I saw them first

I'm just blogging to inform you about this wonderful thing: I got the shoes, the Vans Tory Buff Plaid trainers. They're all mine now!



On Friday I visited several stores in Helsinki that were selling Vans shoes (Thanks to Ossi for than information! You're always the greatest!), and even though the selection was definitely larger than in Sello, I couldn't find anything nicer than these trainers. The colors just work for me. I'm also very happy that I went to buy these shoes as soon as I realized that they're the nicest pair around. They only had one pair per size, and as I was determining my shoe size some girl kept staring at me. I guess she wanted these shoes on the same size too and waited for me to put them back on the rack so she could have them. I was lucky to get them before her. I can't wait for the spring now!

Papu is eagerly waiting for the spring too. Look, here she is chilling in the sun:



There are also some new Papu-videos for the hardcore fans on Youtube. For example this cute video of Papu eating lettuce:

How hawt are my new pants?

I don't usually start to crave things that I see online, but when I saw these pants on a Finnish DIY blog, Minä itte, I just had to have them. The bird pattern was simply too pretty to pass... and they were also available on a store close to us and with a very cheap price. I couldn't be more happier with my new pants. I wear them at home when I want to be comfortable, or outside under my jeans when I want to be warm.


Pretty, pretty birds

I went to shopping with J.R. today too, but I didn't find anything nice. I would love to have a more personal style, but shopping is the most difficult thing I know. I have no idea what suits me or how to mix and match. I'm completely clueless when it comes to clothes. I would need a stylist to overcome my wardrobe problem. Is anyone out there in the metropolitan area willing to go shopping with me? Seriously, I need help?

But I did find some nice shoes! I didn't buy them yet, but I'm totally considering it. I love pretty much all shoes by Vans, but they are quite hard to find from Espoo where I live. There is only one store close to us that has them occasionally, just some random models out of the blue, and today I was so thrilled when I found two different models of Vans trainers from there!


My first choice: Vans Tory Buff Plaid in green and blue

I know there are a wide selection of Vans shoes online, but somehow I'm not comfortable ordering stuff from abroad. I don't even know how to make my debit card to act like Visa, though I know it's possible. I would also like to be able to try the shoes on first, so I could only order shoe models that are available here anyway.

Now I'm just pondering whether I want to buy new spring shoes already or not. It's still a full winter here, so I might not be able to wear the shoes for months and then I might find something even nicer... but on the other hand I'm worried that when the spring actually comes, there might not be a single pair of Vans shoes for me to find! Should I just buy every pretty pair of Vans shoes when I find them?

At least the food was great

I was at a wedding last Saturday. It was depressing. The bride had five maid or honors. Five! According the story she had five equally good friends, so she couldn't pick just one. It made me think about my future wedding. I probably won't have a maid of honor at all, because all my closest friends are guys. I'm not sure if guys are willing to be maid of honors because everybody would probably automatically assume they're gay. I do have two sisters, though, but I'm not close with them either. I could pick any stranger from the street as well.

Also the idea of having a wedding party feels really distant. I don't feel connected with my relatives. In family gatherings no one usually pays attention to me. They talk to my parents and they talk to my sisters, but no one usually even asks me how I'm doing. It's like I don't exists. And I feel too shy and self-conscious when it comes to talking to older people. I don't want a big wedding because I'm horrified about the idea of having all these strange people "celebrating" my marriage.

Right now my ideal wedding would be something really simple. Maybe a short ceremony in a small church, with both of our families present, and maybe some closest friends too if they're willing to come. And then nothing. No reception. No party. Just a wedding trip to some place nice. I can't imagine anything else, because everything else would make me feel anxious, and I don't want to feel anxious on my "special day".

Maybe I change my mind when the day comes, or maybe I don't. We'll see.

Not for picnics only

In a recent Papu-video J.R. was seen with a basket and it raised some questions. Apparently it was quite funny to walk out with a basket in the middle of the winter, when there are definitely no picnics outside. But the basket is not for picnics, it's for grocery shopping.

Shopping basket is another environmental choice by us, though now you might wonder why we don't use canvas bags like everybody else. News for you: they're just not as handy. When you walk to a store, you have basically two options: You can pick one huge family-sized shopping cart or you can choose one big dirty (they're always dirty!) plastic basket. Not very appealing. But ha! We have our own perfectly sized clean shopping basket with us. And you walk out with the very same basket. Very convenient.



I got the basket from my mother as a birthday gift. She wanted to give me a really nice basket, because she knew that I wanted one, but she couldn't find one at the time. I don't mind, because I've been really happy with the one I got. The fabric lining is really nice. The basket was also filled with cheap groceries when she handed it to me. Those are obviously long gone.

I know that some of my friends don't actually see me as an environmental friend, and in some cases it can be quite true... For example I recycle paper and carton because the box where you put them is right outside, but not cans because they require a separate trip to the shopping mall's parking lot. It seems that I'm environmental friendly only when it saves money and doesn't take much effort. Do I still get to heaven?

And they were still on sale!

I bought new jeans on Friday, and by "new" I mean the exact same jeans I bought last time, and the time after that. The only difference is that these new jeans don't have holes in them and they are one size smaller. That's right: one size smaller!

I don't know when and how I have dropped the weight, but all the evidence speaks for it. On Thursday I tried on my old jeans, the jeans I couldn't fit in the last time I tried, but this time they fit perfectly. Absolutely perfectly. And then I realized that my current jeans weren't just "stretched" by all the heavy use, they were simply a bit too big for me.

There's just one problem with losing weight: it makes you want to lose more weight. And I try really hard not to think about my weight because I have had problems with that in the past. There's nothing worst than constantly obsess about your weight. Besides, I've been in a really healthy stage since I started to date with J.R. He cooks the food, puts it in my plate and then I eat it. I don't think about it. Without his care I'm sure I wouldn't be eating at all. It would be too difficult for me. Anyway.

I didn't plan to buy the same jeans again, though. I was going to buy myself something new, something nice to congratulate myself for the succesfull, subtle weight loss. I tried many jeans, but unfortunately the current fashion doesn't really go together wit my taste; most of the jeans were too skinny for my taste or they were too wide legged. I like jeans that are slim and straight... just like my old jeans.

So when J.R. brought me the jeans, I thought "why not". The definition of my style is "boring" anyway, so there is no reason not to buy the same clothes again and again. Why shock people with something new?