Shiloh Nouvela

Have a drink, on us!

Went to a New Year’s brunch, so were forced to change out of our sweatpants into:

Trog:

• Hair: Neatly parted
• Powder blue shirt with orange, yellow, brown check pattern
• Orange merino wool sweater from Zara
• Diesel jeans
• Distressed brown leather Skechers

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Monster:

• Hair: Unruly
• Grey cotton t-shirt with “Pippi Rules” and cartoon of Pippi Longstocking
• Usual rings
• Grey cotton sweatpants from H&M

(more…)

While Monster lounged around in grey sweatpants and a black tank top, Trog trudged off to work, wearing:

• Brown, green and orange checked shirt from Kenneth Cole
• Orange merino wool sweater from Zara
• Orange and brown striped garrison belt from H&M
• Chocolate brown jeans from Zara
• Distressed brown leather sneakers from Skechers
• Outerwear: Chocolate brown merino wool zip-up cardigan from J. Crew, puffy navy Lands’ End jacket, orange baseball cap

Norwegians worry more!

We here at Shilohnouvela note that Trog (1) is male, (2) is between 30 and 44 years of age, (3) earns a lot of money, and (4) lives in Norway.  We worry that he worries more, too. We  wonder though:  Worries more than what? Or more than whom?

We leave you with that mystery, and with this uplifting quote, which we hope will alleviate your woes:

“We should fold our hands every evening and thank the Lord, the Labour Party and the oil in the North Sea for giving us everything on a silver platter.”

Monster’s outfit:

• Hair ironed, right parted,¬†clipped off face¬†(again with the random clips!)
• Marquise-cut diamond studs
• On lips: Carmex
• Around neck: White gold eternity band with small diamond cross
• Black and white pin-striped Benetton shirt
• Grey angora blend v-neck sweater from Zara
• Usual rings
• White gold watch
• White gold tennis bracelet
• Black belt with silver buckle
• Charcoal Editor Express pants
• High pointy black boots
• Outerwear: Lands’ End puffy black jacket, black Giordano fleece, red knit hat from H&M, Burberry scarf, red fleece gloves from H&M

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As I have yet to acquire an alien registration “D-Number” (still wading through the government bureaucracy), I do not have any sort of identity in Norway. No mythical D-Number means no bank account, no paycheck, no credit card, no phone in my name; all mail sent to “Monster Mylastname”, depite being correctly addressed, is returned to sender. However, since Trog acquired a D-Number when he first joined his Norwegian company in 2004, is a good tax- and bill-payer, and deposits (some of) his paycheck in a Norwegian bank, his place in the paper universe is firmly established. My Norwegian identity, such as it is, is purely an offshoot of Trog’s; mail sent to “Monster Trog’slastname” is safely delivered to our apartment. (more…)

Back to work!

Monster’s cute outfit:

• Hair ironed
• Dangling pearl earrings
• On lips: Carmex
• Around neck: pink tubao from Baguio
• Pink button-down shirt from Greenhills tiangge
• Hot pink merino wool sweater from Banana Republic
• Usual rings
• Pink Cartier watch
• Black belt with silver buckle
• Black Tahari pants
• High pointy black boots
• Outerwear: Lands’ End puffy black jacket, pink and purple “cashmere” scarf from New York sidewalk, cream gloves from Baguio

(more…)

Our Philippine Correspondent writes:

Does the father sound familiar?

Two different tram stops, two different nights.

He’s a creature. Of habit.