You know you've been in Estonia too long when:

1. You rummage through your plastic bag collection (Prisma and Rimi mostly) to see which ones you should keep to take to the store and which can be sacrificed to garbage.

2. When a stranger on the street smiles at you:
a. you assume he's drunk
b. he is insane
c. he's an American
d. he's a British sex tourist.

3. You think pay with cash only is quite primitive; in fact your ability to calculate the change back has slowed down dramatically. Getting change in coins or 2 kroon bills is just unacceptable.

4. Your coffee consumption exceeds 6 cups a day and coffee is too weak if there is less than 5 scoops per pot. You drink less water than before.

5. You've replaced some English expressions with "ei ole", "ei taha" and "ma ei tea". The "noh" or "nii" come already spontaneously. Your native language has seriously deteriorated.

6. Around 6:30pm you check mentally which shops are close to you to buy alcohol before 8:00pm.

7. Your notion of streetlife is reduced to the few teenagers hanging out in Viru Keskus.

8. Silence… is fun.

9. Watching TV is no longer interesting. Everything can be found online.

10. When you go to a restaurant you don't expect the waitress to come with the menus and ask what you would like. Customer service is no longer linked with courtesy.

11. You don't think twice about wearing sandals indoors.

12. You know that "I got a new boyfriend." means "I got laid last night."

13. The next day when they say "We broke up." you know it means "He didn't call."

14. You agree that no WIFI at home is equivalent to no electricity or no heating.

15. You are immediately suspicious when somebody starts talking to you in the street.

16. Your bad mood becomes your good mood.

17. Things are not "great" or "amazing" anymore; they're just "normal".

18. You've come to expect Sunday morning sidewalk vomit dodging.

19. You think something's wrong if you see more children than old ladies or drunkards in a bus.

20. If the sun comes out you stare from the window for a couple of minutes.

21. Your front door step is beginning to resemble a shoe shop.

22. When you need a taxi you pick the phone and ask for one.

23. The only couple talking in a tram or a bus always seems to annoy you.

24. You seriously consider visiting the sauna at least once a week.

25. You get annoyed when the bus is two minutes late.

26. Your definition of party has reduced to a nice conversation, quiet music, some snacks and of course drinking.

27. You know how to fix potatoes in 105 different ways.

28. You eat potatoes in 105 ways.

29. You hear loud-talking passengers on the bus. You immediately assume:
a. they are drunk
b. they are Russian-speaking
c. all of the above

30. You chat with people by MSN or Skype even if they're 2 meters away from you.

31. You have undergone a transformation:
a. You accept hapukoor in any food
b. You accept chocolate as food
c. You accept

32. You understand why the Estonian language has neither future tense nor sex.

33. You know that "religious holiday" means, "let's get pissed."

34. You stop asking "how are you" when you meet people. Communicating becomes less and less important...

35. You greet people with "tere" or "hei" or "chau" and keep your distance. You lengthen the last vowels to be very effusive.

36. If someone hugs you for more than 2 seconds you already suspect he/she's hitting on you.

37. Your definition of spicy food has seriously deteriorated.

38. You accept that 80'C in a sauna is chilly, but 20'C outside is freaking hot. Also, you accept -10'C outside as a reasonable temperature, but anything under 22'C indoors is unreasonable...

39. You don't seem anymore surprised, frustrated or disappointed when a girl tells you she's with her boyfriend after dancing and rubbing herself nastily with you.

40. "No comment" becomes a conversation strategy.

41. You know that "work from home" is another phrase for "I'll sleep longer and work half day".

42. Your old habit of being "Fashionably late" is no longer acceptable. You feel ashamed if you're 5mins late.

43. You think SMS is a great way of interacting with people and even flirting.

44. The only place where you're sit without having a computer in front of you is more likely to be the bathroom.

45. You enjoy potatoes.

Minu esimene IMAX 3-D kogemus.

Eile käisin Manchesteris, kinos, jõulumuinasjuttu A Christmas Carol vaatamas. Polekski nagu mainimist väärt sündmus, sest ma pole selliste filmide fänn. Küll aga on eriline see kogemus, näha kolmemõõtmelist filmi hiigelsuurel seinast seina, põrandast laeni, 23m x 29 m ekraanil. Lühidalt öeldes, vägev! Mõnes stseenis saavad mu unenäod reaalsuseks. Kui muidu olen vahel unes näinud, et lendan või kukun kusagilt kõrgelt-kõrgelt läbi pilvede maa poole, siis nüüd on see tunne tõeline. Ma lendan katuste kohal! Peatun kirikutornis! Äge! Lumesajus tahaks käe välja sirutada ja helbeid püüda...
Soovitan soojalt võimalusel külastada mõnd IMAX (Image MAXimum) kino ja/või 3-D filmi (kolmemõõtmeline, vaadatakse läbi eriliste prillide) vaadata :)

Sirelivaht. Lilac Foam.

Tavaliselt on mul töös üks kudu-projekt korraga. Nüüd on juhtunud nii, et juba kaks asja on pooleli. Mõlemad vajavad natuke nuputamist, harutamist, arvutamist, sest teen väheke omaloomingut. Kui asi ei edene nagu sooviks, aga valmis saada midagi tahaks, siis tuleb lihtsalt üks kerge kudumine ette võtta! Natuke tuulamist raverly's ja sündiski sall Sirelivaht.

Esiemadeks Gathered Scarf by Maryse Roudier,
Trinket by Kim Hargreaves ja mõned näpunäited raverlylaselt nimega littelstitch.

Mina lõin 35 silma varrastele nr.3. Kudusin kuus rida ripskoes. Seitsmendal real võtsin vardad nr. 5 ja kasvatasin igast silmusest kaks silmust. Nüüd oli varrastel 69 silma (esimese silma võtsin kudumata vardale). Kudusin 8 rida parempidises koes. Järgmisel, 15.-dal rea, võtsin jälle vardad nr. 3 ja kudusin silmused kahekaupa kokku (35 silma vardal). Jne. Selleks, et sall diagonaalselt jookseks kasvatasin iga paarisrea alguses ühe silma ja rea lõpul kahandasin ühe silma. Lõngakulu 50g/250m. Salli mõõdud umbes 25x120cm.

Hüatsint 2

Nädala ajaga on tekkinud mõned pisikesed juurehakatised.

Mütsiga smuuti ehk The Big Knit

Kui poeriiulilt selline pilt vastu vaatab, tekib paratamatult huvi, mis värk on!?

Tuleb välja, et tegemist on heategevusliku kampaaniaga, kogumaks raha vanurite heaks.

Väga vahvaid mütsikesi on tehtud! Flickri album on siin.


The Big Knit 2009 try to raise over £250,000 to support Age Concern and Help the Aged with healthy eating and healthy living projects during the winter months.

Kaeraküpsised.

Kaeraküpsiste retsepti otsides jäi silma see Toidutare õuna-rosinaküpsiste retsept.

Minu variant tuli selline:
100 g Või
2.5 dl Suhkur
1 tk Muna
2.0 dl Viigimarja-kaktuse püree
3 dl Nisujahu
2.5 dl Kaerahelbed
2 tl Küpsetuspulber
2 tl Kaneel (jahvatatud)
0.25 tl Sool
1 dl Kookoshelbed

Sulata või mikrolaineahjus. Lisa suhkur ja muna, klopi natuke. Lisa püree, jahu, kaerahelbed, küpsetuspulber, kaneel, kookoshelbed ja sool, sega ühtlaseks tainaks.
Tõsta küpsetuspaberiga kaetud ahjuplaadile kahe teelusika abil tainapätsikesed, jättes nende vahele 5 cm. Lase seista 10-15 min. enne ahju panemist. Esimese pannitäie panin kohe ahju ja see kerkis märksa kehvemini. Küpseta 200° juures 15–20 minutit ehk kuni küpsised on kuldpruunid. Kokku sain 40 küpsist :) Need jäävad pehmed küpsised. Mõnusad!

Hüatsint. Hyacinth.

Oi, ma olen põnevil! Ostsin (pennide eest!) hüatsindi ajatamise komplekti, vaas ja sibul. Olen oma toalillede hullust siin pidevalt alla surunud, ainult ühe orhidee olen soetanud. Kahjuks või õnneks pole hüatsindi-projekt eriti pikaajaline. Juhend ütleb, et täida vaas veega nii, et vesi ei puudutaks sibulat. Aseta jahedasse (5-10 kraadi C), pimedasse, ventileeritud kohta. Viisin ta siis kuuri alla. Inglismaal ju teadupärast miinuskraade eriti pole. Nüüd vaja meeles pidada ja iga nädal vee taset jälgida. Ja kui siis kunagi 10-12 nädala pärast võrse on 8 cm pikk, siis toon ta tuppa. Igatahes pisike võrse otsake juba paistab!

I'm so excited! First time I try to force a hyacinth!