What's in my carry-on handbag

Hey everyone! Tomorrow we are leaving for NYC so I've been choosing my clothes and packing up my stuff. I have a little bit of time to do one more post before we leave, and this time it's about what to take with you on a flight.

The necessities are pretty straight forward and therefore don't need any more explanation: passport, boarding ticket, wallet, phone, and medicines.

As for comfort, I like to wear thick warm socks. I guess real flight socks would be a better option in order to avoid embolism, but I just wave my legs once in a while. Another must is a big scarf. You can nicely wrap it around yourself or use it as a light blanket. Having long hair and glasses, it's great to be able to put your hair up and place your glasses in a safe place if you want to rest. That's why a case for eyeglasses and a hairband always travel along with me.

If you've got a long flight ahead, it's essential to bring something entertaining to keep you busy. I usually have a good book, a magazine, some school books and music with me. Since I'll be away from school for one week, teachers have piled on homework. A lot. At least I have something important to do... But this time, I'll also have my laptop with me because I'm really in the mood for playing a little bit of Sims 3, haha.

Regarding cosmetics, I prefer bringing a couple of moisturizing products because my skin dries properly in the aeroplane. I also like to carry small makeup items like a concealer and an eyebrow pencil, so that I would look a bit fresher after the flight.

So that was a quick list of things I'll be taking with me! 

What do you guys usually do during a flight? :)

The avocado berry salad my way

Hey guys! On Monday I had a day off, which is quite rare for me, so I decided to make something good as, for once, I had time. I spotted this recipe on my laptop's MSN application, which pops up on the start screen. It's called the Anti-aging avocado berry salad with mango vinaigrette. The salad inspired me with its cool combination of contrasting flavours, so I modified the recipe just a bit to meet my needs and came up with this delicious salad. It's super easy (well, it is only a salad...) and really tasty!

Moving from England to Finland

I have never talked about the time when we lived in England in my blog, so I believe it's high time I did that. One would think it's been so long that I don't remember anything, but that's not really how it goes. Although, I was only six years old when we moved back to our home town in Finland, I remember exactly how it felt. You know, to leave your friends, school and country behind only to start all over.

I remember being a bit anxious about not getting new friends in Finland. I used to ask my mother: "What if I don't get to know anyone?" My mother would reassure me - just like any good mother would - by saying that I would eventually get friends. Back then, I thought it had been so easy getting to know people in England but it wouldn't be the same in Finland. That six-year-old me was actually half right; it surely wouldn't be the same.

Why you should pay a visit to Camden town

Camden lock
For people who love bits and bobs, this market is paradise. The sellers are so laid back, they keep yelling things to each other in the tightly packed market area. You can easily find anything from clothes to accessories and miscellaneous little objects. Especially a lot of punks and hippies seem to be around, which I also find pretty awesome. Well, these places can be packed with tourists, but I saw more alternative people here than anywhere else in London. Don't you just love these kinds of places?

The streets
Especially if you're into all the alternative stuff, Camden is the place for you. Even if you aren't, it can still be the place for you! These buildings are startling with their pretty little underground clothes, outside decoration and all. On this street you can purchase a pair of Dr. Martens or take a cool tattoo, If that's what you want, of course.

The weirdest shop you'll come across: Cyberdog
Weird-ass techno music blaring out, pole dancers close to the ceiling and neon colours distracting you from each and every corner. That's right, you've just stepped in to Cyberdog. I'm guessing the mainstream doesn't buy much anything here, but this shop's sure worth a visit. And hey, you could still find the weirdest souvenirs over here! Pink plastic dreadlocks with matching tutus, anyone?

The international vibes
My mum had Chinese food and I bought a few slices of Italian pizza. There was surely something for everyone; I probably didn't even see every stall selling food. And once you've bought your snacks, you can go enjoy them on scooters by the river.

//Tomorrow it will be the beginning of my exam week (again, ughh) and after that we'll be off to New York City. What that means is that I have a lot to do during these 10 days! Oh well, it's good to keep yourself active.

Visiting Tallinn on a budget

Getting to Tallinn
I know a lot of you followers behind the screens are Finns, so you've probably been to Tallinn already and know how all the ferries. I noticed that Lindaline is currently the cheapest ferry if you're looking for a transport to the other side of the gulf, not a party yacht. They've also got the shortest travel time by sea! Lindaline is the most reasonable option from Helsinki to Tallinn, if there are no discounts within other companies.

The cheapest flights to Tallinn (within Europe) are operated by Ryanair. They fly from Oslo, Dublin, Manchester, London, Bremen, Dusseldorf and Milan.

If you're coming from Russia, you'll might want to choose the train. At least Moscow and St. Petersburg have fairly quick connections to Tallinn.

Why dishing out your phone number to anyone is not a good idea

There comes a time when you think it's OK to give your telephone number to a stranger you just met a few hours ago. What bad could possibly happen? Then comes a time when you realize what a huge, irreversible mistake you have just made.

Alright, okay, let's not exaggerate this. I'm just itching to tell you what happened to me in Gran Canaria. Fortunately, giving your number to someone who's nice is usually not a problem at all. But as you may know, usually is not a synonym for never.

After spending some time with two local Canarian guys, my friend and I grew tired of their company at some point. I'm not saying they were annoying or boring, we only wanted to do something else and get to know other people as well. That's why I then thought it would be kind to give my number to one of them, so we could meet up another day. I guess this guy still couldn't handle our going very well, because the first thing I noticed the following morning was 50 calls from an unknown number. And I had absolutely no doubt who was behind all these calls.

I answered him in the afternoon while we were having lunch at our patio. He told me he had a special gift for me and wanted to see me again. I thought for real that I could, perhaps, meet him and see what he has in mind. Then I started rethinking the whole situation. He hadn't given me his real number the previous night and kept calling from an unknown one. He had also told me I could call him 'Lado', after having a suspiciously long break when asked for his name. His mystery was definitely not cute, it was annoying and something inside me told this person didn't have a clean slate.

I apologized and told him politely that I wasn't going to come anywhere with him nor did I want to stay in contact.  I suppose that was something you shouldn't have said, since he started nagging and telling me how he loves me. Oh yeah, because those things tend to happen in one day. The calls went on and on and on. Every night he would call me 5-50 times and a few times during the afternoon. I got so full of his behaviour, I had to answer him once and yell at him how horrible a person he was for not leaving me alone.

As you might guess, he still hasn't entirely left me alone. He has actually called me three times and tried to contact me via Whatsapp after we left Gran Canaria in March. Talk about desperate or what? (or maybe bored, who knows) I've just ignored him.

Well, if there was something in it for me, I'll definitely consider to whom I give my number from now on! You can always block someone on facebook, twitter etc. but when someone doesn't call you with their own number, there's nothing you can do about it except change your number. Not very nice, is it!

Secret underground tunnels in Tallinn

Before we left for Tallinn I decided that I definitely want to see Patarei prison, which is full of information about the horrible conditions prisoners were kept in and the executions and the secret tunnels of Kiek in de Kök. Because both attractions needed groups consisting of at least 5 people, we couldn't go to the prison. But I was fine with it, because it meant we would have plenty of time to see these supercool tunnels instead.