NEED A CHANGE.

Hi ya'll. I went to get a body composition measuring. You know the thing where they check how much of your body mass is muscle, fat, liquids etc. Well, I think I've had a very disturbed image of my own body for years. My body type was "underweight strong body", which means that my body fat content was extremely low but the muscle content normal. My weight was a bit lower than recommended. All the measurements are compared to WHO recommendations for healthy women of the same age and height. The results suggest that I've been basically underfed for years and that the fat mass around my intestines would be very low and it could cause health problems in the future if I don't change my diet. I'm kind of confused. Looking in the mirror I always thought that I should exercize more, get more toned and skinnier and burn fat. But to my surprise, my body fat percent was so low that the measuring programme suggested adding about 7 kilos of fat mass to my body to achieve healthy body composition. I totally believe all that, I haven't been feeling very good or healthy in a long time...

I'm going to ask my good friend Essi to help me out and make me a meal plan that has some sense and helps me eat healthier. She was my room mate in New York for almost 3 months and I've already learned a lot about good nutrition from her. Now she started actually studying the subject and writes a nice blog. Check it out here, maybe you guys will learn something valuable and start eating healthier and taking better care of your bodies. I really need to make a change, and I'm going to start today. Oh and by the way, I'm going to quit smoking. Right now, for good.

SPRING MOODS.

I had a nice shooting last week for Finnish Elle magazine. Our photographer was the multi-talented Sanna Saastamoinen, who totally charmed me with her down-to-earth eccentricism and enthusiasm. It was really nice to work with emotions and a story instead of the fierce attitude and strong poses that have been "in vogue" lately. I'd known most of the crew for some years already, I love working in Finland because it never really feels like work. More like hanging out with friends doing some fun art project or something.

We had a cloudy, windy day and of course the location was a beach. We went to Vuosaari, I can't get over how romantic the scene was. I'm definitely going back there when it's warm enough to hang out in a bikini. We heard some crazy gun firing from the near by army base, it was a bit scary at first since the earth was really shaking and it took us a while to figure out what was going on.

I was supposed to be in London right now, but I had to cancel my trip... So I'm just enjoying the Finnish summer beginning and hanging out with friends. The weather has been amazing. My sister is coming back from Latvia tomorrow, I've missed her so much. I hope the sun and warmth is making you all as happy and refreshed and relaxed as me. The winter was so horrible, even in Tokyo and New York where I spent the most of if. Sorry for being such a bad blogger lately. Just feels like I been having more important things to do ;) Maybe I'm getting a little bit happy again.

MADRID.

We had a crazy photo shoot in a beautiful hotel in Madrid. The styling was mostly lingerie and I had some pictures together with a guy model. At first the mood was kind of awkward, but luckily the photographer was the funniest and smartest guy I met in a long time, he got us some red wine and after a couple glasses and his hilarious jokes the whole crew relaxed and we ended up having such a good time and great pictures. Madrid is a nice city but I have to say I prefer Barcelona as place to work, I think Barca is much more international. But Madrid got me in the right mood for my next destination, Paris. More about that later...

TIME TO SWEAT.

I'm going to do some excercise soon with my fitness instructor ;) He introduced me to this kettle bell training, it's fun and he got me a pink bell :) I'm in Finland, been here for a week now and i'm really enjoying being home again. Although Paris and Madrid were nice too. Gonna write about that soon. Now it's time to sweat!

HOME SWEET HOME.

 Me and my sister enjoying our favorite past time together: making faces and taking pictures of our selves. Love!

 Okay the title of this post might be a bit distracting, since I don't really have an actual place I call home. I consider home to be where ever the most important people in my life are living, and most of them are residing in Finland at the moment. Currently my official address is at my dad's in Vantaa, he lives outside the city of Helsinki and very close to the airport which is convenient for my current life style. Despite not having a physical place to call home, it is sweet to be home, with the people I love most. I've spent the last week with my family and some of my best friends, in Helsinki, in my home town Jyväskylä and up north in the country side at my grandma's. It feels really good to be in Finland. I'm kinda tired of traveling right now, after a long trip I always need some time to get grounded again and enjoy the familiarity and order of Finland.

Btw, I noticed this weird display at the railway station of my home town today. It's propably been there forever but I've never really paid attention to it before. It has a stuffed magpie, squirrel and rabbit and it says "Welcome to Jyväskylä". Jyväskylä means "grain village", I think all this gives you an idea of what kind of a place is in question!

ROOF TOP TERRACE.

Sun shine for my last days in New York. How about that view from our terrace? You really get into that NY state of mind looking at the Manhattan sky line every morning. I bought those Ray-Ban Wayfarers from LA, I missed the ones I left home so much I thought another pair never hurts haha. 

LEAVING THE CITY AGAIN.

 Flatiron Building, NYC.

 Bel Air, LA.

 Hermosa Beach, LA.

 Universal Studios, LA.

Tracy Reese showroom, NYC.

 Williamsburgh Bridge, NYC.

 Carnegie Hall, NYC. 

 Julia & Essi @ Madison Square Garden, NYC.

How wonderful it's been to spend the last few months in New York and LA! For the first time in my life I got to share an apartment with a good friend, which was a billion times nicer than just having to live with random girls i've never met before in a crowded models' apartment. Thank you Essi for being the best room mate! This time I was also lucky enough to get to hang out with people who do different things than I normally do in NY. For example I got to see a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden and attend the wonderful Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performing Sibelius' symphonies concert in Carnegie Hall.  I'm returning to Finland for a couple of weeks to celebrate my dad's 50th birthday, and after that next stop will propably be London. I'm flying out tomorrow, can't wait to get home and meet all my family at my father's birthday party :)

THAT'S WHY WE WANT NEO SOUL, NO ROCK 'N' ROLL.

Tämä video sisältää alastomuutta. / This video contains nudity.

BYE MATSURI.

Kurjuuksien kurjuus, kuulin että japanilainen ravintola Matsuri suljetaan pian! Tällä lafkalla on minulle erityinen merkitys, kävin Matsurissa ihka ensimmäisellä Nycin reissullani vuonna 2005, ja maistoin siellä elämäni ensimmäisen kerran sushia. Siihen aikaan japanilainen ruoka ei ollut vielä iso juttu Jyväskylässä. Illallistimme siellä ystävieni kanssa keskiviikkona ja Matsuri on mielestäni vieläkin yksi New Yorkin parhaimpia sushi-mestoja. Joten kiiren vilkkaa murkinalle jos olette kaupungissa! Huhun mukaan Tao Group osti Matsurin, se ei välttämättä ole pahin mahdollinen asia, sillä kaikkien aikojen lempiravintolani on 58th Streetin Tao. Odotan mielenkiinnolla, mitä Matsurin paikalle tulee.


Ahhhh I just heard Matsuri is closing down in a couple weeks! How tragic, I went there already on my very first trip to NY in 2005, and it's the place where I first tried sushi since at that time Japanese food wasn't yet a big thing in Finland. I had dinner there with some friends last Wednesday and I think it's still the best sushi place in New York. So if you're in town this is your last chance to try it! Apparently the Tao group is taking over, which might not be too bad since the 58th Street Tao is actually my favourite restaurant ever. We'll see what they turn Matsuri into, let's hope it's good.

TIMBS.

Kyllä, ostin jo 7 paria uusia kenkiä vajaan kahden kuukauden aikana ja lupasin itselleni etten hanki yksiäkään lisää. Mutta nämä ovat korkeakorkoiset Timberlandit. Muita selityksiä ei kaivata.

Yes I did already buy 7 new pairs of shoes in two months and I promised myself not to get more. But these are Timberlands with a high heel. 'Nuff said.