Dreams have been haunting me lately.

For some reason I have woken up on monday mornings around 4.30 feeling anxious or completely dissatisfied. (Err...Because it's monday?) But this monday I woke up again at the same time my heart beating almost out of my chest and feeling so angry that I almost hit the wall due to frustration. I'm not an aggressive person and I rarely get angry to anyone because I simply don't take things personally. I may be a bit fiery for a moment that's it. That is why I still keep wondering what dreams I saw that night...

This morning was something completely different and when I woke up I ran straight to my flatmates room to get a hug. I remember dreaming about wondering around in this strange facility when suddenly I felt lumps around my groin (lymph nodes) area. They got bigger and painful to touch and then I had to lift my pyjama to take a look and saw my skin covered with circular ekseema. Then my palms started burning. (At this point I cried others to call the ambulance with an accent I'm not familiar with.) I took a look at them and similar rash right over there. Worst part was I felt the pain in my back and as the pyjama was lifted for that area to be seen I realized that it wasn't me with that pain but an elderly person in hospital tunic. The skin on that persons back was mostly necrotised/ peeled away revealing the underlying fat and muscles. While that picture burned in to my memory I suddenly woke up with the pain and terror. (my medical mind remembering vividly the symptoms of sepsis, toxic shock syndrome, necrotising fasciitis etc.)

When I was younger I learned that there were the bad people and the good people. Goodies always won the war and were beautiful, wise, generous and more awesome in every way than the baddies.

As I grew older and sticked my head into the world of books (where it hasn't left ever since) and eventually found my way to the internet I learned that the position of good vs. bad isn't always that black and white. A few lectures and teacher probably have been cursing me and my questions about things that should be taken full granted and understood the way they are written. In the confirmation camp I got all excited about religion and the christian community I belonged to until the training to become one of the younger confirmation tutors when I was told to speak only about the matters from the Holy book itself and not to raise the philosophical thoughts of Socrates, Platon, folklore etc.  which to my point of view would have been relevant considering that confirmation camps should give the teenagers a.k.a young adults tools to understand the world, prepare themselves for the world and responsibilities of an adult and give the possibility of founding a strong believe and firm place in the christian community if they so decide. We all are free to do soul searching by reading the thoughts of great minds, important religious books, literacy and to find our place and the life philosophy to adapt to.  Right?

Apparently things are not simple.

I just learned that as a christian I wouldn't be welcomed to receive the Holy Communion in a Catholic Church due to the fact that I'm a Lutheran and not a Roman Catholic. So if I want to receive the Holy Communion I have to travel all the way to a Lutheran Church?! At the same time the Hindu Temple and Buddhist temples would welcome me gladly to learn about their ways without trying to convert me in to anything I free willingly don't want to. A bit strange to me I must say...

Roughly ten years ago I had the change to join a pilgrimage to Taizé Community in France. Everybody was welcome no matter from what background you're from and could receive the Holy Communion if wanted. All us christians and others under the same roof learning about great gift of life, how to respect each other and ourself.

I do understand the needs of all the norms and rules that communities have developed but some of them do make me questions the ideas of them. I know that I'm actually talking about a sensitive area here and many a people may strongly disagree with me.

I'm not challenging religions with my statements but maybe questioning the adapting of religion into politics and our actions. Is it always a benefit of the society in he modern multicultural world we are living in?

This may not be the best example but starting from the basics: for example movie Made in Dagenham dramatizes the sewing machinists strike in the 1968 that aimed for equal pay for women. It aroused cultural and social storm and is one great example of the awakening of women's rights. Why on earth women should receive the same payment as men? God created the man first from the mans rib and woman was second to serve the man right?!

Were these norms based on the religious cultural thinking or is it just a coincidence?..

What I have read from the holy book everyone has it's place. In the old testament the world was ruled by the men and therefore the text form is based on the male thinking right? And if we skip the awkward bit of taking concubines and stealing others daughters, butchering people  etc. Still without a doubt woman has her own place in the society and a good wife who did good job was praised. Song of the songs is my favorite part of the bible. The love and commitment between two people!

I also haven't fully understood wars where both of the sides think is justified by the god. Are all the rules created by the religion or our own human minds lusting after power and being terrified by a change in order? Do we justify all of our actions with religion even thought the religious ideas may not completely be there to justify these actions? How about the hypocritical behavior of making more money on other peoples expenses not sharing your good fortune with anyone and going to the church on sundays to pray love towards thy neighbor? How about looking for that perfect woman to be your wife who's a virgin/untouched/pure and loyal while you have fucked half of the city by the age of 25 and keep on doing that while you're married? Or the neighbor woman who definitely makes sure that if any rule is broken she will be the one pointing her finger at them while she herself has broken the rules more than once "but that's not the same thing because I've done so much good I have the privilege to..."  Yeah right. And after all of this these people think where did all the karma come back to them?

As a reasonable people we should be able to live in a multicultural society without much a difficulties and respect each other and cultures without the pain, suffering and fear caused by violence, raping, "holy" wars and insulting acts towards our fellow humans.

These are just a few things that keep me thinking and wondering. That's why occasionally I rather say that I'm a spiritual person than a religious one. Just because of the negative aspects I have seen the religion put together with.

I decided to dedicate todays writing for all the single girls (and guys) out there! As a girl who usually never stayed single for long since the oh so sweet age of sixteen, the girl who have been engaged and  being single for over three years  I have a lot interesting stuff to share that I think many a people may find for some awkward reason fascinating.

Some people in a relationships may sometime think that single life is fascinating and full of excitement. Media forces us to believe so too. Shameless flirting, nightly parties, good looking people and no worries at all. The world is your oyster and you're free to do what ever you desire!

Unfortunately the life of a single isn't always that media sexy as they make us believe.

SINGLE GIRLS LIFE IN A BOX

1. Forgetting to shave/wax/ tidy your eyebrows/remove the chocolate stain from your cheek when going out, cleaning the flat/room for "surprise" visitors etc. 
You know how many times the previous things have happened to me when the dream guy decides to pop into my life...... and he just passes you without a second look and continues his life.

2. Eating food with hands and other strange ways like slurping the soup or first joggling with the meatballs before you catch them with your mouth open and the million dollar grin after a successful "goal"...Yep Forgetting the common polite manners.
After all the habits you have adapted to you get invited to a classic date in a fine 5 star restaurant and you stare at the table and all those "tools" with a terror and try to find the closest exit...

3.  Forgetting how to impress a man

Instead of being the fragile sweet girl, looking at the guy with a worshiping gaze in you eyes and complimenting him to be the strongest man in the world when he carries my handbag and the groceries I now a days tend to challenge the guy to a wrestle match or  test the size of the bicep and if the guy fails my test I look at the guy down my nose and say "is that all you can do?"... Thank god I haven't been in the army! God knows what I would be like after that. I already have the queen-attitude. (I must admit that in a past few years I have learned to disguise this feature in me simply by keeping my mouth shut and smiling...)

4.  Meeting the men that daddy always warned about.
Been there, done that, seen all!

5. Being the woman mothers warn their sons about.
Do I even have to explain this one?..

6. The mystical "Don't answer" - numbers on the phone.
The most exciting moment is to see the "don't answer" number flashing on the phone screen and the rough memory of some guy. First thinking why on earth you put his number in the "don't answer" listing, second though and reality flash: THERE IS ALWAYS A GOOD REASON FOR THAT.
The most awkward thing of these numbers is when they keep on flashing 2 months after the likely day you gave your number forward and you haven't answered at any point to these calls... You just stare at the screen and think: Why?!

7. When meeting one of your "fine" ex-dates the panic of finding the closest exit to avoid awkward talking situations.
These moments usually happen when you're on a sunday walk with your mum/dad niece etc.

As you can see not always so nice and comfortable. The worst is that  at some point you actually develop a relationship phobia and fly from flower to flower or run around the world avoiding all those lassoing attempts. Then when family nor friends just can't be there fore you realize that you're all alone hugging your colorful cuddly owl all by your self when in a relationship you could actually make a phone call and BOOM have somebody there for you.

(Interestingly some men do believe that they can run wild and free and have the relationship support/love/understanding/massage&kissing" when they feel like it. This hasn't happened to me one or two times and it never stops amusing me. Boys there's only one answer for that: *mean wicked laughter ..and deleting numbers*)


The truth about those hard-core-party nights:  In Finland we have a saying that woman is the wolf to another woman. And it literally means that. The moment when you step in to a club with your girlfriends the situation is simply described with Coolio- Gangsters paradise. Who has the volumized hair? Highest heels? Sharpest nails? Tightest dress? Biggest boobs?.. It doesn't help at all if you're not in that mood but jump all over the place with your naive blue eyes hugging everybody and thinking how nice everybody is an keep on dancing using the 80's robot movements. Not at all... Man it's a war out there!

No matter what you do you will always be too pretty, too ugly, too sexy, too stupid, too blond, too short, too funny, too smart, too loud, too quiet, too sober, too drunk, too happy, too smiley, too blue etc...

You just can't please everyone can you?

I actually love proper nights out and the shoe-hair-make up-dress panic (like my poor flat mate so well knows "This or this?... Or what do you think about this?..") and the time you prepare and pamper yourself before leaving the flat. An exemption among all the routine days! You eventually probably again dance so much that you sweat the make up of, brake a heel and look like a troll in the end of the night.

So don't take yourself too seriously. Much more fun and you may end up gathering fantastic memories on the way.

 End of story.

Every now and then the little green monster lifts it's head inside me brings out the strangest reactions to the most normal situations and during those moments rational thinking is the least of my actions.  I'm too embarrassed to give you the detailed list of my latest actions but let me enlighten you with a few words..

1. A conversation around dirty peanut buttery knife on a clean kitchen counter almost brought me to the point of breaking down to tears and nasty words.

2. A bimbo on her underwear and a blackberry in her hands sitting in my gym's sauna almost had a taste of the finnish fury and a bucket full of water on the hot stones.

3. A one day change in my all-ready-planned-schedule made me shout to the walls for half an hour.

And that's not all. I again sleep 10h-14h per day! But hey all I can do is to live in a hope that this will surely pass just like other nasty, bad and mean things that mom didn't tell about when you were a little girl. Right?

My days aren't all that bad. Plenty of stuff to laugh about: I have learned the right english way to be polite with sarcasm. Sorry, sorry... excuse me When moving through crowded areas actually means: Get the f**k out of my way!

You can always state that some food or treat is definitely a food orgasm but the ultimate statements about food is "Hey have you looked at this?... Orgasm by death!"

Ise is impossible with her passion towards some sports like F1. She screams like the most hyper fan! But who am I to judge her? I got all emotional while watching Cinderella man. Not only because Russel Crow is one of the most fittest men in the world (with Daniel Gred, Bruce Willis and..) That movie wasn't even live boxing! All of us have our little (and not so little) Achille's heels.

I had an interesting conversation about failure a couple weeks ago and of course my brains never did stop from thinking about it.(on and on 24/7) Here's the result:

Some people are so scared of failing that they restrict themselves of experiencing great new things that sometimes can be so called "once in a life time" experiences. I don't believe in failing. The way how I was brought up and trained never did give possibilities for failing. Failing is an utopia that can't simply happen. Of course you get setbacks and you may not make it at the first time but those things only teach you to be stronger, wiser and may give you even more better possibilities and open more doors for you that you never dreamed to be possible. It's all about how you take the sudden falls. Are you just going lay down on fire or get back up and make it to a proper fight or be the coward in the corner who's too scared to even try and take the risk? Basically are you going to let your "position" state your value or the opposite: Will you bring the value to your position? I may have scrubbed the floors and filled the shelves in my past but damn I was good in it! I rather have a few scars to show that I actually have lived than to be all "shine and new" my whole life without having a clue what life's about. 

Just like Mohammed Ali put it: 

"Inside of a ring or out, ain't nothing wrong with going down. It's staying down that's wrong."

That's why pushing a friend in a shopping cart on the cruise boat's hallway or dancefloor, drinking 5 jäger bombs in a rown then singing karaoke, sticking your hand in ants nest, running with bare feet from sauna ti icy lake in a winter and dancing on a table almost braking your ankle are all brilliant ideas! 

WELCOME TO MY COOKING CORNER:
I have become more confident with my cooking and baking skills and not a week passes without me baking/cooking for a small troupe! Brownies, cornbread, cookies, king prawn & chorizo risotto, salmon with some roasted potatoes, pasta bolognese, lentil soup, beef stake and chips... You name it and I make it!

Couple a weeks ago we wen't to a pub on the west edge of London to witness our university colleagues band's live show.  A proper english pub with wide collection of different aged people all in harmony enjoying the night with a drink or two and some dancing. A got the honor to be asked to dance with a already silvery gentleman with the grooviest moves and amazing smile.  At some point we threw our high heels away and danced on the thick whole floor carpet on our socks so that the next day at work was definitely made interesting with all that muscle ache. 

Last evening after the late shift I found myself among my work colleagues enjoying a delicious meal and  raising a pint for Aneta who's moving on to new challenges (just like I shall do in very near future in another store with a more convenient commuting time!) 

At the moment the down side is actually trying to get to home from all these things and happening because I happen to live at the wrong side of the river thames. I seriously have to reconsider the location of my home base...

I just have to comment the biggest international issue (at least in Europe): horse meat. How surprising it can be that produced foods may include something that the ingredients lists don't tell. (otherwise there would be lists as thick as the holy book is on every single package you happen to pick up at shop... )

http://www.roystoncartoons.com/

Yeah it is absolutely true that horse meat may be "spiced up" with a hint of doping. But are we people aware what they feed to our favorite everyday meat pork? How about beef? Add to the list chickens etc. Gene manipulated corn, steroids, parts of their fellow animals because throwing "the quality protein" would be too expensive (animals don't understand cannibalism right?) and so on...

Talking about the most necessary thing we'll ever need: Water! All those contraceptive pills women have been eating now around half a century... where do you seriously think the left over hormones will pour them self into? But...but..but they do clean the water and use really strong chemicals to do that. Right... chemicals. Much better option for us?! Now your thinking! (That's why I'm equipped with bobble due to the fact that I simply can't afford to buy bottled water every day.)

I may sound a bit sarcastic towards the whole situation and I do admit that this situation amuses me ever so slightly. The fact is that I had to learn the hard way to really look and understand what my food is made of. The symptoms I get from wrong kind of food aren't really that attractive.  I really hope that this scandal really wakes up the people to realize the value of really knowing what your food is made from and what you're eating. 

Don't get me wrong: I do enjoy my occasional burgers, pizzas, chocolate, candy, ice cream and absolutely love a good chunky stake! It's just using common sense to understand that the stuff you stick in to your mouth may actually effect your well being...

Ohooooyy Finland let me show you this!:

A tree branch picked up by my flat mate

THE SPRING IS HERE!

Spring is my favorite season right after summer. You can see how people change and how everything awakes again.

Because it's spring time it's also the time to check your tax allowance and finances. (Maybe they start to bloom too?..) etc. So I made a phone call to the public tax advising number because I immigrated here only 9 months ago. Male answered the phone and with a strong irish accent explained me the situations with a stone cold professional manner making me feel like a stupid bimbo again. Like I have previously mentioned the UK bureaucracy is a some sort of art but the phone advising service does really take the edge even from that. They really know their job but how can anybody sound so fed up with their life and at the same time by speaking you like to a child make you miserable as well?! He made me make the first financial professional decision of my life: I'm going to get somebody else to deal with my tax things!

It's hard to explain people here that even thought I may speak pretty good english I don't always know what to do or react in different situations. This is somehow slightly different dimension for me.

In spite of all I have done at least something right. One of my essays came back with an excellent mark. The other one didn't satisfy physiology lecturer with it's way too much psychosomatic-hold-spiced-up -blog-like writing and my own ideas. Marking straight from the other end... whoops. But hey lesson learned if you wan't scientific text I'll give you exactly what you want.  

In hard times like this I can always trust my gym. Gym's my personal councilor! Just like last wednesday when I felt pretty much frustrated, angry and pissed off by a person who's way too much words than actions..

Because Zumba was cancelled: first running my self to the state of exhaustion with some H.I.I.T work out, functional training with weights to get the left over anger out and relaxing stretch session and gossiping with one of the girls from Zumba. = Perfect!

Now I can actually prepare myself for the work filled weekend with a genuine smile and not that sweet wide lunatic smile with a scary doll like eyes. 

England is definitely getting points for it's early spring.

No melting dirty icy snow nor those nice smelly dog sh*** surprises in the middle of the road! In the end of march when you guys in Finland are shivering at home under 10 blankets I'll be sunbathing in battersea park in my bikinis. PAY BACK TIME!

Because spring is always the time for a new fresh start I realized that I should probably do something to my man situation. Wake up girl, stop falling for the wrong guy and replace the s-a-h-a-r-a (and a man who's obviously not that into you...) and get a man who really appreciates the amazing woman you are!

First job: Get out of the flat! It could really help the situation if I would squeeze a night out every week to my schedule and not just keep my head in the books, run to the gym or work my butt of 24/7.

But I just have to comment the previous sentence. I have noticed that the behavior in the clubs and pubs can occasionally something out of this world:

Just like last week. (Again.) I was on the bar desk minding my own business and enjoying my wine while my friend and her boyfriend were dancing this young man starts a conversation with me:
"Hi..You're sexy. Are you russian?"
"Hi.. actually I'm finnish"
"Oh.. I was thinking that we could have some nice time together and enjoy each others company.."
"Err... ok... you mean a date?..."
"No. Not a date...I'm not living here"
.........

Ehem... excuse me! Does that really work?! Where do these guys learn their manners?! If a woman looks russian it means that she's one of those girls?!  (the russian women I know are maybe the most decent and well mannered women too.) I didn't even show that much bare skin an actually I was dressed really stylishly with black dress and heels. Show some respect!

And why on earth the vertical foreplay is considered to be dancing?! Immediately when you agree to dance with someone he'll think that it's the permission to perform a manual body scan....

Luckily the women from my family never accept that kind of behavior and end up being doormats in front of every guy.

And I do have to admit that I also have my independent woman moments: If a man tells me (in my best condition of course) that I shouldn't behave in a certain way I look at him under my eyebrows, stubbornly lift my chin up like a diva, dance with 10 guys, kiss half of them and show my ring finger shouting: "Do you see a ring?! Do I have a boyfriend?! Are you my dad or brother?! I DO WHAT EVER I WANT TO DO!"

So maybe just going out is not the solution for my situation?...

I had a cat whisperer moment the other night. I was walking back home after a nice relaxing pilates session when a saw a cat. The cat stared at me with it's huge eyes. There we were. Me and a cat. Staring each other like nothing else existed in the world. Seconds passed and I reached out and the cat responded by walking next to me. A hand against silky fur. Small silent purr and the shared moment was over. I continued my way back home with one question in my head: Does this mean that I'll be the true old maid with tons of cats?!

That's why I have actually learned to enjoy my single girl moments and showed the love towards myself (well can't really get it from anywhere else..) by cooking amazing meals and baking fantastic brownies, cornbread etc.  After a long night out and tingly palm (due to teaching the boys who's the queen) a perfect Bridget Jones moment watching romantic movies, sobbing in pyjamas and eating a box of chocolates is legal and accepted!

Just to share one of my moments with you...

BTW I think that I just made the biggest mistake ever in my life by telling my relatives that I'll be visiting them in a couple of months. I just got informed that it should be good for me to have more than a week in Finland and that they may have something planned for me.

Today my colleague (after hearing the previous info) commented:
"Maybe they're getting you married?"

I just realized that actually could be quite a possible thing from my family. At least it would be a relief for my dad! So if in April when I go to Finland and there would be a huge rough looking guy with a bouquet in his hands who greeds me with a slightly rough accent finnish/english "Hello...I'm your husband" I wouldn't be too surprised!

This means an emergency meeting with the girls tomorrow evening: Good music, a lot of laughter and dancing!

Well look what we got  here today? The day of Love! The day of pressure to show your feelings in a form of a love balloon, chocolate, pink cards, pink fluffy handcuffs, a whip... what ever you choose! I thought whining again about making money out of big emotions and commercializing everything. But as a romantic person I actually do love the whole idea of making effort towards your loved ones at least once a year. (In finnish culture people tend to forget to show their emotions especially towards their loved ones).

http://wallpaperswide.com/red_roses-wallpapers.html

And just to make the valentines day a bit more exiting try something new:

•  I was on a date last week. (actually a good date in a long..very long time) Dinner and a movie.  Classic you may think BUT the movie was Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. Blood, sweat and tears! Overdose of the blood and violence! Not a classical date movie but I LOVE TARANTINO MOVIES! There's nothing like he's way of using the violence and quirky characters and genius plots. Revenge is maybe his favorite subject and the man just knows how mix&match and question the clishes. (Don't you worry my Tarantino collection back in Finland: Mama's going to come and get you!).

• My ex fiance really knew how to spoil a girl. Once he took me to see a boxing match. Amin Asikainen (one of the most known finnish boxers) against a russian guy if I remember right. (not his best match I must say But I really had a fantastic time.) The other time he tried to cook a meal for me and the result was eatable.  He got out of his comfort zone to please me! That if something is love. 

So instead of cliché  solutions try something new that you already kind of know that your special someone would enjoy. Write a poem? Bake something? Take a bootcamp class together? Try some tantric massage?

Valentines day in Finland is more like a day of friendship. Therefore I dedicate this blog text to all of my friends:

My friends this is why I love you: 
1. You make sure that I don't settle just for the "ok" one. For example making me always take the double shot of vodka in my drinks or order the supersize sunday.

2. I never get bored!
-After a boozy cruise in the spring  I may yet again receive a christmas card including evidence of that wild night...
-Suddenly I may have a text from one of you who's traveling around the world saying that you're drunk in a church and soon having a bad hangover. What should you do? As always you did receive my amazing advice "Confess your sins my child!".
- Kossu-kahvin paikka! (Time for some coffee and vodka)

3. The most amazing memories:
- My 20th birthday I got a card from 2 of my friends who know me and my mother hen nature damn too well: "Congrats! You didn't become a teenage mom!".
-Philosophical moments on a hill with a bottle of wine.
-surprise "snow washes" and snow angels at winter times.
-Best after party ever: Toboggan at 4am!
-Our football teams come back as the fallen stars and leaving with a metal around our neck.
-Shopping cart in a cruise cabin: Who's idea was that?!
- The 3 jägerbomb technique will always result the best nights ever.
- Most memorable new year ever with sangria, singing and modern dancing. 
-Those long summer days at my friends families summer garden cottage in the centre of Helsinki.

If I was in trouble you were there to help me and if I needed trouble you were there to assist me. 

There's so much to mention about you my friend but unfortunately there's not enough space for a proper novel so I'll promise you that we'll keep on making those memories for the years to come!

But lets not forget my folks back home: I may always whine about the amount of drama in my family and how big troubling characters they are but the truth is I wouldn't be what I am today without them. (It's getting a bit too peaceful in here here so I'll be there to visit you and to get my dose of that drama for the next half a year in a couple of months.)

-Without my mom and grandmas I wouldn't have learned to be the lady and diva I am today (and clean the toilet, hang the curtains, decorate, cook, bake, dance, sing etc. the right way.)

-Without you dad I wouldn't be the stubborn independent strong little princess I am today. All those fights in the past and yet to come and conversations of being the same blood and respecting your own clan.

-Thanks to you my brother, uncle and dad nowadays a small form military operation is needed if a man wants to get serious with me.

-Sisters and auntie: You have given me the reality woman as an idol I can look up to anytime when I need some confidence!

We'll always have those moments of doubts and fights but I can always be sure that you would always be there for me when the time is right.  Love and hate are really similar emotions and walk hand in hand. Rarely only hate or love is involved. (There must be some strange awkward love towards the people I hate?...Er...) The opposite of love is not hate it is coldness. The emotion when you don't care at all.

I've already been in the gym and prepared mentally for some evening brownie baking and eating half of the whole set ('cos it's a valentines day I'll probably have to share my double  chocolate brownies with my flat mates) while watching a movie. This is how surprising my love life is. 

I'll eat those brownies with all of you sweeties in my heart!

The credit rating has been puzzling me quite a lot while living here. Basically you don't even exist without a bank account that you can't get without job, a proof of address, national insurance number and ID, that you can't get without a bank account that sends you a letter that can be a proof of address and so on... And yeah. Almost forgot to mention that the credit rating of a bank is completely different than the national one!

Don't even ask. I'm just happy that I got everything solved out without a problem!  If you want to improve your status in England make sure you register in council too and get a monthly direct debit SIM. a.k.a mobile phone number. This all is a base for making the best out of your status and the only way up. Oh yeah...a  few more things to mention: It would be highly appreciated if you would own some property or just be financially very well balanced and have a really healthy income (if you know what I mean..), be married or at least have a title!

So if you move to London make sure you got: 
A a lot of cash stashed somewhere
B somebody you know living here already
C somebody to move here with
D Decide to work OR study (and you gain fantastic future a bit quicker.)

Those things would definitely make things much more easier!

If you decide do what I did and move to London to work and study with pretty much emergency savings prepare to work and WORK HARD! And have a really open mind and will that doesn't allow you to brake and give up immediately. Use your common sense and don't be lured to every "nice opportunity" you are offered. Everything's not always what it seems and unfortunately there's always people who are happy to use new immigrants in their great plans to make more money.

I've finally got 3 whole days just for myself without uni lectures or work so after lazy tuesday which I spend in bed (occasionally making my way to the fridge...)  I visited the Museum of London today. Thank god for the free entries to museums!

At last a change to understand more of the the city I live in and what I call home!

From the prehistoric times all the way to Roman times, Medieval England with the plague, the great fire of London... ( A huge section mentioning that everything was made from wood and streets were messy and not that organized.. As a finn I could express my point of view to that: If you wan't to see organized city visit Helsinki! Or am I just having too many of those "blond moments" and that's the main reason for me to get lost so often?..  And what is it in the english culture that everybody blamed each other for the fire?! Because most of London was Protestant they blamed the catholics which is absurd to me. Why to draw those silly lines between different point of views when we all are christians right?! ) the wars, celebrities, fashion. Anything you can imagine!

The effect and mixture of cultures in decoration in london!

My favorite part of the  history. Books and how the information got available for everyone and not just the privileged ones! 

The year 1858 when river thames was transformed of a river of "stink".  Hopefully people got a bit more environmentally aware after that.

 I have always been fascinated about the history of those that won't always leave a mark in the history:  Museum of London will definitely get credit of mentioning the common people and showing how they lived and what things effected their life. The fight of women rights, against eugenics and poverty have left their marks in the history!

 The day when  woman's pound/sterling is the same as mens (from the same work!), when women are not treated as objects (nurturing children and men (against their will or with the cost of their own health), or being there just for the pleasure, sold to be wife's to men they don't  know, sex slaves..etc. Remember that gang rape case in India? Should that be allowed?!), everybody has the right for free good quality education/healthcare and possibilities for a  good profession like those from a better background.. I can rest!

That means a very long time of waiting and.. but hey if you don't aim for better what your going to do with your life?

Pictures and artifacts of poverty, how it effected and the fight against it.

The view why I love London: New and old! Mixture of cultures! Cosmopolitan city!

London has always been a city that attracts fortune hunters and those looking for a better future. From my point of view we immigrants have had a huge impact in the development of London and what it has become nowadays. 

As an immigrant that has a really wild imagination I of course started to think what kind of mark I'll leave to London: Plenty of red hand marks on misbehaving young mens cheeks, a heel mark on one of the Camden bars tables, plenty of people with damn good looking glasses and the urban legend of the northern girl who had the most blunt words and attitude ever! BOOM!

One fact has always stayed the same: In most cases there isn't a fast track to happiness. Just like anywhere you have to work hard and seek for the opportunities. And that's exactly what this city has to offer: Plenty of opportunities!