31.7.07

Another rainy day

It's been a rainy day once again. Seems like the summer is gone and the fall is already here. The whole July has been like this. This has been nothing like the last summer. Then it was hot and sunny all summer. It's supposed to be a nice and warm on weekend but you never know, it can change so fast.



I've not been doing so much today. Just chilled at home with cats and Chris.

I have still one and half weeks to work and then I have my one week holiday. I already had three weeks holiday on June as we were in Thailand and Hong Kong. It seems so long time ago already.

I have no plans for my holiday except that I'm considering visiting Thea in Germany. It has been two and half years since I've been to Germany and I surely miss people there and speaking the language. For those who don't know me that well, I can tell that Thea was married to my dad for thirteen years until my dad passed away in September 2001 because of cancer.

I had been visiting my dad and Thea since I was fourteen on every Christmas and summer holiday. I also used to live in Germany after graduating the high school, in 1995 till 1996. So there are lot of warm and painful memories there and people that mean lot to me.

Thea lives in south Germany in Bavaria which is near the Alps and is a very beautiful region. I have to see now if I can get the plain tickets. Last time I was there in 2005 and Chris was with me. This time I have to travel alone because Chris has to work.



Päivän käännöskukkanen



Jos satuitte katsomaan tänään ohjelmaa "Muodin Huipulle" eli "Project Runway" ehkä huomasitte ihanan käännöskukkasen.

"..if he had just said that I'm a bad sewer.."

Käännös: "..jos hän olisi sanonut minun olevan huono viemäri.."

Eikä tässä vielä kaikki. Sama virhe toistuu Dictionary nettisanakirjassa!

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/viem%C3%A4ri

sewer noun

Example: She's a good sewer.


Arabic: خائِط، خَيّاط
Chinese (Simplified): 裁缝
Chinese (Traditional): 裁縫
Czech: krejčí, švadlena
Danish: syer
Dutch: naaister
Estonian: õmbleja
Finnish: viemäri
French: couseur, euse
German: der, die Näherin
Greek: ράφτης, ράφτρα
Hungarian: varrónő
Icelandic: saumari; saumakona
Indonesian: penjahit
Italian: cucitore, cucitrice

Eli suomeksi hän on hyvä viemäri?! Saksaksi kuitenkin (onneksi) ompelija.

sewer [soh-er] = ompelija (a person or thing that sews.)
sewer [soo-er] = viemäri (an artificial conduit, usually underground, for carrying off waste water and refuse, as in a town or city.

Nainen vai mies?


Jos et tiedä kumpaa sukupuolta olet, niin mene ja tee ihmeessä tämä testi!

Sukupuolitesti

Testin mukaan minä olen 69% nainen ja 31% mies. Hyvä, että näin päin, muuten olisin minä ja ehkä myös joku muukin saattanut olla hieman ihmeissään.

Kiitti Pee!

29.7.07

About tattoos


Humans have marked their bodies with tattoos for thousands of years. These permanent designs — sometimes plain, sometimes elaborate, always personal — have served as amulets, status symbols, declarations of love, signs of religious beliefs, adornments and even forms of punishment.

The word tattoo is said to has two major derivations from the polynesian word ‘ta’ which means striking something and the tahitian word ‘tatau’ which means ‘to mark something’.

Tattooing has been a Eurasian practice at least since Neolithic times. Mummies bearing tattoos and dating from the end of the second millennium BC have been discovered at Pazyryk on the Ukok Plateau. Tattooing in Japan is thought to go back to the Paleolithic era, some ten thousand years ago. Various other cultures have had their own tattoo traditions, ranging from rubbing cuts and other wounds with ashes, to hand-pricking the skin to insert dyes.



Tattooing involves the placement of pigment into the skin's dermis, the layer of connective tissue underlying the epidermis. After initial injection, pigment is dispersed throughout a homogenized damaged layer down through the epidermis and upper dermis, in both of which the presence of foreign material activates the immune system's phagocytes to engulf the pigment particles. As healing proceeds, the damaged epidermis flakes away (eliminating surface pigment) while deeper in the skin granulation tissue forms, which is later converted to connective tissue by collagen growth. This mends the upper dermis, where pigment remains trapped within fibroblasts, ultimately concentrating in a layer just below the dermis/epidermis boundary. Its presence there is very stable, but in the long term (decades) the pigment tends to migrate deeper into the dermis, accounting for the degraded detail of old tattoos.



In few groups or religions, tattoo is an integral part of their religion and each person following the religion is required to have that tattoo mark on their body symbolizing the person authority as a group member. Even modern day gangs are seen to have a particular mark on their shoulders signifying their group name.

First Electric Tattoo Machine

The first electronic tattoo machine was invented by an American tattoo artist named Samuel O’Reilly in 1890, which gave birth to the new era of tattooing in which people started to have different kind of tattoos on various parts of their body. But tattoos were not respected in its earlier days and were considered as a kind of non sense thing suitable only for drunkards or sailors and sometimes, criminals too.



Tattoo enthusiasts may refer to tattoos as "tats," "ink," "art," or "work," and to tattooists as "artists." The latter usage is gaining greater support, with mainstream art galleries holding exhibitions of tattoo designs and photographs of tattoos. Tattoo designs that are mass-produced and sold to tattoo artists and studios and displayed in shop are known as flash.

There is no "underground" community, no dark den of drunken sailors initiating themselves into manhood via cheap, ill-conceived exercises in bodily perforation; it's just a group of people who delight in using their bodies as billboards.
-Joanne McCubrey, "Walking Art: Tattoos," Mountain Democrat Weekend magazine, 9 February 1990

Beauty is skin deep. A tattoo goes all the way to the bone.
-Vince Hemingson

Reason #7 For Not Getting a Tattoo: People will know you are running your own life, instead of listening to them! -Sailor Jerry Collins, tattoo artist

Sources

http://www.smithsonianmagazine.com/issues/2007/january/tattoo.php


http://www.tattoos-by-design.co.uk/history.html


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tattoo

Phoenix - Too young



http://www.wearephoenix.com/

28.7.07

Happy Birthday Lari!



Happy birthday to my brother who turns 29 today.

Allergy symptoms

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.photo.gif
The past week I've had allergy symptoms and today they really got to my nerves so I went to pharmacy and got some antihistamine. I hope I will feel better soon. Yesterday my eyes and nose were itching the whole day.

25.7.07

Cat Poetry



Two Cats

Two Cats
One up a tree
One under the tree
The cat up a tree is he
The cat under the tree is she
The tree is witch elm, just incidentally.
He takes no notice of she, she takes no notice of he.
He stares at the woolly clouds passing, she stares at the tree.
There's been a lot written about cats, by Old Possum, Yeats and Company
But not Alfred de Musset or Lord Tennyson or Poe or anybody
Wrote about one cat under, and one cat up, a tree.
God knows why this should be left for me
Except I like cats as cats be
Especially one cat up
And one cat under
A witch elm
Tree.

Author Unknown



The dog may be wonderful prose, but only the cat is poetry.
- French Proverb

24.7.07

Relaxing in sauna

Tonight we were in sauna by my mom's. It must have been almost two months since I've been to sauna. It was very relaxing and now I feel very tired.

Me enjoying sauna



SAUNA - WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

-Soothes and relaxes tired muscles

-Helps relieve mental fatigue

-Relieves tension and stress

-Provides a cardiovascular workout - Helps condition the heart

-Increases metabolic rate

-Improves circulation

-Provides temporary relief for arthritic pain

-Promotes healing and releases natural pain killers, Beta Endorphins and Norepinephrines

-Increases resistance to illness by strengthening the immune system

-Burns as many as 300 calories during a normal Sauna session

-Helps maintain clear, healthy skin - and provides an after glow of a rosy complexion

-Promotes a wonderful feeling of well being and a total body experience that no bath can duplicate

-Adds luxury and value to your home



Sauna facts

-There are more than 1 Sauna for every 3 people in Finland (over two million). That's more Saunas than cars.

-Many Finns have 2 saunas, one for their residence and one for their summer cabin by a lake.

-Finns often use short bundles of birch branches, called "vihta or vasta", to tap against their bodies to stimulate the skin. These same birch branches can be laid on top of the rocks for a few seconds while water is poured through them to create a very pleasant birch aroma in the room.

-High temperature in the Sauna is comfortable because the humidity is very low.

-In the winter time many Finns will roll in the snow or jump in an icy lake after Sauna. This creates a very unusual tingling sensation all over the body.



Read more about Sauna

23.7.07

Pretty things and bad weather



These are my favorite. I found them from Indiska. I should buy a few more and a big serving plate too. Turquoise is my favorite color and it goes so well with brown.



I got this Hello Kitty -ring from Petra. It was hard to photograph because it shines so bright.



On Friday we got two cards. "The rabbits" card is from Petra and "the hearts" card is from my grandmother.

I've had a headache almost the whole evening and some sort of allergy. I'm sneezing all the time and my nose and eyes are itching. It gets worse when I'm outside. It must be some tree or plant that is causing this. It is most likely Pujo = Mugwort or Common Wormwood (Artemisia vulgaris).

It was such a nice weather when I was at work and as soon as I started to walk home it got all dark and it started to rain.

It has rained the whole evening. The weather has been like this most of the month. It is so frustrating. We have a long and depressing fall and winter a head of us, so why does the summer has to be like this too?
Well, it is not as bad as in some countries or cities. London is suffering from major floods this summer.

I can't even think about the winter at the moment. It feels like it gets more and more difficult every year to handle the winter: the darkness and the cold weather. I really mean it when I say that I need to get away from here and live elsewhere. Some place, where the weather conditions are more bearable.



Summers in Finland are still the best.

21.7.07

Today in Suomenlinna

Today me and Petra went for a picnic in Suomelinna.

It was a pretty nice day, although somewhat cloudy and windy.

Suomenlinna church



Suomelinna





Petra



Picnic



The church in Suomelinna



Helsinki Cathedral




Tram passing the Senate Square



Varoitus Indiskan seinässä



At home again. Having coffee from the new mug bought from Indiska.



Piki has something to miau



Info about Helsinki

Horatio Cane appreciation


Name: Horatio Cane (David Caruso)

CSI Level: Three (Lieutenant)

Height: 6ft

Weight: 180 lbs

Birthplace: Miami, FL

Date of Birth: 4/7/60

Education: B.S. in Chemistry, Florida State University

Special Skills: Arson, Explosives

Marital Status: Divorced

About:

Entered the Police Academy after high school but was bored and wanted to solve crimes. He then enrolled in University to do a chemistry degree and became a CSI. Frustrated by bureaucracy he threatened to quit, but instead joined the bomb squad. Later he took over from Megan Donner as head of the crime lab.



How to Be Just Like Horatio Caine

Want to be just like Horatio Cane? Here's how you become the king of cool, the definition of intensity, and the lord of sunglasses...

1. First you'll want to develop an air of mystery about yourself. You don't want to blabber. Mysterious people don't have loose tongues.

2. Have someone call you by the first letter in your name. This is an essential in becoming Horatio.

3. Get a chemistry degree.

4. Rarely smile or laugh.

5. You'll want to stand with your hands on your hips a lot of the time while you stare off into the distance.

6. Get yourself a group of 'followers' to report to you.

7. Read the book of 'How to never be wrong in any situation'.

8. Fall secretly in love with your brother's widow.

9. Never wear short sleeves, you must remain a demeanor of 'cool' no matter the temperature.

10. Speak...your words...in disjointed sentences. (This makes you sound mysterious and intelligent.)



Tips:

Put your sunglasses on in a manner that no one else does.

Things you'll need:

* Buy hair dye (a light ginger red color)
* Buy a Hummer
* Buy Silhouette sunglasses
* A gun
* Badge
* All knowing power

Horatio Cane one liners



Horatio Cane parks his car



Sponsored by Silhouette.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Caruso

20.7.07

X-Factor

Enjoy!

Onka:



"Vicky Pollard"



"Karaoke"

Lauantaitanssit

Avasinpa tv:n tässä ja mitä sieltä tuleekaan: kesäillan valssi! Tämä tv-tarjonnan helmi tuo mieleen takavuosien Lauantai-tanssit. Muistaako kukaan?! Heikki Hietamies?

Miksi kukaan haluaa katsoa, kun pariskunnat hinkkaavat tanssilattiaa ja toisiaan, jonkun elähtäneen Tapsan tahtiin? No, aika moni halusi.

Se oli sitä aikaa, kun tv:stä tuli Ruutu Ysi Jorma Pulkkisen ja Sirpa Viljamaan houstaamaa aivan ihanan viihdyttävä alkuillan hupailu. Se oli sitä kahdeksankymmentä luvun ja yhdeksänkymmentä luvun nostalgista aikaa. Se oli tunnettua mm. karismaattisesta Kari Salmelaisesta ja veitikkamaisesta Kaitsu pianistista lauantai-illan viihdykkeestä nimeltä Napakymppi. Sitä katselivat kaikki hieman kypsemmän iän ylittäneet kansalaiset, joita Karin kaksimieliset vitsit jaksoivat naurattaa yhä uudestaan ja uudestaan ja uudestaan...

Mikä on tämän postauksen pointti? No eipä juuri mikään. Ehkä pelkästään appreciation to Jorma Pulkkinen and Kari Salmelainen.

Today's link


Check this out:

http://icanhascheezburger.com/

Strawberries and champagne


Today Petra is visiting me after work. Yesterday I was wondering what could I serve tonight. It should be something fresh, summerlike and of course something that we both would enjoy. What could be better than strawberries and champagne!? Well, I can't think of anything better.



Petra, pääsetkö tulemaan noin klo 18. Pitää käydä kaupassa ja vähän siistiä paikkoja. Toivottavasti on hyvä ilma, että voidaan olla puutarhassa.

19.7.07

If I had a dog...

..it would be a Chihuahua.

I fell in love with those in Hong Kong. Julia and Ross from Star Crossed Tattoo have Chihuahuas and they were so cute and friendly. I have never before considered having
a dog. But the idea of having a cute little dog here with us and our three cats feels just nice. I know that we can't have a dog now but maybe later when my studies are over and we know where we are going to live in the future.

She kinda looks like Piki a bit.





Description


The tiny and distinctive-looking Chihuahua is commonly short-haired but is available in the long-haired variety. Coat colors of the Chihuahua include fawn, silver, chestnut, sand and steel, although the coat can be bi-colored. This breed has very unique features, including big, round, dark eyes; disproportionately large ears, which stand erect; a very short muzzle and round head; and a tiny but quite stout body. The Chihuahua has a very sweet expression and looks very fragile, although most are stronger than you might think. The breed is the smallest in the world, and you will find some Chihuahuas that are so tiny that they can fit on to your hand in standing position.

Chihuahua Dog Breed

Temperament

Lively, affectionate and very loyal, the Chihuahua makes for a good companion. This breed loves company and attention, and is intelligent and responsive. The Chihuahua has been known to have a jealous streak, and may snap when teased, so if there are children in the family they must be taught to be gentle with the dog. The Chihuahua is a playful and robust little breed, with a tremendous amount of courage for its size. This breed can make a good family pet, providing it is given plenty of attention and is treated gently by children in the family – the breed may be best avoided for those with very young children that may not know any better. The Chihuahua can be aggressive with other animals and people without proper socialization, and the breed is also known to be highly protective of their owners.

Height and Weight

The typical height for a Chihuahua is 6-9 inches, with the approximate weight reaching 2-6 pounds. These are tiny dogs, even when adult, and therefore the environment in which they live in should reflect this, as should the way that the dog is handled by the family.

Common Health and Behavioral Problems

The Chihuahua can suffer from respiratory problems, like other short-muzzle breeds, and you may find that he wheezes, snores and becomes out of breath quickly. The eyes, which do tend to protrude a little, are also prone to become dry. Other health risks include collapsing trachea, dislocating kneecaps, stress, rheumatism and oral problems.

Ideal Living Conditions

These dogs are ideal for apartment living as well as living in a house environment. The Chihuahua does not like cold temperatures and should never be kept outside, although he will enjoy going for his walks and exercising. The Chihuahua needs to be warm, so do not shut this breed in a cold are of the house.

Exercise Requirements

The Chihuahua is surprisingly active for its little size, and moderate levels of exercise will keep him fir and happy. Walks and interactive play are ideal for this breed, although you should provide an additional coat for him when going out in colder weather.

Diet and Nutrition

A Chihuahua should be fed three small meals per day, which should be primarily meat-based. Remember that this is a tiny yet energetic breed, so you should resist the temptation to feed your dog too much per serving, but you should also avoid thinking that he doesn’t need regular meals because he is so small. Fresh water, as with all breeds, is vital at all times.

Life Expectancy

With a proper diet, healthy exercise and a well-suited lifestyle, the Chihuahua can live for over fifteen years. This will, of course, be dependant upon his overall health.

Grooming Requirements

Grooming for the short-haired Chihuahua is simple, and this variation of the breed can simply have his coat wiped over with a soft, damp cloth. An occasional brushing will also help to keep his coat in good condition. The long-haired variety required a little more effort and will need a daily brushing with a soft bristle brush. Fairly regular baths can be given to all varieties of this breed (every month or two).

Origin

The Chihuahua originates from Mexico and has been around for about a century. The breed is actually named after the Mexican state where it was first introduced, and there are various legends surrounding this dog. Some think that the Chihuahua was the sacred dog of the Aztecs and others think that the breed may have existed in ancient Egypt. The breed was registered by the American Kennel Club in 1904.

Source: http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/dogbreeds/chihuahua.php

"Stop Setting Alarms on My Biological Clock"



I read three articles today all of which were actually pretty much about the same subject. It's funny how I accidentally bumped into them. Two of them were in the Internet and one of them in an old magazine at work. I thought I need to write about this issue as it has bothered me for a very long time and still does.

I hate it when people you hardly even know ask you intimate questions. Like when I was teenager people kept asking me if I already have a boyfriend and a long time I didn't, so I told them that I didn't. Well that was not all. The next question was "Why not?"

Why not?! Should you really answer to a question like that? I hated it, but I just smiled them politely and answered something.

The next big question has been and still is the baby question. I hate it even more. "When are you going to have children?" "Don't you think it's time for you to have children?" "I hope you didn't get any pressures from me asking." "Just wait when you have children."

When I have children. People just assume so much, too much.

How would you feel if you had desperately tried to have a child and then found out that you can't. You would be devastated and then someone you barely even know asks you: "Don't you think it's finally time to have children?"

Those asking should maybe think before opening their mouth.

Maybe you just don't want any children and you tell that to the person who asks you these questions about having kids. She then answers you with an all knowing smile on her face: "Oh, maybe you don't want kids now, but you will one day." Do I, really?! Well, may I ask you, how can you know me better than I do?

Of course it is better to have a choice. Or is it? You seem to need to have a reason not to have any children and if there is none then you are considered as a freak.



So, don't ask. Just mind your own damn business.

I found these articles interesting:

"Mama Don't Preach: Thoughts on Respecting Parenthood Decisions"
an article written by By Amy Reiter

"Stop Setting Alarms on My Biological Clock"
an article written by By Carrie Friedman

Lisää ajatuksia aiheesta.

Tässä blogissa on mielenkiintoisia juttuja ja hyviä mielipiteitä vaikka muille jakaa tästä aiheesta ja monesta muusta. Kannattaa lukea.

Happy Birthday Baird!


Birthday wishes go today from Helsinki to Seattle.

Have a very happy birthday Baird!

Piki and Pörri are congratulating you also. :0)

Stay Fly!

18.7.07

My visitors map changed

I changed my visitors map to a more accurate map, which also looks cooler. It shows all the visitors in a city level. Bad thing is that all the past visits are erased as the map is from a different site.

About books and my addiction to peas

I'm starting to feel upbeat again. Todays visit to library really cheered me up. I found few books after returning back a huge pile of books.

I got a book from Sujata Massey. It's called "The Samurai's Daughter" (Rei Shimura, Samurain Tytär) I read one book written by her on my summer holiday and I really enjoyed it.

I also got a book from Shane Watson called "Other People's Marriages". I really don't know if that is good at all, so I just have to read and find out.

Then a book called "A Few Little Lies" from Sue Welfare and a book from Anita Shreve called "The Last Time They Met" (Silloin Kerran). It's a story about a man and a woman who meet after many years. The book goes back in time to their past relationship. The book is supposed to show how big effect one choice or even one word has. Maybe that book is a bit deeper than these other books.

And still one book which is about Japanese words used in everyday life, like Kabuki or Futon and about the Japanese culture itself also. So that should be interesting.

I've also enjoyed some summer treats today. I ate chicken salad, 1 kilo of fresh peas and a strawberry cupcake.

I have to tell you about my bad addiction to fresh peas. I have to buy at least two liters of them and I eat them all at ones. They are just so delicious. Today I ate 1 kilo and enjoyed every one of them.



Don't they look pretty.



Here is Pörri taking a nap...



Me and Piki again in the garden.



Checking if all the berries are still there.



One of my beautiful sunflowers.



Sormustinkukka - fingerflower



My little strawberry



I baked this the other day and it's been already eaten. It was made from our own berries.



This one I ate today with coffee. Nam!