So, this has pretty much been a week not far located away from a place with a lot of pain and boredom...It all started on Monday when I got the vaccines for the conference I'm going on in March. Since I've not been anywhere exiting since Egypt in 2001, I had to get 1260kr worth of needles in my arms. This restulted in a very painful and stiff neck/shoulder/arm on Tuesday. I could't move my head so I had to stay home. Wednesday I was capable of putting on pants so I got to go to work, but Thursday was the big pain-day. I had to drill out my wisdom tooth that was stuck in my jaw bone and then, sewn up, I just made it in my appartment door befor the local anesthesia stoped working. Since then, I've pretty muck been stuck on my couch or in bed. Got to play some wordfeud (I guess not really a good thing since Maja keeps beating me no matter what I do) and see nearly a whole season of NCIS. Really a rewarding week this...So on the picture front I don't really have that much to show for. I guess putting a picture of my swollen face or nice green stitches isn't really what you'd want to see so the picture I've put up is from one of my many wordfeud games (look at my score!) and one taken from the city centre when I was waiting for my dentist appointment. They are cleaning up after TIFF and removing the little snow we have. The last one is my Christmas present from Marit. My very good reason for living this weekend! The chocolate is from Cielo and very tasty I might add :) Hopefully next week something a little more interesting will happen, and I'll be at work more than two days...

This week has been the week of the Tromsø international film festival. I didn't really intend to go, but then I saw that they were sending a new production of Wuthering heights and I couldn't let that go by so I bought a ticket. I found out afterwards that you need a bracelet too, which I then had to aquire. And since I'd bought that, I felt it was a waste not to see at least one more. So I have, in addition to Wuthering heights, seen a Russian movie called Faust (big dissapointment since the entire film was in german!) and a Frence film called Tomboy (that I really quite liked). All in all not a bad film-week, but not really cheap. When you have to pay 110 for the bracelet I feel that the movies could be cheaper than a normal ticket...But I got to see a couple of films I wouldn't have seen otherwise. 

This saturday was the first day of sun here, which is for some reason celebrated by eating sunbuns. Not really a bit fan of the ones with vanilla cream, maybe even less than those with nothing in them, I bought some at the store to keep with the local traditions (I can't really let go of an opportunity to eat cake, even if I don't really like them...yet) and put them on a yellow plate, to mach the sun theme. And I was plesantly surprised :-) 

This eventful week...what to say? I had a visitor! I've finally moved to a place where I'm not ashamed to have visitors (given that they give proper notice so that I can the appartment the necessary scrub) so this week I invited Svanhild for moose stew. I now realise that I've entered into the lines of adulthood since she came bearing flowers, really pretty flowers. And they look really nice in my pretty vase :) 

Saturday was the first trip of the year to Aunegården. The lady went a little crazy with the chocolate syrup in my coffee. I actually think even Mariann (my dear coffophpbic friend) would agree that it didn't taste of coffe! And the whole point with a bitter drink to my very very sweet (and very very tasty) chocolate mousse cake was kind of lost. But as a true chocoholic I took it all in and enjoyed the trip :)

When it comes to work, I'm personally experiencing this whole writing-your-first-article-struggle. But, now up to six days of work a week, I'm confident it will all work out and within the next year I'll have published at least two articles! And hopefully done most of the thesis...

 

As a part of this whole being a part of the internet and add my own special brand of nonsense I have an agreement with Helen to have a kind of picture calendar. The whole one picture every day just shows how little of a life I have so I'm going for a week-based thing here. Thought about making a 2011-collage thing (inspired by Marianne http://ishavsbyen.wordpress.com/), but knowing my limitations I'm starting with 2012 (first time I've written 2012!).

This week's been not really something I want to focus on (at least not the latter half). The first day of the year was the last day of my christmas holiday. So I just had to put in the picture of our christmas tree that I took as I left the house. The next couple of days was fun with Kjærsti living with me. Went to see the ginger bread village at the library. Amazing how imaginative people can be with baked goods. Almost makes me want to be more....nah.

The rest we're not focusing on since it was spent in bed being sick. And playing wordfeud :)

Hoping for a wonderful 2012 for us all! And congratulating Marius and Rachel with their wedding anniversary. One year ago I had more to write about in the first week of the year, but who knows what's to come ;)

 

Siste dagen i Sydney. Var ute på kjøpesenter og fikk unna siste del av handelen. Alltid små ting man har glemt eller ting man har lyst på som man vurderer til slutt om man har råd. Jeg har ikke råd...Men Marius fikk kjøpt seg nye solbriller! Har gått og sett på di nå i fire uker så PÅ TIDE! Men fine var de. Han slo til siste kvelden med grilling også! Han lærer de australske skikker nå, med bbq i bakgården mens han snakker med familien på skype =)

Australias nasjonaldag, 26. januar, brukte jeg til å komme meg ut til Magnetic Island. Ei øy 20 min utenfor Townsville. Skulle egentlig ut på dykketur på SS Yongala, men for få påmeldte gjorde at jeg får utsette det til neste gang. Prøvde meg på riding istedet. Var veldig slitsomt, men gøy. Når man sitter på hesteryggen er ikke de ville dyrene så redde for deg. Så jeg fikk sett koala, kenguru og slange i tillegg til sommerfugler og annet flygende dyreliv. På grunn av de giftige manetene i vannet måtte vi ha på drakter når man bader her på sommeren (slitsomme saker), og da også når vi skulle prøve å balansere på hesteryggen. Syns det er så bra det bilde der jeg datt i vannet akkurat idet hun skulle ta bilde så du ser bare hesten og ringer i vannet ved siden av =) Men jeg prøvde! Gikk nesten like bra som med surfinga ;)

Var i Bilabong zoo sammen med forskeren jeg besøker og familien hans. Var en veldig bra dyrehage. Alle fikk lov å holde dyr og ta på forskjellige arter av pattedyr og reptiler. Jeg måtte også legge ut bilde av dyret som pynter inngangen til byen. Fin? En ting som virkelig er fint her er alle de fine hagene og trærne. Mange forskjellige blomster og planter...og dyr (på godt og vont) å studere. MASSE sommerfugler!!

Townsville, en liten by med nesten 170 000 innbyggere. Gikk meg en tur i hovedgata og så vel totalt 4 mennesker på 10 minutter! Det er jo greit nok at det var søndag, men her var det virkelig rolig! Liker hotellet mitt. Har kjøleskap og kan bruke vaskemaskin, noe som trengs siden det er 30 grader og 90% luftfuktighet. Helt utrolig varmt! Lurte på hva disse piggene utenfor hotellet var...helt til det ble mørkt og kunstverket kom til sitt rette....

En tur rundt i Melbourne fører jo til noen bilder. Ikke noen med meg, men av de viktige tingene. Det typiske tårnet som står på kunstmuseet vistes bedre fra botanisk hage, men her er den gamle sentralbanestasjonen (som fortsatt er i bruk, men ikke hovedpunkt lengre), hestevognene som står langs hovedgata i tilfelle du skulle bli lei av å gå og ikke har lyst å ta trikken. Hadde tenkt å ta en tur på gratistrikken som går rundt sendtrum, men var for lenge på museumet i dag. Får se om jeg rekker det i morgen. Det er alltid en del vind her i Melbourne, noe som gjør at jeg kan skjønne at de liker å ha flagget hengende over alt. Det svaier veldig fint i vinden. Men de har mange av dem...Også like ved Federation square, hvor de viser tennis nå om dagene. Fint samlepunkt, men var alt for varmt til å sitte og se på i dag. Men kunne kjøpe masse ting i forbindelse med turneringa (caps, skjorte og volleyballer???). Og til slutt et bilde av elva Yarra som renner gjennom byen. Fin på avstand, men veeeldig brun, og i følge Sandip og mine andre guider fra første dagen er det ingen ting som kan leve i den. Så blir vel ikke no svømmetur der på meg. Da må man vel til St Kilda. Får se om det blir tid...

Var en tur i botanisk hage...men var ikke så mye blomster. Mest store trær. Satt under palmene og skrev kort, og under det store treet og leste litt i bok. Var alt for varmt til å sitte ute i sola i dag, som første dag siden jeg kom hit. Bra med litt sol, så blir man ikke bekymret for flomregn...Var en veldig fin hage alt i alt, og veldig nærme byen så hadde med en frappochino fra Starbucks og koste meg i et par timer =)