Random thoughts and occasional interesting information... but mainly random thoughts.

Just stuff about me.

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Name: Nina
Location: Heidelberg, Australia

I am trying to enjoy all the moments.

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Previous Posts

  • The times they are a changin'
  • House Wife
  • I wanna be like Mike...
  • Those words that mean nothing.
  • I'm Back in the Land Down Under.
  • Christmas 2006
  • No news is good news
  • Here's to you Mrs Guthwert...
  • I'm still here...
  • Up and down

Archives

  • August 2005
  • September 2005
  • October 2005
  • November 2005
  • December 2005
  • January 2006
  • February 2006
  • March 2006
  • April 2006
  • May 2006
  • June 2006
  • July 2006
  • August 2006
  • October 2006
  • December 2006
  • February 2007
  • July 2009
  • July 2010

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Thursday, September 29, 2005

Of The Day.



Book of the Day: Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. This is one of the best books I have read for a long time. Cynical, hilarious, poignant... I can't recommend this enough. Fantastic writing.

Album of the Day: Ruby Blue by Roisin Murphy. She used to sing with Moloko and I always loved her then, but her solo album rocks! The combination of electronic music, brass section and her fabulous voice is awesome. I saw her live at Koneisto and I'm ashamed that it took me so long to check out the album because I was so impressed by the live show. She's an amazing performer. My favourite track at the moment is Through Time.

Drink of the Day: Loire Sancerre Les Baronnes 2003. I had a glass at work and I must say, it's worth the €66 I would've paid if I had to. It's a very smooth, slightly sweet white wine with a fresh taste. I want more!!!

Song of the Day: One Of These Things First by Nick Drake. This song will just make you smile all day.

Thought of the Day: Your friends make you realise and appreciate the good things about yourself you've forgotten.

posted by Nina @ 12:52 AM  2 comments

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Happy music.


















I have a cold. I hate feeling sick. Especially this kind of sick when I just feel zonked, but well enough to go to work and function like a relatively normal human being. I want to go to bed and listen to my happy music instead.

Sometimes I feel so far away. Physically and emotionally from everyone that I care about. Even here in Finland, as far away as I can be from most of my friends and family, I still live at least 30 minutes away from most people. I wonder why I feel I need to distance myself to such extreme lengths...
I don't want to end up on my own and happy about it. I want to need to be around people again. This hermit lifestyle is becoming too comfortable...

I want everyone who reads this to send me a song they love so I can feel a little bit closer.

posted by Nina @ 3:09 PM  1 comments

Monday, September 26, 2005

On a lighter note...

Well, that last post was a little down so I put on some new music and I feel less melancholy now.

As I mentioned previously I had a party last night.
I have mixed feelings about parties. Sometimes I love them, and sometimes I hate them. Parties can put so much pressure on people to have a good time that inevitably no-one does, or else they can just be a spur of the moment thing where everyone suddenly finds themselves at a party enjoying themselves.
Mine was neither of those.
It was carefully planned and prepared. The guest list was made up of the creme de la creme of Helsinki society and it was catered by the best in the city. In other words, I invited everyone I knew and cooked all the food myself!
But... despite the potential disasters... it was great! As far as I know everyone has a hangover this morning and I woke up in someone else's apartment (not bed). These are always signs that it was a good night.

The party began early for me... Friday actually. I cooked for three days, but it was worth it! A glorious selection of tasty vegetarian food that was consumed almost entirely. Even the pastries I accidently burnt were gone in the morning... although I did leave the window open so it may have been birds that finished them off.
So by 5pm Sunday I was exhausted and I have never been so happy to sit down with a bottle of chilled wine before! Of course by the time the first guests arrived I was on my way to being pretty cheerful.
It was an interesting mix of guests. A few of them I'd never actually met in person before (always interesting.. it's like party Russian Roulette) and some I'd only met when I was extremely tired or drunk, so I was a little nervous beforehand. But everyone liked everyone and ate and drank and talked. I realised at one point there was only two non-Finns in the room which was very exciting because I didn't realise I knew so many Finns and then to have them in the same room at one time! I had a glass of wine to celebrate my assimilation into Finnish society. And the Finns talked too!!!!

Here's a quick run down of the guest list...
K- International Finn, photographer, likes to dance whilst seated.
N- Aussie, philosopher, likes to dance all the time, but not by himself.
S & S- Finns, very sweet... brought me a present, ate the food and liked it, I had only met them once before so I don't really know if they like to dance but they were lovely all the same.
K- Finn, musician, designer, brought me very nice wine and cheese, dances in crowds.
O- Finn, musician, vegetarian, made very helpful suggestions and loved the desserts, dances???
A- American, very creative, wearing very cool t-shirt, dances in class but didn't give us a demo unfortunately.
I- Russian, tidied my kitchen, acted as bartender and makes very good hot whiskies! Dances?... try to stop her!
N- Israeli, brought very tasty present, plays bass, dances in clubs all night.
J- Kenyan, young, sweet and far from home, dances wickedly!
M- American, teacher of young children, met her on a tram, dances? Maybe when she's not hungover...
T- International Finn, very friendly, M's fiance, swims in fountains but don't know if he dances.
K- Finn, brought me a pineapple, very sophisticated, dances with small steps.
M- German/Finn, bouncer, scary, left his flak vest in my apartment, listens to Rammstien, dances to Michael Jackson.

Interesting mix...
But everyone got along surprisingly well and I would have to say it's one of my most successful parties... though I would've liked more dancing. Next time perhaps...

posted by Nina @ 4:18 PM  0 comments

One of those...

I'm tired, sick, bored and coming down from my party last night and the weeks worth of preparation that went into it. It was a wicked party and totally worth all the cleaning up I had to do this morning, but now I feel kind of flat. I need a new project.
Maybe this is why people have jobs they find rewarding... there's a thought!

I miss things today. I miss everything and everyone I've ever met today... even Tokyo... even Portland!

Here are a few things I miss in random order:

shells from Zushi beach, the view from the top of the hill near my house in Yokohama, the noise from pachinko parlours, chocolate and poppyseed cake from Europa on Acland Street, coffee from the hole in the wall cafe off Carlisle Street, St. Kilda Esplanade markets, The Espy, 1000yen beer blaster in Shinjuku, Tokyo Karaoke, sitting in cafes reading and watching people dodge puddles, Melbourne trams, Tokyo subway, Japanese crowds, $2 felafel from The Village, 55 Bar, watching movies in the theatres without subtitles, the skipping girl, Bridgewater beach, Portland wind, Ella the cat, coming home to people and dinner already cooked, waking up and not hitting my head, cheap tofu, driving through the countryside, Java Juice, good live music, good beer on tap, Vegie Bar, knowing there is always someone to talk to, dancing with Thi, Marnie, Clara and Zoe, playing with Des, Matt, Luke, Haydn, Ben and Francis, laughing with Mo, Barnesy, Jhuny and Mace, eating pancakes with my family on Sunday morning, running into people in the street, sweet bean buns from Chinatown, Peace Bar, drinking cocktails with Ro, karaoke with Jodi, Stephen, Dan and Jason. hangover mornings with John, Pal and Dionne, beach cricket with the Zushi gang, teaching english, singing gigs, studying at Uni, icecream sundaes with Jon, Con and Dane, shopping with Grant, hiking with Chris, eating pancakes with Gini and Alison, listening to Radiohead with Anna, dancing at the Night Cat with anyone who'll let me, coffee with Des, caiparinhas with Ben and Mike, wearing long skirts with Mandy, having the energy to feel like I'm young enough to do anything, karaoke at The Laundry with the Borders crew, Melbourne, Portland, Perth, Tokyo, Yokohama, New York, London, Copenhagen...

Life is good but it goes so quickly sometimes.

If you're reading this and I miss you... email me!!!!

posted by Nina @ 3:54 PM  1 comments

Monday, September 19, 2005

Visions of Maunula.

I live in Maunula which is a suburb of Helsinki. It takes about 20 minutes to get to my stop on the bus from the centre of Helsinki. I love it here because there are trees everywhere and the people seem like a real community. Right near my apartment is a park and even though all the trees are losing their leaves and looking all yellow and bare, it is still incredibly calming and peaceful, despite the car noise from the freeway. This noise is actually quite handy as I have a fairly poor sense of direction so it helps me find my way out of the wilderness.
Here are a few photos of my area...



This is my street and my number... exciting, huh?


















Cute little bugger...










These are some apartment blocks around the corner from my house. I love the window boxes and the colourful panels at the sides.





This is a very Finnish tree.




























Can't you just feel the serenity?

posted by Nina @ 4:39 PM  0 comments

Thursday, September 15, 2005

More hours needed.

For the past week I have had a list sitting on my desk, patiently waiting to be crossed off as I achieve these small but important goals. It's still sitting there. It hasn't been marked at all. It's now 3.30pm and I have to go to work and again I have achieved nothing.
No, wait, that's not entirely true.

Things I have achieved today:

I have not hit my head on the roof or bruised myself.
I bought flowers and collected a package without using English... used mime, grunts and Finnish numbers.
Spoke to three different lovely people on the phone.
Emailed many more lovely people and a couple of not so lovely people (ha! That'll make you think!).
Ate. Twice.
Picked up the clothes that I threw all over the house last night.
Showered. Once.
Downloaded software.
Listened to lots of music.

Of course the things I wanted to achieve today are totally different but at the same time, it was quite a nice way to spend a windy, chilly Finnish day. I actually spent a lot of time looking out the window watching the leaves turn yellow in front of my eyes (or so they appeared to).
Must be grateful for the small things.

posted by Nina @ 3:22 PM  0 comments

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Aussie in Helsinki


I have never felt quite so much like an Aussie before.
Yesterday I went to a rugby game... and enjoyed it! I even cheered when our team, Helsinki Warriors, scored a try! But due to my non drinking status I didn't drink beer during it. However, I thought about it! That must count for something...
Then today I find myself eating baked beans on toast for breaky.
My local pub (local as in near the bus station therefore near my house) is the Outback... an Aussie bar and I drink only Coopers in there.
I even have a flag (albeit small one made in China) hanging in my house.
Who knew I would have to be on the other side of the world to discover my patriotism.
But I'm still not coming back!

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie... oi, oi, oi!

posted by Nina @ 11:17 AM  1 comments

Friday, September 09, 2005

Give yourself up to the moment...

There are so many nice sayings, quotes, philosophies about seizing the day, the hour, the moment... but sometimes it's hard to remember all these when the moments are happening and you just want to crawl into bed and ignore them.
I feel like I've spent the last few years waiting for my life to begin. I've been waiting for someone (who shall remain nameless) to come and make it all work out for me.
But that person is not coming and to tell the truth... I don't need them to anymore.
I can do this on my own and I can do it with all my love and energy.
I woke up this morning and looked out the window.

The view was so calming and simple that I immediately felt like being outside in the world. I have the support of all these wonderful friends I've met here, and all the wonderful ones I keep leaving behind, and I feel like the luckiest person in the world.
I have so many plans and so many ideas that I have to fill notebooks and notebooks with my scribbled thoughts. I haven't felt this alive since... I don't even remember.
I've always thought that if something isn't making you happy, you should stop doing it. Initially I was very good at following this philosophy, but as I grew older and the boundaries between feeling good and bad blurred, it wasn't as easy.
But now I think it's time for me to go back to this simple way of life.
I'm going to make myself happy.
Surround myself with people who love me and make me smile.
It's going to be a good day today.

posted by Nina @ 12:14 PM  1 comments

Thursday, September 08, 2005

The Ikea Experience.

Ever since I was a child I have loved Ikea. It started with the kids room where I was left to be entertained by bright coloured plastic balls while my parents browsed the latest in DIY Scandanavian design, and continued into my adult years when I myself wasted hours choosing between which shower curtain would match the scum in my latest share house.
When Grant and I lived together we found ourselves drawn to Ikea whenever we passed by (or were even within 5 kilometres of it) and always, without fail, found something that was essential to our lives. That dish brush with blue plastic feet... the ice cube tray that made star shaped ice cubes... how can one live without these things?
But I must admit... my dream has always been to go to Ikea in Scandanavia. Some may argue that Finland is not Scandanavia and I'll let them... but for me, today my dream came true. Kati and I made the pilgrimage to every homeowner's (or renter's) Mecca.



It's a really, really long boring bus ride to Ikea...


Kati under estimates our purchasing power by choosing the smallest trolley possible...


This was lots of fun until the grumpy shop assistants forced me to leave the kids stuff alone...
But Kati was still allowed to explore her inner child.


Perhaps that entire bag of chocolate was not the best idea... note the scales.



I feel that this kitchen is missing something...




A ha! This kitchen is more my style... Aussie sparking wine! Cheers!


People don't realise the charm of a good Scandanavian rocking chair.

So we made our purchases and suddenly a thought occured to us... How the fuck are we going to get this home on the bus????




By the look on Kati's face, I realised that only one thing would inspire the strength for the trip home....

A 90 cent hot dog with all the toppings!

Oh Ikea! How I love you!

posted by Nina @ 11:39 PM  2 comments

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Moving... again

This will be the 5th time I've packed up all my crap and dragged it across a city in the last 3 months.
I'm not even going to mention the amount of times I've moved in the past 3 years!
It seems everyone is moving at the moment... Strange how things always happen at once.
So, everything is packed and sitting on my bed (well, not my bed anymore). Two suitcases, a guitar, a yoga mat and two bags of dirty work clothes. I had forgotten how little I had. Luckily I'm moving into a house already furnished!

I can't wait to have my own space again. The thought of being able to lie around in my kimono and play guitar without worrying about disturbing anyone or being disturbed is so exciting I can't stop smiling.
I can now resume my days as a hermit... especially being so far out of town.

It's been a long tough day though. Saying goodbye to a wonderful friend, helping another move into a new place... I'm so tired, but so happy that my life is full of these amazing people.

posted by Nina @ 5:06 PM  0 comments

Friday, September 02, 2005

I'm waiting for my man..

Well, I'm waiting for my money anyway. My pay is three days late. I wonder if my boss realises how day to day all her employees live their lives, therefore knows that paying them three days late will bring a virtual halt to them. I have 50 cents and I need toothpaste, shampoo, the book for my bookclub and a new pair of jeans. It's not very often I actually feel like going shopping, but today I do. I need to run with this and consume consume consume! But alas, I am forced to sit in front of my computer and try to remember why money isn't important.

REASONS WHY MONEY ISN'T IMPORTANT:

1. Money will not compel someone give you a hug when you really need one but don't want to ask.

2. You can't eat money... well, you can but the nutritional content is very low and it tastes like crap anyway.

3. No amount of money will ever make you laugh... in fact the less money I have the more I seem to laugh.

4. Money is very flimsy and can not be used to build shelter... although a few 50 cent coins can do wonders levellling a wobbly table.

5. The more you think about money being important, the less you actually do important things.

6. When you don't have money, you have to be more creative. Who says Broadway is more exciting than a really good shadow puppet show by candlelight?

7. Money is not important because it is a means to an end. It is nothing.


Aaaah, I feel so much better now. Calm, cleansed of my consumeristic desires, at peace with the world.

(2 minutes later)

Fuck it, I still want those jeans!

posted by Nina @ 12:31 PM  0 comments