What Do You Think? The FB Page Idea Itself And The Pic? Should I Create A Community Page Orrrr Something

A month ago did a day trip to Berlengas Islands, 10-15km off Portuguese Coast and the city of Peniche (90km from Lisboa). Only one of them big enough to have a harbour is habitable. The paradise for sun bathing, scuba diving, seagulls.. There were tourists but it wasn’t covered with them which was super nice. The island has a hostel in the old fort but not so many proper restaurants. A small boat trip about the caves was super interesting. Such a paradise!  Took like 1000 photos in one day, here comes the first part. 

Differences

Small talk and friendliness

In general Finns don’t do it, mainly because we suck at it. The small talk québecois isn’t as aggressive as in English speaking Canada but still I find it weird how people, totally strangers to me, ask me how I am…what is it to you? And especially when the automatic answer is always “good” and in the end people don’t give a damn how you’re really doing. It just feels waste of time and energy for me.

Small talk creates the image of people being friendlier but like I said I feel it’s very shallow. It’s not that Finns cannot be friendly or helpful too but people consider one’s “personal space” physically and emotionally bigger I guess.  That’s why we keep it on general level until we’re actually some sort acquaintances at least.

(Pic from montrealinpictures.com)

Drugs

I’m one of those rare people who’ve never used them. Call me boring but that’s my decision and I don’t judge those who do them but I have absolutely no desire to use drugs myself. In Finland the closest I’ve got to them is hearing an old class mate dying for an overdose. No one’s even offered or tried to sell me anything.

In here, on the other hand, they’re everywhere. Especially marijuana. You could even smell it in the air while attending events or just by walking in the streets. Or I could anyway. And people are so open about it. Super weird, I say.

Winter life

Finns seem to be like bears who go to sleep for the winter time and wake up when the spring arrives. Apart from the holidays like Christmas season and New Year's. Here, on the other hand, people don’t let the cold stop them for going out or arranging events. Super cool, I say.

(Igloofest, one of the coolest events in the city)

Restaurant culture

They say that Mtl has more restaurants than any other city in North America. I could even add to that the industry is blooming over here. All the famous cuisines of the world are represented and there are lots of small, cozy, special pubs, cafes and restaurants all over the city. For the staff, tipping seems to make the working in the industry worthwhile.

In Finland, thanks to our laws and regulations even having your own restaurant is quite difficult and expensive. Especially when the majority of Finns don’t wanna pay for a good service or diversity of products. Tipping isn’t mandatory even though you might bump into some rare Finnish customers who actually recognize a good service when they see it and reward the staff for it. Surprisingly self service is quite in common.

(Almost legendary Café Olimpico in Mile End)

Homeless people

Thanks to the Finnish social security system we don’t’ have much homeless people. Not where I come from anyway. In Helsinki there are some. But even still they aren’t as aggressive or visible part of the scenery.

Here they’re natural part of the cityscape. It took some time to get used to them. Haven’t given any money to any of them so far cause I still feel like I’d be supporting their choice not to work and to beg for their living. Even though I understand that things don’t work the same way here as they do back home and that some people probably haven’t ended up there by a choice.  

Garbage system

Found this incredibly weird in the beginning. You just dump all the stuff on the streets which can include anything from furniture to..anything really. In Finland we use those big garbage bins (each house, building has its own) and it’s not okay to leave your old couch or a dishwasher next to it. That’s what landfills have been made for. But being quite expensive in Finland, has made the dumping in the woods –option, very popular. Unfortunately.

I would be willing to pay more taxes if we’d have the similar system in Finland too. At least people wouldn’t feel the need to dump their carbage in the nature.

Alcohol

People can drink and party hard here too. Apart from a few drunks at the subway, the number of people vomiting or passing out in the streets because they’ve had one too many is still zero so far. Unlike in Finland where the consumption of alcohol and the problems caused by it are present everywhere you go.

Sauna

Most of the spas seem to have a sauna and even some gyms but it doesn’t have the status of being part of almost every day life like in Finland. Haven’t dared to try one yet here. 

Costa da Caparica, at the western coast of Setúbal and a somewhat an hour drive from Lisbon is a super popular beach destination among normal beach-goers but especially surfers. The beach line 30 km long making it the longest contiguous one in Portugal. Not the summer weather yet when I visited there for the first time in May but will be back now that the summer has arrived in Portugal!  

5 habits I've picked up during my Lisbon years

These are the biggest life changing habits I've picked up during my seven Lisbon years.

They come in no specific order.

Vegetarian diet

Not my pic.

Not that Portuguese cuisine is known for its vegetarian dishes (because it has none!) but my view on food and cooking have changed while spending my 30's in Lisbon (or it's the old age hehe). Good flavors are rather a simple thing and a lot can be done with fresh and good ingredients without complex procedures.

When still living in Finland I didn't enjoy cooking that much or know exactly how to use the best out of the ingredients I had in my reach. Finnish grocery stores are filled with overproduced and ready-to-go meal options which I also indulged greatly. Finnish cuisine is also rather meat focused which I have stepped away from a bit during my years abroad even though I still enjoy a good steak every now and then.

Portuguese supermercardos on the other hand differ quite a lot - many things can be found fresh and locally produced (except cod because that they actually get from Norway). Instead of e-code filled spice mixes you don't need much else to highlight the natural flavors except salt, pepper, lemon and olive oil. This has changed my way of seeing and consume food tremendously.

Nowadays my social media feed is filled with Mediterranean style vegetarian recipes and I've taken on such things as herbs, onions, garlic, olive oil, arugula and fresh vegetables to my daily diet. I take advantage of seasonal products such as pomegranate, watermelon, mint to bring variety to my plate.

Fun fact is that I've also learned to eat oats, berries + cottage cheese in here which all have been part of Finnish classical diet forever but which I used to hate when living back home.

I'm more human

Not my pic.

Things don't always work and not especially here in Portugal. Systems crash, procedures fail and so do people. You cannot be in a hurry while living in this city or schedule no more than one bureaucrat procedure on your weekly agenda. And that one thing takes the entire day often! Portuguese people and culture still embrace old fashion lifestyle in many ways. Many things still run with pen and paper here and developments come in practice slowly. It's human that mistakes take place and that things might not be easy on the first try.

On a different side of the coin however, elderly, pregnant women or people with small kids or injuries often get priority in groceries and other places. Or you might be passed by the queue because you only have one item in your shopping basket when the person in front of you is buying for a family of six. There's humanity in everyday counters. I'm not saying that not being able to trust the process is entirely stress free but I do enjoy the more human side of things. Life is more merciful, my flaws don't make me and I demand less from myself and those around me.

Traditional = more simple life?

Not my pic.

I'm not saying that everything is about money or that you wouldn't need it but when you don't have much of it you tend to prioritize the real things in life.

The essential part of Portuguese everyday life routine is the meals, family and relationships in general. Yes, we all have to go to work but it doesn't become us. During free time people read books, exercise, go to the beach or play football - some of these being perhaps the essential parts of a Portuguese (or even of South European) lifestyle. These off-screen activities embrace social relationships, healthy and in my opinion more equal lifestyle where one's background with money or success doesn't matter.

This a far cry how I remember the years lived in Finland. The society is very performance and success focused - whether it's from the financial wealth to meeting the social standards - life is measured with achievements, success. The standards are the same for everyone, every child, woman and man and pressures start to grow from a very young age on. Individuality feels criminal. It's about reaching the finish line with great scores instead of enjoying the journey and its benefits to you.

Portuguese salary is is still lower than an average EU-citizen's elsewhere in Europe. As mentioned this country is slow to develop, therefore people and the lifestyle have remained traditional in many ways. Despite of the recent years' tourism boom that has brought along more pressure to provide things in a more modern manner. However it's not super uncommon to step into a store that only accepts cash, or to a Portuguese kitchen that has changed only a little during the last century. Life can be so simple.

Outdoor sports

Not my pic.

Funnily enough coming from the country of four seasons, thousands of lakes and forests that offer almost the same amount of possibilities to exercise all year round, I didn't learn to embrace outdoor sports before January 2020 - in Lisbon. I started running just before the covid shit storm, just in time when gyms and everything else shut down. There was nothing else than the empty streets and parks to conquer.

Funnily enough this new found lifestyle would suffer significantly if I ever moved to Finland (or any other Northern country with proper winters) because indoor, treadmill running doesn't do it for me. I'm in eternal love with the Portuguese weather because I can get around the rains or heat waves - the weather is not an obstacle for me!

Less productive

Not my pic.

I said these five things come in no particular order but it feels natural though to put this last. This is the result of all these four.

I don't feel pressured to do anything that I don't want to do. Whether it's to change jobs, to have a relationship, to travel, to exercise or eat healthy. I do all these things because I want to and if not, it's because I'm not feeling like it. I may be less productive and not where "I supposed to be at my age" - I can feel the judgement every time going home.. but the choices I've made during these seven years have felt truly mine and only mine.

Sometimes I do wonder if these changes and steps would have occurred if I had lived in Finland or somewhere else. Some maybe, others not.

So sad and shocked about what happened in Sweden....

🇸🇪💔🇸🇪

Best non-english tracks of ESC2020

I’m painfully aware that Eurovision 2020 is not happening due to ongoing COVID-19 situation. Getting over this grief will take a long time. But as i’m in love with many songs of this season and which cannot be used for ESC 2021 I intend to give respect to the artists as much as I can. So here are all the NON-ENGLISH tracks from this season. They appear in alphabetical order. 

BELARUS

VAL - Da Vidna (not confirmed if they will automatically go for ESC 2021)

CROATIA

DAMIR KEDZO - Divlji Vjetre (not confirmed if he will automatically go for ESC 2021)

ISRAEL (parts in English)

EDEN ALENE - Feker Libi (confirmed for ESC 2021) 

ITALY 

DIODATO - Fai Rumore (not confirmed if he will automatically go for ESC 2021) 

FRANCE (parts in English)

TOM LEEB - Mon Alliée / The Best In Me (not confirmed if he will automatically go for ESC 2021)

PORTUGAL

ELISA - Medo De Sentir (confirmed not going for ESC 2021)

SERBIA

HURRICANE - Hasta La Vista (not confirmed if they will automatically go for ESC 2021)

SLOVENIA

ANA SOKLIC - Voda (not confirmed if she will automatically go for ESC 2021)

SPAIN 

BLAS CANTÓ - Universo (confirmed for ESC 2021)

SWITZERLAND

GJON’S TEARS - Répondez-Moi (confirmed for ESC 2021)

UKRAINE

GO_A - Solovey (confirmed for ESC 2021)

It's not good-bye..

So I left Finland a week ago. (sorry about the delay btw.) And to be honest I thought that the leaving part would all be a routine thing by now since this is my third time I’m leaving for abroad to do more than just a holiday trip. I thought wrong. Yeah everybody cried and I cried – mainly because you lot did! But not for a moment I did regret of going.

I’ve never seen my parents so sad and worried though. And I did feel especially sad about leaving them behind.

In the middle of all the packing and leaving I was extremely grateful for the friends and family I have, who support me with this emotionally and financially.. after all. They may not understand why but they’re still standing by my side when I decide to do these grazy things of mine.

(Iceland)

About the trip itself. I guess everyone’s heard a bit of a bump on the road I had in Boston.

First of all I missed my connection flight to Toronto cause it took me forever to get through the customs (not with the actual authority thing but the standing in the lines thing) and I had only two hours for changing the terminal and the flight. And then I lost my other suitcase which I’m really sad about cause it had all my normal, everyday clothes. You cannot believe how difficult it is to force yourself to shopping!

And my Finnish flag was there! My Laura Pausini t-shirts were there! So much stuff I would have needed now. And also the bag itself! It was so good, ”Eastpak” it was and it was so practical, lighter and everything. And besides the the wheels in my pink luggage stopped working and…I do have to admit that at one point, I did think that I must be a madwoman for doing this Canada project of mine. But oh well, shit happens.. next time I definetely know better!!  This is all part of the fun eh?

(My grey and lost luggage and with that also my carrot body cream, my canadian guides and my last supper at work - french fries and goat cheese with devil's jam) 

Everything else went just fine no problems whatsoever, all the security thingies, dealing with the immigration office in Canada. And financially I didn’t loose a penny with all of this mess, the airline(s) paid the accommodation at the Hilton Hotel in Boston (I only slept there three hours but gotta brag right) and the new flight to Toronto. And everybody in Boston and in Toronto were really helpful and friendly all the time so can’t complain about that.  At least I’m safe and sound in Canada :) 

(The first time I saw Canada!) 

Porto randomness!  

UMK 2024 Song Review - Sexmane

The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Malmö continues!

Sexmane - MANIA

Max Scene aka Sexmane is currently the most streamed artist in Finland and also he has a connection to UMK. His little brother Isaac Scene competed in 2022 with Kuuma Jäbä.

Since releasing his debut album Sextape in 2019 he has been Emma awarded (Finnish Grammys) and he's managed to beat his previous successes with each release. He will no doubt have a lot of loyal young voters out there!

As a background info he and his brother grew up in a religious community where hymns were in and commercial music was not. He mentions this fairly often in the interviews so I believe it had an impact on his creativity and that he even ended up in the music industry.

MANIA is a song about mental health. "It's ok not to be ok" he says.

The song slaps you right at the face with MANIA. There's a lot of autotune in here from the very beginning and many have questioned if he can pull this through live. This is no basic pop tune you can put into a box within a certain genre. This is a hip hop / rap song with a heavy rock push. Music experts can peal this like an onion because it has plenty of layers to go around for all.

The song goes on smoothly having a strong pre-chorus and the anthemic MANIA is catchy and difficult to forget. I'm not a fan of rap music but I do enjoy listening to this even though my very first reaction was fear. The guitar solo at the end of the song is impressive and much needed add. The song ends with a scream.

Musically there's a strong pull towards our last ESC entry and a lot of people are criticizing of sending MANIA right after Cha Cha Cha (can anything be better?). In contrast to Käärijä's drinking party hit, there's some real pain and seriousness here. The beat is pushy and urges you to rush to act. And him desperately screaming in his pain and getting it out of his space - we see a lot of symbolism in the videoclip.

I kind of play with the idea of this winning because of the orange theme. In 2022 we had The Rasmus with Jezebel having a yellow staging, Käärijä last year obviously with his green effect, this would be a great continuity with the orange look.

What do you think of the second UMK24 track and would you vote for Sexmane to go all the way to Malmö? UMK final takes place on February 10th!

Part Deux: Another round of shots taken by me all over Helsinki. Obsessed with the waterfront, blackandwhite (they always look better, don’t they?) and flowers or any kind of hay. Got caught up by the storm, sunshine, following the duck and the lovely colours of autumn. And yes, filters used. One of these days I’ll get better at this and have courage to post my pics without them.