3BT: Random Days

1. Saw a woodpecker outside MIL's place today. It was cold outside (-23/24'C) so I tried taking pics from inside her place, but then it flew away so I had to go out to take more pics and video clips ha ha...

Here's a blurry pic of it, but wanna show how beautiful the red line on the back of its neck is...

And here's a clearer pic of it...

And below is a combination of two short video clips. It flew away in the first one, but it came back for a while.


2. Managed to seduce hubby to buy some kebab from a local restaurant LOL LOL!!!

3. Getting some positive feedback from MIL's neighbour who knows me from my work. BLESS YOU, grandpa!

4. This scene: 

5. Listening to some old, nostalgic songs...mmmm...

6. After all this time, we're still holding hands while watching movies/TV series together side-by-side on our respective lazy chairs. :-D If I let go too long, he'd complain and would want to hold it back ASAP LOL! I cherish these moments! 

7. Getting excited because I start comparing for ticket prices to go back to Indo sometime this year. Have to ask the boss for permission first before we can buy the tickets, but still it's LOVELY to plan this holiday. And I'm GRATEFUL that we have the budget and opportunity to do it.

8. I had a vivid visualisation the other day to handle some emotional battle and it worked SO well that I felt high for a few hours after that. I'll be surely using this technique again whenever I need it. :-D 

9. Had a chance to share said technique with other people and hoped that it could help them too (if they wanted to try, that is). 

3BT: Random Days

1. Being back in our beloved home. :-D Good old peaceful and quiet Sodankylä. :-D

2. Now I can chew on the right side of my mouth outside the house without fearing that food might get stuck in the gap between my wisdom tooth and my molar.

3. The wisdom tooth operation went very well. My right cheek was a little swollen for about two days after the operation day, but I only felt very little pain after the anaesthethic wore off.

4. Free days from work before starting again, so I have enough time to adjust to the weather and everything else in Sodankylä. GRATEFUL for my thoughtful boss who drew up the work schedule. :-D

5. The reflection of lights at night on a calm river's surface.

6. Our luggage came late, but at least it came the same day we arrived back home, so we didn't have to wait too long.

7. Spending time with MIL and brushing up my Finnish skills again. Grateful that she can't speak English, but more than that grateful that she's who she is: someone who accepts me the way I am and someone who never forces her ideas on me.

8. Still have time to enjoy autumn colours before winter sets in.

9. Thick and soft toilet tissue (as opposed to thin tissue in Indo) and wet tissue! :-D Wet tissue is very handy during travel.

10. Not having to shell out at least 120 Euros to renew my residence permit 'coz I've got Finnish citizenship way before my current residence permit expires. THANK GOD for that!

11. Coming back to Indo after foreign movies started to be shown again in the movie theatres, so R2 and I got a chance to watch plenty of them.

12. In-flight entertainment system during long flights which showed several new movies.

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13. Delicious chicken curry with rice on Thai Airways flight back to Bangkok. I think it was the most delicious flight food I've ever had! :-D

14. Appreciating and loving R2 even more after I took him with me to meet my friends on several occasions - more often than not during those occasions we chatted for hours mainly in Indonesian, but he never complained at all nor did he put on an annoyed face (he just looked - understandably - sleepy hi hi...)!!! My angel!!! :-D

15. Fresh homemade salad after eating so much delicious food.

16. Exercising again after a long holiday. My body feels GREAT afterwards! :-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

Inappropriate Gratefulness

The other day a friend shared with me about this topic. She has been having problems having a child and she had at least one miscarriage in the past. She's been married for over 4 years. When she told another friend about her gyno's diagnosis, this woman (who's had 2 healthy kids) suddenly burst out, "Oh, I'm SO lucky that I didn't have to experience any morning sickness, bleeding, or miscarriage both times I was pregnant. Now I feel that God loves me SO much!"

Yep...you can imagine what my friend felt when she heard that outburst of gratitude. Of course it was logical for the woman to feel that way, but still it was really inappropriate to say those words, don't you think so?

When a person is hurting and needing comfort and sympathy, that person doesn't need more "knives" stabbing her already painful wounds. The story made me think, though. Have I ever done such a thing to anyone (whether I realize it or not)?

Words have power...to destroy, hurt, encourage, empower, challenge, criticize, praise, give comfort, etc. We may not be able to control what the other person thinks about the words said or written to him/her (because people can take even praise the wrong way), but still we need to be careful with our words.

Anyway, have a FAB weekend, everybody!!! I'll blog-hop a bit later on. Now time to make some baked pancakes I've been wanting to try HE HE HE HE HE...

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Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

3BT: Random Days

1. Getting positive feedback from a French couple who came to the tourist info office to ask for some information. I felt SO useful back then HE HE HE HE HE...And I'm SO grateful for people who are very encouraging, since it's very essential, especially for someone who's doubting her abilities he he he...

2. Meeting a nice Finnish lady who was VERY interested in getting to know me. She asked me about so many things, which isn't "so Finnish" at all he he he...

3. Meeting another squirrel nearby (he was only about a metre away from me). SO CUTE!!! Too bad he was too fast, so I didn't have time to snap a pic with my mobile he he...

4. People who don't care about perfection and frills, esp. when it comes to my in-laws and hubby's family HE HE HE HE...No matter how bad or screwed up my baking is (last year there were some failed efforts in baking), they still eat it and they still say it tastes good HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...

5. Receiving a package I've been waiting for. I can't tell whom it is for, but I'm SOOOOOO excited about it HO HO HO HO HE HE HE HE HE HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...

6. Feeling that this second week of training is MUCH MUCH better than the first week. I've gotten to know more things, even though I still daren't pick up the phone as the callers are always Finnish and they speak Finnish he he he...

7. People who smile. I must say that it's ABSOLUTELY nice to receive a smile without any specific reason. :-)))) Plus it's also SO nice to get a smile back when you're smiling at someone he he he...

8. Finding some cute baby stuff for my brother's baby again at the Finnish auction site. I hope I'll win the bids HO HO HO HO HO HO HO...

9. Not experiencing too hot days here in Sodankylä, since we have no fans or air conditioner, so it's gonna be hell if it ever gets too hot he he...

10. Getting back in shape by doing Tae-bo regularly again. YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!! It feels great, babbyyyyyy!!!! (esp. after too much eating during the car trip and my trousers were getting tight HA HA HA...)

11. Two of my best friends visited my Mom even though I'm not living in Bandung anymore. I LOVE the fact that they love visiting my Mom despite my absence he he he...THANK YOU, GIRLS!!!

12. Receiving SO MUCH support, kind words, and encouragement from my friends and blogger friends when I was down. What else do I need on earth? I'm such a BLESSED woman!!! So here's my wish for you:

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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

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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)

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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*



*START COPY*

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

*END COPY*

The Value of Closed Doors

The first time this concept was brought to me like a huge WHAM in front of my face was a few years ago. Recently a friend of mine is learning this concept herself. She found a closed door and she's trusting God and thanking Him for this closed door. She knows that God knows what's best for her, even though it's difficult to understand why.

Her email reminded me of the value of closed doors. How many times are we grateful for closed doors? Probably MUCH less often than our gratefulness towards open doors, since we rarely understand the value of closed doors. Even if we do come to that understanding, it usually comes much later.

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I remember that after September 11th, there were many TV shows concerning that incident and I remember that some of them couldn't go to work on time due to some problems (a flat tyre, a sick child). That day they would have probably cursed the "problems" they had that made them unable to go to work on time, but I can imagine their gratefulness once they found out that it was actually a blessing in disguise.

I realize that sometimes we try SO hard to open doors ourselves and sometimes we even try to open one particular closed door over and over again with all our might without realizing that it might be best to leave it there and then.

But anyway, we live, we learn. Mistakes don't make us. We are not our mistakes. :-))))

3BT: January 15, 2008

1. Hubby telling me that I'm the best. I think it was the first time that he said it first HE HE HE HE HE...I was pretty surprised to hear it, but it was one of the sweetest things I'd ever heard in my entire life. Mmmmmm...

2. A cashier telling me in Finnish, "Mulla on kaunis nimi." = "You have a beautiful name." How did she know? I paid for my grocery using my debit card HE HE HE HE...I THANKED her for her compliment.

3. Talking to Mom and listening to her wisdom and her laughter. I'm proud to have a mother whom even my closest friends look up to and LIKE. ;-D

4. Mom telling me that Dad was happy when they ate out after church. They changed church recently for some reason (one of the reasons is that this church is closer to our home and the old church no longer had a 9.30 am sermon) and the church leader welcomed them warmly so that Dad was beaming. I guess when you're retired and you have nothing much to do, it's important to feel that you're more than just an existence (just like what I felt when I moved to Finland - gladly blogging has helped me found my place in this new world). So hopefully the new church and their church leaders or members could help Dad find his place, too.

5. Teasing my friend while we were chatting in YM HUA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...

6. Feeling grateful that I can talk about anything with my Mom and she's been a very understanding and supportive person. I can even talk about my choices of birth control with her. GOOOOOOOOOOO, MUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMM!!!!

7. Enjoying being unemployed. No stress, no office politics, no targets to achieve, no deadlines. I know this season of life is only temporary and I'd LOVE to get more income later on, but I'm determined to enjoy my life as it is, not as it should be or could be.

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