Pia's blog

The Rolling Stones!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 20:37:00 +0000

The Rolling Stones at Olympic Stadium – what a night!! :)
But I must say I still liked the Who gig better. The atmosphere was somehow "intimate" despite the fact that the venue (Hartwall Arena) was huge, although not as huge as the stadium.

Fried vendace + Pinot Gris

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 10:29:00 +0000

It's ironic: I like to keep fish in an aquarium AND I like to eat fish (although not the same fish than what I keep in the tank).
Anyway, one of the best things you can do in summertime is to pick up some fried vendace from the marketplace. Yummy!!

Bronze corys spawning!!

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 07:23:00 +0000

My Bronze corydoras have started spawning!! In the morning I found eggs on the back of the aquarium!!! :)
Too bad it is quite inevitable that the eggs will get eaten by other fish or even the parents themselves...

Biking in Tampere

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 18:55:00 +0000

Riksu and I went biking in Tampere and ended up in Tahmela, where Riksu's brother Juppe lives with his family. On our way back I took some photos.

Oulu my home

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 09:47:00 +0000

A regular part of my summer vacation: visiting my hometown Oulu. I still call it my hometown, although I have not lived there since 1997. If I could have the same job I have now, and live in Oulu, I would move this second. It's a bit funny that for years I thought there's now way I would ever move back but the older I get, the more I feel like moving back... Strange.
Talking about my job, check out our little blog. (It's in Finnish only.)

Regular summer weather...

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 11:10:00 +0000

The regular summer weather in Finland: You never know what you get. Yesterday it was so warm and nice, but today hardly a summer at all...

The perfect summer day

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:59:00 +0000

When we want to visit our relatives' summer cottage in Virrat, we usually take the bus. If you have the time and if the weather is nice, you should definitely take the 99-year-old steamboat Tarjanne instead. It takes about 6 hours from Tampere to Virrat, but it is worth every minute.

The Who rocks!

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 20:25:00 +0000

We went to see The Who in Helsinki. The last time they were in Finland was 40 years ago! You would not know it's been so long. This was probably one of the best gigs I've ever been to!

Lemmings are back!

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 09:56:00 +0000

I used to love Lemmings, and to my surprise, it's available also for Windows!! Click here for download.

Denmark and back

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 18:55:00 +0000

I attended the annual user innovation workshop. This year it was organized by CBS in Copenhagen. It was great as always to meet with people who do research in user innovation.

Paluu pulpettiin

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 17:28:00 +0000

Pakkohan tää peruskoulutesti oli tehdä, kun tällanen kerta löytyi! Yllättävää kyllä sain keskiarvon 9,7 eli sitten vuoden 1993 on ilmeisesti jotain kehitystä tapahtunut meikäläisessä. :)

Sushi for the pain

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 19:59:00 +0000

Today was a loooong day in the office. We have to file all travel documents through Personec Travel, which is a program from hell. I ended up spending a little bit over 2 hours trying to clear my travelling expenses for the trips to Japan and the US. I would say I'm above average computer user with use experience of dozens of programs and some programming skills. But no, this is obviously not enough for being able to clear two trips in two hours. The result (after sweat and near-tears) was only one trip cleared (which in fact bounced back later!). After that I was done. And also ready to rip off heads of the mean and useless people who have "designed" the stupid program.
Once I realized I had also missed the 7 o'clock train to Tampere, which means I will not be at home until a little after 10 o'clock, I was ready to scream. The only solution to ease out the pain, was to stop for sushi at Kamppi Center. It helped.

California dreamin'

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 18:26:00 +0000

After the trip to Japan, only 3 days at home, 1 in Helsinki, and then I was off again. This time I was headed to Silicon Valley, mainly to Stanford University. I also spent one day in San Francisco doing the usual tourist stuff.
I quite unintentionally spotted the street where the famous BRAVIA Commercial with bouncy balls was shot. I love that ad (if you can love an ad)! Their other colorful ad is pretty good too.

PS. Check out the videos: the cable car, sea lions

Fried vendace for lunch

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 11:20:00 +0000

This is truly a summer-thing to do in Tampere: Having fried vendace for lunch at Tammelantori market place. I am (as you probably already know) a big fish-eater, so this is a perfect lunch for me. Some might argue they put too much salt on the vendace, but I don't really care - it's delicious! The only thing that was missing was a glass of cold white wine. :)

Kyoto is lovely

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 16:52:00 +0000

On Monday we took Shinkansen to Kyoto. It was not the first time I took the same train. I could easily see myself living both in Tokyo and in Kyoto. And probably anywhere else in Japan, too. These two cities are just the only ones I know. The highlight of this trip to Kyoto was probably seeing Kinkaku-ji temple i.e. Golden Pavilion Temple or visiting the Ito Jakuchu exhibition. The man must have been a genious!
On June 1 we flew back to Helsinki.

In Tokyo!

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Mon, 28 May 2007 16:38:00 +0000

On Thursday 24th I took off for Japan for a work-related trip, although I must say, our timetable is not super busy... :) The first 3 days I spent in
Tokyo. It is definitely one of my favourite cities! And Japan in general is great. In my opinion, Japan and Brazil are the coolest countries in the world. This was my second time in Tokyo (and in Japan). Last year in February I was there with Riksu (who was by the way quite jealous of me for getting to go back!).

PS. Check out the video: descending from Tokyo Tower

Bolivian rams

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Sun, 13 May 2007 16:31:00 +0000

I am anxious for my Bolivian rams to pair up and start making babies. However, I believe that the chances for the offspring to survive with all the other fish are slim...

Ruotsi sujuu

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Tue, 08 May 2007 12:52:00 +0000

Samojen kamojen joukosta kuin Snoopykin, löytyi myös vanha "päiväkirjani". Olen kirjoittanut tämän kyseisen tekstin arviolta 5–6-vuotiaana sen jälkeen, kun ollaan oltu kylässä pikkuveljeni Juhon kummeilla, joiden lapset puhuivat pelkkää ruotsia. Äkkiä sitä oppii, kun on pakko. :)

My Snoopy

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Tue, 08 May 2007 11:43:00 +0000

I had to organize some old boxes full of stuff from my childhood. I found my dear Snoopy and lots of clothes I had made for her (yes, it's a her). :)

Small leaves and strange candy

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Fri, 04 May 2007 15:36:00 +0000

It seems that we are finally getting leaves on trees. It gives you hope that the summer will be here eventually. :)
Although I am a big fan of both salmiakki and chocolate, I don't see the point of putting them together. Well, somebody thought of it anyway, and today I got to taste this strange combination.

Vappu!

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Tue, 01 May 2007 18:21:00 +0000

Time to celebrate Vappu! It must be different in all countries, but at least in Finland it is a milestone on the journey from spring to summer, and according to students the most fun holiday all year. Riksu is not a big fan of Vappu, so this year (like previous years) I spent it with my friends in Helsinki.

Fish news (good and bad)

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 11:40:00 +0000

I have good and bad fish news. I'll tell the bad news first: I have lost my first fish in this tank. One of the ten Flame tetras had been in a bad shape for a while already, and today in the morning I found the corps. No new fish or plant has been introduced to the tank since when the Otos arrived in the beginning of February, so the reason for his death should not be a decease that is infectious but something that just happened to this specific fish.
Then the good news: It seams that my Bolivian rams have reached their adulthood. This means that there's a chance for babies! :)

Check out also the new video on my bristlenose pleco Rousku.

Pelottavaa yhdennäköisyyttä

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 18:08:00 +0000

Löytyipä eräästä blogista vähän pelottavia kuvia...
Ja kuka sanoo, ettei telkkarista ja muista tuuteista tulvivalla kuvastolla ole merkitystä ihmisen kehitykselle?
T: Tyttö, joka ei saanut kattoa Ritari ässää

Teekkarilakki

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 12:35:00 +0000

Tasi-isäni teekkarilakki on hiukka erivärinen kuin omani. Kaikki kellastuminen ei johtune ajasta, vaan ennen jotain tiettyä vuotta materiaali vain oli sellaista, että se helpommin kellastui. Noh, kun isä ei ole enää lakkia pitämässä, annan vappuna lakin Tasin pikkuveljelle Timpalle, joka omana teekkariaikanaan oli jonkin sortin radikaali eikä hankkinut omaa lakkia.
PS. Huomasin muuten, että olen isääni isopäisempi, kun sovittelin lakkeja.

Good old Zander

noreply@blogger.com (Pia Helminen) — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 16:24:00 +0000

Riksu and I have pretty different diets when it comes to eating vegetables, meat, or dairy products. But with fish we find common ground. Today we cooked a simple but delicious meal: salad with parmigiano, mashed potatoes, and zander.
Similar dishes in earlier posts:
02.09.2006
14.10.2006
What can I say – I love fish!