Everything is quiet today.

Most days look like the one above. Plus a lot of rain, of course. I feel like the rain never stops in this city. I can not find the words to describe it, but I feel there is a heaviness to this city, something dark and unshapely. (Is it just me?) I walk, I do what I am suppose to do, and it feels good to be so busy I don’t notice I get soaked in the rain half the time.

But sometimes my days look like this, and things feel lighter and easier. Maybe it is true that you appreciate the good things if they don’t come around as often. Today I caught myself running out in the sun to smoke, because I knew that the sun would soon disappear back behind the clouds.

Just one year ago, I went to a museum with my class in Japan. Since I didn’t have this blog at this time last year, I realized I had never posted all the pictures, so I am doing it now. It was really interesting to see all the beautiful things they kept there, not that I understood what half of them were for (I have never studied Japanese culture, only the language), but sometimes it is even better to just walk around and observe all the gorgeous details of something you know hardly anything about. It was really dark inside the museum, but I still managed to snap a few shots here and there.

& I have spent the day with family. Two weeks ago was the first time I saw my grandmother again after not having seen her for over a year. She is still hanging in there and rocking those headphones! & hi mom!

I can not believe it is 10 years since 千と千尋の神隠し (Spirited Away) came out. I was never really interested in anything Japanese when I was younger, and this movie was my first real meeting with anything Japanese. I am still not into Japanese anime, but the movies from Studio Ghibli are just amazing. Most people have probably seen this movie already, but if you haven’t, you can see a nice trailer here.

(My life the latest weeks. A total reverse-culture-shock, but getting used to it all, mainly because I have so much to do that I don’t really have time to think about where I am. I think it is ok to be where I am at the moment, since I know it is not permanent. I won’t say I will ever change my mind, but right now, I think Norway works best a couple of months at the time before I will need a break. Making the most out of it, enjoying the rest of the summer weather, cleaning out everything I can find.)

A slightly nerdy post: I really love Vihart, she explains so much complicated stuff in a fun way which makes it possible to understand. I do have to listen to her videos two-three times because she talks so damn fast, but I always feel like I learn amazing stuff from watching her videos. Watch, enjoy and get smarter!

Oh, pictures of flowers, so fun to take, but so completely boring to look at. Sigh. (However, it is really fascinating how much can be made out of seeds and soil, in a short few months. Trying to incorporate that into my own brain – if this much can be made in such a short time, then how much can I learn in the same amount of time?)

I went on a little etsy hunt to find some cute items (yes, this is fun to do when you are broke), and I found these cute sushi-related items. I wanted to show them, in case somebody with free spending money might like them. Click on the picture to go to the etsy page for each item.

(I really like the quality of the rice grains in the above pair of earrings.)

(& this would definitely have made me happy if I were to look down at my hand! I love love love the details!)

(If my imaginary dog Pugsley was real, this would be his collar.)

(Look at the cute tobiko!)

(Simple but cute pendant.)

(Not quite sure about the quality of this pencil case, but the idea is really great.)

(And another pair of earrings. A little to flashy for me right now, but I still love the concept.)