This has certainly been a hetic weekend for me, but a very fun one. I have already written down what happened on Friday, but Saturday has been completely ignored. So here goes.
I woke up around ten on Saturday morning for my schedule at the now famous hair salon for a hair-do for the night. Since it was included in the price, I decided that since the Thorrablot would be the only chance for me to really make an effort to dress up I would have a nice hair-do as well. Boy was I wrong. Advice: if you are blind, don't go to a hairdresser because they are blind, so not really a very good combination. Instead of getting the nice, elegant, sleek bob I was aiming for I got a funky looking haystack, full of needles that took turns piercing my skull. I almost ran into the city center and finished all my necessary purchases in record time and headed home (no pun intended). As soon as I was inside the door, I started yanking all the pins out. It felt like I had been to a plastic-surgery and couldn't move my face, and every attempt at smiling, seemed more like a loonatic trying to express anger. I counted the pins I removed, 41 in all, ouch. I decided to just go simple, and elegant, and head-friendly, and only put a simple clip in it.
I got ready and headed into the Queen Street Station to meet Sharon, my scottish friend, who was brave enought to join the drunken Icelandic revelers.
We arrived at St. Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh well ahead of time, and helped get everything ready for the food and drink. There must have been around eighty people that showed up, which is very good. And it was sooo much fun as well. I think Sharon enjoyed herself quite nicely at the evening, and she even tasted almost everything, and liked it as well. We didn't touch the head, since that can be quite messy, at least when I try to pull it assunder so I didn't try it.
Sharon even got to try Malt and Appelsín mixed together. Although it is sort of similar to Shandy's it's much nicer I think, grins. One of the girls at our table had brought small cans of them with them, and I think she was envied by everyone there. We also had our share of the Brennivin (or Black Death) and we also got to taste Tópas (in liquer form), tastes just like the candy except it has this extra bit of alcohol added to it. Sharon said she preferred the Brennivin to Tópas, I am quite mixed in my view. I kind of like them both.
We didn't notice until it was too late, that we would probably not catch the last train into Glasgow, but were lucky enough that there were people there also headed to Glasgow and knew where the bus was leaving from, so we tagged along with them. Funnily enough, we weren't any longer on our way into Glasgow than we would have been on the train, the only delay was that the bus was half an hour later than the train. Which gave us an extra half hour at the party. Soon after arriving in Glasgow we caught a taxi and made it home safe and sound. I even got a text from Sharon on Sunday morning, to tell me she had reached conciousness after the night and was all right. Brilliant!
Monday, February 27, 2006
Saturday, February 25, 2006
The Invasion of the Icelanders
Wow, a lot of things have been going on today. First, I was a really good girl yesterday and finished my essay, so I decided to take it easy today and not rush things. I knew my friend Árdís was expecting her friends to come visit for a few days, and we planned to go out to dinner tonight. But first things first. I had an appointment at a hair salon, where I got a cut and highlights, and now I look like a blond. Well, not really, but my hair is soo much lighter than I am used to that for me the feeling is I' BLONDE. But I like it, so I am not freaking out or anything.
Then, like I usually do when I take a time off from studying, you can find me in shops, and today was no different. I had some lunch and then headed for the shops, although I managed to restrain myself. I very nearly bought a top and a cardigan to go with, but decided not to on the last minute. Now, I think I will go back tomorrow to get the thing. Sometimes I can be such a gemini, never knowing which foot to put forward first.
I came home and soon I heard the rather boisterous voices of 3 females, and being as intelligent as I am knew that this had to be Árdís with her friends, safe and relatively sane in Glasgow. I went to say hi to them, and then we decided what to do tonight, and ended up going to Chow's (the best Chinese restaurant in the West End). Our flatmate Stephanie also mentioned to Árdís that it was her birthday today, and that she would be having a night out with friends at The Loft on Ashton Lane and asked us if we wanted to come as well. Of course we wanted to, Icelanders never say no to a party. Somewhere in all the chaos in my room I managed to find a birthday card so at least we had something to give her. Over dinner we suffered through our lack of German and managed to write a few not so accurate sentences of wishing Stephanie a happy birthday. We later appologised and blamed it all on Derrick, she found it hilarious.
When midnight struck I became Cinderella and ran off home in a taxi, although I didn't loose my shoe in the process (or anything else). I decided to head home early because my neck was killing me, after the hairwash I got at the salon today. Also because I am going back (yeah, can't get enough of being pampered, even though it hurts, grins) and getting a hair-do for tomorrows eveing of Þorrablót.
Anyway, I feel my brain slipping down my spine right now, so I should get on to bed, if I am going to make any sense tomorrow.
OOOh, and I nearly forgot, I got to try Opal today and I don't mean just any Opal, but the liquid alcaholic variety. One shot and it feels like you have chewed like a hundred Opals in one and then swallowed. Weird!
Then, like I usually do when I take a time off from studying, you can find me in shops, and today was no different. I had some lunch and then headed for the shops, although I managed to restrain myself. I very nearly bought a top and a cardigan to go with, but decided not to on the last minute. Now, I think I will go back tomorrow to get the thing. Sometimes I can be such a gemini, never knowing which foot to put forward first.
I came home and soon I heard the rather boisterous voices of 3 females, and being as intelligent as I am knew that this had to be Árdís with her friends, safe and relatively sane in Glasgow. I went to say hi to them, and then we decided what to do tonight, and ended up going to Chow's (the best Chinese restaurant in the West End). Our flatmate Stephanie also mentioned to Árdís that it was her birthday today, and that she would be having a night out with friends at The Loft on Ashton Lane and asked us if we wanted to come as well. Of course we wanted to, Icelanders never say no to a party. Somewhere in all the chaos in my room I managed to find a birthday card so at least we had something to give her. Over dinner we suffered through our lack of German and managed to write a few not so accurate sentences of wishing Stephanie a happy birthday. We later appologised and blamed it all on Derrick, she found it hilarious.
When midnight struck I became Cinderella and ran off home in a taxi, although I didn't loose my shoe in the process (or anything else). I decided to head home early because my neck was killing me, after the hairwash I got at the salon today. Also because I am going back (yeah, can't get enough of being pampered, even though it hurts, grins) and getting a hair-do for tomorrows eveing of Þorrablót.
Anyway, I feel my brain slipping down my spine right now, so I should get on to bed, if I am going to make any sense tomorrow.
OOOh, and I nearly forgot, I got to try Opal today and I don't mean just any Opal, but the liquid alcaholic variety. One shot and it feels like you have chewed like a hundred Opals in one and then swallowed. Weird!
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Generosity
Britain loves to give stuff away. Especially if you buy something else. In every store there is a special offer '3 for 2' or 'buy this and get this for free'. And I unashamedly use this, like crazy to my advantage, when it suits me. But sometimes I still feel like I have been had. Conned by consumeralism. The story of a shop-aholic.
Today I walked into the city center (which meant I walked to the subway station and let them take me the rest of the way). On my way there I stopped at McColls (a newspaper kiosk) and bought The Scottish Sun (yeah, they have their own Sun here, and they need it as well as it is practically always raining here). The paper was 55p today, since it is Saturday, but still in my opinion cheap. With it I got a DVD disc (Carry On Cabby), which is the only reason why I bought the paper. That's usually the reason why I buy any paper or magazine here in Scotland ... I get something I don't need for free. Well, sometimes it can come in handy. Some of my kitchen cutlery is from a magazine, I got a bag from another. Probably going through all the magazines in Britain and grabbing everything that comes with them, I guess you could almost furnish a small flat. Handbags, clothes, makeup, hair-do stuff, DVD's, cd's, games, hobby stuff, stitching and crochetting, stamps, believe me I have seen it all.
Once I was in Woolworth's just to buy one videotape for the vcr, but the only thing they had was a packet of 3. Not at all what I wanted but it was sort of the only thing I could do if I wanted to get the tapes (I wanted to use it that evening) so I sauntered over to the counter to pay for my 3 tapes, when I came to the counter, the woman cheerily informed me that they had a special offer and the tape packet I held in my hand was a 2 for 1 special. So I ended up with 6 tapes instead of the 1 and the only 1 I wanted. I still have the other 5.
This is the story everywhere, buy something and get something for free. And you get so used to this, that this is such a great offer that you just, get swallowed up in it, and get conned into buying three of the things that you only need one of and only use like once every five years, but you still go away happy, thinking that you got a great deal.
Today I walked into the city center (which meant I walked to the subway station and let them take me the rest of the way). On my way there I stopped at McColls (a newspaper kiosk) and bought The Scottish Sun (yeah, they have their own Sun here, and they need it as well as it is practically always raining here). The paper was 55p today, since it is Saturday, but still in my opinion cheap. With it I got a DVD disc (Carry On Cabby), which is the only reason why I bought the paper. That's usually the reason why I buy any paper or magazine here in Scotland ... I get something I don't need for free. Well, sometimes it can come in handy. Some of my kitchen cutlery is from a magazine, I got a bag from another. Probably going through all the magazines in Britain and grabbing everything that comes with them, I guess you could almost furnish a small flat. Handbags, clothes, makeup, hair-do stuff, DVD's, cd's, games, hobby stuff, stitching and crochetting, stamps, believe me I have seen it all.
Once I was in Woolworth's just to buy one videotape for the vcr, but the only thing they had was a packet of 3. Not at all what I wanted but it was sort of the only thing I could do if I wanted to get the tapes (I wanted to use it that evening) so I sauntered over to the counter to pay for my 3 tapes, when I came to the counter, the woman cheerily informed me that they had a special offer and the tape packet I held in my hand was a 2 for 1 special. So I ended up with 6 tapes instead of the 1 and the only 1 I wanted. I still have the other 5.
This is the story everywhere, buy something and get something for free. And you get so used to this, that this is such a great offer that you just, get swallowed up in it, and get conned into buying three of the things that you only need one of and only use like once every five years, but you still go away happy, thinking that you got a great deal.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
A mostly Chinese evening
Last night, Árdís and I went to the cinema. We decided that it was finally time for us to see Memoirs of Geisha. We didn't want to go to the cinema and then have something to eat, so we bought the tickets and then went hunting for a place to eat. We finally stumbled onto a Chinese buffet style resturant. You pay for the buffet depending on your departure from the restaurant, and you can eat as much as you like. What is nice about this place is that it actually had an incredible amount of yummie selections, from salad, starters, main courses and desserts. I think we ate for the whole week, won't have to cook at all. After this wonderful meal we rolled out of the restaurant and back to the cinema where, as tradition dictates, we went straight to the bar on second floor to wind down after the huge dinner and knock down a few beers or Vodka Ice drinks.
The film itself was very nice, quite compelling, I found myself quite often moving my head in accordance to the figures in the film, almost trying to imitate their movements and actions, I got so lost in it. It is also quite moving, in a way that I would recomend emotional people to bring a towel with them if they feel like letting loose in the theater. And so even thought we went to see a film about Japanese Geishas the actors in the film are mostly Chinese so I would say that along with the dinner it was a mostly Chinese evening we had. I liked it!
The film itself was very nice, quite compelling, I found myself quite often moving my head in accordance to the figures in the film, almost trying to imitate their movements and actions, I got so lost in it. It is also quite moving, in a way that I would recomend emotional people to bring a towel with them if they feel like letting loose in the theater. And so even thought we went to see a film about Japanese Geishas the actors in the film are mostly Chinese so I would say that along with the dinner it was a mostly Chinese evening we had. I liked it!
Friday, February 03, 2006
Chances are
Everyone in Britain right now are talking about the Euro Million's Lotto Rollover, where the pot has gone up to 126thousand pounds. Not bad. But they are also talking about the chance to get it. Now this Lotto is sort of like the Víkingalotto we have back home, exept more contries are participating in this one than the one back home. So the chances of winning are something like 76thousand to 1. But I saw a loophole, they also mentioned that you have a better chance of being killed off by lighting or eaten by a great big white shark. The loophole I noticed was, that I can hardly credit that a white shark is going to swin all the way to Scotland up the Clyde river and travel to the West End to have a nibble at me, and since Scotland is also suffering through the worst draught in years, that there has not been one raindrop falling here the last two weeks, I actually do have quite a chance of winning the Lotto. The only problem is I didn't bother buying a ticket, so drat.
"The sick man of Europe"
I sometimes wonder what I was thinking, when I decided to come to Glasgow to live and study. All the time there are new reports about Scotland and Glasgow rolling through the news rooms. One, Scotland is known as "The sick man of Europe", two, Scotland is the most violent nation in the Wester developed world (they had to have the developed in there as well, otherwise they would never have beat America), three, the cancer rate is the highest in Scotland, four, the life expectancy is the lowest in Glasgow of all Britain, five, whenever a Scot invents something, someone else (mostly English) comes and steals it away and does it better, say for instance violence, do you know what a Glasgow kiss is? It is a headbutt, yes, greet a Glaswegian very carefully and at a good distance. Drinking, that is also something the Scots are very good at. Mostly alcoholic, not sure if they drink anything else execpt the national brew of Irn Bru, and that is probably laced with a bit of whiskey as well.
And then, this makes you wonder, why they still want to belong to the British Empire, the thing is Scots have to soo nice under the English crown. One fifth of Glaswegians are on welfare benefits, in Glasgow there are also the highest number of benefit frauds (how in heck did they figure that out, heh). If they declared their independence and didn't cling to the skirt of the Queen, they would loose an incredible amount of money, and that would mean that Scots would have to start taking care of themselves, and why should they, leave the problems to the ones that created them in the first place.
When Tony Blair decided to go to war with Iraq, people of muslin origin, from Pakistan and other asian countries who had diligently supported the Labour party woted instead for the Scottish National Party, all of a sudden they were more concerned to be rid of the English than the Scots. Strange turn of things if you ask me. I think there is a long way for Scots to go before the figure out what they want. But I don't think the way they are headed there will be much for them to do if they don't start waking people up to their surroundings.
To qoute Burns: "Scots wha hae wi' Wallace bled," "get oot ur bed, and do something aboot it!"
"The sick man of Europe"
I sometimes wonder what I was thinking, when I decided to come to Glasgow to live and study. All the time there are new reports about Scotland and Glasgow rolling through the news rooms. One, Scotland is known as "The sick man of Europe", two, Scotland is the most violent nation in the Wester developed world (they had to have the developed in there as well, otherwise they would never have beat America), three, the cancer rate is the highest in Scotland, four, the life expectancy is the lowest in Glasgow of all Britain, five, whenever a Scot invents something, someone else (mostly English) comes and steals it away and does it better, say for instance violence, do you know what a Glasgow kiss is? It is a headbutt, yes, greet a Glaswegian very carefully and at a good distance. Drinking, that is also something the Scots are very good at. Mostly alcoholic, not sure if they drink anything else execpt the national brew of Irn Bru, and that is probably laced with a bit of whiskey as well.
And then, this makes you wonder, why they still want to belong to the British Empire, the thing is Scots have to soo nice under the English crown. One fifth of Glaswegians are on welfare benefits, in Glasgow there are also the highest number of benefit frauds (how in heck did they figure that out, heh). If they declared their independence and didn't cling to the skirt of the Queen, they would loose an incredible amount of money, and that would mean that Scots would have to start taking care of themselves, and why should they, leave the problems to the ones that created them in the first place.
When Tony Blair decided to go to war with Iraq, people of muslin origin, from Pakistan and other asian countries who had diligently supported the Labour party woted instead for the Scottish National Party, all of a sudden they were more concerned to be rid of the English than the Scots. Strange turn of things if you ask me. I think there is a long way for Scots to go before the figure out what they want. But I don't think the way they are headed there will be much for them to do if they don't start waking people up to their surroundings.
To qoute Burns: "Scots wha hae wi' Wallace bled," "get oot ur bed, and do something aboot it!"
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