Jump!

Yesterday morning both Silvia and I put the alarm at 07am (for me its quite normal wake up time but for Silvia its not) just to be able to book the course VJUMP at Virgin Village. Insane. However we managed to get two places (in 10 minutes they were all gone) and today we went.

It was a show like nothing else I have ever tried at a gym. We were a small group with a crazy little instructor. He was pumping disco music like we were on a night club and the group jumped like mad ones. 

The course was invented to get the legs trained up for downhill skiing as you use exactly the same muscles. I felt drunk when I finally stopped jumping both as my head still thought I was jumping and because my legs were so tired that they didn't want to hold me up. 

It was lots of fun and I am sure Silvia and I will go back!

xoxo

Tuesday 5th March 2013

Good morning people. I am on the train on my way to work. Outside its 7 degrees and raining, sigh. I was hoping the spring was on its way... Or maybe that is the spring? 

Yesterday it was my best friend Erika's birthday. Happy birthday to her! :-) Click on the link and check out her blog by the way. She is the best writer I know!

For me instead it was a very non special day in all kinds of way... I finished off my month closing at work, a whole day earlier than I thought I would. I was happy about that. Went home from work and just stayed in. Read a book and ate a hot soup. Kind of boring but at least relaxing evening.

I wish you all a good Wednesday anyway!

xoxo

My last dancing class at 20 hours Abruzzi

1. Part of the gym - 2. Me 3 - My open piadina dinner

"Only someone like you can be sad walking out of 20 hours gym for the last time", says my friend Luisa...  And it is true, I guess I am the only one almost crying when kissing and hugging instructors and other members good bye at my gym tonight. 

I won't miss the gym itself at all. But I will miss the people. And I will for sure miss my Monday dancing class I have been attending EVERY Monday for almost two years. 

Monday´s has been one of my favorite days of the week just because of this dancing class and now I won't go any more. Will I start complaining that it is Monday like my colleagues do now when I have nothing special to do in the evening? 

I know it is a superficial problem but I don't care. I hate good byes and I hate quitting things I really much like and tonight I have done both. I am hot happy. Good night.

xoxo

Wu Tayio

To end my great weekend in the best way I went with my friend Stefano down to Wu Tayio, the asian fusion restaurant next to my place. I am lucky having such nice little restaurant close to home!

Wu tayio has nice and quite cheap Chinese plates and very nice but expensive Japanese plates. Yesterday we went for the Chinese style :-)

xoxo

Living in London

Picture taken from the amazing motivation tumblr site "Before I die"
"Before I die I should move to/live in London - Everyone should"

I got an e-mail the other day and with an OK from the girl I got it from I would like to share it together with my answer with all of you.

Hej Marliina.

Jag heter Lisa, är 21 år och kommer från Stockholm. Jag hittade din blogg för nån vecka sen och det slutade med att jag satt i flera timmar och bläddra igenom dina blogginlägg från både London, Milano och Stockholm. Jag blev otroligt imspirerad och peppad att flytta utomlands jag med men vet inte hur jag ska ta mig till. Vad är första steget? Det är framför allt London jag känner mig sugen på eftersom jag skulle behöva öva min engelska och jag tycker London verkar vara sån härlig stad. Hur ska jag göra nu? Jag hade ju egentligen tänkt att söka till Universitetet till hösten men känner mig inte alls sugen så jag skulle ju kunna flytta till London istället. Men hur är min fråga? Skulle du rekommendera London som stad? Hur hittar man boende? och jobb? Mina föräldrar har lovat hjälpa mig med pengar men något måste jag ju göra där ändå. Volontärsjobb finns det?
Vore jätteglad om du kunde svara mig med lite tips och så.
Jag följer nu din blogg slaviskt och jag önksar att jag hade ditt mod och energi.
Kram Lisa

In English, translated by Google:

Hello Marliina.

My name is Lisa, I am 21 years old and comes from Stockholm. I found your blog a few weeks ago and I ended up sitting for hours to browse through your blog posts from London, Milan and Stockholm. I got incredibly inspired to move abroad, but I do not know how I'm going to do it. What is the first step? It is mainly London I am interested in because I would like to practice my English, and I think London seems to be such a lovely town. What should I do now? I was intended to apply to university this autumn, but do not feel like doing it so I though I could move to London instead. But how is my question? Would you recommend London as a city? How do I find accommodation? and a job? My parents have promised to help me with money but I have do do something anyway. Are there volunteer jobs?
Would be happy if you could answer me with some tips and ideas.
I am now following your blog and I very much wish I had your courage and energy.
Hugs Lisa

I would like to start by saying that I would recommend EVERYONE to live in London for some period of their life. Or in New York. It is such amazing experience! To learn English obviously is a good reason but it is not because of that I suggest it to people. London is amazingly unique for it's people and for it's culture. People comes from all around the world to London to do different kinds of experiences and as there are so many "immigrants" people are getting extremely open minded and open to meet new people. I guess it is the only place in the world where you can meet friends for life just taking the underground to work.

I didn't like London as a city before I moved there. I found it gray and even if I can't say it is ugly it had nothing that really cached my interest. It had good shopping and nice nightclubs, that was all the good things I could tell about it before I took the step to move there. Now when I go back I feel London has it all. Whatever I am looking for (except good weather) I can find it there. The variety the city offers is incredible, there is something for everyone.

I moved to London in 2006 alone without knowing anyone there but I had the job contract sighed before I left Sweden. I also already had a room to share with friends of a good friend of mine. So I must say I made it easy for myself. But I would say London is a place you can go without knowing anyone and without having neither job or a flat before arriving.

A room can be find easily trough Gumtree (http://www.gumtree.com/). Sometimes you can move in the day after and sometimes you have to wait a couple of weeks. However it is a quick process.

Also, some kind of job can always be found. The employee turnover in London is high, especially for the easier and less qualified jobs like in shops, bars or restaurants. For someone who is moving to London just for some time I would recommend to look for jobs seeking the languages they speak. There are lots of language recruitment companies that are always looking for "customer services people" with native language speaking knowledge.

Another idea is to work as a nanny. I have friends that has been doing that and it means that you get a room in a house with a English family, you might have to pick up the kids up from school in the afternoon and help out with home works or bring them to sport activities. You normally have mornings and evenings free, get a small payment plus a place to sleep and some food.

Like I said in the beginning, I would really recommend everyone I know to do a living experience in London. The four years I lived in London changed me positively in all kinds of way and I am very thankful for that. London for me will always be like a second home.

xoxo

Sunday 3rd March 2013

Yeeay! Finally the temperaturs are increasing and I guess and hope that means the spring it is on its way. The winter has felt so long and I absolutely can´t wait for the spring to arrive. 

Today has been quite lazy. I slept until 12am, even if I didn´t go to bed late yesterday. I guess my body felt it needed to sleep. 

In the afternoon I went out in the sun for a long walk. No need of a hat. No need of gloves. No need of tights underneath the leggings/jeans. Sunglasses on. I love it.

Then I went to the gym. As I have a painful arm I am now only exercising legs, back and abbs for at least 7-10 days. Sigh. Today I went running 30 minutes while watching the Oscar´s and then I did some back and abbs training. 

After that I just had to relax in the spa for some time. I am getting addicted to it. Jacuzzis and hot saunas :-)

Now I just got home and had three kiwis as my afternoon snack.

That is my Sunday so far...

xoxo

Mexi dinner and cinema with Matteo

We were supposed to go for dinner at the famous restaurant Parrilla Messicana but as a certain Mr forgot to book we didn´t get a place when we arrived. Grrr. Instead we went for mexican dinner at Dixieland Cafe Sempione and enjoyed our usual yammi chicken fajitas. Dixieland is always a safe card but Parrilla would would had been much nicer for sure...

After dinner we choose by going for a drink in Sempione or to go for the late cinema shows. As both of us nowadays doesn´t drink alcohol we choose the cinema. Matteo choose the film "Educazione sibiriana", a film made after the best selling book with the same name.  It is a story of the hard life for young men in Moldavia. I can't say it was a good movie but different and interesting. 

My rate:

( m m + )

xoxo

Happy birthday GetFit

GetFit is, I guess, the second largest gym chain in Milan after Virgin. Yesterday was its birthday and it was celebrated with a big party at The Banque in centre of Milan. Aperitivo, live band, shows and disco.

Steffi and I arrived late and managed to see only a part of the live band show. It was great. They played old Italian classics from the 70´s and 80´s and people jumped around dancing and singing like crazy. I didn´t know most of the songs but it was fun anyway.

Then the disco started off with only hiphop and commercial music. We danced like in the old times. Two times straight until out legs started to hurt. It was fun that the club was full of mixed people of all ages and many of the girls were really good dancers. So much fun. We left early, around 01am, when the house music started...

Now Stefii is back in Rome but it was fun to have her here even if it was only for one night.

xoxo

Sushi bar Ye

Sushi Bar Ye is a small sushi bar in my area, like 5 minutes in car from my place. It got high votes on tripadvisor so I wanted to try it out. It wasn´t a big wow but quite alright. They offer all you can eat menu from the band and as the band was quite small/short it was easy to keep it under control the new plates they put out.

However I was happy going out eating sushi with Stefania that I see far too little. 

xoxo

Ape at Cius with Steppy

Ciu's is a bar in between Lima and Loreto which offers very well done cocktails and a rich buffet of food. Here, for sure, you can go for an aperitivo (only pay the 9euro for your cocktail) and eat a real dinner out of the buffet.

The buffet offers grilled chicken, different kinds of meat, some fish dishes and lots of different vegetables made in all kind of ways. They also have desserts and some times fresh fruit in the buffet. What else can you ask for the tiny 9 euro you pay?

Important to book a table before coming as the place is always full!

xoxo