Phew, what a relief! Since one of my bad habits is the endless blabbering. No need to worry about that, then.

It's true, that it's FREEZING cold here in winters, but I don't mind. I actually like when it's so cold that your hair and eyelashes freeze and you get rosy cheeks. ^^ I guess I'm a bit defferent from most of the Finnish people, but no can do. I'm from North. But on the other hand, summers are hot as hel.. eh.. campfire. It's nice that we've got cold, snowy winters and warm, sunny summers. Though, last summer was maybe even too hot for me.. So, for people to know: it's not always just cold, ice, snow and darkness in Finland. We don't live in igloos and we do not have penguins as pets.. Some people did ask me those things, once.. I've never been a huge fan of either one of those bands, but I know that there are massive quantities of fans out there.

It's really nice to hear that you liked the people here. I think so too, that we have nice people here, especially in the North. And no need to worry about sounding improper or anything. It's fun to hear people's thoughts. ^^ And yeah.. I've never been a girly girl, with skirts and high heels, polished nails and hairdos. I've always preferred sneakers and my old, worn jeans. I don't mind getting dirty, I love motorbikes and I do boxing. That's what you get when you up with a bunch of guys.. ^^

Hey again, and thank you all for the nice messages and welcomes!

It's awesome to see that this site contains some really wonderful people. It's also good and heartening to see that there really are a bunch of people who've started playing violin not as a kid, but at older age like me. I do, too, think that age is just a number. The most important thing, that really matters is what's on the inside. And like Pierre said, we just need to work really hard, be devoted and motivated, and of course have fun while practicing, and we'll do just fine. The fact that you all are here to help one another, is really a great thing. If I have some hard time on some parts or need tips and help, I won't hesitate to ask. Thank you all for your support!  And of course if there's any way I can help you guys, I'll do my best to return the favor.

Oh, it's cool that you know so much about Finland, Pierre. I know Emsalo (Emäsalo in Finnish). It's a part of Borgå (Porvoo in F). And that Notholmen isn't far from where I live atm. I've never visited the place, though.. But I've seen some nice pictures of it, and I think it's a really beautiful place. Hahaa! A sauna! :DD Of course it's a must have when you build a cabin here. How do you like the Finnish sauna culture, by the way (I'm sure that your wife has taught you lots of different things about Finnish and Swedish cultures)? Getting used to it? I couldn't live without sauna, to be honest. But that's only because it's been an important part of my life, like.. like, always. If you'll be having gigs here in the future, be sure to inform me! It would be a blast to see you play in person.

Hahhah, ok, ok.. I really start to believe, that maybe I'm not that old, after all. ^^

Thanks for the welcomes, Terry. And don't worry about your Finnish language skills. I guess you're not the only one with no Finnish vocabulary.  But hey! I guess I can fix that pretty easily. From now on, you guys can - for example - introduce yourselves like this: "Hei, minun nimeni on *Saija*. Olen viulisti." (Hey, my name is *insert your name here*. I'm a violinist.) There you go. And now, everyone can speak Finnish! Hooray! \o/

Yup. That's simple, easy and cost - effective.

I thought that might happen, so I used the stars for clarification. It would be no cool if everyone would be called by name as dull as Saija.