last day..

it is the last day of the year but it seems not quite the last of xmas trees and celebrations.. so here is one more for this year. This is located at the new extension of jumbo. it is much prettier than the main one near the santa cottage. Or do they look alike?
This shot is contributed by my sis. Tat is something different for the year end. ;-)

Fireworks have already started here at 6pm but I've been having a hard time getting a good shot. Hope I get one before the year is done.. ;-) HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

water tower

water tower in Hiekkaharju.

green marbles

Indoors today, munching some sweet jellies. "Green Marbles" = "Vihreitä Kuulia". Another yummy goodie from Fazer. here are fazer chocs

jus a birdie..

sitting on a rusty pipe near the carpark...

Merry Xmas Poinsettia

Left over from a wrapping paper. It was a pretty gold paper so decided to do some origami with it.
poinsettia: folding instrutions
P.S. Happy Birthday to my dearest sis today ;-)

lights up...

Here's a gift my sis brought over from Singapore. Been at home the past couple of days. Everything's closed here.. Tomorrow shops open and the post christmas sales start...

And maybe more outdoor shots... probably not of the dark snowless christmas we have had.

Ho ho ho

Tis the day to be merry. I opened most of my gifts at 6pm yesterday. The Finns open their gifts on xmas eve... not on xmas morning as most around the world do i suppose.

christmas greetings

Merry Christmas to everyone!!!

who goes there...?

Tat's my sis! She's always walkinh ahead of my mum and me to get out of the cold as soon as possible. ;-) This was at about 4pm.

snowman

Not a real one yet not with the teeny bit of snowfall we have had. This cute little one was a gift from my bro and sis-in-law last christmas. His head opens so that you can stuff in some candies in his hollow body.

advent calendar

Here's the advent calendar before it is opened for each day. Kids usually like these chocolate advent calendars and they love to eagerly count down the nites to xmas.

Some calendars come with small gifts, some without chocolates and some are themed (e.g. disney calendars)

Most kids tend to have more than one calendar...

advent candle

To count the days to xmas, here's the advent candle. I light it everyday and put it out at the right position. Not many more days left for xmas. ;-) 20th has yet to be lit.

There's also the chocolate advent calender for kids and those young at heart.

bowling

Finally it snowed today. We already had a bowling day planned so we were there in Myyrmäki Bowling and Minigolf Centre.

entire xmas from one door...

Koko Joulu Yhdeltä Ovelta = Entire Xmas from One Door is the catch phrase for City Market stores. The phrase is seen in the banners and this gift wrapping counter is right outside the store. I've never used their services as I usually like to wrap the gifts up myself.

Today was a Jumbo shoppin day with my mum and sis. ;-) Took this shot while resting my feet at the jumbo falls.

jus the sky...

The sky was a pretty sight today at 1530. Got a couple of shots but still caouldn't manage to capture it as the way i saw it. This is seen from my balcony. The temperature hovers jus below the zero the couple of days. Frosty but snow not in sight yet.

more candles

Here is another popular christmas custom in Finland. You can see various versions of these electric candle stand, from 2 to 5 to 7 candles. How do people prepare for xmas in your city? Any traditions and customs unique to your city?

Joulutähti, Poinsettia

Joulu-tähti = christmas star is the name for poinsettia in finnish. This is the real plant and is a very popular addition to the christmas season here.

white poinsettia?

holidays start

I was at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport early this morning. My mum and sis are visiting from Singapore. :D Today was also the last day of my exams. My holidays have begun... Yippee!!!

The above is the arrival hall shot before their arrrival. No time to take other shots after tat. ;-)

brightest tree

I suppose this must be the brightest tree in Tikkurila. Magnificent!
another look here

lights...

Taken this morning on my way to school (about 9am). Some of the households still had their christmas lights on. The lighting on the right are decorative lights adorning the trees. Such sights are common here. And it is welcoming to see these lights adorn the dark day.

ikea tree

Huge tree outise ikea, vantaa.

White Christmas

White Christmas theme at Plantagen. Plantagen is the place to go for all your gardening needs. I was there today looking for a tall green potted plant and poinsettia. Got myself the traditional red poinsettia. White ones are featured in this shot. Really hoping for a white christmas...

Xmas at Toys R Us

That's Geoffery wishing everyone Hyvää Joulua!(Merry Christmas) Hope i got his name right. This new Toys R Us branch in Vantaa opened only last month. It is the second one in Finland. There are two other branches. (one jus recently opened on dec 1)

Snowflakes

Snowflakes in Myyrmanni.

Ice Sculpture

This is really beautiful and well crafted so I hope you won't mind that this isn't in Vantaa. It was taken near Kamppi Shopping Mall in Helsinki today. The artist was still in the process of sculpting it.
It was refreshing to see some light and something different then the gloomy dark days. It looks like a red indian chief. What do you think?

Close up

Finland's Independence Day

Today is Finland's 89th independence day. It has become a tradition n Finland to have these Independence Day Candles.
Learn more about Finland's declaration of Independence here

Christmas cottage

Christmas cottage in Jumbo where Santa makes an appearance.

Jumbo tree

Outdoors are dark and gloomy. Raining the whole day today. Where is the snow?? :( More cheery to be indoors with bright lights and xmas carols.

Bits and Pieces Quiz 1 ANSWERS here

Mail to Santa Claus

This is the mailbox of Santa Claus who lives in Korvatunturi.
Mailbox is found in Jumbo, Santa Claus(Joulupukki) makes an appearance in Jumbo every Sunday.

The name Korvatunturi literally means "Ear Fell". Finnish kids are told that from this Ear Fell Santa Claus can hear what all the children are saying so he can find out if the children behave and obey their parents (and therefore may receive gifts next Christmas).

Have you sent in your christmas wishes to Santa Claus?

Bits and Pieces still on...

Yesterday was the last day but thought i'll extended till this weekend. Still have a couple more days. Then ANSWERS on MONDAY!

Play and Win Bits and Pieces Quiz.

DP Theme Day:A Photograph from the Waist Down

This is not what i planned to post. I planned to get Santa Claus in line with my theme Something Finnish but i didn't get a chance to visit him in Jumbo last Sunday. :( So here's an Indonesian dancer, from a painting I got from my Bintan visit.

53 Daily Photo sites are participating in the 1st December theme, "A Photograph from the Waist Down", please use the links to below to visit them. Due to time zone differences and other factors, the theme photo may not be displayed until later if you are viewing early in the day.
1 (Porto ) -2 (Greenville ) -3 (Evry ) -4 (Queens ) -5 (Seattle, WA, USA ) -6 (Stayton , OR, USA ) -7 (Albuquerque, NM (USA) ) -8 (Joplin, MO (USA) ) -9 (Singapore (Raymond) ) -10 (Guadalajara, Mexico ) -11 (Santiago, Chile ) -12 (London (UK) ) -13 (Jakarta (Indonesia) ) -14 (Bandung (Indonesia) ) -15 (Melbourne, Aust (John) ) -16 (Phoenix, AZ (US) ) -17 (Twin Cities, MN ) -18 (Newcastle upon tyne(England) ) -19 (St. Paul, MN (USA) Carol ) -20 (Szentes (Hungary) ) -21 (Tuzla (BiH) ) -22 (St. Paul Kate ) -23 (Dubai (U.A.E.) ) -24 (Nelson (New Zealand) ) -25 (Sharon, CT USA ) -26 (Tenerife (Spain) ) -27 (Auckland (New Zealand) ) -28 (Budapest (Hungary) ) -29 (Sydney, Australia (Sally) ) -30 (Sequim, WA ) -31 (East Lansing, MI (USA) ) -32 (Vantaa; Finland ) -33 (Singapore (Zannnie) ) -34 (Paris (France) ) -35 (Kuala Lumpur ) -36 (Shanghai, China ) -37 (Sydney Aust (Nathalie) ) -38 (Hyde (UK) ) -39 (Akita City, Japan ) -40 (Tokyo (Japan) ) -41 (Rotterdam ) -42 (Manila (Philippines) ) -43 (Not Strictly Seattle ) -44 (Stavanger (Norway) ) -45 (Hong Kong ) -46 (Chattanooga, Tennessee ) -47 (Barcelona (Spain) ) -48 (Trujillo (Peru) ) -49 (Naples Florida) -50 (Delta Colorado ) -
51 (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - 52 (Cheltenham, England) - 53 (Saarbrücken, Germany)

Play and Win Bits and Pieces Quiz.

Something Finnish 6: light up

Here's a candle holder which was a gift from hmmm.. can't seem to remember who. :(

The roots of Iittala date back to 1881 when a glass factory was established in a small village by the name of Iittala in southern Finland.

Iittala’s breakthrough occurred in the early years of modernism and functionalism in the 1920s and 30s. It was among the first companies to make the transition from creating decorative settings and dinner sets to progressive Scandinavian design. Iittala’s designers included the modernist trailblazers, Kaj Franck, Alvar Aalto and his wife Aino.

Sad to say, the response has been quite lukewarm for the bits and pieces quiz. Is it hard, uninteresting or no time? Your feedback is apprecitated. Thank you!

Something Finnish 5:comfy

Finlayson has a rich heritage of manufacturing quality textiles since 1820. Even today, Finlayson Oy textiles and Familon bed concepts add a touch of luxury to private homes and public premises.
First Finlayson factory located in Tampere, check the photo in my summer finland blog.

Play and Win Bits and Pieces Quiz.

Something Finnish 4: yummy

One of my favorite Finnish chocolate is Fazer's dark chocolate with 70% cocoa. Oy Karl Fazer Ab is a family business founded by Karl Fazer in 1891. The French-Russian café has grown into an international group of companies.

Wanna receive something finnish, guess some photos and win

Something Finnish 3: somewhere to travel

Play and Win Bits and Pieces Quiz.

This is the electronic travel card for travel on buses, trains, metros and trams. It is a fixed price and is not dependent on the distance travelled. The fare is 1.80€ per trip for travel within Helsinki and Espoo. It is 2.07€ in Vantaa. When travelling from one region to another(regional fare), e.g. Vantaa to Helsinki, it is a fixed price of 3.10€ per trip.

The above are adult prices and monthly fare uploads are possible on the cards as well. For example, a month's internal fare is around 40€ and for regional is 79€.

Something Finnish 2: something pretty

Marimekko Corporation is a leading Finnish textile and clothing design company that was established in 1951. The company designs, manufactures and markets high-quality clothing, interior decoration textiles, bags and other accessories under the Marimekko brand, both in Finland and abroad. Official Homepage

The one above is a sling bag. Is this brand available in your cities?
Remember to stop by and play Bits and Pieces Quiz.

Something Finnish 1: something fishy

This item kinda looked rather fishy, the first time i saw it. In all my years living in this world (which is more than 2 decades), I've never come across a can opener like this. It seems it is a finnish design. It might be small but it works as efficiently as the other convenential can openers.

Play my Bits and Pieces Quiz, and win yourself something finnish but not maybe not this 'fishy' item. ;-)

Bits and Pieces Quiz 1

Vantaa Daily Photo's first ever quiz with 'prizes'. The prizes will be postcards and a grand prize, 'something finnish'.

Here are the rules: Simply guess the photos(the blog posts) the tiny cropped up pieces belong to. When giving the answer, give the title and date of the blog corresponding to the correct Piece number. Please give all the answers in one post. No multiple enteries, have to be fair for everyone. Closing date of the quiz is Dec 1st, Friday.

Winners: You'll receive a postcard from me as long as you get FOUR of them right. . And if you manage to get all SIX correct, you receive more than a postcard. IT's a surprise! ;-)

Main idea is to have fun playing the matching game. In the event, that no one is able to get four right, I'll just have a top 5. So make your guesses even if it happens to be only one.

ANSWERS to be revealed on 2nd December. Happy guessing! Hope you have some fun with it.

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5.	6.

ANSWERS here!

City of your Dreams?

UNELMIESI KAUPUNKI? - City of your dreams. The polar bear is inviting you to his 'city of dreams.' Freezing cold. ' The latest ad is for the Finnish paper Helsingin Sanomat. I think the polar bear ad was for cough drops.

Redbull

Isn't his jus cute and lovely. Just had to take a picture of it cos it is attractive. Is there red bull in your city? I just know that it is an energy drink. where is it from?

Untitled sculpture

No, it is not snowing again. This was taken last week when it snowed. There wasn't any name to this sculpture. Anyone can suggest a name while i try to find more details about it... This is found near Vantaa City Hall in Tikkurila.

Birdie

Have been seeing this bird quite often outside my window. Anyone knows the name of it.

Singing Magician

Here's the magician from the precvious post. He's singing and dancing with a bunny and a lion i think.

Magician is in

Taken this afternoon at Myyrmanni Shopping Centre Xmas light up has started and this magician besides performing magic tricks was also singing for the crowd.