Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Monday, March 29, 2010

Suicide bombers kill at least 38 in Moscow subway

(Reuters) - Two female suicide bombers killed at least 38 people on packed Moscow metro trains on Monday, stirring fears of a broader campaign in Russia's heartland by Islamists from the North Caucasus.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who cemented his power in 1999 by launching a war to crush Chechen separatism, broke off a trip to Siberia, declaring "terrorists will be destroyed".
Witnesses described panic at two central Moscow stations after the blasts, with morning commuters falling over each other in dense smoke and dust as they tried to escape the worst attack on the Russian capital in six years.
At least 72 others were injured, many gravely, and officials said the death toll could rise. Russia's top security official said the bombs were filled with bolts and iron rods.
No group immediately claimed responsibility, but Federal Security Service (FSB) chief Alexander Bortnikov said those responsible had links to the North Caucasus, a heavily Muslim region plagued by insurgency whose leaders have threatened to attack cities and energy pipelines elsewhere in Russia.
"A crime that is terrible in its consequences and heinous in its manner has been committed," Putin told emergency officials in a video call.
"I am confident that law enforcement bodies will spare no effort to track down and punish the criminals. Terrorists will be destroyed."
The Kremlin had declared victory in its battle with Chechen separatists who fought two wars with Moscow. But violence has intensified over the past year in the neighboring republics of Dagestan and Ingushetia, where Islamist militancy overlaps with clan rivalries, criminal gangs and widespread poverty.
The chief of the FSB, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said: "Body parts belonging to two female suicide bombers were found ... and according to initial data, these persons are linked to the North Caucasus."
Monday's metro attacks are likely to turn the North Caucasus into a major political issue. Critics said the attacks demonstrated the failure of Kremlin policy in Chechnya, where human rights groups accuse Russian forces of brutality.
"They are simply beasts," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said of the bombers after laying a bouquet of red roses on the platform of one of the metro stations.
"We will find and destroy them all," he said.
The first blast tore through a metro train just before 8 a.m. as it stood at the Lubyanka station, close to the headquarters of the FSB. It killed at least 23 people.
A second blast, less than 40 minutes later in a train waiting at the Park Kultury metro station, opposite Gorky Park, killed 12 more people, emergencies ministry officials said. Another three people died in hospital.
Reuters photographers saw body bags being brought out of both stations. Some of the wounded were airlifted to hospitals in helicopters and central Moscow was brought to a standstill as police closed off major roads.
"Everyone was screaming," said Valentin Popov, 19, a student who was on a train at the Park Kultury station. "There was a stampede at the doors. I saw one woman holding a child and pleading with people to let her through, but it was impossible."
European Union leaders condemned the bombings and U.S. President Barack Obama called the Kremlin to offer condolences.
"President Obama said that the United States was ready to cooperate with Russia to help bring to justice those who undertook this attack," the White House said in a statement.
NO COMPROMISE
The Russian rouble fell sharply on the bombings, but later regained ground, with traders arguing the bombs were unlikely to undermine the strength of the currency.
"The Russian stock market is more than stable, the rouble is stable," said Anatoly Darakov, head of Russian equity trading at Citi in Moscow. "It's not the first blast in Moscow."
Eye witnesses spoke of panic after the blasts, which ripped through stations just a few kilometers (miles) from the Kremlin.
Surveillance camera footage posted on the Internet showed several motionless bodies lying on the floor or slumped against the wall in Lubyanka station lobby and emergency workers crouched over victims, trying to treat them.
Putin donned a white doctor's coat to visit some of the 72 people still hospitalized in Moscow. The health ministry said five people were in a serious condition.
The current death toll makes it the worst attack on Moscow since February 2004, when a suicide bombing killed 41 people and wounded more than 100 on a metro train.
Chechen rebels were blamed for that attack. Rebel leader Doku Umarov, fighting for an Islamic emirate embracing the whole region, vowed last month to take the war to Russian cities.
"Blood will no longer be limited to our (Caucasus) cities and towns. The war is coming to their cities," the Chechen rebel leader said in an interview on an Islamist website.
Jonathan Eyal, of London's Royal United Services Institute, saw a personal challenge to Putin, who remains the chief power in the land.
"This is a direct affront to Vladimir Putin, whose entire rise to power was built on his pledge to crush the enemies of Russia ... It's an affront to his muscular image," Eyal said.
The Chechen rebellion began in the 1990s as a largely ethnic nationalist movement, fired by a sense of injustice over the 1940s transportation of Chechens to Central Asia, with enormous loss of life, by dictator Josef Stalin. Largely since the second war, Russian officials say, Islamic militants from outside Russia have joined the campaign, lending it a new intensity.
(Additional reporting by Ludmilla Danilova, Dmitry Solovyov, Darya Korsunskaya and Conor Sweeney and Conor Humphries; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Steve Gutterman; Editing by Ralph Boulton and Dominic Evans)

Listening to Harry Potter in Spanish :)

Sunday, March 28, 2010

I want to move

I want to move.
I want to move to a place I can feel more like myself.
I want to move to a place with a pleasant climate.
I want to move to a place where most people are friendly.
I want to move to a place where people are more laid-back.
I want to move to a place closer to the sea.
I want to move to a place where days and nights float together as if by magic.
I want to move to a place where I don't need to have tons of money to be happy.
I want to move to a place where individuality is treasured rather than mocked.
I want to move.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

My blog history

My blogging history goes back a really long time. Although I have never been a big blogger, I do love writing and I have been keeping "online diaries" since 2001, perhaps even further back in time. Currently I am in the process of copying my old Diaryland entries into this blog. It is a pain, really, as I have to copy and paste every single one of them, editing dates and removing names. These ancient entries have a high entertainment value. I start every entry with "Dear Diary" and make grammatical errors I never thought I did. The quality of the writing itself isn't top notch either, but I don't think that was what I wanted the "online diary" to be like. I wanted it to be very personal, but now, in retrospect, I can't believe how much I've matured since then.
I hope to finish this "project" by the end of Easter, check back for hilarious updates.

Smile!


The sun is here!

B7GYUJRH9VHW

Dress, ring or shoes?


Thursday, March 25, 2010

Coastal Scents

I finally got my package from Coastal Scents today. I'm saying finally, not because the shipping was slow, but because I was full of anticipation. This is what I got:

(without flash)
(without flash)
(with flash)
(with flash)

I'm also including a pic of a bracelet my sister got me the other day. She had gotten one for herself and I liked it so much, she got one for me as well. Its actually from the children's department at H&M, dirt cheap, apparently, but I really think its the thought that counts...
She's a gem :)

Outside Visions

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Tax settlements are here!

Me: Grrrrr... mumble mumble... grrr...
*silence*
Me: I'm disappointed with our tax settlements this year...
My mother: Oh, did you have to pay the [Norwegian] IRS back?
Me: No, I'm getting 10 000 NOK (1680 USD) back...
My mom: What? That's good!
Me: But I was hoping for 20 000 NOK (3360 USD)... Like last year...
My mom: 10 000 is still good. That's more than your father and I are getting back altogether!
Me: Well, technically, it is 9700 NOK (1630 USD)... Its just not the same...

Monday, March 22, 2010

My shoes

are here! Like ohmygod!

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Unlucky

I have been getting some rather unpleasant e-mails from my previous boss, despite the fact that I've done absolutely nothing wrong. The way they conduct themselves businesswise is rather worrying, I'd say. I won't really go too much into this, but they ARE actually breaking some laws in this situation. There are other practices I noticed when working there that were kind of shady as well.
The only thing is, I don't really care anymore. I've been going through a lot of sickness as well as a strong depression this winter and I don't really have the energy to start a big thing with these people.


Thursday, March 18, 2010

xyz

Heya,
another day has gone by and I'm sitting here seriously dreading tomorrow as we're going skiing at work :-(
I like skiing, but I feel really out of shape and not really up for it. (If anyone's wondering, I'm talking about cross-country...)
I am planning my summer now, which is turning out to be a busy, but hopefully interesting and very social vacation. Not really a vacation either, as I'm planning to take classes from 9 in the morning to 7 in the evening, Monday-Friday. But I prefer staying busy to being bored.
How I am going to afford it all, is more up in the air, but if I save money hardcore now instead of purchasing this and that and the entire planet, then that won't really be too much of a problem.I'll still be able to afford some "necessities".

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Longing for summer...
I want to start packing...

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Shopping list

OK, as I've bought some damn expensive shoes, I shouldn't be buying any more stuff, but I have narrowed down a few things I want for spring/summer, after that I'll be all set for fall. Click the link to buy the item.








So yeah, looking forward to my next paycheck...

Life sucks

I have decided to be stupid and silly and follow my heart rather than my head. This is something I've been encouraged NOT to do my entire life and I think it is about time I actually do it. When we all only live once, do we have to spend our time here unhappy when we have the possibility of actually being happy?

Monday, March 15, 2010

Yay!

I got the shipping confirmation for my shoes today!

Who else is freaked out by this video?

Sunday, March 14, 2010

All the pretty things

I have been a BAD girl...

I have bought my first pair of designer shoes! The most I've spent on shoes before is somewhere between €250 and €300. This pair cost me a whopping €572! But they are so worth it! I've spent so much money on cheapy cheap shoes and other things... this is so worth it.



I think these are waaaay cooler than the Balmain Boots on show this season. What do you think?

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

and another 10 today

I can't believe I did another 10 today! I do feel it in my legs, though.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Yay me!

I walked home from work today. Over 10K! Plus I did a test walk yesterday... also over 10K. Wow. I'm very proud of myself. Tomorrow I'm planning to try both ways, will walk to work and then see if I'm up for walking back after work.


Norwegian humor on the way...
(the sign has been altered to say Spank Buttstation...)

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Phoebe

My lovely dog.

Look at my...

funny soap! I found this lying around the house. Not trying to make this a political blog, I just found it amusing that I owned this soap. Must've gotten it as a gift once...

Monday, March 1, 2010

Country Stereotypes

... according to Google


  • Afghanistan : important, poor, hard to conquer
  • Australia : dry, expensive, great, hot, rich, racist, boring, sparsely populated, flat
  • Brazil : good at soccer, violent, poor, populated, expensive, good at football
  • Canada : cold, expensive, boring, great, awesome, sparsely populated, good at hockey, diverse, multicultural, rich
  • China : populated, overpopulated, powerful, polluted, rich, poor, successful, cheap, populous, important
  • Denmark : happy, expensive
  • France : popular, far away, expensive
  • Germany : awesome, cold
  • Italy : great, famous, popular, special, corrupt, expensive
  • Japan : perverted, weird, successful, expensive, advanced, rich, cool,successful in world trade, healthy, clean
  • Mexico : poor, corrupt, dangerous, violent, dirty, hot
  • New Zealand : good at rugby
  • Norway : wealthy, expensive, rich
  • Russia : big, weird, poor, cold, expensive, racist, corrupt, populated, violent, huge
  • Spain : racist, poor, popular, hot
  • Sweden : appealing, great, atheist, successful, expensive
  • USA : rich, powerful, violent, stupid, interested in haiti, hated, religious, conservative


Plus, some cities...

  • Copenhagen : important, expensive
  • London : expensive, great, densely populated, important, diverse, popular, famous, big, cloudy, cold
  • New York : expensive, great, popular, populated, famous, dirty, cold, special
  • Oslo : expensive
  • Paris : expensive, popular, romantic
  • Rome : popular, important
  • Tokyo : populated, expensive, famous, big
I learnt this "trick" from Julie's Blog.