New country, new language, new job, new life... new blog!

From now on I will be writing in my new blog "Dream and Do"

http://lifeofdreamanddo.blogspot.com/

Cheers!

Update from Helsinki international airport

Just about to board the plane heading to Shanghai...

Change is great!  I am sincerely looking forward to new impressions and opportunities this trip will bring to me (and us).

Meanwhile have finished my studies, moved out from the Helsinki apartment and moved in to the new place in Tallinn, spent some rare quality time with my family in St. Petersburg and tried to find positive sides in everything that happens in my life...

Spring has come to Finland! Sun is shining, while I am finishing my thesis, and planning on graduating very soon. Proactively looking for a job. Have this feeling, that everything around me makes sense. Puzzle pieces form up into a bigger picture - it feels great!

Current mood: Smile to the world and the world will smile back to you!

Tallinn, Estonia

This weekend we managed to escape for a 24 hrs. break to Estonia. It takes only 2 hours by boat, and you are already in Tallinn - small and cozy city, with medieval old town in the heart of it. It is a nice place to spend a day or two, walk around narrow stone-paved streets, taste delicious local dishes in the restaurants located in the hundred-years-old buildings and just enjoy the atmosphere...

 Market square

View over Tallinn and Baltic sea

Traveling - bringing good memories back! - part 2

While I was struggling with mountains of scientific references for my thesis, my creative and supporting husband has made a second part of a movie about our Asian trip:
Motorbike trip through Asia - part 2
Something to cheer us up! :)))

Student life

This is how I spend Saturday afternoons since some weeks ago...  Looks a bit messy, but I tend to believe that it is under control! :)
One more week to go, then the biggest chunk of master's thesis is done!

Traveling - bringing good memories back!

Meanwhile my creative spouse has made a shot movie of our Asian motorbike journey from last December / January:
Motorbike journey Asia
It feels great, to watch videos we made and recall all those crazy adventures!

I haven't been posting recently, since my days are quite similar to one another (they have significant level of resemblance, as I would write now, being held captive by academic writing style ;)
I am reading, thinking and writing. It looks like I am well on the way to construct quite a neat conceptual model. Yeah, all fuss is about certain multinational corporations and standardization of management practices across borders. Currently in the process of writing and testing if my hypotheses are supported. Just have to learn fast how this program for statistics works ;)

Also do a lot of sports... I figured, if nobody wants to employ me, and if I am too indecisive to start my own long thought-about business-with-Russia-related consulting firm, I can always become instructor for BodyPump TM... somewhere that's sunny and warm :)

About a month ago, after I returned from my Asian journeys, I met this girl I knew from before... She was a doctoral student at one business school. I asked her how she was doing... She told me, that she was extremely stressed... because she couldn't come up with the research question. I had a wide internal smile, just because it sounded quite awkward to me, after all my life impressions from last months...
Now, one month later, I can state as fact, that I am extremely stressed ... because of the research question :)) I thought I had one, but now I decided to change it. Let's see, for better or for worse :)

It is just so funny to observe how our perception of reality changes given the circumstances... Well, this phase of "stressing-because-of-research-question" is not forever... But now I will continue reading more to build up a solid theoretical foundation for research question justification :)

If there is a door, and there is a key, and you know where is the key, why not to get it and open the door? I mean, if the only obstacle for finding an interesting job here is going to be my language skills, I will master them. Anyways, its a good and versatile training for my brain cells :)
Therefore, I brush up my Finnish. Reading, listening and talking... My encouraging spouse says that I am doing pretty well ;) Soon I am going to do my first job interview in Finnish... It's gonna be fun! :)

On Saturday morning I equipped myself with my Leica and intended to take some photos of beautiful wintery Helsinki. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, but temperature was over -20 C. Gosh, it was just too much. I couldn't sacrifice myself for the sake of art :) I'll have to wait for warmer days. Until then, here's Helsinki promotion card, courtesy of Liza Marklund and James Patterson, whoever they are :)

Started reading and almost finished novel "The Farewell Waltz" of one of my favorite writers - Milan Kundera. This is one of his early books from the beginning of 70-ies, his famous "Unbearable lightness of being" or "Immortality" were written years after...
And, as in all of his works, great language, interesting, simple and complex characters, multiple stories, laughter through tears, and eternal themes... Beautiful reading.

Sonia Rykiel for H&M

February 20th 2010 Sonia Rykiel will launch her "Queen of knit" collection in selected H&M stores. First was Karl Lagerfeld, then Stella McCartney, Roberto Cavalli, Madonna, Matthiew Williamson, Jimmy Choo... Then Sonia Rykiel introduced new lingerie line at the end of 2009, and now comes new funny knit wear collection.
What a great idea, to collaborate with designers and make fashion recognizable and affordable. And quite interesting, that all those designers are actually willing to cooperate with H&M, get publicity and make their name more known and recognizable...
And finally, it's not about price, but about style! ;)

 

 Photo: Nitrolicious, HM

Winter activities in Finland

Happy Chinese New Year! And Happy Valentine's Day!
Helsinki had it's own, although very small celebration of a Chinese New Year... Meanwhile we engaged ourselves in a winter sport activity named pulka, where sled called pulk is used to slide down the hill (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulk). It was good fun, despite the fact that now my tailbone feels somewhat sensitive :) Well... ice-skating should be next weekend's attempt! :)

 

  

 

Moving forward...

Started applying for jobs... Started proceeding with thesis... Restarted going to the gym... Restarted taking yoga classes... Those I take on Saturday mornings, they bring peace to my mind, and are great kick-off for the whole weekend! Got Bloomberg TV at home to be connected to the world business news... Reconnected with friends who returned from their journeys abroad...

But I feel something is missing... Maybe my traveler's spirit is waking up after two weeks "at home". Or maybe it is something else. Action and motion around? Maybe...  Someone called Europe "lazy cat" and Asia - "hungry tiger"... And to say the truth, Finland, and even its capital, Helsinki, is quite a sleepy hollow. They call Helsinki "provincial capital of Europe"... And there is much truth in it. It's actually quite a nice city, with many lovely corners, beautiful architecture, great sea views, stone-paved streets, small cozy cafes, designer shops, and in a way I like it here, but hey, I am a big city girl! :)

Now I have to finish something in order to start something new in my life. And it feels great and keeps me moving forward!

 

Helsinki seen from air balloon - summer 2009

 

Thesis

Now, after 1 week of weak attempts to read and write for the thesis, interrupted by numerous procrastination attacks and pleasant escape activities, I finally set up timetable and plan of action for this project. As I actually (almost) always boringly do for (almost) everything I do. So, 6th of April shall it be. 9 weeks and 1 day or 64 days to go until the draft submission deadline. Doable!

Looking for a job...

Went to a career fair yesterday. Looking for a job yeah. First question they all asked me was: "Do you speak Finnish?" Well, yes, some. I can manage if I really have to. I also speak three other languages on the level of mother tongue... But who cares? Of course, their clients want to speak Finnish... Back to the same point as 2 years ago when I just moved to Finland. On the other hand, it's just about finding a company which corporate language is English. Nokia. Nokia Siemens Networks. And maybe couple of others. Not too many to choose from. But I will make it anyway. Anyone out there wants to give a young prospective multilingual fast-learning soon-master-of-science graduate with multiple work experience in multiple countries a consultant job? :)

Movies - Broken Embraces

Today I went to see the last movie of one of my favorite directors Pedro Almodovar "Los Abrazos Rotos" / "Broken Embraces", with fabulous Penelope Cruz. Again, incredibly beautiful and emotional movie about love, passion, desire, jealousy, pain, death... So much tension in every minute of the movie, in every dialogue and every scene. Beautiful bright colors. Very Almodovar. And very much worth seeing: http://www.losabrazosrotos.com/

Catching up - Hong Kong

After spending few days in Shanghai, on January 11th we took a flight to Hong Kong. We stayed in a nice hotel in the mid-levels, which was just 10 min. walk from all those nice areas of the city - Soho, Central, Lan Kwai Fong...

View from hotel room

I loved this city. For me, it has everything I want from a city I would like to live in: lots of people of different nationalities and races, abundance of business opportunities and generally lots of business going on, developed infrastructure, and the fact that one doesn't have to be concerned with minor arrangements that make life more difficult. The sea - sea gives to any city such a different touch and undefinable spirit. Relative proximity to other places in the world - daily flights to all destinations of the planet. Dynamics and energy. I belong to those people who get energized or drown down by the surrounding. I feel much more alive in the cities like Hong Kong.

Mong Kok

I am sure there are many downsides as well. Something one can't grasp by spending 1,5 weeks in the city. But then again, no place is perfect. It's just about finding the one which suits best to you...


This is the final post of our Asia journey. Now I am back to Finland and in the next few months will have to chain myself to the desk and focus on thesis writing in order to complete my master studies. Probably news of the next months will be about the amount of articles I read or pages I wrote :) Anyhow, I promise myself to keep on rocking... I mean writing! There are plenty of interesting things to do also in Finland. Go skiing to Lapland. Visit Picasso exhibition in Helsinki Museum of Art. Go for a drink or two with friends. Simply enjoy every moment of life! Even if it is writing a thesis :)

Until then - stay tuned!

Giant Buddha in Hong Kong

Cable cars at Ngong Ping 360

Some good shopping down there :)

Catching up - Shanghai

On January 7th we took a flight from Hanoi to Shanghai, and the first thing we did after arriving to Shanghai, was to visit airport McDonalds :) Damn, those cheeseburgers tasted incredibly good! We were happy to arrive finally to a big and modern city :)

Shanghai was indeed very impressive. It's a huge city, and as long as one can drive, huge skyscrapers and office buildings interchange with modern residential estates and older small town houses.
Somehow old China is mixed with a new one, and once you turn from the main pedestrian street - Nanjing Road, you face old China - small houses with tiny shops and Chinese red paper lanterns crossing the narrow streets.

We went to take a walk in the People's Park - a local alternative to New York's Central Park. It was crowded. As well as streets of Shanghai - with people of different age, couples, families with small kids, just walking around, shopping, dining in the local restaurants.

We also went up the Oriental Pearl - the tower which is currently third tallest in the world. Shanghai as seen from 350 meters is indeed impressive: buildings, offices and houses as far as you can see. Many are under construction - city is developing very fast.

Generally spirit of the city was very energetic and cheered up. The only thing that struck us both, were the censorship issues. Not only we were unable to access certain websites, and even this blog page, which is part of the google services. Wikipedia articles on censorship were blocked as well, so we asked our friend to email them to us. It's actually quite daunting what's going on over there. But probably majority of the people don't even think about issues of freedom of speech etc.
We take those things for granted here in liberal Europe. But once you encounter something else, you question how is it actually to live in a country knowing that big brother is watching you...

Taking a ride in People's Park

Symbol of Expo 2010 Shanghai - looks like a blue tooth :)

Winter in Finland

On the weekend we drove to family ranch in Alavus, which is located 300 km to the North-West of Helsinki. It was so cold in the morning, over minus 20 C. But it was still very beautiful, those curvy roads and frozen trees, all covered with snow... I actually cannot recall to have experienced this kind of winter, when snow stays for such a long time, also in the city, since my childhood...

 

 

This is real winter

Catching up - Final thoughts on Vietnam

Back to Helsinki. It's freezing cold in here. But in a way I am glad to be back! Although, what a difference from all those countries I've been to in the past months... Will have to adjust myself to "back to reality"... Anyways, meanwhile I've put together some thoughts on Vietnam, Shanghai and Hong Kong - last destinations of our Asia journey.

Vietnam

Vietnam has left an ambiguous impression. It is in much better state than e.g. Cambodia, but it is still very much of a developing country. Bloomberg was recently giving advices on how to invest in Vietnam, due to its economic growth. Well, there is much room for it...

Saigon was dynamic and wild, and also modern, though definitely had all attributes of developing Asian city. Small cities on the cost line were quite interesting, although one of them reminded on some Soviet resort - red flags everywhere, huge hotels, empty restaurants and no people around. Maybe it was due to off-season.

Hanoi over New Year's Eve was truly weird. No single firework. Maybe they celebrate Chinese New Year in a more appropriate for a capital of a country way, but for the New Year's Eve they just shut down lights on the place, considered to be a center of the city: Hoan Kiem Lake. People were just walking around, and policemen were shouting something into their megaphones. They then just started push people away from the lake. I think it was the weirdest New Years Eve I ever had. But somehow it was still fun! :)

People in Vietnam were quite different depending on the location. In tourist places everyone wants to sell you something, and at some point it becomes quite annoying... Quite often you get a feeling they just want to rip you off... In more local places people treat you well, despite the fact you don't even speak their language. Then, once you stay in a place for couple of days, relationships start forming up, and people turn out to be very kind and warm. Once they stop seeing you only as wealthy foreigner with a dollar sign on a forehead, and recognize a person behind this sign, things change.

I don't know if I am coming back to Vietnam any time soon, but I believe it's still an interesting country to visit and experience.

More is still to come...

Everywhere in Vietnam...

Motorcycle diaries - Halong Bay and farewell from Vietnam

On January 2nd, after our bike arrived to Hanoi by train, we started driving to Halong Bay, and managed to get lost several times on the way, since road indications were merely non-existent. We both were covered with mud from passing trucks and busses. It was the first day, when fun of driving with a bike was very conditional - mud all over and freezing even in a warm bubble of winter jacket, hat, mask, glasses and gloves. I looked like I was going to conquer North pole and unite with polar bears and pinguins...

Next day we took a boat trip around Halong Bay: it's nature is very beautiful, with all those rocks in different shades of grey, foggy sea, floating fishermen's villages and wooden boats all around. The trip itself was very relaxing. Since currently it's off-season, many boats have only few travellers on board. We, for example, shared our boat with just one couple from the US.

Meanwhile we stayed for 2 more days in Halong Bay, trying to sell off the bike. We decided to end our bike odyssey in Vietnam and continue by plane to China and Hong Kong, since weather conditions are not very favourable, and we would probably have much trouble crossing over the Chinese border by bike. Selling the bike was indeed an experience. I think Ilkka has more to report than me, but myself was e.g. participating in bargaining with a brothel owner in Ha Long, a quite attractive young woman. Unfortunately, her offer was too low. She didn't get our bike :)

We didn't find a buyer in Halong, and headed back to Hanoi. Now our bike is in good hands, our pockets full of USD, and tomorrow we're flying over to Shanghai :) I am happy to leave this communist country with red flags all over the place, and head over to another one - but hopefully with a bit more of capitalism flair...