My two cats Ceca and Legija have a new home in Rakovica just outside Belgrade now, and I think they are living very good lives because their new owners, Ljiljana and Viktorija love cats very much.

Que Sera, Sera! You never know what life is going to give you, and happy with the cards given to me in life. At the moment I'm working as the editor of the English language magazine Norway Exports in Oslo, Norway, but I have no idea what I'm doing after November 2007.

However, my options are numerous. Some people are stressed out when they don't have a strict plan for the rest of their lives, but the beautiful thing is that I don't have to worry, and it is not my mission to worry. I'm a Christian, and therefore I believe God has a perfect plan for me. I might be in Darfur as a press officer for the Norwegian army, I might be working with the shipping, petroleum or energy industry in Norway, or I might be back in Serbia, my second home country.

In May I was asked to take the job as the editor of Norway Exports, and at that time I was sorry to leave Serbia because my language had improved quite a lot, and I was able to communicate quite well in Serbian. However, my biggest problem when I went to Norway was what to do with my cats, Ceca and Legija, and therefore I contacted B92 television in Belgrade and invited them to make the sad story about the Norwegian journalist who had to leave for Norway and the two cats in need of a new home. Sure enough, they came, and I was telling my story on Serbian breakfast TV, in Serbian! I couldn't see the program completely myself because people called for the cats during the program. Now, I've made the program available on YouTube. (I'm in the program after after 2:30 min.)

In the beginning of June, I also had the privilege of being the best man for my very good friend Siniša Nadaždin when he married his Sandra in Montenegro. You can see the pictures in my online photo album.

Politics in Serbia
Life in Serbia is very interesting and fascinating, but unfortunately, it seems like Serbia has chosen a path away from European integration. I have often been frustrated because of visa restrictions of Serbs who want to travel to Western Europe, but I'm starting to think that the Serbs have themselves to blame for this development.

On Jan. 21, we had parliamentary elections in Serbia, and almost 35 percent voted for extreme nationalist parties. I love this people, but I think they are totally crazy. After this, we can no longer claim that only Milosevic was responsible for the downfall of Serbia. I have been living in Belgrade for some time, but I've never understood the Serbian ability to self-destruct.

The Radicals (SRS), the socialists (SPS) and Kostunica's DSS have 51.3 percent together. Kostunica will probably continue as PM, and nothing will change at all. Of course SRS and SPS will never be in the government with this result, but DSS will use it to put pressure on the other democratic parties to continue the slow reform pace. Most my neighbors voted for SRS, and in Belgrade, SRS is bigger than the Democratic Party (DS)! Most of my neighbors have very good hearts, but they are not able to think about the future instead of the past.

But life is about more than politics. Regardless their political choices, I find a lot of loyal friends here. No one could claim that Belgrade is a beautiful city, but it has life, it has soul and it has energy. On a regular basis I meet people who have a lot of prejudices against the Serbs. One businessman from the Philippines came to visit Serbia, and his Japanese company had warned him not to speak to any of the locals because they were all Al Qaeda terrorists or something. What the Japanese company failed to realize, however, is that Serbia is as far away from a Muslim country as it is possible to get. Most Serbs are Serbian Orthodox Christians. Sometimes Serbian politicians make some wrong and self-destructive decisions, but there is a reason I live in Serbia and not Norway. In my country, people have often enough with themselves, but the Serbs are very warm and welcoming.

Some people think I'm pathetic
Periodically, I receive feedback from people who have found my homepage on the internet, and most of the emails are quite positive stating that I'm living an interesting life. However, on Jan 22, 2007 I received an email from Sissel Kamsvåg, a lady I have never talked to or been in contact with as far as I know.

I believe freedom of faith and freedom are intimately related, and ultimately, these are values worth dying for. Therefore I've also told my defense minister that she can send me to South Afghanistan as a press officer if the Norwegian government needs me. Therefore, I will also publish this critical email from Sissel Kamsvåg on my homepage, translated from Norwegian:

Honestly!

You are the most pathetic guy I've ever come across on the net! If you would have stopped mixing religion and politics, that would have been a different story, but what a mix of different matters you are sometimes cooking together!

Honestly, go in yourself or have some "friends" state their honest opinion!

Furthermore, it is embarrassing that you are stating that you are Norwegian, but I bet Serbians in Belgrade don't think all Norwegians are like you...

Norwegian abroad

I'm sure Kamsvåg is a nice lady, and I've called her and written her on mobile phone and email to invite her for a cup of coffee. She has not responded at all, but it will be my pleasure to buy her a coffee.

Personally, I don't mind a refreshing personal attack from a total stranger, but Kamsvåg is writing from the email address skamsvag@tim.mil.no through the server kleex0001.intops.mil.no, indicating that she is working on an international mission for the Norwegian Defense Force. I don't know if it is wise to use an official government email address for personal harassment. You can also download the original Norwegian email with full source headers. (Choose Save Target As to download the entire email.)