The Liebster Award

Sain 11 kysymyksen Liebster Awards -haasteen Menninkäiseltä. Ideana on vastata haastajan keksimään 11 kysymykseen ja keksiä seuraavat uudet 11 kysymystä sekä tietenkin laittaa haaste eteenpäin. Haaste on tarkoitettu blogeille, joilla on alle 1000 lukijaa, jotta pienemmät blogit saisivat näkyvyyttä.

I received the Liebster Award with its 11 questions from Menninkäinen. The idea of the award is to answer the 11 questions given, come up with 11 new questions and pay the challenge forward to other bloggers. The challenge is meant for blogs with under 1000 followers so that smaller blogs would gain more visibility. 

1)  Mikä on lempielokuvasi?
Tähän on ihan mahdoton vastata... En ole mikään leffahirmu, mutta elokuvia on kyllä kiva kattoo välillä. Ensimmäisenä tulee mieleen Unelmien sielunmessu, joten mennään sillä. Psykologiset trillerit ja vähän omituiset elokuvat ovat parhaita!

1)  What's your favourite film?
It's impossible to answer this question... I'm not exactly a film buff, but it is nice to watch movies every now and then. The first film that comes to my mind is Requiem for a Dream, so I'll go with that. Psychological thrillers and weird films are the best!

2)  Mikä oli lempiaineesi koulussa? Entä "inhokki"?
Lukiossa ehdottomasti kielet (ranska, espanja, ruotsi, venäjä, italia) sekä psykologia, filosofia ja viestintä. Vuosi sitten olisin voinut mainita myös lyhyen matematiikan, mutta kirjoitusten ja sen pakonomaisen laskemisen myötä asenteet muuttuivat hieman... Englannin tunneilla ärsytti kieliopin jankkaaminen, kun yleensä tulee vain kirjotettua kielikorvalla. Oppi siellä kyllä hyvää sanastoa, mikä on aina tosi hyvä. Inhoan historiaa, uskontoa, biologiaa, fysiikkaa ja kemiaa. En vain jaksa opetella pikkutarkkoja faktoja.

2)  What was your favourite subject in school? What about least favourite?
In upper secondary school, languages (French, Spanish, Swedish, Russian, Italian), psychology, philosophy and communication were/are my favourite subjects. One year ago I could have also mentioned maths, but after my compulsive revising for the matriculation exam, my attitude changed a bit... English lessons were OK but all the grammar exercises were extremely tiresome, since I just go with what sounds good to me. We did learn great vocabulary, which is always good, of course. I hated history, religious education, biology, physics and chemistry. I just don't like learning meticulous facts.

3)  Mikä kokemus on haaveissasi?
Apua, vaan yksi kokemus?! No, sanotaan vaikka että haluaisin mennä lomailemaan vaikka Balille sellaseen bungalowhon! Olispa rentouttavaa :-) Ehkä joskus sitten.

3)  What experience are you dreaming of?
Oh no, only one experience?! Well, let's say that I'd like to go on a holiday in Bali in one of those Bungalows! Wouldn't that be relaxing? :-) Perhaps some day.

4)  Missä haluaisit asua, jos Suomea (tai nykyistä asuinpaikkaasi) ei saa valita?
Haluaisin asua Ranskassa, ihan vaan koska Ranska ♥ Vähän realistisemmin ajateltuna täytyy kyllä sanoa, että mikä paikka vaan ulkomailla, josta löytyisi sopiva yliopisto. Lähinnä Brysselin koulut on pyörinyt mielessä.

4)  Where would you like to live if Finland (or your current city) can't be chosen?
I'd like to live in France, just because France is France ♥ A bit more realistically thinking I must say that any place abroad, which would have the perfect university for me. Mainly I've been thinking about schools in Brussels.

5)  Vasta vai vihta?
Vasta. Ainakin näin kuopiolaisittain ja savolaisittain!

5)  Bath whisk or birch whisk?
Sorry foreigners, you probably won't get this question! It's just that Finnish has two words for the whisk we use in sauna and you can't really translate them. There's a small friendly debate whether "Vasta" or "Vihta" is correct.

6)  Mikä on sinulle tärkein laite kotonasi?
Kotona tärkein on varmasti jääkaappi! Se yllättää usein positiivisesti olemassaolollaan.

6)  What's your most important device at home?
The most important one at home must be the fridge! It often surprises me positively with its existence.

7)  Paikka Suomessa, jossa haluaisit käydä?
Kolmen valtakunnan rajapyykillä, eli siellä missä Norja, Ruotsi ja Suomi kohtaavat:-D En ole muutenkaan matkaillut Lapissa koskaan, joten se olisi aika mielenkiintoista.

7)  A place in Finland that you'd like to visit?
The three-county cairn; in other words the place, where Norway's, Sweden's and Finland's borders meet:-D I've never travelled to Lapland anyway, so it would be quite interesting.

8)  Kuka on esikuvasi?
Äh, en mä osaa sanoa esikuvaa.

8)  Who's your idol?
Oh, I can't name an idol.

9)  Mikä on mieleenpainunein matkasi / retkesi?
Näitä olis muutamakin, mutta kokonaisuudessaan kielimatka Ranskaan kesällä 2013. Näin monta mahtavaa kaupunkia, tutustuin ihmisiin eri puolelta Europpaa, sain elinikäisiä kavereita ja selvisin monesta tosi yllättävästä tilanteesta. Täältä voit lukea muun muassa siitä, miten jouduttiin kohtaamaan Ranskan poliisi.

9)   What's your most memorable trip / journey?
I have a few of these, but overall the most memorable was my language course to France in summer 2013. I saw many beautiful cities, got to know people from all over Europe, got lifelong friends and survived lots of surprising situations. Here you read about how we encountered the French police.

10) Miten rentoudut?
Rentoudun yleensä nukkumalla. Jos en ole niinkään väsynyt, tykkään lukea kirjaa, mennä kirpputorille kiertelemään, jutella ja syödä kavereiden kanssa tai tuijottaa jotain turhaa ohjelmaa.

10) How do you relax?
I usually relax by sleeping. If I'm not really tired, I like to read books, go to second-hand shops, chat and eat with my friends or watch some stupid series.

11) Mikä on erikoisin taitosi? 
Mä vähän epäilen, et onko mulla sellaista:-D Ehkä se, keksin aina hyvän syyn syödä suklaata. Nyt väsyttää, tänään on ollut huono päivä, koe meni niin hyvin, itkettää, viikonloppu alkoi... Joo. Siinä mä oon lahjakas. 

11)What's your most extraordinary skill?
I doubt whether I have one :-D Perhaps my ability to always come up with a good excuse to eat chocolate. I'm tired now, today has been a horrible day, my exam went so well, I feel like crying, the weekend just started... Yeah. That's what I'm good at.

Ja haastehan menee eteenpäin näillä kysymyksillä seuraaville bloggaaijlle:

1. Mitä harrastat / olet harrastanut?
2. Missä maissa olet matkustanut?
3. Oletko pessimisti, realisti vai optimisti?
4. Millaista musiikkia tykkäät kuunnella?
5. Mistä asiasta olet ylpeä elämässäsi?
6. Millaiset ovat aamurutiinisi?
7. Mikä on lempieläimesi?
8. Missä näkisit itsesi viiden vuoden päästä?
9. Minkä taidon haluaisit oppia?
10. Lempihajuvetesi?
11. Oletko koskaan kiipeillyt puissa?

Fiiia, Ewel, Iina, Liisa N, Verna ja Veera; mä haluaisin lukee teidän vastauksia :')

Shopping guide for NYC part 2

Moikkamoi! Puolentoista vuoden blogitaipaleen jälkeen, tuskanhien sekä monien mutkien ja matkojen kautta tulin siihen tulokseen, että alan kirjoittamaan blogia suomeksi! Abivuonna on jollain tavalla korostunut se vapaus, mitä oma äidinkieli tuo kirjalliseen ilmaisuun: sanavalinnat, kielellä leikkiminen ja luovuus. On ollut ihanaa kirjoittaa englanniksi - siinä on oppinut todella paljon! - mutta aika ajoin se käy melko raskaaksi. Tämä ei kuitenkaan tarkoita, että unohtaisin englannin kokonaan, vaan tulen kirjoittamaan kahdella kielellä tai hätätapauksissa lyhyemmät referoinnit englanniksi. Katsotaan, miten tämä lähtee sujumaan!

Hey guys! As you probably noticed, the previous text was in Finnish. I've realized how much more free one is when they can express themselves in their native language. Therefore, I've decided to write my blog in Finnish. But it doesn't mean that I'll forget about English! No way. I don't want my blog to be readable only for the 5,5 million people in Finland, you know. From now on, I'll continue with two languages - perhaps some of you learn a little Finnish simultaneously :-D Let's see how this goes! 

NINTENDO WORLD

Joo elikkäs nimi varmasti kertoo olennaisimman! Kaksikerroksinen Nintendo- kauppa tuli oikeastaan sattumalta vastaan, kun oltiin menossa MoMAan. Tää siis sijaitsee Rockefeller centerin lähistöllä aukiolla nimeltä Rockefeller Plaza. Siellä sitten ihmeteltiin maailman älyttömyyttä ja pikkuveljellä tarttu kyllä mukaan suloinen Pikachu-pehmolelu, eli ei ollut ihan turha reissu :-D

I guess the name tells everything! We ran into the two-storey Nintendo shop accidentally when we were on our way to MoMA. It's located near Rockefeller center at Rockefeller Plaza. There we just spent time wondering the crazy world we live in and my little brother ended up bying a cute stuffed Pikachu toy, so this visit wasn't totally in vain!

Ylä- ja alakerrassa oli paljon pelejä, joita pystyi pelaamaan kuka tahansa. Kauppa olikin täynnä vaikka minkälaisia pelejä ja tuntui, että suurin osa oli tullut sinne vain pelaamaan. Eipä siinä mitään pahaa olekaan! Taisi olla kaikki mahdolliset Nintendot - vai miksikä näitä kutsutaankaan - vitriinissä. Mukana oli harvinaisempia 80-luvun mallejakin.

Upstairs and downstairs there were lots of games which anyone could grab and play. The shop was full of them and it felt as if most of the people had only come to play. But hey, it's okay! I think they had every possible Nintendo in the showcase. There were also some rarer models from the 80s.


LEGO SHOP

Sitten oli tämä toinen lasten unelmakauppa Rockefeller plazan lähellä. Erityisesti jäi mieleen legopakkaukset, joissa oli maailman kuuluisimpia nähtävyyksiä, kuten Eiffel-torni ja Empire State Building. Teki mieli ostaa itelleenkin niitä ja alkaa rakentelemaan! Keskellä kauppaa oli jättimäinen torni, josta sai ostaa irtomyynnistä erilaisia legopalikoita pieniin pussukoihin. Tämä jos mikä olisi ollut hyödyllinen kauppa penskana! Aina oli tietyt pala hukassa ja niitä sai olla etsimässä sohvien alta ja kaappien kätköistä.

Then there was this paradise for children near the Rockefeller plaza. Especially the lego packages that had world famous sights, such as the Eiffel tower or the Empire State Building, stuck into my mind. Would've wanted to buy them and start building! In the middle of the shop there was a gigantic tower from which you could choose different lego bricks into small bags and purchase them. Boy, how this would've been useful as a kid! Always some of the bricks went missing and we would have to search for them under couches and inside cupboards.

Luvassa olisi vielä jonkun verran New Yorkin postauksia, kun kerta tämä bloggailu jäi vähemmälle kirjoitusten ja muiden kiireiden vuoksi. Tulihan tuota käytyä Budapestissäkin kuukausi sitten, joten siitä kanssa lisää myöhemmin sitten! Hyvää pääsiäistä kaikille ♥

There are still some posts about New York coming up, since I've been away from the blogosphere due to my matricultation exams and other things that have kept me occupied. We did visit Budapest about one month ago with my friend, so more about that later on then! Have a happy Easter everyone♥

Shopping guide for NYC

New York is massive city with endless shopping possibilities, which is why it might seem frustrating to find the perfect places to shop. I was confused before we left, because I only knew where the high end shops were located and the fact that there were some shops all over Times Square. Despite the research I did with the help of Google and a millions of similar-looking keywords, I couldn't clearly find a list of shops that the streets had. So I present you this shopping guide!


WEST 34th STREET
This is a bustling street right in the centre of Manhattan, a few blocks away from Times Square. Its nearest subway stops are Herald Square and Penn Station. I found this amazing site where you can see the full directory of all the shops on the street, including their addresses! But these ones listed below might be the ones you're looking for, presuming you're a young woman. Oh, and in that case, the three-storey Victoria's Secret store will also be a must see even if you aren't going to buy anything in there! The world's largest Macy's store is something you shouldn't forget to check out if you step in New York. Especially before Christmas the little decorations and jolly lights in the showcases are just dazzling.

It was funny how we only had about one hour until our departure to the airport and I realized I had only seen Macy's from the outside! Off we went to the crowded undergr- I mean subway and so we were moving forward slow but steady. Apparently there was a track construction ahead, which was slowing down our speed significantly. Just our luck! I already thought we wouldn't make it to Macy's and back at time. We did get to the store and I even bought a pair of shoes because they felt amazing even though they had heels. Must have been one of the most random things during our trip. Well, at least visiting Macy's for the last time wasn't in vain.

TIMES SQUARETIMES SQUARE

I was surprised when I stepped into Forever 21 at Times Square. It was so big! 4 huge floors full of clothes and accessories for both boys and girls. I must have forgotten that everything is big in New York even though it might not look like it from the outside. Having said that, I found it nicer to shop at the Forever 1 at West 34th Street because they had more sizes over there. Anyway, at Times Square you can find for example Hershey's, Forever 21, Toys'R'Us, H&M, Disney Store, Sephora, Levi's, Express, American Eagle, Aeropostale, M&M's World, U.S. Polo and Walgreens.

Alright, I think it's time to go to have a good rest before the new week so good night everyone! These shopping posts will be continued shortly.

Chinatown & Little Italy

I think Chinatown and Little Italy were on my to-do list right from the beginning. Even though they are pretty much packed with tourists, it was a nice little change to see different cultures blended in in New York. And as an Italian food lover what would have been a better place to find pasta than Little Italy! (Well, perhaps Italy) We went on a three-course dinner in the first restaurant we came across and weren't disappointed. At least I know I wasn't. I just made a rookie mistake and ordered something I wasn't sure about; I should have know that mushrooms are a crucial part of the Portobello salad. Haha. Besides the mushrooms it was great ♥

I would love to tell long exciting stories about these neighbourhoods but I think that's about it- We wandered for a while after eating in the restaurant and left after that. Before leaving I wanted to buy something I couldn't find in Finland, so I decided it was time to step inside one of the Asian shops.Most of them looked like they sold meat in any form and some guy was casually delivering livers in a plastic bucket with no lid on. I guess that's how things roll over there.

We found a Japanese shop and of course it sold the cutest Hello Kitty candy. A little girl inside me wanted the cute stuff, so I just had to have it!

Short message

Hello everyone! Just wanted say I got a bit carried away with designing my blog, so the layout will look a little weird during the next few days. I only had to do a few changes, but here we are. Haha. It will be fixed - and look fresher than ever - soon. I'm hoping to create a website that is more user friendly, modern and beautiful. Thank you for understanding!

Staten Island & the Statue of Liberty

I had previously read on some blogs about the Staten Island ferry, which is free and goes between Manhattan and Staten Island every half an hour. I thought it would be a great way to see the Statue of Liberty, since I didn't have a hankering to queue at the foot of the Statue itself. So on a sunny day - the only sunny day - we headed to Staten Island and did a little cruise at the same time. I know most of the passengers were commuters, but I did also see a lot of tourists among them.

Once we got to Staten Island, we weren't sure what to do because this borough was huge and we hadn't done much investigation about its sights. So we wandered around for a while, just to see what kind of a place we had landed in. And I've got to say, it was so different from Manhattan! Staten Island seemed like a sympathetic neighbourhood, whereas Manhattan was sparkling new.

I couldn't help thinking how much Staten Island started to remind me of Britain. You know, old cute houses and those wiggly roads with small pubs and cafés. It looked so cute. After sauntering on a few roads we thought it would be best to leave as we hadn't planned to do anything in Staten Island. Perhaps going to a mall over there would have been a good idea; I presume the prices are a bit lower there than in Times Square. If it only had been summer, I also would have loved to see the botanical gardens. Actually, there would have been lots to see if we would have just stayed longer on this side of New York.

Before we said good bye to Staten Island, we had a few slices of pizza at one of the restaurants at the harbour, which was heavenly. Then we squeezed through to get into the ferry to admire the skyline of Manhattan for a while and then continue to the WTC museum. Oh, and even though it was +13 this very day, it was a good choice to put on a think coat. It was windy, just like it tends to be in New York City!