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
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Sunday, January 21, 2007
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
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
Thursday, January 18, 2007
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
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
Saturday, January 13, 2007
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
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
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
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
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
Friday, January 05, 2007
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
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
Monday, January 01, 2007
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
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
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