Fit to be fit

I never really liked sports or exercising. Lying in bed with a bowl of ice cream is more my thing. Dancing I do like, walking is okay, cycling goes too, but everything else, meh. The fact that I did not own any sports clothes until today says a lot.

Still, I know I should exercise more, for my own good. Lately I have started taking long brisk walks and exercising a little at home. Squats, lunges, stretching, bedtime yoga and the like. My apartment building also has a free gym for the tenants so I have gone cycling a little more or less every other day. Baby steps. I even have a secret health and fitness board on Pinterest!

Now my friend Trang and her sisters are on a vacation so my friend Erica and I rented their aerobics studio cards. Today we went to our first class and it was not even as bad as I thought it would be. If the studio memberships were not so expensive I think I could turn it into a habit.

It is so much better to have an exercise buddy. Erica lives close to me so we take walks together and now we have each other for motivation. It is so much harder to cancel the plans when there is another person involved.

After the class this morning we went to do a little shopping with Erica. I have given up shopping for the most part but I decided that proper training clothes would be good motivation. I am much less inclined to give up now that I have invested money on this, and now that I can look somewhat cute while exercising. (or at least that's what I keep on telling myself)

Who knows, maybe I will end up buying myself a membership after all, but for now I am going to learn to like exercising.

Even if I only exercise to look good despite of all the ice cream.

Cambridge Satchel Company: My dream (bag) come true

Back in August I expressed my coveting for a Cambridge Satchel Company satchel bag. The bags have been all over the blogging world, which usually wouldn't have swayed me that much, but this time one bag seemed to tick all the boxes. Good quality, proper materials, ethically made without child-labor or underpaid labor in some third-world country. Not to mention the good looks.

For those who aren't familiar with Cambridge Satchel Company, we are talking about a British company founded by Julie Deane, a mother of two who loved her old school satchel so much that having noticed the lack of such bags, she started manufacturing them herself in Britain. An inspirational story, especially because it was the fashion blogging world that helped the Cambridge Satchel Company break into the high fashion scene. (see this video for the whole story)

I was drooling over the bag for well over two weeks, until D finally got tired of listening to my sighs and told me to place an order. I ordered the 15" batchel bag in beautiful tan leather with my initial S embossed on it. The bag cost me (without shipping costs) 118£ (that's 145 in euros, and 189 USD) which I consider very reasonable as we're talking real leather and proper craftsmanship. It took the company 22 days to make and ship my bag, which is a lot faster than they promised on the website. Usually it takes them a month to make the bag, five weeks if you want it embossed, and another week to ship it so I was extremely happy to get my bag so soon.

So my batchel bag is real leather, and handmade in Britain, and I must say, the quality is truly impeccable. Every stitch is well aligned and after almost a month of carrying the bag along through better and worse (weather) the only signs of any wear are on the buckle straps, but it's only natural for leather to soften over time. Normal vaseline does wonders too, any minor scuffs are gone almost immediately. It's like magic.

As for the size, the 15" bag fits my 13" MacBook with a jacket just fine, and A4 folders and papers fit nicely too. The only thing is that the bag is quite stiff and narrow, thus you can't fit that much stuff in it. But if I leave my laptop home, I can fit a Nikon D80 in it with my wallet and other stuff without any major problems. Also, the bag is surprisingly light to carry, even with a laptop or a camera in. The shoulder strap doesn't dig into my shoulder and so far I haven't noticed any signs of wear, even if I have abused the bag a little every now and then by exceeding the 2,5 kilo limit stated on the website. On that note it's probably a good thing that the bag can't fit that much stuff, otherwise I'd kill it by dragging my whole room around in it.

All in all I am very happy with my new friend, and so is D, he even wanted to order one for himself but unfortunately 15" is the largest size available and Cambridge Satchel Company doesn't offer the possibility to customise the size. Not that we are whining, as we found this out by getting a speedy and kind email reply to our question. Good service and good quality, just what I was looking for!

How to make the most out of fast fashion?

vintage laundry machine ad, closet, cotton, measuring tape, inspiration scrapbook, credit cards

Changing your shopping style isn’t easy. You might want to invest on more durable pieces but you are lacking some wardrobe essentials while your budget is tight. Let’s face it, these are hard times budget-wise. Luckily there are a few tips I can share with you, to help you make the most of fast fashion and your budget. These tips will also take you a few steps closer to having the wardrobe that perfectly reflects your personal style.

Know your wardrobe

Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately the case often is that people have no idea what their closet has swallowed. I am currently in the lucky position that I only have a certain amount of clothes in my closet: the clothes I brought from Finland and the clothes I have bought since so it was very easy for me to sort out the contents of my wardrobe. (although my project is only half-way done, my wardrobe in Finland still awaits me)

But for those who haven’t quite gotten there yet I recommend cleaning out your closet. Make a list of what you have, take pictures of everything and sort out the clothes you like. Pay attention to the clothes you love, how do they look, how do they feel, what kind of clothes fit your style and body etc. Donate away the clothes you don’t want to see in your closet, or if you are blessed with enough storage space, store them away. In a few years those clothes might be the ‘it’ thing once again.

Gather inspiration

This is the fun part. I currently have an inspiration folder on my computer, and as I browse blogs and websites, I gather pictures there. Pinterest is also a valuable tool for this. 

Pay attention to what catches your eye. Colors, shapes, combinations etc. This should help you to figure out your own personal style, as long as you concentrate on the things you would wear yourself on everyday basis.

Make a shopping list

If you made a list (and took pictures) of the contents of your closet, this list will be a lot easier to make. What clothes do you already have? What clothes do you still need to finish off your perfect wardrobe? List them.

Note that this list isn’t the “groceries for the week” kind of shopping list. This is a long-term shopping list, unless you are lucky enough to have a limitless budget.

Figure out your budget

On which items are you going to skimp and which are investments? My advice is to invest on timeless classics that fit your style and skimp on the things that update your style to the latest trends. This is also a good time to consider where you are going to go shopping. Does it have to be a fast fashion store? Are you feeling up to some second-hand shopping? Do you have any friends in your size with the perfect sense of style? They might be interest in cleaning out their closets as well. Or do you have to buy it pre-made at all? Maybe your DIY-skills are good enough for making it yourself...

Do your research

Instead of rushing into the closest Zara or H&M, I advice you to take a look around, online or in person. See if anything catches your eye and see if that something is on your list. (don’t add it to your list, as tempting as that might be) 

Also, pay attention to materials (wearability, it’s important to be able to wash the clothes in normal temperatures!) and country of origin. Search for possible customer reviews. Fit the clothes if possible, and/or return badly fitting clothes. Taking these steps will help you to figure out if it’s really worth the purchase. You don’t want to end up filling your closet with clothes you won’t wear or that are of lousy quality. 

Usually it’s a good idea to sleep on it, and see if you still want the item the next day, or week. Good things come to those who wait, although in the world of fast fashion, the item you might want to purchase could be sold-out the next day. Still, this shouldn’t drive you to handing out your money immediately, it’s good to remember that there will be something similar in the next store. If not, too bad, it wasn’t meant to be. The disappointment will only last for so long, and soon you will be drooling over something else.

Take proper care of your wardrobe

So you found the things you wanted? Good, but that’s only the beginning. Now it’s your job to make the clothes (and shoes etc) last. 

Every fashion-loving person should learn to do the laundry. I personally enjoy doing my own laundry, and so should you, if you want your clothes to last. Follow the instructions. Wash with similar colors. Don’t leave the clothes wet in the laundry machine and so on. If you wear the clothes for one day only and there are no obvious smells or stains, no need to throw it in the laundry bin. Hang the clothes on the balcony or outside, or indoors and open the window and brush them with a clothing brush. Personally I’d also advice to avoid perfumes and smoking, your clothes will stay fresh a lot longer without strong scents lingering on them. Washing puts a strain on the fabrics and less strain obviously results in clothes staying good for a longer time.

Laundry is one thing, storage is just as important. Don’t throw your clothes on the floor (so guilty of doing this!) and keep them folded or hanged neatly in your closet. Clean your closet regularly, you don’t want any dust or mould gathering in there with your clothes.

This was only a quick look into the matter, and I will be writing more posts about the subject. Hope these tips will be useful to you!

Fast fashion

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Plenty of talk about this topic, but nevertheless, I wanted to add my two cents and so on... Fast fashion, (click for the wikipedia article) meaning, the big international chain stores selling massive amounts of clothes for budget-friendly prices. No need to name them, we all know them, and we all, or at least the most of us, are guilty of indulging in buying a pair of pants or a shirt simply because it was so cheap.

For someone with a love for clothes and fashion, the phenomenon of getting the latest trends to the stores for a cheap price would seem ideal, except that it's not a) healthy, b) budget-friendly and c) good for the environment.

First, getting everything you want is not healthy. Most of the time you want things for the sake of wanting them. I certainly do. Good thing I have some self-discipline, and when my self-discipline fails, I have D to return me to the reality. If I got everything I wanted, I wouldn't be any happier than I am now. In fact I'd probably be a lot less happier, because I would forget how to appreciate getting something you have wanted for a long time. Thus, fast fashion is bad in the sense of making it possible to grant our every fashion wish when what we really should do is to learn to be happy with what we have.

Secondly, buying a lot of cheap clothes and such is actually more expensive on the long run than saving up for a more expensive piece of clothing. Of course, shopping a lot is never budget-friendly, and shopping in more expensive shops is obviously less budget-friendly than shopping at H&M. Depending on your budget, of course. Another reason why cheap doesn't mean budget-friendly. (like my dad says 'poor people can't afford to buy cheap') In order to get the prices down you have to skimp on the quality. Quality of materials, quality of work. Poor quality doesn't last for long, sending you on another shopping trip. Not that all cheap is automatically poor quality (for example I'm quite happy with H&M for the most part) but generally speaking, if you decide to shop fast fashion, you can't expect quality.

Third, massive amounts of clothes means massive amounts of pressure on the environment. Combined with the poor quality of fast fashion finds, we have created a cycle that needs to be broken and soon.

Being a blogger, and an avid reader of blogs, I subject myself to a lot of consumerism. I see things, I get inspired, and I want to get the same things for myself. Fast fashion seems to be the solution, but in all honesty, it hasn't made me especially content. I keep on craving for more and more. Not sure why and when my eyes were opened, but from now on I will avoid shopping fast fashion. Realistically I won't be able to stop it immediately, and old habits break hard.

But, from this day forward you will see less H&M and Primark finds, and more DIYs and thrift-store finds. Time to slow down and move to more satisfying form of expressing my own personal style. You will hopefully benefit from this in form of tips and inspiration, and if I manage to inspire someone to make the same choice, I'll be more than happy. If not, well, I won't be judging you. It's hard to change, for me this is an ideal moment because my life has been full of big changes so this change in my shopping habits doesn't feel too drastic.

For further reading, as I only scratched the surface on this topic, I have gathered you some links I found interesting. I also just bought the largely spoken-about book 'Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion' by Elizabeth L. Cline, which I will review for you as soon as I receive it anytime in two months.

Ethical Fashion Forum
Ms. Magazine Blog

Shopaholic strikes again

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I suppose I shouldn't have signed up for the H&M newsletter, but ah well, one can never have too many pairs of pants. (D disagrees heartily... and the man owns 27 white t-shirts) I ordered a pair of burgundy pants and the pants I have been drooling over for ages. (okay, weeks) Can't wait to get them, this Autumn I have really been getting into the "pants mode" again. I'd almost rather wear pants than skirts, which is shocking, considering that last year I only owned two pairs of pants. Or maybe that's just because I don't have all my skirts in the Netherlands. Perhaps I should start looking for skirts and dresses...

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Ehkä ei olisi pitänyt ruveta tilaamaan H&M:n uutiskirjettä, mutta ei voi mitään, housuja nyt ei voi koskaan olla liikaa. (D on eri mieltä... ja herra omistaa 27 valkoista t-paitaa) Tilasin sitten burgundinpunaiset housut, ja housut, joiden perään olen kuolannut jo vaikka kuinka kauan .(tai no, pari viikkoa) En malta odottaa paketin saapumista, tänä syksynä olen taas innostunut housuista. Käytän melkeinpä mieluummin housuja kuin hametta, mikä on kohtuullisen erikoista ottaen huomioon, että viime vuonna omistin vain kahdet housut. Ehkäpä syynä on se, että minulla ei ole kaikkia hameitani mukana Alankomaissa. Tekosyy mekko- ja hameshoppailulle?

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Waarschijnlijk had ik me niet in moeten schrijven voor de H&M nieuwsbrief, maar ja, je kan niet genoeg broeken hebben. (D zegt van niet... Terwijl hij zelf 27 witte shirts heeft) Ik heb een bordeauxrode broek besteld, maar ook de broek die ik al heel lang wil (ok, een paar weken) Ik kan niet wachten tot ik ze heb, ik ben deze herfst echt in een broekmodus. Ik draag bijna liever een broek dan een jurk of rok, wat schokkend is omdat ik vorig jaar maar 2 broeken had. Misschien komt het wel omdat ik niet al mijn rokken hier heb... Misschien moet ik daar maar naar op zoek!

Shoplog 03/09/2012

curve used 'ambers' by julia trotti

So as I mentioned, on Monday I went to Zaandam with D's sisters to visit Primark and H&M and other clothing stores. I didn't find that many clothes for myself at Primark, apart from a black blazer and a really lovely winter coat which unfortunately wasn't in my size. (to add to the insult it was in Sanne's size (D's sister) and she ended up buying it... I'm still heartbroken) I did buy the blazer, two pairs of shoes and some clothes for D so I suppose I could say the trip was a success.

I wasn't much luckier with the sizes at H&M, as the pair of pants I had been drooling over didn't have my size and I was also disappointed to notice that most of the cardigans were acrylic instead of cotton or wool. I didn't leave the store empty-handed though, as I came across the patterned pants in the picture. At first they didn't really seem like my thing but then I fell in love with them. The cut, the look and all about the pants is just perfect... only too bad I couldn't find the other pants in my size. Ah well, I guess I'll just have to buy them online.

We also dropped by Vero Moda where I bought two simple long-sleeved shirts since my wardrobe was seriously lacking them.

I'll try to get outfit photos of the pants and shoes asap.

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Kuten jo aiemmin mainitsinkin, kävin maanantaina Zaandamissa D:n siskojen kanssa pyörähtämässä Primarkissa, H&M:ssä ja muissa vaatekaupoissa. En kyllä löytänyt hirveästi uusia vaatteita itselleni Primarkissa, mitä nyt mustan bleiserin ja aivan ihanan talvitakin, josta ei valitettavasti löytynyt minun kokoani. (Sannen (D:n siskon) koko kyllä löytyi ja arvatkaapa vain ostiko hän kyseisen takin... nyyh) Ostin sitten löytämäni bleiserin, kahdet uudet kengät ja joitain vaatteita D:lle, eli loppujen lopuksi reissu Primarkiin oli kuitenkin onnistunut.

H&M oli aivan yhtä suuri pettymys kokojen suhteen, sillä housuista, joita olen ihastellut jo jonkin aikaa ei löytynyt kokoani. Petyin myös siihen, että kovin suuri osa neuleista oli akryylia villan ja puuvillan sijasta. En kuitenkaan lähtenyt liikkeestä tyhjin käsin, sillä törmäsin kuvassa näkyviin housuihin, jotka ensin vaikuttivat vähän liian näyttäviltä minun makuuni, mutta sitten ihastuin niihin totaalisesti. Ne istuvat todella hyvin ja housut miellyttävät muutenkin silmää. Harmi vain kun niitä toisia kuolaamiani housuja ei löytynyt minun koossani. Pakko kai on sitten tilata ne netistä.

Piipahdimme myös Vero Modassa, josta ostin kaksi peruspitkähihaista, niille kun on aina käyttöä, eikä minulla ole oikein pitkähihaisia täällä Alankomaissa.

Yritän ottaa asukuvia uusista vaatteista mahdollisimman pian.

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Zoals ik al zei, maandag ben ik naar Zaandam gegaan met D's zusjes om naar Primark, H&M en andere kledingwinkels te gaan. Ik heb niet zo veel gevonden bij Primark, behalve een zwarte blazer en een leuke winterjas die helaas niet mijn maat was. (nog erger, het was Sanne's (D's zusje) maat en zij heeft hem gekocht…) Ik heb wel die blazer, 2 paar schoenen en een paar kleren voor D gekocht, dus ik denk dat het een succes was.

H&M was niet veel beter met de maten, de broek die ik al heel lang wilde hadden ze niet in mijn maat en ik vond het jammer dat de truien waren acryl in plaats van wol of katoen. Ik wilde niet met lege handen naar huis gaan en toen kwam ik de broek in de foto tegen. Eerst leek het niet echt mijn ding, maar nu vind ik hem geweldig. Alles is perfect… Jammer dat ik de andere broek niet in mijn maat kon vinden. Ach, misschien moet ik hem dan maar online kopen.

We zijn ook langs Vera Moda gegaan, waar ik 2 shirts met lange mouwen heb gekocht, omdat mijn collectie die nog niet had.

Ik probeer snel outfit foto's te maken met m'n nieuwe broek en schoenen.

Blue on grey

Photoshop curve used 'digital film' by julia trotti

Photoshop curve used 'left hand blues' by julia trotti

Blazer & cotton jersey dress: H&M, Shoes: DinSko

Photoshop curve used 'digital film' by julia trotti

This was my outfit yesterday when I went shopping with D's sisters. (thanks Evy for taking the pictures!) Because I didn't go back to Finland, I seriously lack autumn and winter clothes and that is pretty much the perfect excuse to go shopping. Yesterday I didn't find much though, only this cute T-shirt at Vero Moda. It was on sale too so all in all a great haul!

I also did a short round on town with D last night since it was 'koopavond' (in Hoorn the shops are open till 21 or so every Thursday) and he had to run some errands. We only ended up buying candy but we also went through a few bag shops to see if anything caught my eye. Alas, I'm too much in love with the satchel to have eyes for any other bags.

While on our way back to D's we came across the traditional cheese market. Pictures will follow (and yes, I should post the vacation pictures too) later...

Tomorrow I'm going to Utrecht for an Open Day at the Utrecht Volksuniversiteit (community college) to meet some Dutch teacher so they can evaluate the level of my Dutch skills and tell me which course I should attend. I'll take a camera with me so you'll get photos of my little adventure.

Oh, and I almost forgot, D's family got another cat so now we have a cute little kitten running around the house and keeping people awake at night. Too adorable, now I want a cat of my own! Check out this instagram picture to meet the little heartbreaker!

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Tällaisella asulla olin liikenteessä eilen, kun kävin kaupungilla D:n siskojen kanssa. (kiitokset Evylle kuvien ottamisesta) Koska en palannut Suomeen, minulta puuttuu suurin osa syys- ja talvivaatteista, mikä on tietenkin täydellinen tekosyy shoppailulle. Eilen en kuitenkaan löytänyt juuri mitään, pelkästään tämän suloisen t-paidan Vero Modasta. Se oli myös alennuksessa, eli kaiken kaikkiaan loistolöytö.

Kävin myös eilen illalla kaupungilla vielä D:n kanssa, kun kerta oli 'koopavond' (Hoornissa kaupat ovat poikkeuksellisesti auki yhdeksään joka torstai) ja D:n piti hoitaa asioita. Päädyimme ostamaan vain karkkia, mutta kiertelimme myös muutamassa laukkukaupassa katsomassa josko löytäisin jotain minua miellyttävää. Taidan olla kuitenkin liian ihastunut satchel:iin huomatakseni muita laukkuja.

Kotimatkalla törmäsimme perinteiseen juustotoriin, josta kuvia myöhemmin. (tiedetään, vielä pitäisi laittaa lomakuviakin tänne)

Huomenna menen Utrechtiin Utrechtin Volksuniversiteitin (työväen/kansalaisopisto) avoimien ovien päivää varten. Tapaan siellä hollannin opettajia, jotka arvioivat hollannin kielen tasoni ja kertovat mille kurssille minun pitäisi osallistua. Otan kameran mukaan eli saatte kuvia pikku seikkailustani.

Meinasin ihan unohtaa mainita, että D:n perhe hankki toisen kissan eli nyt täällä on sitten pikkuinen kissanpentu juoksemassa ympäri taloa ja pitämässä meteliä keskellä yötä. Aivan liian suloinen tapaus, nyt minulla on ihan kamala kissakuume! Katsokaapas tätä instagram-kuvaa jos haluatte tavata pikku kissaherran.

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Dit was mijn outfit gisteren, toen ik ging shoppen met D's zussen. (Dankje voor de foto's, Evy!) Omdat ik niet terug ga naar Finland, heb ik herfst en winter kleren nodig en dat is het beste excuus om te gaan shoppen. Gisteren vond ik niet zoveel, alleen dit schattige shirtje, die in de aanbieding was bij Vera Moda. Echt een topdeal!

's Avonds heb ik met D een rondje door de stad gelopen omdat het koopavond was (de winkels zijn elke donderdag open tot 21 uur ofzo) en hij moest wat dingen doen. Het enige wat we gekocht hebben was snoep, maar we hebben ook wat tassen gezien toen we langs de tassenwinkels kwamen. Helaas vind ik deze satchel bag te mooi om iets anders ook leuk te vinden.

Op de weg terug kwamen we langs de traditionele kaasmarkt. Foto's zullen volgen (en ja, ik moet ook de vakantiefoto's nog posten)…

Morgen ga ik naar Utrecht voor een open dag van de Utrechtse Volksuniversitieit om een Nederlands leraar te ontmoeten, die mijn Nederlands niveau gaat beoordelen en mij gaat vertellen welke lessen ik moet volgen. Ik zal m'n camera meenemen zodat jullie foto's krijgen van mijn avontuurtje.

Oh, bijna vergeten, D's familie heeft nog een kat, dus nu hebben we een klein lief katje door het huis lopen die iedereen wakker houdt 's nachts. Echt zo lief, nu wil ik zelf een kat! Kijk maar eens naar deze instagram foto van het kleine schatje!

Shoplog Primark

Two shirts 

Bikini (not from Primark!) 

Coat with cute scalloped details 

Hair extension thingy (what is it called in English?) for making a sock bun 

Socks

 Red sandals for summer

 Navy blue trousers

 Black wedge heels

 Little pig door stop

I still need a new bikini or two, right now I have three bikinis and I don't think I can survive two weeks in Italy with only three bikinis. Unfortunately Primark's bikini department was pretty scarce and we had no better luck at H&M. Finally at New York (shop, not the city, although I wouldn't have minded an emergency shopping trip to NYC) we found this cute pair of bikini, again navy blue so I hope to find a white bikini too. We found one more blue bikini on Monday by Esprit, but I still want more bikinis. Or just one pair that isn't blue.

Inspiration post will follow.

Tuesday's randomness

Kuva täältä/Picture found here

My grandparents are off to Lapland now, so I'm staying at my parents till Friday. On Friday I will be going back to my grandparents' place to celebrate midsummer.

As I was whining about bad quality customer service in my earlier post, I think it's only fair to give credit for good customer service. I had to take the long distance bus from my grandparents' place to Helsinki but I had forgotten that visa electron doesn't work in those buses either so I had no cash on me. Well, the bus driver was kind enough to wait a couple minutes while I ran to the closest ATM (across the road, the benefits of a small town) to get some cash. That's what I call proper customer service, or maybe just general kindness.

Still no camera in use, so no outfit pictures. I wish I at least had an iPhone 4 in use, but alas, iPhone 3G is all I have. Being without a camera is giving me an urge to buy myself a new camera as soon as my paycheck arrives, this time a proper camera that will swallow half of my paycheck. Perhaps I should just steal... eh, kindly ask D if I could get his camera for my personal use when I go to the Netherlands in the end of the summer. (no specific dates have been picked out yet, thus the vagueness) Anyways, if I was to buy a camera, I think I would go for Nikon D90, for no real reasons though. D says it's good and the price is reasonable for a camera of that range. If anyone has any other suggestions, I'll be glad to consider them!

Speaking of shopping, I ordered myself (or D ordered me) another H&M blazer, in navy blue as it was in sale and one can't go wrong with a navy blue blazer, it's such a classic! I should still get a white/light brown one and a black one and then I would be pretty done with my blazer collection.

Tomorrow I will be waking up rather early (read: before 8 o'clock) because I have to call the doctor's office for an appointment. I had my first encounter with tachycardia in April as some of you might remember, and since then I have had tachycardia quite often, for no obvious reasons. Sure, any form of physical exercise makes my heartbeat race, and that's normal when one isn't in a good physical shape, but getting a heartbeat of 120-140 bpm while lying down on the bed can't be normal. Also, the fact that I get lightheaded and dizzy as well sort of indicates that something might be wrong or then my physical condition is even worse than I thought.

Anyways, tomorrow I will also be meeting Trang when she's done with work in the evening. We'll be going for a short shopping round, although I won't be buying anything. Got to draw the line somewhere, as I'm no millionaire!

Or maybe I will buy new headphones as mine are a little broken, can't hear a thing from the right ear. For some reason I'm not going to take them back to the store since I bought them from the same store where I bought my camera...

I hope everyone has had a great day!

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Isovanhempani lähtivät tänään mökilleen Lappiin, joten vietän pari yötä vanhempieni luona, juhannusta vietänkin sitten taas isovanhempieni talolla.

Kun kerta valitin huonosta asiakaspalvelusta aikaisemmassa postauksessani niin kehutaan nyt sitten tällä kertaa hyvää palvelua. Jouduin tulemaan Helsinkiin isovanhempieni luota bussilla, ja en tietenkään muistanut, että bussissa ei käy visa electron, eli käteistä ei ollut taskussa. No, bussikuski ystävällisesti odotti pari minuuttia, että juoksi kadun toiselle puolelle lähimmälle otto-automaatille nostamaan rahaa. Ihanaa kun saa hyvää palvelua, tai ehkä kohdalle vain sattui mukava bussikuski, mutta joka tapauksessa päiväni piristyi.

Vieläkään ei ole kameraa käytössä, joten ei asukuvia. Jos olisi edes iPhone 4 käytössä, mutta ei, iPhone 3G:llä ei oikein asukuvia oteta. Kamerattomuus on ajanut minut googlailemaan, ja minulla onkin erittäin vahva kamerakuume. Haluaisin ihan kamalasti ostaa itselleni kunnon järkkärin seuraavana palkkapäivänä, mutta ehkä on kuitenkin parempi varastaa... tai siis pyytää D:n järkkäriä käyttöön, kun menen Alankomaihin loppukesästä. (tarkkoja päiviä ei siis ole vielä sovittu) Joka tapauksessa, järkkäri on haaveissa, ja etenkin Nikon D90 houkuttaa, tosin vain siksi, että D sanoi sen olevan hyvä. Jos joku osaisi suositella jotain muuta kohtuuhintaista ja laadukasta järkkäriä niin ehdotuksia otetaan aina vastaan.

Rahantuhlaamisesta puhuen, tilasin eilen (tai D tilasi minulle) H&M:n nettialesta bleiserin. Tummansininen bleiseri on todellinen klassikko eli sille tulee varmasti käyttöä. Vielä pitäisi hankkia vaalea ja musta bleiseri niin sitten olisi kokoelma koossa.

Huomenna on aikainen (eli siis ennen klo 8) herätys, kun pitää soittaa terveyskeskuksesta lääkäriaikaa. Huhtikuussahan kirjoitin ensimmäisestä takykardia-kohtauksestani, ja huhtikuun jälkeen sykkeeni on kohonnut turhan korkeaksi ilman mitään kunnon syytä. Olen kyllä todella huonossa kunnossa, eli sinänsä ei ole ihme jos syke nousee pienestäkin liikunnasta, mutta ei taida olla normaalia, että syke nousee 120-140 lyöntiin minuutissa sängyllä levätessä. Lisäksi "kohtauksiin" liittyy myös hengenahdistusta, hengästymistä ja heikotusta, ja viime aikoina myös rintakipua, joten taitaa olla aika käydä lekurissa. Jokin voi olla oikeasti vialla, tai sitten olen todella huonossa kunnossa.

Ei nyt kuitenkaan synkistytä liikaa, sillä huomenna on tarkoitus tavata myös Trang illalla, kun hän pääsee töistä. Menemme kiertämään kauppoja, vaikka en kyllä aio tuhlata rahaa. Jokin raja täytyy olla, kun en ole kuitenkaan mikään miljonääri!

Tai ehkä pitäisi ostaa uudet kuulokkeet, kun oikeasta kuulokkeesta ei kuulu mitään. Takuu on kyllä vielä voimassa, mutta enpä kyllä ajatellut palata Järvenpään Prismaan näiden suhteen...

Toivottavasti kaikilla on ollut mukava päivä!

Goodbye textbooks!

Nahkatakki/Leather jacket: second-hand, T-paita/T-shirt: H&M, Hame/Skirt: H&M, Huivi/Scarf: SIX, Laukku/Bag: SIX, Kengät/Shoes: DinSko

Whew, it's finally over! No more English textbooks, I'm going to bury them deep somewhere I won't find them easily! Only one exam to go, political history, but we'll see how much I'll study for that one...  As for the exam results, I have no idea when they will arrive, but now it's time to enjoy the spring... working!

My friend Trang took my outfit pictures (yes, another shirt of D's, although I bought this one for him) today, I went to see her after the exam, because she and her sisters are cleaning out their closets and since I am about the same height and size as Trang (and her sisters) I of course wanted to see if she had anything for my closet. I'm truly blessed to have so many stylish friends and relatives who also happen to like shopping! In the pictures above you can see the things I bought from Trang... excuse the bad light and colors in the pictures, I'll try to get outfit pictures as soon as possible! 

If any of you happens to be in Helsinki on Saturday, there's a fashion flea market at Nosturi this Saturday and Sunday (they open at 9 o'clock and close at 15 o'clock) and Trang and her sisters are selling their clothes, shoes and accessories there on Saturday! I'd go there but I'm working then...

Oh, and in case you're interested, I joined lookbook.nu and I am also a proud member of the Independent fashion bloggers... 

Now I'm off to bed as I have to work tomorrow (no, today!) and I'm actually looking forward to it!

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Vapaus, viimeinkin! Sanon iloisesti hyvästit englannin pääsykoekirjoille, aion haudata ne jonnekin kaapin pohjalle! Vain yksi koe jäljellä: poliittinen historia, mutta saa nyt nähdä kuinka paljon jaksan lukea sitä varten. En ole edes katsonut, että milloin kokeiden tuloksia voi ruveta odottelemaan (heinäkuussa kai?) sillä nyt aion nauttia keväästä töiden ohessa!

Ystäväni Trang otti tämän päivän upeat asukuvat (kyllä, jälleen D:n paita päällä, tosin minä ostin tämän herralle vaihtelun vuoksi) kun kävin tapaamassa häntä kokeen jälkeen. Trang ja hänen siskonsa ovat tyhjentäneet vaatekaappejaan ja kun satutaan Trangin (ja Trangin siskojen) kanssa olemaan suhteellisen samanpituisia ja -kokoisia niin kävin sitten kurkkimassa jos sieltä löytyisi jotain minun vaatekaappiini. On oikeasti ihanaa, kun löytyy niin tyylikkäitä ystäviä ja sukulaisia, jotka rakastavat shoppailua! Ostokset näkyvät kuvissa, pahoittelut vain kuvien valaistuksesta ja väreistä, luonnonvaloa ei ollut enään saatavilla... mutta yritän saada asukuvat otettua mahdollisimman pian! 

Jos muuten olette Helsingissä lauantaina, Nosturissahan on vaatekirppis ja Trang on siskoineen siellä lauantaina myymässä vaatteita, kenkiä ja asusteita! Itsekin menisin kurkkimaan tarjontaa, mutta kun työvuoro sattui juuri lauantaille...

Niin joo, jos haluatte seurata minua lookbook.nu:n kautta, niin se onnistuu! Liityin myös Independent Fashion Bloggers:in jäseneksi eli minut voi löytää sieltäkin.

Nyt menen kuitenkin nukkumaan, huomenna (eikun tänään!) on taas työpäivä, ihanaa vaihtelua lukemiseen!

Studying for tomorrow's exam

Housut/Pants: Cubus, Bleiseri/Blazer: H&M, T-paita/T-shirt: D's

Porthania, one of the university buildings

Helsinki Central Railway Station

Ateneum, an art museum

The National Theatre

Kuva täältä/Picture found here

So today... I decided to wear another one of D's t-shirts, tied in a knot to make it fit better. I also got a care-package from D, and I was happy to find my favorite hot chocolate powder in it. Now you may wonder, why would someone ship hot chocolate powder all the way from the Netherlands to Finland, surely there is hot chocolate powder in Finland as well? But the thing is, most of the hot chocolate powder here in Finland contain soy and since I do value my life, I can't have them. I also happen to be quite lazy at times and heating up milk for hot chocolate is such a hassle. (I know, my life is *so* complicated!)

Today I also had my entrance exam for the History department in the University of Helsinki. It went okay, considering I haven't really studied for the History exam so the last time I actually really opened a History book was at least three months ago. But hey, I have spent all my study time and energy on the English exam, which will take place tomorrow...

Clearly being a blogger has its benefits. One of my lovely readers commented on my previous post and linked me this beautiful Bershka shirt. Now, sadly we don't have Bershka in Finland but that's when having a fiancé in the Netherlands comes in hand. So at some point this or next week D will get the shirt for me and probably send it to me. He's such a sweet guy, I couldn't possibly ask for better! Sending me care-packages, listening to me reading my textbooks aloud and now acting as my personal shopper... There's a reason why I am holding on to him despite of the distance..

Oh, and you might wonder why the English "translation" comes first today. Well, I decided that if I do my post in English-only it might count as studying for the exam, so that's why! Keep your fingers crossed for me tomorrow, I really, really want to get to start my English studies in September!

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Tänään postaus on vain englanniksi, jotta se lasketaan kokeeseen kertaamiseksi... Pitäkää huomenna peukut pystyssä ja sormet ristissä minun puolestani, jookos!

His T-shirt

Chinot/Chinos: WE, T-paita/T-shirt: lainassa/borrowed Trenssi/Trench: Zara, Laukku/Purse: SIX, 

Huivi/Scarf: SIX, Kengät/Shoes: H&M

Housut/Pants: second-hand, T-paita/T-shirt: lainassa/borrowed, Huivi/Scarf: second-hand

Danielin vaatekaapin kulmakivi taitaa olla valkoinen t-paita, onhan herralla niitä yli 20 kappaletta! Tuntuu, että joka Suomen visiitillä niitä jää tänne minun ilokseni, myös niiden pakollisten nuuhkut-paitojen lisäksi. Eilen sitten innostuin rakentamaan asukokonaisuutta ylisuuren t-paidan ympärille, mutta en ehtinyt ottaa kuin yhden kuvan kiireessä ennen töihinlähtöä. (ja ei, en tiedä miksi näytän noin pelästyneeltä kuvassa) Tänään laitoin samaisen t-paidan päälle, tosin tämän päivän asu soveltuu lähinnä pääsykokeisiin lukuun ja siitepölyallergiasta kärsimiseen.

Olen kyllä sitä mieltä, että kohtalo johdatti minut ja kuvassa näkyvän kenkäparin yhteen. Kyllä, tarinalle saatiin siis onnellinen loppu, kun DinSkosta soitettiin eilen minulle, ja kävin sitten ostamassa kenkulit heti töiden jälkeen, Forumin Kauppojen Yön kunniaksi vielä ylimääräisellä 20% alennuksella. Alunperin kengät, jotka ovat siis aitoa nahkaa, maksoivat 60 euroa, ja ne oli alennettu 30 euroon, ja siihen päälle vielä tuo 20% alennus... Aikamoista siis, aivan kuin kadoksissa ollut kenkä olisi löytynyt aivan tarkoituksella juuri eilen! Olenko tullut hulluksi, kun yksi pari kenkiä tekee minut näin onnelliseksi?

Tänään olen sitten lueskellut lisää englantia, ja aivastellut, ja yskinyt. Inhoan siitepölyallergiaa ja istuessani täällä rohisten nenäliinavuoren keskellä olen päättänyt tilata lisää sadetta Etelä-Suomeen... anteeksi vain kaikille jotka pystyvät hengittämään myös auringonpaisteessa! Toinen vaihtoehto olisi tietenkin hävittää kaikki koivupuut läheisyydestäni...

--

For Daniel the cornerstone of his style has to be a white t-shirt, since he owns more than 20 of them! It seems like that after each of his visits to Finland I have at least one or two t-shirts hanging around, in addition to the ones I sniff when I miss him too badly. Yesterday I felt like building my outfit around an over-sized t-shirt, but unfortunately I don't really have a good picture of it, the picture I posted is the only one I have of yesterday's outfit as I had to snap the picture heading out of the door on my way to work. (no, I don't know why I look so scared in the picture) Today I wore the same shirt, although the way I paired it with comfy pants and a warm scarf isn't very stylish.. but hey, it's perfect for a study-day when one isn't feeling when thanks to the pollen.

I must say, it truly feels like I found my soul-mate in the form of a pair of shoes. Yes, the story got its happy ending after all, when I got a phone call yesterday at work! I headed straight to the store after work and bought the lovely brogues, with a special 20% discount in addition to the 50% discount (the shop had some sort of special evening going on, thus the discount) and for a pair of leather brogues that were originally 60 euros that wasn't bad at all... seems like the missing shoes was meant to be found yesterday! Have I gone mad, falling in love like this with a pair of shoes?

Today has been spent studying English, and sneezing and coughing. I hate hay-fever, and in this state of coughing and not being able to breathe through my nose I am determined to mail-order some rain to Finland... or chop down every single birch tree in my vicinity!

Shop shop shop till you drop

Oltiin siis tänään Erican kanssa shoppailemassa, minä lähinnä makutuomarina ja yllyttäjänä, ja Erica puolestaan etsi itselleen kevätkenkiä ja teki parhaansa estääkseen minua tyhjentämästä koko kauppaa ja pankkitiliä... Olimme kaupungilla yhteensä nelisen tuntia, ja Ericalle löytyi jopa kahdet kevätkengät ja vähän ylimääräistä, joskin tarpeellista vaatekaapin täytettä.

Itse luonnollisesti katselin samalla kauppojen valikoimia ja DinSkossa törmäsin aivaan ihanaan kävelykenkätapaukseen. Tuote oli viimeinen laatuaan ja alennuksessa ja vieläpä oikean kokoinen! Tuntui aivan kuin kohtalo olisi johdattanut meidät toistemme luokse... eli ei sinänsä yllättävää että vakaa aikomukseni oli tuhlata vähiä rahojani erittäin vastuuttomasti tähän ihanaan kenkäpariin, onhan kyseessä kuitenkin vaihteeksi järkevä ja käytännöllinen malli, ja niitä ei hirveästi minun kaapistani löydy. MUTTA VOI KOHTALON IVAA! DinSkossahan yleensä näytillä on vain yksi kenkä ja sen pari pidetään laatikossa varastossa, eli en edes osannut epäillä mitään kenkää sovitellessani, mutta jostain kumman syystä kyseisen ihanuuden pari on eksynyt teille tietämättömille, enkä halunnut ostaa vain yhtä kenkää... jätin liikkeeseen kuitenkin nimeni ja puhelinnumeroni siltä varalta, että seikkailunhaluisempi kenkä palaa parinsa luo.

Söimme Picnicissä lounasta, ja lounaan jälkeen suuntasimme vielä keskustan Sokokselle, josta löysin vihdoin sopivan ja kivan bikinisetin. Sokoksellahan on nyt asiakasomistajapäivät meneillään, eli 15 % alennus rauhoitti vähän omaatuntoa. Vaikka minulla on nyt työpaikka, ei minun silti pitäisi tuhlata kaikkia rahoja nk. turhaan tavaraan... shoppailu on niin petollista, sitä kun jotenkin aina luo uudelle tavaralle tarpeen, vaikka sitä ei alunperin olisikaan ollut. Ah ja voi, onneksi en sentään sortunut tuhlaamaan enempää, on minulla näköjään jonkin verran itsekuria... (ja ihan(i)a ystäv(i)ä, joka ei petä silloin kun itsekuri pettää)

Nyt menen nukkumaan, huomenna on illalla töitä ja päivällä pitäisi vielä ehtiä käydä apteekissa hakemassa lisää allergialääkkeitä ja opiskellakin pitäisi... Kylläpäs elämäni vaikuttaa nyt niin kiireiseltä kun vielä pari kolme viikkoa sitten se koostui lähinnä löhöämisestä, satunnaisesta opiskelusta ja sosiaalisesta elämästä!

--

Today I and my friend Erica went shopping, although I was mostly there for company and style advice, and Erica was there looking for new Spring and Summer shoes, and she also was doing her very best keeping me from emptying the whole store and my bank account... We were walking around the Helsinki city center for nearly four hours and Erica found her shoes, and some additional, yet very useful things for her wardrobe.

While looking around I couldn't help looking for something for myself as well, and at DinSko (a shoe store chain) I met the most precious pair of brogues, or well, just one brogue but since they keep the other shoe in a box in the basement storage there's nothing strange about it. The pair was on sale, the last one left, and even my size! It was like the fate had brought us together... so it wasn't very surprising that despite of my firm decision to sway away from spending I was ready to take this pretty pair home even if it's completely irresponsible to spend money on such vain things! But this pair is sensible and comfortable, qualities that do not fit most of my shoe collection so I felt like the purchase was justified. BUT OH THE FICKLE FATE! Like I said, they usually keep the other shoe in the storage to prevent people from stealing shoes... well, they couldn't find the other shoe! Naturally I didn't want to purchase only one shoe so I simply gave them my name and contact information should the other, clearly more adventurous shoe return to its partner.

We had lunch (toast and latte for me) and after freshening up we were up to some more shopping, and at Sokos (a big Finnish department store chain) I finally found bikinis that fit and look nice. So now I have a bikini for summer, for all that I'm not a beach-y person. But hey, who can resist a 15% discount? However I shouldn't spend so much money on clothes and such, for all that I have a job now. I don't necessarily -need- any of it, I have more than enough clothes even though it's easy to create a need for anything while shopping... which is why I probably should stop shopping for good. Oh well, at least I didn't spend more than that, so I suppose I have some self-control... (and great friends who never fail me even when I fail myself!)

Now I'm off to bed, since I'm working tomorrow evening and I'm supposed to get some stuff done before work, such as buying more antihistamines and perhaps some studying could be useful too... Seems like I have got myself a real life, which didn't even seem possible a couple weeks ago!

Catching up

Mekko/Dress: Mango, Trenssi/Trench coat: Zara, Huivi/Scarf: SIX, Laukku/Purse: SIX, 

Kengät/Shoes: vanhat/old

Täällä ollaan taas, blogimaailman syövereissä, sillä D.. ei kun Daniel (sain vihdoin luvan paljastaa D:n oikean nimen) on palannut Alankomaihin... niisk. Daniel palasi vastentahtoisesti kotiin eilen iltapäivällä/illalla, mutta onneksi iChat toimii, ja jos hyvin käy matkustan kesäkuussa Alankomaihin Danielin synttäreille, nyt kun välit anoppiin ovat lämmeneet kevään myötä.

Luonnollisesti minulla on kuitenkin kauhea ikävä Danielia, ja myös rentoa lomafiilistä. Leivoimme kakkuja, herkuttelimme karkilla ja sipseillä (joku ei oikein ymmärrä, että tarkoitus on nostaa painoa terveellisesti) ja katsoimme televisiohömppää ja elokuvia. Kinastelimme pikkujutuista, halailimme bussipysäkillä kanssaihmisten kauhuksi... kaukosuhteella on omat hyvät puolensa, mutta toivoisin, että Daniel muuttaisi jo Suomeen, tai asiat järjestyisivät niin että voisin muuttaa Alankomaihin. Olisi niin ihanaa tulla töistä kotiin viettämään iltaa toisen kanssa muutenkin kuin vain tietokoneen välityksellä... tietokonetta kun on vähän vaikea halata ja Mr Paddington on vähän pienen puoleinen.

Kuvissa muuten näkyy maanantain asu, kävimme Danielin kanssa ystäväni 20-vuotissyntymäpäiväkakkukutsuilla ennen kuin suuntasimme tätini luokse hakemaan matkalaukun. Isovanhempani veivät laukun tädilleni, kun he menivät sinne vahtimaan serkkujani, ja samalla säästivät meidät matkalaukun raahamiselta bussista toiseen, kun junat eivät kulkeneet. Kakut olivat herkullisia, ja Hysteria -elokuva oli ratkiriemukas, ja seura oli aivan mahtavaa kuten aina... ehkä vähän liiankin hyvää, sillä loppujen lopuksi Daniel melkein myöhästyi lennoltaan! Vaikka pakko kai se on myöntää, että minua ei olisi haitannut yhtään, jos KLM:n kone olisi lähtenyt ilman Danielia...

Tänään olikin aikainen herätys vanhempieni sohvalla, kun ensimmäinen työpäivä alkoi niinkin aikaisin kuin kello 7.45. Aamupalakin jäi vähän vajaaksi, jos nyt voidaan edes puhua aamupalasta.. aamutee voisi olla osuvampi termi. Töissä oli kyllä mukavaa, vihdoin löysin työn, joka ei aja minua burn-outin partaalle heti ensimmäisen työpäivän jälkeen! Ihanat työkaverit ja mukava työympäristö... ainoa miinuspuoli on jalkojen kipeytyminen jatkuvan seisomisen takia. Tällä kertaa jaloissa oli kuitenkin nk. terveyssandaalit eli selkä ei ollut moksiskaan, ja yllätin myös itseni harrastamalla taukojumppaa venyttelyn muodossa!

Töiden jälkeen suuntasin kaupungille, sillä minun piti käydä vaihtamassa Danielille ostamani paita sopivan kokoiseen (ei varmaan kannattaisi luottaa Danielin omaan arvioon hänen vaatekoostaan) mutta en sortunut ostamaan itselleni uusia vaatteita, vaikka kiusaus olikin kova. Sen sijaan päädyin ostamaan uuden meikkivoiteen, peitepuikon, kynsilakan ja valkoisen rajauskynän. Hiuslakka tuli Lumenen tuotteiden kylkiäisenä... Yleensä vaalea ihoni ei muuten häiritse minua lainkaan, mutta tänään tuli kyllä sellainen olo, että pitäisi varmaan värjätä iho laikukkaaksi oranssiksi itseruskettavilla (minuun ne eivät vain tepsi, lopputulos on aina kammottava) ihan vain että meikkivoiteen löytäminen olisi helpompaa. Loppujen lopuksi päädyin sitten Lumenen meikkivoiteeseen ja peitepuikkoon, joissa sävy on suhteellisen lähellä omaani. En ole aikaisemmin kokeillut Lumenen meikkivoiteita, toivottavasti tuote on hyvä!

Bussimatka takaisin vanhempien luo kesti tavallista pidempään kello viiden ruuhkassa, mutta onneksi illalliseksi oli herkkuruokaa: uunilohta ja parsaa ja höyrytettyjä kasviksia. Iltapalaksi oli vielä mustikkarahkaa, eli ainakin illalla tuli syötyä ihan hyvin, vaikka aamupala ja lounas ja välipala jäivätkin vähän vähäisemmiksi. Noh, huomenna uusi yritys kun menen aamusta Erican kanssa etsimään hänelle uusia kevätkenkiä. Makutuomarina olo on melkeinpä hauskempaa kuin shoppailu itsessään, joten uskon, että saan huomenaamulla tarpeeksi energiaa pääsykokeisiin lukuun. Alle 20 päivää englannin ja historian pääsykokeisiin, pitäisi varmaan stressata enemmän!

Nyt on pakko mennä pesemään silmät kylmällä vedellä, koivun siitepöly aiheuttaa sen verran kamalaa kutinaa... Toivottavasti teidän viikkonne on alkanut hyvin!

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I have returned to the blogging world now that D... no, Daniel (yes, I finally got the permission to use his real name) has returned to the Netherlands... snif. He flew back home yesterday, more or less reluctantly, on the late afternoon, but luckily iChat works and if everything goes well I will be visiting the Netherlands during the summer for Daniel's birthday.

Naturally I am missing him terribly, but I also miss the relaxed "vacation" -feeling. We baked cakes, ate way too much candy and chips (obviously someone missed the point about gaining weight in a healthy way) and watched TV-series marathons and bad movies. We were also bickering about silly matters, showing affection in public to shock (and disgust) other people... there are good sides to long distance relationships but I can't help wishing that Daniel would move to Finland already, or that things would work out so that I could move to the Netherlands. I would love to be able to come home after a long day at work to spend the evening with him, in person rather than via iChat... my laptop isn't very huggable and Mr Paddington somewhat lacks in size.

In the pictures you can see my outfit for Monday. Daniel and I went to my friend's 20-year-old birthday tea & cake party before heading to my aunt's to get Daniel's suitcase. My grandparents took the suitcase with them to my aunt's where they were babysitting on Monday, which saved us from the hassle of dragging the suitcase from one bus to another since trains weren't going thanks to some technical issues.  The cakes were delicious, the film Hysteria was hilarious and the company was the best, as usual... maybe a little too good since Daniel almost missed his flight! Although I must confess that I wouldn't have been heartbroken if the KLM-plane had left Finland without Daniel on board...

Today I had to wake up early on my parents' couch since my first day at work was kicked off to a good start as early as 7.45. I ended up skipping breakfast except for one cup of tea (which doesn't even count as breakfast) but I love my job! It's about the time I found a job that doesn't make me cry after the first day! I like my colleagues (at least the ones I've met so far) and I love the working place... the only thing I don't like is the standing up part because my feet ache, even with good and ergonomic shoes. At least my back is fine, and I made sure to engage in some "coffee break" yoga and stretching, which surprised even myself!

After work I headed to the town to take shirt I bought for Daniel back to the store. Either he has lost weight or then he has a very weird idea of his size because the shirt was way too big. I did manage to keep myself from buying any new clothes for myself even though I was tempted to do so with all the mint green dreams at H&M. Instead I bought myself a new make-up lotion, concealer, nail polish and a white kohl pen... the hair spray was a gift for buying so many Lumene (a Finnish cosmetics brand) products at once. Usually I don't mind my pale skin a bit, but today I felt like I should start turning myself patchy orange with tanning lotions (those really don't work for me, the end result is always something horrid!) just to make finding the right shade a little easier. In the end I bought the Lumene one since it was the closest match to my skin tone. I haven't used any make-up lotions by Lumene before but I hope it's going to prove to be a good product!

The bus trip from downtown Helsinki to my parents' place took twice the time it normally takes but luckily we had a wonderful dinner: salmon from the oven with asparagus and steam-cooked vegetables. We even had blueberry quark for dessert/evening snack so I'd say that even though my breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks were a bit poor nutrition-wise I ended my day quite healthily. Well, tomorrow I am going to make sure to eat properly since I am going to help my friend Erica to find new shoes. Shopping for someone else is even more fun than shopping for yourself, and it ought to give me enough positive energy to be spent on studying. Only a little over two and half weeks till the English and History entrance exams, so I should probably stress a lot more!

Now I'm forced to go and wash my eyes with cool water... I hate hay-fever, and the birch tree pollen is the worst there is... I hope your week has started off well!