GREETINGS FROM LONDON

Little update from London. The past two weeks have been spent getting used to the flat, and wandering around. Jade, Laura and I spent some hours of one day in the park, drinking VKs in the sun and talking about life. Another day was spent walking around Holland Park. A woman asked us if there was an event that day because of all the people playing Pokemon Go (apparently there's a gym or pokestop in Holland Park). One day was spent watching two films, a season of Girls, and a few episodes of Orphan Black. Our London plans are never-ending, and I'm having the best time this summer.

Photos taken by the lovely Laura.

SOMETIMES YOUR HEART IS A POPPING BALLOON

I tried to write about love, but it turned out to be the most cynical thing I’ve written in my life. I wanna try again.

Love.

The mysterious phenomenon we’re all seeking. 

I can’t help but be cynical whenever I’m trying to put my thoughts down in words writing about love. I can’t help but feel like we’re all doing something wrong. I’m 19 years old, and I’m witnessing people trying to find love. I just don’t think love can be found.

I’m not saying love don’t exist, but something is wrong when we do everything in our power to find Mr. Right. We think love will be like in movies, but it’s so much more than that. Love is work, and love is respecting the other person enough to be happy with who he/she is. If you’re looking for Noah from The Notebook, I’m sorry to tell you he’s fiction.

We’re so in love with the idea of love, so if we find something that seems like love, we fall deep into it. We seem to forget love takes time, and you may have a million failed relationships before you find the right one. Eventually you’ll find someone to dance around the kitchen with and someone who will kiss your forehead. Maybe you find him at 19, maybe you find him at 32, maybe you find him at 80.

If I learned one thing from being in love, it is that you don’t get anywhere without being able to deal with the tough times. It will be good times and bad times, you’ll just have to find someone who won’t give up on you during the bad times.

Sometimes your heart is a balloon. Someone you love may leave you, and it pops. Just like that. You'll have to blow up a new balloon, and hope this one stay alive for longer...

Now, as I can’t write about love without being really depressing, I want to insert some spoken word poetry. The description says; “This is for everyone in love and for everyone looking for love. None of us should have to wait until we're 85.”

To get to the original YouTube-video, click HERE.
Photo found on Tumblr.

MY 5 GUIDELINES TO LIFE

1. Stay busy

It may seem like a weak argument to be happy and stay positive, but if I've got a busy schedule, I feel like I do more with my life. If I'm able to squeeze in a haircut, a workout and meet a few friends in a day, the day feels better than if I watch Netflix for 7 hours only to ask myself what the hell I'm doing with my life. Keeping busy and making a plan for my days and weeks makes me feel more accomplished and happy with myself.

2. Caffeinate yourself

I love caffeine (even if it leaves me shaking for 30 minutes and make me wanna run across the world 15 times). Coffee gets me going in the morning and help me get through my endless to do-lists. 

3. Make sure 'productive hours' are actually productive

I work best with music. However, if it turns into a karaoke session instead of a study or work session, it doesn't help. I've got a playlist specifically for working, studying or writing, and if any song turns into that dreaded karaoke session, it's excluded. Also, I always get dressed when I wake up in the morning. Hanging around in joggers never get me in a productive mood.

4. Realistic goals and rewards

Reaching a goal will seem very far unless your goal is realistic. A main goal is great, but realistic smaller goals to get there will make the road towards your main goal easier. As for rewards, it can be both bigger and smaller rewards, like a 10 minute break after 2 hours of studying, or finally buying something you’ve wanted for a while after finishing an assignment or a term.

5. Be naive, but not too naive

Hope that things work out, but ALWAYS have a backup plan.

Most situations can go two ways, if not three or four. Hope for the best result, but also make sure you've got a plan B-Z if you don't get the result you want.

THE JOURNALIST WHO DOESN'T WRITE

I'm staring at blank pages a lot. I'm a journalism-student who's sometimes struggling to even understand what I want to say. The result is this blog post. At least for now.

The other day, I wanted to write a happy post about my day in Oslo with my best friend. Then all this shit keeps happening in the world, and it can be really hard to write about my life in this happy little bubble when the world desperately needs a wake up-call.

I could talk about my day out, or I could be speechless about the recent tragic events that’s been going on. In times like this, I’d rather be speechless. There’s been a train crash in Italy killing 27 people (an accident, but still), the awful act of terror in Nice killing 84 people, the coup-attempt in Turkey killing 290 people and injuring more than 1,400, the shooting in Baton Rouge... All tragic events happening within a week. There is so much to say, but it's so hard to say it.

There might be more people like me out there. As we're watching the news from the comfort of our own homes, we get angry. We want to say something. It's just very hard to say anything when you think too much or feel too much.

Writing used to be the most important thing in my life. I could write for hours. I could write about everything going through my head. It was simple.

Now, every time I open a document on my computer, or open my notebook, I usually close it again. There are too many things going through my head, so I can't even find the words. To be honest, I don't even know what I just wrote, I just needed to write something. I told myself I'd write more, and maybe all this thinking will soon make sense in writing.

Only time will tell.

UK SUMMER

I spent almost two weeks in the UK, driving around, seeing new and old places.

England can be truly beautiful.

WHAT BATTLES WILL WE CHOOSE?

In History, we learn about the fights for equality, with racial equality and women’s equality in focus. We might think it’s all been solved, but it hasn’t. I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently; what battles will our generation be known to have fought? After yesterday’s situation especially, and after looking at the media before that, it’s quite clear what we should fight for… LGBT equality.

We are lucky live in a society where battles have been fought before us. Although racial and gender equality might not yet have been properly solved, we’re getting there. However, when looking at the media over the previous year or so, we still have a battle to fight for everyone to be treated the same, no matter their sexual orientation. I have been wanting to post something about this for long, but it felt fitting to do it today, the day after the shooting at the LGBT club in Orlando, Florida. 

Some might say this incident occurred because gun laws in the U.S. are not strict enough, and yes, I agree to that. But there’s something else behind this; people who hate people with a different sexual orientation than themselves enough to convince themselves that killing them is ok.

50 people died, 53 people were wounded. All because of their sexual orientation. Our generation have a battle yet to be fought so that incidents like the one the world witnessed yesterday will not happen in the future. We have a battle of respect towards every human being to be fought. We need to show the world that there is no difference between people, no matter what their race is, their gender, or their sexual orientation. We might have been lucky that some battles have been fought before us, but we’ve still got some to fight ourselves.

FIRST YEAR

First year of uni will from now on be a memory, after living in it for about 8 months. As cliché as it is, I’ve grown a lot. I’ve been pushed out of my comfort zone and I’ve got experience I wouldn’t want to be without. It’s not just about living on your own, doing your own washing and making your own food. It’s about growing as a person, talking to people you never thought you’d get along with and living for a bit.

My year started off by hanging out and going out with my flat. We saw each other every day, either in the kitchen for predrinks as we got drunk or in Laura’s bed with pyjamas and snacks. It feels like yesterday. The months flew by, assignments were handed in, and suddenly I had a new group of friends. Friends I’d go to Camden with, watch Orphan Black with and chill out at the bench with. These friends are a group of quite different individuals, but they are a joy to be around. They encourage kindness and creativity, and make me a better person somehow.

I am forever grateful for this experience. Uni has been a weird combination of tears and joy, and a lot of stress.

But I couldn’t have asked for a better 1st year.

ARE WE OUT OF THE WOODS YET?

When you're young, you are often forced out in the woods on a weekend, lighting a campfire for lunch and you run around playing with nature's toys.

Then you grow older, and somehow forget about the beauty of the outside for a while. My friend and I went out on this sunny day, to rediscover our nearby forest and explore the beauty that is so close to our home, yet a place we seem to forget to visit.

ALL BLACK ADVENTURES

Being back in my home country calls for a lot of smaller adventures with friends I haven't seen in a while. The weather is getting better, I'm getting a break from cooking and life is generally good. I'm excited for another three weeks of train rides, walks, coffee and friends.

HAPPY EASTER

4/25.

Four days after my arrival in Norway, I realise how quick time goes by. I feel like I've been driving from one place to another, driving through the woods, visiting friends and family. There's no other way I would rather spend my easter.