And the leaves turn yellow

 I love it :D Today I had my exam and I think it went rather well. More importantly today was my parents' 23rd anniversary and we celebrated it with a huge 3course dinner (tomato soup,mushroom risotto and panna cotta...Italian:). After all of these busy weeks of just grabbing a bite to eat it was so incredibly relaxing to sit down and catch up with everyone while actually enjoying what I was eating :P
Afterwards I pampered my mum by dying her hair.

• I got a new idea for a nail DIY, so I'll try to produce it for you lot within a week.
• I'm going fleamarketing tomorrow as a treat to myself :)
• Just over a week till the October break and my trip to Italia to see la mia bella ragazza, friend since preschool and fellow blogger: Benedetta (check out her blog about photography and life :)
• Since my sister became a veggie the rest of my family has been doing a lot of that too. As lovely as the idea is...I'M SICK OF IT. I miss steaks. So tomorrow H promised to BBQ or fry up something delicious for me :)

Simple and comfy outfit for the exam day: little knitted cardi, bf jeans by Levis and a (bo)red t-shirt.

This spectacular choice of slogan for the day seemed to cheer up one of the supervising teachers :P

I topped the look off with vintage style (*cough CHEAP COPY cough*) sunnies

and ofc my trusty ballet flats (THANKS S!!!!)

I couldn't be happier now. You guys contribute to a lot of that.

I haven't been commenting back as much as I'd love to, but you've still kept in touch and that means heaps :) I am slowly inching closer to normal. I still have one itty bitty test to study for and then I'm totally set for at least another month :D

xxx

I STILL LOVE YOU!

Ninja

There is a light that never goes out

I'm having an angsty-panicky stress situation about tomorrow's exam and taking it out with mr. Morrisey's ingenious lyrics! In some strange way all this sinister music actually makes me smile (I'm a fan of dark humour in general).
I've been so silent and boring in the fashion department lately because of all of these exams, I just feel spent... I hope that an intense pampering weekend with mr. Silly H will re-energize me and get me back to my normal and hyper state ( How could it not?).
JUST ONE EXAM MORE :D And I'm done for a little while (I still have several course exams, but they don't really make a big difference :P)

Ah the feeling of wailing along to the glorious morbidness.
 "And if a double-decker bus, Crashes into us, To die by your side, Is such a heavenly way to diiiiiiiiie!" .  I swear, today I'm like something out of a really bad rom-com. 

I cannot wait for that sigh of relief after tomorrow's exam :)

-LOVE

Ninja 

Quickie quickie

So I have my last BIIIG exam on Friday and I'm shitting bricks. In addition to all that stress today was not the best of days, but after a two hour long therapy session with a mate I feel tons better (here's to you ;). It is so very comforting that High School and the drama it holds within is soon over- and I HOPE that people actually do a bit of growing up before uni :D

I got to wear a new favourite garment today. Remember my post about leather shorts? I FOUND A PAIR. For 4 pounds in an Edinburgh vintage store, might I add. I am a happy ninja. I think that they fit beautifully (despite allegedly being size 10-12 (but size doesn't really mean a thing now does it? :)

Primark blouse, Lindex cardi, Thrifted vintage jacked, vintage leather shorts (!)

Bijoux Brigitte watch

Tango ballerinas

Now I will get back to my studies :) I know I promised to be back to normal by Monday, but I will just push through this last exam and then I really will. I have lots of great piccies for you lot from Edinburgh that I will be showing you this weekend.

Thank you for being here and supporting me through my exams, it has made a world of difference!

XXX

Ninja

p.s. I TOTALLY aced my English finals :) I will be graduating with top grades!

Concrete Jungle

What always delights me in Edinburgh is it's various forms of street art and projects. This particular one caught my eye (and well.. probably everyone's who was visiting Ed): vibrantly painted sculptures of endangered animals were scattered around the city. According to the plaques they were all up for auction, with all proceeds going to protecting these endangered species. Also miniature figurines of these sculptures are available for purchase online. I find this such and inspired and creative way to raise awareness for an important cause!

Here are snaps of some I spotted:

More pictures from Edinburgh and Aberdeen coming up SOON :)

xxx

Ninja (IS BACK!)

Packing and other stuff

English exam over :) I think it went pretty well if I may say so. 

Now I'm getting started on packing for Scotland: recharging the camera and iPod and trying to frantically plan my outfits.

I bought a clip nose ring today to see for a while if I really want one. Looks pretty good. My mum HATES it.

I noticed that I have 100 followers now and I can't believe it, pretty damn cool :) I'm trying to find a nice giveaway so that I can give back to you lot!

Here's some pictures from my trip a while back that I've been frantically flipping through and getting so hyped up!:

And to illustrate how time passes: a picture of yours truly, a year ago. Haha :)

I will probably not be able to keep in touch with you lot on my trip, but I will be back with a vast collection of pictures and adventures for you on Monday :)

After that I PROMISE I'll be back to normal.

Take care,

Ninja

Lazy lazy lazy

Today was one of those sleep in days (although I did wake up pretty early. No alarm, though). I got to lounge around for the longest time, before heading to town for some sushi with the man and then school :)
I'm getting pretty excited about my trip. Only one exam (English written) to ace and then I'm off!
I had the chance to go window shopping today and my gosh the selections have changed during my intense study break. I can't wait to get shop-shop-shopping again :)!

Very basic school-day outfit: Zara dress, MONKI blazer and vintage dress shoes

Ring from Turkey

These are about four sizes too big, but at the cost of a euro I couldn't resist!

I have my 6 hour English exam tomorrow and I am going armed with mudcake and a pillow! :) Making the most of a stressful situation. Afterwards I'll probably head to town for some sushi with my lobster and then it's home and PACKING!
Question: Do you think that an outfit like I wore today would be appropriate for open day at Edinburgh?

Hugs and kisses to all my angels (YOU),
Ninja

p.s. you can look forward to an itty-bitty giveaway once I get back! I'll keep you posted.

Comfort is key

I had my history matriculations today. It's so surreal that the thing I've been prepping for since the midsummer just passed. 

Today's saldo: 

• 6 essays
• 5h and 15 minutes
• 4 after eights
• 3 bits of shopping
• 2 cups of coffee
• 1 lovely, patient and gorgeous boyfriend.

I wanted to wear something cozy just to make the whole situation easier: Daddy's nautical knit, leggings, parka and  a scarf/beanie set.

Finally it's over!

I also think that it's time to reveal where I'm going: 

SCOTLAND!!! I leave for Edinburgh on Thursday, visit Aberdeen on Friday and attend the open day at the Edi Uni on Saturday :)

Have a great week!

xxxx

Ninja

1/4 done!

Good news! I scored 85/90 in my English listening matriculation (tying for top of the year!). Now I only have the English written exam, the History essay exam (6 essays in 6 hours) and the religion essay exam. In a little over a week this will be over, thank goodness, and my blog will be totally back to normal.
I will be going abroad for some University visits next week from Thu-Sun, so you can expect some awesome travel photos as well :)

Here's a couple of recent outfits:

Dandy-like. Dad's blazer, an HM knit, a thrifted blouse and brogues.

Mexican shepherd. Gina Tricot poncho and knit, Pieces Jeggings and ugg-like boots (I know, I know. Shoulda got the real deal, but these were just 1 euro at the fleamarket!)

The new haircolour in the shade.

The new hair in the sunlight.

As much as I HATED it to start with, it's really growing on me, since I've been getting tons of compliments on it (apparently makes my eyes look greener :P).
I've also managed to get more of the purpleness out with head and shoulders shampoo (as suggested by one of my very favourite bloggers: a super cool girl named Lucia from whothefuckismickjagger)

I leave you now for more History studies :)

xxx
Ninja

Just so you don't think I've left you...

I am usually anally consistent about posting regularly at least once a day. This week, however, I started my matriculations (English today :/!) so I'll be really busy studying etc.
I will try to get to you guys as often as possible with outfits (if I bother to wear anything nice).
Sorry about the momentary fade!

Thank you guys for being so supportive :)
xxx
Ninja


WISH ME LUCK ;)


p.s. I think my English listening went fairly well!

oh the tragedy

I've gone and done it. Botched up henna, that is. My hair was raven black this morning when I woke up, after using a honey and cardamom-solution it shifted into a more purple shade and now I've (fortunately) managed to dilute it into a wine-red. Not exactly what I was going for, but definitely not the worst case scenario. The colour will further develop for like two days before assuming its final (well not final since it fades) shade.
I have to admit that I cried pretty violently when I saw the purple. I get melodramatic about my hair. Like one of those contestants on Top Model who says they'll be fine with anything, but ends up having a breakdown (yes, the girls we all love to hate. That's me!).
This current red, however is something I'm quite content to work with and might even get used to eventually. The luckiest part is that I also did a home hair trim, but it worked out perfectly!
We're having a family friend over for dinner so I decided to wear something comfy, but chic:

A comfy, loose knit from VILA

Chinos from Zara and ballerina flats from Tango

A little owl ring that my sister brought to me from Nice

xxx
and PLEASE be careful with your hair!

-Ninja

The Dark Zone

A few weeks ago I had the honour of Attending photographer Hannes Heikura's exhibition at a local art gallery with my art class. He's a news photographer by trade, but the images in the black and white collection crossed over to a more artistic side (if you can say that). They were all dark, mostly melancholic pictures and some of the most impressive photos I've ever seen and a huge inspiration (I guess gloominess appeals to me). His use of shadows, urban elements (concrete, puddles etc.) and unusual settings is like nobody else's. All of the pictures feature regular people, going about their daily lives, unglamourized and unedited. To my understanding all of the pictures were completely candid, which definitely amped up the wonder of it all.
What made it even more special was that we actually got to see the man behind the pictures as he came to take a look at the exhibition!

The pictures are quite hard to come by online (at least for a rookie like myself), but here's a few that I did
find:

NOTICE: I don't own the rights to any of these images, they are taken by Hannes Heikura. I am solely using them to share with you this wonderful source of inspiration. 

If you live in Finland, or have the chance to get your hand on a copy of his book I promise you it's worth it!

Does this appeal to you, or is it just the little old me who finds romance in this melancholy?

(tell me in the comments)

xxx 

Ninja

The kids are losing their minds

 The title refers to us Finnish seniors, who are just noticing how close the matriculations(a form of standardized testing that affects Uni applications)  are...not that the songs has ANYTHING to do with them, whatsoever. Mine start on Tuesday with my English listening exam. You'd think that it would be pretty easy for me, since English is my strongest language, but no. The catch is that there are sections where we have to translate English into Finnish (not so good since I've lived most of my life abroad). I'm still aming for the maximum, but we'll see how it goes. I also have my English written part very soon, followed by my History exam on the 19th and religion on the 30th. The "tricky" thing about History is that we've had six courses, so the test area is HUUUUUGE. However, I think I've studied pretty well (all through the summer!).

Now I'm taking a study break and updating my blog (my baby!) and reading Glamour magazine, before popping in a series of WWII documentaries (I got SICK of reading :P).
In addition to these I also have regular school assignments, so stress is piling up. Tomorrow the bff and I are having a de-stressing day: manicures, facials, movies etc. I could not look forward to it more!

The Finnish firework championships were on last night, close to my boyfriends house, so we climbed onto the roof for an amazing view of night time Helsinki and, of course, the fireworks themselves.
Another pretty cool thing is that his mum submitted us into an ice cream tasting panel. We're going to taste new flavours of healthy/light ice cream on Wednesday for two hours. The best part is that we both get 40 euro gift cards to a department store. Yay! We're planning a movie night with lots of yum-yums to celebrate :P

Here are my fuss free looks from yesterday and today:

What I wore yesterday: jumpsuit from H&M, denim biker jacket, black crocheted scarf and CT Converse (yes, again...)

Notice the little floral pattern :)

We also went out for some ice cream...mmmm!

Helsinki by night

Those were actually heart-shaped

Another rock and roll inspired look: H&M pants, KISS tee, Denim Vest by Mimika and my beloved Converse.


Well, the blitzkrieg calls and I must answer.

Strength, patience for your work and studies (I'm sending you happy thoughts!)

xxx
Ninja

p.s. My apologies for the rant...sometimes it's just easier to take it out on you lot ;)