Living and Working

Why Government Debt is a BIG problem

By Andrew on 28/05/2023

A lot of people don’t understand Government Debt because the numbers are too big. They think someone smarter should work it all out and the whole thing is not their problem. This mentality is irresponsible. Government debt is the people’s debt and it will affect everyone, especially future generations. Just like with personal debt, when […]

How to Suck Less at Managing your Money

By Andrew on 29/12/2022

Managing money is simple, you need to spend less than you make. At certain times in your life, this will be harder or easier. You need to find your own balance between enjoying life now, having financial resilience, and putting something away for the future. Less is more, and living within your means is the […]

Surprises of my 40s

By Andrew on 17/09/2022

Below are 11 things that surprised me in my 40’s for one reason or another. Some of them are a bit depressing so I apologise for that now. I find reflection a good tool for taking stock of where you are. Welcome along for the journey. Learning to play Chess This one came as a […]

My Love Affair with Weather

By Andrew on 16/09/2022

Growing up in Australia I did not care much about the weather. Unless you lived in Canberra, Melbourne or Hobart the weather was lovely most of the time. When I moved to Finland in my early 20’s I noticed something strange – everyone talked about the weather but it wasn’t driven by a need to […]

What is Perfection? A method to find the Best climate

By Andrew on 14/09/2022

Almost 20 years in Finland has taught me there have to be nicer climates to live in. As the cold creeps in here in Helsinki my mind turn to Australia where I grew up. If I could live anywhere in the country where would it be? Hmm, sounds like a nice little research project, let’s […]

What is the ideal Indoor Temperature

By Andrew on 01/09/2022

Science tells us that people are most comfortable with an indoor temperature range from 20°C – 24°C. In Finland where I live, most houses are set to maintain and indoor temperature of 23°C in the winter. People usually like it a little bit cooler (20°C) in the summer. For sleeping the recommendation is between 15°C […]

The science behind how your body cools itself

By Andrew on 31/08/2022

In our latest series of articles we have been looking at ideal temperatures in an effort to understand what the perfect climate might be. It is worth though taking a step back to understand the science of how our body cools itself so we understand why certain climates might be less ideal. In order to […]

The Peculiarities of Finnish Culture

By Andrew on 16/05/2021

Below are some observations that I have made on Finnish culture after living with Finns for close to 2 decades. Weirdly some of the characteristics I have adopted for myself and only find them peculiar when I look at them from an outsider’s perspective. Others I reject on principle but accept that this is the […]

10 Things to Love about Finland

By Andrew on 02/05/2021

Finland has continuously scored well as one of the best places to live in the world and there are some very good reasons why. Straight up I confess the weather can be dismal here, especially in the early winter when the days are short. That is why people aren’t swarming in to live here but […]

10 Things to Hate about Finland

By Andrew on 02/05/2021

With all the great publicity Finland has been getting as being the greatest place to live on earth I felt obliged to tell the other side of the story. Some of these items on the list my Finnish compatriots might even agree with. Here we go, the 10 things I hate about Finland… 1. Public […]