My 2009 in pictures: Part 1

OK, this is gonna be a gigantic post with 2 parts, and like 50 pictures, but that oughta keep you busy for a few days... :) You see, one of the things I did last year was starting blogging, which means I started to take shitloads of pictures. And also I had so many nice things to look back on, that I just had to publish them all!!!

A few posts ago I gave you a little compilation of the highlights of last year, but here they are in pictures. I hope you enjoy!

2009 started off in Mexico, where we stayed 3 months enjoying the hospitality of the amazingly nice people, I learned some Spanish, and bleached my hair whiter than I could ever imagine. I can totally recommend! They sell 1 liter coctails at the roadside!! They put the "fun" in dysfunctional.



Seriously, the hair. It was whiter than me.


Mexicans love to play bingo. And it teaches u Spanish too!

In March we moved to Berlin, the city of my dreams, always and forever. Little moments, friends, visitors, home, games, and more friends made the first year as an official berliner memorable.

Roomies.


Picnic-brunch Spanish-style by Tracey and my sis in the park on our backyard.


Little coffee break outside of Ina's shop.


Birthday worm in Goodtimes. (Picture by Rachele)


Lasse made us brunch at his cooler than cool Kreuzberg-apartment.


Karaoke-guy Joe was coaching me to air-guitar in Mauerpark.


Licky Lickerson in my face in Dice-club.


Fashion week and an art installation in Wedding


Had some visits from awesome people...

Among others these lovers came to visit us, and hopefully many more will come in the future!


Met new amazing people!

Such as these babies:

And an actual baby!


I loved, loved, loved these moments!

Coming up in Part 2: among others the weirdest moments, stupidest costumes and getting thrown out of the only night club (which turned out to be a wellness hotel) in my home town. See ya! Love ya!

White Christmas wishes to you

I'm back home and it's better than I expected! The land of the original Santa (no baby jesus, penguins or polar bears though) and loads of snow (occasionally, despite the climate change), is a pretty sentimental environment to spend the holidays. And this time there really IS snow! Today my man's coming from Berlin too, and we're going to Vääksy, the good old tiny village, most likely covered in snow, to spend the holidays. :DDDDD

Helsinki these days:

This guy may not be 'the original Santa' I mentioned, but he can fly!

Last year we fleed the darkness to Mexico, because the previous christmas had been black and snowless here. In Mex the cold and snow were only decoration or a side joke in the door mat, that spoke whenever you step on it: "Brrr, come on in, it's cold outside!" It was a pretty cool chance to spend christmas for a change in the summer. (For them it's winter, but for a Finn it 's like May.)

Santa was a bit worn out of all his work.

So the Mexicans hit him. And candy came out of him!

We had a lot of posadas (christmas parties) and all of them had pinatas. This pic is with my mother in law (amá) hanging the pinata with Adry. (Sorry I can't use the ~-sign properly on my German travelling laptop.)

Remainders of the pinata made a nice hat on amá.

They say I look like a christmas tree sometimes.

Frosty got a bit tired under the heat.

I hope you all darlings, close to me up north, or on the continent, in Mexico, in Australia or even further away if possible, in the city or countryside, surrounded with winter or summer, have a really funky, sweet and memorable christmas!

Yours, Maiju

from Lita Ford to Aileen Wuornos in one night

The essence of being idle
I'm sick and cranky and totally out of everything that's happening in the world. I've only been looking like Aileen Wuornos, slacking off like K-Fed, watching Weeds, Dexter, Californication and the Office, and loving it. I've been gathering my strength, getting inspired.

I know I couldn't go on like this forever, lying in bed watching tv, eating apples and breath mints. I'm already getting sore from all the lying down. But god, was it boring to be sick when I was a kid, when there were only 4 tv-channels and no internet! There was no free tv online, I had to watch reruns of Saved By The Bell and quiz shows all day. And I had especially bad immunity, so I was sick like every month. To a kid, being off school could have been so much cooler. These days its so easy to be sick with all this passive activity around to keep yourself entertained.

Here's how it all started, after a night playing a virtual rocker, and going out. When you go out too much, you can catch a cold.

Cuban dinner
We started off in Varadero, on Vorbergstrasse 11, Schöneberg, where they serve the best Latin American food I've been able to find in Europe and authentic Cuban Mojitos. It's small and cosy, customers have filled the walls with tags, and the personnel is cute and salute you in Spanish. I especially recommend the fish, Nachos con queso, or Tamal. All dishes are generous and delicious, we're even concidering flying the chef to Finland for our wedding next year. :) If you wanna try out a cuban night in Schöneberg, you can get to Varadero with the U7 (stop: Eisenacherstrasse).

Laundry of my first part of the day: shirt Motivi, top JC, leggins Ginatricot, necklace Youth vs. Future, bracelets from the Marina in Lahti, Finland (oh shit, I can't remember the maker, I've lost the card!).

This is the closest I've gotten to my Mexican mother-in-law's tamales (the big corn-loaf) and pollo con mole (chicken in gravy). Please don't behead me as a total racist prick, but Cuban reminds me alot of Mexican food, and I love it all.

Band-practice-theme party with Guitar Hero

We had leather, lace, plastic instruments and a bit too much fun.

I was going for 'Courtney Love' but as usual I turned out as something like 'Lita Ford'. I'm not sure that's a bad thing, though. I seemed to have some really rosy image of Courtney from 20 years ago, when she was just grunge and not yet totally gross. Now all of her pictures I googled were so gross I don't wanna put them here. I did feel like her when I woke up the next morning.

Lita is hot.

Ina (left) was not informed of the dresscode, (oops), so to keep her from being all Bridget Jones, we gathered her a little Axl Rose-inspired outfit.

Blues brothers.

Rene with his groupies.

We had the supplies: wine from Chile (I mean Lidl), refreshments, Guitar Hero, and a head.

On the way to White Trash we saw our own model-boy posing for Converse on Rosa Luxenbour-Platz! Recognize him?

We're so proud!

In White Trash:

It was dark and grainy, and I mostly stayed out of the conversation, thinking I will get more out of it if I take pictures. It's true since I really can't remember much.

Laundry of my latter part of the night: the pink dress I bought for a neon party from Ginatricot; lace top from Motivi; ribbon from Ina's birthday present attached with a pin; necklaces Six and H&M; earrings from the time my sis and I loved Madonna; bracelet combination from Motivi, my sisters old 90's accessories, and fleamarket in Boxhagenerplatz.

The beauty of the morning after: