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This is bad...I need my life back!

The Best of Times

Guess what?! Yesterday I went to the Dream Theater concert :D They were absolutely fantastic! I managed to sneak my way to the very front and I could therefore see everything.

Just to give you all an idea of how close I was standing ;)

The view was terrific - John Petrucci (the guitarist) was standing right in front of me playing on the strings of my soul. Right behind him the massive drum set was taking up half of the stage and Mike Portnoy, it seems, was drumming to the beat of my heart. On the other side of the stage Jordan Rudess' magic hands were flying across the keyboard and John Myung's base was spreading from my stomach to the very tips of my fingers and toes. I felt completely in sync with the music, and was one with the lyrics sung by the great James LaBree. It was AWSOME, to say the least.

A criminally bad picture of the whole band where you can't even see Portnoy (he was hiding behind the drum set)

Although the concert started at 18.30, DT didn't appear on stage until about 21.45 and the time in between was filled with warm up bands - Unexpect, Big Elf and Opeth. Unexpect was way to noisy for my taste, Big Elf made a great impression and I think I might even start listening to them, but by the time Opeth came on my feet and back were killing me because I was still standing in the 2nd row, so I didn't really enjoy them that much.

Rudess, Petrucci and Portnoy. My favourite trio :D

None of it mattered when Dream Theater went on. As I pushed myself to the very front, Petrucci, Myung and Rudess came out, the curtain behind them fell down, and the whole room exploded with cheers. I clambered myself to the rail, receiving the evil eye from those standing beside me and though to myself: "The only way you're gonna get me away from this spot is by carrying away my copse, otherwise I wont budge an inch. I'm here to stay!"

Playing "The Count of Tuscany"

They opened with "A Nightmare to Remember" and my heart filled with joy. The next few songs were from different albums, which was genius because it meant that I could sing till my throat got sore (which I did...and then I sang some more ;p). I almost cried when they played "One last Time", Petrucci looked me right in the eye while I was singing along to "In the name of God", and I screamed my heart out to "Prophets Of War", "A rite of Passage" and "Solitary shell". I don't even remember what other songs they played, lol, I was in a state of complete ecstasy! They finished off with "The Count of Tuscany" and sadly cut it very short :(

After the concert I bought myself a new t-shirt.

And a scarf...just because I wanted to ;P

Oh, and here's a little solo from the best guitarist in the whole world - John Petrucci

PS: Please excuse the very bad quality and the fact that it's the wrong way. It was hard to hold the camera and I don't know how to turn the video *angel eyes*

Is it any wonder?!

- 10 hours on a train (which was 4 hours late)

- 7 hours at work

- 3 hours of sleep

Is it any wonder that I'm tired?

Grey clouds in the sky

No wonder, since I'm in Bergen (it's generally considered as the rainiest city in Norway). I came here on sunday to visit Ingrid and I was supposed to leave earlier today, but I missed my train so now I'm pretty much stuck here till about 23:00. It's not too bad of course, cause I get to take the train with Ingrid, but my mother wasn't particularly happy that I had to spend more money to buy a new ticket. She also wasn't too thrilled over the fact that she'll have to wake up at 5 am to get me from the train station.

Today would've really sucked, if it weren't for the fact that I finally got my results back! I passed with a very good mark, so there was really no need to worry the way I did (had nightmares and couldn't fall asleep. Didn't eat alot cause I had a knot in my stomick and generally just worried the hell out of myself). So, despite my horrific incident with the train, loss of alot of money and nerves, I am actually pretty happy. Can't wait to move into the new house with the rest of my friends. It'll be perfect, I just know it.

But before that I still have to catch the next train home, work, go to a Dream Theater concert on saturday (SO looking forward to it!!), pack my stuff and avoid irritating my mother for 10 more days...a task not easily accomplished after todays fiasco.

Presenting my Bucket List

Carrie, over at [carrotspeak.], wrote a Bucket List on her page and encouraged her readers to do the same. As you know, I am all for lists, so I was thrilled at this chance to make yet another one. Here is a list of all the things I plan to do before I die. I have only put things that I haven't done yet, cause I though that it'll give me a challenge.


- Grow old with the person I marry (also marry the person I love)

- See ALL the art in Louvre

- Go backpacking through Europe

- Join a war reenactment

- Get a scuba certification

- Build a matching rocking chair set for me and my hubby to sit in when we're old

- Never hear my children say "I HATE YOU", even in their teen years (should have children first though)

- Learn at least 10 languages

- Read all the books in a library

- Never loose touch with my family and my best friends

- Cook all the recipes in Julia Child's cooking book (although I don't think I'll be attempting to do it all in one year)

- Learn Japanese, and watch a whole anime without translation :D (also go to Japan)

- Visit all the continents in the world (and try their food)

- Have an amazing life story told to me by the person who lived it and write a book about it

- Go to an AC/DC concert before they quit

- Learn to play the bagpipe just so I can annoy the neighbours while I'm learning

- Pet a lion or a tiger

- Ride an elephant, a donkey, a horse and a camel...oh and a sled pulled by dogs (or even one pulled by deer)

- Get a tattoo that I won't be ashamed of even when I'm 50 ;)

- Have a job that I love for the rest of my working days

- Live a life I'll be proud of

DRINK! Mazeltov ;D

The 8 Least Original Moments in 'New' Bruce Willis Trailer -- powered by Cracked.com

I'm sorry but I just had to...this is too funny not to share :D

I play, do you?

Meaning nothing else than me finally finding a book store online with low prices and free delivery. Play.com is a really wonderfull internet site that allows you to find books, DVD's, music, clothing, electronic devices - pretty much everything you would ever want to purchase online - for the price and the condition of your choice. The dispatching time is usually within 48 hours of your purchase, and they send it wherever in the the world that you happen to be, free of charge :D

It is safe to say that I am completely in love with this site, as well as another pretty handy online book store - The book depository - which left me suprisingly satisfied with my new purchase of no less than 8 books from my reading list. Lovely titles such as I capture the castle, The five people you meet in heaven, The lovely bones and Wuthering Heights are awaiting my arrival in England at our new house (which I, of course, can hardly wait to move into). I am delighted beyond all imaginable when I think of the prospect of reading all those books!

Also I beg you to excuse my changed forms of writing. I have recently been engaged in reading The Woman in White, thus I have been influenced by its unmistakable writing style. It is the second book from my reading list and I expect to finish it my tomorrow.

(My reading list, as of now, consists of 36 books which I plan to read before the end of this year. The final list will be posted online after I have obtained most of the books, as well as updates on my progress in reading them.)

Relax!

In these hectic days filled with work, school, worries and duties we should all find a little time to relax. I found this video on [carrotspeak] and couldn't resist sharing it with you. It's beautiful and very soothing for the nerves. Made me think how wonderful some things are...she simplest things. I recommend watching it in full screen to get the best effect.

A loud protest against the "No cats on the internet day"

Those who know me, will of course immidiately understand why this makes me so outraged. How dare they proclaim the 09.09.09 (today), the no cats on the internet day?! What a silly thing to do.
Cats are lovely and loyal and very smart *love*

In protest against this day I present to you a very cute picture of my own cat - Sherlock, and his friend, who are, no doubt, also outraged by this day :p
And a LolCat...just because they're AWSOME

My new reading list

The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up?

I've read 32, and I plan on reading at least 30 more. The books I've read are marked green and the books I plan to read in the nearest future are marked blue ;)

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible (in entirety)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma-Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan - No

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Inferno – Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Still the same

Still in the mood for Muse. Don't even know why. Just been feeling a bit lonely lately. Listening to Muse and Keane all day. Waiting. Wondering how it would feel to be at one of their concerts. Somehow becoming a stranger to myself, and watching as others become strangers to me. Waiting. Mindlessly passing time by staring into an empty screen. Waiting. Feeling that life is passing me by.

Waiting for it.

Waiting for them.

Waiting for you.

The Hot Cyprian Air

Didn't save me from getting a cold. In fact, it actually contributed to it, in a weird way. 36 - 38 degrees all week led to us setting the air conditioner to 18 degrees over night. Which of course meant that bathing in the windy sea for 2 hours the next day was a bad idea. Nevertheless, I did, and got sick for the better part of our holiday. Of course, that didn't stop me from having a great time!

We arrived in Cyprus on monday, feeling very much like stuffed turkey that had suddenly been crammed into the oven, very tired and somewhat hungry. At the hotel we had to wait two hours before we could check in, so we took a stroll along the beach, suddenly realising that all our tiredness was being swept away by the warm sea breeze. The view was amazing, and so was the hotel! That same day, after moving into our apartment and swimming in the sea for a while, we went on into town exploring. I soon realised that this was a family/couples resort place, and that we were the odd ones out. But that didn't really bother me because the whole place had a very nice atmosphere.

During the first few days we didn't do much more that relaxing. Mostly I was just reading my book in the sun, and sitting on the rocks in the water (note: I can swim, BUT the sea water is salt, duuuh, which means - it irritates the skin on my face...so basically my face is allergic to it but the rest of my skin is fine and since sea water is so good for the body I found rocks in the water I could sit on). We also did some paragliding and pedalboating (was great fun!). Sometimes there were activities going on in the pool, like water gym, water polo, water volley etc, that I willingly joined in on. And after a while I befriended the entertainment guy so I knew exactly when all the fun stuff was happening. I even participated in the table tennis tournament! I lost, of course, but I wasn't far behind and I was playing against the teacher :D

By the end of the week we were getting a bit bored with just laying around in the sun, so we went sightseeing. Travelled across the border to the north, Turkish occupied side of Cyprus. Two words - flags everywhere. I guess someone really wanted to make it clear whose land it was. I think someone was trying too hard.

But anyway, the trip itself was about two castles and one church (monastery). One of the castles was build over centuries, finally finished in the 14th. It is very beautiful, high up in the mountains, and it looked more like it had just grown out of the mountain itself, rather than someone having build it on top of it. Apparently Walt Disney (who, by any account, had a great imagination cause I sure couldn't have imagined it and still can't see any resemblance) got the idea for Snow White's castle after seeing this one. As a matter of pride we, as always, climbed to the very top of the building. Took us about an hour with all those crooked steps, but we made it, and were rewarded with a magnificent view.

The other castle was less impressive. The only good thing there were the chambers of torture and the 4000 year old ship they managed to lift from the bottom of the ocean. The monastery was far more interesting. The chuch there was the only greek orthodox chuch that still had all the original icons (because during the occupation people barricated themselves in it for a year and after a while the turks just couldn't be bother to rob it). And the monastery, although roofless (due to colonists that smashed it to get building materials for the english channel), was very well preserved. Anywhooooo, I liked it, and although my feed were bleeding from my new shoes (yh yh, I know, silly girl in her silly shoes...but they're so pretty!!), I enjoyed it.

Last few days were all about souvenirs, eating at local tavern's, and packing. We went to "Cyprus night", and got to see lots of national food and dancing. It was great, they even made us dance :p I won't say anything about food portions, only that after the 9th plate I couldn't even look at it anymore.

We left on monday, our favourite tavern being Marco's, where the food was awsome, the portions less overwhelming and thus eatable, and the menues were in russian :D

I'll miss Cyprus, but now it's back to work.