hi there

....six months later:
Hi! Can't believe it's been so long since I've written a blog post. Life got really busy at one point, and eventually I just forgot this blog even existed. However, I think I might begin posting here again. Not making any promises though, because I've been burned before. We'll just see how it goes!

At the moment I am visiting home and enjoying a break from uni. This semester has gone so well, and I have also managed to balance school and social life much better than before. Don't ask me how, I have literally no clue, haha. But I'll try to keep it up as best as I can. Anyway, gotta run, I'm late!

Video: Visiting home

Hi guys! I thought I'd share a little video with you today. I wasn't planning on posting this at all because I ended up filming much less than I originally planned. However, I started editing it just for fun anyway, and now I feel like sharing it with you guys. I'm still getting used to editing videos again, so don't expect anything professional. I just do this as a hobby, but hopefully my editing skills will improve as I go along. I want to film more of these little videos in the summer, and maaaaybe I'll eventually try out actual vlogging as well. We'll see!

(PS: Click on settings and change the quality to 1080p!)


Also, I have soo much new music I want to tell you about, so look out for a Music Monday blog post tomorrow!

Back in business

So... that was a much longer break than I intended. I did plan on getting back to blogging a few weeks back, but then uni, exams and life happened. I finished my last exam today, so hopefully (if I pass this exam), I'm done with the first year of my Bachelor's degree! Pretty crazy, but also pretty exciting. Can't believe how much my life has changed in a year, but I'm so happy with the direction it's taken me.

It's finally summer, and I plan on enjoying it as much as I can! I'm gonna spend a few weeks here in Stavanger before I travel back to Bergen for most of the summer. I got a summer job at the nursing home I worked at last year, but I don't think my schedule is too full, so I'll still be able to enjoy the summer. I'm definitely gonna miss Stavanger (and everyone here) a whole lot when I'm gone, but hopefully I'll survive, haha. I don't get to see my friends back home that often, and when I do it's only for a few hours, so I look forward to spending more time with everyone back home. But life in Stavanger is pretty great at the moment, so I'm gonna make the most of the the next few weeks. Hope life's treating you as good as it's treating me at the moment!

double music monday

Firstly, I just want to say sorry for the lack of updates lately. I did write a few blog posts that I intended on posting, but some stuff happened, and it didn't feel right anymore. I only have one rule for myself when it comes to blogging, and it's pretty simple: "If you're not feeling it, don't post it." Blogging is something I do for fun, and I'd rather not post for a while than post something I'm not proud of, or something that doesn't feel right at the time.

Anyway, it is Monday again, and I have two songs from different groups I want to share with you. The first one is a song called Golden Ticket by Highasakite, which is a group I've written about before. This song was released on the 8th of April, and I pretty much had it on repeat last week. The other song I'm sharing with you is I Wanna Know by Alesso ft. Nico & Vinz. This one was released on the 1st of April, so it's also very new. Both songs have really fun and uplifting melodies, so I hope you will enjoy listening to them as much as I am!

70's on a budget

Skirt - Urban Outfitters, blouse - Gina Tricot, headband - Glitter

waiting for spring

Music Monday: Kygo

One thing I've learned about myself recently is that I'm very emotional. If I'm not between a three and a seven on the emotional scale, I'm crying. I'm crying if it's too sad, and I'm crying if I'm too excited. Now, as I'm writing these words I'm listening to Kygo's set from Ultra, and I'm reeeally struggling to contain my excitement.

I mentioned in my "Get to know me" blog post that Kygo was the artist I listened to the most in 2015. I don't know if he holds that title so far this year, but judging from his latest singles, I'm pretty sure he will be when his album is released. So far this year he has released two singles, Fragile ft. Labrinth and Raging ft. Kodaline. Fragile is one of Kygo's more slow songs, and that's saying something considering his music is pretty chill in the first place. I had to listen to this song two times before I completely fell for it. I think it was the part at 2:26 that really sold me. The song is a bit different from what we've heard from him so far, but the vocals, melody and lyrics works so well together. It's nice to hear something different from Kygo, and Labrinth is really doing it justice.

Raging is more like what we're used to hear from Kygo. After hearing the chorus for the first time I was I dancing around my dorm. IT'S SO, SO GOOD! This is definitely going to be played a lot in in the summer. I'm listening to it right now, and I would say I'm at 6.9 at the emotional scale. The combination of this song and the sunny weather today makes me grin from ear to ear, haha. It was co-written by James Bay, and that makes me even happier.

Hearing Kygo's new material makes me incredibly excited to see him live in August! There's another single coming on April the 22nd, and his album is out on the 13th of May. I can't wait!





(This is not a music review, it's just me sharing some music that I've been listening to lately.
Also, kudos to those of you who got the Kristen Bell sloth reference in the beginning!)

Music Monday: WDSTCK

Hello there! It's another Music Monday here on my blog, and I hope your ears are ready to hear some new music. Today I'm presenting you with a with a band I found last year. A friend were playing one of their songs at a party, and I immediately had to ask him about who it was. The song he was playing is called Flowers, and it's the one I'm sharing with you guys today! The group is called WDSTCK, but other than that there's not much information to find about them online. However I did find out that they're located in Bergen, which is where I'm (almost) from!

Whenever I hear a really good song I've never heard before, I always assume that the artist or band is from another country. Which is why I was really surprised when I learned that the creators of this song are from Norway. They make modern eloctropop, but I don't really know how to describe this song, if I'm honest. It's just such a fun, upbeat and cool song, and it's perfect to listen to pretty much at any time and place. My words aren't really doing it justice, so you should let the music do the talking. Enjoy!

VIDEO: Travelling in the Netherlands

A little video from when I was travelling around the Netherlands last summer. While editing this I realised that I want to vlog this summer as well, even though I'm not travelling anywhere. It's a fun way to capture memories, and I really enjoy editing videos. Even though I can tell my editing skills are a bit rusty at the moment... I'll get better in time, just need a little practice. Also, I know I don't have a lot of readers, but let me know if vlogging is something you'd like me to do? Just from time to time, when I feel like it's interesting or fun for you to watch. A little feedback is always nice, right? Says the girl who rarely comments on other people's blogs... haha. I'm working on it! Have a nice day!

Music Monday: Maverick Sabre

A few years back I was sitting at school with two of my classmates. It was lunchtime, but we were still sitting in our classroom just eating and hanging out. We all wanted to listen to music, but it was at a very early stage of our friendship. So no-one wanted to play their music in case the other two didn't like it. We eventually persuaded Marius to play one of his playlists because we knew he had good taste in music. After a few songs I heard one that I found particularly interesting. It had such a chill vibe to it, like you could listen to it all day without getting tired of it. We actually did that at school once, and we had it on repeat until someone eventually complained.

The song is called I need by Maverick Sabre. However, it's not the original version, so it's not on Spotify or anything like that. Which is also the reason why I have been searching for it for so long, and today I finally found it again! I squealed when I found it, that's how excited I was, haha. I hope you'll like it as much as I do!

Music Monday: Astrid S

I feel like today's Music Monday has been a long time coming, because this girl is one of my absolute favourites. You might not have heard of Astrid S before, but I can assure you that you will. She's a 19-year-old singer/songwriter from Norway. A few years back she placed 5th in the Norwegian Idol, which shocked a lot of people at the time. However, it's common knowledge that you don't have to place 1st in a singing competition to do well in music. Since then she's developed her music a lot, and I'm loving it. She's featured on Shawn Mendes' song Air, and this spring she's going on tour with Troye Sivan in Europe! So proud of this girl.

I've chosen two of my favourite songs by her, 2AM and Dust. The last one is "only" featuring Astrid S, but she did co-write the song. I always turn up the volume when she's on the radio, so I really hope you'll like her music. Check it out!

Let's talk about hair

Throughout my teenage years I've had many different haircuts. I loved trying out new things, and whatever I chose to do with my hair I always loved the results. I've had a side-swept fringe, normal fringe, long hair, short hair, bob, sidecut and so on. When I was around 16 I decided not to cut my hair short anymore, which eventually resulted in this:

All of these photos was taken in 2014 when my hair was at it's longest. I loved my hair back then, and it was honestly my favourite part of my appearance. My confidence was at it's peak whenever I had a good hair-day, but this also meant that my confidence was low if I bad hair-day. Right now my hair is not that far from being the same length as in the pictures above. I don't know what's happened since then, but I can't remember the last time I had a haircut and actually being pleased afterwards. Somehow my hair has now become my least favourite part about my appearance. Why? Well, I keep jumping back and forth between wanting long and short hair. I can't seem to go through one day without both liking and disliking my hair. Luckily my confidence doesn't depend on my hair anymore, but it's still something that annoys me almost every day.

The last time I cut my hair kinda short was in May last year, and I remember going home crying afterwards. Not because my hair didn't look good (it actually looked great), it just wasn't what I wanted after all. See, this is the downside about being indecisive like me... It's got to a point where I don't really think it matters which haircut I choose, considering I'll most likely regret it afterwards anyway. So I might as well try out something new?

I've been toying with the idea of cutting my hair short again. Not as short as when I had a bob, but still shorter than any haircut I've had since I was 16. As you can see in the pictures above, it's kind of a big change. A change which I'll most likely regret. However, I'll probably also regret it if I end up choosing a mid length haircut. Aaah decisions... If you have any thoughts, please let me know. I'll keep you posted on whatever I choose.

Music Monday: Childish Gambino

You know when a friend introduces you to a new artist or band, and you instantly fall in love with them? The artist I'm about to introduce you had that exact effect on me. I was sitting at university with two of my friends last week, just talking and listening to music. One of my friends mentioned a rapper called Childish Gambino, which I'd never heard of before. So we put on some of his songs, and after about 30 seconds I was dancing (as much as you can dance while sitting, that is) to his music, so that's saying something. I've loved every song I've heard so far, but I chose two of my favourites to share with you. I hope you'll enjoy his music as much as me!

Fashion cravings

These are my fashion and interior cravings at the moment. Some of these items, like the Adidas jacket and shoes, have been on my wish list for months now. I just wish I could buy it all right now, but that's not realistic considering I'm living on a student budget. A girl can dream, right?

Music Monday: Dagny

Hi there!

I've decided that from now on these "Music Monday" posts will be more about me showing you what I've been listening to lately, rather than trying to find music none of you know about. Maybe you've heard the song before, maybe you haven't. Or maybe you just haven't listened to it in a while? It doesn't really matter. I just want to give you an insight of what kind of music I like, simply because music is such a big part of my life. I love how one song can change your mood completely. That's how powerful music is, and I can't imagine one day without it.

Today I've spent hours and hours inside a bus travelling back to Stavanger. Which means I've had lots of time to listen to music while staring out the window pretending to be in a music video. We all do it, right? I've chosen the song I've had on repeat the most times today, which is Backbeat by Dagny. Now, I had to Google Dagny because I had not heard of her before. Apparently she's a 25 year old Norwegian singer, haha. Who knew? Backbeat is her debut single which was released in September last year. I found it a few days ago, but it sounded really familiar, so I think I've heard it on the radio before. It's super catchy, which is why I had a hard time trying to contain my excitement when listening to this song in public, haha.

Short story: It's a fun song, and you should definitely check it out!

Home sweet home

On Sunday I travelled from Stavanger to Bergen. Usually when I'm going home to my family and friends I travel by air, but this time I decided to travel by bus. I started the trip at 9am. Two ferry trips and five and a half hours later I arrived in Bergen. The entire bus trip was sunny, so I took a few pictures and videos which I posted on my Snapchat. The quality isn't the best, but it gives you an idea of how my my view was. 

My sister and her fiancé picked me up in the city, and then we drove to the village where my parents live. This Sunday was not only Valentines Day, it was also Mother's Day in Norway. Everyone in my family knew I was coming home on the 14th, except for my mom. So when we arrived at my parents house I just walked in the front door with Cindy (my sisters dog) on a leash, not saying a word until my mom saw me. I wasn't expecting her to react that much, but you should've seen the look on her face! I'm literally still laughing about it every time it crosses my mind, haha. Priceless! Definitely made the bus ride worth it. After the shock had settled she seemed really happy about me being there, and we had a lovely day celebrating my mother. It was nice being able to take part in a Sunday dinner with the family for once since I don't have the chance that often.

In case you're interested in how my mom's reaction looked like when she saw me, it was something like this: https://twitter.com/krissyguurl/status/699016493745500160

Happy Friday!

Hi lovelies!

I survived my exam today, thankfully. Not sure how it went, but I'll know pretty soon anyway. Fingers crossed I did good, yeah? We get a week off now, so I'm going home to visit my friends and family in Bergen. But before that I have a massive cleaning job to do, I mean... you don't even wanna know, haha. I swear this always happens when I have an exam coming up. We're also going out to celebrate tomorrow, which is definitely needed!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Music Monday: Highasakite

Hi there! I haven't been blogging nearly as much as I want to lately, and for that I appologise. The last couple of weeks have been filled with important assignments and tests at my university. This Friday I have my finishing exam in Service management and service organising, which is the only subject I have at the moment. Everything is happening at such a quick pace, and it's been a bit difficult to keep up with everything. But I made it this far, so I'm hoping I'll do alright (well, more than alright to be honest) on my exam as well.

You're not here to hear about my life though, are you? It's Monday, and on my blog that only means one thing: music! Today I've chosen a song from a Norwegian group, which is starting to become a pattern now. But in all honesty I think this might be the best band Norway has to offer, at least in my opinion. Their music has an ability to drag me into some sort of magical bubble, where the rest of the world just disappears for a while.... and the song I've chosen is no exception. The name of the band is Highasakite, and the song is called Lover, Where Do You Live?

If you liked this song, I would also recommend Since Last Wednesday, Keep That Letter Safe and Leaving No Traces. Those are my all-time favourites. Also, they're actually touring a few places in Europe this spring, so you should definitely check them out if they're performing anywhere near you!

My experience with moving

None of my so-called "homes" feels like home anymore.
It's like I'm stuck in between two lives, and right now I don't belong anywhere.

As I'm writing this it's one o' clock in the morning, but I can't seem to put my thoughts away for the night before I write this. About five months ago I moved to Stavanger (city in Norway) to study. I moved away from my village, family, friends, and everything I know, to a new city where I didn't know anyone at all. It sounded scary to me at first, but I was actually feeling positive. Getting to know new people, studying something I'm passionate about, and finally moving forward with my life. I also felt like it was time for me to leave the nest.

I moved into my dorm on a Sunday, and the welcome week started the next day, so I didn't really have time to take it all in. After a few weeks I started to feel homesick, even though I knew this was my new home now. And I'm not gonna lie, I was feeling kinda lonely as well. Not just in the beginning though, every once in a while I still feel the loneliness creep up on me. I mean, I do have a few friends here who I really enjoy hanging out with. But everyone's got their own life, you know? They have work, other friends, family and free time activities. And I don't. At least not yet.

Moving is so much more than just putting your stuff in boxes. You need to get new daily routines, and you have to learn to put your old ones away. It's definitely easy to fall back into old habits and routines when you go back "home" to visit your family. However, every time I visit my village I feel like I'm visiting my old life. I can't really describe it any better than that. It's like I know deep down inside that this place isn't a part of my life anymore, and that's a weird feeling. I've learned that a home is so much more than a place where your friends or family are. Ask yourself this: If you take away all the people you know there, does your home still feel like home?

Every time I go to London it feels like home to me. It doesn't matter who I'm there with, or if I'm there alone, it's home. I feel like I've gotten to know the city, and walking the streets of London just feels so natural. As if I'm where I'm supposed to be, and nothing feels better than that. The same goes for Bergen. It feels like my city, my home, even though I didn't grow up there. I hope I'll feel the same way about Stavanger one day.

While writing this blog post I've realised that I need to challenge myself more. Maybe I should start looking for a job, or find an activity to fill up my free time? Or go to more parties? It's a bit out of my comfort sone, but chances are that it will have a positive outcome if I put myself out there.

It's not that I'm not happy, because in so many ways I'm happier than I've ever been. I'm just a little lost, and finding my way is gonna take more time than I expected.

Music Monday: Elsa & Emilie

It's Monday, and I'm here to recommend another song for you! This time it was more of a struggle to find a song, if I'm honest. I realised that most of the songs I'm obsessed with at the moment are songs by Norwegian artists with Norwegian lyrics... And since some of you might not understand Norwegian, I thought I'd try to find a song with lyrics you'll understand.

Therefore, this week I've chosen a song called "Run" by the Norwegian duo Elsa & Emilie. I'd heard of them before, but it wasn't until I saw them perform at my first day of university that I actually started listening to their music. This song is actually from 2014, but I've been listening to it a lot throughout January. Their voices go so well together, and I find myself listening to it no matter what mood I'm in. Let me know what you think of it! ♥ 

Share the happiness

Someone once told me not to compare my sorrow with someone else's. Just because it seems like their reason to be sad is bigger than yours, it doesn't mean you're not allowed to be sad as well. Or to be even sadder. In my opinion you can also say the same for happiness. You shouldn't let anyone else bring you down if you're excited about something. So what if your friend got a B on an exam and you got a C? It doesn't mean you shouldn't be proud of yourself. And I can guarantee you that a true friend would want you to be happy. We should all be rooting for each other, not tearing each other down. Share the happiness!

Music Monday: Erik Hassle

Today I decided to start a new series of blog posts called Music Monday. Every Monday I will recommend a new song, artist or band. I'll try to introduce you to music you haven't heard before, but no guarantees.

This week I have chosen a song by a Swedish singer-songwriter called Erik Hassle. I used to listen to his music back in 2009 (how is that seven years ago btw?!), and I just discovered a new song of his last week. The song is called "No Words", and it's a super catchy! It immediately puts me in a good mood, and I hope it will do the same to you.

(The song starts at 0:20)

New favourites

Good...afternoon? I had a massive sleep-in today, which I haven't had in a long time. It felt good, but I also felt like I'd wasted most of the day. I guess I was sort of rewarding myself for getting an A(!) on a test yesterday, and also a B on an assignment. Grades are looking good so far! Anyway, it's Saturday, and I'm in a good mood. I need to clean the babe cave (aka my dorm) and go grocery shopping. Later tonight I'm going bowling with some friends, which I'm pretty excited about. I'm rubbish at bowling, but it's always fun anyway.

By the canals

from my trip around The Netherlands, July 2015.

20 questions: Get To Know Me Tag

As I've only just started blogging, there's so much stuff you guys don't know about me.
If anyone actually reads my blog, that is. So, here's 20 facts about me!

1. What is your zodiac sign?

Cancer.

2. What was your favourite subject in school?
English was my favourite subject from day one, but I also really liked politics and media.

3. Do you participate in any sports? 
I used to play football and handball when I was younger, but that's a long time ago. I really miss football, but I just don't feel like I'm in good enough shape to be a part of a team yet. I started going to the gym last autumn though, and I really like it so far.

4. Favourite colour?

Blue has always been my favourite colour, but I really like coral as well.

5. Favourite animal?
Definitely dogs! I don't think I really had a favourite animal before my sister got a Chow Chow, but I've been obsessed with dogs ever since. If I see a dog in public I always point it out to the people I'm with, hehe. Pretty sure everyone who knows me can confirm this.

6. Do you have any siblings?

I have two older sisters, one who is 24 and the other is 22. I love them both, but I don't see them as often anymore since I moved to a different city to study.

7. Did you like school?
School was alright, I guess. I didn't love it, neither did I hate it. I miss the social part of school though, definitely should have appreciated it more.

8. Favourite perfume?

Chanel Chance Eau Tendre. I've run out of it though, and it's a bit expensive for my student budget. So at the moment I'm wearing Versace Bright Crystal, which I got for Christmas.

9. What’s your favourite store?

Wow, okay, this is a tough one. I think I would have to say Bik Bok and Urban Outfitters. I also really like Topshop, but they don't ship to Norway, so I can only buy their clothes when I'm abroad. To be honest I haven't really done that much clothes shopping since I started university, which I am quite proud of. I'm the biggest shopaholic, so this is a huge deal for me!

10. Do you speak any other languages?

Except for Norwegian, the only other language I can speak (almost) fluently is English. My English is definitely not flawless though, so I'm sure you'll find grammatical mistakes here and there. I know some German and Dutch as well, but not enough to have an actual conversation.

11. Have you been out of the country?

I've been to England, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Greece, The Netherlands and France. Out of all of the places I've been, I think London will always be my favourite. I know, it's very generic, but London feels like home, so I always enjoy being there.

12. Favourite YouTubers?

There's so many! But these are the ones I watch the most at the moment: Zoella, Freddy My Love, JacksGap, Troye Sivan, Niomi Smart, Danisnotonfire, FunForLouis and Connor Franta.

13. Favourite movie(s)?

All of the Harry Potter movies! You can never watch them too many times.

14. How tall are you? 

The last time I measured I was 1.66 meters, which according to Google is a bit taller than 5'5''. That's a long time ago though, so I might be taller now. At least I like to think so.

15. What’s one thing most people probably don’t know about you?

The only alcohol I actually love the taste of is a cheap Moscato wine.

16. One thing you want to do before you die?

I want to live in a different country, even if it's just for six months. Not quite sure where, but I guess it would have to be somewhere they speak English fluently, otherwise I'd feel so lost.

17. What’s your most listened to artist on Spotify? 

I'm pretty obsessed with Kygo's music, and according to Spotify he was the artist I listened to the most in 2015. At the moment I am also listening a lot to Troye Sivan, Astrid S, Highasakite, Karpe Diem and Sondre Justad.

18. What kind of style would you define yourself as having?

I guess I have many different styles, it all depends on my mood. But in general, skirts and high waist jeans are definitely my favourite clothing items to wear.

19. What was the last thing you bought?

I bought a few lipsticks online a few days ago. I'm obsessed with wearing lipstick, but I can't find the one I always wear in the winter, so I "had" to buy some new ones, hehe.

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? 
My dream is to work at an airport, maybe like some sort of Ground Stewardess. It might not sound like the most prestigious job, but it's what would make me happy. And isn't that what's most important in life?

About me

Hello there lovely!

My name is Kristin, but people also call me Krissy. I am a 20 year old girl living in Norway, and at the moment I am studying Tourism Management. I love travelling, fashion, beauty, politics and music, which will be some of the subjects you'll be able to read about on my blog.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me: blogbykrissy@gmail.com

Have a great day ♥

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