ANA'S PERSONAL FAVOURITES:

movies:

El Orfanato (The Orphanage), Ring, Hide and Seek, Silent Hill

books:

My Grandpa was in a top position in a printing-house. My family had an endless library of old books for me to dwell in. Miss Detective series by Carolyn Keene, The Adventure series by Enid Blyton, etc.

snack for watching a movie:

potato chips

bands & artists:

Garbage, Portishead, Björk, Curve, Laika and the Cosmonauts, Billie Holiday

album:

Björk: Debut, Garbage: G

songs:

Human Behaviour by Björk, Queer and Tell Me Where It Hurts by Garbage, Planet Earth and Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran, Tragedy and Dead BY X-mas by Hanoi Rocks, Erase and Rewind by Cardigans, Song 2 by Blur, My Funny Valentine and You Go To My Head, not any special artist, but the songs themselves.

TV-series:

24

cartoon figure:

Kissa, muistaakseni. luulen et jonku suomalaisen tekemä. en oo varma, sellanen laihanpysty. huikea pieni musta vihulainen.

creature:

I find angels kinda interesting.

food:

Yes! aaa...potato chips, noodles! Actually: It's not what it is, but how it's made, and what I fancy at the moment. Chicken is often my choice. Well spiced, yet, not too hot. So it tastes, and warms you, but doesn't injure you. Kebab too, with rice... good. At home I just quickly swallow some bread, mysli or just juice- and run to do more interesting things than cooking. Splendid makes super tasty hamburgers - and pizza.

place:

My favourite cliffs by the sea,my own bed.

sport:

Jogging, I never watch sports on TV, but I enjoy sometimes watching skateboarding clips on YouTube. That is a real AUTSCH!!

candy:

Chocolate and salmiakki.

piece of furniture:

Bed, of course, what a silly question! Would anyone answer otherwise!!! My bed is not really a bed, though, but a mattress on an old writing desk and partly in a bookshelf, but mattress and blanket make a bed.

view:

the endless sea, violently stormy or drowsy grey...silent dusty old rooms, an unexplored attic full of treasures to be found..

everyday pleasure:

Sleeping is the best thing I know. But if I'm awake, thinking my own thoughts, making unnecessary plans, solving non-existent problems, writing lyrics, whatever comes to mind. Pointless adventures in the brain! And running in the forest, then going to Sauna. And sometimes taking a bath, with musk bath grains. Sprawling in the bed as long as I like...

free fun:

Let's say, that going to work in the fantasy land every day is a joy.

ON TOUR, MY PERSONAL TOP TEN

1 I get up early in the morning and sneak out. Walk around in a town new to me. Try to get a feel of the local atmosphere. See the castle, the dam, the stream, the market-place... In my pocket I have a map I got from the Hotel. To find my way back before others get up and we have breakfast together.

2 Crawling into the clean, good-smelling hotel bed dead tired. That's when it all hits me. I re-live the gig. In my own peace. And feel in my every bone that I am completely sucked into my own dream, and living it. Now. Here. Me. Really.

3 The gig. The most enjoyable part is the latter half. The moment when I have already (hopefully) proved my case, and lost my dignity as well. When I'm sweaty and hot and very myself, and have nothing to lose. I just enjoy what music does to me, and I think I steam a little. Yes, the gig is definitely TOP 1 when a good one (for me, that is) But sucks when I have a flue or there are problems with stage monitoring and I can't hear my own voice etc. Then it can be extremely hard work to try to give the audience and my band my best.

4 The bus. Our daily home. Hours of time to dream daydreams, lie on my back and stare at the bus ceiling. My favourite bus has a skylight above the bed. Alone in my head, but still with my dearest friends not more than two metres away from me. Perfect. I reach a state of 'positive boredom'. I feel creative. Relaxed. Completely safe.

5 The stops at gas stations or road-side-cafeterias. We stretch our legs, have coffee, laugh. My favourite is the children's playgrounds that we sometimes sneak to. To swing. On the bus we develop a great need to do something physical, just like kids trapped between chair and desk at school.

6 Sound-check is the mystical part. A new place where I know I'm gonna be on stage later at night. I start to feel excitement in my stomach. I feel relief each time I find that monitoring works and is in good balance. And I always try to get the most of our chance to play a few songs before the place is open for public. It has it's refreshing absurdity to be on stage and play to a yet empty club, where cigarette smoke from the night before is still hanging.

7 The look on their faces! When we start the gig! It is easy to tell who are the local Lab Fans. They live through the same gig as we. Moment by moment. They share our excitement, the problems and funny events that may happen during a gig and are on our side so strongly that I can actually feel it. And they don't judge. They give themselves and live that hour with us. But: what about the occasional drifter who just happens to be there? 'It's a rock-band' they whisper when the guys go to stage. When they see me they seem to think:'what is she now doing there..' during the first song some look amused. Some amazed. Some look worried. And after a few songs half of them seem to have joined us. Some have escaped to the far end of the club. Some can't seem to decide.

8 Hotel swimming pool, hotel sauna, hotel breakfast

9 Mökkimajoitus. Having had several gigs in a row, the night after the last gig almost calls for a mökkimajoitus. That gives a real sense of free-time, job well done, and a chance to us all to metsittyä again. Some cases of beer, and a few small cider- bottles (guess who for!) and potato chips (guess again!) and a bagful of food is also required. In the mökkisauna old-fashioned soap and scrubbing free me of the last traces of stage makeup. I am a part of nature again.

10 Laughing my head off. The long bus-rides sometimes cause us to start laughing at everything. Usually it is Masa who triggers the flammable situation by mimicking the actors in our favourite TV-comedy-series. And then we all try to remember and act them. These situations may occasionally make us lose - well...some of our dignity...