I just uploaded a couple new photos from the recent trip to Thailand. Obviously, the photos are in Far East folder. You can also jump directly to the new photos.

A former topmodel Nina Kurkinen (a frequent face, for example, in Lumene cosmetic ads) opened her shoes and boots store in Helsinki about a year ago. An ardent shoes freak herself, Nina has found an excellent selection of fashionable shoes.

The store is located on Bulevardi, a few blocks south from Mannerheimintie. There are only a few dozen different models on sale, but there has always been something worth buying when we have visited the store. The small selection might be a blessing for the payer, too.

You may see Nina on the shop, especially during weekends.

www.ninas.fi, Bulevardi 13, Helsinki, Finland, +358 9 622 1002, nina@ninas.fi

If you are looking for any specific kitchen utensil, such as a quality knife or easy to use corkscrew, check out Chez Marius store at the corner of Fredrikinkatu and Bulevardi. The smallish store is filled from floor to ceiling with all kinds of quality kitchen items. Some of them are familiar and others leave you puzzled until a clerk explains the function. Usually it makes sense, but there are some items that are dedicated for the homechefs that take things a bit too seriously.

The prices are comparable to other kitchen utensils shop in Helsinki, and the items are from a selected group of manufacturers to maintain a good quality. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, so don’t be afraid to ask for even something more special.

www.chezmarius.fi, Fredrikinkatu 26, Helsinki, Finland, +358 9612 3638

The frequent readers remember that Nomadig.com has got its own share own spam comments. I used to handle the issue with Kitten’s Spaminator, but recently the sheer number of spam messages forced me to consider new alternatives.

I had read about Akismet now and then, but never had enough energy to give it a try. Then I installed it for a company that I’ve supplied blog, and the results were excellent. It went through the moderation queue and cleaned it up, and then continued sweeping the incoming comments.

I installed Akismet to Nomadig just before our trip to Thailand. After my return, I checked the status and there were over 3,000 comment spams in the Akismet spam queue. Everyone of those would have generated an email to me with Spaminator, so there were considerably less work to do for me.

The current count for the last 15 days (that’s how long Akismet keeps spam messages in the DB) is 4032 comments. I’ve had to check only a handful of spam comments that have slipped through Akismet.

La Famiglia is a relaxed and easy-going Italian-American restaurant in the very centre of Helsinki, next to Stockmann department store and the busy shopping district nearby Aleksanterinkatu. The restaurant is surprisingly big, there is two floors, ground floor and basement, and thus chances are quite good that you find a table at least for a small party.

The food and atmosphere are excellent. The restaurant is noisy such any typical Italian or American place would be, the portions are big and service is fast. The only thing that I missed was an old Italian restaurant owner walking from table to table to joke with customers…

La Famiglia, Keskuskatu 3, Helsinki, Finland, +358 9 8568 5680, lafamiglia@center-inn.fi

Bulevardin Kahvisalonki is a traditional café at the end of Bulevardi. Until quite recently it was a miniscule coffeeshop, but now they’ve got more room and a main entrance on Mannerheimintie.

The main lounge is spacious, there are both traditional coffeehouse tables next to windows, and some leather arm chairs in the middle. There is usually some seats available, so the place is quite a safe bet to rest for a while.

They serve a set of hot and cold beverages, the usual ones, and some cakes and sweet and salty pastries. Nothing too fancy or extraordinary, but the basic stuff you would get in any upperscale café in Helsinki.

Bulevardin Kahvisalonki, Bulevardi 1, Helsinki, Finland, +358 9 670 940