half their age plus six...

apparently this is true...........
or at least its true in sweden since i asked 5 swedish men the same question, and got the same answer.............

i was talking to someone about 'age limits', as in how old or how young would they date a person.............
and i was informed that for men, there is actually a rule for the cut off age of 'how young'.............
and that formulae is:- 'half their age plus six years'..................
so if the guy is say 27 then half of that is 13.5, + 6 on to it = ability to date a 19 and a half year old!!!
does that actually read right???
and who the hell came up with that equation!!! (a guy no doubt :-p!!!)

and........... i was also informed that, if the woman is older, then that is an individual decision of 'does she still look hot' as to if they would date her??? (of course other factors would be influencial too, such as, if she is really really loaded with money or if she has the ability to make sure you have a secure future career............ at this point in the conversation, i am not totally sure if they were joking or not............ probably not???)

makes perfect sense all of this right???

as for me, i think that the age range i would allow, would possibly be in the area of:- '5 years my junior and 10 years my senior......... give or take'!!! (why am i thinking about this, let alone typing about this???)
of course 'unforeseen circumstances' would too put prejudice on my decision.......................... that aside, i am not in a particular rush to find myself a 'comfort boy' or a 'sempai'........................ and DON'T start making offers to me unless you intend to have a serious relationship, in which case pls contact me after janaury 2nd 2008!!! (don't ask)..................

wait!!! i just thought of something stupid to add on to this blogg...........
of total irrelevance here is a list of things that i would not be caught dead saying or typing to someone in an email...................
"i think of you before i sleep"
"you are the first thing i think of when i wake up"
"life isn't worth living without you"
"you are my sun and i am your moon......"
"i feel as if i am drowning when i look into your eyes"
"i believe that it was fate that brought us together" (wait... i actually do have some belief in fate and destiny so maybe i would write something similar to this???)

and any other cheesy cliched line..................
i will have it known that if i was to say or write something to express my feelings then it would be much much more poetic and well thought out!!! and if i ever do say or write something like the above, it wil be because i am resorting back to my natural cynical self of being 'sarcastic'!!! in other words 'taking the piss'......................

BUT just to make me seem somewhat like a human with a heart , i do belive in 'love'.............. and i would tell someone that i loved them...................... but it might take a while for me to say this since i am very reluctant to admit it (so much so that i might do the opposite instead???) and also because i have never felt that way for anyone yet.................................... (or maybe i am just denying it!!! :-p)

hmmmm..........
do i put my faith on 'love at first sight'???
errrrrr................ no, not really since i think that its mere 'infatuation and lust' at first sight..............
i think i said it before, i think love is a ongoing growing process that is nurtured by the two individuals involved.......................................
its similar to looking after a plant............
if you take care of it, then eventually it will blossom into something beautiful and remain healthy and everlasting for as long as you tend to it...............
if you neglect it, then all you are left with is a shrivelled piece of rotten vegetation that is only good for putting back into the soil so that it can give some vital nutrients to our dying earth!!! (how romantic was that???) ...................................

okay now i need to get back to thinking up more nonsensical things to write about???

re: talking to the universe...

believe it or not, this is actually waht i woke up to on that day in august (and i have said before that since its me, instead of screaming like a girl, i thought it would be good memories to just film it :-p).............
looks like summer was coming to a close for the ants to decide that the princesses should be set free from the nest...............
(when i showed this footage to my little brother he asked me 'what did you do this time???', the cheek of it!!! as if i caused everything to happen!!!)

when the reason for staying is weak and outweighed by the reason to go, i guess there really is no other choice but to go............. but i guess leaving your home to start a new life faces more hardships than returning to home ............... but i am also guessing leaving home is more adventurous and would create alot of memories........................ ('what are your reasons for staying', 'what is it that keeps you there', 'what excuses are you using to stop yourself from moving forward'???)

august was a perculiar month...............
rain rain and more rain...................
a sanguin moon..............
followed by frogs and cats and snails???....................
and then the departure of a good friend ( when i write 'departure' i don't mean she died!!! she just went back home to japan!!!..................... if you happen to read this, i won't forget you, we had some 'insane' times in london and that week in edinburgh will be something that i will never forget, honto!!! hope you liked all those 'leaving-remember-me' presents too and one day i will go to japan!!! honto!!! (okay maybe i should learn some japanese first though???)................... )

of course i am disheartened to see ppl leave, but in the back of my mind, i know that 'its never goodbye' since there are always chances to meet up again at some point before you die....................
i don't know why but when there is a unhappy event, i have reluctance to cry or to seem sad anymore...............
its not good because it appears as if i don't care when really i do (sometimes)...............
even if i feel like crying, and i know that it would be appropriate to show such emotions., i won't..........
i think that its just a 'defence mechanism'.......... to carry an image of strength and to never reveal my true feelings.......................
(i have alot of defence mechanisms that make it seem as if i really am worthy of the 'ice queen' title??? maybe i cried too much when i was little to make me not cry when i am older???)

ppl always compliment me on being 'a strong confident person', but thats only because i think i have to be, i don't know why but i automatically assume that i have to be like that for other ppls sake...................... and i will continue to behave like that when i am in front of someone...........................
alone, i know that i am completely different...............
usually i will just shed tears by myself and keep whats on my mind to myself.............................
sometimes i wish that i had someone like me that i could go to to talk with and someone who could console me with confidence................. but i don't................. and never had or will have so i just have to make-do with how i have coped so far.........................
(why am i sharing this with the world???............... and no, don't sit there feeling sorry for me, i don't need pity and i will seek help if i ever reach the point of a 'mental break-down'!!!................. but if you want to do something then you could give me a banana.... or maybe a whole bunch of them!!! :-p)

and to close the subject on 'crying', i really don't think crying is a sign of weakness , its just i lack the ability to do this when its appropriate..................

(a few days later after writing and revising this blogg...................)

chotto mate!!!
dear god!!! i have just remembered what happened in august that makes me contemplate that maybe it was me that caused everything to happen???
on the advice of a friend (have no idea why i listen to him :-p), he told me:

"When you have time, I want you to go outside and speak to the Universe. Tell the Universe in a confident and strong voice (you're not shouting, although if you feel like it'll help, by all means), tell the Universe, "I will know exactly what to do with my life in a year." Or something like that.
Then the hard, although strangely automatic, process of finding out what you want-- trying new things, diving into interests, etc. etc.
And then when you figured out what you want, you can tell the Universe exactly what you will do.
This process is very helpful. (...........) exists because someone stated what they wanted out of the Universe-- somewhat as a joke, but it still worked"

at first i thought he was being crazy and was making fun of me, but for some reason i followed his advice............
and this is why so many strange things are occuring!!! because at the end of my talk with the universe i said 'so universe, give me some signs that you have actually been listening to me???'...................
why o why did i say that???
and every single time there is a so-called 'sign' i always think its just a coincidence and await for another sign???
(i really do have to start thinking before i speak to the universe again???)
seriously i am just going through a mad stage and all of this is just a coincidence right??? i mean its not possible to will things to happen??? right???

in any case, it was a great relief to tell 'something' about my goals and apsirations and i highly recommend this 'ritual' to anyone, especially if like me, you just need to tell 'something' about something....................... (if weird shitte happens to you, just don't blame it on me, i am only passing a good word of advice!!!)

(chotto mate again!!! i also swear that 'purification period' in june also had something to do with the strange events that happened??? i need a break from all the 'spiritual enriching ceremonies'.............???)

mannakin for the night...

before anyone says anything 'NO'............
i am definately NOT a model and neither do i pursue it as a career.....................
i just do it for fun because i like to dabble with imagery.....................
and i do have to say, i am more used to being behind the camera as opposed to being photoed, and even when i am in front of the lens, its usually just me and my tripod (or ipod as i mistakenly keep calling it).......................

how this came about, i think, was a bit of a confusion over communication BUT a good one at that..........
originally when i asked steve if he needed help, i was thinking more in the realm of 'set up and photography'................... and when he replied saying it would be cool if i could be a make-up-artist or model, i was thinking 'wot the fook???' and then i said to myself 'hmmmmm now there's a thought....... i have never been a model before so it could be interesting to see what its like to do a catwalk AND more importantly i would be able to take pictures and movies of the mayhem that was happening in the background'..................... in other words some good memories and experiences to add to my collection since i have also wanted to do something for a small fashion event (although 150+ ppl was not small for me!!! but still a fun nite!!!) ...................

and if ppl are wondering why i chose to be a model instead of a make-up-artist, well for starters, i don't wear make-up so its safe to presume that i don't own any make-up and so would have nothing to put on the models and secondly i am sure i wouldn't know how to apply it so would probably make them all look like 'whores' or 'clowns', just the look the designers are after!!!



and i wasn't really being a model, i was just a substitute in case one of the girls didn't turn up :-p................ (and maybe i should have helped out as a make-up-artist because poor sareta was left alone to do 6 girls!!! and we had too many hairstylist that one of the guys had to leave .............. i don't blame him though, it was packed in that little alcove!!! and so bloody hot too......... oh precious water bottle how we loved you so!!!)

yet............. though i say it was complete chaos.........
we were all still laughing and smiling and joking around with each other...........
which is a good sign that we were actually enjoying the 'close quartered' experience and it was a good feeling to know that even though we all had only met each other that nite, we were all able to work hand in hand with one another................. the teamwork came to show especially when the clothes rail began to collapse under the sheer weight of designs!!!!................... and just liitle things like helping each other with getting dressed and the sharing of the one mirror!!!! yes of course vanity ran through our veins!!!! :-p



behind the scenes in a mayfair club............





for more movies go to:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=6234AD25FA10F348
(the movies..... and a big thank you to all the participants who 'at times unwillingly' contributed to making it a nite to remember, since most (okay all) were unaware that i was filiming them........ :-p........... those ppl are: amy, becca, kat&kat, lianne, linda, quyen, sareta, takae, tsubaki, vicky, yizhen and yo natori!!!! and of course to 'steve' who brought us all together as well as mr jonathan smith and mr albr taylor!!!! (the organisers)............)

for more photos go to:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7729&l=79a7d&id=517037261
(the pictures...... minus the ones of us stuffing our faces with chocolate :-p......... no really models do eat chocolate!!! especially when it was all over!!!)

oh yeah................. arigato yo-san for lending me your shoes!!!
it was such a shame because yo had made some fantastic shoes but none of us could wear them because they were all too big (even with in-soles and cotton padding)!!!

and yeah!!! go ahead and laugh!!!
i know that this is one time where i bear some resemblence to a female!!!
i especially liked the outfit i wore for yo's collection, very elegant and i loved that belt and necklace!!!
even my own mooma would have been proud since she keeps telling me to 'be more ladylike' :-p.............
in some ways it was nice to be pampered and made up pretty like a doll but in others, it annoyed the hell out of me!!!.................. (i have to say this now BUT it was a bit strange to be dressed by ppl since i am very used to and capable of just dressing myself.............. no offence to those that actually needed help..............)
i also swear, if you held a magnet close to my head that nite, you should duck for cover, because you would have had a sea of pins come flying at you!!! they used like a whole box on me!!! yes i have alot of hair which is both thick and untamable!!!
and because i am not used to wearing make-up, i could feel it on my face all the time.................. i was even tempted at one stage to just wipe it all off!!! but it was about 'acting as someone else' that nite and not really being who you are..................... so as they say in theatre 'the show must go on'......................

and it did.............
the event began around 9pm (two hours behind schedule.... or 'a fashionable late execution' in glamour talk!!!)................... and we had arranged it so that it would begin with yizhens 'jungle moods', followed by yo natori's 'pirate influence' moving on to lianne nicholls 'night elegance' and then the show would close with 'yizhens other collection'....................... the first to take the stage was becca..................... you are one brave girl!!!! for going first and for wearing that outfit!!! and guess who went second!!! thats right, the most unsophisticated of them all.............. me!!!



so what was the experience like???
nerve-wrecking!!!
i didn't quite understand what they meant by 'just walk out amongst the crowd' until i was out there!!!........
so many eyes were watching me but thats no surprise since i was not a person that nite but an exhibit..........
i was really nervous doing it becausei kept shaking and also because i tried to avoid eye contact and when i did i found myself smiling or looking completely spaced out or just moody, i don't which it was!!!
i didn't know how to walk or pose!!!
and i am certain, out of us six, i did my walk the quickest!!!
when we came to the end of the runway i didn't stay that long to get my photo taken since i was just substituting and felt that photo time belonged more to the other girls............................
but i think after a while i got used to just walking out there since i just thought i will never see these ppl again so it doesn't matter!!!
but all in all a fun experience that i can share with ppl one day on my death bed!!!
(and one thing that i need to clear up is, 'what light were you guys talking about??? quyen and me were told to stand there waiting for some light, but we didn't see one??? so after a while we just walked back to get dressed and i can't believe how 'dirty' some men were!!! trying to break into our changing room!!!)

all that said, the night ended a success??? i think??? i hope???
well at least none of us fell flat on our faces!!!
and in all fairness i think we all did pretty okay for our first times (in getting some footage of what happens behind the catwalk glamour :-p)???
and we all had the customary exchanging of cards and email addresses so that was kool.............
and the possibilities of meeting up with each other again??? i think??? i hope again???

so please lets all try to stay in touch with each other, and if not, at least if one of us makes it big we can all say 'hej i knew that person, we were in the introjapan show together and we have pictures to prove it' :-p............................. yes i am starting to be non-sensical again so i will stop here....................

okay maybe one last thing..........
i know the secret behind amy's dance distraction for our last walk :-p and i am not telling the ppl that don't know :-p...................... to smurf................ thanks again for a great time, hope to work with again in the future!!! :-p and hide the bike when keiko comes!!! or else she might be jealous of the other GF :-p...............

a reason to go back...

the alarms go off one after the other..............
its 4:45am in the morning..................
but i had been awake half an hour earlier just to check over my luggage and to be certain that i had my cameras and memory cards.................. (and to make sure i stole items of clothing so that i would need to return them one day :-p)

the taxi soon arrives to carry me down to the train station...................
i have a train booked for 6am..................
its an early train..............
too early, but i booked it because i wanted to see norway in the light as i travel through it to go 'home' again................

tack sa mycket oskar for coming down to the station with me............ i really really appreciated it!!!! and it felt like a proper way to leave, to be sent off on a train by the host........................ and hope that you managed to get some more sleep before going to work that day!!!! really though, arigato!!!! och tack!!!!

yesterday was a memorable last day.........................
in the morning, i went bus hopping and took a small hike around the neighbouring area................
i had alot of things to think about and just wanted to walk around by myself since this is the only way that i can clear my head ......................
i didn't even take a camera with me...................
so you can guess, i was probably being too melodramatic and serious......................
i didn't really know where i was going for this small walk and just decided that i would get off the bus wherever the view looked good from the window...............................
on recommmendation of the bus driver, he suggested that if i wasn't sure where i was riding then i should get a 'day ticket' since it would be cheaper and it would allow me travel on any bus for the whole day................................
we started to approach a partially dense area with some woodlands and lakes and hills, so i rang the bell.....................
the bus driver asks whether i am sure i want to get off here and i said yes..................
he points out to me that the nearest stop is a ten minute walk on the other side of the road......................
i thank him and then descend off the public transport vehicle................................

i am very certain that i trespassed onto private property when i was walking around............
i know this because i had to climb over a fence at one stage and because it did look like a private abode............ but i figured, these ppl will never see me again and if they do start chasing me then i can always pretend to be a stupid tourist (you know there are alot of times that i am grateful for my asian genes............. pretending to be from asia has its advantages!!!!) ........................
now i know that i am a rude and inconsiderate person but i wouldn't usually go onto closed off land, its just that that area looked particularly refreshing to venture around so i took a chance.................
and no one came to disturb me so i am guessing that the owner didn't see me or they just didn't care (of both i say thank god!!!)......................

there was a fallen tree along my way and i interpreted it to be a seating placement for me to just rest, and look around, and to just daydream.....................................
squibbs of light cascade onto my lonesome self and i close my eyes to sense tho warmth of the rays................ a moment to cherish.............. sitting outside for no reason at all but to recollect and progress in conscience................. and to just soak up the last few hours of knowing solitude and silence in beautiful scenery ......................

what was i thinking about???
"trams"................. (swedish for 'silly little things')
at times i wondered 'what am i doing here'................. here as in norway and also 'here' as in this world.........................
along with every other human on this earth, i question 'existence' and i want a rationality to 'what is our purpose' and 'does it all matter'.......................................... are we really all actors fufilling a role or do we govern the choices that we make???
then i say to myself 'i hope i never come into power to pass judgment onto ppl' which is complete irrelevance........................
then i ponder on if i really do want to teach english in another country, and if so, who would my students be??? children or businessmen or women or just ppl that want to learn ..................
then i think 'why did i prefer to avoid ppl and to be by myself a few years back'........................ i know that it was not because i was striving to become independent and responsible............... but because, its was easier................................ as silly as it sounds, i was given the advice that if you want to help someone then you need to first help yourself..................... but don't think i am a saint now............. i still have problems to sort out, but luckily they are not as extreme as other ppls issues............................... and i find that coming into contact with other ppls lives is one form of 'therapy' in helping myself............................. the so-called 'self-enlightenment by tending to others need'..................... some may say that its all pretentious, that you get a false satisfaction by helping someone else, BUT i feel that benefits can be drawn from the situation because you learn something about yourself, as in what abilities you have and also, sometimes, 'circumstances need an outsider to help rectify the matter'..............................

then i begin to think 'fook!!! what is the time and how the hell do i get back!!!'.......... the engineers are supposed to get off work early so i wanted to get back and shower beforehand..................... :-p (i was also thinking if there were any bananas at home too but bananas are usually on my mind, hungry or not :-p)

no one was back at he flat yet................
so i head quickly to the shower.................

they were supposed to be home early on tuesday but their meeting carried on till about 5pm.................
but i had no complaints since it meant they could come home early on my last day :-p
we catch a bus down to the city, me proudly using that day card......................
i was left to wander the city alone for a bit since someone needed to go check out a flat and we decided on a rendevous point of 5:15pm at the 'domkirke'.......................
it was 5:30pm and that someone was no where to be seen..............................
he said he would call if it would take longer and i was a bit annoyed because i thought i was forgotten .................
he arrived shortly and explained that he couldn't call me...........
which was true because he called me on the spot to prove the point..................
i had ran out of credit earlier that day so i guess that was the reason................. (damn you vodafone!!!)

the first port of call was to get some nutrition down our throats, so we meander the streets until we come towards the chinese restaurant that gives you a 'meal deal' until 6pm....................
the layout of the restaurant struck me when i entered............
in the centre is a rather large fish pond with lots of different sized koh-carp, i have never seen a restaurant like that before ......................
it was not a very big restaurant, and i couldn't help but think that if they got rid of the fishes then they could put more tables in, but then i thought it might be the very fact that there is the water feature that entices the customers to eat there (that and the price of the food) .......................
or maybe its there because of superstition.....................
for in asian cultures, koh-carp are an emblem for 'luck' and have significance towards 'wealth' & 'prosperity' ..............................
the waitress ushers over to our table, i stare at the menu and decide to have 'szechuan fish'.................
before the food arives we discuss oskars viewing of his new flat......................
he had decided that he would take it..................
a quick decision since it was the only flat that he had viewed........................

on our way out from dinner (tack for mat oskar!!!) i oogle the carps one last time...............
in some ways i find their lives so simple and fulfilled................
swimming around all day and night, eating and shitting and eating and shitting.....................
BUT then i am reminded of how unfulfilled it is by how little freedom they have................
confined within a microcosm that is restricted by the four walls.............
to reach a certain point and then to have to turn back because thats as far as they are permitted, a monotanous way of survival, not living.....................
do fishes really only have a short memory span??? i am sure i read somewhere that some types of fish can actually remember a lot longer than 6 seconds.......................
i look again and draw a comparison of the carps to ppl.......................
how some ppl choose to carry out their lives like 'fishes in a bowl'......................
do we actually give away certain freedoms and rights when we assume subordinace to government as according to the 'social contract' ......................
and which freedsoms or rights do those entail???
to allow all freedom would mean chaos in a anarchy world but no freedom would be a mindless totalitarian existence.......................
i think back to our dinner conversation about north korea............................
now thats a state that i know i would not be able to live in.....................
did the ppl have any choice to how they lived their lives, were they born and then just accepted that way of living because it is the only way they have been exposed to???
no thought.................. no conscience............... no expression...................
to even think or speak out against the 'ideal regime' would mean your sudden disappearence.............
but maybe it will be worth it for 'all it takes is one persons life to change the course of history', for one voice is enough to signal the start of a revolution ................
but will the uprising actually better the lives of ppl that know no better???

a second later....................
i say to myself 'why the fook are you philosophising over fish???, they are going to end up on the menu one day.................. i guess they should have stayed 'under the sea' like that song from the little mermaid' ................. (come on everyone knows that song!!!! with ariel and sebastian the crab............ :-p)

before heading home, we go for a walk of the city.............
we come across the 'valberg turret'.........................
a large poster of 'amnesty international' is draped along the side..................
that juxtapostioning of 'a building for warfare' and 'a symbol for peace' amused me..............
i was wondering if that was intentional, that maybe it was trying to symbolise 'protection in times of needs' ...................... whether it was protection from arms or protection by the power of words.....................
i don't know.................
i sit on the wall and admire the view of stavanger.......................
below my feet ants are scurrying around....................
i turn to oskar and say 'it might rain soon'................
he looks confused and sarcastically replies 'because ants only come out when it rains???'...........
i then try to explain that ants can sense moisture in the air, and when legions of ants come out around the colony, its usually because they are reinforcing the nest against flashfloods caused by the rain............... its what i was taught anyway and also looking at the sky, it was full of some dark clouds too...........................................

we decide to catch the bus back, waving to every bus that passed our way, since none of us can see (yes, i know i should wear my glasses but i don't want my muscles to become too relaxed and so reliant on them :-p).................

the taxi pulls into the station......
its 5:15am..................
the ground has moist dew from last nights rain..............
my train is already there but i don't board it yet.....................
i stay a while and we walk around the lake for one last time.....................
its gets close to 6 and even though i don't want to go, i know i have to....................
on the train, the air is thick with misty fog, but it made the view much more appealing................
it was as if i was looking at a living 'chinese brush art' painting, with clear hills in the foreground and faint mountain shadows lurking behind........................... the colours were all neutral but complementary ..................... too beautiful to describe with words............................... such a view can only really be told through the eyes, never to be recounted again, for as a 'living painting', it changes with the passing of time........................................................

so what is my reason to go back then???
hmmmmmm........................
remember that darwin award that i am after.................
well, i have come to the conclusion that my reaon to go back is to hike to the top of prekistolen or the boltrock, since we didn't manage it this time round.........
and then when i do make it to the top, my next course of action is to take alot of 'last moment eulogy pictures' before i finally "lose the will to live"....................

yep i am going to do a 'lemmings act' (although lemmings aren't suicidal, thats just the false impression given by that computer game)......................
:-p
...........................
we shall see if i am joking......................
and yeah after being so serious in this blog you have to allow me a moment of being silly................ maybe it was a good thing that we didn't make it to prekistolen this time round since i might well have had that urge to go beyond playing 'chicken'..................... :-p

the end...............
(and thank you to the lady in red who got me that seat near the window so i could get that view and for riding with me to drammen.................... i hope you had a relaxing weekend with your friend making stencils!!!!!)

for more photos of stavanger go to:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9101&l=7c184&id=517037261

燕燕

ferry ride down lysefjord...

i had no idea if this was a good idea or not, but, just went down to the pier to see if i could catch a ferry ride down the lysefjord to see preikistolen from below, take an obscene amount of pictures and to just be in the confines of 'true beauty' ....................
(thank god!!! really i do.......... thank you so much for it not raining that day!!!)

looking at the timetable that i picked up from the tourist information (great place), it said there was a ferry leaving stavanger port at 13:30pm on mondays and wednesdays...................... now the thing was, on the return journey, it wouldn't return to stavanger but to lauuvik, and the only bus that i could catch to get back to sandnes was at 18:35pm, so essentiallly by the time i caught another bus to get back to stavanger, the time would realisticcally be about 20:00pm................. i was undecided if i wanted to go on monday or to leave it till wednesday because i was leaving thursday morning and was a bit worried that if anything went wrong then i would be 'up shitte creek'!!!.................... but then i was up early on monday morning so just headed down to ask last minute questions as to what bus i should catch from lauuvik, and then just waited down by the pier for the ferry to pull in...........................

being me, i asked about 10 different ppl as to where the ferry left from, just to get my bearings right and thankfully all 10 pointed out the same port for me so that was reassuring................... and yes i had to go alone on this but its not like that bothered me since i am more used to doing things by myself than with others........................... the thing is, i like to have company BUT sometimes i feel that i am obligated to talk and entertain ppl that i wouldn't really concertrate or appreciate the opportunity to examine or watch the environment that i am in......... OR i will simply just phase ppl out, not to be anti-social or anything, but because i know the reason that i am there is to make record accounts with my camera, and i will just not talk and basically ignore you on the whole trip.................. (really ....... if you ever go out with me and i don't make conversation, its not because i don't like you but i am just thinking and focusing on noticing things that ppl miss ...............it also makes a good defence speech if i really don't like you and so can avoid the whole futile 'chit chat' :-p)




(a word of advice... turn the volume off on this video!!!)






for more videos go to:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=22C8137DF9C84408
(yeah you might want to not have the apeakers on when watching these...)

for photos go to:
(there will be photos soon...)

hmmmmm.......
to be totally honest with ppl.......... it doesn't matter how many movies or pictures i take of this excursion, because nothing compares with actually being there............................ i love natural landscapes and to see it first hand and be in its surroundings is more valuable to me and probably the best type of souvenir that i can gain from visiting other countries........................ i like to take back with me things that 'cost nothing' but at the same time, 'more precious than money itself'................................

yes i probably sound barmy!!! but hej thats me!!! i am too sentimental about everything.................. for others they like to have a collection of tangible items BUT for me i like to carry with me things that cannot be seen physically................ memories locked away in my head and stories that can be told and lesons that should be taught..................... :-p (and bananas that are well hidden out of everyones greedy hungry eyes!!! :-p yes i am starting that whole 'banana fiasco' again in my blogs.............. the world should have its curency in bananas not silly promisory notes that 'promise to pay the bearer' the sum of something............ so please tell me mr bank of england 'how much is the sum of something'??? ) .......................

oh and thank you to the man who gave me a lift to sandnes!!!
i am sure you will make an excellent father!!!
(and if grandma sees this .......... errrr.......no i didn't catch a lift with a stranger in a foreign country again.................. and yes i am still alive)
that was very lucky indeed!!!
the guy was working in a power station at lysebotn and was catching the ferry to go home to his expecting wife after a nite shift and he knew that i would have to wait a long time for the bus so just offered me a lift since he was going in that direction anyway............. a very nice man who also told me that if i planned to come back to norway in summer then i should go on the 'hurtig ruten' cruise, norways most narrowest and most spectacular fjord ride!!!! and that i should also visit bergen, an architectural beautiful city..................... more things now to do on my 'to do list' for nx time :-p........................... oh thank you god for allowing me to get back to kjelldeberget earler than i planned!!!!!!

and i am so sorry to the crew BUT i took advantage of the fact that they thought i was really really young and so only charged me the fare of a child!!! i am so sorry!!! i know its daylight robbery BUT it wasa good feeling to know that the ferry ride was less than NOK150!!! and if its any consolation, i got alot of pictures :-p................. (i should stop abusing my asian genes!!!!......... maybe in 5 years time :-p)

the trip down the fjord definitely made up for the failed prekistolen hike yesterday... :-p

this one is actually finished buti thought i would just leave the bit i wrote below in since i thought 'wot the fook' did i write and then laughed at myself???
(you may joke about it but i have no life outside of internet................ lifeblood........... you might as well cut open my head and place my cerebral inside a computer that has a permanent connection to the web.......... lets face it i would be more useful to society that way :-p)

road trip to the mountains...

at 0500 hours we were up and ready to go to the mountains.........
(as if!!!, truthfully, we were awake and disorientated............... thank god i don't know how to drive, i think roads are much safer that way!!!) ...................

before i forget again 'tack sa jatte mycket isak' for lending me your goggles!!!
they did come in handy and i saved my precious face from pre-mature aging caused by the harmful UV rays as well as from getting sun burned too!!! i know i looked stupid with the goggles and the scarf over my face but at least i was protected!!!

1. in the morning...........





(and no this is not the razorlight music video!!! this is us in the car on our way................. you can't see it but there was a snowboard lodge inbetween me and isak so it was a comfortable journey indeed!!!)

2. the wait................





for more photos of the wait go to:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9151&l=7d193&id=517037261

(waiting for the ferry since we arrived at the port quite early but a good thing at that, becuse it meant i had the opportunity to take 'sea view morning sunrise' pictures and to also get stuck on the rocks!!! whatever happens just save my camera!!!)

3. on the ferry................









for more on the ferry photos go to:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9156&l=f8cd3&id=517037261





(i can offer no explanation as to why i said i am inside when its quite clear that i am outside............. sleepy i guess)





4. first stop for rocks (p).........
(its strange how you can find beautiful views anywhere in norway, even on a layby on the motorway............ the pictures show a very good 'mirrored image' in the lake that if i had it upside-down it would still look the same.................. kool)







for more first stop photos go to:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9163&l=8b96c&id=517037261








(video stolen from isak...)

5. view from window...........





6. going through a tunnel...........




(video stolen from isak...)

7. the second and third stop............










for more second and third stop photos go to:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9189&l=0678b&id=517037261

8. arriving at the ski place............





9. the guys are changing...........





10. a view in sepia...............





11. a view without a mask................





12. alone in the snow...................



(messing around with the camera to get some pictures that tell a story............... but i thought it looked nice the way i had my profile with the lanscape................ as if i am deep in thought :-p)

for more alone in the snow photos go to:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9221&l=a6f40&id=517037261

13. riding the chair lift.................





14. at the top of the mountains ..........





(i had never riden on a chair lift thingy before so excuse the childlike bewilderment!!!............. and i have never been at the top of a mountain before so again i was taking pictures and making silly vids :-p...... but i guess thats just me........... simple minded!!! and the only reason that i got to go up was because the lifts were free that day!!! believe it or not BUT it was the '30th anniversay' or something so thats why no one had to pay!!! that was lucky or else i wouldn't have gone up!!!)

15. the snowboarders.............













(utter irrelevance but i am not HELPLESS!!!............now the thing was............ at the end of the snowboarding , i had to try to get back down again and when i walked back to the lifts they wouldn't let me go back down them because of safety issues..................... so poor oskar had to escort me back down by walking!!! i felt sori for you BUT if you had abandoned me and made me walk back by myself i would have been 'pissed off', so tack sa mycket!!! it was not easy going back down because the snow was deep and also it was suprisingly slippery!!! but good thing i had something to errrrrr give me support???)





for more snowboarder photos go to:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9197&l=b4681&id=517037261

and

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9203&l=e9cb3&id=517037261

16. homeward bound...................







for more homeward bound photos go to:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9252&l=b40eb&id=517037261





17. the perfect ending to the trip ........









(there was a really funny video that involved a conversation about 'skit' in the car but i hand to put it on private because the guys were embarassed by it :-p, i just thought it was funny!!! but i have a sick sense of humour!!! and yes....... thanks to isak we managed to get the memory card out of the laptop............ its a man's job!!!)

actually i set it on public now so you can watch the skit video... :-p





(they will love me for doing this... pray they never read this blog!!!)

for more movies (of the guys attempting to snowboard :-p) go to:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=B0A3EA74B2DB7CBB

(............... i am going to be lazy and just put up pictures and movies and not write............... and no!!! why do ppl think i wear out keyboards!!! they were made for typing and typing is how i will abuse them for!!!)

friday in norway...

anders had the day off from work so that he could 'babysit' me as oskar put it :-p...........
so this is what we got up to!!! .............

it was without a doubt a 'good friday day'.................
it really did feel as if the weekend had begun...............
the sun was shining for one thing....................
and even though we just did normal everyday things, it did feel different to me, maybe because i was in a different country and with ppl that i only meet two days ago...................... but it felt nice to just hang out, spending time doing things that are 'simple and fun'...............................

after picking the rental car up at the airport. we headed down to the city because isak hadn't been there before, and because flandria needed to find a new hard-drive (but we didn't find one), it was also a good opportunity to look in some shops and to purchase some lunch to take with us to the beach.............. this consisted of 'fruit' and bread and 'fresh prawns' that you can buy from little fishing ships docked at the harbour-pier (something that should be introduced back in london!!!) .....................





having lunch at the beach is something i haven't done in a long time.............. and the wonderful singing provided by anders just made it memorable for the 'wrong but right' reasons............ we had a make-shift table made of planks of refuge wood and a ikea card for 'spreading spread on the bread' (that rhymes when i didn't intend it to :-p)................... so we stood in the sun and wind and watched the surfers whilst dining on our fine array of grubb............







before heading home to see the 'loner', we stopped off at the nearby landing pad to admire a plane take-off, something that i have never done before.................. we gave it about 20mins and in the meanwhile we played time-killing games like 'who could throw a rock closest to the goal rock' and you would not believe how close isak managed it!!!! (there is a photo..... will put that up later!!!)......... and the other game we played was to make passing trucks honk at us (also i have never done this before) which we succeeded in doing ................. yeah!!!! (luckily isak made a movie of it!!! ) ................... then 20mins later a plane actually did take off!!!!! which i, if no one else, was amused to watch!!!!! (like i said, i have never been to see planes take-off............... i have been to air shows but i guess thats slightly different because with this it was more touch-and-go as to whether we would see one take-off or not.......... simple minds are easily pleased)











and to make the day even more successful, anders managed to find a new hard-drive in the shopping mall!!! he also found a nice little bike shop too (you should see his face, its just like a little kid in a sweet shop :-p .............. sot!!!)

(all thats left is to upload the pictures........................ which won't be done till nx year :-p)

for more videos go to:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=885C19D68B35913D

for more photos go to:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9131&l=6d6a5&id=517037261



燕燕

then there were four...

anders friend 'scumboy' came.............. (and please, no sexual innuendos with that line......... how old are you that you still find that funny!!! :-p)...... so there are four of us now!!! (i am living with three guys again........ kool!!! its great to be one of the lads!!!)

yesterday i was told the 'wrong stop' to get off............
and today isak 'got lost' getting here................ so much so that anders had to go find him..........
(i am not surprised he got lost because kjelldeberget is not the easiet road to find!!! even the locals don't know where it is!!! so that says something..................)







today was 'just being lazy day'...........
the weather outside was not too good, we had sun, snow, rain and wind all at the same time....
so i just stayed in and annoyed anders friend.............. :-p (i am sure he loved me from stopping him from getting some rest!!! and the music taste on the norwegian 'music video channel' is, lets say, 'an acquired taste'.................. or 'as a personal view'........just shitte!!!........ this doesnt reflect the country (thank god), which is, as another personal view.........'absolutely stunning'................ )

then when the 'engineers' came back from playing with lego at the office we bought food and made burr-gers.............. and to end the night we watched the 'the triplets of belleville'??? an eccletic little french animation movie.................



for more photos go to:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=8775&l=04606&id=517037261

燕燕

arrival of me...

i awoke to beautiful norwegian landscape...........
lots of hills and lakes and very few houses................
the time was just passing 6am..........
and i would soon be in stavanger.............
estimated arrival time at the station was 07:30am................

having just aroused from much needed sleep, it takes me a couple of minutes to come to terms with the reality that i am no longer in england and that norway will be 'home' for a week............... i use the word 'home' very loosely to signify where 'ppl that make me laugh and smile and care for are', its also a generic term to mean 'crashing pad'.......................

hmmmmm......... i am not sure if anyone else gets this feeling but staring out of windows while on the train always envokes a nostalgic sensation within me.............. and i just begin to think about random things that range from past memories to stupid idealisms to utter irrelevance..............

then the train tannoy comes on..... i don't have the foggiest what the speaker speaks because its in norwegian (would have been clever to learn some norwegian beforehand :-p) but it didn't matter because i only needed to hear one word 'stavanger' to know that we would be pulling in soon................

outside the station i was told to look for a lake and to go to the 1A or 1B bus stop where i would see my friends.............. half asleep half awake, i walk out and see a lake, but geographical skills were never a great trait of mine, so i walk to all the bus stops trying to look for the right one until oskar and anders spot me from the other side of the road...................... i felt somewhat guilty that i made oskar meet me at the station, because it involved him getting up early, coming down to the station then taking me back to the flat before heading off again to work............... BUT all that said, i did appreciate it, tack sa mycket!!!............... (and if i got lost while trying to find the flat, i would have been extremely pissed and so would have caused hell for them :-p so it was probably for their sakes more than mine that they meet me :-P ........ believe me........ you do not want to have me pissed at you!!!)




when i was left alone in the flat at kjelldeberget, the first thing that i did was, 'snoop around', (joke joke that was the second action :-p), no, the first thing i did was take a shower........ how refreshing showers are, especially after a day of travelling............. and then i snooped around.......... for something to boil water in so that i could make 'the daily dose of twenty cups of TEA'.................... tea, how i would kill for some good tea leaves!!! seriously i would................... after some 'green tea' adrenaline is pumped into my veins i no longer wanted to sleep anymore, so went down to the city to just check it out and to find the tourist information center (which i am too familiar with now!!!!).................... (word of advice: if you want to catch a bus in norway you need to do some serious arm waving action!!! or else they will just drive straight past you!!!) ..............

and here are some piccies of:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9101&l=7c184&id=517037261
stavanger....... european capital of culture 2008......
(no jokes this place really is the european capital of culture for 2008 along with liverpool.................... would be fun to volunteer for some projects here!!!..........)



and for some information about stavanger you can read this little excerpt for now: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stavanger ............. (since i am too lazy to advertise this place and wikipedia does a better job of it than me at the moment........... )
a city built on oil............

if anyone does decide to come here, then i advise them to visit during the tourist season of may-august, usually i wouldn't say visit during tourist season BUT its more convenient in terms of catching daily ferry rides down the lysefjord, or catching a local bus to hike to 'prekistolen' or the kjerag mountains to stand on the notorious 'bolt rock' .................... and more so because the weather is much more dry so less risk to your life!!! AND if anyone has the patience and determination, then a good excursion around the area is to find and photograph all the 'broken column' artworks (its a series of 23 cast iron men that are placed in different locations, they are supposed to be the replica of the artist body and to find the explanation for the sculptures i would recommend going to the museum for a half day trip :-p....... i still need to find them all!!! a good reason to go back anyways!!! )



oh yeah!!!
on my way bak i got lost........ BUT in all fairness that was not my fault......... you see, it would have been helpful to have been told the right stop to get off for one thing :-p.................. what happened was in the email that i was sent, it said something about the 'NATO' stop so presumeably i thought this was the stop BUT no...................... the right stop that they forgot to mention was called 'godeset'....................... so i asked the bus driver to tell me when i got to NATO which he did, and when i got off i had this forbodding feeling that it was not right................. which was right..................... i then proceeded to ask the ppl at NATO where kjelldeberget was, but no one knew, so i asked whoever had the misfortune to cross my path and guess what, no one knew............. (i draw on the conclusion that 1. either this road is difficult to find or 2. the rumours are true, that norwegians just don't like to help for-ren-gers.........) ..................... BUT i don't give up (because i have no choice) and walk around as if i am out for a afternoon stroll, until i meet a postwoman!!!!!!! (thank god ppl still write proper letters to each other instead of emailing!!!) .............. i literally rushed up to her, bright eyed and bushy tailed, and ask her if she speaks english.............. she moves her head side to side as the universdal gesture to mean no................ distressed i then thought of another way to communicate my need to locate home and whipped out the piece of paper that i had scrolled the address down on............... she looked at it, and then signalled for me to get in the van (the universal fanning action of one hand to mean 'get in i'll give you a lift').................... Oh my god!!! that was lucky!!! and so on my first day there i got delivered home in a mail van!!! which was fun ....................... so i guess norwegians are helpful and can only say that the road you guys live on is fooking impossible to find :-p.............

(and good luck to 'ray ray' in enslaving the mindless ppl of this world..... i would be your slave any day!!!)



燕燕

to have a boring life...

hmmmmm................
most ppl believe that i have an 'exciting adventuous' life BUT if truth be, the fact of the matter is, i actually have a 'very plain and boring' life..........................
don't get me wrong or anyrhing.........
i am grateful for the mundane way of living because i have a theory that, 'if life is boring, then it just means that whatever i do will make it more interesting......... and so having a 'nothing to do' life is perfect in forcing me to find 'somethings to do' and in doing so i make my life seem 'fascinating and fun' to the onlooker or reader in this case................................... and in all cases, accounts of anedotes only become special in 'words and pictures' because thats what 'MAGICK' is made from :-p.................

and now i will perform a little magick here...........

i stand inside stansted airport again and stare blindly at the flight schedule board ..........
my eyes compulsively look for 'malmo' but thats not where i am heading this time.............
i take a moment to gain back the ability to think and then look up again to find my real destination FR036 'oslo torp'................................
i had been awake since 5am..........
waking up early doesn't bother me but when i had had no sleep during the upcoming days then it begins to fook up my senses.................
but luckily i am used to this, and so i just don't think about the situation anymore and just allow my body to take over in the usual routine, becoming automatous in all actions............ it knows that i have to get up, to wash, to dress, to get on the bus to catch the coach and then to check in at the correct desk.................... it also knows that it can't shut down for sleep until i am buckled up in the plane and then it knows that it should come back into function half an hour before landing...................... i love my body :-p......................

so why was i going to oslo???
well...................
i wasn't..................
i was actually travelling towards norways 4th biggest city 'stavanger' for a week, BUT, the route i took, lets say, was not the most 'direct', BUT, the most cheapest way (satisfaction comes in knowing that getting there and back while having fun cost me less than £100 :-p, which is what this is all about :-p)...............
AND, what was in stavanger???
my sex slave!!! only joking!!! joke joke!!!..............
'friends' (from myspace, which some i have never meet in my life) is the obvious answer here!!! i went to see ppl and to experience a different place.............. (to be totally honest with ppl here, if i wanted to see a 'city' then all i would have to do is walk outside my house, and i had been to oslo before so wanted to stay in a different part of norway (that coupled with the fact that i can only 'crash' where ppl live :-p)).....................

at this stage, you are not allowed to think 'fooking crazy girl' yet...... BECAUSE i haven't written about the planning and packing for this trip..................... again, what planning??? how this all came about was, i emailed oskar saying i might come to norway in april, maybe around the 18th, he emailed me back saying his flatmate's friend may visit about that time too, we both talked on skype and found that ryainair flights were only 1p (without airport tax) and train tickets from sandefjord to stavanger were as cheap as NOK199, so after checking that i could actually afford to be away from the 17th to the 26th (i felt so sori for oskar and anders because they had me for a week!!!), i booked everything!!! (well more like i booked the flights and then had to get oskar to book the train tickets ........ errrrr tack!!!)...... this was all done two weeks prior, and while i was still babysitting my niece.............

i didn't leave that place until the morning of friday the 13th (and i forgot my phone charger!!! and its still there) and as soon as i got back to cambridge, i was off again to nottingham within a space of three hours................. i had to 'see' ( = do some work for) mooma and moopa and to get some stuff.................. this took the whole of the weekend and then on monday i had to go down to london to 'see' ( = get lectured by) grandma since she had a hospital appointment and to give some stuff to ppl and to get more krapp that was thrown at me...................... so when i did manage to get back to cambridge it was on monday night........... and the flight was the nx morning, SO i had a few hours to pack.................. thats actually good since i usually don't have hours to pack!!! (note: hours to pack = sleep is compensated).............. BUT its not as bad as it sounds, because i decided beforehand what i was going to pack..................

this entailed................
my passport,
my ipod,
a japanese mail-order-bride-catalogue :-p,
a digital SLR,
a sony P12 for movies
and a canon compact for photos :-p.............
thats right!!! i packed three cameras!!! (and the chargers :-p).............. yes........... i am a 'fooking crazy girl'!!! whereas most ppl, let alone most girls, would pack clothes and shoes and make-up....... i took digital equipment.................... (i also brought shorts and t-shirts??? even though i knew it would be cold, especially in the mountains!!!......... and i took food too???......... do you expect me to live without tea and nori!!! but to make me seem somewhat 'girly' i did take a hairdryer, which is the MOST important thing that any peron with long hair could have!!! trust me on this!!!) BUT i did warn my friends that i was going to 'wear whatever was clean' in their laundry room so i was fine as far as clothes go......... although jumpers and t-shirts on 6ft guys look more like dresses on 5ft midgits??? :-p

okay now i will go bak to the technicalities of this trip.........
when arriving in oslo torp there were two options that i had........ one was to catch a coah to oslo, the other was to catch the local bus (no.172) to sandefjord.......in both cases it was to get to a train station............. i went to sandefjord and because i had never been there before, made sure i had some time to spare............................ 6 hours that is.................... so now i pretty much know sandefjord like the bak of my hand so to speak??? (i also need to admit that i also fell asleep in the train station for about an hour because i was sooooo shattered!!!) ................... at the stroke of 9:39pm my first train that would take me to drammen came, then at drammen i had to change for the NSB night service to stavanger.............. which i wasn't sure which one that was, but luckily the missionary lady that i talked to was catching the same train, so thank you to her for helping me and i hope the conference you went to was inspiring................

as soon as i found my seat on the train i immediately put my bag in the storage compartment, went to take a piss, took my shoes off, unpacked the complimentary pillow and blanket and fell asleep!!! no thinking!!! just allowing my body to do the usual 'time to sleep' routine............................ it was a 8hr train ride and i remember sleeping for about 6 of it :-p (well more like i got on, closed my eyes and when i opened them again it was 6am so honestly i don't remember, i just know i was out cold for 6 hours).................

and that is the account of getting to stavanger.........................
nx will be, what the hell took place in norway (well most of it) :-p

燕燕

tin go sik yut gwong...

on the 3rd of march 2007 (or the fourteenth sun of the first moon) there was a lunar eclipse.....................
that was very special (since it was three years since the last) ......................
or it could be interpreted as an ill omen...................

in most cultures, 'light' is seen as a symbol of 'goodness' and as a form of protection against the darkness.................. and in some legends, when it is night and the moon disappears for no apparent reason, it is believed that at that point of being engulfed by the blackness, the barrier that prevents 'evil' is weakened and 'evil' has a chance to escape and to unleash its harm upon the world......................but of course it is just a legend..................................

i mean, in another folklore there is another tale that, when a lunar eclipse happens it is actually the 'heavenly dog eating the moon'.............................. ( he's not really eating the moon but is just playing a game of 'fetch').................. but because the heavenly dog is busy playing around with the moon, it means that the gates of heaven are left unguarded................... it is said that at the point when the moon had been taken by the dog, ppl from earth are able to send wishes through the gates, and those wishes that are heard by the gods and goddesses will be granted ......................................... but again it is just a folklore..................................