*by which I mean: I finally took the Christmas tree down and the sun is shining!
... so I decided to change my hair.
I've never dyed my hair myself before, but I actually really dislike going to the hairdressers because it makes me feel so vulnerable. There was a phase in my life when I would actually cut my hair myself because I didn't trust the hairdresser to do it properly. Thankfully, after many disappointing and expensive trips to various hair salons, I have finally found a fantastic Polish salon where I've always got good service and they have managed to make my very difficult hair look great. But those disappointing salon experiences have taught me to be really nervous about other people touching my hair, so I wanted to learn to dye my own hair.
I started getting my hair dyed when I was 12, because it was the thing to do in the small Finnish town that I come from. "No one" had natural hair there. And I didn't want to stick out that much — I was already getting bullied enough for other reasons. But after I moved out of Finland I've let my natural highway grey, maantien harmaa, hair colour grow back and I've been pretty content with it.
My natural hair colour.
So this time, instead of being ashamed of my natural hair colour, I decided to dye my hair out of curiosity. I wanted to try what I would look like with another hair colour.
I meant to buy a permanent colour and checked what they were selling on Boots.com. They appeared to have some serious problems with their website and Boots Botanics Non-Permanent Hair Dye came up when I looked for a permanent hair-dye. I really liked the colour Palest Oatmeal Light Blonde and I didn't find this colour in the permanent section. Because it was cheap, I figured that I could just go and buy that one as a practice hair-dye. After all, I had no idea whether I would even manage to get it on my head. Maybe it was a mistake to choose the cheapest hair dye in found... But this is what I went with.
Batiste dry shampoo bottle did not come with the box.
I bought two boxes because I had read that sometimes you may need two boxes to dye longer hair. Each box contained conditioning hair colour, developing lotion, enriching after colour conditioner and gloves. To me all of those things sounded awfully similar and it took me a while to identify which ones I was supposed to mix together. Why could they not just call them "developer", "colourant" and "conditioner"?
I did my best at following instructions but actually made a mistake when I was trying to test whether I'm allergic to this hair dye or not. I was supposed to mix one teaspoon of the colourant with one teaspoon of the developing lotion, but I opened the whole cap of the colourant instead of the tiny tip of the cap. I poured too much out, freaked out and posted a Facebook status about it. My Facebook friends provided me with some great advice and moral support and I managed to mix the hair dye and got it all over my hair and nowhere else.
Although, I had bought two boxes, I only used one. There was enough dye for covering my hair. The dye didn't smell too bad or make my head itch or eyes hurt. The box had some serious claims for a non-permanent hair dye though. It promised to make even brown hair blonde. I was feeling fairly sceptical about these claims, but since I figured that my hair was probably closer to "dark blonde", I gave it a chance.
I let it develop for 20 minutes as instructed before I rinsed it off and used the conditioner that came in the box.
... Then I spent quite a lot of time analysing whether my hair colour actually even changed.
... Maybe it somehow looked more even? It seemed maybe a little bit more brown? Not darker or lighter, but just a little bit less grey. I guess non-permanent hair dye just can't do much to my hair. People did tell me that it's impossible to make your hair more blonde without just bleaching it, but of course I was rebellious and way too curious not to test the box's claims anyway.
When the sun came up the next day I analysed my hair in my kitchen where I had taken the photos of my hair before I had dyed it. Do you think it looks even a little bit different from what it was?
I was a bit too excited about my little experiment and hair dying experience to even be disappointed that the dye didn't do more than that. The dye was quite conditioning, but if anyone wants to use the same one I advice you only to use it if your hair already is lighter than what you want to dye it to. The Botanics line has some other shades as well, all of them look like natural hair colours.
Result?
When I compared my hair against the sun, I could see that it did actually give my hair the tint it promised on the box, but because it didn't actually change my hair colour it was hard to see whether it had even done anything. But I guess you need a stronger dye to do more than this. The box says that it will wash off in 24 washes, so if it had done more, maybe it wouldn't wash off?
I've been analysing my hair colour a lot know and I feel that I like it more now — not because it changed, but because now it's an "approved" colour because it came out of a box. No one would be able to sell a lame hair colour. So maybe next time someone asks what my natural hair colour is, I can describe it as pale oatmeal blonde instead of highway grey as they call it back in Finland.
I've already ordered another hair dye to see if permanent hair dyes are able to do my hair a bit more than this. I really like my hair now, but maybe I will be bored again in a couple of weeks time.
What do you think — do you think the colour changed? Do you dye your hair yourself? Any tips to this complete newbie?
This post has nothing to do with December. I just wanted to tell you why it's great to be a woman. I mean, a human.
This thought process started when I read one Finnish online article. A Finnish "popular lifestyle" website asked some women to list aspects of life where that they think men have it better. And because I tend to take these funny things seriously, I decided to write a very long blog post about it, talking about all of these 34 points. Are you ready?
Apparently these women are jealous about the following things:
1. No need to suffer from menstruation.
Itsestäänselvyys: ei tarvitse kärsiä menkoista.
Well, obviously it can be painful which sucks, but after I discovered menstrual cups it has become the only bad thing about it. No need to wear uncomfortable bleached plastic nappies (also known as menstrual pads) in my underpants or to push chemical-infused cotton sticks (also known as tampons) inside me. Periods are not stopping me from doing anything. I've spent a week menstruating on an uninhabited island without toilets, running water or electricity. I survived.
Plus by having periods you can make sure that there's no unexpected babies in their way. Men don't have that benefit.
2. No need to shave your legs.
Ei tarvitse ajella sääriä.
Honestly, I don't even remember when was the last time I shaved my legs. I go swimming at the local pool a couple of times a week though. No one has stopped me. No one has even looked at my legs that I've noticed. Why do women feel they have to shave their legs? Last summer my legs were very fluffy until I went swimming with my little sister. I removed some of the hair before that trip just because I didn't feel fluffy legs were appropriate at a Finnish beach site, but it was my choice. No one should force you to shave your legs.
Some men may become more charming with age, but so do some women. It's up to you what you want to become in the future. You can become charming when you want to and then you can develop your charm. It doesn't just happen to people — no matter what your gender is.
4. Your not embarrassed when you grow a moustache.
Ei hävetä, jos viikset kasvaa.
Maybe more women should be proud of their moustaches. Those huge bushy eyebrows are already in fashion, why won't we do the same with moustaches? Women do have hair in that area too, it's just often very fair. Some grow darker hair and then get it bleached or waxed. It's seen as a very embarrassing and taboo topic. I don't see a reason why it couldn't be seen as cute. We need to stop being embarrassed about our looks.
5. Barber costs less than a hairdresser, and you don't need to waste money on hairproducts anyway.
Parturi maksaa vähemmän kuin kampaaja, eikä rahaa tarvitse tuhlata hiustuotteisiin muutenkaan.
Do these women really think that men don't use hair styling products? I'm guessing that it's around the same percentage of men and women who do style their hair almost daily. I'm getting closer to some hippie-look with my hair and will just happily brush it. I don't even know what I would do with it. I tried to learn to straighten it, but then didn't see the point. It's naturally wavy, what's wrong with that?
I actually do find it unfair though, that men's haircuts are cheaper than women's. Even if it is exactly the same haircut. Why would your gender matter there? Shouldn't the hairstyle you want be the main factor deciding the price?
6. No need to blow-dry your hair in the mornings, style your hair or put make-up on
Ei tarvitse föönata tukkaa aamuisin ja väkertää hiuksia kampauksille, eikä meikata.
I've never felt a need to blow-dry my hair in the morning or make my life that difficult anyway. Everyone needs to get ready in the morning and what you need to do probably depends more on whether you're just popping to the corner shop or going to someone's wedding. It doesn't really have anything to do with your gender. There are many men who take longer than me straightening their hair and putting their make-up on than I do.
7. You can have children without streching your stomach or ripping your genitals.
Voi saada lapsia ilman, että vatsanahka leviää ja sukuelimet repeää.
Giving birth does have those aspects, yes. But it's not something all women have to do. Of course, some men are able to give birth as well. Adoption is a fair option available for everyone too though. But in general it is more difficult to have children as a single man than it is as a single woman.
8. Naturally smaller percentage of fat. No cellulite. Not fair.
Luonnostaan pienempi rasvaprosentti, ei selluliittiä. Ei ole reilua.
And none of those fantastic feminine shapes either.
9. Small phone bills. You don't have to waste time talking about nonsense.
Pienet puhelinlaskut. Omaa aikaa ei tarvitse tuhlata turhuuksista pälättämiseen.
Seriously? These women need to rethink their priorities. If you need to spend hours on phone talking about stupid things without enjoying it, it has nothing to do with gender. It's just your own stupidity.
10. Men can pee almost everywhere. It's also less embarrassing for men to go to the toilet.
Miehet voi pissiä melkein mihin tahansa. Vessassa käyminen ei muutenkaan aiheuta niin noloja tilanteita kuin naiselle.
What? Why is it embarrassing to go to the toilet if your a woman? And I think it shouldn't be acceptable to pee in public for men either. It's also possible for all genders to go and pee in a bush.
11. A man doesn't get upset or end up in pointless fights if he's not invited to a party or a shopping trip.
Mies ei loukkaannu tai joudu turhiin riitoihin, jos häntä ei ole kutsuttu juhliin tai shoppailemaan.
I think it would be upsetting to anyone to have everyone else invited except you.
12. Shopping doesn't take up much time.
Shoppailu sujuu nopeasti.
I think this depends more on the type of person you are. If you enjoy browsing shops it will take longer no matter what your gender is. And if you just want to go in and get what you need it will be faster. Unless you're me and shopping in Sainsbury's. Then it will take hours, but it's not because I'm a girl — it's because I don't know where anything I need is.
From Sex and the City.
13. You can wear comfortable shoes even in festive events.
Voi käyttää mukavia kenkiä juhlissakin.
I would never go to a party in uncomfortable shoes. Women don't have to wear high heels. I like high heels, but always prefer to wear comfortable high heels.
14. It's easy to get dressed to a party. Even to your own wedding a good quality suit is enough and you can wear that same suit to all the future festive events.
Juhlapukeutuminen on helppoa: omiin häihinkin riittää laadukas puku, jota voi pitää tulevissakin kekkereissä.
As far as I'm aware many women do dream of choosing their white dress, so I don't think that's something they are really jealous about. Also one good quality black dress will keep you covered to most festive events if you don't prefer to choose something different.
15. It's easier to make a career as a fighter pilot or a fireman.
Helpompaa toteuttaa haave vaikka urasta hävittäjälentäjänä tai palomiehenä.
I couldn't make a career as a fighter pilot because of my bad eye sight. I'm sure my brother would have the same problem. It is true that in the job market it is more difficult as a woman, but there's also a problem that many women don't pursue these careers.
16. Saving money! You don't have to spend money on menstrual pads or tampons. Or bras. Or make-up and other cosmetics.
Rahansäästö! Ei tarvitse laittaa rahaa kuukautissiteisiin ja tamponeihin. Eikä rintaliiveihin. Eikä meikkeihin ja muuhun kosmetiikkaan.
Lady, guess what? You don't have to spend money on any of those things either. I bought a £20 mooncup that will keep me sorted for the next 10 years on the menstrual front. I do like to buy bras though, because I like to feel supported. I've also spent most of my money that didn't go into food or rent on cosmetics, not because I felt I had to but because they made me happy. I'm starting to question my values on this and am planning on stopping buying so much.
17. Life without tights.
Elämä ilman sukkahousuja.
I can't imagine a life without tights. I don't wear trousers so tights are kind of necessary for me. I just wish they were cheaper and wouldn't break as easily. Women are allowed to wear trousers though if they don't like tights. It's unfortunately a bit socially questionable for men to wear tights today.
Robin Hood: Men in tighs is a very good film though, if you need some entertainment in your life.
18. You survive with fewer clothes when travelling.
Pärjää vähemmällä vaatemäärällä reissussa.
I have a funny feeling that if I went travelling with a guy, my clothes would take up less space. First, most guys boxers appear to take more space than my tops. And what I have seen of many men's packing skills, they have a lot of unnecessary space in their bags. When I was travelling with my brother, I had some things that didn't fit in my suitcase anymore, and asked him if I could put them into his bigger suitcase. He said that there was no space but that I was allowed to try anyway. And then I put a blanket, 3 jumpers and several pairs of shoes into his suitcase without any problems.
19. Men are likely to get an orgasm more easily.
Saa todennäköisesti helpommin orgasmin.
But apparently those orgasms are not as amazing as those fantastic female-orgasms you can read about.
20. Sports news. As a man you're more likely to be interested in sports and sports news are often well-covered amongst the most important news in the country. Also, if you're a male athlete you get to enjoy bigger audiences, reputation and pay, than as female athlete.
Urheilu-uutiset. Miehenä on naista todennäköisemmin kiinnostunut urheilusta, ja siitä kerrotaankin kattavasti joka päivä valtakunnan tärkeimpien uutisaiheiden joukossa. Lisäksi mikäli olet itse miesurheilija, saat nauttia paljon suuremmista katsojamääristä, maineesta ja palkkiorahoista kuin naisena.
The latter is true. But maybe sports news shouldn't be something to be jealous about. Not all men are interested in sports anyway.
21. As a man it's easier to carry your shopping bags and you're able to throw a ball further.
Miehenä jaksaaa kantaa kauppakassit ja heittää palloa pidemmälle.
Testosterone is great.
22. You can hold your drink better. And people have more tolerance for drunken men than drunken women.
Parempi viinapää. Eivätkä ihmiset katso kännistä miestä yhtä pahalla kuin viinanhuuruista naista.
It's to do with that body fat percentage thing. But I'm not sure about the social tolerance thing, because drunken idiot is a drunken idiot no matter what the gender is. Or what do you think?
23. You don't have to suffer with uncomfortable bras that are the wrong size.
Ei tarvitse kärsiä hiertävistä/vääränkokoisista rintaliiveistä.
24. You don't have to take the contraceptive pill.
Ei tarvitse syödä e-pillereitä.
No one has to. They are given to women as if they were candy or some miracle drug that everyone should take. It is not. It is one effective method of contraception but it's not the only option out there. It's also possible to make a male contraception pill but no one is going to fund that project because testing would take so long that it's not worth it for any pharmaceutical company to do that because the female contraceptive pill already exists. It was barely tested before they gave it to women — now there are more strict regulations in place.
I mentioned a little bit about my experiences with the pill in this post.
25. It's taken for granted that your last name will always remain the same.
On itsestäänselvyys, että sukunimi säilyy aina omana.
In many countries, including Finland, men can choose to take their wives last name when they get married. It's all optional, families are not forced to have the same last name.
26. Thicker skin that doesn't age as fast.
Paksumpi iho, joka ei ikäänny yhtä nopeasti.
I don't understand this argument. Surely the skin ages no matter how thick it is? Hormones do affect the skin, so often men do have thicker skin and women have softer skin. But women tend to make aging a huge deal and spend loads of money on different serums and creams that promise anti-aging properties. Maybe it's just another pressure on women needing to look perfect and young always, so it's something they want to feel jealous about? I don't think any of those women want to have a thicker skin though.
27. Army stories.
Armeijatarinat.
In Finland, it's compulsory for all men to take part in military service (or civil service, or go to prison). For women it is optional. I met one of my best friends, Jonna, in the army, when we had a one-weekend introductory camp there. We do still look back to those times and think about all the good memories, when having a fika. I can understand that men who have spent 6-12 months in the military service would do that to even a greater extent. But women, we have nothing to feel jealous about — we have an option to join the army!
28. You are able to order a giantic meal in a restaurant without needing to worry what your dinner partner will think about it.
Voit tilata ravintolassa hirmuiset jättiannokset eteesi ilman, että alat pohtia sitä miltä mässäilysi näyttää illalliskumppanisi silmissä.
If I'm hungry and I want to order something, I will not care what anyone else will think about it. Seriously.
29. A high number of sex partners is only a positive thing.
Seksikumppaneiden korkea määrä on vain positiivinen asia kanssaihmisten silmissä.
If you're a straight man and your mates think it's cool and you really care about that, then maybe? But maybe your future girlfriend won't find it any cooler than you would find it if she had the same number of sex partners.
30. Your voice has more auhtority.
Äänessä on enemmän auktoriteettia.
It's more up to your personality than your gender.
31. A man, who can't dance can be adorable, but a woman who can't dance is only embarrassing.
Mies, joka ei osaa tanssia, voi olla hellyyttävä näky, mutta huonosti tanssiva nainen on vain noloa.
Why are the women who made up this list so convinced that being a woman is embarrassing?
Personally, I only like to go to night clubs where everyone is happy to dance badly and "embarrassingly". It's only for fun! At many straight clubs the dance floor is only meant for people who are skilled dancers and if some one looks like Ross and Monica from The Friends it's only embarrassing. Lighten up people, have more fun! Being skilled at laughing at yourself and having fun will earn you more life time happiness points than laughing at other people will.
32. Apparently you dare to ask for a pay rise more easily.
Kuulemma kehtaa pyytää palkankorotusta helpommin.
You cannot really be jealous about something that you start with the word "apparently".
33. Men's clothes last longer: in the sense of quality and fashion. Miesten vaatteet kestävät paremmin aikaa sekä laatunsa että tyylinsä puolesta.
Maybe men only buy better quality clothes and prefer classic styles? As a woman you're just as allowed to buy good quality clothes that represent classic styles. 34. Men have balls: in their attitude and also literally. Miehissä on munaa: sekä asenteessa että ihan konkreettisesti.
Women can have balls too. In their attitude and also literally.
Any thoughts? Do you think other genders have it easier?
I don't know what's happened to me but this Lyra is becoming an eco-Lyra.
Maybe I've been working in a shop for too long and seen how much rubbish we produce and how many unnecessary things we try to sell to consumers. Or maybe I'm just getting increasingly disgusted with plastic. This plastic-disgust-thing has been going on for a few years now and I've tried to replace all of my plastic kitchen tools with silicone. It hasn't really happened yet apart from my spatula, stirring spoon and rolling pin though. I'm skint and always have been.
You maybe read in my last blog post that I was going to order a bamboo toothbrush. Well, I did order it and can't wait for it to arrive. Apparently toothbrushes are a really big waste problem and can't be recycled and last in landfills for about a 1,000 years. I haven't researched this info, but in my plastic-disgust I believe it to be true enough to invest in an beautiful wooden toothbrush.
The picture will take you to their online store.
It wasn't even a big investment, because many plastic toothbrushes are even more expensive than these ones, and hopefully my teeth will appreciate this. My student budget has normally encouraged me to buy a £1 pack of 5 toothbrushes, but I guess it's okay to feel like I'm saving the planet while brushing my teeth.
Scotland also recently passed a law where all the shops have to charge 5p for every plastic bag and give that money to charity. I can't believe how many people have moaned about that law. They say that the plastic bags are not worth the money and that it's ridiculous to make people to save the plastic bags and that it will just allow stores to charge more for things. I think they are missing the point. I feel that it will encourage the stores to give more money to charity and to make people think about the environment by bringing their own reusable bags. The shop where I work is actually exempt from this law, so we don't charge for the bags but I can see the difference in my customers. So many people say 'no, thanks' when I ask them if they need a bag and they happily pack their purchases in their backpack or reusable shopping bag. It makes me so happy! Most of the time those plastic bags are so unnecessary, you only use it for a number of minutes and then you throw it in the bin.
Picture from Zero Waste Europe -website. Click to visit!
I prefer to carry my shopping home in a canvas bag anyway, because they fit my body better and are easier to carry. Maybe stronger people haven't had this problem, but I really appreciate my own bags. Of course people with cars don't have to carry their shopping very far anyway, so for them it's maybe even better that there is that 5p encouragement fee. Have you guys noticed a change in your behaviour after this fee was introduced?
I'm basically still discovering how I could reduce my ecological footprint. All of this is very new to me. I'll try and keep you posted about my experiences. I tried to make my own deodorant today. I'll tell you know how this experiment went once I have evaluated my smelliness levels. P.S. My birthday and Christmas are approaching and if you're one of those few people who tend to buy me presents, here's some ideas for you! Maybe try and avoid small plastic things or synthetic sponges and stuff like that. These days I'm more into homemade things and "natural products". For instance, Life Without Plastic -Website has many cool things that I wish I had. I mean, I don't want anyone to order this stuff from America, but please feel free to be inspired by these things!
It's been difficult to write. Mostly because I feel that I have too many thoughts and opinions and I'm not confident enough about them to post them here for the world to criticise about. But maybe I could take it as a learning exercise and we could learn from each other? This is not an educational platform where I am supposed to say how something should be done. This is supposed to be a place where I learn to share my opinions and thoughts.
So, what sort of thoughts have I had recently then?
At the moment I'm feeling a bit distressed about the consumer society we live in. The fact that I currently work in an industry which is highly dependant on people buying stuff isn't helping. It got worse after I read this article about how a 23-year New Yorker, Lauren Singer, has been living a "trash-free" life for 2 years.
Lauren Singer. Picture takes you to her blog.
Blogging about this is very scary because I'm not supposed to say anything about my work and because it seems to be a cool trend in blogs to show of new items that people have bought. I was going to write some shopping related posts about my favourite brands, but now I'm so stressed out of all the stuff and trash. I still have a month before I need to make any New Years resolutions, so maybe I really need to think about this.
In the meantime, let me tell you a story.
I went swimming again. This appears to be a reoccuring theme in my blog, but I'm okay with it. I went there straight from work and I had to buy some wash stuff because I had only taken a towel and a swimming costume with me in the morning.
I bought this:
It's colour-free and perfume-free. I wish it was also paraben-free, but apparently you can't get everything. I spent half an hour choosing this, so in the end I decided to go for this one instead of this Sanex one. It had so few ingredients that I decided to choose the Simple one because it had cucumber extract and citric acid. Do you people ever read the ingredients lists of the products you buy?
This turned out to be a decent buy for the £2 I spent on it. I didn't only wash my body with it, I also washed my make-up off with it — including my mascara! I don't understand people who go swimming without washing their make-up off first. It will end up in the pool? Some people also apparently put conditioner on their hair before they get into the pool. Why do they think it's okay? But anyway, this shower gel was okay on my face and it got my make-up of so I used it for washing my hair also. My hair got clean and I no longer understand why someone would need to buy normal shampoos. I actually compared the INCI of this shower gel to some basic shampoos and it looked the same. It seems to be just advertising so that people would buy more products. My scalp is dry though and can't really even tolerate normal shampoos so I sprayed it with my scalp moisturising mixture that I used after my last traumatising trip to a hairdressers when they washed my hair 3-times with some awful hair dresser shampoos that made my scalp very itchy. I'm not sure what I put in the mixture anymore but judging it by it's scent: apparently a lot of cider vinegar. It helped. Normally I wash my hair with either a shampoo bar or a budget solution: olive soap!
It's good for my hair and there's no need for conditioner. It's also cheap and "trash-free". Now please excuse me, while I go and buy myself a bamboo toothbrush.
One more week to wait before it's time to eat those chocolate eggs. I've now spent quite sometime wondering which egg I want. But it's a big decision so I thought I'd share my ponderings with you guys.
Also, if you're really into good photo quality, this post is not for you. There's no way I'd take my big camera on a shopping trip. We don't have a car, we carry all of our groceries home. With our little hands. We eat a lot. There's no space to carry a big camera. Phone is ok.
Asda has been the best place for chocolate eggs so far. They have a whole aisle full of them.
Small eggs, medium eggs, large eggs, giant eggs — they have it all!
It makes me happy when chocolate eggs make me smile. In fact, this whole aisle made me very happy!
These Thorntons eggs look pretty tasty. And definitely weird enough.
Baileys and Guinness eggs are of course also available. I'm intrigued.
Kinder Eggs have their own large versions too.
And of course the giant egg section had some serious chocolate eggs. I was so excited that I just couldn't hold my phone still.
But Lindt was the best one! Look at all the bunnies!
And they have carrots too!
And soft toys!
I can't believe Laura didn't let me have that one. I'm so gutted.
Then I went to Tesco, and they actually have giant Lindt carrots!!
Thorntorns bunnies and chicks are pretty awesome too. Can you understand why choosing the best egg is so difficult?
And, because this egg thing is probably completely... well, foreign to Finnish people, I thought I might show you that all the chocolates have their own version.
There's Galaxy and Mars. Amusingly next to each other.
Then there's Malteasers' MaltEasters and Cadbury's Caramel and Minieggs giant eggs.
And Mars' friend collection egg with Snickers and Twix. And Wispa and Twirl eggs.
It's sunny outside! Unfortunately it doesn't mean that it's warm. Today it's been only 3 degrees and I had to wear my winter coat again.
But this spring I will try and start eating healthier food. More fruit and vegetables and less frozen pizza. Healthier food gives you more energy, right?
Maybe it's all the sunniness that's made me want to eat healthier. I've been living on hamburgers, cheesy pasta and frozen pizzas for way too long.
But I just went to a supermarket and bought loads of fruit and vegetables.
Vegetables!
I've been dreaming of healthier food. But over the past couple of weeks I just haven't had the energy or the time to try out new recipies. But now I finally have lots of healthy things I could eat! Laura is slightly suspicious whether I'm actually going to eat everything I bought. Now I have to prove her suspicions wrong.
I also read a very inspiring blog post in Peaches Blog(in Finnish) recently! The author, Vilma, is a vegetarian and has written a few posts about her diet. Recently she did a post about a smoothie she had for dinner/snack. It includes coconut milk, almond milk, fresh pineapple, kiwi fruit, nuts, maca and spirulina.
It sounded awesome. And I wanted to try and make it too. Maybe the best thing about it was that instead of publishing a proper recipe Vilma just briefly explained what she did.
And I bought a blender last month. Because it sounded like a fabulous thing. But then I realised that I don't know what to do with it. So this smoothie is going to be the first thing I'll actually attempt to make with it!
If you know any other fantastic vegetable or fruit based meals, let me know – I need inspiration!
Do you know what that means? It's okay, I didn't know either, but apparently it's a really cool thing now. Bloggers and vloggers everywhere are posting "outfit of the day"-pictures and videos. I thought it time for me to join those cool people.
I have a feeling that no one would care what I wear everyday, which most days is either pyjamas or a pink leopard onesie. And after this post you'll understand why it's better that I don't try to be a fashion blogger. But because I started this new hobby I, recently went shopping for some yoga outfits. Now when I don't have the scary, sleazy teacher anymore, I thought it would be nice to have some better yoga outfits.
My yoga outfit.
And this is what I bought!
I don't actually wear the socks in the class, but my toes are very private and I don't think it's suitable to show them to the whole world. Only people I'm married to are allowed to see them. And so far, no one is.
I could have shown you each piece of clothing individually, but I have a feeling that no one actually cares. Please let me know, if you happen to do.
But basically I bought a fake sports bra, which gives absolutely no support, but looks pretty and sporty. I wear it on top of my real sports bra, which is a lot less pretty. Is that how it's supposed to be worn, or does someone actually wear it as a bra?
Then I have a grey sports vest which is so low cut that you can see the fake sports bra. And because sometimes you get cold when you practise yoga in Scotland, I also have that baggy long sleeved thing. It's sides are made out of seethrough net, so that it looks cool.
These were all bought from Primark's Sports department. I went to Primark mostly because I'm afraid of real sports stores because I don't actually know anything about sports. They all seem to be branded and expensive. Even the Primark Sports section was too much for me when it was time to decide what I should wear for my bottom half. I moved to a safer department and bought My Little Pony pyjama bottoms. I think they go very nicely with the rest of the outfit.
What do you think of my yoga oufit? What would you wear for a yoga class?
I had a great plan to write a post about my frustration with Valentine's Day cards and also to provide you with some advice on how to by a reasonable card. Unfortunately I'm a bit late for that. In case you failed at it though, I hope this post will help you understand why you got dumped.
As you know, today is Valentine's Day. In Finland we call it "Friend's Day" which is really a day UK should have too. But as awful as Valentine's Day is with it's cheesiness, it's a good excuse for people to let the person in their day dreams know that there are some pheromones flying around. And for those who already have caught that lovely person, it's a good day to remind them that they are still appreciated.
In order to prepare for this pink and fluffy day, I decided to buy a Valentine's Day card.
If you have any arts and crafts skills, I recommend you just make one yourself. But because I'm not very artsy-crafty, I had to go with what they sell in the shops.
It was kind of easy because all the other girls were buzzing around the "boyfriend"-shelf, and I got the whole "girlfriend"-shelf for myself. There were no men in any of the card shops I visited. Maybe they all buy Asda smart price cards?
It's not that bad a choice really. Compared to what these shops had to offer.
You felt forced to buy a card? Then this one is a great buy to ensure that you'll no longer have a girlfriend to buy cards for.
I've had pretty awful time poking my eye over the past week, so I thought I'd come here and tell you about it.
As I told you in November, I've had glasses since I was 2, but only recently started wearing them more often. I had an enjoyable glass-free decade, but it's gone now.
To be honest, I find glasses fairly annoying now. They slide down my nose when I read, and they get dirty all the time, and it makes me feel like the world looks blurrier than it does without my glasses. If I was rich, I would buy those amazing disposable glass-cleaning wipes, but they are really expensive and I also hate cumulating rubbish. One day soon, when I'm less annoyed with my eyes and more annoyed with rubbish, I will tell you ways how you could cumulate less rubbish too.
Occasionally I leave the house looking like this.
But anyway, the time for me to try out contact lenses is here.
Hello! I've read several blog posts were people have been looking back to last year. I'm a couple of weeks late with this, but I finally decided that I could do it as well. At first, I really didn't want to. But maybe it might be good for me? It could be therapeutic, and maybe I'd see that last year wasn't completely pointless. You can't get forward if you live in the past, but you also can't get forward if you ignore what's happened. Would you like to hear what my last year was like?
January
I welcomed the year 2013 in London. Satu and I had gone to see the fireworks at Thames. I felt hopeful. We spent a few days eating cheap chicken burgers and buying expensive underwear. Then we went to Glasgow where obviously everything was closed because it takes so long for all the Scots to sober up after their Hogmanay celebrations. When the shops opened again we spent a day shopping cosmetics. Later that month I went on a little runaway holiday in Germany. By myself. I visited a friend in Cologne and went to see my host family in Rheinland-Pfalz area and spent a couple of days exploring Bremen by myself. I met interesting people, and visited Finland as well, because the flights were only 12 euros from Germany.
February
University term started again. I was trying to keep everything together with a part-time job that was taking way too much out of me, managing seminars and all the uniwork that I was already a bit behind with, a crumbling relationship, loneliness, and recurrent migraines. I realised that Skype is actually a very useful tool when you want to socialise with your friends when you can't be in the same place. I also ate lots of Lucky Charm cereals, although it was really expensive to buy them in UK. But they seemed to be the only happy thing in my life at the time. What else would you expect from the gayest cereal there is?
March
I had serious social anxiety problems, migraines and was running out of energy and managing everything was becoming more difficult. I watched a lot of Youtube videos, practised wearing make-up, and spent a lot of money on cosmetics. I was mentally very close to reaching a breaking point, but still managed to make it to a few social events, like the Gaylidh - my university's LGBT society's annual ball. I also signed the petition for equal marriage in Finland.
April
The month started with a break up. Then there was a field tip I had been dreading for a half a year. I really wasn't looking forward to it, but it didn't end up being as scary and awful as I had feared. The month went on and I started enjoying my life as a single. My friend Tom came to visit and we did a lot of touristy things that I hadn't had the energy to do alone. We visited Glasgow, went to a football game, ceilidhed, ate pub food and drank beer.
May
I flew to Finland to throw some rice in a family wedding, celebrate Vappu with my friend Tiia and met Laura again after several years. I flew back to Scotland, wrote some essays, gave a speech in a conference and went camping. I started to find reasons to be happy again, and began to build up my confidence. Laura came to visit me in Scotland and I drove 15 people to a dance with a minibus.
June
I quit my job and phoned my mum to tell her that I had a girlfriend. Laura and I went to Pride Scotia in Edinburgh. I listened to a lot of Mindy Gledhill. I participated a Gothic themed pub crawl. I was also working on my dissertation, rolling in soil and practising augering.
July
I went to North Rona, which is definitely one of the most incredible places I've ever visited. I also realised how burned out I was and started a sick leave which finally gave me the chance to start stitching my mental health together and finding out what's up with those migraines. It's a long journey, but that's when it began. I showed Laura more of Scotland, enjoyed summer and when Tiia came to Aberdeen, we celebrated our friendship by drinking champagne and buying pretty dresses.
August
I spent to whole month - more or less actively, looking for a new place to live. I also went for a holiday in Finland, where I got to spend some quality time with my best friends. I also visited Tallinn and Copenhagen for the first time. Satu and her brother visited Scotland and we did some sightseeing with them.
September
I returned to university to carry on my research. Laura and I moved in together. The move allowed me to start feeling mentally better and to change GPs. I tried to get an appointment so that I could finally get referred to a specialist, but there were long queues. Kata returned to Scotland and became our flatmate. The three of us had a civil war against the bugs living in our house. Laura started university.
October
I got new glasses, started learning Japanese, and bought myself a swimming pool membership. Lots of swimming, sushi and Japanese television. Even my laptop turned Japanese. That's all I did this month besides sleeping. I had the worst medication ever which meant that during two weeks I was only awake for maybe 28 hours. Then I stopped taking it.
November
Our flatmate Kata went to Africa and Laura and I sat at home in the dark. I burned lots of candles. I finally got blood tests done, and the results were abnormal enough to get a referral to a specialist. It was great, but I was feeling so ill and was worried that my brain might leak out. I turned to some natural remedies while I was in the 3-month long queue to see the specialist. It snowed and we decorated our house Christmassy.
December
I had a birthday, danced a little bit and burned candles. It was cold, so Laura and I bought pink onesies and hanged around the house looking cool. Then it was time to fly to Finland to spend Christmas there. The person in charge of the weather hadn't got my memo about snow, so there was no snow the whole time I was in Finland, but there were friends, family, warmth, food and a cat.
It's been quite a year. I'm not sure if I've now told a bit too much, but perhaps it's something I have to do in order to say bye bye to 2013. Were you surprised to hear something? Have you said bye bye to your 2013 yet? Now lets carry on with 2014. This year we have 340 days left to change our lives.
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