More Weekend Pics

Just wanna share more weekend pics. Today I got tips from a friend about taking panoramic pics and they're really beneficial (THANKS A BUNCH to her!). I realized that I hadn't really thought of the composition when taking panoramic pics, but I'm gonna learn to take better pics later on then. Too bad now the snow has melted in parts and it'll keep on melting this week and re-freeze during the nights, so I have to wait until Winter Wonderland is back 'coz now the trees aren't covered by snow anymore.

Below are two pics of the cabin taken from different angles:



A pic of the shed near the cabin plus the trees around it...


Moi:


No words to describe this one...just thought this pic looks so fluffy and soft he he...


The half moon...


An abandoned shed otw to the cabin with icicles on the side of the roof...

Early 4th Wed Anniversary

Because I had no work shift this Sat and Sun, we decided to go to the cabin on Fri eve right after I ended my shift. I knew it'd be rather challenging 'coz the in-laws haven't lived there for a while, so there would be SO MUCH SNOW already (it's been snowing a lot lately). It was rather hard for our car to pass through the yard due to the thick snow, which you can see here:


However, our timing couldn't have been better. FYI, our 4th wedding anniversary is only this upcoming Wednesday, but next week I'll have a very busy weekend, so we can't go anywhere. Last night we arrived at the place at around 8 pm under a VERY starry sky. Everything was SO dark already, so the stars were really clear around that area. The inside of the house was only 4'C 'coz it hadn't been warmed up in a few days. The outside temperature at that time was around -4'C.

We had to use a sled to pick up our stuff to help us walk to the cabin and we had to use a flashlight to light our way. Yes, it was THAT dark over there. It was quite a tiring walk 'coz due to thick snow, I had to lift up my legs in order to make each step, but it was WORTH IT.

It was also the perfect chance to try out our new camera. Remember that my older camera's flash is broken and the cost to fix it here in Finland is around 85 Euros? Well, we thought it'd be better if we could have someone fix it in Indo (hopefully we can go there next year). And 'coz R2 didn't use his summer holiday money, he decided to buy a new camera. After browsing around, he ordered Sony HX-1 which had a panoramic mode, so I was SO excited to try that mode. Of course the first few times I made mistakes he he he...but I really had a nice time trying it out due to the beautiful weather this Saturday morning. Here are some of the pics (you can click on them to view the bigger version). I think I'll put some other pics tomorrow then.

The sun was shining beautifully at around midday, though in the morning it was VERY misty. The temperature was around -8'C and during the eve it went down to -12'C.

1st pic: The cabin and the shed.



2nd pic: The cabin and a part of the frozen lake.


3rd pic: The frozen lake. Notice that the mid part isn't too straight 'coz my hand must've moved a little.


4th pic: A tree near the cabin.


5th pic: The path leading to the cabin from the house.



And here are our eye comparison ha ha...I think you'll know already which is whose eye, right? ;-D


I'll blog-hop later. Now gonna watch some TV and relax. ;-D

Realization

The other day I just suddenly realized something: how an incident impacted my life in certain ways, but I only understood how deep the impact was after moving to and living in Finland. When I still lived in Indo, I didn't even know the incident affected me that much. Sorry I'm being cryptic here, but I don't want to write about it in details. Suffice it to say that I LOVE enlightenment and I LOVE having moments when I understand even more things about myself, others, life in general. :-D

Today the temp. went down to -6'C after snowing so much on Saturday. Yesterday and the day before the daytime temperature was above 0'C, so much of the snow has melted and now it's rock hard, so I've gotta be really careful when I go to work later today.

Hubby, who went to work very early today for a business trip to another town, left me a message: "Honey, you're the BEST thing that ever happened to me. I love you. Be careful outside. It's slippery."

Waking up to THAT made me SO happy! :-D

Anyway, let me share some snowy pictures with you...taken on Saturday and Sunday...




The dead rose bush...I think it looks LOVELY, the contrast between the white snow, the black branches, and some red leaves.



Below you can even see some green leaves still! :-D



And here's my MIL's orchid, still going strong inside the apartment:


I'll blog-hop later tomorrow or the next day. We want to go to the cabin this weekend 'coz I don't have work at all on Saturday and Sunday, but we'll see about that. I hope the weather is good enough he he...

3BT: Random Days

1. When a man buys women's stuff (panty liners, bras) or children's stuff (children's food, diapers, milk) in my workplace.

2. Fresh bed linens.

3. Movement-induced lamps, which are VERY VERY handy in winter. It gets SO dark outside now, esp. when I have evening shifts.

4. Seeing open doors for a friend. :-D

5. Frost. Beautiful frost.




6. Today's Ken's 2nd birthday. Two years ago today, R2 and I were at the hospital where he was born. Such a pleasure and honour to be able to witness (heard) his birth right outside the labour room.

7. An old customer asked me how I was doing and when I asked him back, he said, "Fine, 'coz you're at the cashier. Even when it's raining sleet outside, you're like the sun." I thanked him. He made me smile. He said it in a matter-of-fact way, not flirty. I didn't get any weird vibes from him, so it made me feel like he just wanted to show me that my being there mattered - and I was touched. :-)))

8. I've heard a few customers (upon asking where I come from, etc.) say that they're GLAD that I moved to this village. One of them even said that it was good to have different races here. I TOTALLY appreciate those people who took the time and effort to encourage me verbally.

9. Having MORE than enough.

10. Hubby squeezing me SO tightly as though he was about to lose me or something. That felt SUPERB! :-D

11. Making banana+cheese+chocolate, which we both LOVE. :-D First I pan-fried the bananas with some butter (after flattening them a little) and I turned them around and around until they're soft...then after that I added some cheese all over it (better use grated cheese) plus some chocolate sauce. Better eaten warm. Yum yum...Here's a pic of it if you want to see: Pisang Keju.

Freedom of Speech = Internet Junk?

Many people have said that when you're baring yourself out there in the internet world, you should be ready for whatever "junk" you're going to get. It is true in the blogging world as well. However, what I don't get is that even though you're not writing about something controversial, how come you still find "junk" everywhere?

Of course freedom of speech is good in itself, but then again how about thinking about other people's feelings first? And I'm not saying about what you can blog about. You have freedom to blog about anything or rant about anything - at the risk of getting negative comments or criticism. What I don't get is something like this: I was once browsing for some food recipe and I noticed that in the comment section somebody started a HEATED debate between non-pork eaters and pork eaters. And as usual, once a couple started that debate, more and more people chimed into the argument and they started calling names and stuff.

I mean...HELLO?!?!?!?!?!

The recipe writer only wanted to SHARE recipes, but that was the "junk" she got in return? She didn't even write anything "controversial". It angered me to read all those nasty comments. I just wanted to shake them all and say, "What the HELL do you think you're doing here??? Can't we all be decent human beings who agree to disagree? Why do you have to attack one another like that?"

Sometimes I'm just sad at the nature of human beings, including myself. It's just so easy to spread "junk" without thinking first. When you're struck, your first instinct is to strike back. No wonder the world's never going to be able to enjoy true peace. That doesn't mean to say that we shouldn't try to create peace as much as we can, though. I'm also not saying that we should all lie and shut up and that we shouldn't express ourselves or rant if we need to, but we should all restrain ourselves to some degree, even in cyber world, esp. when it comes to throwing junk to other people's "areas" (blogs, video posts, recipes, etc.).

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A bad word whispered will echo a hundred miles.
- Chinese proverb

Words can make a deeper scar than silence can heal...
- Author unknown

Beautiful Weekend

Friday was the epitome of many wonderful things wrapped in one whole day. First of all, I got to end my shift earlier 'coz we had some extra help from young students/trainees who are getting to know different work environments, so I didn't have anything much to do. Thus they allowed me to go back home earlier. I mean, why would they want to keep me there and pay me extra for doing nothing, anyway?

The day just got better and better 'coz I then received my paycheck and I noticed online that I had indeed got the amount in my bank account, so I moved some of it right away to our savings account. Then I baked very delicious Mexican pizzas for us (bought the frozen ones from my workplace and they turned out to be the best frozen pizzas I've ever tasted). After that we took a nap together and after that I could catch up with some TV series I had not had time to watch earlier.

Then I got news from my Mom that it seemed that my Dad would definitely be back home again the next day (Saturday morning Indo time), so my heart got more and more relaxed. Then at around midnight, I got an SMS from a friend, telling me that Northern Lights were outside. I ran outside as quickly as possible 'coz I didn't want to miss the show (I had been told that the show wouldn't last too long). Nothing. A few years ago my other friend told me about this, but when I got out, I saw nothing, so Friday was the FIRST time EVER for me to see Northern Lights here (FYI, I've lived here for almost 4 years now).

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Anyway, I waited and waited...still nothing...I ran back inside to the second floor to look outside from the bedroom windows, but I saw nothing much except a little light from the horizon, but I couldn't see it clearly 'coz there are so many tall trees around me and also some houses, so I ran back outside and waited.

About a minute or two later, the show started. I was expecting green lights, but they were actually whitish. I wasn't sure at first if what I saw were Northern Lights or clouds, but they couldn't have been clouds 'coz the form kept on changing (not moving the way clouds did, mind you). It was right on top of my head, so my neck got very sore after a while ha ha...The Northern Lights kept on dancing around, moving forms among the stars. There were SO many stars that night in the sky.

One time I saw this HUGE birdlike form that stayed that way for at least 15 seconds before it changed form again...and just as it was changing form, I saw a SHOOTING STAR!!! WOAAAHHH!!! It was just MY DAY!!!

I stayed for a while, admiring the dance of the Northern Lights, but I just couldn't stand like that too long anymore in the cold 'coz I wasn't really properly dressed when I ran out. Suffice it to say that I enjoyed God's work or art again: the starts, the Northern Lights, the shooting star. What more could I expect to end my already beautiful day? Nothing.

Then on Saturday I got an SMS from Mom again, telling me that my Dad has indeed got back home. They went to a nutritionist first to make sure that THE EXPERT told Dad on what NOT to eat and what to eat, 'coz whenever he hears my family try to remind him NOT to eat some things, he'd get angry/upset. BUT he is more obedient if a doctor tells him what NOT to eat. So my Mom felt it was worth it to pay the nutritionist to get an advice (they paid about 20 Euros). So now Dad's recuperating at home and yesterday we spent time with my in-laws and as usual we played cards and I won twice out of 4 games - the last game I won, I got the highest score of all time!!!! :-D :-D :-D :-D

Now here I am, starting a new week with a smile...Sorry I haven't been blog-hopping so much 'coz I've had a busy week at work. I may blog-hop properly only tomorrow 'coz I have a free day tomorrow.

Lazy Feet + Dad Update

Some of you might know already that my Dad's being treated in a hospital. He's doing much better now and it seems that he can go back home on Saturday. I'll keep you updated. I was surprised when I got an SMS last Sunday from my Mom, telling me that my Dad was taken to hospital 'coz his whole body was cold.

About a few months ago, finally my family succeeded in making him go for a full check-up and at that time it was found out that his heart wasn't that good anymore, so since then he's been taking heart medication. So I guess that was why they took him to the hospital - 'coz they were afraid it was a heart attack.

Due to my Dad's type 2 diabetes, he can't feel anything much anymore (in terms of pain), so my family has the heavy task of being alert whenever he looks unwell. The doctor told my family that my Dad suffered from an early heart attack and that the heart was swollen so much, so he had to stay in the hospital for a few days.

My doctor friend told me that my Dad's heart's function will never get any better, so the only thing we can do is just try to keep his condition stable, even though it IS hard to do 'coz my Dad is stubborn and it's tough to tell him to be careful with what he eats. But anyway...to be honest I felt a bit guilty for not being able to take turns in taking care of my Dad, but then again guilt won't enable me to do more for him, will it?

And at least my family does NOT make me feel guilty for living so far away, so I'm thankful for that. I'm also THANKFUL for all the prayers and support that I've got through Facebook. HIGHLY appreciated!!!

Anyway, what about "lazy feet"? Well, yesterday I went to my friend's place on foot (she lives about 3 km away from our place) 'coz R2 promised to pick me up after work. I had NOT been walking such a distance for a LONG time 'coz I've always been riding my bike, so it felt like such a long journey 'coz it took at least twice as long to reach the place he he he he...Lazy feet!!! Spoiled feet!!! But it was good to walk that distance, though.

OK, I'll blog-hop a little. Been busy again with work and other things.

First Snow 10.10.10

Yep, the first snow this year came on such an easy date to remember: 10.10.10. However, it melted right away 'coz the temperature down here has been above 0'C. At least the weather report says it's going to snow again tomorrow and the local newspaper has been asking people to guess when the permanent snow starts and they promise to give a reward for that ha ha ha...I guess it IS in a way fun to think about when permanent snow actually begins this year. We shall see...

I've been busy at work and I've visited my MIL twice this week, so I haven't really had much time to blog nor blog-hop.

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Now let me share some funny things that've happened at work:

1. A man came in one evening and gave me his debit card to pay, but when I was about to take it, he suddenly remembered that the debit card machine was right in front of him, so he could just insert it by himself.

Upon remembering that fact, he joked, "Oh, I just wanted to stay here a little bit longer, you see? That was why I gave you the card instead of inserting it on my own."

I laughed and after the transaction was finished, he said, "Now I have to go, but next time I may stay a little bit longer" HA HA HA HA HA HA...

2. I met one of the daycare Moms the other night and after she paid, I said to her to send my regards to her daughter. She smiled and said, "Yeah, she HAS been talking about you many times."

I was nicely surprised and asked, "Oh, she still remembers me?" (and my name, too?)

She said, "Oh yeah, she does remember."

I was slightly surprised 'coz the daughter had a holiday earlier, so she wasn't there the last day I was working at the daycare, though I remember her giving me a huge hug the last day she was there. :-D

3. One younger male customer (he must be in his early 20s) has been REALLY naughty (he has naughty written all over his face). First of all, once he pretended that he didn't bring any money, so when it was time for him to pay, he asked me, "Can I just bring all these stuff outside?" with a cheeky grin. Doohhhhh...

Another time it was his buddy who was buying things and when it was time for me to give his buddy some change, he reached out to my money box to get it himself. I slapped his hand a little and he just laughed. Dohhhh!!!!!! Bad boy!!!

4. One time a woman thought I was an adopted child HA HA HA HA HA HA...My MIL said that it was probably 'coz there's been lots of adopted children from China hi hi hi hi...

OK, time to blog-hop now. Hope you've had a BLESSED weekend, people!!!

Communication Styles

The other day I was talking to a friend via email about communication styles. Some people aren't that good at keeping in touch via emails (they're better at doing this over the phone or face-to-face). Some people are better at communicating via emails rather than face-to-face or over the phone. Some people are good at communicating using all those means of communication.

Personally speaking, I'm not too fond of communicating over the phone, except when it comes to talking to my friends or those people I know pretty well. If I have to call the authorities or do stuff like that, I feel more comfortable asking first via emails (if it is an option). First of all, it's easier to forget what I'm supposed to ask (if I have to ask about many things over the phone) and when you talk to someone over the phone or face-to-face, it's easier to lose track of what you really want to say 'coz the topics may change quickly depending on the other person's reactions/responses. Sometimes there are also other distractions in real life that halt the conversation even before it's finished.

When it comes to emails, for me it's a better way to express your ideas/thoughts in some ways 'coz you can focus on what you really want to say/ask. You can even review and rewrite your points/questions before sending it. The problem is whether or not the other party will read and reply it.

One friend of mine says that she prefers talking over the phone or in real life 'coz she wants immediate responses/answers. However, having lived apart from my family and friends, we've learnt to use email as a more frequently used media of communication. Up till now, I'm still not too fond of speaking over the phone, esp. if I have to use Finnish HA HA HA HA HA HA...

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3BT: Random Days

1. MIL hugging me tightly and saying, "My daughter." (Note: She only has 3 sons without any daughters)

2. Taking this pic - I'm READY to fly to the moon and back (or to the new planet and back?) LOL LOL...


3. My kangkong plant is still going strong - still growing so well despite the fact that I've been keeping it indoors ever since the weather became colder. Here goes:



5. Going back to my in-laws' house yesterday 'coz hubby needed to change his tyres into winter tyres and he kept the tyres there. Boy, how I missed the place!

6. Noticing that some of my MIL's roses, which were put in the hallway of the house, are still blooming beautifully despite the fact that some of them have wilted.


7. Eating one of the most delicious chocolate torte ever!!! I LOVE the moist texture! :-D

8. After not having exercised for a while (due to my illness the other week) and despite my laziness, I managed to kick my ass and start my exercise regime again. YAAAAAAAYYY!!!

9. Daydreamingggg about something hi hi hi...