Craps, anyone?

I am enterting a phase in my life, that includes a lot of speaking in Swedish and getting a funny tan. I also need to buy a snowboard and get my friend Tuke to come to Helsinki to teach me how to use it. I got really good theoretical support already on MSN but I must admit that it made me more confused than anything. But still, learning from the best is always worth the wait.

The speaking of Swedish is going to take place on the cruise ships, where my assignment is to promote an online casion called paf in the real casions on board. Because online gambling is illegal in Finland, all the promoting will take place in Swedish. And I will be alone on my first weekend. Uh, well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens=) I think the customers will get more confused than anything else because I've never gambled online and I never will, also my gambling vocabulary in Swedish is pretty tiny. And I am morally kind of against gambling. But what the heck, my morals can be stretched for the sake of an adventure in a foreign language and in a strange looking outfit.

Love you Hottis <3

I'm a little confused at the moment. I've always known that Finland comes a couple of steps behind (Norway and Sweden mainly) in things like fashion. That's ok by me, it's just a little cute. But on Monady I found out that blogs are not a big thing here yet and that many people don't even know what they are. Alrighty, I'll just start telling people about the beauty of a diary that is on the internet. But today I found out something that I cannot understand, let alone accept.

I've been searching for the ultimate place to write my thesis, one that would have internet access and a quiet, warm, comfortable environment. I went to three of the most famous places only to find that in one place the library lady didn't know what wireless internet is and in the other places they had it (and knew what it was) but that I couldn't get codes to access it because I'm not a student at the University of Helsinki. Discrimination I say. Of the worst kind. Isn't a student always a student and in need of the web? I got the library card for the university library, I also got a student bus/train card. So why did they have to draw the line there??

So to make me feel more at ease, I've decided that the best place to study is infact my parent's house. Free food, availability of sofa if in need of a nap, warmth, internet and the best thing: Hottis to keep your feet warm when striving towards a masters degree. Hurray for little furry dogs!

Planning

I'm a big planner, usually I plan trips. Not the kind of planning that you would expect though, where you plan all the nitty gritty last detail of a trip before you leave. Not at all. I just plan the trip so far that I decide to go and I get the tickets, then I start daydreaming of how its going to be. Then I go on the trip and come back only to start planning an other trip.

Things sure have changed. I have planned this spring so that I won't even have time to daydream about going anywhere. I have suddenly found myself with tons of stuff I have/want to do in Helsinki and have realised that I have not left any spare time in any corner. The thesis of course is numero uno during the weeks. Then I have yoga class, an Arabic course (if I have time, inshallah), work during the weekends and then one last big thing that nobody knows about. Nobody. But I'm exited about it and will tell you all about it if it works out. I still wonder how I've been able to keep it a secret for so long? The last time I told my brother about something similar that I was about to do, I made him swear he wouldn't laugh. He promised but non-the-less laughed his heart out after I told him. Hence the secrecy.

To my brother: I hope you don't remember what I'm talking about. Just in case you do, don't worry, it's nothing like last time, just a little bit similar =P

kinokinokinokino

The Tromsø International Filmfestival is here! I tell you, this is my favourite time of the year up here in the Paris of the North. People from all over the world have travelled all the way up here to feel the warm embrace of the film festival, watching movies in different places, standing in line and anxiously waiting for rush-tickets, making schedules to be able to synchronise the movies into a perfect timetable. It's almost like an art form.

I've only had time to see a couple of movies yesterday on the first day of the festival, I think it's time to start catching up. And luckily this year I'm not on the Peace Film Award board so I get to skip all the formalities and galas and dinners. Here I go, no stopping me now!

Subtitles

I'm not a very good person to give interviews. But today I had to do it. The camera was staring at me, the light was staring at me, the entire classroom was staring at me and the reporter was staring at me. So i was a little distracted. This resulted into me not being quite sure what the guy was asking and not being quite sure what I was actually talking about.



But the best thing is that if they air it, I will be subtitled. How awesome is that?? Even though if I would have given the interview in Norwegian, they would have probably subtitled that too. Like they do in the US if some foreigner is speaking English. Like someone from England. That tickles my sense-of-humor tenticles and makes me laugh every time. Just like watching the news in Estonian.

No hablo Noruego

Michael J. Shapiro is coming to town in a couple of days. He is a critical international relations theorist and a professor of Political Science at the university of Hawaii. Haven't read anything he has written, but his theories sounded pretty interesting (uh, yea, I googled him. I love the internet). So he's having lectures for us on Monday and I told people arranging the event that I would love to help. Like with previous seminars, pouring coffee or keeping time for the lecturers. Anything for a free lunch.

Sooo, I found out how I can contribute. Um, I've been put in charge of marketing. Tshihii.

Seminar executive to-do list:

-prepare partially mute and deaf person for the Q&A session at the end of lectures. Check.
-make easily destracted student with ADD time-keeper. Check.
-put the foreign girl in charge of marketing. Check.

Alrighty then.

slurpedy-burp

So I was surfing the internet one day to see if there were any possible jobs for me to apply for in Finland. There was a bunch of your usual supermarket and bartending jobs, boooooring. And then I saw this one ad for a promotor job. And I though, well, I can sell stuff I suppose, or promote or whatever. So I sent an application just for the heck of it. They called today and said that I have the job if I want it. Ok, I thought. The only problem is that because of my ability to speak Scandinavisk, they have placed me on the cruise ships going from Helsinki to Stockholm. Weekend work, perfectamundo! Except for one little tiny incy wincy thing..


Um, I don't know how to tell them that I get sick on pretty much anything that moves. Especially boats. I suppose I just have to take the job and let them find out during the process=)

"Hello young sir, would you care to try our new cognac?" *puke fluid burp* "The taste is fully rounded and soft, don't be shy, do have a taste!" *other suspicious burp, swallow* Hahaaaa.. at least it will make a funny story to tell even if I don't get to actually keep the job for that long.

Hello Mr. Patton

My iPod and I have a strange relationship. First its on the verge of breaking down and then suddenly it starts working again after weeks of despair. Then I even end up finding a pearl amonst the music I've been listening to for the past year and a half (yes, I've never changed the music I have on it, I admit). Where was it hiding? I've been listening to FNM for eons now, but have somehow been able to miss their best album, King for a Day. Smokin'!! Good on ya Mike, and may you live forever. Or at least long enough for me to get a chance to see you live, even if it is in the form of Tomahawk.

Pleeeeeaaseeeee

When someone looks at you like the puss in boots from Shrek, what can you do, I mean seriously? I'll tell you what you have to do: subcome and work from that. No other option. Zip. Nada. Needless to say, the girl who came to look at my room eventually got it. She really really wanted it and gave me the look. Damn. So the game was over and she got the room. I never knew that the look could work on people of the same gender. I've only tried it on my dad and other men in my life. Note to self: start using the look more often. You learn something every day. Even from young fresh highschool graduates.

Mess o potamia

For crying out loud. How complicated can real life situations get?? Let me tell you that I am in a pickle at the moment, waiting for tomorrow to be over to find out what ultimately happens. Instead of going into details I will tell you what the end result is come tomorrow. In any case, I will need you all to keep your fingers crossed for a simple and painless solution to the situation.