New bike, ankle and experiences.

Last week Friday we had a Hot Stones- course in school. It was a lovely day and I really enjoyed learning a new way to massage. Mum, I know you would've liked it as well. I'll teach you when I see you :) On my lunch break me and Rhona went to Big W (like Prisma in Finland) to get me a bike as a pre-Christmas present since my previous one got a flat tire and it would've cost a ridiculous amount to fix it, especially since it was a very old bike. Thank you Rhona! And thank you Ida for letting me keep the basket :)

That same night I managed to sprain my ankle pretty brutally :/ No, mum, I didn't do any extreme sports, it just happened. I kinda wish I had a cool story to brag with but I was actually taking out the trash! Laugh all you want. For the next 2 days I pretty much lay on the couch with a pack of ice on my ankle, watching UFC and eating.

Here's my ankle on Saturday. "It looks like an alien's gona come out of it".

Yesterday after I had finished writing my blog I got a letter in the mail. A 4 page letter from Noona!<3<3<3 I had quite a few laughs reading it and I can guaranty you will be receiving a reply shortly :)

One sunny Sunday (daa) there was a free music event at the Amfitheatre of Bond University, only 2 km from where I live. Since I was in the Bond library studying for my final exams that day it was convenient to take a 2 hour break to see the show. The event started with an 1 hour man, voice & guitar- performance with Tom Webster, a law student at Bond. This guy had a really good voice and I have to give it up to him for standing in direct sunlight that extremely hot day with jeans on! Cio, he looked like a guy you would like ;) After him a surf rock guitarist from the 60's called Martin Cilia, performed with his band playing "golden oldies". One that caught my ear was "Apache" which was originally performed by a band called The Shadows in 1960. This song has since become one of the most popular b-boy beats. Hearing this song got me back to 2004 and Kisis...They also had a lot of surf boards from the 50's- 80's on display and some old school vans.

Tom Webster.

Martin Cilia.

Quite a LONGboard.

Ice-cream of the future.

One of ladies in the audience enjoyed the music to the fullest and danced on the stairs like there's no tomorrow. She also pulled a guy to join her. Unfortunately blogger didn't let me load the video of it. I'll try posting it on Facebook for you guys who want to see it :)

Like I said earlier I was studying for my final exams. We had them (Deep tissue & Reflexology) on 29th November and got them back yesterday. I passed and am quite happy with my results :) Now I don't have to worry about exams or clinic until the end of February! We also had to do a 1 hour "Supervised clinic", which meant that one of our teachers came in to the treatment room to check on me as I massaged. I passed and got positive feedback. My client even called the school the next day to thank me and said that the following morning he woke up without pain for the first time in years. It feels good when you know you've helped someone :)

Today was also the last day of classes which means I don't have to go to school except for my final assessment with Rhona. This means I'm doing an approx. 1 hour massage treatment using all methods I've learned so far and acting in a most professional way. If and when (15.12) I pass that, I can officially call myself a qualified Massage therapist! The graduation will be held on 14.01.2012.

It's been raining for a few days now and this morning it actually felt like I was in Finland. Dark, rainy and cold. I love my country :D

Traditions.

I guess being a (major!) Christmas person, like me, it doesn't really matter in what part of the world you are during this time of year as long as you have your Christmas spirit within! My inner elf has already told me to bake an apple pie and cinnamon buns. They seemed to be highly appreciated but I guess you can never go wrong with home made baking :)

Apple pie before going in the oven.

Here on the Gold Coast you don't see a lot of signs of Christmas. Not just that it's summer here but the fact that hardly anyone have lights or candles in their windows, no door garlands, elves or stars. And the ones that do have some sort of decorations are just tacky. I mean, a pink, plastic, blinking reindeer "decoration" on the lawn in front of your house is more of a violation and hazard than a joyful, holiday spirit- bringing symbol. Or what about those multicolor tubes that blink according to your preferable rhythm? Oh DEER...Why do people want to overload their house with plastic crap that not only looks horrible but leaves a big footprint on mother nature and surprises you on the electricity bill...Oh DEER...

I've always been very traditional with my Christmas celebration and decorations. I don't mean I'm not open for new things but I think Christmas is one of the holidays that are suppose to be a bit "old school". For this I have my parents to thank, for they have always valued the traditions. As a kid Christmas was obviously all about getting presents, but looking back, I'm glad we always did all those traditional things that kept the spirit for all these years. About a week before Christmas me, dad and my bro Toffi walked to the local Christmas tree sales point to buy a the perfect tree. The tree was then decorated with decorations inherited from my late grandparents and the ones made by me and Toffi when we were kids. Year after year, no matter how broken they were we always had the same ones. In the morning of Christmas eve me, dad and Toffi always went to my grandparents graves in Malmi while mum stayed at home starting preparations for the Christmas dinner. We dressed up for dinner but then changed into something more comfortable for the rest of the evening. We would open presents one by one, eat chocolate, cheeses and nuts until we felt sick and sing along to the same carols we've heard for years. I cherish these memories.

During my lifetime I've spent a few Christmases abroad (without snow) but most of my holiday celebrations have been at home or up in Lapland in Finland. Being in Australia this Christmas is going to be very different for me, especially without my family. My family is going to be in 3 different countries this year. Feels weird even thinking about not spending Christmas with the closest people in my life. You will be missed <3
I got a very lovely surprise today as the postman brought a package adressed to me. Inside was a self-made Christmas calendar in fabric with 24 pockets all including a little present. Sent from the BEST MUM IN THE WORLD <3

It's 6th of December which means it's Finland's Independence day! I wish I could be back home to watch Linnanjuhlat (annual VIP party at the presidents castle) on TV just to comment on the do's and don'ts when it comes to dresses and hairstyles :D

Just because it's tradition.

Mexican yoga.

In Mermaid Beach, only 10 minutes by bike away from my place, there's the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga. They provide various free yoga and meditation classes throughout the week held by students of the school. And even the ones that cost are only $5! Great for a student budget. I've been taking classes there for a few weeks now and I'm loving it. Rhona even gave me a pair of burgundy colored yoga pants she had bought and never really used.

The first time I went to yoga here was with Jussi Vanninen, yet another Finnish addition to the Gold Coast, who arrived here 15 October. Welcome, great to have you here! Looking forward to more adventures with you and next time I'll make sure I can join the camping trip.

Jussi turned 18 (+10) on Friday and held a Mexican feast the night before. About 30 friends of Jussis and his housemates (Eve, Kath and Paulie) showed up with various dishes of Mexican food and drinks. Since I only found out about the party two days before, I didn't have time to get ingredients and make a dish so I brought an Aussie feta-spinach-bread-thingy and a dessert bread, kinda like the Finnish wiener bread.
The funniest present given was probably the Shot Bucket. A plastic bucket with 28 different liqueur shots (really sweet ones), each with a rip-off cover and ready to drink. They were a success, especially with Jussi who probably had 15 of the 28...
Thank you for a great party and take care in the outback guys!

 The birthday cake.

 Jussi blowing out the candles.

 Can you tell what the blueberry-nut shape represents?

 Jussi, Matthew(Canadian), Mathias (Brazilian) and me having shots.

 Sanna (Finnish) choosing her shot. ft. Lasse and Jussi.

 We had live music. Sweet jammin'.

 The coolest shoes in a long time. Demi, I thought of you when I saw them <3

 Cheers!

 Sanna with her fab cam.

 "I'm the Birthday boy, I can do whatever the f*** I want" :D

Eve :)

Paulie.

And to sum it up, Mexican yoga.

Kerry's birthday party.

5th November
This Saturday was Kerry's 76th birthday party. The party was due to start at 4pm but me and Rhona went to the Crawford's already at noon to help out with preparations. Lena had made all sorts of cute and delicious finger foods which were to be served for the awaited 20 guests. Us "girls" got the mission to drive and get the cake from the bakery and the chicken from IGA (local grocery shop). The voyage to the bakery took us about 20 minutes even though it was only a few minutes away, because Rhona kept getting lost and we ended up at one dead end after the other. At least we've seen all the dead end roads in Bundall, now haven't we ;) And I also learned about the Gold Coast Turf Club as we passed the sign a few times...When we finally got home with the cake and the chicken, Lena asked us where the sausage rolls are? *me and Rhona swearing* and off we went back to the bakery!

The first guest arrived at 4pm on the dot! It must have been my lucky day because she gave me a present. "Welcome to Australia, Ninni" :)

Kerry's good friend Barry (in orange shirt) held a lovely speech.

 Santiago, the bartender from Colombia.

The next day we had a "left-over breakfast" with the family and spent the rest of the day swimming and sunbathing.

 Lena and Kerry at the BBQ.

Even Stockmann's lakkahillo (Finnish cloud berry jam) had found it's way to the table. I experienced my first 'jam on toast'.

Byron Bay.

24th October
Arttu's sister Arla came from Tokyo to Surfers for a one-week holiday and the three of us decided to take a day trip down to the famous Byron Bay, which is a beach side town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales. Byron (that it's called) is a laid back town popular amongst young people and especially surfers. 


This Monday was a beautiful sunny, hot and a bit windy day. I happened to have my exams the next day and Arttu his a few days later, so we both had to dedicate our sunbathing to studying as well. Byron is well known for it's creativity and many of the locals have turned their hand to making things to sell at the markets and / or in the local stores. Surf board and hat makers to cookie and corn chip chefs have all helped Byron Bay become well known around the world as a place that produces top quality products made with "care and love". There is a lot of small cute shops and you can find anything from organic local veggies (I bought my first bananas in Australia at 4,95/kg) to souvenirs and clothing. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to pop into every shop so I definitely want to go back! :)



One of the most famous sights in Byron is the Cape Byron Lighthouse. Standing on a bald rocky headland with a precipitous cliff on the east side, and a sheer drop of approximately 100 metres, Cape Byron Lighthouse is the most easterly light in Australia, and one of the most powerful. To get to there you need to drive up (or why not walk) a pretty steep road. The "entrance fee" (by car at least) is 7 AUD. 


The view from up there is just breathtaking!! 

 Arttu gazing the view.

 You can walk all the way down to the end of that cliff.

 The most easterly point of the Australian mainland.

 What you don't expect (and definitely not hope) to see so far away from home...yes, it's a Hullut Päivät plastic bag. And it came with a "traditional" Finnish family...

At the end of out tour we sat down for some beverages. Arttu had a pink-moment.


Byron has a lot happening year round but if you're thinking about going there I suggest you check out the blog for upcoming events.
http://www.byron-bay.com/blog