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?