yay!!!

the daily show & the colbert report are back from vacation!!!

i missed them last week. and then this morning, the video wouldn't load. }:P but, tonight, it did! yay!! i was hoping to be able to watch bones & burn notice as well, but they're not available in my area (imagine me saying this in a very snotty voice). bones isn't available outside the u.s. & burn notice "isn't available in my area". thankfully, comedy central isn't so restricting & i can still watch my two most favorite shows (after "xena", of course, but that's no longer airing anyways, so whatever). i can also watch clips from demitri martin's new show "important things", of which i'm looking forward to seeing full episodes when i get back....i'll have a lot of tv-viewing catching up to do....

in lieu of being able to watch my shows during breakfast & dinner (i like to watch tv while i eat), i was watching clips on comedy central & eddie izzard was mentioned. he's my favorite comedian &, suddenly, i remembered "youtube"; i can probably find video of eddie izzard on youtube. and i did, but after a week, i've basically gone through all his comedy clips that are posted & all that's basically left are interviews. i actually got to see him when he came to portland last year. it wasn't as funny as his specials i've seen, but part of that was i couldn't hear his jokes above the crowd laughing around me....i also thought it was rather ironic, 'cause i had brought my Bible w/ me to catch up on my reading before the show started & he's athiest (either during the "stripped" tour or just before it, he decided God doesn't exist) & alot of his acts challenge Biblical principles/stories. and i kept thinking: that's not how the story goes (e.g. 2 of every animal went on the ark)...and, he wasn't all trannied out either. just jeans, shirt, & tuxedo jacket (i don't think he was even wearing make-up).

anywho, on to current events. the weather is getting warmer for the most part - it's still freakin' cold. the ice covered sidewalks are much less prevalent - almost non-existant - as w/ the streets. the footpath i take from the bus to the gym actually has pavement surfacing in areas. although, it still snows from time to time (like last night), but it doesn't change the landscape that much. it just covers the dirty snow & icy parts w/ a clean, white glaze & slightly more traction (although, that "traction" can be deceiving - it makes me smile when someone else slips, not that they're slipping, but that i'm not the only one). the sun was out most of the day today & was melting the ice/snow off the buildings.

john from church said he'd get me a key on sat., so i can go & practice whenever i want/need. we've moved on to choral & solo vocal pieces in finnish music class. one of the primary vocal composers, toivo kuula's work is generally melancholic. and the instructor noted that finns tend to be very melancholy, quiet, don't talk much, think deep thoughts, & live in their own little worlds. hmm...sound like anyone you know? ha!...it's not my fault, it's just my genes....hehe

i met lucio linhares on mon. (he's the m-1 team finland fighter who recommended i train @ espoon kehähait). nice guy, & i can't wait to actually take one of his classes....his flight arrived late on mon., so he couldn't teach then; he didn't teach last night & i sparred w/ outi during his mma class tonight. (i could have gone to his bjj class tonight, but i'm sick, my rib cage hurts, & i'm cramping.) i'll be sparring w/ outi again tomorrow (she kicks my ass every which way from sun., but it's still fun), so i want to make sure i feel up to that.

yesterday, i did a search online to see if i can find any "retailers" of traditional finnish costumes ('cause my mom wants one) & found a couple of sources. one is an online source (http://kauppa.vuorelma.net/PublishedService?pageID=3&action=view&groupID=1132&OpenGroups=1132 - if you're interested in looking at the different styles, etc.) where the cheapest costume was 235e for the materials; ready-made it's 740e. it's based in lahti & i can't tell if there's a physical shop as well (if i'm going to have assemble it, i need to make sure there are instructions i can understand that come w/ the material). the reason why the costumes are so expensive are explained in a forum posting i found (same place i found both costume sources):

People make them themselves because the amount of handwork is immense, and the prices of ready made are high. Check that vuorelma.net, for example the Tuuteri dress costs 3200 € ready, and 650 € for materials only. A huge difference. The prices are what they are because EVERYTHING is hand made, wool materials are weaved by hand in looms, laces are crocheted, embroidery is all done by hand, colours come from nature, and so on. On the left hand side there is a list of different dresses, just click them. There you can also see the differences between ready dresses and do-it-yourself material packages. The materials are in the package, you don´t have to start weaving.

the other source is a store downtown where a member of a swedish chorale purchased her costume. of course, since it's a swedish chorale, the costumes @ this shop may be swedish & not finnish. on the same forum, there was a suggestion to contact the kalevala women's association along w/ a link to their website where i found a couple of addresses associated w/ them. i hope to check these places out tomorrow.

i forgot...

regarding my passport, i finally got a straight answer about the lack of an entry stamp in finland. there are no passport checks w/in the schengen area (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Agreement), which includes germany, finland, sweden, denmark, & norway - & others. so, that's why my passport was stamped in munich, but not in helsinki (since i had arrived into finland from another schengen country). really, the u.s. embassy should have known this & told me; they have been utterly disappointing.

when shopping for a coat, the other concern was that i was going to look like a big ol' puffy marshmallow & that look just doesn't become me. i do look like a marshmallow in my new coats, but not a big ol' marshmallow (& still cute to boot!....keehehehehe)...random, i know, but it was supposed to be included in the section about my coat (i'm really excited about my new coats, can you tell?)

i just updated my settings again to eliminate the "code word" requirement when posting comments. now, i'll just see how many "spam" comments i get. :D

i'm sure there are other things i meant to write about as well, but i've forgotten.....

update

i had a very successful shopping trip on fri.! finally, i found a coat that will actually keep me warm that doesn't cost 300+e. i've been looking in the 2nd hand shops, but all of those coats were either too big or didn't look like they'd actually keep me warmer than what i have. same w/ the coats in stockmann & joutsen (they don't just make down comforters); except that the coats were either 300+e or didn't look like they'd keep me warmer. so, i decided i should go to a sports shop & maybe get a snowboard jacket & on fri., i wound up in "intersport" when i was attempting to get out of another store i was in (looking @ boots). i found my wonderful jacket that's pictured below & it was 50% off, so it was only 150e & another coat that's smaller for when the weather gets warmer, but is still freakin' cold to me @ 50% off for 50e. i also got a new pair of gloves that are more for cold weather & big enough for me to wear my other gloves underneath & i still maintain my dexterity as well as another undershirt & "underpants". i am done freezing my ass off, that's all i gotta say....

eno called me while i was shopping & told me he wasn't going to get the laundry key because it requires a 60e deposit & he can't afford to pay that & he's fine w/ his little washer....i told him i'd pay for the key (which, i'm sure the deposit will be given back upon return of the key, but he thinks they give it back when you move out)....he went on about not understanding what they were saying & that he pays too much for the apt...kinda alluding to the fact that the rent he charges me doesn't compare or whatever. he's commented a couple of times that as soon as i get richer, i'll start paying him more - ha! i told him before i came over that i wouldn't be getting richer, but that i could afford 300e/mo. he refused & said he only asks for 250e. so, as far as i'm concerned, he has no place to complain along those lines.....

other than a few things here & there, i'm pretty much done shopping for myself & can start looking for souvenirs for you folks @ home....so, send me your requests!...if any. some of you will get something no matter what (although, it might end up being something cheesy from the souvenir section @ stockmann's if you don't give me suggestions ;D).

we had potluck @ church this Sabbath & i made egg salad. it took me awhile to figure out what i could actually make for other people to enjoy & thought of making my egg salad w/ sundried tomatoes & basil....i couldn't find sundried tomatoes, so i used a "sundried" tomato-paprika pasta dressing instead - not quite the same. i found sundried tomatoes on sun., so i'll be making it again for myself to enjoy.... :) i was invited to play volleyball by a church member & went there after potluck. i haven't played volleyball since tvja (note: that would be at least 14 years ago), but it was fun. my wrists were hurting quite a bit after wards (still are a wee bit).

sun., i tried to do my laundry again, but the key eno got from the office doesn't unlock the door to the laundry room. i have no idea what the purpose of that key is. he obviously didn't take the time to ask about it in the office either. he said he would go to the office today to get the key that actually opens the door, but i doubt he did. he doesn't trust finns. the only reason he has ever gone to office before was when they wanted more money from him (he's complained that they raised the rent 7% "& nobody complained...in france, the most rent was raised was 1% & everybody complained"). he's called finns thieves (because he's missing some of his vinyl lp's & his drum machine). he was talking about the finnish sauna's one day & said he doesn't like them because the heat rises & it goes to your head (he thinks that might be why finns are crazy in the head). of course, while he was telling me this, i was thinking: yes, heat rises, that's what it does....he's worried about his daughter smoking & drinking @ age 9 (like that wouldn't happen in france or amsterdam - he has family there as well - or, maybe since he smokes, that might be a greater influence on whether she starts smoking or not than where she lives)......

so, i had to do just enough laundry to get me through the week (not even half). it was two loads in his washer & some of it still isn't dry even though they've been hanging up all night & all day. plus, they're all stiff & scratchy.

he had a couple of friends come over as well - i know! he has friends!...w/ how little he actually leaves the apt. & how negatively he speaks about finns, i'm surprised he has any.... i ended up talking w/ iida for quite a while. she & the other guy (i don't remember his name) are both musicians. she's planning on taking a trip north & said she'd call me when she decides when & that i could go w/ her. she apparently knows mr. lordi as well (my 5th cousin) & one of the members of apocalyptica. according to eno, she's famous & every finn knows who iida love is (primarily because she jumped on stage during a live taping of finland's version of american idol).

anywho, that delayed me posting last night. while i was waiting for at the end's video to load, i changed a few settings. first, i changed it so that anyone can comment, you don't have to have an account or login, you can comment as "anonymous" if you like. also, i found where i could e-mail my blog to people (only 10). so some of you are now getting my blog directly in your e-mail, either because you had asked me to, or because i figured you'd like to know what i'm up to, but probably not aware of my blogging activity, or just too busy to think about visiting it. the first posts done after that were pictures of my room. if that's all you've seen, there are many more & much better pictures already posted....when i post pictures, you'll be inundated w/ e-mails because i can only upload a max. of 4 pics per post. if you don't want this, let me know, & i'll remove your email.

today, i got a lot of practicing in again. my repetoire is getting back to it's rightful size, although, for some reason, it's easier for me to learn music i didn't write than what i've actuall written - weird.

i landed on outi's elbow today (left side rib cage) while we were working on takedowns from the clinch & then when we were "live", she kept getting me in her death-grip/anaconda squeeze. so, now my side hurts! it hurts to cough, blow my nose, etc. (which really sucks since my cold is now moving to my lungs & throat, but hasn't quite left my nose yet). and i heard from one of the other girls that outi loves to work w/ me & is always talking about it & that she doesn't want me to leave; she hopes i stay... :D that makes me happy. i got my ticket to fight festival today, too, where outi, lucio, jamba, & others from the gym are fighting (well, hopefully, jamba - he hurt his knee in class today).

kay, i'm going to bed now....

turku

turku was the center of life & culture in finland during swedish domination. the swedish prince held up residency there (one of the buildings in the pictures looks very palatial). helsinki became the capitol when sweden lost finland to russia (sometime in the 19th century). then, there was a huge fire in turku that destroyed a good portion of the city.

according to teemu, turku is the nicest/prettiest cities in finland. especially in the summer w/ a lot of that owing to the river that runs through it (the night-time frozen version of which is pictured below). i'll have to go over again sometime during the day when shops are open & well, there's daylight.

i arrived into turku around 6pm, ate, & started wandering around the city around 7pm for a couple of hours.....i put the location of the club in my gps & set it to "go" there & then kinda followed the directions. after a couple of hours, i was almost an icicle, especially my fingers (my right hand was kind "frozen" in "gripping the camera" shape). so, i went to dynamo early - the show didn't start until 10pm.....that's another thing i've been having to get used to; most shops close around 6pm (& remain closed on sun.'s) & music shows start around 10 & end around 2am or so - about 3 hrs. later than the shows i've gone to in portland - bars stay open until 5am.

after the friend were done, we were all getting ready to leave. teemu & one of his friends - i can't remember her name - felt bad that i was going to be staying in turku overnight (since my train back wasn't leaving until around 6:30am), so they gave me a ride back to helsinki via tampere....why aren't there any pictures of this trip? well, it was dark & i was sleeping. :D i ended up arriving in helsinki before i would have boarded the train in turku. and i was able to cancel my ticket for an 8e fee. it was kinda funny, the lady asked me if i really wanted to cancel & i thought: look @ the ticket, it's from turku to helsinki leaving in 15 min. & i'm already in helsinki; i won't be using the ticket. i got back to my apt. around 7am & slept until noon.

some pictures of my room

this isn't as messy as it looks. that's my overflowing pile of laundry in the corner (which i still wasn't able to do today). & that "mess" on the floor is my to-be-recycled pile (including my blown power supply :{ ). i need to sort it & then take it to the various recycling places (there's only glass & paper recycling w/in walking distance of my apt.).

that's my bed & "other" work station. the comforter cover is a finnish designed textile & the down comforter is from joutsen - the northern most down company in the world (very warm!!!). originally, i was going to get a cheap comforter from a 2nd hand shop & then re-donate it before i left. but then, i decided i would get an authentic finnish comforter w/ "world-renowned" finnish designed textiles & then ship it back home.

"my" dresser w/ my pc laying on its side on top.

my music workstation - that's my new coat!

the most "depressing" section of my room....my mixer won't work - i finally got it to turn on, but there's a loud, high-freq. hum running through it & it won't accept signal from my keyboard. my speakers won't turn on anymore either. and when they did, they had a very loud hum as well - hopefully they'll work when i get back to the states. so, it looks like i won't be able to get to use my amp system.

short clip of at the end's performance

this is a short clip of iida's performance

the headliners: the friend.

this is my friend teemu. i went to turku to see his band "at the end" play.

this is jarno. i think he was trying to conjure villo valo...teehee...

iida (somebody or other). she was the opening act. i guess she's "labeled" as "new folk". i didn't really like her voice most of the time. it's rather similar to her look: can be pretty, but mostly just quirky.

a lot of the pictures below are of this church...i just liked it.

this rabbit was hanging out on the churches grounds, but wouldn't stay still so i could get a good picture of him. i swear he knew when i was trying to take a picture of him, too, 'cause when i stopped to take a picture of the monument below, he stayed put. but, when i turned to get a picture of him, he started running....so, the two pictures of him in this post & the one in the post below are the best pictures i could get.