Hi everyone and my apologies for not writing in ages! I guess I'll just summarize what's happened since December...
School ended 7th December for a almost 2 month holiday season.
I started working in a massage place called Touch Therapy at The Jupiter's Casino/hotel complex in Broadbeach, just 20 minutes by bike from home. Over the Christmas season it was very busy with all the tourists staying at the hotel so I worked quite a lot. Now it's kinda getting back to normal so I'll be working there every now and then. Just next to Touch Therapy is Lymm's hair salon where I help out as well.
13th December my friend
Mart from Finland came from Sydney to the Gold Coast for a week or so and we had some good times together. I will never forget how you insisted on dancing while holding my bag so that no-one would steal it or our post-party kruisin' in abandoned shopping carts after Paulie's rock star- birthday party :) We went to a cool hipster like bar called Elsewhere with live music and awesome people.
JussiBro, Cio,
Demi and
Sena, you guys would've loved this place!!
Mart in his costume.
In the karaoke bar at Paulie's birthday.
Paulie & friend in his costume.
Cool wall in Bar Elsewhere.
Gold Coast Christmas trees.
Another BIG x-mas tree in Broadbeach. You understand how big that is if you compare it to the cars on the right.
Christmas town ft. tiny tree and presents at home.
Christmas Eve. Me and Rhona went to Lena's and Kerry's around noon to help out with preparations. In the end everything was already done by Lena who had been preparing Christmas for about 3 weeks :) so I just baked my Finnish rye bread (ruisleipä). We went home to get dressed and came back in the evening. Lena had invited 4 of their friends to join our Finnish feast who arrived at 6pm.
The ryebread/ruisleipä I made.
Rhona wrapping the last gift.
My dress that Rhona gave me and my 16€ shoes from K- Mart (like Tarjoustalo) :D and Kruger with his Christmas scarf.
A "few" presents under the tree...
My late grandparents in the golden frame.
Noticed the Finnish flag?
Lena made the guys wear these :D
Lenas home-made pies.
Blinis with kaviar, smetana and onion.
The fish plate.
The main coarse including lingonberry jam from IKEA.
On Christmas day I was woken up at 7am (!!) by a very excited little kid (Rhona) jumping on my bed. In Australia people open their present on Christmas day instead of Christmas eve, so I now got to experience that for the first time. Considering the fact that there was no young kids, there was a ridiculous amount of presents under the tree! We had a lot of fun opening the gifts and made an enormous mess with wrapping paper. Before Christmas I had made a tiny list to Santa (haha) and was happy to see that I got a few things I wished for; clothing hangers, coffee and a coffee maker (one of those glass ones you push it down), shampoo, a stainless steel waterbottle and a gift certificate for a spa pedicure. The best present though, I think was the box of finnish foods that my family sent me from Finland. Especially the Juustonaksut!! I must have been nice in 2011 ;)
Since Christmas day is really the day they celebrate Christmas in Oz (abriviation of Australia, commonly used by the locals) we went for a lunch feast to a restaurant called Videre, at the 21. floor of the Royal Pines resort, looking out over a golf course. There was 9 of us joining. We had a lovely 5 course meal from which I have to point out the POPCORN SORBET!! That was amazing!
Even Santa came for a visit but I think he was fake coz he didn't know any finnish.
Popcorn sorbet. Simple but delicious!
One of my friends had a Christmas day party which me and Rhona joined later on that day.
