I'm far more active on my new Instagram account

So, here's a link if anyone's interested:

Lokakuinen

Pity me not

After one hour of sleep and several hours of what felt like angry wasps in my stomach, it was time to leave my cozy little home for four days to participate in design institute's entrance examination. I'm certainly not a morning person because I've always hated waking up and leaving my enchanting dream world, but I do love how quiet it is, and how beautiful the nature is around sunrise. The Sun slowly rose over the horizon and it gently rained at the same time, I had a pleasant journey because no one sat next to me during all those hours in the bus and the train (like most Finns, I get anxious if someone comes too close to my personal space), and I saw crows chasing deers through misty fields.

The train also passed by this medieval castle called Häme Castle. It's not as dreamy as, well, Schloss Neuschwanstein for example, but it always makes me feel oddly tranquil when I see old buildings. Kudos to my phone for taking decent pictures from a moving train.

During those four days, we had five assignments. They were nothing like I expected, but I believe I passed four out of five. The thing is, you have to pass all of them, and I miserably failed one. When they gave us that certain assignment, my first thought was "well, this should be quite easy." It was, really, because most people around me managed to do it. I didn't. I don't know why, and I'm truly angry at myself about that.
Even though I felt strongly distressed because of my utter failure, after a good night sleep I woke up almost happy. I can try again next year, I still have several delightful days ahead of me before I have to return to work and right now my life is good, overall.
And I got to travel a bit. I spent a big part of my childhood traveling around Finland in a truck, and I believe that's one of the reasons why I just love to sit in a moving vehicle, watching landscapes go by whilst listening to music. When I was still in school, I had to sit in a bus daily for about 3 hours, and I simply loved it. Most people complained about how boring it was even if their traveling distance was shorter, but for me, it was often the best moment of the day. It was so easy to shut out the hectic world and let the stress melt away by the power of music.

The Return of the Beautiful - My Dying Bride

Being alive

Snapshots from my deceased Instagram account.

Through landscapes forged by time

I'm on my annual leave now until June 15. Next Monday I have to wake up just before sunrise - 4 AM to be exact - because the entrance examination starts after nine and I have a bus and two trains to catch before that. I don't know if I'm more scared or excited.
Soon after that it's time to travel all the way to the Alps, after several years of longing. So, you may expect a mile long post filled with pictures of thousand-year-old buildings (although many of those have been reconstructed and greatly expanded during centuries) and mighty mountains. Burglars beware: dogs are staying at home, and not alone.

I was born and have lived my whole life here in Western Finland, where you can barely find few decent hills. Even so, I have loved mountains since I was a child and saw documentaries about them on TV. It was a dream come true when I got to visit Lapland with my siblings for the first time in my life, around the age of six. Those arctic hills, tunturit, made a huge impression on me and I visited them again, and again. It's the solitude and purity of the nature which attracts me. Those few people you see during your hike, all of them respect the nature and won't leave a single piece of trash behind them. It's too unusual to see places so pristine nowadays.

Finnish Lapland in late summer, more than ten years ago.

We also crossed the border to Norway few times and those majestic landscapes stole a huge part of my soul. Now it's been over ten years since my last visit. I was planning to finally go back this year, but despite my yearning to see Norway again, I thought it would be nice to see some other places too and chose Austria to be my destination this time. Very different kind of region, but I believe I will be as awestruck as I was when I first visited Lapland.

Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream

I bought a little (or actually quite massive) treat for myself: The Sandman Omnibus volumes 1 & 2. Over two thousand pages of pure awesomeness!

Oh, I also received a nice letter from the Institute of Design. I successfully "demonstrated my eligibility" and got invited to the entrance examination this month. I already bought train tickets and made a hostel reservation, because the whole thing lasts four days. Can't be too easy to get into school, huh?

Carnations

After neglecting it for a very long time, I'm now trying to befriend my old camera again. 

It's not going well, but thankfully I still have some time before my trip to Alps. 

I got this beautiful bouquet of carnations from my grandmother. Probably my favourite flower!

Ultimate happiness

Moar Borderlands & fried vendace with garlic sauce.

Didn't have time to take a better picture. 

Must. Eat. And. Play. 

Food porn

I love to cook and try different kinds of recipes, I guess that runs in my family. I'm a decent cook (mainly thanks to my mom who always answers her phone when I'm freaking out in front of the stove), but there are times when I'm just too lazy to make something by myself, and it's so easy to grab a pizza to go. Last winter was like that, and you could see it from my body and skin. Couple months ago I decided it was time to put an end to it, and I started to pay attention to what I eat. I'm not too strict with my nutrition, but I added more fruits and vegetables, cut down meat (now I eat mostly fish, occasional chicken and some organic beef from my relatives' little farm), bought my own juicer and so on. Simple things, really, but now I don't feel so bloated anymore. And during spring, summer and autumn I'll be able to collect food from nature again!

Also, less alcohol. Last year I drank way too much and way too often, but now I have changed my habits. I still go for a drink (make that plural) with my friends sometimes, but it's not fun to do that constantly. And people often offer me wine with food, but I really like to drink juice or water!

So, less this:

Well, this isn't really THAT good example because I prepared it myself, but you get my point. I was trying to stuff myself with as much fat and salt as I possibly could.
...And more this:

I have an active and physically challenging job (I lost ten kilos when I started there) which is a good thing considering that I dislike sports, but I strongly believe I'm not going to stay there forever. Because of that I've been trying to be more active during my spare time, and this evening I was outside with dogs for 2,5 hours. I like biking too, but someone stole my lovely red bike last year (it was the third time, actually...) I guess I should let it go and buy a new one.

Swimming is fun too, but nearby lake is still fully frozen and this ice hole we walked by this evening is way too far from home. I would freeze to death on my way back.

Astui alas Tuonelaan

My mother invited me over "to celebrate Easter", which in our family simply means "to eat":

And in the spirit of Easter, I put on a dress with a text "death shall have no dominion", and this necklace.  I can't really act more religious than that. The dress seems to be obscenely short in the picture, but that's just the camera angle. I used to be one of those people who complain about poor quality mirror selfies, but after I got a phone with a better camera, I rarely use my DSLR anymore. I'M ONE OF YOU NOW. I'm just way too lazy to dig out my tripod just to take a simple photo of my outfit when I have this faster option which is good enough for me. Of course I still see the huge difference between the phone's quality and, well, this:

...But what really matters to me is what the photo has to show.
Anyway, it still amazes me how smart and well-behaved my little brother is. He doesn't even spend his time in front of a computer like most kids seem to do: my mother told me he's always playing outside with his real friends, and that's what he did the whole time we were there. Good kid.
Speaking of brothers, I watched American History X about a week ago, and I'm still on the verge of tears whenever it crosses my mind. Watching movies, reading books and playing video games always has such a strong impact on me I can barely deal with it, and this movie was harder to watch than usual. It's been almost six years since my big brother passed away, and not a day goes by that I don't think of him. So many things remind me of him: mohawks, stupid tattoos, our grandparents' farm, water, even my own combat boots which are so similar to the pair he had.

I got his old knife from my sister the same day I watched the movie. Yeah, Finns and their knives, I know... Whenever I finally go for a longer hike, this is going with me. It's been without a use so many years already.

Walking around

Nocturnal play

We rarely see northern lights here in the southern part of the country, but yesterday they danced above us for several hours. I took these pictures from my balcony without a tripod, so the quality is poor, but hopefully next time I have a proper equipment for the job.

"The origin of the northern lights has various explanations in folklore and mythology. The Finnish name for the northern lights "revontulet" is associated with the arctic fox. According to a folk tale, an arctic fox is running far in the north and touching the mountains with its fur, so that sparks fly off into the sky as the northern lights. Another version of the story says the fox throws the northern lights up into the sky by sweeping snow upwards with its tail. A more developed version then explains how moonlight is reflected from the snowflakes swept up into the sky by the fox's tail."
From thisisFinland

Bring it on

I needed new shoes and fast, because spring has definitely arrived and my knee-high New Rock boots are not too comfortable during these warm days. I also have a small pile of high heels, but as a person who spends more time in the forest than in the city, I needed something more casual. 

Now, I don't use sneakers. I need shoes which are cool enough to fit my style (hah) and made from sturdy material so every thorn is not going to pierce through my foot when I'm rambling around forests with dogs. Also, they have to be comfortable enough for longer hikes, so it was time to get new combat boots. I found a perfect pair from Vegetarian shoes, but 150€ was a high price to pay, considering my current situation (I've been on a sick leave for several weeks this year so my paychecks are a joke.) I decided to check nearby flea markets before placing an order, and found what I was looking for:

I already polished them, and with new laces they're going to be almost as good as new! I paid only three euros for these, gotta love flea markets. Or maybe it was karma paying me back for donating most of my clothes during winter? 

The Raven

I'm overly fond of some objects, I don't know what I would do if I lost them. When people ask: "What is the one object you would save if your house was on fire?", I have no idea what to answer. Probably the external hard drive which includes all my photographs. But what about my camera? It was so ridiculously expensive and in addition, I love it! And my books, all my lovely, dear books. I couldn't just leave them. I would probably burn to death while trying to save everything important.

And then there's this thing. How could I leave this to a burning house? I got this as a Christmas present from my boyfriend few years ago, and it's surely one of my most precious items. It's truly beautifully detailed and I like how it's ticking quietly - I used to keep it next to my pillow whenever I had to sleep alone, because the sound was so calming.

I long for thee, King Winter

I love Winter. Nothing beats the feeling you get when you are in a silent, snowy birch forest during that blue moment of dusk when the brightest stars are already visible, or in the middle of moonlit field during the darkest time of the year. Sometimes I go to the nearby forest with my sister and our total of five dogs, and we climb on a hill, sip some hot chocolate and admire the starry sky above us.

This Winter was beautiful and snowy, but so very short - usually we still have a nice blanket of snow in March, but now all we have is wet, grey ground with little white spots here and there. It makes me sad to see my favourite season dying, although I'm eager to see how trees cover themselves with leaves and colourful flowers lure butterflies to dance around. But today Winter made its one final push and we had such a beautiful snowfall I almost felt a need to cry. Unfortunately I have a fever, so I did not dare to go out, but hopefully we'll meet again next year.

I look like a hamster.

Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen

(This text and photos are from my Instagram, that's why I'm talking about character limit etc.)

After seeing ONCE AGAIN how a young puppy was looking for a new home because it was biting its owner and chewing things, I decided to write a little something and I am now posting it in four parts, thanks to character limit. This is for everyone thinking about getting a dog:

Part 1. 

First and maybe the most important thing to learn: What is a dog, actually? It is NOT just a creature which will sit nicely and pose for your Instagram photos. It has its own mind and believe me, it will use it. A dog behaves like a dog and expresses its feelings like a dog, so you really should learn certain things. For example, why do dogs hump other dogs and even humans? What on earth means the term "whale eye"? What kind of nutrition is suitable for them?

Also, a dog is not a human being, so don't treat it like one. It has its own feet for walking, it's usually perfectly capable to eat things like raw meat, and it really does not need "stylish" outfits during hot summer days if it already has a perfectly good coat.

Part 2. 

Research the breed. For example huskies are crazy popular these days (thanks to media, I guess), which isn't a good thing in my honest opinion. I've seen several cases where the breed was clearly chosen based on a cool appearance - and then, because absolutely zero research was made before getting a dog, in about 1-6 months it will be put down or needs a new home because people had no idea what kind of dog they were getting. 

And remember: even though selective breeding has resulted with hundreds of different kinds of dog breeds, that seemingly perfect breed is still full of individual dogs. They are not all the same, and you can't expect a dog to behave JUST as the book says.

Part 3. 

Do you have enough time and interest to train your dog properly and are you willing to solve its possible behavioral problems? I tell you, it's much nicer to go for a walk with a dog who won't try to attack everyone it sees, and it's definitely better for both of you if the dog does not pull on a leash. 

Puppies bite and growl when they play. They will most likely try to destroy everything you own. They will poop on your floor, on your bed and on your sofa. And guess what? It's not just puppies, even adults do that in some cases. Ever heard about separation anxiety? Yeah, you should definitely take a look. We had that problem with Cira after we moved, and it was absolute hell. But with simple tricks and loads of patience we solved the problem, and for last four years Cira has been sleeping well while we are away from home. 

Some dogs are easy to train, some are not. It took less than a month for Isla to figure out that she needs to poop and urinate outside the house, but with Cira it took almost a year. Then again, Cira has never been afraid of anything, but Isla was afraid of almost everything, even doors. It took more than a year of hard work, but now she's a really calm dog and doesn't scare easily.

Part 4. 

And finally: do you have enough time and resources to take care of an animal for over ten years? The dog itself can cost even several thousands or you can get it for free, but what about sudden vet bills? Food, toys, leashes, collars, possible raincoats, harnesses, meds etc.? What about their messiness? Some of them simply love rolling around in mud, and they carry tons of sand in their coats right into your home. And shedding, oh, the shedding... Taking care of a dog does not only mean that you lay on a sofa with it and keep it company: it needs to go out several times per day, preferably for long walks. Many dogs need much more than that, and they need mental activities too or they'll find something to do on their own (chewing furniture is a favourite thing of many bored dogs.) I don't want to make owning a dog sound like work, but it seems like some people just don't realise that they are not only getting a pretty picture to show people on Instagram: they are getting an alive, feeling family member and they can't really expect it to instantly behave like that perfect dog they saw in a movie. Life with pets is very different behind the scenes, but I wouldn't give up our dogs for any price.