usually just a t-shirt

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2006-11-29T20:39:00.000+02:00

The most unexpected has happened. Winter (as I know it) came to greet Greater Vancouver area and Lower Mainland. This apparently has "never" happened in November and it doesn't happen even every winter. What we have now is something that tends to occur here every four or five years in January. We have 8-10 inches of snow and the temperature is well below zero, last night -15 degrees Celsius.
I was in Vancouver when this sudden snowfall began, and I got to see my favourite city covered in snow, something that everyone told me I'd never get to see.
Now you get to see it as well.
Here's the view from Eva's apartment on the first winter morning.

This one's from our winter wonderland -walk.And these are from English Bay on Tuesday morning.

Last night I took the SkyTrain from Downtown Vancouver to the terminus in Surrey to have family dinner at my uncle's house. It went nicely and I'm glad we all got together. Now I'm supposed to do some packing, but first we'll go out for breakfast.. I'm going to miss my eggs over medium with extra hashbrowns. Sigh.

Time is running out of hands!

2006-11-22T23:21:00.000+02:00

I'm swimming in a sea of mixed emotions. I'm shaking, sobbing, breathing heavily and at the same time happy as can be! Right now I'm getting ready for my second to last shift at work and it feels weird. On Monday I went to work after a couple of drinks and that pretty much helped me through it. I don't know how tomorrow will go. I do assume, that today will be ok, though. But I'm still very nervous.
So here is how the rest of my time in Canada will go:
Thu 23rd, last day at work - closing the store
Fri 24th, Katherine's birthday extravaganza!
Sat 25th, I'll head to Vancouver in the evening...
Tue 28th, ...and stay there 'till Tuesday and on my way back I'll go pay a visit to my uncles in Surrey.
Thu 30th, must finish packing, because -
Fri 1st, leaving Abbotsford to stay in the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver with all my friends and partying it up.
Sat 2nd, last goodbyes.
Sun 3rd, Heathrow and Emilie (yes/no? let me know, sweetie), then Helsinki and big sister ♥

What I have accomplished.

2006-11-07T10:21:00.000+02:00

I'm very tired right now, but I feel the need to update. So please forgive me for the incomplete sentences that might follow:

-I had a fine 8-day trip with Carissa to Montreal and Toronto. No Niagara Falls, as I didn't want to spend a whole day just to go admire the falls for half an hour.
-Montreal ****
-Toronto**** and a half
-I purchased a pair of lovely boots but as B.C. is all about rain nowadays, they'll probably get ruined in no-time.
-Experienced my first real Halloween, gave candy to trick-or-treaters and dressed up as an elf to work.
-Spent a long weekend in Vancouver at darling Eva's place. Wonderful times. Wine, cheese, Friends, movies, pumpkin carving and a new tattoo.
-I'll have approx.10 shifts left at Staples, I'm quitting on the 24th.
-25 days left in Canada
-I bought too much stuff on our trip. I need to buy a bigger suitcase.
-We were just watching LoTR and we realized that B.C. is pretty much like New Zealand.

Slide Show of our fall trip.

2006-10-28T07:13:00.000+03:00

Lazybug.

2006-10-12T19:49:00.000+03:00

Oh, look at that. I never continued my last entry. I haven't been able to add any pictures here, which has made me so annoyed I didn't feel like writing anything.

However, my next trip will begin in only five days, which is incredibly hard to imagine. I'm working every day until we go, even Tuesday (which is the day we fly - 7.30 pm, I'll get of at 5 :) .
I haven't really done anything interesting after we came back from California. I testpacked yesterday, and before I had all of my 9 pairs of shoes packed, my suitcases were as full as they can be. So I guess I'm going to buy a nice big carry-on, as big as possible. I've gone through my clothes, and there were only two tops and a jacket I was willing to get rid off... But I believe Montreal will be quite a nice place to shop, so I'll most likely be in trouble when I seriously need to pack. Luckily I don't really have to worry about the weight of my baggage since I'm allowed to bring 2x32kg with me. But yes, everything must fit in two suitcases. I will not pay any extra for my baggage.
See, how I'm rambling on about packing and leaving!?! This is what goes on in my head day and night nowadays. I feel like it's so soon, that I have to start getting ready. Perhaps, on some level I believe it will make leaving easier, if I'll get used to the idea well in advance. It's really stressing me out, though. And I know it'll only be worse after we get back from our trip.

Now (again) I must go to get ready for work. Everyone there is talking about me leaving, too! It's not making me feel any better!

Still in California

2006-10-05T19:02:00.000+03:00

Sun, Sept 24
8 am, drew myself a nice hot bath which helped me to get rid of the sore muscles.. Packed our bags and checked out from our hostel, then went driving around the city on a streetcar (not cable car, streetcar is more like a tram) and tried the buses, too. Destination, Golden Gate Park. Oh, how pretty it was. So green! And lively! With lots of things to see: The conservatory of flowers, lots of palm trees (1), De Young museum, Japanese tea garden (2), botanical gardens... Millions of squirrels (3) in the latter one! One of them, I believe, tried to attack us! He kept coming really close and getting on his two feet and I think if a squirrel could roar, he of all squirrels would have.

After walking around the park for quite some time, we decided it was time to do some shopping. I found a nice horse patterned shirt and two cd's. Not too much money spent, so phew!

Somehow the day went by really fast as we walked around the downtown area a lot and before we knew it, we were walking to the Greyhound station again.. Luckily, there was an earlier bus to Los Angeles, and it was an express one (better sleep guaranteed, less stops..)! I took a happy pill to ensure I would sleep well enough to be ready for our Disney adventure and it worked, yet again :) ! (if I didn't explain earlier, my happy pills are really strong muscle relaxants which make traveling on a bus a lot nicer for a person like me who suffers from serious back pain).

Mon, Sept 25

4.30 am, Greyhound station in LA. Somehow this station is the most uncomfortable and unsafe where we've been to. And actually, the only place with bag checks (which is nice cause everyone looks scary enough to carry a gun) as you step on the bus. Again, we were lucky to catch an earlier bus to Anaheim so we didn't have to stay at the station for too long. So 6 am, back on the road and 1,5 hrs later in the city of Magic Kingdom, Anaheim, Orange County, California. ORANGE COUNTY. I was so hyper! We saw city buses going to Newport Beach! Amazing!

We got to our hotel around 8.30. The receptionist couldn't find our reservation, but was able to get us a room. The check-in time would have been at 2 pm, but as the girl saw how tired and well-traveled we looked, she wanted to find us a room that we could have straight away. As there were none of the cheapest rooms available, she gave us an upgrade (because of the miscommunication and all :D ) and we got a really nice and big room. Took a quick shower and got ready as fast as possible (Disney opened at 10) and got to the park at 10.45. We bought 2-day park hopper passes which allowed us to go to both Disneyland park and Disney's California Adventure Park. And they were both the best parks! Oh, boy! I was so happy I could have cried. But I didn't! Cause it was happy times!

(Disney stories in the next entry, I need a break!)

Previous entry contd.

2006-10-04T07:06:00.000+03:00

Sat, Sept 23
Got up fairly early (considering the level of exhaustion) to enjoy another great and outdoors-y day. Started off by taking the famous cable car to Fisherman's Warf and the piers and the ride turned out to be quite pleasant. We stood at the back of the car where we met the Puerto Rican cable car driver Oscar. He was a very nice man, telling us things about the vehicle and posing with us :) (1)
At the piers, we located the ferries to Alcatraz and were able to get stand-by tickets which, luckily enough, enabled us to board on the first ferry. Ferryride was windy but amazing. Amazing views of everything! Alcatraz (2) was surprisingly non-scary, but it was very interesting to visit the infamous prison. It's funny, the first thought I had when we reached the island was well at least they had a nice view from here and then later on I realized how terrible it actually was. That they saw the city and the bridges and the water but it was all out of reach.Back in the city we started looking for some tandems. We were determined to rent a tandem to bike across the Golden Gate bridge to Sausalito and we thought we had what it takes to ride that thing. Well, it turned out, tandems are not so easy to ride. We tried it out but had to take single bikes instead as taking the tandem would have meant biking off the bridge... As we were getting our bikes, the weather started to turn less and less sunny, and before we knew it, there was fog everywhere (I have now learned, that this is actually very characterisctic of San Francisco) (3). We biked in the wind and the increasing fog by the water, and a couple of miles later we were there. By Golden Gate. And this is how it looked like (4). We couldn't see a thing! Red steel bars, yes, but a bridge? Not to mention Sausalito.

Halfway through the bridge (you know, after a mile or so..) everything was clear again! The first half was still surrounded by fog but the other half was nearly clear. We could see where we were heading, we could see the bridge and the water! Amazing! It was so beautiful.
We continued a few more miles after the bridge, until we reached Sausalito, from where we took a ferry back. Sausalito was a beautifully peaceful town. I loved it (5).

8.30 pm back in the city, biked fast to the bike rental place before they closed and then took a cab to our hostel. Couldn't do much else than get to bed. Couple of hours later I woke up in serious pain, muscles aching so bad I couldn't sleep. Not without my happy pill that knocked me out in just some 20 minutes :)

(I have to stop again, cause I need to sleep. I'm working two shifts tomorrow...)

Driving down the 101

2006-10-02T23:29:00.000+03:00

Wed, Sept 20
10.30 am, adventure begins. Greyhound to Vancouver, where it was raining so hard all day, we were soaking wet and cold. Went to the IMAX theatre, though, and out for drinks with Brandi, who let us stay overnight at her place.

Thu, Sept 21
7.45 am, left for Greyhound station. An hour later we were heading towards the US border and Seattle, Washington where our first layover would be at noon. If you really want to see the difference between Canadians and Americans, just cross the border. You can tell the difference in a minute. I never felt at ease when waiting at their stations.
5 pm, Portland, Oregon. Went for a little walk as we had a two-hour layover. Red brick everywhere, along with scary-looking bridges.

Fri, Sept 22
3 am, opened my eyes in Redding, California. Dead tired. Woke up a couple hours later to see the sunrise, scenery was so beautiful and different. No mountains!
9 am, arrived in Sacramento. From what we saw from the bus, it looked like a nice city. Played some cards while waiting for the delayed bus, back on the road again at 11 am. As we drove west to San Francisco, some mountains started to appear but they looked very different. Dry, yellow grass. Palm trees. And finally the coast, San Francisco Bay.
We reached the city by driving across the 14km-long San Francisco -Oakland Bay Bridge. It was so massive. And San Fran (1) and the bay so gorgeous.

Walking from the station to our hostel (with no clue, whatsoever, where we were actually going) I was simply in awe. It seemed like such an exciting and utterly beautiful city that I didn't care how tired and disgusting I felt after the busride.

Our hostel was the best I've been to. 4 bed dorm with private bathroom. In the middle of everything, by Union Square. We spent more or less the whole day walking around the city. Up and down the huge, steep hills. Had dinner in Chinatown, walked past Washington Square and to Lombard Street (2) and all the way to the Fisherman's Wharf (3) and back again down Columbus Street (4). Happy and exhausted, we enjoyed a cup of tea by the gate to Chinatown and slept well till next morning.

(I will continue tomorrow, as my neck pain is getting so intense right now that I can't sit here any longer)

A quick overview

2006-09-20T18:14:00.000+03:00

There is a reason why I haven't been updating lately. I am busy. I've been working part time after Emilie came and my spare time has been fun times with my Disney co-pilot. We spent the weekend at Whistler where we felt the Whistler (pics and possibly stories coming later)... Other than that we've been to Vancouver, White Rock, Cultus Lake... And we're about to leave on a Greyhound adventure to California. Starting today! We'll be back 10 days so look for an update with California pictures and bus stories (we'll spend 3 days on the bus) the weekend after this, I'll try to update here as soon as I can.
Take care, xx Sonja

It's okay girl, you're twenty-two

2006-09-04T23:09:00.000+03:00

I had the best birthday ever. Truly amazing, full of surprises and fun ♥
It started already in the morning: Mischa brought me a huge bouquet of beautiful flowers and Carissa gave me a lovely dress and two cool jackets.

Then I was told to get ready to go on a car ride. Carissa took me to Katherine's house, were she was waiting with Sam, Jessica and Dave. I got more gifts (chocolate and lingerie) and breakfast with Mimosas. Mmmm.

Around noon we headed back to our place, where I was told to change into comfortable pants and T-shirt and then we hit the road, me blindfolded. I had a feeling that what was about to happen would be what it then turned out to be, but I was really nervous in the car. When we got there and I opened my eyes, I could only cry. We had gone to the Equestrian Centre in Langley where a horse was waiting for me to go on an hour-long trail. A very happy, relaxing and beautiful trail.

After that, we drove to Langley Greyhound station to pick up Brandi and her friend, Chris. We got back home around 4:30 and there was a barbecue going! Misch, Jeff & Tom and their friend James were there already, and Sam joined as later with a gluten-free chocolate cake he had made for me. A lot of Strongbow was bought for me, too :) We ate and drank and played a game I bought some time a go, Chug-It! It's a drinking board game! Amazing!

Somehow me and Carissa ended up winning the game, after impersonating Aladdin & Jasmine from Disney's Aladdin.

Around nine o'clock people started to leave as it started to cool down outside and a bunch of us started to talk about going to Vancouver. We had the loudest car ride ever, Brandi driving Mischa's horrid car, Carissa deejaying and all of us (me, B, C, Misch and Chris) singing like crazy. At the club I started napping and the security guy almost threw me out because he didn't want me to pass out there... I don't remember much else, woke up in the car at three when we were on our driveway.

With one word, my birthday was terrific!

A very happy and quick update

2006-09-02T09:56:00.000+03:00

I just booked flights: Me and Carissa will take off to Montreal, Quebec on October 17th, move on to Toronto, Ontario with a night bus so we'll get there on the 22nd and we'll fly back to BC on the 25th. While in Toronto, we'll take the bus down to Niagara Falls one day, too :) Finally I'll get to see one of the great wonders of nature!

Also, the decision has been made that we won't move to Vancouver at all. We are happy here and this way we can actually go on our trip. Now I don't have to leave my job either! I feel very relieved and relaxed now. But I must run to bed, I'll be opening the store tomorrow morning (I just got back home after closing there tonight...). Okay friends, enjoy September.

10 reasons to live in Canada - and 10 reasons to leave it: Pt. I 1-5

2006-08-29T10:03:00.000+03:00

+1. Canadian Mosaic. In Canada, everyone's minority. Somewhere, sometime, you might feel like a part of a majority, but guess what - you're not. I like it. The stories you here from random people are a lot more interesting: just the other day an old man started to talk about his roots as we were waiting for the bus. His parents were from Barbados and they had met on a ship that they had taken to move to Vancouver. He had a barracuda medallion. Then he told me how he signed up for the army during the WWII and how he went from North Africa to Italy to Sicily to France to England and finally he was in Holland when the war ended. They were taken to Germany before coming home, just to have a look of what it was like... At this point, my bus came and he said that he will finish his story if we'll ever wait at the bus stop together again.

+2. Canadians are not Americans. Indeed, they are not. They might look the same and, at times, even sound the same but Canadians know better. One of the greatest pass-times here is to complain about the Americans. Oh, and let us take a moment to remember the War of 1812, when Canadians kicked American ass and burnt down the White House.

+3. Canada is spacious and picturesque. There sure is more than enough room for everyone here and the beautiful landscapes and enchanting wilderness are most often waiting just outside your door.

+4. Bus drivers et cetera. The nicest bus drivers in the world are born and raised here. They are so nice, that I would want them to get a raise. Also taxi drivers are pretty awesome ♥

+5. Animals on coins. There's a beaver on a nickel, a cariboo on a quarter, a Canada goose on a loonie and a bear on a toonie. For some reason, though, there's not an animal on a dime - instead, there's a sailing boat. And obviously they had to put maple leaves on pennies.

-1. Transportation. Public transportation is malfunctioning. In the city of Abbotsford, for instance, there are hourly 0-2 buses running on each line. No buses run after 10 on weekdays, and only 2 lines run at all on Sundays - from 10 to 5. This makes it pretty impossible for anyone to live without a car, but well, everyone here wants their own car anyway. This is North America, and everyone wants to drive. Things are pretty ok in BC, though. In Alberta, everyone must have their own truck, and boy, does size matter! The normal truck that you see on every corner here would be a laughing stock in the oil realm of Alberta.

-2. Stupid names for coins. I mean really - I very much dislike the names "loonie" and "toonie" for 1 dollar and 2 dollars.

-3. Canadians are not Americans, and they think it's enough. One thing, that I've found insanely annoying, is when people are discussing about e.g. social issues, it always comes down to this statement: Well, at least our system is better than in the States. And then the discussion moves on to complaining about how bad things are in the States and everyone feels a lot better.

-4. Back to School. Like it wasn't enough that students face incredible tuition fees in college and don't get any governmnt funding, even younger kids get absolutely nothing. When I was in elementary school, I remember how we had closets in every classroom, each of them full of stuff for us to use. Now I help people buy hundreds of dollars worth of school supplies - glue sticks, pencils, notebooks, crayons etc etc - so that their kids are ready to go back to school. And apparently there are school fees for kids, too! I'm telling you people, stay in/move to Scandinavia. Sure, the taxation is heavier, but I'd rather have it that way.

-5. The country is too damn huge. I'm gonna have to pay pretty much the same amount of money to fly to the east coast from BC as I would if I was flying there from Europe. Ridiculous, yet understandable.

Nothing much

2006-08-25T08:51:00.000+03:00

There's not a whole lot of action going on these days. I've been more or less sick for nearly two weeks now, which pretty much results in me not doing much. I'm working full time now and my spare time I mostly spend hoping for a healthier feeling. It's just a flu, but it's taking out the best of me.
In other news, me and Carissa started our own little wine nights. Monday and Wednesday this week, Tuesday and Thursday next week... We take turns on who buys the wine and cheese/grapes etc. It's been great! Really good talks and all.
And yes! Tomorrow night will be an All Cousin Fight Squad Barbecue (ACFSBBQ) at Jeff's and I bet it'll be a lot of fun!
That's pretty much all for now. I don't want to bore anyone with silly work stuff which probably is interesting in absolutely no way.
Have it good, friends, I love you all
xx Sonja

My dream got me confused

2006-08-17T18:32:00.000+03:00

I had a dream last night where I went to Vancouver Int'l Airport and bought a ticket to Helsinki from Stora Enso's (yeah) counter. I paid it, it was 692 dollars Canadian and I thought that I don't care how much it is, I want my ticket home. Only after I paid, I checked the date. It was for December 25th. I was supposed to be home for Christmas. So I went back and asked if they could change it to December 3rd but the ticket was 300 CAD more... Again, I thought the hell with it, I want my ticket home. As I got back from the airport, I remembered that I actually had my return ticket already. And now I had two.

I'm a little - no, a bit more - stressed out. For various reasons. Things will probably be sorted out, come September, but for now I find myself constantly worrying about how to sort them out. A) I need to move to Vancouver B) I need to quit my job C) I need to find a new one in Vancouver D) I need to find a dollar-growing tree (a treasure at the end of a rainbow is fine, too) and E) I need to have all this done in two, three weeks. This is pretty much all I can think of right now. It doesn't really help that I've caught a cold and all I can do is try and rest so I can go to work. Today I'm not working before 6, and normally I start feeling worse and worse towards the evening. This must be the crappiest day so far.

30+1 hours with Greyhound

2006-08-14T18:28:00.000+03:00

Greetings from Calgary! I had a good little trip there. At first I thought that Calgary looks pretty dull, but it was pretty entertaining after all. Here's a picture I took when I decided to walk all the way across Downtown Calgary from the bus depot to the hostel, located in the very opposite ends of the area. And here's the city skyline that night, when a thunder storm was raging over Calgary. I had called up my cousin's cousin's cousin Tanja whom I had met shortly a few weeks earlier, and she took me out for dinner and a car ride around the city.

Calgary is known for it's big zoo, that consists of the actual zoo with nearly a 1000 different species from all over the world, a pre-historical park and botanical gardens. I haven't gone to a zoo since I was a little kid, so I wanted to go there badly. And I spent most of my day there! It was so much fun! Here are some ring-tailed lemurs......and some pretty felines...
...a local mountain hero...

...and pretty birds! This one's from the pre-historical park, by the inland sea. City skyline in the background.
Among other things, I visited the Calgary tower (the city's famous landmark), spotted some cowboys and got my arm chewed by Tanja's dog... It's still bruised. In other words, I experienced a lot of things I haven't experienced (yet) in BC. Now it's time to work more intensely for a few weeks before finally settling in Vancouver. It's back to school time in our store, and boy it's getting busy there. But I like it.

Cowboys and mountains

2006-08-08T21:21:00.000+03:00

Dear friends and fans,
I am going on a trip! I am going to Calgary, Alberta. Just me. Just for a few days. By bus, the totally awesome Greyhound. I'm leaving tonight and after 14 hours I'll wake up on the other side of the Rocky Mountains. I can't wait for the bus trip, can't wait to see Calgary. I decided to go now, because I don't want to end up not going at all. My paycheck was enough to cover the bus tickets and the hostel, so I thought why not? and went straight from work to bank to the Greyhound. Now I should go and pack my backpack.

I guess I should also check out what is there to see and do. I have no idea! But I'm going!

So, on Saturday we went on a "double blind triple date". It was...interesting. I'm glad we went and tried something new.

On Sunday I really wanted to go to White Rock, a very California-like place by the water, not too far from here. So we went, enjoyed some gelato and listened to a cheezy cover-band playing the Crocodile Rock... It was a beautiful night by the ocean, walking down the pier at sunset.

Yesterday was a bank holiday, but I had to work. Work was pretty fun, though, it's getting busier now, so the day goes past pretty quickly. Afterwards I hit the beach with Carissa, which was really nice. Back home we watched the Memoirs of a Geisha. And that's the past few days in a nutshell.

Let's try something new

2006-08-05T19:45:00.000+03:00

I have fallen in love with otters. I was in Vancouver for a couple of days this week and we went to the Aquarium where I fell in love with otters. I wish I was one.
Vancouver Aquarium was worth going to. I should post some pictures but I'm lazy enough to not do that right now. I went to Vancouver with Eva and her two friends, Andy and Chad, on Tuesday night after Carissa's b-day celebrations. Again, I had a pretty sweet time in the city. We had dinner in a fancy restaurant where we got our own private room and they served gluten-free food ♥ Afterwards we saw the fireworks ♥
I got back to Abby on Thursday night to go to Staples on Friday. Payday! Payday!
Today I'm nervous. Excited. Mostly excited but also very nervous. Me and Carissa are doing something we've never done before. I sure as hell hope it's going to be a lot of fun. It should be. We'll just enjoy some sangria first to cut off the edge... I should actually go wake her up, as we're leaving in two hours.

I've been looking at flights to San Francisco.. I'm thinking to go there in October but I really want to have someone to come with me.. The flights are fairly cheap, around 200e. I'd love to do a little tour in California, but I might be so broke when the time comes that I shouldn't get my hopes up. I'll be more than happy, though, to only see San Fran.
Montreal is looking a lot more expensive. But we really want to go there. And we will. We must. It's Quebec for crying out loud! Stupid big continent! It's cheaper to fly all across the whole of Europe than Canada.

I'm severely addicted to Jan Morris's travel essays. Right now I'm reading about post WWII Europe - Berlin, Paris and London.

One more thing! I have come to realize that I would love to study geography. Why has it never crossed my mind before?? I'm going to look into it, I could use a third minor...

Heeheehee

2006-07-31T03:55:00.000+03:00

Back from Vancouver. Oh man, we saw Tate Donovan today on the corner of Granville Station... He looked a bit lost :) I've never seen OC-people in real life before (obviously), it was exciting! He's been in Friends, too, so double the fun! Heehee. I know I know it's lame.

I've been more or less drunk for the past three days. Eva came from Vancouver for a visit on Thursday and she accompanied me and Mischa at Lou's where Misch tried to outdrink me but it was in fact he who ended up passing out in the men's room.. Me & Eva had a lot of fun and the next day I decided to go with her to Vancouver. She's got an amazing apartment right in West End (you can see the water from her place), across the street from the place me and Carissa might be getting already next week. We got there Friday night and ate out right by English Bay and we had the best salmon ever. Back in the apartment, we emptied a few bottles of sangria and danced <3

Carissa joined us yesterday. We walked to South Vancouver where had a delicious lunch in a vegetarian place called Naam and then we book-shopped. I got How to Be Canadian (even if you already are one) and The World 1950-2000, which is a collection of Jan Morris's travel essays. It's really good, I cannot stop reading it... But so, now it's the time of Celebration of Lights, a fireworks contest held annually in Vancouver, at English Bay. China started last Wednesday, yesterday it was Italy's turn. It had some amazing parts, but mostly it didn't seem that special. As always, though, the last five minutes were beautiful. Lucky me, I get to see Check Republic on Wednesday (and hopefully the finale with Mexico on Saturday). Carissa's turning 23 on Tuesday and Eva is coming here that day. She invited me to join her when she goes back to Vancouver. I'm working tomorrow and Tuesday but then I'll be off for a couple of days which is great cause I can't say no to Vancouver.

Heehee. I'll go now.

UTU students Hoi!

2006-07-27T18:31:00.000+03:00

Onko teille tullut ilmoittautumislasku? Kun tuleehan se normaalisti jo toukokuussa, mutta minun omaani ei kuulemma oo missaan.

Sunday, Monday, Happy Days...

2006-07-25T22:28:00.000+03:00

The Vancouver apartment will be ours to enjoy from August 8 onwards. I have to think how I'll sort everything out, work-wise. I don't want to quit straight away, I'm expected to stay at Staples at least until September 15, and I'm thinking maybe I'll just ask to get my shifts on following days, so I can come here to work and then go to Vancouver occasionally to party. After all, I'm not ready to leave Abbotsford before I have a job in Vancouver, and almost everyone I know live here. I need a gradual change. I guess in 4 weeks I'm gonna have to give my two weeks' notice.

Days go by so fast. Some work; burning my stomach, chest and back at the beach (it's been terribly hot here, close to 40. Now it's cooling down a bit) and thus not been able to sleep too well; hanging out with Katherine - I've met my equal in bowling! - and the cousins.. Good times. Next weekend I'm possibly going to work barbecue - might be fun to meet the team outside of work - and the following one we're either going camping with the Cousin Fight Squad (me, Carissa, Misch, Jeff & Tom) or then me and C will go to Vancouver Island... it's a long weekend, so it's a perfect chance to do either one, but it's gonna be a tough call.

Tonight's going to be a lot of fun. We're celebrating Carissa's birthday a bit in advance and we (me, C, Katherine and Brandi) are going to see The Rentals in Vancouver. We wanted to go see Camera Obscura there yesterday, but we decided to only go tonight. The Raconteurs is playing there tomorrow... But just The Rentals this time. It's ok. I don't feel like spending $25 every night for a ticket.

I need to go hunting. Birthday gift hunting.

In my dreams...

2006-07-20T19:04:00.000+03:00

My dreams are making me crazy. I've started to write them down. The other night I was watching a black and white documentary on how gay men were treated in WW I and WW II. I was treated as one of them, only because gay men liked me (I was a man, too). The documentary featured real footage from the wars, including "how to handcuff an injured gay man?".
Then I had a dream where I was Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn was carrying me home... I sat on the couch and the door opened - it was Brad Pitt. "Hey!" he shouted. Vince Vaughn turned around around. Brad:"Vince?" Vince:"Hey, it's Brad Pitt!". That was the dream.
Last night I had a dream where I was with child... 8 months pregnant, but it didn't really show yet. The father was a doctor from Moldova, we had hooked up at the olympic stadium in Helsinki in the fall, when there was a big football festival. Iiris and Liisi got me Who wants to be a millionare? -game for my baby shower.

Besides my disturbing dreams, I'm doing fine. I really like my job a lot. And I feel like I'm liked there, too. I'm getting my first paycheck tomorrow! It's only for the first two shifts I did but still! It feels like I've accomplished something.

As you all know, I'm not a big reader. In fact, I haven't read anything since I read World According to Garp in France. Yesterday, though, I found Johnny Cash's autobiography "Cash" in Carissa's bookshelf and I decided to have a look. I read 150 pages at once. I never read 150 pages at once. 50, maybe. And I'm so excited to get back to my room and continue reading. I'm kinda proud of myself. Heehee.

It feels like a life now

2006-07-15T00:45:00.000+03:00

Hey you all, just letting you know that on Tuesday I got a phone call that went pretty much as follows:
"Hi Sonja, this is Steph calling from Staples. I've got two questions for you. First of all do you have a Social Insurance Number?"
"Yes, yes, I do."
"Good! Then would you like to join our team?"
"I'd love to!"
"Excellent. Come here on Thursday at 11 and we'll get you started."

So yesterday was my first day at my new job. It was ok. Lots to learn! For now I'll be a cashier but they might want to do something else too. I'm telling you, working at cash is not so easy when you don't know much about the store and when the store sells everything from office furniture to computers and pencils. And the phone is constantly ringing (and I'm doing my best to avoid picking it up :D) and every fifth costumer is there to exchange or return something and then they want to have the extended warranty or pay with a business check and OH MY GOD it's so complicated!! But everyone was really nice and I feel like I'm going to like it there. I mean I haven't felt that comfortable on my first day in any of my jobs so far.
I'm going back tomorrow, exciting!

That's all I have time for right now. Me and Carissa have been house-sitting at her friends' place, they've gone on a little vacation for 5 days. They have a lovely 3-floor house close to everything (incl. my work!) but they don't have access to Internet so I just dropped by at home to see what's going on here and get some more clothes etc. I'll be back on Monday.

Happy birthday, Jaana

2006-07-10T22:36:00.000+03:00

You probably expect me to write about football.. well, guess what: I will. Whether you like it or not. But first things first:

I had my second interview at Staples on Friday. It went amazingly well, the interviewer thought I was really funny and honest and I was thinking YES! I've got the job Woot WOoT! and THEN he said "So, I want you to call me on Tuesday and then we can pick a date for the THIRD interview" YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME! 3 INTERVIEWS TO GET A TEMPORARY SALES ASSOCIATE POSITION WTF!? But the guy also said that it's basically just me meeting the general manager and them deciding whether they like me or not. He said that a big YAY should be expected. But who knows! I might say something incredibly stupid. Or the gm might hate Finns. Who knows!

I've been to the movies twice now. Devil wears Prada and the new Pirates. I went to see the latter on Saturday, cause Carissa went to a bachelorette party and I thought that going to the movies doesn't really require having company. So I sat on the other side of the movie theatre, where they only have a few seats in a row, as I wanted to have as little distraction as possible. There was only one guy sitting in front of me, and I thought Perfect! No kids, no lovers, no chatting people.
The whole time I smellt something strange. I thought it was the pop-corn. But about half-way through the film I realized that the guy in front of me was smoking pot. A guy who worked there came down and asked the guy in front of me to stop smoking and leave. But he didn't throw him out (the guy was a real wuss, he just kept asking politely if he could please come with him outside - he didn't succeed so he just let it be). A little later, the guy starts spitting. On the seat next to him. I tried to ignore that. What I could not ignore was when he opened his pants and peed. I made the cinema guy throw him out this time but it was too late. I couldn't concentrate on the film anymore (when you see someone urinate in the movie theatre, that kinda kills the whole movie experience).
Why?? Why me? Why do idiots sit near me when I'm in the movies?? To those of you who didn't know, a few years ago I went to see the movie Snatch with my sister and her friend and this young guy sits next to me and empties a bottle of vodka during the film and ends up throwing up on the floor and on the guy in front of him. Another wonderfully smelly and disgusting experience.
The film, by the way, was nothing spectacular. Too many things going on and a bit too long. But it makes you want to see the last part as soon as it's in theatres.

And this finally brings me to the last things I want to say about the World Cup. I gotta tell you, I'm so relieved it's over now. Too much stressing over football, for four weeks! Like the Pirates of the Carib, too many things going on and a bit too long. I cannot express my feelings on the Final. I'm disappointed with France for not being able to score in the second half and the first half of the overtime when they were playing extremely well and they looked like they had decided to win the game and there was nothing the Azzurri could do about it. But that disappointment is in no way comparable to the way I (and I guess everyone watching the game) felt when Zizou did what he did. I want to know his side of the story, but it doesn't change the fact that the phenomenal Zidane ended his career with a well-deserved red card. After that I didn't really care anymore. The whole Final was ruined for me and I don't think I'd feel a whole lot different even if France had won. 2006 Germany is wrapped up and now it's time to cheer for our own national team again. The End.

Allons enfants de la Patrie!

2006-07-06T00:41:00.000+03:00

World Cup. I have so much to say on that issue. But I'll only say this:
-heads to Italy for playing a fine game yesterday against Germany. Better team won. I'm not bitter.
-allez FRANCE! I'm so proud of them. Who would have thought they could pull this? They didn't play well today, though, and I'm a bit worried about that - but nevertheless, I'm impressed. Portugal can make a nice film of the numerous stunts they performed today.

Job interview! It went very nicely, I got booked for a second interview (which is really annoying, why can't they just shoot the rest of their questions straight away and not make me find another set of "interview clothes" and go through I'm-so-nervous Round 2?). So yay! The only problem will be references. It's really hard to get ahold of my one and only reference person because I only have her work number for this cause, and she works mostly morning shifts. Starting at eight. So the time she's likely to be available, it's night time here. References count a lot in Canada. So this makes me really worried. I could always ask a teacher at the uni, but they don't really know me. They'd remember me if they saw me... Why didn't I realize to take care of this back home??!?!? Can anyone help me? (I don't know how)

I think we're heading to the movies tonight. Devil Wears Prada. Seems like a good one.
Last night we watched a fake documentary called The most unromantic man in the world. It was superb. Disgustingly funny :P

Serkut rakastaa paremmin

2006-07-04T07:34:00.000+03:00

Our Whistler trip was quite a success. Early on Saturday morning me, Carissa and Mischa took the Greyhound bus via Vancouver up to Whistler Village. From Vancouver onwards, the highway is called the Sea to Sky Highway and it's got to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. It made me cry and smile and see that the world still exists. This first picture is taken from the Lions Gate bridge that connects Downtown & Stanley Park to North Vancouver.

All the way from Vancouver to Squamish, the landscape is a mix of shimmering water and great mountains with snowy tops. Here is a view from our hotel room. Whistler Village is surreal, it's like from a movie. It's so lively even at this time of the year, which isn't their high season.
We decided to party Big Boy Style. We enjoyed a nice amount of wine at the hotel and then hit the streets: Dinner at Amsterdam Pub, cartwheels in the park (before we knew it, random people joined us and did some flips!), chilling out in the evening sun.....and then we found an abandoned shopping cart. Obviously, we had to take a ride. So me and Carissa got in...
..and Mischa gave us a push. It was a wild ride, which ended when the cart wanted to turn over.
But that was only the first time I found myself on the ground that night... We found a nice bar and the nicest quebecois bartender who had some shots with us. Finally, we found ourselves in another bar dancing to some tunes and falling down a few more times. I might have played a few rounds of pool and missed the ball 25 times cause my aiming was as bad as my balance at the time... I'd love to tell you guys all our stories but as this is a public blog, I'm going to tone it down.
Let's just say that it was a crazy night and we have lots to laugh about :)

We took the bus back on Sunday evening. This morning we got up fairly early to hit the beach with Tom and Jeff. I have now weird burnt prints on my back, arms and chest but I guess that's what you get when you forget to add sunscreen after swimming...
In the afternoon we went to Castle Fun Park nearby, where I had a game of mini golf (under the sea mini golf!! they also have jungle mini golf) with the guys. I lost (obviously) but I didn't suck. I even got two hole-in-ones and was only a few over par at the end.
They day finished perfectly with a call from Staples Business Depot asking me to come for an interview on Wednesday morning and then we watched A Night at the Roxbury after quoting the film throughout the day. EMILIOOOO!

Last night.

2006-06-30T18:54:00.000+03:00

Here are some pictures I took last night as I went for a walk. The sheep were so adorable. They live just across the street ♥

Good things can happen. So very very good things.

2006-06-30T08:48:00.000+03:00

I just heard something awesome: Carissa's friend has moved recently to Helsinki, and her boyfriend is going there too, in mid-August. He doesn't know yet how long he'll stay there, but he is willing to sublet us his 2-bedroom apartment in the same gorgeous area in Downtown, Vancouver, where I stayed for the first two nights of my visit. And we're getting it ridiculously cheap! So, my job hunting is more or less over in Abbotsford, unless I find something nice and temporary. My eyes can no concentrate in browsing through the classifieds in the Downtown area. I sure hope this doesn't backfire.

On Saturday we are celebrating Canada Day as it is the 139th anniversary of Canada. In 1867, the Confederation set out the Dominion of Canada and it was signed by the Queen of England on July 1. So the Canadians celebrate their independence and everything Canadian:

Cariboo, maple syrup and Mounties. I♥ Canada

And then we can sing Oh, Canada. The greatest national anthem.

We are planning to go to Whistler, a mountain and ski centre north of Vancouver, for the long weekend (Monday is Bank Holiday so yay). It should be a lot of fun.

Now I must jet, need to get up early to watch football!

I've lost hope (twice) and I've lost my mind

2006-06-28T02:36:00.000+03:00

Yes. That is, in fact, what has happened. I guess you all know about today's soccer tragedy: once again, Spain is out from the round of 8. I wept (and I'm proud of it). They were by far the best team in this year's World Cup, but just couldn't deliver against France. But in a way I'm also happy for France. Too bad that all the teams who deserved to make it to the top 8, let alone top 4, couldn't make it. Then some teams make it not by playing quality football, but by sheer fortune. Hopefully those teams (who am I kidding, there's only one) will soon be eliminated by Ukraine.
I'm sorry (cause I know that quite a few of you are rooting for this team) but I cannot understand how anything in that team can appeal to you. Feel free to tell me. I haven't made a decision to dislike (or hate) Italy, I just don't see what is so marvellous in them. It is pretty much the only team in every major tournament that I can't feel any sympathy towards. I even prefer Germany (this just occured me).
It's also brutal that I have to choose between Brasil and France on Saturday. Cause I always feel like the team that eliminates my favorite team should then go all the way (so that I could say "well at least Spain was eliminated by the world champions"). But their facing Brasil! Oh, what a dilemma!
I've watched so much football now, that I can hear the crowd cheering all the time. I feel like I've gone crazy. It's been three hours now, and it doesn't seem to stop. The noise is making me feel nauseous.

I need to tell you about my dream last night. It was Christmas, and I had just got out of jail to be with my wife and kids for a few days. I wanted to buy some gifts and decided that I need to take the bus downtown. I got in, but there was no one there, not even the driver. So I decided to drive it myself, but when the other bus drivers saw me, they thought I was stealing the bus. I jumped out of the bus and one bus driver was running after me, getting really close and then!
Carissa opened the door and I did this really weird ninja kick up in the air under the blanket, lying on my stomach! I've never laughed myself awake before :D

Okay, going to go swimming now! Ta ta!

Midsummer

2006-06-24T00:45:00.000+03:00

First of all:
I've experienced some problems with my hotmail address, so please use my school address somala [at] utu.fi.
And now to the real deal.
My job interview was not so much an interview as it was a human resources survey that I had to take on the computer. It included loads of questions on stealing, success in chool/work, personality, what kind of work environment i prefer etc. I hope I did well enough to get a call in a few days concerning a proper interview.
We have decided (me and Carissa) that we'll move away in August, preferably during the first days of August. Where we're going to move, that we don't know. We might stay here in Abby, close to the mountains and people we know, less expensive.. We bought our first piece of furniture yesterday from the thrift store where Carissa works. Its a chair attached to a phone table, it's a real treasure! I should take a picture of it. But I'm lazy.

But yeah, Brandi came to visit us yesterday. She's an old friend of Carissa's, we hung out together quite a lot last time I was here. So it was great to see her again. And we had such a good time! We drove to Cultus Lake, which is only like my favorite lake, and went swimming ♥
Here's Carissa in her ubercool jumpsuit.

And here are some pictures from Cultus Lake: Here's Brandi looking all cute:
And here's a picture of me, just so you won't forget:

After all the swimming and picture-taking, we went cruising. Listened to some sweet Swedish tunes, Ace of Base and Abba ♥ Driving through the beautiful landscape, dancing in the car... Enjoyable moments. I wanted to upload some mountain pictures here, but it's not working :/ Well anyways, we ended up going to The Pub for a few drinks later that night and got an invitation to a dance party tonight! Sweet! It can't beat the feeling of dancing to Abba in the car but hopefully it'll be another fun and memorable night!

Have fun at your midsummer parties, wherever you are!

xx Sonja

Voihan!!

2006-06-22T17:58:00.000+03:00

My nervousness is pretty much at its maximum right now. Why, you ask?
WELL. I have a job interview in a shoe store today, in two hours to be exact. It has to go well!
There's another reason for my nervousness.
[deep breath]
Someone likes me.
[sigh]
I don't know what to do.

Now I have to go and get ready. Oh, these millions of butterflies!

East Indian Mini Golf

2006-06-20T09:25:00.000+03:00

Hello there. More picture-fun! So we went camping to Lake Chilliwack on Saturday. No swimming, though, cause the lake's freezing. But nevertheless, enjoyable times with the cousins (each of us representing a different family) and a few other guys. No one sleeps in tents around here, because everyone has a truck. Me and Carissa got to share one on our own. It was surprisingly comfortable! So here's our campfire:

Jeff turned 25 and had a cigar.Cousins out in the woods.

We got back to Abbotsford on Sunday afternoon, went to get some Japanese food and then hung out with Katherine & Jessica. After sitting a while in a forest and getting disturbed by the presence of some creepy crawlers, we tried to think of somewhere else to go. The thing that amazes me is that people here have weird ideas. They come up with new and questionable things to do. So we decided to drive up to Mission and more specifically to the monastery. The monastery had already closed when we got there, but hey! You can always go and see the holy cows! Holy cows grazing in the fields ♥Carissa tried some scarf-posing.

And I tried to capture my happiness.We also did some rolling-down-the-hill and some diving-down-the-hill. Diving mainly because we saw a car coming and we weren't supposed to be seen by anyone. So we dove.

Today I got back to my job hunting fun. Today I also got a call about a job. It's this mini golf place and I need to call there in the morning but the guy's East Indian and I cannot understand his English properly! Plus I'm not all that interested in this job cause it's not the one I applied to (that position was already filled and they called and asked if I'm interested in this other position but IHAVENOIDEAWHATTHEGUYSAIDAFTERTHATINHISPUNJABIACCENT). But it made me happy that I actually got a phone-call.

And then we went swinging :)

A night out

2006-06-17T19:30:00.000+03:00

So last nigh was a night out. Literally. We went drinking out on a roof top with C's friends Ken and Bary. The Pub would have been only a heartbeat away but we figured that roof top drinking might be a lot more interesting. So we climbed up.

We felt like having some wine, but as we didn't have a corkscrew with us, we had to find a bottle with a screwtop. Wine's not cheap around here, but we sure got a bargain. 1,5 l bottle of redwine. Quite an original taste. After the first half a litre, the taste don't really matter. Finally a bottle that fits perfectly in my huge hands.
I can't remember the last time I've heard as many interesting and embarrassing stories as last night. Intense. Here's Ken and Carissa.
The thing with the roof top drinking is that you need to drink a lot to keep warm. Here's Carissa keeping herself warm.
Never before have I met people who are willing to share their most embarrassing and very personal stories on first acquaintance. Here's Bary sharing.
As you might have guessed, last night was a lot of fun. My wrist hurts quite a lot right now, probably from climbing to the roof a few times. Tonight: camping. Awesome!

I feel like adding one more picture. It has nothing to do with roof tops. This here is Tiikeri, an evil but very lovable cat. I have some issues with him, krhm. He's quite adorable, though.

o_O

2006-06-15T21:05:00.000+03:00

I just realised that if you put England's Gerrard and Beckham in a bottle and shake well, you get Ryan Atwood! Can someone please tell me who I need to put in a bottle to get a Sandy Cohen? Or to get a job for that matter?
I've done some faxing now, but I should start calling tomorrow to those places. Get in contact, beg for a chance, be a kiss-ass. Jobs aren't easy to get around here. You can't just fill in an application in the Internet and then someone will hire you the next day. There are a lot of vacancies but people here have to put in a lot of effort even to get a crappy part-time job. And you know how lazy I can get.
I've started to hear strange little sounds in the house. Am I going crazy?
I think I'll head to the mall. Open up a bank account and see if I can get a SIM-card somewhere. I'll take a few copies of my resume with me, just in case.

Soccer, pb&j, job hunting and poetry slam!

2006-06-13T19:53:00.000+03:00

I love soccer. After every match, I feel like crying. It's all about the feeling!! Spain plays tomorrow, I've waited it for so long! Also very interested in Brasil's first game, but who wouldn't be. My favorites go 1.Spain, 2. Senegal, 3.Check Republic, althouvgh I'm also rooting for the Dutch and the Brasilians (but they'll do a good job anyway so they don't really need me. Spain NEEDS me). edit: and I just realized that Senegal didn't even make it to this World Cup. That makes me sad.

I've got gluten-free bread! I was so excited this morning, I jumped out of the bed to get toast for breakfast. MMMMMMM. I had a traditional Canadian toast featuring maple syrup, and I also found ingredients to make a traditional American peanutbutter&jelly sandwich ("pb&j"). So as you can see, I'm very North American now.

I've been printing out some resumes, so that today or tomorrow I'll go drop them off to all of the shops etc. nearby. The current plan is to get a job from Abbotsford for two months or so, then quit and go traveling a bit in august (Quebec!!) and then in September (the latest) we need to get jobs from Vancouver and find a place to live there. I want to live in Vancouver and I could move there right now, but I don't see any point in that cause this way I can save up some money and hang ot with the cousins and their friends. Like last night, we got a free ride to Vancouver with Carissa's friends as they where going to a poetry slam in Commercial Drive. I'm not into poetry but hey, a free ride and a chance to hang out in a nice joint in Vancouver. So we got there in good time and it turns out, it's not poetry slam.. it's African reggae jam night! Unfortunately, the reggae guys didn't show up early enough so at the end, we saw nothing. But we had a great time anyway :) I just had to walk barefoot cause my shoes were evil.

How are you?

♥S

Some views

2006-06-12T02:13:00.000+03:00

Here are some pictures from Vancouver:
English Bay, 6 am

Canada Place

Views to Granville Island

Now I'll go have some dinner with cousins Jeff & Misch and after that I'll probably need to figure some stuff out. Love you guys.

edit: Aww, can't I just hang around with my cousins for six months??? Do I really need a job? I had a really good night with the guys, we went for a dinner but ended up drinking for five hours! I've laughed quite a bit.. And spent all my cash. Oh well!

2006-06-10T10:00:00.000+03:00

BTW, you can reach me faster in this address (at least for now)
c/o H. Ropponen
3230 Saddle Street
Abbotsford, BC
V2S 4X3
Canada

High on Van

2006-06-10T09:23:00.000+03:00

Ok, definitely need to post another entry: I've had such a good day.
As I got up so early today, after breakfast I was pretty much ready to leave to the orientation which was a 20-minute walk away - I had two hours to get there. So I explored the northern part of Downtown and admired the view at Canada Place. Luckily, the orientation only took like 3 hours or so and I got to leave already around 2 pm. Had lunch at Denny's and thought that a nap would be great (I had only slept 9 hours the first night, although after the long journey from Tampere to Vancouver I would have needed 15 hrs or something). So I ended up sleeping for five and a half hours which really was not the plan as I wanted to take a nice long walk around the southern part of Downtown, even down to Granville island but at 8.30 the sun was starting to set. I was really mad at myself at first because all the weather forecasts had said that it would rain in the evening and I thought I'd have to stay in and get bored but, surprisingly enough, it had gotten really sunny outside so I went anyway.
And I'm glad I did.
I walked down to Pacific Boulevard in south-east and then took the so-called seawalk detour from False Creek through Sunset Beach Park (where I exposed my bare feet, walking by the seashore) up to English Bay. And the timing couldn't have been more perfect as the sun was setting. It was so gorgeous. I am so happy to be here, the city truly is every bit as good as I remembered. Even being alone didn't bother me at all.
Sigh.
Sigh sigh sigh.
Tomorrow morning I'll leave the hostel, my cousins should pick me up around 11. I'll let you know what the future brings.
Time for bed.
xx

This is fact, not fiction, for the first time in years

2006-06-09T18:03:00.000+03:00

After 25 exhausting hours of traveling with only 1,5 hours of sleep on the plane, I finally arrived in Vancouver. The long flight was terrible. I got a sandwich that made me sick for the last two hours and as I sat by the aisle people kept bumping into my arm on their way to the toilet. Thus, not much sleep. I also got only one of my two suitcases, the other one came to the hostel this morning. And Immigration office was really no fun at all, 90 minutes waiting there. But I met a nice German girl who also came to work in Vancouver. The best thing, though, was seeing Emilie at Heathrow ♥

This hostel is amazing. It's like a hotel, really. Breakfast is served soon and I've heard it's really good with loads of delicious things to eat. They have a library, tv room, meeting rooms, dining rooms and this game room where you can play pacman or pool or foozball! For $28 a night (22-23 euro), I'd say this is underpriced. Of course, I'm staying here for "free", so double the fun!

I just took a nice morning stroll down to English bay. It was really nice, even as it's raining a bit. My work permit is now for a year (instead of 6 months as I was told) so good luck trying to get me to leave in December.

So I'm off to breakfast now, I'll try to post pictures asap when I have the chance. ♥S

Less than a week, then maple leaves

2006-06-01T11:23:00.000+03:00

Ms. [name here]
SWAP Participant
Suite 710-602 W.Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 1P2
Canada

This is the address which I'll use at first. If I ever get a steady place to live in, I'll let you know.

I feel like... - I hope I've talked about this enough. Because I really want you to understand how much this means to me... Having this opportunity, it's the greatest thing I could imagine in my life right now. This is what I want. Despite the tears, this is what I want. I know this sounds silly, but each day my bags are less and less ready to go, and my mind is less and less ready to go, but my heart has already gone. And that is giving me confidence. I don't really know what happens when I get there; I thought I had a plan all worked out but now I don't know anymore. But it's okay, I think.

If only the flights go well (I'm a bit terrified already: I dislike flying and I don't want to fly alone. It's the whole "flying across the ocean" -thing).

I can picture myself in Vancouver next Thursday. Tired and in tears. It's just such a gorgeous city. If you don't believe me, come for a visit. Or just wait for pictures. Here's a preview, a beautiful picture I found from the ever-so-helpful Internet:

♥S

Strepsils tepsii?

2006-05-22T23:32:00.000+03:00

My throat's sore and I feel a bit feverish. I hope I can go to work tomorrow morning. Today I was late from work (8 months at Hesburger and then two days before I finish there I'm late for the first time!), I had misread my shifts (I don't know how that happened, I mean 1430 looks nothing like 1500, right?). But anyway. I don't want to go to the doctor's first thing in the morning and get a sick leave, I actually do want to work these last two days.
Craziest dream!! I had a dream last night - Lordi vs. Darth Vader!! Awesome!! There were also some LEGO-people and I turned into Luke Skywalker towards the end! I love my dreams, they make life exciting!
I started Canada-packing. I've got two suitcases and the bigger one was full in a few minutes.. I think I'm gonna have to repack once or twice. I just can't decide which tops to take and which ones I should leave. It's too damn hard, I say!
Ok, I'll go and look for some painkillers.. xx S

Proudly representing

2006-05-21T10:47:00.000+03:00

Finland. Every now and again it feels so good to live here. Social service, education, four seasons, Eurovision victory, Fazer chocolate... Wait. Ummm... Eurovision victory? The Eurovision Song Contest that always makes you wanna bang your head against the wall and swear you'll never ever watch it again.. The one that has made Finns feel more and more depressed and abandoned by Europe year after year after year - 40 times, in fact. Only a Finn can imagine how good this feels right now! Finally! Victory! Rock'n roll angels sing that hard rock hallelujah
I am so happy.
Sadly, though, this is also the time for many goodbyes (for me, that is).
I wish... I wish I could say goodbye to each and everyone individually in person, but I might have missed my chance with a few people. It seems that even when you think leaving is going to be easy, it's not. Leaving New York never easy

Desperately seeking words

2006-05-18T21:03:00.000+03:00

I wish there was a way to tell you how huge it was to see Belle & Sebastian. I was so surprised, I never realized that I absolutely adore them and they are so special. I mean, I've never appreciated them enough, that I understand now.
When the band started with The State I Am In and Stuart barely sang the first two words, I was in tears. And soon after it they played Belle & Sebastian, which is my favorite B&S song and thank God Jaana was there to hold me. My legs were shaking, I felt my heart beating, my knees could only partly keep me up on my feet. I loved that feeling of nearly fainting for something like that... It was simply amazing.

Honestly, that was the best concert I've ever been to.

I left my school I left my job
You saw me looking like a slob
When I was young you were the only fun in town

Everyone thought it was a shame
For Belle and the boy Sebastian
Belle was ok but oh Sebastian
Went too far again
Crashed his car in the rain

He wants to love and he wants to care
But when the girls hear that they think he's so square
Sebastian for once just leave your troubles home
Sebastian for once just leave your troubles home

He goes to school around the way
The boys are queuing up to tell her she's a star
Poor Sebastian is heading for a fall

Everyone thought it was a shame
For Belle and the boy Sebastian
Everyone thought it was a shame
Belle was ok but oh Sebastian
Went too far again
Crashed his car in the rain
Oh Sebastian wrote his diary that
He would never be young again
But you will
Fellow, you are ill
You'd better take a weight off of your mind and listen
To what other people say
Cause things are going wrong your own way

I think that's all I'm gonna go into right now. It's Eurovision song contest semifinal night and even though I'm feeling a bit ill and very tired, I'll go enjoy the rest of the evening with my friends. I'm going to cry in a few days so much... It scares me, saying our goodbyes again.

Another Sunny Day

2006-05-16T16:42:00.000+03:00

We're off to Stockholm tonight and then Belle & Sebastian tomorrow night! I'm actually starting to get excited! I was a bit worried there for a while :) It'll be great.
I've almost finished my last book for this year's exams... "A Social History of Canada". It's been really interesting, as a matter of fact. I still haven't finished the language residency report, though. I really want to return it on Friday but that means I should write it right now, before going to Stockholm... I'm really annoyed with myself because of this!
Yesterday I went shopping (just a little) with Jaana. I got what I wanted: Nanso summerwear. I took some pictures (embarrassing, yeah, but I wanna show off):

Hey guys

2006-05-11T20:14:00.000+03:00

I got two phone calls today from a very strange number. I missed both of them. So it turned out they were from T U R K E Y. WTF??!!?
Work was terribly exhausting, even though I didn't have to work for the planned 9 hours, only 8 h 15 min. But when you go to work at 10.30 and get to leave quarter to seven, it feels like the whole day has been spent at that very same place. Oh, and I have a work-related problem: I should be working on Tuesday from 1 to 8.30 but the ferry to Stockholm leaves at 9 so I can't make it! I'm desperately texting some friends from work to cover my shift but so far no luck. But it'll work out. I'll just have to practice my persuasion skills..
I decided to pay a quick visit to Stupido record store today, 3 minutes before they closed. So I had to be real fast with the vinyls and then decide that I need to buy The Raconteurs album and as there was no time to hesitate I took it and I even got a poster to match :) Record store made my day. And only for 17.90€!
ER is on soon and I have to start obsessing about Luka once again. My favorite night of the week, TV-wise.
I watched Terms of Endearment for the very first time last night and I think it's one of my all time favorites now. No movie has made me cry like that (or maybe Love Story did, can't remember)... I couldn't breathe, that's how hard I cried... I'm such a cry-baby! Hahha!

Patterns patterns

2006-05-07T23:38:00.000+03:00

I'd write here more often if I didn't have the perfect window sill in my apartment. I prefer writing journal entries over there. Those entries obviously are for my own amusement, so I guess I should apologize. I want you to read my blog actively but that means I should post actively as well.

It looks like I'm going to see Belle & Sebastian in Stockholm with many other nice people in 10 days. Drunken decision, but a good one. I'm glad that we're going. I just hope I can sort my shifts - if there are any - easily enough.

Today I've tried to write my language residency report... I'm almost done, but I still need to write about "la vie en France" (life in France) and something more on "langage" and then come up with a nice conclusion of all the good stuff last summer provided. Ummm I'm thinking red wine, good parties, big laughs and strange (good strange) events. Naturally, this text should be more about my views on the language use as a foreigner. Not about good wine drinking stories.

I think I'be burnt my arms in the sun today! Looking forward to the peeling part and a lovely tan. Hopefully. I nearly won a game of Trivial Pursuit today. But not quite. It's funny (and sad), I've always thought that I'm full of all kinds of knowledge but I still tend to lose quite a lot in Trivial Pursuit! So maybe I don't know shit. Or then again I might just be too young to know a lot of things.

If you still haven't paid a visit to my website after I finally redid it, then do go and tell me what you think. Please.
Thank you and goodnight ♥S

Red Devil is here!!½

2006-05-03T17:14:00.000+03:00

I mean, what a great way to welcome the spring: R-kioski sells RED DEVIL, the drink that was more than popular amongst our St.Petersburg crew a year ago (-> fridge from our rented apartment in St.P, we had some other popular drinks as well as you can see but Red Devil was the best stuff).
I know what I'll have on Saturday at a certain party!!

(I took some liberties with the pic, it was taken by Samu. So this was theft, eek!)

So, I just got back from my Historical and Cultural Readings exam which went pretty well, actually. Primarily because there were no questions to be answered. We were given some texts beforehand and we had to search for information and then analyze and comment on the texts in the exam. It was ok. These kinds of exams require quite a lot of work as preparation so I don't really like them, I prefer the ones where I can panic in the exam room as I see the questions the first time. But that's just me. Drama queen.

Dr Phil time! I'm gonna go see Scary Movie 4 with Riikka someday soon, because Dr.Phil is in that one! How fun is that! I've never wathced a whole Scary Movie film, seen less than half an hour of the first two. But now it's a different story!
Ok then.

Mitä mä tyynyllä, sattuu se kuitenki!

2006-05-01T20:31:00.001+03:00

Thank you girls for a fun Vappu! It was great, love you all xx

A half decent foot rub

2006-04-30T12:29:00.000+03:00

, please.

It's Vappu! I've got my hat -> ready, camera with an almost full battery, f o o d and sparkling wine! So, let's go!
Have a good Vappu/May Day everyone, wherever you are.
Lots and lots of love and kisses,

Sonja

edit: BALLOONS! I don't have any balloons!

To do -list

2006-04-27T14:45:00.000+03:00

Paperwork for Canada:
-Get an international driver's license
-Kela: cancel student grant and inform of new situation
-Insurance company: cancel home insurance, get new travel insurance
-Contact tax administration for information on taxation
-Inform Notary/Post for moving abroad
-Undergo medical clearance
-~~Contact Allianssi for flight and insurance information and send confirmation~~
-Write a resume & cover letter
-Get a bank reference letter

Other:
-Find something to do for Vappu. Where are all the parties, guys?
-Remember to go to work (--> don't party before Saturday night)
-EXAMS! (I was just on my way to this academic year's - and for me the whole year's - last lecture, and then realized that it was also my last chance to skip a lecture. So I didn't go. Lectures attended this spring: less than half. Oh so proud of myself!)
-Packing #1 and packing #2. 4 weeks left in Turku! Wa-hey!

Some paperwork, huh?
I'll start tomorrow by visiting my insurance company and then deal with Allianssi. Next week I'll take care of the driver's license, notary, post, kela and tax admin. And then there's still all the rest. But at least I've got something to do now.

Sourmilk incident

2006-04-26T10:48:00.000+03:00

Student Work Abroad Program's Canada information package has arrived. Exam on The Making of Canada this afternoon. Do you see the problem? It's extremely hard (impossible, even) to study about Canadian history when you're all about Canadian future. I will do so and so in the exam and won't even mind, because I am going and that's all I can think of right now. I think this is the most excited I've ever been.
Instead of studying, I feel like getting an ice cream or something. I'm not gonna (but I might).
Oh, this is just tearing me apart! Should I or should I not study? I'd love to have an excellent grade for a course on Canada but it might be a bit late for that. I've gone through my notes once. I didn't go to all of the lectures so I don't have all the hand-outs and notes needed. The exam is in 4,5 hours so it's not like I have a lot of time left, either.
Back to square one, I'm not going to care.
I'll have lunch, get an ice cream and then go to the last Historical and Cultural Readings lecture and then to the exam.
Are there any new really good ice creams yet?

We'll go our separate ways

2006-04-24T21:21:00.004+03:00

I got a phone call today from Allianssi, the organisation whose Canada-program I'm attending. They had been in contact with the Canadian embassy since there has been no sign of my visa/work permit so far, and it normally takes only two weeks to get it. Apparently they've been very very busy there and they promised to send my papers next week the latest. So it's all clear, I'm going for six months. I should get an information package concerning my departure and stay in Canada on Wednesday and I can only imagine how much there are things that I need to take care of... But it's gonna be fun! I don't mind going through a lot of paperwork for this trip.
I'm so happy, it's unbelievable.
Relieved. Excited. Ready.

Ooh. Had the best dream ever. Four words, girls: sex with Jake Gyllenhaal. If you're lacking ideas for your dreams, try that one.

Spring it on!

2006-04-23T23:15:00.000+03:00

"No trespassing". This fence (or the lack of it, more like) has been amusing me for quite a while now.

The game saloon at the fun fair was the best thing. I won a lousy indian for Jenny.. she did a lot better herself, winning a peculiar phallic item.

Hungover as I was, - there's no ending for this sentence. I forgot. Well, I had a hangover. Surprised, anyone?

Lucky for us, we got to see an incredible show... high class entertainment! Yeah...

Please return it

2006-04-23T22:33:00.000+03:00

First boxes and bags are gone, the fairly long moving process has (I guess) started. Now if you feel like you want to borrow something from me for half a year or if you need something to remember me by, then please inform me asap so that I know what I can pack and send away and what I don't need to. Because really, this stuff is all for grabs. I'm not gonna use it for six months and I don't mind someone else using it. There isn't too much extra space at my parents' so it would honestly be no problem at all...
Here's a list of stuff, just to give you some idea of my generousness:
-f u r n i t u r e (divan, weird ikea chair, ~~bookshelf~~, computer desk, two other shelves, tv stand)
~~-floor lamp~~
-3 table lamps
~~-Nintendo~~
~~-board games (Alias, Pictionary, Globetrotters, Uno cards etc.)~~
-vinyls (special care required)
-stereo system (special care required)
-stuffed animals (really good for lonely nights when you're missing me) including Moominpapa, Bambi, a moose, some smaller teddy bears and, of course, the one and only, ~~Sir Boris~~ (needs a lot of love)
So let me know.

"This is my partner"

2006-04-21T00:40:00.000+03:00

One text analysis essay less to be written. Well, almost. I'm nearly done with my analysis on the structure of Grimm Brothers' version of Cinderella. And I've had enough. I very much dislike writing text analysis, because I feel very inadequate when it comes to literature. But here we go, last essay for the spring... I only need to attend two more lectures, pass four exams and write my séjour linguistique report. And that's that for this academic year, once again coming to an end. I'll have an extended summer break and continue writing these text analyses in January 2007. I don't seem to entirely understand it yet.

I need more ER, more Luka. I didn't use to like him this much. But now it's like when's next Thursday? Faster, please.

2006-04-18T15:05:00.001+03:00

I've never been to Rome
But I don't need to go
I don't need to go to know
Life would be sweet and slow

You know the feeling when you're okay if you're staying still but turning around or taking a step would wreck it all? That's me at this moment. I'm scared of things that are undone, things I should have remembered but didn't, things I should remember to do but I might forget. Just little things. Like a book from the university library, 5 days late. If I turn my head, it's there. If I stare at this screen... not there.

Nintendo's working again!!

Tampere, airport, train, Turku, bus, home, hungry, out of place.

Alone again.

But I'm bonding with my guitar after a long long time. It's going swell. I love it. I wanna play day and night.

edit: Packing has now started. 7 weeks from now I'm off to Canada, but moving is even sooner. My parents are coming to get some stuff of mine already this weekend. As I have to focus on my exams and I am working more shifts than ever before, I have to spend this sort of spare time packing. So far it's been mostly throwing useless stuff away. But that's fun, too.

20 2 14

2006-04-12T23:12:00.000+03:00

I've been having the best time. Helsinki was as good as it can get considering no sunshine but the hell with sunshine when being so drunk that midnight is the time for passing out! And Turku looked pretty today (all thanks to the sunshine and flower-covered bridge). No big plans for tomorrow (except visiting my Hese ;D), friday will be all Disney films and getting drunk! Cheerio!

edit 13/4. I spent way too much money today.. got some dvd's (Donnie Darko, The Cider House Rules, Sideways and Finding Neverland) and records (Oh, Inverted World LP, The Life Pursuit and The Album Leaf's In a Safe Place) and alcohol (wine and vodka - good mix.) and food (you know, f o o d). We might actually go to dynamo tonight, since we don't have any other big plans. Crappy weather. And we already ate everything we were supposed save for the evening.
Like I said, Friday's Disney day, including the films Black Cauldron, Sleeping Beauty and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Awesome!

This one can't go wrong

2006-04-08T10:56:00.000+03:00

It must be a good day. Got up early-ish, had a good breakfast (and now chocolate \o/), then did some cleaning up and now I'm about to pack my bag and go to work for four hours and then take the bus to Tampere. There I'll meet my sister and steal her car, she'll go off drinking, I'll go fetch Emilie at the airport. And then it's the famous wine drinking time in Hervanta xD Ooh my, it's gonna be great. 9 days (or ten?) of greatness! And fun!!
I'm off to work, have a nice weekend!

Couchée dans l'herbe, elle pleura

2006-04-07T01:26:00.000+03:00

I'm a bad friend. No, I'm worse. I just stormed out of a bar without saying anything. I simply couldn't stand that among our "circle" of 8 people, there was the one person I've truly have not got along with... a guy that used to work with me, we just couldn't stand each other. As I heard him laugh tonight, I had to leave. Even his voice still makes me mad.
Well, I hope my friends will forgive me.
I've also come to the conclusion that perhaps I don't like going out. I enjoy company and I enjoy staying up late but I don't enjoy bars and clubs anymore. Only rarely. Good clubs. Sorry, can't help it. But I did have a lot of fun tonight. Keeping my fingers crossed for a non-hangover morning.. 8,5 hours of work ahead! Must sleep.

Heebie-jeebies

2006-04-06T00:17:00.000+03:00

I am feeling very strange. I've been coughing like hell, but that's all. Am I sick or not? Who can tell. Tomorrow's supposed to be fun night out that involves us chicas drinking and shaking it in Fiesta Latina, which means I'm not sick, right?
However, in order to not risk it, I decided to stay in bed tonight watching movies instead of going to the gym. So I watched Broken Flowers and Madagascar. Finally. I must say that I preferred the latter. Madagascar was surprisingly good, particularly because it didn't include a dozen idiotic kill-self-immediately songs.. but I guess both films lacked some storyline. Or I was lacking interest. I liked them the obvious amount, so I'm not saying this wasn't a good movie night. Except health-wise.
Going to bed now, although I can only think of how badly I want to go wash my hair right this minute.
Ooh and I got a postcard today from Amsterdam. Merci, Constanze!

New (York) pics vol.2

2006-04-05T11:57:00.000+03:00

Yes, some more NYC pics!

1. Here's Laura at JFK airport.

2. Eating at McDo.

3. This is a panorama taken from Brooklyn Bridge. Click on it to see a bigger picture.

4. This one's from our street, Bowery. Blue door leading to our hostel.

5. In Strawberry Fields, Central Park.

6. Reading El Diario, the Spanish newspaper that interviewed us as we stepped out of the Museum of Sex.

New (York) pics

2006-04-04T14:15:00.000+03:00

Laura sent me some pictures from our trip to NYC. Some of these are hers, some are mine.

1. Idol seen from Staten Island ferry. Oh, kisses.

2. That's me in Central Park

3. The two of us in the Empire State Building

4. NYPD and an NYC taxicab

5. No spitting in our hostel! WTF?

6. Brooklyn Bridge, my baby.

1 bottle Beaujolais

2006-04-04T00:48:00.000+03:00

I've finally worked over 250 hours at Hesburger and got a raise. Feels good. Goodbye my trainee-nametag, good morning burger queen career! Oh, wait - there really is nothing to brag about in that.
So I'm having yet another essay to finish. I've got ten hours to do it, of which I'd love to sleep nine and a half. Should I get up earlier to finish it or should I do it now and sleep late? Talk about dilemma!
What a lousy weather. I'm telling you. If things don't get better, I'll be ashamed to show this place to Emilie. Two months ago I was absolutely-100-per-cent-certain that there will be no snow in Turku in April and it will be all sunny and spring-y. And I do believe that what we have now is actually the crappiest weather possible. You proved me wrong, didn't you?
You won't believe it, but I went out on Saturday night, spontaneously! I was surprised myself, to be frank. Girls' night out was a success and not once have I been as happy to have a hangover as I was on Sunday morning. Lovely headache, amazing nausea.
xx sonja

What's going on

2006-04-03T13:22:00.000+03:00

Finally I had the energy to write here. A few months ago I remembered I still have my blogspot account so I thought why not write here. It's been a few years since I last used blogspot, but hopefully I feel more at ease here than in livejournal. It's just a blog.
And now I actually don't have much time to write, gotta jet to work. But come back and see what's going on.