Month: January 2023

Bloganuary: I love my home but

MiaLeave a comment
outdoor mat
Photo by Kelly on Pexels.com

My home is in an ideal spot. I have a nice view, and it’s close to everything. I love my home, but the neighbours irritate me, like the one downstairs. She’s a smoker, and sometimes she has friends over. They can be on the balcony at 5 am and keep talking. It’s not nice at all. You can hear them speak out loud in the middle of the night. It’s not only downstairs. It’s in other flats too. Like one wasn’t enough. It feels like the walls are thin, but I think it’s the volume of their voice. At least it’s not all the time, though.

I have lived in my flat since 2005. My mother owned it, and I inherited it from her when she died. It’s nice to own a place of your own. It’s a very adult thing to have. I probably would live on rent if my mother hadn’t owned it. I don’t know if I’m gonna move any time soon. It’s for the view that I live for. Sometimes you can see a beautiful sky. The photos below are the view from my living room. It was taken early in the morning in 2015. The one on the left side was taken in May, and the one on the right, in April.

morninglight
Photo: ©️Mia Salminen 2015

You can see the view better in the 2nd photo. There are no tall buildings in the way, which makes the view to die for. I don’t know where I could find a view like that close to the downtown area. I have no reason to move anyway.

Bloganuary: What I am cooking

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spices on three spoons
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I can thank my late mother for teaching me how to cook and bake. As a child, I helped her in the kitchen and followed her cooking. It was always something simple, and sometimes we tried new recipes. That’s something I’ve continued with. The only thing I don’t like about cooking is the dirty dishes and the cleaning up afterwards. I don’t like making something that takes a long time to do. Sometimes I don’t bother to cook, so I buy something prepared from the store. During covid, I ordered in, and still do sometimes. Nothing beats a home-cooked meal, though. I don’t cook because I like it. I do it because a person has to eat. You can’t always eat store-bought.

I like making easy food, like different soups and sauces. Sometimes I use fresh vegetables, but recently they’ve been frozen. It’s easier that way and faster. It’s the washing and pealing that isn’t pleasant. It makes my hands dry with all that water. Different casseroles with potatoes are also easy to do in the oven. The principle is the same. It’s only the filling that is different. If I could choose, I like eating more than making it. But no one else is doing it, so I have to do it myself. Sometimes I eat vegan food, but I prefer buying it from the store. The only thing I made myself was vegetable soup. Once I made soup with a ground meat substitute, but it wasn’t as good as real meat. I could never become a vegan. It isn’t my thing, but I can eat it occasionally.

My favourite food is pizza and Chinese food. But I also like pasta bolognese. I make it without tomato paste, so it’s more like spaghetti and minced meat sauce. It’s fast and easy to do. If I go to a restaurant, it’s usually leaf steak or Wiener schnitzel. I don’t go to fast-food joints that often, but I’ve been to one last time I was in Helsinki. The only one I go to is McDonald’s. I’ve been to Burger King, but I only ordered chicken nuggets. I don’t like mayonnaise, so I’m cautious about where to eat hamburgers. McDonald’s is the only place I like, and it’s also a place I can afford to go to. All this food talk got my mouth watering, so I better go and eat that last chicken steak left.

Bloganuary: Happiest day of my life

MiaLeave a comment
happy day book
Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

I have had many happy days. The day when I finished elementary school. I couldn’t wait to get out of there. I was bored with school when I was 15. I’ve already been one extra year when I had to repeat 4th grade. I was also happy when the education in health studies ended. I didn’t want to be there in the first place, but I had to start somewhere. I was happy when I finished my two-year-old studies because I didn’t give up even if things weren’t always nice. I’ve been happy to leave jobs I didn’t like. I was happy to get elected to study at Helsinki Design School. I was happy to get a few job interviews even if I didn’t get picked. There were also happy days when I was a child and my sister was still alive. Life needs to have happy days, or life wouldn’t be enjoyable.

There is one day that beats every other happy day, and that was my birthday last year. I had been waiting for it for years, and then it finally happened. I saw Duran Duran in concert. It was a rainy day, but I enjoyed every moment. That was the happiest day of my life. Of course, it was also a happy day when I saw Robbie Williams in concert, but I didn’t have to wait for it for years like I did with Duran Duran. Since I saw the video of ‘The Reflex‘, I have wanted to see them in concert. They were supposed to be here earlier, but it was cancelled. So when it finally happened, and it was my birthday, I went. It was also the first time I lived in a hotel alone. I was lucky to have been quite close to the stage. It was a shame the weather wasn’t better, but when you finally get to see one of your favourite bands, it doesn’t matter. I got wet even if I had my raincoat on, but it was the happiest day of my life.

There will be more happy days this year. I’m going to three different concerts. The one I’m looking forward to most is the Take That concert. That’s a band I never saw in concert because my mother didn’t let me go. They are a trio now, so it won’t be the same, but they still sound great. That concert will be one of the happiest days of my life because one of my dreams will come true. It’s outdoors, the same place where the Duran Duran concert was. I’ll be close to the stage this time too. Hopefully. Let’s hope the weather will be better.