Christmas eve. 24.12.2012

The End of the World has gone by and we are still living. So Mayas were wrong about world ending at 21.12.2012. And now we are heading to Christmas eve.

This is first time that I won't be with my family at Christmas. Feels really weard to spent Christmas this way, but this won't be the last time. And I'll have really good opportunity to see different kind of Christmas than what we spend at our home at Finland. Back at IT Tralee I was invited to spend Christmas eve at one of my course mate home. So I accepted that and now I'm going to there.

At January I have only two test left and then school is over. And I'm also free to go back to home, but I decided to stay couple more days at here for to be able to see Dublin better. And when I get to home, then I have lots of photos to show to my family and friends. And ofcourse I need to write report about my exchange time. That will take some time, but that's not impossible thing to do.

Now when I'm starting to think about this exchange time at here Tralee,  it has been rich and good, if we don't count that how many times I have been sick at this half year. But still. I have learned lots of new things while staying at here and I think that my English skill has improved somehow, at least I can speak much easier English now than before. Also from school I have gained some different kind of knowledge that I wasn't able to get back at college. Like Community Management knowledge, which has improved much. Also I have learned more things about photography, thanks to Photography course and ITT Photography Society.

Ofcourse I can't forget to mention about people who I have met at here. Huge variety of different kind of people, including those who share interest photography and airsoft, and also other erasmus students. Even thou I haven't been partying as much as other students, I have had my own changes to meet them and talk with them, either at school or at Freshers Week parties where I was taking photos for ITT Student Union.

Now when I think back at those days when I was unsure that was it good idea to apply for this erasmus program, now I can say for sure that it was really good idea even thou I had my own doubts about this time. It's not so different compared to that time when I moved to live alone. Only thing what was different was that everything was in English. And that it was really hard to get good rye bread from here. But now near the end I found one shop from Tralee that has rye flour. Would have been better if I would  have found that earlier, but can't help.

Now it's December. And with that it is only getting closer and closer to go back to home.

Writing this blog has been kinda frozen because I haven't had anything new or really special happening at here for while. But I have learned some new stuff, specially about photography, and learning Youth work and Community work has been going on all the time. Specially I have liked this Community Management course. I have learned new things and most of those classes has been really interesting. Only course which isn't so interesting is English 7 itself. But while studying at classes I have had also some time to draw some pictures and also to work on couple ideas for short film/photo shoot.

Drawing something at class

Couple days ago I had change to take photos of my friend cats. It was fun time while we messed with flash and with cats. P.S. No of these cats were hurt while taking these photos.

To get right timing and good focus at these photos was really hard, well because my lens doesn't have auto focus on it so had to focus everything by hand. 

Toying with toy. Loki.

Sneaky

Close up photo

Is it real or trick photo? You decide

After long time for not updating my blog, I have finally time to do something for this. First CA's has been and now I just need to write two CA's at home. After that I have to read again for up coming test and I need try to enjoy and have some nice trips.

Time flies past by really fast. It still feels like I just came to here, but in the end over half of my time has gone by. The whole exchange has been really good and lot has happened. First CA's has been done and results are in, and have to say that those went well. But still. I have had fun at here.

Two month left for me. Going to see Galway soon and I have to make couple photo projects for my study. Subjects are interesting for project and I have already some ideas for those. Also meanwhile staying at here I have try to find one youth group for my project work. Otherwise I have to make my project again after one year.

Baking at Tralee.

Good way to spend time for me other than taking photos and writing school stuff is to bake. Up until now I have baked chocolate cake/squares and now pancake. Also I'm going to bake bread. Hopefully it will taste good.

Chocolate cake/squares

Chocolate cake/squares tasted good. Sadly frosting wasn't good. It didn't stay on and it did stick to everything else. But it still tasted good. There was a lot to eat. But it didn't last long.

Now I'm baking pancake and lets hope that it will be good. Can't be sure because this will be my first time to make one. But all I can do now is hope that it'll be good. First one didn't look too good. It was half hollow and now when the second one is at oven I hope that it won't be as hollow as the first is.

The bread might have to wait for tomorrow. Still not sure if I will do it now but it seems like today isn't good day to bake anything. At least that is if I believe my first pancake try. Crossing fingers for  second one. If it's good, then I'll do that bread also. Not going to make as it suggested on package, but going to make my own bread.

At Sunday I'll head to Limerick. At there our school Airsoft society will have game and I'll be taking photos whole time. Or videos. But I won't play because I didn't take my airsoft guns with me to here. Still I think that we will have good day incoming. Just hoping that it won't start to rain at then. But if it does then  it will rain. Usual weather at here.

Pancake and cream

Pancake

Pancake with cream

Next week will be interesting.

Three weeks at Ireland. It has been realy busy and fun thought littlebit depressing time. But I hope that rest of my time at here would be good.

Now that my school has started to roll much better than at first week, which still was only two weeks ago, I think that my life will be much easier than up untill now. I'm still bit confused because of school timetablet. It's so much different from what I have used to but it's not impossible. At last week weekend I went to see nearby mountains or hills, what ever you call but to me hills, and I had fun time at there. While I was biking and walking at there I saw couple horses and one of them came towards me. It was realy weard to see horse at there, but don't think that in the end it wasn't so weard because there is stable nearby. It too couple of minutes for me to get pass by it because this horse didn't let me to go on. It did always come infront of me and started to stare. Couple times it even tried to take my hat but luckily it didn't manage to get it.


This one was interested in me.

"Don't mind of me. I'm just eating at here"


















After I managed to continue my trip to up again I decided to go out of this small track. It wasn't very good idea, now that I think of it afterwards. Land at there was realy soft and wet. Also there are few small rivers or streams. But in the end I got up to top of hill and view from there was amazing. I took one panorama photo from top but I haven't had any working programs for editing the photo. And I haven't had time to edit it by had with photoshop. But when I get it done, I'll add it to this post again so.


Small stream going down from hills.

Sunset at Blennerville bridge.

The way down was fun. Downhill biking at rock and mud was realy fun, thought the bike itself isn't made for that. Faster you went, more force it took to keep bike going straight. I think that it would have been littlebit easier if that bike have had front suspension. But when I got back to Blennerville it was already evening. View to ocean was beautiful and I tried to capture that moment in photo. But not sure if I managed at that.




Last week has been hard. I caught cold and after it started to effect to my life at wednesday I alerady had fever. So last week I haven't done almost anything else than just sleeping. Towards end of the week it started to annoy me because I could go out and take pictures at all. I didn't have any energy left and all I could do at that time was just to read my school stuff. Lucky that I was ill, because if I wouldn't have been ill then I wouldn't have time to read all of those. But at saturday I went out because I had to have some fresh air, and because the weather was so beautifull at that time. I went to bike again and went near old steamrailway. After about twenty minutes I arrived to Lidl and from there I found rye bread. FINALY! I have been missing it so much and now I finaly found it. Ofcourse I had to buy it and now I have been eating it only. Lidl is really life saver for Finnish exchange student at here. Or at least my life saver.

But now I'm already waiting for next weekend. At next Saturday we are going to Ring of Kerry, 175km long buss trip which takes us to some nice location around County Kerry. I think that I will be taking couple photos at there and then going to post those to here. It will be my first longer trip which I'll take part. Most of  our exchange student has already been on other trips, like to Cork and to Kilarney. But I think that I will be going to take couple trips around near areas/cities in these incoming months.

One thing what I miss at here is good photography shops. Or at least I haven't found any yet. There are those where you can print photos from USB stick or from memory card, but there isn't so many shops where you can print those photos to postcard.  And I would like to get my own photos to postcard so that I could send them to my family and to my friends. But I just need to continue to look those. At internet there is this ifolor, but it might come too expensive to order photos to here. But I don't know yet so I have to check it. But that page is useful because you can order lots of different kind things from there, like canvas or even photo book.

Also I have ordered some new stuff for my camera. Those are new battery grip, receiver and transmitter for flash and new battery. Also I'm trying to get "new" lens which would help me to take portrait, landscape and night photos. Also this specific lens would fit to my father old SLR camera, which is Nikkormat FT2. Spec for lens are Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 manual prime lens. This one is really nice looking one, but I think that my change to get that lens is really small. If I can't get it then I have to find some other lens.


But yea. IT Tralee North Campus is nice place to study. There is sometime live music and at least those teachers which I have are nice ones. I'm studying Community management, Communications and Professional practice, Introduction to Sociology, Photography and English at here. Well, all of those classes we speak English, but this English course is helping me to learn vocabulary. Also at here we can join to some societies, and I will join at least to photography society, Airsoft society and maybe DJ society.

But I'm waiting that what this week will bring with excitement. Finally my school can start really.

Live at Ireland.

It has been now one week while I have been at Ireland. And lots of things has happened in that week. And lots of photos has been taken.

School at here is little bit different to HUMAK school system. But it's not too different. But I don't like to write so much so instead I put photos to here. There isn't many photos which I would like to share because I haven't had any good inspiration for photographs.


Today I was watching Fire Trail fire show at Siamsa Tíre. There was 30ft flames and the show itself was good.

 

First stop. Helsinki Finland

Now I have spend couple hours at Helsinki-Vantaa airport. This is first stop at my trip and also first night. Going to be interesting.
Flight to here was kinda exciting, because I haven't been on airplane for so long time. And I can't even remember well almost anything from that time. But it was exciting and funny experience, which won't be last time. But hopefully I can sleep well at tge airport caffe.
Tomorrow morning at 7.00 my next plane will leave to Copenhagen and from there to Dublin, Ireland. I'll try to upload few of my photos after I have arrived to Dublin.

Playing with lights, flash and camera at night.


At night between 14th and 15th of August we hade fun with my friend. We didn't plan anything before. Just took two flashlight, one speed light and camera and we started to look place where to shoot some photos. We went to Köykkyri, at Kempele, and started to shoot some landscape photos and after that we started to play with flashlights and long shutter time.




 Also we talked about HDR photos and I wanted to try to make one, so I took couple photos, edited those together and got resault. It was good :)

After landscape photos we starte to have fun. At first we didn't plan anything but after couple photos we started to plan those. And so. Here is some photos.

At these last for photos we used my helmet as mask and under it there was headflashlight. It looked cool.

Trip to Turku.

It was just maybe first, but then it came real. Second time that I'm at Turku. Trip to here started at saturday 6.38 am. First stop and train change after leaving from Oulu was at Tampere. It took around 4 and half hour to get there. From there it took around two hour to get to Turku.

 Ofcourse I got lost at Turku center but luckily it wasn't so hard to find back to railwaystation. First I thought that I have to wait my ride about 4 to 5 hour but didn't need to wait so long. I don't have anything on my mind that what I have to do, expect I want to shoot some good photos while staying at here. My friend might have planned something for me but I don't know what. Weather has been terrible. Atleast I think so. Hot and humid... What ever you do you'll get sweaty. Even tho forecast promised rainy day there didn't rain at all at saturday. At saturday evening we went to Sointu, live music cafe bar, and at there we met three people. They are my friend mates. We had fun evening, spending some time at Sointu and after that at Aurariver side.

 For today, forecast said that it will rain and thunder whole day. But nothing has come down from sky yet :D Knocking wood that it won't thunder at all.

Last week was realy tiring week. Luckily I bought new camera, this time smaller, so that I can take it with me much more easier. And it's good. Couple good photos and lots of not so good photos has been taken in last week. Mainly from nature and sunsets and calm river.

Now I have to do some school stuff. I wish that would have more energy to do these things but don't know where to get or find that energy.

Okay. Summer is finaly here. Atleast that is what my nose is saying now, thanks to pollen allergy -.-
And there isn't any snow left on ground, atleast not at here but maybe at northern Finland there might still be some snow.

Sunny photos will be addad soon. But darn I hate sun. And still I love it. Hard to explain that. It's too bright but it's giving warm feeling and it's easy to photograph at sunny day. So it is something like that, but still way more complicated than that :D No-one will ever know in the end the real reason.

And hopefully at tomorrow or day after tomorrow I can finaly go to develop my filmcameras film. Still one pic left to take. And there will be realy "old" pictures in it. Bought that few weeks before Christmas. So six month worth of photos comming soon. 

Last week at this apartment is strating. Soon I have to start packing up stuff and then heading back to Kempele. Summer will be boring with maybe few summerjob but with lots of photographing. At the begining of October, maybe first week or atleast at second week, I'll be leaving Finland behind me and start to head to Ireland, and Tralee. But before going to Tralee I might visit at Denmark. But that isn't sure yet. Still I would like to go to see finaly Christiania.

Poorly painted figure. Thought that it was better :P

Also now I have almost everything what I need for my macro light. Sadly DX didn't have one ringlight at that moment so they might have sent that later. Also shooting photos with adapter rings has been littelbit complicated than I thought, but just needed training and taking photos. And yea. That figure which I choose for my practising was maybe realy badly painted figure ever. And dusty one too.

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Sorry that my "timeline" is jumping so much but I don't have inspiration to write here everyday and when I get that inspiration, then I'll write in realy stupid order of those things what has happened.

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"Breakfast"

Anyway. One morning last week I went to eat my "breakfast" at local coffee shop called Hevis. And as you can see "breakfast" was waffle and cup of coffee. And that was darn good. After that I continued strolling around Tornio and met my friend at shopping center. We talked sometime about cameras and life, and he tried my camera, which he didn't like and seems like that he didn't manage to focus it well. But atleast now I have littlebit newer photo of me even thought I hate to be photographed.

Last evening, 19.4.2012, I made some waffle. I have wanted to eat waffles so long and now had change to make some. And of course after those were done I had to take some photos of those. Can't help but taking photos is my passion ;)

Waffle and whipcream

"Come and get some!" I would like to shout that but no. Only few of my friends will be allowed to eat those if I make more sometime. And of course my parents and sister are allowed.

I think that I'll write about camera that I use sometime. But it will be in future and don't know when that will come.

But ye. I think that I have to try to finish my school project plan now before more exchange update.



And I won't write this in Finnish now. Maybe later or never. It pains me to write first in English and then in Finnish, even thought I'm Finnish. But it is just pain in my back. I apologize.

Next waypoint is to contact Irland and waiting their reply for exchange. If the answer is positive for exchange and I get place from there then next thing is to start saving some money.

Also there is my passion for photographing. I'm looking for some good place to take some pictures. Also I'm thinking of making ring light for macro shooting. Also taking action photos would be realy nice, especially snowboarding pictures. But because snow is starting to melt at here and I have to be at school again I can't go to any skiing center. So maybe I have to just start to take some pictures of skating.

There is also one thing that I have realized after starting to write in english at this blog. I don't like to write in finnish anymore after I have written one text to here. But I think that I have to write these text to finnish but not straight from word to word.

But here is one picture which I took at last week.





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Nyt sitten enään pitää olla yhteydessä Irlantiin ja odotella vastausta vaihdon suhteen heiltä. Ja jos vastaus on positiivinen, niin sitten alkaa rahan säästö matkaa varten.

Tällähetkellä myös valokuvaus intohimo on pahana. Mietin kokoajan sitä mimmoisia kuvia ja missä tulen ottamaan. Myös rengasvalon tekoa olen suunnitellut macrokuvausta varten. Ja tietenkin toiminnallisia kuvia olisi taas kiva päästä napsimaan. Varsinkin lumilautailusta, mutta nyt se alkaa olemaan jo mahdottomuus. Lumi kun kerta on alkanut sulamaan täällä ja eihän tässä lähellä ole mitään laskettelukseskuksia missä kuvata. Joten ehkä pitää siirtyä skeittaajien pariin.

Myös tuo että en jaksa enään kääntää suomeksi noita englannin kielisiä tekstejä joita olen tänne blogiin kirjoitellut. Ainakaan sanasta sanaan en jaksa.

P.s. Yllä oleva kuva otettu viikko sitten hankikelien aikoihin.

 Joitain kuvia mitä on tullut lähiaikoina otettua. Jokaisella kuvalla on oma merkityksensä ja tärkeytensä minulle.

  Getting more and more exited about possible exchangestudy. Tomorrow I might get information from my school that if I can study couple month at abroad, well to be exactly at Tralee, Irland. If it's not possible, then I have to start think about my incomming year studying at Tornio. Hopefully it will be filled with photography.

  Well... Starting to think about photography is making my sleepynes dissapear. I just raelized that I can use my dad old camera lences at my own camera. So got couple new lences. And  "effect" with those lences makes my own camera photos looks like realy old :) And also I'm thinking now to make one of those camera stabilizer, Fig Rig from Manfrotto. Would help to shoot some videos at some time. Don't know yet at when but in the future.


Yhä enemmän ja enemmän innostuneempi mahdollisesta vaihto-opiskelusta. Huomenna saatan saada tietoa koulultani että mikäli voin opiskella muutaman kuukauden ulkomailla, tarkalleen Tralee, Irlanti. Jos se ei ole mahdollista, niin minun pitäisi alkaa miettiä minun tulevaa vuotta opiskelusta Torniossa. Toivottavasti se on täynnä valokuvausta.

No ... Kun alkaa ajattelemaan valokuvausta, niin se häivyttää väsymykseni. Tajusin juuri että voin käyttää isäni vanhan kamera objektiiveja minun omassa kamerassa. Joten sai pari uutta objektiivia. Ja noiden putkien "effekti" tekee oman kamerani kuvat näyttämään vanhoilta :) Ja ajattelin tehdä yhden niistä kuvan stabilointi laitteista, Manfrotto Fig Rig tyylisen. Auttaisi videoiden kuvaamisessa jossain vaiheessa. En tiedä vielä milloin tulen käyttämään sitä mutta tulevaisuudessa varmaankin.

  Blogin kirjoittamisen innostus pääsi iskemään nytten kunnolla. Päätin aloittaa tekstin kirjoittamisen nyt omasta elämästäni ja siitä mitä mielestäni mielenkiintoista olen puuhaillut aina välistä. Kuvat ja videot jotka ovat itselleni tärkeitä ja jotka haluan jakaa tulen myös lisäämään tänne.

  Tulevaisuudessa mahdollisesti tulen kirjoittelemaan opiskeluvaihdon johdosta ja tietenkin lisäilen sitten kuvia tännekkin.

  Mutta joo. Asiaan sitten. Tänään tosiaan on 28.3.2012 ja päviä oli mukavan tyyni ja aurinkoinen. Tarkoituksena oli lisätä lennätyksestä jotain videota, mutta valitettavasti kameran teline ei kestänytkään lennätyksessä tullutta rasitusta, vaan hajosi ensimmäisessä nokkalaskussa.

 Tänään on myös kulunut hurjat kaksi viikkoa harjoittelusta. Jäi harmittamaan kyllä erittäin paljon se etten voinut jatkaa harjoittelua vielä toisella kuudella viikolla, vaan piti palata takaisin tänne "kylmään" pohjolaan, eli Tornioon. Harjoittelupaikkana toimi tosiaan Syötekeskus, Pikku-Syöte, ja jos jotakin hyvää äkkiseltään pittäisi sanoa, niin sanonpahan sen et ainakin työporukka Syötekeskuksella on aivan Mahtava, ja tietenkin isolla M:llä. Myös paikkana Pikku-Syöte saa paaaljon plussaa, mutta ehkä ainut miinus tulee itselleni sentakia kun ei ole autoa. Kulkuyhteydet Syötteellä kun ovat mitä ovat, niin oma auto olisi ollut must. Ja onkin must, jos sinne eksyy uudestaa harjoittelemaan. Harjoittelussa sain paljon uusia tuttavuuksia, ja jäihän sitä kyllä kaipaamaan muutamaa henkilöä, joiden kanssa oli aivan mahtava jutustella.
Ja kyllähän tuolla harjoittelun aikana tapahtu ja sattu vähän kaikkenlaista. Esim. Opettelin lautailemaan, ja kyllähän se vei sydämmen mukanaan, niin mukavaa ja jännää se kun sattuupi olemaan. Tietenkään ei passaa unohtaa pieniä onnettomuuksia mitkä tapahtui harjoittelun aikana, jotka nyt sattuvat olemaan oikean ranteen telominen sekä vasemman peukalon sijoiltaan lähtö. Mutta en kadu noitakaan asioita.

  Tänään on myös tullut alettua editoimaan kunnolla harjoittelussa kuvattuaja videoita eri laskutapahtumista, kuten esim. Forrest Camp 2012, mistä kylläkin jo löytyy valmis video. Tavoitteena olisi tehdä kuvista ja videoista joita tuli ite otettua ja tietenkin tuosta kypäräkameran matskusta jonkinlainen kooste päivän laskuista. Video saattaa olla ikuisuus projekti, mutta ainakin on jotakin tekemistä :)

En varmaankaan tule kirjoittamaan jokapäivä tänne asioita, ellei sitten tapahdu jotakin aivan mahdottoman siistiä ja jännää. Kuvia kylläkin saatan lisäillä useammin kuin tekstiä, sillä en tykkää niin paljoa kirjoittamisesta. Kuvaaminen on lähellä sydäntä ja siellä se tulee varmaankin, ja toivonmukaan pysymäänkin, pitkän aikaa.