Irina Bernebring Journiette

Live. Do. Laugh. Explore. Dance. Love. Fall. Write. Scream. Enjoy. Dare. Go.

Category: Allmänt

110422 – New York, New York

Spent a week in my favorite city a while back. Elvina flew in from Sweden to spend a total of four weeks in the US. Two weeks were spent with me, first in New York and then here in Irvine. Of course we had some crazy events happen. Events that only can happen to two crazy ladies that share a last name. During our first day we walked around East village and Union Square a manikin at Desigual almost fell on top of Elvina after she was admiring the bag attached to it. At night we met up with my gorgeous NY friends Ariel and Pilar and had dinner at Ilili before heading over to one of their friends penthouses in the Lower East Side. Day two we spent shopping: and literally stayed in the store until we where dying of hunger. Grabbed a quick snack in Little Italy and took a stroll through China Town before heading over to the movies and catching a late-night showing of some movie I can’t seem to remember. (It can’t have been particularly good) When we got back to Brooklyn I realized that I by mistake had bought a pair leg-warmers instead of knee-stockings. It does not at all seem funny know, but it was actually hilarious when it happened. Day three we spent shopping up and down the 5th and of course played the big piano at FAO Schwartz. We then had mid-day tea at Alice’s Teacups II and went for mani-pedi’s in Brooklyn. Then we had dinner with Sif who also was staying in Brooklyn and Samantha, my other NY friend whom I first got to know in Sevilla last year. Then we went for drinks with Sif’s Guiseppe at the Standard NY before heading back home to the crazy people we were staying with. Day four we went shopping on Bedford in Brooklyn and Elvina found some great vintage before we met up with Ariel and had a quick goodbye lunch at Spice. When then headed out to do some more shopping but where in shock when we realized that the shop-assistant had hung all our clothes back because we took to long in the fitting room. Elvina had a fit and started screaming to the her and what met with the comment: “Lady, it wasn’t like I threw away your things, you haven’t bought it yet.” It was absolutely the funniest moment ever. Especially since it was followed by Elvina running all over the department store trying to find her clothes again before the store closed three minutes later. The last three days we spent doing more shopping and eating, we found a great place–Thalia, in the Theater district. We also met up with Simret and Wille from LA, who spent a couple of days in NY for drinks and Abdulla and Felly from Irvine for dinner and icecream and Elvina managed to almost get caught in a Subway door. All and all, we had a great stay in NY.

110305 – Catalina

Vaknar upp på en ö i pacific ocean. Är språkskadad och pratar bara goja. Försöker skriva pacific men blir rättat till pacifistiska. Jag har aldrig mött ett hav som medvetet tagit avstånd från våld. Men orden ligger vackert i mun — pacifistiska havet. På vägen hit såg jag ett stim delfiner, fantastiskt vackert. Säkert över hundra som simmade längst båten och sjöng. Folk frågade om jag hörde, jag nickade och ljög, hörde bara båtmotorer och klickande kameror. Strunt samma, jag föreställde mig ljudet från Dolphins and Whales, natural sounds, på spotify. Sedan fantiserade jag in lite Enya för att få dramatisk effekt. Då blev skönheten närmast överväldigande.

Nu sitter jag i hotellsäng och tuggar scones, har nyss legat på “soldäck” med utsikt över bukten och had a nice chat with a previous book-store owner from Boulder Colorado. “I don’t write my own books,” he said, “my taste exceeded my knowledge long time ago.”

Så här fin är min mor.

Ja, jag bytade nyss språk mitt i en mening. Men så är det nu. Jag tänker i kaos, chaos. På både engelska och svenska samtidigt och ibland blir resultatet en härlig mix. Som när jag textar Helena för att det är dålig singnal på phonen och frågar om hon vill runna till albertsons och handla lite stuff.

110222 – Kropp och själ

Min kropp gör så extremt ont. Men det är okej för jag är lycklig ändå. Jag var säkert sist i mål. Men det är okej för jag är lycklig ändå. Om sex dagar är det dags igen. Då ska jag simma, cykla och springa i NorCal där det är minusgrader och snö. Men det är okej för jag är lycklig ändå. Och min kropp gör så extremt ont, men aj vad jag mår bra!

110219 – UCSD Tritonman Duathlon

Long time no see. After getting back from Saudi Arabia I ran out of words. So, I focused on physical activity and my tri-training. And tomorrow I have my first race. Unfortunately it’s been rearranged to a duathlon–run/bike/run due to the bad weather but even if the swim has been cut I’m still super excited. Wish me luck.

101219 – Riyadh

I walked on a plane filled with people dressed in everyday outfits. I walked off a plane with women all covered in black. I’ve never felt more out of place ever. Spent yesterday exploring the desert – the red sun. It is stunning. Sometimes I forget how many beautiful places I’ve seen, places that can not be described using words. Regarding the Kingdom, I’m still getting used to sitting in the backseat, that the car is checked everytime we drive in to the compund, that I live behind walls gaurded by men with big guns. For now it is intriguing. Tomorrow I might feel trapped.

101205

It’s raining in Irvine. I’ve just finished my second ‘monster’ article/ piece of literary journalism. Now I’m going to do Yoga in my one piece. Surrealism is the word of the day.

101204 – Literary Journalism

So. From now on I can call myself a literary journalist. Or, an aspiring literary journalist. Read my first ever published piece about the College Republicans at the University of California here!

101108 – I’m going home

Los Angeles – New York – Copenhagen 13/12

Copenhagen – London – Riyadh 16/12

Riyadh – London – Los Angeles 3/1

It’s strange, Los Angeles, Copenhagen (Helsingborg) and Riyadh all symbolize different spaces of home. Los Angeles = my current home, where my life is taking place right now. The place of my physical existence. Copenhagen (Helsinborg) = my roots. My past. Where I have my earliest memories from. Where my grandmother makes meatballs and I know I always have a safe refuge. Riyadh = my mothers current home. A place where I’ll always find love and where my heart is.

101108 – Newport and Schedule of classes

I’m slowly feeling better. Last night I went to dinner hosted by the Italian crowd, there me and Helena met with three girls (one Swedish) who we decided to go with for a ladies night out in Newport. We danced the night, and my sickness, away. I woke up 13 hours later feeling fine. Well, not completely restored, but restored enough to continue on with life.

Now I’m spending the evening researching which classes to take next quarter. Arabic high on the list. However, apparently the beginners course is only offered fall quarter. At the moment I am so upset for not realizing this earlier and taking the course this quarter. Now my only options are a bunch of courses I don’t really feel like taking. So, so far, I’ve sent three emails regarding classes I’m not really legible to take, trying to find classes that I feel can complement my previous studies. I’m sick of theory, I want practice. I want to write, not read about writing, hence no more English classes for me. Maybe I should just try to do as little schoolwork as possible and emerge myself in extra curricula activities, such as writing for the New U? Aaaa. I don’t know. My heart is leading the revolution against my brain. I feel a Coup d’état creeping up, making decisions against the greater good of my intellectual self-preservation. How about a class in Social Dance?

101106 – There’s no place to be sick as here.

01.17. I took a sick day today too. Finally posted all documents to the Saudi embassy. Had a class at 9 am, spent the rest of the morning studying with Helena by her pool. Came back to the house and spent the entire evening watching i Anneli on svt.play. Probably old news already. But I’m super excited. Five episodes down, three more to go. Being sick isn’t all that bad when being sick here. Going to hit the gym tomorrow, it’s not time to start working out fully already, but it’s time to gradually ease the body back into tri-workout after a week of being sick and lazy.