mandag 30. mars 2009

my trip


I’m all packed up and ready to go. I’m going to my mum and dads house directly from work tomorrow afternoon. I’m travelling by train to Oslo and my dad’s gone be there to pick me up. My parents live close to Oslo airport, which is good. My plane takes of at 6.30 in the morning so I have to be there super early. I’m really excited about going. It’s been snowing again so the warm weather in Louisiana is going to be a treat for me. I’m bringing stacks of books, my yoga mat and my camera. I crave some peace and solitude. I’m gone buy myself a pretty journal and just write and try to centre my thoughts. I need to figure out what my next step is going to be. This winter has been way to busy, so I definitely need to pace down. I want make time for more fun and laughter in the coming moths. Hopefully it’s going to be a beautiful summer for us all.

This picture of me is taken at the studio last summer.

I don’t know when I’ll be able to post, but hopefully I’ll see you all soon.

lørdag 28. mars 2009


My daughter made this drawing for my blog. I think she did wonderful work (it’s done by free hand).

Daughter's spending the night at a friend’s house. My sweet husband and me are spending an evening alone listening to music, drinking wine and talking. He made me a lovely shrimp dinner earlier on. What more can a girl ask?

Yesterday all three of us went out to eat. We celebrated our 10-year anniversary. We’ve been married ten years. Can you believe it? I’ve got 60 tulips delivered at work. My darling husband is the best.

onsdag 25. mars 2009

sleeping beauty



Daughter this morning....and she's so proud of the new loop earrings her mother got her.

tirsdag 24. mars 2009

Vicky Cristina Barcelona



Just watched this movie. I liked it a lot. Good story, I'm a sucker for the bohemian feel of the movie and I thought the acting was superb. And I’m a huge fan of Woody Allen, that goes without saying.

Going to Oslo for a big party tomorrow. Will be back on Friday.

mandag 23. mars 2009

the impotance of living



The importance of living is a sweet little book written by Lin Yutang in 1936. This book focuses on the importance of laziness and conversations, of drinking tea with friends, of sitting in a chair or just lying in bed. I love this. I have so many friends who feel guilt lying in bed doing nothing, taking a nap during the middle of the day or reading for that matter. I have none of this guilt. I love to sleep, and I can spend hours looking into thin air with a book on my lap. I need this time to focus. This is when I realise if I’m close to some kind of balance or if I’m completely of my mark.

søndag 22. mars 2009

dafur now




(images by lynsey addario)

If you haven’t seen this movie, Dafur Now, I think you should, especially in the light of the events that are taking place at the moment.
The documntery follows the lives of six different people who is determined to put and end to the sufferings in Dafur. It's truly a documentary that tells a story that needs to be told but at the same time manages to inspire.

Other reading material that can give insight is "The shadow of the sun" by Ryszard Kapuscinski and "Emma's war" by Deborah Scroggins.

fredag 20. mars 2009

bergen



(images from goeurope)

I had the best of times in Bergen. The sun was shining throughout my whole visit. Considering Bergen is known as the city of rain, this is not a given. And what a beautiful city it is. Sadly I had little time to myself. Wednesday I was stuck in meetings until six in the evening. Then it was of to a lovely three-course dinner at the docks. It was a great evening. I didn’t know anybody but sure enough, you able you find the sweetest and strangest people wherever you go in this world. This is the strange thing about me; I’ve been home in my apartment, with my books, yoga and paperwork throughout this looooooong winter. And coming to Bergen, the sun warming my pale skin for the first time in months, I was big time social, getting to know most of the people who joined the party this particular evening. It’s so refreshing to meet new people and hear their stories.

I went for an early morning walk Thursday morning and took some pictures to share with you. Sadly they’re all lost so I found some online instead. Hopefully I’ll be able to take some pictures tomorrow. I’ve been told the sun is expected to arrive on my little fairytale island and I have a made arrangements with my sweet neighbours to meet out on the patio for coffee.

tirsdag 17. mars 2009

spring


(image from day through sweethomelondon)

Spring is in the air…it’s so wonderful. We had a nice, sunny day today. I felt so much better in today’s yoga class. I really feel like I’ve been juggling so many things through the last couple of weeks that I created a major energy block. Last week after practise I cried in the car all the way home. And the day after I was much better. Ever since I’ve really been having a nice flow in my practice and I’ve been getting a lot of stuff done that’s been stealing my energy.
Tomorrow morning I’m leaving for Bergen on the west coast of Norway. I’ll be gone for two days on business. I hope to bring some nice pictures home with me.

søndag 15. mars 2009

magical light in the mountains





We spent the whole weekend in the mountains with good friends. Saturday daughter and me took the camera and got out in the slopes. The combination of the fog and the light was fantastic....

lørdag 14. mars 2009

The spirit of New Orleans





(images by Bruce Weber for W)

fredag 13. mars 2009

The Gita


(image from Malawi)

My personal (and humble) interpretation of The Bahavagad Gita .

It is more than a year ago I read this massive, poetic work for the first time and I must honestly admit that it has taken me time to approach the essence of it. BG begins with Arjuana and his cousin getting ready to fight a war. Arjuana feels doubt and asks Krishna for advice. Krishna then encourages him to go to war. A solution viewed in the context of our own time seems quite remarkable. It took time before I got an understanding that this is not a question whether he is for or against war, but it is a question of following your truth and to do your duty. There are also other foreign concepts. Atma (Am I really God?) And Avatar (God in human form?). I have found that Atma is a version of my soul, a concept that is more tangible for me, which in principle do not belong to any form of organized religion or faith. I still have my spirituality. My belief is associated with a greater spiritual whole, which I believe we all are a part of and that we are all affected by. I read therefore BG more as a philosophical and poetic text, rather than religious. This is still a strong text, and with widespread use of symbols. BG tells us that life is a constant internal battle. The real struggle in life is not against an external enemy, but the inner struggle against our desires, our anger and greed. The full text is a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuana that stretches over 18 chapters. These chapters can be again divided into three sections. The first six chapters discusses the importance of getting in contact with the self and the importance of carrying out your worldly duties effectively to ensure the community's welfare. The next six focus on God's nature and the love that comes out of having an intimate and close relationship with him. The last six chapters have focused on the purpose of our existence here on earth. BG describes how we can free ourselves from pain and sorrow through seeking spirituality.
The first part of the book discusses the importance of correct knowledge (Jnan yoga) and karma yoga (selfless action). Proper knowledge is to be able to distinguish between prakriti (nature) and purusha (the spiritual). The concept of Karma yoga means union with God through action. To get closer to God, it is important to act independently of your own wants and desires. If you are able to free yourself the mind will clear and you can easily fix the focus on God. If, however, you are concerned with the outcome of your actions it will manifest it self in fear.
But what does this mean in my life today? In light of the ongoing financial crisis that characterizes our global economy and the climate change this brings up some important questions. Many believes that the crisis is fundamentally represented in precisely these factors that BG emphasize that man's biggest enemy namely lust, greed and anger. This is the wheel of karma tangling people into their own destiny. It is according to the BG not God that is underlying our actions and results. It is we in the power of our ignorance that is responsible for these consequences - God is only the origin of nature, not our actions.
And as long as man's strongest force is his own ego and his own desires, represented by the market economy that has been the prevailing philosophy in the West for decades, this development will be difficult to reverse. The term altruism is well-debated term in philosophy. How can human beings act without having their own gain in mind? Krishna has the answer: we must seek knowledge, knowledge that we are more than nature, we are something more than money in the wallet, our job and all the things that we surround ourselves with, and if we come to this recognition, we will also see other in ourselves, or will no longer differentiate between you and me, and instead could trade for society and the whole of humanity rather than just the desire to meet our own needs. For Krishna stresses the importance of action. There is no solution to apply the correct knowledge without action. Proper knowledge is of little value without action. We must do our duty for the community's best.
People, who act unselfishly, as the Dalai Lama or Mother Teresa, are widely considered to be abnormal. Selfish people are the most common. We are most committed to meet our own needs. This constant chase fills us with fear, fear of losing job, money, or our home. We are afraid of being robbed of our possessions, or someone to go to physical attacks on us. So there is the fear that controls our actions. The fear is directed towards the unknown, towards other cultures, other people who we feel can threaten our existence. This leads us even further from the goal of selfless action for the common good and not towards the individual's liberation.
The lesson that Krishna gives Arjuana through the section 18 are different forms of yoga such as empathy and to surrender to God, which brings with it clarity in the mind, a clarity that you need to make better decisions. Many use their entire life to escape from unpleasant situations, rather than creating a distance to the mind and the fear by accepting life's up and downs as they are and to meet all situations with a smile.

mandag 9. mars 2009

haruki


"If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking."

— Haruki Murakami

I love this fantastic author. My favourites so far are South of the border, west of the sun, Sputnik Sweetheart and Hard-boiled wonderland and the end of the world.

søndag 8. mars 2009

pippi and daughter in the snow





Daughter and me went to my mum and dads house for the weekend. We had lots of fun during the day playing in the snow. In the evening we looked at old pictures. I found some really great once of my mother and father when they first met. They look like they were really in love, and the sweet thing is, they still are. They hold hands and kiss when they think nobody is looking. I scanned some of the pictures so I hope to share them with you this week. My father promised to email them to me, but he’s not that great with the computer, even though he likes to think so☺

torsdag 5. mars 2009

hello again



(images from Bali)

I've so missed blogging this week. I've been working all day and all night, but things are looking up. My dressing room is done. It's really beautiful. I'll post a picture later on. I think my teacher is happy with my written work so far and I got my ticket for New Orleans. I'm so exited about my trip. I'm leaving on the 1st of April. I can't wait.

søndag 1. mars 2009

basia




Basia got a hole new website going. Go check it out here. She's such a wonderful artist and teacher. I hope to go see her in Oslo next weekend.

My second thesis is done and I got my ticket to New Orleans. Finally things are coming together. I'm exhausted but happy.

If you want some good tunes for your yoga practice you should check this out.