Summertime for a little longer!

This week has been filled with preparing for a new year at the university. I was a little troubled when I found my university student card posted to me saying that I was signed in as a bachelor student. Ieeeeeeeeks after a few visits at the student office it turned out nothing had gone wrong and a new card was on its way. It is very exciting to start with my master of Philosophy of Law. It will include los of writing but that should not be a big problem!

 

The Kung Fu school also had opened its doors again so it was time for some serious training; we have practiced most days but in a much more relaxed tempo. It was great seeing everybody again and train. The school feels like a second (or first?)Home and not being there for 2 weeks was weird but we were lucky to have found a great spot in the park.

Then there was the attempt to tidy up my room in which I miserably failed. I did selected stuff to throw out but came to the conclusion much more needs to go. I have enough books to start a small library and enough paintings to open up a museum. Upcoming Wednesday the exhibition at the chiropractor's office will start. I am excited to see the reactions and hope that people like my work. Last time they did so it should be okay. This work is much better I think. I am still finishing of the last painting.

 

Leiden is such a great summer town.
Last Friday there were the Rapenburg (one of the most beautiful canals here) concerts. There was a huge floating stage anchored in the middle of the canal and little boats in front of it. The streets around it were packed with people and for a good reason. My friend and I went to see Candy Dulfer who made the whole place swing. It was the first time to see her life and she was just fantastic it impossible to stand still! The previous night had been quite a late one as we had a going away drink with a friend from Kung Fu who has now left to Ghana to work there. It was sad to see her go but I know she is going to have an exciting time. We will miss her a lot, as she was slightly crazy in a very good way and great to train with and not to forget extremely funny. But friends are not gone when they are out of sight.

Today is supposed to be the last summer like day of the year and it might be the last change to go for swim in Dutch waters.

Inspiration

It has been weeks since i last touched my brushes but today i got it all out and almost finished this painting that i have been working on for some time now. It will be on show on my next exhibition. GuanYin the Goddess of Mercy is my Inspiration for this work. I tried to make the painting breath love and compassion and feel that in my own heart while i was painting.

Chinese School!

A few days I signed myself up for a beginner's course of Manderin Chinese at the Chinese School in The Hague. Who could have thought that so little people dare to start a Chinese Course, we got an email informing us that there were not enough applicants for the course. But it is no disaster the same course is given in Amsterdam, so it just means getting up early on Saturday. I can't wait to be able to scribble down a few characters and communicate with my friends in their own language only if it is just a few sentences to start with.





I felt so bad last time that I could not talk more. I sent Xu Laoshi a card from Finland and I tried to copy the characters to write down his address and finally success! The card arrived! It will be even nicer to send a small letter. With a lot of study and patience it must be possible! And I use to think French was a tricky language… Almost everybody who has gone to Beijing has the China bug and wants to go back. You have to go there to experience it. I even watch half the Olympic marathon in the middle of the night just because they ran through the TianTan Park almost following the same route as the bus we took almost every morning. There it all was, the Temple, the big pathway were the emperors used to walk upon, the big beautiful gate with its majestic big red doors. Then they ran out of the park almost passed the little shop were we used to buy great Beijing fresh probiotic yogurt from a very friendly lady, there the Hong Ying photo shop, the busstop, it is hard to believe that only 2,5 months ago I was walking there virtually every day and it was and felt like home. Learning the language makes me feel closer to my friends there and the idea of actually being able to have a simple conversation is very motivating!

Maybe i will be able to read what is carved into the bamboo!
It looks beautiful but if anybody knows what it says please let me know it could be anything.

Falling trees and Rats

The Kung Fu school were we normally train is closed for a short summerbreak , the weather was good so it was perfect to train outside. Okey you have to leave your weapons at home because unlike in China you are not allowed to wave your sword or spear or even a stick around.

There it is the most normal thing to do but here the police will most certainly be called. We did bring our bricks are a much cheaper and more fun way to strengthen your muscles with then going to the gym and lift weights or so. When we were in China Xu Laoshi showed us how to use them.






I am not so strong yet and those bricks felt really heavy but Koen was having no trouble with them. Just have to keep trying, I guess.

It was very nice to do Qi Gong under the trees, with bird sounds and the wind blowing through the trees. Afterwards you feel completely recharged and relaxed. Ofcourse you can do it inside to but it feels so much better outside. We found a relative quiet place and with the 2 of us it feels better then when you are standing there by yourself. Less people are making comments now, perhaps they are getting used to us. On wednesday it was very stormy weather with some rain now and then, but remembering what my mother said a few weeks ago ( to my grandmother as a response to her saying that surely we would not go outside as it might rain) ; " It's good that you did not make me out of sugar". When it isn't cold it is even nice to be in some soft summer rain! Because of the strong wind (8) it would have been stupid to stand under the trees, that would rather uncool to do health improving exercises and then get struck down by a big branch or so, or worse a whole tree. Luckily there is a pavilion near to the small lake that sometimes is used for music performances. It was great, the raging wind through the trees, the bending reeds reminded me of bamboo, I love the moving of the trees, leaves, water and reeds in the wind, that flowing motion as if some unseen force that normally is just playing around softly suddenly is running wild and has to let of some steam, dancing wildly in the skies and occasionally roaring loudly.

I had just taken a picture and put my camera away to continue training when there was a loud ripping noise, an enormous branch of a nearby tree felt down not far from a boy sitting on a bench. We were looking at it with our mouths open but he didn't even seem to blink his eye nor did he feel the urge to move (he was sitting under the trees). Not much later his friends showed up and he kinda waved at the branch. I can only think that he must have been stoned or so. Then it started to rain like crazy and some middle aged people who had been running together, came to shelter at the pavilion. We were just walking around with our bricks and they found it all very interesting. They did some stretching and so did we. After they left we used the smooth metal poles that had just the perfect size for conditioning our arms. I haven't been able to find a nice smooth tree yet and it really isn't nice when you bang your arm into small bits that stick out. The trees here are often covered in green stuff so afterwards you look like the hulk without the muscles. Pine trees or clean white birch trees are nice but until we find them these poles are perfect. You have to build it up slowly and hit in a relaxed way then it even feels rather nice (no I have NO other funny hobbies) and you slowly condition your arms without injuring yourself , after some pushhands it was time to go home again.

The rats in the park are not scared at all this is the second one i have seen.

Kung Fu, and an art exhibition

The passed days have been packed with Kung Fu classes and great fun. After the relatively chilled out time in Finland I had to pay the price with some serious muscle ache but that was my own fault. We did things varying from Broadsword, spear vs broadsword, the tiger part of the tiger- leopard form and even training in the Art of War which was battlefield practice.

There were so many lessons going on at the same time that it was hard to pick one. For everybody who now is slightly confused since some time I have been practicing Choy li Fut and TaiChi and Bagua for a short while. This passion brought me to Beijing last year and made me eagerly return this year. There is so much to learn and to discover! Apart from that I paint, and just had a phonecall from the chiropractor practice if I would like to exhibit some work again. So that is good news. I always wanted to become a painter and spent some time in art school but found it very difficult to get a foot between the door in the art world.
I love to paint more then to lobby. Because of my trips to Asia and my Finnish roots these are the things you can find back in my paintings.

I love nature and bright vibrant colours, my work is figurative with some more abstract elements occasionally. I use all sorts of materials. But love oil colours and watercolours, the way I use watercolours isn't the traditional way but I will show you some examples of my work. Don't be shy top let me know what you think!

Leaving one home to return to another

Listening to some music I sit in my room now. This afternoon I took a flight from Turku back to Helsinki and then Amsterdam.
There were some great views and some heavy turbulence as it was still stormy but all went well I ran to my connecting flight, my bag with blueberries arrived and my room hadn't burned down. In the airplane I read something about the former Nightwish singer Tarja Turunen and I got curious about her music and wow does she have a great voice! It just cuts through you. If you hate opera or classical schooled voices you
might not like it but everybody else should have a go at listening to her album :My Winterstorm. Next time she comes to the Netherlands I have to go and see her! I will share some pictures with you from the flight and wish you all goodnight!

Eternal Love, forest party decoration and a Wild Sea

 

Today is my last day here back to cheese country tomorrow, so even while it was rather cloudy and my grandmother had a seriously nasty temper tantrum, we just had to escape for a bit to listen to the rustling of the wind and freeze our butts off in a not so warm sea. It is such a nice feeling to roll down hill with your bike, a strong wind in your face and a nice smell of forest and sauna in your nose. It was extremely cloudy but it didn't matter. We made it to the 15:00 O'clock sauna which we had all to ourselves, it was stormy almost but we weren't going to miss out on the I- am- almost- having- a- heart attack- but- am- loving- it- feeling that you get when you go from 80+c to a 18c. The sea was wild and the waves were big but it felt great. And then you run back to warm up in the sauna again. There is nothing that revives your system better than that. If you do not feel alive then something is seriously wrong.

Then we set of to have a last look at Kuuva Nokka probably my favorite place here in Ruissalo. There was one path that we hadn't explored yet so now was the time. The forest floor looked as if there had been a party the previous night, as if someone had sprinkled yellow confetti everywhere. Birch leaves turn into the liveliest bright yellow in autumn and the ground was just covered in them! We had a look at the sea and a walk on the rocks. They are covered in brightly colored green and yellow mosses and have stylish patterns on them. It is not hard to see where all that famous Finnish design comes from!
The place was deserted but beautiful, the sea was almost green, there were dark
heavy clouds and the wind was making the leaves dance. Normally the sea is friendly and tranquil but not today. I will miss this place. Then we saw these 2 or should I say united trees. Never ever have I seen two trees embracing each other.

They looked like to old lovers that were forever entwined with each other (I told you I have romantic tendencies sometimes). Embracing each other and joined at the hip as it can be.

To soon it was 17:00 o'clock and we went for another sauna (such luxury) our friends were there to (the nice lady with the pictures) and we had a good time chatting and enjoying the sauna. It was hard to leave the water knowing that tomorrow I would be in a plane back to Cheese country. The thing that makes it better is that trainingcamp will start shortly and I have exciting things to do as choosing a master. The water felt so cold that it felt like it was biting you instead of softly caressing you. Stingingly cold but it felt so good. I had to get out because it was almost Sauna time for the men. We had some coffee and pulla with our friends and said goodbye. I made my first blueberry pie today and Korvapuisti they are delicious. No more munchies for me when I get home. I totally understand why everybody is so fat here.

An Early autumn and a late bird

After almost 3 weeks of warm sunshine and hardly any rain, the tropical temperatures of almost 30c everyday are over. On Solar Eclipse Friday it was perfect with not a cloud in the sky for most of the day. I am embarrassed to say I missed the eclipse but I guess I have to watch it in China then in 2009! Yesterday we went once more for a raspberry hunt. When I was just stretching out to pick a few more I heard loud screaming bird noises. There was a nest of what I think were blackbirds in the raspberry bush. Their eyes were still closed and they clearly were just out of the egg. Quite late I think so in the end of the summer. After a quick snapshot I let them be and saw the mother bird going back to the nest. This was the first time I say such tiny birds from so close! Because it has not rained at all, the once good nesting place was not so good anymore all the surrounding vegetation had disappeared and the raspberry bush had shrunk. But still it was hard to spot the nest. When we left it started to rain softly, but not enough for a thirsty forest. Now just after breakfast the sky is clouded up and there is cold breeze, some trees are turning yellow already, it is an early autumn this year. Let's hope it will rain so the forest can turn green again!

We did manage to pick some rasberries and blueberries