Aim High, Willis!

Hello, people of the Internet!

I can't remember the last time I had as busy a busy weekend at work as I just did... I am sore, tired, and so very happy that next weekend I won't have to work. Damn it, I won't work even if all my coworkers got sick. Do I sound awful? Nah.. I earned my time off. Besides, I need to catch up on school work anyway. 

I haven't told you guys yet, but I'm on the lookout for a volunteer placement abroad! If you know me, it's not hard to guess where I want to go :) I have sent out inquiries (a lot of them) and gotten a bunch of replies... but I won't share more until I have something concrete. I know, I'm a tease. You guys know, however, that I cannot keep my mouth shut if I get a chance to go abroad for an extended period of time, so you'll be sure to hear if/when I have good news. 

I just realized I have an unopened bottle of wine here... it's late, so I'll save it for tomorrow. Mondays suck. 

Have a great week! <3

Where I've Been... What I've Been Doing

Hey, guys!

Um... is there anyone left? I've been away for a while, taking a break from blogging and just focusing on other things, so I don't blame you if you've deleted my blog from your reading list. 

I haven't just been chilling, I've actually been quite busy the last few months! Here are some updates from what has happened:

Been busy with school.

Pretty self-explanatory.

I wrote the 1st draft of my novel in November, participating in NaNoWriMo.

And yes, I made it to 50,000 words! I'm so happy and proud of myself for doing that, because to be honest, I did not think I could do it. Now I'm slowly working on the second draft and am psyched to notice the progress I'm making!

I traveled to the United Arab Emirates last month!

We were all sick at some point during the vacation, but had such an amazing trip nonetheless! We spent the first half of our stay in Abu Dhabi, where my friend lives, and it was amazing to see her after 4,5 years. After Abu Dhabi we went to Dubai, and went to see the tallest building in the world among other things. If you'd like me to do a separate post about this trip, let me know! :)

I had a friend visit me from the States.

It can be challenging to see your own country through someone else's eyes and be a good hostess, but I think she enjoyed her stay and she definitely got a taste of the real Finland!

And now I'm back in school. 

Again, pretty self-explanatory.

So that's what's been going on with me. Lately I've been thinking about coming back to blogging, even though at one point I was sure I'd never do it again. I don't know why. But I'm here now. I doubt I'll ever leave for good. 

So, what have y'all been doing???

Red or White?

I recently realized I haven't had a chance to really rest since I moved. Every day I've either been at school or at work, or running errands, or cleaning up and unpacking my stuff. 

My muscles hurt so bad!

Last week was crazy in particular, and after work last night I went to my dad's and said I needed some wine asap. He gave me the whole bottle. So my plan for tonight is to sit at my desk, light a few candles, have a glass (or two) of wine and work on my writing. Sound good? Me thinks it sounds like heaven. <3

In the midst of all this madness, I wanted to share a few tips on how to keep your mind positive and stay happy though your life may not make a lot of sense. 

*Keep your friends close. Just because you're busy, you shouldn't ditch your friends. 

*Get out every once in a while! Don't bury yourself in homework or in my case, cleaning and unpacking. Make sure you get a breather and take care of yourself. 

*Subscribe to Notes from the Universe. Find out more HERE

My schedule eases up a little for the next couple of weeks, so I'm hoping I'll have more time to blog and do more fun things :) I wanna go see movies and hang out with friends, and just relax! Is that too much to ask? Sometimes it is, and that's ok. As long as I can have time for myself every day. Not all day every day, but even a little. 

And that glass of wine doesn't hurt, either. 

Mun elämä on ollut nyt sellasta hullunmyllyä tässä viime aikoina, etten ole saanut levättyä ollenkaan.  Lihakset kipeinä ja väsyneenä painelen menemään, mutta koitan pysyä positiivisena. Ja kun elämä potkii päähän ja persuksillekin vielä, niin haen iskältä lisää viiniä. 

I moved!

Guuuuyyss, it has been a crazy week! Sorry for being so quiet on the blog, but let me tell ya... moving sucks. Even if you're moving to a brand new, renovated apartment, it sucks. It really takes everything out of you, and it's known to be one of the most stressful things in a person's life. 

My moving process wasn't the easiest; at first I heard I wasn't going to have running water until October 6th (my moving day was October 1st). Well, my dad lives in the same building, so I can shower at his place and all. Fine. Then, the workers didn't finish my apartment on time, because someone forgot to tell them I was moving in despite the water issue. So after leaving my old apartment I spent the first night at my mom's, and the second at my brother's. Yesterday I finally moved in, even though there's no water and I can't really use my kitchen. But sleeping in my own bed is the best thing<3 And Monday is already so close, I'll have water and then my apartment is completely finished. And I can start unpacking. 

I hope you all have had a better week, a less stressful one at least. Today wasn't too bad, I got to go to IKEA with my mom ;) got a lot of nice (and necessary) things and I still have to order a home delivery for a couch and possibly a burrow. 

Any interest in seeing a home tour once it's finished? :)

Kaiken saakelinmoisen sekoilun jälkeen pääsin vihdoin muuttamaan. Juoksevaa vettä ei ole, mutta onneksi iskä asuu samassa rakennuksessa ja pääsen sen luo suihkuun ym. Muutto on kyllä yksi stressaavimmista asioista ikinä, ja on ollut rehellisesti sanottuna aika kamalaa :D vaikka onkin uusi ja vastaremontoitu asunto. 

Nojaa.. kyllä tää tästä. Kiinnostaako nähdä asunto kuvina kun on valmista? :)

Sometimes Life Sucks

Well, hello there! 

Above you see the main reason for my absence. That's right. My moving day is getting closer! I am excited and terrified at the same time. I''m stressed and a little tense, and my muscles hurt. But in a week this will all be over. And hopefully so worth everything. 

Besides moving I'm busy with school, so for the next few weeks I will be super busy. 

Right now I'm laying on my bed with a steaming hot cup of tea, watching Friends and just... hanging out. My couch was picked up today and I'm happy about that; I have all this extra space now to start piling up stuff that I've already packed. I'm being rebellious and skipping school tomorrow so that I can continue the packing, because I just love it so much. And I would only have 2 hours of math tomorrow.. so I'm forgiven, right?

No heipä hei!

Tuossa ylhäällä näette syyn poissaolooni.. Jep, muuttopäivä lähenee! Olen innoissani ja kauhuissani. Stressaantunut ja pinna kireällä, lihakset kipeenä. Mutta viikon päästä tämäkin on ohi, ja toivottavasti kaiken arvoista. 

Muuttamisen lisäksi koulun kanssa pitää kiirettä, joten muutaman seuraavan viikon aikana tulen olemaan todella kiireinen. Nyt makailen sängylläni kuuman teekupin kanssa katsellen Frendejä ja.. olen vain. Mun sohva haettiin tänään ja olen tyytyväinen siitä, koska nyt mulla on tuota ekstra tilaa mihin pinota pakattuja laatikoita. Huomenna oon kapinallinen ja lintsaan koulusta, että voin jatkaa pakkaamista, koska sehän nyt on niin ihanaa. Sitä paitsi huomenna olisi vaan pari tuntia matikkaa, joten lintsaaminen annettakoon anteeksi.

Hair Thing

Hey, guys. Remember when I told you I would dye part of my hair pink? Well, I did it! 

I was looking for a darker shade of pink; this turned out super pastel, but starting out with this pinkish shade is a good thing, I guess :) I'll get a darker color if after a while I still feel like keeping my hair like this. This color is semi-permanent and should last for about a month. I only dyed a part of my hair in the very back of my head, so I can hide the pink part if I want to... or I can definitely show it off as well. Love it!

No niin! Muistatteko kun kerroin värjääväni tukkani pinkiksi? No se tapahtui! Olisin halunnut vähän tummemman sävyn, tästä tuli todella pastelli. Mutta ehkä on ihan hyvä aloitella hiljalleen :) Hommaan tummemman värin jos haluan jatkossakin pitää hiukseni tällaisina. Tämä on kevytväri ja kestää vain noin kuukauden. Värjäsin vain osan hiuksistani takaa, joten pinkin osan saa piiloon tarvittaesa, tai sitä voi myös näyttävästi esitellä! Tykkään!

Hommasin värin Cybershopista, ja sävy on tämä.

#collegelife

Guys!

I am now officially a student! My school started on Monday and tomorrow is the last day of Orientation Week. Real classes start on Monday. I am so excited and ready to face whatever my new school throws in my face! (ask me again in a few months). 

In case you don't know, I study International Business at a University of Applied Sciences in my hometown of Lahti, Finland. If all goes according to plan, I should get my Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration in 3,5 years! Our class consists of a multi-cultural student body and it's so interesting and wonderful to go to school with people from all over the world! Most of my studies are in English, which is also great, since I loooove English. It's my thang! 

Hei moi!

Meikäläinen on nyt virallisesti opiskelija! Koulu alkoi maanantaina ja huomenna on orientaatioviikon vika päivä. Maanantaina alkaa oikee koulu. Olen oikeasti tosi innoissani ja valmis kohtaamaan kaiken, mitä tuo koulu paiskaakin päin näköä (tästä saa kysellä uuestaan sitten parin kuukauden päästä). 

Jos ette jo tienneet, opiskelen siis tradenomiksi Lahden Ammattikorkeassa, englanninkielisellä puolella. Jos kaikki menee suunnitelmien mukaan, niin paperit saan 3,5 vuoden päästä. Meidän luokka on monikansallinen ja on mielenkiintosta ja hienoa opiskella ulkomaalaisten ihmisten kanssa! Ja on ihanaa, kun suurin osa opinnoista on englanniksi; englanti on vaan se mun juttu! 

In Finland, University Students get overalls, such like these, and wear them to events. We get badges from the events and attach them to the overalls. Ours are black, but some schools have all different color overalls for each field of studies. Love 'em! :)