my singing stars

Peter Simone

this guy has definitely become a favorite, his songs are fantastic.

I´ve been hooked on them for weeks now and don't seem to get 
tired of them at all,

now that's some talent 

This side alone

Leave Hollywood

Awake and dream

this video just proves my point

and the best thing is..

you can download his songs (legally and guilt free) from his website

can't wait to hear more

long overdue

school/project/work overload these days

just so I keep expressing my love for Foster the People

-Helena Beat-

good stuff


ps. 
dear snow,
 I like you and all,
 but it feels weird hearing people talk about spring break while all I do when I go outside is trying not to fall flat on my face on the slippery ice..
you can get moving now,
 see you next winter.

not so lazy Sunday..

this song's amazing.. 
Foster The People- Pumped Up Kicks

the beat itself is beautiful but the song really first grabbed me once I shifted my attention to the lyrics..


Robert’s got a quick hand.
He’ll look around the room, he won’t tell you his plan.
He’s got a rolled cigarette, hanging out his mouth he’s a cowboy kid.
Yeah he found a six shooter gun.
In his dads closet hidden in a box of fun things, and I don’t even know what.
But he’s coming for you, yeah he’s coming for you.


“All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, outrun my gun…”
“All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, faster than my bullet.”
“All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, outrun my gun…”
“All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, faster than my bullet.”


it's spooky but I guess that's what makes me love it


anyways..


got a long week ahead so it's back to planning and scheduling,
if you get to spend your Sunday doing nothing, enjoy it.

january already coming to an end

 graduation's coming up in a month and surprisingly I've already decided on what to wear..

a jumpsuit!
why haven't I owned one sooner?

here's to finding a sweet graduation outfit, paying only 3700 kr for it and the fact that it's so comfortable that I'll have no problem taking a nap during the terrifyingly boring three hour graduating ceremony

in other news..

the death of me has arrived

it's related to grad school and is called international economic law. 

it's roughly 950 pages long.

950 very long pages of the GATT/WTO and the international monetary system

the goal of the semester is to find this book interesting

we'll see how it goes..

eva

ps. slight changes around here.. I´ve become all fancy and added an about me section and a section specifically for music and such.. woot woot!

iron & wine's new album kiss each other clean is dropping next week

and it includes my new favorite song

walking far from home

beautiful

that man's a genius

------------------

anywho..

the weather these past days has got me wanting spring again..

the snow isn't particularly fun when your only black boots leak and the salty snow 

leaves a permanent mark on your new leather oxfords.

But something tells me spring will get here early this year..

I can't wait for light sweaters and blazers, sunglasses, shorts

and a complete absence of freezing fingers

hello 2011

2010..

..turned out to be pretty amazing

I met some fantastic new friends

I managed to travel as much as I wanted

I was reunited with my lovely family and friends at home

I found a great apartment in downtown Reykjavík, an apartment that happens to be the first place I have lived at in that wonderful city which truly feels like a proper home

I managed to finish my BA studies, even turned in the thesis three weeks before the deadline

2011..

will be something special..

I've started my MPA studies

I've got a both fun and demanding volunteer position with a lot of responsibilities through AIESEC

and I've got a new part time job

and I'm already planning my next trip abroad

but somehow this incredibly busy schedule doesn't frighten me at all.. 

 in fact it's just exciting (at least for now)

if I survived my ridiculously insane final semester at SU then this one shouldn't be a problem at all

the key is just to enjoy as much as possible of it as spending life with a frown is just no way to live.

For me music is a big part of it all.. 

I'm pretty sure music is the one element I could never live without..

 I  seriously wouldn't mind that much if it would rain non-stop for the rest of my life, 

or even if there were no TV or movies. 

But a world without music? 

now that's something completely different.

this one's amazing

love it!

eva

december

some things are just vital during finals

since I don't drink coffee, these have become vital during the up to 10 hour study sessions at the university.. 

I'm completely aware that I'm pretty much just drinking a mixture of  90% sugar and 10% awful "toxins" that make your body go all boo-hoo.. but I don't care, I need my occasional caffeine kick.

I just make sure to drink it cold., or at least somewhat cold..

a warm can of euroshopper is something that should only be forced down your throat during the most extreme cases of near-death-study-sessions

---------------

mandarines, or clementines,

or you know,

 just whatever you want to call them..

They are such an essential part of the Advent here in Iceland that at the moment they hit the grocery stores here in Iceland I find it completely acceptable to put up the Christmas decorations

 (no matter if it's still November)

I probably eat around  six of them each day while studying..

(Horray for vitamin C overdose!)

---------------

the lovely blend of malt & appelsín is just as essential as the clementines.. if not more.

an absence of malt & appelsín would be just enough reason to cancel Christmas.. entirely.

and I'm not kidding.

for the non-Icelanders out there, this is a traditional drink made by mixing malt (liquid, sweet with sort of a liquorice taste to it) with orange soda.

it's actually the only non-alcoholic drink I bothered to pack and bring back with me to the States last year after the Christmas break at home.

---------------

flick my life

there are no words to describe the amount of laughter this website has brought to my study table at the university

it's just too good

the best parts are the tags that follow every picture..

absolutely priceless!

---------------

and last but not least.. 

I need people.

there's no way I can dig myself into a hole in my apartment for the whole time

an occasional day at home is alright but studying with friends can actually turn those weeks of finals preparation into something fun

or at least you get to share the "finals-crazy" you get with people who are going through the exact same thing

this is how we'll end after finals.. 

and it makes it all worth it!

hahaha!

eva

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

the still before the storm

apparently the weather this weekend will be stormy

today on the other hand was absolutely beautiful

so I took my camera out on a play date

in central Reykjavík

you know you love to do something when you really don't mind

the frost biting your fingers

and you don't care that you're feet are almost numb

when you finally go back inside

you're just happy

góða helgi!

:)

fyrsti kaflinn af BA ritgerðinni kominn til skila og ég skriðin heim af bókhlöðunni í bili...

kafli tvö í startholunum..

nóg af orkudrykkjum í ísskápnum

(þar sem að kaffidrykkjan er ekki mikil á þessu heimili.. kannan úr ikea er ennþá inní plastinu rúmum tveimur árum eftir að ég fjárfesti í þessari elsku)

súkkulaði í eldhússkápnum

og tölvan full af nýrri tónlist

ég held að ég sé tilbúin í að tækla lotu tvö

--------

annars er þessi síða algjörlega að gera sig

the hypemachine

þessi síða er ástæðan fyrir því að tölvan mín er stútfull af nýrri tónlist

þessi síða er líka ástæðan fyrir því að það tók mig fáránlega mikinn tíma að skrifa fyrstu blaðsíðurnar í ba elskunni minni.. ég gjörsamlega festist þarna inná í nokkra daga og eyddi klukkutímum saman í að skoða tónlist

finnst fátt betra en að fara þarna inná og týna mér í himneskum hafsjó af nýrri tónlist og tónlistarmönnum.. yndislegt!

eins og t.d. þessar elskur

alltof alltof gott!

þannig að já..

tjekk it!

nýr staður.. nýtt útlit

fannst við hæfi að breyta útlitinu aðeins fyrst að ég er komin heim..

ákveðinn kafli búinn og nýr byrjaður..

nýji kaflinn samanstendur af:

BA ritgerðar skrifum

Hlemmi

Strætóferðum

og síðast en ekki síst..

útlandapælingum og plotteríi

get ekki beðið eftir að komast aftur út..

næsta stopp verður samt í Evrópu

og líklegst lengra en hin tvö

vonandi gengur allt að óskum..

og vonandi get ég ákveðið mig hvert ég vil fara

ekki sjálfgefið á þessum bænum :)

adios

eva