Winds of change are blowing my way

Summer is almost gone (but never forgotten!), I'm eating ice cream and writing this blog post on my balcony. Life is pretty great at this moment. I have so much to tell you!

Where should I begin? The major news? Yes! Guys, I got into school! I've started to study Hospitality Management in Tampere University of Applied Sciences just two days ago! I'm really happy that I got in and my class is awesome. I've had lots of fun with them already and even though tonight I'm taking a day off of group activities, I'll catch up when I get back from NYC.

Summer went... well while working. So nothing new I guess.

And let's take a small throwback to last weekend. I spent the last weekend in Helsinki attending my dear friend Kipa's surprise baby shower! I baked a cake for her and kept her busy while the others went to her apartment and decorated it. At the same time we were looking out for possible shots for a baby bump photoshoot we were planning on doing. The party was successful and in the evening we left to Vallila to take some photos of the mom-to-be (and the dad-to-be). I stayed the night and on Sunday we continued with Kipa by heading off to Alppiruusupuisto (Rhododendron Park) to take some more pictures that turned out to be just gorgeous, even though the blooming season had been long gone.

So... New York City is waiting for me in only two days! Honestly I'm so excited and terrified at the same time. This will be the first trip I'm doing completely solo. I already have so much planned!

Let's just say that I have hop-on hop-off bus tour, new york city pass (with admission to 6 attractions), helicopter ride over manhattan, a course at magnolia bakery and the cherry on top: wicked on broadway. I've been planning a lot like what to do and what to see on each day, since the NYC pass has attractions that obviously will have queues (even though some give you the opportunity to skip them). So the plans kind of... live through the trip.

I'm also waiting for Monday's welcome party at my hostel and meeting all the new people. I'm hoping that everything will go well and I don't lose stuff (or forget to pack something essential with me).

Alright, so next time I'll write I'll probably be in New York already. So until then!

Life is sweet - enjoy the little things

 

This evening, around 10PM I took my dog out and got all the summery feels from the blooming bushes and trees outside. Then I sat for another half an hour at my balcony, eating a cone of ice cream and just appreciating how nice that felt. My home, my balcony, my life. How many people do that? Just sit down, feel what your feeling, appreciate that feeling and try to remember how that felt for the rest of your life? Because I do. I do remember those little moments, I think of them everytime I'm going through something or if I'm sad or angry. I try to remember those good moments that didn't necessarily take a lot. Maybe just the smell of flowers, warm summer night weather, staring at the partially cloudy sky and eating ice cream.

I've been jamming a lot to Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop The Feeling", which I found out, is actually perfect song for summer in general. Makes me wanna dance whenever I hear it (and yes I've kinda done that in work, my colleagues will prove that).

I have a feeling that this summer is going to be great. 

Last Saturday I hosted my 2nd homewarming party. The first was on April 16th for my colleagues from work and this one was for all of my friends so there was about 25 people packed into my small apartment. We had lots of fun, watched hockey (sadly Finland won all the other games but the final so silver for us... once again) and eventually ended evening in a bar. Where I finally found my courage to sing karaoke.

 

And to other things. I actually got a new camera Canon EOS M, which is way smaller than my #1 camera. However, my Canon EOS 60D is actually so damn heavy to carry around everywhere to actually make it my everyday camera, I decided that it was time to get a second, smaller one but with the same kind of qualities (cause honestly me and pocket cameras are a disaster!). Now I've got it going with me to New York.

I also booked tickets to see WICKED ON BROADWAY. Guys, I'm so excited right now! I'm also gonna see Finding Neverland, but I haven't booked the tickets just yet. And of course I'm trying very hard to get tickets to see Jimmy Fallon bc he's my favorite talk show host ever. Aside from Ellen Degeneres. Oh there are so many things I would want to do and so little time. I booked my accommodation from a very nice hostel in Upper West Side in a dorm of 6 females. So this is really my first time for everything - first time traveling completely alone, first time in New York, first time in a dorm with 5 other people (or less, but we'll see). However, I'm becoming more and more excited about this everyday.

So yes, life is what you make it. I've always been a person who wants to live and explore, even if I've always been scared of doing it alone. But I'm really not. Not anymore. I might be carefree and I don't take life seriously (or like my mom tends to say; you have no clue how life works). Maybe I do, maybe I don't. But I will figure it out. Because after all it's my life and it's my world. And I'm trying to make the best of it everyday. Try it if you haven't. You might be surprised.

love,

Her name was New York

It feels so unreal. It was only about six months ago when I was planning a trip to Paris with my godson and his family but plans changed due to some miscommunication. So about half an hour ago I booked flights to New York! 

This trip is first of sorts for me. First of all, my first trip to New York. I fell in love with Los Angeles and I think the same will happen here. Second of all, this is my first trip alone. Or well, when I went to Ireland I went alone too but... not alone. I had support from other exchange students and I made some great friends while I was there too. But this time it will be just me, myself and I.

Seeing New York, just like seeing Los Angeles, is on my bucket list. Another thing on my bucket list: seeing a Wicked on Broadway. So yes, I'm going to do exactly that. And if I'm lucky enough, I'll be seeing Finding Neverland as well. I've been in love with that since I found out that Matthew Morrison is playing J.M. Barrie in the Broadway version. And while he isn't performing anymore, it is still a great play with great songs so I'm truly hoping that I am that lucky indeed.

For now, I don't really have any solid plans. For the first time I'm able to see what it is to actually travel alone and I'm half excited and half terrified about it. I'm a social person but also sort of shy. However, I don't have problem in opening my mouth if the situation needs it. But I know I'll be fine. Right now there's butterflies in my stomach.

Lately I've kind of thought about life and just decided to reach out for my dreams (well, those that are reachable). Seeing New York being one of them. Seeing Empire State Building, Broadway, Times Square, Madison Square Garden and the Statue of Liberty. And well, shopping of course. Money's just money, you work hard and you get it, but experiences are priceless. Seeing world is priceless. While I might not be a millionaire or rich, I save up and when I have enough, I go somewhere. I'd lose my head if I got stuck here at home for the whole summer.

So now, dear readers, I need tips! Tell me places that I need to see, shops I need to visit, how to work the NYC subway (and what kind of card to buy if I'm there for a week), how to get from Newark to Manhattan, where to get cheap(er) Broadway tickets etc. I literally want to hear about everything!

love,

Looks like home to me

A new post in a while. I apologize for being MIA, but my work schedule got crazy busy and I had no energy to do anything after work. Things are looking much sunnier right now - SPRING IS HERE.

Oh yeah I probably didn't mention - in the end of october I took my friend to a Scooter's gig in Helsinki after winning two tickets from a radio station competition. I actually called in to participate in this celebrity imitation game, where the hosts each imitate one celebrity and usually you have to have two out of three right to win the prize (usually a cd or something like that). It came as a total surprise that they had added Scooter tickets to that prize and this time I had to get all three of them right. Which made me nervous since I heard them practice their imitation earlier that morning but didn't really have a clue on the third. But then it hit me when I heard it the second time. And I won.

Scooter, oh Scooter. God I feel so old since I danced to their songs in school discos when I was in elementary school and so forth. Good memories, good memories.

But, back to the apartment!

Everything is in place and I should be able to move in in no time! The fact that this renovation has been going on for 9 months is ridiculous but two months are explained with waiting for my kitchen cupboards and everything and one month is explained when a water leakage from upstairs damaged my kitchen a bit so we had to take one cupboard off, let it dry and paint it over again plus add new tapestry. Now it's finally done, the only things lagging are the wall decals and paintings. I've been moving my belongings into my new home slowly, but now I've got most of my stuff in there and still some room in my cupboards/closet. Which is kind of odd considering how much clothes and other things I actually have...

Anyway, let's look at some photos (straight from my instagram so you might've seen this earlier):

My kitchen is probably the best room in my home. The first photo was taken a couple of days ago and the second one was taken before I had moved any stuff in. I have this lovely manual kitchen scale (on top of the digital one I have) from this lovely store in Vammala called Casa Rosalin. I also bought a lot of other stuff there. The bread tin is from Click Store in Ideapark (Jamie Oliver) and Smeg toaster is from Gigantti. I'm still missing my stand mixer but it's on its way! Cause you know what? I'm going to have KitchenAid Artisan mixer in pink and I can't wait to get that baby home!

My dog's at home in the chair though. Alright so living room. Sadly my mother had my couch and chair covered since my dog was there and her fur is everywhere. However, I've decide myself that those will come off and I'll just vacuum the chair and couch if she sheds. No big deal.

 

So my living room is green as you might see. My chair is more... purplish than my couch but they kind of fit together. Altogether I wanted to make this room kind of relaxing and energetic at the same time, hence the colors. All the cabinets are white though and all of them are from Laulumaa. The table is also from there. Couch is from Ikea and I was super lucky to get it! There were only two left in that particular color. I didn't want white or light colored couch cause I knew all dirt and hair would show up immediately in it (and well, having a dog that's not really good). So I went with cherry. The curtains are bunny curtains designed by Minna Parikka and I'm in love with them.

 

And then we have the bedroom, which is pink. My favorite color is pink and while I'm well aware that people rarely paint their walls pink or... well any other color but rather just leave them as white/light/with one wall different color than the others, I'm not really that kind of a girl. I love colors. I kinda tried to mix modern and vintage in my decorations in every room. Though my kitchen is more retro than vintage but I have tons of cute tins and everything in there. However, I went with a bit more romantic edge in my bedroom since I already had the crystal crown my grandmother gave me. The bed and side table is from Ikea, shelf is from Anttila. And well, I don't have much anything else in here. Except my clothes in the wardrobes. And my collection of Victoria's Secret body mists and beauty products.

Then the entrance which is kind of hard to get a photo of since it's very small. But I have a bench and a coat rack there, nothing more. The entrance is painted light purple.

And well I have bathroom too but somehow I've managed not to take photos of that but I will someday. It's kinda cute with owls on the walls.

Well, this is my home and I can't wait to move in!

xoxo,

Winter vacation!

Hello all my lovelies!

The blog has been a little bit slower once again due to work and the fact that I haven't had anything new to update really. Except my wisdom tooth surgery but that's not really a topic that would spark conversation.

Speaking of the surgery (both of my lower wisdom teeth were removed), I looked like a deranged blowfish and this picture pretty much proves it. A rare beauty eh? On the bright side I lost around 10kg in a week and a half when I ate my antibiotics. They were so icky I didn't really crave for ANY sweets. And well, of course I ate soft foods, sweet potato soup and so forth. And it was fine for like a day, but for god's sake I craved meat so badly. So nope, I will never become a vegetarian. Mostly because I also dislike lots of green stuff.

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF EVERYTHING. I'm going to Stockholm with my friend on Saturday. We'll take a ferry and stay in Stockholm for two nights. Including Valentine's Day. Honestly I've never spent Valentine's anywhere else so this is a really special thing and we'll definitely celebrate our friendship!

I'm very excited since I've been on a cruise to Stockholm, however I haven't been on land in ages. I was a little girl the last time I visited Stockholm. So it's about damn time already!

I swear I have more updates coming when I get to Stockholm and back. In the meanwhile - if anyone has any recommendations about what to do/where to go in Stockholm, please let me know!


sincerely,

Winter is here

So, winter has finally arrived as has the first post of 2016! Happy new year everyone! 

And winter did not come the way I expected at all. From nice, relatively warm degrees, mud and rain we went straight to -30°C, freezing wind and layers in clothing. I've never really liked winter as the season. Autumn has always been my season even if there's mud and rain and that phase where all leaves fall down and the trees look like skeletons.

But yes, in the last couple of days my facebook feed has filled with pictures of people having their hair or eyelashes or beard frozen due to the weather.

Anyway, I had bought this super cute winter coat earlier from modcloth.com.  And today I wore it the first time. It's really warm and comfy, which is why I decided to go fetch it from my apartment in Tampere and bring it with me back home. Right decision, cause after that I was totally like...

Oh well, it's supposed to warm up and rain again by the end of this week I think? 

Talking bout my apartment - I've been planning on making a huge post but that has been delayed due to the fact that there's water leak in my kitchen. Talk about bad luck yeah? So it has to be fixed, which hopefully won't take too long. It's not massive but it still requires us to take one cupboard of the wall, take the glass off and renew part of the Mickey Mouse wallpaper under it... sigh.  So I will postpone that until further notice.

Now I shall go get my warm woolen socks and go to bed. Night everyone!