DDE concert at the Sunndal Cultural Festival

Today's culture festival main attraction is the concert held by D.D.E, who is a Norwegian pop/rock band founded in 1992.

While working I could hear most of their songs thumping out of speakers, and I have to say I sang along when their most famous songs came:

"Rompa mi"

"E6"

"Her blir det liv! Rai! Rai!"

Trollstigen - Troll's Path

Another beautiful summer day, so we decided yet a road trip, but this time to Trollstigen - Troll's Path. Trollstigen is located in the heart of Romsdal, and is a narrow way which weaves from Osterdalen up to Stigrøra.

The road is surrounded by majestic mountains that bear names like Kongen (The King), Dronningen (The Queen) and Bispen (The Bishop). The road is part of the National Tourist Route Geiranger - Trollstigen. Trollstigen has 9 % slope and has 11 hairpin turns up the steep mountain sides.

On our way, and a little stop for lunch.

One last look of the view before we go further.

Halfway up the Troll's Path.

At the top, we saw a nice vehicle - Rewaco

Rewaco

Atlanterhavsveien - Atlantic Ocean Road

It's a beautiful day, and we can really feel that summer is approaching. So after my roommate is done for today's work, we hit the road. We drove towards Atlanterhavsveien (Atlantic Ocean Road), and some surrounding area.

Most of the way through The Atlantic Ocean Road was filmed, but I haven't had the time to convert the the video, so only pictures taken from the car from surrounding areas.

17 May feast

As usual, we are quite careful with the economy, since we are students and do not have the best earnings.

However we took ourselves afford to an feast, since it's the national day. Once in a while should be allowed.

Pork loin steak, with almond potato, carrots and Bearnaise sauce <3

Norwegian Constitution Day

The night of 17th May, is a night where almost everyone get them self drunk, especially the young ones who are between High school to College/University still.

17th May is our National day, also know as Norwegian Constitution Day, and for tradition all the youngster who is graduating from High Schools this year, will from May 1 to May 17 become Russ. Easy explained a 17 days celebration, known as Russefeiring, or "Russ celebration".

We who is older celebrate just to celebrate the National day, just an excuse to drink with friends and have fun. We celebrate with songs, good food, alcohol and do stupid thing, like taping a friend until the door.

Never too old

Paintball Bitches!

Who said that I couldn't play Paintball with style?!

Straight from work and over to Paintball

And yeah, our team won ^^

My little stalker ♥

Someone who missed us ♥ We have been away for almost a month, so she is like "Cuddly me! Cuddly me! Me! Me! Me!" Whenever I sit or lay down, she jump up and wants to cuddle, and she is stalking me all the way.

00.28

Again at Fuji Restaurant

It's time for dinner, and we decide to come again at Fuji Restaurant. Usually, we don't visit the same restaurant twice so we can always explore new ones during the trip. However, after our breakfast here we wanted to try more from this restaurant.

So far, this restaurant is the best one! Good food and service, a well working air condition, and the food here is worth every single Thai baht! If you like Japanese cuisine, this is a recommended place to go to!

Like the first visit, we can choice to either order individual dishes or in sets/combination. The sets/combination give you a main dish, side dish and an accessory, some of them even gives you a free drink (coffee, tea or juice/shake), but since it's dinner time now, we don't get the free drink.

This time we choose 1 single dish, 1 side dish, The bunashimeji mushroom and 2 sets combination for sharing. Me and my mum wanted to eat sashimi.

Single dish - Sashimi ship

The Sasimi Ship contain inter alia: salmon, tuna, squid/octopus, crab stick (?) and mackerel. And I have to say, the meat was SO fresh that you could taste the sweetness of it <3 Each chew the meat bounces inside my mouth.

Close up of the Sashimi ship

Combination - Ramen/somen/shirataki, miso soup, steamed and fried rice 

This combination is with steamed and fried rice, noodle with beef, carrots, enokitake mushrooms and onion, and with hot sweet miso soup and egg rolls.

Combination - Beef with rice, salad, miso soup and coffee. 

Overview

Fuji Restaurant at Jungceylon

Breakfast at Fuji Restaurant, a sushi restaurant at Jungceylon mall, and so far, this is the best restaurant we have been to! The food here is good and surprising cheap, and the air conditioning is not just for decoration. You are actually cooled, so you can eat hot food without sweat yourself to death.

The menu is well made, each dishes is explained in detail and with pictures, so you know exactly what you have ordered. The menu gives you the choice to either order individual dishes or in sets/combination.

When ordering sets/combination, you get a main dish, side dish and an accessory, some of them even gives you a free drink (coffee, tea or juice/shake), depends on what time you arrive at. The sets / combination may look like small portions, but you will be feeling full. We order 3 sets/combination for sharing, so that we can try as much as possible.

Combination - Udon with gyoza and rice

Combination - Bento box with miso soup

The Bento contain assorted tempura, chicken teriyaki, and sushi (salmon and tuna). The fish used for sushi and sashimi is fresh and properly prepared.

Most of us know them as "lunch boxes" that we bring from home. But in Japan, Bento, or boxed meals, are inexpensive, single portion take out meals served in a box. They usually consist of small portions of meat, vegetables, fish or pickles together with rice. Bento come in both hot and cold varieties and are sold at specially restaurants, supermarkets and convenience stores, and are a favorite item at train stations and airports.

Combination - Beef teriyaki with miso soup and rice. Side dish - Mushroom Bunashimeji

We also ordered a side dish, Bunashimeji mushroom, who is also know as The Brown beech or The Brown Clamshell mushroom.

Scuba diving

Since my brat stages, I have always been fascinated and loved going under water, especially looking for all the life and treasures in the ocean. So taking the diving certification, have always been in my "must-do-list" in life.

Last time I tried to take the certification was in Vietnam, but we didn't have enough time to complete the course. However, this time, I am going to complete it! I am going to Check it out of the list!

Before arriving Patong we have informed my mum's friend about my wish of the certification, so while she waited for us, she have looked up 3 schools in advance. Today we are going to visit and get some more information from each of them.

In the end, I decided to go for All 4 Diving Academy. They were the most expensive one, but compared to the other two, this had a more professional impression of what they are doing. The instructor at All 4 Diving, spoke fluent English, and he took his time to answer our questions and explained in details.

He informed that they for the moment have instructors who can English, Chinese, France and Spanish available, and they can offer the textbook in many different languages, such as English, Norwegian, Chinese, Japanese, German, French, Italian and Spanish. And even more if we want the digital version.

We can choose between a 3 days course or a 4 days course. The different is the among of theory you have to go through. With 3 days you get all theory all at once, with 4 days they divide it up so you don't get stuffed with too much information at once. 

They are in partnership/organization with PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) who is the world's largest recreational diving membership and diver training organization. And they have their own swimming pool next to the venue for practices, so we don't need to travel to different places for theory and practice like the other two schools. 

The second school we visited had almost the same price, but lack of service and textbook. Despite the fact that school looked good, they didn't have the textbook in English and will take them 1-2 days to get a hold of one. The person we spoke to didn't give any interests to inform us, we had to dig out the answer out of her, and since her English wasn't good either, we had a little communication problem. 

The third school was super cheap, however the instructor couldn't speak English at all, and they didn't inform or show what partnership/organization they was part of. Skeptical. And bad communication already before we go down? Nope! No Thank You! Not gonna happen! 

So back to All 4 Diving, I choose the 3 days course, since I already have some experience from before. However if the instructor mean that I can not theory/practical good enough they won't let me try out in the ocean and I have to take one day extra for what I lack. I agree, with the terms.

With all signatures and payment done, I start next day with theory and video lecture from 0900-1500, and then going to the pool and try it out in practical. Then day 2 and 3, out to the sea, with 3 dives each day for practical. Between each dive we will practice 1-3 thing depend how quick I learn, after each dive I have to take a new theory test. For the trip out to the sea, they will come and pick me up at 0700 and we will be back at the hotel around 1800.

Since this is a important course for me, I didn't focus on taking pictures. So the only pictures I have of this whole course was when we was on the boat getting from A to B and back.

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

Thailand, Phuket, Patong

After 3 hours and 23 minutes on the plane, we have finally arrived Phuket. Next step is getting our self to the Andakira Hotel in Patong, about 30-45 minutes from the airport, depends on the traffic.

We are going to meet up with my mother's friend who is a regular guest in Patong, and also the one who recommended us this hotel. In our first stay here, she will be our guide.

The hotel is much nicer than we expected, maybe a little dull in color selection in some rooms, but still, very new and good facilities, and best of all good located.

We are just far enough from the downtown to get a good night sleep, and less than 10 minutes walk to get to the mall, clubs and beach.

Our room

At the hair salon

Two layers, so when I get tired of long hair, just put it up in a pony-/rat tail and I have short hair again. 2 in 1 hair style <3

Cut and dyed.

Best roommate ever

Headache to the degree that you think a shotgun has been fired at you and coughing until you suffocate and then more coughing again. And on top of it all, I can't get any food down without it feels like needles.....  Fuck my life.

But to my surprise, I come home to this

Creamed soup and honey tea

Made my day <3

A phone call

He finally called! It's our first conversation since he left and I'm overjoyed.

The conversation wasn't long, but still, so happy ^^
I could finally talk to him \0/

The last time he tried to call, my cell phone didn't work at all
He could hear me, but I couldn't hear a thing.

I can't describe how happy I am now \^.^/
With him gone, I don't really have much close friends to talk to, or get support from, so That feeling when we talked and laughed, made me feel "whole" again.
It's like the empty space kinda vanished ^^ the stress and frustration isn't as heavy as before.

The conversation was nothing special, we talked like nothing has happened. He sounded so close... I really do miss hanging out with him...plz, come back soon.