So much stuff...

I'm getting there! :)) If I can manage to get an internet connection tomorrow morning, I will post from the airport!! AAAAAAAAH, I'M LEAVING TOMORROW!!!

Viittä vaille on kaikki valmista!! :) Jos vaan saan internetyhteyden huomenna lentokentällä, niin teen lyhyen postauksen vielä sieltä! En jaksa uskoa, että huomenna on lähtö edessä! Alkaa jo jännittää :) 12 tunnin päästä pitäisi olla jo hereillä ja valmistautumassa bussiasemalle lähtöön. 

Tällä hetkellä fiilis mitä parhain!

Do I have to wait until Saturday?

I have had a great day!!!

Went to work (second-to-last day!) and since the place I work in is more of a summer-place, it's gotten really quiet... I had five customers today. FIVE! Not having much to do, I did something one isn't supposed to do at a work place: I was on Facebook and played games. Days like this are really, really boring, so hey, try to make the most of it. Tomorrow's my last day, hooray for that! :)

After work I visited my mom quickly, applied for ESTA and printed out all my travel documents for Saturday. Then I went shopping, got myself a pair of jeans  and some other useful stuff I needed. 

I smiled all day long. 

Doesn't happen that often, so I find it important to share with you guys. I couldn't help but think about how close Saturday is; I can't believe I'm going!!! 

Got my luggage ready! Not packed. Just ready for me to pack them full of things! 

I'll try to remember to take pictures of the packing process and post them here. That ought to be fun ;)

I guess now's as good a time as any

Ok, it's official. 

I'm freaking out.

I've got four days to get everything settled. FOUR DAYS! Sh*t. Seriously. Help me. 

My apartment's mostly done. 

But I haven't packed, not even a little bit.

I haven't applied for ESTA, and knowing that it will be taken care of tomorrow, isn't helping at all. 

I haven't exchanged all the money I want to exchange.

I still have some shopping to do, and I can't get it done until Wednesday or Thursday. 

I can't even remember what to do. 

I want to cry :(

Anybody out there, who would like to come and make sure I don't throw myself down from the balcony?

Yeah. It'll be ok, I know. I'll let you know by Friday night. Stay tuned. 

My fingertips are black!

Hi guys!

Today I finally washed my floors. At first I was, to be honest, pissed because I didn't see the difference and was wondering if it all was for nothing, not to mention that stupid floor mop kept dragging dust with it, even though I had just vacuumed. Seriously, where did all the dust come from... Here's me, the master of cleaning. If you know me personally, you know what I mean. I really, really, really don't know how to clean up. But, after the floors dried out and I replaced my mats, I admit it looked a bit better. Especially in the kitchen, lol!

I've got less than a week before I leave Finland for the USA, and I've just been grazed with all that I have to do before I go. Sorry for the lack of posts... There's another reason I've been neglecting you guys, and it's this one:

I've been really trying to get back into the world of drawing, and so far I'm happy with myself. But, it does take its toll on this blog, since now I spend more of my time doing something else than writing here. Sorry :( I will try to post more often. 

I'm actually very happy with this drawing, I even did a fine job with the nose!! Always had troubles with noses. And hair. The hair sucks in this one, too. But, practice makes you better. If there are any artists reading this, I'd be happy to receive some tips!! 

Thanks for sticking around :)

she's bleeding, honey

An artist always finds something wrong with their work, and I'm no exception. I won't list the faults though, just in case you don't see them :) I'm very happy with the rose. 

And all in all, it feels great to be drawing again. 

<3

It's called "personalizing". D'oh.

I pimped my MacBook. I love it a lot more now. 

What do you think? 

Aina mä unohdan hankkia kurkkupastilleja...

Mikä siinä on kun joskus ärsyttää vaan niin maan perusteellisesti ettei mitään rajaa... ilman mitään syytä?! 

Tämä ilta oli sellainen. En tiedä, mikä ketuttaa, mutta jokin ottaa aivoon nyt ja pahasti. Ei edes pitäisi. No joo, oon kipee, kurkkua kutittaa ja se ärsyttää, mutta muuten on ollut kiva päivä. Mä sain jopa mun isäntäperhetiedot tänään. Nyt on asuinpaikka rapakon takana tiedossa, ja se on kiva juttu; johan tätä ollaan odotettu kuin kuuta nousevaa. 

Mä olen tänää katsonut 8 jaksoa Frendejä veljen kanssa, syönyt äitin leipomia pullia (söin myös ihan oikeeta ruokaakin), ottanut päikkärit ja levännyt muuten vaan. Miettinyt, että ois hirveetä olla nyt töissä, niin kuin mun piti olla. Korkea kuume kuitenkin pakotti hakeen saikkua. 

Silti nyt v*****aa. 

Mä olen saanut kuulla, että mulla on taipumuksia melankoliaan, ja että välil pitäs hellittää. Oon kyllä samaa mieltä. Jos yks asia menee pielee, annan helposti muidenkin mennä, positiivisuus muuttuu tosi helposti negatiivisuudeksi ja sitten se lumipallo alkaa vieriä. Päässä pyörii kaikki mun elämän epäkohdat. Oikeen kivaa... Kohta nukkumaan, ehkä oon huomenna jo paremmalla tuulella.

Toivottavasti myös fyysisesti parempi olo, kun ois ihan suunnitelmiakin. Ois treffit yhen ystävän kanssa, jota en oo nähny pitkään aikaan. Oon nyt yrittäny nähä porukkaa ennen mun matkaa, koska seuraava kerta menis vasta joulukuulle tai ens vuoden puolelle, ja kun on vielä elokuu, se tuntuu aivan liian pitkältä ajalta olla näkemättä ketään. 

Huomenna äiti lähtee Kiinaan työmatkalle. Jäispä se tänne mun henkilökohtaiseks avustajaksi. Sairaana on aina hyvä olla äidin helmoissa. Mutta mä luulen, että matka Kiinaan voittaa mun passaamisen ;)

Tässä kuulumisia tältä erää. Hirveen kivaa tekstiä taas... kyllä mä joskus kirjotan jostain oikeesti kivasta aiheesta. Ois pitäny tehä teille video postaus. Yskin ja niistelen, oisitte saanu hyvät naurut. Ehkä seuraavan kerran, kun olen kipeä. 

Ciao beibet!

alive (?)

Just a quick update to let you all know I'm still alive. Down with a fever and flu right now + all the craziness of my every-day-life right now.... Sorry I haven't been blogging that much this month. Hoping to get back in business asap!!

Elikkäs tässä nopea päivitys vain.. olen vielä elossa. Tällä hetkellä sängyn pohjalla kuumeessa ja flunssassa. Ja vielä mun normielämän kiireet, niin avot. Anteeksi, ettei tässä kuussa ole tullut bloggailtua niin paljoa. Toivotaan, että mahd. nopeesti alkaa taas runosuoni sykkiä. 

Be careful what you wish for 'cos you just might get it!

Here are the results of the poll. I have to say I was a little surprised to learn that so many of you want to read cooking/baking related posts. Not to mention that you would want to see me doing video posts. Haha, well, you'll get what you asked for ;) I don't know when I'll be cooking something that looks presentable enough, but maybe I could share some recipes at some point. I do make a killer cheesecake!

I will also make a video post. We'll see how it goes and take it from there; see if it's something I could do more often than once a year ;) And when I find the time to draw, I will take pictures and display my art here for you to see, and I will also try to remember to take more pictures of my outfits. 

Thank you for voting! I want to write about stuff that interests you, so I appreciate your input. 

P.S. Two weeks to go!!

yeah... whatever

If there's something I can't tolerate, it's ignorance. Sadly, I've had my share and I think it's made me tougher. I've also found a new side of myself. I don't sit around waiting for people to start caring anymore. They either care or they don't. I don't need the drama in my life. 

This is my hand writing at its best. I paid attention to it just for you. 

Fortunately, ignorance is something that I haven't had to endure for a long time now. Maybe because I stopped caring, too. I still prefer people to say things to my face. Please do that. Don't just stop being my friend, like you never cared anyway. It's so much easier to answer to others feelings of love or hate, than to answer to their ignorance, because I'm not good at ignoring the people in my life. Sometimes I don't get to see some people as often as I would like to, but I think true friendship allows that. We have to be able to pick up from where we left the last time, no matter how much time has passed. If we can't do that, then... seriously, can you even call it a friendship?

BLOGS!

With 17 registered readers, I may not have that much influence on what you people read, but I'm going to give it a try anyway. My blog stats tell me I have far more than 17 readers out there, so I'm hoping to reach as many people as possible!

Mulla ei välttis oo kauheesti sananvaltaa siinä, mitä teidän kannattaisi lukea, kun teitä rekisteröityneitä lukijoita on vain 17. Aion kuitenkin yrittää. Mun blogin tilastot kertoo, että lukijoita on paljon enemmän kuin tuo 17, joten toivottavasti tavoitan tällä niin monta ihmistä kuin mahdollista!

Here's a list of awesome blogs in English:

justbeingmia

A lively blog by a writer who has a strong voice and a funny and real way of telling things. This is a blog of a dear friend of mine, and I can guarantee it's worth reading! 

Amanda Hocking's Blog

If you haven't heard of Amanda Hocking, then google her and start reading her blog. Here's someone who's a true inspiration to me. 

Visionary Dreams

A Fashion Blog by a Californian girl with a great and unique style!

Ja tässä lista mahtavista suomalaisista blogeista:

Kaitaliina

Suomalaisen perheen elämää Shanghaissa. Mielenkiintoista ja mukavaa luettavaa!

My State of Mind's All Purple

Musiikkipainotteinen blogi täynnä elämää. Joskus myös englanninkielistä sisältöä! Jes!

Motherfuckin' Fashion

Varmaan monelle suomalaiselle tuttu blogi, mutta esittelenpä sen kuitenkin. Vauhdikas blogi helsinkiläisen Lauran elämästä, aina kiinnostavaa luettavaa!

[[So Restless]]

Söpö blogi elämästä, jota on kuvattu kauniisti mahtavilla valokuvilla!

Let's Fake It!

Sairaan hauska. Ei varmaan tarvitse muuta sanoa. 

I hope you'll find something you like! 

Toivottavasti näistä löytyy mieluisia!

:)

Let me paint you a little picture...

Today I watched a movie, that I liked, but wouldn't admit to anyone I actually watched it. It's one of those teenage movies that you don't really need your brain for. 

I'm not going to tell you the title of the movie, but here's a quote that I loved:

"Artists feel things differently than regular people. Artists can be emotional and make the audience feel what they're feeling, and that's what it's all about."

If you recognize the movie, let me know. 

That's so right, though, isn't it? I've always been careful about calling myself an artist, but after really thinking about it, I can honestly say that I am. It may not be obvious. You might really have to dig deep to see it, but that's what I've always been. 

I've been told that I got my artistic abilities from my grandmother (mom's side). It's a shame I never got to know her. She died when I was three years old. I only have one memory of her. We're sitting at her kitchen table, me, my mom and my grandma, and she smiles at me. She's wearing a blue gown. Possibly a dress or a night gown, I don't know. 

I've been told she was musical and that she could sing. And when she was given a pen and paper, she did an amazing job drawing. I got the latter, but I've been neglecting it for a long time. Sometimes when people expect you to do something that you're naturally good at, you lose the will to do it. I never wanted to make drawing a career, it was just a hobby for me. 

Now, if I can only find the time, I think I'm ready to start over. I will never turn it into a job. It will always be a way to pass time, and a form of therapy for me. Can't afford a shrink ;)

Not my best by far, not to mention it's been so many years since I drew that, I can't even remember. Which only shows, that I have spent too much time doing other stuff besides drawing. I'd like to get back to it. 

Don't forget the poll! You still have time to vote!

-I

Almost time to freak out!!!

People, I've got 3,5 weeks before I take off. 

Sooo much to take care of before that happens. I'm starting to stress out over it. Not fun.
Ihmiset, mulla on 3,5 viikkoa aikaa lähtöön.
Hommaa on tosi paljon ennen sitä, ja stressi alkaa iskemään päälle. Ei kiva.

Today I finally got a confirmation about my internship placement. Sorry, I won't tell you where I will be interning, because I want to maintain some kind of privacy. Nothing personal. You already know the city I'm heading to ;)
Tänään sain viimein vahvistuksen mun harjottelupaikasta. Yksityisyyden takia en kuitenkaan paljasta täällä, minne menen. Tiedätte kummiskin jo kaupungin missä tulen asustelemaan ;)

I have the next two days off, so I'll get something done. I promise. 

Seuraavat pari päivää ois vapaata, joten saan aikaiseksikin jotain. Lupaan sen.

Have a great week everybody! :)

Hyvää viikkoa kaikille! :)


To my English-speaking readers, from now on I will be posting some of my posts in Finnish as well, due to public demand ;) Not everything will be translated, only the shorter posts such as this one!

Meet the woman, who started it all.

Now starting: the interviews!

And who better to be my very first interviewee, than my own mother, Anne. 

Here's to shed some light to my passion of traveling. You can blame her. 

Note: all answers are direct quotes. 

Describe yourself, please?

I'm nice and fun. Sometimes I can be a b*tch. Let's say I have a great sense of humor, a sharp tongue and a good situational awareness. One of my best qualities is my ability to organize anything, and people envy me for that. There are bad qualities, too. I'm very critical. I'm always criticizing something. Sometimes little things piss me off. I'm quick on my moves, so when something doesn't go as planned, you'll know it. But mostly, I think I'm good company. 

What do you do for living?

A lot of things. I work as a receptionist at a private medical clinic two days a week. Every now and then I drive a cab, but only on weekend nights. A couple of times a year I work as a tour guide and interpreter on various trips abroad. I'm also an interpreter for the deaf and organize their free time activities when I go to work for this rehabilitation center for two weeks, for two, three times a year. And I'm Finnish to English, speech to text interpreter as well; this job also allows me to travel. 

When did you first travel and where?

My first trip was a 10-day trip to Great Britain with my brother. We stayed in Wales, my brother and I had pen pals who lived next door to each other in Swansea, and we visited London with them a few times. I was 17 and my brother was 16. 

What got you interested in traveling?

I think the first trip sparked everything. Around the time, Inter-rail was gaining popularity, and after my trip to the UK, I traveled around Europe for six summers in a row, inter-railing. That was a real life-school. 

How many countries have you visited?

I've been to 39 countries so far. In a couple of weeks I'll be going to China for business, and that'll be my 40th country. 

What's your favorite destination?

Hard to say, but probably London. I've been there for about 30 times. The UK was the first place I ever traveled to, so I guess it holds a special place in my heart. 

What's so great about traveling?

Everything. Every time is a survival game. It's wonderful to eat foods from different countries, but what I love the most is the history and the sights. I "collect" UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. 

What made you take your kids with you abroad?

When the kids were small, the only option to actually get to go abroad, was to take them with me. Iira was 3 months old when she traveled to Cyprus, and her brother was 7 months when he traveled to Greece. And that's how it started. We went somewhere every year. The kids got used to going abroad every summer. It took all our extra money and vacation time. 

What's your best experience? And the worst?

There's no best. I've had amazing time on my trips. Each of them has their own special thing. But the worst experience is my only bad experience. I was inter-railing, and this time with a partner. I always traveled alone back then. We planned our trip for six months, every night. Two days in, and we were fighting about everything. We had different views on everything we wanted out of that trip. We even got back home a week earlier than we were supposed to. 

You've always supported my traveling a lot. Why?

Traveling widens your horizon, and that's what I've tried to teach you. That's why I support it. It takes its toll on your wallet, too. It gives you plenty of life experience and makes one to do something else besides sitting at their kitchen table, spying on neighbors. We are the people, who do everything by themselves.

Do you trust me to be all right out there?

The experiences alone have taught me, that my kids will be ok. I don't worry about them like that. They'll be fine. And so what, if there's problems? There's always help here at home, and abroad. 

What languages do you speak?

I've always gotten by with English, but I do speak some Swedish and German also. Had I been a smart kid, I would have studied some Spanish. 

Would you like to live abroad some day? If so, where?

Yes, I can see myself living abroad. But only after I'm retired. Tuscany, Italy, would be a good place. 

Thank you, mom, for granting me the opportunity to share your awesomeness with the world.

<3

No use for Google Translate...

Hei taas suomenkielinen yleisöni :) 

Päätinpä jälleen kirjoittaa ihan omalla äidinkielellä vaihteeksi. Ei ole suomenkielisiä postauksia täällä näkynyt niin usein, kuin silloin joskus meinasin, mutta katsotaan saadaanko siihen asiaan muutos. 

Kovasti haluaisin toteuttaa teidän postaustoiveitanne, jos niitä on, ja tuossa oikeallahan on toi kysely, mihin saatte vapaasti osallistua. Se on englanniksi, kyllä, mutta pitäisi olla tarpeeksi selkeä kuitenkin :) Joten vastailkaa niin saan bloggailtua aiheista, mitkä kiinnostaa teitä!

Yksi asia onkin tullut jo esiin eräältä taholta. Mua pyydettiin kirjoittamaan postauksiani sekä suomeksi että englanniksi. Tämä asia on itse asiassa ollut mun harkinnassa jonkun aikaa, ja voin iloksenne (?) kertoa, että tulen tämän pyynnön toteuttamaan! Osittain kylläkin vain. Jotkut postaukset ovat aika pitkiä, joten niitä en ala kirjoittamaan kahdella kielellä. Kuka niitä jaksaa lukea?! Mutta joitakin lyhyempiä postauksia voi tästä lähin odottaa molemmilla kielillä. Kaikkea en lupaa kääntää; siinä on suuri työ, ja vaikka kuinka rakastan bloggausta, yritän olla kuluttamatta siihen suurinta osaa päivästäni ;)

Toivottavasti tämä pieni uudistus toisi lisää lukijoita tänne! Lukijaksi voi rekisteröityä tuosta oikealta -->  Join this site. 

Kommenttejakin saa jättää, ja mun sähköpostiosoite löytyy myös sivupalkista. 

Täältä voi myös kuukauden päästä alkaa seuraamaan mun elämää Amerikassa, kun lähden sinne työharjoitteluun kolmeksi kuukaudeksi. Luvassa on yksityiskohtaisempia jäkätyksiä kuin mitä Facebookiin tulee laitettua. 

Mitäs muuta.. alko tekee mieli mansikoita. Taidan joutua tyytymään viinirypäleisiin. Pitäis vielä ostaa mansikoita kun niitä saa; hullua miten nopeesti tää kesä meni!! Mulla loppuu työtkin parin viikon sisään. Sitten on vuorossa armotonta siivoomista ja pakkaamista ja kavereiden näkemistä ennen lähtöä. On kyllä ihana päästä pois täältä, vaikka ikävä tuleekin. 

Ei tällä kertaa muuta! Kantsii aina välillä kurkkailla tänne, saatatte törmätä huippujuttuihin! (vaatimattomuus kaunistaa)

Joskus lupailin haastatteluja, ja JEE, ensimmäinen haastis on työn alla ja ilmestyy viimeistään ensi viikolla! Valotan teille hieman, mistä olen saanut intoni matkustaa, ja haastattelen yhtä maailman parhaimmista ihmisistä: äitiäni <3

Palaillaan! :)

-i

...and I don't even like candy that much.

Admit it.

 You love me.

Or hate me.

Or love hating me.

Or hate loving me. 

I should wear my glasses more. 

We howled at the moon hoping no one would howl back

One of my best friends visited me last night. We wanted to watch a scary movie, and landed on Scream. I know... not exactly a scary one unless you're twelve, but still. After the movie we went swimming. It was already midnight, and now that it's starting to get dark at night again, we were kinda jumpy. But it was perfect!

Last night no one else had thought of a night swim, so it was just the two of us. We walked at the end of the pier. It was silent and peaceful, and not completely dark because of the beautiful moon! But dark enough for us to be a little scared of being butchered by a psycho hiding in the woods. 

I hadn't gone swimming yet this year. The last time was last summer in Ocean City, MD. I had to try the water first with my toes, but that's all I did before me and my friend took each other's hands and jumped right in, with our clothes on. 

Hands down, one of the best nights this summer so far. With all its simplicity, we had a great time :)

Today another good friend of mine is coming over for a movie marathon. 

Or, to be more exact, scary movie marathon. 

No late night swims tonight! 

xxo