Showing posts with label Money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Money. Show all posts

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Money vs Unpredictability

A few days ago the boss of my training place offered me a job for December and January. She said that the job would not only be about cleaning, but maybe it included something else (like a tourist guide). I have to admit that the first thing that came across my mind was the money. If I worked even for two months and I'd get salary, then I'd be able to save SO much money compared to the unemployment benefit I receive from the government.



However, after that moment was gone, I realized that I was actually looking forward to ending this type of physical training. First of all, it doesn't really help me improve my Finnish. I mostly do my job alone and even if someone else works together with me, we can't possible talk much while working, 'coz sometimes she's working other rooms or she's cleaning the toilet while I put the sheets in the bedroom.

Secondly, December (and I guess January) would be such a hectic period (otherwise why would they recruit me only during those months, right?). They've told me during the interview that they wouldn't pay any overtime money (instead workers are allowed to take some days off later on).

If the job is mostly cleaning job again (which I believe it'd be) and I'd definitely be doing overtime, I'll be DEAD exhausted and it's not going to help us in getting myself pregnant. We've been trying for 15 months now and I'll be gone for a month in November, so if I'm going to "lose" two more months 'coz of doing this type of physical job, then I'll be damned!!! After all, we're not exactly in our 20's anymore. R2 is going to turn 39 already next year, so we have to try our best every month.



Thirdly, I've been toying with the idea of opening my own online business. I know that this means unpredictability, especially 'coz the global financial situation is so bad these days, but it'll give me the freedom to do many things (other than become my own boss).
I don't know yet what kind of things I want to sell in my online store, but I still have time to think about it and do some research. I figured that before my business grows, I'll have plenty of time to read Finnish novels and add my vocabulary and sentence structures (with the hope that in the future I'll be able to write stories to sell in Finnish - I have to admit that the phone call from the magazine people gave me the encouragement to pursue this option).

So, yesterday I declined the job offer, although I did thank my boss for offering me the job. I felt a HUGE relief wash over me after I made that decision. :-))))



The thing is...I've realized that in this village, it's SO hard to find a job that suits me...the kind of job that I may enjoy (other than cleaning jobs). I'm getting tired of moving around from one training place to another without getting a job offer...or getting a job offer that doesn't suit me. Although I realize that I do learn many things from doing different types of training, but still...Call me an idealist if you want, but I don't want to work only for the money (not if I still have other options). I want to feel passionate about what I'm doing.

Anyway, it's hard to find a suitable job here 'coz naturally (understandably) business owners or bosses here don't really trust my abilities yet...I don't even know what kind of job would suit me here in this village (remember that there aren't any international companies here). It's just still so blurry. I applied for a job as a cashier a few months ago in a clothing store, but I never heard anything from them. I guess recruiting a Finnish person would definitely be more advantageous for them rather than recruiting me (plus they'd be wondering how well I can speak/understand Finnish).



Because of these disadvantages I started thinking about opening my own online business. I figured that opening an online store won't cost me as much money as opening a real store here where I have to rent a place etc. I know if I truly open my online business in the future, I'll have to deal with so much paperwork and I have to do my own tax report and that's going to be tough, but at least I'm doing it for MYSELF.

Anyway, it's pretty scary for me just to think of the possibility of opening my own online store, 'coz it's SO unpredictable, but it gives me some sort of freedom, you know? Well, we'll see how I fare in this country. :-D


Thursday, October 02, 2008

Under Stress

Do you work well under stress? I don't. I LOVE having plenty of time to prepare everything, so that if plan A doesn't work, then I have time to pick plan B or C or D he he he...

Browsing through the hotels and stuff online is a tough deal when you have a tight budget, especially when the rates on the online pages are sometimes in US dollars or Singaporean dollars and I have to calculate everything in Euros he he he he he...I've filled up a page with calculations, price comparisons, and reviews he he he he...

Why do we insist on going to Singapore when our holiday can be simpler if we stay in Bandung? Because it may be our last honeymoon before we have kids. That's why we'd better enjoy our holiday just in case. But that means that we have to be REALLY careful with the money we spend, especially since we're thinking of buying a new digital camera.

Yep, browsing through digital cameras was also tiring since I have to read so many reviews of different types of digital cameras and if possible I also had to compare the results of the photos some people had taken. I do enjoy research, though, if I'm not limited by time and budget HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI...

Wouldn't life be simpler if we had less and less and less wishes and wants????

This image below captures my mood perfectly:



I don't know why but I'm also tensed about coming back to Bandung. Weird. I should feel only excitement and elation, but I have this somewhat disturbing amount of tension that I can't explain. I just wish I could get this all over with by arriving in Bandung he he he...

OK, let me now think of calming thoughts and see calming pictures like this...


Friday, September 05, 2008

3BT: September 5, 2008

1. I contacted Helsinki PO again and after sending them more information plus the picture of the Chess Station I ordered (again), they finally sent me an email stating that they're sending the package to Sodankylä. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY!!!

Dad, wait for me to commmmeeee!!!!!!


2. I'm going to meet another friend at her place tonight. YIIIIIPPPPIIIIIIEEEEEE! Girl talk!!!

3. Hubby lovingly put a bandage over my little finger (I accidentally cut myself while opening a package from the PO). Yeah, yeah, of course I could have done it myself and I DID NOT ask him to do it, but it was still nice that he did it for me hi hi hi...I said to him after that, "Thank you, my doctor." *wink wink*

4. Bought a pair of 3/4 jeans on a HUGE discount. The real price was supposed to be €34.95. NO WAY I'm going to buy a pair of 3/4 jeans THAT expensive. Guess how much I paid for them? Only €4.95 HUA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...



5. Having a chat with one of my closest friends who lives in Bandung. THANK GOD for internetttttttttt!!!!!!!!!

6. It's been such a warm and sunny day. After a wet, grey summer, it's a nice change. Plus I can see the stars at night! ;-D

7. Having SO MANY WONDERFUL blogger friends. I've learnt SO MUCH from you guys and girls and you've really enriched my life in many ways!

8. I've been getting opps to write. YIIIHHHAAAA!!! Money, money, money! I'm going to be broke after going back home from Indo, so if I can write more opps during this month, then when I get back home from Indo, I'll have at least a little bit of money still he he he...;-D


Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Talk, Amel, Talk!!!

Life has a funny way of giving you the lessons you "try" to avoid ha ha ha...When life's determined to shape you in a certain way or when you're still not learning the same lessons over and over again, then you'll face a similar problem again. And perhaps again.

I've told you that I've found a place to do my training after the course ends in mid June. The problem is that I still have to meet the boss to work on the training contract. And I also need to ask about my working hours and when my lunch break is and stuff like that.

Yesterday I went to the store again to do that, but alas, the boss was talking on the phone and there were some customers there. Plus I saw another guy restocking the place, so they must've been busy. So I went home and decided to go back to the store today.

Today I went there after the course, hoping to find the same woman I talked to last week that told me that I could do the training there. Alas, there was a different person near the counter and I didn't see the boss there. I did talk to her, though, in Finnish. I explained to her about what I wanted to do, and then she replied in a "normal" pace in Finnish, which sounded in my ears like "blrblblrrlkbbbklllrrrbbbllrlrlblblrlblrbbblrrbbbrrlkllkkllllbbbrrr".



So I smiled and asked her politely to say it more slowly. She smiled and decided to change her words into simpler ones (I know it for sure since at first she said SO many sentences!!!). THANK GOD for that hi hi hi hi...I LOVE it when Finnish people try to explain something to foreigners in a simpler way. I TRULY appreciate it!!! She said that today was her first day at work and that I should talk to the boss instead so that everything would be clear. She said that the boss would probably come either the next day or the day after, so I should come back later.

Phew!!! I actually still "dislike" talking to new people in Finnish, since I don't know whether I can understand them or not. I can prepare at home whatever it is I want to ask or say, but I have NO idea whether I can understand what the other person is saying to me or not. I guess my self-confidence is still so low hi hi hi hi hi...Plus I'm not really a people person. I'm getting better at practising Finnish (read: forcing myself to speak), but still I'm not nearly as chatty as people who are born chatty, you know what I mean? *wink* If I don't really have to talk, I prefer still not to talk HA HA HA HA HA HA...



Anyway, speaking of health, I've been doing MUCH better though my nose's still runny and every morning for the past few days I've been able to blow out some YUCKY stuff out of my nose. I described the yucky stuff in detail to Arttu and he asked me, "Do you have to describe it to me?" LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL!!!

Ahem...what can I say? I AM a gross girl sometimes HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...You can ask my closest female friends and they'll all say the same thing hi hi hi hi...



And speaking of MONEY, remember when I said that last week I got more student money than I thought? WRONG!!! It was actually the accumulation of unemployment money. You see, I didn't know that I could have applied for unemployment money since I had NEVER worked in Finland. When I applied for the student money right before the course started, the government sent me so much paperwork to fill and they asked me to explain why I hadn't applied for unemployment money when I first moved to Finland.

Today I received the notification from them, stating that I was actually eligible to get unemployment money starting from last June, but since my application came so late, they only paid me unemployment money starting from last December.

So the money they sent me last week wasn't my student money. I'm REALLY HAPPY to get that extra sum of money, though, since I didn't even expect it!!! Every cent of it goes RIGHT into my "untouchable" account HUE HE HE HE HE HE HE...Pretty soon I'll be able to get back the amount of money I want to keep safely in that account. HALLELUJAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!



Okie dokie, I think I may exercise right now so that tomorrow morning I don't have to wake up too early he he he...I tried to take a nap, but unfortunately sleep didn't come over me, so better make the most of the time then he he...I'll blog-hop again either tonight or tomorrow, OK?

Friday, March 14, 2008

Test, Rovaniemi, Jerk, Anniversary, Baby Clothes

1. The Upcoming National Finnish Test

I haven't had time to write about the YKI test (the national Finnish test). The other week I found a practice test online, including the listening test recordings. The test is still FAR beyond my ability right now, but funny thing is that the realization just throws away any kind of pressure I have on myself.

I don't know about you...but for me, when I feel that I think I may be able to do something very well, but I'm not 100% sure yet, then the pressure I feel can be SO high, but then when I know it's WAY beyond myself and yet there's no harm done in trying to do it, then I feel FREE of burdens and I can just give it my best shot and enjoy the process even more. ;-D



2. Trip to Rovaniemi.

Tomorrow hubby and I are going to take my sis-in-law and nephews to Rovaniemi for their flight to Pori. If nothing comes up, we're going to look around a bit in Rovaniemi since I hadn't really gone anywhere there except to Santa Town he he he...I'm SO glad to have a thoughtful sis-in-law who wants to show me around he he he...

The only problem is that the eldest son, who's a teenager already, doesn't want to do that ha ha ha ha...The youngest one is still eager to do things with the adults, but the teenage one...well, you know how teenagers are HA HA HA HA HA...;-D





3. Meeting A Jerk:


Today I came home and decided to bake cheese/sandwich bread, so I went back to Lidl after I found out how much ham and cheese I should buy. At Lidl, I was doing my own business as usual without noticing anybody else much...when I was near the frozen veggies section, suddenly a guy who stood around 1 metre away on my left talked to me.

I thought he was confused about something and he needed help, but when I turned around and looked at him, he suddenly came closer and put out his hand and said, "Terve" (hi) softly. Since I disliked being rude at people, I put out my hand and replied, "Terve."

Then he started becoming more confident and he started talking to me in Finnish, though I didn't understand every little word he said since he talked softly and quickly, but I managed to get "Nippon". I assumed he thought I was a Japanese, so I said to him that I was an Indonesian girl.

He looked confused when I said that. It seemed he was looking for some words, so I just kept on browsing on the frozen veggies section. I thought he would back away, but instead he came closer again and he said something which I didn't really get, but I managed to hear "vaimo" (wife). Since I got more scared about him, I immediately said, "My husband is Finnish." He looked surprised and he was laughing and nodding and he backed away.

I THOUGHT he would go away for good, but you know what he did next? OUTRAGEOUS!!! He came back after walking a few steps away and he asked me for some MONEY!!!!!!!!!!! GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! He looked PERFECTLY healthy and young and he was asking me for MONEY?!?!?!?!?! Unbelievable!!!




After having lived in Finland for more or less a year now (I just realized that tomorrow's my 1 year anniversary), I had never come across anyone like that except in bars when some guys got drunk, but then again in the bars I am never alone, so I feel safer. Oh well...quite an experience!!!


4. One Year Anniversary in Finland Tomorrow:

Speaking of my 1 year anniversary in Finland, it's a coincidence that tomorrow we're going to Rovaniemi to do some window shopping he he he...I've always wanted to go back there anyway. And we're going to look for my mom-in-law's birthday gift there, too. Her birthday is coming soon (3 days earlier than Arttu).

I should recharge my digicam so that I can bring it to Rovaniemi tomorrow he he he...




5. Baby Clothes.


I've been bidding for some baby clothes from a Finnish website. I want to bring many baby clothes to Indo for my brother's baby since it'll be MUCH cheaper to bring them there myself. Plus I don't know when I'll be able to go back there to bring the clothes, so I'm going to buy them in different sizes. I'm not going to buy the smallest sizes in case the baby's born big HA HA HA HA HA...

I can't afford buying new baby clothes for them, but I'm sure they won't mind getting second hand clothes. After all, babies grow so fast and it's better to have plenty of clothes to change, right? HE HE HE HE HE...Arttu has been shaking his head since I'm a bit obsessed about finding cute second-hand clothes online HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...




Okie dokie, better send this and then bake the bread and then blog-hop a bit he he he...Have a REFRESHING weekend, everybody!!!!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Bureaucracy Again + Babbling About Money

1. Residence Permit Extension

Yesterday as I was in my in-laws' house, I decided to check out the validity period of my residence permit. I had marked my mobile phone's calendar to remind me when I had to renew my residence permit. Turned out I had miscalculated the time. My residence permit is valid until March 6, 2008 and I remember that I read in Finland Forum for Expats that I had to apply for an extension of that residence permit about 6 weeks before the expiry date. I checked my calendar again in my mobile phone and realized that I'd have to do it NEXT WEEK!!!

So last night after we got back from my in-laws, I was busy filling in the forms again. Yeah, the price for marrying a foreigner. I have to fill in all the forms again just like last year and then I had to bring my marriage certificate again. Plus I also have to bring a new passport photo.

That means tomorrow I'm gonna be busy. Mondays is my exercise day with Billy Blanks and then I'll have to go to a photo studio to have my photo taken, then I'll go directly to the police station to submit all the forms, and then I probably have to buy more milk and grocery. Oh yeah...I also have to take some money from the ATM to pay for the residence permit extension in case they only take cash he he he...

Then I guess I'll browse some boots in the stores as they're having some big discounts. The winter shoes I have are good and reliable, but I can't wear double thick socks as they get too tight for me. So I'll search for a pair of boots with a bigger size, but I'll buy them ONLY if the price is reasonable.



2. Money, Money, Money.

You know one funny thing about money? Before Arttu got a job and before I started blogging for money...I was SO grateful just to know that we had enough money to buy fruit occasionally and that we had enough money to pay for our monthly expenses.

Now that Arttu has a steady job already and I've started blogging for money, it seems that my WANT WANT WANT has reared its ugly head. I really have to control this since I begin to want to buy many things that aren't really important or urgent.

Well, I'm not trying to say that we can't enjoy life or that we shouldn't pamper ourselves every once in a while, especially if we do have the money. That's not it. It's just that I've realized it's SO EASY to let unimportant and non-urgent things look or sound important and urgent simply because we WANT those things. It's easy to let yourself be unhappy or disappointed when you don't get EXACTLY what you WANT. And it's easy to forget that even when you only have the VERY basic necessities in life, you CAN be happy and that newer, bigger, more sophisticated, more fashionable stuff can't bring happiness.

Anyway, I came across this article and I'd love to share it with you:


Here's the excerpt:

Theologian Henri Nouwen says in his book The Return of the Prodigal Son that gratitude is more than a mere "thank you." It is a discipline to be practiced each day in a conscious way. The apostle Paul reminds us in his first letter to the Thessalonians, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (5:16-18).