I might be going to China this winter.
My youngest brother moved to Shanghai this summer and now my 89 year old grandmother started to think about visit him. But Mormor is from this tiny little place in Norway called Høgda (t he Hill) and compared to her Hill Shanghai is a bit big, so she asked me if I wanted to go with her. And why wouldn't I? It's not everyday you get the chance to go to Shanghai is it?
I just hope we'll get there and that this is not just some dream that will never come true. Can you imagine a country as fascinating as China? All that culture and history, all those people, big cities, strange political views, and to us in the West weird traditions?
I really look forward to this trip, tonight I'll go and visit Mormor and plan it a bit more and maybe I'll go and get our tickets someday this week.
Oh man, I'm so excited!

yup, that's me; dead and gone! at least when it comes to producing art and logging on to DA. Since February I've written one short story (that I didn't even finish, threw it in the bin and took out the trash, so no hope of saving it), purposely forgotten my camera on multiple occasions so I don't have to take any pictures, stayed inside in my flat whenever something is going on outside so I don't have to take part in it and trashed my guitar. Do I sound depressed? not not at all; I'm extremely happy; my boyfriend moved in with me and we're having a great time together - better than ever actually! But still I'm so lost and forlorn in the world of arts.
So I have one wish for my birthday this year (Tuesday 21st) and it's not world peace, erase all debts from 3rd world countries, free Tibet or anything like that this year; no this year I only want one thing:
INSPIRATION!

Oh, I just disappeared for a while but I'm back again. I can't really explain why or what happened but I think my muse died and resurrected, because she's back now (luckily after two months or so without art I started to feel kinda empty).
Enjoy my winter adventures

I just heard the most beautiful definition of literature by Alberto Manguel, an Argentinian-French-Canadian poet who wrote a quite funny poem about Norway..

"No one can quite explain why we love a person or a place or a certain kind of pizza. But when it comes to books we seem to be under the weight of a cultural inquisition that tells us ‘you must love Homer, you must love Shakespeare, you must love Ibsen!’ Well, there are many people who don’t, not every book is for every one; and when you realize that, it’s an enormous relief."

you got to hear him say it, because his voice and accent are just so marvelous

Well, the autumn has really come to Oslo now, all the trees have turned yellow, red or orange and there is quite a strong wind blowing over the fjord and into the city.
Thursday I wanted to go to the river because they turned all the lights off and gave everyone a torch so that we could walk along the river almost in complete darkness... But I didn't go.
But yesterday I went straight from the university down town for the Oslo Culture Night! At the Youth for Understanding office (the exchange organization I sometimes work for) the international students in and around Oslo had prepared food from their home countries and there was a story teller who told fairytales from all over the world and then there was a language game.
Around eight o' clock when it had gotten dark we continued down to the city hall for a guided tour in the clock tower but it was already fully booked and we couldn't go so we went for a ghost tour at the old castle in stead. All the night I was mad at myself because I didn't bring my camera because it was really beautiful..

But I went back to the castle today it was so pretty with all the autumn colours and the wind and everything that I spent more than three hours walking the castle grounds!

Now I have to leave because I'll have diner at my grandmother's tonight real Norwegian autumn-dinner called får-i-kål (sheep-in-cabbage)!