I just love receiving letters and parcels by mail, it might be one of my favorite surprises in this world to find something not-bill-related in the mail when I open the mail box. Arguably most of it are things that I’ve ordered myself from ebay and such, but among those I find presents just for me as well.

Tomorrow December is finally here, which means the countdown for Christmas can finally begin. Christmas without snow this year will be weird, but what I look forward to the most is free time and loads of delicious food. And presents.

Happy December !

Ordered these a while back from my old favorites at the Dutch website fashionology.nl. The turquoise is just so very Hawaii, and I am starting to fall back in love with those sculls. Maybe because I’ve been watching Bones for the past 3 weeks.

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JACKET 5preview T-SHIRT h&m SHORTS gina tricot BAG zara WATCH triwa

We Norwegians often complain about how Norwegian people wouldn’t know style if it hit them in the head with a Brick by Chanel, dismissing Oslo Fashion Week and Norwegian designers like it was their sole profession. Having travelled quite a bit to the far corners of the world I feel qualified to comment on the issue, and to be perfectly honest MOST people, regardless of country of origin, don’t know how to dress themselves (from a fashion point-of-view that is). There is a reason why streetstyleblogs have names like FaceHunter, StyleScout, CoolHunter and Stylesightings, even if they are situated in cities like New York, London and Paris. Most people couldn’t care less when fashion is concerned, and that is a universal notion. When you walk the streets of New York you will see a lot of stylish people, but you will notice that the majority are wearing jeans, a college sweater and worn-out sneakers.

While most Norwegians are far from the world of daring fashionistas I actually think that the majority dress well above average. And that is saying something. If you add the fact that the population of New York City (not the State, only the city) is 60% larger than the population of Norway, it’s no wonder the density of fashionable people there might seem to outsize ours.

What do you think?

I want a kitchen like this, a kitchen that smells like honey and bread fresh out of the oven. A kitchen filled with pots of fresh basil, rosemary, peppermint, parsley and chives. Sweet fruit, the smell of freshly ground coffee, a worn-out wooden table with straw chairs that you can curl up in while you read the morning paper. A kitchen where you can make delicious food, and someone to make that delicious food. Tea cups of odd sizes and colors, coffee cups from every corner of this earth, a framed picture on the wall put together by pictures from Norway, Hawaii, France and Israel, and all the other places I’ve visited. Large windows and flowers on the table. That is what I want.

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Found these pictures from the opening party at VOLT back in May. Just what I needed right now when I am starting to complain about looking like a ghost, because back then I really looked like a ghost. The curse of living in Norway during the winter months obviously. Other than that I miss mingling at parties, taking photos for OsloNights, drinking free champagne and gossiping. Ah, the superficial life <3

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Someone ever tries to kill you, you try to kill ‘em right back – Mal

In theory I should be up on the North Shore watching the first winter swell of the season, but this weekend I am on a mission. It is a mission that I started back in January (or perhaps earlier) with Maja, but summer came and with it a small hiatus. I am slowly getting back on track and this week-end I have managed to cross two new things off the list. The list in question is the “TV-series & movies I have to see before I die”, and while it is supposed to be universal in the sense that it covers all genres, I have leaned towards the “fantasy & science fiction”-part of the list. Earlier entries on the list include The Neverending Story 1,2 & 3 (hadn’t watched those since I was a kid), Doctor Who, The Labyrinth, Gremlins, MirrorMask and The Addams Family, to mention a few.

This week-end we started off with a Game of Thrones-marathon because my roommate was new to the series (and I needed a re-run because it’s awesome), followed by the one and only season of Firefly, a session we ended by watching the sequel-movie Serenity. And right now we’re sitting on the floor eating pizza, doing homework and watching the first season of The X-Files.

But to retreat to the first one, Firefly, I have to say it is truly a gem. Created by Joss Whedon (the guy who gave us Buffy, Angel, Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, and The Avengers-movie next year), set in the year 2517, centered around the crew of a spaceship called Serenity, with the dry, witty and sarcastic humor that has made Whedon (and this series) a cult-figure and phenomenon. With only 14 episodes, this is a short series, and I add my voice to the people crying out for a season 2 and 3 and 4 of this series. One season and a movie is not enough screen time for Mal, Zoe, Jayne and the rest of the crew.

Mal: “Now all we need is a coupla patients.”
Simon: “Corpses, actually.  For this plan to work, River and I will have to be dead.”
Jayne: (smiling) “I’m starting to like this plan.”

Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often. That however is not how my Thanksgiving was spent. We gathered to eat and drink and talk ourselves into the night. I could not have asked for a better evening.

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Leather case for my Canon G11.

Got this in the mail a while back and it really makes my camera the perfect accessory. Today it will hang on my shoulder as I head over to Tusitala Street to celebrate Thanksgiving with turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry juice (and sauce) and everything else that you will need  for a real Thanksgiving dinner.

And the spirit of being thankful, thank you all for reading this blog and giving me such positive feedback. You are the best readers I could have asked for. Happy Thanksgiving !

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To celebrate that we 4 days off from school (Thank God for Thanksgiving), I have donned my Justin Bieber t-shirt and will escort it over to Ward Entertainment Center to buy three tickets to Twilight: Breaking Dawn. Not because I have finally started to foster a stalker-ish love for Edward Cullen, but because I feel like an outsider among all the haters who have already seen the movie. It must be noted that I am not a hater. Well not a brutal, mindless hater. But Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner as sparkly vampire and hairy teenage-angst/pedophile werewolf doesn’t make the cut.

Happy Thanksgiving, loads of love from 14-year-old Maren.

#teambieber

Whenever I miss Oslo I sit on the lanai and look at the palms and remind myself that I live on an island in the Pacific.

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When I am not complaining about homework, school, exams, too much sun, too little sun, no tanned skin, too many empty pizza boxes in the hallways, too little money, being sick all the time and everything else I can come up with (I do like complaining), I am listening to music. A lot of music. These days this is my list of numero uno favorites (spotify-link). What music makes you get through the week?

Just wanted give you a tip now that Christmas is coming up. My beautiful former-neighbor Fam Irvoll has opened a brand store at Grünerløkka in Toftesgate 52. Dresses, accessories and cupcakes for all. Happy Christmas shopping !

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DRESS nastygal T-SHIRT 5preview BOOTS forever21 BAG marc by marc jacobs WATCH triwa

I use this dress too little. Bought it from Nastygal when I moved here, and with the collar, no arms and the plush pink color it is one of those pieces that look perfect in the sun with that tanned skin and the sun-bleached hair. So now all I lack is tanned skin and sun-bleached hair. Good thing we have four days off this weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving. I will honor the old traditional cooking.. in the sun. Like a turkey. That’s the color I am opting for.

Until then I am doing homework on the floor with the Christmas edition of Longboard. Mele Kalikimaka ! Or take a trip to my favorite reading spot right by the canal. The trees there remind me of Central Park in NY.

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The best days are those spent without make-up, in comfortable clothes on the lanai with a glass of ice cold diet coke and .. homework. Homework today was actually not as hard as it could have been, and with only 4 weeks left of school, you really have to take advantage of those days when homework runs easy. So I have time off to read books and go to the beach later on in the week. Cause that’s the good life.

How’s exams working out for you?