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!"

Sunndal Cultural Festival 2013

Sunndal Cultural Festival is a annual festival where they celebrates at the end of June and this year is held from 20 - 29 June.

There are a multitude of concerts, events and exhibitions during the festival, however, the main attraction is the music play of "Lady Arbuthnott - The mistress of Elverhøy" (Lady Arbuthnott - Frua på Elverhøy), by Norwegian playwright, Stig Nilsson with music by Lars Ramsøy-Halle.

It's a story about love and sorrow, abundance and poverty. Stig Nilsson - who wrote the libretto for the musical, said this about Barbara:

"For me the story of Lady Arbuthnott, is the story of the woman who lost everything."

The play is based on a true history of Barbara Arbuthnott, who come to Sunndal in 1866 for her honeymoon. She and her third husband, William Arbuthnott, fell in love with the Norwegian nature, the valley, the mountains and the fishing in the Driva river. The visit was repeated the next two years before she decided to settled in Sunndalsøra. In the summer of 1968 she bought half of the farm Løykja, consumption Elverhøy. The farm is now a heritage park, located on Grøa in Sunndal municipality.

Because of her strong personality and her active involvement in the community, she was legendary in her own lifetime. She made the Victoria Era a part of the culture and lifestyle of Sunndal local history. In the vernacular, she was eventually titled as "Sunndals uncrowned queen".

This years is 18 consecutive years for the music play.

Because of the annual festival I will from tomorrow on stay in Sunndalsøra for work, and I am really looking forward for it!

After all, Sunndal is well know for her wild and beautiful scenery with alpine mountains and fjords.

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

Easter cake

We managed to return from Thailand's tropical warmth to a Norwegian Easter and even buy a Easter cake! Wish you all a Happy Easter!

The legend of St. Valentine

We all know that the 14th February is marked as a celebration of love and romance,
the day we celebrate with our beloved one with candy, flowers and gifts, or maybe just a fancy, romantic dinner at some fancy restaurant?

But where did these traditions come from? The legend of the St. Valentine was not exactly that romantic...After all, it is about a a Saint whom were martyred by the Roman Emperor Claudius II. I may not be the most romantic person here, but how is that romantic?!

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families,
he outlawed marriage for young men. 

Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured... oh~ how romantic...

The only thing that may find some sort of romance, is the version where an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl, possibly his jailer's daughter, who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed "From your Valentine", an expression that is still in use today.

Outside of it, I hear only drama and tragedy around this guy. So what I'm wondering is, how did this history/legend transformed into something as romantic as today's  Valentines? I kind of find this funny, anyways...

Happy Valentines to you too.

Chinese astrology for 2013 by Master 苏民峰 (Sūmínfēng)

Master 苏民峰 (Sūmínfēng) predictions for the year of Snake.

The year of the Water Snake

Happy Chinese New Year!
From today on heralds the beginning of the Year of the Water Snake.

The highlight of this merry festival, means in 15 days, from sunrise to sunset, I get to eat a lot of good food and snacks! Like the Sweet Egg Twist (蛋散, dansan), who is a traditional Chinese New Year snack, at least in Hong Kong. And that's also why I tried to make some.

Can't say my first try was a success... was like "Beauty and the Beast in comparison. Some went literally to hell, a totally disaster(!), but somehow, in a miraculous way,  I got hold of some few.

Everyone, I wish you a Happy Chinese New Year!

 恭喜發財! 龍馬精神! 萬事如意! 心想事成! 大吉大利! 出入平安!