We went to the beach the other day and it actually felt amazing to walk around in the snow while hearing the waves rolling in. We were out there with the intention to take photos for the annual Christmas greetings and the weather couldn't have been better. This was the beginning of a wonderful Christmas holiday, which has included a lot of food, lots of laughs and some — admittedly not that much — outdoor activities. Tomorrow we will be on the road again since we will be travelling to my own parents for more Christmas celebrations.

...is a very nice combination. In our version the fire only comes in the form of lit candles, but the snowflakes are swirling happily outside our windows. In a few days we'll be joining the rest of the family, but right now it's only us listening to Christmas music while wrapping Christmas presents, eating clementines and having an occasional bite of homemade chocolate... and relaxing on the couch.

I wish all of you a really wonderful, relaxing Christmas!

We just got back from having watched what I would say is the most amazing movie this year: James Cameron's Avatar. I loved everything about it — the story, the visual aspects, the technical side, the acting — all of it was amazing. We saw it in RealD 3D which actually added more to the experience than I had thought in advance. The amazing sceneries and colours, the movement of animals as well as human(oid)s, the violent fight scenes at the end seemed closer to me than I thought possible as I sat there in the movie theatre. It was simply breathtaking!

The image can be found at Slashfilm.com.

I guess I felt like fooling around a bit. Things have been far too serious lately. At a meeting earlier today I couldn't help teasing a woman who has a tendency to always highlight her efficiency. She has an air of "don't waste my time" and she seems to expect everyone present to do her bidding.

The meeting today was not about being efficient though. The intention was to create a foundation for a series of pretty informal seminars, to see if we who were present had things in common and might be able to work together in various constellations. The meeting was thus not particularily goal-oriented and we actually had a lot of fun, but I really had to bite my lip not to tease her more than I should. She probably hates me anyway. Well, well...

Image from same_same.

I don't particularily believe in anything that might be called God and I don't consider myself religious, but I think I've always had some kind of belief in something that can be called basic human decency. I've felt that the majority of people I encounter are nice when you get to know them a bit.

Just as it is for most people, there have been times when my belief has been shaken throughout the years. In some cases I have felt that someone really wants to hurt me personally, that I have been the target of verbal and sometimes physical aggression. In these cases it has certainly been difficult to get away and my only way of coping has been to set up as many boundaries as I can. Lately I've learned that speaking about things openly is perhaps the best defence of them all. In other cases, I have felt that people don't target me because of who I am, but rather because of who they are. Something, their ambitions, their ego or perhaps something else, is driving them to the extent that they only see me as a hurdle that must be overcome. They don't see me as a human being, only as a rival. Talking about this is slightly more difficult, since it involves describing things that are often more diffuse, but, again, talking about it seems to be the best way to deal with this as well.

It makes me really sad when these things happen, but I have become better at standing up for myself and, as indicated above, also better at exposing these types of behaviour. I'm not scared as easily anymore. But I do get scars. It shakes my belief in the idea that human beings are nice deep down and subsequently it makes it more difficult to trust. It takes longer and longer for me to decide if I should trust someone and this worries me, because if I feel like this there are no doubt other people who feel like this as well.

In fact, we need more trust in our world, not less. Our society gets worse simply because people don't trust each other. Research has indeed shown that the lack of trust leads to a more polarized and unstable community. Nevertheless, right now it's rather difficult for me to really believe in happy endings, but I will try to think of other people's cynicism or malice merely as a sign of their lack of trust. Perhaps it thereby gets a bit easier to handle. Having said that, I also need to stress that I'm definitely not in favour of blind trust, but we do need to find ways to reverse the growing cynicism and violence in the world and close the gap between people. I know I'm just me, one single person, but, perhaps, if there are more people thinking like this, and recognizing this as important, we might be able to make a difference.

Or perhaps it's just me wanting to trust in something.

Perfume literally means "through the smoke" and that is probably more appropriate than ever for me right now. Deciding not to dwell too much on yesterday's bad news, I went shopping this morning. Apart from thinking about various Christmas presents, I was also on the lookout for a new perfume for myself, a "wintery" one. I've really missed having a cozy, warming scent and I decided to look around, trying out for instance Armani's Code in both the female and male version (I liked the male one best), several perfumes from Bvlgari (Omnia Amethyste, Jasmin Noir, and the unisex Black), as well as SJP's Lovely. I honestly liked several of them but somehow they weren't what I was looking for.

Driving back home I was wondering what I indeed was looking for and I realised that the perfume I measured them all against was the memory of one I tried when I was a teenager: Rochas's Byzance. This particular perfume invoked feelings of warmth, sensuality and lushness in me. Back by the computer I decided to see if the perfume was still available, and, realizing that it was, I decided to order a small bottle. I really don't know whether the adult me will still react in the same way to the scent, but I guess I will soon find out.

Images from Aunt Judy's Attic and Smellyblog.

UPDATE: Yes, I still love it. I love the way Byzance mixes with my own bodyscent and lingers for a very long time. I have rediscovered the perfect Christmas scent for me.

Someone I have admired and trusted has shown a side of himself that I don't find particularily attractive. I've learned that he sees distance and hierarchy as something essential and that he primarily judges people by their function in the hierarchy and not by who they are. Moreover, he seems to think that leaders never ought to be questioned and that the people "beneath" them should simply adhere to the rules and keep their mouths shut, regardless of how stupid those rules might be.

I do realise that we have grown up in different cultural spheres, and I also realise that his background has shaped him in a way that is very different from my own path in life, but I find his views rather offensive, especially in the light of what is going on at work. Well, at least I know where he stands, even though it was not a particularily enjoyable thing to find out.

Another year has come and gone. Again it's time for Nobel Prize laureates to be rewarded for the work they have done. It's also time for beautiful dresses, carefully rehearsed performances, and (what looks like) wonderful food.

On a far more personal level it is also time to celebrate. This afternoon we received an e-mail stating that there will be an official enquiry into the work situation/environment at the department where I work. I'm so happy that this has finally become official... that the problems are really being acknowledged and, in time, hopefully also addressed properly. This makes it so much easier to talk about things that have happened, and hopefully it will make more and more people step forward as well. But all this lies in the future...

It's time to watch the 2009 laureates — it's great to see that five out of twelve are women! — receive their prizes in the beautifully decorated concert hall in Konserthuset. I think I'll just sit back and enjoy the ride...

The photo from 2005 of the decorated "Blue hall" in Stadshuset (the City hall) was borrowed from Wikipedia.

Yet another grey morning. This photo was taken a few weeks ago, and it doesn't feel as if the sun has been visible at all since then. I would argue that it has its ups as well as downs, though. On the minus side I would put the gloominess that comes from far too little light and short days. On the plus side is the fact that it doesn't get cold. It still feels like autumn even though we're already a third into December.

Nevertheless, I do wish for some more sunlight. I need recharging.

A friend and colleague asked me if I'd be interested in attending a club evening at a local interior design store together with her this evening. I didn't hesitate for one second, of course I said yes. One of the highlights was a representative from Alessi who came to talk about their products. The Alessi representative also happened to work together with designer Pia Wallén, who has designed all the products above and is perhaps most famous for the high quality Crux blanket to the right and the felt slippers in various colours. It was a really nice evening, and yes, we did indeed buy a few thing... :)

It's still not particularily cold outside, but I really do enjoy the warmth from candles, the light from our Christmas stars in the windows, and a warm sweather at the moment. I'm wearing my new favourite tunic from Bon A'Parte and my warm and cozy slippers from Shepherd. We have lit tea lights in Fire ball from Holmegaard (that were a gift from T.'s uncle) and even though I'm mainly reading for work at the moment I'm really looking forward to begin reading Carl Johan Vallgren's Kunzelmann & Kunzelmann. On Friday my children will celebrate Lucia in school (even though the real Lucia day is on Sunday the 13th) and I have promised to bake chocolate muffins for that occasion. And no, chocolate muffins is not a traditional thing, but my youngest son has decided that this is what I'm supposed to bake, and I listen of course.

Work-wise things seem to be improving in more tangible ways as well, and even though I'm really looking forward to the Christmas holidays, it also feels good to know that the hard times hopefully are drawing to an end. Soon we might be getting the work climate we have wished and worked for.