For my grandfather.

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!

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.

*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..."

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.

... 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.

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.

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?

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? (The obvious answer would probably be: "If the to-be-canned can is considerably smaller than the can used to can the to-be-canned can, then yes." Simple logic, unlike the previous question.)

I'm open to suggestions.

Waking up and smelling the coffee,
Elise

Sugarplum Fairy

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?)

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..."

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

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!!!

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*

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...

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...

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)

*sniffle, sniffle*

What to write? I don't HAVE anything to write!!! I need a hug. (Shrek flashback: "I can't feel my toes! I DON'T HAVE ANY TOES!!! I think I need a hug.") Besides the fact that I'm at home in Oslo trying intently to shake off a nasty cold and the helium-like sensation inside my head while at the same time trying to cough up the last remains of the all-too-present hairballs in my throat (*catching breath*), I'm studying for my exams. Oh, what a gripping life I do lead. *sarcasm* But seriously, five weeks is hardly anything. Before you know it you'll be sitting in the exam room trying to calm yourself down before the 4-hour intense scribbling starts. A scary thought, but still.

I am ambitious. Which accounts for my extreme nerdiness (for some). For some reason I never really admitted it to myself until recently. It's amazing how admitting something to yourself can change your outlook on things. Not drastically, mind you, but at least considerably. Not only with respect to your hopes and dreams - or yourself, for that matter - but also with respect to other people you surround yourself with. This is already an established fact, but it's amazing to think about the vent it creates when you tell yourself such things. You get a better chance to relieve yourself of so much more ("excess") emotion that you are finally capable to think more calmly and collectedly. I find this fascinating.

The means of which you can release these emotions are also interesting. Blogging, for instance. I view my blog as some sort of vent. Like right now, I'm feeling somewhat anxious about exams, etc., but at this point I feel calmer than when I started writing this entry. It's almost as you tell yourself subconsciously: "There. Enough with the fretting already. Back to business." It basically gives you a chance to put it all behind you and continue concentrating on the things you should be concentrating on.

Yes, I am stating the obvious. However, this is something that's kind of interesting to me. Anyway. Enough already. Back to business.


I wish it were that simple to get an A... ;-) Happy exam prep!

*giggle, giggle, cough, cough*

Elise

Homeward bound.

One of the nicest songs by Simon & Garfunkel. (Well, more Simon than Garfunkel.) Have I mentioned that I'm going home this Saturday? ;-)

Speaking of home, one of my cousins in the Philippines has just traveled off to the States to work, leaving her home and her (actually our) family behind. This is the very first time she's been abroad, and I can just imagine what she's feeling right now. According to her itinerary she's supposed to have arrived in Oklahoma yesterday. Haven't heard anything from her, though, but I bet she's excited - and at the same time sad for leaving behind the people she's been with all her life. So the US is going to be her home now; for how long I don't know. I expect it to be a few years at least. It's a strange feeling to leave all the people that you love behind, but it is for the best. In her case she's going to have an amazing job with amazing opportunities and a way to support the rest of her family back home. I'm extremely happy for her and also very excited to she how she'll adjust to her new job.

Leaving home is just a question of time, really; it is inevitable, it has to happen sooner or later - either with respect to job opportunities in the case of my cousin, school, getting married/living together, or do charitable work in another country (as in the case of Kim). Some do it earlier than others. Many of my acquaintances outside of Norway were (and perhaps still are) gobsmacked that I've moved to Oslo away from my parents. Somehow they appeared to believe that I moved out just because I didn't love my parents anymore - WHICH IS AS ABSURD AS IT GETS!!! Maybe it's just a culture difference and/or a difference in viewpoint; but the thing is that I LOVE my parents so indescribably much, and my moving out doesn't change that at all! I know they didn't mean it in an offensive way, but it was a little insulting to me at the time, because the main reason was that I wanted to get as good an education as I possibly could here in Norway, and Oslo was one of my top choices. You have to do what's best for you - i.e. be a little egocentric. (There isn't anything wrong with that!) And as for leaving friends and family at home, yes, that is inevitable, but you do gain independence and you do get to know tons of people in the same situation as yourself wherever you go. Many of those people I've gotten to know here are what I'd consider very good friends indeed. (Here's out to y'all!)

My intention for writing this is not to provide you readers with an allusion to anyone in particular - I'm not trying to offend anyone at all. What I'm trying to say is that despite the fact that you leave people you love behind, you still gain a whole lot. Life is all about sacrifices, but you have to make them in order to achieve your goals in life - your goals. Moving out is by no means an indication that you are "a lost soul", for the lack of a better term; it just opens up a greater range of opportunities. Though I do miss home a few times (hm, understatement? :-P), I don't regret moving out at all.

Man, that was deep. I'd better continue packing now.

Diapers, Oreos and raisins to the world,
Elise

Ps.: Mahna mahna. (Translated with the appropriate intonation: "May the Force be with you." And I ain't talkin' about just any Force... yaknowumsayin'?)

"We've got lumps of it in the back..."

That there was a quote from "Life of Brian", the part before Brian is given his cross and the (poof?) Roman soldier and a stuttering Jew and another slightly more strange Jew are having a conversation.

Only two weeks until I'll be on my way home... Man, I miss it more than ever! And listening to Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" or Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" doesn't make it any better. Just reminds me of ISS... Which reminds me of home... Which reminds me of salty air, sea, people dressed in manure-reeking overalls, tractors and cows with attitude. Don't know if I've written this earlier, but the cows back home aren't exactly what you would call discreet. When you drive past a field where a cow is taking a leak or crapping, they stare at you in a way that you know can only mean "Hah! You can't stop me! This is a free country! I'll take a leak/crap whenever I want! I'm a free cow, doggonit!"

Sudden flashback to the infamous "Herbal Essences" cow... *shivers* Permit me to gently shove that thought aside.

Hm, and again I'm struck with that "I-wonder-what-people-are-up-to" thought. That "Time After Time" song always makes me wonder about that. But as I've already elaborated on that in a previous post, I won't go into detail.

Meanwhile... (Oh noooooo!!! Not another friggin' YouTube vid!!! Everybody hide!!!)




"Where's the boss?" - "Oh, boss is, eeeh... Oh. I boss."
"You are a jideous orangutan!"
"Jaloooooou... I am English... Jaloooooou..."
"Don't jit me! Always you jit me!"

*giggle*

Off to make tea and catch up on reading "Wuthering Heights". In a while.


Tea for two... No, make that one...,
Elise

Berserk on YouTube... :-S

Going a little bit retro today. I'm sure you remember these characters:


(Fireman Sam! In Norwegian!)



(This is in English... Couldn't find the Norwegian version of it. Still funky, though!)



(Portveien 2!!!)



(Heee... Smitt og Smule!)



(And then there's of course this one...)



(The Barne-TV intro of my childhood... A bit cheesy, perhaps; and the use of black background isn't exactly fun either, but hey, it's from the 80s!)



(La Linea!!! Notice the oh-so-Italian hand gestures when he falls into the water!)


(The show that made train rides and train stations more fun than before. For me at least. R.I.P., Sverre Holm!)



*Sigh* Memories...

Happy weekend!
Elise

* * * * *

EDIT: Aaand here's the Christmas intro for Barne-TV... Those were the days... *Sigh* (#2)

I shouldn't really be here, but I am...

Huh? Self-discipline? Never heard of it. What's that?

In the midst of the vortex otherwise known as "vigorous essay-writing", I suddenly felt the urge to post something...

Title: All I wanna do is have a little fun before I die... (Sheryl Crow) a.k.a. Waiting for Sara's professor to arrive a.k.a. I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille.

(Hope you guys don't mind me posting this...)

Oh, and good luck on your essays, people!


And gallantly she chickened out (Monty Python, fyi),
Elise


Ps.: Yes, I'm still homesick...

(Taken from the attic living room at home. Not the best pic of a sunset, neither is it the most spectacular sunset I've seen from this spot, but it still makes me homesick. Sigh.)

DeviantArt.

One of the best websites ever if searching for contemporary art! Stumbled over these gorgeous pictures just now:

Silence of the Storm by *angelreich

Structure of Simplicity by *angelreich

Am reminded of Jæren when I see these pics...

I miss the sea! I miss taking walks on the beach and taking pictures of the scenery; I miss having strong salty wind blowing in my face and hair; I miss hearing the seagulls shrieking; I miss seeing trees standing crooked because of all the wind, I miss that wave rock (at Ogna beach there is a huge boulder which has been carved into a wave-like shape by the ocean over presumably several thousands of years) where me and my best friend and her sister used to sit when we were younger and stare out towards the ocean and just talk. I MISS JÆREN, DOGGONIT!!!

Getting homesick,
Elise

Quote! (#2)

I like this one, too:

"Love the moment, and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries." - Corita Kent

Find raisins in that if you can! ;-)

Raisins (and chocolate) forever,
Elise

---

(One further addition to post) Ps.: Oooh! Oooh! Oooh! And another little funny thing:



Heee... Saw that show live a couple of years ago, and that was one of my favorite skits of theirs. I.e. I couldn't help myself from posting it. God bless YouTube!

"Se, han knipser med venstre..."
"JA, DE' GJORDE 'EG!"
"Han skulle brukt høyre hånd..."
"Men gjorde 'eg de'? NÅÅÅI!"

XD...

Dude...

That was one crazy conversation on the comment board (see previous post). And to think that a seemingly innocent quote from Keats set this whole thing off. Professors having dirty minds, followed by raisins, followed by accusations of cross-dressing (*evil death stare* Sara...), Monty Python quotations, provocations, catfights, foodfights and duels. Man, this was random! And y'all know I love randomness! Man, this was fun! Againagainagain! :-P

Anyway, weekly sum-up, then. But what's there to sum up?! My week was basically as monotonous as the songs we learnt to play on the recorder in Primary School! Apart from the fact that I met Sewon and Inger last Wednesday. Sewon because she gave me her water kettle (Yay!), and Inger because... we were going to hang out. Nothing more, nothing less. Of course I wish we'd have spent more time together than those mere 3-4 hours, but due to my classes this could not be done. Grr. Ah well, bottom line, it was great seeing her again. Strange thing is, though, that we live in the same city yet we don't see each other very often. Still, it's understandable, since we're both busy doing our own thang.

But besides that, this week's just a blur. Just a whole mix of reading, washing dishes, washing clothes, cleaning bathroom, reading some more, writing a bit, blogging a bit, commenting a bit, then reading even more. Yes, my life is incredibly interesting! (That was sarcasm.) But spending time with friends, etc. makes the whole difference, really. I just wish... Nah, it's a bit more than a month left now, so I think I'll manage. ;-) Just need to order tickets back home and finish up a few assignments first, then I'm good to go.

Ugh. Assignments... *shiver* Conscience breathing down my neck. Guess I'd better listen to it. Succumb to its immense power. Immerse myself into the depths of... Descartes, Plato and Jane Eyre.

I CAN'T!!!

(But I must.)

I'm gonna go now.

Quote!

Awright, check this one out:

"The only means of strengthening one's intellect is to make up one's mind about nothing - to let the mind be a thoroughfare for all thoughts..." - John Keats

Beautiful, isn't it? Somewhat philosophical, even... Anyway. That's all there is to say at the moment. Stumbled over this excellent quote on Fronter a few minutes ago, and thought I'd share it with y'all.

Happy Monday (or should it be "manic Monday" instead? Correct me if I'm wrong...)!

Elise

Friday fevah!

OK. I'd just added a video here on a certain "Crazy cow", but as I fear that people may get this song stuck in their head the next couple of days I deleted it. I finally came to the conclusion that this was too weird to be embedded in this humble green blog. There is a limit to how much weirdness I will permit myself to post. However surprising it may seem to the reader. Instead, permit me to at least give you a link to the blasted vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydAhqoKGjlk&NR

So, how's this week been? Nerdy as usual, I guess. I won't elaborate. I'll spare you from that. Meanwhile, study weeks have gone all bonkers in each subject. There is NO coordination between subjects at all! So much for going home and/or seeing my dearest. *growl in direction of uni* So what I guess I should do is to make the most of the free time I'm gonna get. A couple of hours a day, that is. *second growl in direction of uni* So the next time I'll be going home is for Easter break. Yarr.

Met up with Se Won today, as she's leaving for Korea in a couple of days. She's giving me her water-cooker/kettle/thingumajig/yaknowwottamean! So now I don't need to bother about bargain hunting! Yay! *Happy dance* Although we haven't had classes together since fall I'm gonna miss her. We've always had good times together. I hope we'll be able to keep in touch, although I actually suck at that.

Besides that, the infamous fire alarm has sounded 3 times this week. Exceedingly fun to stand outside in the (otherwise gloriously) cold night air when you really should be snuggled up in bed and sleeping the night away. And of course it takes another half-an-hour/45 mins to actually go to sleep again afterwards. Annoyed? Moi? Oui, oui.

Don't get me wrong, I really do like living here. Apart from the odd fire alarm sounding I'm quite satisfied with this place. The people are kind (at least most of them), uni's good, and the city center is just a subway ride away. Oh yeah, and they've got humoooooooongous slices of cake here! *swoon* Not to mention good quality sushi. Mmmm... Sushi... Mmm... forbidden candybar... Mmm... Something... Ok, random.

Crap. Sushi cravings again. I've already had chocolate cravings earlier today, due to my flatmate mentioning the gloooooorious concept of CHOCOLATE FONDANT. I don't have to elaborate, do I? Thank God I was able to get a quick fix. ;-) Ooo crap, here it comes again. Must... resist... temptation... of... alluring... chocolate...

So, without further ado I will hereby complete this carefully-concocted, yet oh-so-random post and leave you with this tongue-twister to ponder on:

A canner exceedingly canny
One morning remarked to his granny:
"A canner can can anything that he can can, but a canner can't can a can." Can he?

Oooh. Cleeever. :-P

Power to the Oreos,
Elise

Ps.: SERIOUSLY!!! WHICH COMMERCIAL is that Dolly Parton song taken from?! I'm starting to get frustrated! (And I'm reeeally close to giving up my mission of solving this mystery.)

This sucks.

Still can't figure out where I've heard that Dolly Parton song. And none of the people I've asked about this can figure it out either. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

And about that "Cogito ergo sum" thing by Descartes, what about those times when you just don't seem to be thinking at all? You know, those times when your mind seems to be totally blank. Are you alive then? Somehow I don't think Descartes thought about those moments. Hm. Nevermind.

I am random. Hear me roar.

Anyway, I should be studying. Ergo, I'm going to study. Now.

Parting is such sweet sorrow (i.e. that sucks, too),
Elise

Ps.: NOW I'm gonna study.

*snapping maracas and stomping feet*

Had to giggle a bit when I noticed there were no "bewildered looks" on that last post. ;-) Didn't really come as a surprise to y'all that I wrote that stuff, did it? That skit with the Swedish Chef is one of my favorites, though. Anyway. *Shoves thought aside*

Saturday! Weekend! Woohoo! (Dare I say *happy dance*?) Less than a week until myyyy preciousssss comes to visit me! Those of you who know about this can probably guess that I'm reeeally looking forward to this...

Got a song stuck in my head today. Nothing out of the ordinary, I know, but this one reminded me of a commercial I couldn't (and still can't) put my finger on. The song I'm thinking of is "Here You Come Again" by Dolly Parton (don't ask). Now I know this is from a commercial which was aired aaages ago, but I still can't figure out which product it was used for. There was a car involved, too, I think. Could it be milk? Yoghurt? Chocolate? Lottery? Idunnooo... And it's annoying. *whimper*

Here's the song I'm thinking about, in case it doesn't ring a bell for you at once:


Ooooh. Mulder and Scully making ooout... Ooooh... ;-) Couldn't find one where Dolly Parton herself performed it, so I went for Mulder and Scully instead. Works just fine for me. At least you get the original version of the song. But yeah, still wondering about that ancient commercial, though. I remember me and my best friend pondering about this last summer, but we didn't come up with anything. Frustrating! I need chocolate.

Meanwhile, I was kind of astonished during my Spanish classes this week, because it seems as if we don't focus that much on the oral use of the language, but rather more on the written. I miss Sonans. I miss Terje's classes, 'cause since day 1 we really used Spanish in communicating to each other. I miss when me and Oeinao used to talk to each other in Spanish and laughing our heads off because of the strange words they used (e.g. "chiticallando", meaning "unnoticed"/"ubemerket"). Here we just seem to listen to the lecturer all the time.

Hm. Maybe I'm being too hasty in drawing conclusions about this. After all, we haven't really gone through that much in class yet. It's another way of teaching. I should give it a chance. Yes. I should. But I still miss Sonans! It was intense, but extremely fun! At the end of the session you'd have Spanish words and phrases buzzing around inside your head for hours, and then you found yourself making absurd sentences without any grammatical cohesion at all. That was fun. I liked that. I miss that.

There you go; my weekly release of frustration. Yarr. Shiver me timbers. Enough said. 'Till next time! :-D

Spamalot,
Elise

For whom the bell tolls...

I have no clue why I wrote that. Just the first thing that came to mind, I guess. For whom does the bell toll, anyways? (Asked the ignoramus who hasn't even read the book.) Random, I know. But randomness, as we all know, rules.

Have just finished reading the whole first act of "Julius Caesar" (and there are still 4 more to go... *swallows hard*), which took me... well, quite a while, to be honest. But there are still tons of questions buzzing about in my mind about certain things, even though I managed to get the basic synopsis down. (Sort of.) Like, for instance, what's up with that pun at the very beginning of the act? What's the double meaning of the "cobbler"? There's the idea of the mender of shoes, but what's the other one? :-S *whimper* Just couldn't get any answer to that at all.

Oh yeah, and why was there a grudge between the Senate and Caesar? I mean, when I think of the Senate I automatically think democracy, and when I think of democracy I automatically think of peace. Then again, he was quite brutal against his enemies, as one part of the text describes (two people who removed decorations in the streets during the feast of Lupercalia were apparently "put to silence" by Caesar). He might also have been decadent (which could be sufficient a reason as to why people disliked him), but was Caesar corrupt in any way? Mind you, I haven't read anything at all about Caesar's life (besides that teeny tiny bit on the York Notes booklet), so excuse my ignorance on this subject. I don't expect any answers to rise from this... Heck, I probably don't even have to go this much into detail, even. However, I should perhaps google some of this stuff... Or search fervently on Wikipedia, for that matter. Not yet, though. Can't be bothered. Aaanyway. Enough nerdy talk.

Snow. It's been snowing almost non-stop all day today! Exclude the gusts of wind, and you have perfect weather right there! I took the subway over to my aunt and uncle's to go to church with them, and it was snowing. My uncle drove me back to my flat, and it was snowing. I read the whole first act of "Julius Caesar", it was snowing. I ate dinner. It was still snowing. Now, I'm blogging. And it stopped snowing. Yarr. Ah well. At least there's snow. Unlike at home. *smirks, snorts, points and laughs out loud*

And while we're all in the random mood today...



"Hinges hoorn de keeken smoosher!"

So, today's lesson is: Never cut a "Japanese" chocolate cake. You'll only get communication problems. This goes for Swedish chefs in particular. ;-)

Give us today our daily randomness...

Diapers to the world,
Elise

Español, el futuro y tonterías...

And then suddenly the week of classes was over. Oh my cat. (Variation of "Oh my dog", which again is a variation on "Oh my God", in case you were wondering.) Time goes so fast when... you're actually doing something other than lazing around. :-S Uh... yeah.

I can't wait to start with Spanish again (have just had my introductory lecture for Spanish today)! :-D Not only is it an incredibly fascinating language (in terms of grammar (yes, I actually do like grammar. Please don't shout), word order, the words themselves and the way they are pronounced), but Spanish and Latin-American history and culture are quite interesting as well. Just think of it: Flamenco. Salsa. Tango. Gypsy Kings. Don Quijote de La Mancha. Salvador Dalí. Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón). Antoni Gaudí. Juanes. "La Bamba". Maracas. La Sagrada Familia. Bullfights (mind you, I'm not particularly fond of this brutal yet odd Spanish pastime...). Catholicism (!). Rigoberta Menchú. Evita Perón. Turrón. Paella. Excellent hot chocolate (so thick and creamy you have to eat it with a spoon... aaah... *longing sigh*). And last, but not least... MANUEL FROM "FAWLTY TOWERS"!!! ("¿Qué?") *smirks*

So if things go as planned I might even consider taking a semester/year to somewhere in Spain, maybe the 4th or 5th semester. Mmm, Spain... That would be so awesome... But my mind isn't made up yet. I'm also considering Canada and the UK, you see. And for all I know, I might even save this time abroad for my possible Master's/2nd Bachelor (Spanish). I don't know. "I know nooooothing." (As said by the abovementioned Manuel.) It all depends on this semester, I guess.

I have to admit it's sort of frustrating not to know what you'll end up as (as I'm sure Eva can relate to... Pray, should I even be announcing this here?). Will I end up as a teacher at some fancy international school, or simply as a cashier at a seedy restaurant? Blimey. Hope it's not the last alternative. No offense to restaurant employees, of course. "Oh, what is to become of us?" Mrs. Bennet of "Pride & Prejudice" repeatedly said. And she couldn't express it more explicitly than that. Between those massive headaches and the frequent complaining about her nerves, and gossiping, she did have a few moments of - well, no, actually she was pretty silly throughout that novel. Imagine having a mother like that. Ugh. Enough about "Pride & Prejudice" already! It's not even on my curriculum (unfortunately). *shoves thought aside* Let's go read (about) Plato, shall we?

Oooh. Rick Astley. (Sorry, listening to sugar-and-polyester-coated bouncy 80's pop. Reminds me of this Royal Variety show when I was about 2 years old, or so...) Fascinating voice on that dude. Then again, most male pop artists had that kind of voice in those days. Or so it seemed. Anyway, enough pointless chitchat. Off for a date with Shakespeare and Plato. (Don't be jealous, hon'! :-P This is strictly... platonic. õ.O)

No soy una conejilla (¿Este? ¿Una tontería? ¡Claro que sí!),
Elise

My 100th post.

*pops open a bottle of champagne... or BonAqua... or simply fills a glass with tap water* Woohoo! Let's celebrate, eh?

Or not.

Finally back in Oslo and the weather is GRRRREAT! I'm planning on going outside. In a minute. Came back yesterday. This time, the train ride wasn't exactly as dauntingly tedious as I thought it would be. I'd actually managed to do some of the things I was supposed to do, like to read my latest literary challenge, "Wide Sargasso Sea" by Jean Rhys. Well, I managed to read the whole introduction, at least.

Didn't really get to sleep that much, as there was this slightly tipsy fellow who kept walking/waddling back and forth down the aisle talking to himself. In addition, there was this elderly chap who sat behind me and kept talking loudly on his cell phone. "SO, I WAS WONDERING IF I COULD COME OVER TO YOUR PLACE AT AROUND SEVEN?!?!?!?... YES!!!... OF COURSE I CAN!!!" And of course he'd drunk beer, so I could sense the gentle whiff of alcohol not only from the aisle where the tipsy chap was waddling, but from behind me as well. As the phone-talking dude still kept on chattering in 150 decibels while I was trying to sleep, I also noticed that his breath turned increasingly sour by the minute - up to the point that I had to turn away from the glorious landscape outside my window. Sadly. Sigh. I wasn't really annoyed, but... Ok, maybe I was a little annoyed. Oh well, it was just a train ride.

It's strange, though, how much you notice the little quirks of other people sitting around you when you're in that kind of situation. Then you start imagining how they are related to each other; their pasts, presents and futures. Then, before you know it, you've created a whole synopsis of a novel. Amazing what a train ride can give you! Maybe it's because you're more prone to getting bored. Maybe it's because you're likely to not have that much to do in such cases. Maybe both. But I have to admit - it is kind of fun.

Meanwhile, I'm feeling a bit homesick. I miss my family. I miss Mom. I miss Dad. Don't miss their nagging about the same trivialities, though (!). Even though most of my friends have returned back to their respective cities to study/work/both, and even though we're spread out all across the country, I still miss them. One considerably more than the rest, but that's another story...

Aaaanyway, I should really go grocery shopping before it gets too dark. The sun's starting to get that eveningy, sunsety glow. And it's only 2pm. Dude. And of course, the roads are icy, with some parts where the ice has melted so that it gets even more slippery... aaand the road workers haven't managed to gravel them yet. Drat. I'll manage one way or another. Just walk like an old lady. Easy as pie. Until I fall. If I fall. Ugh. Anyway. Enough nonsense for now. I'm gonna get going now.

Joy to the world,
Elise

I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist...

Whoopsadaisies...



Got this pic from a friend of mine yesterday, who is on her way back to London right about now. (Or she might be there already.) Just had to share this with you guys!

Oh yes, and of course another Monty Python vid. Couldn't resist this either. Especially since they're speaking Spanish. "Las llamas son más grandes que las ranas... Olé!... Quidado, quidado, quidado, quidado, hay llamas!" (Or whatever they were saying.)



Enough silliness for now. Off to face new and (non-)challenging adventures.

Looking out for llamas (in Rogaland? You're joking!),
Elise

A contrastive post.

It always feels so strange starting off a new year. 2006 is all over and done with and suddenly we're in 2007. I don't know. It doesn't really sound very strange, but it just seems to have that effect on me. And to think that in a matter of seconds on New Year's Eve one goes from one year to another. Strange. Utterly peculiar.

I guess it's times like that when you really get struck by how fast time goes. Seriously, it seems as if it was only one week ago since I studied Spanish at Sonans and two weeks since I did IB at ISS. Actually it's more like one year and 2-3 years respectively. Dude. This is like... weird, man.

In addition to this, it feels strange to look over your shoulder and think about how much you've accomplished so far. But it's even stranger to think about what you're going to accomplish in the future. Complete studies, get a job (presumably permanent), settle down with hubby, get a cat (see further details here), have kids, grow old, see grandchildren... Argh. I'm still young; I don't want to think about getting old. Why should I? I'm still young. All I'm hoping for, though, is just a stable, happy and good life. That's all I ask for. No funny business. No strings attached. And for that matter, I'm hoping the same for all of you people reading this blog (as well as those who don't), whoever you are and however you may be related to me.

Thoughtful, this was. Hm. I should even this out a bit.



"If you hadn't nailed it to the perch, it would be pushing up the daisies! (...) THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!!!" Heeee... Norwegian Blue... A classic... Monty Python rocks!!!

There. Thoughtfulness cancelled out by silliness. Mission complete.

Happy Friday,
Elise

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Yeah. That's basically what I wanted to say. This year's gonna be completely different than the others. Because of... well, that belated, yet most utterly fantastic Christmas gift I got... ;-) (And I'm not talking of the strong winds and rain we got for New Year's Eve, even though that was quite refreshing.)

New Year's Eve was just the same ol', same ol', really. Had a quiet celebration with my parents and stood outside in the wind with sparkly wotsits ("stjerneskudd"... Any idea what this is called in English? "Shooting stars" doesn't really sound right...) while looking at the fireworks. And of course, as during the previous New Year's Eves, there was an ever-present smell of burnt wood and... err... explosives... In addition to all this, there were a few people who couldn't resist sending up a few fireworks during the afternoon (actually they fired up some a few days before as well); you know, just to annoy the rest of us who were anxiously waiting for midnight. So while we were having our turkey dinner, did the dishes, watched TV, sent text messages to people and talked, we heard loud cracks, bangs and booms. Patience? A virtue? You've got to be kidding me.

Some pretty good fireworks, though. Gotta hand it to 'em.

And while we're in on the topic of fireworks, there was a little incident right before midnight last night in one of the neighboring houses close to where I live. We were sitting inside minding our own business and watching the tube when suddenly we heard an unusually large bang. Which lasted considerably longer than what we expected. When we went outside to look, we found out that a batch of fireworks had exploded inside the garage of one of our neighbors. The parents appeared to be out for the evening with all their kids but one, who was having one of those binge-drinking parties. You know the kind; empty house, son invites friends and their girlfriends over, they get drunk, go outside to e.g. smoke a bit, shoot up one or two fireworks and suddenly end up igniting the whole bunch. Thus making the whole neighborhood (and then some) startle by a great big "booooooooooooooooom". Happy New Year. *sarcasm* Thank God nobody got hurt, though.

Ok. This should be enough for a while, don't you think? Off to read "Mrs. Dalloway" now. (Strange book.) But first, foooooood.

"Jeg tok min nystemte sitar i hende" (:-D),
Elise