20.10.2011

Bula! Bula! Bula!


The Fijian word for 'hello' is someting you just can not escape while in Fiji. Everyone says it. All the time. And of course one has to respond: Bula! If I got a dime for every time I said it during the week in Fiji, the hotel stay might have come out on the plus side in the end. Another thing that was all around was men wearing skirts and flowers in their hair - or more precisely behind their ear. Even security guards at the airport.

The phenomenon of men dressed as ladies, that we first caught glimpses of in the Cook Islands, was also present in Fiji. Not to be confused with the skirt wearing men mentioned above! By now we have learned that they ladyboys are called fafafines. They are brought up as girls from a very young age. A fafafine is consider neither male nor female, but a third sex. Thus avoiding western stereotypes of sexuality altogether.

That was the exotic part. The rest of our Fiji experience was a whole lot less authentic. We stayed at Denarau Island, an island fully developed for tourists from nearby Australia and New Zealand. The island consists of six 5 star-resorts, a golf course and a marina where Tom Cruise keeps his Cruise Ship (his yacht that is). It is a secluded world of peace and quiet, where tourists and their money are kept in a little world of their own, safely separated from the real Fiji by a guarded bridge with it's own border control. Time passes by at island time - which is not very fast. A tad faster than Cook Island Time though.  

It is almost sad we were so lazy we didn't bother to see more of what was outside the hotel area. The bad weather played an important part in this though. We had some heavy rain and a lot of clouds. Not really the best backdrop for an island cruise. And the Radisson Blue Resort, where we stayed, provided us with all we needed. Being the newest of the Denarau resorts, with the largest swimming pool in Fiji, an impressive garden and various culinary options it gave us really no reason to leave it's premises. The adults pool in particular was highly appreciated.  

The one thing a resort filled with families and honeymooners does lack is night life. Too late we discovered that the Sheraton resort next door was a bit more lively than ours. Our restaurants closed at 10 and no one seemed to take advantage of the fact that one of the bars was open 24-7. That was where our newfound Australian friends, Ryan and Hayley, came in handy. One a dark and stormy night we lured them across the bridge to check out Ed's Bar in the city. A place we had learned of from a Fijian bartender working in Aitutaki. “Popular with locals”, he said. Local indeed, but it could have been more popular. Not many people on a Friday night. A couple of big mamas shaking their booties to island grooves and some tourists looking a bit out of place, including us. Some more authenticity was had when Ryan and Hayley in return took us to a restaurant in the Marina serving Fijian specialties. Probably the most authentic place in the entire Denarau Island.

Fiji Development (local IT-firm) stirred things up a bit in our resort Saturday night when they had some sort of conference with a wet and loud after party in the pool bar. As the only tourists we successfully merged into the festivities and they kept us entertained throughout the night by throwing each other in the pool. Fijian conference parties are not much different from the ones held in Norway around Christmas time... The same night a Kiwi wedding was held at another location in the hotel and two survivors from that party, a bridesmaid and a guest, added to the festivities later in the evening. We decided to check if the bar really was open 24-7, which it wasn't. The bartender went missing for one hour in the middle of the night. The local helped us out with some kava. Mudlike water mixed with some plant that makes your mouth go numb. Interesting. Lacking knowledge of Dean Martin songs resulted in us at some point singing the song we know best: The Norwegian national anthem. Gotta spread some culture when you have the chance! When the sun was rising and breakfast was ready to be served at the surrounding tables, we retreated to the safety of our king sized beds.  

All in all our week in Fiji was a bliss. Relaxing yet fun. We even got some sun in the end. But best of all; We made new acquaintances, which is one of the sweetest delights of traveling.

Moment of the Week : “Excuse me. This might sound a bit weird, but are you guys from Norway? From Bergen? Do you know Harald?”





Created with flickr slideshow.

02.10.2011

Kia Orana!

Vår siste dag på Aitutaki er over. Siste for denne gang. Øyen føyer seg inn i rekken av steder på turen som vi allerede ønsker oss tilbake til.

Aitutaki er en atoll i Stillehavet, tilhørende øygruppen Cook Islands - oppkalt etter James Cook som har æren av å ha oppdaget Australia. Cook Islands har ca 20 000 innbyggere spredd utover et areal på størrelse med Vest Europa, hvor mesteparten av dette er hav. Folk flest bor på Rarotonga, hovedøyen. Aitutaki har under 2000 fastboende.

Air Rarotonga flydde oss fra Rarotonga til Aitutaki i et lite propellfly. Før avgang fra Rarotonga trodde jeg at jeg hadde sett verdens minste flyplass. Høner løp fritt på rullebanen og det hersket en mildt sagt avslappet stemning. For aller første gang opplevde jeg å gå på et fly uten en forutgående sikkerhetskontroll. Ganske befriende i grunn. Og til alt overmål: Flyplassen på Aitutaki var faktisk enda mindre.

Hvis Air Rarotongas flyvertinne, Tevai Howard, skulle bli lei av å selge soft drinks til turister på de tre daglige avgangene mellom Rarotonga og Aitutaki, kunne hun vurdert å representere Cook Islands i Miss Universe eller lignende. Men hvorfor skulle hun bli lei? Innflygningen til Aitutaki, etter 45 minutter i luften, var naturskjønn som få. Aitutaki er omkranset av et beskyttende korallrev som rommer en svær lagune med turkisblått, stille hav hvor små øyer, mutuer, med kritthvite strender og irrgrønne palmer ligger strødd utover som perler på en snor. Fra luften ser det hele ganske surrealistisk ut. Som å ankomme en fremmed planet.

En av øyene som utsmykker Aitutakis lagune heter Akitua, og her har vi bodd denne uken. På øyen ligger Aitutaki Lagoon Resort & Spa – og ingenting annet. Fergeturen fra hotellet til hovedøyen Aitutaki kan like gjerne regnes i sekunder som i minutter. Innkvartert i en hagebungalow 5 meter fra strandkanten har alt lagt til rette for at vi kunne nyte disse dagene til fulle. Snorkling, hengekøye, kajakkpadling, myggspray og solkrem er essensielle stikkord for uken. Alt akkompagnert av en evig, svak dur, som jeg må ta meg i å ikke forveksle med lyden av en motorvei i det fjerne. Det er i realiteten lyden av bølgene fra havet som treffer revet rundt lagunen.

På hotellet jobber flere mannedamer. Det vil si menn som sminker seg, kler seg, og ter seg som kvinner. Vi ble ikke så overrasket, siden vi tilfeldigvis hadde zappet oss inn på en dokumentar om dette på Travel Channel før vi reiste. Det er likevel fascinerende hvordan dette inngår i hverdagen som den mest naturlige ting med tanke på hvilken puritansk avkrok av verden vi faktisk befinner oss i. Som de diskré nordmenn vi er, har vi ikke helt turt å spørre nærmere om dette, men vi må nok forhøre oss litt mer om fenomenet med den lokale bartenderen i kveld.

I går var vi på båttur med Vaka Cruise og fikk se flere av de mindre, ubebodde øyene i lagunen, bl.a. øyen hvor de første sesongene av den amerikanske Robinson Ekspedisjonen ble spilt inn. På en av øyene vi passerte var akkurat innspillingen av New Zealands Celebrity Survivor avsluttet. Vi var også innom One Foot Island, som etter sigende skal ha en av verdens fineste strender, men den skilte seg ikke nevneverdig fra de øvrige. Øyen har også verdens, visstnok, minste postkontor. Jeg trodde One Foot Island hadde fått navnet fordi den ser ut som en fot sett fra luften, men bakgrunnen for navnet er en helt annen, og mye lenger, historie.

For ikke å bli helt bløte har vi også måttet komme oss litt i aktivitet på landjorden. En dag leide vi scooter og freste rundt på Aitutakis humpete veier. På østsiden av øyen ligger flere hoteller med solnedgangsutsikt over strendene, men jeg ville ikke byttet mot laguneutsikten vi har fra øyen vår på vestsiden. Tohjulingen tok oss også til toppen av øyens høyeste fjell og gjennom det jeg liker å karakterisere som jungel. Hindringer i veien inkluderte en sovende gris, mange høner, haner og kyllinger, noen geiter og utallige krabber. Hjelm hadde de ikke hørt om hos utleiebyrået. Hjelm er noe som kun blir brukt på Rarotonga. Vi så eksempler på fedre som kjørte moped med sine spedbarn bakpå, uten noen annen sikring enn fars støttende hånd. Det skal riktignok sies at øyens øvre fartsgrensen er 40 km/t. Dermed gikk også venstrekjøringen over all forventning. Sånn sett et ideelt sted for oss å øve på til vi skal kjøre bil i Australia.

Ukens wow-øyeblikk: Da vi kom ut fra restauranten første kvelden og for første gang så stjernehimmelen over palmene. Magisk. Slik er bare ikke stjernehimmelen hjemme.

Turen herfra går videre til Auckland, New Zealand, hvor verden for tiden står på hodet på grunn av pågående Rugby World Cup. En virkelig stor hendelse på disse kanter.

In English? Well, what can I say? Aitutaki is a slow paced piece of paradise.


Created with flickr slideshow.


23.09.2011

Weeeho!

So, West Hollywood! Where the streets are lined with pharmacies selling nutrition, tanning studios, nail salons, dog hotels and there's a gym on every street corner. Who'd thought we could find peace here? Ramada Plaza is a quite decent hotel located on Santa Monica Boulevard, right where the action is. Swimming pool - yaay! And you can't hear the neighbor snoring (unlike the last hotel we stayed in in Santa Monica). The hotel is a few blocks from the Sunset Strip, a short taxi ride from Hollywood Avenue's Walk of Fame and a shuttle bus ride from Universal Studios we learned today.

Universal's theme park built around various block busters of dubious quality (whoever remembers Waterworld?) was surprisingly enough a quite laid-back affair compared to Disneyland. Easily do-able in one day. The attractions were close to each other and there were just enough of them to keep us busy for the entire time the park was open. On a Thursday in late September it wasn't crowded at all. A fastpass to get past the queues would have been a waste of money here, where as for my next visit to Disneyland it would have been a must. Even on a less busy day in the middle of the week. That said, Disneyland still was more impressive. That might have something to do with me appreciating the Disney universe a whole lot more than Terminator, The Mummy, King Kong and the likes. Universal's Studio Tour was a hit though, showing off some cool movie sets, props and visual effects. Today's moment of joy: Surviving the House of Horror in one piece. Those actors lurking in the dark, sneaking up from behind with a knife in hand sure works hard for the money.

Those creepy events still didn't keep up from going out after dark. The evening was spent exploring the nightlife in the neighborhood. Spent most part of the time at The Abbey, where even Elizabeth Taylor was said to have popped her head in from time to time. Closing time for bars in California is as early as 2 am. We learned that already in San Fransisco. A late night here is not the same as a late night in Vegas.

20.09.2011

Eco America

There are not enough hours in the day for me to find time to update this blog. 19th day of travel and this will be my first post. Hopefully I will find time later to fill you in on our San Francisco and Las Vegas experiences, but I'll start with where we are now: Baywatch Land.

I guess this goes for the whole of California, but Santa Monica surprised me by being all I didn't expect the US to be. By first impression it has a small town feel, it is very clean, new, well organized and most of all green. The closest supermarket is all back-to-nature with a truly impressive fruit desk. I even bought  organic toothpaste  Downtown looks like it was built just yesterday and the center is pedestrian only! Drinking age in California is 21 in and they are extremely strict about it. Having to show an ID absolutely all the time can seem like a bit of a hassle, but the people here are so service minded it's really not a bother at all. They easily put the swedes to shame. Plastic bags are banned, smoking laws are even tighter than in Norway (no smoking on or near bus stops allowed) and it seems public transport is existent here, although we haven't tried it yet. I missed an easy-to-find and easy-to-understand way of getting from the airport though.  In the end a shuttle van did the job. It's actually a taxi you share with others going in the same direction, for a fixed price. Brought us straight to the hotel door.

Santa Monica is said to be, alongside the likes of Sydney, Barcelona and Rio, one of the top beach cities in the world, and I can't wait to explore more of what it has to offer. Today we're hitting the beach. Gotta check out what Muscle Beach is all about and maybe we'll even spot a lifeguard or two. Also got to see the world famous Santa Monica Pier. The big, sparkly ferris wheel sitting on top of it, is, of course, solar driven.

28.07.2011

Til Ungdommen

This 1936 poem by Nordahl Grieg has become something of an anthem in the aftermath of the tragical incidents of 22/07/2011 in Norway. Originally written as a response to the nazi threat that was lurking upon Europe, Til Ungdommen (For our youth) still holds relevance today. The english version is from 2004, written by Rob Sinclair. Music by Otto Mortensen.


Face The Foe

Faced by your enemies
On every hand
Battle is menacing,
Now make your stand

Fearful your question,
Defenceless, open
What shall I fight with?
Where is my weapon?

Here is your battle plan,
Here is your shield
Faith in this life of ours,
The common weal

For all our children’s sake,
Save it, defend it,
Pay any price you must,
They shall not end it

Neat stacks of cannon shells,
Row upon row
Death to the life you love,
All that you know

War is contempt for life,
Peace is creation
Death’s march is halted
By determination

We all deserve the world,
Harvest and seed
Hunger and poverty
Are born of greed

Don’t turn your face away
From needs of others
Reach out a helping hand
To all your brothers

Here is our solemn vow,
From land to land
We will protect our world
From tyrants’ hand

Defend the beautiful,
Gentle and innocent
Like any mother would
Care for her infant.


Til Ungdommen

Kringsatt av fiender,
gå inn i din tid!
Under en blodig storm -
vi deg til strid!

Kanskje du spør i angst,
udekket, åpen:
Hva skal jeg kjempe med
hva er mitt våpen?

Her er ditt vern mot vold,
her er ditt sverd:
Toen på livet vårt,
menneskets verd.

For all vår fremtids skyld,
søk det og dyrk det,
dø om du må - men:
øk det og styrk det!

Stilt går granatenes
glidende bånd
Stans deres drift mot død
stans dem med ånd!

Krig er forakt for liv.
Fred er å skape.
Kast dine krefter inn:
døden skal tape!

Elsk og berik med drøm
alt stort som var!
Gå mot det ukjente
fravrist det svar.

Ubygde kraftverker,
ukjente stjerner.
Skap dem, med skånet livs
dristige hjerner!

Edelt er mennesket,
jorden er rik!
Finnes her nød og sult
skyldes det svik.

Knus det! I livets navn
skal urett falle.
Solskinn og brød og ånd
eies av alle.

Da synker våpnene
maktesløs ned!
Skaper vi menneskeverd
skaper vi fred.

Den som med høyre arm
bærer en byrde,
dyr og umistelig,
kan ikke myrde.

Dette er løftet vårt
fra bror til bror:
vi vil bli gode mot
menskenes jord.

Vi vil ta vare på
skjønnheten, varmen
som om vi bar et barn
varsomt på armen. 

28.06.2011

DIY Tee


Express yourself! With sites like CafePress.com it has never been easier to customize your own t-shirt print. My first try was this very simple little thingie I made for a Lady Gaga concert last year.

Last time I tried the site didn't work very well with Opera, but with IE the whole process ran rather smoothly. Their small is a perfect H&M size M, the print and the fit survives wash after wash. Add to that fast delivery and the price of a unique T-shirt + shipping for the grand total of around 30 $. It's nothing but win-win!

06.06.2011

For the nostalgia / Frem fra glemselen: Tourism

Let's time warp right back to the summer of 1992: I was touristing in Spain with my parents and spent most of my time indoors watching MTV in the hotel lobby. As we didn't have MTV at home, I quickly got obsessed with it. This was the summer when Roxette's How Do You Do was on heavy rotation on every music channel and every radio station. I was hooked. Back home I purchased my first ever CD; Tourism. I got it several months before I even had a CD player, giving me lots of time to spend leafing through the booklet and learning the lyrics.


Roxette is doing a big outdoor concert in my hometown in just 3 days. It is the perfect occasion to wipe the dust of this old classic. The days of CDs and booklets are long gone, get it on Spotify.

1. The earlier mentioned How Do You Do is my favourite up tempo Roxette song and would have been a killer opening track of any album.

2. Fingertips is best categorized as album filler in all its midtemponess.

3. The album is in fact something of a best of, something I didn't understand at the time. The Look was far from beeing a favourite of mine back then. I later learned about its importance as a Roxette track. Beeing their big american breakthrough and all. I have learned to love it. The nananana nanna nanana parts are as infectious as can be.

4. I have a soft spot for any Roxette ballad. The Heart Shaped Sea beeing no exception. If I ever learn to play the guitar, these might be the first chords I'll set out to learn.

5. The Rain has a heavy 90's production, but Marie Fredriksson's fragile, yet soulfull voice easily shines through. Love the depressive opening lines : I was raised the northern way.
And my father had a northern way. I did my crying out in the pouring rain.


6. Keep Me Waiting: Another album filler. Despite being uptempo, for me, it somehow feels mid tempo. I liked this a lot more before than I do now.

7. It Must Have Been Love is perhaps their signature song, alongside Listen To Your Heart which is sadly missing on the album. Would have loved to hear it get the same treatment It Must Have Been Love gets here. It starts off with a live recording with just Marie on the piano and a huge Santiago crowd singing along, which makes this pure magic. It cleverly fades into a studio version with something of a country twist and lots of vocal improvisation. Back in 1992 I didn't understand that this was not how this song was ment to sound. First time I heard the original version I was deeply disappointed. The 1992 version is clearly superior. It's a pop masterpiece and one of my all time favourite songs.

8. Cinnamon Street had me grabbing the dictionary to find out what cinnamon actually meant. Not that it made more sense afterwards. Love the transformation from almost ballad like beginning to the big chorus. This is a cruise-with-the-top-down kind of song.

9. Never Is A Long Time: I simply adore this. Both lyrically and musically. The very uplifting lines of No answers for the asking / No mercy for the aching / I see no light on the forsaken just adds to the 3:46 minutes of Pop Perfection. And if I ever learn to play the piano...

10. Silver Blue has turned into something of a fan favourite. I don't quite understand why. But I won't complain. They will play it in the concert on Thursday, and any song they play from this album gets my approval.

11. Here Comes The Weekend: A song praising the weekend will of course make more of an impact on the Grown Up Me than it did on the Childhood Me. Not deserving of a full five star rating, but it is a nice little summer ditty. I welcome the use of accordion in any pop song.

12. So Far Away rivals Never Is A Long Time as my favourite Roxette track ever. In this acoustic version, not the 80s version. Marie sings her heart out like only she can. The opening lines of In the coldest time of year, darkness all around my heart quite clearly points out what path this song will follow. This is as sobby and sad as it gets. The na na na bits towards the end gives me the chills EVERY time! And did I mention how I welcome the use of accordion in any pop song?

13. I think Come Back Before You Leave was my favourite of the new songs in my younger years. The combination of up tempo mixed with violin arrangements (or should I say synth?) did the trick for me. I must admit it's not the song that has aged the best.

14. Things Will Never Be The Same, originally from the Joyride album gets the unplugged treatment here, and it suits it perfectly. Hard to believe this was not a ballad from the start. Favourite line: You've got the eyes of a child, but you hurt like a man always do...

15. I remember when Joyride came out. I was 10 and didn't know much english, but the infectious hook Hello, you fool, I love you! was no problem memorizing. It must have been written with kids like me in mind. Whistling usually is wrong, but not here.

16. Queen of Rain is something as rare as a Roxette ballad that didn't really get to me. Still doesn't.

Considering what could have been my first CD, some Absolute Music or Mega Dance compilation, I'm quite satisfied with this as my first ever CD buy. Even 19 years later I can still put it on and fully enjoy it. It contains some of my absolute favourite songs, and that's not just the 11 year old in me speaking. Marie & Per, velkommen til Bergen!

09.05.2011

Eurovision 2011 semi predictions

It is about time I make it official: My prediction for the Eurovision semi finals coming up this week.

Qualifiers from semi final 1 in order of probability:

  1. Russia
  2. Azerbaijan
  3. Finland
  4. Armenia
  5. Turkey
  6. Norway
  7. Hungary
  8. Serbia
  9. Greece
  10. Switzerland
Lithuania is the one coming closest to ruining this perfect 10.


Qualifiers from semi final 2 in order of probability:

  1. Bosnia
  2. Denmark
  3. Estonia
  4. Ukraine
  5. Sweden
  6. Romania
  7. Ireland
  8. Moldova
  9. Netherlands
  10. Bulgaria
The 10th spot is all open between Bulgaria, Israel and Austria, but I'll go with Bulgaria, 'cause it's simply the best song of those three.

This year will be the first year since 2005 I'm not watching the final live from the arena. On the upside that means I do actually get to vote. There's no doubt about who my fingers will be texting for in the final. On Saturday my heart will be Estonian.



That said, I wouldn't mind going somewhere warm for Eurovision 2012, like Paris!

09.03.2011

Loreen - My Heart Is Refusing Me

I'm not all excited about Melodifestivalen anno 2011. In true swedish style the best songs have been voted out a long time ago. I miss Sebastian, Le Kid, Dilba and Melody Club in what could have been a grand national final. The fact that Loreen was voted off in the last round doesn't make me any less grumpy. It is The Song of the national final season for me. Miss Talhaoui, who actually is a 2004 Pop Idol looser, delivered a stunning performance of this hertz&schmertz dance track:



I can not be the only one who gets this, as she is actually topping the swedish iTunes chart at the moment, despite losing out in the tv voting. The only thing she needs now are more Twitter followers. She sure does not tweet much, but she clearly deserves to have more than 72 followers.

22.02.2011

The world needs more colours

It is not often an artist sticks to the same theme for several videos in the same way as The Sound of Arrows does. The duos' beautiful, brand new video for Nova is a perfect sequel to the equally fabulous Into The Clouds 

They welcome us into a fascinating pink, yet stylish wonderland. I just wait for unicorns and that fluffy monster from The Neverending Story to jump out of my screen any time. Nova as a song is about as good as it gets in my book. If there is any justice in the world of pop these days, this should be the anthem for Spring 2011.

Sit back and enjoy!

31.01.2011

Margeret Berger is back on track!

"I've put my hair up 'cause I want to dance"

The week starts off on an extremely good note as the fabulous Silver Fairy Margaret Berger announced on her Twitter that her new single will be released in just 21 days! Whatever happened to earlier rumoured songs "You Make Me Wanna Cry on Fridays" and "Lost in London" no one knows, but hopefully they will end up on her highly anticipated third album. I'm so excited to hear her new songs! If they are only half as good as earlier singles "Samantha", "Robot Song" and "Will You Remember Me" I will be in pop heaven!

Let's celebrate with this partypopper. Recorded back in the Silver Fairy era "Girls" was for some reason not included on the album. It appeared on an anti piracy promo cd compilation sold in stores only.

Girls by alesta81

28.01.2011

Something to vote for: Girl Happy - SOS


The overall quality of Melodi Grand Prix is quite good this year, but few songs really excite me. Girl Happy's SOS is as close as it gets. This song will for sure get my vote on Saturday if the guys know how to work with the camera. Why are robot lyrics so irresistible? Margaret Berger's Robot Song, Röyksopp & Robyn's The Girl And The Robot and Simon Curtis' Fell in Love with an Android are fine examples. Having robot lyrics in an MGP-song is of course the best way to get my approval. And not to forget there is also an 80's beat, a super catchy sing-a-long chorus and hand claps! 


 
I wanna feel the air on my machinery
A touch of love inside my circuitry
Come one and save me from my own technology
I’m losing control, I need to switch mode
Hear me, I am transmitting a distress code

23.01.2011

Soothing Sunday: Jamie Woon - Night Air



This is the perfect soundtrack for a sunday. A song that cures hangovers! The beautiful, blue video is an unusually perfect match for the song. I'm waiting patiently for Jamie Woon to get his norwegian release.

17.01.2011

Den Nationale Scene: La Cage Aux Folles

Den Nationale Scene i Bergen gjør, med god grunn, stor suksess med sin oppsetning av La Cage Aux Folles. Muligens det nærmeste det ærverdige teateret har vært en revyoppsetning. Slettes ingen dum idè å bytte ut Ibsen med litt lånte fjær, paljetter, sang og komikk for folkelighetens skyld. Broadway-stemning i Lille Bergen! Bjarte Hjelmeland briljerer i hovedrollen. Sånt blir det stinn brakke av. Tilogmed på de desiderst dårligste plassene tilgjengelig, helt oppe under taket, fikk vi godt utbytte av det hele. Tid og penger vel anvendt. Hvis det er noen som ikke har sett stykket enda, er det fortsatt en kort måned igjen å gjøre det på, før showet tar en pause og kommer tilbake til høsten. Billetter på Billettservice. Studentpriser til og med. Hvis du henter de reserverte billettene på teateret, istedetfor på 7 Eleven rett over gaten, slipper du sågar billettavgiften.

10.01.2011

On my radio

Eva & The Heartmaker - Signals

 

Eva Wheel Skram and her husband are releasing their 3rd album next month. Things are looking good as they continue where Mr. Tokyo left off with this radio flirt of a song. When I first heard it on my radio I misheard it as something by Marit Larsen - a sign of approval if there ever was one! Getting quite a lot of airplay this one, and deservedly so. This is pure pop, sparkling with life. Bring on spring. 

09.01.2011

I can see clearly now



Når juleshoppingen er vel unnagjort, er det tilbake til mer hverdagslige, kjedelige, men høyst nødvendige innkjøp. Kontaktlinser havner i den kategorien. Når du først har funnet ditt favorittmerke, vet du hva du skal ha - og du vet hva du får. Et produkt velegnet som netthandelsobjekt.

Til tross for et noe håpløst navn, er Shopping4net (tidligere Lenses4net) mitt foretrukne nettsted for linsekjøp. Viktigst: De er billige. 204 kr for en måned med dagslinser inkludert frakt. Selv om de sender fra Sverige, eller Finland, er de også overraskende effektive. Som en venn av meg sa: "Skulle tro de ikke hadde annet å gjøre enn å sitte og vente på å motta min neste bestilling". I tillegg sender de store kjøp i separate forsendelser, slik at du slipper å bry hjernen din med tollregler. Lavinteresseprodukter bør ikke være mer bry enn dette. Om du vet om noen bedre, er jeg ikke mer trofast enn at jeg gladelig tar imot tips.

Christmas is long gone and it is yet again time to concentrate on the everyday shopping. Contact lenses is a perfect product for online shopping. Once you've found your favourite brand, you know what you want - and you know what you get. Despite the rather hopeless name, Shopping4net is my preferred site for contact lenses. They're cheap, extremely efficient and reliable. They ship to UK, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Finland. In some markets they also sell printer ink, toys, nutritional supplement, beauty and make up products. You've found any better? Let me know. 

02.01.2011

Top 10 of 2010

Since everyone seems obsessed with year-end lists, I might as well do my own list of favourite songs from 2010. Hear the full list on Spotify.



Technically a 2009-song, but I discovered it in 2010 when it became a hit in Sweden. This was the most played song on my iTunes this year. A perfect pop package with a dash of retro soul. I didn’t think they made music like this any more! With her 2nd album coming up, 2011 should be Melanie Fiona’s year.

This song, from Private’s 2007 debut album of the same name, was re-edited for its 2010 UK release, and for once the remixed result turned out even better than the original. Who knew danes did groove?

2010 was without a doubt Robyn’s year, and this is in my humble opinion her best single release to date. Sparkling, uplifting pop doesn’t get much better than this.

“I never was smart with love, I let the bad ones in and the good ones go. But I'm gonna love you like I've never been hurt before. I'm gonna love you like I'm indestructible”

A song that when the chorus finally kicks in just makes me want to dance. Every time. The album Night Work had the most memorable album cover of the year.

The only ballad in my list. It is a subtle, restrained effort no one would have guessed came right out of the spectacle that is Melodifestivalen. The best MF-song in years. 

With this one I feel some resemblance to Sam Sparro’s Black & Gold. Not just music-wise, but also in the fact that none of them achieved the stardom they really deserved.
The moral winner of Melodi Grand Prix 2010. Despite having one of the biggest radio hits in Norway this year, his debut album surprisingly flopped. The other singles +  Iron Love is also worth checking out.

Choreography of the year. Endless hours of fun doing the funky chicken. Bow and arrow, bow and arrow! In retrospect this is probably what Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo will be remembered for.

Christmas IS merrier with Mariah. Just as All I want For Christmas Is You this new song also flirts with some 50’s / 60’s sound and boosts enough glitter and cheers to make yet another joyful december. The world needs more up tempo christmas songs.

A partly norwegian band with one of the most energetic traks of 2010. Another band to look out for in the year to come.




















My 1st choice for festive music

  
My very first blog entry should of course focus on music. Alienhits - #1 hits from a Another Planet was the first music blog I started following on a regular basis, and it still is my preferred place to discover new, fresh and up-beat music.  

The blog is run by Nick James, an american with a rare fixation on music from the alien planet of Scandinavia. He shares my love for all things festive. In music that means big choruses, strong melodies, unforgettable hooks and beats that makes you want to turn up the volume and jump with joy. This is the site where an album is jugded by how many up tempo tracks it includes. Of course I approve.