Madicken

Maybe dullest entry all year. Going out with a bang!

2011-12-29T19:38:00.004+02:00

So, the year is coming to an end and so is my time to write the thesis. Then you'll never have to read about it again. Congratulations!

A quick and extremely dull pic of my progress. Promise to be more exciting as soon as I've handed the bugger in on the 16th of January. After that it's party all day long!

Cheers!

Decking the halls

2011-12-18T15:50:00.005+02:00

It's the 4th Advent and I brought home my Christmas tree. Or if we're being honest, my local tree salesman helped me carry the tree home because it was as usual a bit bigger than planned. That's real service and kindness, leaving your trees and an unlocked van unattended to help a stranger. It left me with real Christmas spirit. Thank you!

I've put all my decorations in the tree, but it feels like it still needs something. Lucky there's still almost a week to Christmas so I can keep adding if I find anything nice. I'm celebrating at home with my grandmother this year, so I'm glad there's a proper Christmas feel in the flat.

Check out last years tree and you'll notice it's a bit bigger this year. :)

My homemade snowman got a prime spot in the tree.

Hope the season is treating you well and you're not feeling too stressed!

Cheers!

I'm still here!

2011-11-20T15:53:00.004+02:00

Hello peeps!

Sorry for the very poor blogging lately. It's been a slightly stressful week with work, studies and my granddad's funeral.

But! Things are looking up. I just sent my first application for future studies, and next week I'm going to London to celebrate my 27th birthday. Wohoo! Can't wait! Lots to do before that though so I need to stay focused. Tam ta daa.

What was I supposed to do now? Oh right, pay the bills. Lovely.

Cheers!

Frosty the Snowperson

2011-11-09T20:25:00.004+02:00

We don't have snow in Helsinki yet, so what do you do? Make your own snowman of course. Anything to distract yourself from cleaning, or thesis writing or maybe taking that walk although it's pitch black outside.

Here's my man, or woman. You decide. I'll make another one later so it won't feel too lonely.

Oh dear, you should see my dinner table right now ... It looks like an arts and crafts store has exploded.

Cheers!

Old fashioned balls

2011-11-06T12:49:00.003+02:00

I can't help myself. Here's a "christmas ball" even the weakest Christmas tree can manage.

I have to find some other kind of yarn because this white one wants to unravel. And yes, this is a ball with edges, but hey, at least it looks home made. :P

(Previous attempt at decoration making.)

Cheers!

Badly timed Ballads

2011-11-04T14:33:00.006+02:00

There's slight madness in the shops today because tomorrow's All Saints Day and everything will be closed.

I had two missions:

1. Buy candles for the graves. I bought two in case I want to light one at my grandfather's family grave as well. My granddad died on Monday so he's not buried there yet, but it might still be a nice thing to do.

Now, I don't mind music in shops, but in the candle section, on the day before All Saints Day, it might be decent not to play songs like "All by myself", sung by Eric Carmen. People are there buying candles for dead loved ones and in that situation, you don't really need to be reminded you're alone. Just a thought ...

2. Buy some goodies to eat. My brother and his family is coming over for coffee tomorrow before we go to the graveyard together, so I wanted to treat them to something tasty. Though I haven't tried the cake yet, so it might still be a disaster. Oh well ...

Have a good weekend!

Cheers

PRETTY

2011-11-03T17:26:00.003+02:00

I bought myself a bunch of roses. Because I'm worth it.

Cheers!

Green Christmas

2011-11-01T18:48:00.003+02:00

I decided to recycle some of the candy wrapping paper I had at home, and here's the result: Partially home made Christmas decorations.

I'm going to make more than two, only I have to redo some of the "balls" because I had a "glue accident". They got stuck to the wrong part of the project and the paper ripped. Still, I'm quite happy with them. Difficult to photograph though because they insisted on dangling.

Anywho, time to clean up the mess.

Cheers!

Red Hot and Nutty

2011-10-29T21:32:00.002+03:00

My first cup of Glögg this season. I had a leftover bottle from last year and thought why not? Christmas will be here before we know it. I didn't have whole almonds at home so I used chopped ones instead. It looks a bit weird, but was just as good.

Now, where can I get a christmas tree?

Cheers

Going back home

2011-10-26T08:45:00.002+03:00

Good morning,

Waiting at Vaasa train station for my train back South. Sometimes mobile internet is a blessing. I have four hours on the train and I can choose between working (aka more transcribing), sleeping or doing something enjoyable (reading or writing fun stuff). We'll see what happens. I can't fall asleep before Seinäjoki, because then I might miss the train change and end up somewhere in the deep forests of Finland.

Now I'm getting a cup of tea before boarding.

See you later!

Cheers

Uhm ... Öööh... Well ...

2011-10-25T14:44:00.006+03:00

Not as inspired today. I have transcended into transcribing hell. Anyone who has ever transcribed a longer piece of conversation, knows exactly how mind numbing it is. You go back and forth, back and forth to get it right, and oh god, my voice! I sound like a creaky door. I want to pull my own tongue out.

A library in Vaasa.

I'm halfway through the first interview now. It's not because I'm lazy but because it takes ages. Three and a half to go. Somebody give me strength. At least I'll see my dad today, hurrah!

Cheers

Done! (Until transcribing hell begins ...)

2011-10-24T16:48:00.003+03:00

Greetings from Vaasa!

I've now done my two final thesis interviews and landed at my hotel. So nice to switch off the brain for a while, it's been going overdrive since 5 this morning.

I'm trying to decide if I'm going to the cinema this evening or staying in. It's just a 50 meter walk to the theatre but I've seen most of the films already and the rest seem rather dull. Oh well, I have a few more hours to think about it. :)

Until then, I'm spending some quality time with my computer.

Cheers!

Rail trip!

2011-10-23T16:42:00.003+03:00

Packing my overnight bag for tomorrow's trip up North. I'm taking a way too early train to Vaasa to make two interviews at Vasabladet, and after that it's time transcribe all the clever things the journalists' have said.

I went to school in Vaasa so it'll be nice to see the city again. I haven't been there properly for a few years now, I usually just get off the train there and then drive to my former home town. I'm staying an extra night so I can see my dad as well. When you live far apart, you have to make the most of the time that's available. Looking forward to it!

Two down, two to go. Wish me luck! ;)

Cheers

The good in life

2011-10-21T21:10:00.005+03:00

If nothing else, this is a reason to go to work: A beautiful sight right outside the door.

Another beautiful sight: My favourite food is back in season! I had it for the first time today, and I'll eat it many many times before they stop selling it again after Christmas. How can something this good be sold only a few months per year?

Have a lovely weekend!

Cheers

Scary Movie Intolerant

2011-10-19T19:14:00.006+03:00

I saw the new Finnish thriller Syvälle Salattu today. The film had good and bad features, but what stayed with me was the recurring notion that I'm not built for scary movies. I would love to enjoy being scared, but I don't. Being thrilled by a thriller isn't thrilling.

Why do some people love horror movies? What makes their experience more pleasurable than mine? Today's movie was all right because it was mostly "psychological" scares. It's even worse when there's blood and guts because then I'm not only scared, I'm also nauseous. I'd never watch a scary movie on my own at home since that would result in weeks of paranoia. (I made the mistake once, watching The Sixth Sense, and I swore I wasn't alone in the flat.)

Is there a cure or should I just accept that my danger instinct is still on a primitive "this isn't a joke, run for your life" level?

Cheers

Romanticising the turn to winter

2011-10-15T20:49:00.005+03:00

Pitch black and +2 degrees celsius this morning when I got up. Not the most motivating circumstances I must say. Still, the Finnish fall does provide us with some beauty. Found these pics from a weekend in the country. They make me think having four seasons is rather nice after all.

Hope you're having a nice weekend,

Cheers!

Asking the difficult questions

2011-10-13T19:58:00.005+03:00

This is Carl, my buddy in crime. He's the one who tapes all the interviews I do for my thesis.

I did the first out of four interviews today, which was a bit scary, but I think it went well. To my great relief the conversation was caught on "tape". That was what made me most nervous, possibly forgetting to turn the recorder on, or in this case, not pressing the record button twice to actually start it rolling. Otherwise it's just on stand-by.

Three left then. I'm doing one on Monday and then I'm traveling up North to interview two journalists at another newspaper. Hopefully Carl will keep up the good work and not let me down. It would be massively embarrassing to realise a whole hour of talk hadn't been recorded. "Could we do it all again, please?"

Cheers!

Creating "life"

2011-10-12T09:41:00.004+03:00

Morning,

Nothing exciting happening here right now so I thought I'd show you one of my earlier "projects". I should have become a surgeon, or biologist because, ta daa, I've made a frog. (Sorry if I've shown it already and my brain just melted ...)

I made it some socks and a scarf. It doesn't really do anything but sits there and keeps me company.

Yes, it does sound sad.

Anywho, have a lovely day!

Cheers

Monday, monday

2011-10-10T15:14:00.003+03:00

Cheerio!

I'm once again spending my day at uni, trying to get something done. I feel fairly content with my progress so far, as I this morning managed to pick up the recording technology I need to tape the interviews I'm doing in the next few weeks.

What makes me even happier is the knowledge that I yesterday booked a plane ticket to London! I'm celebrating my birthday with Lotta who's been living there for a few years now. Really looking forward to it!

A couple of more hours here and I'm off to my weekly sewing class. I'm actually making progress there as well so maybe I'll be able to show you some sewn together pieces of my raincoat soon!

Cheers

Swedish invasion for the evening

2011-10-07T12:37:00.003+03:00

Sitting in a downtown cafe having lunch. Was just asked by three middle-aged Swedish men if I wanted to join them in their hotel room after I had pointed out the hotel for them (just in front of us ...) . I politely said no thank you and continued on.

Helsinki is filled with football-crazed Swedes since it's the Finland-Sweden qualifying match for EURO 2012 tonight. Finland's pretty much out of the race already but the points could be important to Sweden. I'll probably watch the match at home on TV. We'll loose of course, but it would be nice if we could make life even a tad bit uncomfortable for the Swedes. Finnish head coach Mixu Paatelainen went as far as saying Finland will win 1-0. Yeah right.

Of course, it would be lovely to be wrong.

Cheers!

Filling up

2011-10-05T11:22:00.003+03:00

Hello!

I Should be writing my thesis. I really should. But you're allowed a break now and then, right?

I feel the flu coming on. It's filling my nose and throat and brain and it's hard to think logically about anything. You just hear a loud thump. Thank g for nasal spray!

Alright, maybe you're not too interested in my excess of bodily fluids, I know I could do without it. But it keeps reminding me. I couldn't stop sneezing in the tram! Over and over again. I sound like an elephant when I sneeze. My friend has a cute kitten sneeze. Not me. And why can't you just sneeze once and then be over it? Why five or six or ten times? Lucky I wasn't the tram driver or we would have dereailed.

Okay, back to work. The faster I finish, the sooner I can go home and stick my head in a bowl of hot tea.

Cheers!

NOW I´m back in business.

2011-10-03T21:03:00.003+03:00

Jihuu! My computer is finally working again! Bliss!!

I took it back to the Mac-doctor and they admitted they had screwed up the user rights so that I couldn't access my own files, and they fixed it in a few hours. So relieved to finally have my Nr 1 computer again, although my back-up did a valiant job.

Now a cup of tea and some Tyrkisk Pebers.

Cheers!

Twittering in the rain

2011-09-23T13:55:00.004+03:00

After a few unsuccessful attempts, I have finally found a fabric for my home made raincoat. It's not the fabric I really really wanted, that was way too expensive for an experiment like this, but I think it might look decent in raincoat format.

I also wanted to report that I´m now on Twitter. (I know, I know, late bloomer.) You should be able to find me HERE. Give me a tweet if you feel like it.

Cheers!

The bright side of ... Something.

2011-09-21T14:01:00.005+03:00

Cheerio from the dungeon called my university study hall! (Actually it's on the top floor and very bright, but that doesn't sound very dramatic.)

I'm back at it again, trying to forget yesterday's apocalyptic mood. It's not totally hopeless. I'm not bogged down by hundreds of newspapers any longer. A few weeks ago my everyday life looked like this:

At least now I can leave the flat without a massive backpack. Progress!

Cheers

Who touched the off button?

2011-09-20T17:05:00.003+03:00

Oh Dear. A completely useless day. All right, lets not blame the day, I feel completely useless. Can't get anything done, ambition levels are at rock bottom and I'd like to just lie on the floor and stare up at the ceiling.

Fall depression? Thesis blues? General laziness disguised as something potentially paralyzing? I need some kind of shot so energy filled I just can't wait to get out those research method books again and read my own mind numbing texts one more time, cringing at the horridness of it all. Aaargh! (I genuinely believe I have lost every atom of writing talent I might ever have possessed. It doesn't matter what genre I'm trying to put together, it all turns into rambling, third-rate mush. As you might have noticed by now ...)

I need my mojo back!

Cheers

I need it, and I need it now!

2011-09-19T20:40:00.003+03:00

Is it sort of ironic that I got completely drenched by the rain, looking for suitable raincoat material?

Just a thought.

Cheers!

Flashy bathroom door

2011-09-16T20:40:00.005+03:00

Hello!

spent a couple of hours at a large interior design fair today, looking at everything from knick knacks to gorgeous furniture to bathtubs and kitchen cabinets. The only problem is, I have everything I need, and as it happens, like almost everything I have.

Most pieces of furniture in my flat are "second hand" passed down to me by my mom and my grandparents (who are still alive but moved to a smaller space). It's become a mix of old and new, comfort and memories, present and past that I really enjoy. So the thought of chucking something out just to be able to buy something new, isn't too appealing.

My only tiny purchase of the day was this "mirrored" sign to put on the bathroom door. (Guests sometimes have trouble finding it, too many doors apparently ...) It´s a bit blingy perhaps, but I couldn't help it, it caught my eye. :)

Cheers!

It´s done!

2011-09-14T20:45:00.005+03:00

My new shawl! Here worn as a scarf. It´s made out of a soft wool mix and was perfect for keeping the throat warm during choir practice.

Now that this project is done, I´m on the hunt for the next one's fabric. This week the sewing class began again and this time I´m making a rain coat. It won´t be one of those superduper water resistant ones you can use anytime, anyhow and anywhere, but more of a city model

that keeps the worst out when it´s too windy for an umbrella. Looking forward to it!

Hopefully your week has gone well so far!

Cheers!

Filled with food and inspiration

2011-09-11T21:56:00.004+03:00

Cheerio!

Gosh, I´m so stuffed with food, I can barely move. I just got home from dinner with friends and it was really good but oh so filling.

A good weekend over all. It kicked off with a party, bringing many of my former study buddies together and we ate and gossiped the night away. I didn't stay horribly late since I had a bit of work Saturday morning but still long enough to feel the lack of sleep the next day.

Today I also went to a large Design Market where lots of Finnish designers sold their products to a reduced prize. There were plenty of really nice things, clothes, furniture, jewelry etc, but I didn't buy anything, partly because I thought I can make most of the things myself. It´s a blessing and a curse.

Thanks to all the great ideas I got at the market though, I am now bursting with inspiration! If you haven´t seen me in a week, I've glued myself to a table.

Hope your week starts off well!

Cheers!

Crochet rescue!

2011-09-09T11:54:00.002+03:00

Yesterday I wanted to rip my hair out because I didn't seem to understand the simplest of crochet patterns. I moaned about it on FB and voilá, my dear friend and almost neighbour came to the rescue! I popped over and she helped me figure out how to get the shawl started. It was very easy once you understood the designer´s way of thinking. We then spent the afternoon together, chatting while working on our own projects (there were momentary pauses while we counted), and then had a lovely dinner.

Maybe I´m getting old, but that is a very nice way to spend an afternoon!

Cheers!

Back to the Future ... No! The other way!

2011-09-06T12:54:00.004+03:00

I´m doing a live case study: Life in the 1980´s. In other words: I forgot my mobile phone at home this morning. Aaargh!

Why do I feel so helpless without my phone? It´s not like I make or get hundreds of megaimportant calls everyday. And if somebody did try to call, surely they could wait a few hours until I called them back? There could of course be an emergency, I might need to reach someone or someone might need to reach me, but what are the odds?
We can´t always be a call button away, can we? How did people manage hundreds and hundreds of years before it was possible to reach people even in the privacy of the loo?

Besides, I´ve alreday told the all mighty FB that I´m without a phone today and people should contact me via FB or e-mail messages instead (since I´m sitting at uni in front of a computer all day).

So ... Not so 80's after all.

Cheers!

Stressed Jaw

2011-09-05T17:44:00.005+03:00

Okay, so no cavities or other major problems with my actual teeth. Relief!

Instead: Stress related muscle tension in the jaw. Apparently the muscles on the right side of the jaw are tense, most likely because of biting and teeth clenching during night, which happens more often when you´re stressed and can cause unspecified pain and even headaches. I received a brochure with stretching exercises, and if it doesn´t get better with time, I might get one of those plastic braces you can wear while sleeping.

I´ve now told my jaw to relax so we´ll see what happens.

On another note: After the visit to the dentist I popped in at my friend´s house and helped her organise baby clothes according to size, use and cuteness. As a thank you she cut my hair for me. Now, having your hair cut by a pregnant, slightly emotional nonprofessional might seem risky to you, but it turned out rather well! I just wanted to get rid of all the split ends, nothing complicated.

I hadn´t actually cut my hair even once since it looked like this! So it was about time ...

Hope your Monday hasn´t been as exciting as mine.

Cheers!

Please try again later

2011-09-05T08:42:00.004+03:00

Good morning!

I'm trying to get through to the student health care service for a dentist appointment. I have some annoying aches in my lower jaw. Only all I get is a woman telling me that I should call back later because there are too many callers right now. Great.

I've never had a cavity so I'm not sure what that feels like, if it feels like anything, or if this might be the result of tight jaw muscles or something, but I would really like to have it checked before it gets too serious.

Oh well, who needs teeth anyway?

Cheers

Global celebrations

2011-09-04T17:14:00.003+03:00

Fun party yesterday evening! We were people from all over the world; Finland Peru, Nepal, Italy, Germany etc. We sang the happy birthday song in seven different languages!

I finally went for colour and comfort. The dress code for "home parties" usually feels more casual than for example a night out with dinner and clubs. Although I´m rarely the one with a lot of bling, where ever we go.

Today I visited my grandparents and had lunch and coffee with them. My grandmother and I did our traditional Frasier marathon (one of the TV channels show multiple episodes on Sunday afternoons) and I tried to fix her e-mail. Now I´m ready to spend the rest of the afternoon/evening at home, trying to stay awake until it´s time for bed.

Great weekend!

Cheers!

Birthday

2011-09-03T16:05:00.007+03:00

Hello!

Off to a birthday party this evening. I'm trying to figure out how to get there ... Tram and then metro I believe, and finally ca 700 meters on foot. In other words, sensible shoes.

I made a hair decoration as part of her gift. I'm hoping she won't visit the blog between now and 7pm.

Obviously I didn't make the plastic part. But I saw a similar decoration in a shop and it was horribly expensive, and even if I say so myself, not in anyway superior to my home made one. (That does of course not state that mine is pretty, only that it's not worse than the original ...)

Anywho, back to the wardrobe conundrum.

Cheers!

Please sign this liability form before entering ...

2011-09-02T16:28:00.005+03:00

My flat is currently a mine field. I´m in a frenzy of sewing, crocheting, cutting and designing which has resulted in pieces of fabric ready to be slipped on, lost needles in sofas and cushions and a hot flatiron waiting to be knocked over.

Maybe it´s the oncoming fall that makes me eager to produce "homely" things. I can´t show you everything just yet, because some of it is gifts for friends. (Poor friends? Maybe.) But at some point I´ll post some pics of my creations. They´re not all brilliant. I might be lacking the all important patience when it comes to arts and crafts. I want it to be ready NOW! I want to see the end result.

Most of the stuff I´m making are also prototypes so I can´t expect them to be perfect just yet, but maybe if I keep at it ...

... and don´t slip, stab or burn myself on the materials.

Have a great weekend!

Cheers!

Adorable parrot in "action"

2011-09-01T10:19:00.003+03:00

I stumbled upon this clip a while back and thought I´d share it. It´s the cutest parrot I have ever seen, especially when it´s trying to breed with the photographer. It´s a Kakapo, an endangered bird in New Zealand that can´t fly and is very affectionate. It doesn´t understand to be afraid of predators. The series stars Stephen Fry.

Hope you enjoy it!

Shagged by a rare parrot - Last Chance To See - BBC Two

Cheers!

Do Re Mi ...

2011-08-31T16:00:00.007+03:00

The first choir practice of the fall season tonight! So naturally I have a soar throat and a slightly stuffy nose. Sometimes I wonder if it´s my body´s way of saying I should give up singing. Like "Hey, you´ll never be the next Cecilia Bartoli anyway, so give it a rest!"

How I wish I was a brilliant singer. I´m not bad, I manage fairly well in choirs and smallish groups, and as an alto I´ve learned to sing all kinds of weird harmonies, but sometimes I long for that brilliant, huge voice that makes people go "wow!" and wins you the top price in whatever talent competition you enter. Maybe a role in a Broadway show.

My soar throat might also be a symptom of the fact that I´ve always had a bad relationship with my own voice. It´s the first thing that acts up when I´m nervous. I used to hate listening to myself speak on radio and tv (which was compulsory in journalism school).

I also had problems reading aloud from my book, often to largish audiences. An old lady once came up and told me "That was nice dear, but you have to slow down, I could hardly understand a thing." Well, you have to speed up if you´re going to read a whole chapter in one intake of breath.

Luckily things have improved. Now a days, I can quite comfortably give presentations and readings, and even the odd song without too much discomfort, but it´s still the one thing that makes me nervous before a performance. Keep calm, remember to breath, in AND out, and don´t worry if there´s a slight tremor, it will only get worse. If you listen to your own voice enough times, you´ll slowly stop going "UGH!"

So, where was I? Oh yes, choir practice tonight. Should be fun.

Cheers!

Finished!

2011-08-29T10:19:00.002+03:00

Wohoo, my summer-long scarf project has finally come to an end! I´m rather pleased with it which doesn´t happen too often when I make things. It doesn´t look like much draped over a chair like that, but I´ll see if I can´t get a better pic of it "in action" later on.

Long and wide enough to use in many different ways.

Fall is after all on it´s way! I don´t mind really. I´m in a fallish mindset right now and enjoy a spot of rain. And who can resist a really warm and chunky cardigan!

Have a good start of the week! I´m planning a visit to the fabric shop (so many projects on the go!) and then a visit to the gym.

Cheers!

Artsy Evening

2011-08-27T18:06:00.009+03:00

Yesterday we had The Night of The Arts here in Helsinki. For one evening the city filled up with people on the hunt for literature, dance, music, theatre, film and arts, mostly for free.

I walked around downtown for a few hours an enjoyed whatever came in my path. There were famous Finnish authors like Matti Rönkä and Leena Lehtolainen.

Dance students who showed their talent in the street.

And musicians entertaining in streets and parks. Some of them play in the street everyday during summer but mostly go unnoticed . Yesterday evening they were stars and generously rewarded by the people who walked by or stopped to listen for a while.

Classical:

Slightly eccentric:

My favourite!

Later on I met up with some friends and went for a drink. A good way to end an entertaining day.

Apparently someone else in my street had also had an "artistic" night. Now if you write "Welcome!" outside the door, is that an invite to anybody who passes by?

Tomorrow I´m attending a rather "alternative" dance performance. It´ll be interesting!

Hope you´re having a great weekend!

Cheers!

Chocolate overdose

2011-08-24T21:36:00.003+03:00

Oh dear, I´ve eaten so many of these in the past 24 hours. I bought them for some guests yesterday and I´ve been munching on the left overs ever since. I´m high on sugar!

Luckily I was invited to a friend´s house for tea so I brought the last ones with me and we shared the burden of finishing them. Oh life is cruel, hehe.

Have a nice evening!

(I´ll probably never fall a sleep ...)

Cheers!

Sunday

2011-08-21T20:46:00.003+03:00

I´ve enjoyed my Sunday. It´s been both productive and relaxing, including tasks like washing the kitchen floor and having a nice cup of tea downtown while working on a project. I also picked up a few films that were on sale ( possible reviews later on) and put in a 30 minute visit at a friends house. She had kindly supervised a book of mine while I was away (just in case it needed to be given back to library while I was out of town).

She´s soon having a baby and had earlier in the week received the child care packet that expecting mom´s in Finland get from the state. So many cute things for the baby! Almost everything you need to get by in the beginning.

Anywho, tomorrow a new week rolls in, packed with things to do. Hope you´ve had a good weekend!

Cheers!

Picasso!

2011-08-20T19:13:00.006+03:00

I just saw one of my absolute favourite films, The Adventures of Picasso, a Swedish comedy from 1978 written and directed by Tage Danielsson, starring Gösta Ekman.

You have to see it to understand the brilliance. It´s funny and absurd, the jokes ranging from the childish and banal to clever and educated. I´d say you have to know Swedish to understand it fully, although there is an English version where the narrator speaks English and they´ve tried to "translate" the jokes. But so much is in the language and delivery.

The film is very close to my heart as my brother and I, together with our maternal cousins, used to watch it over and over again as kids, visiting our mutual grandparents. We knew all the jokes by heart and used to slip them into normal conversation. I was a bit anxious watching it again. I was afraid it would have lost its edge or maybe I had grown out of it, but no, it was still wonderful and I still remembered it all. :) So glad I decided to buy my own DVD online!

Pling Pling!

Double 0 nine and a half

2011-08-16T11:51:00.005+03:00

Whoever cracks my oh so intricate code, will receive an amazing reward. ;)

Can´t tell you how much this bugs me right now. Pretending to be a top secret agent for MI5 (or whatever they´re called ...) doesn´t really help. You think you´ve finally fixed it, and suddenly there´s a whole new problem. Joy.

I will still be going over these numbers when I´m 80, certain I have missed something.

Cheers!

Moday

2011-08-15T09:08:00.002+03:00

Good Morning!

Today´s plan: 1. Go to uni and work on thesis. 2. Begin the workout season again after a rather lazy summer.

First of all I should probably get dressed ...

Have a great day!

One of those skies

2011-08-14T18:10:00.003+03:00

I know, it´s the pollution. But isn´t it pretty? And even prettier in real life. Helsinki is a nice city because the buildings are quite low so you easily see the sky, and in winter you can spot a star or two. Some days I´d like to just sit on my living room sofa and watch the clouds go by.

Hope you´ve had a nice weekend!

Cheers

Green Porno

2011-08-13T12:18:00.004+03:00

I might be the last person to stumble upon it, maybe you´ve seen it all before, but I still thought I´d share.

Now don´t be alarmed by the headline, it´s nothing (completely) sordid. Isabella Rossellini, the famous actor and model, did a few years back a series of short "documentaries" showing how different animals reproduce. But instead of going out into the wild, she dressed up in absurd animal costumes and acted out the different mating rituals with equally absurd dolls in rather artistic settings. It´s all very educational, funny and ... Well sort of anatomically correct. I know I´ve learnt a thing or two.

In an interview Rossellini said she did them because she had always liked animals and she thought it would be fun. They were made for the Internet but now there´s apparently also a book.

Here are a few examples:

How bees mate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Eka2tdst9w

How whales mate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-zJ1hGm-F8&feature=related

And spiders:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9wRxW7v1LA&feature=related

Today´s biology lesson over,

Cheers!

One Year

2011-08-10T10:19:00.003+03:00

Today, one year has passed since my mom died. It´s quite hard to grasp. It has probably been the longest and the shortest year of my life. So many emotions, so many moments, good and bad, so many changes, and yet such a clear memory of those last hours watching her pass away. The sandwich I ate afterwards because the nurses told me to. Like it was yesterday.

We went to put some candles on her grave last night. It wasn´t possible to go together today, because to the rest of the world it´s just another Wednesday.

I´ve linked to it before, but on a day like this, this song might do some good. If nothing else, it helps me cry properly.

Take care!

A large yellow flower to brighten up the day!

2011-08-03T11:23:00.002+03:00

(The real colour is more yellow than in the pic ...)

Cheers!

Series: Part 6

2011-07-31T20:10:00.002+03:00

The story of Mary Clarke, Part 6

- You don´t recognize me, do you?

- Of course I do! You´re ... You´re ...

And suddenly it hit her, although she could still hardly believe it.

- You´re Peter Pratt!

She barely managed not to call him by his popular school nickname which naturally had been the oh so funny PeePee.

- Peter!

- Mary. It really is a surprise. What in the devils name are you doing here?

Mary looked around, as if she was wondering the same thing.

- Your father invited me, she said and tried to explain how they had met in the shop, how he had recognized her and finally asked her to tea. She only left out the bit about the bananas as it suddenly made her blush.

- Do you live here as well? she asked curiously.

- No, not here exactly. A couple of blocks down the street. Only I forgot my mobile phone. It should be here somewhere.

He began looking around in the obvious places but couldn´t find it. Mr Pratt seemed restless and finally pulled out his own phone and dialed a number.

- I´m calling you so you can locate your phone.

A second later, La Marseillaise began to blare in the flat.

- Dad! Have you been changing my ringtone again?

- That rap music you had on last time was uncivilized, Mr Pratt muttered.

Peter grunted something and walked closer to Mary who had decided to stay out of the whole treasure hunt.

- I´m sorry, he said.

- Oh, no worries, Mary answered.

- No, I mean, I´m sorry but I think you´re sitting on my phone.

- Oh!

Mary rushed up and sure enough, the music sounded even louder now that her comfortable frame didn´t dampen it. Peter rummaged around under the seat cushion of the armchair and finally managed to resurface his phone.

- Voilá! Mr Pratt shouted.

- Brilliant, Peter exclaimed as the final bars of the French national anthem came to an end.

- Oh wow, what a spread.

He had suddenly seen the cakes and sandwiches on the coffee table.

- I´m terribly hungry, he said and looked at his father. I wouldn´t mind eating something before my shift begins.

- Alright, alright. Sit down and have a bite. But at least take of your shoes, you´re getting mud all over the carpet. And put on some slippers!

Mary wanted to laugh when Peter, in full police uniform, shuffled his way back to the sofa with a pair of red, dotted slippers on his feet.

He really was kind of cute ...

Still going strong

2011-07-29T18:21:00.006+03:00

Summer isn´t over yet!

Today I spent a few hours at an outdoor café reading and writing. It can´t get much better than that.

Afterwards, walking towards downtown, I passed this fisherman. He must certainly be eager with at least 6 fishing rods!

Digging through my photos I also found a pic from earlier this summer when I spent a day at the beach with a friend. Look! I´m almost seethrough!

Hopefully there will be more beautiful days before winter comes. (That doesn´t mean it has be 27 degrees though.)

Cheers!

Serial: Part 5

2011-07-27T10:13:00.004+03:00

The story of Mary Clarke, part 5

- Oh, it´s you. What is it?

- I forgot something. I´ll only be a second.

Mr Pratt stepped aside and let the visitor in. Mary nearly choked on the cake. It really was a policeman!

Dressed in blue uniform and a black belt with all kinds of gadgets on it, he looked around the living room for whatever he had forgotten. Why had he visited Mr Pratt in the first place? Mary wondered. Maybe there really was something sinister going on.

The policeman finally noticed Mary. He looked shocked, like she was the last thing he had expected to find.

Should I give him some kind of secret signal, she thought. Something he would recognize as a plead for help. But then again, what had Mr Pratt actually done wrong, except fed her already widening waistline delicious cakes?

- Mary, the policeman stammered. The initial pale colour of shock had been replaced by the burning red of embarrassment. He looked quickly at Mr Pratt and then back at the tea guest.

- What a surprise.

- Yes, Mary said, not knowing what to do. The face of the policeman had suddenly become mildly familiar, but she couldn´t place it. She had never been involved with the police, she didn´t have adventures like that, but maybe he had come into the flower shop some time, to buy flowers for his girlfriend or wife. He was kind of handsome, she couldn´t help thinking and involuntarily glanced at his ring fingers, both to be on the safe side.

He took a few nervous steps to the right, then back to the left and grinned sheepishly. As he moved, the dark curly hair bobbed in an amusing way. There was something in that bob that gave Mary a startle. It couldn´t be? Could it? No. Really?

- You don´t recognize me, do you?

One week left

2011-07-26T10:48:00.004+03:00

Hey ho! It´s a challenge to blog during a sunny summer like this one, you just want to be outside and enjoy the weather! I´ve also been traveling around the country a bit, meeting family and friends, so the blog has been slightly neglected. But I guess you´re also busy doing fun stuff during the summer months and can´t really be bothered with blogs so no harm done! (Yes?)

It´s now the final week of July and my last week of vacation. On the first of August the uni opens its door again and I will be back working on my thesis. There might also be other work related things in August so I should really use this last week to rest. But I can´t help feeling restless! Maybe that´s good? I do need some proper routine in my life, otherwise I get too lazy. I want to do things, be productive, but end up doing nothing much and then scold myself for waisting time. Oh well, I´m sure I´ll be longing for lazy days in the next few months.

Next installment of the story will be up soon!

Cheers!

Serial Part: 4

2011-07-20T16:06:00.005+03:00

The story of Mary Clarke

He must have been waiting for her by the door. Mary had barely touched the buzzer before they stood face to face on the threshold.

- Bonjour! Bienvenue! Mr Pratt ushered her in and closed the door behind them.

- Do take your clothes off.

- Pardon? Mary looked at him in disbelief. Despite all the rumors, she had never thought he would be so straight forward. Or what part of afternoon tea had she misunderstood?

- Behind you is a hanger for your jacket. I would hurry up before the rest gets wet as well. It really is pouring outside, isn´t it? And please leave your boots by the door. There are slippers in that basket if your feet are cold.

- Uhm, thank you.

The sharp whistle of the kettle interrupted and Mr Pratt hurried into the kitchen to make the tea.

Mr Pratt wasn´t from France, but he truly loved all things French. There was an Eiffel Tower lampshade, an Eiffel Tower paper weight, a matching pair of Eiffel Tower candlesticks and an Eiffel Tower toilet paper holder, which Mary would see later. Three black berets hang neatly by the front door and on an ornate side table, behind the sofa, there was a collection of beautifully made miniature Notre Dames.

- Voilá. Come and sit down, dear.

Mr Pratt carried a large tray with a teapot and cups and plates with delicious looking cakes. He laid everything out on the round coffee table and poured the tea.

- Milk?

- Please.

He finally sat down on the sofa and looked curiously at Mary. She felt her cheeks burn and hurriedly took a piece of chocolate cake. This was the part when she would say her pleasantries and then excuse herself as soon as possible. But instead she couldn´t say a word and felt the exquisite mouthful of cake grow as she chewed feverishly.

- So you live close by?

- Yes.

- Studied here?

- Yes.

- Found a job you enjoy, no?

- Yes.

Well, that was actually a lie, she wasn´t completely content with her work at the flower shop, but it had to be enough for the time being.

- I´m hoping to open my own flower shop one day, she blurted out, mainly to comfort herself.

- Ah! That´s wonderful. Lovely. There is always room for flowers in your life, don´t you think?

- Yes. Mary feared that the mentioning of flowers would somehow lead to a conversation about romance but before she could find a diversion, the buzzer shook the flat.

- Merde. I hate that bloody thing. Mr Pratt got up to answer the door.

Oh god, who could it be? Maybe it was a pack of police dogs, having picked up the scent of desperation.

Pratt opened. Mary leaned slightly forward to see who the visitor was. First she couldn´t believe her eyes ...

Serial: Part 3

2011-07-17T16:50:00.007+03:00

The story of Mary Clarke, 3

Why did I do that?

Mary squirmed underneath the duvet, feeling increasingly nauseous. Why hadn´t she lied? Why hadn´t she made up some silly story about meeting friends or going to Africa with the Red Cross? He wouldn´t have known!

She stumbled out of bed and to the other side of her studio flat. She made herself toast and coffee and sat down by the small kitchen table. Her Sunday was already ruined. She had actually been looking forward to the afternoon re-run of Wipeout USA. It allowed her, even for the briefest moment, to feel superior. She might be lonely, but at least she wasn´t that desperate for attention.

It´s funny, she thought as she peeled of the crust of the toast, eating first the crust and then the butter dripping middle. My life isn´t so much a pointless game show, but a sly thriller. My friends have slowly, almost willingly been kidnapped by husbands, and babies, and eternal house projects in the country side that promise the utmost sustainable and relaxed way of living. But for some reason, the kidnappers do not want me.

I could develop a sinister disease, Mary pondered as she buttoned the two front buttons of her cardigan and opted for a not so much nude as transparent make up. What could one get in ... She looked at the clock above the front door. 14.15. ... 45 minutes?

A whole list of ailments came to mind, many of them distinct, but no, she couldn´t. If she fibbed now, she would most certainly come down with something nasty the next time she had an enjoyable plan.

I´ll just get it over with, as quick as possible, she told herself and pulled on her rubber boots, as it was raining heavily outside. I´ll have my cup of tea, say a few pleasantries and then run out door and join the witness protection program.

She stepped outside and headed for Pratt´s house.

Serial: Part 2

2011-07-14T11:05:00.009+03:00

The Story of Mary Clarke

... He extended his arms towards her.

- Bonjour! Mary!

He kissed her two times, once on each cheek, and then a third for good measure.

Mon Dieu. Mr Pratt.

Mary felt flustered. Mr Pratt, her old high school French teacher who had been no more French than his students but insisted on wearing a black beret and throwing in random French words in every conversation with a rather thick English accent.

- You are holding a banana, he said.

Mary looked down at the fruit in her hand and hastily put it away.

I have now gone off bananas for ever, she thought and felt her face burn with embarrassment.

Mr Pratt wasn´t just any French teacher. There had been wicked rumors about him all through high school. He liked the girls a bit too much, it was said. Girls of many ages. Nothing was ever proven but the stories flourished in the corridors about improper insinuations and long, encouraging pats that bordered on the indecent.

- You are in my shop, Mary said stupidly.

- So I am. And what a pleasant surprise to find one of my favourite students here. Magnifique!

Mary felt him eyeing her up and down. The brown hair was the same, and the dark green eyes, but she had put on a few kilos and thin lines had begun to appear in her 32 year old face.

- Magnifique, he muttered again. Then his little black moustache twitched.

- You must come to tea, he said. I have bought a flat next door, and it must become a place for friendly teas. Tomorrow. You will come tomorrow. No?

Mon Dieu.

Mary panicked. She couldn´t come up with a single proper excuse. She had nothing planned for her Sunday afternoon. She never did. There was nothing she could say.

She looked at him, now 14 years older, but he was still the same.

- I ...

--------

What happens next? Help me choose!

Serial: Part 1

2011-07-12T22:00:00.003+03:00

Hello readers!

I´ve decided to write a serial on my blog. There is no plan or goal. The story might become completely pointless, banal, serious or melodramatic. All I know is, I don´t know more than you do until I write the next installment. Now if you want to help me with the plot, please write me a comment and I´ll consider your idea. Anything can happen!

Okay, here we go!

The Story of Mary Clarke

It was a rainy Saturday morning and Mary Clarke went to the shop to buy some bananas. She wasn´t particularly fond of bananas, but this morning she had decided she needed some.

She stood by the fruit counter and looked at the oblong fruit. It was a difficult choice to make. The green bananas always gave her gas. The spotty, brown ones tasted too sweet and smelled. She could always buy the perfectly yellow ones, but by the time she got home, and finally fancied a banana, they would probably also be smelly and brown. Then again, if she bought the green ones, with the intention of letting them ripen, she would most certainly crave a banana at once.

All this Mary Clarke pondered when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She slowly turned around, banana in hand, and looked at the man. He ...

-------------

Cheers

Dress, vocals, sleeping bag? Check! (?)

2011-07-01T20:09:00.005+03:00

Another warm day. I went to the beach but only staid for a little while. I don´t want to be bright red tomorrow at my friend´s wedding.

I´m singing a duetto in the church with another friend. I don´t mind it, in theory I think it´s going to be fun, but this time I´m slightly unsure about my part. I sometimes wish I wasn´t an alto, but a soprano who usually gets to sing the melody. Oh well, it´ll work out somehow ...

Now I have to pack my stuff for tomorrow. We´re actually camping out at the wedding site so sleeping bags are needed.

Fingers crossed that I don´t ruin the song, and that I still fit into the dress I bought in LA!

Cheers!

Mobile Office

2011-06-29T21:31:00.005+03:00

One of the best things with summer is that I can take my work outside, to the park or the beach. In winter if I want some variation, I have to go to a library or a café and become fat and poor.

But today I sat here. In an otherwise empty computer lab at uni. I don´t think they would appreciate if I took their computers outside and unfortunately I don´t have SPSS on my own. So there I sat and longed for the nice, sunny weather. And for my dad´s large porch.

To compensate, I bought these on my way home. Finnish strawberries, finally.

Cheers!

A fun trip to the west coast

2011-06-26T20:53:00.014+03:00

Hello Peeps!

I´m back from a long weekend at my dad´s up north. I spent Midsummer´s eve with him and we did all kinds of fun things. There was also time for a dinner with a few close relatives.

We spent the sunny hours outside, playing for example a home made version of frisbee golf. I wasn´t terrible, I did try to focus:

(I couldn´t be bothered with proper clothes and spent most of the day in my pajama bottoms. I did put on a dress for the evening festivities.)

But my frisbee did end up in this:

this:

and this:

We continued with a bit of air rifle shooting which I hadn´t done for years. I managed not to shoot myself in the finger this time. Once I missed the target and hit a pine tree instead. The bullet then ricocheted back and hit my index finger while I was still in shooting position.

It looks like I´ve fallen a sleep holding the rifle.

When it rain we dug out a few boardgames. Dad won the chess game, I won the stacking game (what´s that called?).

Food! The grill worked well as an outdoor heater as well as we defied the cloudy skies and had our dinner outside. We didn´t give too much thought to esthetics this year, but boy it was good!

To burn off a bit of the food, and enjoy the rare moments of nice weather, we took walks in neighbourhood. It´s quite beautiful in summer time.

Hope you had a nice weekend whatever you did!

Cheers!

Old men and canoe basket

2011-06-22T20:11:00.007+03:00

It´s been a pretty day, despite the wind, so I took a walk in the morning. I was soon passed by a jogging man. He was probably in his 70s, wore a blue striped dress shirt and brown trousers, clothes you´d choose for a normal day at the office, and then good running shoes. It was somehow beautiful. Here is a man who, based on his style and speed, has been running all his life, but he is also from a generation that was taught to dress properly when going out. I´d like to imagine that he has a special dress shirt and trousers and maybe a pair of black socks in extra thick cotton he puts on before a run. And I hope he runs for many years to come.

Due to the nice weather I took another walk in the evening and brought the camera this time. A day like this, you find all kinds of interesting and pretty things.

A mixed bunch.

Midsummer roses?

Canoe Basket.

A family swim.

Tomorrow I´m taking the train up to dad´s to spend Midsummer. I´m expecting great food, good company and nice weather (the first two are easier to guarantee than the later.)

Cheers!

Anybody out there?

2011-06-21T11:25:00.002+03:00

I´m sitting in my school, coding newspaper articles for my thesis, and it feels like there´s nobody else in the building. I can´t hear anything or see anyone. Luckily it´s light outside, otherwise it would feel a bit creepy. Everybody can´t be on summer holiday alreday, can they?

What if the entire planet has been wiped out and I´m the only person left?
(Okay, maybe I shouldn´t have watched Melancholia ...)

Cheers!

It´s summer, no matter what.

2011-06-18T13:07:00.004+03:00

I´m going to a birthday garden party this evening. It´s not so much a choice between dresses, but jackets, scarves and if a wool hat is too much or just enough towards the later hours?

I´ve painted my nails a pretty shade of dark pink so at least something "festive" will show amongst the layers of outerwear.

Have great weekend!

Cheers

Norway 3

2011-06-17T20:57:00.012+03:00

Final installment from Norway, then we´re back to the present. On Saturday we took a tour of the coast north of Bergen, first by bus up to the small town of Mo and then back by boat. The views were amazing and very different to what you see in the Finnish country side.

There were waterfalls everywhere and people enjoyed a bit rafting.

The harbour, and most of the public builidings in Mo. We had dinner there, some nice soup, before we took the boat back towards Bergen.

The boat drove right up to a waterfall and got some fresh water in a bucket. We all got a taste and it was a bit like drinking snow.

Cheers!

Some idyllic countryside.

Me trying to look poetic against the rugged land and sky.

And then we were back in Bergen, greeted by some lovely sunshine.

Cheers!

Norway part 2

2011-06-15T21:15:00.015+03:00

Hello!

A few more pics from last week´s trip. (That goodness I have them cause my week so far has been far from interesting.)

On day two of the trip we decided to climb Ulriken, one of the seven mountains surrounding Bergen. It´s 643 meters over sea level which doesn´t sound very much, but depending on which route you take up it can be a rather challenging climb. We took the semi-advanced route which meant rocky, rather steep paths, and towards the end enough inclination for a railing to be helpful.

Before picture. We tried to include the sign above with the name Ulriken and a sporty hiker on it, but alas, our arms were too short.

A lot of the paths looked like this (only in real life they were steeper). Small streams of water came down the hill and you had to look out for loose rocks.

About halfway up we had a food break. (Only you can´t really see any food in this pic so it´s pretty pointless.)

Then we continued our climb. "That´s where we´re going!" she said with a determined look and flared nostrils.

Again, it doesn´t look like much on the photo but it was pretty intense.

We had reached the railing part and it was rather nice to be able to use your arms as well as your legs.

Before the final push we took a last photo of ourselves, in case we didn´t make it ... Or were just too tired to lift a camera at the top.

But guess what?! We made it! Wohoo! I´m the king of the world!

And just so you really realise how high up we had climbed; People were jumping of the edge with parachutes. :)

Next installment coming soon to a blog near you.

Cheers!

Norway part 1

2011-06-13T21:25:00.015+03:00

Hello!

First batch of Bergen pics coming up. These are of the city itself. Despite over 300 000 inhabitants, there are a lot of very cute, colourful houses in the city center, and you can wander along narrow streets and imagine a very cosy, comfortable life for yourself there.

The famous "Bryggen" in the center of Bergen. Here you find some of the oldest buildings, and most of the tourists. (I bought a white, handknitted hat in one of the shops.)

The city seen from the top of "Flöjen", one of the mountains surrounding the city.

A few of many houses and streets in Bergen.

The first evening we took a walk to a look out point and watched the sun go down over the water.

More Norwegian adventures tomorrow.

Cheers!

Another year, another place, same facial expression

2011-06-13T12:39:00.003+03:00

I decided to change my header on the blog. After choosing one of my favourite pics from our trip to Norway I realised I have almost the exact same facial expression as on the old photo, but hey, what can you do? :)

So, from Oxford in England, to the Fjords of Norway. What next?

I´ll put up more pics from our trip as soon as I´ve found my head. Did I possibly declare it in customs?

(Photo creds to Hanna, my partner in crime.)

Cheers!

Summer!

2011-06-08T21:32:00.007+03:00

Hello again!

I decided to leave you with a couple of summer pics before I go into radio silence for a few days. As I said, we´re having some splendid weather right now so I took my work outside and combined it with some sunshine.

My outfit for the park:

(I really need to get that mirror cleaned ...)

A snack (this is as Finnish as Finnish food gets, and really good actually).

My pale looking legs.

Love the contrasting colours!

Okay, back to the packing.

Cheers!

A long weekend in Norway

2011-06-08T10:59:00.003+03:00

Hi peeps,

Sorry for the poor updating lately, I´ve been busy working and enjoying the fabulous weather. It won´t improve much during the next few days because tomorrow I´m going to Bergen, Norway!

I´m traveling with a friend who used to study in Bergen and what I´ve seen so far, it´s a supercute city. I´m not taking my computer but I´ll show you everything when we come back on Sunday.

Have a great week and weekend!

Cheers!

I got in, and then out.

2011-06-04T20:27:00.004+03:00

I have now officially thrown off my winter fur. (I don´t think you say that in English, but in Swedish throwing off your "vinterpäls" means taking summer´s first swim in a (Finnish) lake or sea.)

I went to the local beach and looked a bit like a loon getting into the water. Nobody else was swimming. At first it didn´t feel so bad, the sun had warmed up the shallow water, but after walking halfway to Sweden the water turned deep and I´m amazed that my heart didn´t stop out of pure shock. But having come that far I was not going to turn around undipped and swam for a few minutes.

After that a few more people got in and I´m telling myself it was because of my brave example. Hehe. :P

The warm weather gave me a chance to use my new purple beach dress I bought in New York.

Cheers!

Another day at the office

2011-06-03T22:10:00.005+03:00

Hello!

Another eventful day. I began it by watching my nephews for an hour. It´s amazing how fast they grow up.

Bananas can be messy, but oh so good.

I then went into town and bought a bit of yarn for future projects. The multicoloured one is becoming a scarf and then I might try my luck with a pair of Mary Jane slippers. I could also just look at the yarn, the colours make me calm and happy. :)

Have a great weekend!

Cheers

Second time´s the charm!

2011-06-02T16:57:00.007+03:00

Some of you might remember that I last summer began working on a case for my laptop. Well, that summer didn´t end very happily and neither did my sewing project. But! Yesterday I took a deep breath and decided to give the crafty part of me another go, partly thanks to some kind comments about my hinky crocheting, and this book which is really funny and touching, and written in that way only brilliant Brits can, and I am extremely jealous of.

Anywho, heres´the result! A 10 inch (slightly too high) "envelope" for my Macbook air!

For this prototype I used some scrap fabrics saved from my mom´s fabric lair. Next time I think I´ll make something a bit more colourful, if only I could find the fabrics I bought last year. I´ll also get some new string for the button holder. I´m not crazy about this one but it was all I got.

Now I´d like to knit or crochet something ... Is it a crime to knit woolly things during summer?

Cheers!

A messy business

2011-06-01T09:37:00.004+03:00

Don´t say academics never get their hands dirty.

So far I have concluded that Hufvudstadsbladet is messier than Vasabladet. Luckily I have now gone through all the newspapers and the next step will be to code the information into a database. But first, as a reward, a day outside in the sun. Yay!

Cheers!

Good Morning!

2011-05-30T10:18:00.003+03:00

Yesterday we had a bachelorette party for our good friend H. It was a full day of activities and plenty of food. We started out with a picnic brunch. Unfortunately the weather wasn´t brilliant so we ended up eating it on my living room floor instead. Not too shabby. :)

I was responsible for getting it all on film so I don´t have many photos of the event (and I´m not sure people would appreciate it if I put up the few I have ... ) Hehe. But all in all it was a fun day and hopefully the bride to be enjoyed herself.

I was planning to go swimming this morning but the weather (again) was so grey and rainy that I chickened out. Maybe in a few hours if it clears up ...

Cheers!

It wasn´t me! It was my social, stranger loving, evil twin!

2011-05-28T15:10:00.003+03:00

Today I had a sudden outburst of neighbourliness. When I came home from the shops, there was a note next to the buildning´s front door. My new neighbours straight below me wanted to warn everybody that they are having a house warming party tonight, and apologize for any disturbance, and also report that their renovations are done. (They´ve been going on for months.)

Before I knew it, I was writing them a card saying welcome to the building and hope you´re renovations went well, kind regards Madicken, your upstairs neighbour. Then, I actually put it through the mail-hatch in their front door.

Now I feel a bit apprehensive. People in my building don´t have much contact. We hardly say hi if we meet in the stairs. What if my new neighbours think I´m some kind of stalker-person who will start bothering them at all times (at least once a year) and feel they just have to move again. I know I could become paranoid if someone put a welcome card through my mail-hatch. We are after all very keen on our privacy here in Finland.

Oh well, if the police come knocking, I´ll plead temporary insanity.

Cheers!

Slow Progress

2011-05-26T19:05:00.003+03:00

Today I´ve been working on my thesis like a good academic should. The only problem is, while going through the newspapers, looking for relevant articles to code, I find other interesting but not so relevant stories. And so I end up reading them instead. Time flies. I know everything about the latest books and movies but not so much about the current state of social politics. Ooops.

Oh well, better luck tomorrow.

Cheers!

The completely pointless list

2011-05-25T22:26:00.003+03:00

Today I have:

Eaten two dinners.
Felt totally tone deaf at choir practice.
Had the real Mr Muscle, my dad, on a visit during which he cleaned my bathroom drains. (I could of course do it myself, I´m not helpless, but since he kindly offered ...)
Finished Mr Norris Changes Trains by Christopher Isherwood and am now considering what to read next.
Had the leftovers of this for breakfast:

An old fashioned type writer would be too loud

2011-05-23T16:13:00.002+03:00

People love to complain about all the technology we use in our every day lives. Apparently it makes us passive, antisocial and just plain stupid.

Well I apologise, but when you sit in a room for five hours, staring at people who are staring at exam papers, a phone with high speed internet is a blessing. If nothing else, I can check my e-mail from time to time and make sure the rest of the world is still out there.

And without that same phone and internet, I would probably (still) be lost in LA, and eaten by mountain lions somewhere in Hollywood hills. :)

Cheers!

Summer First

2011-05-20T21:56:00.004+03:00

Strawberries. Mmm. Okay, so I cheated a little bit, they are Spanish, not Finnish. But the Finnish ones were a hundred times more expensive and looked kind of raw.

I also took my first evening walk to see the sun go down. It was really pretty and I would show you a pic of the views if only my phone and computer wanted to collaborate, but right now they are not really friends. Instead you get to see a slightly unfocused photo of my high fashion exercise outfit. Joy.

Cheers!

High Tech swimmers

2011-05-19T19:16:00.004+03:00

A woman at the pool today swam to her own beat. Her hair was up with a large clip, and to the clip she had attached an mp3 player and headphones. It must have been some fancy swimming technology because the player did touch the water when she swam, but neither she, or we, were electrocuted.

I might have to get one myself, now that I´m the owner of a 10 visit card. I swam for an hour and it was good exercise. The semi-storm made every second lap feel countercurrent. Oh the Finnish spring weather.

Cheers!

My babies are back!

2011-05-18T10:39:00.004+03:00

While on the trip, my flowers had a month long sleep over at my grandmother´s. They had a great time and look healthy and happy.

Now they´re back home. Yay! It´s been so empty without them. You suddenly realise how bare a room can look without a bit of greenery.

I´ll try to keep them as happy!

Cheers

My "arctic" swim

2011-05-16T16:30:00.003+03:00

First swim outside this year!

Okay, I admit, it was in a heated pool at the Helsinki olympic stadium, but still ... just a tiny bit of creds, please. ;)

The water felt really warm as the air was around +12 C . Steam rose from the pool and reminded me and Hanna, my exercise buddy, of the Blue Lagoon, sans the smell of rotten eggs. It was really pleasant!

I think I´ll become an avid swimmer this summer.

Cheers!

FINLAND!

2011-05-15T22:14:00.002+03:00

Just for your information: I´m watching the Finland-Sweden ice hockey final. 0-0 after the first 20 minutes. Oh my nerves!

Last time we won Sweden in a world championship final was in 1995. It´s about time! :)

Cheers!

Summer is here!

2011-05-13T19:45:00.002+03:00

I´ve performed the seasons first wasp rescue. I guess it wasn´t so smart to leave pink flowers by an open window ...

It´s interesting how I don´t hesitate to capture and release a large wasp that can, if I´m really unlucky, actually kill me, while a harmless spider of the same size (or smaller) would freak me out completely. Oh, the tricks of the brain.

I´m spending a completely antisocial evening in front of the TV. Finland-Russia seminfinals. Go Finland! Tomorrow it´s time for the Eurovision song contest final in good company. Again, go Finland! :)

Cheers!

Thank you for leaving. ;)

2011-05-11T22:52:00.000+03:00

Flowers and chocolates from my now ex job. (The chocolates have now diminished by five.) Watch out for the red one, it has a real kick to it. I´m not sure what was in it, but I wouldn´t want to do a alcohol test right now. :)

A good day all in all. Hope you have enjoyed it as well!

Cheers!

Cruel connections

2011-05-10T13:36:00.002+03:00

IKEA makes many people cry. Men, mostly. I´m going there with Hanna today, as moral support, and checked out the food section on their website.

I cried at the sight of the candy cars. My mom loved them. She always bought them. We went there not long before it really began to go downhill for her. It was one of those rare outings that we really treasured because we always knew it could be the last one.

IKEA and candy cars. Emotions are peculiar. How they become connected to certain smells, sounds and items. You can go an entire day feeling just fine and then you hear that one TV jingle ...

Crying is good, I guess, but at some point you tire of it. The only way to become "immune" to those connections are to make new ones. The old ones remain, of course, but not as strong. That´s why I´m going to IKEA today. And I might buy some cars, for old times sake.

And to help Hanna carry her stuff, of course.

Cheers

I couldn´t be bothered

2011-05-09T22:14:00.004+03:00

I happened to read today that there was a riot outside an Apple store in Beijing, China. Apparently someone tried to cut the huge waiting line for the new Ipad 2, and an employee intercepted in a less than friendly manner. Four people ended up in hospital.

As usual people had waited for hours on end to get their hands on the new technology. It made me think, is there any "unnecessary" material thing on this planet that I would actually stand in line for for more than perhaps an hour? How much do you have to want something to actually camp outside a shop for days before the release?

I don´t think there is such an item. I would do it for medicine that could cure serious illnesses. I would do it for food and water if I didn´t have any. I could do it once just for fun as a social experiment. But purely for an object? No.

Is there anything you would stand in line for?

Cheers!

THAT Sunday

2011-05-08T09:10:00.002+03:00

My first mother´s day without a mother. Joy.

The US was boot camp for a motherless "child". Everywhere you went there were signs: "REMEMBER YOUR MOM!", TOP 10 GIFTS FOR MOM!", YOUR MOM WILL LOVE THIS!".

Well I´ll never forget my mom, but at this stage, I don´t think an Italian cook book would do her much good.

Today´s +: I´m visiting my grandparent´s who I haven´t seen in over a month. Last time the sidewalks were covered in ice and snow, today it´s sunny!

Have a great day, whatever way you´re spending it!

Cheers

It´s not all bad.

2011-05-06T17:20:00.004+03:00

I had a wonderful trip, but in an effort to see things from the bright side, here are a few things I´m grateful for at home:

Finnish rye bread! American (and Australian) rye bread is a joke.
Small risk of room service barging in. (Although it was nice to come back to a made bed and fresh towels.)
My own kitchen. Hostels have okay kitchens, but I like having my own fridge etc. and being able to have a cup of tea in the morning before getting dressed.
All taxes and tips already included in the price.
Friends and family (of course!).

Have a great weekend!

Cheers

Back in the gym

2011-05-05T09:52:00.003+03:00

Good morning sweet peas!

Gosh, I´ve been so slow these past few mornings. I probably wouldn´t get out of bed if I didn´t have places I needed to be during the day. I´ve gotten into a (for me) unusual rythm with late evenings and late mornings. Probably because at this point, I can.

Yesterday I had my first step session after a months break. Murder. Not as bad as when I started in January, but I could still feel the difference. (I don´t know how I would have managed those San Francisco hills without my prior exercise regime). :)

Today Funk is on the menu, something a bit more laid back and fun, but still a good work out. Oh, and cleaning is exercise, no?

I should probably get to that now ... Sigh.

Have a great day!

Cheers!

Jet laged or just plain tired

2011-05-03T21:46:00.002+03:00

Hello Peeps!

I just wanted to let everybody know that I´m back home in Finland and that the trip went without problems. The past two days I´ve met friends, been to a Master´s seminar, washed clothes and tried to keep my eyes open.

I will continue to blog as usual. Hopefully there´s going be interesting things to report even though I´m not traveling the world. Otherwise, I´ll just keep on rambling. :)

Back soon!

Cheers!

FInal count down

2011-04-30T06:12:00.007+03:00

Thank you US, you have served me well and given me many memorable moments.

Tomorrow I´m off to JFK and heading home. It´s back to reality again, but I´m sure there are good times ahead.

My last day did not let me down. I woke up at 4am and watched the Royal Wedding, and then walked to Central Park for a delicious picnic brunch. I spent most of the day in the park, reading and writing and just watching people enjoying the warm weather.

Next time I´ll row on the lake, and somebody, in true romantic comedy style, has to fall in the water.

Turtlemania

Back at the hotel I grabbed the task of a final packing. I haven´t done any crazy shopping, but a little here and a little here for a month can easily add up. I think it´s under control now, but we´ll se tomorrow when the last bits are added.

Tomorrow you will be celebrating Vappen. Have a great time! I´ll see you in May!

Cheers!

Dance for me Harry!

2011-04-29T05:00:00.011+03:00

I´m so glad I saw the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying tonight. It was hilarious, close to brilliant. And who knew! He can sing AND dance. Good voice, great pitch. Many in the audience were in love with Daniel Radcliffe before the show, almost everyone, I dare say, had a little crush on him when they left.

Here you can find one of the numbers when they did it for the Today show, outside at Rockefeller Plaza.

I loved the father-daughter interactions before the show.

Daughter Nr. 1: Aah! Daniel Radcliffe!

Dad Nr. 1: If you´re going to squeal the entire time, we´re leaving.

Dad Nr. 2 : What if Daniel Radcliffe isn´t on tonight?

Daughter Nr. 2: Then I would die.

If you can see this production of the musical, I recommend it (even if you´re not a Daniel aka Harry Potter fan). It had some other great actors as well, for example John Larroquette whom I know best as the bad guy from the movie Richie Rich. Hihi.

I sat in the third row, a little bit on the side, and had a great view of the stage. Far away enough to get the big picture and close enough to really see the details in the actors´ work. So much fun!

Now what else?

I spent most of the day in MOMA, the Modern Museum of Art. There were some great pieces and some pieces that just made me mad. Am I really that art illiterate? My 4-year old nephew could produce something more creative than these painted wood blocks on a stick, with his lego. Or am I just stupid?

There was some Finnish representation in the design section.

Spot the Aalto?

There were also the big masters like Picasso, Monet, Frida Kalho, Dali, Warhol etc.

Real or art? I didn´t dare try.

Tonight I am getting up at 4 am to watch NBC´s live broadcast of the British royal wedding. It´s crazy, I think the US media is 100 times more excited about this wedding than the British. There´s been nothing else on the big new stations like NBC, CNN and CBS for the last month. The last week has almost been ridiculous. Luckily I think it´s all rather fascinating so I don´t mind.

Let´s see if I can get my musical adrenalin down enough to get some sleep before I have to get up again.

Cheers!

The French knew what they were doing.

2011-04-28T04:59:00.010+03:00

I have seen her and she was rather magnificent. The Statue of Liberty.

I opted for the Staten Island Ferry instead of the Ferry that takes you to the actual Liberty Island and Ellis Island. I didn´t feel the need to queue for hours and pay to visit the statue when I really just wanted to see it from the water and could do that for free. So I hopped on the ferry, no queue, drove over to Staten Island, hopped of, did a U-turn and got on the same ferry back again. Very efficient. I recommend it if you don´t want to visit the museums on the actual Islands or go inside the statue.

While downtown I also visited Ground 0. It is basically a building site now. It was hard to believe that this was the place that I saw live on TV, ten years ago. I actually saw the second plane hit the tower, as it happened.

The beautiful Town Hall park was a stark contrast to the cranes and concrete a few blocks away. New York must be covered in millions of tulips right now, they are everywhere in large arrangements.

You can´t really go downtown without visiting Century 21, at least not if you like to shop. It is a very popular department store that sells designer goods for discount prizes. I lucked out, there wasn´t a horrible amount of people there and I found a coat I absolutely love. I almost can´t wait to use it in the fall (no no, just kidding, I want a loooong summer before that).

I also used the New York Subway for the first time today. So far I have opted to walk, it´s the best way to see things. I can report that it all went very well, no muggings, disturbances, creepy people (at least not any worse than you can find in any Helsinki tram) nor mistaken stops. Triumph!

I have now two days left in New York before I head home to Finland again. I believe I have seen most of the major sights on Manhattan, so any tips on how I should spend my final days here? (I´m not sure I want to leave the Island.) It might rain so some indoor alternatives might be good ...

See you soon!

Cheers

Summer in the City!

2011-04-27T07:46:00.014+03:00

It´s been a fab day. Great weather both for tower climbing and park sitting.

I visited the Empire State Building. The views were great, no doubt about it. My camera is full of picture of almost every angle of the city.

New York really is the city of taxis.

Now what I don´t understand: How can people not know there´s always a huge line to this attraction? It´s the attraction with "THE LINE" in New York City. Not knowing, and then complaining the entire waiting time is just stupid. Spontaneity, splendid, but please, a bit of research doesn´t hurt! It makes it easier for all of us.

Yes, I just complained about the complainers. That´s me.

After the tower adventure, I visited a few bookstores and then spent the rest of my day in a couple of the many great parks smack in the middle of the city. Bryant Park was a nice surprise. You hear about it everytime someone mentions the New York fashion week or the finale of America´s next top designer.

It has loads of seating and special areas for petanque and pingpong, free yoga classes and an outdoor reading room. Brilliant. You could borrow all kinds of newspapers and books and just sit and read for as long as you wished.

Oh, and a cute carousel!

After a full day of walking, I had to have some proper New York food. A slice of pizza and Snapple!

It was much better than it looks. And nothing ended up on the white sheets, magic!

Cheers!

All that jazz!

2011-04-26T05:50:00.005+03:00

Hello!

Another eventful day. I spent most of it walking about in the Manhattan areas of Soho, Noho, Chinatown and Little Italy, and places between that and my hotel. :) I had an anti-camera moment and didn´t take many pictures until I came back up via Grand Central Terminal. It really is quite impressive. It´s nice that such a busy place can have beautiful architecture like that. (Doesn´t really show in the pic though.)

I like the architecture in New York, different eras, 0ld mixed with new. It never gets boring.

I ended the day on a high with the Broadway musical show Chicago. Loved it! It is wonderful to see such pros do their job, they don´t falter for a second.

Which made it even harder for the current celebrity star of the show, the former super model Christie Brinkley to convince as Roxy. I don´t really know why she suddenly wants to do musical theatre. She´s not horrible, she has an okay voice, moments of good acting and looks very charming on stage, but next to above mentioned pros, it just looked and sounded sloppy. Luckily Roxy, at least in this production, has few song and dance numbers while the character Velma "owns" the difficult parts. Velma was played by Amra-Faye Wright, and I have never seen someone with such stage charisma.

On Thursday I´m seeing another musical. I can´t help it! I just have to see a dancing, singing Harry Potter, aka Daniel Radcliffe. Apparently he´s doing a good job in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". It´s just so hard to imagine. But hey, we all have hidden talents! :)

Cheers!

Easter celebrations in NY

2011-04-25T04:30:00.022+03:00

Happy Easter! (Again.)

To begin my Easter morning in style I had the hotel buffet for breakfast. Enough fresh fruit, croissants, smoothies and toast to last me a life time. Then I resisted the urge to have a snooze and found my way to the annual New York Easter Parade.

It´s not so much a parade as a costume party. They close down parts of 5th Avenue and let people dressed up in fancy/crazy/elaborate outfits strut their Easter stuff. Some go head to toe, but it is really all about the hats.

Like many other Easter celebrators I kept following 5th Avenue to Central Park. The sun had popped out and turned the park into a warm, happy place with lots of musicians and artists entertaining the visitors.

Me and the one eyed spongebob popsicle. (No I do not have a spongebob obsession.)

On the edge of the park is the famous Metropolitan Museum of Art, a gigantous museum with pretty much everything since the earth was born. You could spend an entire week there and still miss something. I walked around for about four hours and then declared myself exhausted.

The museum is so large that they have entire facades of houses inside. And an Egyptian temple.

In one room you´re in a authentic 1900th century American house, and in the next a 1600th century French palace. They have paintings by almost every famous painter in the world and a rather nice gift shop.

Okay, way too many pics in this entry, but what can you do? If the weather is okay tomorrow, I´ll try to find my way to a tower. And in the evening I´m seeing my first Broadway musical, wohoo!

Cheers!

Happy Wet Feet

2011-04-24T04:14:00.009+03:00

My first NY purchase: an umbrella, any umbrella. It kept pouring down all morning. I didn´t mind really, it felt kind of genuine. A bit too genuine when my shoes began to leak. Apparently real New Yorkers don´t mind walking around town in rubber boots, because I can´t imagine the tourists bringing theirs. you quickly learn "umbrella chicken". Who will give way first? Who will get their eye poked out? At least I have my protective goggles.

I began the day with a quick visit to Rockefeller Center, mostly to get my bearings. (I think someone put the map in the hotel information packages up side down ...)

Most pics are the sad result of too many items and too few hands.

Then I walked down along Broadway to Union Square where I visited the bookstore Barnes and Nobles. They had a free panel discussion with independent screenwriters and directors about transforming real events into feature movies, not documentaries. It was very interesting to hear about their creative process and all the different things they needed to take into account when they were dealing with living human being and not just fictional characters. The "Pen to Paper" talk was part of the ongoing TRIBECA Film Festival.

By the end of the talk it had stopped raining and I began walking back up towards Time Square again. I bumped in to some familiar sights, for example The Flatiron Building and Madison Square Park.

New Yorkers and Finns alike: If it´s neither raining or snowing, you sit outside.

When I came back from my walk along 5th Avenue there were so many people about, I had to flee to my room and take a long hot bath (my feet were still cold and wet). It felt utterly decadent paired with a book, hot chocolate, and a red velvet cupcake.

Cheers!

I´m closing in on you!

2011-04-23T04:15:00.003+03:00

New York, New York!

I am here, after a 5 hour flight I´ve changed from the West coast to the East. I´m in the "Big Apple", where the traffic is utterly crazy, it makes LA seem calm and civil, and your hotel room is the size of a shoe box (my room is quite adequate for one person, but one more and it would feel rather crowded). And I can´t complain about the location, this is what I have around the corner:

(Once again I have to pass a scientology center to get to the "action". What is that all about?)

Right now I´m trying to figure out what I´m going to do the next seven days. There´s so much to see it is a bit overwhelming, like when you´ve really crammed for a test and suddenly can´t remember a single fact. What Broadway show should I see? I want a musical, I think. (The one with Daniel Radcliffe can´t be a musical, can it? Does he really sing and dance?) Gaaaah.

Well, at least I made friends with the guys in the local coffee shop. I´m now known as the nicest customer because I bought my sandwich to go when they had only five minutes to closing time. Apparently, an American would have sat down and insisted on eating the food on site, in peace.

Okay, plan Nr. 1: Go to bed. I´m sure it will all be much clearer tomorrow.

Cheers!

A Sunny Farewell

2011-04-22T08:01:00.010+03:00

It´s been a beautiful, sunny day here in SF, and so I took a proper walk about through the city and along the bay.

I passed the famous part of Lombard Street which is said to be the crookedest street in the world. It looks like a snake, but green and pretty, and during high season people line up in their cars on the other side of Russian Hill to be able to drive down the eight turn block.

I visited Fort Mason, the former US Army post, which now hosts a lot of different events and activities. I stumbled upon a massive book sale in one of the hangars, apparently an attempt to raise money for the SF libraries. Oh, if I only had a larger suitcase ...

Ton console myself I had a little picnic in a park and might have burnt my face a little bit. It´s difficult to know what to do about protection when it´s raining one minute and scorching the next.

I said my last goodbyes to now familiar landmarks like the Golden Gate bridge and the Marina. Hopefully they´ll still be there if I come again.

Finally I got hungry and had my first ever oblong pizza. It was good, despite the shape. :)

During the evening I´ve mostly been packing and organizing for my early start tomorrow. It´s amazing how you can spread out during one week if there´s only enough space.

See you in the Big Apple!

Cheers