procrastination

 this weekend was packed..

enjoyed a long overdue night with close friends

had a good meeting with some good people

 a couple of beers

a relaxing hot tub all alone at 2am with a clear sky and a full moon

cleaned and decorated my apartment

baked some cupcakes

I pretty much did everything instead of what I really should have been doing..

.. studying.

but then again,

it isn't finals without a little bit of procrastination, stress and last-minute reading 

plus

now I at least have a clean apartment with some lovely Christmas lights 

and 

 first class snacks for this week's studying sessions

somehow I have a feeling these lights are going to stay up for a lot longer than just

 for Christmas

eva

getting ready for finals

two weeks until finals..

every semester I just automatically happen to listen to one or two tracks on repeat during almost the entire finals preparation process..

songs that make me relax and focus more clearly

i'm pretty sure I've found this semester's song

..it's already on repeat

ahhh

:)

SAKARIS

there's nothing better than stumbling upon some new music on Sunday afternoons..


the find of the day:


SAKARIS

SAKARIS produces electro pop dance goodies from the Faroe Islands that seem to be capable of curing any Sunday hangovers

at least they're doing very well with mine

SAKARIS- In a Box

SAKARIS- Waves

love it!

xx

eva

puzzle

just so I keep using this blog to promote Icelandic music..

if you're in the mood for music that will make you feel all warm and happy

 and, even though it's just for a moment, 

make you forget all the little worries of your life

then you really should pay some attention to Amiina..

these kids have collaborated a lot with Sigur Rós through out the years 

they for example performed the strings on both ( ) and Takk

so bottom line:

if you like Sigur Rós I can promise you won't be disappointed with Amiina 

last September they released Puzzle, their second full length studio album 

and it's just brilliant

they will be giving a short performance in Eymundsson, Skólavörðustíg
today at 17:00
which means I'm just about to put my warmest coat on and
head out to the freezing cold weather to catch a couple of songs

you can buy their new album here!

xx

eva

f i n a l l y

one paper draft to be turned in today..

then I've promised myself just a little bit of relaxation before spending the whole weekend at the university

enjoy your weekend!

xx

eva

Alpanon by Hjaltalín

Last summer I was privileged enough to see one of Hjaltalín's three performances together with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra

the show turned out to be absolutely hypnotizing

the minute they started playing I disappeared into my own little world of music, happiness, relaxation and goosebumps..

tons and tons of goosebumps

anyhow..

Hjaltalín just announced that they're releasing a live cd/dvd in November from their collaboration with the Symphony Orchestra

this makes me very happy

if there's anything I want for Christmas it's this dvd

(and I'm pretty sure I've never before wished for a dvd for Christmas)

for those of you who are non- Icelandic readers and aren't familiar with these kids..

(and those Icelanders who have somehow magically been living underground for the past years and don't know Hjaltalín)

just look them up on youtube:)

you won't regret it.

and my all time favorite, Stay by You

amazing vocals

amazing use of instruments

amazing talent

you can buy their stuff here

xx

eva

S&M

it's only Tuesday and finals are getting closer but I already feel as I should be out dancing..

thanks to Rihanna's new tune I can dance all I want inside my head while still remaining buried under the books

even though dancing in my head doesn't come close to going crazy on an actual dance floor

it at least makes studying a little more fun

xx

eva

bday

one of the thing I love the most about birthdays is the excuse to bake..

not that I usually need an excuse, but to me birthdays represent a perfect opportunity to bake fun stuff for a purpose..

this year's stuff..

green smiley face cake

an incredibly delicious heart shaped tower made out of rice crispies chocolate madness

and some more cake :)

this excessive baking means that I've got enough cake to last me for another whole week..

this year my family and friends also got me the most awesome stuff.. they clearly know me well

I got some cake decorating stuff (surprise, surprise), a very promising board game (Christmas vacation game nights are officially guaranteed) and some very cute old fashioned Christmas decorations (I'll wait a couple of more weeks to put them up.. waiting's going to be hard though)

and I also got some stuff I had been wanting for months..

Krummi hangers

of course they went straight up onto my bedroom wall

last year's Christmas dress on the first hanger

and then on the second one is this amazing sweater (which is the reason why I absolutely love ebay.. paying only $30 for such a gem is just ridiculous)

I'm really glad that my 70s style wood-paneled bedroom walls finally got some company

and then I got this oh so pretty jewelry stand to perfect my windowsill..

love it!

but now it's just off to work..

one more month and I'll be done with my BA!

:)

eva

it's the little things in life..

if there's anything I love about the long Icelandic winter nights

it's those long dark hours that give you the perfect excuse to fill your apartment with candles..

and most preferably the scented ones

candles

(even the tiny ones)

have the ability to sooth away any hint of stress

warm up your soul and spirit

and make you appreciate everything

and everyone around you

a world without candles would be a sad, sad place

xx

eva

finally

after two months of soul searching the inbuilt shelf in my hallway has finally found its purpose in life..

considering an alternative to this arrangement would just be absolutely outrageous..

xx

eva

birthday week has begun

this year I'm following the advice of a good friend and celebrating the whole birthday week.. not just the birthday..

I think it's a nice way of pampering myself before entering the last month of school and all the work related insanity that it tends to include..

saturday night: red lipstick, white wine, good music and even better people

sunday: so so very sunny but at the same time so so very cold

my new headband turned out to be a lifesaver

talking about lifesavers..

these gloves are the reason my hands will survive this weather

undoubtedly the best buy of the winter

I don't think anything will beat them

..ever

sunday night: home spa with some great friends

the little "spa table"

homemade avocado and chocolate masks,

a bunch of nail polish and creams..

and candles

lots of candles

home made chocolate face mask..

all natural

smells so good

and tastes pretty damn good as well

plus it leaves your face smooth as a baby's bottom!

chocolate face mask heaven:

1/3 cup cocoa

1/4 cup honey

3 tablespoons cream

3 teaspoons oatmeal

2 teaspoons cottage cheese

and voilà!

just mix it together and leave on your face for 15 min..

looking forward to a great week filled with a good mixture of work and fun!

eva