Back to basics

Sorry guys it's been a while. I needed to sort out my living arrangements and other important stuff. Get my training back on track. Hopefully going back to krav maga next week as well.
Got a new job before going to Bali. I will work in an Italian restaurant for now. I really miss my old job in Melbourne tho'.

A lot of people have been asking me why I left my previous job, not like I wanted to. When I was in Melbourne I was doing house sitting and got to live in a nice house, close to the city
for free. My house sitting gig ended just before my trip to Gold Coast and I've only got 4 weeks in between before I go to Bali. I would have to buy flights back to Melbourne
and arrange accommodation for 4 weeks and then get back to Sydney all in 4 weeks. So I decided it's smarter and cheaper to stay in Sydney for those 4 weeks and go straight to Bali
and after that I can go back to Melbourne, maybe they'll even hire me back or go somewhere new. The world is open.

Anyway, when all that is explained, let me tell you guys about rest of my stay on the Gold Coast.

So, I spent a day in Brisbane. Too bad for me, the weather wasn't too good and it was raining the whole day in Brisbane. I didn't have an umbrella so didn't really do much sight seeing.
We drove around the city, went to the DFO and had a good dinner. And that's about it.
I reckon Brisbane was really similar to Sydney and sometimes I actually thought I was in Sydney. Oh well, I'll take a better look next time.
Sunday morning we went to do whale watching. So exciting! I've never seen whales. There's no big fish or mammals in the Baltic sea.
Yeah didn't really see much. I saw 2 whales when they surfaced for few seconds. And I saw heaps of dolphins. Not disappointed but I expected more.

I've had some of the best seafood in Sydney, and I mean really good food. I've also tried heaps of new food in Australia and fallen in love with lobster.
After whale watching we went to a seafood restaurant in the same harbor, the plate looked great but was the worst one I've had so far. Such a disappointment.
Rest of the day we spent by the hotel pool, even though it was cloudy. I could get used to this. Nobody has a pool in Finland, mainly cause usually summer is short and cool.

Monday I decided to try indoor skydiving! My best friend was supposed to do it too, but they didn't have a guy working that day that could've been his safety man.
So yeah, I was mainly scared not excited when I found out I had to do it by myself. It got 2 flights, both for 4 minutes. On my first flight My whole body was shaking and at first
it was hard to breathe. I have to admit it felt unpleasant. Second flight was better but it was really hard to concentrate on what the safety guy was trying to tell me. I also did a high fly
all the way to the roof. I'm terrified of heights but it was great. I think I did alright. But I definitely recommend, it was great and I want to try it again!
We also wen't to the Ripley's museum and I found a guy who's finally tall enough for me.
I'm 180 cm ;)

Baby face vol 10000

And last but not least, one of the best burgers I've had in Australia:

Now I'm just going to enjoy the next 4 weeks in Sydney and then go to Bali to see my big brother! Can't wait. I miss him so much.

My Birthday night(s) in the gold coast

7 Weeks in Melbourne went quicker than I never thought.  It probably has something to do with the fact that all I pretty much did was worked. I really do love Melbourne and I can easily say I prefer it over Sydney. I'll definitely be back one day. But I got to keep moving and my current location is Gold coast, QLD. What a place.

We flew here 18th of October with my best friend. My first thought was that it looks really similar to other cities in Australia I've been in. But in the daylight I saw so much more. It really is a paradise. At least my idea of a paradise.

Palm trees everywhere and lagoons and crystal clear water. So much to do and see.

Thursday, 19th of October was by birthday. I always put massive expectations on my birthday cause I want it to be perfect. The day after made me realize that that’s my way of ruining it. To expect too much. Nothing feels good enough in a way I guess. Don't get me wrong, Thursday was a great day but I reckon Friday was even better cause I wasn't stressing about it.

On Thursday I had pancakes for breakfast, went to get a haircut (summer hair!) and then we went to sea world. It was great and definitely not just for kids! It was such a cool place with all the cute animals and amazing things to do. For example I pat a stingray, sea cucumber and a starfish, took a boat ride above water filled with sharks, rays and turtles and made friends with SpongeBob and his crew.

After lunch I wanted to pamper my self a little bit and since we are staying in a spa hotel I got an hour deep tissue massage. I used to get massages regularly but now it had been over a year since I last got one. It was so worth it. Only thing is I got so tired I couldn’t get myself moving after. Finally we had a birthday mud cake in the hotel room and the day turned out to be perfect. I was stressing out that I NEED to go out and get dressed up cause it's my birthday and I felt like something was missing. But now realizing it was only cause of my expectations.

Friday we were supposed to go snorkeling. I was really excited about it since I've never snorkeled before, but they cancelled it. So we decided to go to the Q1 sky point observation deck right next to our hotel. Didn't think much of the idea but It was amazing. What a view! I reckon you can see the whole GC from there. We ended up having breakfast there and it was the best view I've ever had eating anything.

And finally it was a great weather 26c and sunny so we went to the beach. My absolute favourite place in the world. For now. We spent at least 5 hrs there, swimming and tanning. I've been waiting for this for the last 5 months. Seriously. My dear ausssie friend is really white and I told him to put on 50spf sunscreen but he refused and said he wants to get a good tan.. Yeah, he burned bad. I've got a pretty good skin tone and I rarely burn. I did. I was using this new The Fox Tan product which is supposed to make tanning faster and darker. Only burned in the parts I used it on.

Later we did a 45min workout at the hotel gym and had sick dinner at the hotel restaurant. The place had 4.4 ratings and I'm not surprised.

Last but not least my ''Australian Finns'' group gave me a hint about a candy store nearby that sells actual Finnish lollies. Best shop hands down! They had REAL salt licorice (salmiakki) and all my favorites. To any Finns in Australia, it's the place to go. The shop is called ''all sorts of sweets'' and the address is: Shop 227 Paradise center, Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217.

No more cravings. You are welcome.

As I'm writing this, we are on our way to Brisbane. Fun! I'll keep you updated.

Oh, October

Autumn. My favourite time of the year. Or used to be.

It’s when it’s still nice outside but you get to wear boots and a thin wool coat. 

You get to wear a matching scarf and mittens. I’d wear burgundy. It’s my autumn colour.

I miss the fresh air. You breathe it in and you feel the winter coming. 

It’s hard to describe how good the air feels. Just for a moment. A month maybe.

When the nature is slowly falling asleep. And after the first snow. Everything’s so beautiful.

Autumn is when the days get shorter and darker. You Prepare yourself for the cold and snow. Drink some hot chocolate and get cosy under the warm blankets. Some people might even put up some Christmas lights to brighten up their days.

Finally, there’s Halloween, Beauty& Health exhibition in Helsinki Exhibition centre and my birthday. I’ve attended to the exhibition for the last 6 years. This year I’m going to miss it.

I’m a beautician. In Finland I was working for myself as a beauty therapist and nail- and lash technician. As a professional I got an invitation & ticket to this exhibition via email. It really made me want to attend. It’s really like an autumn tradition. What can I say, I miss traditions. 

I’ve never been a Christmas person either, but I’m pretty sure this year I’m going to miss Christmas too.  

I don’t like the winter part though.

A year ago, we took these pictures with my best friend Charlotta. It was the first snow and it was beautiful outside.  Check out Charlotta's beauty blog: charlottaeve

In Australia it’s quite the opposite. It’s spring time here. I love it! After a short rainy and chilly winter, the weather is finally getting warmer. For the first time, my birthday is going to be at spring. I can’t wait for summer. I’ve got lots of things planned.

I’ve been working heaps and since we have the rooftop bar, sunny days are very popular. It’s been super busy at work and for a good reason. Summer is almost here.

I’ve fallen for Melbourne. Hard. It’s vibrant and beautiful and makes me calm.

Last weekend here was beautiful. The temperature was from 22 to 24 degrees.

Lucky me, my best friend was visiting me and we went to the Brighton beach. I saw the famous beach huts and got some sun. We also visited St. Kilda beach, I’ve seen it many times before but never get sick of it. What an amazing weekend.

''Wild is my favourite colour''

On beautiful sunny days, I used to always feel guilty in Finland if I didn’t go out on that day. It always felt like a day wasted. I still feel that, and I always force myself to go out like I’m afraid Australia is going to run out of sun. In Finland summer is only for 3 months and we rarely get weeks of good weather. That’s why I still have the mentality to make the best of good days I guess.

Can’t wait to sun bathe every day. Lucky me I’m going to the gold coast on the 18^th.  

Instagram: pinjaelisa