Now that I have SO MUCH TIME on hand, I've started my late spring cleaning. Today I cleaned up the front part of the house 'coz it was OH, SO DUSTY!!! I had to change the water in the bucket four times!!! Oh dearrrr...but it's REALLY nice once the task was done he he he...However, haven't had time to plant more seeds. Maybe later. It's not nice weather anyway outside 'coz the weather prediction says that it's gonna rain every day until this weekend.
Anyway, it's now MIDNIGHT SUN!!! The sun doesn't set at all, though it still gets "darker" when it's cloudy outside he he he...
Yesterday some friends came over and we had fun together. We plan to meet again sometime this month 'coz another friend is coming here from Hungary (she lived here for a year), so we'll probably gonna meet at my place again. YIIIIIIIIIIHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAA!!! LOVE being busy!
My new Wii games have arrived and we've both tried one of them. I tried the other one on my own 'coz it's an exercise CD called My Fitness Coach
and it really got me SWEATING HARD! The game CD also made us sweat so much 'coz the games incorporated LOTS of jumping and running he he he...in fact, in almost every game we've tried, we had to jump and run. Phew!!! It was a GREAT choice, though! Tomorrow is my turn to use the exercise CD again. YEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!
You know what's funny? Ever since we moved to this house 4 months ago, I still haven't found TWO novels of mine. They've been MIA. I know they must be somewhere in the boxes or some other place, but I just haven't had time to open everything up (the rest of the packages that haven't been opened, that is). Or maybe I hid them somewhere in a bag or something. We'll see about that. I DO hope I'll find them sooner than later, though he he he...
Anyway, I'm gonna blog-hop later 'coz now I need to kick my butt and start doing Finnish exercises and read some Finnish so that my skills won't get rusty now that I'm not doing any training.
Here's a pic of the pansy in my garden:
I just got news from my oldest closest friend that her baby boy has been born through C-section this morning. His name is Darren Emmanuel Setiadi he he he he...Nice name, isn't it? ;-D
Yesterday evening her hubby sent me a message through YM that she had undergone contractions, but the contractions didn't seem to be going well. They're both doctors, so I don't know what it actually means. He said that if the contractions didn't go well still until this morning, they would do C-section on her. They work in a missionary hospital in Serukam, Kalimantan, and her mother's specially flown there for the purpose of helping them out.
She had Braxton Hicks contractions on the second semester of her pregnancy that made her had to stop working for a while. She was worried about giving birth prematurely and we were, too. Her gynecologist even gave her injections to quicken the fetus' lungs to mature in case the baby was born prematurely. So we're all SO glad that they're both healthy and she could carry him full-term. Ahhhhhhh...
I still haven't got a picture of him yet, but I bet her hubby's taking PLENTY of pics of him HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...
MANY MANY CONGRATULATIONS to my friends!!!! HIP HIP HURRRAAAYYY!!!!!
Hiya, friends!!!Before I write about my trip, I think I should write about my Friday and Saturday 'coz there were some interesting things happening he he he...SO MANY beautiful things during those days!Friday afternoon I tried another muffin recipe. The first time I made muffins, they came out SO badly so that I had to put the batter in a big pan ha ha ha ha...this time I managed to make them right, so I made two batches. I sprinkled some sugar on the second batch and I took some to my in-laws and some more to Pori for Arttu's eldest brother and family. My mother-in-law said it tasted GOOD HO HO HO HO...Here are some pics to make you drool ha ha ha...I was SO VERY VERY VERY HAPPY that I wanted to jump around the house...WHOOOPPPEEEE!!!!!!!!!! *grin grin grin*
Want some? I can share some with you 'coz I still have plenty he he he...
Friday night at around 8 pm, hubby's elder brother and new girlfriend came by our place before we all went to bars. They couldn't stop staring at each other and kissing each other. I felt a tad awkward at first, but since they didn't seem to mind our being there while they were so much in love, I began to feel relaxed he he he...I was at first slightly wondering whether I'd enjoy the night as the guy would be busy talking to his girlfriend. I understand that perfectly since they're having a long-distance relationship and they're gonna be separated on Sunday, but I just wish there'd be someone else for me to talk to. Then my hubby said that Pirita's parents would go to the bars, too. WHOOPPPEEEE!!!!You know why I like Pirita's Dad? He always tries to talk to me in English even though his English isn't too perfect. In the first bar we went in, he told me something funny about Pirita. They dropped her off at her grandma's and then she said to her grandma, "Grandma, since I'm going to sleep with you and grandpa, can you please stop snoring? I can't sleep if you keep on snoring." WA HA HA HA HA HA HA...Yeah, kids are SO honest!!! ;-DThen not long after that, Kalle came by. He's the guy I've met a few times before. He's into languages, so his English is pretty good and he's always eager in talking to me. WOOOHHOOO!!! My night suddenly went from good to better he he he...It's not that I can't talk to Arttu in the bars, but it's just nice that I can socialize and talk to other adults while we are in the bars. It feels GOOD to interact every now and then, even though I'm not an outgoing type.Oh, I also tasted Bacardi for the first time that night. It tasted pretty good, actually. I was surprised 'coz it had around 4.7% alcohol level but it didn't feel that much. Arttu bought a few bottles of Bacardi with different tastes, but our fave is the orange one. Don't you worry, though, I only took a few LITTLE sips of each bottle. The rest of the time I just had Coke or iced water he he he...Then we moved to another bar which was a Karaoke bar. There I talked much with Kalle again while the rest roamed around the place. Oh yes, before I forget, let me show you a pic that Kalle took during last summer. It's SO breathtaking. He said that he loved nature and he loved going to the forest alone and just absorb everything. I told him that that was I loved best about Finland and I said to him, "So you live in the right place." He said that his roots were in Lapland, so even though he sometimes went to the cities, he would always miss this place. Here, take a look at this midnight sun photo. It's taken in Kemijärvi. Don't ask me where it is hi hi hi...
Anyway, after talking to Kalle for some time, we finally sat together again with the others and this time Pirita's Dad talked to me for quite a long time. Arttu was sitting on the next table by then, so he didn't hear what we were talking about. Pirita's Dad said that next time I visited his house or next time he visited my house, he'd try to talk to me in Finnish very slowly so that I'd understand. He also taught me a few new words. He also said that he hoped I wouldn't mind about their gaming nights (sometimes my hubby has game nights at his place or at our place). I told him that I'd known about it already even before we got married, so I didn't mind that. I kinda like the fact that Arttu has a close friend that he can have fun with. Plus I know whom he's with and what they're doing (gaming) and they're cousins, so I'm just glad that they're close to each other.Actually I've known Arttu longer than Pirita's Dad knew his girlfriend he he he...and he said some things that made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. He said that even from they were young, Arttu loved tinkering with his computer more than going out with them to the bars and that he never saw Arttu do stupid things in the bars. He also said that he knew Arttu was a shy guy and that he could tell that during the time we had a long-distance relationship, Arttu wasn't too "spirited" and that after I moved to Finland, Arttu became more "energetic". He said he could see that I made Arttu happy and that our separation was so hard on him. I told him that it was hard for me, too, but it was probably harder on Arttu 'coz he was a sentimental guy. Pirita's Dad agreed with me about Arttu's sentimentality. And for me, that's a proof that I've known Arttu pretty well and that he does, too. It's just GREAT to talk about Arttu with his close friend. Plus Pirita's Dad cares about my feelings and my Finnish progress, too!!! ;-DSo the night went from better to MUCH better...but as you probably know, the peak of the night was our dance together. The last place we went to was a disco and there we danced the night away he he he he...It made me feel SUPER good to know that I could loosen up and just dance without worrying about what other people thought about me. You know, back in my childhood, being such a super sensitive child, I remember being told as a bad dancer. I don't remember the details of the incident and who said those words to me, but I remember being compared to my brother and everybody said that he danced better than I did. Can you imagine the crush of my self-confidence? So for me, the dance made me SO happy not only because I made Arttu happy, but also because I could finally say goodbye to my demons in the past. ;-DSuch a GREAT night!!! I have to tell you that in the end we got pretty hot on the dance floor. I didn't plan on that! I just got carried away...so I kissed him a few times on the dance floor and we got closer and closer to each other even during the fast dance. The ironic thing was that we NEVER kissed in public before (well, except on our wedding day he he he...), so that was something new for us! ;-DAnyway, on Saturday we went to our in-laws as usual and here's what I saw in one of their barns!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I shrieked when I saw that hanging there he he he he...GOOD thing I brought my camera with me he he he he...The reindeer is probably as "tall" as I am.
Then here are some pics that I took from my in-laws' place. They put a bird feeder on a branch of a tree. I took some videos of the birds, but I have to wait until Arttu comes home to flip it before I can post it in my blog, so be patient, OK?I LOVE these birdies below 'coz they're SO CUTE:
The below pic is my mother-in-law cacti flowers. 
Before we left home to prepare ourselves going to Pori, my mother-in-law and her elder sister hugged each of us and wished us a good trip. Oh, almost forgot...my mother-in-law tried talking to me in English. I was SO touched of her effort 'coz I knew how hard it was for her to say those words!!!!! Seeing her valiant effort makes me become more encouraged to try to speak to her in Finnish even though my Finnish is still so basic he he he...Plus we got so much food from her again. GOD BLESS HER SOUL!!!!!!!!!!! I'm SO VERY VERY LUCKY!!! I LOVE that woman!!!!!! ^________________________________________^
Last but not least...I hope you won't be bored with the scene of the below pic. I find it fascinating that the colours in the sky can make one place look TOTALLY different he he he...
1. Introducing POLTTIAINEN or the Burning Bug!!!When we (me, hubby, and father-in-law) went out to pick strawberries last Saturday, I felt a burning/pricking sensation on my scalp a few times (it felt a bit sharper than the sensation of being sucked by a mosquito). Gladly I was wearing my summer hooded jacket, so I pulled on the hood as I thought they were mosquitoes trying to suck my blood. While picking the strawberries, I didn't feel anything else as I was focusing on finding the ripe ones among the thick leaves. Once I got inside the house with my bucket of strawberries, however, I felt that both my hands (uncovered by anything while picking the berries) felt SO ITCHY. The itchy parts were ALL OVER the back of my hands. I thought to myself that it couldn't have been caused by mosquitoes. It felt more like the itchy/prickly sensation of having touched a kind of caterpillar. The sensation was sharper than that of mosquito bites and definitely closer together as I felt it all over the back of my hands.Then my hubby came inside while I was vigorously scratching my hands. I told him that I hadn't felt that way the first time we picked berries the week before. He said that the burning bugs made me feel that way. He also felt their stinging/burning sensation. They are called polttiainen.
I've tried to find an English explanation of the bug, but there is none. I also have no picture of them as they're SO small. Let me try to translate polttiainen from one of the Finnish website (of course using a dictionary HE HE HE HE HE).Polttiainen is a small slender insect (around 1-2 mm), oftentimes winged and spotted. Generally they appear in Central and Northern Finland from late summer up to early autumn. They suck the blood of humans and animals and cause stinging sensation on the skin.2. My hubby read one of my earlier posts and he corrected me on something. Turns out that reindeer are tame animals. Their ears are marked, so only their owners can "kill" them. The licensed hunters are allowed to hunt moose as they're wild animals. The reindeer owners would gather the reindeer and then "kill" the weakest one to get the meat. Gee, I didn't know that! My hubby says that reindeer are like sheep (weird as it might sound). I thought they were wild as they could roam about everywhere and they even cross the roads every now and then. 3. Summer in Finland SEEMS only to begin full force in August. It's been sunny and pretty warm starting this month. My hubby chuckled when I told him that. He said, "But summer's almost over." Oh well...4. Since during summer here the sun didn't set at all until a few weeks ago, the other night when I stayed up late due to coffee, I was surprised when I looked out of the window and realized how dark it was (at around 2 am). Then a wave of realization came over me and I said to myself, "Of course, silly! It's only normal that it's dark 'coz it's already SO late at night." OH YEAAAHHHH!!! I FORGOT that!!! LOL!!! ^_________________________^ That's what experiencing Midnight Sun here did to me...my brain started to operate weirdly, expecting the sun to still hover in mid-sky at night HI HI HI HI HI...5. I have to add one more beautiful thing that happened last night. Hubby went into our bedroom first. It was SO dark already. When I entered the room, I couldn't see a thing. Then all of a sudden from the side of the doorway, he SPOOKED ME. And I SCREAMED!!! I was thinking he'd be already curled up in bed, prepared to sleep (as he usually did when he got into the bedroom first).
I'm telling you, I'm NO screamer!!! I never scream even though I love suspense, thriller, and horror movies. But HE made me SCREAM!!! Boy, I was ready to bite him or something when he confessed that he was also surprised due to my scream. LOL!!! So it was "karma" HA HA HA HA HA...
Btw, I wonder what our neighbours thought when they heard the scream. Probably they thought that somebody murdered somebody in our apartment HI HI HI HI...LOL!!! We ended up laughing together, thinking what our neighbours thought of that scream (we live on the 3rd floor). ;-D All's well that ends well. MMMMM...
6. I'm SO excited about this weekend again. It seems that my mother-in-law wants us all to go to a forest. She and I will be picking wild berries grown in the forest whereas Arttu'll be cutting down some trees to get firewood. Don't worry, there're PLENTY of forests and trees here, unlike in Indo he he he...I'd better prepare my digicam again as I've never been to the aforementioned forest. YIIIIPPPPIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!! BERRIIIEEESSSS!!!
Btw, in the city centre for the past few weeks, there have been stands where some people are willing to buy berries from you. INTERESTING!!! I thought there would only be stands where people sell their own berries, but I was wrong.
BERRRIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS, HERE I COMMMEEEE!!!! *jumping up and down*
Let's make this post a bit more interactive, shall we? I hope people wouldn't mind submitting their thoughts, anyway. :-)))Moving to a VERY different country certainly has its ups and downs. I think in life sometimes we learn something for the first time, but sometimes we re-learn things in a deeper way or in a different way. These are the things I've been learning or re-learning in a deeper way so far (after having lived here for 2,5 months):1. To TRULY accept my weaknesses, mistakes, and failures.2. To laugh at myself, my mistakes, and my "stupidity" (yeah, I realize it's easier to laugh at somebody else's mistakes and folly - not a good trait to admit).3. To accept myself as is (again), not learning to accept myself after I've accomplished this or that.4. To cook and bake (sometimes I fail, sometimes I succeed).5. To be good to myself (not beating myself up too much or not cursing myself too much; giving myself some slack) so that I can move on and start to improve myself.6. To enjoy the simple joys in life. For example, something AWESOME happened last night. I think Midnight Sun's already here in Sodankylä. As my hubby and I were about to sleep at around midnight, I heard the birds chirping happily. Yes, at midnight, can you believe it?!?!?! It was SO lovely and amazing. Birds chirping at midnight as it was still bright out there. WOW!!! 7. To dare make mistakes, especially when it comes to practising Finnish. I've always been someone who's afraid at making mistakes (for fear of being laughed at), so now I'm beginning to let go of my perfectionism. 8. To stop having assumptions about anything as best as I can.
I guess that's all for now. The things I can remember. What about you? What have you learnt or re-learnt this past week, month, few months, year? Anything particular that you want to share with me? Feel free to express yourself. :-)))
