Christmas 2015

Merry Christmas everyone!

Yesterday was Christmas Eve, which is the day we celebrate Christmas on in Norway. It is a long day, packed with traditions. The traditions are not set and followed on point, but they are more like guidelines and each family celebrates it in their own way.

Our traditions involve taking in and decorating our tree on the day before Christmas Eve, whilst watching the day before christmas programs on the TV. Dinner For One is a holiday classic that everyone watches this day. We also bake gingerbread cookies and/or house. But that might sometimes be done a couple of days earlier, it depends on how much time we have.

Then come Christmas Eve. They day starts with watching christmas morning shows, with the traditional film called Three Nuts for Cinderella. It's a Czechoslovak/East German fairy tail film from 1973 that has a Norwegian semi voice-over. And the movie is a holiday classic in Norway. Everyone sits in front of the TV to watch it. Just like Dinner for One, it is also an essential part of our holiday spirit. We also watch some Disney christmas specials in the morning whilst we eat a cozy breakfast. Or maybe just some candy. Then we get all dolled up, even though it's just me and my mum, we like to dress nicely for christmas. It's part of our tradition.

My outfit ^^

Christmas Rice Porridge with Butter and Sugar/Cinnamon

Whilst getting ready, we prepare some food. First we eat christmas porridge, kind of as a lunch. And we put a whole almond in it, so the person who finds the almond wins a marzipan pig covered in chocolate. My mum has now won two years in a row, it's getting quite suspicious...

Anyway, afterwards we prepare the pinnekjøtt(Stick Meat). I love pinnekjøtt! I look forward to it every year. After getting dressed and having put the meat on the stove for cooking, we sit down and watch some more christmas programs on the TV, and get around to wishing people a merry christmas. We take loads of pictures and just relax until food is done.
We eat the pinnekjøtt together with puréed turnip, potatoes, carrots, ribes jam and melted butter.

For desert we have homemade caramel pudding. My mums caramel pudding is the best thing ever!

After stuffing our faces with too much food we'll move on to opening the gifts. We switch on opening our gifts, and then we just relax some more into the night. We watch a lot of TV during christmas, since it's just me and my mum. And there are so many christmas shows and movies to watch.

On Christmas Day I got a christmas stocking on my bed, filled with candy. I get up and watch christmas morning shows. Then we eat christmas breakfast, and have a relaxing morning. And keep up the relaxation continues out through the day. We don't really do too much on Christmas Day.

We had lutefisk for dinner. Lutefisk is a old traditional food. It's dried and salted fish that is soaked in lye. I know, sounds weird. But it is actually quite good. It has a slight jelly texture, but my mum makes it very good. I think her lutefisk is the only lutefisk I would eat. We eat it with mashed peas, bacon and potatoes.

Me and my mum <3 We look alike?

Today is December 26th. In Norway we call it second christmas day, and it is, like Christmas Day, a holiday. So no stores open today. They won't open up until Monday. So another day that I will spend just sitting in the couch, watching movies all day whilst eating so much candy I will roll around soon...

So now I'm gonna sit the rest of the night watching even more episodes of Once Upon a Time.

Until next time..<3

Home For Christmas

Merry Christmas!

I am now home for christmas, and it is really nice. Good food, good friends and so much candy! I have already eaten so much.. So if this continues I will be rolling my way back to university over the new year.

It was quite the melancholy leaving the apartment and the people, because I've gotten so used to having so many people around me all the time. So waking up now, with only my mother is quite weird and different. But anyway I am looking forward to going back over the new year!

I decorated my room a little bit earlier in December. Got a couple of light chains and a star that I hung up over my bed. I was pretty pleased with the result. Made my room even more cozy.

I miss having dinner with my lovely roommates <3 

This picture gives a good explanation on what the weather have been like earlier in December. Looks just like fall, even though it is early/mid December.. 

 When I was packing for the flight home, I made the sudden realization that I did not have any of my suitcases with me. So I had to pack in a slightly big bag instead, meaning I did not get to bring too much stuff...

Last elevator selfie of 2015. I miss the elevator already. It is so handy^^

Cutest cup ever at the airport! <3

Pretty, snow covered view from the plane^^

Now that we have made it to December the 23rd, my room is finally christmassy and finished decorated. I think it looks good. Made it look really cozy and warm and festive.

 Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and I am so excited! I love christmas so much. Looking forward to all the food, the tv shows and just the festive mood. Gonna be all dressed up, even though it is only gonna be me and my mom.

Until next time.. <3

How To Deal With Exam Stress? My Top 8 Tips!

Hello there! 

It is now the last week of November, which means one thing; Exams! My first one is in 6 days!? And I am almost done with my home exam, so I can clearly say that this has been the month of stress for me. But the stress is far from over. Once December start I have 3 more exams spread out. So I have made a little list of what I do to cope with my exam stress. I hope it might help some of you out there that are stressing you but of right now. Or you might just get som tips for stressing down on everyday basis. Because us humans stress out way too much. I know I do at least. 

There are already a ton of articles about this out here on the wonderful internet, but I though; hey, one more is never gonna hurt. But you might have heard most, if not all of these tips other places before, but let me remind you of them in that case. 

1. Take Breaks! The most important thing you can do if you are stressed, is to just simply take a short break. Let your brain relax, if only just a little. Once your brain is too tired you won't be able to think properly, and then you will take longer to finish your tasks. So just step away from whatever you are doing for maybe 10 minutes or so, and do something completely different. 
2. Make a List! If you can organize what you need to do, you might find it helpful since you can get a broader look on what needs to be done. And don't panic if the list seems long! Just divide it up into smaller side-lists and check it off the list once you have done it. I know not everyone likes a to-do list, but some might feel like it de-stresses them a bit once you see that you have actually gotten a bit down the list. 
3. Talk to People! Som find it helpful to talk about what stresses them out. Find a good friend or just a counselor, sit down and just explain what you are stressed about. Putting the stress into words might make it a little clearer, and the other person might have some good input or ideas for how to handle it best. 
4. Drink Tea! This is not something universal. I personally find it very relaxing and helpful to just have a big cup of warm tea to sip on. Especially green tea. Some might find water helpful, others coffee. Find something you feel relaxed when drinking (if you do, not sure if everyone do..) and make it when you are stressed. I recommend hot cocoa with marshmallows as well! Always a winner when I'm stressed. 
5. Set a Time Limit! Sometimes I set a time limit, where I will work effectively for a set time, and then have a break before resuming working for a set time again. Now I do myself struggle with doing this, so it's not always the most fitting way to work, but sometimes it does work. This lets you customize hoe much time you feel you can work by how you feel yourself, which makes it
6. Be on Time! If you are late to stuff, you will immediately feel stressed, and then you will pile that stress upon other stress. So try and be on time with stuff, so you have as much time as possible to the stuff that you are doing afterwords. 
7. Meditate! I feel like meditating really helps me calm my stressed body down a bit. When you meditate, you just feel so relaxed and at peace, so I highly recommend trying it. Even just by sitting with your eyes closed whilst listening to calm music for a couple of minutes might help take your mind off of things. Try to not think about anything, just let you brain relax. I don't know much about meditating, so Google or Youtube it to find proper tutorials if you want to know more on how to do it. 
8. Music! For me, music is a helping hand no matter what I do. It can be motivating, comforting, confidence boosting and relaxing. So I always listen to music whenever I can. Find you go to song that helps you loose your worries, and that just makes you happy. Some songs can help you be more effective as well. I listen to upbeat songs when I write assignments, and when I read I listen to instrumental songs, since songs with words always tend to confuse and distract me. Zen music is really comforting, and are great for listening to when you try to meditate or just wanna relax. So just use your ears and find something that works for you. 

This are my top 8 tips that I have used lately. I hope it will help you to loose some of your stress and make the days a little bit easier. Do leave me a comment if there is anything you want me to write about! Always happy to hear what people like to read about~ 

Until next time.. <3 

Random Catchup x)

Good evening!

I just got back from University campus where I've spent most of today working on my home exam. So now I'm just relaxing in my room, watching Friends, waiting for the EM match to begin. Norway is playing against Hungary, and I wanna see how it'll go. I'm not really a big football fan, but I do enjoy watching it from time to time. I guess my friends have had a good influence on me.. I used to not like watching at all.

The temperature has been falling down dramatically lately, so the big, comfy sweaters have been getting out more frequently these past days. I have been playing with the idea of making another cookbook. I have made one before, and that was also a fall/winter one. I feel this is the only time I make this. No idea why. I remember thinking "I should make a summer cookbook!". But it just never happened. I'm getting way too lazy. 

Halloween

This year for halloween I had 2 parties to attend, so I decided to go for two different looks. One was inspired by Hel, the norse death goddess. The other was inspired by a bloody vampire picture I found. I was very pleased with both looks. What do you think? 

Bloody vampire~

Hel, Norse Goddess. 

Until next time~

Fall Is Here!?!

Happy spooky October!

We are already 10!? days into October.. Holy Cow, where did all the time go? In 2 months our exams will start, and I do not feel ready. I have way too much still to learn..

Anyway, enough panicking about exams. There is more to October than closing in on exams. It is officially starting to look like fall outside. And I must say I like it so far. The trees are really starting to look beautiful with all the yellow and red leaves, and there is just something cozy about this chilled weather. It feels so relaxing and nice. Hopefully the weather keeps being stable. I like fall when it's not much rain, and the winds are minimal. Also if the temperature stays where it is now, I'll be very grateful.

Fashion wise fall is really a fun time, because layering gets so much more versatile. But my one problem, although this is a problem for me all around the year; the wind. Wearing skirts is always kinda hard. I simply can not wear skirts when it's blowing. For some reason they always blow up no matter what I do, and it's such a hassle. I do not understand how people are able to walk around without completely flashing their underwear or tights..? Somebody please tell me what I'm doing wrong!

Another fun thing about fall is makeup. I love doing my makeup during fall. All the pretty colors. And I get to dive deep into the dark, mysterious colors. I love it! Get to let out my inner vampire.

Inspiration!!

Until Next Time..<3

Catching up to life..

Hello lovlies!

This is quite the overdue post... Summer has left us for good, and autumn is certainly starting to come. It's getting cold outside, and the leaves are all turning yellow whilst falling to the ground. I have officially taken out my winter jacket again, and it is in good use already.

So life.. Since summer vacation ended, I started a new semester at University. Time really flies! I am  now in my second year of my bachelor in History. This year though, we have to take a different subject, so we can get a wider specter of knowledge. So this year I am studying Science of Religion. It's really interesting, and so far I enjoy it. But like most subjects, it has it's dry points. Still, I am enjoying myself.

Now some of you might remember me talking about finding a new place to live, since I had to move out of my old place. And I have managed to find myself a very nice place to live. I rent through a student housing service, and am currently living in a collective with 13 other people!? so we are 14 all together. How crazy doesn't that sound? 14! I was so skeptical and worried before I moved in here. Like, what if I don't get along with anyone? Or, what is there are only annoying people living there? All sorts of different questions and worries were floating around in my head for about a month. Now I've lived here for about one and a half month, and I am really enjoying myself! The people I live with are just wonderful! I get along with everyone, and we have a lot of fun together. I get to be social everyday, and we make food together sometime. And it's so much better then I could ever have imagined it to be.

The collective I live in is a very new place. The building, which is 8 floors high, was finished this summer. So we are the first people to live here. How great isn't that? We also have a elevator in our building! I am so happy I chose to live here. Our kitchen and living area is spacious, we have two ovens and two dishwashers in the kitchen, so many people can cook at the same time. We also have a gigantic projector as a TV in the living room. The rooms are not the biggest, but they are not small either. You have enough space to function, and let me tell you the best part; I have a toilet for myself! Every room has their own, private bathroom!! Such luxury!

I think I'm gonna film a little room tour soon, so I can show what it looks like, I just need to clean it up a bit more first... x)

This was one of the best decisions I've done so far this year. I don't regret it for a minute. I am so happy. Life is smiling to me.

Now I am off to sleep, since I have an early lecture tomorrow.. Sweet dreams!
See you next time...<3

UK Vacation 2015 Day 3; Exploring Edinburgh!

Goooood Morning!

It is day 3 of our UK trip.
Today we are jumping on a train to Scotland!! Super excited!
The train left at 8 in the morning, which meant we had to get up at around 6-7am... Way too early. But I am a super worrywart, so I do not want to miss the train, meaning I would rather sit and wait, rather than having to run to make it. Yeah, I sound kinda boring.. x) But at least we made the train.

So much beautiful nature! Scotland is very similar to Norway, but that's not so much of a shocker since we have the same climate and everything. After a couple of hours on train, crossing the border and officially entering Scotland, we jumped on a bus towards our hotel. Let me tell you, taking the bus in Scotland with all of our baggage was not easy. We took up so much space, hahaha x) But we made it, and the hotel was amazing! We got a super fancy room with a kitchen and everything. Sadly we didn't have too much time to enjoy it. Next time!

After throwing our stuff into the hotel, and getting ourself cleaned up, we went out to explore the beautiful city of Edinburgh. And let me tell you; Stunning! The buildings are so gorgeous and look like they are filled with so much history.

We stayed in a walking distance to most of the stuff, so we took the time to go check out Edinburgh Castle. Such a beautiful and interesting place. I'll let the photos speak for themselves

So much history! I loved just walking around, taking it all in. After finishing our tour, we headed down closer to the sentrum looking for some food. Found some adorable little pigs. Funfact; pigs are my Chinese zodiac sign. So yeah, had to take a picture ^3^

This dude had incredible lungs! Like seriously, insanely strong lungs. Or he might just have learned a fancy pancy breathing technique letting him blow the bag for ages... What do I know. Still pretty impressive

LUNCH! :D

After eating we met up with a friend of my friend who was in town as well. Went for a couple of drinks before we headed back to the hotel to get som sleep before the next day. Because the next day we were heading to the festival! :D