31 Jul 2011 – Till Death Do Us Part!

To a certain extent, we are all rather dependent or addicted to the activities on computers, PCs , iPads, etc. But where does one draw the line to be considered as an addiction? Like any addictions and like any realistic human, one will deny the addiction. Reading about users who do not eat or sleep or spending 12hrs without taking a break, the word addiction is certainly appropriate for the scenario! That is an extreme case. Does moderation exist for this subject?? Everyone has their own moderation ie can only be measured subjectively!

A man whose son died after playing video games for long periods is campaigning for greater awareness of the risk posed by their excessive use.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-14350216

The conclusion – each to their own as long as one is not harming oneself and their loved ones, again very subjective!!!

In this interesting but long and drawn-out article, one can read and might learn something about computer addiction –

… Even if someone uses a computer extensively for purely recreational purposes, that doesn’t necessarily represent a real addiction any more than someone who spends hours working on a model train set, making quilts or gardening is “addicted” to those activities. Even the agreed-upon definition of addiction itself has evolved over the decades and remains a matter of debate in the medical community. In fact, the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association do not currently consider computer addiction a valid diagnosis, a controversy we’ll discuss later.

As a result of all these complications, any single definition of computer addiction is necessarily broad and a little vague. If the computer use is so pervasive that it interferes with other life activities, and if the user seems unable to stop using the computer to excess despite negative consequences, the problem might be a computer addiction…
https://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=87949823683&topic=11057

Good-bye to Jul 2011, Norway will never forget such sadness & pain. Welcome Aug 2011 with hopes for Harmony & Peace!

30 Jul 2011 – Venabygdsfjellet

Tue: bus from OSL on E6 North (with a few stops including the airport) to Hamar 150NOK/S$34 app 2hrs and was met by Anne. Drove to Ringebu and headed up the mts/app 900m, another app 2hrs drive from Hamar. The first and last time there was Feb 1982 in freezing temps of -20C and the hytta was just completed but the kitchen was then set up during that visit. This was a spontaneous visit and the battery in the camera was nearly flat, thus only few pix.

Wed: a nice morning walk to the river and waterfall Svartåa with the suspension bridge. We had the woods, river and waterfall to ourselves, a luxury feeling of space with clean fresh air! An afternoon drive app 1.30hrs  to Raphamn (not far from Otta) to visit god-daughter Guri, who was at her in-law’s hytta. Congratulations to Hans Olav and  Guri who gave birth to her 2nd child Eline in Mar. Uploaded some of the pix from Anne&Roar’s camera  but seeming unable to locate them, not the first nor last time this happens! Will post them when and if  they appear!!

Here in the county of Oppland where Gudbrandsdale is located, a beautiful area surrounded by the national parks of Jotunheimen, Rondane and Dovrefjell and is known for medieval farms, good skiing and hiking. Lake Gålå/Vinstra stages Ibsen’s Peer Gynt set to Grieg’s music in the open air. It is an annual event since 1990. Must try to make it someday!

Thu: Ringebu Stavkyrkje/Stave Church, a medieval wooden church from 1220, is one of the 28 historic stave churches still standing in Norway. Took the 18.15hrs train from Ringebu to OSL 454NOK/S$102. Had to change connecting to a bus at Lillestrøm due to works on railway line on that stretch. The train & bus took app 3hrs and another 40mins on bus 151 from OSL to Kolsås. Reached the house app 22.30hrs. Tusen takk/thousand thanks to A&R for their most gracious hospitality.

29 Jul 2011 – Aftermath

Mon 25 July 1200n: when the Nordic World stood still in respect to the victims of Fri 22 Jul bombings and shootings. Was in town at the OSL University where the Norwegian Royal family, King Harald, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg/the Labour leader, survivors of the shootings and many others like myself were there to pay our respects with one minute of silence. The survivors of the youth camp were there to show and sign the condolences book.

Meanwhile, Anders Behring Breivik, the suspect will be interrogated for a second time today, Oslo Police Chief Johan Fredriksen said

Gratitudes to the Hustads for their company and for having me stay the night at their house on this grey and sombre day. Decided to take up Stenseths’ invitation to spend a few days at their hytta in Ringebu somewhere up in the Norwegian mountains. Never can tell what tomorrow will bring and being with family and good friends is the top of the list.

For Norwegians still in shock from Friday’s horrific attacks, there is a sense they have woken up in a country that has ‘lost its innocence’ – CNN

21 Jul 2011 – … vs Tiger Mother

Some time ago, Linn commented about Amy Chua’s book- How to be a Tiger Mother, and that she could relate to some of the pointers – ie not being allowed to attend a sleepover! Read the book during my first week here in OSL as Linn gave May a copy. Just a so-so read but she sold many million copies because of the publicity she received for her comment about how Chinese parents are better at raising kids than Western ones!  Here is an educational link-

http://www.stanford.edu/group/confucian/cgi-bin/blog/?p=165

It is interesting how she managed to bring out the difference of raising children from and in different cultural backgrounds. Disagree to say which is better. Having been raised from an Asian background but lived and integrated over 35yrs in EU & USA tend to make one see things differently. To stereo-typed is an easy way out but that is NOT what life and about. If you need to ask what life is about, then you are not living it to the fullest 🙂

U.S. news anchor Katie Couric tweets: “Wow wendy murdoch giving whole new meaning to the term tiger mother…insanity!.”

Was it just acting, mere attention seeker or sincere care and affection? After reading the comments from the site below make one think twice about people’s intention and motives. The best comment in FB from CHENG Chee Hoew- hands off of my meal ticket! Being out walking in the woods does strange things to the mind, so on second thoughts and playing the devil’s advocate, could they have paid this guy to stage the attack?? Unfortunately the same words from yesterday came to mind- corrupt, greed and power! Then the saying about money is the root of all evil proves true again in so many cases 🙁

http://business.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/20/murdoch-testimony-puts-focus-on-wife-wendi/

20 Jul 2011 – … gets global audience

Hacking and spam are inevitable and even more so in our high-tech world. Before high-tech, it was call spying or hiring private investigators. Is this then an issue of wanting to know other people’s business and if that is so, then why is it so?

In the case of this ongoing highly publicized notw for News of the World, the Murdoch publication, where media abuses their power by invasion of privacy is deplorable. But then people are hungry for sensational news and are willing to pay to read it.  Have common sense, decency and self-censorship somehow lost the battle to corruption, greed and power?? If not, it will still be a never-ending vicious circle of the struggle of good and evil. Does objective good journalism exist and are there any uncorrupted politicians???

With those questions, words like objective and uncorrupt will need more specific definitions. So many questions but are there any answers and if so they will probably be complicated 🙂

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/07/19/uk.phone.hacking.world.media/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

… It’s really more than just a plain media story,” said Mallary Tenore, associate editor at Poynter.org, the website at the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit school for journalists. “It’s expanded far beyond that because of the legal implications of it and the fact that it involved police being paid for information and journalists not following ethical standards.” …

… “What’s interesting is the power of the press and how it can be soiled and compromised,” Hernandez added. “It’s really important to have good, solid journalists to hold politicians accountable and how it’s important to do journalism through ethical means. It’s a shame that it has to happen: It’s a little bit of bloodletting. You have to purify the process.” …

18 Jul 2011 – … Mainly for Food!

Absolutely beautiful Sat in the woods snacking on wild blueberries. Similar scenes to Thu hike.

To my delight,  Isbilen=The Ice Car was in this neighbourhood when I got back from the short walk. A mobile van stocked with frozen foods for sale. How convenient for people like me who does not have a car! It announces itself first by a text message on the mobile phone and then it plays in a musical-box style tune when it is driving around the neighbourhood. Grieg’s Norwegian Dance No2 H264 is used here, which was and still is the music for a TV documentary named Norge Rundt=Around Norway (started 1976) which shows and teaches about Norway. Educational and highly recommended!

Sun:  started as a nice red sky in the morning. Got on the first 08.21hrs bus into OSL Bus Terminal where you can find a bus to take you to just about anywhere you can connect to EU. Interesting wood carving on the wall.  Exterior bridges (good idea if these bridges can be closed during bad weather days!) connecting to OSL S/the train station. Who in the world would name their cafe such? An attention seeker and unforgettable name incase you need to meet someone in that area 🙂

OSL S is under renovation, looking forward to seeing it when completed. Remember it as a grand old yellow building and hopefully they will managed to combined the old and new without destroying the old. The new section is connected to the Opera House by an overhead bridge.

Met with M&B at OSL S@09.30hrs. Drove S to E6 by passing Moss, over Vansjø Lake, inland E to the Swedish border and to Nordby Shopping Center (1hr 30mins drive from OSL). It is 4km from the border and the nearest Swedish mall to Norway; 110 shops on an area 83,000m² as compared to that of Sandvika Shopping Mall which is NO more Scandinavia’s largest shopping mall with 190 shops in the area of 60,000m². Just read that it has been overtaken by another shopping mall in Bergen!

Like any other mall, the weekend crowd was awful but thank goodness we started early. Certain stuff there are cheaper. Lunched on fast Turkish food. M&B ended with a baby stuff, food and paint (half the price as compared to Norway but limited choice of colours). As for my purchase, it was mainly foods and washing detergents, nothing exciting. Looks like the small bedroom in the house will be painted to a Basilika green sometime soon!

Left app 1300hrs against the traffic lines and more people. Word for custom/immigration is tull in Swedish, which means nonsense in Norwegian! The Norwegian word is toll and there was not a soul to be seen there! The sky opened up and it was pouring all the way back to Norway. Appreciations to M&B to yet another experience and tkx Bjørn for the portable grass-cutter. How considerate, especially when the last cutting was done by a pair of scissors! Blister on the finger to show but all is good as it is healed. Again to show that time heals all wounds but the scars will be there 🙂 🙂

Red sky at night sailors’ delight; red sky in the morning sailor’s warning, a saying that proved true for yesterday. A good week to everyone and as FB friend Jack commented, MGIM/my god, it’s Mon but before you know it will be TGIF 🙂 🙂 🙂