Mittens

Woho!

Finally I don't have to borrow my boyfriends mittens or freeze my fingers off anymore! I have just finished knitting my own really awesome mittens!

I did them with a double yarn using red and black (obviously doh!) and I think it is 100% acrylic, but I ran out of black at the end of mitten no. 2 and I just took the next black ball of black, and it had no label. The black yarn is called "Freja"from Black Sheep and I think the label on the red one read "Big Carina" and then I I put on a pair of buttons from "Scrapbooking Moments" (?)

Unfortunate, I will not tell you how I made them, as I have to refine the pattern before, but if you are used to knitting I guess you can figure it out anyway.

((Halleluja - Jeff Buckley))

I will try and make a similar scarf too or something. I have realized how fun it is to knit again. Right now I'm doing so many different knitting projects that I have had to put some away and stop to 2 at the time, otherwise I will never finish any of them! So right now, a scarf and a grey sweater for me in the same mode as my mittens, but they will only be one color. And I also have came a short bit longer with my "Matrix"-coat.

Later I will do a basic sweater for the boyfriend to, for his birthday, but I have to make sure I have enough money for yarn first.

A project I really would like to try is to make thick leggings that I have knitted myself, but I don't know where to start. What kind of needles I will have to use etc, so if ANYONE has a good idea or a description I would love to see it! (Preferably in Swedish though).

((Total Eclipse of the Heart (literal version)))

Well, I guess I better go finish my studying now and try and get some sleep!

The year is coming to an end.

Christmas is rather overrated actually. Well, it is nice to come together as a family for a few hours, but really, it is rather over rated, and I think it's a bit sad you can't get together with your parents and siblings but there need to be some stupid holiday. I guess you will appreciate it more when your older maybe, but I don't really see the point in Christmas. It's just like any other day of the year.

Right now I feel a bit stressed. I have one essay right now on The cultural history of Japanese film that is really interesting. Deadline 4th January, so holiday for me? No way. Next essay deadline is January 14th, and we will get the essay subject on 28th December, so both Christmas and New Year will not be a time to rest really.

Well, the year has been both great and... Well, not so great.

I still have a lot of pain in my body and the physio therapist I have been seeing says she can't find any problems.

On the bright side though, I met the Mr this summer and that was rather awesome really.

Got a few things to think about next year, and looking forward to a lot of things!

Best memory this year: Well, except for meeting the Mr I would guess that it was actually Xmas Special in Gothenburg, a whole weekend of Kali Sikaran training.

Worst memory this year: Oh, well, hmm... I guess it was when I didn't know (both in Feb and in Aug.) whether I was gonna get money for the uni semesters. It was really horrible not knowing whether I was going to be able to pay the loans on my flat at the end of the month!

The coming year will as I said, become rather interesting. The application for Film Science part II will be sent in, in March, work will applied for in summer, moving...

So much to do, so many things to think about, and still it doesn't freak me out as much as it could, but it seems like the right thing to do!

Well, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Ju-On

Well, now I'm back home for a few days before going back to Linköping and the last of my course, and a short visit to Gothenburg for a martial arts seminar.

This evening, being very tired, I decided to watch two films that I haven't even got out of the plastic packing yet. The films are the Japanese original versions of The Grudge. The film came out in 2000, and if you want the story, check out IMDb on this link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330500/plotsummary

What I found interesting was the use of multiple narratives. This can be found in Rashomon by Aikira Kurosawa from 1950, but also in the old German expressionism films from the begining of the 1900's.

After watching myself tired of old German expressionism films, Russian montage films and Japanese films for my two courses, i thought this was going to be a relaxing film session, but no way...

One interesting thing I have noticed that also makes the similarities with the German expressionism films (which have influenced the history of horror films, as you can see up till modern day time) is the use of sounds and exaggerating (sound film became a part of film history during the German expressionism movement). An example is when the small child are making a cat sound when he opens his mouth. This is what the producer are using to scare us.

Sound, are the most important component for this film as of what I can interpret from the film. We have many examples of unnatural sound (like in above mentioned scene with the child and the cat sound), but also in the segment with Yuki, Yuki can hear sounds her friend Kanna can not. We have even an example of non-diegetic internal sound when the teacher (Kobayashi) is reading the mothers diary.

We can also find quite a few similarities with the other film too (in this case not Ju-On 2, but Ju-On: The Grudge II, which I have understood is not second film in the series), both in the plot where we can find for example the pregnant woman and the cat, but also in the way the film is made, with multiple narratives and we can start to assume that sound has a important role even in this film in the opening scene when the radio is not working.

Some days...

Well, SJ has done it once again. At 17. something today I got a text from them telling me my 8.22 train till Stockholm is cancelled! I cant believe it! I should have guessed, everything was going to smoothly with the bastards this time, and BAM, now I'm fucked. I had to get a new ticket, three times as expensive, and an hour longer trip, this means I have to get an even earlier train from here! I'm so totally pissed of right now...

But...

Some days are just meant to bring good ideas!

In need of a dinner, without cooking something that will have left overs, open up new packages or anything that can be spoiled before Friday I came up with a brilliant idea...

As I have lots and lots of cheese and tomatoes, I decided to make stuffed tomatoes! How easy can it be? It's delicious and really simple to do!

Stuffed tomatoes- vego style

First, turn the oven on (about 150-175 degrees).

Hollow out the tomates (1 if eaten with a meal or used as appetizer, otherwise, your choice, but try and use large tomatoes, as it tends to be tricky to stuff them as they are small), at the same time as you fry some soy stuffing. Put cheddar or Parmesan or any other cheese with strong taste in the bottom. Add the soy filling and some Greek cheese and spice with Oregano.
Put them in the oven and voila! A really tasteful appetizer!

Last weekend... Then STOCKHOLM!

This is the last weekend before I turn biiiig! ;)

Well, I have a lot to do this weekend. On Monday morning, I'm off to Stockholm, to start a course in Japanese film cultural history. Might be exiting. I haven't really decided yet, but the train trip will be filled with reading to prepare, prepare and more preparing. I have never really understood Japanese film, so this will be a real challenge for me, as I know nothing of Japanese films, except a bit anime...

I'm leaving home at 6am Monday morning...

My darling baby, this is a warning, said that im leaving, on monday morning... *Hums*

Well, it does come to mind dont it?

Well, as I said, at 6am Monday morning, and I will be back "home" in Linköping at 7pm...

Have you hear the news today? I'm leaving town, I'm cashing out
this towns to small for me to stay, the time is now, I'm heading out

This is a bit scary, as I know, next year by this time, I have lived in Växjö for about 3 months too... Gah! I don't want to grow up... I would love to become a kid again and move in with mummy and daddy and play aaaaall day long! But unfortunate, I'm not Benjamin Button...

So, now my weekend is filled with Aikido, all day tomorrow, and then on Sunday, I will have to clean up, do some dishes, the washing, pack my bag and find my course literature I need for the week, and pack my computer so I will be able to do my homework when I'm left alone all day...

Baby i still need ya, but if you stay ill leave ya, cause i gotta get away
and if i ever see ya, my heart is gonna bleed, but im leaving either way

That's really how it feels about next year... There is a few things I really will miss when I move... But I really want to do this, and the only reason for coming home, would be if I got a spot at KAU, but I don't really like that university, so that will probably never happen as after this summer I don't ever want anything to do with KAU or LTU ever again!

But I guess it's alright to spread your wings a bit too, as I want to go to Ireland and USA some day too, then maybe Växjö is a good place to start, as it at least is the same country that all I care for liv

es in, even the same continent...

And a little something for those who are sadist... My really nice bruises I got this Tuesday of Kali training, and this is how they look three days later, and this they look about twice as bad irl! And they perfectly match on where you do a Ikkyo! Which makes it even funnier when we have done Ikkyo both Wednesday and Thursday this week!

But I guess it's better to be off to bed now, tomorrow evening you will get a review on Chucky the evil doll as I have had a Chucky Maraton today, but I got one film left so I will wait till I'm finished with all 5 of them.

Wonderful weekend

Yeah, this weekend was rather okay to be honest! The Mr came over on Saturday and left for home this morning. Haven't seen him since the book fair in Gothenburg in end of September. So it was real good to see him again.

That means this weekend was filled with films! We managed to squeeze in Död Snö (Dead Snow), John Carpenter's vampires 1 and 2, and Saw 3D.

Död Snö was real good! Who could believe Nazi zombies in the Norwegian mountains would make a really good movie?

Död Snö

Plot

A gang of eight Norwegian medical students decides to go for a trip to the mountains. The first evening a old man comes around and tells them the story of a Nazi party who occupied a town close by, but the villagers rebelled and the Nazis fled into the mountains. This is the

start of weird things, and when one of their friends don't show up, her boyfriend starts looking for her while the others stays at the cabin and starts the party. When one of the girls goes missing and they find the backpack of the first missing person, they start to get suspicious and this is when they start the battle against the zombies.

Opinion

Död Snö is an entertaining film, made by a small scale Norwegian company, with a relatively low budget. They have many of the classical horror film traits, but they have twisted them together into something new. They have taken any zombie film and mixed it with Wrong Turn, and the result became a real good horror film, even though the plot has a few holes, but as the effect of the zombies was so good, it doesn't really matter.

I would really recommend it, it is not scary scary, but it's really good when wanting a cozy evening with some not to brutal horror films in the autumn, when there is to cold to go outside anyway.

And if you liked this one, Norway has manged to produce yet another really good horror film. Snarveien. The film is following a couple who has been in Sweden buying booze, and can't get back home to Norway, so they take a short cut...

Such meaningless shit!

A fellow aikidoka earlier posted the song American Soldier - Toby Keith on Facebook.

Beside my Brothers and my Sisters I will proudly take a stand

When liberty's in jeopardy I'll always do what's right.
I'm out here on the front lines, sleep in peace tonight.

Beautiful words, but I can't find anything right with this war! American young boys is sent to a war that seem like it will never end! Not just American, but soldiers from all over the world. they die for no reason, and as far as I know, there is not end to this.

Of course terrorism should not exist, but is the best thing really to send out young men?

Most of them (I don't say all as I guess there is probably someone who loves this, but not all), would probably rather stay home with their families rather than fight this meaningless war, as it has came to be.

George W. Bush started it 9 years ago, and there is still no end, and I really hope Obama will succeed better, and that soon.

And I can't call in sick on Mondays when the weekend's been too strong,
I just work straight through the holidays,
And sometimes all night long.

Think of that the next time your work feel like crap, some has it so much worse than you, and not because they themselves have gotten themselves into it, but they do it for you, for your liberty. For the freedom that the whole western world say they stand for.

I'm just trying to be a father,
Raise a daughter and a son,
Be a lover to their mother,

And these are the people who does it, no different from you or me or anyone else. There are families all over the world, not knowing whether their fathers, husbands, sons (or wifes, mothers, daughters for that case) will be coming home alive, or even at all.

Put life in a whole new perspective huh?

Interesting essay

So, this last essay on the "Language and Culture" bit of this English course I have chosen to write on "Is young people today speaking more poorly than they used to?"

And I have found some rather interesting facts.

Apparently, this has always been the opinion, young people have always been slandered for they way they speak, the use of slang has always been looked down on, even in the 30's. Apparently though, we can not blame it all on the youngsters using slang and swearwords, as this is still part of our childhood ways of learning a language, by mimics!

According to Fredrik Lindström this is how young children learn a language, together with creativity, to be able to express themselves when they do not know the words for how to.

I have also read a very interesting project made by Rickard Jonsson, who has done his research on language and masculinity in a 14-15 year old class. Very interesting to see how young people (most of them immigrants) reason when speaking about social status, homosexuality and life and the future, a lot different from when I was that age, and that was less than ten years ago.

I won't tell to much of the essay before I have finished it, but it really is a interesting subject. But the subject have three main areas; social status, gender distinction and sexual orientation. You are supposed to be who you are, nothing more, nothing less, you have to be a part of the norm, to prove yourself without bragging.

Well, I will see if I can give you the essay in full text when it is finished!

Bye!

Road trip, Stroganoff and Friday

Well, then it was time again.

Off to Karlstad tonight, as I am off to Oslo for a leadership course tomorrow morning at 07.00.

Then back home on Sunday.

Next weekend, a new leadership course during a weekend in Sunne, and then 15th November my trips back and forth between Stockholm, Linköping and home will start, I don't really look forward to it that much to be honest.

Well, as I realized I have food that I can't leave or eat that will go bad till I get home on Sunday I decided to make a stroganoff for future lunchboxes. And as usual, the food is 100% vegetarian and lactose free.

Ingredients:

5 soy sausages

1 onion

3 dl of lactose free 10% cream

½ of low fat milk

3-4 dl of heinz chili sauce

3 tomatoes choped in small pieces

Chop the onion and sausages into pieces and fry them till they are cooked. Add the cream and the chili sauce until it's hot and then add the tomato pieces and milk.

Cook till tomatoes are soft and serve with rice.

A fun thing is that today I bought a new coat (looking a lot like one I have that is starting to break) and two pair of pants, so now I will have to make sure I go to the gym so that they will fit, as I think that if I gain weight they won't!

Well, it's time to go finish the packing and start reading books on children's language.

See you on Monday again!

Martial arts is not a hobby, it is a lifestyle...

Well, I have been doing martial arts now for a bit more than three years, and I have come to realize that no matter what martial art you do, it is not just a hobby, it become a style of life.

Benefits when doing martial arts is many. You get a confidence, you get a good posture and probably an change in attitude. You also get strength, cardio, flexibility and you become more relaxed both when training and as a person, you learn to relax, and I think this is a common treat to all martial arts, whether you do Aikido, Kali Sikaran, Brazilian Ju-jutsu or MMA.

No martial art is better than another, even though if you are part of a martial arts group you think yours is the best. And instead of going around saying everyone else is doing it wrong or their style is wrong, why not put down the energy and effort into yourself and to grow as a martial arts person in the one you think are the ultimate one in that case?

No matter what style or sport you do, everyone puts down just as much effort as the other one, the amount of training is just as much, then if a MMA-fighter might be "less" good at one, but a bit good at many different parts of martial art, then so be it, that is the purpose with their training, and that is a completely focus than for example Judo and Aikido has.

If we take an example, Aikido does not train sweeps, but you do in Brazilian Ju-jutsu and Judo (for example) how can you then say that Aikido is the ultimate way to defend your self? But just because of that, the focus of Aikido is not wrong, the main idea of Aikido is to use the opponents force against himself, and that is also a good main idea, and then you do a lock of some sort to keep the other one down. Neither is optimal, neither is wrong, both are great ways of training.

I have my self been doing Aikido for just a bit over three years now and Kali Sikaran since January this year, and I can't see anything but positive things about doing more than one martial art at the time either, you can find similarities and differences and when you do the question "does this really work?" will pop into your head, and a whole new dimension of martial arts is a head of you. Of course there is backsides to this, if you want to be good at one budo- or fighting art if you mix it together but that is a question about whether you understand the concept of the differences, and that can take years to learn, and it is a question on when you feel mature enough to be able to do more than one martial art at the time. But even here, it's a question on focus, do you "just" want to be good at that martial arts, or do you want to know how to defend yourself in realistic situations... They are all valid reasons to do martial arts, the only important to remember is to always have a respect for your partner because you need him or her to be better at what you are doing.

People should stop hating so much on everyone else, and get back to the focus needed for their own training. No one gains anything unless you show each other respect both on and off the tatami.

I hope to see you soon on seminars and take care!