Cold January, January Cold

Been battling a cold this week. The first few nights I couldn't sleep too well because of a semi-blocked nose plus some sinus problem. I used my beloved Neti Pot lots of times to help clear out my nose, but the annoying pressure on my upper teeth was still there for many days (kinda like a toothache, but I know it's not because I feel it on many teeth, particularly the upper back teeth). And then I remembered that I had actually brought some antihistamine with me from Indo during our last trip there, so I decided to take one tablet. I slept like a log that night, though I woke up with a very dry throat. I only woke up at 1 pm because my body needed the sleep after not having slept enough. 

Then yesterday as I still felt the annoying pressure during the day, I decided to take one more tablet in the afternoon. It made me feel lethargic and I fell asleep for a while when we were watching a movie ha ha ha ha ha ha...It was so hard to stay awake! 

Today no more pressure on the teeth! FREEDOMMMMM!!! It's an annoying feeling that makes me want to grind my teeth together all the time. The only bad side effect of the antihistamine is that it only makes the mucus thicker, so yesterday I used my Neti Pot many times over to help clear it out of my system and I'm going to do it today as well. Still less appetite than normal, but I do eat normally.

It's been cold again outside (ranging from -24'C to -34'C) and the other day when I went out to check the mail, I saw this gorgeous pink sky, so I took a pic with my mobile. 

I'm actually glad that I'm sick this week, because next week I have to go to a funeral. I hope it won't be too cold then, otherwise we'll have to dress up in so many layers and then it's a hassle to take them off at church. Before moving to Finland, I used to think that people who wore winter clothes looked so lovely in their winter gear, but now I realize how impractical sometimes when the weather is so cold outside and then you have to put on so many layers of clothing. All the more so if you have children (small children who can't dress up themselves just yet) and you have to prepare them to get layered up nicely first and when you yourself are getting ready, they're complaining that they're way too hot he he he he...

Anyway, I've chosen my word of the year this year and it'll be PATIENCE. Are you going to choose your word of the year? I've only tried it last year and I think it has helped me in a way, so this year I'm going to try again. :-D

Funny November + 3BT: Random Days

I've been busy and have been getting a bit of a cold again, so haven't been writing here nor have I had a chance to blog-hop. This year is a funny November. Usually October is the yuckiest month of winter when the temperature still gets a little bit over and under zero, so the accumulated snow melts and refreeze and then there's new snow coming in and then it melts again, but this year this all happened in November. However, now it seems that it's gonna be much colder this week. So overall this November has been very warm compared to the previous years.

A week ago it was really dangerous 'coz the thick snow melted and even our yard became like a skating rink. My customers had been saying to me how slippery it was outside. Some got really sad 'coz almost all the snow melted by then and there was brownish, yucky, wet snow on the side of the streets. Those who loved White Christmas just groaned in sight of all those yuckiness he he he...Thankfully the other day it snowed again. It wasn't too much, but enough to cover up all the dirt he he...Now that the weather has gotten much colder all of a sudden, it's actually better this way. If we had lost all the snow, it'd been SO dark here, especially next month.


glitter-graphics.com
Work is going to get busy again next month because one coworker has resigned and another one is currently sick. Dunno how hectic it's gonna be, but there will sure be changes to all of our work schedules. We shall see.

Yesterday R2 came back home from work in a very agitated state, asking me if there was a package for him. I said no. He had been waiting for the package already the day before. Then he found out that it had arrived already, so he went back to the PO to get it. I got a hunch that it must've been my bday present hi hi hi hi...so when he got back home, I asked him, "Is the package THAT important that you just had to get back out to get it right away?"

He said yes with a huge grin, then told me NOT to touch the package at all. And he proceeded in wrapping it up in another room HA HA HA HA HA HA...Can't wait to open it!!! :-D

Here is my 3BT list:

1. Last night I told hubby, "You're the best gift God's ever given to me." And he squeezed me tightly in response. :-D

2. A customer said, "My cat loves Gotler ham so much so that it wouldn't eat anything else but that." LOL!!! Never heard of such a thing before! She made me laugh!

3. Still a few customers said, "Where have you been? I haven't seen you in a long time." It's good to be missed hi hi...

4. The machine got jammed at one point, so had to wait for a few minutes and there were a few people in line already (but they were all old people). One of them kept on joking with me during the whole wait, making the wait much more bearable. :-D THANK GOD for patient people who do have a good sense of humour! :-D

3BT: Random Days

1. Getting the best bday present ever from hubby: A LOVE LETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or to be exact a love email he he...which I printed and reread. It made me cry today when I woke up and checked my mailbox he he...It was everything I could have hoped for in a love letter - and more! Oh, and it's in Finnish! :-D

2. A friend dropped by and brought a doughnut and a small candle and we had a nice chat over coffee and doughnuts. And she brought me a homemade gift and card as well! BLESS HER!!! What a perfect day!

3. A customer who had the initiative to take out somebody else's shopping cart that had been left inside the store to the place where it belonged.

4. Understanding and thoughtful parents and in-laws that don't ask or push us about giving them any grandkids once I explained to them our decision that two is a complete family and that we don't wish to try any treatment or anything else. They respect our decision fully.

5. Patient people that come along my way (including dear hubby).

6. People that don't take me to any unnecessary guilt trips about any topics at all (including parents, in-laws, and hubby).

7. My family have been enjoying their trip to Bali with SIL's family.

8. My Mom and Ken got sick "at the right time", so they were fine already before they were supposed to fly to Bali. That way they got to enjoy the trip fully.

9. Gorgeous pink sky.

3BT: Random Days

1. New workers are coming soon to help us at work. We've been understaffed for a while now, so it's about time that they come before everything becomes chaotic.

2. Fresh bed sheets and clean floor.

3. Patient customers who tell me not to hurry when I half-run to serve them. BLESS THEM!

4. BAPAO!!! (AKA sweet bread dumplings) I found frozen bapao in a supermarket here and I'm going to buy more to stock them in the freezer. YEEEAAAHHH!!! ;-D

5. Becoming hubby's shadow. I have this habit of holding him from the back and following him around every now and then (usually after he takes his nap), making it hard for him to move around freely when he tries to make himself some coffee HUE HE HE HE HE HE...

6. Reading these words in this beautiful post:

Laura Bush, in her recent book, writes:

The English language lacks the words to mourn an absence. For the loss of a parent, grandparent, spouse, child or friend, we have all manner of words and phrases, some helpful some not...

But for an absence, for someone who was never there at all, we are wordless to capture that particular emptiness. For those who deeply want children and are denied them, those missing babies hover like silent ephemeral shadows over their lives.

Who can describe the feel of a tiny hand that is never held?

7. Talking to my Mom on Skype and listening about Ken's antics.

glitter-graphics.com

8. Chit-chatting with a few customers - one of them made me laugh so much with his jokes. :-D

9. Having a hubby who is very gentle, soft spoken, patient, and he makes me laugh so much.

10. My friend invited me to join a Finnish learning group in FB so I can ask anything I want to a proper teacher for free and I just joined it. YEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSS!!! ;-D

11. Having true friends that I can trust, that never betrayed me, that I can count on.

New Projects

The other day the manager gave me new projects. Since apparently I did a satisfying job in making (read: copying) the letters for the adults' section shelves, she wanted me to do the letters for the kids' and teenagers' section (the kind of letters you put at the sides of the shelves so that readers know which books are put there, for example the letter A and B for the shelves that contain books written by authors with surnames beginning with A and B). So I have to make SO MANY letters now YAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY!!!! From the adults' section, there were only a few letters missing, so I didn't have to make all of the letters.

I'm NOT really good at drawing or handicraft, but THANK GOD for the internet as it's helped me find funny letters for the kids' section and funky letters for the teenagers' section. All I need to do now is make them one step at a time.

She also asked me to think about how to decorate their music books and magazines section since it looked so plain that people never really visited that section. Hmmm...this one is TOUGH and I don't know yet what to do, but I have plenty of time to think about it.

So, tomorrow HOPEFULLY if the weather permits, we're going to spend a night at the cabin after work. Last night I was cranky since our plan was cancelled, so good hubby washed the dishes for me even though I didn't ask him and that put a smile on my face HI HI HI HI HI...No more crankiness!!! THANK YOU for being such a patient hubby, Honey!!! ;-D

glitter-graphics.com

At midnight last night, we watched fireworks together from our kitchen window...I don't feel anything about the new year, though...just like I didn't feel anything much on my birthday he he he he he...So, how did you spend your New Year's Eve, people?

This Song's Dedicated to Hubby

I just want to dedicate this song to my WONDERFULLY PATIENT hubby. He's been helping me in learning Finnish by correcting my mistakes and answering all my questions (sometimes they can be tough grammatical questions). I know he's my husband and he's supposed to help me, but I don't want to take it for granted. I LOVE the way he's been SO patient with me every step of the way. He's NEVER raised his voice at me. He always supports me in doing anything and he always lets me find my own way. He never forces me to do anything I don't want to. He often does loving things for me even though I don't ask him to.

The longer I live with him, the more I realize that he's truly the one and only for me...

Honey, this song is for you...listen carefully to the lyrics of this song 'coz they are my words to you...

"I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" by Aerosmith

3BT: Random Days #3

1. Getting more student money which I transferred to my "untouchable account". Now that savings' sum is back to its original sum. HALLELUJAH!!!!!!! ;-D

2. Sweet, sweet nighttime rendezvous with hubby. *wink wink*

3. Green grapes ---> I decided to splurge a little bit on fruit since I had received the student money again HE HE HE HE HE...

4. Pita kebab and salad. MMMMMMMMHHHHHHHHHHHHH...

5. Stealing another kiss from hubby during lunch break at the course today HUE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...

6. Seeing hubby working again in our classroom (our teacher needed help setting up something on her computer) and feeling SO proud of him. I couldn't help feeling, "That's MY man!" *grin*

7. Having a patient hubby. He never tires waking me up with a smile and plenty of kisses HEEEEEEEEE HEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...THANK YOU SO MUCH, Bonbon!!!

8. Being able to read Japanese comics online for free with English texts HO HO HO HO...I LOVE the internet!!! ;-D

9. Feeling that I've made some progress in learning Finnish. Even though speaking Finnish and listening to native speakers are still tough, but I find that I recognize more words and I remember many more new words than before (especially compared to last year HE HE HE...).

10. It's FRIDAY today and I'm going to my in-laws tomorrow. I'm REALLY looking forward to it HO HO HO HO HO HO HO...In-laws, here I coommmmeeeee!!!

Image taken from www.glitter-graphics.com

3BT: December 18, 2007

1. One of my closest friends who didn't have an internet at home came back to her old house just to chat with me and I was at home when she sent me SMS to ask me to chat. So we had quite a long chat. HUA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...It felt SO GOOD to reconnect, baby!!! ;-D

2. Teasing that friend who tried to tease me. Here's the conversation:

Her : Hey, I LOVE looking at your pics in Friendster. You look SO tiny when you're beside R2.
Me : Yeah, but a sexy tiny girl. *grin*
Her : Ah, but you still look like an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GIRL!
Me : Yeah, an elementary school girl with a body like a guitar HUA HA HA HA HA HA...
Her : Oh no...not again!!!!

LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL!!!! Then I got to tell this conversation to R2 and he laughed, too!!!

3. R2 meeting me at the supermarket since I was afraid of walking home with two big supermarket bags since it was slippery outside. And he was right on time HUE HE HE HE HE HE HE...

4. Having a hubby who's also a VERY generous and VERY patient lover. He's THE BEST!!! And we always cuddle and kiss and praise each other afterwards HUE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...Ehem...am I being too blunt here? But this is my blog, right? I have the right to remain open (not silent) HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...

5. Feeling naughty and sassy and sexy and excited whenever hubby comes home. I feel like jumping around like a little puppy to greet him (and sometimes I do imitate a little puppy jumping around to meet him) ha ha ha ha ha ha...

6. Dark chocolate. YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSS!!! ;-D

7. I found oranges again on sale. They were only €0.99 per kilogram and they were SO delicious. YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;-D

Air Ambulance

Air ambulance. Never thought such a service has existed for over 21 years in the United States. In Indonesia, nobody would charter air ambulance, anyway. Who would have the money to pay for it? Not normal people, I bet.

Do you know that airambulance dot net exists and that it's based in Florida? They provide domestic and international air ambulance flights with a medical team on board. Naturally the planes are also equipped with important medical equipment. After all, they will always consult the attending physician first before taking a patient on board.

I thought that an air ambulance would only be used for emergency cases only, but apparently not. This company also caters to non-emergency cases since they know that there are patients who have fractures who need to be transferred to a better hospital located far away from the one they are in right now. That makes sense! After all, if you have money and you can't even sit up, yet you have to be transferred to another hospital far away, you'd opt a more comfortable way of travelling, right?

Hmmm...I wonder how much it would cost to transfer a patient from, say Arizona to Texas? In the site it's said that the main cost would be the fuel. However, since there are plenty of air ambulances travelling from one place to another in USA, it means that if there's a patient who needs to go from A to B whereas another patient needs to go from B to A, then the cost per flight is definitely cheaper as both of them save on fuel cost! Well, I think that sounds good enough, don't you think?

3BT: Wednesday, November 21, 2007

1. Got this in my mailbox, created especially for me by Sindi. THANK YOU SO MUCH, Sindiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


2. My Finnish teacher asked us what we expected from her if our full-time course would not be started next January. We agreed that we would still LOVE to get the same classes next year: Tuesdays and Wednesdays (1.5 hour each session). The greatest thing is that my Brit friend's husband suggested something and our Finnish teacher agreed to talk to her husband about it. The idea is that we can go to school during Finnish lessons along with the kids (I mean regular school). I'm SO thankful that our teacher is willing to continue giving us lessons PLUS she always supports our ideas and she is concerned about our well-being as immigrants. She's like another angel in my life, just like all my blogger friends. ;-D

3. Just like what has happened a few times already, when I got to school for my Finnish class, all the doors were closed. My hubby patiently waited for me in his car while I knocked on the door to make sure that my Finnish teacher heard it (our classroom is on the second floor). Hubby waited for about 15 minutes. I TRULY appreciated his patience. I LOVE THAT GUY SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!! ;-D

4. I made my own hamburger steak and when hubby woke up from his nap, he couldn't wait to eat it HA HA HA HA HA...Normally he doesn't eat anything during the night except snacks and buns and coffee, but this time he decided to eat my burger steak first instead of coffee. I feel HONOURED and HAPPY to be able to satisfy his appetite HO HO HO HO HO...