Off to Rotto!

All the swimming gear, sunscreen and zinc paste (it comes in pink!) and bike helmets (in Australia you get a fine for riding a bike without a helmet) have been packed and we are so ready to go!

Rottnest Island is spontaneously calling our names for an overnight stay and I am excited! It has been over two years since my last visit and I can’t wait for two days of cycling around the island, swimming in crystal clear ocean water, feeding some quokkas (they look like a mixture of rats and mini-kangaroos) and eating some delicious seafood and just having a good time!

Despite of my (and many Perthinites’) love for Rottnest, I wouldn’t say it is the ultimate destination for everyone who visits Perth. Unfortunately, it is overpriced and some may consider it is even a little bit boring. However, I can guarantee that with a couple of good friends, swimwear and bikes it can be simply the best weekend getaway destination this continent has to offer!

Australia listens…

Australia has voted! The Hottest 100 is like the much cooler and younger little brother of the Eurovision song contest. And this year’s winner was…

1. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Thrift Shop

“I’m gonna pop some tags
Only got 20 dollars in my pocket
I, I, I’m hunting, lookin’ for a come-up
This is fucking awesome.”

Seems very un-Triple-J music to me but it is kinda catchy! I can almost see myself running along the river and listening to this!

2. Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks

The Icelandic band that is so extremely well loved by Aussies! By the way, am I the only one who thinks that they sound like they’re related to Angus & Julia Stone?!

3. Alt-J – Breezeblocks

After finding out the top 3 I’ve been feeling rather uncool. In a million years I wouldn’t have voted these songs (well, except for my Icelandic cousins’ song) to be the best songs of last year! Oh well, the people have voted! If you’re interested in what Australia is listening to, check out the complete list here!

 

Ps. Triple J is playing all the top 200 songs this weekend so stay tuned!

Aussie Day 2013!

Australian internet isn’t the most reliable one in the world… it definitely doesn’t work like a toilet on a train! Therefore I apologize for the delay but here they are… pictures from the very Australian Australia Day 2013!

2093 people floated on thongs at Cottesloe- new world record!

An Australian delicacy.


Who wants a Golden Gaytime?

Where are the Aussie flag mirror covers?

Even Kleenex boxes dressed up!

Very sparkly!

Perth City Skywork 2013!

And that was Aussie Day 2013 – a very laidback day in perfect weather! The only downside was the song that won Triple J’s Hottest 100 but I’ll come to that tomorrow!

Aussie Day

If you asked young Australians what is the best day of the year, I bet their answer would be 26th of January – also known as Australia Day!

It’s the Australian version of an independence day even when it’s nothing like that. It’s the day when Australia was “discovered” by the Brits. So what is Australia Day? Well, it is full of outdoor concerts, barbeques, fireworks, citizenship ceremonies, parties starting at 10 am (not joking) and festivals. And, of course, one can’t talk about Australia Day without mentioning Triple J’s Hottest 100 which is an amazingly popular whole day affair of listening to the past year’s most voted songs.

Stores have been full of Australia Day merchandise already ever since all Christmas merchandise was stocked away. It is very easy to find things as Australian flag mirror covers for your car, flags to put in your car, fake tattoos and all kinds of clothes with the flag… even Havaianas sell their popular thongs with a small Aussie flag around this time of the year!

Our plans for tomorrow include listening to the Hottest 100 (naturally – as everyone will be talking about it for the rest of the month), having a BBQ, eating some Lamington (a very Australian sponge cake), going to see the fireworks and naturally wearing my new singlet that fits the theme extremely well – I’ll be back with more about all that tomorrow!

Safe tan?

Especially when living here and wearing shorts and singlets nonstop, it sometimes bothers me that I look like I’m the captain of a boat carrying heaps of lime (and I mean the white hydrated one!)… but it doesn’t bother me so much that I’d even consider going to the beach to fry my skin as Australia is the world-leader in skin cancer statistics due to the extremely harsh sunlight and holes in the ozone… which is why we Scandies should go to extreme measures to protect our skin; there is absolutely no such thing as safe tan – tanned skin equals with damaged skin and, unfortunately, your skin won’t ever forget. Also, sunblock doesn’t equal with safe tanning – if you want to be safe, cover yourself with clothes – luckily this is pretty much what many Australians do when they go to the beach. Even I won’t go there anymore without at least my long-sleeved rashie and sometimes I also choose to wear boardshorts in the water. They don’t just protect from the sun but also from all stingers in the water!

I often hear complaints about how you can’t find sunscreen with a higher SPF than 30 in Australia. Well, you can… but here companies aren’t allowed to label them with a higher SPF; that’s why most sunscreens are labelled as 30+ – this is because it’s sometimes unsure how effective sunscreens really are (as it depends on e.g. how much you apply) and so that people wouldn’t get a false idea of being safe.  All in all, please don’t wear a lower SPF while on this continent. And stay far away from oils – you need UVA and UVB protection! A tan isn’t worth of getting skin cancer!

A rashie really doesn’t look that bad!

Well. Ok. What if you still want a tan? Self-tanners are safe, right? Well, not exactly.  At the moment there is confusion about whether it is safe to use self-tanning products – at the moment there are actually official warnings about self-tan-sprays because of inhaling the fumes. Also, for the first time, it seems unclear whether lotions are safe either – however, luckily (?), this applies only to the ones that include synthetic DHA.

DHA is the ingredient that creates the tan effect. Most self-tanners use a synthetic DHA which should be avoided. Luckily there are natural products that use DHA derived from natural ingredients. Ok, why choose the natural, often more expensive one? Because natural DHA reacts only to the amino acids in the dead top layers of skin and at the moment there is no certainty that the chemical-based self-tanners don’t go further. There has been discussion that because in chemical based products chemicals are often added to weaken the skin’s surface which is why the product will be absorbed into the bloodstream and… well, one doesn’t need to be a scientist to see that this is a very bad thing.

Just because of it’s rocking name… “How Now Brown Cow”-self-tanner.

Safer self-tanners include e.g. products from Lavera, Eco-Tan and MooGoo. But all in all, it’s important to read the ingredients list and avoid products with phenoxyethanol, propylene glycol, Parabens, FD&C colouring, fragrance and anything with PEG in the name.

Anyway, the lecture has finished! Safe tanning to all of you & love the skin you’re in!

 

Ps. don’t forget that sunshine also makes your skin look older… A 50-year-old Finn looks usually VERY different than a 50-year-old Australian lady!

Feather-baby

We got a new family member on the weekend…

Meet our baby-budgie! He was so scared when he first arrived and wouldn’t move at all for two days! Now he is already very social -  he chirps happily, lets us to touch him and eats only the white seeds and kicks brown ones out of his cage.

Next step is to teach him to talk! The only question is will he be a Finnish or English speaking budgie… Or maybe the first bilingual budgie?

Never Alone

It has been three weeks since I arrived... I think it’s time for a little recap!

When I arrived, I already knew Perth pretty well but I didn’t know almost anyone in Perth. And that was the hardest thing; it’s not easy to keep yourself busy and happy when you’re not working or studying and you don’t have any friends. Plus, it is hard to find friends when you’re not doing either of the latter!

I suppose the biggest threat in moving abroad is sinking into a mindset that you aren’t completely happy… and what’s more frustrating than feeling like that when it’s supposed to be the happiest and most exciting time of your life? This is when one is just digging a hole for themselves – with that mindset one also loses interest in trying to be or to become happy.

It is all about getting out of your shelf and crossing your normal boundaries; you have nothing to lose. That’s the mindset I had when I started randomly sending messages to other Finns living in Perth and straight away when I started getting very friendly replies, I was over the moon. Heck, I once even talked to a girl in a bar for less than half-an-hour and ended up asking her Facebook-details because she seemed nice – something I wouldn’t have done in Finland!

Has putting myself out there been worth it? Oh definitely, without a doubt. Some people may not have replied but I’m happy about at least trying – because of that I have now met some lovely ladies and I feel more at home now. One does need a social circle to be truly happy – even if you’re not a social butterfly but just knowing there are people you can ask for a coffee or to the beach. There is also something whimsical in being very far away from your native home and speaking in your native language to people who are just like all the people you grew up with.

What else? Well, saying “home” feels pretty confusing. Nowadays it’s more like saying “Finland”. It is a home… but not the home. It is quite lucky to be able to have two homes… and I can’t wait to bond with Perth and Australia more. In fact, next step is getting Australian friends…

Aussie Bureaucracy…

When you think some things are easy or simple, you might want to think again! Especially if it includes words “Australian driver’s license”. Yep, it’s not a simple process… which is why I thought a little informative post regarding the matter might be a good idea!

So… the general rule is that overseas visitors/migrants need to get an Australian driving license after they have spent three months in the country – until then you may as well use your overseas license. No worries. I do recommend really taking care of not going over the 3-month-rule because in case you get into an accident, it would be every insurance company’s dream if you didn’t have a valid driver’s license because you had arrived into the country 91 days before!

Anyway, I was very naive to think that all I would need is my Finnish driver’s license, passport and a form. Is that enough here? The short answer is “oh no”. The long answer is “oh noooooooooo”. It is everything but such a simple process!

It turned out that to get a driver’s license as a non-citizen, I am required to show them…

• My passport (naturally, no news here)
• Evidence of immigration status (yep, ok, not a biggie)
• Evidence of identity operating in the Australian community such as Medicare Card, Australian credit card, Australian marriage certificate or e.g. student ID – and you need to show two this type of documents
• Evidence of residential address such as Australian bank statements, tenancy agreement or utilities notice.

Ok. My plans to get an Aussie driver’s license have been put on hold for now as I am still waiting for some of that evidence to arrive! Meanwhile I may as well keep practising driving here!

Ps. this applies to WA – different states may have different rules!

Everyone wants a Nude-face…

About a week ago I came to the conclusion that liquid foundation just really doesn’t do it for me when the minimum temperature is around 30 degrees! It felt like the whole foundation just melts and not in a good way.

I used to be a very big fan of BareMinerals and therefore I did spend a few hours trying to find them here (not the easiest task for some reason!). I actually did end up finding some but straight away the sales assistant asked me if I had tried something better. No, I hadn’t. I thought BareMinerals were the heaven on earth.

She introduced me to Nude by Nature – an Australian brand that has won many Aussie beauty awards and is trying to beat all other mineral make-up lines by providing “ a long wearing, water resistant, flawless complexion without the talc, Bismuth or parabens that are used in most other major brands.” Sounds pretty good to me – and for everyone who can’t use BareMinerals because of Bismuth!

So what’s the verdict?

• I love the big size – $31 for 15 grams is a good deal compared to BareMinerals when at it’s cheapest it costs 23 € but only for 8 grams.
• Nude gives the same sort of dewy look as BareMinerals – love it!
• Buildable coverage.
• There are only three shades; light, medium and dark – not ideal if you don’t fit into any of these categories!
• Lasts long – not totally sure if as long as BareMinerals though.
• Emphasizes pores a little bit if you use too much product, yuck!
• All in all, I think I will buy Nude again… Though I am very tempted to try BareMinerals still once and actually compare them next to each other to see if there are any differences.

Nude by Nature can be bought in pretty much every department store and chemist in Australia. There are also starter kits and kits for different purposes available!

Warm & Humid

I have finally recovered from the weekend – first having mixed intestine porridge on the table in a restaurant and then on the second day thinking a cold burger at 6 am is a good idea does actually require some recovering; in terms of catching up with sleeping and making amendments to your stomach because of those very culinary experiences!

Perth has been very warm lately – the minimum temperatures at night have been around 30 degrees which is amazing for late-night swims at the Cottesloe beach… except that the beach was shut the other day because of three shark sightings (there are actually helicopters monitoring the beaches). It has also been unordinary humid because of the cyclone that is on it’s way here. That’s why every meal during the past days has been enjoyed and cooked on our balcony, my roses are really not doing well (it’s impossible to water them as often as they’d like!) and it has been almost problematic to figure out what clothes to wear so that a) it’s not too hot and b) you don’t expose too much skin to the harsh Australian sun!

After all this quiet time, I will be back tomorrow with heaps of ideas!

Subiaco Farmer’s Market

Last night instead of “fine dining” in Grill’d-style we ended up having dinner at 1 am at a Chinese restaurant that had mixed intestine porridge on their menu – I kid you not! After that very culinary experience it was time to take the stroll back home because today morning it was time to do the weekly veggie shopping!

We headed to the Subiaco Farmers’ Market with our grandma-trolley (yes, we had one of those trolleys that you just pull behind you…) after a couple of strong coffees and I just loved the atmosphere there! The market is full of fresh food, sold by the farmers themselves. When it comes to grocery shopping, there isn’t anything better than buying extremely fresh products and knowing that the money goes fully to the farmers!

Some very delicious mangos!

If heading to a market on a Saturday-morning isn’t your thing, there’s a farmers’ store in the Claremont mall – the only place where you can buy 2kg of carrots for $1 – sounds like a pretty good deal to me!

Fri

They say it’s Friday today. To me it’s like any other day except for that we are getting a visitor from Melbourne and therefore tonight’s plan includes some fine dining (aka going to Grill’d – they’ve got the best “gourmet” burgers around) and maybe a couple of drinks while looking at the sun setting over the Swan River.

I have been trying to figure out what to wear tonight… in a city like Perth it isn’t an easy task; in theory it is very warm but then you go out and suddenly gravity isn’t strong enough to keep your skirt going downwards! And, at times that wind feels like it’s coming straight from the Antarctica…

Some lovely hangers from Stockmann (yes, I did bring heaps of them when I moved!)

Have a great Friday night!

Hunting

One thing seems to fill up my life at the moment… and I’m not a fan of it.

It starts with a j”, has a hyphen and ends with a g. Yes, job-hunting.

Most casual jobs here seem to be advertised without saying the name of the company nor the address. It usually does say the suburb but the suburbs can be rather big! An university student like me really doesn’t want a job that requires a 40-minute-commute away from the city and shifts ending at 11 pm… there has to be something better around in a city of this size!

It’s actually a bit awkward when street names don’t say anything to you… An interviewer calls you and invites you for an interview. You say yes and take the address. Then you go on Google Maps and find out it’s in the middle of nowhere and impossible to get to. Then you call and cancel. Hello Frustration!

My other tactic has been having a bag full of resumes and going from door to door. Till now it hasn’t been overly successful – I have already twice gotten the reply that they’d love to hire me but they just don’t have customers (which was actually true – it is almost weird that a CBD-café is completely empty at 2 pm).

Oh well, the search continues!

Ps. if you know about casual café/retail jobs in Perth, I’d appreciate it if you let me know!

Oil for Hair

Every time winter comes around, my hair turns a) dry and b) brittle. A real winning team, eh? The same team of two seems to appear also every time my hair is exposed to excessive sunshine.

A few days after Christmas I had a look at different oil products and once again it turned out that products marketed as hair salon-products might differ from drugstore products only in price…

Schwarzkopf Gliss Kur Daily Elixir (around 6 €): Cyclomethicone, Trisiloxane, Dimethiconol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Parfum, Benzyl Alcohol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Citronellol, Limonene, Benzyl Salicylate, Linalool, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Citral, CI 40800.

Schwarzkopf Professional BC Miracle Oil (around 19 €);  Trisiloxane, cyclomethicone, dimethiconol, helianthus annuus (seed oil), parfum, sclerocarya birrea (seed oil), benzyl alcohol, butylphenyl methylpropional, geraniol, hexyl cinnamal, citronellol, limonene, benzyl salicylate, linalool, alpha-isomethyl ionone, citral, CI 40800.

So what does this tell us? Both of them are mostly made of silicone. Some like to avoid products with silicone like plague but silicone does also protect hair from external factors; in my opinion silicones are almost necessary in leave-in products for the ends. However one thing is for sure though; there’s no need to pay many euros for a product that’s “healing” features are based on silicone.

Cyclomethicone is considered to be an ok-silicone; it’s a so called cyclic silicone and makes hair feel silky and, the best part, it vanishes completely. Why is it a good thing? Well, some silicones, like dimethiconol, do make hair look extremely shiny but  they also stay put on hair for a few washes and therefore the hair can’t absorb any good ingredients – they’re just washed out straight away. That’s pretty much all I know about silicone and therefore can’t really give much insight about the difference between Trisiloxane and Cyclomethicone, sorry!

Anywho, what really surprised me is that the more expensive BC Miracle Oil doesn’t have any Argania Oil in it – it does have more perfume in it but sorry Schwarzkopf, I’m not really interested in your perfumes. BC Miracle Oil does have some seed oil in it but after perfume and in my opinion a good hair product should have more oils than perfume! After all, that’s what we have perfumes for!

I bet there are people who know a lot more about reading ingredients lists than I do but I think that in this case the 6-euro-product is better than the 19-euro-product from the same company. Quite funny, eh?

An afternoon in a hammock

It is a very good feeling to connect to your own Wifi! No more checking e-mails quickly in front of the Apple Store or Hungry Jacks!

We’ve probably never bought anything as amazing as we did yesterday…

Yes, a hammock! So comfy. So relaxing. In other words, perfect!

We also bought some beautiful white rose bushes and a BBQ (naturally, the Australia Day is around the corner). The only setback is that a) the gas bottles are sold empty and any petrol station doesn’t seem to have our size and b) I’m not sure how to take care of the roses!

Life has started to settle down here and it feels very much like home. I am excited about being able to dedicate more time for my blog now too! I’ll be back tomorrow – now it’s time for a candle-light dinner on a very warm balcony… it’s closer to 9 pm and pitch-dark but it is still 29 degrees outside!

Day Two

It’s my second day back in Perth… and I’ve spent the day waiting for Qantas to deliver my bags. It wasn’t the greatest feeling to arrive and notice that neither of my checked in bags had arrived. Bags, that contained 42 kg of my clothes – basically everything. Luckily the bags were found on another flight and they finally made their way to Perth today! Very happy, I was already dreading going buying every. single. thing.

Ok, before you continue reading, be warned that there’s a picture of a spider…

The most amazing little Swedish horse guarding my keys.

Perth is as lovely as ever. And it is as full of spiders as I remembered. I had thought that spiders  wouldn’t live as high as on the 14th floor but oh how wrong was I! Last night we found four massive red-backs on our balconies (fyi, they say red-backs’ bites can be lethal). Just guess who got a bit paranoid about having balcony doors open 24/7?

What’s next? Well, getting the apartment organized, getting a new SIM-card, a Medicare-card and an Australian driving license, opening a bank account, learning to drive on the left-hand side once again, finding friends… A little overwhelming but I’m excited!

And, I am extremely happy now! It is very good to be back.