3BT: Random Days

1. Been busy with work, but it feels great to reward myself every now and then with these lovely chocolate eggs. Although it's crazy that they've started selling them way ahead of time, I'm glad that they exist ha ha...

2. Going on a walk on a sunny day on my day off. Here's a LOOOONNNGG shadow of mine. Love the sun on my back, warming it up. Oh, and I got to see a pair of squirrels on my walk. So cute!

3. Finding one of the gifts for hubby's upcoming birthday (on a discount YAY!). It's safely hidden somewhere. Now need to find the other gift (still wondering what I should choose).

4. Finding two pairs of cheap jeans (one pair cost €10, whereas the other pair cost €15).

5. MIL helped me shorten those jeans using her sewing machine. Bless her! 

6. Working together with hubby to clear up the thick pile of snow on the roof. 

7. This sight on my lovely walk:

 8. Fried brain. The other day I was SO tired that I was going to string this sentence in my head, "Oh boy, it's unbelievable that they've started selling Easter eggs already!" in Finnish. However, my slow brain slipped. Instead of forming the word "pääsiäissuklaata" (Easter chocolate), it became "paskiaissuklaata" instead. Pääsiäinen = Easter, whereas paskiainen = bastard/asshole. Ahem...I sure don't need any bastard chocolate eggs HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHH...

3BT: Random Days

1. Playing "Poker Face" game with hubby while playing cards with MIL (it wasn't planned, just made up right then and there). The point of the game is to keep a poker face while the other party makes faces to make you smile or laugh. Dang it was SO hard to keep a poker face that we ended up laughing like crazy over and over again. SO MUCH FUN!!! :-D

2. A grandma gave me a bar of chocolate at work. BLESS HER! And it wasn't even the first time for her to do that. :-) I shared the chocolate with hubby at home he he he...


3. We've booked the tickets to go to Indo via Singapore on our summer holiday, so we're spending some days in Singapore as well in between flying to my hometown and flying back to Finland. And we've also booked the hotels in Singapore YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY!!! :-D

4. I've contacted a few friends who live in Singapore and they've told me that they want to meet up, so I hope there's no hindrance for us to meet. EXCITING!!!!!!!! :-D

5. More feeling of freedom as I get less afraid of disappointing people when I feel that they have high expectations of me or when I feel that they expect something from me that I just can't give (something I just realized lately).


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6. The sidewalk is now clear of sand and gravel. That means I can ride my bike at full speed again WOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

7. Having lovely and fun coworkers who treat me (the only expat in the group) like one of them. I hope we can work together for a LOOOONNNGGG time. :-D

8. Listening to this soothing and comforting song. Death is not the end. We will meet again in heaven...


9. Laughing so much at these photos ha ha ha ha...I'm trying to imagine the amount of time and effort it took to match the characters with the cats ha ha ha...As a cat lover and a fan of Game of Thrones, I think whoever it is has done a great job at it. :-D

 Game of Thrones: Cat Edition

Rome Tidbits

Before I forgot, let me just write down some tidbits about our trip to Rome.

1.  R2 was planning on walking everywhere, but after the first day we realized that it would be impossible to do so while still wanting to visit as many place as possible, so we bought 3-day tourist tickets that allowed us to use the metro or buses without any limit. I bought the tickets from a newspaper stand seller. Here's a pic of our tickets:

2. Here's a pic of R2 in the metro station:

On the last day of using the metro, there was a pickpocket. We were already inside one of the metros when in one stop, a group of young women came inside followed by two teenage girls. The two teenage girls ran inside and ran as quickly outside, then I heard the young woman standing next to me scream something in Italian while grabbing for her wallet inside her bag. Her purse zipper was open, but thankfully her wallet was chained into the inside of her bag, so the teenage pickpocket couldn't get anything. In fact, while trying to get out of the metro ASAP, the end of her jacket got caught in between the doors, so the doors opened up again and she ran out along with her friend.

After that the young woman told her friends about what had just happened animatedly in Italian and even though I don't know the language, I know what she was talking about 'coz she pulled out her wallet and I noticed that there was a chain connecting the wallet with her bag (she was standing right next to me, after all). Well, glad to know that her wallet was safe! :-D

3. Indonesians would probably laugh upon seeing this photo. "Galak" chocolate bar LOL!!! Galak is an Indonesian word. It can be translated roughly into "fierce or hot-blooded" he he he he he...

4. On Tuesday April 2nd we had a plan on which places to visit, but alas we got caught up in the middle of a heavy rain which even turned into a hail at one point. We had a small umbrella with us, but it wasn't enough to cover our legs. We got wet up to our knees and our sneakers were wet, as well, so we had to go back to the hotel to dry ourselves. We tried drying out sneakers using the hotel's hairdryer LOL LOL!!! We used the time to relax and rest our feet he he he he he he...

A funny thing happened during the heavy rain/hail. We were at the side of the road and an umbrella seller came to offer us another umbrella (a bigger one). We said no a few times, but then when the hail started and R2 was afraid that the umbrella we had would have holes in it, the seller came by again to offer the big umbrella and yes, we did buy a bigger umbrella at a high price due to the situation HA HA HA HA HA HA...And of course we didn't bother bringing it back, so we just left it at the hotel (we brought back the small umbrella, though!). 

After we got back to the hotel, I was laughing so much 'coz I told R2 that the umbrella seller may have been telling himself, "Ha, those two stubborn tourists disregarded my first few attempts to sell them a bigger umbrella, but after a while they finally gave up. Silly tourists!" LOL LOL!!!

Wanna know what happened after the rain? Here goes:

And this is the picture we took before the heavy rain - notice the sidewalks? 

5. When we had lunch at a restaurant, we were served two slices of cake for free afterwards and I LOVED it! I didn't ask what it was, though, but I found out about it on my own when we were in a souvenir shop selling chocolate and foodstuff. This is the cake that we had and I just had to bring back a big bag of it 'coz I can't stop myself. (side note: I browsed online and found out that this Colomba cake is a traditional Easter cake).

Even though it was rather inconvenient to bring something like that 'coz I couldn't put it inside the backpack (too big) or the luggage ('coz it could get crushed), I'm SO happy to find a store that sold them at a 50% discount. In fact, all the Easter eggs and cakes were sold there at a 50% discount LOL!!! 

OK, I have a test coming up (theory test) next Monday in Finnish, so I've gotta get back on reading up the materials. I wrote this post to have a break from studying he he he he he...I'll write more about our Rome trip later.

3BT: Random Days

1. A grandma gave me a bar of chocolate (again). She's just SO sweet and thoughtful! :-D THANK YOUUUU!!!!! And yes, the graphic below described my facial expression very well upon receiving the chocolate bar LOL!!!


2. Another grandma told me that her hubby had been missing me at work 'coz he hadn't seen me in a long time. (Unfortunately I don't know which one her hubby is 'coz I meet too many customers at work each shift, but that means the only thing I can do to make sure that I treat him well is to treat everybody well.) I'm touched!!!

3. Me: "Hey, I've just recently noticed that my buttocks aren't as supple as they were before. Have you noticed, too?"
Hubby smiled wickedly and nodded.
Me: "WHAAAAATTT?????? Are you pulling my leg or have you really noticed the difference?"
Hubby: "Yeah, I've noticed."
Me: "When did you realize that they'd changed?"
Hubby: "Ages ago:"
Me: "WWWHHHHAATTTT????" (short pause) "But you still love them anyway, right?"
Hubby: (nod) "Yep."
Me: (smile) "Good."


4. Taking a holiday from FB has done WONDERS to my brain. I feel like it's been unblocked and now it can breathe freely again. Phew!!!

5. Sauna scent. I love adding some scent (we've mostly used birch or eucalyptus) to the bucket of water we keep in sauna. It's like aromatherapy! Heavenly!


6. Learning to be more assertive at work when needed. It ain't easy but I'll celebrate each little step forward that I make! :-D

3BT: Random Days

1. The other day at work a grandma gave me a bar of chocolate!!! :-D For no reason whatsoever! BLESS YOU, mummo!

2. Another grandma said to me, "You don't need to dye your hair at all 'coz you've got a really nice natural colour already."

3. Starting over a new blog to help me discipline myself in practising written Finnish 'coz I'm getting really rusty in that area. And R2 has promised to help me edit my texts. :-D

4. Slices of reindeer meat beef hanging in one corner of the house - which will then turn into yummy kuivaliha (dried reindeer meat). Can't wait to eat it!!! :-D



5. A customer thanking me on how I handled an incident that had happened in the past involving her and me - I had forgotten about her already, but she remembered me.

6. Spending a few blissful days at home together with hubby (he'd done lots of overtime, so he took some time off).

7. Delicious pizza that hubby bought on his birthday. Plus I didn't need to cook ha ha ha...

3BT: Random Days

1. My Dad's funeral home services, cremation and the scattering of the ashes went fine and there were so many people coming to pay respect.

2. Seeing some white hair on hubby's beard and head.

3. When I told hubby that the white hair must be a sign of wisdom, he rolled his eyes and that made me laugh. :-D

4. Receiving a thick hard-cover book on Sodankylä from a dear customer (the same pappa who's given me plants/flowers 4 times already). BLESS him, BLESS him, BLESS him!!!

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5. Having a chance to give that pappa a box of chocolate the day before Christmas when the store was a little less busy.

6. Rereading some of my blog's old posts and being reminded of how far I've gone since then and how many wonderful people I've met through blogging.

7. Reminiscing on the many bittersweet memories that have shaped me since I moved to Finland. :-D

8. Can't help laughing so much every time I'm reminded of this scene in The Simpsons cartoon series:

Homer: Go get Lassie!
Bart: Who's Lassie?
Homer: Doh! I mean Lisa!

ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL...

9. Hubby's sensitivity towards my mood and my needs. I wasn't feeling well the other day and he helped me coin my back and then spent time on the sofa (holding each other and talking) before I went to bed earlier than he did. He also spent so much time holding me and patting my back when I grieved my Dad's death.

10. Time and time again I can't help feeling grateful that hubby very rarely complains about anything at all. How nice it is not to hear complaints from someone who lives with you!

11. Still time and time again I feel blessed to have a hubby who doesn't get caught up in my mood easily, so every time I'm in a bad, cranky mood, he makes it easier for me to control myself. He is even creative enough to make me laugh when I'm that way.

12. For having a hubby who's never played rough on me, who's never belittled me, who's never told me what to do, who's never given me unsolicited advice.

13. Those people who just know the right things to say and who say them in times of need. BLESS them!

14. Buying MIL some flowers that I had never seen before and then hearing her say, "I've been wanting to get these myself when I saw the ad!" :-D

15. Reading a book while "doing my thing" in the toilet is a bliss. Plus the toilet is warm enough in winter.

3BT: Random Days

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.

3BT: Random Days

1. Exchanging heartfelt emails with my MIL. :-D

2. Beautiful wintery pinkish sky (two days in a row) with a half moon hanging SO LOW above the horizon (it looked SO huge) when I rode my bike to work. Too bad I didn't have time to take a pic of it, but it was just AMAZING.


3. My trusted bike (which is perfect for my height). Without it I wouldn't have been able to do many things in a practical way.

4. Discounts, discounts, discounts for food products!

5. Belgian chocolate with lovely fillings (would have never tried 'em if one customer hadn't told me how delicious they were). Mmmmmhhh...

6. My homemade roast duck tasted HEAVENLY and we had mint-chocolate ice-cream and strawberries for dessert. Yum yum...

7. A friend has sent me a package filled with Indo goodies, so I can't wait to get it 'coz it's filled wish some stuff I haven't even eaten in a LONG time. WOOOHHHOOO!!! THANK GOD for angels on earth!

8. Hubby for warming up my legs and body at night and for scratching my back whenever I need it. :-D



9. I've ordered the light therapy lamp and I'm waiting for it to arrive. ;-D

10. Hubby greeting me at night with hugs and kisses whenever I have an evening shift. :-D

11. SAUNA is one of the GREATEST inventions EVER, esp. for a place like Finland HUE HE HE HE HE HE...

Holi Holi Holiday!

Haven't had time to blog 'coz I had to work on Saturday. BUT that means I have today off HE HE HE HE HE...I first thought that we couldn't visit my in-laws on Saturday, but turned out I finished my job quickly, so we did manage to go there (albeit a little bit later than usual).

However, I forgot that on Saturdays they don't serve breakfast or lunch at the hotel, so I was DEAD HUNGRY when I went back home. That was also one reason why I worked as fast as possible (like a maniac, actually, running from room to room) - because my stomach started feeling painful. Ugh...oh well...

So what have I been doing today? I cooked spicy shrimp soup and then went to the open market nearby. Bought some chocolate/candies and some clothes and some winter socks. Yep, I spent a lot of money today, but at least I got plenty with the amount of money I spent ha ha ha...

Here are some pics of the open market:




Funny thing was that when I was at the chocolate/candy stand, I tried to look at the price first before choosing, and the guy talked to me in English HI HI HI...On the other hand, when I was going to buy the clothes and socks (in different stands), I asked them the prices in Finnish, so they talked to me in Finnish.

Here are some pics I took yesterday at my in-laws':

Me and dino egg HA HA HA...




And the other day I got more pics of Ken. Here they are (now he has 6 teeth!!! He'll be one year old next month):







My brother said that Ken loves taking a ride on the motorbike every day when my bro goes to work. The first time they did it, he had to be taken away at the end of our small alley and he cried. However, now he understands that he can only take a ride that far. Amazing how fast kids learn "patterns" he he he he...

OK, time to blog-hop nowwww...

Some Christmas Pics

A few days before Christmas, in the library there was a puppet show and there were kids from one daycare coming to watch the show. There was supposed to be MANY more kids, but the kids from the other daycare didn't come due to some reason I didn't know.

Anyway, when they were waiting for the show to come, they browsed around the library and they were staring at me. LOL LOL LOL!!!

The puppet show is entitled "Oikea Joulu" or "The Real Christmas" and it's trying to focus that Christmas is not about gifts. My only complaint is that it didn't mention Jesus. Oh well...

Here are some pics of it:




Next pic: The same Christmas tree that they put last year he he he...but it's still nice to see it. ;-D


Last pic: The BEAUTIFUL chocolate that Michelle Colebourn made for us (all the girls that went to the pre-Christmas party). It was SO pretty that I didn't have the heart to eat it...she's SO talented!!!


I'll add more pictures tomorrow! ;-D

I Want Chocolate!

Who needs personalized candy bars? I visited the link and found out that I could actually order anniversary candy bars or chocolate with personalized candybar wrappers. What's interesting is that I can also order personalized lip balms as party gifts. COOL!!!

I've also seen some brides and grooms in Indonesia giving edible wedding favors, such as delicious chocolate or tea in small packages. As you probably know, I personally LOVE dark chocolate. Other than the fact that it's not too sweet, dark chocolate is also good for your heart.

Do you know the benefits of dark chocolate?

1. It helps prevent heart disease as it is rich in anti oxidants.
2. It can lower your blood pressure.
3. It helps you feel good since it builds up serotonin in your brain.
4. Since dark chocolate is rich in anti oxidants, it can help prevent cancer.

However, you still have to be careful with your chocolate intake, since it's high in calories no matter what. After all, too much of anything is never good.

3BT: December 19, 2007

1. Buying Skype credits to call my parents using my own money (which I got from blogging for money) via Paypal. YIPPPPPPPPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!!

2. Feeding hubby some chocolate while he was gaming he he he he he he...

3. Getting an email from my Mom: she said that the other day she went to a resto with Dad, elder sister, elder brother and wife, and Dad's youngest brother. It's always SO nice to hear that they're getting along very well and they're having SO MUCH FUN. It's good to have people to talk to and to have fun with during their old age. Ahhhhh...I can imagine already how wonderful it must've been for them, laughing and talking so much.

4. My sister-in-law also wrote me a short email which made me smile and laugh HE HE HE HE HE HE...

5. Coffee-cream pudding (bought from the supermarket) MMMMMMMMMMMMM...Yum, yum!!!!

Romantic Tips #1

If you're planning to emulate Lady and Tramp's romantic scene, DO NOT try it with food that's too hard to bite or chew!!!

Image taken from here

Last night hubby and I made a HUGE mistake that set me off laughing like crazy. You see, hubby was eating chocolate (he's a chocolate fan!!!) while watching TV. At first I wasn't interested in eating any since I had just finished my strawberry yoghurt. However, when he kept on offering me, I finally gave in when he bit the edge of a piece of chocolate and then turned around and looked at me with his puppy eyes.

I couldn't resist biting the other end! I was thinking in my head, "Oh, it's going to be romantic, just like Lady and Tramp!" But then when I tried biting it, I couldn't!!! The chocolate was WAY too hard for me he he he he...so I backed off and let go of it. I thought he would be biting it hard still, but when I moved back, the chocolate fell off HUA HA HA HA HA HA...I couldn't help laughing right away as I picked it up LOL LOL LOL!!!

Hubby shook his head and said, "Right!!! Nice going!"

I said, "I'm SORRRYYYY!!! I couldn't bite it! TOO HARD!!! And I thought you were biting it hard with your teeth!"

Oh dear...well, at least I was laughing so much that I felt I would stay young forever HUE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...

3BT: August 21, 2007

This afternoon I was writing a post and then the power went down three times. Then my computer started getting weird, so I turned it off and waited for my hubby to come home to fix it. It wouldn't budge, so he's now reinstalling the whole thing. YIKES!!! Tough job! That's why I'm falling WAY behind in visiting my fellow bloggers' blogs. I'm now using my hubby's computer here. Let me just write this small post to let you know that I'll be back when my computer's fixed.

1. Light apple cider. Used to think I only loved light pear cider, but when I tried light apple cider, it makes me ADDICTED to it. TASTYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!! (Light = only consists of max. 1.2% alcohol in it)

2. Hamburger with my homemade burger steak, eaten with chips he he he...

3. Selling some plastic bottles and beer cans to Lidl. In return I get a receipt where I can get a deduction while buying groceries. YIIIPPPIIIIEEE!!! I LOVE it!!!!!!!!! And I actually LOVE putting all the bottles and beer cans into the machine HI HI HI...LOL!!!

4. Having enough money to buy chocolate, cider, ice cream, fruit, chips, and popcorn every now and then, not just our staple food. Life is GRRREEEAAAAAAAAATTTTT!!!!

5. Listening to my hubby singing his silly little tunes he he he...