Pepperoni Love

Carnivore or not, pepperoni pizza never looked so.. CUTE! Love those little heart-shaped ronis. I guess you can always substitute with a vegan product.

Image from here.

The latest news

As you can see, I haven't been posting much lately. It has been a stressful couple of weeks with moving, working and being without internet. I don't know how I managed to live without the net before.... I feel so cut off from the rest of the world! Not to mention that I can't even watch my favorite shows.. gasp.

But now to the serious side. Jamie and I got the worst news last week. UDI rejected our appliaction for family immigration. Actually, they rejected our appeal (because they previously denied it in February) AND our wish to have Jamie stay in the country while UNE reviews our case for one last chance. I can't count how many people have asked me, "you guys are married, can't Jamie be a citizen?" No. It doesn't matter what country you are from or want to live in, marriage is NOT the magic key. Marriage doesn't grant you any international rights, save for the right to APPLY for a residence permit. Citizenship is never the first step, it's always residency. Citizenship is not necessary to have to live in a foreign country. It's something that comes down the line many years from now if the person feels like it. Residency, on the other hand, is not too hard to obtain, IF you are in the right categories. Yes, you need to have a clean record, a birth certificate, a passport, and a valid marriage license. But there are so, so, so many other requirements that most people don't know about.

What has gotten in our way, is the requirement, "that the person living in Norway had a registered income corresponding to salary grade eight in the pay scale for Norwegian state employees the previous year, and that he/she still receives this income. This must be documented by enclosing your latest tax certificate." Since I was working in Oregon that time, I was making much less that what I would in Norway. To put it bluntly... my wage is almost considered to be that of poverty. It doesn't matter how much I make now, or that I have been able to provide for Jamie from the moment we sat foot in Norway. It doesn't matter that I got a job within the three first weeks of moving back. None of this matters to the immigration bureaucrats. And you know what's the worst part? If we had applied only ONE year earlier, we'd be exempt from this requirement. This is a new law that was put forth in 2010. Argh! If you want to read up on the entire process of family immigration to Norway, click here.

In the meantime, Jamie has to leave Norway, as he was not granted permission to stay for the final appeal. In my opinion, that is just cruel. There is no reason why they shouldn't let him stay here. They are causing financial hardship on both of us by enforcing this. I have to pay for the ticket, and he has to find a place to stay, a job and a car within just a couple of weeks from now. Yes, the system is strict. And it seems like it doesn't bend for a hardworking, honest married couple. We haven't done anything wrong. Neither of us have criminal records. We have never hurt anyone. We haven't robbed anyone or committed fraud. We are a family, and they are separating us.

I want

This gorgeous nail polish from Chanel. Black pearl... does it get any better? I think not.

Writing Challenge - 10 Questions

Thanks to Denae D'Arcy for the writing challenge. If you try this as well, please post a comment here and link us up so we can all share answers!


1. If you have pets, do you see them merely as animals or are they members of the family? They are animals but also a part of the family.

2. If you can have a dream come true, what would it be? That Jamie gets approved for family immigration to live here with me in Norway.

3. What is one thing most hated by you? Animal cruelty.

4. What would you do with a billion dollars? I would give a lot to my parents, and then donate a big chunck to various humane societies around the world. I'd invest in a house in Norway and one in America. And of course - pay off all my debt. Then I'd like to travel the world for ages.

5. What helps to pull you out of a bad mood? Animals! How can you be in a bad mood when you look into a furry face?

6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone? I think they are equal. Love is unconditional, and ultimately connected between two people.

7. What is your bedtime routine? It varies. I usually like to read before I close my eyes, but lately I have been watching CSI reruns. Something about blood and bodies are very sleep inducing to me. Go figure.

8. If you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your partner? I first talked to Jamie when we worked at Jamesons in Eugene. We established further contact via MySpace. Yes! It can happen.

9. If you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be? Good question! If possible, I'd like to go back in time and watch Gauguin paint his amazing interpretations of island life on Tahiti.

10. What kind of books do you read? I have a very wide taste in books. Lately, I've been more into non-fiction, such as travel narratives or memoirs. When it comes to fiction, I tend to prefer the old classics instead of more modern books. I love reading about weird things, history, sub cultures, extraordinary people and animals. I also like philosophy and American transcendentalism. Lately, I'm rediscovering Voltaire. I'd be happy to live in Barnes and Noble - books everywhere and fresh coffee. Yumm.

Reunion after 5 years

Last weekend my friend Anne came to see me. We met while we were both exchange students at the University of Oregon. She's from Singapore, and probably one of the coolest people I have ever met. She's fierce, outspoken, gorgeous, intelligent and has impeccable style. My first memory of her is a bit blurry, but I remember hanging out with her and some other friends at the then Cafe China Blue in Eugene. It was September 2005. From that day on, we hung out at least every week. Thursdays were drinking days at Rock'n'Rodeo. I would crash at her dorm after hitting the bars, and go to class Friday morning, a wee bit hungover, and still wearing my party clothes.

The last time I saw her in Eugene was on my 24th birthday. I had a little B-day party at my house, and some girls stayed the night. Anne was going back to Singapore because she had already finished her studies. I was going back to Norway for the holidays.

Fast forward to 2011.... I am back in Norway, and Anne is studying in Paris, France. We're on the same continent again! We agree - we HAVE to meet. But can one weekend make up for 5 years? No. But we can sure as hell try!

Of course... we didn't get nearly as much time as we'd want. But it was wonderful to catch up and hang out again. Next time we'll be meeting in Singapore!

Halloween in Eugene, 2005

Anne and I in Seattle, Dec, 2005

Together again in Bergen, Norway, 2011

Good friends make the world go 'round

My lovely friend Heidi got me a little present to cheer me up. I was so happy when she handed me this gorgeous owl necklace. I absolutely adore it. Thanks so much, sweetie!!!!

Digital Art 101

I've been using Photoshop for many years now, but the thing is... if you don't use it regularly - your technique gets rusty. I use it daily for work, and sometimes I have to stop and think, "wait, how did I do that again?"

I came across this tutorial site that contains several "how to"-videos for digital art. Brilliant! If you're a newbie, you'll love this.

Check out the site here.

Image from Deviant Art.com