What's been happening in my ever exciting life...

For those who actually reads this as a means of keeping in touch with me (which, incidentally, is its purpose), I have had quite a busy week.

On Saturday night I braved the arctic weather (-22) to go into town and see my friend's band The Cut. They play a great mix of 80's pop covers (i.e. The Cure, Depeche Mode, U2) and such influenced originals. Ali is an awesome front man who has a wonderful voice reminiscent of Robert Smith and really plays to the crowd. Although I had to get the dancing started, someone always has to be the first ... the floor was soon full of moving bodies. I was a bit concerned at one point when a girl dancing next to me seemed to have misplaced her pole and looked like she was about to start using my leg instead. Thankfully she discovered a mirror and was occupied with her own reflection for the rest of the evening!

On Sunday I was still recovering from the few too many glasses of cheap red wine so I had a quiet night with a gorgeous Russian lass who helped touch up my roots and massaged my head. I had to drink some more wine though ... hair of the dog, it's a proven cure!

On Monday I had a Finnish lesson for 2 and 1/2 hours, so by the time I finished that I could barely see straight!

On Tuesday I went to a concert with my friend T in Malmi (nearish my new house). A very famous old Finnish jazz saxophonist was playing (and no, I can't remember his name) with a bass player and my favourite drummer, Olavi. They played free jazz, kind of 70s Dave Holland style (or so I was told by my well researched friend) and it was great. I'm always so inspired after I hear live music and I wanted to go straight home and write music ... but I went to the pub instead to see my friend Anne before she left for London. Had very interesting conversations about snowboarding, Finland and getting closure. I got myself involved in an arctic vacation plan somehow too! Involving snowboarding, night trains and snow camping ... I'm not sure about this...

On Wednesday I had a frantic call from Travelling Diva in need of some paper work so I proceeded to tear the house apart looking for it to no avail. Then, having put it off for two days, had to do my Finnish homework on the bus on the way to class! I felt like I was in high school again! After class I met up with Katariina for tapas and sangria (yes, I know ... drinking again!) at Tapasta. Not great I must say. The company was wonderful, but the food and sangria was very very average. However, I guess being in the midst of a dozen models will jack up the price! Katariina and I planned our forthcoming Doo Wop gig ... more details later.

On Thursday it was Australia Day so I HAD to go the Aussie bar for a beer and a snag. Then K and I had to return all the dishes and furniture she'd borrowed while Travelling Diva was travelling. So don't worry love, it's all home again!

Tonight I have to begin packing up this little place or at least my portion of this little place so I can move all my shit to my new house and prepare this little place for Travelling Diva's return on Monday... But I'd really like a cider right now!

This one's for you ... (you know who you are!)

Photo taken by Kati ... I guess this must have been on Christmas Eve. Amazing what a bit of mood lighting can do!

Baby, it's REALLY cold outside

Just thought I should mention:

It so fucking cold I feel... well, actually I can't really feel much.
It is currently -16 degrees Celcius outside which is 4 degrees warmer than it was at 6am this morning when I was waiting for my train.

Some things I am experiencing for the first time:

frozen nose hairs - it feels very very weird
skin so dry it is threatening to drop off in chunks
the urge to swear loudly every few seconds ... not sure if I'm doing this to reassure myself I'm alive or if it's just instinctual
feeling like my face is being whipped as an Arctic wind lowers the temperature even further
laughing with pure joy when I finally get warm. Nothing beats THAT feeling.

Soap box warning...

Blogs. Six months ago I'd never heard of this writing genre (if I can be so bold as to call it that) but since I discovered the joys of publishing my unedited thoughts on the internet I haven't looked back.

I was originally inspired by my good friend Travelling Diva's blog as an easy way to keep in touch with friends and family instead of sending arduous group emails. However, I soon discovered that very few of my family and friends actually read it, so it has developed into more on an online journal ... this may also be because my life really isn't THAT interesting so unless I post once a month I have to talk some shit just to fill up space!

Once I got the Blog bug, I began to follow links to various other people's blogs and became quite addicted to three:
this one
this one and
this one.
I loved to read these anonymous blogs and imagine who these people were and what they did. I would wait impatiently for their latest posts and hang on their every word. It was like vouyeurism without the vouyering. And the best part about it was that I had no idea if it was real or not and I didn't care. It was just entertaining.
But now, these three bloggers have "come out" and revealed their true identities with photos to boot. And I'm disappointed.

I'm disappointed I always prefer the book over the movie. I have an imagination and I like to use it. I had very strong images of these women and to be brutually (and unfairly) honest ... they are just not as goodlooking as I imagined.
But it's not just that. Now these writers are people. They have faces and they have real lives. The mystery is gone and so has the attraction.

It's a shame that people don't appreciate the beauty of anonymity anymore. Who wants fame when you can have interest instead?

This week I have done three very important things and I am very proud of myself.
1. I went to my first Finnish class.
2. I found a psychology course in English.
3. I found somewhere to live.

Yay for me!

Now I just have to start studying Finnish very hard because I am a lot behind (the class is a continuation from last year), apply for the psychology course and move. Easy peasy ... just have to do it all in the next fornight!

In other news...
It's fucking freezing. I am wearing a fur coat and gloves and fur lined boots. Animal activists out there can get stuffed because they are all second hand and until you have to stand outside for 20 minutes in -20, you can't appreciate the beauty and warmth of fur.
My face feels like it's been whipped. My lips are chapped, my skin is so dry it stings and my feet are constantly cold. If anyone dares tell me the weather in Australia I'm likely to hunt them down and skin them alive.

But hey! Whatever doesn't kill me...


The Finnish class is great. I really enjoyed it, even though I barely said a word and I was so embarrased to speak I was bright red throughout the whole thing. I was surprised that I understood almost all of it ... it's just forming senteces that's a problem. Not to mention sitting next to a young Chilean exchange student who was much more fluent and this was her third language! However, I am determined to learn this Godforsaken language and force my children to learn it too. Instead of passing down some hereditary disease... I'll pass down some obscure northern European language instead!
However I will have a chance to practice a lot with my new housemate. She is one of my collegues at work and she's really lovely. And the apartment is great! It's really big and totally furnished and the kitchen! I'm in heaven!!!!
Although it's a little bit out of the city, it's only 15 minutes by train and for the price I just couldn't say no.
It will be nice to live with someone again too. I must admit I'm looking forward to the company. Let's just hope I don't drive her crazy with my crappy guitar playing and electronic music experiments!!!

So life goes on, takes a turn and comes up smiling.

Productive.

Today I had a productive day.
End result:
My jacket is limp and my gloves have holes.

Fuck productivity.

Oh, The Places I'll Go...

The travel bug has begun nibbling at me. I'm reading books about foreign, exotic lands and hearing about Travelling Diva's adventures in Morocco and I'm inspired to go somewhere. Anywhere. Everywhere.

I want to visit Steinbeck country in the US. I want to see those rolling green hills and drink coffee in a little country diner.
I want to drive across the country to Mexico and see Malinche's world. I want to go to Cuba and dance in the streets. Flirt with beautiful people. I want to walk in the Amazon. I want to see the mountains in Peru. I want to visit the pyramids and feel the heat of Egypt. Hear the tradition music of Senegal and Kenya. Lie in the sun, walk in the desert. I want to drive from Stockholm to Copenhagen and swim in the sea. I want to wake up in a little Tuscan village. I want to catch fish on a Greek fishing boat. I want to lie on a Spanish beach. I want to see the rice fields of Vietnam. I want to drink Guiness in a tiny Irish town. I want to sweat in the heat of a Darwin summer. I want to see the northern lights in Lapland.

I think I should start buying lottery tickets ...
If anyone can recommend a job that will allow me to do all this please feel free!

I just thought I needed to point this out to those who don't really get it:

I am here when you need me ... but what some of you have missed is, I am STILL here when you don't.

To do or not to do.

I sometimes wish I had of been born 30 years ago.
I'm 26 (and a half), single, broke, basically un-qualified, lacking in any kind of ambition, not beautiful but not ugly, not fat but not thin, not overly intelligent but not dumb ...
The problem I am faced with is that I have too many choices. Nothing is jumping out at me and saying "Hey, this is what you're supposed to do with your life!" so I have to consider everything.

At times I think, maybe I should find myself a nice man, buy a nice apartment, go back to school and get a nice job and have nice babies. This doesn't sound like a bad idea.
But then, at other times I think, maybe I should just leave with my suitcase and go to NYC. Get a job in a seedy cafe, date inappropriate men, go dancing every night and hang out in jazz clubs until I'm discovered by a Blue Note records manager. This also appeals to me.
Or maybe I could spend 6 months working my ass off and save every cent, then go off on a backpacking trip to all these countries that fascinate me. Start in Africa, then onto Canada, work my way down throught the US, then right through Sth America and finish off in Sth East Asia before heading home to Australia.
Or I could move to London and use all my succesful friends to get me gigs. Base myself there and make weekend trips all over Europe.

I kind of wish I didn't have these choices. In another time I would be married with babies by now. I'd be happy ... I wouldn't realise there were any other options so I wouldn't feel the need to consider them.
But there are ... and I am.

procrastinating

I really should go to bed ... or vacuum the house ... or do the dishes ... or etc
Instead I am listening to Triple J (great Aussie radio station) and surfing the net.
It's really bizarre listening to breakfast radio at 10pm at night on the other side of the country.
Oh ... they're doing the weather ... Melbourne ... +33.
Fuck.
It's -7 here at the moment.

Maybe I'll just close my eyes and imagine I'm lying in my bed in St Kilda. I'll imagine that in a couple of hours I'll wake up and walk out in to the sunshine. I'll wander down to Carlisle Street, to my favourite cafe and grab a soy flat white to take away. Then go to the beach and sit in the sand and watch all the beautiful trendy people parading around.

Right. Now I'm going to go and drown myself in the bath.
I can almost smell the salt water ...

Oh yay!
Just went for a walk in the sun! It's amazing how just a little bit of sun totally warms me up ... I mean, to the point that I went out in the cold without a hat or gloves or scarf just because I didn't want to cover up from the sun.
I had my first frozen hair experience ... weird.
Anyway, here are some shots because I can't begin to describe it:





You can find more on my flickr site ... just click the link!

every day's part of a learning curve

today i learnt:

the name of the singer featured on my favourite zero 7 track "destiny" - sia furler (thank you kati)

i am very grumpy if i don't sleep well

even though i fought with two of my best friends over the weekend they still love me

i can't keep my balance after a pirouette (and i can't spell pirouette ... and to be honest i can't even perform a pirouette!)

2 1/2 minutes of sunlight motivates me more than anything else

nothing will make my bath as white as i'd like it to be

i can't afford to live in an apartment bigger than a shoebox anywhere cool in helsinki (or the rest of the world for that matter)

i don't have the faintest idea of how to use "live" (computer music program for those wondering)

i am really out of practice in regards to anything musical (including karaoke)


going to the doctor's tomorrow for a medical assesment for work ... can't wait to see what i learn there!

my resolutions

1. start a band

2. pay off my credit cards

3. go to Paris, Barcelona and Stockholm

4. study finnish

5. go back to uni

no worries.