should i get a new face cream for the trip? *ponders*

so i met muuli and we went on a bit of s drinking spree, continuing until lunchtime on tuesday. went for a lunch then in a nearby restaurant called Pelmenit, russian food. then off to sleep! normally i would be a little surprised and upset over such spree but we got so into the whole photography subject and ideas and generally good discussions that i dont mind. it was a fruitful spree. i will have to do some photoshoots this week now... also i just planned one shoot for next week's tuesday evening. just before my trip, it will be a busy day but it was the only time that fit the model and me so... and i want to do it before i go.

tomorrow i need to go to Vantaa to do a test shoot for the government project. should go sleep a bit before...

muuli and i also have this photo project that i hope we could finally get started... and his photography work seems to be developing nicely. i told him ive always felt weirdly mother-like about his photography, and he concluded that for him, certain Marko was a father figure-mentor in ophotography from whom he got technique from, and i was the mother figure from whom he got the balls from. thats all a mother could hope to give, isnt it? me at least, i feel truly accomplished.

the russian restaurant Pelmenit, Kustaankatu, Kallio;














food (pelmenis, 8e);














just a view in Kallio;



















the dates and plans are slowly coming together. i will leave to Eskisehir on the 11th, leave from there to Ankara and catch a flight to Antakya (i cant stop advertizing the 28e price of the flights! damn). then try to get over to Damascus on the 13th. move to Beirut on the 16th or 17th and leaving possibly on the late 18th towards Aleppo to catch a train from Adana on the 19th, which runsto Istanbul. so arriving to Ist hopefully on the 20th. where Volkan said we could have a little party on saturday evening! the dates and times cause a buzz in my head... i really look forward to meeting all the people on the way! :) :)

the british army operational (nato) travel bag i bought last fall. will come handy on this trip. it looks nicely miniscule in the pic...but is not. should hold about 90L.