It doesn’t help that I was absent-minded to begin with. I noticed “mommy brain” kicking in during my first pregnancy when it took longer to complete sentences in my second trimester. I seemed to always be grasping for the simplest of words. Then the memory started giving me a hard time. I had even more trouble finding keys. After delivering Mads, the most forgetful thing I did was leave a load of laundry in the washer for at least 3 weeks. I didn’t realize it until my husband asked me where one of his shirts was. I actually blamed it on the laundromat that we occasionally used. Of course, it wasn’t there. Then it hit me that I was missing my own clothes. So I asked the porter, who didn’t really speak or understand much English, with the help of a neighbor (she actually remembered the load), and a bag of clothes magically appeared. Crazy, huh? I think that had to do with sleep deprivation, too.

Well, I don’t think I noticed “mommy brain” as much with the second pregnancy, or maybe I just adjusted better by plunging full force into work. I was on a lot more committees and even chaired one. I took on extra work for extra money. I was even a course coordinator during the last half of the pregnancy. In fact, I entered course grades until 8:00 pm the night before a 6:30 appointment for a C-section. I felt that good. Then I stopped working altogether and there was minimal intellectual brain stimulation. When I started blogging again, got on facebook, and started tweeting, it was a challenge to me. I got to wear different hats and write in different voices. The best was twitter since I had to express my thoughts in 140 characters. A few of my fb friends complained that I was on fb too much. My blogging took away time from housework sometimes, but through writing, I started to find my old brain again. I started feeling more comfortable multi-tasking (wow, shuffling the kids back and forth to various activities and parties is not easy) and more things are getting done. I was told I need to manage my time better, but I don’t really think that’s the problem. I think I’m burnt out from having to do as many things that I have to do singlehandedly. I know one day I’ll get all of my brain power back. And if I pass the exam that I took today (even by 1 point), then that will be the greatest confidence booster.

I have an epic crush on George Barnett. Not only is he amazingly good looking, but also the drummer of one of my favorite bands, These New Puritans. Oh, and he’s British!

McDonalds er ute med en lang reklamefilm der de viser norske bønder som er fortvilet over et eller annet. Først tror jeg det er fordi de må gi bort de dyrebare kuene sine McDonalds. Men neida etter en lang og forsåvidt vakker film blir vi presentert følgende setning: ” I over 25 år har norske bønder levert de beste råvarene til McDonalds. Så når når folk sier ting om maten som ikke stemmer, er det ikke rart at vi tar det litt personlig”.

Tar hva personlig? At maten serveres av en stor imperalistisk kjede? At alle hamburgerene bortsett fra Big n’Tasty som er en kopi av Whopper smaker papp? At McDonalds Supersizing er farlig for folkehelsa?

Neida, målet med filmen er å fortelle meg at McDonalds kun bruker kjøtt fra norske kuer. I stedet lager man en film som åpner for at jeg skal tenke på alt det negative som har klistret seg til McDonalds de siste årene.

Når man vet at det er mulig i dag å lage engasjerende reklame nesten helt gratis, er det underlig at McDonalds velger å bruke så mye penger på TV, i stedet for å bruke andre mekanikker. Eller har jeg mistet noe her. Et søk på Facebook på McDonalds og norske bønder ga i hvert fall ingen resultater.

Ever have one of those days where you just wake up and feel refreshed and happy for no apparent reason at all? Well that happened to me yesterday, for probably the first time since I came back to New York in September. Since I came back from Europe I feel like I’ve been in a hazy, half-living state of mind. Get up. Go to school. Come home. Go out. Get up…etc. It’s hard for me to even remember these past few months. But yesterday was so out of the ordinary I thought it was worth writing about anyway. I hope I have more of these days, or maybe it’s the start of a transition. Either way, I think listening to good music and spending time with my family and friends is the best cure for anything and everything. Here’s to you, November 21st.

Det er fremdeles liv i Hjemmefruen, selv om det kan virke som hun dør litt i helgene. Saken er den at da er det ikke så god tid til bloggings.

Hyggelig helg:-) I går hadde gutta besøk av en kamerat, sola viste seg fram og det var deilig vær ute. Jeg var her med ungene og Husbonden jobbet som rivningsarbeider på Lunheim.  I dag da jeg våknet hadde det kommet 10 cm med snø! Mor & Far Lunheim var på hyggelig kaffe-besøk. *Me like* Guttene var ute å lekte i snøen + at vi gikk en tur oppover i bakkene her.

Nå litt bloggings før jeg stuper i seng hvor Harry venter på meg. Flørter forresten med tanken om å skifte over til Blogger  i stedenfor WordPress som platform for blogginga mi.

Ny uke – nye muligheter – god mandag:-)

Nie zdawałam sobie sprawy, że łzy które jakiś czas temu

napłynęły mi do oczu, ściekały już po policzkach,

zdradzając mój stan ducha.

I bardzo lubię patrzeć w stronę zachodzącego słońca.

Feeling really under the weather lately, blegh.

Very sad to learn that 20 year old model Daul Kim commited suicide in Paris today. Really makes you think a lot about the pressures of the fashion industry..

pixiemarket.com

Per capita calorie consumption on a nation by nation basis, compiled and produced by the World Food Program

more here.

looks a bit different.

S:

i only to be with you honey

I feel very unsatisfied with school/life lately. I think some things need to change, namely my priorities.

We went to a fundraiser for Mads’ preschool today and we enjoyed music by Amy Rogell. I didn’t realize that she is the voice of a few memorable songs that we’ve heard from Miss Joy’s story hour. So, of course, I had to buy her CD’s – 3 for $20 is a bargain! Besides, half of the proceeds goes to the school.

Kenapa agaknya, kan.
Lebih senang ikut perasaan dari fikiran.
Banyak benda yang kita tahu memang tak betul, kita buat lagi.

Saya letih.

Po co żyję? Czy pewnego dnia obudzę się i będę wiedzieć z jaką misją przybyłam? Czy w ogóle istnieje coś takiego jak misja, którą mamy spełnić? Czy może mam nauczyć się żyć i życie po życiu będzie lepsze, ciekawsze i przyjemniejsze? Choruję po to by być zdrową. Płaczę by potem chodzić ciągle uśmiechniętą. Kocham, by być kochaną. Nie nienawidzę.

Jaki jest więc sens istnienia? Jostein Gaarder pisze:  Życie powinno mieć sens, ale to my sami musimy nadać naszemu życiu sens. Sami decydujemy o tym, co postrzegamy, wybierając to, co ma dla nas znaczenie.

I tak, znalazłam, dalej:  Czy miłość jest sensem istnienia? Odnalezienie drugiej połowy nie należy do rzeczy prostych. Według filozofów ateńskich, Zeus rozdzielił z gniewu wszystkie złączone istoty ludzkie. Od tamtej pory wszyscy szukają drugiej części pomarańczy. Jeśli siebie odnajdą,nie potrafią bez siebie żyć. Chcą być ze sobą cały czas,gdyż nigdy nie wiadomo czy niejaki “bóg” znów ich nie rozdzieli. Człowiek spełniony to człowiek kochający, mogący obudzić się z myślą, ze jego dzień zaczyna się dzięki ukochanej/ukochanemu. Wszelakie ambicje, cele, plany są pełnione dla miłości i przez miłość.

A co Wy o tym wszystkim myślicie?

Ja mam do kogo się uśmiechać rano. Codziennie dostaję płatki do łóżka. Mój mężczyzna zakłada mi grube skarpety, gdy widzi jak pociągam nosem. I jestem szczęśliwa. Ale na pewno nie spełniona. Jeszcze nie… A może właśnie o to chodzi ? By poczuć się choć raz spełnionym? I w pełni szczęśliwym? Dążmy do tego. Bo może to jest to. Może to jest ten sens. Kiedyś to zrozumiemy. Zobaczycie. : )

Tylko proszę, nie doszukujcie się tu jakiś pesymistycznych myśli. Żyję. Chcę żyć. Jestem szczęśliwa. Jestem z Wami.

Mads is almost 4 and surprised me this morning on the way to school. I noticed a huge patch of dried yogurt on her seatbelt. Probably from yesterday’s blueberry go-gurt. I said it was too bad I couldn’t take it off to throw it in the washer. She agreed and said we can’t cut it off either. My reply, “sorry, you’re stuck with the yogurt smell.” “It’s not your fault, mama. I did it.” As soon as I got home, I wiped it off with a wet paper towel. I love that she realized it was her doing and didn’t let me apologize for it. The little things…

Just few hours ago I heard someone called me sayang. Heh.

I’ve found this lyrics in my other blog. I was so in love with this song before, and I guess I still am. How I love VE and Ruffedge back then. I was so young!

Watching them performed live, at open and free concert, merdeka, new year, at klcc. Things were easier those days.

tika kau berlari ku fikirkan..
hanya engkau yang kuidamkan
tak pernah pula kau bercerita
siang malam kau menderita
jangan dibiarkan perasaan menawar hati
jangan dibiarkan semuanya berlalu pergi

aku di sini ku tetap berdiri
ku mengundang kasih pergi sendiri
ku takkan kembali agar kita kan bersama

jangan pulangkan kerinduan
tiap kali kau berjauhan
tidak mudah ku melupakan..kerna sayang
kali pertama di pandangan
buat ku terbang di awangan
jangan pulangkan kerinduan..kerna sayang

engkau memungkiri janji..bukan aku
engkau yang melupakannya…bukan aku
hanya aku yang impikan..agar kita
berbahagia hingga ke anak cucu

tapi itu semuanya kenangan
yang tinggal hanya perasaan
dalam doaku hanya ingin selalu di sampingmu
oh pulanglah..

aku di sini
ku tetap berdiri
ku mengundang kasih
pergi sendiri
ku takkan kembali
agar kita kan bersama…

setiap kali mengenangkanmu
siang…malam…ku doakan kebahagiaan mu
yang kupinta hanyalah…tulus hatimu….
agar kau balas kerinduanku…

Maryna Linchuk, Natasha Poly, Erin Wasson and Alexander Wang at a party for intertior designer Ryan Korban. from wwd.com

Oh my God, Flick Chicks!  Have I got a great double feature for you!!  Boondock Saints and Boondock Saints II: All Saints’ Day – the first is on DVD and the second is in theatres now.  A great cult flick, the first one introduces us to Connor (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus) McManus – fraternal twins/avenging angels and super hotties!  Ladies, prepare to give thanks for the black t-shirts, turtlenecks, jeans, and pea coats that the boys wear… Le Sigh!!

Ok, so the story is that fed up with the indifference and/or incompetence of the police, the boys take matters into their own hands and, with the help of their friend and low level mob bag-boy Rocco, they decide to take on the criminal element of Boston.  Afraid he’s next, the local mob boss puts Il Duce, a ka-ra-zy assassin on their tail.  All the while, FBI agent Smecker (Willem Dafoe) is also following them, with 3 Boston detectives who are about 2 steps behind Smecker.  He, however, starts having a crisis of faith – he believes that what they’re doing is for the general good, but asks whether he should condone the brothers’ killing of criminals.

In the end (and one of the best scenes) Smecker shows up to warn/back up the brothers at the mob boss’ house…DRESSED IN DRAG!!  Il Duce shows up too and it all leads to the climactic ending which I won’t give away here.

Boondock Saints 2 finds the boys in Ireland hiding out until a copycat murder in Boston occurs.  Designed to flush out the boys, someone kills a priest in their neighborhood and makes it look like it was the boys.  Of course, they go back to Boston to clear themselves.  On the way they meet Clifton Collins Jr and once they’re back in Boston, they’re pursued by Smecker’s protege, Eunice Bloom (Julie Benz), a hot chick FBI agent with the best shoes EVER and a sassy gun twirling routine (which Sean Patrick Flanery helped her with BTW).  Eunice is awesome as she holds her own, and then some, with the original 3 detectives.

Both written &  directed by Troy Duffy, these are fantastic movies…a bit violent, but the violence is beautifully choreographed and the entire subject kick-starts the debate as to whether the brothers are good or evil as they try to save society from evil men by killing them.  The movies are a thinking girls’ film with the social issues, hot boys, a kickass chick, and great shoes!

JohnnaChick and I, we’re bad FlickChicks.  We’ve neglected our duties to post hot boys and cool flicks for all the chicks out there.  We hang our heads in shame and promise to try to be better.  First off, House is on…I may be a little distracted.  House and Cuddy are at a doctor conventions with an 80’s theme.  I wish I had gone to med school – lawyers don’t have cool conventions like that, we just booze it up.

However I digress, I’m here to talk about the movies…and just recently I revisited a fun flick: HOT FUZZ.  Oh English Humour…how dry you are!  Such a great tongue in cheek view at the cop/buddy movies.  So much so that the straight laced Sgt. Angel (Simon Pegg) is paired with the bumbling PC Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) and (of course) they learn from each other: Angel learns to loosen up and stop being in his head all the time.  Danny learns…basically how to do his job semi-compentently, but he’s got a heart of gold, so really, it all evens out.  Rounding out the station are Danny’s dad, 2 Detectives named Andy (the Andies), a chick officer named Doris (who I haven’t decided whether she’s the station slut, or just pretending, or just being one of the boys), and a couple other offices and 1 k9 officer named Saxon.

Best scenes are (1) Angel’s introduction of BAD BOYS and POINT BREAK after a night of drinking with Danny and (2) the shoot out between Angel & Danny and the entire town, during which Danny must face off with his father and basically re-enacts the part in Point Break where Keanu is chasing Patrick Swayze, falls due to his bum knee, and is rolling on the ground and shoots into the sky as Patrick jumps a fence.

By the way, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost…cuties in their uniforms!  So, do yourself a favor, go get Hot Fuzz and, while you’re at it get Shaun of the Dead.  Same team of Pegg, Frost and Edgar Wright (director) put that one together and it’s zombie gold!

Well today I found out that I’ve been accepted to study abroad in Prague for the spring semester. SO overwhelmed!

ally and i had an impromptu stop on our way out of Belfast today to have a look at the new ‘air-fix’ tribute to the titanic.

it is tucked away in the maze of development in the titanic quarter, it actually took us a  little while finding it.  it was also behind some industrial building fencing so we could not even touch it or even get up close.

so we took a couple of pics on our phones and left.

i was thinking about it later today and thought about how Belfast seems to have a love/hate relationship with our ill-fated famous ship.  i wonder if we as people are as confused about what to do with the failures/disasters in our lives.

do we attempt to hide them away and hope no-one asks us about it, or do we in humility say here it is, this is it. i wonder what would happen in the institution of the church if we all humbly displayed our failures.  would we be shocked and quick to judge those around us, or humble and all to aware that we are all screwed up without Him.

S:

pics from thecobrasnake