1. Hubby made me laugh so much last night till I cried and it was hard to stop laughing ha ha...
2. The grandpa that had given me flowers three times gave me a bar of chocolate the other day.
3. The same day that grandpa gave me chocolate, a grandma insisted on having me take some candies from the bag of candies that she bought. :-D
4. I've been meeting the little girl whom I adore a lot these days and yesterday the girl's little sister started interacting with me, too. She held up her arm towards me and followed me with her gaze wherever I went ha ha ha...(FYI, I was shopping at that time)
5. A regular customer (who had never asked me anything before) went back after paying and asked me where I came from and where I learnt to speak Finnish. When he found out I had a Finnish hubby, he asked me if I had kids already and when I said no, he asked, "Have you even reached the age of 20 yet?"
ROFL ROFL ROFL...So I look at least 12 years younger? That's quite a number!!! *HUGE GRIN*
6. My FIL has been staying at the hospital due to inflammation and fever but he's doing better though they're still having some tests done.
7. New comfy socks that I bought.
8. Living in a village where I can leave groceries inside my bike's bags without losing them.
9. Reading things that enlighten me towards other people's life experiences that never crossed my mind before.
In my lifetime, I know at least two mothers who have ever deemed me as a bad influence for their daughters. Of course they didn't tell me directly, but I found out anyway. The first time I found out from another friend. This particular mother was angry at her daughter for keeping secrets from her, but she blamed me instead. She told a mutual friend of ours that my parents must've brought me up badly 'coz I became such a bad influence to her daughter.
I was shocked, but I just laughed it off. Although I have influenced her daughter in some ways, but I know why she was keeping secrets from her mother. Is it 100% my fault then that she did it 'coz she wanted to have her privacy intact? 'Coz she didn't want her mother to interfere or yap at her? The mother probably thought that the daughter told me everything, but it wasn't true. I was also rather disappointed at that time that she kept some things from me, but it was her right. If she wasn't ready to tell me, then I couldn't do anything about it.
At that time she was working in another city and she came back to her hometown and spent some days at her friend's house without telling her mother (and she didn't tell me, either). Unfortunately a distant relative met her in a public place and told her mother and the mother even called me to ask if I knew about it (she was raging with fury when she called me). The mother probably thought that I had conspired with my friend to keep it a secret, though I only found out about it after she had called me.
I guess it was "logical" why her mother was upset (though the reason why she had said that my parents must've brought me up badly was due to a different reason), but in a way I couldn't help thinking that if the mother was easier to talk to and to be open to, my friend probably wouldn't have done what she had done.
The second time it happened, another friend of mine was in a long-distance relationship with a guy and the mother wanted to break it off. She stated a reason why. She said, "How can you know for sure that he's not fooling around with some other girl in his city? Is there any guarantee that the relationship will work out? Do you even know any long-distance relationship that works out?" And my friend told me that my long-distance relationship with R2 did work out. And because of that, the mother thought I was a bad influence, especially 'coz she had been telling me everything about their long-distance relationship and I had been supporting it.
She did tell me about the relationship 'coz she wanted to know how R2 and I managed to work it out. But the mother disapproved of it and finally forced her to break it off. She was even forced to burn out all the pictures of them together. And during that time when she had the relationship, whenever I called, the mother or the other family members would be listening close by for fear that I'd be giving her more bad influence. At that time I decided not to call her anymore so that she wouldn't be more oppressed.
(Side note: Don't worry about this second friend. She did have a hard time breaking up with that guy, but she's OK now. She's over it.)
Has anyone of you ever been accused of being a bad influence behind your back? Just curious he he...
Ummm...I actually don't know if I can come up with so many things in this post but last night I came up with some, so I decided to do it today ha ha...
1. I'm a routine lover. If some events disrupt my routine, I'm not too welcome about them, but at the very least I'll then want to come back to my routine right away.
2. Point #1 means that some people probably think I lead a boring life ha ha ha ha...Why do I say this? 'Coz a close friend's hubby was SHOCKED when he knew that ever since I moved to Finland, R2 and I almost always visit my in-laws every Saturday (unless if something comes up and then we can't go, but if not then we'll always visit them on Sat).
3. I'm a low-energy type of person. I can't be someone who works full-time and then goes out with friends a few nights a week and still wants to go out during the weekend. I love my "me time" and spending quality time with hubby (also 'coz I love routine more than some people).
4. Meeting too many strangers depletes my energy level. I crave "deep" talks with people I know. I crave sharing my thoughts with people I know. So don't ever think of me as someone who loves meeting strangers and going out with them (a close friend of mine is this kind of person) he he....
5. Many of you have probably known this, but I'm a sleepyhead. I LOVE sleeping and I don't find it as a waste of time (I find it as a necessity), 'coz if I lack sleep I become cranky and poor hubby is my victim he he...
6. I'm not a morning person. My energy peaks during the evening and even at nights. Even my Mom said that when I was a baby, I never woke up too early (my bro always woke up earlier than I did).
7. I can't study or concentrate on reading while listening to music (well, on rare occasions I can do it, but the music has to be something I don't know) because it'll only slower the process of digesting my studies/reading material. That said, I also can't sleep while listening to music. I tried it before in the past, but it took me a LONG time to be able to fall asleep.
8. I don't want to live in Indonesia anymore. I'm now too used to the serenity of this little village. I'm used to having no traffic jams and to being able to ride my bike peacefully around downtown.
9. I have never ironed anything ever since I moved to Finland. :-D
10. I'm not a very tidy person when it comes to housekeeping duties, but thankfully R2 doesn't mind that ha ha ha...You can in fact call me a rather lazy housekeeper hi hi...
11. I think I'm pretty good in budgeting and self-discipline when it comes to spending money.
12. I'm not sure anymore if I'm meant to be a parent or if I want to be a parent (as opposed to when we were still trying to have a baby actively). I don't know if this is self-defense mechanism only or if my logic is now stronger than my longing, but at least it's helping me out in suppressing the longing and dealing with the grief.
13. I used to always know what I wanted and I would try to get it, but after moving to Finland and realizing that I had to start again from zero, I don't even know anymore what I want 'coz to get what I want isn't as easy as when I was still living in Indo. In this new country I first had to learn the language and then I have to find out what I want to do. But not knowing what I want is also OK. Life is an adventure and this is my little adventure.
This job that I have right now is probably not my "dream job in Finland", but I know that God allowed me to get it for reasons and I do enjoy it now (in the beginning I wasn't sure I'd enjoy it), so for the time being until I find out what I really want, this job is the best thing that comes my way 'coz through this job I meet so many nice people and I get to practise my Finnish as well as get some income.
14. Coffee activates my brain so much so that if I have a morning shift, I don't dare drink it 'coz then no matter how tired my body is, my brain will be so rampantly active that it'll take hours before I can go to sleep (meaning I'll only fall asleep at around 2 or 3 am).
15. I'm not too fond of wearing dresses (in Indo this was also 'coz it was hot and damp there and I didn't like my sweaty thighs touching each other - yeah, I know, weird, eh?). Here in Sodankylä due to the long winter naturally I prefer wearing pants/jeans compared to a dress, but even so in summer I don't like wearing dresses - I prefer wearing a thin tunic with leggings.
Hmmmhh...I can't think of anything else right now, so I'll just publish this post as is he he...
1. Enlightenment, enlightenment, enlightenment and the peace of mind as its result.
2. About a month ago or so, hubby said that I mumbled Finnish words in my sleep. :-D
3. Talking to my Mom via Skype. Always nice to chat with her.
4. Double family birthday party (MIL's and R2's) last Friday where we talked and played cards until 3.30 am.
5. VERY delicious cake that MIL bought and served us.
6. Riding bikes to and from MIL's place side by side with R2.
7. Giving back massage as one of R2's birthday gifts.
8. Reading funny jokes.
9. Walking down memory lane by listening to old songs in youtube and rereading old comics.
10. Enjoying the warmth of the sun while cleaning up the snow from the yard.
11. Seeing the squirrel in front of MIL's apartement on Saturday - this time it has gotten bigger and chubbier!!! :-D
Lately I've had this perspective nudge when it comes to this saying: "We should walk a mile in someone else's shoes before we criticize them." Someone criticized me the other day and it angered me. On paper I knew what I had to do, but in reality sometimes you have to be flexible and adjust the theories.
However, after my anger subsided, I realized that I had done the same mistakes myself time and time again with other people - even though I may not have stated my thoughts verbally to those people, but the basic is still the same. I have NOT walked a mile in those people's shoes, so who am I to judge them?
But then again I can't help being "human". All I can do now is just accept that I'm only human and that everybody else is only human with limited POV and try to be more aware of my thoughts. May God help me in dealing with other people.
I find that it's so easy for us to say this and that to others without knowing exactly what they're going through. If we had really walked the mile in their shoes, would we have chosen differently? Maybe yes, maybe no, but we'll never know until we have walked the mile.
The other day I was reminiscing the past with my closest friends in emails, particularly our Junior High School years. Some of us went to the same Junior High School so we have similar memories 'coz some of us were in the same class even.
I remember that back then before each quarterly exams at school, they divided them into two sections: the theories and the non-theory exams. The non-theory exams included sports, singing, playing a musical instrument, biology and physics lab tests, and one extra-curricular activity (at that time I had to do a typing test - yep, typing with a typing machine, which we had to bring to school on our own. It was HEAVY, you know?)
Anyhow, before the non-theory exams, we were each given a number (a series of 3 or 4 numbers) and then we had to make ourselves a numbered tag with specific directions (on a piece of carton) - they even gave us details on how big the numbers should be and how thick they should be. Then the carton needed to be shielded with a sheet of plastic so that it'd stay intact for a few days (for as long as the non-theory exams lasted) and then at the back we had to attach two pins at so that we could wear the number in front of our shirts (yeah, just like runners or something) so that it'd be easier for the teachers to mark us.
I remember that one time during lab tests, one particular year we had this "knock" system. So we entered the classroom and sat alphabetically by name and try to solve each problem in front of us. When the teacher knocked her long ruler on the table, that meant we had to move to another table beside us - and it went on until everybody had got to each table. I remember being anxious 'coz we had to solve the problems in front of us right before the teacher knocked the ruler.
The year after, though, we had this kind of "ballot" system. So the tables in the lab were numbered and before entering, we had to pick a number. I still remembered that I was SO glad I didn't get any yucky experiments such as dissecting a fish (and having to describe its insides and draw them) or any experiments that had anything to do with cockroaches (yeah, we did also dissect roaches and even house lizards). Cockroaches are my enemies - especially flying roaches. YUCKKKKKK!!!!
Anyway, during the theory exams, they sat us down either with someone a grade below or above us and we had to leave all our bags outside the classroom (or in front of the classroom) and we were only allowed to put our pencil case on top of the table. This was meant to avoid cheating. Pretty harsh, eh? HE HE HE...So during theory exams, they put maps on the doors so we could find our names and our seating places.
Back then we had to buy our own exam sheets and one time when I sat next to a third grader, I ran out of my answer sheet, so reluctantly I had to ask one from him. Good thing he gave it to me without any fuss HE HE HE HE HE HE...I still remember his name even until today. Funny how memories are, don't you think?
Anyway, today I went to the police station to apply for citizenship. We'll see how it goes. I sure hope there'd be no trouble with my passport 'coz the Indo Embassy took my old passport and gave me only a copy of it, but at least the woman in charge wrote it down that my original old passport was held by the Indo Embassy. I sure hope that I can get a decision before next year - before my current residence permit is no longer valid 'coz if I have to wait that long, I have to renew my residence permit and it's going to cost me at least 120 Euros. So keep your fingers crossed, people!!!
I'll be busy tomorrow 'coz I have a morning shift (a change of work schedule) and then in the evening we'll have a small birthday party with Arttu's family in my MIL's place. WOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!! :-D We may even spend a night there, though I'm not too sure yet he he he he...
My computer has been down due to a broken fan so I'm using R2's computer at the time being and hoping that I can get it running smoothly again soon. Yesterday my friends came over and we had so much fun - we even talked about morbid topics while laughing so much ha ha ha...Can't wait to gather with them again next week. :-D
And guess what? Today I've lived in Finland for FOUR years!!! I'm gonna apply for the citizenship on Thursday. WOOOHOOO!!! I've printed out all the necessary paperwork he he he...
Anyway, I don't want to give the wrong idea that everybody in Finland (or Sodankylä) is "warm". It's kinda hard to say whether a person is warm or not 'coz what's the standard? If I want to compare Indo people and Finnish people here in Sodankylä, then Indo people are "much warmer/friendlier" in many ways - that also means that they're much more nosier than Finnish people.
I mean, in Indo it's very normal to drop by unannounced at somebody else's place and to ask your neighbour where he's been or where he's going to go if you happen to see him coming in or out of his place, but here? At the most we'd only say "hei" to our neighbours and talk about the weather ha ha ha...
However, the "introvert" in me kinda likes the quietness of the Finns. When I still lived in Indo, I was so used to their "warmth" and "friendliness", but now after living in Finland for 4 years, I find that some parts of Indo warmth to be "too much". I just read this Facebook status of an Indo friend who has decided to have only one child and one woman (her yoga student) insisted that one child wouldn't be enough. Duh!!! As if she'd help out pay for the child's education and help take care of the child.
Another Indo friend was once scolded by somebody (maybe a relative) in a wedding party 'coz she said that she wanted to wait before having kids.
Anyhow...before I started working in this current workplace, I did some trainings in different places. In some, I've met "cooler" people who don't smile even when you smile at them - though they do smile every once in a blue moon when the mood strikes. However, I've also met many nice people - though to be honest, there are MANY more nicer older people than the younger ones. The older people seem to be more patient and they take the time to talk to you and support you verbally, whereas the younger ones are OK, but they're not as "warm".
I've also seen and heard about some annoying people so just like anywhere in the world there are nice and not-so-nice people here too. Anyhow...I'm just rambling here in my post hi hi...soon I've to prepare some food for hubby, so gotta go. Hope you've all been doing OK. May angels protect and comfort you all, especially those who are in trouble (such as the people in Japan).
Yesterday I had a great day at work. For some reason it was a rather quiet day - I guess 'coz it was snowy in parts and the wind was pretty strong. The last half an hour was REALLY REALLY quiet.
What was great about yesterday? Here are some reasons:
1. I got to talk to some regular customers. It's nice to "bond" by having chit-chats about this and that.
2. An old woman asked me if I dyed my colour or if it was my natural hair colour. She said, "LOVELLLYYYYY!!!!" HUE HE HE HE HE HE HE...THANK YOU! :-D
Side note: MANY people in Indo dye their hair blonde/red/brunette, whereas I've seen plenty of people here dye their (blonde/brunette) hair BLACK!!! Yeah, go figure!
3. I met the little girl whom I adore (who likes me) with her Dad, but at that time I wasn't at the cashier. He then told me that she wanted to buy something and give me the money herself (she's 2 years old), but 'coz I wasn't at the cashier, he asked me about my work schedule this week. So he said to the daughter, "How about we come on Friday so you can buy some candies from Amelia?" HI HI HI HI HI...
4. Another old woman asked me the usual questions (where I'm from, how long I've stayed here, have I gone back to Indo at all, etc.). When I told her that I hoped to go back to Indo in autumn, she said with a smile, "Go bring a friend here. He or she is VERY welcome!!!"
That's such a NICE thing to say! :-D
5. When I used a stool to change the price tag on the higher shelf, one regular customer said, "Be careful, don't fall down!" :-D THANKS for caring!
6. A lady (whom I had never met before) asked me the usual questions and she said nice things about my Finnish. I can tell that she's an open-minded people about foreigners living in Finland and it's just nice to meet someone like that. :-D
And today??? One time when I was about to put something on a higher shelf, I had a hard time 'coz the stuff on each side of it was making it hard for me to put it in place, then an old grandpa who was passing by (a regular customer) helped me hold it up so that I could do it more easily and then he joked, "I can reach a little higher than you can!" (he's not that tall, he's only about 10-15 cm taller than me - FYI I'm 145 cm) hi hi hi hi...but I TRULY appreciated his help - AND his sense of humour. :-D
On occasions like these, I feel that there's hope for mankind still, you know? :-D
Usually when I come back home from work after doing my evening shift, hubby would greet me in the entrance or jacket room. Usually he'll be in front of his computer and he'd come through the kitchen to greet me while I'm taking off my jackets.
Last night when I came back home at around 9.20 pm, I took off my jackets and then when I heard R2's computer chair being moved backward (meaning he was about to get up to greet me), I decided to sneak into darkened the living room to make him confused (in my mind he'd come into the entrance through the kitchen). Here's a rough sketch of our house:
While I was taking a few steps into darkened the living room - tiptoeing so as not to make too much sound, I spotted R2 doing the EXACT same thing with a HUGE, NAUGHTY grin on his face. He wanted to scare the soul out of me by doing that, but we caught each other in act HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...It was SO funny to see each other tiptoeing with grins on our faces and a second later when our eyes met in the darkened living room, we realized that our plan was in total failure! We ended up laughing so much, though he he he he he...
Funny to have the same wavelength - but "NOT" funny at the same time ('coz our plans to surprise each other was ruined) hi hi hi...
Last Saturday while we were at my in-laws' place, we watched a TV program featuring robot industry in Japan. They showed us different types of robots and even those that were built with human-like skin and face. The robot makers said that it was SO hard to make a robot run. It was clear enough from the different types of robots shown in the program that they were still so "stiff" in many ways, though they've managed to create a robot whose "fingers" can grab a straw without ruining it.
What struck me the most about the show was how amazing we are as God's creations. I mean...our sinews, our limbs, our organs...everything was created in such a way that enables us to do so many things with ease (OK, for some people who have health problems, that may not be the case, but I'm talking about a healthy body here).
I mean...humans try to recreate what God has created, but without the "map" that God has given us, they won't even know where to start. So if an entity is able to create us in our entirety without looking at "maps"...PLUS the entity is able to create so many other wonderful creations (just think of the many species of animals and their weapons of self-defence and the heavenly bodies and the many species of trees, etc. etc. etc.), that means the entity is supreme. God is supreme and I found myself more at awe at the wondrous of His creation.
My point is that many times in life, we get so caught up in the mundane current of life that we don't stop to think about the magnificent world we live in.
Btw, weeks ago I saw some white "Light Pillars" in the sky - 5 in a row on the west side and also a few more on the south. It was amazing!!! (click on the link to see what they are) It was a very cold day 'coz I had to walk to work at around 6.30 am. The sky was still dark at the time except for those white pillars. I tried taking some pics with my mobile camera but it was such a basic camera that it failed to take the pics. I didn't know what they were at that time. I was just amazed at them, but I finally found the explanation after browsing about it he he he...
P.S. Additional link: Visualising The Size and Scale of Our World.
I've never really been a sports fan except for some types of sports, but I know that there are so many fanatic sports fan that would go halfway across the world just to watch their favourite team(s) play live. My brother and father particularly love watching soccer and World Cup series. I used to have a little fight with them whenever World Cup season was on air 'coz then I didn't get to watch my favourite TV series.
My hubby isn't really a fan of sports. The only thing he watches regularly is F1 series. If someday in the future I have enough money and opportunity to book us tickets to watch an F1 live, I bet he's going to be so thrilled! We shall see...maybe someday in the future I can buy him this as a birthday present, but for the time being I should just keep on saving money.
Anyhow, for those of you who love watching sport events live, you can find cheap tickets for many different events such as NCAA Mens Final Four Tickets, Jersey Boys Tickets, Kentucky Derby Tickets, Masters Tickets, New York Yankee Tickets, and many more. In this site as well you can find a LONG list of concert tickets to buy if you happen to like watching music concerts live.
Yesterday at work this guy asked me a personal question after he paid for his groceries. I was surprised 'coz that meant he knew about R2 and me. After answering his question, he then asked, "Do you remember me?"
Okayyyyyy...I'd feel guilty if I PRETENDED that I knew him, but I'd feel guilty even if I said no, but I said no in the end.
He then said that we had met before and that he was R2's cousin. ARRRGGGHHH!!! I DO NOT remember him AT ALL. UNFAIR!!! Some relatives who have known about our marriage would recognize me right away 'coz I'm the only Asian living in Sodankylä, but 'coz we didn't have any wedding party here, I haven't met his many relatives. I've only met the closest ones and those I've met only once or twice would probably remain "faceless" in my head.
About a month ago my MIL's elder sister came over with her daughter. They had never met me before, but the daughter said to me that she had seen me in my workplace and she knew that I was R2's wife, but she didn't want to be all friendly with me 'coz I had never met her. Good thing at that time I brought my camera along, so I snapped a few pics of them - one of the reasons I did that was not only to give the photo prints later to my MIL, but also so that I'd remember her HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...
It's "unfair" that I know many customers by face already and they probably know my name 'coz I have to wear a name tag, but I DO NOT know their names!!!! Errrrr...it's kinda frustrating in a way, you know? He he he...It's kinda frustrating 'coz it's a small village and I'll be bound to meet MANY of them whenever I go around downtown.
One other frustrating thing is that sometimes a customer comes over and then he/she comes back again and they'd say, "Hi again! I'm back again" ---> but I DO NOT remember that they've passed by my cashier already that day. Ouch!!! I once watched this crime series on TV and it's said that it's hard for someone from one race to distinguish the facial features of other people from a different race and I have to say that it's true. In the beginning everybody is just like a blur except for a few people who really stand out in the crowd, but now that I've worked there for around 8 months, I remember the faces of the regular ones (though I don't know their names still!).
It also happened to me when I first started helping out at the daycare. In the beginning most of them looked similar to me except for a few of them who stood out, so I had to really concentrate to distinguish them one by one he he...
Anyway, we're going to the cabin today. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY...so I'll blog-hop only later. Next week I have a full schedule so I'm gonna be BUUUSSSYYYY...can't wait to be at the cabin. The weather's PERFECT (0'C, probably around 3'C under the sun) and the sun is shining brightly and the sky is blue. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY!!!! Take care, people!!!
When I first started doing this part-time job, many people who came wondered about how well my Finnish could be, so they would speak to me slowly and clearly and they would even use body language as well. However, now that I've been there for at least half a year and most of them now assume that I can understand many things (though they don't know how much I know), they have started talking to me about different topics in a faster speed if the store's not too busy. That in itself is actually nice - having conversations with people in Finnish is nice.
The problem is that sometimes I only understand the gist of what they're saying without understanding EVERY SINGLE WORD, so I'd attempt to mimic their body language and facial features as best as I can, as fast as I can in response to what they're telling me.
Other times I have no problem understanding every word or almost every word, but there are times when I wonder if what I'm guessing is right or not 'coz Finnish words have many different meanings so it depends on the context and 'coz I still don't know all the meanings of the words, there may be some misunderstanding.
Anyhow, the thing is that many times when I only understand the gist, I don't have time to ask the person if what I think he/she means is right or not 'coz usually there are other people whom I need to serve next or I need to do something else quickly. All in all fortunately there has NOT been any BIG problem when it comes to this new problem. It's just something that I've just realized recently and I just want to write this in this blog. I guess I just need to keep on building my vocabulary then. :-D
P.S. Found a birthday gift for MIL which I gave to her already today (unfortunately the size was a little too small but she can exchange the size tomorrow - YAY!!!!) and I've ordered one for R2 (their birthdays are only 3 days apart). Tasks done!!! Went to visit MIL today and she said that it seems that her back is getting better, though she's not sure how OK it is 'coz she's been taking painkillers he he...I sure HOPE it's getting better even though it may take some time to heal. :-D
