Mission completed!

Phew!!!

I've just come home from the concert where I played Grande Sonate Pathétique by Beethoven. It went well! The church, where the concert was held, was ice-cold, so some parts were rather difficult to play, and I didn't play perfect. But I recieved a big applauce and several people came to me afterwards almost congratulating. That was very encouraging!

I've been nervous about this concert for weeks, so I'm very relieved at the moment! Funnily enough I've not been, and I'm still not, nervous about the exam tomorrow because the nervousness about the concert has been so much bigger! Hehe....! Another good thing about this: I'm going to play the sonata on Saturday (in my littlebrother's confirmation), on Tuesday, and probably on next Wednesday too (on another concert), and I'm not nervous at all! Maybe I'll get a little bit nervous the very moment before I'm going to play, but after this concert it feels like a burden has fallen off my shoulders... And that is wonderful!

Concert completed,
Silje happy,
Silje not nervous,
Silje ready to concentrate on the exam tomorrow (hopefully...).

Btw: Thanks to Marita, Benedikte, Tor-Hugo & Irene, and of course; mum, for coming!
I really appreciated it!

Beethoven pathetic tomorrow

Look at this handsome guy! Ludwig van Beethoven, a great composer, and on this picture, still quite young.

During the last year I've been working on his famous Grande Sonate Pathetique (for piano). And now the time has final come when I'm going to bring this masterpiece to...
... a hopefully grateful audience. That will happen tomorrow. A lot of butterflies in my stommach. Ten pages long, but with the repetition, thirteen. From pianissimo to fortissimo. Legato and staccato. With pedal, but also secco. I have to use all I've learnt -during more than ten years playing the piano. Often my left arm hurts when I've been practising. Because I'm playing octavs in eights. Page up, page down. Ouch! Tests my endurance. I'm playing without the sheets of music. I'm going to play by heart.

But, wow! What music! I think it's fantastic!
I wonder what was going on inside of him when he wrote that sonate.

Patetique means emotional.

Click the picture, or here, to listen to Grande Sonate Pathetique! (It's not me who are playing!)

Visiting visitors from England

Today my uncle, aunt and aunt's mother from England visited my home place with the Hurtigruta. We visited them at the ship "Midnatsol" ("Midnight Sun").

It was great seeing them again! I haven't seen my uncle and aunt since they were here for Christmas, and my aunt's mother I haven't seen since last summer. They're having a holiday on the Hurtigrute (kind of cruise ship) and started yesterday from Tromsø. At Tuesday they're in Bergen, and will then go back to England again.

We were only together for less than three hours (we took the ship together with them from Sortland to Stokmarknes) and I really wanted to go with them all the way to Svolvær, and from there take a bus home again at night... But my parents didn't think that was a good idea - we still have a lot to do before me brother's confirmation next weekend...

But it really was great to see them, though time shouldn't have passed that fast.

Friends

On Wednesday I was together with a friend on a concert. After the concert, which was arranged in a pub-like cafeteria, we decided to sit down and chat while drinking coffee.
I believe that is the best investment of time I've done for weeks! We hadn't done anything like that for ages! We sat there talking for about two hours, I think. About everything, actually. Like friends should do. The fine thing about chatting like that, is that you come closer as friends. And that is important. We're going to France together this summer. We're looking even more forward to that now! :)

Exam time...

The class are to be examined in English next Thursday (1st of June).
There were only two out of five classes (on my level) that are to be examined.
We got to know yesterday.
The sports class are to be examined in training doctrine (?)...
It's not that bad.
This is my final year studying English, actually.
Maybe it'll be a nice "the end"?
And the probability for having an oral exam is now rather small... :D
Not bad!!!

I am driving!!!

Last summer I remember counting the days to my birthday. Then I could start driving prastise.
On my 16th birthday, my mum took me to a shut down flight strip to drive a little bit. I was excited. It was fun! I even rounded 80 km/h! I thought I would drive a lot this year.
But I drove a few times more, and then it started to rain. It rained all the time all the autumn, and I actually didn't dare to or wanted to drive when it was raining, in fear of losing control on a slippery road while driving.

But now it's springtime! Soon summer. The roads are dry, the nights are light and Silje wants to drive! (And remember to ask her dad if she can drive a little bit...)

Monday night was a milestone for the driving practise history of mine...
For the first time I drove on the main road! Where the lorries are. Where you drive fast.
The experience was good! The road was much more wider, meaning you didn't need to worry if a car passed. Earlier I had only dared to drive on a little road in the neighbourhood - a road where the max speed is 60 km/h and where there are many houses and many playing children... (Luckily none of them have run out in the road while I've driven...)
I was proud when I came home.
Had to tell my mum.
I even managed to swing into the driving up!

Tonight I drove again! And things went even more well than on Monday. I even remembered to turn on the flashing when driving into the driving up! And I drove a longer distance. And I wasn't that nervous.

Driving is fun!

I have to tell some praises about my dad.
He guides me alle the time while I'm driving.
- First clutch, handbreak off, first gear, accelerate, carefully drive out in the road.
- Use the mirror.
- This is where you're supposed to place the car on the road.
- Clutch, gear, accelerate.
Without him, the roads would have been dagerous both for other people driving and for me myself. Of course. I'm under practise!

That reminds me of that I have another Father who are guiding me.
Through life. Through good times, bad times.
Gives me good times. Guides me to good times. Good choices. Victories.

That's my Father. And I want to praise Him. And tell praises about him. Like I do about my driving-practise-guiding-father.

A few thing to remember when driving practising:

Keep your eyes straight ahead;
ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,
and the road will strech out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left;
leave evil in the dust.

(Proverbs 4: 25-27)

Happy Birthday, Norway!

You could also say "Happy Constitution Day!" or "Happy Independance Day!"...

Anyways!

This is the day when people...
dress up in national costumes, wave with flags, eat layer cake, soft ice, and go in processions.
This is the day when the royal family stand on the balcony and greet the children and the sixth formers.
This is the day when we sing our national anthem and many other nationalistic songs.
This is the day when you see everybody you know and don't know.
This is the day when the chairman of the county council speak to the people.
This is a celebration day.
This is a nice day.
This is a happy day.
This is the Norwegian day.

Happy Birthday, Norway!

Springtime???

It has happened again.
Snow. On the 15th of May. This time in 2006. Last time in 2005.

Are we happy?
No.

Did anyone (e.g. me) say springtime?


It started yesterday. It was cold. Freezy.
But the sun shone. A bit.
Then, around 6 pm it started to snow.
It snowed. And snowed. Around 10 pm the ground was covered.

Green trees hidden.
Green grass covered.
Tulips and daffodils dressed up in white.

The idea has hit me. Making a "Snow on May 15th 2"-movie.
But I feel it too depressing.

Now, as I write, it is snowing outside.
Many cold, freezy, frozen snow flakes.
But the ground is no longer covered.

Green trees hidden.
Green grass covered.
Tulips and daffodils dressed up in white.

I should make a song!


(The photo shows Åndalsnes in the south-eastern part of Norway.)

Brilliant vocabulary program

My sister came across a brilliant vocabulary program where you can can learn words and phrases in languages such as Spanish, Portugese, French, Russian... You can choose between multiple choice and single choice when answering what e.g. "to grow" is in Spanish...
Very simple to use, AND you can make your own files too, consisting exactly the words you have to learn before the next glossary test...
It's completely free.
Download Interlex here! (Or click the icon)

Enjoy!

Snow? Again?

TV tells us that it'll snow and sleet this weekend!
The weather has actually been colder these days... The jacket was too cold today.
Let's sort this out:
Last Sunday I lay on the veranda in bikini, this Sunday I maybe make snow angles.

North-Norway will never change...
It always surprises me.

But soooooon it'll become SUMMER!

... maybe...

Computer fixed; virus-free, spam-free, etc etc

YEAH!!

At Tuesday the man I bought the computer from in January helped me to fix the computer!
THANK YOU!!! You're always so helpful! 3 times 3 HURRAY for Øystein!
When I was ready to go home that night, the computer was just like how it was at the time I bought it. (Yup, I had to install some programs again...)
But, yeah!!! Happy day!!!
It's not slow anymore, I'm not worried of virus (the antivirus program works as it should do) and today I bought Norton AntiSpam (the 2004 edition) for only 30 NOK! AND the AntiSpyware software functions well :)

... makes me so happy...

Springtime!!!

Here in North-Norway, "spring" sometimes doesn't exist. Season just switches from winter to summer.
BUT NOT THIS YEAR!!!
It has to be the most summerly spring I've ever experienced here in Norway!
I don't even need a jacket!
A t-shirt is good enough!
WOW!
And I'm getting sun-tanned! In early May!
Unbelievable!

The trees are green. Soon...

For comparison:
Last year, at the 15th of May, it snowed.
My father went skiing in the garden.
My little sister made a snowman.
I made a film of it all. So people can believe me in the future...

But it's May!
It's green!
It's wonderful!


"I'm walking on sunshine, oh-oh-oh...!"


Btw: Nice drawing?!? ;)

Problems... Again!

My computer has some serious (don't know if it's REALLY serious) virus-, spy-, and probably adware problems at the moment...
That's why I can't update the blog(s) that often...

If you have some experiences (good antivirus programs etc) that might be useful, I'm glad to know!