Pia's blog

The Rolling Stones!!!

2007-08-01T23:37:00.000+03:00

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

2007-07-28T13:29:00.000+03:00

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!!

2007-07-28T10:23:00.000+03:00

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

2007-07-25T21:55:00.000+03:00

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

2007-07-22T12:47:00.000+03:00

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.)

The perfect summer day

2007-07-17T20:59:00.000+03:00

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.

Regular summer weather...

2007-07-18T14:10:00.000+03:00

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 Who rocks!

2007-07-09T23:25:00.000+03:00

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!

California dreamin'

2007-06-10T21:26:00.000+03:00

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

Paluu pulpettiin

2007-06-21T20:28:00.000+03:00

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. :)

Denmark and back

2007-06-28T21:55:00.000+03:00

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.

Lemmings are back!

2007-07-06T12:56:00.000+03:00

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

In Tokyo!

2007-05-28T19:38:00.000+03:00

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

Kyoto is lovely

2007-06-01T19:52:00.000+03:00

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.

Sushi for the pain

2007-06-18T22:59:00.000+03:00

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.

Fried vendace for lunch

2007-06-02T14:20:00.000+03:00

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. :)

Ruotsi sujuu

2007-05-08T15:52:00.000+03:00

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 birthday in Dublin

2007-01-20T22:41:00.000+02:00

Dublin is great, although it rains every fifteen minutes, and sudden gusts of wind feel like they are going to rip your hair off... Lots of Irish Pubs. But I believe they call them just pubs here in Ireland. :) 5 of us are staying in an apartment we rented from Ellis Quay Apartments. It's only a walking distance from the centre, and roomy and clean, and
recommendable. Hmmm... and yes, today I turn 29. I have decided that I will stay 29 from now on. :)

Bolivian rams

2007-05-13T19:31:00.000+03:00

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...

In Oulu

2007-03-10T23:43:00.000+02:00

This weekend we are in Oulu. Riksu and I arrived on Friday night and my brother Juho today in the afternoon.
I spent lovely 3 hours with Marja, with whom not 3 or 30 hours is ever enough, because we always engage ourselves in a never-ending discussion.
In the evening Riksu, Juho and I went to JP's and then headed to the centre to enjoy the night-life. The night-life scene in Oulu has not changed much for a few years, so we went to our regular spots Never grow old and 45.

My Snoopy

2007-05-08T14:43:00.000+03:00

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

2007-05-04T18:36:00.000+03:00

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!

2007-05-01T21:21:00.000+03:00

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)

2007-04-28T14:40:00.000+03:00

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.

The beginning of my weekend at home alone

2007-01-26T14:24:00.000+02:00

Tonight is the beginning of my weekend at home alone. I've been waiting for this for a while, as I don't get the apartment all for myself often. As much as I love to share my home and life with Riksu, I sometimes need to be alone. I might invite a friend over, but let's see. Anyway, I will not be completely alone, since I have my dear fishes keeping me company. One of them is posing on today's photos. And there's a video of my Flame tetras, too... :)