So my training's over now!!! Phew! I asked for an informal certificate, since the firm who organizes this course wants us to get one. I think it's a splendid idea!!! I'm quite happy with my certificate, since I had NEVER done anything like this my entire life he he he he...
However, I still have some homework to do for tomorrow he he he...Yeah, it seems that we're still going to continue the grammar book for the next 3 days. That's WONDERFUL for me!!! I'm starting to forget some of the grammar. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...I REALLY need to brush up my Finnish once everything's over.
The other day hubby's eldest brother called and asked what we would do on his summer holiday next week. He said that we could stay at his place if we wanted to (in Pori, that is). Last year when we went to Pori to get the car (remember that we bought this current car from him), we didn't have time to do anything as Arttu couldn't take more than a day off. So even though I have been in Pori, I still don't know anything about that place. We're not sure yet whether we're going there or not. Arttu has to fix the car's exhaust pipe first. We'll see, we'll see...
What's for sure is that I'm going to start my Finnish blog later on he he he he...and I'll also try baking again HO HO HO HO HO HO...I'm SO EXCITED!!! After all, I've gotta learn how to cook and bake MANY different kinds of food before I have a baby, so that when the baby comes, I can feed him/her many types of food hi hi hi...
These days I've been thinking about what to bring home (other than chocolate). And probably I'll also need to list those people I want to give something to. Too many!!! HA HA HA HA HA...I've been browsing around the store where I had my training to find gift ideas, but I haven't decided on anything yet. If we go to Pori, we'll probably be able to go to many stores there, so I wanna see what they've got there first before I buy anything in Sodankylä.
Okie dokie...time to blog-hop a bit, then I need to do my homework!!! Another piece of good news is that my coughing's almost cured HO HO HO HO HO...YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!! ;-D
Weather:
After a glorious few days last week, this week the weather's back to wintry weather. It even snowed very lightly yesterday, can you believe it? Snow in May HI HI HI HI HI HI...but I don't mind that since there's no ice left all around me and the birds are still singing happily. ;-D Plus I don't have to wear my long john anymore and I can wear my summer jackets already (double jackets). ;-D
Last year I told my sis-in-law that 25'C was the PERFECT weather for me (she said it was too hot for her)...I have a feeling that this year if the temperature gets that high, it might be a bit too hot for me, too.
Last year I saw two girls sunbathing outside the lawn when it was around 15'C and I told Arttu that they were crazy. This year I did sunbathe outside when it was 15'C, even though I still had my summer jacket on since the wind could be strong.
Isn't it interesting? HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...
Finnish Course:
Officially, the Finnish language course will end by the end of this month, so we only have a few weeks to go. After that a computer teacher will come and teach us something for two weeks, then we'll do the training in different places.
Today my homework is to write down a recipe in Finnish. It's proven to be a tough job to do, since recipes require different types of terms he he he...but it's interesting! ;-D
We're going to go on one last trip together, even though it's not officially decided yet, BUT we may go to Rovaniemi. Wherever we go, I'm sure we'll have fun together. ;-D
Mother's Day:
This Sunday is Mother's Day and at first I was planning on making my own Princess Cake, but unfortunately I can't find any green marzipan anywhere. I talked about it with my hubby last night and he said it'd be better to buy a frozen Princess Cake from the supermarket. Well, it's definitely nice to buy a ready-made one since I'm not too sure whether I can make one well, but if you make something yourself, even though it's not as tasty-looking as the ones in the stores, it'll be a more personal gift, right?
I've bought a Mother's Day book for my mom-in-law. We're going to write something in it later on. It's filled with pictures and quotations on motherhood. ;-D
I think I'm gonna either buy that Princess Cake and make some snack by myself OR I'm going to try making a cake on my own. We'll see about it on Friday. It all depends on my mood HE HE HE HE HE...
P.S. I want to THANK Karen from WaterLearner in advance for having made some handicraft for me. THANK YOU for your effort, time, and thoughtfulness!!!!!!!! I can't wait to get it HE HE HE HE HE HE...
On Saturday I got a chance to see a VERY beautiful punatulkku. Click on the link to see the picture of this beautiful bird (especially near the bottom of the page - that picture is BREATHTAKING!). I really wanted to take a good picture of it myself, but unfortunately I didn't bring my camera with me.
It snowed THE WHOLE DAY on Saturday. When we got back from my in-laws, the snow was already as high as my ankle, you know? But today the sun's shining brightly and this morning when I was about to have breakfast, a little squirrel was climbing up and down the tree in front of my kitchen window. The fellow must've been quite young as it was still tiny he he he he he...but it was really nice to see another squirrel after some time. ;-D
Since I need a nap and then I need to study and do my TOUGH homework, I'm gonna leave you with this image below (click to be able to read it more clearly). I'm gonna blog and blog-hop more after my test this Saturday. Wish me luck, everybody he he he he...I need to cram as many new words as possible into my brain he he he...
Since Valentine's Day has been too commercialized, let me just use the Finnish version of it as my post title he he he he...
Last night I tried putting my mobile on silent and as a result I missed my Taebo session, since the darn mobile didn't ring at all. As you all know, hubby bought me a new mobile as a X-mas gift and I had never put it on silent before. Why did I put it on silent during the night? Well, the other night a friend of mine in Indo sent me an SMS in the morning (around 3 am Finnish time), so we both jolted up and woke up for a few seconds because of that. Well, I don't think I'll ever put it on silent again after this morning. Or maybe I should read the guide book to find out how to customize it.
Anyway, this morning in class my Brit friend MC gave me a Valentine's Day postcard.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MC!!!
She picked the one with a picture of a CUTE cat, since she knows how crazy I am about cats HUA HA HA HA HA HA...The postcard is displayed proudly on my book shelf, right next to the card from Crystal and the postcard from Juliana RW. *grin*
When my class almost ended, I was thinking of buying some pepper steak from the supermarket and cooked them in the oven. However, when I checked the price, I changed my mind. 300 grams of pepper steak cost €8.50. I decided to buy some pepper steak from a nearby grill resto instead. After all, only by paying €10 I could get two portions of pepper steak complete with french fries and fresh salad on the side. I called hubby first to make sure if he wanted some and he said yes since he hadn't eaten anything during the day.
I arrived home at around 3.15 pm and couldn't hold back my hunger, so I ate right away. Hubby only came home at 4 pm and he ate right away. He finished it all. I still have half of it left he he he he...Then hubby thanked me and hugged me REAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL tight. Yummmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy...
For dessert we had some chocolate pudding (he bought some from the supermarket yesterday - he bought the kind that I LIKED so much he he...). Then I told him that it was a cheap date and he agreed HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...
Today has been a nice day, even though it's SO windy. And the period of darkness has been slightly shorter. I notice that in the mornings it gets light earlier and it gets dark a bit later than usual. ;-D
Okie dokie, gonna blog-hop some more and then do my homework. Tomorrow morning I have to wake up early to do my Taebo he he he he...HAAIIIYYAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!
P.S. Do you know that I've never received any flowers in my entire life? HE HE HE HE...Last year's Valentine's Day I bought myself some roses since I thought, "Well, I can buy myself some flowers if I want to, so why not? Let's make me happy!" And I didn't only make myself happy by buying some flowers. I also made Mom happy since she loved having 'em in our living room HA HA HA HA HA HA...
And here's one joke for you he he...
Well, this morning Sleepyhead me had a HAAAARRRDDDDD time waking up. Last night Arttu asked me what time I wanted to get up and I said 7 am. He woke up at around 6.45 am and then my alarm rang twice, at 7 am and 7.10 am, but I fell right back to sleep and managed to dream about something as well!!! I only woke up when Arttu came into the room with a smile on his face HA HA HA HA HA...
THANK YOU SO MUCH, Darling, for waking me up with a smile and not a frown!!! It certainly made my day MUCH sweeter!!!
After I got myself ready and prepared lunch and everything, I realized that Arttu had left his three mobile phones at home. Two of them are his and one of them is from his office. I was wondering whether I should have brought them with me since after all, my classroom is right next to his office. However, I wasn't sure that he would be there (he goes out a lot to fix computers and ATMs in banks or schools, so he doesn't stay in the office all the time). So I just walked to the course. It was -16'C, but funnily enough, I found that it wasn't as freezing as before. Interesting!!! Especially after walking fast for 5 minutes HA HA HA HA HA...
Today's lesson was fun in parts, since there are several funny people in our classroom. We had a few laughs and I'm looking forward to that again. We also conversed during lunch break, so it was good to get to know one another even more, even though I haven't really spoken to some of them yet ha ha ha ha...
And I got to steal a few kisses from Arttu. *HUGE GRIN* -----> This is probably the BEST part of the day HUA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...
You see, he called me during my lunch break to ask if I wanted to come home with him. I said no since I had packed my lunch already, so he went home by himself to have lunch and when he got back to the office, I was just about to enter my classroom, so we stole a few kisses outside my classroom. And then I went to the toilet and we ran into each other again and I stole a few more kisses OOOOO YEEEEAAAAHHHH!!!! It felt good to feel "naughty" when nobody was looking HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...
Ahem...OK, well, I learnt many more things today, even though I knew most of them already, but I got to learn some more new words and I got to practise speaking to my mate. I sit next to the Turkish guy and he speaks good English, so we always pair up. His wife is Finnish and he's only been here for two weeks. He lives in Ivalo, farther up north in Lapland, but he actually says that Sodankylä is much colder than Ivalo. Interesting!!!
The Thai girl also doesn't live here, so she and the Turkish guy rent an apartment here (different ones, of course). I think the Turkish guy will learn Finnish quickly since he's pretty determined. Plus he obviously has a knack in learning languages, since he is good at English and he also speaks a little bit of different languages. He used to work in a travel agency, so he picked up street languages. He also lived in Germany and Italy once, so he picked up both languages. For someone who hasn't learnt Finnish at all, he's learning very fast. ;-D I think the Thai girl's the only one who's going to be in BIG trouble, since her English isn't good, so it's gonna be SO difficult for her. Poor girl!!!
My Brit friend MC isn't going to my course full-time anymore since she has to take care of her own business, but she's going to come every morning until lunchtime, then she'll go home. Her husband is going to the course full-time, though.
Oh well...I can still follow the lessons pretty well so far, but I need to learn more on my own as well so that I won't be "lost in translation" HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...
Okie dokie, time to blog hop and right after that I'll study and do my homework. It's not a difficult homework yet. I just need to prepare a few questions to ask my desk mate he he he he...
I'm sorry if I can't visit all your blogs every day since I really have less time to blog, but I'm going to try to visit you whenever I have time, OK???
P.S. Today two other books I won in eBay arrived. They're both in PERFECT shape, so I'm REALLY happy. Even though they're used books, they really look like new. Well, one of them is actually new, so it's really a SUPER GOOD bargain he he he he he...
All in all, all's well that ends well. That's my conclusion for today HE HE HE HE...I certainly hope your day's been as fun as mine.
Today in our Finnish class, our teacher suggested us to meet sometime in a cafe prior to Christmas. It's going to be LOVELY!!!
I got my homework correction today and the teacher said I had done well for someone who'd only been here for 8 months. I was SO glad to hear it, 'coz I felt as though my progress had been too slow he he he he he...What's really crystal clear now is that I haven't really practiced speaking much. Since I don't meet too many people, I don't use much Finnish even though I probably know more Finnish grammar than some of my classmates. One thing for sure is that I'm going to force myself to practice more speaking. Maybe I should start it with my own hubby. Actually lately I've been trying to say some short sentences in Finnish. I should keep on doing that so that I don't need too much time to formulate those words in my head and that it'll become some sort of an automatic response. Yeah, worth trying! ;-D
I can't wait for the pikkujoulu party (a small pre-Christmas celebration). My Brit friend is the one who's going to organize it. I sure hope everybody can make it, though I'm not sure the boys are going to come with us (boys = my Brit friend's husband and eldest son). I guess it's going to be an all ladies eve he he he he...We haven't decided on a date yet, but it should be before December 17th since one of our Russian friends is going to visit her hometown again that day.
Gave my teacher a Christmas gift and she was SO happy to get it HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...She said she'd only open it on Christmas Eve (the habit here is to open gifts on Christmas Eve). I also gave something for my Brit friend, who totally didn't expect it. WA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...I LOVE IT when I can surprise people in a nice way!!! *big grin* Those gifts weren't expensive, but it's the thought that counts, right????? RIGHT? You MUST agree with me. LOL LOL!!!
Ahem...when I got back home from my Finnish class, I noticed that hubby had wrapped my birthday present nicely. It's now sitting on top of our scanner/printer. I've decided not to touch it or go near it he he he he...
See, Fish, I can still control myself HE HE HE HE HE...I want to be surprised tomorrow. I don't wanna touch it and then wonder what it is and obsess over it during the night he he he he he...
Okie dokie...now let me spend some quality time with hubby he he he...Enjoy the rest of your day, everybodyyyyy!!! I'll surely enjoy mine THOROUGHLY, knowing that tomorrow I can open that mysterrriiouuussss package ha ha ha ha ha...
By the way, I had a funny conversation with my hubby earlier when he got back home from work.
Me : "Everybody's now DYING to know what's inside that box."
R2 : "Everybody? What do you mean by everybody?"
Me : "I told my blogger friends about your mysterious package, so now they're also dying to know what's inside of it."
R2 : (laughing) "Oh boyyyyyyyy..."
^__________________________________^
Just wanna tell you that the mysterious package has arrived. It's packed really well with a cardboard box and there's no sign or label on the box except my hubby's name and our address, so I can't figure out where he ordered it. Dang! I'm SO curious! I try to shake it up but I couldn't really feel what was inside of it since the cardboard box is pretty thick. Oh well...I still have to wait till tomorrow 'coz my birthday isn't here yet he he he...
On a lighter note, this evening is actually our last Finnish class for this year's agenda. So it'll start again next year (dunno when yet). We have to register again. Our teacher's supposed to give us two more lessons next week, but she can't do it since she has to move to another place. They're having their house remodeled but turned out that it wasn't finished yet, so they had to move to another place until their house gets done. At least that's what I think she has to do.
Did I tell you that one of the three pregnant ladies in my class had finally given birth? She was 2 weeks late, so she had to be induced. Her baby girl was born 4.2 kilos. Such a HUGE baby!!!! I was born 3.3 kilos only. How heavy were you when you were born? I think these days babies are bigger than they used to be, don't you think so? ;-D
Plus when I was born, in my generation, babies were born with eyes closed and they only started opening their eyes when they were a month old (if I'm not mistaken). These days babies start opening their eyes right after they're born. Plus they have SO MUCH hair. I was born pretty bald. In fact, my hair was SO thin until I was 2 years old that my parents were worried about me.
This evening my teacher's going to review my homework. Yesterday she got to review two other homework. Let's see how many mistakes I did he he he he he...This morning when I woke up, I was obsessing over my homework already. I realized that there might be some mistakes that I should have noticed. Yeah, yeah, I have a tad OCD tendency ha ha ha ha ha ha...
Now I'd better study some more. Even though I won't have classes starting next week, I still have to force myself to study regularly. After all, we all know how easy is it for our brain to forget new words and rules of a new language we're learning if we don't practice is regularly. GAMBATTE KUDASAIIII!!!!!!!!
P.S. A close friend of the pregnant lady who gave birth, another pregnant lady, bought a card for her which each of signed he he he he...Then our Finnish teacher told us how to write sentences in Finnish to congratulate her for the baby girl and to say that we wish both of them are well. ;-D
Yesterday my Finnish teacher gave us homework. We are supposed to write her either a letter or a diary. She wants to know how far our Finnish ability actually is. Hmmm...I think I'll go with the diary form instead of a letter. That way I can tell her how my days are until our next lesson on Tuesday. I'm not going to ask for my hubby's help 'coz it's called cheating he he he...I was actually hoping to write something in class instead of at home. Why? Because it'll reveal our true ability even better than if we have time to open up our grammar books at home before we write something. Oh well...let's see what I can come up with he he he he...I feel like I'm going to cheat anyway 'coz I'll look up some words in the dictionary and I'll browse the grammar in my grammar books, but I guess it's only natural for a beginner to do, eh?
Enough about that. This morning I dreamt of my Mom's knee again. In my dream, she started feeling pains again on her knee and I woke up worried. So I sent an SMS to my brother, asking him if our parents were fine. He said that my Mom was a bit under the weather last week. I told him that if she doesn't get well soon, she should go to the doctor right away. My Mom is such a "naughty" woman. If she feels that she can still handle any pain or illness, she doesn't want to go to the doctor. Once it's all BEYOND her ginormous strength, then she'll finally reluctantly go to the doctor. GRRRRRRRRRR!!! That's caused us to worry about her over the years. She's a REALLY strong woman with such a high threshold of pain, but still if a doctor can help her out, why suffer, right? That's what doctors are for he he he he...
Two days ago hubby came back home with a box of Christmas lights for our balcony. YAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!!! I'm SO HAPPY about it!!! I'll take a pic once he puts the lights on our balcony, OK? We won't put up a Christmas tree, so having some balcony lights would be nice. I've seen our neighbour put up his balcony lights even from weeks ago!!!
One funny thing was that before I moved here, I had always thought that the temperature would be "steady". I mean if it went down to -20'C, then the next day and whole week's temperature would range around that degree. I was wrong. It could go up and down pretty quickly, actually. Today it's only 1'C and it's snowing outside. I once asked my hubby, "Hey, I thought it could only snow when it's below 0'C!"
He said, "Well, up in the sky it IS colder than 0'C!"
Oh yeah...it didn't cross my mind HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...
OK, now I have to go to the library to return a book and buy some milk and then I'll go visit your blogs he he he he he...Oh, and I have to do my homework as well...have to write daily he he he he...
