Funny -

10 Jan

The Agreement Rule

Screen Shot 2016-01-07 at 12.16.00 Now I get it!!! The reason for the strange look I get from Brits when saying something like; ‘Nah… the weather is not that bad. You should try living in Iceland for a while.’ When I watched that brilliant video, featuring one of my favourite people in the world, it opened my eyes to many things. I’ve f.ex. always wondered why on earth pub goers cheer when someone drops glassware on the floor.

This is an ad from Heathrow airport, but in spite of that it’s well worth the watch. Enjoy Stephen Fry’s guide to the UK ladies and gentlemen!

16 Sep

Watch them try Brennivín! – videos

440px-Brennivin2 This is how Wikipedia describes the Icelandic Brennivín, something everyone visiting Iceland simply has to try:

‘Brennivín is a clear, unsweetened schnapps that is considered to be Iceland‘s signature distilled beverage. It is a popular Icelandic liquor and special-occasion alcohol shot, and the traditional drink for the mid-winter feast of Þorrablót. It is made from fermented grain or potato mash and flavoured with caraway, and for this reason can be considered anaquavit.^[1] The steeping of herbs in alcohol to create schnapps is a long-held folk tradition in Scandinavian countries. Brennivín has a unique and distinctive taste similar to vodka or Scandinavian akvavit. It is typically bottled at 80 proof.’

I find Brennivín rather disgusting, to be honest. It reminds me of my teenage years, when beer was banned in Iceland. The youngsters drank Brennivín, distilled spirit people produced at home, or even some home-brewed horror. My taste buds never agreed with any of it.

There are several videos on Youtube where people from all over the world try Brennivín.

Enjoy!

And sometimes people even sing about Brennivín.

09 Sep

One is still reigning!

555px-Elizabeth_II_greets_NASA_GSFC_employees,_May_8,_2007_edit Congratulations to Queen Elizabeth II on becoming the UK’s longest-serving monarch!

Today, at 5.30PM, she has passed the record set by her great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria.

Adored by so many and hated by others, this tiny woman has reigned for 63 years and seven months. Her Majesty has said that she doesn’t want a fuss to be made, but of course there are celebrations.

Since I moved to England I’ve thoroughly enjoyed observing the complicated relationship this nation has with its Royal Family. In a way, The British Monarchy is their Disneyland. I used to wonder why on earth a nation would spend so much money on something as trivial in modern times. The answer is quite simple, I’m told they cash in even more than they spend on it. It’s always about money, isn’t it?

It’s also about entertainment. Nothing has made me giggle more recently than the Queen’s fake twitter account.

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I love people’s diversity. This would be one boring life if everyone was the same. There are Royal fans and there are super fans. Here are two videos that made me smile.

02 Aug

A brilliant new comedy!

11144458_10206104639629084_2260183535306907241_o London is the theatre capital of the world so it’s a privilege to live here for someone who loves to see new plays. Last night I was lucky enough to witness a preview of a brand new comedy, The Lost Art of Lost Art. It’s a dark comedy about art theft, inspired by the past thefts of The Scream and the Mona Lisa. Molly and Lee think they’re masters of the craft. They’ve done the hard bit and ‘The Scream’ is hanging on their safe-house wall. It’s worth over £74million… if only they could sell it! The play asks questions like: How far would you go for money and is art nothing more than a price tag?

Two of the talents are Icelandic. Álfrún Gísladóttir produces and also plays one of the thieves, and Sara Hjördís Blöndal is the set and costume designer and also manages the stage. The production is the winner of the 2015 Scottish Daily Mail Award and is on its way to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It’s directed by Lucy Atkinson, who was kind enough to talk to me before the show started. I asked her how she got involved.

The show last night went really well. The writing is good, the tempo was spot on, visually it was genuinely convincing and there was a lot of laughter, so the audience obviously liked the comedy. I wish them well at Edinburgh and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for those talented and clever kids.

Cast:
Lee – Jamie Finn
Molly – Alfrun Gisladottir
Norman – Baker Mukasa
Nancy – Anna Crichlow

Producer: Alfrun Gisladottir (Raspberry Tart Ltd.)
Writer: James Hamilton
Director: Lucy Atkinson
Designer: Sara Hjordis Blondal
Stage Manager: Sara Hjordis Blondal & Stefanie Munck
Lighting designer: Jack Channer

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30 Jul

BriBry do Iceland!

Bri and Candice are a young Irish couple visiting every country in the world. Iceland was the fortieth country they travelled to. This video they made is funny and spot on. I specially like it when they imitate the Blue Lagoon introduction video.

The Youtube ad revenue from this channel goes to an Irish cancer charity called The Ross Nugent Foundation.

19 Jul

Every single word in Icelandic

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You can find cool stuff you didn’t know existed all over this surreal place called the internet. Recently I found an Instagram site where someone is making illustrations of Icelandic compound words. It’s called everysinglewordinicelandic and it’s so much fun. Check it out!

And talking of surreal, have you ever heard a word stranger than ‘nábrækur’?

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16 Jul

Emma Thompson outdoing herself?

In my humble opinion, UK cinema is the best in the world and most of my favourite TV-series are also from here. This morning I watched an interview with actor Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting, The Full Monty) where he talked about the first feature he directs. I simply can’t wait to see it. It’s called The Legend of Barney Thomson and Carlyle plays the lead himself. The other leading role is in the capable hands of Emma Thompson and I cracked up more than once when I watched the trailer. The movie is coming to theatres here in the UK on the 24th. Looking forward to this one!

28 Jun

Gin O’Clock

Sometimes one needs to laugh. And when one needs to laugh, one turns to the Twitter account of the Queen. Countless times I’ve cried with laughter reading it and if I feel irritated or sad for some reason, reading it always helps. It’s not the real Queen Elizabeth II tweeting of course, but one doesn’t really care. It’s funny!

So, good people. Check THIS out! You will not be disappointed!

16 Jun

Hilarious football fanatic

Iceland and England are among the most dedicated football nations according to Sporting Intelligence. Many Icelanders are devoted supporters of English leagues like United, Arsenal and Liverpool. They save up to go to matches in London, have all the gadgets and sing along while watching a match on TV.

Do British football fans support Icelandic teams then? Nah… not so likely. In these fantastically funny comedy sketches we meet Stuart, a fanatic supporter of the Icelandic league KR. It’s taken from the series Drekasvæðið on RUV (The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service) but don’t worry, it’s in English!