beijing - part 2

Beijing is under construction. They are building everywhere - new things and touching up old things - houses, roads, shopping malls, well you name it... A lot has changed since I visited the city last (5,5 years ago) and the city has grown... (the city is of the same size as Belgium - a whole country... crazy... and around 16 million people live there). And more or less all is because of the coming Olympics. Pretty incredible.

However, regardless of all
the big new things, some of
the old Hutongs are still there.
A different world, like a little city,
both old and poor, within the city.
Interesting to walk from
contrast to contrast.

And even though there are so many tourists around, you get stared at like you were the first white person they ever saw at times... And you get approached for photos like you were some kind of rock star... Funny! But if a photo will make someone happy, who the hell am I to decline...

beijing - part 1

It was the head of a tired but very happy foreign babe that hit that pillow back in HK again last night. Tired and happy because of 4 outstandingly great days in the capital of China! I mean it, you can't have 4 better days than we just had...

Perfect weather (warm and sunny, hardly any clouds in the sky), good hotel, yummy food (Chinese, Arabic, Finnish and Vietnamese), great company (thanks Tiina - what would my life here be without you...., and thanks Janne for taking us two girls around, showing us all the good food spots and most of all for being you. Really regard you as a dear, dear friend of mine.) and of course BEAUTIFUL sights!


The Temple of Heaven - so big and so much more than "just" a temple. And I can see him in front of me. The emperor - surrounded by his people - all in amazingly colourful robes, praying for good harvest and walking on the same marble stones as I do now, between the different buildings on this historical ground.



The Great Wall - it's history and grandness knocks you off your feet, and it's simplistic beauty together with it's lush green mountainous surroundings leaves you breathless.














The Summer Palace - the colours on these amazingly detailed buildings, the tranquillity of the garden of harmony and the calm water of the cooling lake - water always enhances a places' beauty, and this place is no exception...


















The Forbidden City - again, the colours, the grandness, the detailed simplicity, the history - all those feet that have walked there before me, and all those feet that will walk there after me....


Amazing.

days off

We're busy busy at work. Peak season has started, toys have to get ready for Santa, which means that not only am I doing long days at work (10-12 hours) but I have also been humming different x-mas songs for the last month...(now that's too early, it's only May, but I just can't help myself...).

Luckily I'm getting a break from this madness though. It's Buddha's birthday tomorrow, (happy birthday) so we have the day off. And Tiina and I have taken Friday off as well. So tomorrow morning this foreign babe and her hustling Finnish friend are taking off to Beijing!!

I will let you know all about it.
But for now, over and out.

love struck

What do you do when love strucks hard?
You have to have, so you buy!


Shoes and handbags that now are loved by me and also live with me are the following:


Lovely flowery summer bag from BOSS Orange and sweet brown/pink shoes from Anne-Valerie Hash.


Grey gorgeous bag from VanessaBruno and and cool black shoes with bling bling skull from Pedro Garcia.


Love is a beautiful thing...

tropical spring party

Well, I didn't get drunk but I had a great time!

And it was tropical alright; heavy rain showers, pineapples, palm tree earrings, sunglasses and lots of pool time (more or less everyone got thrown in, including me...).

However, they say pictures say more than words, so here it comes:

The pictures are showing, Tiina, Annie, Ben and me.

tropical friday

Am off to a Tropical Spring Party tonight.
Promise a report tomorrow.
And it will most likely say, great party, got drunk and had fun.
Later...

too fast

Weekends really go too fast.
A Saturday by the pool.
A Saturday night out and about consisting of a warm up with vanilla vodka at home with Tiina, a crashed birthday party at Cru (with new fun people to meet and talk to and more alcoholic drinks), and continued partying with newly made friends in VIP section of popular club until 5 in the morning.
A (slightly hung over but lovely) Sunday on the beach with Ben, Tiina and Juuse.
And then it's all over...