1. Having a BBQ party at a coworker's place. It was so much fun. I laughed until my cheeks got sore LOL!!! And it was the perfect timing for the BBQ because the weather was good (the weather went downhill the next day until now).
2. My homemade pork satay (on the left side of the photo below) was a hit at the BBQ party. :-D Photo courtesy of my coworker HL:
3. I had a couple of guests coming today and we had fun, too. I cooked some rice, chicken panini and popped in some spring rolls and chicken nuggets in the oven and prepared some salad. It was enough for everybody (there's only a little leftover).
4. Surviving tough shifts at work this week. My body felt very sore after coming back home because of the pace and everything (summer busy weeks have started and a coworker has been sick for a while, so we're all swamped).
5. Playing hide the doll and hide-and-seek with my friend's daughter. :-D I managed to accidentally spook her once by hiding in a dark toilet ha ha...
6. The cheap huggable pillow I bought from our trip to Haparanda. It's been very useful to hug during the nights. In Finland the product will cost more than that (I was too used to sleeping with a bolster in Indo).
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7. A coworker told me a funny story. Upon seeing me from the back at work, her 4-year-old asked her, "Mommy, mommy, is there a child working here?" ROFL ROFL ROFL...Yes, I was thought of as a child because I'm short ha ha ha ha ha ha...very funny! :-D :-D :-D
8. These words from the movie "Frozen" (yeah, we just saw it last night because we waited until the 3D disc came out): "Some people are just worth melting for." I thought it was such a brilliant line because it also showed how Olaf started to melt! :-D
9. Cheap new panties bought from Haparanda. Very comfy! :-D And hubby loves the tiny blings on them ha ha ha...
10. Coming home to hubby's homemade pizza. Yum! And I didn't even have to do a thing! :-D
Nothing much happening here. Work, enjoying free time, work, enjoying free time he he...The other day I cooked frozen duck from scratch. In the past, the frozen ducks I had bought had already been spicy, so I only had to put them in the oven. This time, though, I had to think of what to do with it. A recipe I found mentioned using some lemon juice, salt, and pepper, but I wanted it to be more spicy. Good thing I had this package of Bak Kut Teh spice mix, so I boiled some water with the spice mix and pour it all over the duck and shove the baking pan into the oven along with the "broth". I also added sliced garlic and onion all over and inside the duck.
I baked the duck at 160'C for about two and a half hours - in between I turned the duck around and around. The last 20 minutes, though, I took out almost all of the broth so that the duck could get a bit crispy on the outside and I turned the heat into 200'C. I should've probably let it sit there for a little longer, 'coz it wasn't too crispy yet, but it didn't matter 'coz I took out all the skin anyway 'coz R2 wouldn't want to eat skin or fat he he he...
And while trying to prepare the duck, I accidentally burnt my arm (it touched the oven) and cut my finger. Even in my workplace I sometimes bump into things accidentally and R2 keeps on worrying about me. Oh well...at least they are only minor "accidents". I've never really hurt myself so badly he he he...
I'm TRULY looking forward to this evening 'coz we're going to do a movie marathon tonight. We haven't been watching any movies in a LONG time. Due to my work schedule, we've only been able to watch TV series and we still have to catch up on them. So we have more than 10 movies to watch (the first we're going to watch tonight is Inception) besides the TV series. YAHOOOOOOO!!! Usually today is the day when R2 plays computer games with his buddies until morning, but now he's going to spend HOURS with me HE HE HE HE HE...YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!!! ;-D
Other than that, I've been doing fine. Been sneezing the past few days, but I hope it's nothing serious. Today I cooked beef teriyaki. Haven't eaten it yet, but I can't wait to eat it with chili sauce HO HO HO HO...Take care, people, and have a blessed weekend!
1. Hubby insisted on cooking today 'coz he wanted to cook the food the way he liked it - not the way I liked it. It's NICE to have him take charge in the kitchen once in a while.
2. Hubby made pancakes on Sunday. Though I can make them myself, it's again nice to be able to just sit down and eat without having to do anything else beforehand ha ha...
3. Buying face mask 'coz I still have some leftover budget for this week's grocery budget HO HO HO HO...
4. The other week after I received my paycheck, I decided to pamper myself by buying Bailey's and Kissanminttu (Cream Mint alcoholic drink) and they didn't even ask for my ID this time HA HA HA...
5. When I got back home with two bottles of alcoholic drinks as a treat, I found out that hubby had bought some chips and dip HUA HA HA HA...so that day was our party dayyyy at home!!!
6. Having some troubling questions and getting the answer. THANK YOU, God, for your answer!!!
7. Getting some opps to write. ;-D
8. Trying to recreate the kind of food that my Mom used to cook and I managed to do it. It tasted HEAVENLY!!! :-D
9. Just created another 2011 Calendar filled with flowery images from Lapland. Here goes:
1. Hubby called me to find out where I was. Note: I had a call from a friend who needed my help ASAP, so I went to her place right after work and didn't have time to tell R2 about it. 'Coz I always got back home straight from work, he was confused where I could be and he was worried about me hi hi hi...
2. TEMPEH!!!!!!!!!!! Oh glorious tempeh!!! THANK YOU to my friend's Mom who brought me some frozen tempeh from the UK when she came here for a visit.
3. Having fun chit-chatting with my friend and her Mom who visited me while bringing my tempeh HO HO HO HO...
4. Cooking the said tempeh yesterday and today - I gave yesterday's tempeh for my in-laws. Today's tempeh I cooked with garlic, sweet soy sauce, coriander, lemongrass, tamarind, salt, pepper, and chili seeds.
5. When I let MIL guess what it was just by looking at it, she thought it was something made out of rice HI HI HI HI HI...and she liked it! :-D
6. Having fun trying out different forms of origami - some of which I had learnt years back but forgotten, some others I've only begun trying now. It's really therapeutic!
7. Finally R2 was impressed with one type of origami that I made he he he...
8. Dealing with the kids at the daycare makes me appreciate my parents in a whole new level 'coz they'd had to put up with us (esp. since I was such a naughty child).
9. Eating tempeh with warm rice this morning and enjoying EVERY single bite of it...mmmhhh...
10. Excitement 'coz I want to try making my own tempeh in summer (I have the tempeh starter now WHOOOPPEEE!!!) - hopefully there are hot days he he he...
1. A wonderful shopping trip with hubby and MIL today. ;-D
2. I've received the magazine in which my article is published. (I'm not going to put the scanned version of the article here 'coz I'm afraid that it may be against the law - esp. 'coz it's supposed to be released only in the beginning of November, but if you want to see it, just let me know by writing a comment for this post and I'll send it to you via email.)
3. Receiving the papers to get my reward for the article HUE HE HE HE HE...tomorrow I have to post it ho ho ho...
4. Spending plenty of quality time with hubby plus another wonderful cabin trip last Saturday.
5. Seeing hubby and MIL "fighting" about who should be paying - each of them insisted on paying for the other party HA HA HA HA HA...
6. Winter Wonderlandddddd again in Sodankylä after two days of snowfall.
7. Finding canned red beans and managing to recreate the kind of beef red bean soup flavour that my Mom usually makes in Indo. WOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!
8. Eating the beef red bean soup while it was still hot and feeling as though I had been at my parents' place in Bandung, eating my Mom's food. Mmmm...
9. Feeling that now I can officially call myself my Mom's daughter - because for years I felt that my brother was the one who was more talented in cooking than me (and I've always been more like my Dad in terms of personality, too). But hey, turns out I'm not THAT bad he he he he...I'm improving myself!!! ;-D
10. Giving MIL some of my beef red bean soup and some of my white egg cake. ;-D
11. Getting a tight hug from MIL and giving one back. ;-D
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
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!!!
Today is a special day since hubby did most of the house chores hi hi hi...
1. He took down all the dry laundry from the clothes lines in our bathroom.
2. He set the washing machine to work again to clean up our bed sheets.
3. He changed the bed sheets.
4. He folded the dry laundry and arranged them in our cabinets.
5. He cooked lasagna.
6. He washed all the dishes, including the ones I left behind yesterday HE HE HE HE HE...
Other than this list, I'm also GRATEFUL that I've received a very early b-day present from hubby's eldest brother and his family.
1. Yesterday my coworker hugged me as her goodbye. It was our last working day together. She's taking a few days off and she'll start working again next month, whereas I'll stop working this Friday. I didn't expect her to do that, considering we had only been working together for about three weeks. I felt SO touched by her gesture. She's the friendliest at work!!!
2. On the way to work, there was this spot of ground frequented with CUTE chubby birds who were busy feeding themselves. There are usually 20-25 of them. I can't stop staring at them!!! HE HE HE HE HE...
3. Feeding hubby some chocolate pudding while he was gaming. Then he said, "Practising for the future, eh?" HA HA HA HA HA HA...I ENJOY pampering him every once in a while! And he always thanks me, too HE HE HE HE HE...
4. EXCITEMENT about this Saturday. I've told my MIL not to cook anything 'coz I'll bring the food. I figured that once in a while SHE needs to be pampered, too!!! ;-D Let's see what I can come up with. I think I'm going to opt for some Asian food he he he he...but nothing too "burning hot", though. ;-D
5. Bumping my forehead on hubby's when I tried to turn around the other night. He was curled up so close to me hi hi hi hi...I LOVE it whenever I go to the toilet during the night and when I come back, I realize that his body is curled up SO close to me mmmmmm...
6. Just being held closely by hubby or just sitting on his lap...I wanna cherish the feeling forever...I LOVE feeling his body warmthhhhhh...
7. Sharing innermost thoughts with my closest friends. We haven't done that in a while. One friend initiated it and it brought back so many memories.
8. Just because I'm alive, my parents are fine, I've got everything I need...I've got another day to be the best that I can be. :-)))
I decided to write this list since it's near the end of this year. I just wanna remind myself of the lessons I've learnt and re-learnt this year. There are new lessons and old lessons learnt once more. I may update this list later on, but so far here is the list I've compiled. Before I start, I'd also LOVE to know the lessons you've learnt or re-learnt this year. I wanna learn from all of you. ;-D
1. Letting Go.
This has not been an easy lesson for me. I tend to hold people too tightly in my arms and I expect much from the closest ones. I have learnt and re-learnt this lesson lots of times this year. Besides my expectations from those people closest to me, I've also learnt to let go of my past: my job, my hometown, my friends, my family, and everything else I have left behind that I can't possibly have here. I'm pretty sure that there will be plenty of other lessons on letting go, though. ;-D
2. God truly has a magical way of opening "unexpected" and "unseen" doors for me. It's truly amazing to see His plans unfolding bit by bit, one step at a time, in my life. Thank you, Lord!!!
3. Loving myself despite myself. This is one lesson I should learn all the days in my life, but since I left my job and everything behind, I have learnt more lessons on loving myself.
4. The benefits of networking. In my "previous" life, I used to rely on other people's network instead of building my own network. Only after I moved to Finland do I have these MANY friends. I feel SO blessed!!!!
5. Being proactive ---> this is related to #4. If I didn't become proactive (blogging and building network), I think I would be TOTALLY depressed right now: no friends, no possibility of getting some income online, no nothing.
6. The joys of being a wife and having a new family plus the joy of cooking and baking. Honestly speaking, on the plane to Finland, I freaked out. The "what ifs" came barging into my head and my mind started thinking of "worst case scenarios". Gladly everything has been MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH more WONDERFUL than even my most positive thoughts!!! HIP HIP HURRAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!! And I never thought I'd love cooking and baking this much. *tee-hee*
Well, having a hubby who eats everything I cook no matter how bad it looks and who always comforts me whenever I make mistakes DOES help TREMENDOUSLY in making me enjoy everything here. ;-D
7. The prices I have to pay for pursuing my dream. Being far away from my parents and brother is one of them. It's toughest when one of them gets sick or when one of them has some inner problem and I can't be there for them physically. It's also tough when I can't be there on special occasions like my brother's wedding, but I've gotta pay the price no matter what!
8. Not complaining. One of my first resolutions when I moved to Finland was to catch myself before I started complaining. So far I think I've done a great job in this area. However, I must be wary all the time. :-))))
9. Not taking things too seriously. This is another one of my first resolutions when I moved to Finland. It is HARD for me to do this since all my life I had been such a sensitive person, but honestly speaking, my hubby has helped me A LOT in this department with his easy-going personality. ;-D
10. Learning to accept that my mistakes don't make me and learning to laugh at myself whenever I make mistakes. Learning to laugh at myself hasn't been easy for me. Funny thing is that the first time I managed to do it was only after I moved to Finland. So moving to Finland has been GOOD for me! HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...
11. Joy is found in precious fleeting moments that oftentimes go unnoticed. I have to be really alert in order to be able to cherish those moments.
12. One of humans' greatest weaknesses is to take things for granted. I'm learning not to take things for granted and to be thankful all the time. I have to remind myself about this over and over again.
13. Live as though I'd die tomorrow, plan as though I'd live forever. I'm trying to follow this adage so that my life is balanced and I can enjoy today as much as I love planning for the future.
14. It's definitely NOT easy at all to practice what you preach.
15. Learning to relight and feed my inner child. I've been wacky and crazy in front of my hubby and it feels OHHHHH SOOOOO GOOOODDDD!!!! Plus I also awaken his inner child, so both of us are sometimes like little kids goofing around he he he he...
16. The danger of being too focused on money. I can be consumed with the ambition of saving more and more money that I lose focus on the MOST important things in life that money can't buy.
17. Dressing up in layers is the best tactic for the worst kind of weather and human body loses heat the fastest through their heads, so I have to make sure I put on a warm cap whenever it's so cold outside.
18. I learn that being me is enough and that I'm where I'm supposed to be.
P.S. Don't forget to check on my Plumper Snowman pics here.
1. Cooking together. We're making our own burger steak from mince meat. They're now in the oven. YUM YUM!!! Can't wait to eat 'em. 2. Having an understanding hubby. I'm such a sleepyhead and I've almost always woken up later than him. *grin*3. Even though it's been cloudy again, the flowers are still waving hello to me joyfully. Purple, red, pink, yellow, white...I feel GOOD, babbbyyyyyy!!! *wink* I ain't gonna let the clouds dampen my mood he he he...I ain't gonna deny my feelings, but I ain't gonna let them conquer or dictate my day. YYYYYYYEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!!! God, THANK YOU for my breath this daaayyyyy...another day to show my smile and joy and love...
