Yo, I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want. So tell me what you want, what you really, really want.
Can one ever forget this song?
When the Spice Girls’ Wannabe hit the airwaves in 1996, I was 10 years old. A year before, Finland had won its first gold medal in the Ice Hockey World Championship, which was a huge phenomenon for the country. It sparked a national craze, dubbed the “miracle on ice.” I watched the game but didn’t really understand the significance back then. Only later did I realize how important it was for post-depression Finland’s self-esteem. Just a few years earlier, Finland was dealing with a 19% unemployment rate and the lingering effects of the economic depression. 1995 also marked Finland’s entrance into the EU, symbolizing a shift from isolation to embracing the global stage. That year, Finnish director Renny Harlin’s Cutthroat Island was released, earning a Guinness World Record as the biggest box-office bomb of all-time.
Leevi and the Leavings – interpreter of humanity and cultural untranslatability in Finland
When I hear songs from the band Leevi and the Leavings, I think of Finland in the 90s and my childhood. Their music has a special place in my heart. The band paints the Finnish soul with layers of melancholy, yet with a dose of sarcasm and dark humor. Their songs reflect Finnish characteristics that are almost impossible to fully understand outside of Finland—something I like to call “cultural untranslatability.” You can “get” the songs, but the deeper socio-cultural context might escape you. One of their best examples of this is the song Kyllikki (1983), which I’ll share here in a direct translation:
When we spent those summers together
You were my Catwoman
You didn’t want to be like the others
The stars and the moon in the sky didn’t suit you
You were so different
Some of my favorite songs from Leevi and the Leavings include:
- Sopivasti lihava (“Suitably Fat”)
- Poika nimeltä Päivi (“Boy Named Päivi”)
- Turkmenialainen tyttöystävä (“Turkmen Girlfriend”)
- En tahdo sinua enää (“I Don’t Want You Anymore”)
- Uusi sihteeri (“New Secretary”)
- Pojat tanssimaan (“Boys to Dance”)
- Muotitietoinen (“Fashionable”)
The person behind of Gösta is still bit of mystery, I could say.
The person behind the band, Gösta Sundqvist (1957-2003), is still something of a mystery. He was a very private person, avoiding the spotlight. The band only performed one live concert, and only a few of their songs were made into music videos. His life story is fascinating. Through the audiobook Gösta Sundqvist: Leevi and the Leavingsin Dynamo, I learned that Gösta struggled with his identity, torn between his Finnish-Karelian mother and Finnish-Swedish father. He was a rebel, not afraid to challenge narrow-minded people, even wearing dresses to make a statement.
Growing Up in Kontula: A Place of Contrasts
I was born in Kontula, a neighborhood in East Helsinki, and lived there until I was 11. It’s one of those areas that evokes mixed feelings—often called a “love-hate” neighborhood. People know it, but few actually visit. Built quickly in the 1960s and 1970s to alleviate Helsinki’s housing shortage, Kontula was hit hard during the 1990s recession. It became home to many families facing unemployment, drug problems, and social challenges. But there was a strong sense of community. We knew our neighbors, visited each other for coffee, and chatted in the hallways. I’ve never experienced that sense of belonging anywhere else.
Some things I remember fondly from Kontula:
- Sportsmanship & the “We-Spirit”: The local football team, FC Kontu, was a source of pride. People also supported the Jokerit ice hockey team. Watching their games and seeing stars like Otakar Janecky and Petri Varis was a big deal.
- Candy Kiosks: Back when Finland used marks as currency, I would get UFOs, stripes, and “pink foam mushrooms” from the local kiosks.
- Movie Rentals: I spent hours browsing movie rental stores in the Kontula shopping center, picking out films from their shelves and reading their plot summaries.
- Outdoor Life: We spent hours playing outside with kids from the neighborhood. Skipping ropes were all the rage.
- Mikko the Cat: Mikko, our mischievous black cat, destroyed our leather sofas. But somehow, he was still my friend—although I can’t say the same for him. Maybe that’s why I ended up becoming a “dog person.” This is amusing as Mikko is a very common and somewhat traditional Finnish male name. In Finland, it’s typically a name you’d associate with a person rather than a cat. So, naming the sofa-destroying cat Mikko adds a layer of irony and humor, as it contrasts the innocent, stereotypical image of a Finnish man (wholesome, calm, perhaps reserved) with the chaos of a mischievous, unruly cat.
Mikko the cat was quite a devil as he destroyed our leather sofas.
Back then I wanted to be an archaeologist because I loved – and still love – history. I was fascinated by the tales and the stories of how people did and lived. I used to borrow history books from the library and spend hours and hours reading about societies. Especially the Silk Road documents made a long-lasting impact in my life.
An episode of the Silk Road -series.
I had (and still have) a very good friend who lived very close to us, and whose first child aunt I’m very privileged to be of. We were and still are quite the opposite as people, but I have always considered her as my sister. She loved Star Wars and cars, I totally disliked both of them. She was a tomboy and I was a princess. I loved to draw and paint stuff, she had absolutely no interest in any kind of form of art. She is a “always think before act” a savvy person and I’m pretty the opposite, but feel that during the past decades sharp corners have been softened. We did have something in common, though. We watched lots of movies, especially horror, and played The Great Gianna Sisters on her Commodore 64. She pursuit towards her dreams in biochemistry to become a science woman as I did for marketing.
A Family of Contrasts
My parents were an interesting mix of bohemian, artsy types who loved literature. They were far from stereotypical Finns—they were loud, opinionated, and unapologetically open. They loved watching the Eurovision Song Contest, which became an annual highlight for me. It’s not just a music competition; it’s a grand show, filled with flashy performances and dramatic wind machines.
I have understand from the very young age that the world isn’t black and white, and that everyone needs to respect people from different backgrounds and areas of interests without labeling or categorizing them.
My dad, in many ways, was the least “engineer-like” person you could imagine. Although he was an engineer, his true passions was in opera, yoga, Indian culture, history, and philosophy. He was an extrovert who loved engaging in debates. He passed away when I was in my early 20s, and I often find myself reflecting on what he might have thought about the life I’m living and the choices I’ve made. My parents were the total opposite to each other in many ways. But that bohemian lifestyle has definitely shifted to me too. I have understand from the very young age that the world isn’t black and white, and that everyone needs to respect people from different backgrounds and areas of interests without labeling or categorizing them.
They were not modest, quiet or reserved, instead brutally honest, open and loud.
Music and Movies – The Soundtrack of My Life
As a kid, I listened to a lot of music. Bon Jovi was my first love—Living on a Prayer, Always, and Runaway were my jams. I still remember the thrill of hearing Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers when I was 13. That album blew my mind. Over the years, I’ve expanded my taste to include ABBA, Scorpions, Toto, Bruce Springsteen, and, of course, RHCP.
I listened to a lot of music. Naturally ordered the Suosikki magazine, and collected its’ Kulta Turbo editions. Had lots of music-related posters on my wall, especially Bon Jovi. I developed my life-long love towards rock music. During the time I heard Bon Jovi the first time, and it totally rocked my world. Living On The Prayer, Always and Runaway. My world was never the same again. I wish to have that feeling again.
Few years later I started to listen to Abba, Scorpions, Toto, Dire Straits, Bruce Springsteen, but most of all Red Hot Chili Peppers. Their album Californication was released when I was 13 and immediately fell in love with their original funky style. It has such a great songs, including Californication, Otherside, Easily, Road Trippin’ and Parallel Universe (this song has such a nice drums on it, if you haven’t listened yet, please do. The song is so different than rest of the RHCP songs). Three years’ later the band released it next album, By the Way, which was quite alright. Enjoyed the songs Dosed and the Zephyr Song. Stadium Arcadium was released in 2006 when I turned 20, and was impressed for the Snow (hey oh) and Stadium Arcadium songs. During a decade the band got somewhat more mature, as I did grew from a teenager to an adult, respectively. For many people RHCP is a love-hate thing, for me the band is something I grew up with.
Movies were also a huge part of my childhood. In 1996, Independence Day, Mission Impossible, Golden Eye, Toy Story, and Pocahontas were released. While I didn’t get to see them in theaters, I watched them at home on repeat—especially horror films. By the time I was 15, I’d seen all the major horror movies: The Shining, Jaws, Freddy Krueger, Scream, Blair Witch Project, and many more.
Jaws was a super creepy movie, and as a result I didn’t go to swim in Finnish lakes for few summers.
Years later I became fascinated by these awesome directors, including Woody Allen, Alfred Hitchcock, Roman Polanski, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Quentin Tarantino, David Fincher, Richard Linklater and Steven Spielberg. I have always consider myself as a movie person. Later I started to observe, that many series are actually better than movies and noticed, that the trend is getting even stronger year by year. In the past 20 year there has been lots of marvelous series released, including
- The Wire
- House of Cards
- Lost
- True Detective
- Band of Brothers
- The Crown
- And list go on and on
At the same time a great amount of high quality movies has also been released, including
- Inglorios Bastards by Tarantino
- Gone Girl by Nolan
- Before Sunrise -trilogy by Linklater
- Zodiac by Fincher
- Matchpoint by Allen
- And so on
I think by the age of 15 I have seen all the relevant horror movies published
Still the amount – and especially the quality of – series has astonished me. I will definitely dig deeper to the subject in later articles.
Stuff That Makes Me Wonder
There are certain things about my childhood and the era I grew up in that make me reflect on how different things were back then:
- It was totally okay for kids to watch any type of horror movies, no matter how terrifying.
- Hanging out in Kontula and Itäkeskus was perfectly fine for kids, despite their reputations.
- Sending kids to a scout camp in the middle of the forest without cell phones, led by 16-year-olds. Can you imagine that now?
I can’t help but wonder how times have changed. Now, living in Espoo for over 11 years, I love the closeness to nature and the great services, but I do feel there’s a lack of that deep “we-spirit” and sports community I had back in the day. The local ice hockey team, Kiekko-Espoo (formerly Espoo Blues), has some committed fans, but as a city, there isn’t that unified sports culture anymore. I guess it’s because Espoo is quite spread out with no central hub. Still, I enjoy living here with my friends all within a 5 km radius!
I still see myself as a sort of a hoodie or a sport jacket person.
When I was 11 and moved to Munkkivuori, western part of Helsinki, quite an affluent area, I started in scout and to play piano.
I absolutely loved scouting;
- tough walk of tens of kilometers in all imageable (and sometimes unimageable) weather conditions carrying a backpack but also fun times and good discussions at the campfire.
- Orienteering, making of knots and cooking using trangia.
Later I understood of how great activity scouting really is; building team and collaborative skills, and instructs people how to survive in the nature without any luxurious commodities nearby. I’d love to go for a family scout with my goddaughter and inspire her towards skills and abilities she will most likely respect when she is older.
After few years’ of living in Munkkivuori me and my mother moved to close-by region of Munkkiniemi, the exactly area where my dad grew up. Area, “Munkka”, has its’ local proudness, Torpan Pojat (TOPO) a basketball team which plays in 1st division.
Our greatest – and the only – gig was at the Munkkivuori shopping center
During the time I was playing keyboards in a girls’ band. Sometimes I was even “promoted” as an extra drummer, but as I wasn’t skilled (had the fun times though), the original drummer took her seat quickly after getting back to “business” after vacays. Our greatest – and the only – gig was at the Munkkivuori shopping center. Moms and some random old people were our audience. It was great.
I am totally relate to entrepreneurship but also for people who are “given unfortunate cards to play life with”.
I think the time in Kontula kind of shaped me to be who I am today. Due my background, roots and heritage I have always been for the “underdog” (except when Finland plays hockey or football) and looked up for people working hard and making success by themselves. I totally relate to entrepreneurship and people who are “given unfortunate cards to play life with”. I think those are pretty much the values I believe in.
I have always been a generalist, a learner and an explorer. Have always had diverse interest towards different type of aspects in life, basically saying more “yes” than “no” to new opportunities and always had desire to improve and develop.
What’s with the Jackinna of all Trades?
I’m a generalist, and that’s why I’m starting this blog—Jackinna of All Trades. The name comes from a made-up female version of “Jack of all trades, master of none.” It represents someone who dabbles in many skills rather than focusing on one. This blog won’t be about daily life or OOTDs (outfits of the day). It’s about the things that matter to me—things I feel passionate about.
Jackinna of all Trades 