Helsinki For Urban Travelers

503rd issue: Flow Festival

2012-02-25T02:58:00.001-08:00

The biggest and coolest music festival in Helsinki must be Flow Festival. Last year there was so many people, that it was almost impossible to move. I preferred listening to electronic music in one place and danced my feet broken. Musical satisfaction has lasted until this day and now I have started to wait for Flow again.

So I had to make a Flow post, and as there are many confirmed artists already, it's easy to make this post.

What I'm waiting?
- Pinch
- Nicolas Jaar
- Four Tet & Caribou DJ set

What else's there?
- Bon Iver and his beard
- The Black Keys
- Ane Brun
- Black Twig (A good Finnish band!)
- The War on Drugs
...etc...

More artists will be confirmed... The Raveonettes should come. I still think I will be enjoying the electronic music side of Flow... And of course the lightning, which is always awesome!

When is Flow?
8.-12.8.12

More information here

502nd issue: A new observation deck

2012-02-25T02:44:00.002-08:00

There has been opened a new observation deck in Jätkäsaari (= in English: Dude Island :D). It has free entrance, thought you'll have to go through Verkkokauppa.com, an electronic sales shop...

As Helsinki is pretty flat - we don't have sky scrapers or other that kind of buildings - this observation deck works fine.

There's also MiG-21 fighter on the deck. It's from the 80's, so it's not in the use anymore. And what happened on friday?

Well, let me start telling that in Finland men have to go to army. They can also choose a military service or go to jail. Most of my friends have done military service, and I have to rise my hat for them: work for free for one year. But also I saw this tv-serie of Swedish speaking Finns army in Dragsvik and it slightly changed my mind about army. But this all might be because Swedish speaking Finns are more sophisticated...

What I'm trying to tell is that on friday someone painted a graffiti on that MiG-21. Lol. Actually, during one year there has become a new bloom for graffitis in Helsinki. I just hope there would be more nice ones, but I undertsand that it's impossible to do a nice one in just a couple of minutes before cops come and you'll get a 7458937698450 euros fine...

See the picture here

Where?
Tyynenmerenkatu 11
00220 Helsinki

501st issue: Where's this?

2012-02-24T01:34:00.000-08:00

In Kaisaniemi metro station they have these cool lights. Sometimes I was thinking that they are slightly looking ugly, but actually they are pretty cool. As the station itself is pretty ugly, so these fit there like a fist in the eye.

I want more neon lights in Helsinki!

500th issue: danger! danger!

2012-02-24T01:30:00.001-08:00

What's up Helsinki?

Well, lately there has been danger around us. No, no terrorists, no war, no food H1N1. No, nothing like those. There has been a danger above us.

On Tuesday woman died after ice and snow dropped to her head from the roof. This happened in Töölö, which is located in central Helsinki. Also I heard people telling that there were many near-miss cases. Jesus, this city is dangerous!

There are people cleaning roofs from the snow and ice, but I would prefer just walking in the car lane's.

Be aware!

Men working at the roof. Brave dudes.

WDC: stamps

2012-02-16T13:51:00.000-08:00

(pic from here)

When I was a child my father used to collect stamps. He had all the weirdest ones from African countries to all those countries which I thoug had only wild animals walking around. He gave me some of his stamps too that I could start collecting stamps. So I started. One funny thing is, that North Korea had Finnish ski jumper Matti Nykänen stamp in the 80's! I can bet that my father has that stamp too..

Now design is much different than in the seventies or eighties.

Where I'm trying to get this issue is, that there is a stamp collection for Helsinki Design Capital. There was an open competition for everyone to design stamps. One of the winner stamps is made by Elias Ollila, who is only 5 years old. And it's very refreshing design, brings memories from childhood.

All the stamps have Helsinki vibe in them. See all the stamps here. If you are visiting Helsinki, you can purchase the whole collection from e.g. Posti (post office). Is now your time to start collecting stamps?

Iholla advertisment

2012-02-14T16:35:00.000-08:00

Story of six women living in Helsinki or near by. Staring on March 13th.

Watch the advertisment here.

I'm honoured to be in advertisment which is so well done and the music - M83 - HUH!

Zola Jesus in Helsinki

2012-02-13T09:49:00.000-08:00

Now there's some very good gig coming, which I'm totally looking forward to. Zola Jesus is performing in Club Tavastia in April.

Her trippy sounds and interesting voice will take listeners to a great journey. I believe that Zola Jesus' gig is the kind of gigs that after you feel just totally empty. Ahh..

Zola Jesus @ Tavastia
Sun 1/4/12
Tickets 20/22€
Bookings here

Childhood's sundays

2012-02-12T08:02:00.000-08:00

When I was a child, would sundays be the days that the whole family would be at home. Usually in the evening we would go to sauna too. Even if we weren't a religious family, would we spend sundays peacefully.

Sudays were also the days my mother would cook something else than chicken and rice, or meat in cream sauce. Those are the dishes I remember from my childhood. My mother is going to kill me now.

"ESIN WTF, I WAS COOKING EVERYTHING FANTASTIC and all you can remember is chicken!"

Sometimes my mom would bake on sundays. The best was when she did pancake for breakfast. Finnish pancake, so much better than American sponge pancake! My mom is from the countryside, just next to Russian border, so she told me several times how they were making pancake from fresh milk. That way no eggs were needed.

In Helsinki fresh milk is not even an excisting word. You can get it somewhere, but mostly it's just processed milk. Bohhohhoo.

Well, as I prefer soymilk, nowadays my pancake is made from that. Or water if I'm broke. And instead of egg I put baking powder. Also I like to add my pancake cardemom and vanilla sugar. On top of it I use agave syrup. So I pimp my pancake.

I recommend you to make Finnish oven baked pancake. Recipe in English here.

Public Sauna in Kallio

2012-02-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

Kotiharju public sauna can be found from Kallio. It's been around since 1928. Females and male saunas are separated.

I'm not a sauna person, but lately I've been starting to go to sauna at the gym I go to. But Kotiharju sauna is a bit different than the sauna I go. As it is in Kallio, you will meet pretty differen't kinds of people there, than in the gym (where ponytail girls are punishing themselves after eating a bag of candies last night). I think it could have the vibes of Aki Kaurismäki movies, but I might be wrong.

Kotiharju public sauna
Harjutorinkatu 1, 00500

How to get?
Metro to Sörnäinen is the easiest.

Mon closed
Tue-Fri 2 pm to 8 pm
Sat 1 pm to 7 pm
Sun closed

See more here. (In their web-page you can even see real-time sauna temperature. Hihi.)

Hello World

2012-02-12T04:42:00.000-08:00

I'm taking the World over!

My window

2012-02-06T21:59:00.000-08:00

Do you even feel like opening your television, after the view from your window is this beautiful?

Arabia and WDC

2012-02-06T21:54:00.000-08:00

Arabia has launched a cup collection for Helsinki Design Capital 2012. The mug is designed by Kaj Frack in 1952, and the print is designed by Miira Zukale, especially for this happening.

I got one cup from organizers of WDC as we had their happening at my work. Straight away I fell in love with the prints and as I love Arabia, I become so happy that I could sleep this mug next to me every night from now on.

If you are coming to Finland, get your own cup! I think these are going to be very valuable after something like 20 years. Rarity.

Don't these mugs make you happy or what? A very nice souvenir too!

Check out the other WDC products here.

Finland has new President!

2012-02-06T21:44:00.000-08:00

So it was end of Tarja Halonen's (Social Democrats) journey as Finland's President. Sauli Niinistö (the National Coalition Party)won the elections and was chosen as Finland's 12th President. Congratulations Niinistö (I call him Nipsu).

To be honest, the National Coalition Party is not my party at all. I don't go along with their ideology, but that's basically because I was grown up as in very Left winded family. Actually my parent's didn't ever go to vote, because they were against the whole system (or I think this is the reason).

Nipsu had to battle against Pekka Haavisto (The Green Party) during the second round. Mr. Haavisto ws my favorite, not from the beginning but during his campagn I understood how good dude he was. He wanted Finland to be one, as now there are too strong differences between people.

Well, Finland wasn't ready for his yet, but I believe that after 6 years Pekka is going to win the battle. Anyway, Haavisto got over one million votes, as Nipsu got 1800 votes. So the difference wasn't *that* huge...

And I can proudly say that in Helsinki 49.8 percent of the voters voted for Pekka Haavisto! And I can be very proud of people living in Kallio, as here most pf the people voted for Haavisto!

Thank you Pekka Haavisto for bringing people together and keep it going! You have a very good heart. You have become an icon.

Also during these elections Nipsu got super religious people behind him, as Pekka Haavisto is gay. Viva la narrowmindness!

2012-02-06T11:31:00.000-08:00

Today I heard something...

After a few minutes it all confirmed.....

I'm on the cover of Lufthansa's inflight magazine! The photo was taken by Valtteri Hirvonen, a friend of mine. The place can be found in the central of Helsinki, it's a movie theatre called Bio Rex.

So, if you are flying with Lufthansa, I'll be traveling with you... But honestly I'm very honoured to be on the cover and especially because it's about Helsinki Design Capital!

2012-01-24T04:09:00.000-08:00

Help save the Finnish wolves!

See more information here.

Presidential elections in Finland

2012-01-24T04:07:00.000-08:00

We're going second round in the Presidentil elections. I'm happy to announce that the person I woted for is going for second round. Yes, I voted for Pekka Haavisto (The Green Party).

Last sunday was super exciting: Haavisto started from third place, before him were Sauli Niinistö (with 40%, from National Coalition party) and Paavo Väyrynen (something around 15,8%, from Centre Party). What happened during the counting, suddenly Haavisto rised up. After 2 hours he was in the second place, with 18,8%.

Before this I was thinking, who am I going to vote in the second round, if there's Niinistö and Väyrynen. Would I give my vote for National Coalition Party or Centre Party? Never.

There are plenty of people who are judging Haavisto, because he is gay. I was just talking with my mother, that it would be excellent to have a gay president because he could be an example for other countries where being gay is not ok - some places it's even a crime to be gay. Sometimes it seems like there are people in Finland who can't live with the fact that sometimes a man can love a man, or a female can love a female.

I don't still understand why this is so difficult to understand?

I was raised up to respect other people. I was definately raised up to accept different kind of people. I went through a hard school on this issue, because I was bullied at school because I was different. As my dad is not originally Finnish, and I as I'm half Turkish, I got lot's of shit because of this. Also I was raised up in two cultures: Finnish culture which is shy and not so impulsive and Turkish culture which is totally opposite.

So I know what is narrowmindness, I know how it feels when you are not accepted by people arround you. So this is the reason I support different kind of people. This World needs people, who are what they feel like being, who are not afraid to show their real me.

Also Haavisto is extremely clever man and he has a big understanding of other cultures. People are saying that Niinistö has a strong understanding on foreign policy, but that's just something that his supporters are constantly repeating. Yeah, he does have understanding on this, but what else? What else does he have to offer? Haavisto has also a strong understanding on foreign policy, World vide.

I give my full support to Haavisto. Finland needs a President like him <3

You can visit Pekka Haavisto's homepage here.

Even my mom gave her vote for Haavisto. I asked my mom "when was the last time you voted?", she answered "35 yers ago", "who did you vote that time", "Communists of course!" Good work Haavisto!

Finnair tried to kill me

2012-01-11T19:54:00.000-08:00

I will have to show this public, because it's slightly hilarious: Finnair really tried to kill me, or tried to make me run to toilet every 5 seconds during my 12 hour flight. I always order vegan meal for my flights, as I am vegetarian. I could take vegetarian meal, but I don't want to eat cakes and stuff during the flight, so vegan meals are usually lighter.

So, this time too, I ordered vegan meal. I flew with Finnair from Helsinki to London, where I had my flight connection to Tokyo. In this flight Finnair served sandwitches. I got my sandwitch, which had my name on it. Also there were letters VGML, meaning vegan meal.

I open my sandwitch and what's in it... HAM. Yes, a ham sandwitch. I ask the flight attendant does she know if Finnair uses tofu made ham (as there are such products available in stores) and she was confused. I show my sandwitch to her and she said "better that you won't eat it".

I got some stuff from the business class, but sure those weren't vegan stuff as well, as she bring me croissants (which include lot's of butter in them).

Lol.

After making an appeal to Finnair, they send me a TEN EURO (10€!!!!!1) gift cerdificate.

Finnair, is my life this important to you?

Next time I'll take some other flight company...

Greetings from Japan!

2012-01-11T17:51:00.000-08:00

Yahuu, I'm here. After working hard, after an very hectic autumn, I made it. I took a 3,5 weeks holiday and flew to my favorite city - Tokyo.

Greetings from here - from the most inspiring city in the World!

BTW: HElsinki is now officially the Design Capital of the World for 2012! Whippey. I have my opinion about this whole year. Also The President elections are coming, actually strating in 2 weeks! Aaaaand sooo many things has happened in Helsinki, so maybe this brake was good. Now I have so much to write about.

Ps. as I have told, I'm on a Finnish tv program called "Iholla", starting on March. It's about my personal life, uuuu...... You can see the trailer here (only in Finnish)

HAPPY NEW YEAR and remember to the most important thing: remember to think about yourself. This year is about You and Your dreams coming true! <3

Documentary about helping

2011-12-06T06:28:00.000-08:00

Documentary we made last spring as a school project. It was also shown in Helsinki short film festival this year. Only in Finnish.

A busy bee is a busy bee, but..

2011-11-24T05:08:00.000-08:00

I strated my blog after I erased my Facebook account and wanted to do something else. That time I was thinking that there arent that much blogs about urban Helsinki. Now there are heaps, but those time there werent that many around.

I started to write about Helsinki in every way, but the main point was to keep it simple and the perspective of an urban citizen of Helsinki.

I got many emails from people, who wanted to know more about things, and I tried to answer as many of them I could. Sometimes I had to think a little bit of the questions and I'm a kind of person that when I start to think, there's no end. So that's the reason I couldn't answer some of the e-mails.

Now, some of the people have noticed that I'm going to be on television. There's starting Finnish version of Israeli tv format called Connected. In Finland it's name is "Iholla" and it includes six women who are given cameras for nearly six months and they are filming their life for that period. I'm one of the women and I've been filming my life now for around 4 months...

Here's the link for the tv show. There hasn't been much around yet, because it was newly introduced, but as March comes, it will be more and more around...

Today

2011-09-27T03:33:00.001-07:00

Helsinki, Kallio

375th issue: IvanaHelsinki

2011-09-25T04:16:00.000-07:00

I want some of these. Check out more here.

374th issue: Fancy learning useless Finnish?

2011-09-25T03:51:00.000-07:00

I noticed my friend Lari joining a group on Facebook, where useless Finnish is taught. After checking out the page, I couldn't stop laughing. This page is a must!

Why only learn how to say "How are you", "What's the time" etc. when you don't understand the answer? Rather just throw some nonsense words in the air, like "Metsämurmeleiden pitäisi olla staattisia.
Groundhogs should be static."

Fancy learning Finnish? Start from here!

2011-09-24T03:26:00.000-07:00

busy .....

2011-09-24T02:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm working, flying, filming, filming and filming. This might take the next 6 months, but then I will be full on again!

And I promise, something fun is coming up :) I will release it asap I can... well, within 6 months ;)

373rd issue: "Helsinki is homogenic"

2011-09-21T01:19:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I hear people saying Helsinki is homogenic. I believed so before aswell.

I believed that if you know certain people, you'll only manage to become something. I was getting pissed off because of this learnt fact. Then I understood: if I just be myself, a real person, keep on expressing myself the way I want, I will reach what I want.

Some people are wondering that there are only one group of, well, let's say photographers. And if you hang only with these photographers, you'll become famous. No, it's not like that. If you really know who you are, you have your own style on photographing and especially if you are innovative, you'll be found by the people sooner or later. I bet this is the same in every city. You'll need to see some effort and especially you'll need to trust yourself.

By trusting yourself I don't mean you'll have to be head up in the clouds... realistic.

Eevrything new and fresh is always welcome, though people are slightly more suspicious here in Finland than in other countries. Therefore you'll have to find the way what will be the hook for people. Usually in my case I don't see what's my hook, it's ofthen something else than I though, but at least people seem to find it.

So my tip is only to trust yourself. Close your eyes from "what's in at the moment". Usually the things that are "in" are in for a while then again something new comes. And you can be the one who creates this new, just t r u s t y o u r s e l f. Plus remember to be realistic.

autumn hits!

2011-09-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

Pic by me, near Malmi.

2011-09-19T11:39:00.001-07:00

From Finland!

372nd issue: The family culture

2011-09-15T21:18:00.000-07:00

During my this trip to Turkey I realized something: how the meaning of family changes in each culture. I left yesterday my grandmothers house, because I couldn't take it anymore. I spent one night at airport and now I'm waiting for my flight.

Why did I leave? I couldn't stand anymore the control. How I was controlled all the time: I'm not allowed to go out alone, I'm not even allowed to talk to strangers. I'm not allowed to speak about my family problems to anyone. But do I care? No.

In Finland I have been living alone since I was 19 years old. Between now and this age I have traveled round the World sometimes alone, sometimes with a group. I am not used to be under control, I control myself, I don't need anyone to control me. No one should be controlled by others. The more people control you, the more they effect your head and put you round their fingers.

As long as you know what's right and what is wrong, you can live as independent as you want.

I got very badly stressed about this constant control and lack of freedom that I'm used to. Also I was forced to accept lies, which was the final point.

In Finland this is called insanity. If someone steals someone's freedom, it's almost a crime (in some cases it is a crime). If a 26 year-old is not left out alone, there's something wrong.

Now I have decided to burn my bridges to Turkey. I don't need this. I know so much better places, yesterday I was watching my photos from New Zealand and thinking how happy I was when I was there - alone and far, far away from my family. My mother is excellent, she understands me and my sister. Or she seems like understanding. She never forces us to anything and she pushes us to do what ever we feel like doing. She never forces us to believe in her ideology, she rather gives us perspective.

And by us I mean me an my sister.

If we start looking about this issue much wider, we can notice some cultural differences. My aunt yesterday told me that no matter what happened, it's my fmaily and I can't erase them from my life. I asked her "why not? if hey are making me unhappy, why should I have them in my life? when I have so good friends and people who I care about and who care about me, why should I ruin my life with people who make me feel like shit?"

Then I continued: "also in Finland family isn't as big issue as in Turkey, there are plenty of people who are not in any kind of contact in some of their family members. It's totally ok in Finland if you don't get along with your family member. Then you just don't get along."

Then she understood. Or seemed like understanding.

There are also negative sides about Finnish people not working enough their family relations: there are plenty of lonely elderly people. But otherwise I love the fact that you are free to get along with who ever you want. Sure at work you might have annoying people, but they pay you to get along....

371st issue: Block parties

2011-09-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

Cocoa has made an excellent video from block parties held in Helsinki!

Punajuuri Blockparty from Cocoa on Vimeo.

370th issue: I heart Finnish people

2011-09-15T03:00:00.000-07:00

I had to travel to my fathers country to realize this fact again: I LOVE FINNISH PEOPLE. Why's that? First of all even if many of Finnish people are shy and anti-social, at the same time they give you space. They give space for you to think and breathe. People say that it's not nice that people don't talk to each other in the bus, but I think it's pretty good thing. When I'm in the bus/train/etc. I like to watch what happens outside, I like to enjoy that I'm alone and think deep.

Here, in Turkey, there's not such space given. Elderly people complain here all the time to youger people, you have to keep all of your sences open all the time or you'll be hit by a car, if there's a cue - it's not cue, it's a bunch of people trying to get in at the same time. Also everything is a number here, people are ready for a fight all the time.

Too, I love how most of Finnish people re trustworth and they don't hide things. They are sometimes just too shy to talk about things, but they don't make up things (sure there are this kind of people too, but not as much as here). I love how you can trust Finnish people. Here you make up things to make others believe that your life is good and perfect. In Finland people say: "My life is miserable and I have no problems by saying it out loud".

I miss Finland, I miss Helsinki. I miss shy people.

If you like to have emotional space, travel to Finland. There you'll have as much time lone as you prefer. No one requires you to talk a word if you don't want.

369th issue: three counts zero

2011-09-15T00:22:00.000-07:00

I had a super interesting problem few weeks ago: I had THREE men that I liked much. Each one of them had lot's of good sides, but also negative sides were there. I was hoping to mix these three men good sides and put them in one person. Then I realized I can't built a perfect man like this.

What were the good sides of these men? Well, first one had A PERFECT SKIN. Yeah, his skin was softer than a baby sheep. He also had a thoughtful and caring personality. Second one was fun, outgoing, social and handsome. Third one had magic in his touch. I felt something inside me everytime he touched me. Before I thought it was love, later I undersood that we had some kind of cosmic connection (:D) Also he had supergood music taste.

I bet I sound now like a narrow minded person, but I want to say that I didn't mention MONEY even once!

Even there were such a nice sides, but what is normal is also that then suddenly the negative sides jump up and all those fun sides start to fade. Reality hits. All of us have negative sides, sure, but there are things that matter, such as : I didn't see future with none of these guys.

I believe there are men that have all these good sides that these three men had in total.

368th issue: Love and Anarchy film festival!

2011-09-14T23:52:00.001-07:00

It starts today!

Check out more here.

367th issue: Kallio is THE place

2011-09-11T00:05:00.000-07:00

I was just reading news about a strange object that some people had built to support WTC stickes. There was a box which six bicycles would move through the streets of Kallio.

In the news they write about people, who were sitting in the bars terraces. They stood up (which they only make when they go to get a beer) and strated to point and clap hands for that odd moving object.

Here we se again: Kallio is THE place. If this kind of odd object would have traveled through Punavuori, Ullanlinna, Töölö (Especially Töölö), Kruunuhaka, people would have only staired it or play that they didn't even notice it.

People n Kallio are more relaxed and not so serious. And that's why I love, love, love Kallio! Let's keep it that way!

Here you can see a picture of that object.

2011-09-10T00:06:00.001-07:00

What a surprise, I'm in Turkey again.. heh.

366th issue: Loft houses in Helsinki?

2011-09-06T01:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was daydreaming about buying an apartment one day. Even if I wouldn't stay in Finland forever, it would be nice to own apartment in here...

First I was looking at around 40 sq meter apartments from Punavuori. They were nice, but there was on problem: all of them were so dark! No proper windows. I need HUGE windows, I need to have a nice view from my window. Windows are like paintings, but even better, because here the scenery changes four times a year because of the seasons.

Pretty fast I realized it's a loft apartment that I want. Nothing else matches my dreams - it must be loft.

Happily I noticed there are pretty good mount of loft apartments in Helsinki. Some of them are already on sale, some of them just about to come on sale. For me again it's important to live in the central, so that rises up the prices. But there were new loft apartment areas in Arabianranta and Tali (both about 20 min away from central Helsinki by bus). Also there are new loft apartments pretty near Kallio, in Alppila

Then I found this new place from Hernesaari (just next to Punavuori), which matched all my dreams (and as we're talking about dreams, the price doesn't matter. If it was real I wouldn't even be writing this post... ;)). It's in this building:

The apartments are not ready now, but are on sale. The one I would like to buy is They have also sauna's in them (well, I'm not that sauna person, but it's a nice bonus, eh?). One example from the apartment I would like have: 56,5 m², 2h+kk+s, 348 900,00 €.

Why wasn't I born a golden spoon in my ass?

365th issue: Education is free in Finland?

2011-09-05T01:53:00.000-07:00

No way, it's a lie.

In my studies usually we have some company that has ordered something from our school. That always contains money, so they pay for my school for ready works. We - as student's - make this works to get ECTS, meaning the ones we collect to graduate. We spend our time and even our own money to complete these works. Our school gets the payment.

So, actually we are paying for our own education!

I see a loophole.

I have personally decided not to do anything for free anymore. Especially for my school I won't do anymore anything. I will do everything under my own name and get ECTS like that. Schools are robbing the students, and even what's the worse part: schools are robbing students ideas and touch!

364th issue: A place that will be destroyed...

2011-09-05T01:41:00.000-07:00

Recently there has been lot's of happenings in one special place: Kalasataman Konttiaukio (Engl. Kalasatama container square(?))

There has been gigs, clubs, exhibitions, open air cinema... etc. There are seven differents containers, which each include different kind of things inside them.

I found a very good picture of these containers from kalasatamavaliaika.fi. I put it here to because it's only in Finnish...

1. Free container, 2. Storage container, 3. Conference container, 4. Bermuda container, 5. Unknown gallery container, 6. Container of University of Fine Arts (Aalto University), 7. Picture container.

So, this whole container square is basically an art blast! Even if it's almost end of the summer, there are still happenings organized. Check out events here.

Next year? Oh well, this area is not going to stay like this. Huge amount of block of flat's will be built in this area, meaning soon container square will be history. From my point of view Helsinki needs this kind of places, where art, music and culture meets. It's a very good representation for high culture. We don't need no Music Centre, which cost something like 120 000 000 €, we just need space and containers!

More info about Kalasatama container square here.
More about Kalasatama's future can be found here.

363rd issue: Thumbs up for Ivana Helsinki!

2011-09-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

According to Elle Finland, Ivana Helsinki will be in New York Fashion Week. This will be Ivana Helsinki's third time in NYFW.

Welldone Ivana Helsinki!

Check out Ivana Helsinki's website here.

New York Fashion Week

2011-09-04T11:13:00.001-07:00

362nd issue: Finnish people love to complain

2011-09-04T04:53:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if I have written about this before, but as it seems that nothing happens, I will keep on repeating myself...

I will generalize again, because there are so many people doing this that it's not worth of putting the amount in procents.

Where I'm coming is that complaining faceless and finding always the negativity of everything is our favorite aspect. Why? I don't know WHY, but I know that it has something deeper inside it: feeling like outsider and starting to blame other people for that.

I was just reading news about Punajuuri Block Party which was held yesterday in Punavuori. There was similar party in Kallio about a month ago and it was a success. These happenings sucked lot's of people in them as there was free music and other stuff around. I think the best part of this kind of parties are that people come together.

What's up?

Well, as I was reading the news about yesterdays party, I couldn't avoid seeing the comment box after the news:

"Again a very good reason to trash/shit around the surrounding" - Sirkku

"Circenses for common people" - hohhoi

(Comments from here)

Seriously?

I understand that there's freedom of speech, but c'mon, those complaining people seem like they don't have any other life than sit at home and feel angst towards society. We don't even want to get cosmopolitan and try to make Helsinki a better place, we hate everything new. And by the way, Russians may attack any moment!

361st issue: Ticket inspectors

2011-09-03T03:46:00.000-07:00

Recently there has been lot's of ticket inspectors around! You better be aware of them. They take no excuses. My friend who is 44 years-old and working full-time and is a law-abiding person, forgot that her ticket wasn't valid anymore. And ofcourse the ticket inspectors came. She tried to explain that she forgot the date, but got that 80€ fine. Nice.

There's no mercy with these nazi's.

(pic from here)

Be aware!

360th issue: Best brunch in Helsinki?

2011-09-03T03:40:00.000-07:00

To be honest, I have never tried any of the brunches in Helsinki. It's just because I'm not kind of person who likes to eat her tummy too full. I prefer always something light and healthy. So, for me a good brunch would be all organic, filled with fruits, nuts, vegan omlets and smoothies.

Still, if you are kind of a person who likes to eat eat eat, there is one place where you get value for your money: Pacifico!

In Pacifico you pay 9.95/11.95€ for brunch which is now held also on saturdays. It's pretty popular, so you better reserve your place advance!

When is the brunch?
sat-sun

Time?
11am - 3pm

Address?
Helsinginkatu 15, 2nd floor

How to get?
By metro to Sörnäinen, take Helsinginkatu exit (probably the best one)
Or by trams 3B/T, 7A and 9

Here you can book a table.

359th issue: Dance yourself clean

2011-09-03T03:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was at Llamas bar in Iso Roba (Punavuori). There I saw my friend Nini who is one of the ballerinas from group Wannabe Ballerinas.

Where did these ballerinas come from then? Suddenly Wannabe Ballerinas were everywhere, people love them. I haven't - yet - seen them performing, but I've seen their name everywhere and all the time. They dance ballet to Finnish pop music. I don't mean pop pop, I mean they dance for bands like PMMP (click the name to hear one of their song). Also seems like they dance for other kinds of music as this next video shows:

Here's a small video which someone has put on YouTube. It's from Flow festival where Wannabe Ballerinas were performing.

Keep it going, chicas!

259th issue: From failure to..

2011-09-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

All the stress made me so tired. But I learnt something...

After suffering from financial problems for many months, I strated working in a bar I used to work before. I love my work, it's one of the bestest things in my life at the moment. The atmosphere, the people... I love everything there.

Then, I was working on documentries, and I am working on documentaries. I don't get money from them and I don't even get any enjoyment from them anymore. I feel like a machine that goes from place to another and presses button. Long days filming and cancelled meetings. When I try to put something on my calendar, it always screws up.

When I work in a bar, I get money, I get to hang with people I like, I meet people and when I have a shift, I have a shift. It can't be cancelled.

I was offering my photography and filming skills to others, for free. I bought a camera that cost 2000 €, I have my computer that cost 1700 €. I'm spending my time and money, my own money to help other people. I get questions "have you yet..??" "have you yet??" and people don't seem to understand that I'm doing everything for free, so I do things when I have spare time.

So, I have decided not to do anything for free anymore.

Also I understood that projects like I did aren't for me. I need to do projects on my own, for myself, as myself. I don't need any big company behind me. I will be independent film maker. I wil make documentaries as a hobby, my income will be my bar work.

HUH!

2011-09-02T02:38:00.000-07:00

358th issue: FAIL!

2011-08-30T15:02:00.000-07:00

Esin has failed. My summer project was supposed to be a one day story of the Baltic sea in Helsinki. My script was very clear, too clear when I look it now. After many hours, after heaps of my own money and after going insane I finished my work. Our producer didn't like it. He said it's not at all what my script said. My pictures were nice, he said, but the work didn't work.

I created something crap.

My first script was about how we use the Baltic sea, what we get from it: fishes meaning food, enjoyment, traveling... But when I was filming it I realized that how naive I've been: it's not healthy to eat those fishes in Helsinki. The more I red, the more I got disgusted.

I decided to change my focus to how we use the Baltic sea - we use, use, use... It's important for us for traveling, enjoyment, ...

But that wasn't what my original script said.

I wanted to cry after failing, but at the same time I knew it all the time that it's not going to be a success. But a total failure... What annoys me is that tomorrow I will have to deal with bigger bosses about my failure and talk about it. Talk about why I failed, why I did a documentary which didn't go along the script at all, why I wanted to do everything alone, why I though I can do what ever I want... and after all this I might up just saying: I'm quitting this school and going to work in a bar FULL TIME!

Oh well, life goes on and Gang of Four is playing at my work this saturday. Wohoo! :)

I will put my crappy video here after having that difficult conversation about my crappyness with teachers.

357th issue: Turkish Movie Days in Helsinki!

2011-08-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

I just noticed this which interest me a lot. It's all free!

(pic from here)

356th issue: The New Music Centre

2011-08-29T22:50:00.000-07:00

Today the New Music Centre is ready and opening. What's this building? It was built for Sibelius Music Academy, but it's for "everybody's" use. I mean Everyone who has the €€€.

(More info here)

Building this house just central Helsinki has cost something like 140 000 000€ (according to this news from 2010). That amount of money sounds funny, after Euro is living it's crisis. I bet this amount could have half if they would have chosen another place for it.

I still don't understand why Sibelius Academy has to be in central Helsinki, when there's space in East Helsinki, just next to the sea. Or in Sipoo. Or in some other city or even town. What's more inspiring than huge windows that show the sea? Now they see straight the train tracks, Kiasma modern art museum and the Parliament House. Good and inspiring surrounding for Finnish musicians. Jean Sibelius got his inspirations from our nature. In year 2011 the student's of Sibelius Academy get their inspirations from traintracks.

Welldone.

I was just watching an interview from YLE (Finland's broadcasting company) and they were talking about Centre's organs, which were something extremely amazing. The interviewer said "cleaning this organs must be a nightmare for the cleaner", and the man who she was interviewing said "Yeah, a total nightmare". But the whole building is built with tax money, meaning that cleaners tax money!

Me, who studies in Metropolia polytechnic, and our school is struggling all the time with money problems, I'm glad that musicians got this great building. Who needs media anyway? Wait a second, media helps music to get more popular.. Hmm... Oh well.

I don't get it. I love music, but does it require this kind of building to appear... We will see.

Busy, again...

2011-08-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

Yeah... since few days I've been jumping around..

three more days will be straight from hell, then I'm getting rid of one documentary...which I didn't manege to do the way I wanted. And today I'm surrounded by 50+ people but I just don't have the energy so socialize, so I'm hanging behind and drinking. And actually hanging on Facebook because there no one sees my tiredness.

Well, today we have LeBonk club still, where we're going to play music. Then home and monday I need to activate my artistic side of brains. Can someone just activate artistic side of brains ... just like that?

256th issue: I could be in love

2011-08-26T05:02:00.000-07:00

Yeah, sometimes life surprises. Actually my life surprises me a thousand times a day. Last time it happened 10 minutes ago. I'm not joking. I can't tell it right now, but the result can be seen later...

So what's up in my lovelife?
Well, I wrote about a month (?) ago that I'm in love and blah blah blah. After he never answered to my feelings, I got fed up. The last moments were in Flow festival when I saw him. I didn't feel anything towards him anymore. The feeling was dead. Gone.

It's strange when feelings just die. The magic disappears.

THEN.....

I was in Flow on sunday. Everything was fine, I still didn't have hangover. Wow. Then there was a guy part of my friends group, but I didn't know him. Anyway our eyes caught each other. It last for something like 0.25 seconds and then we both continued what we were doing. But I felt something straight away when our eyes caught each other. I haven't been feeling like this for a long time!

Honestly, for over one year I havent been looking for guys. Ok, I have been ending up in some guys homes, but I never was really interested about going there. That other guy (with who I was in love) was just on my mind and I was thinking that he just is the only one for me. Or that he is the only on that makes me FEEL something.

Flow ended, life continued. After maybe one day my friend added photos from Flow. One picture was picture of me and this guy with who our eyes caught each other Facebook liked that picture. Then we started to comment in our friends status together. Then he started to Facebook poke me.

Then I sent him an email. He answered. We sent each other emails almost the whole night. Next day he asked me to be his FB friend. I become his friend. Then I put in my status something like "Tomorrow Berlin, accommodation needed". After a few minutes this guy told me that I could go and stay at his apartment in Berlin. Yes.

Then we met and everything went well. I could be in love.

I went to Berlin and stood at his place (he was in Finland).

This all happened in... 5 days. Our eyes just caught each other and I got keys to his home. Have you ever heard this kind of story? Wow. Why have I been hanging behind a guy who only gives me crap, when there are this kind of guys in the wild?

So, I could be in love, but I'm trying not to. I trust in the fact that time will show everything.

355th issue: Something very strange

2011-08-26T04:25:00.001-07:00

Today I saw this in Kallio. Hmm...

354th issue: Kallio Flea Market vol 3

2011-08-25T08:26:00.001-07:00

353rd issue: Pictures from the restaurant day in Helsinki

2011-08-23T05:39:00.000-07:00

Very good pictures from the Restaurant day, which was kept 21.8. You can almost touch the atmosphere.

See them here.

352nd issue: family support

2011-08-23T05:17:00.000-07:00

As I have wrote, I have multicultural background: my dad is Turkish and mother Finnish.

Growing up in Finland between 80's to 90's wasn't the easiest as a multicultural, because people didn't always understand what does it means. Basically I was always stamped as Turkish, even though I was Finnish as much as Turkish...

Anyway, I lived fantastic childhood which included lot's of traveling and overdose of love from everybody. It was actually very sad when this all faded away and my parents divorced and difficult times started, but now I can say that I'm happy that I lived those emotions so young (I was a teenager). I never had the opportunity to become a real teenager, because I was carrying my parents difficult times inside my heart.

Now that I'm adult I have decided to focus only in my own life and leave my parents do what ever they want. And I think it's so good like this. Sure there's always some electricity in the air when I say something about my dad to my mom or other way. But I try to avoid those conversations.

I love my parents, but they can be so difficult sometimes. But hey, I'm difficult always!

In my family my mom is the sharp one, the practical one, with who I can have long and deep conversations about everything. My dad is the emotion. So it's totally opposite from usual husband and wife relations. My dad is the one who says all the time "I love you" or he kisses and shows that he loves. My mother never kisses us :D actually she never even says "I love you", she rather shows it. I never say to my family members that I love them, it's very difficult. It feels awkward, because I think it's just something that IS. You don't have to repeat it, because basically it is this way.

Because my mother is whatshe is, she's also the best one for me to judge. Some people get angry when their parents judge them, but I think my mother just gives me the best judgements. She never want's to influence or corrupt my mind, she just always puts me to think deeper everything. Sometimes I want to take the shortcut, put then my mother brings some new perspectives to my mind and sure sometimes I get angry because she never let's me to take the shortcut, but after awhile I understand that it was actually good to think everything again...and again...and again..

I'm finishing documentary which was my summer project. I've been showing it all the time to my mother and first she never understood it. I was getting angry and anxious, and started to think that am I studying the right subject? Still I didn't give it up, I tried harder.

Now, when my project is almost ready, I'm glad that my mother didn't understand my idea first. It made me try harder. I'm glad she didn't say "oh, what ever you do is perfect, because you are my daughter" (that's what my grandmother would say :D), because then I would have dropped from very high when I would have got negative critique.

So yeah, I might get negative critique now as well, my documentary might be amateur piece of crap, but I did my best. And I spent lot's of time thinking...

My dad is the one who has taught me how to see things and enjoy what you see. He has taught me how a scenery can be enjoyable. It's been a lifelong lession which is always active when we are in Istanbul.

350th issue: Helsinki Design Week, part 1.

2011-08-23T02:40:00.000-07:00

(Kjell, I will do different one for you :))

Helsinki Design Weeks is a warm up for upcoming year, when Helsinki is the design capital of the World. Next year is going to be huge, and I truly hope that there are really poeple working well for the upcoming year. Better than what Helsinki Design Week web pages are working, which are a fucking horrible failure. Less is more, this web page is just a hazardous amount of information, which leaves you in a huge questionmark. And a headache.

So, I was asked to try to make more clear introduce of what's going to happen during this week. I do my best, though it's slightly hard for me too, because I don't see any logic in the web page...

Also one thing is stupidity: all things cost. I think goverment should support this kind of happenings...

14.9.

Where?
The Old Customs House (Katajanokanlaituri 5)

What's up?
Pechakucha Night @ 7:30 pm

"Creative people talk about creative things"
More info from FB found here
Tickets available here

€€€?
25€.

Note! It's in English.

15.-18.9.

Open House Helsinki

"OpenHouseHelsinki allows visitors into places which normally are not available to the public. OpenHouseHelsinki organizes guided walks in fascinating interior spaces, interesting parts of the city as well as old and new architectural points of interest. The walks are guided by designers and specialists.

The walks are free of cost. No tickets or enrollment are required. For safety reasons some of the walks have restricted number of participants. The participants are taken in the order of arrival or drawn out in a lottery."

More info here (in English)

€€€?
FREEFREEFREEEEE!

17.9.

Where?
The New Music House

Address?
Well, it's just infront of the Parliament House, next to Kiasma.

How much?
27-35€ (get the tickets here)
Music and fashion will be bring together. Here's the press release (I just translated it straight with Google...):

"Fashion and music create the two parallel tracks of the new trends. The gathering of fashion designers and musicians for the evening into the same space we promote cross-disciplinary collaboration, and the results will surely surprise. Finnish fashion will make an international breakthrough. It succeeds in vogue, such as music from his own personality in mind. We and the public interest to hear and see how personal and creative musicians and fashion factors interact with each other: if one plus one equals two, or something more? "describes the Helsinki Design Week, Kari Korkman evening concept of the Music Centre main hall on the catwalk." (txt from here)

The Music house is a new building that has shared opinions. One thing is, that often people feel that this kind of buildings support "high culture", meaning that only people who have money can go and enjoy the music that is played inside it, but the building is built with our tax money...

If you want to get to know The Music House, there are three free tours organized 17.9., at 10 am, 11:30 am and 1:00 pm. The main architect will be there.

351st issue: Politics: Ex True Finns are now The Finns?

2011-08-23T02:35:00.000-07:00

Yeah, sadly True Finns has changed their name in English to The Finns. This name is totally misleading. From my point of view they should leave totally the word that refers to Finnish people.

Here you can sign for petition against this nationalistic party to use internationally name "The Finns".

Ex True Finns got 19,1% from all the votes in elections. I have wrote about problems ex True Finns have caused and their ideology here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Heh, a few times...

I'm a Finn, but I didn't vote for ex True Finns.

347th issue: Air Berlin - My flight from Berlin to Helsinki

2011-08-22T12:15:00.000-07:00

I made this video, because this was the first time I had someone being over social to me during the flight. No matter how much I have been traveling, honestly this was my first time of meeting a very drunk and social person. I though this kind of things happens only in tourist flights (like the ones for Tenerife etc.) but c'mon, I was coming from Berlin! Maybe it's a bit wrong to publish this material, but I told him that he is annoying me, and after he continued, I grabbed my camera and started to film. But if I can tell something: he was all the time very positive, meaning he didn't get any aggressive. But 2 hours of him... UGH!

I have translated this as what I heard him saying to me. I didn't understand much...

(ps. also I noticed I failed to add "have" when I tell him "we have difference between our ages..")

349th issue: Finnish singer-songmaker

2011-08-22T12:10:00.000-07:00

You think Finnish is beautiful language? I've heard many people saying that it is. I can't say anything, because my ears are used to hear it. But when I hear a beautiful song singed in Finnish, I couldn't agree more people who say it's a beautiful language.

So, here's one song from Kari Tapiiri, so beautiful and the words are great!

Maailmanpyörä by Kari Tapiiri

348th issue: Helsinki could get there too...

2011-08-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

When traveling, probably most of the people do is that they start to compare countries between when they travel. Especially they compare their home country to the one they're visiting. So, this weekend I spent in Berlin and I fell in love with it. Like almost everybody does.

Why did I fell in love with it then?
I love how people seem so relaxed there, people might have problems, sure, but everybody were still chill. I could notice that people in Berlin weren't afraid of things. They are free, emotionally.

Then I strated to think that we could have this same kind of atmosphere in Helsinki too, if only some things would change. What are these things then? Or what IS this thing then? NEGATIVITY!

There's all the time so much negativity around. This negativity includes jealousy, fear and unsureness. If we could clean these things from us - meaning people who live in Helsinki - this would be so much chiller place to live. If only people would start noticing each other in a positive way. I might sound naive, but also I can tell that this works in Berlin, why wouldn't it work in Helsinki?

Actually, everybody could learn from Berlin. I mean World wide. There are problems in Berlin (and Germany), but I want to look to the positive things, that could help us all to become better people.

Congratulations Germany, you have created a wonderful city. Keep it that way, don't ruin it!

Ps. Actually I started to think seriusly about moving to Berlin!

BUUUSSSYY!!!

2011-08-22T05:44:00.000-07:00

Hi you all!

I'm so sorry I haven't been able to post anything. I've been extremely busy: this weekend I was in Berlin filming a documentary. Today my school starts and tomorrow I have a job interview. Also I have to finish my other documentary. Oh, and after 1.5weeks I'm going to Istanbul to see my grandmother (yessss!). Actually I'm going to make a documentary of her aswell while I'm there.

Lot's of things happening, huh!

On friday (28.8.11) it's the Night of The Arts (Taiteiden yö) in Helsinki. If you are in Helsinki, just prefer walk around the central (Töölönlahti especially). There are heaps of things happening! Check more information from here.Remember to take a bottle of red wine with you :)

Also on saturday I will be filming documentary and on friday I have a DJ gig, meaning I will be the DJ! hihiiiiiiii :)

NOW I HAVE TO RUN!!!

Ps. I have so much thing to write about but I just don't have time. Lot's of things has happened....hahahah......

346th issue: GANG OF FOUR in HELSINKI!

2011-08-15T05:05:00.000-07:00

Yesyesyesyes! I didn't know about this until yesterday.

When?
3rd of September, 2011

Where?
Korjaamo / Vaunuhalli (the bigger venue)

Adress?
Töölönkatu 51b

Tickets?
30.5/36€

Purchase tickets here

345th issue: No more parties

2011-08-15T02:29:00.000-07:00

Ah, Flow is over. Over and done!

Last day of Flow was excellent. I was a bit sad that my body was just out of energy and i had to skip James Blake. I was watching Kanye West for a while, just to see how millionare handles stage performing. It was....dissapointing. Also when I was listening to Kanye's lyrics, they were just... so boring - just repeating same shit what all the other rap artists do.

But people dig him. I still don't understand why.

This morning I woke up and outside was all gray. Also trees infront of my window had got some yellow leafs. Summer is over, I will have to search my winter clothes.

Some exciting things are maybe going to happen soon, so I'm not getting depressed (- yet).

Ping pong at Flow! nice one!

Sunsets and Mogway playing behind me.

344th issue: Flowing away

2011-08-13T04:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was happy to hear that I got press+photo pass for Flow festival.Everything organizes after all, so this is one reason why not to stress. Ok, a bit stress is decent, but if it comes a daily routine, then just relax!

Well, I was on a mission yesterday: I filmed my best friends gig. I had two cameras on, other one was taking wide angle picture from stand and with other one I was going around. Yeah.

It was Sarah's and Non Persons first gig together. Listen to their track:

Sarah Kivi - Leikkokukka (Non Person Live Remix) by nonperson

Before Röyksopp gig.

Also Röyksopp had a nice surprise: Karin Dreijer Andersson (also known from Fever Ray and The Knife) climbed to the stage with her fantastic voice to sing this:

Or I hope it was her... she was all covered up... hmm...

343rd issue: 24h market in Kallio!

2011-08-11T16:25:00.000-07:00

Food market Alepa has answered for my silent calls about getting a 24h market in Kallio. I'm especially kind of a person who stays up late (or until early in the morning). Also one thing is that I never have anything too much at my home, meaning food products. All I have is lentils and rice, but sometimes I start wanting something else in the night. Like ice cream...

I can never buy a litre of ice cream, because I won't stop eating it and I will replace my meals with it. Yesss.....No self control...

Now I can go to market any time of the night! This market is less than 1 km away from me. There's one 24h Alepa in Töölö, but it's too far away. And I think this Alepa in Kallio will make much betetr business than the one in Töölö, because in Kallio there are lot's of people who live like vampires.

Adress?
Hämeentie 25

342nd issue: FLOW-WOW!

2011-08-11T06:20:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow it starts - Flow festival! I was upset, because tickets got sold out so fast, but I'm so happy that my friends helped me to get one guest ticket :) I'm soooooo happy. There's no summer without Flow.

Here you can see what I'm going to go and listen.

Tomorrow, come fast fast faster!

341st issue: New FB page!

2011-08-10T00:44:00.000-07:00

I had to do new Facebook page, because I couldn't manage the one before.

try out THIS link!

340th issue: SAVE ALPPIPUISTO!

2011-08-09T02:18:00.000-07:00

I have been writing about Alppipuisto (English: the Alp park), the park next to Linnanmäki (Amusement park in Helsinki). Now I noticed from Facebook, that there are some plans coming to this wonderful park...

A short introduce to Alppipuisto: it's a park where mostly hippies like to go because when you are there, you feel like in a secret park middle of forest. During the summer there are heaps of free festivals and smaller concerts which bring people together. What makes these fesivals possible so close to living are is the actual location of the park: the sound doesn't bother people living near because of Alppipuisto's geomethrical shape.

Pisara track.

So what's gonna hapen? They are planning on building Pisara-rata (English: drop track) which is meant trains. VR (Finnish railway company) has had huge problems with their trains: often trains are late or get broken and it's not very nice when this happens during the rush hour (ok, rush hour in Helsinki is a bit different than in Paris, but you know...). Especially during the coldest times of the year some trains just stop working. Trains have feelings too!

It's name is Drop track because of it's drop shape. Track will go partly underground. I think the whole idea is good, and I'm used to see this kind of solutions in other countries, but c'mon, they think about greener Helsinki, but WHAT'S UP? They are going to spoil at the same time the greenest side of Alp Park! Yes, this planned Drop track happens to go just partly through Alp park.

What is this? What's the point?

Here you can see how much things has there been this summer. For people, for free. This kind of happenings are important for Finnish people, because during the winter people hide inside their homes and there isn't much happening. Some gigs, yeah, but no a place where everybody could go... Social happenings are important for people!


I found this picture and I think it's actually the planned bit from Alppipuisto!

Here you can read more about Pisara track (only in Finnish)

SAVE ALPPIPUISTO! No one should touch parks, they are places which are open for everyone. ARGH!

(Pictures from Liikennevirasto)

338th issue: Restaurant day in Helsinki

2011-08-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

There's going to be second Restaurant day in Helsinki! It's going to be organized 21.8.11. I'm going to be in Berlin that time, but if you are in Helsinki take part in this fun happening. A nice way to see the other Helsinki - urban and openminded one.

More info and pictures HERE
on Facebook HERE

338th issue: SlutWalk was a success, as well!

2011-08-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

Something around 4,000 people took part in SlutWalk demonstrarion in Helsinki! This is a huge amount, comparing that there are only 591 306 people living in Helsinki (based on Wikipedia). And if we think about the narrowmindness of Finnish people, 4,000 people is more than better!

I didn't manage to go there, because I was too busy on making myself looking like a slut.

I have to tell, that one night/morning I was coming home from clubbing. I had my red pants on and high heels. Well, I always have high heels, but those red pants I bough from my last trip in Istanbul, after my aunt forced me to get them because "red pants are now high fashion here, you have to buy them!"

I was drunk, which doesn't surprise anyone probably. I was walking home from Sörnäinen where my friends dropped me with taxi. Well, I started to walk. There were lot's of people in the street who were going after party or home. Then this guy came to talk to me. I kept walking, but I'm not kind of person who tells anyone to fuck off. So he was walk with me. Still, I didn't tell him to fuck off, I though he would leave soon.

Anyway, after he kind of started to walk with me for too long, I asked him where he lives. He said "there" and pointed other way. So I said "So, maybe you should turn around then", but he didn't. In this point the situation became awkward and I said something like "ok, good night then!" and started walking faster, when he grabbed my ass in a very nasty way. Not like squeezing or anything. The nasty way.

I just became so angry. Still I'm not the kind of person who would yell "fuck off you...", or in some situations I am, but as this male person was African I didn't want to be bad towards him, because racism has been so top issue in Finland for a while.

After being angry for 2 seconds, I became sad. Why did he do it? I always want to support foreigners, I think it's important to mix cultures and get influences from other cultures. Also I like the culture in many African countries. I know so many nice Africans - or I mean people who come fro mAfrican countries.

Many of my friends told me "well, you shouldn't walk home alone", but hey, I ve been traveling alone in Taiwan, Australia, NZ, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, China,.... I've been to Cape Town and went put alone after 6pm (because I didn't know how dangerous the city is). I don't want to live in a fear, but this kind of sexual harashment I lived for the first time, and I think it was all because of my red pants... Some men think red is the color of sex and porn, for me it's a visual thing...

337th issue: After work/this morning

2011-08-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 5 am.

336th issue: Kallio Block Party was a success

2011-08-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

Whoa, I don't know anything better than a street party just next to my home! Everybody seemed to have fun, there were all kinds of music available and what I loved the most, was that there were lot's of families as well. I mean it's good to show this kind of urban culture to children as well.

Yeah, our favorite was which we called "the midged disco". There were lot's of children dancing and doing stuff. No stress when you're a child. Just let it goooo!

They can learn and keep it alive later on.

Also we found new shops, there's a very cute second hand shop. I will try to make bigger issue about smaller second hand shops in Kallio... Maybe in autumn. Now I'm just so busy that it doesn't make any sense. Good that I could relax today at KBP!

Hopefully next year there will be Kallio Block Party again!

Loooot's of people. Gotta love to see everybody in one place and with so good atmosphere surrounding us all.

335th issue: Forests are full of...

2011-08-04T13:43:00.000-07:00

My mother has told me same story about five million times: "When your grandpa was in the war, they ran out of food and your grandpa said "the forest is full of mushrooms, let's make food from them!" And that's how they probably survived from starving.

My granpa passed away in '95 but he was one of the coolest person I've ever known and I'm thankful he survived from the war, because I never had the opportunity to see my Turkish grandpa (he died in '59 in a car crash), so I saw my Finnish one - Toivo! (Toivo means Hope :))

Collecting mushrooms and berries from the forest has been always a hobby for my family. And all of us love mushrooms, so we collected always so much mushrooms that we could eat them for one year. Chernobyl explosion in '86 effected the shroomies in Finland and I'm not sure how radioactive I am, but as long as I'm not neon color, everything's ok and I keep eating mushies!

Mushrooms in Finland are also very delicious. And I love the moment when I find a perfect mushroom, with no worms in it. And how about those moment's when you just find ridicilous amount of chanterelles? WHOAA!

There are also good places to collect mushrooms in Helsinki! You just have to know in what kind of places certain kid of mushrooms grow. Helsingin Sanomat gives hint's of places where you can find shrooms:

- Espoo; Luukki, around Myllyjärvi, Nuuksio, Latokaski forests west side of Finnoo road and surroundings of Korpilampi.

- Helsinki: Mustavuori, Keskuspuisto ja Haltiala.

- Vantaa Petikko, Storträsk and near Sipoo.

I think there are more places in Helsinki, like East-Helsinki in Vuosaari. No one wants to share their secret mushroom places and I'm sorry, I can't tell mine. You will have to find your own :)

If you have an iphone, download a mushroom recognizer in it.

334th issue: URB 11 - festival

2011-08-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

Urban Art Festival, later mentioned as URB, has started again. Actually I'm late on posting this, because it's been around since 29.7. Anyway, URB will last for three more days and there are plenty of things happening for these three days.

What bring URB to my mind was, when I red a news about Mariano Pensotti - an Argentinian who is an artist who makes installations. In this news Pensotti says that "at the best fiction has become reality in these installations".

What are these installations then? Basically there's a screen where appears different writings from moments happening around, but still it's all fiction. Or I think in some way reality becomes fiction, but Pensotti says that it's the other way. And probably he's right and I'm wrong. Or is this the kind of question: is your half filled glass half full or half empty?

Actually I found an aswer: reality is written again through fiction. The moment's are real, but when you fit them in a screen with three other person - it becomes fiction. But still real. ARGH! I just have to go and see it!

In Pensotti's installation there will be Finnish authors writing to the screen what they see.

Name?
Sometimes I think, I can see you

Where?
Elielinaukiolla tue and fri (4.–5.8. )

What time?
8 pm - 10 pm

Also on Saturday!
Lasipalatsi square (6.8.)

What time?
8 pm–10 pm.

URB video HERE
More info HERE

333rd issue: Now I understand

2011-08-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

(I'm not sure if I have written about this, but I'll do it again, because this is what I'm thinking at the moment)

Lately I have started understand my mistakes when I "date" guys. First and the biggest mistake is, that I just don't know how to give attention to someone else. I don't know how to show that I like. What I do rather? I start running. I think showing attraction is something scary, because if you show your interest and the other person just ends up saying "you have misunderstood me". Just like I have said so many times.

I think I have failed too many times in my life and I don't want to cause myself any failures.

So I'm afraid of the red light, probably. Instead of showing that I care, I run run run. I care, yes, but I can't show it. I've never been kind of person who shows emotions. People might say that I'm honest and showing my emotions, and yeah, I can cry where ever I want, I laugh, I act stupid where ever I want. I'm not afraid of looking ugly. But saying to someone that "I like you - a lot" or sitting like a couple with someone. I just can't make it. I want to have my own space, I need my own space.

People who know me, don't even know what's up. Once my friends boyfriend said that "Esin doesn't want a relationship", and that's correct in a way, but I'm open minded. But I just can't show that I'm interested of someone. I can write my feelings, but I cant say them face to face.

This post didn't have much to do with Helsinki, but remember I'm a person from Helsinki and giving face to one of Helsinger, Helsinki person, Hell-cityer, Helsinkier,..... (there isn't still a word for person coming from Helsinki!!!).

PS. that topic is a lie, I still don't understand!

332ns issue: Neighborhood lovin', part 2

2011-08-04T00:48:00.000-07:00

I wrote about physical lovin' what was happing in my neighbor. It all started when my friend was complaining me about his neighbors...

There is also different kind of lovin' happening in my neighborhoods. I have lived nearly two years in this apartment, and rarely I meet anyone else than the mna who lives next door to me. It's a bit strange, but I try to accept that basically we have the same living rythm.

Last december someone new moved downstairs. I noticed new name in his door but didn't meet him. His name is Heiskanen. Those times I was working again in a bar and coming home early in the morning, this time it was almost 4am. I was tired and walking the stairs up, when suddenly there was a man! A man who seemed like dead. No reaction at all.

Straight away I was trying to make him wake up, and while I was stesting his pulse, he opened his eyes. This man was just so drunk that he couldn't managed to go home, stayed half way through. I asked him "who are you, which apartment you are going", and while his eyes were going round and round he said "I'm Heiskanen". I knew where to take him...

Months past and I didn't see or hear anything about Heiskanen. On July I was coming home from clubbing and it was again nearly 4am. Who did I found sleeping from the stairs, infront of his apartment? Mr. Heiskanen. This time I knew him and shaked him "Heiskanen, AGAIN!" He opened his eyes and just started to smile, and went home.

Then, like a month ago I saw Heiskanen in the stairs - sober! And I asked him "Hey, you haven't been sleeping in the stairs. What's up???", he answered laughing "Yeah, let's see if it happens today!", I said "Ok, I will come and search for you then..."

Last friday I came home from work. Again it was nearly 4am. I was climbing up the stairs, and what did I see? Heiskanen! He was absolutely hammered, with no shoes on, just haning in our stairs. His door was open and friend inside. I don't know what he was doing, but he looked like a huge dange, because he wa so drunk. I said "Heiskanen,.....aaaaaaagain!", he said "c'mon, don't be like that", I grabbed him and pushed to his home and closed the door.

This is just another way of strating to know your neighbor...

So now you think what kind of dude am I talking about? Well, he's about 27-28-years old, have converse sneakers and tight pants, probably same length hair than I do. He seems like a positive person, though he is an hazard.....

331st issue: Student who prefers organic

2011-08-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

In Finland organic products are expensive, and I believe it's the same in many country. Actually in Turkey they have lot's of local and organic stuff and you can get these from bazaars easy. And the price is not that expensive. In Finland the price is double, or triple - even four times as much as non-organic product.

What does organic mean for me? It means real tastes and more nutritious vegetables. So I rather spend money on healthy and nutritious food, than end up buying lot's of fast grown untasteful veggies. Like zucchini is now super cheap, something like 1.20€/kg. I love zucchini, so I was happy to see it for so cheap. Then I had a look in organic zucchini's and the price for them was something like 2.40€/kg. Which one did I choose? The organic one for sure.

Then I went home to cook my meal and I noticed fas tthe difference between organic and non-organic zucchinis: while non-organic zucchinis become watery after heating them up, these organic ones kept their shape. When I was eating I could really taste zucchni (I know, they don't taste much, but I could taste the difference). It wasn't like eating watery slimy cucumber-thing, it was zucchini.

It's not a student thing to eat organic. But I think less is more!

From my shoppings 80% are organic. Sometimes when I'm totally broke, I have to choose the cheapest products,.... or maybe rather I stay healthy and ask my mother to go food shopping with me ;)

330th issue: Messages

2011-08-03T15:17:00.000-07:00

Today I got my iphone 4G working. While I was trying to understand this strange object, I found new things from Facebook: a forgotten message box. And this box had many messages from my readers! I'm very thankful for everybody for contacting me and seeing the effort to send me messages. It was my bad that I haven't been aware of this secret mailbox on FB!

From now on I will be checking this mailbox more often, because surely the messages I got, cheered me up a lot. Sometimes I feel like I'm just writing to the walls and just random visitors end up in my blog. I' m just writing and sending my thoughts and ideas to cyber space.

If you feel contacting me, please send me message on FB here, or send me e-mail.

I love to help people, because when I was traveling I got help from so many people. Sharing is caring, as I always say. I do my best and answer the questions about Helsinki (or Finland) as good as I can. Helsinki is my playground, so I do know this city well. Also I know lot's of people, so I can always find answers from somewhere if my own head isn't enough.

Thank you again for reading me. It means so much for me. And sorry I don't have that comment box, I just have so bad experiences of them (e.g. Helsingin Sanomat - Helsinki Daily - has comment box after every news and people write always there nonsense and try to get into a fight. Faceless everything is so much easier.......)

<3

329th issue: Autumn vibes

2011-08-03T14:45:00.000-07:00

Helloo-ooooooo!

The days are getting shorter, nights colder. You can feel autumn coming. It's almost over, the summer is gone. Almost.

I was walking today in the street and every other person were commeting the weather, which sure did have autumn vibes in it. I can't believe it's over. It all went so fast. What did I do?

Some people say that it's so wrong that during the summer there are heaps of street parties and festivals, and during the winter... nothing. Summer offers plenty of free concerts (like almost every weekend there has been something in Alppipuisto - for free!) During the winter there are gigs and concerts, but still they suck sertain kind of people in them. Like the festivals in Alppipuisto sucked all kinds of people and it was a good opportunity to meet all kinds of friends, not only "the ones that hang always in that one bar"....

Personally I have decided to be very active for next 5 months. My plan is to workworkwork and in January I will go to Japan.

Finland is very difficult country to live in. Just think about the climate differences: during the winter it can be -30°C and the weather is so dry that you skin starts to peel, and then during the summer it can be +30°C and so humid that it feels like in some tropical country. Imagine what this all does to our skin. Also after all these climate changes there are those mental stuff that activate when it's dark and we don't get enough vitamine D.

So, I'm preparing.

328th issue: A new restaurant...

2011-08-02T17:50:00.000-07:00

I was happy to see that my japanese friends are going to open a restaurant soon near by! I don't know yet their list, and sure it's going to be a surprise. But I believe it's going to be gooood!

I've been always saying, a good sushi chef can only come from Japan. In Japan they understand, other sushi's are just bad copies. In Japan they respect food, they pay super attention for the ingridients. This is why you should prefer eating in Japanese owned Japanese restaurants.

But we will see, I will go and taste what restaurant Hoshito has to offer. I believe I wont be unsatisfied.

Hoshito
Mäkelänkatu 22. (in Vallila)
Trams 3B/T and 9.

GANBATTE!

Check out more here

327th issue: HEAVY METAL!!!

2011-07-30T04:23:00.000-07:00

I have been busy. Busy on what? Workin! Working on what? Working as normal people, as a bartender, to get real money instead of monopoly money or student points.

Where I work is a heavy bar! YES! a heavy metal bar. Something so not me, but it's good to see that scene too. And I can say: it's bloody fun!

Yesterday before gig they were showing MANOWAR gig video from the screen. And people were insane: they were moshing around dancing, yelling, singing... wow. It all was like full on, no one was checking anyone out "ugh, that guy has wrong kind of Manowar shirt on", no, no. Everybody were just having fun. Ok, it was 80% men, but they were all so polite and nice. And sophisticated. Also these guys didn't seem like depressed or anxious. I can bet they were all musical in some way.

The only dresscode was probably : a Manowar t - shirt.

I strated to think about heavy metal scenery, and I like it like this. I don't like the one which is mixed slightly with gothic style. I like it this simply as these guys were. It wasn't like in some electronic music gig, where 5 guys play synth and one sings with a mickey mouse voice about how difficult life is.

And this is the cross point: I'm used to listen to songs about how difficult life is, how politics are crap and love love blah blah blah. What are heavy metal songs about? I strated to check out Manowar lyrics...

"Hear me calling
Can't you hear my death tone
Hear me calling
Can't you hear my death tone
Hear me ride
On into the night
Pull along side
If you're looking for a fight, yeah!
My social workers
Got me on a chain
Keeps me out of jail
So the paper prints his name, yes it does, and he likes it
Unemployment checks
Run out next week
It won't be very long
'Til I'm back on the streets again"

Manowar - Death tone

As you can see, all the song's are kind of stories, stories filled with metaphoras. They are not like "I'm depressed / I want to die / you broke my heart / It's not a lie / so follow me / when I lead / down from the cliff / falls my head" (I should start making songs :D)

If you want to experience heavy metal scene in Helsinki, there are a few bars to do that:

- Bar Bäkkäri (metal/gothic/glam)

- Dom (metal)

And smaller bars can be found in Iso Roba.

Ps. If you haven't seen Anvil documentry, you should watch it. It's very good!

326th issue: Finland interests!

2011-07-28T04:23:00.000-07:00

Check out this link from the Guardian!

325th issue: Päivi Räsänen again...

2011-07-28T03:36:00.000-07:00

Today newspapers wrote about politician Päivi Räsänen (Christan democrats), who announced yesterday her opinion about the law going along mass murderers. For examlpe in Finland if someone kills 50 people, a killer gets sentence max 30 years in prison, but can get free after 12 years.

Päivi Räsäsnen was known for her negative opinions about gay marriages. I wrote about them here.

So, what did Räsänen say yesterday?

"There should be a life long sentence for them who does particularly cruel crime. It shouldn't be shorten."

(free translation by me, whole news in Finnish found here)

NO SHIT SHERLOCK! Räsänen made a B-I-N-G-O... why? Because with this simple statement she got sympathy from people. Yes, from those people who were against her before. Are her negative opinions about gay people going to be forgotten now? She says something so clear as heaven nd people start to like her. I think there weren't anyone who would have disagreed her, no way. But anyone could had said this - anyone who has a little bit of moral and heart.

Fuck you Räsänen, don't try to collect all fishes from the net. I hate politics, I hate how it effects people and how it can even rule people.

324th issue: Today

2011-07-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today I was filming my documentary in Uutela, Vuosaari (East Helsinki)

If the sea is looking like this from the upper level, how does it look from the bottom. That is the question....

323rd issue: Happening alerit in Helsinki for next two weeks!

2011-07-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

I was glad to notice that so many things are going to happen around. Let's forget about negativity and think about how nice it is to have people surrounding you!

28.7.

Park flea market. It's all free and a very nice happening! I will be there for sure because it's just round the block from my home.

Where?
Penger park

More info here (also in English)

Also same day there will be Neon Indian (US) in club YK! More info here.

29.-30.7.
Small festival in Alppipuisto (Alppipuiston kansanjuhla). This festival is absolutely free and open for everyone. First dy is more electronic music based, and second is strongly influenced by garage music. There will be plenty of nice people around and a good atmosphere is promiced!

Where?
Alppipuisto, Vallila (next to Kallio)

How to get?
Trams 3B/T. Hop off at Linnanmäki. (Viipurinkatu 31, 00520 Helsinki)

6.8.

SlutWalk in Helsinki! Starts at 2 pm from infront of Modern Art Museum Kiasma

More info here

Same day

Kallio Block Party - a street party in Kallio!

Where?
Kallio library park/Fleminginkatu/Franzenin aukio

How to get?
Tram 3B and 9. Also 1A if it's running.

More info here

322nd issue: Dating

2011-07-26T02:22:00.000-07:00

My friend asked me today a question: "Esin, how do I say to a girl in a nice way that I'm not interested of her?" My answer was: "Well, guys usually stop contacting me or answering my calls/text messages. They start ignoring me".

Then I started to think the question deeper, and asked "how long have you been dating, and are you SURE that you are not interested of her?" My friend said: "We have met two times and she's just too excited about this thing, and I'm getting anxious" HA! Gotcha!

So many guys have told me "Esin, I'm getting anxious about your behavior". Last time I heard this was last friday. But finally someone said it straight to my face, but at the same time I got angry. Why did I get angry? Well, first of all I don't want to make anyone anxious, second is that I'm anxious all the time but I don't blame other people about it. Also I think it's evil to blame other person because of your anguish.

In my life, many of the guys who have said that I make them anxious, have years later started contacting me. Why? Because I have stop contacting them - totally. Now they have had the opportunity to get to know me from the side, and they have understood that what they missed. But my excitement has made their anguish side rise, and that's the reason it hasn't been possible before.

I can tell that especially chicks (and probably guys too), who have been singles for a longer term, have hard times on balancing their emotions. And when they have made their hearts "cold" - and suddenly they give theirself opportunity to like someone - it appears full on.

People need just to try to understand each other. Sadly too often people just start thinking "On no, that person is making me anxious", or they say "I'm anxious because of you, stop contacting me!"

But from my point of view, if the other person doesn't suffer from any kinds of mental problems, this person who has got anxious shouldn't blame the other person - he/she should understand. And I think excitement usually dies in two weeks anyway.

Anxious people, chill out!

321st issue: today

2011-07-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

Ferry go round. Coming back from Suomenlinna.

320th issue: Jornalism in Finland, again and again....

2011-07-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

Many people in Finland are shocked: Markus Määttänen - a journalist of Aamulehti - wrote from different kind of perspective why A. B. Breivik did his acts in Norway. If I squeeze everything, it went like this "A. B. Breivik haven't got laid for a while and because of sexual furstration he did his acts." (Here you can read from Jezebel the story in English)

Markus Määttänen has caused a very negative wave towards Aamulehti with his words. And if I was Määttänen, I would be scared to walk outside at the moment. This thing is serious.

If I can tell my opinion, it's that I don't think Breivik had problems on getting laid. He had that golf-player look. He didn't look like a killer at all, you know how mass murderers often look - a little bit untidy. C'mon, Breivik had a Lacoste shirt!

So, today I was filming my documentary in Kauppatori, central Helsinki. And as I was standing and filming long shots, one guy called Jamppa came to talk to me. He made straight away it clear that he has problems with health. He said he's not crazy, but that he's not normal. But as we talked I started to understood that he was extremely emotional and thoughtful.

He told me that he writes poems and wants to be a sailor, but that his father wont let him. He said he enjoys watching boats departing from Kauppatori, and that he is there every day watching them leaving. Also he told that he loves winter more than summer, but that winters he can't meet any new people.

We would talk about arts and what the water is. We had deep conversation with him, because he took everything all the time to the deep levels. I could understand that he spends a lot's of time alone - like me - but we were still so different persons. I said I spend lot's of time in bars and he said he hates the bar culture.

As the conversation continued, he started to tell me that he doesn't have any friends. He has only one cat. Also he said that he wants a girlfriend. I told him that a relationship doesn't save anything, but he said that he really wants one. He wanted one, because he never had one and it's very difficult for him to find any girl that would become his girlfriend.

He also told me that last winter was very difficult for him and he is afraid of this upcoming winter, because he won't meet anyone during that time, so he is totally alone.

Then I changed the subject to Norway's happenings. Jamppa told me his opinion: he said that from his point of view Breivik was a lonely man. He probably didn't have any girlfriend and was furstrated in life. So in a way he could emphathize him. I had to tell him straight away that Breivik's act was strictly political, it didn't have anything to do with if Breivik was lonely or not.

Then he looked surprised. People might think that lonely and emotionally outcasted people do mad things - like Breivik. But no, If we open our eyes, we might see the truth: this happens every day in some countries, especially in Middle East! This is political, it doesn't require anymore a depressed and outcasted person. It can be anyone. And from my point of view Breivik wasn't even thinking about sex in any way. He was thinking about his right-sided ideology being right. And he thought it required killing to prove them. He didn't understand that killing is something that isn't accepted normally.

A killer is a Killer.

319th issue: Photo exhibition

2011-07-24T15:51:00.000-07:00

There's going on at the moment an exhibition of Hannes Heikura. Who is this man? He's one of my favorite photographers in Finland. Heikura's photography just touches the moment. And they are always visually so beautiful as well. One picture I remember, and which actually won in 2008 the year's photograph competition was a picture of sailing boat crossin the Gulf of Finland. And the truth is just there, infront of your eyes. People can describe things, but this photograph tells it all.

(pic from here)

Yes, this picture shows the condition of our sea in year 2007. Heikura's style is indeed showing that less is more.

Heikura won the years photograph contest in year 1997 with this picture of Mika Myllyllä, who passed away just a few weeks ago... (pic from here)

Name?
Dark Zone

When?
17.6.-4.9.2011

Where?
Helsingin taidemuseo (Tennispalatsi, 2nd floor)

€€€?
8/6€

Note!
There's also a photo exhibition of Ritva Kovalainen and Sanni Seppo named "Golden Forest"

2011-07-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

NORWAY

2011-07-23T06:15:00.000-07:00

I give all my support and love to people in Norway, and especially for people who were effected in any way in the shooting and bombing attacks.

Seriously, like there isn't enough madness in this world already...Attacker seems to have strong political reason behind this horrible mass murder, which makes the whole story even crazier.

Stay strong!

- Esin

318th issue: Good morning!

2011-07-12T20:10:00.001-07:00

5:07 am from Katajanokka:

317th issue: What are these then?

2011-07-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

I found today the post boxes for the ice breakers. When they are not in Finland, you can leave them a real message.

The most known Finnish ice breakers, boats that break the thick ice. Their names are Sisu (b.1967), Voima (b. 1954/79), Urho (1975), Kontio (b. 1987) and Otso (b. 1986). All the names are old Finnish male names. In a way these names are very cute and actually they all have a meaning. Nowadays Finnish names don't have much meaning, like Pasi is Pasi or Markku is Markku.

Sisu is a very strong part of Finnish identity. In a way it means kind of "guts". There are sayings like "With guts you'll survive", and this is used especially to boost Finnish identity because Finns believe they (we) have the guts.

Voima means basically power.

Urho stands for brave.

Kontio and Otso are the names used for bears. Bear is our national animal...

There are also few other ice breakers, but I'm not sure are they anymore Finnish owned or sold to Russia or so... Nordica, Fennica and Botanica are somewhere, maybe their home is in some other harbor in Finland, their mailbox wasn't in Katajanokka.

These ice breakers are world known, or at least in countries that sometimes need harcore ice crushers to solve the problems. When I was filming the Voima and Sisu, I noticed some tourists coming and photographing them, so I think they are world famous in a way!

One thing is sure: these ships are some hardcore ships!

At home, in Katajanokka. (pic from here)

316th issue: Summer holidays?

2011-07-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

I was thinking how I'm not active on this blog at all at the moment. Before I would post something like 7 times a day. Now I hardly post once. Why's that?

Well, I'm working on a few projects at the moment. And when I'm not working on those projects, I'm drunk. Yes, drunk like most of the Finns. Also I'm enjoying this thing called "summer", because after 1,5 months it will be history again and all this happiness will be over and all the Finns will hide behind their shells.

So, I will be photographing, collecting things to write about and maybe edit some videos of Helsinki. I will be active again after the summer.

My life is so hectic, in one day everything can happen. If nothing happens concrete, my moods jump up and down and sideways. So I must have a whole big bunch of things to write then!

Someone's sandal has got stuck.....

315th issue: A song about Helsinki

2011-07-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

I have totally forgot to post this song! Ok, I have to admit I'm not the biggest fan of rap, but big thumbs up for Gracias!

314th issue: Suvilahti

2011-07-08T12:48:00.000-07:00

I took this with my new camera yesterday (7.7.11).

313th issue: My love

2011-07-08T03:16:00.001-07:00

As I have been writing about Finnish guys, I will have to write my love towards one of them...

I have absolutely fed up being a windmill. Even though my name means morning breeze, it shouldn't breeze to my inner windmill anymore. I want to balance.

I was thinking that is there anyone who has ever made me feel something in my life. There are things that complete me, like photographing, cycling, creating things, thinking... But a person. A person is missing from my life. I love my family, sure. I love my friends, sure. But still...

I have been living pretty actionfull life. From bar to another I've been jumping. Meeting new guys, dating some. No feeling.

I have realized between this 1.5 years that feeling is the most important thing. It's not how clever the other person is, it's not about the looks. It's all about the feeling. I have had so fantastic guys, but no... I haven't felt anything. Sometimes I have become angry to myself for not feeling anything.

I remember that before it was easier to feel, I would fell in love something like once a year. Now, I don't anymore. I started to think why...

Slightly I strated to bring one guy back to my mind and realized that it's him that I miss. There's no one that would make me feel like he did. He made me feel something inside aswell. With other guys it has always stayed in my skin, but with this guy it feels deep inside me.

Wow, this is interesting.

My friends say "forget him, he will only hurt you", "Esin, you can have so much better guys, see how it has been going with him before..." I'm not blaming him that it didn't work before. I think we just had lack of communication and my behavior wasn't very good either. But that's because I wasn't ready that time.

But I'm in love. Love is a nice feeling, especially if it comes deep inside you. I don't say this guy would love me and I'm not going to stalk him. I'm too proud for doing that. Heh...

312th issue: Finnish tourists

2011-07-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

There has been around some writings about Finnish tourists being weird. Sure, as I have wrote we are absolutely unsure about ourself and this causes many odd situations with us - a Finn.

Still there are some things that just are cliche between Finnish tourists, especially with men. I was surfing on Oyster's web page (Australian fashion magazine) and I coundn't avoid noticing that actually this cliche has become trendy! This thing that has always helped a Finn to recognize each other...

(pic from here)

Yep, it's socks in sandals. That's an absolutely cliche. But now it's trendy!! You know what they say "you dad was the original hipster".

311th issue: HFUT videos vol 2.

2011-07-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

Yeah yeah YEAAAAH!

I did it, I bough a camera. And not just any kind of camera... Canon EOS 5D MK 2. Now I'll be able to make short visually enjoyable videos of Helsinki. First they will be only including music and places from Helsinki, but later on I might jump infront of the camera and show e.g. how to order a beer in Helsinki..

I'm in love with my camera. And I'm so happy I bough it, though it cost me a fortune, but I believe in satisfaction!

310th issue: The power of media

2011-07-05T05:45:00.000-07:00

Most of the time I hate media. I know the power of it and truly think that nowadays it's all about money. Sometimes media gets very nasty and brutal. Just like if you are a politician, someone famous in sports or a celebrity. As media is the one that shares everything, even things that are not true...

But we always might forget that there are rules in media too: there must be always that shocking drama happening that makes readers/viewers want to follow the object that shares these bits of media. Media dramatizes everything, just for money. And what is the result? Many deaths, suicides, depressed people who wanted to have their private life, but media didn't just let them keep any privacy, because of money...

The more shocking the news is, the more we want to read/see. The more we spend money.

Rest in Peace Mika Myllylä, I think it was media who killed you.

Nasty, nasty media.

Who was Mika Myllylä?