A Great Day at Work

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

3BT: Random Days

1. The other day an old woman came by my workplace and she said with glee, "Ah, there you are! I've been wondering where you've been 'coz I haven't seen you in a while. I've MISSED YOU!" She really made my day! :-D

2. Another customer complimented on my Finnish. I'm TRULY grateful for anyone who speaks out their minds to make other people's days brighter. Bless him!

3. Another customer said to me, "I know one Japanese word. Hajimemashite!" I felt sorry to tell him that I wasn't Japanese, but I was really touched at his effort to be friendly! Bless him too!


4. Daydreaming about going back to Indo and planning about it and talking about it with hubby 'coz later on they'll ask us when we want our summer holiday, so now we know when we want to take it: September!!! ;-D Let's just hope my workplace gives me the permission to take an additional week off in September.

5. Talking to Mum via Skype and listening to whatever stories she has for me. :-D

6. Understanding even more that God's timing is really perfect (hindsight view always helps me understand more things in life).


7. Not feeling too "soul-tired" anymore (a term that Michelle Frost told me) - thanks to her and all the wonderful customers I've met at work.

8. Having two days off (I was supposed to get only one day off, but a coworker swapped her work shift with mine).

9. Hubby, for being who he is, for never having raised his voice at me and for buying me pepper steak yesterday.


10. Mint ice-cream, hot chocolate, fresh smoothies, and hot milk tea with honey. ;-D What can I say? I'm a foodie! :-D

3BT: Random Days

1. My boss has read the note I made and said that in the new worklist, I'll get less hours. YEEESSS!!! That starts in a few weeks, so until then I'll still be a bit busier he he...but I'm glad I did decide to give the note.

2. The kind old guy who once gave me flowers gave me another pot the other day. I almost couldn't contain my happy tears from flowing (PMS mode) and believe me, it was SO hard to control myself when I still had other customers to serve. Some of them probably saw my wet eyes and wondered what went wrong HA HA HA...I don't know why the old guy is so nice to me, but I THANK GOD for having customers like him.

Before he came, it had been hectic hours at work and I was feeling tired, but after he gave me the pot of flowers, nothing else mattered and I felt SO refreshed. ;-D It felt like drinking fresh water in the middle of a very hot day in the desert.

3. A little girl who's been very friendly to me has been asking about me whenever she and her parents go out to buy groceries. I'm SO touched that another person's child remembers me, even though I don't really know her, but she's SO cute!!!

4. A male customer asked me the usual stuff (where I come from, etc.) and after that he said, "You're brave for moving here." I thanked him, though I don't really feel brave, but I TRULY appreciate people who give others encouragement. They're angels on earth.

5. Christmas holiday is coming soon. Dinner with family, playing cards and drinking some cider and eating chocolate...just the thought of that brings warmth to the soul, 'coz we'll never know how much time left we have with one another.

6. We're going on a short trip to Rovaniemi sometime. YAHOOOOOOOO!!! It wasn't exactly planned - sort of just on a whim and I'm glad I found a hotel with a good price (and the room price includes breakfast). I'll write about this later on when we get back. YEEESSS!!!!

7. Taking these pictures make me happy:

Decoration behind a bed and breakfast in Sodankylä:



Saw pink sky again the other day, so I had to grab my camera to take some pics...

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.

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY!!!

Why am I happy? Let me count the ways and be thankful for each and every one of them.

1. Today I received my passport back. I sent it last Monday to the Indonesian Embassy in Helsinki to report myself. Why do I need to report myself? Well, one other reason other than the obvious is that once I've reported myself, my new address is now written at the back of my passport, so when I fly back to Finland, I don't have to pay 1 million rupiah tax at the airport HUE HE HE HE HE HE HE...Plus I'm RELIEVED that the passport has arrived safely HE HE HE HE HE...

2. Because of reason number 1, I can use the money to go to a SPA in Bandung in October HUA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...I'm gonna pamper myself in Bandung. *WIDE GRIN*

3. My new book's arrived (Jostein Gaarder's Maya). Hubby asked me if I wanted to buy a book since he wanted to order something online, so I picked one. I still have many other unread novels, but I just love stacking them up to read in the future ho ho ho ho ho ho...

4. My Brit friend and husband and teacher have told me that I may be able to teach Finnish to foreigners later in the future. It's something I'm considering seriously, since I think I'd love to do something like that. ;-D I know it'll take me years to be able to be as good in Finnish (compared to my English knowledge), but I'm in no hurry. ;-D

I'm THANKFUL for their encouragement and support.

5. Tonight we were supposed to go to the bars with hubby's brother and girlfriend, but they cancelled it. I don't mind that since it means I have plenty of spare time to relax (read comics or do whatever I want to do today) ho ho ho...

6. Seeing hubby's SATISFIED GRIN as I tucked him to sleep on the sofa just now.

7. Hubby bought pepper steak for us HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO...I LOVE pepper steak! ;-D

glitter-graphics.com

8. A little while ago while hubby was doing something in front of his computer, I went over to smother him with kisses and I noticed that between the pages of his notebook, there was my Post-It Note from the day when he was sick and he had to stay home while I went to my Finnish course. I left him the note before I went to the course. I LOVE the fact that he keeps it safe, even though it's just a Post-It note. ;-D

9. Today's been wet again. It rained water for a while. I don't mind that since it means that the ice isn't slippery. That means that I'm SAFE from falling HO HO HO HO HO...

10. Cleaning up hubby's ears with a special tool from Indo. I LOVE cleaning up his ears ha ha ha ha ha...Sounds gross, eh? ;-D

11. My class is going to visit the Gold Mine next Friday. I've never been there before, even though I've lived in Finland for a little over a year. And it's FOR FREE since the company who organizes the course is paying for that. YIIIIPPIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!! I'm gonna bring my digicam to take pics. ;-D

12. The other day when I walked home, I noticed something very cute: as the snow was melting and water was running fast to the drain all over the village, three birds were cleaning themselves up in the running water nearby my apartment building. What a sight!!! I even stopped to watch them. Mmmm...

13. Spring is comiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnggggggggggg!!! And lately here in Sodankylä, the day is longer than the night (17 hours versus 7 hours). YEEEESSSSS!!!

14. This conversation:

Me: Am I demanding?
Hubby: Sometimes. (smile)
Me: What? When?
Hubby: No comment.
Me: Okaaayyyy...does it bother you, then?
Hubby: No.
Me: GOOD! (BIG grin)

glitter-graphics.com

Other than those, here are other things I'm thankful for:

1. My family, husband, husband's family, and friends. They're always so supportive, understanding, and kind to me.

2. My blogger friends. Without them, I wouldn't be the woman I am today. ;-D

3. Peace of mind.

4. Being able to sleep well at nights.

5. My health.

6. Enlightenment.

7. Wonderful food, tasty snack, and refreshing water.

8. People's thoughtfulness (strangers or non-strangers alike).

9. Open doors and closed doors.

10. Love, hope, and farts. *GRIN*



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In order to be able to achieve and maintain happiness we need to, actively, be able to do two things:

1. Complain and then let go (Dump the baggage, the roadblocks to happiness.)
2. Openly Express Gratitude (The open expression of gratitude promotes happiness.)

After all, everyone has something to be grateful for and/or something to complain about. If you would like to accept the challenge, please follow the appropriate link and do so: "Are You Grateful?", "Complain Complain Complain."

Contributors to "Are You Grateful?" & "Complain Complain Complain" are: 1-Attitude, the Ultimate Power 2-Max 3-DianaCA's Metamorphoses 4-Mental Poo 5-My Thoughts 6-Baba Doodlius 7-Wake Up America 8-Life is a Roller Coaster 9-Life and Me 10-pinay mommy's love blog 11-My Happiness Haven 12-And Life Goes On for a Filipino Mom 13-Blessed Sanctuary 14-Expressions And Thoughts 15-Memories by Jenn 16-Reminiscence of My Adventures 17-In the Life of Mne 18-Juliana's Lair 19-Pinay Wahm 20-Lucid Creativity 21-Winged Words 22-Irresistible Fascinations 23-A Little Time 24-See Me For What You Will 25-Greatest Reviews 26-ETC ATBP 27-Gandacious 28-We Are Family 29-Journey to this thing called LIFE 30-www.rajeshrana.net 31-www.rajeshrana.com 32-BaReFooTeD Me 33-Uncomplicated 34-Points of View 35-Pride & Prejudice 36-Colorful World 37-Nora's Notes 38-A Daily Walk With Bill & Gina 39-Strange but True 40-Everything Under The Sun ( Beth Rebokon ) 41-Kaleidoscope 42-Fil-Oz Blog 43-By Osc@r Luiz 44-Comedy Plus 45-Blogging by Sandee 46-Soul Meets World 47-Mae's Memoirs 48-Beyond the Rave Reality 49-Amori, poesie, arte, chat by Hanna 50-Attached at the Hip 51-Carver's Sight or is that Site? 52-Empress Reviews 53-Simple Pleasures In My Heart 54-Lourdes' mia 55-A Grateful Heart 56-Majorsleepyhead 57-Scrappy n Happy in Ohio 58-CHOC MINT GIRL 59-Extraordinary Things 60-ZOOROPAZOO 61-BeNolSatuEm 62-As The World Turns 63-Your Caring Angels 64-Life Is Wonderful To Know Everyday 65-Sugar Magnolias 66-Little Peanut 67-Creative In Me 68-Me and Mine 69-Pea in a Pod 70-the diary of the Pink & Brown Wedding 71-good thoughts, good trades, good life 72-My Blog - all things me 73-Rainbows 74-Little Corner of Mine 75-Me, Myself and I 76-My Planet Purple 77-Amel's Realm 78-A Handful of Surprises 79-A Detour 80-Something Purple 81-Vanity Kit 82-Are You Grateful? 83-A Simple Life 84-BlogTips.Com 85-Balitang Kalye 86-Mariuca 87- Emila Yusof 88-A Total Blog 89-My Life in this Wonderful World 90-MommyAllehs 91-Things That Suck 92-A Mother's Stuff 93-Princess Vien 94-My Inner Thoughts Revealed 95-Roxiticus Desperate Housewives 96-Apples Of The Eyes 97-Nita's Random Thoughts 98-Nita's Corner 99-Thomas Digital Services 100-A Mother's Thoughts101-Meltwater. Torrents. Meanderings. Delta 102-My Perfect Escape 103-Vanidosa. Marie 104-Confessions of a Supermodel Wannabe 105-Lynda's Loft 106-Listening..Learning..Living 107-LadyJava's Lounge 108-The Painted Veil 109-Poeartica 110-Maryannaville 112-CARPE DIEM 113-Turn-u-Off 114-asian mutt international 115-Petty Ramblings of a Petty Queen 116-LIFE IS A ROLLER COASTER 117-AZZY'S BLOG-A-ROONIE! 118-glad to be here 119-WilStop 120-Dare to Blog 121-WebGeek Journal 122-Foster Me Up 123-This is My Life 124-124-DaveylynneDR 125-Life Realities 126-aNgRiAniWorld Dot Com 127-All That Matters 128-My Inspiration Sharing Land 129-Hidup Biar Sedap 130-Mutiara Hati 131-EM Muhammad 132-I Digress 133-Mapped Memories 134-Working It 135-Startin' A New Life too, 136-Little Secret 137-FEEL FREE to Express Yourself 138-iAM-Mai 139-SOLOFLIGHT 140-BLACKNICKEL 141-NEUROPATCH 142-EMJEI SAYS 143-Big Money List 144-daily information 145-TRCoach 146-LOVE YOUR LIFE! 147- INSTANT MESSAGES 148-MEME ME 149-mEldita's untamed world 150-mEldita's uncensored life 151-i.MEL.dific 152-SNAPSHOT 153-DAILY STOCK PICKS 155-Pet's Garden Blog 156-Ketuk_angel Weblog 157-Laketrees 158-WannaSmile 159-YOU

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When The Student's Ready, The Teacher'll Appear

I can't believe this. Lately I've been struggling with some personal issues and I've been praying for answers. The funny thing is, I guess when you're really ready to get the answers, you'll find them EVERYWHERE, even in other people's blogs. This is just AMAZING!!! I'm really thankful for getting answers and I'm not getting them only once, but repeatedly. It feels GOOD to know that I'm getting the kind of encouragement that I truly need.

I'll write more later on. I have some stories to tell about my weekend he he he he...

Btw, here's the answer I got today and I THANK GOD for all His encouraging words:

Rabbi Harold Kushner writes, "I have seen weak people become strong, timid people become brave, selfish people become generous. I have seen people care for their elderly parents, for brain damaged children, for spouses in wheelchairs, for years, even decades, and I have asked myself, where do people get the strength to keep doing that for so long? Where do they get the resources of love and loyalty to keep going? The only answer I come up with is when we are weary and out of strength, we turn to God and God renews our strength, so we can run and not grow weary, so that we can walk and not feel faint." (Ron Newhouse)