43. Hope you have a Gothic Christmas too!

Hi!

Merry Christmas to all of you! ♥

We here in Finland celebrated Christmas Eve with great meals and lots of presents. Or at least that was this year's Christmas for me! Unlike other years, Christmas Day has got no exact plans. We spend other years that day by going to my father's grandparents' house, where my cousins would also be. We'd stuff ourselves with food and wish each other a merry Christmas, with words and presents. This year we did it on Tuesday, two days ago!

Here is a picture of my presents I got on Tuesday, with a little description added to them.

The tube-like thing is a tube painted in Kashmir, with a message attached to it. "Have a Nice Trip!". It's meaning bears either to the fact that me and my family are going to Barcelona in January (yay!) or that I'm going on a trip with my cousin and grandfather... only time will tell ;)

The bracelet inside the mug is a good luck charm that is supposed to keep the bad spirits away from the bearer.

The mug is an Iron Maiden mug I'm probably going to drink all my coffees at school from now on!

The calendar is a kitten calendar for 2015.

The purse is a purse with a special owl design.

The CDs are the following:Alice Cooper: Classicks
Metallica: St. Anger
Ozzy Osbourne: Tribute
Slipknot: Iowa

And here's something my cousin had got me long ago - Andrew Scott's autograph!!

(It was supposed to be "Pella", but my cousin pronounced it wrong. No worries! She corrected it afterwards, as you can see.)

Yesterday my mother's parents came to celebrate Christmas Eve with us, and we got presents on that day as well. It was a joyful day for all of us, and especially Emi, who, for the first time in her life, got to know her new mouse toy and the red ball decorations on the Christmas tree!

And here's a picture of my presents from yesterday:

I got a Wintersun hoodie, new plaid pyjamas, Elder Scrolls: Legendary Edition, an Iron Maiden calendar, Within Temptation's live DVD "Let Us Burn", a book about painting with oil colours, Christmas chocolate, a set of a painter's tools, painting canvas, the book "I Am Ozzy", a gift card to Anttila (CDs and games, here we come!) and the following CDs:

Within Temptation: The Silent Force

Within Temptation: The Unforgiving

Wintersun: Time I 

Waking up with a TARDIS mug is the best way to wake up. The mug is what I got last Christmas, and it's one of my favourite mugs. You can enjoy your latte or mocha better than ever!

Oh, and just in time, I finished my Christmas story! Here's the link to it (on Wattpad).

Elsa, Bimbo and Emi are doing great, apart from that Elsa wants more attention and caretaking than before. It's like she'd hurt herself somewhere, or is in minor or major pain. We can only hope it's nothing very serious, and give her the love she apparently needs.

Here you go, pictures of kitties!

Have a merry Christmas!
See you!

42. Feel the music in the air!

Hi!

Now that it's almost Christmas, I thought about sharing some of my favourite Christmas songs. The ones listed below are from a CD from some years back, called Christmas Evergreens. I hadn't listened it for many Christmases, until this November when I thought it would suit well. I'm thinking about making this my traditional Christmas CD, but we'll see for how many Christmases my resolution will last... Anyway, the album features artists like Kitty Wells and Louis Armstrong, so there's some variety to it! The CD also gave me an insight for music other than rock and metal, and I must say, I really enjoyed the whole piece!☺

Below are songs, with the "by" word indicating who is singing the song. In addition to songs, I also give suggestions to artists you should check out for more!

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, by Bishop Caines
This is just a classic songs you just have to listen to during Christmas. Waking up to this is a very nice way to start a day.

Dasher With the Light Upon his Tail, by Kitty Wells
Even if Rudolph and his red nose is on the tape, don't forget about Dasher! He deserves just as much fame as Rudolph does...☺

Santa's On His Way, by Kitty Wells
Typical Christmas song, where everyone is waiting for Santa to bring what they wish for. Johnny wants an aeroplane, Suzie wants a doll...

Kitty Wells
She suits to sing Christmas songs very well. Her voice is just so merry!

 

Suzy Snowflake, by Rosemary Clooney
Who wouldn't want a snowy Christmas? We're all waiting for Suzy Snowflake to come down to Earth so we could build a snowman!

I'd Like To Hitch A Ride With Santa Claus, by Bing Crosby & Family
Somehow this reminds me of the movie Elf... don't know why. Maybe it's the girl's singing that does it! Bing Crosby & Family sounds awesome, it's a pity they didn't include much else of songs sung by them on the CD...

Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary's voice is somehow soothing, assuring. She sings many of the songs on the disk, and that makes me happy.

Mistletoe and Holly, by Frank Sinatra
A typical Christmas song is Mistletoe and Holly. Clearly one of my favourite Christmas songs, maybe because I've found Frank Sinatra's voice enjoyable. Not that I wouldn't have liked him before, this was just the first time I heard him sing.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, by Frank Sinatra
Wow, this song has a special magical feeling to it, giving pure chills of warmth! Recommending this to all those who haven't heard it before.

Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep, by Rosemary Clooney I should really do as the song says, count my blessings instead of sheep. I think one of the traditional things to do during Christmas and December is to pray for the loved ones, even if you don't believe in God or anything. You can always try! I'm one of those that do not believe in God and Jesus and all that (though, I use the angel bell despite this - more on that later in this entry). I haven't followed this praying tradition myself in years, because of the fact that I haven't believed in God for a long time. But even if you weren't a believer, praying is still a nice way to catch sleep when you've thought of everyone you know, before drifting into a deep slumber.

Louis Armstrong
I didn't realise jazz music was this fun to listen to! Louis Armstrong captivates the relaxing spirit of Christmas beautifully.

Jingle Bell Rock, by Bobby Sherman
Another classic! Makes you dance a lot (or is that just me?), and puts you in a good mood.

Love Is What You Get For Christmas, by Bobby Sherman
Just like Jingle Bell Rock, this makes you dance and sing along! Shake your body until you're all milkshake, do some nice moves, anything that puts you in a good mood, because love is what you're getting for Christmas! (Also, Bobby Sherman's voice is just so pleasant it makes me even happier! Recommending this song 100 %!)

All I Want For Christmas Is You, by Mariah Carey

So happy! This is truly an inspiring song, if you ask me! So inspiring it had me write a cheesy Christmas love story, which you'll get to read when it's finished... ;)

Silver Bells, by Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby, again. This song makes a great song to end the busy Christmas day with. Going to sleep with hopes up for a great Christmas is one of the most joyful feelings I know. Very soon it will be Christmas day...

Silent Night, by Manowar
Here's a song for those who like metal, and would like to add Christmas spirit to it without making it completely "lame". Heard this song today on the radio, and fell in love with it! Absolutely fantastic! ☺

Please Come Home For Christmas, by The Platters
This is for everyone who cannot spend Christmas with their loved ones because of them having to, for example, work on that jolly day. Don't worry! I hope this song makes the absence somewhat easier to handle.

And last but definately not least...

Gothic Christmas, by Within Temptation
Although this is not any ordinary and traditional Christmas song, it's probably the best one I know! Filled with humour and irony, this song is the best thing to have played to your earphones before and during Christmas time!

And now, onto other good news - I found my camera and now can share the pictures from Anna's with you!

First we have Mr Literal Special Snowflake - Findus...

Then there's a collection of cats, starring Granny Cat, Fluffy Cat and King Paavo...

And lastly, we have Compañero, Kidi, and Brisa.

I don't have much time to write, as I should be going to sleep. Good night, or good day, depending on what time it is where you are! ☺

See you!

41. Spiky for a Hobbit!

Yo!

How have you all been? I've been doing great, and got a lot to tell you guys about all that has recently happened!

As I told you in the previous post, I have been at Anna's - both last Saturday and two days ago. On Thursday I was there but were too lazy to take pictures, and because there was work to do. I had relied on the fact that I had taken pictures during my visit on Saturday, and would gladly share my photos - well, if I'd find my (once again) lost camera...

Tuesday was fantastic! Or actually, it was Wednesday that was wonderful - I went to see The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies in the cinema, the premiere! It was cool and crazy, I had never been to such a lively premiere before! As characters popped on the screen, people applauded, and when someone said or did something the whole theatre bursted into laugh! They also bursted into tears by the end, but for those who haven't seen it I will spare my spoilers.

I’ve got to tell you guys a secret – my laptop is infested with a virus and thus I can’t use the internet properly. All updates and blog entries are made on other computers… It’s a real pain. That’s why when I played Mists of Pandaria on Molten-WoW, I was positively surprised they had made a new realm called Hellscream. I should’ve read the news on the Molten homepage like I normally would do every day, but since my laptop is what it is, it came as a surprise to me, the new realm. Of course I just had to make a character there. I chose a blood elf warrior, who I named Sindorella. The name is an obvious reference to Cinderella. But what many do not know, is that “sindore” means “blood elf” in Thalassian, the language of high- and blood elves of World of Warcraft. The more you know… ;)

Yesterday I was with my grandfather, two youngest brothers and my one-year older cousin to a Cantores Minores concert. It was in Tuomiokirkko in Helsinki, and the boys there sung very well - better than what I do, at least. LOL! As I waited for my cousin to arrive at the main entrance, I took a chance to photograph the market place beneath it.

Today I have had the most unproductive day in my life, if we look it from the normal point of view. But from World of Warcraft's aspect, the thing is completely different! I've been leveling two different characters on the first private server that entered my knowledge - the Feenix WoW. I must say, I like this a tad better than Molten, but since the majority of my characters there are made for the fun of leveling, I haven't had the chance to enjoy the real side of WoW - slow(er) leveling and quests and lore and community.

Hehe, here is a picture of my lunch today:

...and to finish this entry, here's a small collection of the cat photos of the week!

That's about it, for now! See you again soon!

40. Coffee and cats, what a perfect combo!

Hey!

What an interesting week it has been! Let’s begin with telling you guys the best of it…

On Monday, my mother and I had a day for the two of us only. Yes, I had some personal issues to eat parts of that day, but otherwise it was a great day! Right in the morning my mother and I began baking brownies, brownies I’d give to Anna the next day in school.My mother's got a coffee bean grinder, and I got to have a first taste this year of "our" traditional Christmas coffee!

I bought new pyjamas because, well, you can’t have too many comfy clothes in your closet, now, can you? I also bought a brown cape with a hood for the night premiere for the final Hobbit movie. And, to shock you all, I dyed blood red stripes in my hair at the hairdresser’s… spooky, huh? ☺

I got cookies and juice while waiting for my hair to get done…

And here’s the final result…

sorry for the quality of the photo. I'm not lying when I told you about the streaks, blame it on my phone's camera that the picture deceives you...

So, the question remains:

Hehe. ;)

On Wednesday I came home with a new friend of mine, namely a steaming hot gingerbread latte from Robert’s Coffee! It’s December and I thought that I had to give it a chance before Christmas came, and so bought it – and surely did enjoy it! Highly recommending it to everyone who’s a friend of Christmas and coffee.

On Thursday, our poor little Emi was accidentally locked up in the garage! She had gone there and someone had put the lights off and closed the door. We don’t know how long Emi was trapped in there, but what we know is that she didn’t like it at all! When we started looking for her in the whole house, we found her there. And boy, did she purr of happiness afterwards! Now she never leaves the comfortable sheep fold on the sofa, where she sleeps with Jooseppi the Christmas elf and the bunny toy Anna bought me.

Anna and I were also at a fair for studets looking for the next place  to study. About everything we got to take home was, if the poor information doesn't count, chocolate, pictures of the sunset and a stupid selfie...

As I walked through Kamppi yesterday, I couldn’t help but take pictures of the Christmas decorations there! People walked by and thought I was just another crazy tourist or something, but hey, it’s kind of a one-time lifetime chance, and so I took it!

Today I woke up and it was snowing, again! The last snow had melted completely, and so it was a nice surprise. I’m going to the gym today, and after that, to Anna. Now, for a finish, enjoy some pictures of the cats!

(kind of lame, considering this is a blog about cats...)

Have a great day! See you!