Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year! God Nytt År!


I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe evening! Enjoy the insane list of Happy New Year in Every language!


Saale Nao Mubbarak
Gelukkige Nuwe Jaar
Gezuar Vitin e Ri
Snorhavor Nor Tari
Antum Salimoun
Sheta Brikhta
Yeni Iliniz Mubarek
Shubho Nabo Barsho
Chestita Nova Godina
Soursdey Chhnam Tmei
Felic Any Nou
Xin Nian Kuai Le
Sretna Nova Godina
Blwyddyn Newydd Dda
Scastny Novy Rok
Godt Nyt ar
Gelukkig Nieuwjaar
Kiortame pivdluaritlo
Head uut aastat
Melkam Addis Amet Yihuneliwo
Onnellista Uutta Vuotta
Bonne Annee
Bo Nadal e Feliz Aninovo
Prosit Neujahr
Kenourios Chronos
Nutan Varshbhinandan
Hauoli Makahiki Hou
L Shannah Tovah
Naye Varsha Ki Shubhkamanyen
Sun Leen Fai Lok
Boldog Ooy Ayvet
Selamat Tahun Baru
Saleh now mobarak
Sanah Jadidah
Bliain nua fe mhaise dhuit
Felice anno nuovo
Akimashite Omedetto Gozaimas
Hosa Varushadha Shubhashayagalu
Saehae Bock Mani ba deu sei yo
Newroz Pirozbe
Laimingu Naujuju Metu
Sabai dee pee mai
Srekjna Nova Godina
Selamat Tahun Baru
Naveen Varshachy Shubhechcha
Puthuvatsara Aashamsakal
Nawa Barsha ko Shuvakamana
Godt Nyttar
Nupela yia i go long yu
Saleh now ra tabrik migouyam
Manigong Bagong Taon
Szczesliwego Nowego Roku
Feliz Ano Novo
Nave saal di Mubarak
An nou fericit
S Novim Godom
Nayou Saal Mubbarak Hoje
Subha auth awrudhak vewa
Feliz Ano Nuevo
Heri Za Mwaka Mpya
Warsa Enggal
Inniya Puthaandu Nalvazhthukkal
Noothana samvatsara Shubhakankshalu
Sawadee Pee Mai
Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Shchastlyvoho Novoho Roku
Naya Saal Mubbarak Ho
Yangi Yil Bilan
Chuc Mung Tan Nien

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Butterfly Boucher : Scary Fragile


I was lucky enough to hear this album on my way home from Canada, on the plane with the XM CD-library on Air Canada (I love their flights). I was so happy to get bored enough (by the onboard movie selection) to discover this gem of a singer called Butterfly Boucher and her second album release "Scary Fragile" on June 2nd 2009.

The first song on the album really didn't win me over at first hear (Bright Red), but when I got to the third song called "For the Love of Love", this lovely Australian tore at my heart strings.

Such a brilliant song writer - and the album is pretty solid throughout. Definitely one to check out and I guarantee you'll love it! Check out my personal favourite song with a fan video below!



Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Tea Forté : J'adore! (With Video Review)

I have absolutely fallen in love with everything Tea Forté, being a tea connoisseur of note, along with my cat Beatrix (although the Tea Forté people would be upset if they knew we steeped our tea for 10 minutes in my vlog review).

The website has a wonderful layout and I found it quite easy to navigate, as everything is categorized. My next try will be Dolce Vita dessert collection in savoury sweets! I really want to try the flavour Belgian mint, which is a mixture of chocolate and mint (obviously) .

They have so many choices and a lot of tastes I've never tried. As I said in the video, I can't wait to try their ice teas in the summer! I also want their nifty ice tea container.

You can order everything online, so it is highly attainable everywhere! You'll love these zen-like tea bags and the good feeling they bring to your allround well-being.



Monday, December 28, 2009

Tired City!


After a day and night of long travel I am finally back to my other home in Stavanger, Norway to ring in the New Year - Norwegian style! Perhaps I can celebrate twice? Once at midnight here, and once at 6 am for Canada and everyone else rocking the Eastern time.

Christmas was wonderful at my parents. Makes me a little homesick, but I know soon enough we will be back there again. :D

On a flying note, make sure you give yourself some extra time at the Frankfurt airport in Germany, as I believe it is one of humankind's ultimate labyrinths and can only be successfully navigated quickly by the locals.

Perhaps if I had David Bowie by my side, things would have been a heck of a lot easier, and I am sure he would also have enough pull to skip all the crazy lines in Passport Control and Security for us.

They make some great fresh mango passion fruit smoothies once you got through, though!



Saturday, December 26, 2009

First blog video with Canon FS200!



This video is a very first take (obviously) and a little dark due to bad lighting on my end, but I was trying the camera out for the first time. The video was an awful mess on my part, which is why I wanted to keep it! Super tired from a long day of shopping and Christmas festivities!

Here is my sexy new camera in a sparkly cinnamon red colour! Pretty excited to bring you videos this new year!

Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas!


I am super late on this post, as it was yet another busy day - where I've been busy making Thai dinner for everyone here. It was a good change from our huge Turkey dinner yesterday :D

However, I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and I hope your day was all that you wished for! :D

I'll let you know what I got tomorrow ;)

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Olympic 2010 Torch Goes Through Strathroy!


Yes! I actually caught up with the Olympic torch after a super busy morning at my parents house, as it came by here in town, surrounded by cops and mounty police. I felt like a proper and proud Canadian :D

These series of pictures arn't of that great quality, as the only camera we remembered to bring was the one on the phone, but you get the jist of it!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas Eve. I'm dreaming of a white Christmas for everyone and to all, a good night!



Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Tassimo by Bosch: The Art of a Perfect Cup!



Yesterday, after a long time of heartburn for my dad, my parents finally decided to invest in a new coffee machine. The latest obsession is buying new coffee, tea, cappuccino, espresso, you name it - we found them and bought them all.

The Bosch Tassimo makes a surprisingly good cup of coffee for the price, and there is a wonderful group of great coffee companies like Starbucks to their extremely impressive list of tasty coffees from around the world, from Italian to German.

They don't mess around! It would be awesome if they came out with a lactose-free latte or cappuccino T discs, but perhaps in the future.

Krang was obviously enjoying himself in the box - the only way to get him out, and keep him out kindly, was to play "Deck the Halls" meow remix. He likes to pretend to find little cat buddies, not to mention one of his favourite Christmas tracks ;)

I would say that for the affordable price, this is a great machine to invest in, and Bosch is a great company. You can also get this fantastic machine in 4 sexy colours (right).

I would definately buy it in Glamour Red. The coffee discs are not too expensive, unless you are a tea lover. I don't think I would by the tea discs, as I would easily drink way too many and for the price it wouldn't be worth it for me.

But, for something like coffee - good deals! Check more about this machine here :)

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Returning Mac Makeup Depotted Eyeshadow and Blush pots = Success!


I was a little shy walking into the MAC store today, but instantly felt love from one of the MUAs, greeting me with a big smile and open arms for my bag of empties. She just asked me how many I was returning and explained what I could get for them right off the bat.

So, I decided on getting an eye colour I have wanted for a while called "Deep Truth", which is a stunning blue, that is not quite as purple-tinted as "Contrast", which is also lovely. I also got "Idol Eyes", which was a lustre finish in a purpleish silver to offset a smokey eye, being a chameleon working with almost any shade.

I also picked up "Lychee Luxe" which is a stunning pink/coral which will really make summer lips pop and is very wearable for most skin types, not being too much into the coral orange spectrum. I also went for "Love Alert", which was a pretty close match to a recent gift (last night) I got from my friend (thanks Klaves!), which contained a colour in their 2009 holiday lipglass/dazzleglass kit called "Totally It". It was actually a part of the Fafi collection, also meaning it was a limited edition shade. Since they didn't have it separately, I felt that this shade in dazzleglass was a great duplicate for the need of the bright but wearable, almost fuchsia pink.

I am cleaning and reorganizing my makeup bag, as I got a wonderful makeup bag set from my cousin Nikki. She knows what colour combination I like and my love for French baroque design way too well. We pretty much love the exact same things, so it's freaky - but awesome. I thank her for that too! :)

In the end, I got 3 things that I wanted and bought one more gloss. It was very easy to return and hassle free. It's a wonderful program and I am happy to keep buying from them - and I will.



Monday, December 21, 2009

Back 2 MAC Makeup Recycling Program and How to Depot Your Eyeshadow or Blush.



This past summer, I switched to a MAC Pro palette, available only on Ebay at the time. Still - a great place to find the empty palettes if you don't have a MAC Pro stand-alone store in your area.

I was finally brave enough to try and depot my eyeshadow and blush collection. As you can see there are 18 empties, and I was a little skeptical about the MAC makeup recycling policy.

So, I waited until 10 am rolled around to try out MAC's LIVE CHAT, as I didn't want to walk in the store with a bag full of these - slightly embarrassed, perhaps looking like a complete douche.

I asked the very helpful MAC representative the following questions, hoping that it answers some of your questions as well. I saved the transcript, but I will get right to business here;


Elle: I was wondering about returning old depotted eye shadows and blushes, as I have 18 that I just depotted yesterday, and I was wondering if you still had that recycling policy?

Elle: and does it matter if the plastic is warped or melted at the bottom?

For privacy reasons, I am just going to name my help "MAC Cosmetics Online Artist"

MAC Cosmetics Online Artist: You are able to recycle depotted eye shadows for our Back 2 MAC program. It's fine that the plastic is melted some.

Elle: Ok and do you also accept blush containers as well?

MAC COA: Yes we do.

Elle: What is the rewards program like how many do you have to have and what can you receive?

MAC COA: The expanded Back to MAC program is available at MAC free-standing retail store locations. You need 6 empty containers to recycle. You will have the option of choosing from 3 product categories (Lipsticks, Clear or Tinted Lipglass or a Small Eye Shadow, excluding all Viva Glam products). The standard Back to MAC program still applies to MAC counter locations, where you can receive a free Lipstick only.



I hope that helped some of you. Getting the answers right from MAC made me feel confident about returning these tomorrow. The palettes are great to free up some space and keep your makeup bag neat and organized. You can also buy the eyeshadow pans, which are cheaper and hassle-free from depotting your other colours.

I will also share a helpful video that was very beneficial to me if you are also stuck in the transition of moving your older colours towards the palette route.



Enjoy!

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Norwegian Gløgg!


Last night, we gave our family and friends here in Canada the opportunity to try a Norwegian traditional Christmas drink. The drink smells like Christmas in a cup with hot cinnamon and evergreen trees.

We cut up some almonds and threw raisins in the mix, as is customary back in Norway. You can make it with water, wine or even vodka, but we usually make it with red wine, mixed 2 parts wine and 1 part gløgg - served piping hot.

I can only handle so much, but it warms my heart! I've never seen a gløgg mix here in Canada before, but I hope to find it at some point. I personally like to sample a little eggnog for Juletide Cheer. If you haven't already tried this Norwegian treat, try it this season!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

The Snowman by Raymond Briggs


I can not begin to tell you how wonderful and important this book/movie/music is to me. I grew up reading The Snowman by Raymond Briggs as it was the easiest book to "read", having no words.

I allowed myself to change up the story time and time again. The movie and Mr. Briggs' beautiful sketches hit home through the lovely song "Walking in the Air", which I can't listen to without crying.

My mother told me that that very song was the first song I ever tried to play by ear on the organ, one fine morning at 6 am, at the age of 3. The song is so important to my heart, it was the song I walked down the aisle to for my wedding this past summer.

If you haven't read or watched this beautiful story - from the very deep part of my soul, I suggest you should.

I love coming home to Canada and seeing all the Snowman plates, figurines and other memorabilia by Royal Doulton - and the books all around among all the other decorations. I recently added a Snowman stuffed animal I got from the London Heathrow airport! I love.

Watch this wonderful song and vision from Briggs, with music by the brilliant Howard Blake, below;



Friday, December 18, 2009

The Grinch Who Stole My Heart!


This is my Persian cat named "Krang" named after the brain in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles".

I miss him and love him to death, so its such a wonderful reunion to see my favourite little buddy each time I come home!

I used to cry I missed him so much. Merry Christmas from my little Mr. Santa Krang ;)

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Flying Home

As I write this, I am actually on the plane and have about 4 and a half hours left of my flight until I am home (well, then there's an extra 2 hour drive after immigration and customs)! :D

My parents are coming to pick us up from the airport, with Ben Thanh Vietnamese cuisine in hand! I’ve been craving it to death, such that it even creeps my dreams and causes my stomach to growl in a teasing manner at night.

I just finished watching Julie & Julia, and I loved it. I felt I could really connect with both characters emotionally.

I loved Meryl Streep as Julia Childs. The connection to Juila Childs living in France and having to learn French with a big American heart - I see myself in her, with me living in Norway, being a little more outgoing in sometimes shy company - not saying that all Norwegians are quiet, as there are also wonderful extremists here. After all, I am in Europe and anything goes there. One of many things I truly love about Norway ...

I also enjoyed Julia’s optimism, passion and joy she brought to every part of life, down to shopping for delicious and fresh foods.

Right now, I am listening to the Ellipse album by Imogen Heap. I aspire to sound like such a talent. Such a pretty album to fall into a sleepy airplane trance (I can never fall asleep on here).

Funny that when I finally post this, I will be home sweet home. Weird. It’s the future!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

GelaSkins | Mobile Art


Gelaskins is a great way of protecting your phones, laptops, DS Lites and iPods in style. I've been a proud owner of 2 iPhones, as one is my Canadian and one is my Norwegian phone, so I didn't have to go through the hassle of switching the cards around all the time.

But, now I will be parting with one of them, as a friend is in need a a new phone asap, and will be giving it away before I leave.

I have to give it to Gelaskins for their wicked long protection life. When I felt like a new phone, I just switched the back picture and voila! Something new and pretty to look at.

As you can see I have also protected my laptop (of what life he has left after his wine incident).

They have really expanded their selection and have a really good roster full of talented people.

I recently discovered my new love for Kukula (picture- left and right), which reminds me a bit of my favourite, local Canadian artist, Angelina Wrona (the girl riding the swan on my phone is also by Kukula).

The other artist on the phone that will soon be departing my life is by Amy Sol, who creates the cutest animals with the same girl in each theme (see other ones by her, below).

I am also feeling the artist Audrey Kawasaki (very top picture) and will consider getting with these artists again in the future. The great thing about these for the iPhone; they allow me to download wallpaper themes accenting the whole phone.

The quality is undeniably amazing. When I peel the gelaskins, not one scratch on the back. It's like brand new every time.

This company is based out of Toronto, Canada (yay!) and it is so cheap to send these around the world. As it costs about $13 to $15 dollars to ship internationally. Right now they offer if you spend $50 dollars (which could be way too easy on there) they offer free shipping :)