Well, so much for putting my hand up, confirming that I would keep up the blog after the last semester. I really ment it though, and I’m hoping that this entry will light a spark that motivates me to keep writing.

The last time I wrote, I was in Melbourne. The big and wonderful city that allows you to become anonymous, to disappear in the crowd as just another human being that doesn’t have to affect anyone around her. My situation is pretty different now. I’m back home in Alta, a city with a population of 18 000 people, and I am currently trying to figure out what to make of this place.

To explain my situation better, I’ll try to describe what it was like growing up here. Oh, and it might be like this anywhere, but this is at least where I think my Norway brain and Australia brain crashes.

Like I mentioned earlier, Alta is a small place. We are blessed with having nature at our doorstep, and politicians who constantly struggle to improve the living standard, which might lead to more people wanting to move to the district. The schools I’ve gone to are small, but not tiny; there were always kids around. However, you have few, if none, opportunities to interact with someone of your own choosing: that is, you are somehow limited to whoever surrounds you, without realising that there are people out there with all sorts of interests. In my case (and I assume this goes for others as well) this meant that in order to fit in with the “cool kids” I had to adapt, to alter my interests, and become someone who could be considered in the group. This became somewhat of an obsession; being part of the cool group. Although I envied the kids who broke away from the popularity ladder and focused on doing what they wanted, I didn’t manage to seperate myself from the thought that once I was popular, I would no longer be insecure, weak, and all the other features teenagers adapt to themselves. This went on until High School, where I finally started to develop a personality of my own.

However, the popularity ladder still mattered, and I started seeing it in a bigger scale. Outside of school it was still present: a bit more subtle, but you would notice it while walking in the city centre, that people had, if not a certain rank, at least a singificant status that would have to be acknowledged.

I guess, in my head, the whole city is constructed this way. It is so small that you can easily climb to the “top”, and the fact that it takes a small effort to impress less people, I guess it is tempting to do so. Before I left Alta I would claim that people knew who I was; I played on a handball team that did fairly well, I worked for the local tv-station, and I still tried to please everyone in order to not fall out of the accepted and popular zone.

One of the first things I noticed after coming from Melbourne, where I spent 1 and a half year being 100% myself, was that I instantly got the same feeling of having to fit in. Is it okay to wear this, or is it too different? Can I say that? Or will it make me the weird girl who no longer fits in? One thing that instantly got me thinking about this was all the attention around my nose ring. HOLY CRAP, how difficult is that to accept? I’ve received one positive comment, about 20 questions on whether it is real, and an unknown number of unapproving head shakes.

However, at least some things have changed. I don’t care to the same extent that I did. I’m not afraid to let people know I disagree, or to cut them off if they’re being assholes. It is a small change, but it means the world to me. So what if not everyone here likes me? No one can ever be loved by everyone. And if it doesn’t work for me here, there is without a doubt one place out there that will.

I think the part that worried me the most about coming home was whether I would still get along with my friends; after all, its been a long time since I’ve seen them consistently. I was thrilled to find that there is still a spot for me, although I’m not exactly the same as when I left. Then again, neither are they.

And thank God for that. What retards we were.

Oh this is so lame.. I’ll do anything to procrastinate further..

1. How old are you in five years?
26 years and 4 months.

2. Who were you around for at least two hours today?
Belen. I don’t really have a choice tho, since we live together and the only way to access the internet is to sit next to each other on the couch, as close to the internet thingy as possible.

3. How tall are you?
178 cm.

4. What was the last movie you watched?
Headhunters, a Norwegian movie adapted from the book written by Jo Nesbø. He is my main man when it comes to literature, and I was expecting to be disappointed. It was boomshackalacla amazing. Oh, and it has Jamie fucking Lannister in it (also known as Nikolaj Coster.Waldau), who probably will rock up on my door any day now and ask me to marry him.

5. Who were the last person you called?
Garreth, my emergency contact and boyfriend. He isn’t aware that Nikolaj is planning to steal me away from him..

6. Who called you last?
Garreth.. I do have other friends as well! They just don’t call that often..

7. What did the last message you received say?
Lets just say that it said “OK” to save me some time. It was pretty long.

8. Do you prefer to call or text?
Text. I’m scared to death of awkward silences, and every time someone takes a break to think or breathe on the phone I panic.

9. Are your parents married or divorced?
Married.

10. When was the last time you saw your mum?
In the hallway at home before I went to Australia. Or wait. On skype two weeks ago.

11. What color is your eyes?
Blue, white and black.

12. When did you wake up today?
10am. Which gave me 10 hours to study before I start work. As you might guess it isn’t going that well..

13. What’s your favorite christmas song?
Vårres Jul by Hans Rotmo and Nordnorsk Julesalme by Trygve Hoff.

14. What’s your favorite spot/place?
Gakorivannet. Good luck finding it.

15. What’s your least favorite spot/place?
Shopping malls. I never go there unless I have to.

16. Where do you think you’ll be in ten years?
Probably at a University studying something completely different from what I’m doing now, since I’m guessing that it will be impossible to get a job with the massive competition. And if I don’t change my routines I’ll be overweight and depressed.

17. What scared you the most when you were a child?
I have a habit of suppressing memories that are either to embarrassing or sad/scary, so I honestly can’t remember.

18. What has made you laugh really hard recently?

19. How big is your bed?
Big enough. I haven’t fallen out once.

20. I can’t translate this question, but the answer is Macbook Pro. 

21. Do you sleep with or without clothes?
Depends on how tired/drunk I am. I’m anyways grateful that the silk-pajamas trend was over when I became old enough to have visitors in the bedchamber.

22. How many pillows do you sleep on?
Oh I’m so bored with this thing already! One.

23. How many countries have you lived in.
Norway and Melbourne. So two. But since 50% of the worlds population thinks Norway is the capital of Sweden I’m going to say three.

24. Where have you lived?
Senja, Alta, Oslo, Melbourne (and I spent a bit more than a month at Garreths mums house in Byron Bay, so I’ll add that to have some bragging material).

25. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or being barefoot?
I got sensitive skin under my feet, so I suck at being barefoot. Home made wool socks are the best, even in Australia.

26. Are you a social person.
In Norway yes, in Australia not so much. Everyone here seems to have gone to some kind of socialising course, so I’m far behind..

27. What’s your favorite ice cream?
I don’t really eat that much ice cream. But when I do, I don’t really care. I much prefer to eat snakes.

28. What’s your favorit dessert?
Anything with chocolate.

29. Do you like asian food.
Yes. I don’t think I could be friends with someone who didn’t. I taught my best friend to like it a couple of years ago, who knows what are relationship would have been today if she refused.

30. Do you like coffe?
Yes. But not to the same degree as Melbournians. It is becoming ridiculous.

31. What do you drink for breakfast?
Water and coffe. Black coffe.

32. Do you sleep in a particular way?
With my eyes closed. Sometimes I have conversations while sleeping.

33. Can you play poker?
No.

34. Do you like to cuddle?
Not with everyone.

35. Are you addicted to anything?
Chocolate. I’m not kidding, I need a tiny bit (now I’m kidding, I eat heaps of it if I have the chance) every day, especially after dinner.

36. Do you know anyone who has the same birthday date as you?
No, but I’m born one month before Jesus, and when I was in kindergarden I thought that made him my cousin. I’m not religious btw.

37. Do you want kids?
It depends on whether I finish being a kid one day. Right now it doesn’t seem likely.

38. Do you speak any other languages than English?
I speak Norwegian, and I understand Swedish and Danish pretty well. If I’m really drunk I think I can speak French. And I can say “I have a big potato” in German.

39. Have you ever been in an ambulance?
I was in a helicopter ambulance when my appendix exploded in my stomach.

40. Do you prefer the ocean or a pool?
I prefer mountains, but if I had to choose I’d go for the ocean.

41. What do you prefer to spend money on?
I like to spend money, full stop. I’d like to spend money on everything, but right now I can’t afford it. Ah no, I like spending money on traveling! Definitively the best way to spend money.

42. Do you own expensive jewelry? 
I’m actually against expensive jewelry. If someone tries to propose to me one day with a diamond ring they’ll receive a loud and clear NO. Money can be spent in so many better ways.

43. What’s your favorite show on tv?
I don’t watch TV. I only watch series on my computer, which I obtain from an anonymous source.

44. Can you roll your tongue? 
Is this rolling your tongue? In that case, yes.

45. Who is the funniest person you know?
That’s impossible to say. I find people who are involuntarily funny hysterically, but it’s quite a few of those..

46. Do you have a teddybear or something similar in your bed?
No?

47. What’s your ringtone?

It’s some kind of pre made disco music from Sony Ericson. It makes up for being really horrible by making me feel very unique.

48. Do you have any clothes from when you were a child?
Maybe.

49. What’s the closest thing around you that is red?

50. Do you flirt a lot?
Only with my boyfriend.

51. Can you change the oil on a car?
Wait. Don’t you just poor it in? What part of that involves changing anything? But no I can’t say I’m very confident on that.

52. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket?
No. I ince got fined for not wearing a seat belt though.

53. What was the last book you read?
Nemesis by Jo Nesbø

54. Do you read the news?
I read news from Norway. Sometimes, if it interesting enough, I read news from other places to. I’m working on getting better at this.

55. Do you subscribe to a magasine?
American Cinematographer.

56. Do you dance in cars?
What? No! That’s just ridiculous.

57. What’s the last radio station you listened to?
TrippleJ. Or is it JJJ?

58. What’s the last thing you wrote down on a piece of paper?
Locus. I keep track of words I don’t understand and try to learn it. Locus means “a particular position, point, or place : it is impossible to specify the exact locus in the brain of these neural events.”

59. When was the most recent time you went to church?
My friend had her child baptised. I have probably been in church 10 times total.

60. Are you happy?
I’m getting there. I mean, yes.

This week I were supposed to start a new and better life, both in regards to my heath and school work. That all went down the shitter on Tuesday, when I had a staff party to attent. To give myself some credit; I did go to Uni before the party, I feel like I’ve earned a pat on the back for not joining the crew at 11am. However, I had to catch up on the 6 hours of drinking my colleagues had, so needless to say (but I’m saying it anyways) I got pretty drunk. Wednesday, which is my “do-all-things-from-uni-day” disappeared in eating everything I could find and doing intervals of sleeping.

BUT I did go and get a job on Wednesday, so I guess I was kind of productive! It is even slightly related to media, so yay me!

My point with this post is that I’m going to be a good girl today, I’ll go home straight after school and do my homework. I’ll finish the Certeau reading (again) and try to produce a decent blog post on it. I might try to film the sketch video’s for integrated media, aaaand when I’m tucked in bed I’ll read the Bill Nichols reading about documentary modes of representation. Bang. I’m like the coolest uni student ever.

Aaaw that makes me kind of sad..

Lovely night on Lygon street.

If you haven’t considered it yet, you definitely will after watching this movie (the trailer isn’t even close as good as the movie, but it works)