On Originality

For some months I've been struggling with the idea of originality. What is original?

Surely every now and then people come up with something so different that make you think, "Why didn't anyone think of that before?", but other than those? I've been influenced by so many things and people until now that I struggle with the idea of claiming something as being my own original idea. There have been artwork/writings that bear some resemblance to some other artwork/writings that had been published before and one can't help but wonder whether they're rip offs or not, because when there are differences between the previous one and the current one, where does one draw the line? 

Whilst I was struggling with these questions in my head, I was browsing through some quotes and I accidentally found my soothing answer.

“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

There it is! Write/create to express, not to impress. I just LOVE finding answers by accident.


Have you ever struggled with this, too? Did you come up with a different answer?

3BT: Random Days

1. Getting 3 new novels (they're on a discount). Best of all, hubby paid for them HUA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...

2. Seeing two reindeer close-up while riding my bike from MIL's place today. They were busily eating while I took pics from a few metres away. :-D

3. Mom's told me that a relative of hers wants her to go with her on a trip. I'm glad to know that they're able to do such a thing in their old age.

4. Making chili tuna puff pastry again 'coz we both love 'em SO much (easy to make, too - I just need to buy a can of super delicious chili tuna and a bag of frozen puff pastry, defroste the pastry, then arrange the tuna on top of it and just shove 'em in the oven until they're golden brown. No need to add any more spices 'coz it's the right combo already). 

5. Finding some answers to some of the questions that have been bothering me for a while. :-D YAAAAYYY for enlightenment!!!

6. Went to bed later than R2 and when I came to bed, he turned around and held my hand. :-D

7. Delicious ice-cream on a special offer. Yum yum...:-D 

An 8-Year-Old

Been busy again, so though I have so many things I'd like to write, I haven't had time. Yesterday was the roughest day for me, because on Wednesday I had to work from 13.30 until 22.15 and then yesterday work started at 06.00 until 11.00. It was much shorter than Wed's shift, but on Wed night I had restless sleep and I couldn't fall asleep right away, so I ended up sleeping for only about 4 hours. Felt like a zombie he he...

And then I came back home after doing a little grocery shopping, checked my email, had lunch, and was preparing to take a nap when hubby's cousin's daughter rang the doorbell and asked if she could play here with me until her Dad came back from work. I didn't have the heart to tell her no, because a few months ago she wanted to play here but at that time we were both in my MIL's place, so she couldn't come.

The first time I met this girl was when she was about 2,5 years old. Here's a post I wrote about it: Where Did Who Go?


 
Anyway, the last time she came by to play here was sometime last year and I noticed some differences to then. This time she asked me many more questions and she paid more attention to some details in our house, whereas in the past she didn't pay attention to them. One thing for sure is that I'm now more equipped to handle her on my own, whereas in the beginning it was REALLY hard for me to be alone with her, as she didn't speak English and my Finnish was really limited he he...



There are some things that I found interesting coming out of her mouth, for examples:


- Are there cars in Indonesia? ---> This makes me wonder what kind of place Indonesia she thought Indonesia was ha ha...so I asked her what she had in my mind about Indonesia.
- I think Indonesia must be similar to Japan. ---> So I asked her what she thought existed in Japan.

- Well, I think there are camels in Japan.

- Is Finland a small country? What is the biggest country on earth? Is Indonesia a big country? 

- What kind of food do you eat in Indonesia? 

- Do you have children? ---> She meant if I had had my own children before marrying R2 (she knows we don't have kids).

These kinds of questions never came out of her mouth before. That's why I find it interesting. :-D I laughed when hearing that she thought there were camels in Japan (suddenly an image of a desert with lots of camels appeared in my head when I heard that) hi hi...then she said, "Camel (kameli) sounds similar to your name." Well, yeah, that's very true. :-D 


 glitter-graphics.com

And then we talked about school and holiday plans and we played Wii for a while (FYI, she said her fave "subjects" at school were recess, sleep time, and Finnish language he he he he...Anyway, while playing Wii, somebody called her mobile and I could tell that she was confused. I could hear a grown woman's voice talking so much...and I knew it must be a phone saleswoman. The girl kept on saying, "I don't think I'm interested."

When I asked her who had called her after she hung up the phone (it went on for a few minutes!!!), she said she had no idea. She also said she had no idea what the woman was jabbering about because she talked so fast and all she could pick up was "make-up this, make-up that" he he he he he...

Anyway, when she finally left, I was TOTALLY exhausted, so I went to bed right away and I slept for 3 hours (or a little bit over 3 hours). Woke up and still feeling like a zombie, so I decided to just watch movies and relax. Just didn't have the strength to do anything serious he he...

OK, now it's time to blog-hop...It's been rainy (at least no need to water anything in the yard HA HA...) and cloudy over here for the past few days and the temperature never rose above 15'C (actually it was more like 10'C max and during the night it's colder than that), but I'm sure it'll get warmer later on he he he he...

3BT: Random Days

1. Giving two surprises for my MIL on Mother's Day: a printer and a poster-sized photo version of them while she hugged my FIL he he he...And in return, I got two HUGE hugs from her HE HE HE HE HE HE...

2. Though it's been raining quite much and the weather's been so unpredictable these days, I got a chance to see double rainbow the other day. My first rainbow in Finland. Here it is:


3. Looking at the rainbow scene reminded me of one lovely church song, which if translated to English would be something like this:

"Life doesn't always look like dark clouds. God's promise is real, you just need to wait for His perfect timing. Even though you can't see the sky 'coz of the thick, dark clouds, beyond it there's God's loving rainbow."

4. I've finished reading one children's novel in Finnish and now I'm trying to read a Finnish chicklit that I bought a while ago on a discount. It's gonna be tougher and slower 'coz it's much thicker than the children's book and I try to look up every word I don't know in the dictionary he he...but I'm NOT giving up!!! :-D Cheers to determination!!! :-D

5. Finally able to take such a LONG sleep today after having had restless nights for a few days (dunno why 'coz I'm usually a sleepyhead!).

6. A few weeks ago when it was icy, the guy who rarely smiled whenever he came to the library to bring packages saw me ride my bike and told me to be careful. That's SO nice of him to do that! :-D

7. Having a peaceful mind. Some days a while ago I had such a noisy inner mind and that drove me crazy!!!

8. When I was questioning some things that made me feel sad, I read something in Our Daily Bread that really answered them.

9. Having fun during our Finnish study group with the girls. :-D

10. The flower plants in my MIL's house seem to be growing well. Now they don't need to be covered by plastic anymore. Here they are:




11. When we were about to go back home from my MIL's place, I saw two hares in a distance. I managed to get closer enough to take this pic. As you can see, now the fur is turning brownish in some parts!!! :-D

Questions, Thoughts, More Thoughts

I feel that my brain's overloaded with questions and thoughts these past week. My subconscious is working hard even in my dreams. I feel that there are SOOOOOOOOOO many things that I don't know still. And the things that I think I know may also be so limited and it makes it hard to be fair.

In a quest to be a better person, these obstacles jar my stance and now I need to think about all the data that I've accumulated. Some make sense, some doesn't make sense...I hunger for truth, hunger for guidance to tell me what I'm supposed to do.

In this life where truth is bent and reality can have a zillion faces, I feel "lost in translation". These don't count the inner battles that one has to face in order to tackle one's own weaknesses and negative sides. Thus I'm raising the white flag of peace in order to have time to clear everything out, because I can't see clearly amidst this battle and questions and thoughts. It's too loud and noisy. ---> Isn't it ironic? I live in one of the most peaceful and serene and quiet surroundings ever, but it doesn't matter when your inner self is noisy.

This may be one of my most "unclear" ramblings ever. It's hard for me to explain the details when I myself don't know them clearly. Maybe someday when I get enlightenment, I'll be able to digest all the data.

glitter-graphics.com

Pap Smear

WARNING: This post may contain graphic description!!!!!

Hubby could take some time from work to take me to the health care and pick me up. THANK YOU, Hubby!!! That's the good thing about living in a small village hi hi hi...it only takes a few minutes to go someplace to pick me up and then back to the office ho ho ho...

So, I was slightly anxious while sitting in the waiting room alone. I only had to wait for 5 minutes before the gyneacologist called me. Thank GOD it was a WOMAN he he he he he...So I came inside and she asked me a few questions, such as:

Where I was born
Whether hubby and I had sexual partners in the past
When my last period was
Whether I had taken this kind of test before
Whether I had a history of chlamydia etc.
Whether I had experienced bleeding before
Whether I had given birth before
Whether I had taken birth control pills before

Then when she found out it was my first Pap Smear, she said that I shouldn't worry as it wouldn't hurt. I would just feel something cool there. Okie dokie...Btw, when I didn't understand the question, she'd rephrase it for me, so she's a COOL gyneacologist!!! ;-D

So after taking down my history, she told me to undress though I could keep my socks on. Yes, thank you, doctor, I'd like to keep my socks on, please he he he he he...

Since I had to concentrate on my Finnish (listening and answering her questions) for the first 10 minutes, my anxiety and tension were gone. So, THANK GOD that Finnish managed to get rid of my anxiety HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...

So I laid back on the examination chair, then she moved the chair a bit upward so that she could see clearly HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...Before she did anything, she would tell me first so I wouldn't be shocked. GOOD doctor!!! Plus she spoke SLOWLY so that I would understand HO HO HO HO...Bless her!!!

She also talked to me while taking samples, so I could focus on Finnish again hi hi hi hi...Well, first of all I felt something cool there and then some kind of tool to separate "the walls". I could feel her turning a knob so that the tool separated "the walls", then I felt some light probing and rubbing (when she took the sample with a Q-tip or something) several times. Nothing else.

The booklet I received stated that I might feel a slight pinch (like being bitten by an ant), but I didn't feel any kind of pain at all. It was done pretty quickly, so it was BETTER than I thought it would be he he he he he...The doctor said that there might be some slight spotting, but it wouldn't be dangerous. Well, until now there's no sign of spotting. ;-D

So that's that. I even managed to go to a clothes store and supermarket right after the test was done hi hi hi hi...

glitter-graphics.com

Possibility: Visiting Singapore in Oct?

As you probably know, I'll be in Indonesia for around 17 days in October (arriving on Oct 8th and leaving on Oct 24th). Yesterday we got some brochures on cheap travel packages to Australia and other countries, so we had a discussion on travelling.

I told hubby that it crossed my mind about visiting Singapore while we were on our vacation in Indonesia, but the only discomfort is that we had to go back and forth to Jakarta to do so as there would be no direct flight from Bandung to Singapore.

He said that he was interested in visiting Singapore. I was once there for 6 days in 2000 with my Aussie emailpal and I liked the country so much. I didn't get to see everything there, so I'd love to go back again.

I know we need to save more money in order to make this visit possible, but I think as long as we don't stay in any fancy hotel, it's a possibility. I'm not going to do any major shopping there, anyway, so I don't have to budget much on shopping. We can allocate our budget only for the plane tickets, room rent, food, and entrance tickets to touristy places.

glitter-graphics.com

There are some things I want to ask my Singaporean bloggers, though:

1. I'm thinking that 4 days (5 days 4 nights) would be enough to travel around, since after all we're not going to stay in Indo THAT long. If we're staying in Indo for a month, then we might consider staying in Singapore longer than that. But is it better to visit Singapore on weekdays or also on a weekend? Are there many more interesting things during the weekends?

2. What do you recommend for us to see or visit? We're not that keen on museums or art hi hi hi hi hi...but I know it'll take a WHOLE day to tour Sentosa Island, so what else should we do the next 3 days? Anything particular we should see? Any particular restaurants we should visit? Hubby doesn't like seafood, but I DO love seafood and Chinese food and European food he he he he...Well, I AM a foodie HA HA HA HA HA...

I'm not 100% sure yet about this trip since it depends on how much money we can save, but I HOPE it can come true. It'll be our second honeymoon and we can try making babies then HO HO HO HO...Plus maybe I get to meet some of my Singaporean blogger friends? ;-D

Okay, I'll blog hop later since I want to try making some snack for tomorrow. I bought Princess Cake already today from the supermarket since it was on a HUGE discount HA HA HA HA HA HA...so I'm just going to make some snack today.

Last but not least, THANK YOU SO MUCH for Karen (WaterLearner) for your handicraft. I LOVE IT!!! I'm gonna take a pic of it and publish it here, but later he he he he...

International Mortgages

Do you wish to Remortgage since you've found another mortgage with a lower interest level that'll enable you to save more money? You can click on the link to find different types of mortgages, such as commercial mortgages, first time buyer mortgages, etc.

Or perhaps you are retired and tired of living in a cold country? Maybe you've saved enough money to buy a house in a warmer country since you think that the cost of living there is cheaper. If so, you can also visit the link to find tailored expat mortgages. You can get a FREE quote by filling in a simple form.

If you have any questions, you can also submit them in their online form and wait for their answer. You can also read other people's questions and the answers.

I'm Glad

There's one thing I'd love to share with you all. Even though I was a bit sad that I couldn't be there for my brother's wedding, in a way I'm also glad that I wasn't there. Why? Because it was a wedding party and I knew already what would happen if I could be there alone.

First of all, many people would ask, "How's life in Finland? Are you pregnant already?"

Second of all, they'll continue by asking, "Where's your husband? Why isn't he here?"

Yada yada yada yada...and I'd feel sick and tired trying to explain everything over and over again. For some reason, I think most people think that marrying a foreigner means that I'll be very secured financially.

Just the other day when I was talking to one of my best friends online (the one that didn't have internet connection at home, so she had to go back to her previous house to use her brother's computer), she asked when I was planning on having a kid. And thus we talked about money. I told her that I wanted to have some savings before I had a kid. After all, even though I'll get some benefit when I'm pregnant and after I give birth, I don't know how much it'd really cost to have a baby here. I don't know how much it costs to buy all those necessary baby stuff (though I'll try to find used clothing, as well).

Plus I told her that since we had loaned some money from the bank to buy a new used car, then we couldn't really save. At first she probably thought that my hubby's income was SO huge. Of course my hubby's income is huge if it's converted to rupiah, but then again the taxes here are huge, as well. The only difference is that the taxes you pay to the government here won't be corrupted and you can live decently when you're retired without having to worry about money. But still living on one income in Finland doesn't mean that we can have a vacation abroad every summer. In fact, we have to be really careful with our expenses. That's why I'm SO happy that I can start making money online.

The problem is if even my best friend had that kind of thought, what about everybody else in Indonesia? How can I explain this to everybody back in Indo who probably thinks that we can afford anything?

One thing I dread of when coming back home is the questions I wrote above. I know I don't have to explain anything to them, but it's just bothering me to know that they have all those questions. Maybe when I come back to Indo one day (without a child and without my hubby), I should print out two different explanations on leaflets and then if someone asks something, I'll simply take one and give it to them HA HA HA HA HA HA...Wouldn't it be grand? Yes, I might just try this if I need to HUE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...;-D

I don't know why the pregnancy question bothers me A LOT these days. MAYBE it has something to do with the fact that I DO want one already, but I know this is just not the right time. If God chooses to give me one now, I'll feel HAPPY, but still I want to focus on studying Finnish first before I get busy with my baby. I reckon that once the baby's there, I won't be able to focus on studying Finnish, right?

I've told my Mom about this and she's fine with this he he he he...HIP HIP HURRAY for my Mom!!!! She even encouraged me to save money and she said that she'd been praying to God to open doors for me to be able to get some income. Bless her!!! ;-D But anyway, it seems to me that she can't wait to have a grandchild from my brother HUA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...Ahem...;-D

OK, I have to go to the supermarket again 'coz I forgot to buy some spinachhhhhh. I'm gonna make lasagna and I want to make mine with spinach. Hubby doesn't like spinach so I'm gonna make two batches of lasagna he he he he...;-D