I've noticed from my FB feed that it's that time of the year again, but I hope I can avoid the bugs even though I've contracted a little bit of cough. I sure don't want to be sick! I've been trying to get enough sleep whenever I have days off (especially then) and I've been taking multivitamins as well. The weather has been exceptionally warm still considering the fact that it's already halfway through September. A friend who lives in Holland told me the other day that there was hail and even a snow flurry over there, even though the lowest temperature was still 7'C. I sure do hope that we're going to have a white Christmas here because otherwise it's gonna be SO VERY DARK then. *crossing my fingers*
Oh, one friend who lived here for a while is planning to visit us again around Christmas. I sure hope I can schedule my work shifts in such a way so that we'll be able to spend time together. Otherwise it'd be such a shame because she and her boyfriend will be here only for a few days. Let's just hope we can meet again. I can't wait!!! :-D
Anyway, last weekend we had a relaxing weekend with MIL in Kelujärvi and after sauna the half moon was hanging low in the sky. I've never seen the moon hanging so low in Indonesia. Here are two versions of the photo:
For some reason I have no inspiration to write anything else ha ha ha ha...The trees are getting barer and barer. During the weekend we managed to rake some leaves and we compiled already 3-4 sacks of dead leaves,but now our yard is covered by them again. Before I had my own yard, I never knew that raking leaves after the rain was TOUGH, but it was also tough when it was too windy outside ha ha ha ha ha...The best time to rake the leaves is when it's been dry outside, but there's not much wind, so the leaves aren't stuck to the ground.
OK, over and out...about to drink my orange ginger tea because I've been sneezing he he he...Stay healthy, people!
Dunno where to start. I've been silent mainly because of some news I heard about a friend who's fallen ill. At first it seemed to be a regular illness, but then it was discovered to have been an autoimmune disease. This kind of news is jarring enough to make me feel like I'm at a stoplight. The world is still moving at its own pace around me, but I'm focused on the red light that may change the whole world for my friend.
When I finally let the light turn green again, it felt weird. Somewhere out there right at this moment someone is laughing, another is crying, another gives birth, another loses a loved one, another is thinking of suicide, another is enjoying a honeymoon, another is having a promotion, another loses a job...We'll never know what will happen to us next.
Being childless-not-by-choice, I've sometimes thought about how we'll end up in the future and trying to "see" too far ahead is totally scary, especially if I wonder who's gonna fight for my right when I'm too old and sick to be able to do it for myself (read my post on Mercy). It's better to just focus on the present, make the best of what we have right now than feeling worried about what may not actually happen.
After IF, I don't even dare talk about miracles to my friend. If God wills, He can erase her illness, but many times God doesn't work that way. It doesn't matter anymore why God chooses to act a certain way or why He doesn't help us the way we want Him to. What matters most is that I know He knows best and He cares and He will give enough grace and peace beyond understanding in whatever circumstances one has to face if one believes in Him and asks for it.
This is the prayer I sent to my friend..
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glitter-graphics.com
1. Enlightenment. The other day I felt something that bothered me and I found the answer(s) soon enough. Felt totally relieved!
2. Hubby didn't have to go to another town in the middle of the night (cancelled job task).
3. Finding some books that resonate so much with what I've been thinking/feeling for the past year or so. I feel like nodding and nodding and nodding when reading them. And they give me more reflective passages, too! It's AWESOME to feel understood by someone you've never even met! :-D
4. Genuine smiles from customers.
5. A little girl who's barely able to talk calling me, "Täti" (Auntie) a few times when the mother had finished paying and the mother laughed in glee.
6. My Mom's health, which was problematic a while back, is now improving slowly but surely.
7. Listening to a certain addictive song over and over and over again. *GRIN*
8. Soon it'll be our 5th wedding anniversary and the surprise gift that I've ordered arrived today. I've packed it and put it right on his computer desk and I can't wait for him to come home. I LOVE teasing him like this!!!! :-D I'll let him choose between opening it today or later on November 3rd hi hi hi...
9. Craving for the same food at the exact same moment as R2. :-D
10. The light therapy lamp has really helped me in dealing with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) 'coz for the past few days, I've felt that SAD has struck me full-force again.
11. Going to visit a friend whom I haven't met in a few months. YAAAAYYYY!!! Girl talk!!! :-D
One friend made me think of this topic when we were talking about a scenario. In this scenario, the mother-in-law is criticising a woman 'coz she's chosen a good private school for her child (which proves to be rather expensive). The mother-in-law wants her to send the child to a much cheaper school, but the woman is determined to give the child the best education she can give him, even though it means she has to take out her own savings to do so.
So, when the mother-in-laws keeps on giving suggestions, the woman just nods and says "yes, yes, yes, that sounds good indeed", but behind her, she just does whatever she wants for the sake of her child.
One friend said that she can't do what this woman does, 'coz she feels that it means she's being a hypocrite. I guess if she were in this woman's position, she'd fight with all her might to explain it to the MIL even though it means there might be a verbal fight between them.
What do you think of this scenario? What's your POV? Where's the line between being a hypocrite and being "a peacemaker" (at least in this scenario the woman can be called that, I suppose)?
IMO, I think the woman is clever enough to balance things out. She respects the MIL's suggestions and accepts her criticisms, but she still does what she believes to be the best for the sake of her own child. After all, it's HER money and HER child, not the MIL's money and child.
I believe in honesty, but I don't believe that brutal honesty helps out in many scenarios (even though some people may think it's a kind of hypocrite act).
This week's training went very well. I enjoyed myself immensely! ;-D There're plenty of things to do every day, but it doesn't make me stressed out or frustrated. Isn't that the best type of a job? HA HA HA HA HA...
I can't wait to try skiing tomorrow. Not downhill skiing, though. Saw a big slider at Lidl (the shape of a butt where you can sit on and R2 says that you can slide downhill on it). Unfortunately I can only try it in spring since right now even though there's plenty of snow already, it's too soft to slide on. R2 says he'll buy it for me as a bday gift ha ha ha...So once we bought it, I'll show you the picture, OK?
Today after work I helped a friend who was moving to Jyväskylä in Southern Finland. He had SO many things to bring and he was going there by bus, so he needed someone to wait on his things as he got back and forth to his apartment to get the rest of the stuff. So I did that and surprise, surprise...he gave me a pot of X-mas flowers!!! ;-D I didn't expect that since I knew he was short on money, especially when moving to a new apartment, you had to pay guarantee money. But it was such a nice gesture! ;-D
We went our separate ways and then I decided to go out again to find some X-mas gifts for R2's family members. I only bought two gifts this time. R2 can find the rest hi hi hi hi...
Almost forgot...while waiting for my friend I saw a lovely sky dance. There were at first around 50 birds flying about TOGETHER in harmony! They were dancing here and there and then they "plopped themselves unto" the branches of one bald tree. It was SO gorgeous. Then a few minutes later I saw about 20-30 more birds doing the same dance and they also went to the same tree. Ohhhhh...how I wished I had brought my camera with me. It was a bit farther away, so I couldn't see what kind of birds they were, but it was just breathtaking...I LOVE this place!!!!
OK, let me blog-hop now and leave this post short. My second white Christmas, here I comeeeeeeeeeeeeee...but first, my b-day cake, here I comeeeeeeeeee WA HA HA HA HA...
Yep, this is another post on vacation. A friend of mine who now lives in the USA REALLY loves going to Lake Tahoe. She says that if we ever visit her, she'll definitely take us there. She's been there with her husband several times already. Do you prefer going to a beach or lake or mountains on your vacation?
Well, if you're thinking of going somewhere, here are some links that may help you out:
1. Lake Tahoe Vacation Rentals.
2. North Carolina Vacation Rentals.
3. Cozumel Vacation Rentals.
Speaking of vacations, my USA friend is currently reconsidering visiting me and my friends in Europe, especially since dollar currency has been pretty week compared to euro currency these days. Well, whatever her decision is, I respect that, though I sure hope she can visit me one day. Or if I'm lucky, I'll be able to visit her as well one day. :-)))
In relation with my earlier post this morning, Missing a Friend, as per Blur Ting's suggestion, I should try to find that guy in Facebook, so I decided to try my luck and TA-DAAAAAAAAAAAA...I found him under his new name! So I requested him to add me as a friend right away. I just hope he often logs in to his Facebook account.
Anyway, I could see a tiny pic of him with his son. I'd LOVE to see a bigger version of that pic 'coz I wanna see how his son looks like now. I've only seen his baby pics he he he he...
YIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPPPIEEEEEEEEE!!! I hope at least I can find out more about how he's doing even though he can't write too often anymore he he he he he...
I've been meaning to write about this, but I've been lazy he he he...Anyway, as you all know, my hubby and I got married in my hometown, Bandung, Indonesia. Since my closest friends were spread around the globe (one in Holland, one in USA, one in Germany, one in Kalimantan, one in Jakarta, one in Bandung), I tried to arrange my wedding date to be close to my Dutch friend's, so I could go to her wedding party with my hubby. Everything went well and we set up our wedding dates two weeks apart (mine ahead of hers). I was SO looking forward to going to her wedding with my hubby. However, things didn't work out that well in reality.
I should start from the beginning, then. We got married on a Friday, then on Saturday and Sunday we spent 2 nights in a hotel (to have some privacy), then the next morning we flew to Bali to have our honeymoon there. The following Sunday we flew back to Bandung and stayed at my parents' place. I decided to spend our last two days in a hotel again so that we would get some privacy 'coz I knew we'd cry our eyes out before we parted again.
Friday afternoon we checked into the hotel I'd booked. We felt lazy, so we ordered some food to be delivered to our room from the hotel resto. I had brought my nice gown and party shoes to the hotel 'coz my Dutch friend's wedding was due on Saturday. However, not long after having lunch in our hotel room, Arttu started going to the bathroom. Again. And again. And again. After a few times going back and forth, I knew something was wrong. His face was contorting in pain. He felt weak, so I ran to the nearest pharmacy to buy some medicine for diarrhoea. The diarrhoea got worse and worse and he started to get a fever. I panicked, so I called my doctor friend (who'd just arrived in Bandung from Kalimantan to attend our Dutch friend's wedding). My friend told me to buy some more medicine. Then I also ran to a food court to buy some food for us both.
I gave him some medicine and spoonfed him. After that, he began shivering constantly. I began to be more panic!!! His temperature got higher and higher and he felt so cold. It scared me 'coz usually he loved having AC in the hotel room and I was the one who usually felt cold in that cool hotel room, not him! I had some balm in my bag, so I rubbed his feet and hands with that balm to warm him up. He was still shivering. I called my doctor friend again to ask for advice. She told me to give Arttu two Panadol tablets 'coz probably one wasn't enough. I followed her advice. She also said she's drop by to the hotel to check him up later on.
After a while, he felt his body burning and he started to get rid of his blanket. I knew I had to try to get his temperature down. What to do? What to do? My mind began racing. Then I grabbed my shorts and tank top and wet them with some water from the tap to get his temperature down. I kept on going back and forth to the bathroom to wet my shorts and tank top. I spread them on his arms and forehead. His eyes began to look reddish and I was scared!!! I was scared 'coz he was bound to fly back home on Sunday evening and we couldn't change the departure date or anything else. He either had to fly then or buy a new ticket and I knew he couldn't afford to buy a new ticket, so I was just so freaked out.
After what seemed to be forever, my friend came over with her doctor husband. They brought some medicine just in case and told me what to do in case his fever stayed high. Then we prayed together for his health. I think it was the first time I felt like a wife. Even during the honeymoon in Bali, I didn't really "feel" like a wife yet despite the ring on my finger and the fact that we could do "anything" then.
That night I kept on going back and forth to the bathroom with my shorts and tank top to try to get his fever down. Finally at around 8.30 pm he felt slightly better. He stopped feeling hot all over after sweating his shirt. I helped him take it off and get him a new one. After that, he was finally able to sleep.
The next morning he could get out of bed to have breakfast in the hotel resto. My doctor friend had suggested eating only bread. She thought that other types of food could be dangerous since they might not be cooked well or thoroughly or something. She told me to avoid fresh veggies or anything uncooked. So he had some croissants and coffee, then we got back to the hotel room.
That day he still went to the toilet a few times, but it wasn't as bad as Friday. I think on Friday he went to the toilet more than 10 times. I was then wondering if I should go to my friend's wedding ceremony and skip the wedding party. The wedding ceremony started at 2 pm (I figured it'd take only 2 hours top), whereas the wedding party started at 6 pm (and I knew it'd last until around 9 pm). However, in the end I decided to skip both events. Arttu told me to leave him and go to the wedding ceremony, but I couldn't do it. Besides, if I had gone there, I wouldn't have been able to concentrate, anyway.
So I called my friend and apologized to her about not being able to come and explained the whole situation. She understood. That day I bought more food for us from outside the hotel resto and then we just spent the whole day in the room. I wanted to make sure he was strong enough to fly back home on Sunday. The thing is, we had to drive around 3 hours to Jakarta before he flew back home. Yeah, such a long trip still.
I was glad that Arttu looked stronger after midday. Then my brother came by with his girlfriend to give us some bread he he he he...So we didn't manage to go to my friend's wedding, but I didn't regret my decision at all, because turned out that the wedding ceremony at her church lasted for 2 full hours. That meant that if I had gone there, I'd have left Arttu alone for around 3 full hours ('coz of Bandung traffic and all that, the trip back and forth would have taken about an hour).
One funny thing is that during the two days in the hotel, we hung the sign "Don't Disturb" outside our door, so the cleaners couldn't go inside. On Sunday morning, the hotel receptionist called me and asked me if I had had breakfast he he he he...I guess he must've been wondering whether we had been murdered or something HA HA HA HA...
Oh well...one tip for everybody: if you go to Indonesia, make sure you bring lots of medicine for diarrhoea HE HE HE HE HE HE...
1. Buying a cute pipo that I'd been wanting for some time and found one with a reasonable price. *grin*2. Watching X-Men 1 again with my hubby (we're both big fans of X-Men) with our new stereo surround system ---> he won a kind of F1 guessing game so he used the money to buy that.3. Helping my hubby untangle the cables of the many speakers he he he he...4. Helping him find a place to put his VHS videos ('coz now one of the shelf's used to put one of the many speakers).5. Talking to my friend via Skype and finding out that she was fine. She's 6.5 month pregnant and the other day she told me that she felt contractions already over and over again, so she was treated in a hospital to make sure the fetus was fine. Actually, she's a doctor who works in a mission hospital in Borneo, Kalimantan. I haven't heard her voice since last November, so it felt SO nice to talk to her, even for just a few minutes. ;-D6. Tickling my hubby and hearing him purr contentedly like a cat ha ha ha ha...
It seems that on my course days I'll be lagging behind in posting or visiting my blog friends, especially when I have to clean up our place and cook on one of those days he he he...Now let me tell you about the course.
First of all, the teacher has actually never been teaching Finnish for foreigners before, but she's been pretty attentive to each of our abilities. She's a teacher and her husband is the headmaster of one of the two schools we have here. She has been teaching English, Swedish, and German and she knows some Russian, too. Geez!!! I was stunned he he he he...
Here are the students at the course:
1. Marischka (I'm not sure how it's spelled), an Estonian woman. She's VERY advanced compared to the rest of us. She doesn't speak much English, though. I think she's gonna be a bit bored a lot for some time he he he...
2. My only friend here in Sodankylä, Michelle. She was from Bournemouth, England and she moved to Finland 3,5 years ago. I can understand when she speaks Finnish 'coz she speaks slowly and she uses mostly the words I've memorized.
3. Her husband Mark. His Finnish is better than mine, but worse than Michelle. His problem is in understanding when other people speak Finnish.
4. Her eldest son Liam. He's already studying at school, but I think his Finnish needs to be improved. Just like me, he's shy and he doesn't like making mistakes, so both of us know lots of words already (esp. him) but we don't often practise talking. His younger brother is an outgoing type, so his Finnish is far better than his. I think Liam's Finnish might be as good as the Estonian lady's.
5. Sally, Michelle's friend. She's a teacher at one of the schools here (she's also British, came from Warwickshire?). She's pregnant and she's due in December. Btw, our course ends in the beginning of December. She's been living here for about 3 years, as well. I think her Finnish is slightly better than Michelle's.
6. Dascha (I don't know if that's the correct spelling), a Russian girl who's also pregnant. She's due in November. She's also been living here for about 3 years, as well. Her Finnish may be slightly better than mine, but it seemed she was having a hard time expressing herself, too.
Yesterday the teacher made us describe ourselves using some adjectives. Based on that, I can see already that I'm the worst compared to them. I'm SO SO SO SO SO glad that the course starts only after I've been here for 6 months, 'coz then at least I get a chance to memorize lots of words already, even though my Finnish is still pretty basic. I don't want to hold the class back, so I think I'm the one who needs to pick up my pace and study A LOT. The others could already express themselves more than me, especially the Estonian lady. I couldn't understand HALF of what she was saying, especially if she talked too fast he he he he...
Funny thing was that when I said, "Olen kotiäiti" (meaning I am a housewife), the teacher then asked me if I had kids already. I said no. She said that in Finnish, kotiäiti usually means a wife who's got kids already, so probably I should've said "kotirouva". Interesting!!!! In English, as far as I know, a housewife doesn't need to have kids, right? If you want to state that you have kids already and you're not working outside the house, then you'll title yourself stay-at-home Mom (SAHM). Isn't that true? Now tell me if I'm wrong, but that's what I have in mind when I hear the word "housewife" in English.
Hmmm...wait a minute!!! Koti means home, whereas äiti means mother. Probably that's why kotiäiti generally means a mother who doesn't work outside the house!!! Yes!!!
Anyway, kotiäiti is pronounced this way: /kotiæiti/
During the first lesson, Michelle asked what the Finnish word for "a statue" was. The teacher said, "Patsas" ----> pronounced /p۸ts۸s/. Then the Estonian lady started to laugh and explained it to the teacher. Turned out that in Estonian language, the word "patsas" means "poop". Oh dear!!!!! Languages can be SO funny he he he he he...
Some of you have asked me to teach you some Finnish phrases. Maybe I should start by introducing these basic sentences:
1. Nimeni on ..... (My name is ....) -----> pronounced /nimeni on/
2. Anteeksi. (Excuse me) -----> pronounced /۸nte:ksi/
3. En puhu suomea. (I don't speak Finnish) -----> pronounced /en puhu suome۸/
*** So if you come to Finland and somebody tries to talk to you in Finnish, you can say to that person, "Anteeksi, en puhu suomea."
*** Pronunciation of Finnish alphabet is more similar to Indonesian than English. It's rather hard for me to explain how to sounds are like, but if you're interested in listening to a recorded basic pronunciation guide, visit this site: Tavataan Taas.
4. Some swear words or curses HI HI HI HI HI...You'll definitely hear some of these over here, especially the first one!
a. Perkele! /perkele/ = The Devil!
b. Pahus! /p۸hus/ = Damn it!
c. Paskiainen! /p۸ski۸inen/ = Bastard or Asshole.
5. Kiitos /ki:tos/ = thank you.
Kiitos paljon /ki:tos p۸lyon/ = thank you very much.
6. Mitä kuuluu? /mitæ ku:lu:/ = How are you?
7. The answer to the above question is: Kiitos, hyvää /ki:tos huvæ:/ = Fine, thank you.
*** (Actually there's a specific way to pronounced "y" in Finnish. Again it's tough for me to explain it but in my book it goes like this:
y is pronounced as in French bureau, but more open.
8. Oh, almost forgot...over here when we meet one another, we say: "Hei" /hei/ or "Terve" /terve/ or "Moi" /moi/. When we are parting, we can say "Hei hei" or "Heippa" /heippæ/ (when there're double consonants, you have to say them a bit longer as well).
OK, I guess that's all for now. Earlier I called my Mom and it was GREAT talking to her again. My brother's wedding preparation seems to be going fine. My Dad's also gained more weight and getting healthier. The first few times I called (I can only afford to call them once a month), Mom cried at the end of each phone call, but nowadays I can hear her smile and that makes me SO relieved and happy. ;-D
Today's a sunny day so I may go out to take a walk and take some pics he he he he he...YIIIIIIIIHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! ;-D Have a GREAT day, everybody!!!
P.S. An anonymous person just gave me a link in the comment section of one of my earlier posts concerning POLTTIAINEN. Turned out that in English it's called a midge. Here's the link: midge. THANKS A LOT, anonymous!!!!! ;-D
1. Watching a daredevil squirrel walking along the electricity cable from my kitchen window. 2. Reddish and yellowish leaves remind me of seasons in life: birth, death, meetings, goodbyes.3. A pretty ivy plant on one side of an apartment building. 4. Buying chips for tonight's supply while we watch a movie together. YEEEESSSS!!!!5. Receiving an SMS from my brother this morning. ;-D6. Receiving good news from a close friend of mine about her new job as a substitute teacher. WAY TO GO, Girl!!! ;-D
I have an ex-campus friend who's now become a lecturer in one campus in Bandung. She's intelligent and she has a beautiful physique since she's also a yoga teacher. Long limbs, slim waist, a super light gait. Before I moved to Finland, I held a small farewell party at home with my friends and ex-campus friends. She was there, too. There she told us a story about the stalker.
Apparently one of her uni students fell in love with her. He kept on following her around. He'd wait for her near the elevator and then get into the elevator when she gets inside. He also professed his love for her unabashedly and asked her out on a date several times. She tried to push him away gently by saying that she was married, but the guy just didn't know when to stop. He said he didn't care even though she was married, can you believe it?!?!?!?! Basically my friend didn't want to reject him harshly since she was afraid he'd do something horrible to her.
Back then she didn't tell her husband about it, since she figured out that she could handle it on her own. She also didn't want to upset her husband by telling him that story. Gladly the other uni students knew about the prick's indecent obsession towards her, so they tried protecting her from him by escorting her to the elevator or even to her car.
Just a few days ago I received an email from her, telling me that the stalker had gotten so far as to run fast to chase her car as she was driving the car away from the parking lot of the campus. He also hit her car in some occasions. However, the worst part of all was that the guy had the NERVE to tell his own mother that my friend had SEDUCED him!!! Unbelievable!!!
Then my friend told her husband about the stalker since she was stressed out already, so her husband confronted the guy's mother and warned her that if her son wouldn't stop doing those bad things, something bad would happen to him. Apparently the mother took the warning seriously, so the stalker has restrained himself from doing anything bad lately.
I just can't believe people like him. What's WRONG with him? It's just so sick. Yikes!!! I'm SO glad I've never encountered anybody like that. Hopefully NEVER ever! *knocking on wood*
