I'm not dead yet, but have a look at my bones

♫ Heavy Metal Perse – Aamunkoiton huilumies

I... don't even know what to say about my blogging habits anymore. I guess I can say I've been quite busy – I have not only been working overtime quite a lot, but I've also been trying to spend the little free time doing something nice with the nearest and dearest, or at least by taking care of myself by exercising (or sleeping).

This time I decided to show three tops which I bought from Restyle a while ago. I really liked the prints and decided to give these cheap T-shirts a try.

All the tops are size XS, which was the smallest available, and although they do have a size guide on the website, I kind of wished a top which is said to be "very stretchy and will fit to your waist perfectly" would indeed be more bodycon. However, it turns out I'm something like super small by their standards, and the tops are a bit loose – quite nice still, anyway.

This is a fangirl top. :) Anyway, there's a bigger problem than the tops not being tight-fitting. They all have a deep, deep plunging neckline! It's rare that I actually mind this – most of the time I don't, maybe because I don't have a cleavage to show anyway. However, these tops really do make me want to wear another top or shirt underneath, or otherwise I would be showing my underwear. And seriously, I don't think I can do that at work. I thought I was buying casual shirts which I could wear to work with a knit, but these tops are not so simple garments.

I had the highest expectations for this one since it was the only one with sleeves – I thought I could wear it at work on its own, but pssssh, the V-neckline is the worst – way too deep for my bust (or the lack thereof).

It's quite a pity since I really do like the prints in real life as well, not only in the photos on the website. But they do need something underneath, and it's not simple and easy either, an under-top may look sloppy or unintentional.

I wish I could pick up my blogging pace. Summer time should give me a bit more natural light and more possibilities to take good photos. That should help me to make a post about hair in the future. So long!

Yet another new year

♫ Sabaton – We burn

Happy New Year, my dear readers! I know I'm a bit late with this one as well, but I think it's alright to wish a happy New Year at least during the first week of January. :)

I was a lousy, lazy blogger in 2013 and now I'm trying to write about the past year a bit, maybe about the new one as well. I was inspired by a few fellow bloggers' New Year's posts, and thus I'm going to borrow some elements and/or questions from them. ;)

The best memories of 2013
Going abroad feels nice every time – visiting Rome was something to remember for sure. A very dear friend got married in March, and I was one of her maids of honor.

"Just as sure as Rome is falling, I'll be rising again..."

The only photo of myself taken with my own camera at my friend's wedding :x

Did you do something you had never done before?

I visited Ostrobothnia for the first time AND for the second time too. >:x The second was not naturally the first anymore, but I visited different towns (and different sub-regions!) so I suppose it does count! And the trip to Rome was my first time in Italy as well.

I also went to a real big stadion concert for the first time ever – my favourite bands have usually been way too small to perform at such venues.

I started exercising at a gym, like weight-lifting and such! And no, this was not a New Year's resolution. It seems I quit too, since I suddenly no longer had that much time. >:x I didn't like it that much either, though I did feel good after the exercise and I know it did me good, but I have other physical hobbies which I prioritized once I no longer had the time for everything.

And when it comes to doing things for the first time, I could probably list a bunch of pole dance moves which I nailed in 2013.

You can go to Ostrobothnia, but you can't get away that easily...

Trying to catch a glimpse of Iron Maiden

This is not one of those epic success pole moves, unless the miracle of having enough grip at home counts. I have no evidence of the epic success moments. :(

The biggest achievement

Getting paid for doing graphic design again.

The biggest failure

My body is one big failure! Seriously, I'm suffering from something all the time; sports injuries here and there. At least I'm not very sickly otherwise, but it does piss me off that my body can't just take certain things when it comes to exercise (for example) and thus, I also failed my previous New Year's resolution (though I can blame my head too, not just the body!) Oh well, I'm trying again this year – hopefully I'll have some achievements to boast about later!

Are you happier than you were on this day a year ago?

Strangely enough, being able to drag myself out of bed too early each morning in order to go to work does make me happier than not being able to do that.

What did you want and get?
A job.

What did you want but didn't get?

A permanent job, but I am very happy and grateful for what I did get.

A rule of life you learnt

Don't evaluate yourself based on what others might expect of you (especially if you cannot meet those expectations).

And finally, what I am looking forward to or wish to experience in 2014:

I would like to get a permanent job.

A trip abroad – I'm just curious to see foreign countries and interesting cities, and I'll have to hope I can find the time and money.

Hopefully, there will be a lot of great concerts too!

And, I wish to learn a lot of new cool tricks on the pole.

Secular haze

♫ Ghost – Per Aspera Ad Inferi

Oops again. I think I've had a good reason not to update! This time I've been somewhat busy for real – you see, I got a job recently! I've been working hard since the end of October, and although the position isn't permanent, I'm quite happy. Back in the advertising business!

In order to provide you with something visual, here is a collage of a certain outfit I've found more than apt a few times in autumn. I'm wearing a black tube dress and well, a jacket-like top, and the result is an outfit in which I feel comfortable (=I wore it to a birthday dinner with my dearest, being able to devour a lot of food easily) yet stylish enough. These photos were taken on Wednesday after a certain Christmas party. I didn't have much time to change clothes or do anything else after work before heading for the party, which is why the outfit is rather plain too, and I don't have a fancy hairdo.

Sometimes my edited colours bring out the details of (black) clothes in a more flattering way than brightness settings!

I've also been to some interesting gigs, especially yesterday. We went to see the Swedish heavy/rock band Ghost and damn, the show and setlist were cool! We'd already seen Ghost warming up for Iron Maiden last summer, but a skeleton-faced cardinal singing about Satan in broad daylight is not so cool...

How have you all been, had a busy autumn and December so far?

Another year, more precious booty

It's my birthday today, and although I don't have much to write about let alone many photos to show, I wanted to share this one photo of a present I got from a dear friend!

I really appreciate this kind of thoughtfulness! She had made a treasure chest out of paper and cardboard and filled it with RUM COOKIES. I've never, never received a present in a more perfect wrapping, this was so adorable!

Hopefully everyone else had a good weekend as well! I was busy having fun yesterday, busy doing work-related stuff today... :x I have such insane piles of dishes waiting to be washed that I guess I'll just take care of them next and then try out a pirate themed game I got from my special someone! So long!

Born with a destiny of roses

Sometimes strange things happen to me. Like just a while ago, when I ended up watching the anime series The Rose of Versailles... No spoilers ahead.

It started as an innocent experiment and search for some comedy and ended with bittersweet tears.

I have a thing for old anime titles which were dubbed and released in Finnish years, years ago in bad quality. I watched some in my childhood and loved them, and sometimes I get particularly nostalgic and want to watch them again, even though I have trouble keeping a poker face with the horrifying voice acting. So, a while ago, I took up the Finnish VHS releases of Lady Oscar (the series is known as The Rose of Versailles or Lady Oscar, depending on the country, though the former is an actual translation of the original Japanese title whereas Lady Oscar is the main character) and watched them, laughing while I did so, mostly at the wrong time. The dub quality was bad and I'm glad I never ate while watching it since I might have choked on my food more than once.

However, they never released more than three videos in Finnish, each one consisting of four episodes of this 40-episode-long series. Having watched these videos, I realized I was somewhat addicted and I had to see the whole series, so I continued in Japanese with English subtitles. Last night I found myself watching the last twelve episodes...

At the beginning I thought it was overly dramatic (even to my taste) and slightly ridiculous, especially with Marie Antoinette acting strangely. But I did my homework and learnt, much to my dismay, that many of those scenes or details at which I was rolling my eyes were historically accurate. At that point I no longer questioned the original author's, Riyoko Ikeda's sanity, and eagerly watched the story of the French Revolution (and other historical events) unfold before me.

And in the end, I cried. I thought I would only be laughing at some light-themed girls' animation badly dubbed in Finnish, but the Finnish age limits (or the lack thereof; I doubt this series was truly checked when it was released here) deceived me and left me watching the 18th century France in dire straits. And what's worse – now I'm longing for more. And it isn't particularly easy to find much evidence or information of the related anime movies...

If I had watched Lady Oscar as a little girl, I know for sure who would have been my idol.

Have you seen The Rose of Versailles and if you have, did you like it? Do you like some other old anime classics? Do you know of The Rose of Versailles anime movies, if they are available somewhere?

Instagram Sunday

♫ Blackstar Halo – Alice In Wonderland

I know it's Friday today, but last Sunday I went out for a walk and took some photos with Instagram, partly because the walk turned out to be extraordinary but also because the day was very beautiful and rather warm, in September!

There was a circus in town! I hadn't known in advance, but the brightly colored tent made me feel strangely nostalgic – considering I've never been to one. I've been to a circus only once, but it's not a touring one. A fellow designer and I had made things for the show, so we got to go see it too.

And there were camels! Dawww. I was supposed to take a short walk, but when I saw those fellows, I figured I had wandered far from home...

I went on near the shoreline and then stopped to sit on a bench to enjoy the view since it was sunny and warm too!

And finally a blurry selfie, worse quality since I used the front camera of my phone. Although my sunglasses are too loose, I like the pilot style!

Do you have Instagram? You can find mine at http://instagram.com/capt4inmarian though my photos are private – however, I'd be happy to accept followers and follow you back!

Back to school

♫ Medusa's Child – Holy Land

It only took me two years since I got my bachelor's degree to return to school. Okay, to be precise – as from today, I'm only taking an extra course in university, on photojournalism. So I'm not studying for a degree, but nevertheless, I love saying "I'm going to school", just because calling university "school" pisses some university students off. :>

I wore this top with a simple black denim miniskirt. I wouldn't have bought this shirt if it hadn't been bloody cheap, but it's fairly nice... It's not lacy, it's made of, hmm, smooth tricot or something with a pattern like that.

I also realized I really truly hate taking photos of myself. I've stated this a billion times in my blog, I suppose, but I cannot understand how it can be so difficult. I don't think I'm the worst photographer either! I might be the most critical though...

I considered purchasing this shirt in grey brownish color, but then I chickened out... Lately, I've been more and more interested in trying colors that might actually suit me well, rather than colors that please my eyes. (And I wasn't sure if that  grey brownish hue would have looked good on me, so I decided black always does... Yeah right.) I'm not sure I'll start purchasing colorful clothes any time soon though. However, I've considered letting my natural hair color grow out... We'll see how that goes! My hair is ugly brownish grey, and I'm doubtful as to whether it can possibly look good on me. Okay, I haven't really thought of staying like that for good – but I would rather dye my hair with a color close to my natural one in the future. I have a strong feeling a semi-natural-looking color would compliment my skin tone and eye color most – especially once I've let it fade, I'm not efficient at maintaining complicated hair colors!

What do you think, can a dull greyish hair color actually look good on someone? Do you generally think people look good/bad/better/worse with their natural color?