3BT: Random Days

1. After a long and crazy day at work, I came home at night in a famished state, but I was sweaty so I had to take a shower first, so I asked hubby to fry an egg for me so that it'd be ready right after my shower. :-D THANK YOU, hubby!!!

2. My bro asked me to give name suggestions for their second baby (along with the meanings). THANK YOU, bro, for involving me. I'm SO touched!!! Bless you!

3. A nice, long, restful sleep in the cabin where I could hear no noise at all where I saw a totally gorgeous sunset. Ahhhhh...what a wonderful world! 

4. Today has been a very sunny day at 22-24'C. I spent time sunbathing in the swing then spent a few hours mopping the floor and cleaning the windows wearing a tank top and shorts!!!! HA HAAAAA...

5. I got stared at by a very cute squirrel in MIL's garden LOL LOL!!!! 

6. My first batch of summer holiday has officially started. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY!!!!


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BBQ Time!

Finally today the sun was shining for a few hours, so we went out to try our bigger grill. Last year I bought a small baby grill, but it was tough to use to feed many people. It was good enough for the two of us, but when my Indo friends came over last summer and we had a BBQ party, it took a long time to cook the food ha ha ha ha ha...

While enjoying the food and the sun, I noticed a squirrel high up on a tree nearby. It was rather small, so at first I didn't even notice it, so I ran inside to grab my camera and managed to take a few pictures. However, soon enough it realized that I was taking pics, so it ran away. :-( I miss the brave squirrels in my in-laws' barn when they still lived in Kelujärvi 'coz they dared to be near us without running away he he...Oh well...

Here are some more old squirrel pics/videos taken in Kelujärvi: 

The Squirrel + The Reindeer

Video Clips: Squirrel and Reindeer

Squirrel Video Clips

First pic: the salad, waiting for the sausage to be done he he...

Second pic: The squirrel before it started noticing me and then ran away. Boooohoooo!!!!!

Anyway, it got cloudy after 3 pm but now it seems that it's getting sunny again. :-D I hope this week will be better than last week's rainy and cloudy weather, 'coz I have a busy week full of activities!!! :-D Have a blessed weekend, people!

3BT: Random Days

1. Spring is definitely in the air (officially) 'coz I can see buds all around me. Buds, buds, buds...lovely buds!!!

2. Yesterday and the day before I didn't have work to do and those were sunny days, so I could sit outside and read a novel in the sun. Felt like I was on a vacation! :-D

3. Thankful that IF has taught me SO MANY facets of extreme human emotions that I couldn't have possibly learnt otherwise.

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4. Thankful for having such a thoughtful mother-in-law.

5. Planning on a short trip to southern Finland next week (during my week off) with my MIL 'coz our nephew (or MIL's eldest grandson) is having a high school graduation party there.

6. Reading old emails from hubby, reminding me of how hard it was to have a long-distance relationship and thus I'm THANKFUL to have been able to be by his side for 4+ years and hoping we'll grow old together just the two of us as a complete family.

7. Fresh tap water to quench my thirst.

8. Having close friends to whom I can confide about my deepest, darkest thoughts without fear of being judged. They've been my dearest friends for over HALF of my age. Friends for life, that's who they are.

9. Finding very cheap jeans at €10/pair (original price was €49.95/pair that turned out to be even cheaper when I paid at the cashier 'coz I bought 2 pairs and I just found out that they were having "buy-1-get-1-free" sale) . WHOOOPPEEEE!!!!

P.S. My trusted pair of jeans got ripped off due to having been worn too much so I had to buy a new pair for work.

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10. Mosquito nets for the windows.

11. Feeling so much J.O.Y inside for no other specific reasons than just being joyful to be alive and to have been loved and to have been given a chance to love back.

12. The smell and taste of fresh strawberries. In fact, yesterday I ate 250 gr of fresh strawberries all by myself HA HA HA HA HA...

Freezing Weekend

This morning when R2 woke up, the temp. was -36'C but it's gone up to -26'C. The sun has been shining so beautifully this week, though, and we've got almost 9 hours of daylight already, so despite the freezing weather, it's been SO beautifully sunny and bright! ;-D

Yesterday as usual we went to my in-laws' and I brought a new pack of playing cards. You see, lately we've been playing a new card game which requires using the Jokers. However, 'coz we hadn't used them in other games, you could tell which the Jokers were among the other cards 'coz the back of those two cards still had very vivid colours compared to the others. That was why when I went to a bookstore the other day and saw some playing cards on a discount, I decided to buy a pack. The game became MUCH more interesting (and frustrating) 'coz it was MUCH harder for us to think of which tactics to use to win the game.

In the beginning of the game, BIL even accused me of having voodooed the cards or something HA HA HA HA HA HA...He even said he'd throw them away due to frustration hi hi...but in the end he said they were good cards and they made the game even harder to win. ;-D

Anyway, here are my weekend pics:

1st pic: LOVE it when the sun hits the treetops he he...


2nd pic: Bought three bulbs of tulips for MIL for Valentine's Day and yesterday I realized that they had bloomed, BUT I never thought they would be HUGE tulips he he...

3rd pic: The flowers from top.


4th pic: My tongue after eating berry dessert (blueberry, strawberry, and cloudberry)


5th pic: Due to the cold weather outside, the living room felt colder than normal, so R2 snuggled up on the sofa in his parents' house and covered himself with a blanket. I think he looks SO cute here he he...


I'll blog-hop later today or tomorrow. I have to think of some ideas to write again (to participate in another writing contest) and the deadline is the end of this week, so I have to move quickly HE HE HE HE HE...Hope everybody is enjoying themselves this weekend! Stay warm, people!

Lazy Blogger

I've been a lazy blogger lately. I haven't been blogging nor bloghopping much. I just don't feel like it. Anyway, yesterday we had Wii game night with R2's brother. His girlfriend couldn't come due to something, so it was just the three of us, 'coz R2's cousin wasn't feeling well, so he cancelled coming here.

It was SO MUCH FUN!!! However, I must PROTEST 'coz when we played tennis, I had to be ALONE (playing two characters at once), whereas R2 and his brother could play in pair. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...Of course I lost in the end, but it wasn't too embarrassing 'coz I won 2 games out of 5 he he he...

Then we played Rayman Raving Rabbids and we tried 3 dance games there. It was SO funny when we tried to follow the directions on screen HUI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI...

We spent 5 hours playing Tiger Woods golf game as we decided to play 18 holes he he he...I came second and R2 lost. Poor R2 he he he he he he...

On Friday we went to the cabin to spend a lovely night there. The sun was shining so brightly when we got up. It was hard to get back to sleep since the windows had no dark curtains. I made a short video clip to show you the "road" from the cabin to my in-laws' place just so you know how close it is. Here goes:



If you watch the video clip, you'll notice piles of snow on both sides of the "road" from the cabin towards the house. R2's second brother had to clear up the "road" a few days before so that we could go to the cabin by car, because otherwise we couldn't have gone to the cabin.

This week is my last week in the Finnish classes as they have run out of budget to support me and my friends who aren't really students in the school. So starting next week I've got no more homework. :-(((( But my friends and I MAY organize some kind of study group on our own. We'll see about that.

Meanwhile, it's been pretty warm these days. Saturday it was around 5'C, so I decided to make a snowman albeit without face and arms ha ha ha ha...Here's a pic of my snowman. Can you believe making a snowman in APRIL?!?!?!?! It can only happen here in northern Finland hi hi hi hi hi hi...Anyway, if you wonder about my outfit, it's because I just came out of sauna, so I was feeling SO hot. I didn't need any jacket he he he...


And here is a pic that I took at around 8.10 pm on Saturday. Look how bright it is!!! Midnight Sun is coming SOON he he he he...


And when I looked at this, I felt GLAD I had my camera with me, so I took it out as quickly as possible HUE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...


OK, so there goes my weekend. Now I need to read my grammar book for tomorrow. I've got some homework!!!! :-D I'll blog-hop later today.

Hand in Hand

As usual yesterday we went to my in-laws and I told mom-in-law about my YKI certificate he he he...She was pleased to hear that, of course. ;-D

Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera since I hadn't recharged it. There were still some birds around their yard. It was quite a nice day yesterday, sunny and warm, even though sometimes the wind could be cold. I TRULY hope that Tuesday's weather would be at least as good, since we're planning on grilling sausages outside he he he...

After lunch, hubby and I went out. We walked hand-in-hand toward the cabin. The lake was still partly covered by ice. It felt good to walk together while enjoying the warmth of the sun on our backs. We talked about the possibility of spending a night at the cabin again. WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I LOVE that idea since it means spending time together without any computer or TV he he he he...

He suggested that we should do it before the mosquitoes came out and that was fine by me he he he...I took a few pictures there with my mobile phone and here are the results:





Last week I took a pic of some indoor plants in my in-laws'. Yesterday many flowers have bloomed already, but mom-in-law told me that she didn't dare take them out to the greenhouse outside since it was still too cool for them. She didn't want them to die he he...








Can't wait to see all those lovely blooms. I'll take PLENTY of pics later on when they're out HE HE HE HE...

I told mom-in-law that it seemed last year's weather was better, but she said that it was almost the same. She took out the indoor plants at the end of May last year, but in 2006 she took them out already the first week in May. She has this daily weather diary where she writes down the maximum and minimum temperature each day, so she knows more about this than me he he he...

I still have one final homework left for Tuesday, but good thing tomorrow we have no class, so I can stay up late tonight ha ha ha...I'm thinking of baking or steaming something tomorrow, but we'll see. ;-D

I'll blog-hop later today or tomorrow then. Hope you've have a wonderful weekend! ;-D

Weekend Pics

Just pictures as I have no time to write much today.

As promised, the first two pics are the pics of the card handmade by Karen from Waterlearner. I REALLY love the texture and the flowery pattern that spells my name HE HE HE HE HE...I LOVE pastel colours and especially BLUE!!!!

Karen, you are VERY creative!!! Kudos for you, girl!!! ;-D






A pic of a bird he he he...



Then a pic of the Mother's Day bouquet that my mom-in-law got from her niece and nephew.



A pic of me enjoying the warmth of the sun on my face...mmmmmm...



I edited the pic using Paint Shop Pro 9 and here's the result...


Hope you've had a WONDERFUL weekend, everybody! I'll blog-hop either tonight or tomorrow, OK? ;-D

May Day Holiday

A day before May Day, our class finished earlier, so I called my friend IN (the Russian girl from last year's Finnish evening classes) if she had time to meet me. She was just about to ask if we could meet on May Day, but I told her that I'd be spending it in Kelujärvi with my in-laws, so we decided to meet within an hour.

I walked home in a perfect 15'C sunny day (there was NO cloud in the sky at all) and found a PO slip to get a care package from my Mom (my friend in Germany sent it since she went home to Indonesia last month), so I quickly packed everything to bring to my in-laws and then went to the PO. I walked back home since the package was too big to bring with me to the cafe where we were supposed to meet. When I arrived home, IN called me back and told me that she would be there in 2 minutes.

I told her I'd be right there, so I walked quickly there he he he...I could wear my summer shoes and I didn't have to wear my long john anymore WOOOO HOOOO!!! I still had a summer jacket on, though, since it could still be windy sometimes. We decided to sit outside and sunbathe. Mmmmm...We talked and enjoyed some snack and cold Coke.

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I called my hubby before leaving home, telling him that he could pick me up when he was ready to leave to Kelujärvi since I had already packed everything (except for his clothes). At around 4 pm, he called and said that he'd be coming in 15 minutes, so I bid my friend goodbye and told her that whenever I had free time, I'd visit her. ;-D

In Kelujärvi, we went to sauna right away he he he he...Mom-in-law was just coming outside as our car was parked in their yard. After yummy sauna, we sat outside for a little while to cool down as it was getting too hot inside (they were still warming the place up by lighting the fireplace, since during the nights it can still go down to 0'C).

We then had dinner and played cards he he he...After that we went upstairs to get ready to sleep, but we read novels first before we decided to retire. The next morning we woke up late and then I helped mom-in-law cut some onions. Then while waiting for the reindeer meat to be cooked, mom-in-law's elder sister and husband came by, so we played cards again he he he he...

Oh, almost forgot, mom-in-law's elder sister gave each of us a tight hug and told each of us, "Rakastan sinuaaaaa!" (I love you). It's SO very un-Finnish, you know? She's such a jolly person and it's always nice to see her he he he...She's as bright as the sun. ;-D

We had lunch together, then they left and we continued reading our novels. In the afternoon we got sleepy again since it was another hot day HE HE HE HE HE...Yeah, yeah, we're LAZY PIGS HI HI HI HI HI HI...But while we can do it, why not, right? Life needs to be enjoyed fully HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI...

Then we played cards again and then mom-in-law offered us dinner. While eating, she offered me something (hard to describe). I didn't take it, though, since she needed it more than I did. It's AMAZING that she thinks of ME first even though she needs it!!!

I'm thinking of what to do or make next week, since next Sunday is Mother's Day in Finland. We're only visiting them on Saturday, but there's no stopping us from celebrating it then he he he...We'll see what I can do. ;-D

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Speaking of the care package from Mom, I received 2 CDs from my brother: one of his prewedding/wedding photos, and one of his honeymoon photos. I almost cried while browsing through the family wedding pics. I MISSED THEEEEMMMMM A LOTTTTT!!! ;-D Maybe I'm going to cry when I meet them again he he he he he...Can't wait for that day to commeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!

Okie dokie, I'd better stop my babbling here and blog-hop a bit. ;-D

All in One

1. Today was sunny and beautiful. When I walked to my course this morning, the sun started rising and the sky was partly yellowish and reddish. AWESOME!!! However, when I go back home I started seeing parts of ice here and there. SO SPOOOOKKKYYY!!!! But no matter what, I can't escape the slippery days since they presage spring he he he he he...

2. Yesterday I got a letter from the employment office that I was found eligible to get some student benefit as long as I signed a form that stated that I had indeed been unemployed. The funny thing about Finnish bureaucracy is "silly" questions. For example, in that form I was supposed to write down the reason(s) why I stopped working for my ex boss in Indonesia. I mean...isn't that obvious already? HE HE HE HE HE...

Oh well...today other than doing homework and studying some more, I also have to fill in more papers. I'll ask Arttu's help later he he he...

I don't know yet how much I'm going to get, but I'm ABSOLUTELY looking forward to getting it at the end of the month since I'm DYING to calculate whether the total student benefit I'm going to get during my course will be enough to buy a plane ticket to Indonesia or not he he he he...So cross your fingers with me, will you? ;-D

3. There was something funny happening again in the classroom today. We were supposed to write down sentences based on a picture. The teacher brought some pictures and we had to pick one of them.

When it was my turn to read the sentences I had written down, the teacher laughed when she heard one of them.

I wrote: "The cows are sitting on the grass."

In English, it doesn't sound weird at all, does it? Well, apparently in Finnish it does sound weird since animals aren't supposed to do things (except in children's books), so I had to change it to: "The cows are on the grass."

That's why it's hard to learn a new language since what sounds natural in another language may sound funny or weird in another language HE HE HE HE HE...But I'm REALLY happy since this course is giving us everything we need (at least IMO): grammar, speaking exercises, writing exercises, listening exercises.

4. Today the teacher asked me if I wanted to do a test after the course ended and I said yes. I want to know how far I go after the course ends. If I'm not satisfied yet, I hope there will be a continuation course. If not, we'll see how it goes he he he...

5. I've experienced the negative side effect of stopping the birth control pill: zits start to pop up here and there on my face. ARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!! I HATE zits with all my heart, soul, body, and everything I have he he he...It's just annoying to have zits since EVERYBODY can see them clearly. Gladly they're not too big, but still there are about 5 zits on my face right now. *sob sob*

6. I LOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEE MY LIFE, though HE HE HE...And I ain't gonna let my zits bother me he he he he...

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3BT: February 11, 2008

1. My homemade meatball soup. Hot meatball soup for lunch. YUMMYYYYYYY!!!!!

2. Hubby put on a headset to watch TV on his own while I went to bed earlier. I LOVE the fact that I didn't even ask him to do that. (Note: our apartment is only about 49 square metres, so I can hear the TV from the bedroom even if I close the bedroom door)

3. Hearing birds chirping right outside our course building. What a way to greet me! (Yeah, yeah, I'm a sucker for birds HA HA HA HA...)

4. Studying more Finnish at home and writing down the meanings of new words to prepare myself for the following lessons. It was really effective. It felt NICE to be driven because of the course!!!

5. Being able to depend on hubby to wake me up with a smile he he he he he...

6. Seeing plenty of snow everywhere and realizing how serene it is in Finland and being able to spend time to cherish that serenity (sometimes after you've lived in a place for a while, you take for granted the wonderful things about that place).

******* The other day in the classroom the teacher asked my Brit friend whether she had many friends in Finland. She said that I was her best friend. I felt SOOOOOOO happy to hear that HE HE HE HE HE HE...We hadn't been friends for too long, but our friendship is really important for me. I hope we can be friends for life, not just friends for a season or reason he he he he...

MC, I just wanna tell you that you've made my life more colourful with your existence. You remind me of a few of my oldest friends who have similar traits as yourself: sunny, cheerful, outgoing...mmmm...You're a joy to be with!!! You have a beautiful soul, my friend...not just a beautiful face! ;-D

Lapland in January 2008

Now let me share some pictures I took this month.

Before that, here's a short video clip I took when it was snowing heavily last week. Well, not too interesting, but just wanna let you know that for those of you who've lived their lives in tropical countries, you needn't really envy us who live in snowy countries. One of the troubles living in a snowy country is that whenever you want to go anywhere, you have to spend time cleaning up your car first from the frozen snow HE HE HE HE HE...But I'm loving it here since I'm not the one who has to do it HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...



The first picture was taken a week ago when we went to my in-laws. She made strawberry soup dessert and this time she decided to decorate the top with some candies and white chocolate HE HE HE HE...



The next two pictures were taken in Kelujärvi yesterday. Look at how much snow there is!!!





Next two pics: taken today. Sunny weather but it was -18'C outside this morning he he...

This and That...

So many things to say, so little time...so let me just try to write this post quickly.


1. Watched Evan Almighty last night. Here are my fave quotes from the movie:

"How do you change the world? By doing one act of random kindness at a time."

"If you ask God for patience, do you think He will give it to you just like that or do you think He will give you the OPPORTUNITY to be patient?"

"If you ask God that your family be closer, do you think He will give it to you just like that or do you think He will give you the OPPORTUNITY to be closer to your family?"

I must say that the movie has some touching moments and funny moments. It isn't TOO funny, but still it's not too bad he he he...


2. The other day I chatted with a friend of mine. She said that she was stuck between a couple. Both parties trusted her and told her about their relationship problems. However, they wouldn't talk about it to each other...at least not yet. My friend's got a dizzy head now 'coz she can't possibly tell on each other's TRUE feelings, as it means she's betraying their trust.

I wonder why do people do that? I'm not talking about your partner's idiosyncracies or annoying habits. It's a risk you have to take for being together with someone and you know as well that the other person'll have to handle your idiosyncracies. I'm talking about serious problems that NEED to be solved. If they're not solved, then the relationship will be sour or the problems'll pile up and there will be an explosion sooner or later.

Back in Indo, my Mom's also in the same position. Her brother told her about his marriage problems, and then his wife also told her about the same problems from her point of view. Mom tried to give advice to each one of them gently so that they could talk things through. However, none of them was willing to do it. Each of them pointed fingers at each other, saying that the other wouldn't listen to them, anyway. Why should it be that way? I know that sometimes you have your guard up and the other person also has his/her guard up, but shouldn't they TRY to do something to save the relationship other than just vent to a third party? Shouldn't they TRY to do something to save the relationship AFTER they seek for advice or suggestion from a third party?

I posted this discussion on MyLot (I've been trying to make some money online by going to MyLot), and it seems there are various reasons. These are the things they said hindered the couple from talking things through:

1. Ego.
2. They don't really want to try to solve the problems. They just need someone so that they can vent their emotion.
3. Fear of confrontation or hurting the other person's feelings.
4. Sometimes in a relationship there comes a point when talking is unbearable. (Gee, I sure do WISH it won't happen to us!!!)
5. Fear of not being listened to.

Oh well...I know a relationship is HARD WORK, but if you're not even trying to make it work, what good things can you expect from it???


3. To all mothers out there, I have a question for you: What are the hardest things in motherhood based on your personal experiences?

;-D You can either tell me here or write a post in your blog he he he he...I'm just curious 'coz I'm not a mother yet, but I want to know what a mother thinks or feels.


OK, time for me to go to the supermarket. I'm planning to make my own pizza from scratch, so it's gonna take A LONG time ha ha ha ha...


Before I forget, let me just add this quick list of 3BT (Weekend Wrap):

1. Sunny weather without a single cloud in the sky on Saturday.
2. Playing cards with my mother-in-law, hubby, and mother-in-law's sister and I LOST HA HA HA HA HA HA...
3. Making my mother-in-law and her sister laugh by (almost) forgetting to take my bag when we were going back home hi hi hi hi...Boy, I'm SO forgetful these days!!!
4. Hiding my hubby's yoghurt while he wasn't looking HI HI HI HI...We were preparing to watch a movie and then he realized that his yoghurt cup was gone HI HI HI HI...
5. Though hubby pretended to sulk for a little while (he refused to share his yoghurt with me), after he was done, he went to the fridge in the middle of the movie and poured me some yoghurt after all. YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!
6. The smell of strawberry and banana wafting to my nostrils whenever I opened my fridge door. Heaven!!!!