Hello there and welcome to my profile!

I'm 20-year-old university student who tries to balance her life between school, work, hobbies and friends and now after a few years' pause, I'm trying to squeeze some time for writing as well. I study law and it's really time-consuming, basically my days are made of read-write-memorize-read-panic-go to gym-read-write-eat-read-be frustrated-read-write-read-memorize-read and when I'm literally sleeping on my feet I fall towards the direction of my bed and hope not to hit my head on the corner of the nightstand. I like it, however, so not much left to do but soldier on.

Some essentials in my life I couldn't do without:

People: My family and my friends. I love them to bits and wouldn't trade them for the world. My family is loud and has a twisted sense of humour. I've learned from them that when things start to go downhill and look really bad, there can be found a funny side to it. Usually it's not a positive kind of fun but fun none the less. Helps to put things to perspective and see how to go on from there. My friends are dear to me as well. Since last autumn when we all started studying and moved to different sides of the country we've seen each other a lot less than during our high school years but other than that not much else has changed. When we do see we still talk, gossip, laugh so much our stomachs hurt, talk about guys we're dating, read cosmo out loud together, shop, go to coffee, go clubbing, watch crap TV with deadly hung overs and generally share everything, pretty much like we've always done. I feel blessed.

Doing sports: In autumn 2009 I decided that I would finally overcome my fears and do something I'd dreamed of for most of my teen years: start going to gym. The first time walking to the the changing rooms was nothing short of terrifying. I'd always been a bit on the round-ish side and insecure about my body and on top of that, for some reason I'd always imagined that only thin and pretty people go to fitness gyms. You can imagine my face when I dared to look around and saw women of every age, size, skin colour, weight, height, shape and body type around, all there for the same reason: they'd come to move. I joined in and haven't looked back since. I love Les Mills' programs, especially Body Combat, Body Balance, Body Pump and Sh'bam. I also go to Zumba classes and try to hit the gym once or twice a week. In January I went after another dream of mine and started to go to oriental dance class once a week.

TV shows:The irony in here is that I don't even own a TV. I however have a huge bunch of DVD's and a laptop to watch them with, so I'm relatively good. Let's see... Of TV shows, I love the X-files, Bones, BBC's Sherlock, BBC's Pride and Prejudice, Ashes to Ashes, Big Bang Theory, In Plain Sight, Sex and the City, Green Wing and a finnish comedy show called Kumman Kaa (rough translation might be With Which One You Would...)?. In TV shows I apreciate witty dialogue, sharp sense of humour, relatively sensible plotline, insightful take on emotions and how different people might display them and a good eye on details. I also highly value and enjoy developing relationships between characters, be they romantic or platonic.

Movies: The same score points as in TV shows go here too. I like to watch a lot of films and they can vary from very girly girl stuff to action pieces my female friends haven't even heard of. I however don't like anything without a decent plot so that narrows the range down a little. That and I don't like horror movies at all. Some of my all-time favourites include for example Inception, Juno, The Matrix series, Some Like It Hot, Little Miss Sunshine, Brokeback Mountain, Memoirs of a Geisha, Transformers (only the first one though), Bridesmaids, Cold Mountain, V for Vendetta, Nightmare Before Christmas, RENT, Moulin Rouge, Star Wars saga, Gone With the Wind, Frida, Casablanca, Kill Bill... This list is endless.

Food and drink: Okay. Let's face it: I'm really into eating. Not whatever comes at hand, however, but tasty and good food. I really like to cook and bake too, either by preparing a meal for my friends or a special someone or even better, doing it together with them. I have been a vegetarian since 2007. I'm really fond of animals so eating them seems kind of... yach. Each to their own, though, I'm not the one for trying to convert anyone to eat like I do. I really love salads, soups, pies and filled sandwiches for main course. For sweet stuff, I'm nuts about frozen yoghurt, fruit salads, macarons and my ultimate love-hate relationship partner, chocolate. I also love all kinds of fruits, cheeses and nuts. I'm mostly into Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine but French and Italian have their appeals as well. I'm also a self-confessed tea addict, I can easily drink 7-10 cups a day. Every kind of tea goes: black, green, white, rooibos, honeybush, mate, darjeeling... You name it, I drink it. I like coffee as well but since my stomach doesn't I drink it only when it's the only way to stay awake.

Literature: I learned to read at the age of five and it's one of the skills I value most. I'm a fast reader and I also enjoy it immensly. I've read a lot over the years and though there've been many books I've liked only the ones I've read more than once have earned their way to my favourites list. In books I apreciate pretty much the same things I do in TV shows or movies but what's in them is shown must in books be written and written well to be enjoyable. I love for example novels by Dorothy L. Sayers, novels by Jane Austen, Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll, Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, One Day by David Nicholls, Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer, The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien... Too many to mention, really. I also like to read poetry but I have yet to find a poet I like. I might like a poem or two from one of them but I haven't found any I like enough to mention yet.

Clothing, make up and accessories: I'm really into looks these days. I think dressing up is a lot of fun and looks really tell you a lot about the person. I personally like dresses and oversized shirts paired with leggings instead of wearing jeans or some other pants with shirts. Due to my height ("My life as a 5ft midget" could very well be the tittle of my autobiography) I'm really into high heels even in every day life, not to mention when going out. I like jewelry, especially earrings, though I've tamed down with them since my teen years. I currently have red hair and I find it harder to match certain colurs or looks with it than it used to be when I was a brunette. I favor colours like beiges, whites, browns and greys in my clothing along with mandatory black but right now there's also a lot of navy blue, oxblood, mint green, peach and army green in my wardrobe. I'm not much into doing my hair more than it's needed to keep it tamed and presentable but I really like doing my make up. During the week I tend to favor the nude look (fast and easy plus it covers exhaustion marks on face pretty well) with occasional eyeliners thrown in, but in weekends when there's more time I like to do more complicated eye looks with multicoloured shadings and stuff.

Music: I can't play an instrument to safe my life and in junior high my music teatcher actually asked me to please not sing out loud any more since my classmates were reportedly looking more and more suffering by the minute. All the same, I like listening to music very much and I have quite vast taste when it comes to categories. My favourite artists and bands include Balligomingo, Delerium, Florence The Machine, Lana Del Ray, Conjure One, Of Monsters and Men, Marina and the Diamonds, The Band Perry, Pendulum, Hurts, Snow Patrol, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, U2, OneRepublic, Emeli Sandé, Shinedown, Edith Piaf, Eva & Manu, Coldplay, P!nk, Linkin Park, Katy Perry, Paramore and finnish bands called Pariisin Kevät (Spring of Paris) and Haloo Helsinki!. But when the mood strikes I might as well listen to AC/DC or Iron Maiden or Queen as Eminem or Pussycat Dolls or JLo. When going out clubbing with friends we naturally tend to listen to more upbeat music than any of us in our privacy might do. Pretty much any club or dance or r'n'b songs that are currently in at the moment will do but some of our all-time favourites that never fail to get us moving are "Welcome to St.Tropez" by DJ Antoine, "Papi" by Jennifer Lopez, "Rude Boy" by Rihanna, "Starships" by Nicki Minaj, "Bumby Ride" by Mohombi and "Single Ladies" by Beyonce. Any finnish rap is also guaranteed to get our ladies on the floor.

My 10 secret vices:
1. Although trying to follow a pretty healthy diet, when I'm feeling down or overly stressed or PMSing and nothing else seems to help I go to grocery store, hunt down a tube of Ben & Jerry's Half Baked, head straight to my cozy sofa at home, make a nest under the blankets and wolf down the entire tube. And then feel pretty sick afterwards.
2. Watching Huntik:Secrets and Seekers online on youtube. I know I'm tad overly aged to watch cartoons but what can I say: I simply love the show. "Why?" you might ask. The plot is age-old and not very sensible, the history is all but accurate, most characters are one-dimensional and more or less annoying and the dialogue is usually as smooth as a three-legged blind donkey going backwards up a mountain side. While carrying boulders on his back. The answer? I freakin' LOVE Zhalia/Dante dynamics. I think there's something genuine and fresh in the chemistry between these two and I could watch them interact with each other pretty much forever.
3. Watching Biggest Loser online (usually accompanied with that Half Baked... sad, I know). Though I usually tend to hate each and all reality shows you can imagine, I find this one too good-hearted to hate. Sure it's a competition and probably pre-scripted and there's a lot of scheming and plotting and back-stabbing going on, but when the contestants show how much they've lost and how everybody is genuinely happy for them, it's really touching to watch. Also I adore both Bob and Jillian, they have an amazing attitude which I simply love.
4. Avoiding study readings at all costs. I've talked about this with my fellow law-students and we all do it: When you're meant to read for the upcoming exam on day after tomorrow you suddenly find any chore you've postponed till now suddenly the number one priority on your list. Dishes, vaccuuming, taking the trash out, shovelling the snow off your balcony... Anything is suddenly more important than that book of how family law interacts with international law concerning child abductions between the countries. I, however, have taken this a bit further. With exams closing in I suddenly remeber how vitally important it is to add a new layer of nail polish on my toe nails, read at least five different daily horoscopes online, see what cosmopolitan has to say about Rihanna's latest fashion blowout, call a dozen friends just to catch up since we last talked on the phone, um... yesterday, water my house plants, re-organize my wardrobe, take some shoes to be repaired... You might catch up why I'm always up the entire night before exam reading with panic-shaking hands.
5. When I'm visitng friends' or relatives' houses I can't help but to go through their toilet cabinets and see what kind of shampoos, conditioners, cosmetics, nail polishes and parfyms they have. I know I'm not supposed to do it but it's actually pretty insightful - and a lot of fun.
6. Those parfyms in the cabinets I go through? If I like them I might spray some on myself, just to try them out.
7. When alone in my room or in the bathroom I share with my (insufferable) flatmate, I take my age-old mp3 player, crank up some of the best dance songs I know, take a stance in front of the mirror and dance the night (or at least next fifteen minutes) away. I'm an adequate dancer but these performaces, I will never need anyone to see. I also usually pretend to sing along with the songs at the top of my lungs (but only pretend: I haven't actually forgotten my music teatcher's comment back in the 7th grade). When the mood strikes I might also pretend to perform some cheesy love song like "A jar of hearts" by Chritina Perry or virtually anything by Taylor Swift to a swooning crowd.
8. Though we haven't done this aloud with my friends since we were about 14, I still like to do lists in my head: the ten best looking actors I know, my top five favourite music videos, the seven places I'd kill to travel to... I think I'll never grow too old for this and it has saved me many times in bored-to-deeath lectures at uni.
9. Even though I have HUGE commitment issues and I'll be single most likely forever, I like to daydream about my perfect wedding. If I ever find a guy who I can stick to long enough to say "yes" to, I have a perfect wedding planned for us. Time, place, dress, food, decorations, bride maids, invitations, music, theme... It's all planned down to a T.
10. I can't stand the girl who I share my flat with: She's mousy, messy, bangs doors at 6am while I'm still sleeping (or trying to), NEVER takes the trash out, leaves empty food packages on kitchen surfaces, uses my microwave without my permission, never greets me or talks to me at all and is generally as annoying as they get. To keep myself from yelling at her five times a day (or worse) I've taken my vexation at her to the Body Combat class. To imagine her face right in front of me when I kick and hit and punch 55 minutes thrice a week gets me praises from our instructors - and allows both me and my flatmate to live at relative peace in our apartment.

Some useless trivia you could probably do without:
- I have a butterfly tattoo in my lower back. I'd also like to get a second tattoo to my right ankle.
- Before I started studying at uni, I worked at the world's largest fast food company for two years. It was mostly horrible but in some very twisted way I sometimes want to go back there. I also really miss my awesome workmates.
- While I think everyday stuff like grocery lists or buss schedules in Finnish, in more sensitive and emotion-related things like affairs or family relationships I tend to do the thinking in English. English helps me to get my thoughts in order and put them in perspective.
- I love to travel and I'm forever grateful to my father who takes my sister, my stepmother and me abroad once a year. Our next destination will be Istanbul.
- My most recurring dream is falling down from the top of a slippery, sky-high tower made of clear glass that shakes in the wind. I have a fear of hights.
- Though I like most animals, cats are my greatest love. They are so graceful and proud and agile and beautiful and feral and playful and smart and sweet and devoted and... I think you got the point.
- I have a pink smartphone as well as pink mp3 player with pink earphones. Not because I'm particularly fond of colour pink but rather because I keep losing them all the time: they're easier to spot in this colour than in for example black.
- I love Body Shop's body butters. I have like gazillion of them and yet when my birthday or Christmas rolls around and people ask me what they could get to me, the answer is always the same: "Well, this new Body Shop body butter in peach-mango-banana-avocado-vanilla limited edition just came out and I haven't got it yet..."
- Other gift to get to me you couldn't go wrong with: nail polish. Before I used to bite my nails so there wasn't mutch to put polish on but especially since I finished working they've grown quite nicely and nowdays, I'm crazy about trying out new colours and brands and styles. So far my favourite polishes are by IsaDora, Essie and MakeupStore, but I'm always eager to try out new stuff.
- My younger sister and I have this weird habit of speaking "fingelska" or a mix of Finnish, English and (bad) Swedish. It's usually pretty horrid but we have so much fun with it.

This is as much info as I can think up right now. Hope you found what you came here for or if you just happened to drop by, I hope it was enjoyable read.

I hope to get some works up here soon since I'm buzzing with ideas. I'm also in a dire need of a beta reader so if I caught your interest, let me know.