21 years

Today was my birthday. On midnight we popped sparkling wine and celebrated that I was 21-year-old. I also got a phone call from my dad who is abroad which was a very nice surprise to hear his voice again. We watched a Finnish movie “Tie Pohjoiseen” (starring Samuli Edelmann and Vesa-Matti Loiri) with my mom and then we went to sleep.

On the next morning I slept late and after I had woken up I started to read. I got breakfast in bed (bread with vegan chorizo, soy yoghurt with muesli, hazelnut coffee and sparkling wine). I read all morning and day and it was heavenly just stay beneath the sheets and read on.

We had gone to buy me a birthday bouquet with a great big white rose and eucalyptus leaves and other leaves and flowers. I put the bouquet in a crystal vase immediately after I got home.

Today’s outfit:

top ~ Vila / bolero ~ Morticia / skirt ~ Morticia / shoes ~ second hand

Today we went to eat in a restaurant. I ordered tofu burger and a cold apple cider.

Later that night I watched “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life” and was on computer drinking white wine. My birthday was very relaxed and enjoyable with no hurry whatsoever. I like birthdays like these. I have decided to throw a birthday party next month attempting to get as much people there as possible. It feels good to be 21-year-old – I haven’t really get it yet but in some way I do.

Back to Hell(sinki)

On this weekend we went to Helsinki again. We went to see my brother and spend some quality time. This time we took cats with us also. The trip to Helsinki felt long for the cats were so stressed I was even stressed for them. But when we finally arrived to Helsinki we took them first to the hotel.

The cats really enjoyed being at the hotel like always once they've settled in first. It was a cute thing to watch them searching the room throughout and then finding a spot to go to sleep.

On our first night in Helsinki we met and went to eat with my brother. I ordered vegetable burrito and strawberry margarita like I always do.

After food we retreated to our hotel room to drink a glass of wine and talk. Then my brother left to his home and we went to sleep.

On the next day we went to breakfast and then went back to bed. After we had woken up I put on my make-up and we went shopping. Again I lost my heart for some new clothes (more on them later). After that I had to get a cup of coffee to wake up. We then left to pick up my brother and we headed to Ikea to get him some new stuff. We were on a tight schedule and I learned it is possible to go through Ikea about an hour and survive from there alive. Phew!

After that we went to my brother’s place through a grocery shop and bought everything needed for the night and in general. We went to get some thai food and went to my brother’s apartment. I was left there and we started to watch a movie and drink wine. I pet my brother’s cats who were coming more and more curious and brave by the passing moments.

We watched the movie “Ted” and it was hilarious. After the movie we started to get ourselves ready for a night out.

We went to a near bar and ordered drinks. A little Jägermeister and cranberry long drink for me…

The billiards table was occupied so we played “four-in-a-row” (I don’t really know what it’s called). My brother said he has never lost to anyone but first time for everything… ;)

We drank until the light signal and then we left. I was enough in my cups so we headed home and I went straight to bed. On the next morning I woke up quite early and couldn’t fall back to sleep again. I just layed in the bed not enough refreshed to get up yet. After my brother had woken up he made a cup of coffee for me and we listened to violinist Lindsey Stirling and Finnish rap – what a combination!

After that we got ready, I ate the rest of my thai food from yesterday in bed and got everything ready. We went to the bar we had been last night to play pool and I met my brother’s friends. Soon my mother called that everything was ready and she would pick me up. We almost finished the pool match and decided that I won and then my brother escorted me back to his courtyard where my mother waited. We said goodbye and hugged and then we left back to Tampere.

The rest of the journey went so much better this time for we let the cats out of their carrying boxes for the trip and they packed up to the back window of the car. They didn’t meow as much and they were much more calmer and could even sleep. The trip to Tampere went very well and felt like an hour though it was two. First we got the cats inside and then the rest of the stuff. I always first unpack my things when I get home and then I can relax. The trip went so well and I can’t wait to go to Helsinki next time!

P.S.

My brother gave me a set of beauty products from eyeshadow primer to nail polish. The nail polishes are both by Mavala and the pink shade is “56 Riga” and the clear one is “Top Coat Fixator”.

Red is like you always told me

It was time to dye my hair again. It has again been a long while since I last dyed it but better late than never, I guess.

Last time I used "Paintbox Red Chilli" but this time it was way more expensive than last time I bought it. Also Stargazer’s “Rouge" what I used beside "Paintbox" was also very expensive (at least for my wallet). So I had to find some new hair dye brand which would suit my wallet. I asked a friend what she had used to dye her hair red before and decided to try LaRiche Directions hair colours (which had been on my mind before I last bought "Paintbox" brand). And the good news was that they are not tested on animals! And also I read it lasts a year after it's opened.

I was bouncing between "Poppy Red" and "Pillarbox Red" and heard the second one is more like a pink which fascinated me for I have never liked that my hair fades to orange but being based on what I had heard and on the photos of the users had put on internet it was too pink for me so I decided to buy "Poppy Red". I heard it fades to orange but isn't orangy red but in fact bright red. And obviously size matters (at least what comes to hair dyes) for "Paintbox Red Chilli" was only 75 ml and LaRiche Directions dyes are 88 ml. It is obvious that you need more than just one package of dye for longer hair but last time I also had to buy third package (Stargazer’s “Rouge") beside two "Paintbox Red Chilli" packages just in case and had to use half of it.

This time I first bought two packages of dye but decided to buy a third one just in case. I still had a half a package of Stargazer’s “Rouge" color and I sent a message to them asking is the dye still ok even if it’s opened and they answered that if it’s still tightly closed it’s ok. So I was going to use that first and then my other hair dyes. And it doesn’t matter if there’s anything left off for after all it lasts a year after it’s opened. I still got another package of Stargazer’s “Rouge" just in case for Directions cans looked so small and I had no time to order them some more.

I’ve been buying the same bleach for a long time since I’ve been proven that it’s good. I remember standing in front of a wall of bleaches trying to pick one before I found the one I’m using now. I bleached my hair a few days ago, I just like to wait a couple of days after bleaching and before dyeing my hair.

I first used the one and a half of Stargazer’s “Rouge" hair dye before adding LaRiche Directions “Poppy Red”. I was so surprised how sufficient it was and only had to use one and about half cans out of three. Applying it evenly to my hair took me about an hour and a half and then I waited for half an hour before I washed it off. The result was what I hoped it would be and I was overjoyed. After the shower the shower sponge was red, the tiles were red and if I would use white towel or pillow case they would be red too.

So life as a redhead is much more nice than a bunch of faded orange hair with oh so sexy roots. My self-esteem gets an amazing boost with red hair and it gives me the “street credibility” I need.

Finding The Spark

I've been found the spark for drawing and paintng again. It started in one evening when I decided to take a pencil in my hand and see what happens. I sketched a woman and it just popped in my head that I should do mental illnesses with a woman figure describing how they might feel - I don't know from all of them how they really feel, I can only imagine. The first one I sketched was "schizophrenia". And it was an interesting journey trying to think how every mentall illness might feel and deciding how to draw them. I made eight of them, still one missing and the last one I made so far was "anorexia" - I don't know if it's a mental illness but an illness whatsoever. Mental illnesses are a hard subject but I somehow got into it and just kept going.

 I went and bought some canvas', acrylic paints and carbon paper. I first sketched a woman and then drawed it clear to another paper and then I traced it to a canvas with a carbon paper. And then I just started to paint.

I needed to go and buy some new brushes even I had started to paint already and stumbled across that so many of the brushes are made either from pig mane, ox hair or pony hair and as a vegan I would not use anything which is came from an animal. Luckily I found some synthetic brushes by Reeves.

I have also taken out my violin again in hoping to get to play it. I tried to look up courses of study for violin, piano and singing but they were all full so now I'm on the waiting list but propably have to look for someplace else. Hopefully I will find one.

Moulin Rouge!

Last night I went to see a musical Moulin Rouge to music theatre Palatsi. It was a finnish version starring Sami Uotila and Laura Virtala. We arrived to the about seven o'clock and were escorted in our places, which was a beautiful booth behind the massive hall. I went to powder my nose and while I got back I ran into with one of the dancers and while I admired her beautiful dress she turned to me and wished me a good show. I went back to the booth and we were brought sparkling wine. It was not long until the lights went down and the show started.

In the interval we left the booth to look around the Palatsi and went upstairs to see the whole hall. I've seen the place around briefly but I had never been there watching a show before. It was amazing. We headed back to our booth before the show continued and ordered schnapps' called "The Duke". Shortly the actors came back on stage and the show could continue on.

On the show there were all the great hits from the movie but also music from Kiss, U2, Bon Jovi and Madonna. It was weird to see Moulin Rouge in finnish for I've got so accustomed to the movie. I couldn't help but to compare the show to the movie starring with Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. I love the movie so much and though there are certain limitations on stage it was well made. "Roxanne" gets me every time in the movie and also in this musical. Also what's worth waiting are "One Day I'll Fly Away" and "Your Song".

After the great show we went to a music bar next to music theatre Palatsi and downstairs where there were a stand up comedian. We got a glass of white wine and listened it until the end and laughed. After we had finished our drinks we headed home. I untied my corset laces, washed away the make-up and tried to read a book but I was just too tired. I had absolutely an amazing night and I felt blissed to go to bed.