john's late night birthday celebration

After arriving from our sumptuous dinner and fun at the Red Sea House, we sneaked up to John's room to give him our simple birthday gifts: a cake and a singing card. This really is one happy night!

 John's happy birthday cake

We couldn't all fit in his room and still have space to move around so we decided to move his night celebration at the class lounge. This is the hotel's staircase, so you can see where we can mostly be found rushing about early in the morning.

post-fishing meal

[temperature today: 0.2 - 5.5C]

After our vigorous fishing expedition, we tagged along with Karen to eat at a Persian restaurant which she says is good. Once we went inside the place, it was really cozy and the smell coming from the kitchen is good. When we finished eating, we were full and happy about the spicy meal with rice.

tapa bar and birthday

[temperature today: -0.5 - 6.6 C]

Today is YS' birthday so we went out for dinner tonight. It is so cold outside tonight but we are making the most out of our remaining days here in Stavanger. What better reason that to celebrate a friend's birthday, right?

 On our way to a restaurant. Well, we haven't decided yet where to go...

 Finally, decided on a Spanish tapa bar which was still open at that time. You know, the hassle thing about wearing lots of layers against the cold (coat, bonnet, gloves, scarf) is having to take them off when you get inside a restaurant.

 Yummy bread and dips...

And found one lovely drink from back home. Who would have thought?

 And they food plates just got devastated from our big appetite!

Happy times with good friends. Happy birthday, YS!
Thank you Ufo and Cuth for the pics.

farm life

[temperature today: 0.2C - 3.3C]
written 2013.02.21 0848hrs

We were told that we are going somewhere after class but they would not say where -- until we reached a FARM! So this is how a Norwegian farm looks like. Interestingly, the one who owns this farm works at the cafeteria. If you have been living in the Philippines, you wouldn't have believe that someone who works at the cafeteria would own such a big farm and big house. Obviously, there's no such thing as rich or poor in Norway.

The farm, as I said, is huge with a cow barn, milk processing machine, chicken shed, donkey barn, sheep and a beautiful, huge, warm house with a nice view of the outside from the kitchen. Feels so home...

The cow likes to lick stuff - including my bonnet. So I had to wash it clean when I arrived back at the hotel. LOL.

laundy

[temperature: 7.2-11.1C]
 written 2013.02.22

I hate getting my feet wet whenever it's raining. I don't like going out when nobody can take me home, or when it's gonna end later than the last train schedule going north. I am choosy. But I can let go of some comforts when I know when it is necessary -- like when I'm on the field. Yes, you may call me spoiled.

our laundry room

Anyways, I remember the first time I did my laundry here in Norway. The first time I did it, I had to wake up at 5 o'clock in the morning to be the first, and therefore have the use of the two machines and dryer afterwards. I only had a basic idea of how to use it - putting of the clothes and then washing powder inside the machine. It did fairly okay but the dryer died on me. It wasn't working. Yet my main question is, how do I put on the fabric conditioner?! I like my clothes smelling nice when they come out of the machine.

So next time I had to do laundry, I was so glad that a friend was online and helped me through the steps of placing the stuff into the machine.And yeah, I got told that I've grown so spoiled that I don't even know how to do a proper laundry thing using the machine. Well, I know how to do handwash, though. So what's spoiled with that?! :P

shrunk

[temperature today: 6.5 - 11.6 C]

Look what they pulled out of the dryer.

LOL. My classmate forgot to put the laundry/dryer machine in the right setting.

written 12.11.13

ending sirdal break

Good morning, Sirdal!

[temperature today: 6.3 - 10.4C]

Waking up to this beautiful view. It's like early Christmas for me.

 Trying to make a snow angel in a cm thick snow. Can you figure it out?

And here is a snow man. Beside him are other snowmen made for our family back home :D

 

 A team building activity before we go...

 Another scenic view on our way back to Stavanger...

Visiting an events place carve out off a mountain.

Then visiting a place, Byrkjedalstunet, where they have lots of souvenirs for sale...

Hassan is enjoying a nice, brisk wind outside the shop

 Mrs. Claus

Santa Claus in the sleigh...

...and the best pancake I ever tasted!

 This moraine is a site of blocks broken off by glaciers. This is also a historic site where Norwegian soldiers took cover from the enemies during the WWII.

No doubt the water from this river is so fresh, one can just drink from it right away. This view also reminds me of a poem that we discussed in high school, about a nymph talking to a shepherd. So idyllic.

written 12.11.13

Sirdal R&R

[temperature today: 6.9 - 11.9 C]
written 11.11.13

Woke up early for breakfast to prepare for today's activities. Last night, there was so much dancing but since we had a long day and I wanted to be ready for today, I left early. This was one of the scenes from last night.

Last night, I also signed up on the town tour instead of climbing the mountain, thinking that it is not safe with me only bringing my sneakers instead of hiking shoes. So this morning, we started with a walk downhill towards the town center not knowing the obstacles we were going to pass through...

 Houses with roofs that have plants for insulation...

 We are not halfway through...

 A very unusual troll, showing himself during daytime...

 Walking through a scenic route. Lots of pictures were taken here...

And another scenic view of simple Norwegian farmland

 

 

Turning around, I just looked at the slope of rock where we all came down from to get through the other side. That is one pretty high, steep slope with only a rope and a hand to help you down.

 And now walking through mossy area with our poor shoes getting wet. My sneakers now need to be replaced.

 How I love the look of these moss. Anna said that the white ones are gathered for home ornaments. They can place it in bowls with water and it will stay alive for days. How cool is that. The white moss can be used for Christmas decor, don't you think?

 Then we walked some more along a swampy area. Poor shoes, I'd say! Somewhere here, our classmate Isaac found a large mushroom, almost the size of my palm, color red, which looks like the ones they draw on cartoons when I was young.

After a relatively long walk, perhaps an hour?, we arrived at the town center and was greeted by the former Mayor who let us watch a video on the beginnings and what we can find in town. After that, we were treated to a very big lunch. Right after this, we went off to pursue recreation activities that were ready outside. I chose to bike.

 This is my bike after I fell the first time (I think). Lucky that my biking buddy, Romulo, was still a few feet ahead of me. Okay, I fell once and had to stop again once because I heard an unusual sound with my bike. Since this was the first time I biked after a long time, I had to be careful. What was just so confusing is how one old man, Abdullah, can bike uphill when we, the younger set, could not even go up halfway. We ended up going back to the center. But the view is still incredible while we were biking. I just had to stop to take some pictures like these:

I am so glad we went back earlier because I get to try this! It was so cool. I am glad Hassan is a sharpshooter and a good teacher. I managed to have my arrows shot on the board the first few times while the others just flew off it. There was also a gun shooting happening on the other side but I chose this. I guess that if they make me choose again, I'll still choose the bow and arrow over guns.

Unfortunately, something bad happened to our other classmates who were trying to climb the mountain. Nia fell and had broken her wrist and needs to be moved to the hospital at Stavanger as soon as possible. We left early, with the bus picking us up, and went all the way up, up the mountain until we saw the patches of snow.

The guys were kind enough to let us off for a while to let us play with snow. I wanted to make a snow angel but the snow was not thick enough and patches of grass where still visible. Yet I still went down and tried to make one!

Later, I got up and joined a snow ball fight, only to find myself being hit in the face with one! Now I know how cold and how hard a snow ball is. And how numbing. Unfortunately, that ball was meant for another but it got me. Ouch.

 The winding road going down, down.

After going down the mountain, here we are at another fjord. The mountain on the left was where my classmates tried to reach. By this time, Nia was on her way to the hospital. We are just hoping that she would be okay.

first snow

[temperature today: 6.3C-10.4C]
written 2013.2.18

It's snowing outside!

This R&R weekend seems to be starting on the right note!

on our way to sirdal

Yes, no classes and no meetings for the next couple of days! We are on our way to an R&R high up in the mountains :) But to start this off, we had to wake up early in the morning *yawn* Luckily, I got to sleep on our way to our first stop ---

 

misty morning

first stop - IKM, Sola 

Given that I was so sleepy but this company is really interesting because they grew up, making a niche for themselves, during the time when the petroleum industry was growing in Norway. They started out with providing instrumentation services to the oil and gas platforms and grew into serving subsea, completion, commissioning, operations, engineering, and fabrication works among others. 

 

Norwegian houses along the river

second stop - Aker Solutions, Egursund (along the Norway Coastal Road)

Now, I'm finally more awake! 

Aker Solutions is a service provider for the oil and gas industry all over the world. They provide oilfield products, systems and services and most interestingly, build the platforms and subsea products for big oil companies, one of which was being built in their shipyard - a gas compression subsea manifold. When we got to see this manifold up close, it is as big as a two, three story building and this structure is meant to be dropped onto the seabed of along the North Sea. 

Also of interest about this company is its focus on its employees, providing the best benefits they could, especially with respect to its safety and work attendance. It is interesting to see a company with a reported zero to none attendance in employees because they encourage reporting of any incidence that could affect their personnel and their operations. Well, just saying.

 on our way to Aker Solutions

at 4000 tonne, this is Conoco Phillip's subsea compression structure

stop 3 - Tonstad and the Sira-Kvina Hydropower Station

Arriving before lunch, we were treated to a very nice view of a fjord. Lunch was light and fast so we got to see the outside even if it's bitingly cold. The sun is out bright so it was fun.

However, after lunch, our class were on the bus again and this time, on its way to a hydropower station which is located under the mountains. What, under the mountains? Yes! Specifically, that one along the left of the picture.

We headed into the mountains but had to stop along the way as the bus was relatively large and we had to walk a few more meters more to get to the main heart of the station wearing our neon green jackets. Inside the station, we were given a briefing and a headset so we can hear the manager speak more clearly amidst the burr of machines. It is fascinating to hear how Norwegians utilize their water resources to give the power they need to run their households and businesses. To put it simply, water trapped by natural dams on the mountain tops gets sent down on big pipes constructed inside the mountains and the kinetic energy it produces runs the turbines which in turns converts it to power that is distributed in their power grid. 

 inside the mountain. i feel like a troll or a dwarf (like in the LOTR)

 the round structure is just the top of the turbine. this goes a long way down still

  more changing colors (outside the hydropower station building)

next short stop - Dorga Bro

 this bridge was built in 1919

 view to the west from the bridge

and finally our last stop - our home for the next two days! Sirdal Hoyfjellshotell

 the hotel from the outside looks promising

and so it is! my lovely room with a view of the hills (and parking lot!)

lovely road view behind the hotel...

good night, sirdal.