Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Home Sweet Home and House Hunting Today!

Yes, this is how we roll. Actually I am so surprised how much energy I have this morning! I woke up at around 6 am, which is about 12 pm Norwegian time, but I am sure it will catch up to me at some point this week. Today, we are going out to find our future home! I am hoping we find it today. If not - we have lots of time to look.

We got home safe and sound yesterday, and it was pretty ok with the cats :) We had 5 pieces of excess baggage, including 2 cat cages, but they seem pretty happy and normal today - acquainting themselves with Krang.

He seems to love them, but Beatrix is a growling mess. I am sure she will find it in her heart to be civil with Krang at some point soon. It's really nice to have them together all at once. =^..^=

I will let you know how this house huntin' goes down!

Monday, March 29, 2010

Moving Home to Canada Tomorrow!

Tonight is a fun-filled time for packing and playing "how much can we fill and stay below 23kg!?". If you go over, you fail - and have to put it into another bag. The main challenge is to guess how much every small item weighs, and see if you are right! It's quite exciting once you get into it, as packing and repacking is not so much fun itself.


We also have to get the cats ready to move. We have these awesome packs we bought online, called "Dry Fur", which is a airline package for animals and it's amazing!

It comes with these pads that will keep them dry for the whole trip, non-spill water and food dishes, stickers that say "live animals" and information about them - like checking a box that says "I bite" or "I am friendly and love people" ... and of course, some temporary tags. You can get them online here! They come in various sizes for different-sized kennels and boxes.

Hopefully they enjoy their flight, too :)

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Packing!!!

It's been a long few days and it seems to never end! I am not even doing any of the hard stuff, like simple cleaning tasks of the whole house before it's closed. It's super draining, but slowly coming along. I will hopefully write something epic tomorrow, but since I am moving to Canada on Tuesday, there is so much to be done!

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend :D

Friday, March 26, 2010

Local Norwegian Artist Selling Paintings!

Kjartan Hermansen, a.k.a my hubby, is selling a few more of his older art pieces and has posted them online here . I love his work - not because I am biased, but he actually has poems with most of his paintings and I learned to "never ask an artist what their paintings mean, it's your interpretation that's important".

He will be working on more when we are back in Canada. He has sold many paintings before, but it's been a bit cramped here lately, in this apartment, for him to paint proper. It's nice visiting friends and seeing paintings hanging up. Others are in offices that I will never get to go see, but I can enjoy a lot of them on his website at crypta.no, along with his poetry :)

Enjoy!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

And the Gender of the Baby is...

 *drum roll!*


Find out at Hunnie Bunnie Babies!!! :D

Steve Jobs Says 'Not to Worry'

Macrumors.com has basically taken over any of my gossip websites for daily updates these last few weeks, as I (and many, many others) are waiting for the updated version of the Macbook Pro to hit the retail shelves. It is LONG overdue!

I checked Apple.com today and instead of seeing the ipad release of April 3rd it now states "Late April" Could Steve Jobs push back this release and bring on the Macbook Pro update? I think so. If he does, he is my hero! He is a man of few words (3 to be exact), but I take comfort in his answer. Quoted below.

This was quoted from Macrumors.com written by Arnold Kim:
The prolonged wait for updated MacBook Pros continue without any major hints at when they might arrive. A report last week suggested that a shortage of Intel notebook chips could be contributing to the delay.

MacRumors has heard that the MacBook Pro supplies to retailers have abruptly become constrained, possibly suggesting that updates could be imminent.

Meanwhile, one MacRumors reader emailed Steve Jobs directly about concerns about how long he's had to wait for the new MacBook Pro updates and Apple's recent focus on the iPad. He wrote "I recognise the need for secrecy etc but I am really losing heart in the lack of vision for the MBP and Mac Pros. Not expecting a response but as someone who has personally switched dozens of people onto the mac way this is a sad email for me to compose."

As he's been occasionally known to do, Steve Jobs reportedly responded with a short reply that simply said "Not to worry."


Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Nintendo Murals in Norway = A Hidden Gem!

Last weekend while we were in Kristiansand while we visited the animals at the zoo, on our off time we enjoyed visiting the basement of our hotel!  We were so surprised and fascinated to discover what the "Children's playroom" had to offer!  We found ourselves grabbing a couple controllers and  playing a little Nintendo wii while having a little down and dandy time on the classic, N64! I really want to post these Murals of amazingness to Mandiemoon, Sockboy, Moxy and Endoplasmic and all the others who could appreciate these lovely paintings on the wall! These are dedicated to you! I love them! :D

(Wario is on the Men's bathroom door, and Princess Peach on the Woman's ;) 

 Enjoy!


Monday, March 22, 2010

15 Weeks and Hormonal!

Read what is going on at Hunnie Bunnie Babies! 

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Exhausted!

It's Sunday evening and I am absolutely exhausted! I feel a little out of sorts, considering all of our furniture is gone (except the bed)!

Trying to make Bean-bag chairs out of plastic bags and linens isn't exactly the most comfortable way to live, but it works for about 5 minutes... then I have to sit on my bed as my back kills me if I'm sitting anywhere else.

Perhaps I could be coming down with something, as I am completely whipped for the night! Might try to sleep now :)

zzzzzee you soon!

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Chat Roulette Funny Piano Improv #1

I just love this video! Chat Roulette is probably the most ghetto, random webcam roulette out there. I guess it's ok if you're hammered - because you could say "It doesn't Count" ... and if you're lucky you won't remember in the morning anyways. You be the judge. We came across this video and found it hilarious!

If I was to ever try this site out, I wouldn't mind being put in a random webcam chat with this talent named Merton with his epic piano improv talent :)

Enjoy!



Friday, March 19, 2010

Susanne Sundfør Does "The Brothel" and "Turkish Delight" Live!

This girl has a voice of an angel ... I get shivers listening to her perfect pitch. Her style is all over and soulful. I first wrote about Susanne Sundfør a couple of months ago, and I have been keeping up with her ever since.

She was on the local NRK channel and I caught her singing her beautiful song "The Brothel", which is also the title of her new album that was just released this week. This one is a rare diamond and I can't wait to go pick up the album tomorrow morning! (after my apple waffles breakfast of course  ;)

Please take a moment to listen to this first track and I promise you'll want to hear the next one :)

"The Brothel"


and "Turkish Delight"


Thursday, March 18, 2010

Prinny the Swimming Cat...By Choice?

We don't actually witness the cat willingly jump into the water, in fact I don't think this Persian enjoys it too much. Prinny finally manages to get out of the pool... I must say I was surprised of their mad swimming skills! But, unfortunately I don't believe that this kitty loves to swim. What do you think?

Prinny is an adorable Persian cat from Austrialia and is sweet as pie!

Enjoy,
 

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Still My Favourite Leprechaun Video Via Mobile, Alabama!


I remember seeing this video for the first time around St. Patrick's Day last year - and I cannot help myself from laughing all over again. You can actually purchase shirts and read the real story of the Mobile leprechaun himself, at WhereDaGoldAt.com

Enjoy this classic video, below!



Tuesday, March 16, 2010

14 Weeks!

Check out my latest post on Hunnie Bunnie Babies!



Monday, March 15, 2010

Stavanger Expats | Gluten-Free with Me!

 Stavanger Expats, an award winning expat site based in Stavanger, Norway is wonderfully put together by a good friend of mine (I will miss dearly) Fonda Lashay! A few of us girls got together over a couple meetings and chipped away at finding easier and better accessible information for expats or foreigners coming into this city for the first time. Based on our experiences and research, we've tried to fill the site up with as much knowledge that we know and could possibly find out, and the information just keeps on flowing!

Accompanied by a very helpful forum to boot! There seems to be more members joining and more questions to be asked so keep the questions and discussions flowing!  The Stavanger Expats recently received an email about Gluten-free eating in Norway as it was perfect timing for me to write and actually finish it (with all this packing and craziness to find time of course!)

If you are new to the area or just want to give us some helpful information about the city to add to the site, let us know! If you are Norwegian, and can give us some tips or if you want to promote your company check out Stavanger Expats and contact Fonda!

Check out my Gluten-Free post here!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

3 Epic Videos from the Zoo!

I couldn't post all my little videos, but I had such a wonderful time this weekend. I got to see the animals being fed and I got a cute, free tiger zoo hat!

The most memorable would have to be the lions, as they rolled out a cut-off horse's tail and the lions jumped up to eat it. It reminded me of "The Grudge", but I guess with the horse it would be "The Ring". All the other animals were fed that same horse, as I recall the black fur still on this one bigger piece of raw meat, but I understand this animal was already dead and that this was indeed the wild and what they eat.

It was amazing, and yet I had a hard time eating dinner after that experience. Everything around me was smelling like horse and I couldn't get the image of the tail out of my head. I even had a hard time sleeping!

Other than that, we had a really nice hotel with great food and great company, and I also added 3 videos for your viewing enjoyment of me touching a tarantula and a snake for the first time! I even touched a monkey and a moose!

I am a little scared, but glad I did it! It was exciting and I can add it to my "Animals I have touched" list :D

If you ever come to visit Norway, or if you are in Norway - you should visit the Kristiansand Zoo!



 



Friday, March 12, 2010

NSB (Norwegian State Railways) - "Think" Commercial



This commercial is solely the reason why we are taking the train down to Kristiansand for a weekend getaway! I will be gone until Sunday, but I will be back with lots of pictures and hopefully some videos!

I actually love taking the train, not only for economical reasons but for the environment. Which means I can chill with my headphones and check out the mountains and seaside that our car wouldn't get the opportunity to see.

We are going to the zoo, and we get to feed the lions, and hang out with the wolves and feed the monkeys too! It should be interesting! I will let you know how it goes!

Talk to you all on Sunday! :D Have a wonderful weekend and wish me luck that the animals befriend me and that I won't be eaten... (me and the little one!) :)

I'm excited to meet this new baby giraffe named Melvin! Aw! I'll let you know how it all went down!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Brighter Mornings For Northern Canada: Tropicana Style!

My friend Fonda showed me the coolest commercial this morning! As this Norwegian day is a little dark and foggy (sort of cozy too!) it was nice to brighten the day with this :)

Being Canadian, I thought how awesome Tropicana was for making such a bright impact on our true North with this proper, epic ad. Here is the story behind the commercial via creamglobal.com where you can read below.



"Juice brand Tropicana wanted to highlight the fact that it played an important role in the morning ritual of millions of Canadians, to coincide with the launch of its newest juice, Tropicana Essentials, with added calcium and vitamin D.

The brand wanted to elevate its role beyond simply being a brand of orange juice and increase loyalty amongst its consumers and become Canada's National Provider of Brighter Mornings.

In order to do this, Tropicana spent a month in Inuvik, one of the country's northernmost towns, during the coldest and darkest days of the winter. The 3,500 residents of the Arctic town in the Northwest Territories live without a sunrise for several weeks every winter. Tropicana literally brought a brighter morning to Inuvik with a giant artificial sun that emitted 100,000 lumens of light. A team of Canadian filmmakers captured the raising of the 'sun' in Inuvik for a series of documentary-style commercials.

The lights were affixed to a 36-foot wide helium balloon which then rose and illuminated the town. The Tropicana Brand's 'sunrise' coincided with Inuvik's annual Sunrise Festival, which celebrates the return of sunlight after weeks of relative darkness.

The brand also provided 1,200 free cartons of Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice - one for every household in the community. The Tropicana team also worked with local leaders to identify community-based breakfast and nutrition programs in need of financial support. Contributions were then made to Sir Alexander Mackenzie School, Tot Spot Daycare and the Inuvik Food Bank.

In addition to TV advertising, the campaign features blogged commentary and behind-the-scenes imagery from Inuvik to provide a catalyst for conversation on a new Tropicana Brighter Mornings Facebook page."


Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Lucky Number 13!



Check out my new post at Hunnie Bunnie Babies! :)

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Marina and the Diamonds - The Family Jewels = The Best Album of 2010.

I finally got to sit down and listen to Marina and the Diamonds first full debut album "The Family Jewels" and I am so impressed! WOW! I would crown Marina with the best album of 2010 so far, in my opinion (and yours too!) All the tracks are strong and extremely catchy. She has a great music team behind her as I just LOVE the production of this album!

It was released on February 22nd and unfortunately slipped through my brain cracks which was unfortunate, but I wanted to give her the proper spotlight she deserves.

I want to see Marina and the Diamonds live! It could be quite possible now, moving back to Canada and close to Toronto. She should make a stop in London if she knew how awesome a crowed we can be!

There is not one song on this album I don't like. That's a big deal. 

I'm going to buy this album.  You should check it out too! You won't regret it. Seriously.
I am going to add the track called "Oh No!" which sounds like she worked with some samples from RATATAT.

What do you think?



Monday, March 8, 2010

Grønt Punkt Norge Brings You the Scariest Recyling Commercial You'll Ever Witness!

I will never forget this commerical for the rest of my life. It's about recycling old drink containers in this particular video. Now either this lady is super picky about her male friends, or she is a proper hoe/skank and Tiger Woods ain't got nothing on this girl.

I can't believe how many men she goes through in a night and then does the most insane thing with their bodies. Grønt Punkt Norge, you got my attention (and gave me nightmares) to recycle for life... Thank you!

"Grønt Punkt Norge AS ("Green Dot Norway plc") is a privately owned non-profit company responsible for financing the recovery and recycling of used packaging on behalf of the industrial sector."

I had to take a print screen of the video because I couldn't embed it within my post. So - click on it, and it will bring you right to the commercial. I promise it is worth it! These crazy Norwegians! I give it to you for insane thoughts and overflowing creativity :D

Click the picture to bring you to the video!  It's called  "Rinse, Fold and Stuff Him", translated from Norwegian. Enjoy!


Sunday, March 7, 2010

Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland in 3D

Wow! I just got back from witnessing another masterpiece from Mr. Burton, and I am in love! The characters were wonderful, and a lot of the story was based on the original "Alice through the looking Glass" with the Jabberwocky.

I felt so connected to Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, that I cried when I got home and the movie was over. He gave me the same feeling as when I watched Edward Scissorhands for the first time, as a young child. I felt I was living through Alice and I didn't want it to end!

Everything was beautiful, including all of the littlest details, like monkeys holding candelabras and everything being heart-shaped. I loved the casting for Alice herself; Mia Wasikowska played a good modest girl who is not too, too pretty but far from ugly. Her connection to the Mad Hatter was a similar connection to that of her father, I felt. It was very nice.

Helena Bonham Carter is a hot mess in this film. She makes me laugh because of her insecure insanity. She did an exceptionable job as the Red Queen. Anne Hathaway of course played the White Queen with such enchantment. :)

And of course the Cheshire Cat! I wanted to take him home with me ... perhaps he is already here and waiting to appear? :D

Tim Burton's movies would not be the same without Danny Elfman's magical musical compositions. Johnny+Danny+Tim = a tri-force of geniousness. Such a special, lovely formula that I hope will never end!

I can't wait for this movie to come out on DVD and to see what else Tim Burton has up his sleeve :)