tweaks to the sequence. By tweaks I mean omissions. But okay. I'll leave it at that. All of the people of political importance in the States seemed to be there: President and Mrs. Obama, Pres. Clinton and Senator Clinton, Pres. and Mrs. Bush, Senator McCain, Senator... Oh, what's her name? You know, the "pigs-wearing-lipstick" Senator... Sarah Palin! Right, that's the one. And then Kennedy's family was there: the few remaining members of the Camelot era (to put it that way) and their kids and grandkids. The eulogies were so moving. They mostly followed the same layout in no particular order: first an address to the family members and the congregation, then impressions of the mass and/or personal sentiments with respect to Kennedy's passing, personal experiences with him, then an alternation between general sentiments and personal experiences before rounding it off. Clichéd to some extent, I guess, but it was interesting to see how alike his sons were to himself - as well as JFK. The latter kind of resemblance (viz. between that of Ted Kennedy's sons and JFK) was the most striking, albeit obvious in that he was their uncle (!). I mean, the eyes, the slightly nasal voices, the marked angular jawlines, and the pronunciation + intonation were striking. Again, it didn't really come as no surprise, but it was so incredibly fascinating to watch the similarities. I have to say, though, that President Obama's speech was for me the best one there, even though -- or perhaps because -- he had a slightly more distanced relationship to the late Ted Kennedy than being a family member.

Oh, and the thing that moved me the most were "Panis Angelicus" (Bread of Angels) performed by Plácido Domingo and Yo-Yo Ma (worldwide reknowned cellist) and "Ave Maria" (Hail Mary; Schubert version) by... some soprano who, due to ignorance, will remain nameless. It might be because I haven't been well lately that I was moved to tears by these performances, but seriously, they were indescribably beautiful. Especially "Panis Angelicus". My God, to think You've created such beautiful voices is just downright amazing!

But pursuing the topic of me not feeling very well, this basically started on Fri. I had 2 classes from 8am to 12pm that day, so at the end of the classes I hadn't eaten since 7:20 or so. So you can imagine I was starving by then. The sound even resonated throughout the classroom (not to the same extent as in ExPhil for those who were so unfortunate as to experience that! Again, sorry...), but it was somewhat uncomfortable for yours truly, at the very least. Anyway, as I had some time inbetween the end of class and doing lunch with a friend of mine, I decided to hand in the police certificate to the faculty administration (to make sure that my criminal record was clean before starting the teaching practice at the school). So after having gobbled down some cottage cheese with strawberry jam, I noticed that my head was still spinning a little. I was clearly hungry. Nonetheless, I had to hand it in, as I wanted to get the whole shebang over with once and for all.

(I'd received a general police certificate which the admin. didn't accept because the relevant articles on teaching in Norwegian law weren't specified. The police sent me a revised one instead -- this time with the wrong name, address and social security number (!!!). Then, after 2 weeks, I finally got the right one (with an apology for the inconvenience on a post-it note).)

So yeah, I handed it in, and after a little hesitance from their part and a bit of 'splaining/telling them off, the administration accepted it. Thank God! I so didn't need that, especially when I was tired, hungry and prone to be exceedingly cranky at that moment. Blargh! Not a good combo.

Either way, I arrived at the cafeteria to meet my friend, I sat down, took off my jacket and waited. I remember feeling a little cold right then, but I didn't pay much attention to that. It persisted, though, and I really started to get a little worried, as my head was still spinning a little and my limbs felt like lead. So after having eaten and chatted a bit, I went home. I literally spent all of that evening lying on my bed, head spinning, limbs feeling extraordinarily heavy, muscles aching suspiciously more than usual after my first workout, and body temperature seemingly alternating between hot and cold. It was normal, though. I just couldn't understand what was going on. Was this a case of the swine flu? Knock on wood! Again, my temperature was around 37C, so I wasn't really sick per se. Just to be on the safe side, I took some paracetamol as I was lying there gulping down tea, chamomile infusion and orange juice (the last few deciliters I had left in the fridge) and tried to chomp on some bread for the sake of getting some solid food in my gut as well. Better to nip it at the bud if it were to be a case of a fever or flu. Didn't work. So before I went to sleep I took another paracetamol tablet and prayed for it to pass. Seriously, right now I don't have time to get sick! I have to have enough energy to finish up my essay!

Right now, after having alternated between sleeping and going to the bathroom during the night and after having spent too much time taking it easy when I woke up to make sure it was all out of my system before I did anything else, I feel much better. I know what it was, but what caused it is up for speculation. I reckon it was probably a combination of unexpectedly much wind and rain, me not eating regularly that day, sitting under a vent in the cafeteria, my sweating after having scurried back and forth from home to campus and around campus, and too much lactic acid in my muscles after my first workout. Mmm... lovely. I'm sure many of you can relate to something similar to this. It's not exactly cloud 9, to put it that way.

Besides uni and a new course program, there's also another issue that's been keeping my mind occupied. About 2.5 weeks ago, I got a text from my mom that a close family friend found a tumor in her uterus. The doctors said it was the size of a child's head (I guess by this they meant the size of a baby's head). They weren't sure if it was benign or malignant, but after having taken a CAT scan they could at least determine that it wasn't spreading, nor was the tumor growing. As this was a delicate matter -- and since she had told this to my mom -- I didn't want to talk to Mom's friend just yet to express my sympathies and support for her and her fam.

Yet just recently I plucked up the courage to send her a text, at least. By that time Mom 'n' Dad had just visited her and her husband, so I thought that she must know that I know about it by now. Anyway, I sent her a message expressing my shock and that she was in my prayers, trying consciously to avoid expressing pity. That's the last thing she needs at the moment. In such cases you want to tread carefully. Support, yes, but pity, no. I rounded it off elegantly with "big hug, Elise". Anyway, she really appreciated it and even told me "if only you knew how great hugs you give, Elise!". A tad awkward as this was more of a virtual hug rather than a physical one (I haven't seen her for ages), but ok. It was nice to get that verification that what I wrote didn't offend her in any way. You never know how people may react in such cases. Anyway, she told me she was doing fine and that she was going to have another run of tests in about 3 weeks time. Apparently the doctors don't want to take any tests of the tumor until they have extracted it completely. This to prevent any potential spreading of any cancerous cells. When this will be done, I don't know as of yet, but I reckon she'll either tell me or Mom about it. For the mean time they try to think as little of it as possible.

There are times like these when you get a slight wake-up call. We aren't as invincible as we'd like to think. We are but mere mortals. You think that these things only happen to those outside your circle of acquaintances, not to those within it. The thing is, they can. That's the cynical, cold, hard truth. I know this from experience, and those of you who have really stuck by me for eons know what I'm talking about.

When I think about this even more, I find that life in itself is basically a constant struggle for survival. You never really think about it when you're in the middle of it, but with every action, be it done consciously or unconsciously, you really are just ensuring that you'll continue living. The thing is just that there are only a few things that are under your control. To put it a little figuratively, you never know what will happen to you when you turn a corner. As Forrest Gump's mom always said: "Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get." This could never sound truer right now. But the key is -- as we all may be aware of -- is to just take what comes your way and deal with it when it comes. To worry too much about what comes around the bend will result in too much worrying and paranoia. Then again, to worry too little about it is apathetic and cynical. So the golden rule is basically to worry, but not worry too much. All things in moderation. And appreciate all the good things that happen to you, 'cause these are your life's little gems.

Man, this was deep. Heh, again, news such as this kinda gets you thinking.

Now, a little request for you readers out there who might be Christian/Catholic or religious in any way. You might have guessed it by now. Could you please include this family friend of ours in your prayers? Both she and her family need all of our support right now. She's being brave about it all, though, despite all of this. But still, what else can you do but be brave in such a situation? Who wouldn't have to accept what life throws at you? You'd be a fool if you didn't. As she told me: "Life isn't a cakewalk, but you just have to make the most of it."

I know your prayers help. Thanks.

Signing off,
Elise

Ps.: Here's Plácido Domingo's performance from Ted Kennedy's funeral plus the choir singing "Let Nothing Ever Grieve Thee" (Brahms). Domingo starts his performance during the Communion, at about 2:04. You can perhaps see/hear why it moved me to tears.

Eye and ear candy. Mostly ear.

2009-08-15T10:57:00.007+02:00

This is the song I've had in my head the past few days:

I love this sound. And the vid itself is very artsy fartsy. Love the lighting in it.

And for any of you Simpsons fans out there, one of my favorite characters and one of my favorite scenes from the movie:

Will write more once I get more time.

Signing out,
Elise

Small talk, metablogging and something to get y'all through the weekend.

2009-08-08T11:35:00.009+02:00

It's been eons since my last blog. I should get a grip on myself! Seriously.

Finally some time to ever-so-gently place my arse on a chair and sit in front of the computer to blog. Although I don't really feel much like blogging. Or, well, I do, but a complete willingness within is not present.

Aunt, uncle and cousin headed home for about 2 hrs ago. The house is so quiet now. Suddenly now it feels like something's missing. Like our family is not complete without them. Strange, but it'll wear off after a while. Besides, I'll be heading back soon myself so definitely no worries there.
I'm still feeling kinda unprepared to go back to uni. There are a few things that I feel I need to get done before I can really get started. Actually I feel kinda nervous thinking about which school I'll do my teacher training in. How will it turn out? How will the pupils act?

I seriously hope they won't be like the way we were in Elementary + Junior High. *shiver* Mind you, we gave our teachers a really tough time, Maths in particular. We (or rather, some of the guys in our class who shall remain nameless) wore out one teacher after another until we graduated with one teacher who simply refused us to get at him. Patient to the extreme, he was. Bless him. Never raised his voice once. Not sure if I want to be that kind of teacher, though. Keep everything cooped up inside and not letting your students know how infuriated you are with them. Patience is of the essence, yes, but when someone stretches it enough, I'll snap. One way or another.

Anyway, worries aside, just got back from our stay at the cabin. Really nice trip. Even though it wasn't perhaps as quiet as we'd reckoned it to be, it was still very fun. Playing Scrabble and singing our hearts out with our Magic Microphone (the Filipino near-equivalent to Singstar), fishing, sleeping as long as we wished (almost), laughing like heck, and driving around enjoying the scenery. Virtually no disturbances at all. *sigh*

Hm. I don't really have much to say at the mo. I blame that speck of unwillingness to blog. Sometimes when I blogged, I used to end up writing endlessly long posts. Have a look at some of my earlier posts and you'll know what I mean. Now, however, not so much. Strange. It just doesn't come to me as often as before, I guess. The wish to really write something, I mean. Nowadays it just seems to be small talk. Such as this. There are tons of thoughts just waiting to be written down, philosophies on life, love, work, etc., but for some reason I never have access to a computer whenever these thoughts crop up. Bah. Just my luck, I guess.

So, what's my answer to that? Isolate myself from the rest of the world for hours a day in front of the computer waiting for these thoughts to emerge from my subconsciousness? Obviously the answer is "no". So what do I do? Accept it's just a matter of timing? Yeah, why not?

Ooh, randomness! Don't think I've posted this before, but just found a clip from early SNL, from a skit called "Coffee Talk" with host Linda Richman. Yes, it's Mike Myers, the guy behind Austin Powers and yes, he speaks Yiddisch (*heart*). Apparently he based this character on his ex-mother-in-law. Gotta love the accent!

A third affirmative: Yes, Madonna and Roseanne Barr are on the show as well. Watch, laugh and watch out for schpilkes in your genecktickezoink!

Another one with Linda and Barbra Streisand, her idol. If this doesn't get you verklempt, I don't know what will. :-P

*rofl*

Oh, and check out ("Mrs.") Stephen Fry's blog too, while you're at it: http://mrsfrysdiary.blogspot.com/ Definitely a source for some laughs -- or at least a chuckle or two. ;-)

Signing off,
Elise

An episode at work.

2009-07-08T19:54:00.005+02:00

Today I worked at the room for summer activities for kids in the basement at the Museum of Archaeology and news spread quickly among the employees that there was a cute little kid (about 4-5 years old) who was intensely interested in prehistoric times, especially pertaining to the different species of humans there had been over the ages, e.g. Homo sapiens (i.e. us), Homo erectus, Homo neanderthalis, etc. He'd asked a colleague at the exhibitions about what things that belonged to the various times in which these people live(d). Now downstairs in the basement, after you've entered through the entrance to the activity room, there's a "time machine" which is sort of a small room with mirrors in the ceiling, floor and walls with several A/V effects such as brightly-colored lights, a robotic/computerized voice counting down and an animation demonstrating traveling back in time to the Middle Ages. Now this time machine only goes back in time and you enter from by the stairs and come out on the other side by pushing a door.

As I was downstairs combing some wool, the said 4 year-old comes up to me and asks me: "How do we get back to the Homo sapiens time?" With this he referred to the present instead of the Middle Ages/Iron Age/Stone Age. He continued:

"Do you have to go through the time machine all over again?" To which I replied, prepared to use my imagination to the max:

"Well, you walk out that door over there." I pointed to the entrance to the activity room. Clearly he wasn't really very impressed. I mentally concocted a whole explanation on how this one single door could let you go to the present time when you had to take the time machine in order to go back in time, but I didn't get the chance to present it to him as he asked me before I got the chance to speak:

"Can you take the time machine over again and step out onto the other side to go back to Homo sapiens time?"

To which I smiled to myself, as it was slightly difficult to open the time machine from the other side. "Well, if you can open the door, then yes."

His mother chuckled at my remark, but this did not hinder the little adventurer from going back towards the time machine. Whether or not he managed to get inside, I don't know, but I imagine he did despite the lack of a doorknob.

Mind you, the time machine is one of the most popular attractions at the museum, so I imagine he would use any excuse he could come up with to have another go at it again. And to be honest, I don't blame him. :-) It later turned out that he and his mom had been at the museum for 4 hours straight and that the little kid really didn't want to leave, as he wanted to play even more.

Times such as this sure give you great feedback that the work you do is appreciated. And besides, it's fun to see the kids so into dressing up, playing and testing out the various techniques in making fire and grinding oats. Kinda makes you wanna be in their situation as well. Still, working there sure gets you close to it.

Signing off (happily),
Elise

A little comic relief.

2009-05-23T20:42:00.004+02:00

There's nothing more therapeutic than watching someone do the fish slapping dance. IT must be better actually dancing it yourself. Bet it does wonders for your skin. The slimier the fish, the better.

Signing off (with a tinge of blah),
Elise

Ok, this was a little weird.

2009-05-20T23:11:00.007+02:00

I'm still a little aghast about what happened earlier today. The thing is, I didn't really know if he was who I thought he was, and to this moment I still don't. Ok, here's the story:

I'd been writing on my Spanish lit. exam all day and I'd gotten a text from a friend of mine to meet up with her and some other friends for lunch at 2pm. So there I went, happy-go-lucky on my way to the cafeteria to meet up with them, feeling quite content with breathing fresh air again instead of the stuffy one inside my flat. It was raining slightly on my way there, so I'd brought my umbrella. Once I got to the end of the street where I could see my faculty building, suddenly this guy appears coming towards me. He basically wore dark clothes and had a black bag with him, probably on his way to the gym just nearby. He also wore a navy blue hooded sweater and had the hood covering his head because of the rain (go figure). But what caught my attention was the face I could distinguish from underneath it. The thing is, he kinda looked like the Crown Prince.

I looked at him, he looked at me and I thought to myself: "No, it can't possibly be him, can it?" and averted my eyes so that I wouldn't give the impression of staring unnecessarily at him. Still, as I was just about to pass him, I stole a glance at him yet again and I noticed that he was still looking at me. At that point, one word sounded in my mind: "Awkward..." I averted my eyes yet again and quickly passed him by.

At that point I thought: "Was it really him? Nah, it couldn't have. I mean, we're talking about "Krompen" here! (Mind you, that was the first name that came to mind at that time.) Why in the world would he work out at a place filled with students? And there of all places?! How random is that! I mean, seriously, the Royal Family must have some sort of gym to themselves, right? One would expect them to not have to mix and mingle with us commoners? The NRK weatherman is understandable, but HIM? Nah, that's impossible. Or is it? I mean, he did have the beard and facial features all going for him."

I turned around to see if I could still see him from where I was, but he'd already walked too far for me to check. Besides, to walk back, tap his shoulder and ask him in Jærsk: "Du, åm du verkele æ Krompen?" would not exactly be the way to go, would it? I mean, if he really was, I'd really be making quite a spectacle of myself. (His name still didn't manage to enter into my consciousness at that time either.) And besides, I would be too gobsmacked to say anything sensible anyway.

So I just stored that at the back of my head and continued with the scheduled lunch.

So yeah, needless to say, that was nothing short of strange. I mean, I sorta' knew that the Crown Prince goes incognito, but if it were him, it was still puzzling as to why he would work out there, of all places. I mean, he's not exactly a student anymore, now is he? At least I'd expect him to work out somewhere else, like SATS or Elixia or the likes. That sounded more like him, for some reason. But THERE?! Anyway - alas, alack - the answer to my question will never be answered. Hence, the identity of this guy will remain a mystery forever.

Unless I spend my time at the gym 24/7 for the next couple of months.

Signing off (puzzled),
Elise

I've got a song stuck in my head.

2009-04-27T19:57:00.004+02:00

Recently I've "discovered" the talent prodigy of one of the most genious musicians of all time, Julian Lennon. And you might guess who his father is. You can notice that there's definitely a substantial amount of his father's genes that have been passed on to him.

I just adore this song. The musical quality and the lyrics are just mind-blowing. I love the use of strings and the guitar riff (which is coincidentally (?) reminiscent of those by George Harrison). Just makes the song sound... full. Complete, in a sense. Just has that flavor to it that seems as if it's bombarding you with sound from all directions. And in perfect harmony. Awesome. The vid to it is fitting, but the song in itself is what stands out to me. Just downright beautiful. So turn the volume up to the max, click "play", sit back and enjoy.

Needless to say, he has that Lennony flavor to his voice, though he definitely has his own style as well when you listen to some of his other songs. A little bit more mainstream than his half-brother Sean (who has chosen a more borderline-experimental-Tim Burton/Danny Elfman-esque style - at least judging by the one song I've heard from him), but still very catchy. Have a listen to "Dead Meat" and you'll know what I mean.

Apparently Julian is going to release another album soon after having had an endlessly long hiatus, and based on this song (and others by him) I'm seriously considering buying it. Or maybe just go for his VH1 collection first. Hm. We'll see.

Meanwhile, I have hardly done anything today besides working out and doing my translation assignment for tomorrow. I just haven't really had the energy for some reason. And they say working out is supposed to give you more energy. Bah. Poppycock. (Which is one of the stranger words in the English language, mind you. You might imagine why...)

Anywho, enough chitchat and nonsense from my part. I should get some things done before it's too late. Not sure if I wanna.

Signing off (blahly),
Elise

I just HAVE TO share this with you guys!

2009-04-19T20:35:00.003+02:00

Just stumbled over this hilarious vid of a panda baby sneezing.

Awright. Back to the books again.

Signing off (roflingly),
Elise

Birthday.

2009-04-18T19:37:00.009+02:00

Ok. My brain says it's breaktime. According to the scent coming from the vent, someone's frying sausages or something like that. I'm not hungry, as I've already filled my stomach with Chinese green tea. That variety is kinda interesting, really. It has a sort of faint smell of seaweed. Not really a flavor you associate with tea, but still tastes good. I've got the song O Fortuna in my head these past few hours, and considering the hectic schedule I've had lately, I can definitely see a connection between these two...

So anyway, as I had a little get-together with a handful of my friends yesterday (I'll have another one with my family tomorrow), I didn't feel any guilt in studying today. Besides, I don't have that much time left for my 3 upcoming deadlines.

Hokai. Here goes. I've got my final Translation hand-in on Tuesday. I'm virtually done with it now, so it's just a matter of touching up the word count and sending it to the professor. One thorn taken away from my side. Now two to go.

I've got an exam-qualifying test on Wednesday in Hispan.Lit. (*shivers*) which I've been studying for all day. I also need to get a few things on the clear about that test, and as the professor told us we could email him if we did have any questions, of course I did last Thursday. He hasn't answered yet, so I figure I'm gonna go to his office on Monday to get everything straight. Mind you, strangely enough I had that same problem in handing in the manuscript for me and a classmate's oral presentation in that same subject. We'd emailed it to him as requested, but it appears that he hasn't received it. I have no clue what's going on, as for many of the other students, they haven't had that same problem. We'd used two different email addresses, and still he hasn't received it.

Note to self: Bring memory stick on Monday.

And then there's an essay in Spanish Pragmatics that I have to hand in the following Monday. And as the topic is relatively broad and we have to make our own investigation, I have no clue where to start seeing as I have so many other things to juggle at the same time. Agay (as in the Filipino word for "ouch"). I've got time, though, and technically speaking I don't have to hand in a complete one, as I'll have enough time to run through all of my assignments for the final hand-in on June 3rd. And then there's exam reviewing - my first 2 exams will start exactly one month from now and I really should start like RIGHT NOW... Oh well.

Sorry about this ranting, I just had to let it out. Things have been really hectic lately, resulting in me neglecting many of my friends. My deepest, sincerest apologies, but this semester is one of those ones where you just plunge into it and not really getting much of a chance to get to the surface to get some air.

Anywho, for all the birthday wishes I've already received, thank you so much - you guys really made my day! :-D Just some bright spots on my cell phone and on fb (metaphorically speaking, obv.) sort of scattered all throughout the day and evening out the dreary business of studying. I really, really appreciate it!

My, aren't we speaking in metaphors today, btw? ;-) I always get like this when I've spent a whole day studying. And this day has gone by so fast, it's almost scary!

So yeah. Awesome. Just feels like any other day, really. I woke up this morning thinking about all the things I was going to do to today and about 2 minutes later I finally remember it's my birthday. It's never taken this long before. Just goes to show how busy I am these days, I guess. But although I'm busy, I really enjoy the stuff I'm doing. I mean, I can sit here trying to sort through my texts of Don Quijote and not realize I've spent 3 hours already. Of course it depends really on how much you get to read in that period of time. If we're talking about 3-4 chapters including a few small breaks inbetween, that's good. If we're talking about one sole chapter - not as good.

Anywho, my nerdy self is definitely shining through in this post. Yarr. Besides, I'm getting tired of sitting here. My butt's getting sore now. Time to stretch and get away from this stuff, as I get a clear "NO MORE!" from my brain. And said butt.

And to top this post off, here's a clip from one of my all-time favorite comedians, Craig Ferguson. Host of the Late Late Show - and he's SCOTTISH!!! For those who know my fascination for Scottish accents (yes, there's more than one!), this should come as no surprise. He's officially American now, though. But he still has that pizzazz to him that some American comedians lack. That little Monty-Python-esque, random-y touch that I love so dearly. Anyway, here he is. This is a somewhat long clip (about 7 mins, I think), but to me it's well worth watching!

Signing off (contently),
Elise

Unemployed food.

2009-03-14T15:29:00.004+01:00

Apparently the economic crisis doesn't only affect us humans...

"You're FIRED!!!"

Donald Trump, eat your heart out.

Signing off (roflingly!),
Elise

Wuthering Heights.

2009-02-25T23:29:00.005+01:00

One of the most beautiful songs I've ever had the fortune of coming across. Whenever I hear this song, I imagine gales, rain and a desolate landscape. Like the area around my home town. Perfect for a dark autumn evening in. The novel on which the song is based is also one of my all-time favorites, and the 1992 movie is a very worthy version of it. The connection and love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff in the novel and in the film is so touching you'd long for it to be possible in real life. And the despair he feels after she's dead and he's left with taking care of her daughter (also named Catherine) and her two cousins, doing so with quite the iron fist really does depict much of the frustration and lunacy he must have felt (and had) from losing the love of his life. A simply wonderful story. All of a sudden I want to read it again.

But seriously, when it comes to artistic expressions of Emily Brontë's work, for me nothing can compare to Kate Bush's haunting gem of a song. Everything comes so beautifully together in it. She quotes the book in a few instances, referring to the actual story extremely closely and the atmosphere of it is eerie and haunting, yet fascinating. It sort of draws you in, allures you into letting the ghost "grab your soul away" by it.

Furthermore, the orchestration is stunning. The simple start with a few bars of a delicate piano, growing with the string section and electric guitars, then the drums, and culminating in the chorus. The combination of chords is downright exquisite, combining the known with a sudden twist to it, to give you an idea that something just isn't quite right in the story. And of course with the chorus seemingly wanting to continue ad infinitum. Which it sort of does, in a sense, in its fading at the very end. And the guitar riff at the end! Aw, man! Just tops it all off gloriously!

When it comes to Kate's voice, it just fits perfectly to it all. Ghostlike, yet at the same time childlike, perhaps alluding back to the childlike aspect of Catherine Earnshaw's persona. I think I read somewhere that in this song she sings in a falsetto voice. Can't really blame her, because the pitch is way, way up there. Beyond the high C, I think. It starts on a high E (if there is such a term... In any case, it's the E after the high C), and her highest note is just one step above, on the F.

She'd actually made 2 music vids for this song, one with her wearing a white dress and surrounded by smoke, against a black backdrop. This one I particularly like. The other one features her in a red dress out in the woods somewhere. It's ok, I guess, but in this case I'd say less is more in terms of background. And the red does not really do it for me with Cathy's ghost image. So yeah, I like the first one better. Either way, her makeup really accentuates her eyes, making them larger and really brings out the haunting image of the protagonist. If Emily Brontë had a chance to hear this song, I'm sure she would be immensely proud - and perhaps shed a tear or two.

Anyway, I'm yapping on now about all kinds of trivia about this song. *lol* That's because I've just stumbled over the most gorgeous montage with this song and the 1992 movie. This user really made sure that the lyrics and images complemented each other. And in addition, the images are so heartbreakingly beautiful in themselves. Yes, it's Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes. And I must say they look very nice together, to say the least. Besides, they did one heck of a good job in the movie as well.

And here's Kate's white dress vid, just for the record. :-) Yes, I've posted it before, but I don't think there's anything wrong in posting it again. Heck, I adore that song!

Signing off (and dreaming on),
Elise

Cute AND gives food for thought.

2009-02-16T14:36:00.007+01:00

Yoko Ono posted this note on Fb just recently, and upon reading it I found it rather quite interesting. So (if she doesn't mind me doing so) I thought I'd share it with you all:

25 Things Even My Best Friends Didn't Know Until Now

by Yoko Ono

From the Bottom Up:
1. I like to wiggle my toes when I'm waiting for something - like in the waiting room of my dentist. It makes me less nervous.

2. I like to be barefoot as much as possible. Places I'm definitely barefoot are: a) at home b) in bed c) in the shower. What's wrong? You guessed that much? Well, you never know, do you!

3. In fact I love to put my feet up at the end of the day, and watch them looking kinda good. I say in my mind to them: “Thank you for taking me around for so many years to so many places and still doing so - with happy steps. You're the best!”

4. I have rather short legs to match my short height. I love that. The fact that they're short makes them easier to go around with. Can you imagine if I had long legs? They might go in different directions from each other, or something. Then what would I do? Short legs work very well for me.

5. Okay, I must confess. I love wearing high heel shoes. I love wearing silk stockings. I love wearing hot pants. When I arm myself with those three, I feel like a tough girl from the 1930's. If I didn't look at myself in the mirror, I might just mistake myself for Rita Heyworth, or Marlene Dietrich. How great is that?!

6. Oh, I forgot to tell you about my ankles, calves and thighs. Well, later.

7. I must go back and tell you about my flats. When I wore flats at my college campus in the 50's, I had these great flats which made one of my toes stick out. I thought that it was so creative. Wherever I went, the girls at campus looked at the toe, looked at me, and expressed disapproval with their eyes. I loved it. But they were nowhere as special as high heeled shoes. They did not make my heart beat fast.

8. So now we go to gloves. I love gloves. I have leather ones, lace ones, satin ones. Long, medium, short. All great looking. But I hate wearing them. It's too bad. Because I could wear them and look really sharp. But I don't like them on - my hands cannot breathe properly. My hands love to feel the air, the breeze, the wind, the sun. So I put on really great ones that match my outfit, go out, and take them off right away. It's really too bad. My hands are knobbly and tiny. Not a good combo. So I would love it if I could show off the gloves instead of my hands. But...that's life.

9. I love rings. But for some reason, just like the gloves, I like to take them off right away, as soon as I am alone. I go to an opening wearing a nice ring. I come out of it, get in the car, and the
first thing I do is to take off the ring and put it in my purse. I don't like that feeling of something restricting my finger.

10. Speaking of stuff that bothers me: I hate putting things on my face. They say it's better to put some cream on your face if you don't want to shrivel up like an old potato one day. So I got all the latest cream I read in the ads. But once I had put one of them on, it made me feel so
sticky that I had to immediately wipe it off with a very hot towel. I couldn't help it. My whole face rebelled against the stickiness. Speaking of sticky: Once I put on some green mud on my face and got pimples for a week. That was not good.

11. Now hats! I think everybody has a vague idea that maybe I love hats, since I am always wearing one. In case you might think that maybe I'm trying to hide a bald spot or something, I occasionally take it off to expose my bushy hair. But soon enough, I put it on again. The reason is so complex that I’d have to go to a shrink for a year, and probably still wouldn't find out what's making me do this. I don't go to any shrink, so I will probably never know. Maybe I just like hats. Or maybe I think I will look taller if I wore one. Or maybe I think people's focus will go to my hat and not my face. Of course, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with my face, honey. A girl does not have to hide under a hat, ever. If there were a few wrinkles and shades, they just make you look more interesting.... So they say.

12. All my life my mother told me that I had strong jaws like a guy. It was not womanly. Well, I got them from my father, I think. So yes, I won't say I am particularly feminine. So what? I used to hide my jaws with my long hair. John used to say “Show me your face!” and took my hair out of my face. "Look, you're beautiful. I don't know why you are hiding with your hair." I kept myself hidden.

13. I also kept my hands in my pockets as much as possible. My mother didn’t have to point out to me that my hands were stringy. But they were.

14. My head was unusually large for my small bod. So John called me a “Martian".

15. I look at the sky and feel like my home is somewhere far away - so I thought I might really be a Martian - a result of cross-breeding thousands of years ago.

16. I used to love wandering aimlessly. I used to walk about 7 miles in the city aimlessly, but with the speed of the wind! I can't do that now. If I did it now it would be unfair to the security guard.

17. But I've got tons of great things to do at home. Most people think "what?" Because they want a name for what I do. What is the name for it? I just like pottering around my flat, fixing the crooked frames, looking over the park and day dreaming.

18. It's so nice to see the sky through a small opening of an old fashioned window from my apartment!

19. I think of the days we were gods and goddesses, playing ball with planets. We were larger than dinosaurs. But now we sit like good girls and boys and watch the small tennis ball going left and right, forgetting the days when we use to play with bigger balls. What happens when we shrink even further, and become the size of cockroaches? Will we be still playing with something that echoes the time when we were larger?

20. When the war started, I thought it would be more economical to drop 10 thousand dollar bags from the sky to the people of the country. It's cheaper, and what they need. But now we don't even have enough money to do that.

21. When I daydream, I go all the way to the end of the Earth, and come back. It's a nice exercise.

22. Well actually, not always. Sometimes I just go to the city I love. Once I was flying low in Geneva, and I saw a friend of mine walking. The interesting thing was that friend was somebody who died over ten years ago. He did not have any strong reason to be in Geneva. I just wanted to share this with you because it seems that we just wander where we like, and when we want. Not for any reason. I loved that.

23. Now that you know so much about me, I should not go all the way to 25, or should I? For number 23, Let's say, I am a person who needs a lot of time to myself. If I don't have the time, I will be making it, anyway. My mother use to wave her hand in front of me and say "Yoko are you there?" Well, if I were always there, I would not be me, would I?

24. John and I felt that we were like people in an H.G. Wells story. Two people who are walking so fast that nobody else can see them. Well, that creates a problem, too. Sometimes you want to have a good chat with friends.

25. In a day, sometimes I feel so much love for the world, I think my heart is bursting. Sometimes, I feel so scared, I want to shrink myself even further. I think that's what happened to us gods and goddesses. Like the dinosaurs, we realized that it's too dangerous to be so large. So we kept shrinking ourselves to what we are now. We might get even smaller. I see the sign in the engineers making smaller gadgets, smaller and smaller. Pretty soon, our fingers will be
too large to operate them. So what are we doing? I trust in the human wisdom. We are incredibly intelligent beings. So we might know something without thinking that we know.... Well, even my best friend didn't know until now that I was thinking of crazy things like this.

Have a good day!

yoko ono
New York City
Feb. 2009

* * * * * *

Signing off,
Elise

Omigosh, I found another gem of a vid!

2009-02-11T23:31:00.002+01:00

Seriously, Republican or Democrat, this guy is GOOD!!! XD

Signing off (again),
Elise

"Ubi Caritas et Aaaaaamor... Ubi Caritas Deus Ibi Est..."

2009-02-11T19:03:00.010+01:00

Why I wrote this, I have no clue. It just seemed like a good idea at the time. (FTR, this is Latin (!) and means something along the lines of "where there is charity and loooooove, where there is charity, God is present.")

So. Long time, no blog. Needless to say, I've been kinda busy lately; what with the whole new idea of studying Hispanic texts from "el Siglo de Oro" ("the Golden Age"). I must admit that I was panicking quite a bit after the first week we had classes. I mean, this course started two weeks after the other ones and if we wanted to change into another we only had 4 days to decide. That is NOT fair. At all. I was in fact one of those who thought about changing courses into something easier (or sounded easier, at least); in fact I'd also discovered a Spanish Poetry course, which would span from the Golden Age to contemporary poetry. However, after having fretted about this to my parents, I decided - at the last minute - to stick to what I already had. Besides, I believe that this course would prepare me better for any challenges ahead in terms of teaching as well as future course qualifications. If I pass this (God willing), I believe this will be of great aid to me. After all, we'll be studying Don Quijote in a little while (i.e. the most famous Spanish novel in the world, and also coincidentally dubbed the "world's greatest novel".

Size-wise, I'm not too sure about that.

Besides this, so far I've managed to stick to my New Year's resolution of working out more. I must admit it's become more of a habit now, which is exactly what I wanted. Mind you, I should have had some more time to do this to get the full benefit of it (and also do some more cardio-vascular exercises - but I find these utterly booooriiiing), but as of now with my Lit. and Pragmatics and all that comes with them this can't be done.

Ugh, I've lost my life. Please leave your name and address in a comment if you've found it.

Hang on, actually, I'm telling a lie here, 'cause Mom's coming over this weekend! *happy dance* Think she's anxious about seeing my new room. Plus she's going to deliver some books from Spain she bought for me when on vacation. Among others... the Spanish version of Don Quijote. I must say I feel kinda guilty for using those books, 'cause they're so pretty... They've got such nice pics in them with glossy pages - and a case to put them in (!)... And there I come with my ammo of highlighters, pens, pencils and erasers ready to smear, smudge, color and scribble all over it. But hey, it's either this or pay up for other varieties of books I already have. So there.

Meanwhile, I've FINALLY finished La Vida de Lazarillo de Tormes! Yaaaay! My first completion of a book from the Golden Age!!! It wasn't all bad, it just takes up A LOT of time to look up the words. I'm one of those people who has to scribble down things in the margin or above words to remind myself of what they mean, so that just adds on to the workload. But hey, no pain, no gain. :-)

Oooh, btw, I found the most intriguing vid I've ever come across so far! I dunno, it's just the different reactions of the customers seeing the camera on the conveyor belt (or not even noticing it) and the apparent ignoring of the chefs that's interesting. Very artsy. Besides, I adore sushi, which makes me love this vid even more. :-) Oh, and btw, this was shot at a "Tokyo/Asakasa sushi bar named Maguro-bito".

Signing off (slightly blah, but content for having finished Lazarillo (although the greatest Spanish literary feat remains... *swallows hard*)),
Elise

Stolen...

2009-01-25T20:04:00.008+01:00

... From Eva:

* * * * * *

Put your mp3-player on shuffle and fill out the gaps.. NO CHEATING!! :D

1. How does the world see me? - "F.B.I." by the Shadows. (*lol* My secret undercover job has been identified. Busted. Darn.)

2. Will I have a happy life? - "Back in Black" by L8R. (I take that as a... yes...? With attitude and a bad Norwenglish accent (the Norwenglish accent is pretty bad in itself)? Although it being a cover of the original, my life will perhaps be filled with synths and lousy keyboard effects? Hm. I need to think this one over a little more...)

3. What do my friends really think of me? - "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard. (Um... Beneath that sweet and goodie-two-shoes exterior there's either a steaming hot mama or a groupie wannabe? Yeah. That has to be it. *rofl*)

4. Do people secretly lust after me? - "Cry to Me" by Solomon Burke. (Perhaps not... They may just seek me for consolation and a shoulder to cry on.)

5. How can I make myself happy? - "I Got My Mind Set on You" by George Harrison. (*raw laughter* Get myself a boyfriend? Find the One? Act desperate? Bribe? (cf. "But it's gonna take money, a whole lot of precious money, it's gonna take plenty of money, to do it right, child..."))

6. What should I do with my life? - "Civilization (Bongo, Bongo, Bongo)" by the Andrews Sisters and Danny Kaye. (There we go, leave civilization and a budding teaching career and lead my life primitively in the jungle!!!)

7. Will I ever have children? - "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" by Queen. (Come again? õ.O)

8. What is some good advice for me? - "My Generation" by the Who. (*giggle* Stay young? Be more in touch with contemporary impulses?)

9. How will I be remembered? - "Wind of Change" by Scorpions. (Yup, I'll have left my mark and heralded a new era!)

10. What is my signature dancing song? - "Ave Maria" by Josh Groban. (Hardly!!! Not really a dancing song per se. Furthermore, I do not know how to dance, so maybe there's a link to that in the song choice.)

11. What do I think my current theme song is? - "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by the Proclaimers. (THIS COULDN'T BE ANY TRUER THAN THAT!!!)

12. What does everyone else think my current theme song is? - "Life Itself" by Bruce Springsteen. (Don't know if there are that many of my peers who know about this song. A little too boring for me to be a theme song - unless I'm in a very very melancholy mood, which I'm not at the moment.)

13. What song will play at my funeral? - "Spinning Wheels" by Blood, Sweat and Tears. (Hm, I guess that kinda taps into the philosophic side of mine as well as my inclination for listening to groovy oldies, but other than that... nah.)

14. What type of men/women do you like? - "Build Me Up, Buttercup" by Busted and McFly. (Emotional, yet edgy; contemporary, yet not exactly loathing the past either; direct and... mooshy. *aww* Yeah, sure, that could do. And let's not forget the uniform, eh?)

15. What is my day going to be like? - "Just a Girl" by No Doubt. (Oh yes. Lots of attitude, yet in tune with my feminine side. Very "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion". Kewl.)

16. Will be my wedding song? - "Power to All Our Friends" by Cliff Richard. (Very hippie-esque and with a firm beat, but not exactly the song I want Dad to lead me down the aisle by...)

17. Will be the last words coming from my mouth? - "Walking on Thin Ice" by Yoko Ono. (Ok...?)

18. Will be the first thing I say to my unknown love to come? - "Un Giorno per Noi" by Josh Groban. (*awww* Although I hope it won't be a starcrossed love as it was in the case of Romeo and Juliet...)

19. Will be the song I sing to my lover on our first date? - "Ave Maria" by N. N. (This is the instrumental version, so if worst comes to worst, I'll at least hum it. However, unless he's a firm Catholic or a die-hard fan of classical music, he might just think I'm weird.)

20. Will be the song my lover sing to me? - "Together Forever" by Rick Astley. (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! This is going to be interesting!!!)

21. How will my life end? - "Homeward Bound" by Simon & Garfunkel. (How fitting is that?! Comin' home to my Lord!)

22. Will I be reborn? - "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" by Simon & Garfunkel. (Huh? Either reborn as a guy or as an architect? Or both? I need to think through this one...)

23. Will be my heartbroken song? - "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" by the Beatles. (Oh yeah! The perfect pick-up song! "Life goes on, RAH! La-la-la-la-life goes on!")

* * * * * *

Not quite bad this one!

Signing off ("Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, life goes on, RAH! La-la-la-la-life goes on!"),
Elise

Why didn't I think of this before?

2009-01-19T22:52:00.004+01:00

A new era, a new domain. Big words are my passion. If this doesn't prove it enough, I don't know what will.

Meanwhile, major workout day today (*accomplished*), balanced out with studying (not as much as I had hoped for, but still). Also tried Chinese miso soup bought in SVG Asian shop. Tasted good (especially with dried seaweed and (soft...) tofu); had teeny tiny mushrooms in it (nothing special, to be honest); expiry date was good... so yeah. What a gripping life I do lead. *lol*

Will finally lunch with Spanish friend tomorrow (from whom I inherited new flat/room). Can't wait to see her, although we're only talking about 2 hrs tops. :-S Oh well.

*listening to the Solids' "Hey Beautiful" and crooning along*

Yeah, I should hit the sack, shouldn't I?

Signing off, (heading off to Bedfordshire (i.e. NOT procrastinating)),

Elise

There.

2009-01-16T18:03:00.015+01:00

After having emigrated (to another flat/room - just down the hall) I feel I can take things a little easier now. Furthermore, my discontent of having accidentally DELETED that endlessly long POST has receded; I've bought most of the course material for the semester (these courses are ridiculous in terms of the number of lectures!); and I've managed to settle in somewhat. Well, I still need to get fully accustomed to this novel territory of mine (cf. new flat/room), but so far so good.

So, what I was aiming to write here before "the Great Delete" (ARGH), was that Christmas was basically more or less same ol' same ol'. Just a nice quiet celebration with heaps of good food that I need to sweat off these next couple of months - and maintain that pace. Besides, Christmas this year had for me an aura of relief. I guess I still had last Christmas in my mind and was so thankful that Mom was physically here this time.

New Year's Eve was also quite nice. Not as quiet this time as in other years, since my cousin (who's now fully established in SVG) paid us a visit. Needless to say, we had an awesome time.

Resolutions? I'm not a really great fan of New Year's resolutions, although after all that food I sense the need to actually make some either way. The most important one being working out - and sticking to it. But in summing up, what's there to say about last year, then?

In summing up 2008, I have...

Laughed more than I've cried (I think I only cried once this year; with no other apparent reason than the mere acting like a stress reliever)
Gained friends
Recovered acquaintances
Been really bad at keeping in touch with people abroad (my fault - I try, but ultimately I suck at this)
Worked hard
Earned pretty good grades
Missed doing yoga
Been melancholic
Been neurotic (oh yes...)
Traveled
Stressed out (there's no way out of this one)
Taken responsibility for own actions
Breathed (you usually don't realize this, but breathing is not only one of the most essential things you do as a human being (!), but also is one of the quickest ways of functioning as a stress reliever... In my case, that and crying! *lol*)
Argued against people
Been proven wrong
Been proven right
Eaten good food
Worked out (note to self: Continue doing this!)
Gone to church
Traveled
Practiced Spanish (should do a little more of this this year)
Drunk Spanish hot chocolate (once you've tried it, there's no way back!)
Gotten hooked on ginger candies (*swoon*)
Been consulted on various matters
Been in need of consultation on various matters
Been weak
Been strong
Used circumlocutions too much (often leading in others looking at me bewilderedly, muttering the occasional "Huh?" and/or them thinking that "she could have said it so much easier!" Who needs Occam's razor, eh?)
Stated my opinion
Wondered
Learnt
Taught (not exceedingly much, but still)
Given
Taken
Been too honest at times
Been vain (sadly)
Concentrated on more things than needed
Multitasked (with varying degrees of success *lol*)
Had quiet moments with God
Meditated
Felt at one with everything
Wanted to keep a pet in my flat (oh well, I'll just have to save that 'till later)
Felt annoyed (Little Drummer Boy, anyone?)
Felt frustrated
Felt happy
Felt energetic
Felt relieved
Felt content
Felt utterly shallow and "Kinder egg"-like (you have to compensate for the deep part of your personality, don't you?)
Given me time to myself
Visited people
Participated in heated discussions about various topics
Started and completed projects
Enjoyed the silence when the snow fell outside
Enjoyed a good book (actually many good books)
Expanded my vocabulary (especially in Spanish)
Seized the opportunity
Cut my hair
Lived

Ok. So generally speaking, this is roughly what the year turned out to be. Pretty good compared to last year, I have to say. An excellent year's progress. All the best for 2009 to all!

Starting off the new year, here's a gem of a vid:

And in addition, another vid (which cannot be embedded... *tear*):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MatUG_xTMg

Signing off,

Elise

CRAP.

2009-01-11T19:56:00.004+01:00

I'd just posted a loooooooooooooooong entry and OF COURSE, in my sheer STUPIDITY, I LOST IT.

Words cannot express the annoyance I feel right now.

I'll just have to let it cool down and write everything AGAIN.

Some other time. Bah.

Signing off (irately),
Elise

Christmas time is here again!

2008-12-23T17:33:00.006+01:00

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.

2008-12-07T20:29:00.002+01:00

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

2008-12-01T21:34:00.005+01:00

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?

2008-11-21T23:18:00.007+01:00

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!

2008-11-10T11:09:00.008+01:00

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.

2008-11-06T19:25:00.006+01:00

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?

2008-11-01T14:00:00.005+01:00

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)

2008-10-28T11:36:00.003+01:00

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".

2008-10-20T15:39:00.005+02:00

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.)

2008-10-09T21:05:00.005+02:00

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!"

2008-10-08T22:35:00.010+02:00

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?

2008-09-26T20:44:00.014+02:00

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.

2008-08-28T21:37:00.009+02:00

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.

2008-08-23T12:26:00.006+02:00

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.

2008-08-20T21:17:00.004+02:00

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.

2008-07-15T21:45:00.002+02:00

¡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)

2008-06-30T19:31:00.007+02:00

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???

2008-06-20T19:05:00.005+02:00

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.

2008-05-23T18:46:00.003+02:00

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)

2008-05-07T09:50:00.003+02:00

This beautiful video almost made me cry.

A believer,
Elise

Gooo Roooogalaaaaaaand!!!

2008-05-06T23:09:00.006+02:00

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.

2008-04-22T16:39:00.004+02:00

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!

2008-04-19T18:29:00.003+02:00

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!!!

2008-04-15T18:52:00.005+02:00

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...

2008-04-13T17:26:00.003+02:00

... 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!

2008-04-09T22:02:00.004+02:00

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.

2008-04-05T15:46:00.003+02:00

Cooking while lipsynching to Finnish heavy metal? Why not?

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

My future husband. swoon

2008-04-02T16:49:00.007+02:00

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.

2008-04-01T09:30:00.004+02:00

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...

2008-03-27T11:01:00.005+01:00

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!!!

2008-03-07T12:47:00.006+01:00

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.

2008-02-29T16:48:00.005+01:00

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".

2008-02-24T21:45:00.002+01:00

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?"

2008-02-14T18:06:00.003+01:00

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?

2008-01-26T22:51:00.000+01:00

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?

2008-01-22T16:20:00.000+01:00

(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

For my grandfather.

2007-12-26T23:04:00.000+01:00

A (very clichéd) dedication:

Kjære Morfar ("Dear Grandpa"),

You have left us now for a much better place.

Neither I nor your other grandchild in Norway knew you as well as the rest of your grandchildren, but the few short times we spent together will always be remembered fondly.

Our relationship has always been based on a long distance and a slight language barrier, and I'm sorry for not knowing you better.

However, despite this you will always be a source of admiration to me.

Although you will be greatly missed, I will always cherish your memory in my heart and in my mind.

Thank you for everything.

May God bless you, keep you and grant you peace.

All my love,
Elise

Man... The wonders of modern technology!

2007-12-10T14:02:00.000+01:00

Even though there are a few skews to this performance, the attention to details is impeccable!

Signing off,
Elise

... And so the semester comes to an abrupt end.

2007-12-06T21:56:00.001+01:00

*sigh*

Yes, I do in fact have one exam left, but tomorrow I'll be having my final group seminar in Spanish, the (pre-)post-exam dinner with the Gang, followed by one week of fervent reading and drilling, the infamous final final exam, birthday celebration of my cuz... and then hoooooooooome! I can't wait to get this whole thing over with!!! Gaaaaah! I haven't really gotten the Christmas feeling in me yet because of this exam business, but I'm getting there. Slowly, but surely. Not that I'm prioritizing that, of course... ;-) At the moment at least.

I just want to get it all over with, that's all. (I'm jealous. Can you tell?)

But ok, enough whining. Here's another vid (guess where it's taken from!) to make up the whole absence of Christmas from the last post:

Hehe, his style in this song always makes me giggle! But it's cool, though. I dare not say anything against the King of Rock & Roll! ;-) "U-huh-huh... Thankya, thankyaverymuch."

Signing off,
Elise

"Aye, the rum is gone..."

2007-12-04T19:42:00.000+01:00

One down, one more to go (gaaaah, can't wait to get this over with!) Anyway, quick post, and lo and behold; another YouTube vid. Gee, who'd have thought that...?

Fun song. Helps me cheer up a little these dreary days filled with exam prep. Trying to repress, but what's the use anyhow?! *shrugs and bounces off to procratinate some more by washing dishes to the sound of the Andrews Sisters.

Silent night (igorot!), holy night (insik pisot!),
Elise

Long time, no blog entry.

2007-11-08T20:49:00.000+01:00

... And in the midst of the Spanish notes, grammar books, and the infamous Am.Lit. anthology (otherwise known as "The Brick" or "The Concrete Slab") I suddenly find myself immersing into the deep recesses of cyberspace also known as "The Blog". Oh yes.

After a couple of days with the all-too-familiar academic dry spell I decided to plunge myself into it all, with varying results. Perhaps it's due to me feeling a little too hyper. I blame working out. :-P To be honest it was good to get into the gym again, though the consequences for my brain were only so-so, i.e. in terms of concentration. But this is supposed to be good, however. I guess I just have to get the hang of this; let my body get used to it again.

Alas, alack, exams are stealthily closing in on us, the unaware students. My first exam will be on Dec. 3 and my final is on Dec. 14. So yeah, less than a month until I'll be sitting by a desk staring with a mix of panic, nervousness and nonchalance ("just get it all over with!") on the dreaded exam paper. And we're not even done with the syllabus yet! To put it plainly, this is like, soooo not cool! So basically, while I'm frantically trying to put the syllabus back together in my mind (and on paper) we are still going through it. I wish we were done with the whole shebang at least one month before Judgment Day. Maybe I'm just asking for too much. Maybe I'm just acting like some demanding "the-mountain-will-come-to-Mohamet" diva. Still, there are times like these where I wish I were still in Senior High. Despite the mountains upon mountains of work we went through the syllabus thoroughly and still with plenty of time before our exams. *sigh* The wonders of IB... Stated sarcastically, of course.

Furthermore, I find that the hopes for me studying abroad for a semester slowly but surely dwindle into oblivion. The thing is that the English courses are all too static and are only offered either in the spring or in the fall. Not both. At least the Spanish courses are much more flexible than this, but that doesn't really help me very much - especially when there are so many units I want to take here already. I kinda wanna take all of these subjects and still study abroad without breaking my back in the mean time. Again, I think I'm asking for a little too much here. Again I'm acting like that demanding "the-mountain-will-come-to-Mohamet" diva. Excuse my neuroticism, it's part of who I am. Besides, I've still got time to take my master's somewhere else (over the rainbow). If I will take a master's, that is.

Sorry, needed to vent this out a little. I just hope and pray to God that I'll do alright for my exams, that's all (as I'm sure many of us are doing at the moment).

Anyway, enough with the trivialities already. There are much bigger issues to be discussed here. Like for instance the school massacre in Finland. I was truly shocked about that, and I'm not the only one. That this could happen; even in Finland! I guess it just goes to show that you can find lunatics anywhere; not just in the US (without attempting to stereotype in any way). Additionally it also shows that obvious fact that happenings such as those that are close to one's home or loved ones affect you even more than if it happened elsewhere.

And the thing was that this guy (God rest his soul) was a loner, just as the guy responsible for the Virginia Tech massacre last year. (It was last year, wasn't it?) In addition to this, this Finnish guy was even bullied by other students (even though he was very intelligent) and had extreme right-wing views. He even had b******s such as Hitler and Stalin as his idols. Ugh, I get such shivers down my spine even writing about this... I guess being a bullied loner can trigger such massive hatred, a hatred so strong that it can beckon you to kill other people. As an afterthought one might blame the teachers and his family for not noticing his extreme tendencies as a cry for help - I certainly did at first. However, turning a blind eye to his problem was the way that was thought to be most sensible at that moment, I reckon. After all, he was just a teenager; teenagers go through a "stage of extremes", to put it rather vaguely. He'd probably grow it off. Unfortunately he never got the chance to do so.

All of this just shows you how important human contact is to a person. All of the stuff that we've been served with through the news from psychological experts stating that "oh, well, this was inevitable, there was nothing that could be done, loners can be prone to do such things given the right circumstances and all staff at public institutions are able to handle such situations", etc. are all true enough, but they're overlooking the main fact here: We all need to have people around us, caring people. It's part of who we are as human beings. Without this support, this scaffolding, we just won't function properly. So I guess it's up to the rest of us to prevent this from happening by forming relations with others, especially loners. They're the ones who need it the most.

The lyrics of "All You Need Is Love" by the Beatles could never ring truer than now.

Ok. Enough. This post has grown too large. Time to hit the books again before my beauty sleep.

Elise

Religion? Philosophy? Politics? A little bit of each.

2007-10-09T18:00:00.000+02:00

Yes, I'm a believer! *humming Monkees tune in my head* Yes, I know that many of my friends do not consider themselves as believers of neither (a) God nor (a) Christ, but I am.

Guess that this is going to be one of those philosophical/religious posts... Feel free to ignore this post if you wish!

I never really realized it until just a couple of years ago and it was even more intensified as time went by and I moved from home. It may sound as a cliché, and for all I know this is, but it feels as if that now that I'm living by myself and am dealing with issues and problems on my own, that God's even closer to me than I thought He was. And incidentally this is seen even better during times of trial. It feels good that even though you may feel as the most insignificant creature in the world - even though you've virtually hit rock bottom mentally - you still aren't alone. As the famed Rogers & Hammerstein song and Man U anthem states: You'll Never Walk Alone. To me that's an amazing thought - and a wonderful feeling.

I've been thinking about this quite a bit these past few days, these standards of modern (Norwegian) society. Some of these standards are so radically different from those I have myself. I won't state them here, but I guess I could be labeled as a conservative. And then there's this eternal focus on personal happiness. This is what society nowadays focuses on. I'm not only talking about materialism. I'm talking about the idea of always minding one's own business. The idea of "you-can't-stop-me-from-doing-what-I-want-to-do-in-life". Now I'm not saying that having this kind of attitude is wrong, but in my opinion one shouldn't focus on this idea completely either; that would be rather limiting one's perceptions of the world, now wouldn't it? That would be kind of egocentric and may lead to tactlessness. That would be not considering the fact that some actions may have consequences on other people.

Yes, I am stating the obvious here. Live by the golden mean. Avoid any extremes. Be considerate to all parties so that all of us can live like one big happy family. Then again, society requires us to have our own opinions on issues. Understanding both parties of a discussion can possibly give you a greater sense of outlook, but you still have to make up your mind. Sometimes that can be easy; sometimes more difficult. There are some things that I haven't found out of yet with respect to taking a stand in certain issues, but I'm getting there.

I believe there's a reason behind everything in this world (Catholicism, I guess!); all that we encounter in life has a higher purpose. One has to seize the opportunities that God presents to you and trust that He'll guide you on the right path. Still, that does not mean that one should accept anything that comes one's way. You should be able weigh things morally, not only considering what would benefit you yourself, but also consider the effect on other people. You're not the only person on this Earth, you know.

I don't know whether or not this makes sense; for all I know my ideas can be kinda randomly scattered around without any coherent structure to it, but for some reason I just needed to get this out. Don't ask, 'cause I ain't got no answer.

Hm, sudden flashback to excerpt of Benjamin Franklin's autobiography... Anyway, enough of this. Back to exam prep!

I'm still a believer,
Elise

Pointless information.

2007-09-20T14:16:00.000+02:00

Did you know that the cardboard pack of fluorescent tubes you can get at the SiO reception smells like cheese doodles?

Long story. Or rather, semi-long. Actually rather short.

Oh, and Nadia Hasnaoui and her kids (I reckon they were both hers) visited Kim Hagen yesterday. How I know? I'm an undercover paparazzi, that's why. An undercover paparazzi who happened to walk past Nadia + kids earlier today to pick up said cheese-doodle-smelling pack with fluorescent tube.

If you have nothing to write, write random nonsense, eh? ;-)

Peace out!
Elise

snort Huh, what?

2007-08-23T19:56:00.000+02:00

And school's finally started. A new school year; a new era, if you like. Time to wake up from the dormant state of mind which tends to occur annually during the summer months. I'm sure it's just a coincidence. Time to take a nice huge cup consisting of what has to be multiple shots of espresso and graciously salute the next semester - now as a sophomore. I know where to turn to if there's stuff I can't find. I know what to buy and where. And then there's the Network, of course. I'm not talking about Facebook or MySpace, though handy they may be. I'm talking about real live friends.

To summarize the above paragraph in a few words: I'm glad to be back.

I dunno, there just came a time where I felt like my parents were resembling Marie and Frank Barone a tad too much. (Mind you, the resemblance is striking 24/7, but after an exaggeratedly calm trip to a cabin in Hovden where there was extremely little to do you get more than spoonfed. It's fun, but only to a certain extent.)

And lo and behold, the fire alarm. Here's to first days of school! I wonder who burnt fish sticks this time... :-P

(Approx. 20 mins. later) Some heartfelt sympathy to the poor guy who caused it. :-( He came up to some people beside me and asked nervously: "Um, do you know the number of the janitor?" Must have been embarassing for him. Good thing it wasn't freezing cold this time (on the contrary); got him saved from some sour looks in his direction... Poor guy...

Anyway, I reckon that this year will pose a bit more of a challenge both for my friends as well as myself. Most of us have started taking units in our "minor" subjects, most of which are languages, i.e. Italian, Spanish and German grammar and syntax, perhaps also French grammar, though I'm not entirely sure. (And the crowd goes wild.) Oh yes, languages galore. However... *bursts out in song* We shall overcoooooome, we shall overcoooooome, we shall overcooooome soooooomedaaaaaaaaaay... (etc., etc.) No, really.

Oh, and here's a question I've been wondering about today (which is also posted on Facebook):

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck (if a woodchuck could chuck wood)?

And based on a "tongue-twister" my Mom taught me:

Can a canner can a can?

I'm open to suggestions.

Waking up and smelling the coffee,
Elise

Sugarplum Fairy

2007-07-29T12:51:00.000+02:00

An indescribably awesome Swedish band!!! (One of their lead singers looks kinda like Mick Jagger as well, which is pretty cool.) Always makes me happy to listen to their tracks! Have a listen!

"She" (the first song I heard from them - as a background tune of the Swedish food program "Tinas Kök"! Not exactly the most regular way of discovering new artists, but it just caught my attention, as you can imagine.):

"Marigold":

Gotta looooooove their music! :-D

Rambling and YouTube vid (surprised?)

2007-07-27T18:38:00.000+02:00

Suddenly just feel like writing. I don't have any specific topic to discuss this time, so I'm-a just gone ramble awn, if you get my drift.

Back at home after having visited Oslo for 5 days with my best friend (whose birthday is in 8 days!!! GAAAAH! What to give!!!). Unfortunately I forgot to forward my mail to my parents' house instead of my flat, so you can imagine the heap of mails inside my mailbox! However, there was just only one bill I had to pay, so that's a relief. Besides that, the trip was a success, even though I was mentally spoonfed with details of what my best friend's boyfriend had said and done and what he was like. Or maybe it was just me blowing it out of proportion, me being on the singleton track again and all. Don't get me wrong, I'm doing just fine. Besides, it gives me an opportunity to chase after other guys who possess a uniform which might tickle my fancy (i.e. which is not green or beige in color)...

Speaking of men in uniforms, it's a shame that there aren't that many young pilots out there. On our trip to Oslo we took planes back and forth, you see, so if you know me well enough you can probably figure that I noticed the pilots. Now I don't know enough about how long it takes for someone to become a pilot, but personally I was kind of discouraged about this fact. According to my own humble observation most of the pilots out there are well into their 40s and older. Not exactly the greatest turn-on for yours truly... Ah well, there's still the National Guard...

(Hm, I shouldn't have slouched... Ah well, not much to be done there...)

Otherwise, I've just been watching "Le Fabuleux Destin D'Amelie Poulain", and despite me not having studied French at all (I only had the choice between German and... German) I found the movie intriguing. Sure, it emphasized A LOT on Amelie's eccentric nature, but I liked the story, the intricate symbolism and the techniques used in filming and editing (like fast-forwarding, exaggerated zooming in on something and objects coming to life and communicating with the characters). Fascinating. But I think this is one of those movies that grows on you; the more you watch it the more you find interesting details. I'm one of those people who don't notice details all at once; I do sometimes, mind you, but most of the time I focus on the main aspects. The movie was intriguing because there are so many details that are significant to the story as a whole - you really have to pay attention to all of Amelie's quirks to get the whole picture. A challenge for someone who doesn't pay that much attention to details during the first run-through of movies, but still really good. What striked me was that some of the techniques used reminded me of Baz Luhrmann's movies, e.g. "Romeo + Juliet" and "Moulin Rouge". Strong colors, great technique in filming and a touch of flamboyance... Really quite unique.

Anyway, enough rambling. I need to go to the bathroom (which was something you really had to know!). And then I'm gonna dawdle some more. Yay! :-D *frolicks cheerfully to nearest bathroom* And behold, 'tis another YouTube vid! :-P

Me despido de ti y me voy,
Elise

"Home, home on the range, where the deer and the antelope play..."

2007-06-21T19:31:00.000+02:00

Well, not exactly, but you get my drift.

Finally all of my exams are done and I'm home working my arse off at the hospital. That's why I haven't been able to update for a while. Demasiado trabajo... After what, 3 years wherein I've worked every summer at the hospital, I (finally?) begin to get the need to expand my horizons; i.e. I want to try something else next summer.

Mind you, working at the hospital is great fun (despite the heaps of gossip, backstabbing and grapevine tendencies), but each time I've arrived at the sterilization unit to work they've introduced a new system. The latest one is by far the greatest and does not only apply to this hospital, but to the whole Norwegian network of hospitals. Everything has become all computerized now, with bar codes and labels that have to be put on. Gone are the days wherein you could just pack whatever that came from the washing machines by the operating rooms without knowing their names (I'm referring to the smaller packs for individual instruments that are separated from the actual larger sets of operating instruments). Uh-uh. Now you actually have to know what each of the thingumajigs are called - which, to an ignorant summer employee, can be rather daunting, especially when the stress level is at a high point. ("Should I ask what this thingy is called, or should I just leave it where I'd found it?" "Will they bite my head off if I ask?" "Should I do this or that?") And obviously the stress rubs off on the rest of us, because we really do want to help, but we aren't exactly capable of dissembling, reinstalling and creating the more complicated sets of instruments. We can only do so much. We do try to lighten their burdens at least a little bit, but unfortunately all we can do with regard to those complicated sets of instruments is to pack them. (I'm thinking about an incident which happened two days ago during my late shift. I won't elaborate.)

Anyway, that's basically where I am at the moment. Kind of frustrated with the new system (especially during last week, which was my very first for this summer), but still hanging in there.

Oh, and yes, grades are in. That is, all except for ONE - which is also a source of frustration for me these days. But seriously, if the exam paper states that the grades are to be published 2-3 weeks after the exam, it would be an idea to actually stick to the friggin' deadline!!! The exam I'm referring to took place on May 25th, i.e. it's already passed the deadline of 3 weeks. Can you believe it? I certainly hope our teacher hasn't left for her summer vacation without correcting our exams!!!

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

Anyway, besides these sources of ever-so-slight irritation I'm happy to be home. I must admit it felt kinda weird to see my home town again. I had the same feeling as when me and my parents see "our" old house in Lyngdal. Like this was my home, but now it... sort of... isn't. The difference is of course that my parent's house is still my home. This chronically manure-infested area is in fact my home and will be so in saecula saeculorum ("forever and ever"); more so than Lyngdal. Despite the sometimes aggravating small-town mentality this windy little coastal patch will always be where I'll find my roots.

*getting all sentimental* Enough now... ;-)

Happy vibes to the world,
Elise

Aaaand we're done! :-D

2007-06-01T15:33:00.000+02:00

Two days ago I finished my first year here at U. of Oslo. My final exam was in Spanish, and dare I say one of the better ones. I just hope I'll get reasonably good grades for this as well as the rest of my exams... Anyway, enough school talk for now. I'm done with this year, and all I'm going to do now is to chill out and work. Conflicting concepts, yes, but those are my plans. As well as to catch up with people I haven't seen in ages. I can hardly wait to see them again!

Yesterday, however, was the day wherein me and my friends ended the semester with a bang. Sort of. If not a bang it was at least a crack or a thud. Afternoon and evening with pizza, salad, looots of fruit, cookies (mmm...), candy, chips and dip - not to mention Farris with ice cubes, lime juice and sugar... Yummy!!! And last but not least, GREAT company! (Man, I should have brought my camera... Ah well...)

Ugh. And now it's raining. There have been a few real big gusts of wind as well. Reminds me of hooome... *sigh* It won't be long now. Heading home on Wednesday after a quick trip to Bergen, and then work the week after.

Hm. Not that much to say at the moment, really. Just felt a little bit bored, so I thought I'd put some nonsensical smalltalk in here. (Bla, bla, bla, bla, bla...) Anyway. Dinner.

*bounces off to kitchen to create yet another culinary treat worthy of the Cordon Bleu* (Riiight.)

Fluffy pink elephants, marshmallows and tar,
Elise

Tweety's song!!!

2007-05-23T17:03:00.000+02:00

Taken from the Looney Tunes cartoon "Puddy Tat Trouble" (1951):

I'm a tweet wittle bird in a gilded cage;
Tweety's my name but I don't my age.
I don't have to wowwy and dat is dat;
I'm safe in here from dat old puddy tat.

Haha! XD Now for the vid... :-S

And for the record, I was never here. I was busy reading for my exam in 2 days. And I still am.

We shall overcome. Unless that mean ol' puddy tat screws things up.

Positive vibes, peace, love and harmony,
Elise

whimper

2007-05-15T18:53:00.000+02:00

This is it, guys... In about 14 hours we'll be taking our exphil exam!

Wishing you all the very best of luck!!! We can do this, people!!! :-D

Four-leaf clovers and horse shoes to all,

Elise

"Blog": (Def.) My little vent...

2007-05-04T22:34:00.000+02:00

A little less than 2 more weeks until my first exam this semester. Excuse me while I scream:

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGH!!!"

*running around room and screaming like a maniac*

There. A little better. Not much, but a little.

But on a more serious note, I think this is one of those exams that will turn out alright. At least that's what I'm hoping for. You can never be too sure, you know - even though it is only multiple choice.

What I'm most worried about is Brit. Lit. We've only had one essay hand-in, you see. In my opinion this is not a good enough foundation to actually write a seemingly sensible essay. The fact that we haven't really had enough time to run through each of the texts on our syllabus more meticulously is also worrying me a bit. All we did was sort of whizz through each of them; barely taking into account the main themes of each text, some recurring images and - if we're lucky - the use of diction, etc. To me this is not enough, and it is so extremely frustrating! I don't feel prepared to take that exam at all! I'm not even sure if I'll feel prepared the days before that exam, even.

Yes, the Brit. Lit. exam's still some time ahead. But it still worries me.

Another thing that's currently my pet peeve is how the exams are spread out throughout this month. We aren't even done with all of our classes before our first exam starts! Now that is annoying!!! SERIOUSLY! I prefer to know we're over and done with all of our classes before our exams start; you know just concentrate on one thing at a time. This was the arrangement we had last semester and that was an arrangement that I liked. So, UiO - puh-leeeeaze do NOT start experimenting on new schedules (like what the gov't has a tendency to do for elementary and junior high)!!!

I'm sorry, I just had to let out some steam. There's nothing I can do about this situation. There's no use complaining, really. All you have to do is just to make the most of it. Stop whining, suck it in and make the most of it. (Although sometimes it helps to whine a little, as in this case.)

Enough already. I'll shut up now and go to bed.

Argh,
Elise

Here comes the sun, doo doo doo doo...

2007-04-21T13:16:00.000+02:00

Actually the sun's been around for quite a while now. And it was there on my birthday! Yey! Might be a sign, that.

Celebrated my birthday this week with all of my friends here in Oslo (well, almost all of my friends) and will invite my aunt, uncle and cuz out for dinner tomorrow as well. My treat. The least I could do!

I was slightly overwhelmed by the amount of text messages and emails I got from people. Besides the regulars (the friends I see almost all the time and those I write to/call in my spare time, parents and relatives) I actually heard from people I hadn't seen since Junior High and even a lady who used to work for my grandfather in the Philz before she later married an American and moved to the US. You know, one of those typical borderline "rags to riches" stories as I see it. And as far as I know there is quite an age gap between them. I won't elaborate on my opinion on that story. Anyway, I hardly even know the lady - actually I don't know her at all - and then she suddenly goes ahead and writes me an email??? (Forwarded from my parents, but still!) We haven't talked together; I don't remember her face; all I remember is... well, basically the stuff I've already stated. All I thought when I read the mail can be summed up in one word: "Oooookaaaayyy?" I mean, don't get me wrong, it's nice to know that people remember you on your birthday, but I must admit it gets kinda weird when people you hardly knew suddenly send you a mail out of the blue - just like that. I don't know. However, even though the whole mail thing was rather peculiar, I know she meant well. I don't mean to be insulting or anything, it was just... a little strange. But as I said, it's nice to be remembered.

(And by the way, I've been through a lot of stuff like this before; people in the Philz who are acquainted with my mom and her family but are total strangers to me - who suddenly come up to me shrieking happily in my ears and give me a hug and tell me that "you are so tall" and act as if they've known me all their lives. Which leaves me standing there with a huge question mark on my forehead and a confused smile and awkwardly stating "yeah, it's nice to see you too..." while all I'm thinking is "I DON'T FRIGGIN' KNOW YOU!")

But that was not what I intended to write here. What my point is is that moments such as these really do make you realize how many people you actually can consider your friends. Getting text messages, phone calls and emails from people during birthdays, Christmas, New Year etc. shows that there actually are people who care about you and think about you - to varying degree, of course, but they care. It may also show which people will support you through thick and thin and which ones won't (obviously with the occasional odd one out, cf. the abovementioned lady).

Yes, I AM stating the obvious here, but it's strange to compare it to birthdays and Christmas and New Year celebrations of earlier years. It's interesting to see people come into your life and then suddenly go again, and how your circle of acquaintances varies from year to year.

Anyway. Enough contemplating already. Have a nice weekend, y'all!

Elise that is called "Elise".

(Remember "Life of Brian"? ;-P)

"No one, I think, is in my tree."

THEY TOLD US THEY WOULD ROCK US - AND THEY DID.

And now...

It's all in the small things.

õ.O

Ok, I wasn't done yet...

I should be reading, BUT...

Speechless.

Procrastination

*awkward silence*

The missing link (pun intended)

So... uh... long time...

Right.

Well done, Germany!

Spreading the word!

Pensative.

How awesome is this?!

Part of today's second reading.

A new year, a new decade, a new era -- and a new haircut.

Shakespeare, my beloved Shakespeare.

(Add catchy title here)

*groan*

Laugh attack!

Groovy version of one of my all-time favorite songs!

If you don't feel like laughing out loud, look away... NOW.

"Whatever..."

*chomp*

A slightly more serious post, perhaps... [post-edited]

Nobody told me there'd be days like these.

My latest find!

Ok, y'all know the Swedish Chef is the love of my life, but...

A day wasted academically speaking, but with lots of thoughts (brace yourself).

Eye and ear candy. Mostly ear.

Small talk, metablogging and something to get y'all through the weekend.

An episode at work.

A little comic relief.

Ok, this was a little weird.

I've got a song stuck in my head.

I just HAVE TO share this with you guys!

Birthday.

Unemployed food.

Wuthering Heights.

Cute AND gives food for thought.

Omigosh, I found another gem of a vid!

"Ubi Caritas et Aaaaaamor... Ubi Caritas Deus Ibi Est..."

Stolen...

Why didn't I think of this before?

There.

CRAP.

Christmas time is here again!

A little exam prep relaxation.

*pants*

Exam theme song? Whatthe... huh?

Pray for him! || ¡Rogad por él!

Aletargada.

Brainwashed or just easy to pronounce?

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

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

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

"No leave-o!"

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

The Muppets go classic and Spanish nonsensical blabber.

Randomness.

Patosa.

La última semana en España.

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

¿¿¿Por qué no escribo más???

Long time, no blog entry.

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

Gooo Roooogalaaaaaaand!!!

I'm getting tired of this bull.

Britain's DEFINITELY Got Talent!

Dershtikt zolstu veren!!!

Did you know...

Hiiiiiiiiii-yah!

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

My future husband. *swoon*

Tiempo libre... Por ahora.

Wide Open Spaces...

O noes, not again!!!

awkward silence

groan

chomp

pants

My future husband. swoon

snort Huh, what?

whimper