1. Yesterday I managed to book plane tickets for my mom. WHOOOOPPPEEE!!! Very impressed with KLM customer service on FB, since they have quick response and they help me out very promptly. I hope my mom stays healthy and everything goes out well. I've ordered wheelchair assistance for her since she's had some knee problem and it's her first time travelling solo. Plus she only speaks basic English. EXCITTTINNNGGG!!!
Thank you as well to Juliana who's advised me to get this type of wheelchair assistance for my mom to make things more easily for her.
2. We had a lovely winter holiday in Prague. The weather wasn't that hot yet, but it enabled us to walk a lot every day. One day we even covered 18 km.
3. Here are some views of Prague as well as some silly photos of me in Madame Tussaud museum he he he...
1. I finally succumbed to the temptation after having resisted it for at least three years. I bought myself a body pillow as an early birthday present for myself. You see, Indonesians use a kind of round body pillows all their lives and over here they've finally started selling body pillows (though they're longer and not in a round shape). Funnily enough, the first night I used it, I had a bit trouble adjusting myself as I hadn't been using it ever since I moved to Finland, but I'm getting more used to it now and I love it. :-D
2. Watching this video made me laugh.
3. This month it started snowing and just as I liked it, the temperature didn't go up too much, so there was no ice at all. The fresh snow may be a little slippery, but not as dangerous as the ice. Winter Wonderland, I love you!
4. I ordered something for a Christmas gift and about a month later I realized that the price had gone up quite a lot. Feeling lucky that I got to pay the cheaper price! :-D
5. Experiencing a clarifying moment after having had a muddled brain for many days.
6. I've been taking time away from FB for a while and it feels GREAT to have an FB vacation. :-)
1. Went aurorachasing two days after the previous post's big aurora, but that time the aurora wasn't as strong, so I couldn't capture the photos too well even though I had my camera and small tripod with me. However, I did manage to see reddish colour and I could see the progression of when the aurora started dancing right above the horizon before it moved further up to above my head. Here's a collage of the not-so-good photos (but at least you can see the crazy shapes the aurora can make).
2. Hubby managed to take a day off, so we went for a weekend trip to Levi and had a relaxing time there.
3. I've booked a massage for preparation to go back to work. Work is going to be super hectic during the first two weeks of the store being re-opened after the renovation, so I feel that I need a fit body for that.
4. I'm planning to send my mom to Finland next year for a visit and this thought is really exciting for me. The only thing we both need to secure first is a permission from our bosses to have the holiday at the same time as my mom's visit he he he...since she can't handle the cold, it has to be in summer.
5. Finding ginger candies at a supermarket in Levi. They're exactly like the ones I like from Indo, so even though they're expensive, I bought two packs of them HA HA HA HA...
P.S. Here's another one of the aurora photos taken with my camera (I don't have any wide lens, so can only capture bits and pieces).
1. Hubby found himself in an old video (he only appeared for a few seconds), but it was great fun for me to watch his younger self (thinner with more hair LOL!) in the video he he... 2. My period finally arrived before my summer holiday officially started, so that means I'll be period-free on my summer holiday. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY!!!! 3. I didn't have to cook today as hubby had promised to buy some pizza. :-D 4. Went to a bookstore on a (rare) sunny day, found an acquaintance from Indo visiting this place, had a nice chit-chat with him, then I found a very interesting book on a discount (only €2). 5. I was looking for some dance songs to do some exercise at home and then I found this. And yes, I did follow the movements and had a blast HA HA HA HA HA HA...
6. And yes, you've guessed correctly! I did try out the other videos as well (some can be pretty tough for me, but still I had fun trying them out and I got really sweaty LOL!!!). These videos are great for a change compared to other exercise videos he he... 7. Watching funniest moments in Family Feud show in youtube. Some of the answers are hilarious!
1. Hearing someone else I just met praise hubby (he got to know R2 through work). :-) He said, "You've got a great guy." Thank you for your genuine compliment! :-D 2. Spending quality time with family over Midsummer and having BBQ twice outside despite the cool weather. We had some chicken fajitas with tortilla wraps and then some sausages. Grilled sausages are the best! :-D
1. Been busy with work, but it feels great to reward myself every now and then with these lovely chocolate eggs. Although it's crazy that they've started selling them way ahead of time, I'm glad that they exist ha ha...
2. Going on a walk on a sunny day on my day off. Here's a LOOOONNNGG shadow of mine. Love the sun on my back, warming it up. Oh, and I got to see a pair of squirrels on my walk. So cute!
3. Finding one of the gifts for hubby's upcoming birthday (on a discount YAY!). It's safely hidden somewhere. Now need to find the other gift (still wondering what I should choose). 4. Finding two pairs of cheap jeans (one pair cost €10, whereas the other pair cost €15). 5. MIL helped me shorten those jeans using her sewing machine. Bless her! 6. Working together with hubby to clear up the thick pile of snow on the roof. 7. This sight on my lovely walk:
8. Fried brain. The other day I was SO tired that I was going to string this sentence in my head, "Oh boy, it's unbelievable that they've started selling Easter eggs already!" in Finnish. However, my slow brain slipped. Instead of forming the word "pääsiäissuklaata" (Easter chocolate), it became "paskiaissuklaata" instead. Pääsiäinen = Easter, whereas paskiainen = bastard/asshole. Ahem...I sure don't need any bastard chocolate eggs HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHH...
1. Hubby took a nap on the sofa and then when I was walking towards the toilet from the kitchen (the kitchen's light was on, but the way towards the toilet was dark), I jolted when I suddenly saw a huge shadow coming towards me. His footsteps were so light that I didn't hear a thing, so I was shocked when all of a sudden he was right in front of me. I let out some noise when we almost hit each other and we ended up laughing and holding each other close. 2. Hubby was standing up from his computer chair and I jumped out of mine to ask for a hug, but he looked at me with a wicked grin and immediately started running away from me in very small steps, begging to be chased. I ended up chasing him a few steps and we held each other, giggling.
3. More sunlight WHOOPPEEEEEE!!! One of my fave times is when the afternoon sun is shining through our kitchen window. 3. This video clip of Jason Brown skating to his heart's
content (and making me happy in the process, too!). I LOVE people who
look like they're enjoying themselves doing whatever they're doing. Very
inspirational!
1. Hubby's now over his flu/infection or whatever it was, so KISSING FEST is on! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!
2. Living near my workplace, because that means I can still walk to and from work when it was -34'C outside.
3. It's always funny how suddenly you feel hot all over so easily outside when the temperature spikes up about 10'C or more after such cold days he he...
4. Telling hubby this, "Keep on farting, even if it stinks, because it means you're alive."
5. Touched by Nikki's comment on my previous blog post. Thank you SO MUCH for having supported me along my journey and for your empathy and friendship. It means a lot to me. I'm glad our paths have crossed. :-)
6. Visiting my grieving friend with another friend. Even though the occasion was sad, it was great to catch up.
7. Managed to switch a shift with my coworker in order to attend my friend's husband's funeral. I was so worried I wouldn't be able to come, because I do want to come. Phew! I'm glad I have lovely coworkers and that work is rather flexible.
8. Hearing that the friend's husband who passed away say these words before his passing: "I feel so much love for everybody and everything." What an ending to a life and how inspiring and touching! 9. I've just booked an impromptu
trip somewhere (it's a secret) and I'm VERY VERY excited about it,
because during this trip I'll not only be able to meet some friends, but also be able to make one of my lifelong
dreams come true. (wicked grin) Don't worry, readers, I'll definitely let you know about it later on. :-D
1. This funny conversation between two female and a male at a supermarket.
F#1: (tapping the other female's shoulder in front of her) "Good evening, girl." F#2: (turning around) "Oh, good evening, girl." M: (behind the two of them) "Evening, girls." F#1: (turning around) "Evening, boy. Well, we are both girls and you are indeed a boy."
Hint: All three of them were retired HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHH...LOVE a good sense of humour!
2. Hubby went away for a pre-Christmas party with his boss and coworkers and I got a sweet SMS from him.
3. Despite the fact that someone got sick at work and there was nobody else to replace her and it was the day before Finnish Independence Day (when the store got closed), it went very well at work.
4. Our store is closed for Independence Day, so everybody at work definitely gets a day off. :-D 5. Listening to this Christmas song:
1. A mistake in reading turned into a funny episode at work. What was supposed to be "täytetty pasta" (stuffed pasta), I accidentally read "täytetty paska" (stuffed shit). I was reading it way too quickly, but it made me (and other people) laugh he he... 2. Playing Town of Salem in FB, invited by hubby and laughing out loud when playing it together. One time he managed to kill me and trick me.GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!! 3. Waiting for another book to come (another one from my wishlist), courtesy of Bookdepository again, because they offered me another great deal, so naturally I couldn't resist he he he he...What I love about the site is that I don't have to pay for postage and they always deliver pretty fast. Plus they give me (free) cute bookmarks. :-D
4. I believe I've married a genius. He has made me laugh many times over even when he's not trying. And he always has the ability to calm me down in ways that I had never seen anyone do. If I thought I picked the right guy to marry over 8 years ago, I had no idea just how right my choice was! Oh, and it was a privilege to be able to tell him all this face-to-face. :-D 5. Being alive still and being able to spend time with hubby. 6. Buying Father's Day's cake on a discount because I went to the store an hour before it was closed down the day before Father's Day and claiming the cake to be our anniversary cake (our anniversary was 6 days before Father's Day in Finland and because the both of us have no fathers left, I changed the cake's title HA HA HA HA HA HA...).
7. Ordering a bike bag online and then realizing that one zipper was broken and that it was much too small for my taste, so I reported it and got my refund pretty quickly. It was nice doing business with that site. 8. Ordering another bike bag from another site and it finally came right before the old bag broke down. It's a little bit smaller than the old one, but much better than the small one with the broken zipper. 9. Deciding to make my own Christmas cards this year (something out of character for me because I'm not a handicraft lover) and finding some great deals on craft packages to make them. Oh, and it's finally Winter Wonderland here! The temperature went up a while back, making all the snow melt away and now we have fresh snow all over. YEAAAAAHHHHHHH! :-D
1. I bought a new blanket, but it was way too big and puffy to bring with me by bike, so I called hubby to take it with him in the car. Tried calling his mobile, but didn't pick up, so I ended up having to call his work phone. When he picked up, I immediately asked in English, "Hey, are you at the office?" A second of hesitation later, he replied in English, "No." Then I started explaining what I had done and I knew that he was at the office because I could see his car outside (the shop was near his office) and then he finally realized it was me. Then I asked, "Why on earth did you say no at first?" He replied, "I didn't recognize your voice at first, so I was confused." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...obviously he didn't have my number on his work phone, so he didn't know who it was and then I started babbling in English ha ha ha ha ha...funny! 2. When he got out of the office, my first thought was, "Damn, he's HOT!!!!" It feels nice to feel this way still about him he he he...He's always SO patient with me, so I'm thankful for that. 3. Seeing two squirrels at the yard, right under the bird feeder. So cute!
4. Tomorrow is a holiday, so the store is closed and tonight I'll have a pre-Christmas party with my coworkers. YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSS!!! 5. Finding cheap offers on meat and fish. They're now safely in the freezer for future use. 6. Frost. Beautiful glittery thin layer of frost everywhere. They're sparkly in the sun and under the street light.
7. Finally getting the hang of a new type of friendship that has evolved from an old type of friendship. It feels nice to be able to let go and finally adjust my expectations. 8. Ordering an early birthday present for myself (1 of the books in my wishlist) because Bookdepository gave me a 5% discount that would expire this weekend. Can't waiiiiiittttt!!!!! WOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! 9. Almost forgot that Monday is our 8th wedding anniversary (FB reminded me of that LOL!!!). I just want to say I'm thankful that we've been given these years to spend together and I hope we will have many more to come. I still believe he's the one for me and he's becoming even more dear to me as time goes by. 10. Been trying to lose some weight by eating a plateful of salad at least 5 times a week. It's amazing how light my body feels after trying out this practice (haven't really weighed myself yet because I've just started sometime last week, but my body feels different than eating meat all the time).
1. An opportunity to give back and share what I know.
2. Looking atchildhood photosand reminiscing past events, evoking different feelings.
3. The newfluffy and very warm blanket, making me reluctant to get up from bed LOL!
4. Taking these photos:
5. We have so many DVDs to watch. So exciting and difficult to pick which one to watch first ha ha ha... 6. Finally having a lighter weekto rest and recharge after a crazy long week at work that I'll never want to do again.
1. Hubby let me create a character for a game he was playing. So now he's playing the game using the character that I created for him he he he he hehhhh...
2. Had a rough day the other day after waking up to pee during the night and then couldn't get back to sleep again, but thankfully I could take a long nap after work.
3. Talked to my coworker about number 2 and found out she had the exact same problem that same night (after she went to pee). Ha! What a coincidence! She was laughing and wondering if it was the full moon or something like that which kept us awake he he he he he...
4. Not being able to go back to sleep inspired me to write this (click on pic to read):
5. Listening to this epic song. It just sounds SO GOOD in my ears!
6. After some rough days at work, I had some days off and lately work has been pretty well. Having some easier days make a whole lot of difference for a change!
1. Was at MIL's and it rained cats and dogs and I was so afraid it'd rain because I had hung my work shirt outside because I needed it dry quickly. Came home and found that it hadn't rained in our area despite the fact that our place was within a 3 km radius of her place. WOOOHOOOOO!!!!
2. Was sharing my thoughts on how a double standard on women was unfair and hubby was really thoughtful. :-D
3. The heat wave has temporarily stopped and it's nice to have some cooler days in between. It's around 11'C at the moment.
4. Had a good time at a coworker's graduation party (my first invitation ever to a graduation party that doesn't involve my husband's family). This is what I wore for the party (notice the blown-up raindrop photo on the wall?)
5. Had a great time and lots of laugh at BIL's birthday party. 6. The weather was great the day after the parties at 30'C and I took these photos:
1. Enough me time (recharging time) at home where I get to do whatever I want, which includes kicking my ass to exercise more. Love the endorphin!
2. When the thermometer shows that indoor temperature is cooler than outside temperature. Summer is on, baby! :-D
3. Reading a magazine at MIL's place with the sun on my back and the wind blowing the leaves, creating beautiful shadows on the living room floor.
4. Being reminded again as to how precious my husband is. How patient he has been with me and how he's never made me feel like an idiot nor has he ever told me that I'm stupid or an idiot.
5. The things we take for granted: the ability to walk, to eat, to sing, to hear, to drink on our own without anybody's help.
6. Older blog posts that remind me of some details that I've either completely or half forgotten.
7. Finding the old songs that have been playing in my head because someone have compiled the songs in a youtube video. I watched these wuxi series on VHS tapes when I was little (except the last one on the list). The women used to be my heroines: the kind that knew martial arts and could therefore protect themselves ha ha...And I used to try to imitate their hairdo. Ahem...:-D How nostalgic!
8. The roses have finally started blooming. YEEEEAAAAHHHH!!!!!
9. Clearing up my computer desk because husband had bought a new bookshelf, so I could move the piles of books to an empty shelf. Nice to have more space!
10. Printing some raindrop photos and putting them near my computer desk and one photo on the kitchen wall. Every time I look at them, I remember the feeling I had when I took the photos: I felt like a fairy in a fairy land, surrounded by thousands and thousands of beautiful raindrops.
1. Having a BBQ party at a coworker's place. It was so much fun. I laughed until my cheeks got sore LOL!!! And it was the perfect timing for the BBQ because the weather was good (the weather went downhill the next day until now).
2. My homemade pork satay (on the left side of the photo below) was a hit at the BBQ party. :-D Photo courtesy of my coworker HL:
3. I had a couple of guests coming today and we had fun, too. I cooked some rice, chicken panini and popped in some spring rolls and chicken nuggets in the oven and prepared some salad. It was enough for everybody (there's only a little leftover).
4. Surviving tough shifts at work this week. My body felt very sore after coming back home because of the pace and everything (summer busy weeks have started and a coworker has been sick for a while, so we're all swamped).
5. Playing hide the doll and hide-and-seek with my friend's daughter. :-D I managed to accidentally spook her once by hiding in a dark toilet ha ha...
6. The cheap huggable pillow I bought from our trip to Haparanda. It's been very useful to hug during the nights. In Finland the product will cost more than that (I was too used to sleeping with a bolster in Indo).
7. A coworker told me a funny story. Upon seeing me from the back at work, her 4-year-old asked her, "Mommy, mommy, is there a child working here?" ROFL ROFL ROFL...Yes, I was thought of as a child because I'm short ha ha ha ha ha ha...very funny! :-D :-D :-D
8. These words from the movie "Frozen" (yeah, we just saw it last night because we waited until the 3D disc came out): "Some people are just worth melting for." I thought it was such a brilliant line because it also showed how Olaf started to melt! :-D
9. Cheap new panties bought from Haparanda. Very comfy! :-D And hubby loves the tiny blings on them ha ha ha...
10. Coming home to hubby's homemade pizza. Yum! And I didn't even have to do a thing! :-D
1. Hubby said during one of our talks, "Why would anything go wrong when I have you?" Bless him!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-D He's not a traditional romantic guy, but he has his moments and I think because it's unpredictable when he can be this romantic, these moments get even more precious. 2. Seeing someone who clearly enjoys what he or she is doing (for example singing). I'm rooting for James Smith:
3. Sunbathing outside in the yard without being bothered by mosquitoes (it's 18'C outside and sunny YAY!). 4. Doing number 3 above while drinking cold blended fruit juice made of strawberries, cloudberries, grapes, bananas, and an apple (no additional sugar). Refreshing! 5. Been playing a lot of Wii Cardio Workout (boxing) and noticing the changes in my body. My upper arms look more toned than before! I'm going to continue! 6. Hubby has been trying the same Wii game and sometimes we play side-by-side he he he he...It's more fun that way! :-D
7. Planting some pansies outside and then adding an additional sunflower in a pot because I found a cheap one ha ha ha...(photos will be uploaded later). Summer is here! :-D 8. Staying away from Facebook has done me a world of good. These days I only check it out for brief moments during the day and I don't post as regularly anymore. Ah...bliss!
1. This month I managed to save more money for our upcoming Indo/Singapore trip. YAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY!!!! Thankful to have a job still.
2. Next week I'll have my first batch of summer holiday (not going anywhere because need to save money for the Indo/Sgp trip and hubby has to work), but looking forward to recharging and doing some spring cleaning and reading. :-D Oh, and daydreaming about having this in Indo:
3. Hubby's patience, sense of humor, and good nature. I rarely see him in a bad mood (well, except when his computer does weird stuff but that's understandable because at work he's been battling with computers anyway) but he tolerates me so well when I'm in a bad mood. In fact, he often makes me laugh when I'm in a bad mood (don't ask me how, he just does!). How amazing is that?
4. Writing this fun piece for a writing challenge entitled: "If I was the woman next door..."
If I was the woman next door, I'd spend more time playing to my heart's
content and sleeping. I would come and go as I please, knowing that when
I come back home, someone will welcome me with open arms and heart. I
would spend less money on clothing and make-up and just present myself
au naturel, because I believe I look best that way. Oh, but I do like
grooming myself to the best of my ability. That's for sure.
If I
was the woman next door, I'd say no when I'm not in the mood to say yes
and I would reject visitors without feeling bad about it. Baby shower?
No, sorry, not interested. Laser party with my best friends? Bring it
on!
If I was the woman next door, I wouldn't befriend anyone that
I didn't feel like befriending, either. And I surely wouldn't even
think that I'm not doing anything productive by doing nothing, because
that's when I recharge and regroup after all the fun and rewarding
activities I've done. Here I am doing
nothing...auuummmm...recharge...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...Whoops! Sorry, this
whole recharging thing just made me kinda sleepy. Let me get back on
track.
Where was I? Oh yeah...if I was the woman next door, I'd
demand plenty of hugs and kisses and delicious food from my housemate.
I'd also focus more on the present than the future or the past. What
exciting thing that I can do right now? Is there anything worth doing at
the moment? Sleeping perhaps? Or cuddling with my housemate? Eyeing the
next door neighbour to check out what he's doing? Anyway, focusing on
the present is far more urgent, because don't they say that the present
is a gift? But well, maybe I get this all wrong, because after all, I'm
just a cat. Meow.
1. Playing "Poker Face" game with hubby while playing cards with MIL (it wasn't planned, just made up right then and there). The point of the game is to keep a poker face while the other party makes faces to make you smile or laugh. Dang it was SO hard to keep a poker face that we ended up laughing like crazy over and over again. SO MUCH FUN!!! :-D 2. A grandma gave me a bar of chocolate at work. BLESS HER! And it wasn't even the first time for her to do that. :-) I shared the chocolate with hubby at home he he he...
3. We've booked the tickets to go to Indo via Singapore on our summer holiday, so we're spending some days in Singapore as well in between flying to my hometown and flying back to Finland. And we've also booked the hotels in Singapore YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY!!! :-D 4. I've contacted a few friends who live in Singapore and they've told me that they want to meet up, so I hope there's no hindrance for us to meet. EXCITING!!!!!!!! :-D 5. More feeling of freedom as I get less afraid of disappointing people when I feel that they have high expectations of me or when I feel that they expect something from me that I just can't give (something I just realized lately).
6. The sidewalk is now clear of sand and gravel. That means I can ride my bike at full speed again WOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! 7. Having lovely and fun coworkers who treat me (the only expat in the group) like one of them. I hope we can work together for a LOOOONNNGGG time. :-D 8. Listening to this soothing and comforting song. Death is not the end. We will meet again in heaven...
9. Laughing so much at these photos ha ha ha ha...I'm trying to imagine the amount of time and effort it took to match the characters with the cats ha ha ha...As a cat lover and a fan of Game of Thrones, I think whoever it is has done a great job at it. :-D
1. Having fun creating an imaginary world in my head. :-D
2. Getting my dose of cat photos or videos every day. Can't stop rewatching this one for example. The ginger cat Marmalade reminds me of our cat back in Indo. SO CUTE!!!!!
3. Watching this makes me feel so relaxed...
4. Reading this post: Ten Things I've Learned About Trauma. 5. Had my yearly work appraisal and it turned out well. The appraisal showed that I neither overestimate nor underestimate myself. Plus we got to discuss what other things I could do to improve myself, which was great! :-D 6. Ginger, herbal tea, Neti pot AKA "sarvikuono nenäkannu", and sauna. I've been feeling under the weather lately and they've all helped.
