Working...working...working...

Hi everyone! I am super busy this week because I have to finish my very last assignment  for my school Friday. So I'm sorry, there isn't much news from this corner of the world for now.

I can't tell you how excited I'm to graduate this December! After almost seven years of studies in the university, it feels unreal that I don't ever have to read or write about something I don't like ever again. But I definitely think that university was good for me and gave me many opportunities work-wise as well as in life in general.

My Typical Weekend In Sydney

Hey guys! Since it turns out that my "typical day in Sydney" post pleased you very much, I thought I would also show you what nice things I do during the weekends. So here you go:

Zimba and I at Bark in the Park event. It was quite a large dog event in one of Sydney's parks (the Domain) and hundreds of dogs were groomed, pampered and participated in obstacle courses. I really enjoyed this although one thing bothered me as we left home. They had a competition where one lucky winner could get 1 000 AUD in prizes if they found a toy chicken wing hidden within the park. Obviously, we didn't find it even though we put a large effort on sniffing and looking into under garbage bins and water cups.....Bummer!

Zimba was lucky to get a free bath in the park! He was a bit worried of his new personal washer at first, but in the end very pleased with the final result and smell. He also met lots of new friends there and it was hard for him to sit down, relax and enjoy the beautiful day....

I was very happy to find these two baby dachshunds in the park. I miss my own baby so much right now but I still have seven more weeks to go before I will have him in my arms again. Not nice! 

We also went to check out the Opera Bar in Circular Quay. Even though it was a late Sunday evening and the weather was a bit chilly, the place was packed. The atmosphere was super relaxed, a live band was playing, and people were enjoying the views, their drinks and snacks. I heard it snowed in Finland this weekend so I really can't complain about my situation....Finland also voted this weekend and I'm very pleased with the result!  

I can totally recommend Opera Bar if you want to a have a chilaxed evening and be surrounded by an amazing view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House - not to mention the picturesque backdrop of the Sydney skyscrapers.

That's it! How was your weekend? Dites-moi! 

Sneak Peak At The Opera Bar

Hi everyone! It's Friday afternoon here in Sydney and we're going to the Opera Bar tonight. I've seen it already from the outside and boy.....it looked inviting... So here's a sneak peak what's waiting for me in a couple of hours.....I promise to share my own photos tomorrow!

Have a good weekend everybody! Bye!

Why To Drink Coconut Water?

I'm trying to give up drinking all those bad light soda drinks out there. I've been an avid user for many years and it makes me sick to think that they are loaded with additives which do bad nasty stuff to your teeth and health. In Finland, coconut water costs quite a lot but here this small Cocobella tetra pack is only 1,5 euros (1,9 AUS$). That is, of course because it's 100 % Australia owned.  

Coconut water is super good for you and not just some mambo jambo. It has more potassium than a banana and lots of calcium, sodium, magnesium and phosphorous which means that CW has 3 times more electrolytes than sport drinks and it contains zero fat, cholesterol and preservatives. That means it's super good for people who train and work out a lot!

My Carry-On Essentials For Long Flights

Very good morning everyone! It's yet another beautiful day here in Sydney and I have a lot of work to do. Before getting busy with my businesses, I would like to share with you my carry-on flying essentials.

When you know you will be traveling 33 hours and you are wondering what you should take onto the plane, I would recommend you to keep it simple. I flew from Helsinki to Sydney with two stops in Copenhagen and Singapore - a route which I by the way can recommend - and the total flight time was 32,5 hours. So first, make sure you have a good travel neck pillow with you, not the crappy ones they give you in the airplane (they will only make you angry), but something like this:

Secondly, I booked my seats as close as I could get to the front of the plane. Why you ask? This way you will be among the first people served and it will allow you to go sleep sooner. So, when you've eaten, had something to drink and made a quick visit to the bathroom, you can go to sleep. Put the earplugs and a sleeping mask on, take one sleeping pill and dig yourself under the blanket. If you're tired already, eye drops for tired eyes are very good, I use the mark called Visine.  

As I'm not 18-year-old anymore, I wore extra strong pantyhose during the whole trip. That's because I heard a nasty story about a girl my age who traveled from Australia to Finland and she had got some ugly varicose veins. Also, if you are sensitive to swelling, there are pills that make the swelling go down. I took one when I arrived to Sydney. 

This last carry-on essential was given to me by an always thoughtful friend A. When you are super tired it really helps a lot if you can squirt some fresh and cold spring water on your face. My tip for you is to keep it somewhere safe on the airplane's floor as it is the coldest place on the plane! 

So here you go, my flying essentials. If you want more tips for long flights, here are couple good sites: Flight Attendant Blog and Travellious.

Safe landings everyone!

What is the recommended sunscreen for Australia?

Hey there! It was a quite hot afternoon yesterday so I took our dog, my new Banana Boat sun tanning lotion and went out to enjoy the whether.

I'm not sure yet if SPF +15 is the right sunscreen for me. I don't get burned very easily but it still might be too light as Australia's new standard is +50... The sun radiation is a real risk here so this added level of protection may be crucial... I do not plan to get skin cancer or melanoma while I live here! 

I'm not so sure about the "water resistant" mark in the bottle. According to the Standards Australia the term ‘waterproof’ is misleading and not permitted. They say that sunscreens will wash off when immersed in water... Well, I'm not planning on jumping into the water now, so this has to do the job for now.

I will tell you later if +15 is not enough... Bye!

My Typical Day In Sydney

Hi everybody! One of you asked what my typical day here in Sydney is like. Well, I've been living here for almost a month and I think I'm now starting to have a daily routine. I usually wake up at 8 o'clock and take our dog Zimba out; before cuddling and kissing with him of course!

After an approximately 40 minute walk, we come back home and I give him breakfast and browse online news. For all the single girls out there, I just found an awesome new site which is all about trying to figure out why guys text in the evenings. The site was inspired by a Sex and the City movie. It's the scene where Louise (from St. Louis) is wondering why the guy she is dating texts her at 23:30... and then Carrie answers "Boo-tee"... Go check it out, it's hilarious! 

I start working at 10 am and continue til late in the evenings because of the time difference to Finland. I don't mind it because I love what I do. As I'm working as a freelance journalist, I have the privilege - as well as the responsibility - to make my own schedules. For me, working at home suits me very well. I have nothing against the jacket-suit-dress-code at work, but I feel my most creative in my pajamas hair all messed up. I can't reveal what I'm writing right now, but I'll keep you updated when my articles get published... 

Around 4 pm I take Simpulainen out again and start cooking dinner. While preparing the food, I might occasionally drink a beer. I've been introduced to some really good ones here. This one here is a low carb Skinny Blond Beer. Love it! 

In the evenings from 6 pm til 10 pm we like to read, watch movies or write our blogs. Sometimes we go for a walk here in the Rocks with our dog and enjoy some gelatissimo. I adore Italian ice cream and my tummy was super happy to find it Down Under...  

At 23 is time to say night night. I've been really really missing my baby. He's a miniature dachshund named Hercule who will join us in December. Right now he is enjoying the Finnish fall and is waiting for his trip to Australia at my aunt's place. I will introduce him to you guys as soon as he gets here! 

That's all folks! Bye! 

Sydney Harbour Bridge Walk

Hi! I wanna show to you the Sunday walk we did yesterday across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which is, along with the Sydney Opera House, the other twin landmark. This photo is taken above Cumberland Street in the Rocks. 

The Glenmore Hotel, which you can see in this photo, is located on 96 Cumberland Street and is definitely worth checking out; especially if you are a fan of cool rooftop terraces. We went there last Friday and it was packed. It's also a great spot to ponder the Sydney Opera House even though you can't see it from this picture.

But here it is..photographed from the bridge: The Sydney Opera House. My first memory of it comes from the Disney film I saw when I was younger called, Bernard & Bianca -The Rescuers Down Under. In the clip you can see the Opera House at minuet 1.30. 

Someone got bored of his old shoes. 

I love this flower. You can see them everywhere here. In Finland, where I come from, they cost something like 13 euros in the flower shops. 

Yummy!!!

Aussies love banana bread! You can see these being sold everywhere. I haven't had the chance to taste it yet...but maybe...I will bake one myself someday...

Lavender trees. Actually, you can smell the scent of lavender if you walk close by them. This photo is not from the Lavender Bay but very close by.

Our home is just behind the bridge. The Observatory Hill is next to the bridge and Circular Quay on the left.

Zimba and I under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

New Address!

Hello! As you can see, I have a new address. I felt that Blogger is a better template for my choice of language - that is English - to write my blog. The Rantapallo site which I was using, is all in Finnish. Anyway, without any further ado, welcome! If you wanna look at my old blog, here's the address: http://www.rantapallo.fi/vanitybeach/

Yesterday, we worked really hard to organize and to empty all the moving boxes. A very tough and time consuming job, but it's done now and our home is clean and box free again!

One of the reasons why I love big cities is that there's always something going on. Last night, we went to check out Art & About Sydney 2012 on George Street.

The street was packed and an awesome female DJ was playing cover songs with a trance touch. Unfortunately, we were quite tired from all the unpacking so mingling in the crowd didn't feel inviting. I guess the whole idea of Art & About was some kind of movable feast as there were little vans offering food for the city dwellers.

As the music was blasting and I could smell the tempting aroma of all those different foods, I just wanted to go sleep into those chairs. Instead, we kept walking and went to eat sushi to Sushi Hotaru. Actually, this restaurant deserves its own post but if you want seriously good sushi, go to SH.