Climbing higher

♫ Amaranthe – Afterlife

What is this I don't even... I guess I really didn't have much motivation to blog last year. I cannot even say I was so busy, although I was, but still I had the time for gaming and such.

It would be somewhat pointless to write a summary of the highlights of my 2014 since I didn't share that many details of it along the way either, but here's some insight into training and exercising.

A year ago I wrote how I would like to learn cool new tricks on the pole in 2014. Well, I'm not sure if I did, I should take another look at my actual exercise journal. Most of the time I felt like this though:

I haven't given up pole dancing. However, I haven't been doing it that much lately either, partly because the studio schedule wasn't very good for me in the autumn. I also hate to fight such things as dry skin, lack of friction and an extremely slippery home pole. I've also faced some sort of a wall with my progress since certain strength moves (and lifts in particular) have been too hard to tackle. However, I try to remind myself that however slowly I may be learning, I'm still climbing higher than anyone on the couch.

What I did in 2014, however, is something that had been haunting me for ages – no, I can say "always". I had never been able to do a handstand. In October I decided that I would try to narrow the gap between being unable and being terrified. That's right, I had been too afraid to even try (at least without a spotter). Ever since I started pole dancing, I had practised a bit by backing against a wall or a pole, but that doesn't yet put me in a perfectly upright position.

I practised handstands every day, and after 25 days, I managed to take off from the floor into a handstand against my pole. And after that, I've kept practising regularly.

(It looks like I hadn't shaved my left armpit, but I certainly have!)

I'm not yet thinking of doing a freestanding handstand, and with my shoulder structure, that may be a difficult and long journey. However, I feel quite confident going into a handstand against a wall or a pole, and it's already much, much more than I ever expected I could achieve in a few months.

And well, if you are like me and have never been able to stand on your hands, I can tell you something: if I can learn it, anyone can! Okay, not anyone, I wouldn't recommend trying if you have some problems with your wrists.

I've been slightly more excited about aerial silks lately. Soft fabrics can be much more comfortable than a cold, hard pole, and potential friction problems are quite different. This photo was obviously taken last summer, but on such a cold winter day as this, it's nice to look back on summery outdoor acrobatics sessions!

Questing the oceans and questing the seas, searching for ultimate booze

♫ Alestorm – Rum

Now that I realize how long it has been since my last post, I can only say: this is getting ridiculous. :> I've been busy, I guess, but I suppose I'll just settle for posting this rarely, yet I doubt anyone cares. (I doubt anyone reads anyway!)

However, I have several reasons to post today:
1. It's my birthday, and I think I've usually made a birthday post. :>
2. I've recently acquired something about which I posted much earlier.
3. Alcohol related posts in private blogs is a real hot topic in Finland at the moment due to the regional state administrative agency forbidding private bloggers to use a certain logo in their posts. This was the original logo for a beer and whiskey expo, and the logo (naturally) comprised the word "whiskey". The agency threatened to deny the expo their licence to sell alcohol unless these completely private bloggers, completely unrelated to the event, remove the logos from their blogs. And well, the Finnish alcohol legislation will get remarkably stricter at the beginning of 2015, and we shouldn't tell how much we like booze in the social media, so I think it's about the time to say: I bloody love rum.

It's been almost two years since I wrote about how I would like to get my hands on a bottle of Kraken rum. I figured I would have to resort to ordering from abroad since I couldn't find any when traveling. Just recently I participated in a group order from the Netherlands, and it was quite successful. Not only did I get some Kraken, but it was also cheap! And just look at that bottle! Isn't it stylish? And the label? The Kraken drawing? Oh, and it tastes good too!

Birthday was good enough a reason to have a taste of Kraken, also to offer some to my mother for the trouble and pain she had to go through several years ago to the day. (Although I wasn't her first child, I made sure her delivery was a hellish experience!)

And here's a pic of me when I actually got the bottle – which was a few weeks ago. It seems that my smile is the most genuine whenever I'm holding a bottle of rum. :) So long!

Natural is the new black, brown, red and pink

♫ Sabaton – Saboteurs

O-hai, I talked something about natural light in my previous post, it had something to do with having enough of that (as well as time to take photos and post) in order to present something else that is natural nowadays.

My hair! Okay, it's not natural in many senses – however, the colour is mostly my own now! I dyed my hair (dark brown) last over a year ago, and at some point I decided to try – and try hard – to let my own natural hair colour take over. I suppose the only reason for this is my laziness since I never bother to dye the roots regularly anyway. I also wondered whether my natural colour would be the one which would suit me best. I'm not yet sure about that.

I took those photos in the ambient light of my apartment, near the window, without a flash or any other artificial light. I edited the photos a bit in Camera Raw to make them look as accurate as my real hair colour might be. It's a dull brown, yeah, but it becomes less dull the longer it grows. Actually, it looks like the old dyed part began somewhere above my eyebrows in these photos, but that's not true, my hair has grown much more during these 15+ months. And I've learnt that it's kinda darker than I expected. When I still used to dye my hair red, the overgrown roots always looked horrifying in contrast with (faded) red – it was light and seemed only grey. It no longer seemed that bad when I started dyeing my hair brown instead. And nowadays, well... Whether I'm fine with it or not depends on the light. I die inside every time I look in the mirror in the hall of our office – the ceiling is low, and with a fluorescent tube right close above my head, my hair looks light and grey and absolutely horrendous. In the office toilets, on the other hand, I'm comfortable with my reflection.

Since my hair isn't particularly special anymore, I've started using my bright eyeshadows again – for some time I wore mostly brown, which didn't stand out much. I'm not sure how long I can put up with the hair though, but I've thought of using some direct dye next, hoping it will fade away rather than grow out. So long!

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!