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| December 2021 in Tallinn, Estonia |
Mindset is where one finds a meme with 2022 sounding like ‘2020 too' painfully hilarious. Leaving all forms of apathy and other feelings aside I wanna highlight some of the absolutely undoubtedly awesome moments. They were there. A mash up of memorable moments and a travelogue. All in one. Delicious. I want to write more, shoot more, create more, share more… but I just end up eating delicious foods and watching sitcoms - very 2021, yup. (maybe very me in all years, but let’s blame it on the boogie) Chin up and onwards! (my crab walk is weak anyways) Here’s to some of the best from 2021!
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| Sarande, Albania |
ART
This list could be longer. Even though I constantly feel like I do nothing and see nothing and and and... but... I do see things... like quite a lot. And despite the amount of criticism and scepticism I also appreciate a big chunk of it. Big love.
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| Yyteri, Finland |
MUSIC
- Pesso - saw him at a free gig this summer in Helsinki and then started listening to his records. And yup, Spotify can confirm that he is the man of my listening life.
- Sepikka - another Finnish musician who got under my skin this year.
- Iisa - her live gig at Ääniwalli (Helsinki, Finland) on 24 July was the best gig of the year. It was also the first gig I saw in 2021. But it was this perfect summer eve with right vibes and cool crowd and all that which make an awesome gig experience - an experience that I sometimes suspect I won't be able to feel again, it has become so rare.
- Tapenight - a fun Russian band I saw at Tallinn Music Week on 2 Oct. Maybe I have a thing for people with rabbit-ear hats... sounds plausible.
- Jungle - stumbled upon their live performance on YouTube and well, must say that maybe one of non-Finnish artists that got some love on my playlist. (not counting the artists I have listened to a lot for years, e.g. James Blake)
I struggle listening to new music, new to me that is. Doesn't even have to be new as in released recently. It's been going on for a while... this, too, I blame on the boogie. Comfort music is my thing. Comfort everything. Objective fact: listened to 873 different artists in 2021 according to Spotify. So perhaps not all is lost (:
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| Rhododendron Park in Haaga, Helsinki, Finland |
VARIA
- Walking on the frozen sea (Helsinki, Finland) - the most amazing bizarre experience (especially when the fog came). Wanna do that again! It's like reaching the end of the World.
- Private visit to Korkeasaari Zoo (Helsinki, Finland). Imagine having a zoo all to yourself (and your friends, obv)?! Check. The upside (say what now) of restrictions.
- Going out for food and drinks and conversations. Outstandingly some of my favourite things to do. Maybe I cooked more myself in 2020, but for sure less in 2021.
- Vaccine. Three shots. Plus flu shot. I am like - no needles unless they're vaccine needles!
- The Rhododendron Park in Haaga (Helsinki, Finland)! Like fairy forest much!
- All the coastline and sea and birds and islands in Helsinki, kept me afloat.
- Theater: Rhinoceros (Noorsooteater)
- Theater: Lehman Brothers (Draamateater)
- TV: Ted Lasso
- TV: Schitt’s Creek
- TV: Barry (season 1)
I feel like I should also mention Morton's fries. And white pizzas (that are my new jam).
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| Butrint, Albania |
TRAVEL
As this was my last summer living in Helsinki I turned traveling in "my hoods" into the holiday master plan (hm, doesn't that sound more than it was). Places visited in Finland: Pori, Yyteri, Rauma, Loviisa, Strömfors, Fiskars, Kotka, Mathildedal, Tammisaari, Tampere.
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| Kotka |
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| Loviisa |
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| Strömfors |
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| Mathildedal |
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| Tammisaari |
And then there was this window of opportunity when international travel seemed like a safe bet. Took a plane first time since Fall 2019! A sunny holiday on Corfu, Greece in September (with a day trip to Albania). Places visited: Acharavi, Old Peritheia, Pantokrator, Kalami (The Durrells used to hang out there, too), Corfu Town, Kassiopi, Paleokastritsa, Sidari, Roda; in Albania: Butrint and Sarande. I went snorkelling for the first time in life - now my favourite ever escapist activity.
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| Roda |
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| Sidari |
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| Old Peritheia |
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| Paleokastritsa Monastery |
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| Kassiopi |
Ps. Looking back at other fabulous years (they're all so damn fabulous if wrapped up in a blog post) - maybe gratitude journals have a point after all, lol. Here they are: 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and travelogues: 2017, 2018, 2019. Please and thank you.
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