I'm on My Way.

The End is Near.

2007-02-23T10:15:00.000+02:00

Well well well dear reader(s?). Nearly a month in Thailand has passed, not as quickly as one might expect. To be honest, I'm pretty bored. I did some dives, but the diving here is not a great as I thought it would be. So most of the time I just read, do Sudokus, swim, eat and sleep. I find it very difficult to meet new people, as everyone is travelling in pretty exclusive groups.

In addition to the boredom, I'm home sick for the first time in my life. This is also the first time in my life that I actually have something good to go home to.

So... I decided to change my flight and go home two weeks earlier than planned.

I don't regret coming here though. I'm loving the sunshine and the sea, and of course the pancakes and fruit shakes. It's been good to get away, but it will be even better to go back.

That's all for now I guess...

One more thing. I'm thinking about shutting down this blog. I guess I'm just too lazy to write in two languages, and my Finnish blog actually has readers... So please, if you are a reader, leave me a comment so that I know you're out there!

Sunshine and mozzies

2007-02-07T11:22:00.000+02:00

Sooo... since my last post not much has happened. We went diving on Sunday. It was nice but the viz was shit so I was kinda disappointed. Anyways, we saw a huge turtle which totally made up for the bad viz. I'm gonna do some more diving next week I believe. I have plenty of time so I don't want to spend all my money during the first two weeks.

Right now me and Sara are staying in a place a bit further from the main beach, and the place is just FULL of mosquitoes, bugs, ants and spiders. The place is great thou. We have our own veranda with a spectacular view. We're gonna stay there until Monday, and then probably moving back to the main beach. We'll see.

Anyways, all is fine in Thailand and I'm starting to feel more and more relaxed every day. Even thou pretty much all I'm doing is reading and enjoying the view, time is still passing pretty quick.

Take care of yourselves, my dear readers.

Passing Time on Koh Tao

2007-02-03T07:19:00.000+02:00

So here I am, in sunny Asia. Finally.
I spent one night in Bangkok, then flew to Koh Samui and took the boat to Koh tao. I've now been here for two nights and it seems like an okay place to spend a month or so... Haven't been diving yet, but I guess I'll give it a go tomorrow.

My number in Thailand is +66878141092. If you happen to be around just give me a call...

Hope you all are well.

Time to Go Again

2007-01-30T11:34:00.000+02:00

Ok, here we go again...
The winter is finally here and it brought lots of ice, snow and cold air with it. And that means I'm off.

I'm flying to Bangkok tonight, arriving tomorrow afternoon. From there I'm planning to get a flight straight to Koh Samui, and then continue to Koh Tao.

I originally opened this blog so I could keep some sort of travel journal, and now it finally will be used for that.

So keep checking this page, it will be updated often in the near future.

Cheers everyone!

Still alive

2006-11-05T09:34:00.000+02:00

Hello dear blog and dear (possible) Readers,

Yes, it's been a long time since I wrote. There's not really been anything to write about. Since my last post, I've just been working with the tourist boat company and on my rare days off I've been cathing up on lost hours sleep.

The original plan was to be off in Thailand by now, but here I am, in cold dark Finland. They asked me to continue work after the tourist season and I said yes. Right now we're doing some fixing-up on the boats, painting the walls and doing oil changes and that kind of stuff.

I took a short holiday after the tourist season and went to Croatia for a week. The trip was paid by the company and there were eight of us travelling. It was fun and Croatia is definitely worth visiting. Didn't do any diving because I had a slight cold. Have to go back for that some time, the water looked absolutely wonderful!

I also went to Sweden to visit my good friend EmmaLi last weekend, it was a long-needed break from my work. We just hung around Stockholm, met nice people and saw a lot of movies :)

Anyway, I believe we'll be working on the boats for at least another month, and my Thailand trip is now postponed until January-February. Gotta get out of this freezing country for a bit!

And finally, I promise to update this blog more often now that I again have place to stay and Internet at home. Take care of yourself dear Reader, whoever you may be!

Helsinki Calling

2006-05-12T14:17:00.000+03:00

This is just a quick update.

A week ago I got a phone call inviting me to a job interview in Helsinki. The job would be working with tourists on a small ferry in Helsinki. The interview was on Monday, and on Tuesday the phoned me up and told me I had been chosen, and that the work would start on Saturday.

So I finished my school stuff on Wednesday, and went shopping for work clothes and got myself a sailor's heath certificate. I spent most of Thursday packing up my things and taking care of all the paperwork included in moving houses.... Today is Friday. My bus to Helsinki leaves in about an hour. With me I have a backpack full of clothes, and my teddy bear. Tomorrow at 11 am I have to be in the harbour, ready to serve.

Looks like it's going to be a busy summer after all.

I Turn 25 Today.

2006-04-19T20:33:00.000+03:00

I have now spent a quarter century on Earth. During these 25 years, I have experienced and accomplished a lot, and here's a short list of some of my good and bad accomplishments:

In 25 I have...
- grown a meter and gained about sixty kilos
- been in school for 17 years
- passed the exams for an AB driver's lisence
- smoked a cigar
- graduated secondary school
- gained a university degree and two other degrees
- stayed up for three days in a row
- slept 24 h straight
- spent time on four continents, in 25 countries
- seen a killer whale
- seen a tiger
- seen Nicholas Cage
- ridden an elephant and a camel
- swum in two oceans
- been a fan, and met my idol
- seen a Formula1 GP live
- gone white water rafting
- killed a bird and a cat
- learned how to walk, swim, and cycle
- learned to speak many languages
- had surgery, twice
- understood the meaning of life several times, always different
- taken piercings and tattoos
- been to 4 weddings and 2 funerals
- danced on tables
- swum in a hole in the ice
- spent around one week under water
- hit a man in the face, movie style

Hopefully the next 25 year will let me experience lots more. The list of my goals is short:
- to pass my diving instructor exam
- to pay off my student loans
- to finish my Master's degree

Do You Think You Could Live in Finland?

2006-04-04T21:13:00.000+03:00

I often hear Finnish people say that they could not imagine visiting, let alone living in, an Arab country. Most people seem to believe that in those countries, women always have to wear long dresses and cover their hair, and that men walk around the steets firing their guns and shouting out religious and political messages.

Media has created an image of Arabs as being scary, weird, and even ridiculous people. Today's political environment supports this hatred. It's totally acceptable to fear and hate the "Axis of Evil".

My own experience on Arab cultures has been completely opposite to the common beliefs. Okay, a one-week diving trip to the Red Sea is a bit different from, for instance, living in Teheran. In Egypt, I felt welcome and nobody forced me to wear long dresses of cover my hair, and I didn't see anyone firing guns on the streets. The Arabs seemed smart and tolerant towards people from other cultures. I think I could one day live and work in, for example, Dubai or Bahrein. Actually, I once applied for a job in Dubai but I was too late.

So how about Finland? Let's take a moment to look at Finland with the eyes of a foreigner (well, for most of the readers, this is the only way).
The Finnish winter lasts for six months, during which people stay inside killing their wives and themselves. They drink too much, are too fat and don't talk to each other. Those crazy people sit on the ice, hour after hour, and claim to be fishing. Now how on Earth would want to visit, let alone live in, this country that calls itself "Suomi"? Not me.

There are stereotypic descriptions about every country and their peoples, and putting the stereotype aside and really getting to know the culture is oftentimes rewarding. Don't believe everything you see on tv!

Welcome.

2006-04-03T14:38:00.000+03:00

Okay, yesterday I opened a Finnish blog and now decided to have an Enlish one on the side. It'll take some time for me to learn the ropes, so you'll have to wait a bit...