The New Apartment

YAY!!!!! R2 managed to fix our internet problem. Phew!!! So today after work I dropped by at our new apartment. For some reason I couldn't open the sauna door. Darn! I really wanted to see it hi hi hi...but anyway here are some pics:

The buildiinngggg...X marks the window of the second bedroom, whereas Y marks the window of the main bedroom.


Going up the stairrsssss...


Here's what I see next he he he he...for some reason I couldn't open the sauna door, so I can't take a pic of it.


Here's the small hall to hang jackets. As you can see, here we use double doors. So there's that white door behind the outer brown door.


Here's the second bedroom right next to the hall. So next to the second bedroom is the sauna room outside.


Here's the main bedroom.


And here's the bedroom closet. You can see a part of the living room from this angle.


This walk-in closet is between the living room and the main bedroom, right across the front door.


Here's a pic of our living room and the balcony outside.


Another view of the living room plus the sliding door. :-D Dunno whose table and mirror those are, since we haven't moved anything yet. Weird!!! Tomorrow afternoon we'll start moving some boxes to this apartment.


Here's a view of the kitchen and you can see the shower box too at the end...the bathroom has two doors towards the kitchen and towards the hall.


OK, enough tour. Now I need to blog-hop he he he he he...

Internet Down

Just wanna tell you all that my internet at home is down since last night, so dunno when we can use the internet again, but hopefully ASAP.

So if I am MIA, don't worry OK?

The Answers!!!

Okay, people, here are the answers to the quiz I gave you hi hi hi hi...It seems it's so hard to find him in the first pic, eh? No worries, though. Just for fun hi hi...


Here he issssss...


Some of you found him in this picture he he he...


Ta-daaaaaa...


Today I got a GREAT deal on some books that the library is going to sell out in about 10 days. They're throwing out some old books and since I was there, I could choose which ones I wanted before they sell them for public HUA HA HA HA HA HA...After this training is done and before I find anything else to do, I HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE to read A LOT of Finnish. And considering the prices of books here, I don't want to buy them. So I was VERY HAPPY to be able to buy them at around 50 cents each HUA HA HA HA HA HA...

And another piece of good news is that we're currently trying to compare and contrast the prices of going somewhere on our summer holiday. It all depends on our budget, of course, but it's just EXCITING to think about going somewhere just the two of us. When I told about this to my Mom via SMS, she said, "Yes, yes, go and enjoy your holiday while there're no kids yet!" HUE HE HE HE HE...I LOVE HER for ALWAYS being supportive!!! ;-D

OK, enough rambling...now I'm STARVING. I'm going to blog-hop later since I'll probably take a nap after I eat hi hi hi...

Find R2!!!

While packing our things to move to the new apartment, I browsed through R2's old photo album and found these old pictures. Now can you guess which one R2 is in these two pictures? HO HO HO HO HO HO...I'll let you know the real answers sometime this week, OK? ;-D

Remember that you can always click the pics to see the bigger versions.

First pic was taken in 1985. R2 was 14 years old at that time.



Second pic was taken when he had to go to army for a year (I think). Don't remember what year this is hmmm...must be when he was 18 years old or something like that.


Let the game begins. GO FIND R2 he he he he...

What Tarot Card Are You?

Saw this quiz on somebody's blog and decided to try it out. Today our home looks like something's exploded inside since there are so many boxes in the tiny hall hi hi hi hi hi...but I'm SO EXCITED!!! Friday, please come quicklyyyyy HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO...

You are Temperance

Time. Ages. Transformation. Involuntary change

Temperance is another card of aspiration, but also of much change. It often
represents complex situations. Positively, you can harmonize contrary
forces.

Temperance is, on a surface level, about "tempering." The original pouring from cup to cup might have been about cutting wine with water. So this is a card about moderation. There is, however, another angle to the card, that of merging seemingly impossible opposites. Sagittarius, the centaur, merges beast and man into a unique creature. And then there is the bow and arrow, one moving, one stationary, working together to point the way. Temperance may be, at first glance, a warning for you to "temper" your behavior, to cut your wine with water. But it may also be a reminder to that seemingly irreconcilable opposites may not be irreconcilable at all. Belief that fiery red and watery blue cannot be merged may be the only thing standing in the way of blending the two. Change the belief, measure out each with care, and you can create otherworldly violet.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Fears

Note: This post is NOT about MY own personal experiences, though there are some of them that also popped out in my head sometimes...these are some imagined ones and some I've read or heard somewhere...just to make sure you don't get the wrong idea. I have NO problem with my in-laws at all and we don't live in the same house. I simply wanted to write this topic in a different way. That's all.

"Sometimes our fears just pop out by themselves uninvited. That means we're only humans. That doesn't mean we should let fears control our lives. So, time to fess up, people. What kind of fears have been popping out in your minds lately? I promise that we won't judge anything. We're just here to share."

"Well, my fear is that I will end up like my parents who always argue and fight with each other. It's as though they don't realize that they're old now and they only have a little time left on earth. I'm afraid that my husband and I will be like that when we're older."

"My secret fear is that my husband's dark past will come to haunt us in the future. He was starving for love when he was a child and he found it in the wrong place."

"I'm terrified that my spouse will change in the future and become irritable and quick-tempered. Our relationship will be in BIG trouble if that happens."

"I hope that my husband won't die young. I know if it happens I will have to survive and move on, but my life is going to be so empty without him. Everything will be so different. After all, he's been my best friend for years."

"I also have that fear about my husband, especially since he's MUCH older than me."

"I don't want my husband to ever have an affair with anyone. I know a friend whose husband asks her to do a C-section to keep herself 'intact', but he still pays women to sleep with him. In order to eliminate my fear, I have to learn to be slutty when I'm alone with him."

"Honestly speaking, I'm afraid of my mother-in-law. She keeps on criticizing me and my decisions. This has come to a point where we stop talking to each other. This is not good since we live in the same house, but what else can I do? It's the 'best' way to avoid my self-esteem from being crushed by her."

..........

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (James 1:2-6)

Splish Splash Again

Well, first of all I'd love to state my deep sympathy for the loss of Magick, Arctic Rainbow's beloved cat. He died on the operating table. :-(((( I got a few chances to play with him, so HE WILL BE MISSED!!!


Sorry for the absence. Have been so tired lately and last night when I was going to blog here, I met one of my closest friends online. It has always been SO hard to be able to chat with her since she has a young son, so we made the best of the time we had. It was such a NICE LONG CHAT!!!

Work-wise, my second project is almost done. I still have to think about my third project (decorating the music books' area), but I'm not in a hurry. Besides, the manager doesn't force me to do anything if I don't want to, so let's see what I can come up with he he he...

I can't wait for the end of this month when we're going to get the keys for the new apartment and then we can start moving our things bit by bit there. We still have to pay this apartment's rent until the end of next month, so that means we still have one month to move our things to the new apartment. Plus we have to clean up this apartment before we leave it for good. So it'll take time now that I'm training almost full-time. But don't worry, friends, I'll take some pics later on to show you our new place he he he...I still haven't seen it myself!!! ;-D

GREAT news is that turns out there's a public sauna there, RIGHT beside our front door HA HA HA HA HA HA...And since there are only 2 other apartments next to ours, that means there would only be maximum 6-8 other people living there, so that means even though it's a public sauna, we'll get plenty of chance to use it if we want to. YIIIIIHHHHHAAAAAAAAA!!!!! ;-D

What else? Oh yeah, I've the honor to receive this award from Michelle Dawn and also a tag. THANK YOU SO MUCH for your kind words, Dawn!!!



Here are the rules:

1. Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer.

2. Select the 4th picture in the folder.

3. Explain the picture.

4. Tag 4 people to do the same.


So, as you can see, it's a picture of Ken, my bro's baby hi hi hi...with my Christmas tree. Yep, it was my Christmas tree, given on my birthday by my friend. :-))))

I called my Mom the other day. She's been taking care of Ken along with a helper (it's hard for my Mom to get up and down the stairs to hang clothes to dry) since my SIL has got back to work. Mom says that Ken seems to want to be a drummer or something, since he LOVES moving his body around or tapping his feet. Here's another pic of Ken hi hi hi...



I showed the pics to my MIL and she was cooing happily while looking at the pics HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...

OK, time for my very needed nap and then I'll blog-hop, OK? Hope everybody's fine!!!

We're MOVING!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe our luck!!! Or our blessing HE HE HE HE HE HE...We're going to move to a bigger apartment that's located DOWNTOWN next month!!!!

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You see, last Friday we went to see a house (actually it's a kind of small housing complex where two houses are built together as one and each building is close to one another) and we fell in love with it, BUT the problem is our budget. We have some down payment, but since I'm not working, it'll be SO SO HARD to pay the monthly loan installment plus the maintenance cost per month that we have to pay to the firm.

After calculating the cost and thinking about it, we decide not to even try to bid on the house (they say the price is negotiable). Then last night my BIL sent R2 an email, telling us about this apartment for rent downtown. It's 25 square metres BIGGER than our apartment (albeit without any sauna) and it's only 100 Euros more expensive per month.

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So this morning R2 went there to see it and agreed on renting it. I haven't seen it yet, but today I passed it by while walking home. The location is SO SO SO SO GOOD he he he he he...there're two offices downstairs and two apartments on the second floor, but that's it. Not bad, right? Right now we live on the 3rd floor and there are at least 21 apartments in total in this building he he he he he...

So soon we're going to have 2 bedrooms HO HO HO HO HO HO HO...Now all we need to do is (hopefully) have a baby to fill in the second bedroom HA HA HA HA HA HA...But first thing first...we're going to be SO BUSY at the end of this month and then we also need to look for a bed for the second bedroom. INCREDIBLY EXCITINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Side note: You see, here in this village, unlike in bigger towns and cities where they continue building apartment buildings or housing complexes here and there, it's rather hard to get a good (affordable) place to stay downtown, so even though I'm not pregnant yet and we don't really need a second bedroom yet, it's MUCH wiser to grab this opportunity while we can.

OK, time to exercise and then blog-hop HE HE HE HE HE HE...

Some Realizations

My brain must've been fried or something ha ha...it's just been too empty to write too much in this blog. Anyway, I've come to some realizations lately.

1. Either at the end of 1998 or the beginning of 1999, R2 and I first got to know each other through emails. Let's just say that it's the beginning of 1999. That means that this month is our 10th anniversary!!! COOL!!! It doesn't feel THAT long, though, especially since we were so far apart for over 8 years out of the 10 years...but still I'm SO GLAD that we met online!!! ;-D

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2. Both my MIL and my mother have the same habit: doodling while talking on the phone. Either they create an abstract drawing or some type of drawing or just writing something, that's what they do. It's kinda cute.

Why? Because my MIL reminds me A LOT of my Mom. They're both the same height (more or less) and they LOVE flowers. They both LOVE feeding and cooking for their family. And they're both dealing with husbands that have some memory problems.

3. The more I learn about people, the more confused I become, the more questions coming out of my mind. And I also realize how VERY LIMITED our points of view are. Plus I realize how easy for us to say A, B, C about other people whereas we may as well have those A, B, C inside us.

4. After all this time, balance in life is one of the TOUGHEST lessons to learn. Phew!!!

Some Pics

Finally here are some pics I've taken using my mobile camera. The quality isn't too good since it's only 2 MP if I'm not mistaken he he he...but you get the idea anyway.

First pic: here are the letters I made for the teenagers' section in the library. Now I'm doing the ones for the kiddies.

One funny thing was that when I was putting the letters on the shelves one time, two kids came by with their mother and as their mother was browsing the books in the adults' section, the curious kids kept on looking at my direction, probably wondering what I was doing HI HI HI HI HI HI...But whenever I looked back at them, they'd go away or turn away LOL LOL!!!


Second pic: Taken last year ha ha ha ha...just wanna show you that there are crazy people here in Sodankylä LOL LOL!!!


Third pic: This is what I DISLIKE THE MOST in winter...when the roads and sidewalks become laced with ice. Yikes!!! THANK GOD they created sole spikes!!! PHEW!!! ;-D


Fourth pic: Just one pic of VERY gorgeous flowers in my MIL's house when we visited them one day - I didn't bring my digicam that day he he...


Last pic: This one was taken a few days ago when I was walking home from the library. Yes, the sky is like that. Even today the sky is SO gorgeously pinkish he he he he...

My Coldest Day: - 31'C

Today is the coldest day I've ever experienced in Sodankylä. The temperature was -31'C when we went out to work and now it's very slightly warmer at -29.5'C. When walking home, I could feel my cheeks freezing SO FAST (they started to hurt after a while) and my eye lashes started to freeze too...and my legs started to feel the cold, too! BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...

At -25'C with the outfit I wore today, it was cold but bearable...but when it becomes THIS cold, I think later on I should wear more layers, especially if I have to be outdoors for some time. I was thinking of visiting a flea market after work, but decided against it since I just wanted to be in my warm apartment he he he he...

One thing I realize that when it's -31'C outside and I've been walking outside, when I come inside the library or my apt., I don't really want to take off my anorak or shoes or gloves or woolen hat right away, since I still feel the cold seeping inside my body. Quite an experience, actually! I think I could almost see ice formed on the ends of my eye lashes, but I'm not so sure he he he..

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By the way, yesterday one friend from our course came to the library to visit me. Turned out she wanted me to teach her English. She's Russian and she doesn't speak much English, so I have to use Finnish to teach her English. We'll start tomorrow evening. We'll see how it goes. She said that she'd bring the books with her, so I don't have to prepare anything he he he...We'll just use the books she has. Sounds good to me!!!

Okay, time to exercise before blog-hopping!!!

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P.S. One work project is done and I've taken one pic of it (but I haven't uploaded it yet, so I'll show it to you later, OK?). Now I'm doing the second project. Still have NO clue what to do about the third project, but I'm in no hurry he he he...

More Fun Quizzes Results

You Are White Tea

You are quite delicate and very sensitive. You are easily overwhelmed. Peace and serenity are important to you. You shy away from intensity of any sort. You appreciate a simple quiet moment. You can relax easily without feeling bored. You take the time to enjoy life. Even when things are busy, you make the time.

What Kind of Tea Are You?

Your Fireworks Say You're Impassioned

You are deeply passionate about a few things in your life. Everything else, you couldn't care less about. Your passions tend to hold steady over time. If anything, they intensify. Once you hold on to something (or someone), you don't let go!

The Fireworks Test

3BT: Random Days

1. Finding answers for some of my biggest questions and finding peace within.

2. Talking to my friend for about 6 hours HUE HE HE HE HE HE HE...I'm really going to miss our babbling sessions once she goes back home sometime this year. :-(((

3. One colleague gives me a compliment today. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! :-D

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4. Hubby washed all the dishes after I cooked pizza for us without being asked to do it.

5. When hubby visited his cousin's place last Friday without me in tow, his cousin's daughter said that she wanted to play with me again. That's SO SWEET! ;-D

6. Knowing that someone out there is experiencing the same thing makes me feel good since we can share our thoughts and understand each other COMPLETELY. So THANKS for the chat!!!

7. Dancing like crazy in front of R2 (including spanking my own butt a few times HA HA HA...), making R2 shake his head in disbelief HUA HA HA HA HA HA...I LIVE for these moments! ;-D

8. Tucking hubby up on the sofa after giving him some kisses and squeezes he he he he...

9. Waiting for a package. I CAN'T WAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTT HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO...SO SO SO SO SO EXCITING! ;-D

Funny Children's Quotes

Time to bring smiles on my blogger reader's faces he he he he...here they are:

1. Jack was watching his Mom breast feeding his new baby sister. After a while he asked: "Mom why have you got two? Is one for hot and one for cold milk?"

2. Melanie asked her Granny how old she was. Granny replied she was so old she didn't remember any more. Said Melanie, "If you don't remember you must look in the back of your panties. Mine say five to six."

3. Steven hugged and kissed his Mom goodnight. "I love you so much, that when you die I'm going to bury you outside my bedroom window."

4. Brittany had an earache and wanted a painkiller. She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle. Seeing her frustration, her Mom explained it was a childproof cap and she'd have to open it for her. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked: "How does it know it's me?"

5. Susan was drinking juice when she got the hiccups. "Please don't give me this juice again," she said, "It makes my teeth cough."

6. James was listening to a Bible story. His dad read: "The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city but his wife looked back and was turned to salt." Concerned, James asked: "What happened to the flea?"

- Taken from here

7. My son came screaming out of the bathroom to tell me he'd dropped his toothbrush in the toilet. So I fished it out and threw it in the garbage.
He stood there thinking for a moment, then ran to my bathroom and came out with my toothbrush, held it up and said with a charming little smile, "We better throw this one out too then, 'cause it fell in the toilet a few days ago.

8. A little boy got lost at the YMCA and found himself in the women's locker room. When he was spotted, the room quickly burst into shrieks, with ladies grabbing towels and running for cover.
The little boy watched in amazement and then asked, "What's the matter haven't you ever seen a little boy before?"

Taken from here

9. A little girl walks into a pet shop and asks in the sweetest little lisp,
"Excuthe me, mithter, do you keep wittle wabbits?"

And the shopkeeper bends way down and puts his hands on his knees so that he's on her level, and asks, "Do you want a wittle white wabby or a soft and fuwwy bwack wabby? Or maybe one like that cute wittle bwown wabby over there?"

She in turn puts her hands on her knees, leans forward and says in a quiet little voice,
"I don't fink my pyfon weally cares."

Taken from here

A Little Princess

The other week I ran into a neighbour. This person happened to teach us something on our Finnish course, as well. She's known R2 for years and years. That day she was with her granddaughter. The granddaughter's name is Milena and she's around 4 years old.

Since we live nearby each other, we walked home together from the supermarket. On the way home, Milena told her grandma, "Grandma, grandma, I have a wish!"

Her grandma asked, "What do you wish for?"

Milena answered, "For you, I wish for hair!"

Grandma replied, "Okay, and what do you wish for your Dad?"

Milena answered right away, "A sword!"

Grandma asked again, "What do you wish for Amelia? This woman is Amelia." (she pointed at me)

Milena thought for a little while and said, "A BIG SNOUT!" (she specifically mentioned a reindeer snout)

LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL!!!

Her grandma once told us in the classroom that one time they were playing together. Milena had a magic wand and she twirled it around grandma's head and said, "You'll change into a frog. You'll change into a frog."

When the grandma didn't change, Milena then decided, "Grandma, I think this wand is broken. It's not working."

Oh dear he he he he....

Kids can be SO VERY FUNNY he he he he he...Sorry I haven't blog-hopped. Been SO BUSY today. I'll do it tomorrow, OK?

Problems Arising

I just realized some problems I'm starting to experience at work. Although it IS more fun to have plenty of coworkers and we can talk about anything during our break, but here are some basic problems that I've encountered lately compared to my two other training places:

1. If there are more than 2 other people on the table during the break (sometimes there can be 5 of them!) and they start talking about many topics, if I REALLY want to follow the conversation well, I don't have much time to start formulating my responses. Why? Because if I start thinking about my responses (especially if they're long ones), I'll LOSE TRACK of the rest of the conversation.

Thus I resort to focusing on the conversation and I end up just smiling or nodding or showing the right mimic and blurting out short phrases. So I've become a passive listener instead of being an active participant of the conversation.

This problem is not as bad if there's only one other person with me or maximum two other people with me.

2. If I don't understand some words (which happen regularly since they talk about LOTS of stuff and my vocabulary is still limited - plus in normal conversations people sometimes use the slang words), I feel bad if I keep on asking as I'll ruin the flow of the conversation. ---> I'm pretty sure they won't mind if I ask them, but it just doesn't feel okay to ask all the time EVERY single day, every single break we have...

Thus I only try to guess - sometimes I guess well, sometimes I just don't have a clue of what they're talking about. Sometimes I can remember the word or phrase that I don't know so that I can ask R2 about it when I get back home or I can look it up in the dictionary, but most of the time I don't remember anymore as the conversation shifts to other topics.

This problem can be eliminated if I only talk to ONE other person, since then if I don't understand, we won't be able to carry a conversation, right? So either I have to ask or pretend that I understand hi hi hi hi...I don't mind asking if it's a one-on-one conversation since it's pretty easy to do.

3. More often than not, after our break is over, I start formulating my responses to whatever they have talked about during the break, but then once I know what to say, it's already too late to say it to them, right? It's kinda crazy, but I'm still in this phase of learning this language.

Okay, I just thought I should write these down here to remind myself about this. I'll blog-hop later, OK? I'm so sleepy he he he...

Christmas Pics

Yeah, this is the LONG overdue post. Some Christmas pics for you:

On Christmas Eve at my in laws' place. Everybody is in the pic except me and my sis-in-law he he he...


Here we areeeee...now both of us are in the pic, too he he he...


The main foodddddd:


Got these Christmas ornaments and a candle plus candle holder as a gift he he he...


Here's the back of the library where I do my training. :-D If you want to see the inside of the library, click here: Sodankylä kirjasto.


In a while I'll be visiting my friend again HO HO HO HO HO...I'm going to enjoy a LONG chat with her, but maybe I need to drink coffee first ha ha ha ha...I'll blog-hop tomorrow evening and Sunday, OK? Take care and have a BLESSED weekend, everybody!!!