It's hard to start writing again after six weeks of silence. Do I continue like my previous post would've been just yesterday or do I need to explain something? Well, a new job and a new home have stolen my time and attention. It doesn't mean that I haven't had time to get excited about things but it does mean that I haven't had the time to report those excitements.
So, I decided to make a list of the things left unreported. Those that I can still recall. I consider making lists very enjoyable and I find it helpful when I don't know what to do.
1. Women's Weapons: Lipstick and Tears?
This exhibition was about "multifaceted nature of feminity". Or, as described in Finnish, "multifaceted nature of womanhood". I consider feminity and womanhood to be two different things as not everyone expressing feminity is a woman nor does every woman express feminity. However, although I really enjoyed the exhibition, I'm not sure if all the works really fit either description. Some of them surely did but then there were works made by women that had really nothing to do with either feminity or womanhood. Or maybe I just didn't get the link.
Although the whole exhibition wasn't that coherent, it could also be considered a strenght. The works of art were varying and I'm sure that there's something for every taste (assuming that one likes art). I highly recommend the exhibition to anyone living in or visiting Tampere. My favorites were the works by Elina Merenmies, Stiina Saaristo and Teemu Mäki. By the way, the name of the exhibition comes from Donald Duck.
2. Books
Reading books and buying books excite me. I read an amazing book targeted for young adults but which I found very suitable for a bit older adults as well. The book was Pojkarna by Jessica Schiefauer (the book is written in Swedish, I read it in Finnish) and it brilliantly discussed the themes of gender, sexuality, and growing up. I guess the genre of the book could be magical realism but somehow I found it more realistic than any of the young adults books that I remember reading. Apparently a movie will be made based on the book and I'll be waiting it anxiously, in both good and bad. I already noticed that the name of the movie in English will be "Girls Lost" and I can't understand why (as the original name is "Boys").
The second book-related excitement was brought to me by the post. I ordered Delusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine and I can't wait to read it!
3. Autumn
In September, the weather was quite nice and the trees started turning all red and yellow. Those crispy but sunny days motivated me to take walks in the colorful forest and they set the atmosphere for books, candles, and hot tea. But now it's getting a bit too crispy for my taste as the temperatures are nearer to zero degrees Celsius.
4. Dancing
I have been taking dancing lessons with my partner for these last six weeks and learning new things is always gratifying. For me (or for the both of us), it good be considered as lessons in ego management as you don't always succeed or even know what you're doing. There we learn some traditional Finnish dances that I don't care so much about but also some international ones. I think my favorite so far has been rumba.
5. Docventures
This is a Finnish television program showing a different documentary every week and commenting it afterwards with some experts on relating topics. It's also a social media phenomenon and an incentive for social gatherings. I thing the whole concept is great and the guys hosting it are great (also known from the TV series Madventures). So far I have seen the documentaries Red Chapel by Mads Brügger about traveling to perform in North Korea and Citizenfour by Laura Poitras telling the story of Edward Snowden. I can strongly recommend both of them. I'm also planning to see this week's documentary Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief by Alex Gibney tomorrow. Can't wait!
6. New bars and restaurants
Not all of these are really new but for me they are. Sitko, a little finer pizza restaurant in Tampere was a very positive experience. The vegetarian pizza was just great! If you're looking for greasy hangover food, this might not be the right place, but if you're looking for quality and good ingredients, I would say go for it! They also have wines that are suitable for my taste on their list.
Maya Bar & Grill, a Mexican/South American restaurant in Helsinki, very near to the railway station. They had good vegetarian tortitzas and fajitas but I would like to check the "main dishes", too. They had a good selection of vegetarian and even vegan food. Compared to "real Mexican food", Maya's food was lacking some flavor but it was still quite decent.
Steam Hellsinki, a rather new steampunk bar in Helsinki, near to the Kamppi bus station. I just loved the place! The decoration had been taken to the maximum and everything was planned: the music, the looks of the bartenders, the drinks (advertising gin quite a lot). I had the best mojito ever (and I've some really good mojitos in Spain) but the price was also quite remarkable. Although, they did serve free shots for everyone. I also had to taste the day's special, a gin-based punch, that was served in cute little tea cups. I was ridiculously impressed by the cups...
