Ribbons

Summer

  

{ This summer I plan to fall in love }

One more week of this semester left, and then my summer starts!
I feel like blogging again!

My 1st Day of Autumn

Autum: Walks in the forest with colorful leaves fallen on the ground, crisp air, wool sweaters and hot chocolate

Hmmm... Not always. For me autumn started today as I felt grumpy and tired in the morning, and it is still continuing. Somehow I survived the microeconomics classes. Now I have french fries in the oven, and after eating those I will go under my blanket and read The Kite Runner.

I decided to enjoy the pictures from my  trip in June in Southern Europe in bits. These two pictures are from Southern France. It seems like ages since I was on that trip. Oh those summer days!

Kiter Runner Dinner For One

I recently started reading a new book: The Kite Runner. My friend recommended & lent it to me. Already the beginning is very captivating!
On the menu tonight I had stir-fried zucchini, tofu and onion (spiced with soy-sauce, ginger, curry and  pepper) on a soy-sprout salad bed.

Silk scarf love

Although I guess that during this time of the year I should be coveting pashminas and wool scarfs!

Silk scarfs from Virginia Johnson

Zahir and Veggie-wok

I'm still enjoying having plenty of time. Yesterday I watched a Finnish cooking tv-show called Köyhät Ritarit. It is geared toward the younger people. By that I mean it is not one of those cooking shows where they prepare hugely difficult, fancy, traditional dishes. I got some really good tips on how to do a nice veggy-wok, and I have to say that mine was quite tasty! I think it's cool that the tv channel puts some of their shows online for people to watch for free (for some you have to pay). They also have an interior decorating show that I really enjoy watching.

The book in the picture is called The Zahir. I'm borrowing this book from a friend in Stuttgart (a reason to go back to Stuttgart: to return the book! yey!). I'm very glad I was recommended this, because I don't think I would have otherwise read it, and I really like it a lot.
I'm a bit worried what will happen to my reading once the course work really gets going... I currently have many books I still want to read soon.

Wool socks and Fall planning

It's raining very heavily outside, and I have time. I had to put on my wool socks because fall is here. I'm having an espresso, and doing some planning for the fall. I like stopping and thinking about what I want to do, be, feel, see, and hear. This might sound crazy to someone who is not a natural born planner like I am. But obviously I don't mean that I decide everything beforehand, it's more like structuring my thoughts, ideas and aspirations in my head.

My friend and I were already very efficient: with a few e-mails we set the date for her to come visit me here in Vienna in October, and she already booked the tickets! I got the schedule for my lectures yesterday, and so now I'm planning my own trips as well. Also I was going over my little notepad document which includes movies I want to see, books I want to read, things I want to learn/find out about, things I want to buy at some point, and things I want to do (or in some cases things I have to do ;)

In the picture you see the fall fashion -issue of Olivia, a Finnish magazine. I'm thinking how I want to look this fall and winter... hmm... I'm thinking of getting a navy blue wool coat that is down to my knees, it would look nice with a white scarf. Or maybe even a red coat? Definitely not a black one, because I've always had a black one.
Here is an inspiring picture from Olivia:

Also I'm thinking of the idea that has been in magazines for a while: combining light, semi-colorful tunikas and dresses with grey and earth toned thick sweaters and skinny jeans or tights.
I will continue pondering ;)

Happy WE!!

Song of the day: Heal Me - Sunrise Avenue

Feet on a Bus

Shash is hosting a Feet Week. These are my feet jumping into the project. I took this yesterday when it was rainy and windy. I was on my way to the post office. These are my new Converse All Stars. They are a bit different, because they are boots and made of leather. Perfect fall shoes I say. New shoes for new adventures!

I love slow mornings

Really, I do, so very much! Slow mornings are my way to recharge. It is like after a night of good sleep, I get to join back into the day at my own pace. Now I'm still in bed, drinking cappuccino under my new duvet. Outside it is very cold and windy. I'm listening to Jonatha Brooke and catching up on blogs, flickr, communities and news.

One more pick of yesterday's dorm-room-organizing:

Hello Again

Unpacking, washing, organizing. I have moved to Austria!
The last few weeks have been quite hectic for me, that's why I haven't been blogging that much. I also missed the People's Princess project. :(

BBQ & Poker Evening

Day Trip to Heidelberg

Breakfast on the train (the French way = with sparkling wine!)

Heidelberg was full of cuteness, especially the signs caught my attention.

The Neckar River

These are pictures from last Saturday, when we did a day trip to Heidelberg here in southern Germany. It was a lovely day! I'm posting these  pictures only now, because I  haven't had time. I have been enjoying every last bit of my life here in Stuttgart. I think I'm a bit sad to go.

I get an e-mail called "Thought of the morning" every morning in my work mailbox. It includes a quote and some other positive words. This is Thursday's quote:

Fruits need to be eaten when ripe. Luck needs to be enjoyed when present.

Enjoyment.
Today I have enjoyed the sunny and warm weather at the pool. I love lying in the grass on a towel letting the sun shine on me, letting my thoughts drift away and occasionally falling asleep.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

 

Travel dreams

I've been hatching my June07 trip -pictures for long enough. I've just been so overwhelmed with the amount of them, so I haven't known where to start. Now I will upload them in parts, cherishing each picture. Maybe it will be winter once I'm done, but actually it is good, as I will be having the memories of the summer sun when it is cold.

Places I want to see:

Frankfurt (been to the trainstation several times, but actually never to the city...)
Munich (will go in few weeks)

Paris (it's not often that a person has been to France, but never to PARIS! It was my new years resolution to visit Paris this year... let's see..)
Amsterdam
Copenhagen (been to when I was a kid, but would like to go back for shopping, eating, partying)
London (been to when I was a kid, but would like to go back for shopping, eating, partying)

Thailand
Tokyo
Croatia
Greek Islands
Morocco
Cinque Terre, Italy (latest addition to the list, got inspired by these pics, found through Astrid)

Saturday breakfast

This phase

                                                                        (this morning)

A year ago I read the street fashion blogs daily. This summer I haven't done so all that often, but now I'm starting to get the urge again! Trends are fun, but recently I have been wanting to develop my personal style, or should i say my core style. In general I enjoy varying my style from day to day: sometimes office-like, sometimes lady-like, sometimes more hippie-style and so on. I also go through phases: grey-phase, kitch-phase, print-t-shirt-phase and so on.

                                                                   [this evening]

My current food interest phase: salads (or actually salad dressings). Also I've noticed that my taste is maturing, I tend to like the strong tastes more and more. I mean who liked strong cheese, olives, espresso, or wine when they were kids!?! Also having a nice dinner (=good company, appealing place, delicious food, and plenty of wine ;)  is becoming a preferred way for me to unwind. Whoa... am I becoming an adult!?! So I should just go light up a cigar and sit on the veranda now...

BTW, I went to see Josephine Meckseper at the Kunstmuseum during the weekend. It was great. It was about consumerism and politics.  For once I felt that someone else is trying to analyze and understand this life more than me.

Leaving for dinner at the Floating Market

Entrance of Floating market, a really nice Thai restaurant. The decoration is beautiful: dark and lit with candles, and full of decoration details, especially the flowers on the table. I walk past this restaurant very often as it is close to my place, so I knew I could expect nice surroundings during the dinner, and therefore took my camera with me. I didn't end up taking any pictures, because it was a bit of a hassle since we were a group of twenty people, and with that sort of lighting the picture doesn't happen with just a push of a button. Oh well, the food was great. I had ricenoodles, with tofu and veggies in a special sauce of which I already forgot the name of.

Now I'm drinking a chai latte before going to bed. Chai lattes make me always very sleepy, I guess it's the milk and honey "kicking in". I've already had a chance to relax this evening. I watched Magdalene Sisters, a movie which my friend offered to lend me after a discussion of the horrible things that women still suffer these days because of religion (e.g. honor killing, mutilation of the genitals to keep the devils away in Africa etc.). This movie also touched the topic of "sinful behavior of girls", and it left me feeling yet again thankful for living in a fair culture.

After that I did some flickring. A few faves:

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Cool flowers and good tea

I think there's too much pink

Have a great weekend!

Nice and easy

I went to Vienna for entrance exams to a master's degree program. The plane arrived at 9, and the exams were in the late afternoon. The few people I know in Vienna were working during the day, and I wasn't in the mood for sightseeing or shopping. And so I took it easy:

A Melange at a Viennese coffee house.

Reading and napping for hours on the park bench...

...and just looking at the trees, letting my thoughts flow.

Having a refreshing mango frappucino at Starbucks.

Life oh life.

Nostalgia

One of the songs that will stay in my mind and heart reminding me of Germany is called "Ein Stern die dein Name tragt" (A star that carries your name). With my friends I have sung my lungs out to this song at the Beerfest. The feeling of belonging is enormous. On a moment like that I feel like a German.

I have a similar song for the United States: God Bless The USA. Although already a while ago, I remember myself sitting at the Stone Mountain Park in Georgia, watching the laser show and listening to this song. On that moment I felt American.

And the list of songs that make me feel like a Finn is never ending.  It includes so many songs from early childhood on, songs that my parents and grandparents would sing to me, funny songs we sang with my friends as kids, the traditional hit songs that absolutely everyone knows and so on.

Although certainly not the most famous one, but perhaps a significant band in my life is called "Leevi and the Leavings". This cassette was stuck in the car radio in the beginning of the 8 hour drive up north to visit my grandparents every summer. We had a red Saab with no air-conditioning, sandwiches in a lunch box, and homemade juice in a canister. I don't know if it was the only cassette we owned, or simply just a favorite of my parents, but it was listened to over and over again.  Needless to say, but I know the lyrics by heart. But the funny thing is that only now when I actually stop to think of the meaning of the words, I realize that they are a bit on the naughty side... hehe.... :)

Do you have a special/nostalgic song?

Fueling up

Fueling up with espresso and choosing jewelry for the evening... We are going to the Stuttgart SommerFest!!

Unfortunately my country week is not going too well... On Wednesday I went to to the Sky Beach with my friends and yesterday to dinner with my colleagues. I have exactly one more month left here in this love ly city of Stuttgart, and still so many places to see and things to do!

Listening to: Kim Wilde - You came (it's awesome!)

Also I'm going to join The People's Princess - project at Liberty Post. Deadline for the Diana posts is August 31st, check it out!

Soon it's August and the Iraq war continues

Tomorrow will be August 1st, the last summer month. The weather in Germany is not very summer-like, usually 17-24 degrees C, and some days rainy, some less. I will resume my daily mini-diary, which is actually an AAVAA-calendar, made by the design school in my home city Lahti in Finland. The page designs and the photos are so amazing! I write a very short description of each day, since there is not that much space and I want to keep the task of writing simple, so that I would manage to do it everyday. Nevertheless this habit got pushed back somewhere last spring. But I'm hoping to get this going again, as it is nice to remember what I have done.

Today is Iraq day for me, or should I say the Iraq-war day, since that is what you end up with once you enter "iraq" into any search field. I don't understand the war at all, or lets say the truth behind it. I feel like whenever I read the news about it, it is like reading about a story. I don't trust the news.

I hate when war is glorified. I hate it when pictures of soldiers leaving for war portrayed as heroes are shown. I hate all the big speeches of the leaders or anything else that turns the war into an action movie or a video game. If people would get their kicks from somewhere else, there would be no war. And I have to say here that it is mostly men who crave for this big feeling. But the truth about war is that it is a horrible thing. Oh how much I wish that people would soon be sophisticated enough to live humanely in all aspects.

What I was really happy about was that when searching for Iraq on flickr, you end up with so many pictures of protests against the Iraq war held in the States. I also found a movie on the reasons behind the Iraq war called "No End In Sight". It seems very good and informative, but on the other hand I'm not so sure that I like the idea of people making money with movies on a war.

A week of country impressions: Iran

Imam Ali Reza

Ok, so I'm sitting here in my 4th floor city-center apartment, listening to the church choir practice that takes place every Monday evening in one of the apartments right on the other side of the street . I'm munching my evening cereal, and I'm quite tired from a day of sitting at the office for a good 8 hours, after which I went to spinning class... Yes, my life isn't very straining.

I wonder what the day has been for an Iranian girl about my age? Does she also eat whole wheat cereals with dried fruits? You know, the healthy ones that practically all the western girls eat... Or maybe they don't like to eat cereal in Iran at all.  Let's admit it, my prior knowledge of Iran is very poor. Most of the time I'm just trying to make a difference between Iran and Iraq on the news. I actually do know that Tehran is the capital of Iran and that it is very dangerous there.

So let me go check a few things on Iran in the mighty 3: Wikipedia, Google and Flickr...

....Ok, I'm back. The research went exactly how I feared it would go: I would get stuck on reading the history and other basics of the country. Of course this is important and interesting, and you really get carried along with it, but I really wanted to get a more deeper look at some aspect of the country. Gladly at the end I ran into a link list of Iranian blogs written in English. It actually includes one blog that I discovered few years ago called a glinting glimpse from above the wall. I visit this blog every now and then. According to Wikipedia, Iran is the 3rd or 4th biggest country of bloggers.

Few pics from Flickr:

Set of pictures of Iranians
In the Alleys of Iran
Iran Esfahan
Iran Tabriz

Market of Esfahan, Iran, 2004. Photo by Bertil Videt
CC Some rights reserved

A week of country impressions

I have decided to do a theme week about countries. Each day I will get to know one country through the www. I'm thinking of reading the basic facts, and a bit on history and economic situation on wikipedia. But I really want to get an overall impression of the country and its culture by searching for blogs, pictures on flickr, articles etc. If you have some tips on ways to find info, or if you know any helpful websites on these countries, please let me know!

I think I will be posting some of my findings and thoughts on these countries through the week.