Christmas

“Deck the halls with boughs of holly
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la'Tis the season to be jollyFa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Don we now our gay apparel
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la.
Troll the ancient Yule-tide carol
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.”
(Deck the halls)

We all know this song, at least from the Disney shows they show on TV in Norway during Christmastime. However, some people do not find Christmas jolly at all. Many people around the world have a hard time making ends meet, even more thinking of Yule-presents. For these people, Christmas can be really stressful and nerve wrecking.

But of course, many people have a much harder life altogether. In Africa, HIV and AIDS are common diseases. Deceases strike, also during the holidays, so there is no difference between Christmastime and other parts of the year. People in these continents are poor, and barely educated. The hygienic conditions are bad; making diseases spread fast trough polluted drinking water. These people don’t care about Christmas presents, but how to survive the coming year. In the western parts of the world, we use millions and millions of dollars to buy presents. Still, the question to ask ourselves is this, what if some of this money went to charity?

The Killers, a sensation

Every year since the Killers got together, they have made a Christmas single, where every single dollar of their income goes to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. They started this in 2006, with their single A great big sled. This single was in cooperation with Toni Halliday. In 2007, they released Don’t Shoot me Santa. In 2008, they released Joseph, Better you than me, together with Elton John and Neil Tennat. In 2009, they published ¡Happy Birthday Guadalupe! This single was also a cooperation project, but this time with Wild Light and Mariachi El Bronx. In 2010, they published Boots, and all the income from these singles has been given to charity, as mentioned earlier.

The Killers is a very acknowledged band, with many fans all over the world. Therefore, I think this act is even more touching, because they could have earned a lot on these singles. Another prospect of it is that these songs are very well planed and thought trough, which make them great hits. Giving the income of such big successes as these is a big-hearted action. One person can not change the world by himself, but together we can make a difference. I believe that actions like this, and using ones talents to change another human's life for the better, is really kind. But, isn't that what Christmas is all about?Doing something as selfless as this? If everyone started to act upon a greater good, I think we can make a difference together. Why not start by listening to the Killers, Boots? Let us hope the Killers will keep this tradition alive, and that we get to hear many great, new songs from them in the future.

Marry Christmas, and a Happy new year to you all!

If you want to see the video made for Bo

ots, use the link below. Every time it is showed, 5$ dollars is donated to the Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa.

http://www.starbucks.com/share#/the-killers

The complete lyrics for Deck the halls:

http://Idsguy.tripod.com/Christmas.songs.html

Picture of Mickey Mouse & friends:

http://fanpop.com/sports/christmas/images/2735426/title/mickey-mouse-christmas-wallpaper

Picture of the cover for Boots:

http://culturepop.me/new-songs-alert-the-killers-boots

Picture of the Killers:

http://celebrety-mania.com/wallpaper/the_killers.html

Japan and Anime

Today, we had a quite free lesson, where we were to work on Japanese culture. We were able to do whatever we wanted to, as long as it had something to do with this topic, and the point was to learn about Japan. The teacher gave us three texts that were related to the topic.

I started by reading the texts and writing notes. I think this was a good start, because that gave me useful background information on the topic. The notes were a good idea when I sat down with Eline, Julie and Heidi and watched Anime. We watched Ouran High school Host Club. The anime was from a high school where we got to see what the students did, and how they acted. This anime was a good example to illustrate the facts I had just read about. However, this anime was not very dark. I thought it was very fun to see what so many people around the world find so fascinating. In the Anime, I found many of the same characteristics that you can find in many other cartoons and films. In the Anime, the main character was a regular girl with no superpowers. Her schoolmates had their faults, and none was like the American dream- male or female. This gives the series personality, and also, this makes people able to relate more to the stories. In the anime, I also found characters that are similar with famous characters from the west, like Fred and George Weasley. Their behavior were very similar, indeed, as wel as the fact that they were identical twins too.

Fred and George Weasley

Hikaru and Kaoru Hitatchin

Of course, there are a lot of differences between the Japanese Anime, and our western comics. First, like I’ve mentioned, the main character in Anime is a regular person. The Anime also refer a lot to the culture in Japan. The culture in clothing and greeting are being showed trough the Anime, giving its fans a quick impression of the society most of the Japanese people live in. You also see Japan in the houses and gardens in the series.

I have learned a lot this lesson. I have personally found Anime a waste of time earlier, but now, my eyes have opened to the brilliance of this way of letting the world know Japanese culture. I also figured that it was a good idea to start by reading a little on the background information, and ending the lesson by seeing a real example.

The first picture of Ouran High School Host Club: http://animeafterglow.wordpress.com/category/anime-series/ouran-high-school-host-club

The picture of Fred and George:

www.snitchseeker.com/harry-potter-news/happy-birthday-fred-and-george-weasley71774/

The picture of Hikaru and Kaoru:

http://anime8me.wordpress.com/

The Film vs. The Book

For this entry, I am to choose one of the passages in the movie and relate it to the book. The passage or scene that I will analyze is the first time Amir meets Rahim Khan in many years. He has traveled all the way from America to Pakistan to meet Rahim. Khan is very sick. He has one last request of Amir; to go back to Kabul and save Hassan’s only child, a boy called Sohrab. In the book, this is an emotional part, and a part where Amir also finds out how close he and Hassan actually was. It is also an big turning point, where Amirs life in America is changed forever. I think that this is the first warning that something dramatical is about to unfold, and that the scene and all the emotions involved are essential towards the developement of the story. In the movie, I didn’t get that feeling. The scene was a bit too short and impersonal to meet my expectations. I also feel that it was given very little attention and importance.

I feel that this is the general mistake in the movie. The scenes are to short and lacks a lot of important details, like Hassan’s hare clipped lip, Ali being crippled, Assef having blonde hair, and I think they cut out too much on their life before the Kite fight that fatal winter. This makes the whole change in atmosphere less noticeable, and Amir’s failure less clear. Therefore, I am actually a bit disappointed of the film, and there are many things I would have done differently if I were to make the movie. This made me want to give the movie not more than 4, but mostly it gets this because I like the book so much it feels wrong giving it less...

For you, a thousand times over

This will be the last time I write on the blog about the Kite Runner. I have chosen to use this entry as a summary of the book, as well as a summary of my own emotions and thoughts about the book. What could possibly be a better name for the entry, than the famous quote from the book “For you, a thousand times over”? This one sentence that in so many ways illustrates the deep satisfaction and admiration Hassan feels for Amir. The great failure from Amir, not being able to see the great friend he has in the hare-clipped Hazara boy, going to catch the last fallen kite for him. I feel my eyes watering just by writing this now. Hassan was truly a great human being, which was at the wrong place at the wrong time all his life. And despite his bad luck, he still smiled as though the world had shown him the bright sides only. This is clear to read from the letter he writes to Amir: “(…) The streets are full enough already of hungry orphans and every day I thank Allah that I am alive, not that I fear death, but because my wife has a husband and my son is not an orphan. (...)” I think this draft from his letter shows us quite well where the focus of Hassan is lying.

Amir is another kettle of fish, entirely. His focus is, exclusively, on himself, and his own needs. He does not care what is going to happen to Ali and Hassan when he purposely accuses Hassan of stealing. Neither does he have the courage to tell Baba what happened to Hassan in that alley, the winter of 1975. But people can change, and that we learn from Amir’s amazing journey to save the now orphaned Hazara boy, his half- nephew Sohrab. This change gives us hope that there still is hope for the Human Race, and that everyone can change for the better.

This book is filled with so many emotions and devotions, between brothers, friends, fathers and sons, and between inhabitants in a whole country, it is for me impossible to say it all in words. This book is an emotional rollercoaster, where you go from laughing to crying in a matter of ten pages, where your whole impression of a character changes in no time, and you end up thrilled, exited and wounded deeply at the same time. This book is brilliant in so many ways, but mostly because it has got sole. It illustrates the sole of two boys so unbelievably different, but so amazingly similar. Thank you, Khaled Hosseini, for a most extraordinary book!

Hassan's letter can be found at page 189 in the book.
The picture is from the Movie, when Amir reads to Hassan. it is from: www.200movies1woman.com/2010/10/09/the-kite-runner

Do not read this if you haven't read the book!

By the end of this class, I am at page 239. Hassan is Amir’s half brother. Baba is Hassan’s father…

Hassan has a family, a wife and a son in Kabul. He has learned to write and read, and has learned to his son, which is named Sohrab, after Hassan’s favorite novel. Amir learns this from a letter Hassan wrote him. By the time Amir reads this, Hassan is dead. He and his wife were shot by Taliban. Sohrab is an orphan, and Rahim Kahn wants Amir to get him out of Kabul.

Right now, Amir is at a soccer- field, watching two people being stoned to death. He is at the soccer- field to find Sohrab, who has been kidnapped by the Taliban.

The Kite Runner

Before class today, I am currently at page 178, Amir has just traveled to Pakistan, and Rahim Kahn.

It has happened a lot to Baba, Amir, Hassan and Ali since last time I wrote here. The relationship between Amir and Hassan is really bad. Amir is driven by guilt, and Hassan doesn’t know what he has done. After Amir’s birthday, he plants his new wristwatch and a handful of money under Hassan’s bed. Then he asks Baba where his watch is. This is Amir’s way of forcing Ali and Hassan to leave, and so they do.

At the age of eighteen, Amir travels with Baba to Pakistan. They escape from an Afghanistan tore by war. At the trip, Baba shows himself as a gentleman, as always. In the US, Baba works his head off. His hands are black from oil and dirt from the gas- station, and he is soon promoted as “daily manager”. Every Sunday, they go to the Flea Market where they sell second- hand items for a dollar more then they bought them. At the market, Amir meets the Taheri- family. Their daughter, Soraya, and she is at Amir’s age…

Baba gets cancer. For a long time, this illness demands a lot of attention in Amir’s life. After months of illness, Amir asks Baba to go and ask the Taheri for their daughter’s hand. Amir and Soraya marry each other, and a couple of weeks later, Baba dies…

Many years pass, and Amir and Soraya are happily married. One day, Amir receives a phone call. The person calling is Rahim Khan. He says that it is a way to be good again, and asks him to come to Pakistan before he dies…

the Kite Runner

This semester, we are reading the Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. I started the book on Friday, and I am currently at page 88, chapter nine.


The book starts with Amir talking to us from his grown up life. I know this because I have read the book before. In the first chapter, we are back in Kabul, where Amir grew up. This is a novel about a boy who really wants to be acknowledged by his father, Baba. Baba doesn’t give Amir enough attention, and Amir feels like a stranger in his own house. He explains this as “At the dinner table, the only thing speaking, was the silverware against the plates.” He finds support in Hassan, the servant’s boy. He and his father, Ali, is descended from the Hazara people. They are treated like dogs by every Afghan, but at Amir’s house, Ali and Hassan are treated with as much respect as a servant can get. The thing that bothers Amir the most is that Baba keeps a nice eye at Hassan at all times, as if Hassan was his son, and not Amir…


Every winter, Afghanistan’s children perform the Kite fights. The game consists of children with Kites, and the point is to try and cut the opponents kite down, and be the last kite flying. In the winter of 1975, Amir wins this tournament, and Baba is very proud. Another part of the tournament is to run for the fallen kites. The children station themselves at different spots around the city to try and get a head start. Hassan is the best of these Kite Runners. This day, Hassan runs for the last kite for Amir. As he runs to the opposite corner of the square where the championship where held, Hassan turns his head and calls: “For you, a thousand times over”. I think that one sentence summarize Hassan’s personality. He does anything for Amir, his best friend in the whole world.


Amir, at the other hand, teases Hassan all the time, and is a coward himself. He never stands up for Hassan, even when he is raped by Assef in a shabby alley. Hassan is there to pick up the kite for Amir, and Assef and two other guys gets there and tease him. They try to force him to give them the kite, but Hassan says “The kite is for Amir”. What Hassan doesn’t know, is that Amir stands and watches the whole episode, and then runs...


After this, Amir is driven by guilt for not interfering. It ends with Hassan saying: “I don’t know what I have done, Amir agha. I wish you’d tell me (...) You can tell me, I’ll stop doing it.” This statement from Hassan kills me inside, every single time I read it. How can a person be so kind? He scarified himself for Amir and that stupid kite, and all Amir was able to do was to run for his life! That's enough for this time, and I’ll try not to rip Amir to peaces until next time…



(The picture is the oridginal cover of the book, and I found it at: www.thebookclubblog.co.za/?p=688 (19.09.10)

Advice to fellow students

This entry is dedicated to the article about Facebook, and how it affects the students and their work for the exam.


The article at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/7985985/Facebook-hits-exam-results-by-20-per-cent.html20-per-cent.html has compared the exam-results of students using Facebook, and students not using it. The results were unambiguous. It says that students using Facebook in class or during the study- process get an average of 20% lower score than the students without Facebook.


The first thing that comes to mind, is that this news is very shocking, that highly educated people let a forum like Facebook, ruin their exam results! You wouldn’t think that anyone is stupid enough to do that. But then, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, MSN and a lot of other communicational forums are demanding more and more of our time. In today’s society and study- situation, we are very often depending on communication. Students without a Facebook- account, easily fall out of the social gangs and environment in class. Me, I got Facebook when I started my first year at Sandvika high school. When I think about it, Facebook is a genius way to connect and find mutual interests, even if the only thing mutual, is attending the same class. I think I would have missed a lot of information about my fellow students without it. At the same time, I feel that Facebook demands a lot of attention. When I am studying, I can’t allow myself to open Facebook at all, because then, I will not be able to pull myself out of there.

I just happen to think about those people who used to spend every hour of their time off, at the internet. Before Facebook, I remember thinking “Aren’t they bored to death? It is not that interesting, and don’t they know that they have other things to do?” Now, I would have replied “Well… Facebook certainty demands a lot of time, and attention. I am not surprised that this is a problem.”


I think this illustrates the problem quite well. A couple of years ago, Facebook weren’t that big a problem. As the phenomenon grows, though, so does the amount of people spending a lot of time there. I am very pleased that I am not one of those who feel that they need to use every single moment at the internet. My advice to fellow students is therefore: You should definitely have a Facebook- profile, because it is a part of our future. Just remember that your future is built on what you learn in class, and Facebook can’t be the breadwinner for your future. Use it well!



(The picture is from the article, use the link in the entry! The chat- symbol is from my own Facebook- page, edited in OneNote.)

Erin Brochovich- Yes, you can make a difference

Erin Brochovich is an American housemother, with three young kids to take care of, and no husband. In the beginning of the film, she doesn’t have job ether. The opportunity bids itself when she gets in contact with the lawyer Edward L. Masry. He agrees to offer her a job. On one of her trips searching for information, she visits a family in Hinkley who have many problems and are very sick. When she starts to investigate the case, she finds out that the company serving the Hinkley area with water, PG&E are using a very poisonous material, called Hexavalent Chromium. This causes a lot of diseases, such as cancer, decreased immune system, higher rate of miscarriages and so on. The people exposed to these threats, has no idea about their water being highly toxicant, and when Erin starts her investigation, many of her clients get very frightened.

Mostly, this film is about a person with no training or competence in the juridical matters of this case, works really hard to get the case trough. And how she really manages to get things trough at the end. It is a touching film about a person going from a dressed up whore to a woman mistaken of being educated. This film should be an inspiration for us all as a wake up call to what we are exposed to every day, as well as a reminder that you, as one single person, CAN make a difference.

Me, I loved this movie. At first, I didn’t approve of her behaviour or the story, but after a while, I understood that this film had a much deeper meaning than I first presumed! I think everyone should see this movie, because it really is touching. The best part of it is that it is based on a true story. That is a fact that amazes me. I really had a hard time drinking water for a few ours!

So, see this amazing movie; Erin Brochovich.

(I have porously not said anything about how this story ends. I don’t want to ruin anything for you!)

The picture is from: www.impawards.com/2000/erin_brockovich.html (06.09.10)

Alan November and the technological revolution

In the lecture held by Alan November, he talks about the new way of studying after the Internet got so dominant in our day to day life. In this entry, I will take up some of his key- arguments, and say a little about my own opinions in this matter.


Alan November starts his lecture about telling a story about a little town in England. The town’s main income is treading. The town got into a financial crisis, so they had to think in a new way to get enough money to survive. They found a solution quite remarkable for their time: they decided to expand their customers from a domestic clientele, to a network of customers around the world. He uses this little story to illustrate that in time when we are in need of change, we have to widen our gazes and think in a more global way to make the world develop. If you connect this back to the term of teaching, I think many of you would know that this lecture mainly is about the use of computers and the internet in teaching and studying.
Alan Novembers view on this, is that the Internet is a genius way to easily share information with others, around the world. He wants a globalized curriculum, and using the internet actively in the process of studying. This way, a student in Japan and Norway would have the same curriculum, and they can co- operate trough the internet. He is also very firm when he says that the teacher is not to be replaced by a computer! The teachers’ job is to be supportive and give advices to the students, as well as guiding them trough the curriculum and help them using the internet in an efficient way. The difference is that the students in a much bigger scale are to use the internet as a source of information and inspiration to deepen into special themes.

I defiantly agree with Alan November in this matter. I think the internet and technology is the future, and therefore it is very important to use it for what it’s worth, and grab the opportunity to use this amazing tool. At the same time, I am a bit skeptic to the concept of us using the computer at all times. Sometimes, I think it is far as good just to listen to a lecture given by the teacher, and take notes. I do also want the teacher to play a more active role in the process of choosing which assignments there are to be done etc. The internet can also be a huge distraction once in a while, with Facebook, games and blogs that screams for attention. Therefore I think a good solution would be to do a little of both. But absolutely, I want us to take this amazing opportunity to use the internet and modern technology to make our studying process more colorful and unique.


The first picture is of Alan November, and I found it at:

www.swprsc.fesdev.org/vnews/display.v/Upcoming%20Conferences (09.09.10)

The second picture is an edited verson of the picture i found at: www.perivalechristianbookshop.co.uk/news.aspx (30.08.10)

The Butterfly Circus

The screen version of the short story The Butterfly Circus is about a man called Will who is born without any limbs. He is presented in a sideshow at a carnival as an object for humiliation and laughter. People gather from far apart to examine this extraordinary creature. The carnival is presented at night, and everything is chaotic and blurry, and we get a feeling that this place is quite slovenly. The carnival manager introduces him this way: "I present to you a man, if you can call him that, that God himself has turned his back upon". Everybody whispers about him to each other. A little boy throws a tomato right at him, and he has no way of blocking it. He just has to let it hit him.
The manager of the Butterfly Circus turnes up at one of these shows. This man is someting different from the other spectators at the show. He is genuinely trying to understand him, and consider him as an equal to himself, not an object for amusement. After this incident, the Limbless Man decides to join the Butterfly Circus, to start a new life.

The new circus Will now comes to is a different kettle of fish, entirely. They base their show on the feeling of equality. The manager presents each number and the participating acrobat with respect and dignity. The music is filled with light tones and gives the whole setting a light and worriless atmosphere. The show is based on talents and the beauty of each of them, not the abnormality of the acrobats. The audience is to be astonished by the view, not laugh at their misery and distinction. The circus is providing each of its members with a new chance. The circus manager is telling Will that he's not helpless, and that he can achieve great things, if he allows himself to. This works as an eye-opener for Will, and it helps him take the step that changes everything. This feeling to be in control of his own body and limitations gives him great confidence, as well as happiness and joy. In addition to all these emotions, he has also found something that he can do in the show. His performance is consisting of being thrown into a pool of water from the astonishing height of 50 feet!

The driving power of this short story, and the thing that binds it all together, is the Caterpillar that the boy possesses throughout the story. At the time when Will falls into the water, the boy comments that his caterpillar is gone! His mother tells him that it is in the cocoon, transforming into something unrecognizable. Here, we can draw a parallel to the alteration of Will himself, who has gone from something miserable and ugly, into a state where he is finding his true potential, and then the transformation into someone that other people look up to.
In the end of the short story, the boy sets the butterfly free. Personally, I think this symbolizes the end of Will's suffers and the dawn of a new day as a better and more appreciated human being.

This is a very touching story, of an ugly caterpillar’s struggle to reach the light of accept and glory.



The first picture is the logo of the screen version of the short story. The picture is from the page: www.liveaction.org/blog/butterfly-circus
The second picture is of the actor Nick Vujicic, in the role as Will. The picture is taken from:
www.chriscade.com/2009/09/the-butterfly-circus-inspirational-video

The screen version of this Short Story is to be found at:
www.thedoorpost.com/hope/film/?film=4dd298f102c77b625cf37a9e7744ac68

Worldwide Studies

World Wide Studies is a blog I am going to use in my study of English in the second Year of High School. This subject is originally called “International English”, and when I was to decide a name for my blog, I wanted something that could be associated with the name of the class I am attending. The name “international English” is in my opinion related to something around the world. Therefore I felt that a name referring to something that the whole world is a part of, was crucial. Since I am in the process of studying, I feel that the name of the blog is referring to me as well as to the course of my class. The blog will, as mentioned earlier, focus on assignments given in class, and the content will exclusively be in English.

Who am I?

I am a 17 year old girl, attending Sandvika High School in Bærum, Norway. The school focuses a lot on the use of digital implement while studying, so therefore a big part of our day is spent in front of a computer. Even so, a teacher is present at every lecture. The school has organized the days in so called “Lecture- Days” which basically means that each day contains one subject. This forces both the teachers and the students to be creative in their working habits, and how they plan their day. Personally, I think this model is working extraordinary. It gives each subject a better chance to deepen, and finish at the given task in class.

I think that this year of English would be a lot of hard work. Last year, I felt that my vocabulary widened, and I hope this development continues. What could possibly be more important in any language than a rich vocabulary? I also hope that we are able to widen our gazes and learn more about English speaking countries outside the European and North-American continent. America and Britain are both very interesting, don’t get me wrong! I just want to learn about countries like India, Australia, and New Zealand, just to mention a few. A thing I also look forward to is to get some new impulses in literature, and to read books by authors outside the Anglo-American area. Another thing that I would love to do, is to use the blog frequently. To summarize it all up, I expect a year of learning the English language, as well as learning about foreign cultures.


The picture is from the web-page:
http://www.thecaptiveconsultant.worldpress.com/