March Update - Spring Time!

I know it's technically April already, but since I had my best friend visiting me here in Bergen for the end of March I decided it was no crime to finish this post a little late. 

Easter is over, but it's finally spring <3

Did you do anything exciting?
It seems like the answer to this particular question is always YES!
And as I've mentioned before, my best friend, Maria, visited me during the Easter-holiday. We had a thon of fun! However, I've actually quite forgotten to document much of it, so there aren't really that many pictures to show you... I'll try to do better next month :)
However, most of February was spent with my little gang of boys. We've truly had a great time doing all sorts of things... Basically staying up all night and sleeping most of the day :D I'm so grateful that I got to know these guys!

Funniest thing that happened?
Ow... thats hard! There has been so many fantastic moments...
But one I remember was when I decided to visit one of my best friends here in Bergen, Ken Martin, when he was at work. I actually got to know him through Facebook... which I usually never do! Anyway, since I got to know him through messages and such I've actually never met his girlfriend. So when I walked into the kiosk where he works and saw that a girl was sitting next to him behind the counter, I can't be blaimed for thinking it was her... However, she acted really wired as I said hello to him, and did not seem to want to notice me at all? After the longest and most tense silence I've experienced in a while he finally presented us for each other. It turned out that she was just a friend of him waiting to catch a train, and that she thought I was his girlfriend! We all had a good laugh about it... especially Ken Martin himself!

Best movies you've seen?
As you can probably see in the sidebar to the right, I've been watching a lot of movies recently. The best one was probably Argo (rewieved here) which surprised me by being far better than I'd anticipated. Others worth mentioning are Pitch Perfect, basically Glee made into a movie... The Croods, an animation I loved more than I thought I would... And the two "older" movies Monsters, Inc. and X-men Origins: Wolverine.

Favorite edible thing?

Tapas at Zupperia with Maria <3

When Maria visited we ate so many fantastic and exciting things I honestly don't know which was best!  Standout moments were when we tried tapas, sushi and a fantastic noodle-dish with beef. Zupperia and Namo, we are coming back :)

I must also mention the black pasta I got served at a dinnerparty at Simon's house! Cool, right?

Which songs have you listened to the most?
Actually my playlists have mostly been quite similar to the ones I listeden to during February... For me, who's not that good at keeping track of all the new and good music out there, finding new music can take hours! But I kind of "rediscovered" Vices & Virtues by Panic! At The Disco... it's awesome!

"My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark" - Fall Out Boy
"Try" - Pink
"Sara Smiles" - Panic! At The Disco
"Trade Mistakes" - Panic! At The Disco
"Tokyo Ice Til Clementine" - Kaizers Orchestra
"Let's Kill Tonight" - Panic! At The Disco

Favorite material things?

Here I'm gonna be really girly actually! You see, I walked by Kicks one day and suddenly spotted a new parfume from the brand Escada. I love all their scents so I decided to smell this one as it was the limited edition spring fragrance named Cherry In The Air... Needles to say it smelled so good I actually bought it on the spot. Love it.




Something that made you proud?

I actually went jogging! Once... But still, better that none! It's been so freaking cold here that it's not been very tempting to go outside more than absolutely needed, but as I can finally feel the spring heat creeping upon us I'm going to try my best to get at least a bare minimum of exercise. I need it!

What did you learn?
During the past couple of months I've met so many new people I couldn't count them all even if I wanted to. Meeting new people is always both exciting and frightning at the same time... And I've always been one of those people who has to constantly make a choice to put myself out there and be social and talk to new people. It just doesn't come naturally to me... But the thing I've learned is to just be myself and be open about me and my life and ask a lot of questions... In doing that I'm always nice to the people I meet, but I also know that not everybody will like me or like the way I am. That's life. But in accepting that I also discovered that I had nothing to loose. Those who do not like me wouldn't have been great friends anyway, and those who take me for the person I am can become true friends :)

What are you looking forward to?
I'm actually going home again in two weeks, so that'll be this month's thing to look forward to <3

Some Girls Buy Shoes, I Buy Film-Classics!

I'm a 90's-child, which means that when I was old enough to gain an interest for films (that weren't one of Disney's children's-films) we had already spent a lot of time in the 2000's. And when one of my favorite things to do was to go to the cinema I naturally watched a lot of new films...

Don't misunderstand! A lot of the best movies I know were made quite recently. But now, that I'm older, I have suddenly become interested in the classics. The ones that shaped the industry and the epic ones that stay with you forever. Somehow some masterpieces survive their own time and generations and engage new audiences year after year. As a self-declared film-geek there are some films I just *need* to have seen.

But! When I say classic, it's truly a very loose term. For me it can be used of silent-films (Chaplin) and black-and-white films (Double Indemnity) as well as some of the great pieces made in the late 90's and early 2000's. Yesterday it hit me that 1995 was not quite recently... it's actually nearly twenty years ago! So I must say that movies like these (and a lot of others I don't have here with me in Bergen at the moment) has earned the right to call themselves a "classic"

Gladiator (2000), Edward Sissorhands (1990), Black Hawk Down (2001), Catch Me If You Can (2002)
The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Return of the King (2002), Two Towers (2003), Braveheart 1995)

That being said, I suddenly and compleatily unplanned bought no less than four movies today! I was just going to the grocery-store when I noticed thet the local record-store had a thon of film-classics on sale... Weak as I am I simply couldn't resist. But to justify it all I pretend that I bought them using some of the money I got for my birthday. That somehow makes it more "ok" to buy four dvd's on a whim. Anyway, here's my result...

The Usual Suspects (1995)
"A boat has been destroyed, criminals are dead, and the key to this mystery lies with the only survivor and his twisted, convoluted story beginning with five career crooks in a seemingly random police lineup."

This one is the only one I was actually looking for (along with Memento, which was sold out). A guy recommended it to me this past sunday, and I became so curious I knew I had to see it. With brilliant reviews and the position as #26 on IMDb's list of the 250 best movies in the world I figured it was worth a try?

Cosmopolis (2012) 

"Riding across Manhattan in a stretch limo in order to get a haircut, a 28-year-old billionaire asset manager's day devolves into an odyssey with a cast of characters that start to tear his world apart."

This is the only new one I got. I remember reading about it in Empire a while ago noting that it had gotten a lot of great reviews. I'm sure it's a very odd and peculiar movie... but that's not necessarily a bad thing? Anyway, it's got Robert Pattinson, and in his post-Twilight-days he's become one of my all-time favorites.

Fight Club (1999)

"An insomniac office worker and a carefree soap maker form an underground fight club that transforms into a violent revolution."

This sounds kind of brutal. I won't deny that. But it holds the #10-spot on IMDb's top-25-list. There must be a reason? At least it's got both Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter...

Lèon (1994)

"A professional assassin rescues a teenage girl whose parents were killed in a police raid."

As always I find myself almost drawn to the slightly odd movies out there... This one reminds me a little of a better version of "Hannah". If so, I think It'll be good. Gary Oldman and a very young Natalie Portman makes this look interesting. It'll either be brilliant or disastrous, as is often the case. Currently at #31 on IMDb's top-250-list I'm hoping for the first.

As you can see I've actually started at the top of the ever-so-famous list Internet Movie Database has made of the 250 best/most liked movies in the world at the moment. I figured it was a good starting-point to get to know some of the must-see movies out there. And as this actually is a combination of fun and school-related education it makes it easier to find the time to enjoy a film now and then...

Lastly, If you're sitting there thinking: "But Bente, what about all the "real" classics? Won't you watch anything older than the 90's?" My answer is no, I've *not* forgotten about them! I'll definitely find time to watch movies like "The Godfather", "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", "Casablanca", "To Kill a Mockingbird","Vertigo" and "Citizen Kane" which I very nearly bought today. Want to have a movie-night with me!?

Also on my watch-list at the moment...

January Update - Back in Bergen

I recently got inspired to make a "January Update" after watching one of Kalel's videos on Youtube (WonderlandWardrobe). You should totally check her out! I took the liberty of stealing her questions and added some of my own, so here we go...


Did you do anything exciting? 

Well... I'm back in Bergen for my second term at the University. Even though it was a little sad to leave my family and friends after having spent an entire month in Stavanger, it was also kind of refreshing to come back and start all over. For those of you that didn't know, my first semester as a student actually failed miserably .. But I'm definitely both stronger and wiser this time around, so my hopes are up and I'm thinking positive thoughts!

I also feel obliged to mention I recently celebrated my 19th birthday! It was the day before I had to leave Stavanger, so I managed to gather a bunch of my best friends. The result: I had an awesome day!

Funniest thing that happened? 

I share kitchen with no less than seven other people, so when I make dinner I tend to meet one of them at some point. The only problem about this is that I'm terrible at multitasking! It's like my brain can only keep enough information to complete one task at the time. With this in mind I'm sure you can picture what happened when I met some of my flat-mates while making dinner my first couple of days after returning after the holidays? Trying to catch up and keep a conversation while cooking was just an impossibility... So there I was, small-talking to the best of my abilities, and all I did in the meantime was finding knifes and bowls and frying pans and move them around a lot to nurse the illusion of being seemingly busy. It must have looked *so* awkward! 

Best movies you’ve seen?
I actually haven't seen a lot of movies this month... There are quite a couple currently playing at the cinemas I wish I'd seen (such as Silver Linings Playbook, Life of Pi and Les Miserables) but I've seen some older dvd's. The first I have to mention is an old film noir in black and white named "Double Indemnity". A friend recommended it for me, and I'm glad he did! Even though it was from 1944 it was really exciting and had brilliant actors. Totally worth watching for movie-lovers!

Yesterday I finally got around watching "Braveheart". It's been on my list for quite a while, and when I got it for Christmas it was only a matter of making time for a three-hour-movie. I knew I'd like it, as some of my all-time favorites include "The Gladiator", "Robin Hood" and "Troy", but I was quite surprised by how good it actually turned out to be! When it managed to bring me to tears only ten minutes in, I knew I was up for a rare treat...

Favorite edible thing?
Asian food. I'm obsessed. And we're *not* talking about fast-food or something... Homemade all the way! With good guidance from my cook-books I have managed to conjure dish after dish using stuff like soy-souce, rice, chicken, beef, sherry and rice-wine. Hungry anyone?

Which songs have you listened to the most?
I actually bought a lot of albums these past couple of weeks. However, the one I was most excited about was no doubt "Night Visions", Imagine Dragons' first album. I'll write a separate blog-post for that little piece of wonder. All I'll say for now is that it did *not* disappoint!

Top tracks:

"Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons

"Siste Dans" - Kaizers Orchestra

"Burn It Down" - Linkin Park

"Hall of Fame" - The Script

"Miss Atomic Bomb" - The Killers

Favorite material things? 

I got new headphones for Christmas... enough said!

Something that made you proud?
I have successfully managed to set up a budget for the entire spring! I've also accounted for all the money I've spent in January so far. I hate math, so this was quite a feat for me!

What did you learn?
To cook! And also not to "steal" money from my food-budget to buy other stuff. I tended to do that a little too often in the past...

What are you looking forward to?

A lot! My best friend and I actually booked our summer-vacation recently, so in a couple of months I'm officially headed to London for the first time! But I won't have to wait until then to do something fun, 'couse the Oscars are soon upon us and I'll of course be watching the entire broadcast live together with my sister! I'm actually so pathetic/awesome I'll throw myself on a plane to Stavanger to be able to keep our Oscar-night-tradition <3 I was also very happy to find out she'll be visiting me here in Bergen right after that. 

But before all of this comes an event I've been awiting for half a year... In less than two weeks I'm going to Stavanger to see Kaizers Orchestra live in the new concert-hall! They'll be joined by Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, so I'm not overestimating when I say this will be epic!

Why can't everything be perfect!

Why am I not doing anything creative at the moment?
Why am I hardly doing anything at all?
Why do everything have to be so perfect all the time?
It's sort of like I discovered that there were so many talented people out there, and that I was never going to get anything perfect, so why even try.

I'm not the person to make new year's resolutions. According to me I can change things any day if I want to. It's not like January 1st has some magical power that makes the change "better" or more "permanent". It's just a date like all the other 364 days of the year.

However... After spending the entire last week watching a lot of youtube-videos and vlogs and blogs and so on, I suddenly decided that I simply can not sit and watch everyone else be productive and creative while I do nothing. Because I really do want to make things, but like I said I want them to be perfect at first try.

But I'm not the only one bothered by this very problem...
Most notably this was communicated by the very famous Charlie McDonnell (charlieissocoollike)

And also by Dan Howell (danisnotonfire)

And most recently by Chris Kendall (crabstickz) who made an uproar last week when he stated that he was quitting Youtube. However, he did not quit totally, just decided to get rid of all the thoughts and expectations that had started to weigh him down constantly.

I'm not even close to the situations they are describing, but some of the things they said really hit me.
Ok, so hardly anything I'm able to make at the moment will be as perfect and brilliant and flawless as i want it to be. And I'll always be my own worst judge... But if I don't do anything I've already lost!

The outcome of all of this was that I eventually decided to start slowly by trying to take up writhing and breath life into this blog again. It's not much compared to all the stuff I want to do... but it's still a step up from nothing at all. I also decided that I'm not going to limit myself and this blog to solely consist of perfect, well written, long and arranged posts about music, youtube, tv-shows or music. While I definitely will wright about all of those kinds of things, I also want to add some of my own thoughts and experiences and things happening in my life. Not at all because I, or my life, is particularly interesting .. Just because I occasionally need to share my thoughts to prevent my head from eventually blowing up or something.

Well, that was all I wanted to say for now. We all learn as long as we live, and I have to do a little more living to learn some more...

See you around the next corner :)

The Kaizervirus

As most of my norwegian readers already know, The Kaizervirus is spreading across Norway, Europe and beyond. But I thought I'd make this post anyway to enlighten those of you who don't know.

So, first thing first...

Who and what is Kaizers Orchestra?

Well, they are...

Jan Ove "The Jackal" Kaizer (Vocal)

Geir "Hellraiser" Kaizer (2nd guitar)

Terje "Killmaster" Kaizer (1st guitar)

Rune "Mink" Kaizer (drums)

Helge "Omen" Kaizer (Pump-organ)

Øyvind "Thunder" Kaizer (bass)

And that's just about it!

Adressing the what-issue, Kaizers Orchestra is probably the most famous Norwegian band since... ever? At least they've done what many thought impossible: Make a Norwegian band, singing in Norwegian, that is not a heavy metal-group, famous abroad. Now fans all over the world actually learn Norwegian just to sing Kaizers-songs!

Formally, Kaizers Orchestra is an alternative rock-group, but they don't let themselves be pinned down to just one genre. With "instruments" like a pump-organ, ash-trays, trash-bin-lids, hubcaps and their ever-so-famous oil barrows they are truly unike and never boring. Some describe their style as messy, noisy and just a mashup of screeching sounds. I used to be one of those... But increesingly many people all over Europe and beyond love their style and theatricality, and they are said to be Norway's best live-band.

Just to clear some things up, the band formed in 2000 and have published eight albums since then, so they are in no way in the "new-and-upcoming-category". And secondly, I'm not at all fitted to be a spokesperson for them or their music, as I only a couple of months ago suddenly discovered that I actually liked them.

What is The Kaizervirus?
You see, they are from Jæren in Norway, which is basically where I'm from. (It's about 20 minutes from Stavanger.) And they even sing in my dialect, which would probably be called Stavangersk or Jærsk. It's actually got a very special, odd and distinct sound to it. In Norway people either love it but can't imitate it, or they hate it and think it's broad and ugly. Either way there are even a lot of Norwegians that can't understand it very well... My point is: All of Kaizers' lyrics are written and preformed in this dialect, which is a very bold and un-common choice.

Anyway, to complete their album trilogy named "Violeta, Violeta", they have developed an android-app named The Kaizervirus. Basically you just install it on your phone, go for a walk, and suddenly your phone tells you that you have been infected by one of the viruses. Which means that you walked by another person who'd already been infected. Then you open the app and you get to listen to one of the bright new songs from the not-yet-released album "Violeta, Violeta: Volume 3". After a while, the band will release another song, and it will start to spread just like the others. After all the songs have been spread the album will be released... It's never been done before, it's awesome and it actually works!

The music video for the first single, Aldri Vodka, Violeta, has been released today and can be watched HERE.

The second song, Siste Dans, and its intro has been leaked unto Youtube...

Why haven't you been a fan of these for years already?
I know. Stupid me. My problem is this: I always refuse to pay any interest to what "everyone else" is into at the moment. I don't listen to the Billboard Hot 100, or read the bestselling books, or buy some kind of clothes that everyone wears... You get the point. It's not because I want to be cooler or better than anyone else, it's simply because it's boring. It doesn't tell anything about who you are.

This sort of thinking sometimes makes me very "late" in discovering popular things that were actually great! I discovered The Lord Of The Rings seven years ago, the Harry Potter-series five years ago, the Twilight-saga three years ago, MUSE two years ago, and so on... Since Kaizers was basically from Stavanger, where I grew up, they were very popular and "everybody" loved them. As you have already guessed, I did not. Perhaps mostly because my little sister became so into them? I figured she could have a passion I didn't "interrupt".

Sadly that ment that I only recently discovered how great Kaizers Orchestra really were. But, better late than never...

Now I'm trying to make up for lost time, as I'm actually going to see them live in the new Stavanger Concert Hall together with my sister in February! She told me I could not embarras her by not knowing any of their songs. I guess I'll just start in one end or the other?

So, twelve years later, I hope I'm still welcome into the line of Kaizers-fans...

I Just Have To Dance

I have always loved to dance!

Ever since I was a little kid I've been constantly dancing around. Although, then I most frequently had to dance the "men's part" since my little sister was the ballerina/princess of the house. (I had very short hair back then, so if you didn't look closely I could probably pass as a boy!) I even tried to choreograph her and make up some sort of "real" dance, but unfortunately that always seemed to fail. We were a wired couple that did not always cooperate too well.

The sad part of this story is that I didn't know/realize/remember that I could actually start dancing in a group. As a hobby of sorts. I tried almost everything else though. Gymnastics and volleyball being some of it. But was too tall to be a gymnast and not passionate enough to join a volleyball team. Eventually I gave up all kinds of sports and started reading. That at least, I found that I was good at!

From seventh grade until ninth grade I suddenly started to read so much I ended up doing nothing else. Reading is a very good thing to do, and it surely raised my grades quite a bit, but it can also be too much. Happily I realized that before things came out of hand, and I started to hang out with friends and such. I never fully stopped reading though, I just read less than before. My "salvation" of sorts became my best friend and the sparkling interest for movies.

About two and a half year ago I suddenly told my dad I wanted to start dancing. I don't know how I got the Idea, but I can only guess the "Step Up"-films and "Save The Last Dance" had something to do with it. There was just one little problem... I started dancing HIP HOP!

Everybody that knows me can tell you I'm NOT a hip hop kind of girl. I've just not got "swag". But one always learns best from failure, which I also did eventually. It took a whole year though. Then I finally came with a really good idea: jazz-dance! Everybody in my class had danced longer than me, but I loved it, and soon I started to fit right in. Pointy toes, straight arms and legs, pirouettes... I suddenly realized this was me. My genre at last. I even joined in on the gigantic Christmas-show "Aladdin". Don't we look sparkly!

After a year I moved up from level one to a level two class (out of three). Everything suddenly became much harder, and I found I had to really work to get to the technique right, but the challenge was accepted, and I was really enjoying myself. And while taking my jazz-dance class, I also completed half a year of ballet (to get better technique), and almost half a year of contemporary.

Even though this sounds like a happy ending, I'm afraid I must say It's not... You see, I hurt my right-hand wrist doing a pirouette in our basement. The roof was too low. Don't ask how I managed to do it, but I shifted something inside my wrist, and suddenly it became sore and stiff. This all happened after Christmas last year, and ever since I've never been able to fully recover. My doctor told me it's sort of an on-and-off thing, and that it can mysteriously disappear or re-appear, and that it could take years to get rid of it.

In addition to my bad luck, I manage to injure my knee too! I'm not entirely sure how that happened either, but I think it just happened while walking in Paris this summer. If I was to describe it to you, I'd say it feels like it would do if you stood up straight and someone stood in front of you, put both hands on top of your left knee and gave it a hard nudge. Not a nudge from behind, couse that would just make your knee bend and you'd fall. But a nudge the other way. The way a knee is not ment to bend...

Today it's been almost seven months since I last danced. I miss it so much it's difficult to explain. Just the freedom and joy and grace it brings. The feeling of mastering something when I finally get a move right. If you are a dancer, you know what I'm talking about.

Yesterday I packed away my dance-shoes and my ballet-clothes. I decided to take half a year off dancing to fully recover from my various injuries, because I've recently moved to another city, and because I needed the time to study as it's my first year at the university. All these are good and justified reasons, but I'll still miss it. Can't wait until the day I can un-pack my dance-shoes again...

Codename: "Dinner"

One thing about living alone

You suddenly have to feed yourself

No one will call you

To freshly cooked dinner

Or even

Remind you that you're hungry

Man up

Make your own food appear

I found...

It's really not that difficult

Sometimes

It's even kind of fun

Ten things I've learned this week

1. I love internet

I mean... If I didn't I wouldn't have a blog, a frequently used Facebook account, a Twitter account so that I can stalk my favorite celebrities, a Youtube account so I can make playlists and comment videos, a university user-account (because I have to), a Google account to check my mail, an Empire-online account to keep me updated on movie-news and so on... I figure you get my point. Nevertheless, we finally got Wi-Fi here, and I've been using it well!

2. Cleaning is necessary

This wednesday my fellow "room-mates" (living in the other rooms on this floor) and I finally got together to wash everything in the entire kitchen and the two bathrooms. I can honestly say it was about time. Probably it's been over a year since anyone did it last time, and with eight people sharing one kitchen and two bathrooms you can only begin to imagine how dirty it was! After almost three hours I'm finally able to stay out there for a longer periode of time...

3. Fridges are useful

My mother and I bought a mini-fridge when she was her last weekend. Now I can hardly imagine how I'd be able to live without it! There's a big fridge out in the kitchen, but it's ment to be shared by eight people. Which is probably five or six too much. Now that I've got my own I can fill it up and live on it for a week or two! And best of all, I can make myself some breakfast before I get dressed and put on makeup and such. It's brilliant!



4. Food is expensive

I have always known that food costs a lot of money. Especially in Norway. But exactly how much was a tiny surprise. When I bought all the food I needed to fill my fridge I actually ended up paying 890 kroner! In US dollars that would be 155$... That's a lot. Luckily I won't have to pay that much next time I'm buying some food, because some of the things I bought are things that last a very long time. Well, it'd be easy to live on a diet with prices like that!

5. I'm lost without keys

To get in to my room I have to unlock three doors. One to get through the main entrance, one to get into my floor and one to get into my own room. It's easy to see I'm kind of attached to my keys. Or... should be. I learned that the hard way (as I always seem to do) by forgetting my keys inside when I went to the grocery store. You see, I joined one of the girls from my floor, and then I didn't need keys on my way out. What I forgot was that she was only buying one thing while I had an entire list, so naturally she finished before me. When I finally got back to our house I suddenly froze outside the main entrance painfully aware that I had no way of getting in. Since I've not yet been as smart as getting the phone numbers of the other guys in case a thing like this should happen, there was nothing to do but wait. After ten minutes of laughing about how stupid I'd been someone from third floor luckily came out. They looked a bit surprised to stumble upon a girl outside their door, but I just thanked them and rushed in. I'd not locked my room (the keys were inside) so I just had to knock on the door to my floor and explane to the girls in the kitchen exactly how blond I am on the inside...

6. Plastic is hard

I bought some very nice, black boots in Barcelona that I've used quite a lot lately. The problem is that the soles are made of plastic. Which means they're not too good for walking long distances. And I've been walking quite a bit this week. Solution: Change shoes once in a while!

7. TackIt is mandatory

If you don't already know what it is, it's some sort of chewing gum not ment for chewing. You simply tear off a piece and use it to stick things to the wall for example. Every student should have it since it's illegal to put up nails and such in all apartments. It can honestly be used for anything. Like putting up a gigantic world-map and a Pirates of the Caribbean-poster...

8. I'm too good at cooking

I love dinner! It's the best meal of the day. And with some help and inspiration from my parents I've become quite good at cooking. The problem is... I'm used to cook for five, not just one. Thus, every dinner I've made this week have been too big for just one person! I fortunately solved the problem by saving some of it for later... So actually I've just cooked half of the meals I've eaten, the other half only took some heating.

9. How to start a washing machine

Don't judge! I have actually never washed my own clothes... Luckily It wasn't too hard to get my head around. Yesterday I even washed the soap-thing (the drawer you put the soap in) by hand! It took forever since there were soap-rests stuck in there from a looong time ago. Washing dirty and grose soap-drawer? Check!

10. TV-series are best on DVD

Living all by myself is all right for the most of the time. But sometimes I find myself missing human voices... The solution became TV-series! Castle, Rookie Blue, So You Think You Can Dance, the entire first season of Game of Thrones, and my current project: White Collar. Game of Thrones surprised me by being really good! And White Collar is so much fun I can't help but giggle out loud from time to time. Luckily there are still four seasons to go!

Kurt Hugo Schneider - The Music Magician

(*Update: Read more about Kurt and Sam's new original album "Make It Up")

I just had to mention him at some point, and the thought hit me that it should be rather sooner than later!

For those of you that don't already know him, he's a magician. Well... not the wand and cloak kind of guy, but a real-life magician after all. He conjures music and songs. The most beautiful kind there is.

The more common explanation is that he's a music producer, film director and songwriter who can play nearly every instrument you'd be able to mention. Long story short, at high school he met a singer named Sam Tsui, and soon they started to make small films together.

In 2008 they published their first video, Can I Have This Dance, on Kurt's YouTube-channel. The song from the film High School Musical was ment to be sung by Sam and a girl, but she bailed in last second. Kurt thought it'd be fun to make Sam sing the girl's part too, and he ended up editing the two different clips so that it would appear to be two guys sitting next to each other singing the duet. Just imagine how stunned people became when they found out it was actually the same guy!

After the surprising response to their video they continued to cover a lot of different songs using Kurt's astonishing skill as a musician and a lot of Sam's for all of the vocals. The YouTube-channel grew popular in record-time, and as of today it's one of YouTube's 50 most subscribed channels with the amazing number of 1 442 201 subscribers as of today!

Over the years he's collaborated with a lot of other singers, both knows and unknown to the web-universe, and made everything from mashups to covers of famous songs to original music and music videos. Always improving and ever-changing his videos are now some of the best there is on YouTube.

In 2010 he created a Miley Cyrus-medley together with fellow YouTuber Christina Grimmie. This has later been proved to be the video that earned Christina an agent and sent her on her way to fame. (That's a story destined for another post later sometime...)

The video that really made him boost to fame was him and Sam's mashup of Love The Way You Lie, Dynamite and Teenage Dream. It became so popular it eventually ended up airing on different radio stations, and as of today it's got over 26 million views! It's also the first of their videos I saw, and from then I was hooked.

His most viewed video of all time is Sam Tsui and Christina Grimmie's cover of Just A Dream, originally preformed by Nelly. It's got more than 51 million views, and if you check out the video below you'll understand why! I love it a thousand timed more than the original (which I actually don't like at all...) and so do thousands of others!

One of my favorites of his is Sam's version of Safe And Sound by Taylor Swift.  It's so beautiful it's breathtaking! I happend to listen to it again tonight, and it was so good I just had to write this entire blog post...

Today he also posted a Sam Tsui-cover of David Guetta's Titanium. I love the original, but I LOVE this version!

Other videos worth mentioning is a Rihanna medley by Matisse, B-e-a-utiful by Megan Nicole, Born This Way Cover by Sam Tsui, OneRepublic Medley by The Royal Sons, and Sam and Kurt's first original song Don't Want An Ending. He's actually making YouTube-stars rather than just collaborating with them!

Finally I'll just link you some of the most recent work by the music wizard himself... And I hope you'll start to love him as much as I do :-)

A Thousand Years (ft. Aimée Proal and Lindsey Stirling)

Pop Medley 2011 (ft. Sam Tsui)

Skyscraper Cover (ft. Olivia Noelle)

Katy Perry Medley (ft. Olivia Noelle)

Choosing A Profession Part Two - How To Get There?

(To read part one of this mini-series about choosing a profession, head over here...)

Part two: How to get there?

So. I want to direct movies.
Or at least work in the industry somehow.

How?

Frankly, I've got no idea. There are no schools that can guarantee you work as a director. There's nothing you have to do, or not do for that matter. Some of the world's best directors are not even trained professionals... (Christopher Nolan - Batman and Inception) Others have truly worked themselves up from a nobody to become a respected director. A lot of them are schooled in the art of filmmaking, yes, but some say that the practical work experience was more important to them than anything else. With absolutely no right way to do it, where to start then?

I considered the Norwegian national film academy in Lillehammer, but gave up that thought learning the grades you had to have to even get in. Besides, most of the people there look like know-it-alls that either make serious documentaries or even more serious television programs. I feel like I'd be kind of stuck there.

Naturally I moved on to consider schools like UCLA and other schools in the Hollywood area. Then I'd be at the heart of it, right? It'd be perfect! Then I hit a big obstacle that suddenly materialized between me and the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. I must admit I had to cancel my brilliant plans when I learned how much money they'd all require. I'm a regular mortal! I'd like to avoid living waist deep in depth for the rest of my life.

It's got to be Norway, then.

This spring I applied to Bergen University. Originally for a Bachelor in Film- and Television-production. My grades are actually quite good, but unfortunately there are too many nerds in this country and only 20 of over 200 applicants would be offered a place in the program. I wasn't one of them.

Here I have to quote cinematographer Oliver Stapleton:

"I'm useless at everything but I'm willing to learn. Now this is much better. Modern schooling damages more people than it helps. This is because the grade system means that you are never first. And if you were, you wouldn't be reading this. [...] Many successful film people started life like this. Film People are kind of outlaws anyway: it's not a proper job."

Instead I got offered a place at the Bachelor in Media Science at Bergen University. I said yes. Basically this means I get to take all of the theoretical classes included in the other bachelor, but I don't get to actually make a film.

I was kind of disappointed, but fortunately this could also be a good thing. I will get to learn the history behind it all. The incredible power that lies within a film maker's hands. Why one film can effect millions of people all over the world. Why it connects with people watching it in their basement thousands of miles away. And by learning the secrets behind it all, I might get some sort of understanding of what it is people want to see, and why?

Conclusion: They (the guys at film- and television-production) get to learn how to make a movie, I get to learn why. I believe that's a decent way to start out. Who knows where I'll end up eventually?  I'll figure it out as I go along. That's what I usually do. That's me.

* To read Part One, head over here

The Life Long Quest Of Choosing A Profession

My excuse: been busy making my dreams come true...

Sounds cheesy, I know, but it so happens to be the truth.
How and what, you may wonder? Ok, I'll share it with you, just because you asked so nicely.

Part one: the WHAT

Growing up we're told that the world is crammed with possibilities. Later on I discovered that that fact isn't always a good fact. In fact it can be a very difficult fact indeed. You see, because of that endless ocean of opportunities stretching too far and wide for anyone to fathom, it's an nearly impossible task to choose one of them for yourself and your own life!

I've always envied those of my friends who always knew what they wanted to be. Who they wanted to be. What they wanted to do with their lives. They all seemed so calm. And most of them have managed to stay that way as well! I envy them because they have found their purpose.

Well, unfortunately this doesn't happen to everyone.

The majority wander from this to that and back again trying to make sense of their own abilities and skills, and most importantly, finding a profession that suits them. Luckily for them a lot of people eventually realice that they really like the thought of being a teacher, nurse, electrician, chef, constructor or carpenter or something just as useful. I know a lot of my friends have, and I applaud them and encourage them as best as I can. Nothing is better than wanting to become something useful and important! But here comes the matter of fact... Unfortunately, I'm not one of those lucky ones.

Growing up I, like a million other kids, went through different periodes where I wanted to be so many different things when I grew up. I was quite serious about becoming a teacher at the age of eight, and in 7th grade I taught myself to draw architectural drawings of houses and stuff and really wanted to be an architect. However, when I grew older I also became more and more unsure of what I wanted to do with my life.

When the time came that I had to pick what school I wanted to attend for my three years in what most of you would call Upper High, I had no idea. Several of my friends chose things like electrician studies, health- and social studies, and media- and communication studies. Since I had no clue at the time, I choose something called study specialization. Simply explained that's the only one of the choices that doesn't involve a specific profession. Instead it prepares you for further studies at the university. Enough about that! As it turns out, I should have chosen media and communication...

So, well through Upper High. What's next? That was indeed the big question that has been haunting

me for the last year. I felt like I was expected to have a plan. I had a plan... sort of, maybe, well, not really. I used the elimination technique. By methodically eliminating all the things I did not want to be, there honestly wasn't that much left. Throughout these past three years I've discovered that I not only have a passion for books, but also movies.

Why I love movies is another matter entirely, so that I have to answer in a separate post... But I discovered that I found the process of movie making very appealing, and that I wanted to be a part of this particular society. There was just one little problem.

I'm an 18-year-old girl from the distant country named Norway. What you need to understand is that in my entire country there are only 5 million people, so naturally the movie-industry isn't quite as extensive as one might have wanted it to... Thus, people here tend to look at the movies as an immature and foolish career to pursuit and a perfect way to waste your life.

Example: Last year a friend of mine asked me what I wanted to do with my life. I gave her the honest truth: “I want to be a movie director.” She laughed and told me that it sounded exciting. After a little while she turned quite serious and said: “So… what are you actually going to do?” Who could blame her? With only three people in the entire country living as directors, how could she know I meant what I said.

Honestly, I have questioned and doubted myself a million times. What if I'd missed out on some important skill you had to have? Who can be born to be directors? Will I be any good at it? Can I find any work? And most importantly, why do I want to do this? Like Oliver Stapleton once said: “No-one in their right mind would voluntarily go through the kind of hell that a Film Director has to go through.” Luckily I’ve been told repeatedly I’m not in my right mind, so I guess I’ll be perfect then?

* To read part two of this mini-series about choosing a profession, head over here.
** Part two is all about how to actually make my dream come true...

These are a hundred of my favorite things!

So, I suddenly wanted to start a challenge... Actually It was just an idea that sprung to my head since my blog had been kind of dull and lifeless for a while now. I thought to myself, (while being completely covered in dust as I have been trying to uncover my bedroom from underneath it's coat of clothes, dust and random mess that often finds it's way into my "gigantic" room!) I thought: Why not write about things I like? That was rapidly followed by another unavoidable question: What is it that I really like? And how in the whole, wide world would I be able to choose? I can never decide what I want to write about... That's my problem! That's why there are so few posts here. If you add all of the unfinished drafts and ideas that until this day remain unpublished, and all of the blogs I have startet (and ended) all over Cyber-space, I would probably have written a whole book by now... But like I said, I luckily came up with an answer!

The answer is: The Favorite-Challenge!

All in all it's truly very simple, and you've probably joined something similar before. The idea is that I (and whoever wants to join me) tell you guys about one of my favorite things each day. "That's it?" you say. Yepp! But there are a few, and I repeat, a few rules to this mess. Simply to prevent, eh, a mess. So, without further due, here are is the way it's going to work:

- I have written down 100 categories (go check the Favorite-challenge page under the header) on 100 pieces of paper and stuffed them all into this jar:

- Each Sunday I will pull out seven of the pieces of paper at random. One for each day. Than I will create a blogpost where I reveal this weeks topics and on what day we'll be doing which. That way we can all do the same topic on the same day...

- Then all you (and of course I) have to do is to create a post on our different blogs revealing your favorite of the day.

- I will do one each day, but if you want to join you can of course skip some days, or maybe do one a week? Or just some at random whenever you feel like it? I'm not at all strict or judgmental, so feel free to do whatever you like!

("You're pirates. Hang the code, and hang the rules. They're more like guidelines anyway.")

- If you want to try the every-day-version you do not have to panic if you miss one here and there. You can either skip them or just post two favorite things the next day. Yes, you heard me right, you can actually do some of them together!

- If you wondered if there were some kind of rules to how long (or short) the post has to be, the answer is: I'm not particularly fond of rules, so no, there aren't. Feel free to write as much or little you feel like! But it's always very interesting to get at least some explanation why you have chosen what you have :)

- Additionally I have to say that you don't have to write your own blog post if you don't want to... You can also just leave an answer in the comments below if you like!

- Last but not least, I thought it would be fun to read your answers, and so do probably a lot of others... So if you feel like it you can leave the link to your blog post in a comment below mine, and I will collect them all and make a list out of it. (Just put the link to the post in question though, not to the entire blog. In that way people like me, who does not find what is probably right under their noses, don't have to get completely lost in search of the right post!)

As I always am when I get a new and (to me) exciting idea, I simply can't wait to get started! So, as the head of my own challenge, I decide that it will kick off already tomorrow! Wednesday May 30th will be the first day of the challenge, so get ready, and invite all of your friends and co-bloggers... This is going to be fun!

A perfect hideaway

All right. We all have to face it from time to time. The world really is a mess and it moves way too fast. So, what do we all do about it? How do we handle it in our everyday life? Where do we go to take a break? And by that I don't mean what to do as much as where to do it. "But," you say, "That's an extremely subjective question." True. That's why I clearly can't answer for no one but myself.

First thing I would think of when I hear the word hideaway would probably be our cabin in Frafjord. It's quiet, clean, cosy... and quite desolate. We don't know any of the approximately hundred people living there, it's located in a valley between to huuuuuge mountains and it's by the ocean. The very definition of peaceful and quiet. So isolated that the world seems like mere background-noise. A place to just be. But since it requires an approximately one and a half hour drive to get there, clearly I can't go there daily.

The next answer would probably be cinema. I love the feeling of a movie theater. The way every centimeter of it screams out promises of adventure and wonder. I love sitting there in the dark, noticing how emotions travel invincibly from the screen to the audience and then continue among the audience itself. The only hinder is the steep price required to gain a two-hour access card to this place of wonder.

In my case the words cinema and library are very closely related. In Stavanger they're situated in the same building. A library contains the entire world in miniature, and are therefore also considered as a wonderful place. It would be a perfect hideout if it weren't for the highly uncomfortable chairs and sofas and the fact that they're almost always occupied.

"In that case," you might say, "I know your answer's got to be your bedroom." And yes, it almost is. My room is truly tiny with a lot of books covering the walls. The only place one can sit down is on my bed. And in my bed, with my back against the wall, my right side hidden by a wardrobe, my left side covered by a gigantic window and my face gazing upon my book-shelves, I am almost as comfortable as I can ever get. The problem is that my walls are very thin, and I never feel as though I'm truly alone if one of my siblings are home.

Which leads me to only one possible conclusion: Our kitchen-table. It's wired, I know! Honestly, it's the very centre of the house. Surrounded by the kitchen, our living-room and the stairs to the second floor you have to work really hard not to walk past it more than twice in an hour. Still it's the place I feel like I can be truly left alone... Why? I don't know. A probable explanation is that it's never really a destination in itself, only something people have to pass by while transporting themselves to another place. It's almost a little free-corner of one times one and a half meter owned and used solely by me. I eat here, read good books, do some of my homework, write blog entries (such as this one) and watches movies av tv-series here. All alone. This is my place to be. To recharge. My perfect hideaway.