Loma

Huomenna aamulla kuuden aikaan suunnataan sitten etelään sinisin siivin. Huomenna tähän aikaan olen ehkä jo altaalla drinksu kädessä, valmiina pomppaamaan altaaseen <3 Ja tästä asiasta olen harvinaisen iloinen ja onnellinen. Tämä kuluva viikko on ollu todella raskas, muutto todellakin vei voimat. Uusi koti on aivan ihana, mutta kaiken sen kaman purkaminen laatikoista ja jätesäkeistä vie voimia. Ja kun on töissäkin pitänyt käydä :)

Joulun jälkeen saadaan vielä lisää huonekaluja, mm. se sohva jota tässä ollaan jo ehditty kaipailla. Vaikka onhan se ihan kiva istua siellä lattialla katsomassa telkkaria, ei siin mitään.. Ja Ikeassakin täytyy vielä käydä, jotenkin tuntuu että tonne uuteen kämppään uppoaa ihan hirveesti huonekaluja. Siitä tulee aivan ihana ja upea koti, tiedän sen. Otin muuttokaaoksestakin pari kuvaa, sellaista "ennen" -kuvaa. Sitten kun on kaikki kunnossa otan uudet kuvat. Laitan niitä sitten tännekkin jossain vaiheessa :)

Lähden tästä nyt sitten pakkailemaan laukkuni, ja nauttimaan lomastani ihanien ihmisten kanssa. Toivotan teille kaikille oikein hyvää joulua, palaillaan sitten ennen uuttavuotta.

Käsittämättömän hyvää joulukuuta!

Meitin pippalotkin sujui ihan hienosti, oli tupa täynnä rakkaita ihmisiä. Mä innostuin kauheesti meitin juhlista, ja tein erilaisia konvehteja vieraiden herkuiksi. Tein turkinpippurivalkosuklaa-konvehteja, joulusuklaata sekä ihania suklaapalloja, joiden sisällä on tuorejuusto-toffeedominomassaa. Lisäksi vieraille tarjoiltiin nachoja kana- sekä jauhelihatäytteellä ja tietysti pakolliset salsat ja kasvikset kaverina :) Lisäksi aamulla käytiin vähän koruostoksilla rakkaan siippani kanssa, ja samalla reisulla löysin kenkäkaupan, ja sieltä maailman ihanimmat pinkit pitsikorkkarit ;)

Juhlissa tuli myös täydellinen yllätys, kun rakas ystäväpariskunta pyysi minua BestKaasoksi. Eli apuriksi sekä morsiammelle että sulhaselle. Heidän mukaansa olen sellainen meganainen että selviydyn molemmista. Olen tosi innoissani, ihana nähdä kaksi ihanaa ja rakasta ihmistä menevän naimisiin, ja että saan olla osa heidän suurta päiväänsä.. se on minulle niin suuri kunnia. Aion suorittaa työni kunnolla ja pitän tarkasti huolen siitä että molemmilla on ihana ja mahdollisimman stressitön päivä.

Työhöntulotarkastuskin on nyt käyty. Verikokeessa tuli taas ongelmia, niinkuin ennustelinkin. Hoitaja ei löytänyt suonta vasemmasta käsivarresta, ja lopulta sitten otti oikeasta. Siihen on siis ihan syynsä miksi pelkään verikokeita :D Oli mukava mennä töihin hirveät tupot molemmissa käsivarsissa. Nyt niissä on komeat mustelmat. Oli pakko jättää tanssituntikin eilen väliin, koska näytin ihan narkkarilta.

Nyt aloitetaan sitten armoton pakkaaminen, ensi viikonloppuna on edessä uuteen kotiin, vihdoin! Odotan sitä niin innolla. Tahtoo sisustaa ja tehdä kotia. Ja kahden viikon päästä suunnataan etelään! Ihana nähdä aurinko, ja pukeutua kevyesti, ilman että täytyy pakata päällensä kaikken minkä omistaa. Ja pääsee lentämään, rakastan lentämistä! Itseasiassa ennen viime kesän italianmatkaa pelkäsin, mutta se oli niin positiivinen kokemus, että aloin pitämään siitä suuresti.

Itsenäisyyspäivän kyllä suunnittelin meille olevan sellainen ihana, rento yhdessäolopäivä, jolloin ei pakata. Täytyy muistaa huilia myös ettei ihan läkähdy kaiken tekemisen alle :)

Valmisteluja..

Marraskuu puolessavälissä, ja loppuvuosi näyttää harvinaisen kiireiseltä.

Ensi viikonloppuna suuntaan Forssaan katsomaan vanhempiani, viettämään myöhästynyttä isänpäivää. Mummiakin aattelin käydä katsomassa hoitokodissa. Todella huono omatunto kun en ole mummia nähnyt yli puoleenvuoteen. Kuitenkin aina ollaan oltu läheiset. Mutta viikonloppuna muutan asian. Samalla Forssan reisulla äitin avustuksella värjään hiukset, ja teen vähän inventaarioita tavaroista, joita tarvitsen mukaan uuteen kotiini..

Viikon päästä viikonloppuna meillä sitten on bileet. Pidetään yhdistetyt tuparit/läksiäiset/kihlajaiset/miehen valmistujaiset/pikkujoulut. Tuparit on aikakin jo pitää, kun muutettiin tohon kämppään syyskuussa 2009, ja läksiäiset koska muutetaan siitä pois kaksi viikkoa bileiden jälkeen. Kihloihin mentiin jo vuosi sitten, mutta nyt voidaan sitten ilmoittaa samalla koko maailmalle meitin hääpäivämäärä <3 Mies valmistui ammattiin syyskuussa, mutta ei ole pitänyt asiasta ihan kauheeta meteliä. Pikkujoulut.. no, se on nyt se aika. Mietin ensin että pikkujoulut tiputetaan listalta, koska kaikki pikkujoulut joissa olen ollut on tavalla tai toisella mennyt todella huonosti. Ehkä kuitenkin nyt on aika rikkoa se kaava? Juhliin on ihanasti tulossa rakkaita ystäviä, joista noin puolet on alunperin mun kavereita ja puolet alunperin miehen kavereita. Nyt ne on meitin kavereita :) Ja ainakin yksi sellainen heppu on tulossa, jota en ole koskaan ennen tavannutkaan! Miehen kaveri ala-asteelta asti. Odotan innolla. Yksi ystäväni on tulossa jo aiemmin päivällä, niin saadaan sitten yhdessä meikata ja laittaa toistemme hiuksia. En malttais odottaa :)

Heti bileiden jälkeisellä viikolla mulla on työhöntulotarkastus. Saa nähdä mitä täti sanoo tästä neidistä. Painosta varmaan tulee mussutusta, mutta onneks tammikuussa aloitetaan elämäntapamuutos personal trainerin kanssa (eli mun rakkaan kaasoni <3)  Siitä sitten viikko, niin muutetaan uuteen kotiin. Isompi, ihanampi koti odottaa! Ja viikko muuton jälkeen hypätään lentokoneeseen ja lennetään etelän lämpöön joulua viettämään.

Sitten onkin uusi vuosi ja uudet kujeet..

Vielä tähän loppuun voisin heittää linkkivinkin: sosiaalista hyväntekeväisyyttä voi harjoittaa osoitteessa www.sharewood.org Sivusto on hieman kuin Facebook, siellä voi pitää yhteyttä ystäviin, mutta pääpaino on mainosten klikkailuissa. Se nimittäin tuottaa rahaa valitsemallesi hyväntekeväisyyskohteelle. Ja kun on itse aktiivinen, saa pisteitä, jolla voi sitten osallistua arvontoihin. Tai itseasiassa ostaa lisää arpoja arvontoihin, koska kaikki sharewoodin käyttäjät osallistuvat automaattisesti kaikkiin arvontoihin. Idea kuulostaa hyvältä, ja olen mielelläni mukana tekemässä hyvää. Tule sinäkin, ja pyydä minua kaveriksi. Parannetaan yhdessä maailmaa, edes vähäsen :)

Marraskuu

Ja niin lokakuu vaihtui marraskuuksi. Lokakuu meni todella nopeasti, toivottavasti marraskuulle käy samoin.

Meillä olisi nyt sitten uusi koti. Nykyinen vuokrasopimus loppuu vasta vuodenvaihteessa, ja uusi alkaa jo joulukuussa, eli silloin sitten maksetaan vuokraa kahteen paikkaan.  Uusi paikka sijaitsee Vantaalla, nykyiseen kämppään verrattuna neliöitä tuli lisää 16, ja vuokra tippui lähes satasella. Uuteen kylppäriin mahtuu jopa meitin pesukone (nyt se könöttää keskellä eteistä), ja ihka oikea keittiökin tästä uudesta kämpästä löytyy (nykyään komeron kokoinen pikkukoppi, johon mahtuu yksi henkilö kerrallaan). Ja lasitettu parveke! sellaisesta olen unelmoinut. Omaa saunaa tai kylpyammetta ei vieläkään saatu, mutta toisaalta sauna nostaa sähkölaskua ja ammetta on inhottava pestä/siinä on vaikeampi käydä pelkässä suihkussa kun koko ajan meinaa liukastua. Näin ainakin optimistina olen asiat ajatellut :) Ja parasta on se, että nykyinen 20km/25minuuttia työmatka lyhenee 3,8 km ja noin viiteen minuuttiin. Kehäteille ei tarvitse enää lähteä jonottamaan, jihuu!

Joulukuun lopussa sitten suunnataan isommalla porukalla lomailemaan Kanarialle. Toivottavasti Islannin tulivuoret ns. pitävät päänsä kiinni että päästään sinne ja takaisin :)

Vuosipäivääkin tuli vietettyä, tosiaan käytiin siellä Häät&Rakkaus -messuilla, Tapiolassa syömässä ihanassa piffiravintolassa ja illalla vielä käytiin Linnanmäen valokarnevaalissa. Sitten tultiin hieman palelevina kotiin, ja mentiin valkkaripullon kanssa saunaan. Täydellistä! Tämä tapahtui eräänä vapaaviikonloppuna, koska mieheni on usein viikonloppuja töissä. Lisäksi vuosipäivä osui arkipäivään, joten juhlinta siirrettiin viikonloppuun. Sitten virallisena vuosipäivänä sain mieheltä lahjaksi Segan (suuri ysärifani kun olen) ja minä annoin hänelle lahjaksi kaksi pakettia legoja, jotka tilasin hollannista eräästä lelukaupasta. Molemmat olivat hyvin innoissaan lahjoista, ja sitten pelattiin ja rakennettiin yhdessä. Lapsetti, mutta se on joskus ihan okei :)

Ja mulla on kaaso. Lupailin että tästä ei tule mitään hääblogia, mutta mainitsen asian nyt kuitenkin. Yhteensä mulla on siis kaksi kaasoa, joista toinen on ollut tiedossa jo varmaan vuosia, mutta toista tuli ihan virallisesti pyydettyä viime viikolla.  Nyt voin sitten hänen kanssaan selailla häälehtia, kierrellä morsiuspukuliikkeitä, unelmoida, hihitellä ja panikoida <3

Häähumua?

Tehtiin sitten siipan kanssa päätös lähteä viikonloppuna Häät&Rakkaus -messuille.. Hääpäivään on vielä puolitoista vuotta aikaa, mutta hyvä aloittaa ajoissa, kun sitten panikoida kiireessä loppuvaiheessa :) 

Olen kyllä iloinen päätöksestä lähteä viettämään vuosipäivää tuonne messuille. Alunperin piti ulkomaille lähteä, mutta koska matka on jo varattu jouluksi, niin päätettiin sitten juhlia vuosipäivää ihan kotimaassa. Ja mikäs sen romanttisempaa kun häämessut! Eilen kultsi sitä sanoikin että ihan ihme, hän on innoissaan noista messuista ja siitä että ollaan yhdessä, eikä yhtään panikoi vaikka teemana onkin häät. Hyviä ideoita lähdetään hakemaan, haetaan sitä "ajattelun aihetta". Juhlapaikka on esimerkiksi vielä auki, yksi paikka on mihin molemmat ihastuivat heti ensisilmäyksellä (löytyi ihan vahingossa kerran kun oltiin vaan muuten ajelemassa), mutta ollaan päätetty että pidetään vaihtoehdot avoinna, tutustutaan eri paikkoihin ja pyydetään tarjouksia. Tiedä mitä tuolta messuilta löytyy :)

Erityisesti kiinnostaa Zazabellan osasto.. heillä on aivan mahtavan upeita ja kauniita pukuja, ja ne tehdään mittatilaustyönä, eli on sitten varmasti oikean kokoinenkin. Ja jos ei sopivaa mallia löydy, nettisivullaan ainakin lupailivat että tekevät puvun myös omasta piirroksesta tai kuvasta :) Monta mielenkiintoista luentoakin näytti aikataulussa olevan. Jos ei muuta, niin ollaan ainakin tosi siirappisia, kuljetaan käsi kädessä ja tukitaan kulkuväylät pysähtymällä pussailemaan kesken kaiken ;) Pääasia että vietetään kiva päivä yhdessä :)

Tässä vielä linkki tuonne messujen sivulle. 

Häät&Rakkaus 2010

Ja tuohon edelliseen tekstiin lisäystä sen verran, että Pink Collectionin paita tuli hankittua viikonloppuna, sekä tietysti tuo roosa nauha. Perjantaina 15.10 on sitten Pukeudu Pinkkiin -päivä, eli kaikille pinkkiä päälle hyvän asian puolesta! :)

Lokakuussa puhutaan rintasyövästä

Huomenna alkaa lokakuu, yleiseisti harmaa ja kylmä ja pimeä ja kaikinpuolin masentava kuukausi. Tänä vuonna menoa piristää kuitenkin lauantaina 2.10 ystävien häät. Rakkautta ilmassa!

Lokakuussa vietetään myös ympäri maailmaa rintasyöpäkuukautta, jolloin sairaudesta yritetään levittää tietoa mahdollisimman paljon naisille, kerätä rahaa tutkimukseen sekä palkita esimerkillisiä rintasyövän voittaneita naisia. Jos haluat mukaan niin tärkeään asiaan, voit lahjoittaa rahaa tai ostaa tuotteita, joiden tuotosta osa ohjataan rintasyöpätutkimukseen. Hyvä paikka aloittaa on osoite Roosa Nauha -kampanja, jossa on paljon linkkejä ja ostoslistoja. Kannattaa myös käydä lokakuun aikana Lindexissä, siellä on jälleen myynnissä Pink Collectionin vaatteita, joiden hinnasta osa menee syöpäsäätiölle. Itselläni Roosa Nauha-tavaraa on melko paljon, mutta silti meinaan ostaa lisää tänä vuonna. Meneehän tuotto hyvään tarkoitukseen. Haastankin teidät kaikki lukijat ostamaan ainakin sen roosan nauhan! :)


Samalla päätin, lokakuun kunniaksi, vaihtaa blogin kieleksi suomen. Kuitenkin lukijoina on vaan omia kavereita, ja niistä suurin osa puhuu suomea. Että sellaista tällä kertaa :)

Paleface: Helsinki Shangri-La

Olen aina ollu Palefacen musiikin kaveri. The Pale Ontologist oli loistava levy, Quarter Past ei ehkä ihan niin mahtava, mutta hyvä siltikin. Pari vuotta meni niin etten henkilökohtaisesti kuullut paljoakaan miehestä tai hänen uusimmista tuotoksistaan. Jollain skidilevyllä taisi olla yksi biisi, ja Conscius Youthsilla oli muutama hyvä biisi. Sitten, kesällä 2010, alkoi radiosta kuulua kummia.

Talonomistaja –niminen sinkku ilmestyi soittolistoille, esittäjänään vanha tuttu Kalkkilaivan Kapteeni. Räpäytyskieli oli muuttunut englannista suomeksi, mikä hieman, myönnettäköön, herätti epäluuloja. Toki olin ennenkin kuullut Palefacen räppäävän suomeksi muutaman kerran, mutta kokonaisen levyn teko suomeksi oli silti aika jännä veto. Biisihän kuulosti loistavalta, ja oli samanlaista tuttua kantaaottavaa verbaaliakrobatiaa kuin edelliset englanninkieliset levytkin. Tässä välissä mainittakoon, että Paleface on opiskellut englantilaista filologiaa, ja sen takia hänen englanninkieliset levynsä olivatkin hyvin oivaltavia, täynnä hienoja sanaleikkejä ja riimittelyjä.

Kuluvan vuoden syyskuussa sitten Palefacen uusi levy Helsinki - Shangri-La soi viikon albumina YleX:llä. Suurella mielenkiinnolla odotin uusia biisejä, enkä joutunut pettymään yhtään. Päinvastoin. Kun vihdoin levyn julkaisun jälkeen sain levyn käsiini ja kuuntelin koko levyn alusta loppuun, ei teosta voi kuvailla muilla sanoilla kuin kantaaottava mestariteos. Levyllä on, kuten mainittu, artistille ominaista verbaaliakrobatiaa, mutta se on myös hyvin kantaaottava. Musiikkityylit vaihtelevat, eikä yksikään levyn biiseistä ole samanlainen kuin toinen. Nimibiisissä Paleface on rohkeasti napannut kainaloonsa kitaran, ja esittää kannanottonsa yksinkertaisen karulla tavalla. Joissain yhteyksissä Palefacea on kutsuttu moderniksi Irwiniksi kannanottojensa vuoksi, ja se onkin hyvin kuvaava nimitys.

Paleface on jo aiemmin urallaan maininnut yhdeksi lukuisista innoittajistaan bändin nimeltä House of Pain. Tämän bändin keulahahmo, Everlast, vaihtoi rap-musiikin mies ja kitara –tyyliseen ilmaisuun, ja esiintyi jopa yhdessä kitaralegenda Santanan kanssa. Everlast on itse säestänyt kitarallaan useita kantaaottavia kappaleitaan asenteella mutta silti tavallaan haavoittuvana. Uskon että Paleface on tällä levyllä, ainakin nimibiisillä, tullut tähän samaan kategoriaan. Helsinki-Shangri-La on kantaaottava, mutta samalla jotenkin nöyrä. Asioille ei uhota, vaan ne kerrotaan niinkuin ne ovat. Biisi herkistää kuulijansa, pistää ajattelemaan, toivottavasti niinkin pitkälle että asioille alettaisiin tehdä jotain.

Levyn muut biisit leikkivät rohkeasti eri musiikkityyleillä. Elokuun Yö –kappaleessa kertosäettä laulaa romanilaulaja Hilja Grönfors, joka tuo kappaleeseen vanhanajan maalaisromantiikkaa. Herra Ylpön tähdittämä Leijonakypärä muistuttaa soundiltaan Sielun Veljien mystistä maanisuutta. Karavaani Kulkee-kappaleessa kertosäkeen laulaa malilainen Terakaft, ja tunnelma on kuin suoraan Saharan kamelisafarilta. Syntynyt Rellestään on monien mielestä ultimaattinen bilebiisi; Palefacen itsensä mukaan kyse on kuitenkin vahvasti ironiasta ja satiirista. Mieshän on itse ollut aboslutisti jo pitkään. Levyllä on kuitenkin niin myös hyvin vahvasti läsnä hiphop, ja jokainen biisi on tehty asenteella. Paleface taitaakin olla yksi niitä harvoja (suomi)räppäreitä jolla on vahva tietämys hiphopin synnystä ja juurista.

Olen itse seurannut kaveriporukassani suhtautumista tähän kyseiseen artistiin, ja uuteen levyyn. Eräs hiphopista vähemmän kiinnostunut ystäväni näki Palefacen livenä, ja kertoi että alkoi arvostaa artistia todella paljon, ja on vaikuttunut näkemästään ja kuulemastaan. Helsinki-Shangri-La –biisi herättää myös tunteita, ja olenkin todistanut tilannetta jossa riehakas bileporukka on hiljentynyt kuuntelemaan ko. kappaletta, ja kommentoinut sen jälkeen että ”Se oli kyllä hieno biisi!”

Loppuyhteenvetona voisin todeta, että Paleface on tehnyt ovelan levyn. Siinä on niin paljon eri tyylejä, että muutkin kun pelkät hiphopparit tykästyvät siihen. Kuitenkin levy on silti hyvin vahvasti myös hiphop-levy, ja uskon että vanhat Paleface fanit eivät taatusti ole pettyneitä. Itse olen varsin innostunut levystä; siitä onkin ihan liian pitkä aika kun viimeksi on tullut vastaan levy, joka olisi kokonaisuutena jaksanut liikuttaa näin paljon ja todella räjäyttää tajuntani. Ehdin jo ajatella että kai sitä on tullut vanhaksi; mutta taisikin olla vain niin, ettei musiikki ole ollut tarpeeksi vakuuttavaa.

Summer Holiday to Malcesine, Italy, part 5

Friday was our second to last day, so we decided to spend it at the beach, eating well (Like we hadn’t already done that the whole week!) and shopping. At the beach we decided to be brave and go for a swim, even though the water was freezing cold. We were also admiring the swans that didn’t seem to mind about the tourists, and just swam around and hung around at the beach, just a few feet away from people.  We also visited our favorite restaurant, twice, first to get lunch and later for dinner. In the evening we once again walked to the new harbor of Malcesine, got these huge ice cream portions (they were delicious, btw) and some nice drinks. I’ve had my eye on this one drink for the whole week, and now I just had to get it. Sparkling wine with fresh strawberries in a huge glass.  Awesome!

Waking up on Saturday was a bit sad, since it was our last day. And a very hot day. My boyfriend wanted to visit Monte Baldo, located right behind Malcesine. One of the town’s most famous attractions is the funivia, a cable car that leads up to the mountain. We walked to the station, and the line of people waiting just to pay for it extended outside. We waited for about half an hour before it was our turn to pay. Things didn’t get much easier after that, because then we went to back of the line for the people waiting to get into the actual car. Again, we waited for about half an hour before we got in. The first car, leading from the bottom to the middle station, can carry about 50 at the time. The second car, from the middle to the top can carry about 30 people. 

The car itself was so full that we didn’t really get to see much. The air-conditioning was good, and the radio was playing in the background. Apparently they try to ease the minds of the passengers with some music and moving air. The second car was smaller, and has a cute little feature of spinning around its own axel.  So when you take your place next to a window, the car spins and you get to see the view all around, without having to move yourself at all. Neat, but sometimes a bit scary. The car was hanging on a cable, and every time we passed a pole, the car tilted, and I got this nice feeling at the bottom of my stomach. 

Finally we reached the top, and got out of the car to the station. The station at the top has few restaurants and apparently some conference spaces. We walked outside, and realized that we were pretty high, it was cold, and we hadn’t really prepared. For some reason we hadn’t thought about that at all, so there we were, in our shorts and skirts and sleeveless shirts..  Luckily, the sun was shining and warming us. (Note: It wasn’t really THAT cold up there, no snow or anything, but it just seemed cold because the weather down at the valley was really hot and sweaty. It is a good idea to wear long pants and take along a coat.)

We walked around, and when walking towards one hill, we started to hear this really strange clinging sound. I wondered what could cause it, and was really surprised when we reached the top of that hill: The valley ahead of us was full of cows, and the sound came from their bells. It was somehow surrealistic situation. After that we also started to watch where we are going, since the cows not-so-little droppings were all over the place. 

The view to the Garda Lake was breathtaking, and well worth the visit.   We ate some lasagna at one of the restaurants at the top station (it was fairly cheap, considering that we are at a popular tourist attraction). We then took the car back to Malcesine, and at the middle station made a little walk around.  There are trails all over the mountains side, and from the middle station you can walk down to the town. Also there is the statue of Malcesine’s patron saint somewhere along the way, so if you have time and the right equipment, I suggest you take the long walk down.

The night was special, because it was the first Saturday of the month; the whole town took place in an event called Shoppin Sotto di Stelle (Shopping under the stars). The plazas were filled with musicians and other performers, streets were decorated with torches and fires, and all the stores were open till midnight.  People had dressed up, and people drove down the boulevard with their fabulous cars. I made my souvenir-shopping that night too: I bought Murano-glass earrings to my dear friend, a set of earrings and a necklace to my mother, and a real size festival masque to myself. The atmosphere was almost magical, and we really almost forgot that we are supposed to go home the next day.

Sunday morning we got up at 5am, took our bags, and went downstairs. The hotel has reserved breakfast bags for us, how nice of them :) Gino took our bags and drove them to the bus station, and so our journey to the airport began.

We got to the airport, went through the usual customs of check-ins and security checks, and sat down to wait for our flight.  A while later the airport bus picked us up, took us to the plane and we got in. This time the plane was only half full, which meant that me and my boyfriend sat next to each other, and the third seat was empty. The sun was shining and everything was great, but soon I noticed that we were late. The captain then came to the plane and told us through the speakers that there was a problem with the fuel injection. So we waited, and finally took off over half an hour late. The flight itself went nicely, food was surprisingly good, and we had fun with my man joking and laughing. We landed, got our bags and were greeted by my cousin, who came to pick us up. We were back home in Finland.

Now, after few months have passed since our trip, all I can say is that it was an awesome vacation, great place, I had the best companion and the weather was nice the whole time. I definitely want to go back there one day, since there was so much that we just didn’t have the time to see. I can also recommend it to everyone who wants to experience the real Italian life, see awesome sights and really relax. Definitely worth the visit!

Summer Holiday to Malcesine, Italy, part 4

On Thursday morning we woke up all exited. We rushed downstairs to get some breakfast, and then headed to the bus station. Soon after the Lago Tours –bus arrived, together with our guide Silvia and several other exited tourists. Our own Finnish travel agency also made trips to Venice, but we chose the option to take part in an international tour, with tourists from all over the world. Our guide had awesome Italian accent, as she explained about the trip and all the necessary little details. The bus drove south from our town of Malcesine, stopped every once in a while to collect more tourists, and then finally headed to the motorway.

The drive to Venice took almost three hours, and on the way we stopped to a local truck stop, so that everyone could take a little walk and use the restrooms.  I have a phobia of public toilets, but after that experience, I can handle anything. And no more talk about that experience, please!

The journey continued, and Silvia started to explain about the ay how things are handled in Venice. She warned us that we should never buy a pirate bag from one of the sellers on the street, because if the police sees it, hey will fine the buyer very heavily. She also told us that she will guide us through the city, show us places, but she cannot tell anything about the history or anything of the sort, because she is a tourist guide, not a city guide. Only city guides are allowed to explain the sights. If she is caught telling us those details, she will be fined.. and the fine will be worth of several thousand euros.  She bended the rule a bit, and told us history on the most famous places in the bus while still driving there. Clever girl she was ;)

Arriving to Venice was really special. We just drove off from the motorway, and into a large parking space. Silvia got off the bus and went to pay toll on us tourists (everyone attending Venice has to pay a toll). She came back in, and the bus headed to another parking lot, stopped and we were told the get off.  We walked through a terminal of some sort and got into a Lago Tours own boat. Everyone went to sit on the upstairs deck. The boat took off, and sailed us to Venice. On the way Silvia pointed out some points of Interest, for example Elton John’s house and the Plaza of San Marco. The boat ride took about 15 minutes, and then we were finally in Venice!

During the day we walked around following our guide, and then made long walks with just the two of us. Venice is indeed a super romantic city! It was awesome to sit in the Plaza of San Marco, watch the famous pigeons, hear the philharmonic orchestra play the theme song from Star Wars, see all the buildings, see the world famous bridge of sighs.. even still, just thinking about it gives me chills.

Lago Tours had some sort of deal with of the local restaurants, and we got a full three course meal with fairly cheap price. I think all of the tourists on the trip took the lunch offer, and came there. Our places were reserved from outside the restaurant, and all tables were meant for six people. Me and my boyfriend ended up in the same table with a couple from England and a couple from Ireland. Sounds like a bad joke? Well, the night indeed proceeded as in a bad joke: all six of us thought the food wasn’t that awesome after all, but since we paid for it, we should make up for it by drinking lot of wine, which was free. We started talking and got along great already while eating, and when we started to empty the wine bottles, things really heated up. The result was exactly what could be expected from a table full of Finns, Brits and Irish: laughter, loud voices, and a lot of empty bottles. Time flew as we were having fun, and soon we noticed that all the other tourists had left to explore the city, and it was just us and the guide. The night had also fallen, and the Night side of Venice was finally revealed. Silvia decided to give a private tour and took us to one of the most famous opera houses in the world. Venice was so beautiful during the day, but night with all the lights was something really special. Also, most of the tourists had left, and it was really quiet in some of the streets.

Sadly, we also had to leave at one point. Before leaving, Silvia bought us a real Italian espresso, which undoubtedly was the best espresso ever. We got on board the boat once again, and it took us back to the mainland, to our bus, and so our way back started. Pretty much the whole bus was sleeping, and soon we were back at Lake Garda, and people got back to their hotels. We were back at our hotel around 1:30am, and fell asleep as soon as we got there. It was such an amazing day that will remain in our memories forever.

Summer Holiday to Malcesine, Italy, part 3

On the third day, Tuesday, we decided to hop on a boat and cruise down to the south shore of Lake Garda, to a town called Sirmione. My parents told us that it is well worth the visit, so we decided to see for ourselves.

We slept in fairly late, and had breakfast at the hotel, and then headed out to the harbor. We bought a two way ticket to the normal ship. There are three ships to choose from: The normal ship, Servizio Rapido and a catamaran. If you are travelling to Limone, a town just across the lake from Malcesine, you can also take a small motorboat. The normal boat is a three story (+sundeck) boat that visits all the towns, goes fairly slow and also accepts cars onboard. Servizio Rapido is a faster boat, and only visits about half of the towns. It’s also few euros more expensive than the normal boat. The Catamaran is a fast way to travel from one place to another, but it’s the most expensive alternative. Also, we chose the normal boat because while onboard that, you can also see the sights and the nature of Lake Garda. And hey, we are on a holiday, we are in no rush!

After getting the tickets we started to wait for our boat. It’s important to remember to buy the tickets from ashore, because on the boat they just check them, but don’t sell them at all. The boat arrived right on time, we got on, and headed to the benches outside to tan and see the sights.

We had been sitting outside for about an hour, when I started feeling a bit nauseated. We went inside and bought water and coke from the bar. When going on one of those cruises, it’s a good thing to remember good sunscreen, hat to prevent sunstroke and preferably a coat of some kind: it’s very windy outside, and it soon starts to hurt on your shoulders and neck. Also, a bottle or two of water is a good idea: not all of the boats have a bar. And remember; at least in Malcesine the tap water was drinkable.  If you buy bottled water, it probably comes from around that area. So no need wasting your money on bottled water there!

We then started talking about the fact that we have been cruising for an hour, and we have no idea where we are going: are we near Sirmione already, how much longer we have to wait? We walked around the boat, trying to find a map or a schedule. We didn’t find much, only a list of towns the boat visits. The list was very long, and then we realized it’s gonna take a while. We also found a map, which had the boat routes on it. Then we could follow the towns the boat visited and the landmarks, and could roughly conclude where we were. Also all the town harbors have a sign with the town’s name on in. So it’s a good thing to try to catch the name once in a while, so you won’t fall off the map altogether.

 The sights from the boat were awesome! The towns are so beautiful, and the north part of the lake is surrounded by the gigantic mountains. The towns in the north are very typical small Italian villages, with narrow streets and different color houses. The towns in the south are more colonial, with marble textures, big arches and mosaics. There are also no more mountains, so the scenery resembles Mediterranean shores.  Sirmione, our destination, is also known as the cat’s tail, because it is located on the Sirmio peninsula that divides the lower part of Lake Garda. The main attraction of the town is the The Scaliger Castle (yes, Malcesine has a castle with the same name.. The noble Scaligeri family were lords of Verona in the 13^th century, and ruled the whole Garda area. That’s why they have castles all around the lake).

The boat ride took 3 hours in total. When getting to Sirmione, firstly we headed to a pizzeria for lunch. After eating we walked around town for a while, and then went to the castle. The entrance fee was 2 euros/adult, and I was let in free because I was under 26 years old. The castle has high walls, and lots of stairs to climb to get to top of them.  We were standing on one of the walls, and looked down.. the water underneath us was swarming with big fish! Apparently the castle’s trench is now being used as a fish farm. My boyfriend managed to take a picture of the fish; I naturally couldn’t because of my fear of heights. The castle also has a big tower, but after the experience at the Malcesine castle, I declined to climb to the highest level. The sights were nice from the floor below too. :)

The tour in the castle was pretty nice, and since it wasn’t that late yet, we decided to walk a little more around town. We visited the town’s beach, and saw a hundred happy Italian kids running to the water. Apparently it was some sort of “Take the kids to swim”-day at the schools of Sirmione. But it was fun watching their joy. We then thought that it’s best to go back to the harbor; after all the boat ride will take another three hours, and we were hoping to get back to Malcesine for dinner. After getting to the harbor, we checked the schedules, and noticed that the last boat had left about half an hour earlier. The tour guides at Malcesine had told us that since it’s June, there are boats leaving every half an hour.. Apparently they are only leaving from Malcesine, but not to it. And just to mention, it was afternoon 4pm, so one would think there are plenty of boats going, but no. We then decided to go and talk to the man in the ticket booth, if we could change our tickets to a faster boat. That worked, we paid a bit more, and got tickets to the Servizio Rapido –boat. We then checked the schedules again, and noticed the boat we were meant to take was marked red. Back home in Finland, red in schedules means Sunday schedules. After closer examination we realized that red only meant special service boat. The boat was supposed to leave at 5:20pm, so we still had plenty of time to walk around. We got some ice cream and sat in the harbor, until it was time to go and wait in line for the boat on the docks.

And then we waited. I started to get nervous, because it was way past 5:20, and there was no boat in sight. Then finally, there is an announcement that the boat will be 40 minutes late. The docs started to fill up with people waiting for the next boat, and then after them, for yet another boat. It was hot and I hoped for something to drink, but because the 40 minutes had passed, we couldn’t really leave. Boats came, announced their destinations on the speakers, and then their passengers got on them. And we waited. Then finally one boat arrives that announces that it has Malcesine on its route, and we got in. Sadly, the boat didn’t have a bar, so I didn’t get anything to drink. The ride from Sirmione to Malcesine only took 2 hours this time, and we were back to at the hotel just in time to change clothes and head out for dinner.

Wednesday was a day off for us. We were resting after the long day in Sirmione, and prepared for next day’s trip to Venice. We were hanging on the beach, walking around town, ate well and also, finally, got do some shopping! It was probably already on the first day when I noticed a fabulous handbag on the window of one of the countless shoe and bag stores. I explained to myself that I really need the bag because of the trip to Venice, because my own handbag was really small, and I really, really need a bigger one for the trip.  I marched into the store, and it turned out the bag was cheaper I had expected. So now I am the proud owner of Gola by Tado –bag. It is fabulous and looks so me!

Wednesday was also Italy’s national day, and we wanted to celebrate with the locals. We dressed up, and went to our favorite restaurant, Lago di Garda –hotel’s own restaurant. We were wondering about should we order appetizers or not, but we didn’t need to wonder for long, because when we got in, our “own” waiter greeted us, led us to our table and immediately brought us spitzers. Problem solved! I finally decided to eat a good ol’ stake, and ordered a beef fillet with green pepper, cognac and cream sauce. The waiter asked which wine we would want, and because we weren’t really sure, he suggested Chianti.  It was delicious, we loved it! And I, once again, got the honor of tasting it before the waiter poured it into our glasses. Once again I felt so special :) The beef was like a piece of heaven on my plate, it was so delicious and tasty, just perfect. After we had finished our plates, we just sat at the restaurant, talked and drank the wine. For Italy, we wanted to celebrate with desserts. I got strawberry cake and my boyfriend had a tiramisu. I also got a Café Amaretto, and my boyfriend had Irish coffee. We had the best time, and when we were ready to leave, and had paid the bill, the waiter brought us little glasses with something yellow in them. He then explained that it was Limoncello, local citron liquor. It was also great.

We weren’t ready to go to sleep yet, so we walked around the town once again. And once again, we ended up at the store with the little car models. We also wanted to check out Wine Bar Otto. The bar was downstairs, and after we got our wineglasses, we headed upstairs. The upstairs patio area was filled with white wicker chairs and couches, all the tables had candles, and the big palm tree in the middle was illuminated from the ground up.  Other than those candles and the palm tree light, it was pitch dark, you could see the stars. It was very intimate place with good wine. I can definitely recommend it to everyone.  On our way to our hotel we stopped for one more glass of wine at another hotels downstairs bar. We were really enjoying each other and the place and the atmosphere, but also getting anxious about the next day’s trip to Venice..

Summer Holiday to Malcesine, Italy, part 2

Monday morning we woke up in our 16^th century hotel, and went downstairs to get some breakfast. The breakfast was pretty light with some bread, ham, lettuce, toast, marmalade, cereals, yogurt, juices and of course coffee. The weather outside looked warm and sunny, so we knew it's going to be a good day. After breakfast we headed to the new part of the village for some shopping in the market. In Italy they still have those EuroSpar-markets, which disappeared from Finland several years ago. We ended up buying some chips and chocolate and few bottles of wine. In Italy wines are sold in normal grocery stores and one bottle costs about 2€. Of course some finer wines are more expensive, but still cheaper than for example in Finland. I lost my mind over the different kinds of Milka- and Kinder-chocolates they had. Also the amount of Hello Kitty products was overwhelming.

After bringing the groceries back to the hotel, we decided to explore the old town and visit the Castello Scaligero, built on the highest spot of the old town. On the way there we walked all around the old town, and took notice of all the places we just have to visit during our stay. The town was full of small restaurants, little stores and comfy looking little hotels. And ice cream parlors! One of the most famous ones is the one located near the entrance of the castle. Tradition is that when a newlywed couple comes out of the castle, they stop there for some ice cream. Also, we heard that the pistachio-ice cream was well worth the try!  This time we didn't stop for ice cream, but instead walked straight to the castle. 

The castle was fortified by the La Scala family, and built in the 13^th century. The tower is even older. Also, an Etruscan tomb has been found within the walls, so one can say the place has been inhabited for a while! The castle has a museum of natural history, with exhibitions on the local animals and plants. One of the most interesting features of the museum was the exhibition of shipwrecks on the bottom of the Garda Lake. Sadly, all the other tourists also considered it interesting, so we didn’t see much. Creepy part of the museum was enlargements of the insects found crawling on the beach.. we had been planning on going to the beach later that day, so I didn’t necessarily need to know exactly what can be found under my feet and on my towel and in my bikini..

Other interesting parts of the castle were the Goethe-hall and of course the gigantic tower. The castle definitely looked like a very, very old place, it hadn’t been much restored.  A romantic little detail about the castle is that it is used daily for weddings. During our visit to the castle we saw an English wedding party. The bride apparently had bad shoes, and was running around bare feet, with the groom walking behind her, holding her shoes. Actually we saw wedding parties almost every day during our stay at Malcesine; apparently the Castello Scaligero is very popular place for weddings. In case some of you got really interested, I suggest you check out www.lakegardaweddings.com for more info.

We were walking all around the castle premises, but the highlight of the castle is definitely climbing up to the tower.  When we got the bottom floor of the tower, we noticed the stairs, which to my opinion seemed a bit rickety.  We started climbing carefully, and I started to feel a bit nauseated. I could see the bottom through the stairs and my fear of heights started to kick in. After climbing about 4 floors, the stairs got steeper and finally, before reaching the top, reminded a ladder, which led outside from a tiny hole on the ceiling. I just thought that the view from the top is worth it, and started climbing, just wondering how am I ever going to get down from there.  But once we got to the top, the view was breathtaking!  There really are really no words to describe it. The mountains, the village and the deep blue lake with pretty much no clouds in the sky, it just couldn't get any better. So if you ever go to the castle and lose hope with the stairs, it's most definitely worth the climb!

After walking all around the castle premises, we finally left and headed to the new harbor for a lunch.  I got a plate of roast beef slices and French fries, and my boyfriend had a fresh salad. After lunch we went to hotel to change clothes, and then went to the beach to get some tan and swim. The water was freezing cold, so I skipped the opportunity to swim. We tanned for about an hour, and then walked back to the  hotel for a short siesta, and a shower. Then we opened the bottle of white wine, changed into something bit more fancy and headed out to search a nice restaurant for the night.

We didn’t get very far, because the restaurant of Hotel Lago di Garda looked very tempting, located on the same street that our hotel. We decided to eat inside, and looked like we were the only ones who did that, all the other customers were outside. The atmosphere was very intimate with candles, and just the two of us in the whole room. We ordered pasta and red wine; the waiter let me taste the wine, I never got to do that before! I felt so special :) The spaghetti con ragu (or Pasta Bolognese) was so delicious and the wine was just perfect.  The night was perfect with us sipping on wine and talking. For desert we ordered some drinks, I had a drink called “Screaming Orgasm”, and it was definitely delightful!  

After dinner we still didn’t want to go back to the hotel, so we ended up walking all around town. We found this awesome toystore that had the most extensive collection of mini car models. The basement was full of them, and included some real rarities. My boyfriend went mad in there! :)

At the end of the night we went for a nightcap on a bar at Piazza Statuto. It was most definitely the best Cuba Libre I have ever had! 

Summer Holiday to Malcesine, Italy, part 1

Lucky we, me and my boyfriend got our summer vacations arranged to be at the same time. This allowed us to make a little trip a little further than just our own home country. We booked a trip to Italy, and left early Sunday morning, not really knowing what to expect. 

Our plane took off at 6:00am Finnish time from the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, and right after we had reached our flight altitude, the cabin crew started to serve us breakfast. Warm food, bread, yoghurt, orange juice.. pretty decent in my opinion. After eating, I fell asleep. I woke up a bit later with the plane shaking a little, and saw that the light was on that indicated that passengers should fasten their seatbelts. I thought we were just experiencing some turbulence, but soon I heard the captain explaining that we will start landing. The whole flight took 2,5 hours. We landed to Valerio Catullo Villafranca Airport of Verona (yes, the hometown of Romeo & Juliet) at 7:30am Italian time. We got off the plane, got our luggage, and headed out. Finnish tourist guides  greeted us, and showed us to our bus to Malcesine.

Busdrive from Verona to Malcesine took about an hour, during which the guide told us little about Italy, Lake Garda and of course Malcesine. The village of Malcesine is located on the shores of Lake Garda, notably one of the most beautiful places in the world. When we arrived at the bus station, all the people headed for their own hotels. One of the best things about Lake Garda is that none of the hotels there are owned by some major international hotel chain; instead the hotels are relatively small and managed by locals.  We stayed at Hotel Modena, and the owner was there at the station to greet us and to take our bags to a vehicle that could be only explained as vespa for three people with a sunroof. The hotel owner, Gino, took our bags to the vehicle so we didn’t have to carry them, and drove in front of us to the hotel. Me and my boyfriend were only accompanied by four other elderly Finnish couples. No kids here, hurrah!

The small vehicle was the only motor-run thing that can drive on the narrow cobblestone streets of the village. The only ”big” road that can be driven with a car passes the old town, but never enters it.  Our hotel was located right at the center of the old town, only one house away from the shore. Our room was located on the second floor (ground floor being floor 0), with windows facing the inner court. The room itself was small but very comfortable, and was entered though a terrace. We loved the place right from the beginning.

Since we arrived to Malcesine so early in the morning, our room wasn't ready when we got to the hotel. We had prepared that the room wouldn't be ready until 2pm, but to our surprise the owner said that the room is ready at 11am. We left our luggage to the hotel for safe keeping until then, and decided to head out for some good old Italian breakfast.  Since it was raining, we chose a cafe next door to our hotel. We got some traditional italian snacks, and probably the best cappucino ever. Trust me, it tastes so much better in Italy.

The Finnish tour operator Aurinkomatkat organized a walk around the town for the new arrivals at the afternoon. They showed us all the most important places, like a pharmacy, ATM's, best restaurants, places worth a visit, etc. The tour ended at Al Marinaio restaurant for a toast to celebrate the beginning of our vacation. The restaurant itself is worth the visit. It's located at the old harbor, and has real napolitan pizza, with the thick edges and thin center with the toppings.

It’s also a good idea to remember how the italians themselves enjoy their food. The breakfast is pretty light, with different types of ham, bread, cereal, and espresso or cappucino. Italians also always use warm milk in their coffee. The lunchtime is around noon, and is also pretty light, usually a pizzaslice or a panini. Afternoon is a time for a siesta, when most stores are closed for about 3-4 hours. Dinner is served around 7pm to 9:30pm, and is the heaviest of the day. It is usually started with a drink, aperitivo (our favorite was a Spritz), and followed by appetizers, antipasti.  The dinner itself includes three servings: First course,  Primo piatto, is usually a pasta or a soup. The main course, secondo piatto is fish or meat. The side dishes contorni is ordered separately, and is usually potatoes or salads. The dessert, dolce, can be either a cake ice cream, and is finished with a digestivo, a drink to help start the digesting. Our favorite was a citron liquor, limoncello. The wines are also fairly cheap there, so we usually ordered a bottle of red wine with our food.

After the tour we headed to a restaurant close to our hotel, and ordered a pizza for both. We also got Spritz for apetizers, and since I wanted to celebrate our first day there, I got a mimosa drink with my pizza. Mimosa is a mix of orange juice and sparkling wine. And tastes delightful.  The pizzas were served from a pizza plates, that were still too small for the gigantic pizzas. I don't know was it just the ecstasy of the first day, but those pizzas were awesome and so tasty. Best pizza I have ever had! After lunch we headed out of the restaurant, and noticed a ice cream parlor called La Dolce Vita right in front of our hotel entrance. Their ice cream was heavenly, we ended up visiting that place several times a day, every day during our vacation.

We took a little siesta ourselves, and decided to head out for a walk to the south side of the town. We walked for few kilometers, and reached Lungolago,  a place noted as a nice beach for swimming, and also for having a beach bar. The view was breathtaking:  Malcesine at the horizon, the deep blue Lake Garda and the majestic mountains. After the walk we sat down for an ice cream at the new harbor plaza. The ice cream plates were big and tasty and the band playing at the plaza was very groovy and talented. The night was warm and starts were shining.. perfect beginning for our holiday. 

Back home..

Yesterday we got home from our trip to Italy, and let me tell you, we both wish we could have stayed there. It was warm, pretty, good food, nice people.. pretty much everything was better. Now we are just sitting here at home, looking at holiday photos and hoping we were there. A real after-vacation blues! But it's all gonna get better, it is just a sign that our holiday was beautiful and we wish it didn't end at all. 


During our vacation I got the idea that after we return home I should write a blog about our experience and also give some advice for people traveling there, so that their vacation will be as pleasurable as ours was :)


So stay tuned, I will be posting the blog in several parts in the following week or two. 

Happy Towel Day everyone!

May 25th is celebrated worldwide as a Towel Day, a tribute to the legendary Science Fiction writer Douglas Adams, and his masterpiece The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. On this day fans carry a towel with them, no matter where they go. The orgins of this tradition can be found in the book, where the greatness of a towel is explained at chapter 3:

"A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-bogglingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough."

                                —   Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I am currently reading the trilogy again, I have already red it several times. I am always fascinated by it's clever humour and awesome twists in the plot. All I can say is that Adams was a genius, and to honor the genius, carrying a towel around in the least I can do.

Naturally, I took my towel with me to work. I got lots of weird looks, and many people asked me why do I carry a towel with me. I even had to explain it to everyone before our team meeting. But it was all good, I got to share so knowledge to my coworkers. Some of them even called me a pioneer of sort, because I am the first one in our community to do this. But most importantly, i got the chance to publicly give my respects to the one and only Mr. Adams.

Remember to take your towel with you, you never know when you might need it :) 

The Darwin Awards

On a Friday night few weeks ago, me and my boyfriend decided to stay at home, eat well and watch a good movie. We chose a movie called The Darwin Awards, which turned out to be exactly what we wanted. It was good, entertaining and humorous. And it offered an intresting point of view to those who are qualified for those unrespected awards.

The Darwin Awards is an actual website, http://www.darwinawards.com/ . The site tells storied about people who accidentally kill themselves by doing something incredibly stupid. The name Darwin is linked to them, because they are doing a favour for the gene pool by removing themselves from it, so there stupidity genes wont be transferred to next generations. The website is full of incredible stories, the movie featured only a few and a couple of close calls.

The movie is starred by Joseph Fiennes (best known from playing Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love) and Winona Ryder (no mention here where we know her from!). Let me just say that these two did awesome job with their roles. Both characters were built nicely but still with room for imagination. Fiennes is Michael Burrows, a criminal profiler terrified of blood. He accidentally lets a serial killer get away and is fired from the San Francisco Police Force. He is fascinated by the Darwin Awards website, and decides to combine his intrest and talent of profiling. He meets up with a insurance company's manager, and convinces him to give him a job at profiling those people who have a high risk of accidentally taking their own lives. He is teamed up with Siri (Ryder), to investigate current cases.

Naturally for drama reasons, the two don't get along. Siri doesn't like Michael stepping on her toes at investigations and interviews, but is soon convinced when Michael's theories are proven true. The couple faces some weird and unbelievable cases, and learn something about themselves on the way. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, so I won't go into more detail. After all, I can honestly recommend this movie. It was entertaining, and got me thinking.

Now when I get to this analysing part, I might spoil something, so consider yourself warned.

I think Michael was fascinated by the Darwin Awards because in a way, he envied them. He lived a very protected life himself, knew all the things that can go wrong and was always prepared. The Darwin Award winners may not have thought about the concequences, and therefore were just plain stupid, but they also had the guts to try, and more of, to live. When someone is always prepared for the worst, fears everything and is afraid to try, that person will also have a pretty boring life. And stressful, when they have to worry all the time. They might live longer, but the quality of that time will be questionable. After all, all the risks make life more fun. It still doesn't mean that you should do something really stupid. Brains is a good thing to have. Also, about midway through the movie Siri suggests that Michael is a real candidate for the Darwin Awards. And indeed, through the whole movie he get into situations that could be fatal, but he always somehow manages to survive.

So what do we learn from the movie? Trying is a good thing, but always remember to also think. Being imaginative is a good thing, being stupid is not. Also, don't take life for granted. Don't ever think that "it can't happen to me" or "I can't get hurt". Because it CAN happen to you and you CAN get hurt.

All in all, the movie was good, night was fun.. the junkfood wasn't so great, though. But at least we tried something different :D

Me, Myself and I

Welcome to my blog. If you have found your way here, you probably already know me. Or you think you know. Big difference there. For all of you, who don't know me yet or think they know me but are mistaken, I dedicate this first text officially to myself. Egoism is a bliss, my friends.

I'm 24-years old. Soon 25. I will be ranting over the matter in later texts, how it sucks to get old and all. But, like I said, more about it later. I live in Helsinki, the beautiful capital of Finland. And I absolutely love my new home city. It's all better here. I live with my fiancé, we got engaged during Christmas break in Lapland. It was oh so romantic, and my ring is fabulous. But most importantly, my soon to be husband is more than awesome. He is my true soulmate, and I know for a fact that I will be spending the rest of my life with him. Love you, boo!

Yes, I do have a job. The best thing about my job is my awesome coworkers. Especially one of them. She seems to be as messed up as i am and have the same sort of weird sense of humor than I have. Mostly we cause confusion and sometimes irritation. But we are just trying to make those long days at work a bit more fun. And they are, at least for us. I have bonded that well with a coworker only once before, during the days I was working in a circuit board assembly line while still in school. There I met a guy, and it was insanity right from the beginning. Our sense of humor was wicked and lame, but we found it hilarious. Our days were filled with little brother-and-sister like battles, stealing shoes and fighting over which one can enter from the doorway first. He quit working there about a month before I did. After he left, it was boring all the way. This happened almost two years ago and we are still close. In fact, he will be my one of my maid of honors in my wedding. And I am sure the same thing will happen this time with my current just-as-loony coworker, I'm positive that our friendship will last way past the days of me being there. 

I love and collect bath ducks. I can't remember where it all started.. I have never even owned a tub! But I really like those little quackers, especially the luxury design ducks. I have a special shelf for them right in our livingroom. Luckily my man sees it as a “cute feature” about me. He did try to gently suggest that we could put them in the bathroom, but since we have joined bath/toilet, I explained that I don't want my duckies to start smelling like poop. So they are in the livingroom now. And people can see them there too! It's cute and unique, just like I like it.

Other thing I am really passioned about is Legos. And so is my man. And when to legofreaks get together and move in, the result is.. well, bricky. We have spacious livingroom with lot of floorspace, but right now most of the floor is covered with Legos. We built our fancy Legotown there. I won't go into more details, because I'm planning on taking pictures and maybe having a more detailed post about it later. At this point I just want to point out that I also have earrings made from Lego blocks.. and luckily I have them, because they played a significant role in our lovestory with my man. But that is one long story.. sweet, but long. :)

Dancing. I can't live without it. I have attended different danceclasses through my whole life, but in 2007 I found a group for Latin dances in my then hometown. I danced there for two years, and this January I started in a new group here in Helsinki. I also love dancing in my free time, and whenever in a club, I'm ALWAYS on the dancefloor. Sometimes me and my man go out to a club just to dance. That's one more thing we have in common; we both love to dance. We even attended a dancecourse together when we were still just seeing each other and not an official couple yet. At one class we were dancing Cha Cha.. and sometime during that class I realized I'm in love with that man. It was somehow intimate moment, letting him in my own little danceworld, and the way he was interested about it and wanted to learn just impressed me. A lot. Since that I have fallen in love with him more every day.

So there it is, a little scratch on the surface of what I am. This is my blog. Expect pretty much anything, I have no idea what will be coming.. but I'm sure it's all Mintilicious.