Back to School

Hi everyone!!

Remember me? It's been a crazy long time since I updated the blog! I've been in an all-out vacation mode, so I'm sorry if you were checking for updates without finding anything new.. :(
Gulli already told you about our trip to Japan, it was super crazy mega awesome! I got so much inspiration and plans for the future that I don't even know where to start. First of all, I'm definitely aiming to take a year abroad. I know it will be hard mastering the language differences, exams and all that, but it will be worth it. I guess it would be more fun for you as well, if I can update the blog directly from Tokyo!  ^^

During my stay in Tokyo I also got the opportunity to explore different fashions, and I got to taste a bit of the lolita style I've always been longing for. We don't have that many pictures of the clothes we bought yet, but I'll try to update you on that later. I'm bursting of fashion inspiration after spending many long afternoons at my beloved Harajuku. Seriously, it's not just a myth. Harajuku is just as freaking amazing in reality as you picture it to be!

I have to admit that I feel a bit lost after finally returning home to our little town. It felt like traveling back in time, actually. It felt like waking up from a fantastic dream and realizing you're still in your bedroom.
I didn't feel ready to leave Japan, so it was a bit painful. We got into the new lifestyle so naturally, it somehow felt like I've been doing the same for years. Getting up early, eating breakfast with the host family, sleeping on the local train to school, grabbing a coffee before class starts.
It all became so nautral for me that I still sometimes close my eyes and pretend I'm at the same train again, at the beginning of a new, fantastic day in Tokyo.
Oh, this became very nostalgic. At least you got a feeling of how our trip was.

School starts in a few days here, and autumn is about to make it's arrival. I'm not sure if I'm ready for it, but in my lack if a time machine I just have to accept it. I'm sure many of you feel the same way ^^
Enjoy your last days of vacation to the fullest, and remember to bring the good memories and experiences from the summer with you when everyday life starts again!

Family picture ~ From the back left: our lovely host mother Noriko-san, Gulli, myself, our host brother Jan from Switzerland
Front left: our super kind host father Osamu-san, and Noriko-san's older brother Shingo-san ^^

Talk to you soon!

What to pack, what to pack..? -.-"

Hello Hello~

Only 4 days left!! o0 OH MY GOD! It's really happening...

I've just started packing a little, or at least started to figure out what I'm gonna bring, but it's really hard... The main problem is that I'm really worried about not bringing enough or bringing too much clothes, since I'm not sure how much of the clothes in Japan will fit me... Or if we'll be able to shop enough clothes to last me while I'm there. Well, I guess I'll just have to wing it and hope I'm not packing too little. I wanna be able to bring lots of stuff home, and to do that I need space in my luggage that always seems to be filled to the brim every time I'm out travelling...-.-"

It looks like much, but it really isn't.. >< I promise -.-"

So far I've packed two tops, a pair of shorts, a skirt, a dress, my pair of flower wedgies, a light jacket and a tights. This should be enough to begin with, I hope. ^^



Sorry for such a short and boring post, but there is not much more to write today, since this is mostly what I've been doing...
Bye Bye~

Just one week until departure! \^.^/

Hello everyoone! Remember me?

Today it's just one week until Gulli and I take off to Tokyo! I'm soo excited! The whole trip has always been something "far into the future", so I got a little shock when I realized we're not talking about months or weeks anymore, but days... Now I have to think about packing, learning the rest of the Hiragana (Japanese signs), and go through my checklists. Do I have enough copies of my passport? How much clothes should I bring? (Considering the fact that I will be shopping a lot.) Come to think of it, what is the weight limit on luggage again...? Do I need to bring this much shampoo?
It's so typical of me. I always slack off and take things lightly until the last minute. No wonder I'm always late. Even though I'm talking about it now, I probably won't start packing until the night before...

A-N-Y-W-A-Y!  Our schedule for the trip is super full with super fun stuff!
I'm really hoping we can manage to make a dairy out of it. It would be more realistic to call it a "every third day-dairy" or something though, as I'm guessing we'll be pretty dead tired.
If we see the opportunity we could maybe make a vlog too, with Gulli's cute little camera that was sent in that crazy huge monsterpackage you saw in the last post.
Some of you have may seen our introduction video? It was pretty amateur-ish, but at least we learned some valuable lessons about video blogging. Such as:

1. Don't make a video if there's a party downstairs. 
2. Steer clear of noisy roads and camping cars.
3. If two people have to stand under an umbrella, use a big one.
4. If you don't have a big umbrella, at least stand still so that you don't hit the other person.
5. Avoid camera men that laugh at everything you say. 
6. Don't use almost full memory cards. 
7. If you're going to speak English, learn the difference between "dairy" and "diary". (Big fail from my side.)
8. Once you're at it, learn the difference between "trip" and "tour" as well. 

Well guys, I hope you'll stick with us through the learning process, so that we can make better stuff in the future!

I know this is super delayed, but I have some pictures from the 17th of May (Norway's national day), to those of you who wonder how a Northern Norwegian national costume looks like ^^
I guess it's okay to upload some patriotic photos before I leave, so I won't get all blinded by Japan's glory. Or something like that.

 
Talk to you later ~

5 tips for making the summer even better!

Good evening cuties!

Wow, it's so hot here now. In fact, Northern Norway just got a new record on amount of sunshine in May. And our town got a new heat record for May month! I can't believe it went so fast.
I mean, where did spring go? It feels like we jumped straight from winter to summer. I've barley had time to adapt to the changes. Summer is great though! I've been wearing some summer dresses lately, and it feels so light and feminine. (That is two words you really miss when you walk around dressed like an Eskimo in a blizzard.)
Every season has both good and bad sides, so in this post I'm going to write a little about how to best enjoy the summer!

1. Stay safe and protected!

You thought I was going to write about molesters and rapists, didn't you? Nope. Your enemy is the sun! Of course, sunlight is good as well, but that's what makes it all so dangerous. The worst enemy you can have is an unstable one. The sun might hate you then love you then hate you again. Your job is to ensure that you can handle it. First of all, you must must must use sun lotion! It doesn't matter if you live far north, south, east or west, the sun rays are still harmful. And just because you don't get burnt, it doesn't mean that your skin doesn't get damaged. Did you know that getting tanned is a sign of damage? The skin is building up its protection after it's been hurt. The results of bad sun protection might not show up right away, but in the future. Too much sun lowers the quality of your skin, and gives you early wrinkles and uneven skin tone. You may also develop sun rash, even though it often appears a year after the damage's been made.
Just to clear up; I don't want you to avoid the sun either! Sun light gives you a lot of important D-vitamin, and it makes you happy. Just enjoy the sun, but protect yourself at the same time.
It's not that important to get a deep tan either, though many of you might think so. Learn to appreciate your own, nautral skin color, and you'll have a much better summer already. And it will save you from sun burn disasters.

My long time favorite sun lotion from Hawaiian Tropic. It gives good moisture and protection, and smells addictively  good. 

After sun is important too!

      2.  Feel confident in your own body!

Yeah, yeah, we've heard about it before. "Summer work out!" "How to get the bikini body!"
Of course working out and staying healthy is important, but when it comes down to it you can't completely transform your body figure. It's something we are born with. You can't starve away your hip bones, or stretch your legs longer. If you are healthy, it will shine through anyway. We have to understand that there is no such thing as ideal body, because everyone is born with an unique one!
Find the good points in your look, and highlight them. A tiny, almost non-existent swimsuit might be sexy, but self confidence is sexier! Don't be trapped in your own body just because someone else told you that you're not good enough. Wear whatever you want, your friends don't care. And if they actually do, you throw them in the trash can together with that crazy diet magazine article.

     3.  Live it!

There are two types of to-do lists; things that you have to do, and things that you want to do.
Summer is the perfect time to focus on the last one. Write a list of things you want to do, see and experience during two effective months, and make sure to get as much as possible done!
May it be BBQ-party, road trip, boat trip, summer boot camp, working as a street musician or whatever project you got hidden in your brain; sign up those involved and start planning!

Random picture of me taken in Thailand, because Thailand was amazing.

     4. Create your summer playlist

I always create a playlist on my iPod for each summer like "Summer 2012" and so on. The music varies for each year depending on what I'm doing, so every list has a different "theme". Music is a great way of remembering stuff, so you can always sit down later and dream yourself away to ice cream and blue water.

     5.  Meet the summer in style

Okay, so this might come natural for many of you, but refreshing your wardrobe and make-up palette really helps putting you in summer mood. I don't think you should spend a lot of money, or throw away all your old clothes, just refresh. Summer is the perfect time to experiment with bold colors and accessories, especially if you're not used to it. We tend to get more daring and playful then usual, so use the opportunity!

 I hope all of you will have an amazing summer! Of course, it's hard to beat Gulli and I who's going to Tokyo, but...

Talk to you later! ~

Weekend! ^.^

Hi guys!

Today it's officially weekend! I am so looking forward to sleep for a looong time tomorrow, because I need to get back some of the sleep I've lost because of my sore muscles. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep good tonight, so I can get enough energy for tomorrow when I'm gonna be working at a party serving food, cleaning up and stuff like that. Anyway can you guess what I've done all day at school, except eat lunch?..... Cutting thin carrot strips into smaller strips! I think I've mentioned the product we're making at school, right? Yeah, I am so going to get sick of carrots by the end of this.

I received a mail today from the company we're going to Tokyo with and it was an information file about Tokyo. So now I'm SUPER excited about going to Japan!! ^.^ I was jumping up and down and reading it out loud to my mom once I got it. There is so much to look forward to. Going to Shibuya and Harajuku, trying and getting a Kimono, visiting an animation studio, visiting a shrine and much more!

How I'm feeling! >w<

This is where I belong! Watching the bacon~ <3

This was a rather short post, but I hope you forgive me, nee?
Bye Bye~

No internett for me...

Hey there~

I just got home from my trip this weekend, where I had not much of an internet connection. Felt so cut of from the world. But it was a really fun weekend, and there was soooo much snow! :o

The car to a buddy of mine got snowed in because of it, and a very mean winter service vehicle. We had to dig and push the car out. Took us like half an hour. 

When we arrived at Friday we went to eat and then to the place we were staying. The night consisted of just relaxing and getting settled in (finding out who to sleep where and stuff). Then on Saturday we went to the town and spent some time at the mall. I did not buy a single clothing, make up or hair product while being there, something that I'm quite proud of being able to do! Then we went home and made some food. ^^ Pieces of beef and pommes frites and cheese. The next thing we did was going to the bowling hall. I love to bowl  but sadly I lost so it sung. Ended up at 40 points, when the winner was at 100...-.-

Later we went to a party, and it was lots of fun. Got a new friend, and ate lots of popcorn. ^.^

Sunday consisted of sleeping, eating and traveling with the buss for three hours. So now I'm really tired, and will head to bed. 

I was able to take a few pictures, and I'll upload them tomorrow. 

Have a good night

Bye bye~