Armin van Buuren Intense Tour Finland, Helsinki

Ladies and gentlemen let me present you with Intense Tour: DJ Armiiiiiin van Buuuuuuuuuren!

 

So how does music concert has to do anything with sports you may ask? I'll give a hint: "jump, jump, jump" - for 5 hours. That ought to burn some calories. Add on top of that a visually spectacular, breath taking play from one of the best DJ's in the world and you have pretty much a amazing time at your hands.

I'm not going to write for long this time around. I'll let photo's speak for themself. 

How did I end up at Armin Van Buurens concert? Well, I received free tickets to the show and I'm not one to miss a good opportunity to have great time, listening to good music. While I knew Armin is a world famous DJ and I knew some of his tracks, I didn't expect him to be that good of a DJ. I honestly thought, that he would play couple of hours at max, but instead he played for nearly 5 hours straight. What makes it even better, he even brought various artists he has done work with with him.

Also the shows visual effects were just breath taking. The show lasted for 5 hours, but it felt like watching a good movie, with the stage capturing your eyes all the time and music pleasing your eyes the whole time.

At start of the show, Armin van Buuren hiding

At the Start, there was an egg/pearl/ball that kept captivating the minds of people.

Giant Armin staring at the singer lady.

Are you in state of trance?

Simply mind blowing. I kept staring at the stage of visual effects, while trying to jump/ dance (well finnish men don't dance - they shake) and listen to music. Man this Buuren guy knows what he's doing!

Armin van Buuren

Armin van Buuren

Armin van Buuren

and if people  started to get too drunk, it was clearly told whos concert they were listening to;)

Armin van Buuren

Some people were not that intrested on listening to music, but had their eyes on this mountain of treasures people kept throwing away. The creativity of people trying to snatch those goodies kept entertaining me the whole concert, while the security guards had their hands full the whole time trying to guard those, haha.

Treasure inside a cage

Are you ready to go even deeper?

How to make tired people jump even more when the clock is past midnight? Simple. Take out the Finnish flag and show to the audience you know where we are at. I will tell you no lies, nearly everyone got excited and started to jump and throw their hands in the air. He would have probably got people jumping on their heads, if he mentioned Finland had won Bronze medal on Olympics mens ice hockey earlier...

Armin van Buuren holding the Finnish flag

Whatever you do, do it with intense

The time seemed to be this trance audiences worst enemy and clock kept going without stopping to think of the people having fun. For many hours people had a great time listening to music played by world best DJ, watching the visual sight they call the stage and other various artists kept us entertained the whole play.

There were maybe some problems with holding a big mass concert like this at exhibition center, but I didn't notice anything to mention for. I had time of my life and all I can say: DJ saved my life tonight. Save the night for others Armin, you're the light between us!

Armin van Buuren, close to a surprise!

Armin van Buuren releases his secret: lots of airballoons from the sky

You can find more information about Intense Tour and Armin van Buuren from his official website:
http://www.arminvanbuuren.com/news/2013/10/armin-announces-armin-only-intense-world-tour/

Thank you Armin, was a wonderful play. I'm not sure why I hadn't purchased tickets earlier to your concert, but next time you come to Finland I will!

Armin van Buurens whole artist crew, dancers/ acrobatics/singers/ guitar/ drum players

Where you at the concert? Have you ever been at Armins concerts? Comment below or subsribe!

<3 Armin van Buuren <3

Busy year 2014!

Year 2014 is the year of sports themed events for couch-athletes or amateur-atheletes!

Couch-athletes have been enjoying themselves already with Olympics at Sochi, under20 icehockey world championship tournament, or if you like badminton, you might have the luxury to watch badminton country championship tournaments this year.

For fun-loving, amateur-athletes that I like to call myself, the fun is however just about to start. Year 2014 brings hundreads of intresting sport events. While it may be close to impossible, or super hard to fit all of these fun events to your calendar - I'm going to write down few of the events I'm going to participate at. Let me introduce to you "Year 2014 Dream Calendar":

Month	Competition
March	-
April	Länsiväyläjuoksu
May	Helsinki City Run (21km)
June	Helsinki Half Marathon (21km)
July
August	Helsinki City Marathon (42km)	Midnightrun	Helsinki City Triathlon
September	Pääkaupunkijuoksu (21km)
October	-
November	-
December	Messukeskusjuoksu

Almost every month has some intresting competition I'm attending at. In September there is tons of other activies also, like: Vantaa Marathon, Espoo beachmarathon, Stockholm (Sweden) Marathon and many others. That is one of the reasons I haven't finalized my plans as of yet. Also since July is quite open for events to attend to, I have to search up for intresting competitions. Which possibly will be held abroad. I'm taking suggestions, if you know good places to competite at!

Most important competitions

Truth to be told, while I may say "competitions", these all are events to keep myself in shape. As I'm not doing these to win, but to keep myself motivated to go forward toward my dream. I like to call them competitions though, I like the sound of it.

From half marathons, the most important ones for me are: Helsinki City Run, which I'm attempting to break my record by finishing faster than 1hour45minutes and the second intresting half marathon is this newly organized event Helsinki Half Marathon. Will be intresting to see how they cope up with the popularity City Run has.

From full-lenght marathons I have to nominate Helsinki City Marathon as my most important one this year. I'm looking for options to compete abroad in one other full-lenght marathon this year, which July seems to be the best option, as my Dream Calendar slot for July is rather empty.

Most of these events are familiar to me and I trust them as working running events. My first triathlon will be Helsinki City Triathlon held in August. While it's not super hard event, but more of a fun thing to attend to, I get to see what it's all about. Wish me luck!

A lil' bit of Training in my life, a lil' bit of Running by my side, a lil' bit of Sweat is what I need...

Lou Bega's mambo number 5. set aside, my set goals don't finish without training, so let's put tv-remote set aside for awhile and Olympics in Sochi can wait untill I finish running a bit!

Friend of mine asked me to accompany her for a running session (you can't believe how happy one can be when someone asks you out to run), which I gladly accepted. We set up a meeting place&time, where I arrived too early. Well, luckily I found this amazing thing I kept running up and down while waiting for her to arrive:

Friend of mine arrived on time (amazing character on females, especially since I'm always late! :D) and I had warmed up for our running training. I wish all gyms would have stepmaster as their gym equipment selection...

Running varies always when you do it solo, or as a group.

Running solo can be boring. Luckily you have your trusted Ipod, or other Mp3 player with you, so you can listen to your favourite track while running.

Running with a friend or as a group brings a whole new level to running. It's refreshing and brings more fun, as you can talk with your friends about tv-programs, olympics etc. Or Victorias Secret models if you like them. Miranda Kerr is awesome. Everyone should try to attend some group running practice, if they can. Most Marathons try to give a chance to participate on a training session one or two times prior to the event they are holding.

It might be a cultureshock to some, to actually having to have conversation while training, instead of just having a monologue from your music player... ;)

Tired dog, permission to use on blog approval by Creative Commons 2.0 on Flickr
All credits goes to photographer Pamela Stocks, original url:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tenerife/240325046/in/photostream/

Training with friend end and no, I didn't end up like that doggy above. It was nice, fast paced round of sweat!

I had a energy to spare still, so I went solo for a quick jogging round outside that very evening. With my trusted TomTom Multi-Sport GPS watch with me

The feeling after workout is always great. Mind works always better when you've given some sweat while doing sports. It was a nice slow-paced jog to finish a great day. I should have ran around the block to get that last 300 meters though, so it would have shown 5 kilometers... ;)

Love the TomTom watch though! That reminds me, I need to make a review of it here, hopefuly soon.

See you all soon!

SnowRunFest 2014

Fun, Entertaining, SnowRunFest. - Short description of the hottest, different, running event of the winter. 

(my most sincere apology for the long and detailed posting in advance)

When I heard about the original "mudrun 2013" running event, I knew that was going to be entertaining and I just had to participate on it. Unfortunately the time and location didn't fit into my timeschedule and the best I could do was to watch the event from pictures posted on the event site.

Luckily enough, the organisation who made the mudrun 2013, came up with an idea to make a tour of "different kind of running events" - colour run, mudrun and the latest I participated on, the SnowRunFest. The location and time fit me perfectly so there was no hesitation to hook up and participate on the most intresting winter event -ever?

First SnowRunFest running event February 8th, 2014

The hype for this was big. The marketing team of the funrun.fi organisation made sure people got hyped of the event before it even happened. I was rather sceptical at start, how this could be the best event ever, with bad weather and not that much snow on the ground... Luckily I was proven wrong by the event. It was simply awesome.

The event was held in Hietsu (it's a famous beach), in Helsinki. Getting to the location was easy, since there was tons of participants and following people with the event hat/ running shoes on was made easy. My mapping skill is kind of bad, so I just joined the line of runners and followed them to the event place.

Closing in on the event place

Closing in on the event place, you could hear the music already being played by maybe the best DJ's in the world (:D) DJ's were part of radio station energy Finland (NRJ) staff. My initial first thought was "hey, the party is on!" There was this large event stage, which we saw from miles away. Nice!

Party stage was visible from miles away

Group 5

Me and my friend (later known as bunny) had signed up for running group 5, so we had time to check around the event area. There was lots of intresting sights to see, mainly the awesome carneval costumes the other runners were having on. The whole event got this really awesome feeling to it, with everyone putting effort into what they wear. I didn't dress up that nicely, just had a penguin hat on as my helm. If I knew there were this many "cosplayers", I would have purchased some digimon suit or autobot suit to wear. There was also people from Finnish fitness gym called Fressi warming people up all the time, while music was playing on the stage.

Fressi warming people up, while DJ from NRJ playing music

 Time to run!

There were a total of eight different obstacles. The lenght of the running course was 2,5 kilometers, which would be run twice. So in total of 5 kilometer, with obstacles passed twice. If you couldn't pass some obstacle, you could pass it by going around it. Which was nice.

I'll shortly describe the obstacles: there was snowhills, sumo wrestlers (which on the first lap was rather disapointing, with the mass start they were quickly passed. Though it was rather hilarious that some runners started to scream. So surprised they were of them!), then there was big slide, which you had to climb on top of with ropes (I kinda injured myself on the first slide haha), then there was sea of coloured balls which was fun. More climbing obstacles and stuff.  Oh and then there was a tunnel which you had to crawl from under. Fun!

One of the obstacles, this giant slide which looked like a lion from far away, but turned in to a lamb when we go closer.

While it doesn't seem that long of a lenght to run, it really gave a nice sweat. I liked the course. I would have probably enjoyed it more, but my bunny decided that it was going too slow and we moved our pace quite a lot. Young people have too much energy, hard to keep up with them!

Entering the finishing line

Unfortunately like everything fun, there has to be an end somewhere and our run was finishing it's two laps. Me and my bunny entered the finishing line and the medals for participating was given to us. Yay, this years first medals!

Me and my Bunny after finishing the run

SnowRunFest 2014 medal

If I had to give feedback about SnowRunFest, I'd say it was one of the best running events I have had the luxury to join (well, participate at). The course was lighted up in disco theme, which gave it's own touch. Music was loud enough, so the runners would hear it, obstacles were hard enough and people gave their own touch by having most awesome costumes ever!

Awesome costumes. Teletabbies "Let's hug, again again!"

TLDR (too long didn't read): It was awesome!

Now time to go party some, while the DJ's still playing music. After that it's time to go change clothes and start moving towards Tiger nightclub, where the afterparties were supposed to happen!

Olympics Sochi 2014

Time for winter Olympics, this time in Russia, Sochi!

One of the most spectacular event in any professional atheles career, is participating in Olympics. I'm far from being a athelete fit to represent my country in Olympics, but I do my best representing my home couch and watch the olympics sports the best I can. Cheering my home country is not optional. It's something you do from the bottom of your heart.

You can watch the majestic pictures of Olympics 2014 here:
http://www.olympic.org/photos/sochi-2014

Looking at pictures of the Olympics openings, it's massive. Grand. Epic, or should I call it... Legendary? Maybe Legendary isn't the best word to describe it, with Sotsh having problems with hotels and the brutal news of them hiring a company to slaughter stray dogs/ cats. - While it may be horrible to hear, the stray animals do risk the health of f.ex ski jumpers...

With 400 millions euros put into these olympic games, you'd think there would have been an alternative method, which would had gave purpose to both animal lovers and the haters.

Unfortunately, the stray animals issue isn't only thing thats putting shadow over the olympics. There was newsitem that a airplane was attempted to kidnap and terrorism news... I just hope people respect the sport of olympics and everything goes well.

Back to the business though. While the Olympics are under way in Sochi, Russia, everyone will cheer for their teams, or maybe have favourite atheles to cheer on. Finland being a igloo and polarbear country, we should do well on winter olympics.

I hope Finland wins at least 1 gold medal, few silver and few bronze medals.

My top choices for the medals are: speed skating (Mika Poutala), Finnish Women and Men hockey teams (Selänne, Selänne, Selänne!), skiing, snowboarding and women curling. I'm sure there are also few surprisers in the atheletes, that could bring medals back home.

• 2 Gold
• 4 Silver
• 1 Bronze

That's my list for Team Finland - What its like for you?

What other teams you cheer? Or what country you cheer for?  Which team has the best uniforms? How do you pronounce Sochi (is it sotsh?), Comment below!

Challenge: "The veggieweek!"

Challenges make life intresting. It could be new intresting challenges in work, sports, or in life general - as long as you can overcome the challenges given, or chosen by you. All of my new year promises are still valid, even the candy strike: But let's spice this year 2014 up a little by adding monthly challenges. February challenge is: the veggieweek!

What is "veggieweek" and why?

Earlier this year, the Finnish goverments health&nutritions councelling office gave new recommendations for the food nutritions (can be found by clicking here). There was some changes, like eat less salt, red meat is bad etc. Some things however, like eat more vegteables didn't change. Overall it's a good read for everyone.

The recommendations made me think of my choices for my everyday eating habits and how I fill up my eating diary. Even that my food diary has seen significant improvements, as how how I eat now, compared to months back when I started to write down everything I eat (I still need to learn to put down my morning weight... ) - I started to think, how else I could start eating properly.

With the helpful push from certain webplatform newsarticle, I thought: "Hey, let's became a vegetarian for a week!". I then consulted a friend of mine who is a nutrionist specialist and she told me some very devastating facts about being a full-time vegetarian. Some horror stories like "they dont eat milk, eat cheese, chicken or fish. - I can understand almost everything except the milk part. Why? Just why!?

So my "the veggieweek" will be a semi-veggie'ish. I won't eat meat, chicken, or anything like that. But I am still allowed to eat/drink milk products.

Starting the challenge

The challenge already started off 1st of February and will last all the way to 8th of February. Or maybe until 9th of Feb, I'm slightly busy that weekend, because of SnowRunFest (read more about it on the earlier blog).

The foods I've made gave so far been rather creative and have tasted like something out of a culinary restaurant. I'm just that good of a cook (take notes girls ;) !).

Will be rather exciting to see how this challenge turns out, will I fall and eat meat, or will I finish this like a real endurance runner finishes marathon race?

Looks delicious! Maybe I put too much chili on it... again.

Paying off already!

It seems like going veggie lover for a week has paid off already. Just two days in and I got a lovely letter from my bank, OP-Pohjola. No, it wasn't a bill or anything like that, but free tickets to floorball games this season! I took part of a Facebook competition and I was one of the lucky winners to get free tickets. Yay for lady fortuna! Now if I would get a dream job, or win in big time lottery, I might think about going veggie loving full-time. Food for the thought, eh?

Free tickets to watch floorball games

Superbowl

Speaking of seasons and coachsports. The superbowl XLVIII was held this weekend and I had the luxury to watch the match from tv. The hype about this seasons best attack team vs the best defense team was surprisingly good. Match between Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks should be very exciting to watch. Or so I thought...

I've been intrested in american football mainly because of the advertisements that come up every year during the super bowl, but lately since a friends of mine plays the finnish american football league, I've started to watch the games even.

(picture capture from ruutu.fi)

Among all great sports that come from America, it's safe to assume super bowl between  the best teams gathers viewers. After all it's a magnificent event, that gathers viewers from all around the world.

The match was slightly disapointment. It was super boring. Seahawks destroyed Broncos and were already leading 29 to 0 after first half. Last time there was team shutdown in super bowl was years ago (yes very specific i know, I think it was in year 80's-90's? or so ).

Bronco's still having fighting spirit left
(picture capture from ruutu.fi)

The score didn't matter at the end, because the event was super entertaining with red hot chili peppers performing during the break. Oh and the cheerleaders... Yes, one of the reasons to watch football is the cheerleaders. They know how to make the games intresting for viewers.

Seattle Seahawks 43  - Denver Broncos 8

Sums the feelings of Bronco's pretty much.
(picture capture from ruutu.fi)

 Good match, Congratulations Seahawks on first superbowl victory. Both teams did great and have many challenges ahead of them. Just like we all do.

Thanks for reading, I'm off to eat some carrots!