3BT: Random Days

1. Had a near accident at work. Fortunately my coworker was in the warehouse with me at the time, so she could help me out. Phew!!! THANK GOD I'm safe!

2. Hubby's finally recovered from cold sore blisters on the lip, so we can kiss to our delight again. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!! :-D

3. A customer's appreciation of myself at work. THANK YOU, mummo (grandma)! It's nice to get verbal feedback every now and then, esp. positive ones LOL!!! :-D

3BT: Random Days

1. Went to visit MIL at her place yesterday and she looked much better. She was walking around the yard of the apartment complex (using two walking sticks for balance) when I arrived.

2. Knowing that MIL hasn't been totally alone ever since she got back home - that her sis had been there to help her out.

3. Ken, my bro's son, has started going to pre-school and the first day went very well. :-D

4. Going 27 kmh on my bike without having to do anything (because I was going down on a long slope) HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAHHHHH...

5. Having a nice, long chat at my friend's place.

6. Fresh cherries!!!!! There aren't any fresh cherries in Indo, so the first time I tasted them was a few years ago.



7. Feeling as a funny person when I'm with hubby, even though with others I don't especially feel that way (not that often anyway).


8. Cutting my hair shorter and feeling much lighter without having to spend a dime ha ha...

9. Being appreciated. :-D

10. Making a mistake at work and being forgiven for it. And letting it go. :-D

3BT: Random Days

1. Looking at these breathtaking pics of Hang Son Doong cave. Just amazing!!!!

2. Raking the leaves together in the yard while it was rather warm and not raining.

3. Talking about old crushes with my closest friends and laughing so much in the process.



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4. A hare eating right in front of our yard. It hasn't completely changed into its summer fur yet, though I can see some brown spots here and there.

5. Laughing till it was so hard to breathe and my cheeks/jaw became so sore in the process.

6. The temperature at the moment showing close to 20'C and there is some sun despite a cloudy morning.

7. Being verbally appreciated.

8. Restful sleep.



9. Flower buds in our garden. :-D


10. Triple chocolate ice-cream, eaten with fresh strawberries. :-D

11. The first part of my summer holiday is coming SOON and I'm SO excited!!! :-D :-D :-D

3BT: Random Days

1. Both hubby and I were busy in front of our own computers (he was busy gaming) and then I went to turn on the printer (next to his computer) and was setting the layout for printing some documents and R2 clicked on the switcher so that I didn't have to do it. The switcher for the printer was on his computer desk and I had forgotten that the printer was linked to his computer at that time. LOVE his thoughtfulness!

2. A customer joked, "I like being served by you. The only bad thing is that I have to give you money." ROFL ROFL ROFL...He made me laugh and feel appreciated!

3. Another customer sharing her verbal appreciation of my service. You people don't know just how much I appreciate your verbal appreciation! 

4. Going full speed on my bike the other day when the snow had melted from almost 80% of the sidewalk (though it's snowed again ever since then, but it was GREAT to be able to do that then).

5. Receiving my tax return calculation form today and realizing that this coming December I'd get more return tax than last year. WOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! It's like being forced to save money. YEAH!!!!

6. Voice chat with my Japanese friend. It made her feel SO close! :-D 

7. Watching this ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS video clip that made my day (better viewed in widescreen) --- a HUGE THANK YOU to Michelle Frost for having sent me the link via email:
  

3BT: Random Days

1. My boss has read the note I made and said that in the new worklist, I'll get less hours. YEEESSS!!! That starts in a few weeks, so until then I'll still be a bit busier he he...but I'm glad I did decide to give the note.

2. The kind old guy who once gave me flowers gave me another pot the other day. I almost couldn't contain my happy tears from flowing (PMS mode) and believe me, it was SO hard to control myself when I still had other customers to serve. Some of them probably saw my wet eyes and wondered what went wrong HA HA HA...I don't know why the old guy is so nice to me, but I THANK GOD for having customers like him.

Before he came, it had been hectic hours at work and I was feeling tired, but after he gave me the pot of flowers, nothing else mattered and I felt SO refreshed. ;-D It felt like drinking fresh water in the middle of a very hot day in the desert.

3. A little girl who's been very friendly to me has been asking about me whenever she and her parents go out to buy groceries. I'm SO touched that another person's child remembers me, even though I don't really know her, but she's SO cute!!!

4. A male customer asked me the usual stuff (where I come from, etc.) and after that he said, "You're brave for moving here." I thanked him, though I don't really feel brave, but I TRULY appreciate people who give others encouragement. They're angels on earth.

5. Christmas holiday is coming soon. Dinner with family, playing cards and drinking some cider and eating chocolate...just the thought of that brings warmth to the soul, 'coz we'll never know how much time left we have with one another.

6. We're going on a short trip to Rovaniemi sometime. YAHOOOOOOOO!!! It wasn't exactly planned - sort of just on a whim and I'm glad I found a hotel with a good price (and the room price includes breakfast). I'll write about this later on when we get back. YEEESSS!!!!

7. Taking these pictures make me happy:

Decoration behind a bed and breakfast in Sodankylä:



Saw pink sky again the other day, so I had to grab my camera to take some pics...

SAD + 3BT

Yeah, been busy and tired a lot lately. I've read online about SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and I think I'm suffering from it. Not the depression, but the weird fatigue (even though I've slept enough) and being unmotivated. Also my brain doesn't work as well as in summer. I've also read that working shift jobs also affects your body to suffer from SAD. When I was helping out at the library two winters ago, I didn't feel any SAD 'coz I had such a regular work schedule. But now every week I have different work schedule, so my body clock is all messed up now that it gets darker and darker in winter (in December there will be a few days when the sun doesn't come up at all).

I've been thinking of buying a light therapy lamp and I've been browsing A LOT to find out which one I should buy. It's hard to choose 'coz the best one seems to be Philips, but I don't want to pay that much for a lamp (esp. 'coz I don't know if it'll work as well for me or not) and I've been toying with the idea of buying another lamp (made locally) that is half as cheap, but I still haven't decided yet. Gonna browse a little bit more before deciding - plus I want to wait until I get my paycheck first before ordering anything he he he...

Other than that I've been fine. Went to my MIL's yesterday to celebrate an early Father's Day with my BIL and SIL 'coz R2 was having a pre-Xmas party in Levi, so he couldn't come. I walked to my MIL's place 'coz I wanted to get a ride from BIL/SIL HE HE HE...

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OK, now here are my 3BT random list:

1. Hubby's home safe and sound and I can BUG him again HA HA HA HA HA...It was boring without him here. Plus he wrote a very funny SMS that made me laugh last nite: "Bunny! Get me out of here! I MISS YOUUUUUU!" HE HE HE HE HE...

2. Watching the clouds today...



3. Noticing that some people have already started putting some Christmas lights outside (on the bushes/trees). They really cheer me up when I ride my bike to work in the mornings ('coz it's already SO dark now in the mornings).

4. A customer asking me if I felt at home already in Sodankylä and when I said yes, he really looked like he cared about it. THANK GOD for caring people! :-D

5. Having warm-hearted non-fussy in-laws that let us do our thing without interfering with anything, that accept me just the way I am.

6. A LONG WEEKEND!!! WOOOHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

7. Fast internet access that never gives us any trouble. :-D

8. Having a job (just when I thought that getting a job here would be close to impossible). :-D



9. Frozen duck (haven't cooked it yet, but it made me SUPER HAPPY to find it at Lidl's again!).

10. Sending an email to someone to say how much I appreciate that person.

11. I'll sleep with hubby again tonight! YIIIIHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! No more lonely bed!!! ;-D

12. Getting some free non-alcoholic cider from Lidl HA HA HA HA HA HA...;-D I LOVE cider!

3BT: Random Days

1. When a man buys women's stuff (panty liners, bras) or children's stuff (children's food, diapers, milk) in my workplace.

2. Fresh bed linens.

3. Movement-induced lamps, which are VERY VERY handy in winter. It gets SO dark outside now, esp. when I have evening shifts.

4. Seeing open doors for a friend. :-D

5. Frost. Beautiful frost.




6. Today's Ken's 2nd birthday. Two years ago today, R2 and I were at the hospital where he was born. Such a pleasure and honour to be able to witness (heard) his birth right outside the labour room.

7. An old customer asked me how I was doing and when I asked him back, he said, "Fine, 'coz you're at the cashier. Even when it's raining sleet outside, you're like the sun." I thanked him. He made me smile. He said it in a matter-of-fact way, not flirty. I didn't get any weird vibes from him, so it made me feel like he just wanted to show me that my being there mattered - and I was touched. :-)))

8. I've heard a few customers (upon asking where I come from, etc.) say that they're GLAD that I moved to this village. One of them even said that it was good to have different races here. I TOTALLY appreciate those people who took the time and effort to encourage me verbally.

9. Having MORE than enough.

10. Hubby squeezing me SO tightly as though he was about to lose me or something. That felt SUPERB! :-D

11. Making banana+cheese+chocolate, which we both LOVE. :-D First I pan-fried the bananas with some butter (after flattening them a little) and I turned them around and around until they're soft...then after that I added some cheese all over it (better use grated cheese) plus some chocolate sauce. Better eaten warm. Yum yum...Here's a pic of it if you want to see: Pisang Keju.

Fun Moments at Work #2

Just finished talking to Mom via Skype. Talked to Dad also for a little while, mostly just reminding him to take good care of himself ha ha ha ha...Had fun talking to Mom as usual. She sounds well and not stressed out, so it's good.

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Anyway, as promised, here's a list of some fun/touching moments at work. These days I TRULY appreciate the elderly even more 'coz more often than not (or actually always) they're the ones who take time to talk to me at work. I TRULY appreciate their effort/interest in talking to me.

1. An old lady asked me how I felt about living in a foreign country. I answered, "Because I've lived here for about 3 years now, I feel at home here now."

Upon hearing that, she said, "Well, I just want you to pull through." ---> it's hard to translate it from Finnish, but it's just TOUCHING for me to know that she wants to make sure that I not only "survive" here in this foreign country, but am also able to manage living here and or working here well.

Due to my PMS and the thoughtfulness of this lady, I had wet eyes after she went away...he he he he...

2. An old guy said to me with a smile right after paying, "Arigato. Is that the right way to say it?"

I said, "It's Japanese!"

He, who probably realized that I wasn't Japanese that very moment, asked, "Where do you come from?"

I replied, "Indonesia."

LOL LOL!!! I guess he just assumed I was Japanese based on my looks ha ha ha...

3. One old lady who's ever met me a few times at the store said this while gathering her stuff, "Did you ever work here prior to now?"

I replied, "No."

She said, "Really? You work so fast that I thought you're experienced already."

I smiled and said, "Well, thank you for your compliment." :-D

See? See??? The elderly are REALLY nice people he he he...

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4. While I was scanning some stuff for a couple of elderly, the guy said, "Hey, can I ask what your name is?"

I then pointed to my name tag and said my name, but he said, "Oh, but I can't read it." Obviously the name tag is too small for his eyes to read, so I said my name again.

Then he said, "Nice to meet you! My name is ...." ---> This was the FIRST time a customer had EVER told me his/her name he he he...

I smiled and replied, "Nice to meet you too." We didn't shake hands, though, 'coz I was busy scanning stuff for them.

Then he started babbling about what he did for a living and I listened and replied appropriately he he he he...

Then the also very friendly wife smiled and said, "You're so small. Look at your fingers! Your fingers are even smaller than mine!" (at that point she reached out her hand and hold it next to mine)

I laughed and said, "Yes, that's true."

Then they asked me where I came from and after the wife finished paying and all the goods were packed, the guy kept on standing in front of me and talking about this and that until the wife laughed and grabbed his arm and said, "Come on, let's go. Those are not our stuff. There's already a line of people behind the cashier now. Time for us to go."

The guy seemed a bit surprised and said, "Oh, really? These aren't our stuff?" and he was still talking while his wife dragged him away, laughing at her talkative hubby hi hi hi hi hi hi...

5. Yesterday a couple came by and then the guy said to the wife, "This woman (meaning me) is our neighbour."

I was surprised, so I stated my street name and he told me their house number on that street. Funnily enough, that was the first time a customer had ever said "woman" to me - other times they always refer to me as "girl" and many times I hear them ask me whether I'm studying here he he he...Do I look like a student? HA HA...

6. A UK tourist said to me after he paid, "Thanks so much, darling. Jesus loves you." That was the FIRST time someone has EVER said those words "Jesus loves you" to me after I moved to Finland, and it was quite a touching moment for me and I also had wet eyes after hearing those words. :-D

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Fun Moments at Work

Today is such a WINDY, COLD day (even though it's sunny). My poor mustasilmä susanna (Thunbergia alata) obviously didn't like the cold wind. I left it out last night, but they were fine. However, only an hour or so of cold wind and the leaves were dying already. Good thing I checked every now and then, so I rushed them inside and now they seem to have grown back to life. PHEW!!! My poor, poor babiesss...

Anyway, wanna share some fun moments at work he he he...

1. A pair of old guys came in while I was sitting at the cashier.

Guy #1: "Hey, from your facial features it seems that you're an Asian."
Me : "I am an Asian."
Guy #1: "Do you speak Finnish?"
Guy #2: "OF COURSE she speaks Finnish, silly!"

LOL LOL LOL...

2. A pair of old ladies came in...

Lady #1: "Hey, you're working here." (Side note: it's more like that she was surprised to see me working there)
Me : "Yes."
Lady #1: "Where do you come from?"
Me : "Indonesia."
Lady #1: "Oh, such a distant country. Why did you move here?"
Me : "My husband is Finnish."
Lady #1: "OH! Well, you speak Finnish well."
Me : "Thank you." (smiling)

3. A guy came in and then I told him how much he had to pay, and he said, "Well-counted!"

Oh, THANK YOU for the compliment he he he he he he...

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4. A pair of older guys came in...

Guy #1: "Look, there's a Japanese girl working here."
Guy #2: "Yes, it's nice to see a different face here."
Me : "Oh, but I'm not Japanese. I come from Indonesia."
Guy #2: "Sorry?"
Me : "I come from Indonesia."
Guy #2: "Ohhhh...such a long way from here. Well, it's nice to see you here anyway."
Me : "Thank you."

5. I think it's really beneficial that I look Asian 'coz if someone wants to ask me something, then they would definitely speak slow enough for me to understand and they would use gestures to describe what they want to ask HE HE HE HE HE HE...

6. I'm surprised at how many people are surprised to know that I speak Finnish. Maybe they think that foreigners who live here can't speak Finnish well enough 'coz of the lack of full-time Finnish courses in this area. But anyway, it's really good for my self-esteem to hear many people say "You speak Finnish well". And last but not least, I TRULY appreciate some people who have expressed how nice it is to see a foreign face in that place THANK YOU, people!!!

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P.S. Mind you that I don't always understand everything yet and sometimes a customer asks me something I'm not sure about, so I always turn to my coworkers to ask about that, but at least most of the time I survive ha ha....

3BT: Random Days

1. Hubby called me to find out where I was. Note: I had a call from a friend who needed my help ASAP, so I went to her place right after work and didn't have time to tell R2 about it. 'Coz I always got back home straight from work, he was confused where I could be and he was worried about me hi hi hi...

2. TEMPEH!!!!!!!!!!! Oh glorious tempeh!!! THANK YOU to my friend's Mom who brought me some frozen tempeh from the UK when she came here for a visit.

3. Having fun chit-chatting with my friend and her Mom who visited me while bringing my tempeh HO HO HO HO...

4. Cooking the said tempeh yesterday and today - I gave yesterday's tempeh for my in-laws. Today's tempeh I cooked with garlic, sweet soy sauce, coriander, lemongrass, tamarind, salt, pepper, and chili seeds.


5. When I let MIL guess what it was just by looking at it, she thought it was something made out of rice HI HI HI HI HI...and she liked it! :-D

6. Having fun trying out different forms of origami - some of which I had learnt years back but forgotten, some others I've only begun trying now. It's really therapeutic!

7. Finally R2 was impressed with one type of origami that I made he he he...

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8. Dealing with the kids at the daycare makes me appreciate my parents in a whole new level 'coz they'd had to put up with us (esp. since I was such a naughty child).

9. Eating tempeh with warm rice this morning and enjoying EVERY single bite of it...mmmhhh...

10. Excitement 'coz I want to try making my own tempeh in summer (I have the tempeh starter now WHOOOPPEEE!!!) - hopefully there are hot days he he he...

3BT: Random Days

1. Reading a website that reminded me to send a thank you or love card to my hubby.

2. Sending that e-card to my hubby filled with words of gratitude and appreciation.

3. Getting a "thank you", a hug, and a kiss from hubby after he opened the e-card.

4. Watching hubby's naked body in bed at night. Yum yum...

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5. Finding a wonderful forum online for infertile people that helped me feel that I wasn't insane with all the turmoil inside me.

6. Reading this beautiful reminder when self-pity kicked in:

We have no right to ask, when sorrow comes, "Why did this happen to me?" unless we ask the same question for every joy that comes our way.
~ Philip S. Bernstein

And all of a sudden the world became A THOUSAND TIMES brighter! :-D :-D :-D

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7. Crying out all my pent-up fears, doubts, anxiety, stress to God and feeling good afterward, 'coz I know He understands every single thought and emotion even though I don't need to use words.

8. Excitement 'coz I'm going to call my Mom via Skype today.

9. Hearing this beautiful quote while watching "The Curious Tale of Benjamin Button":

"You can be as mad as a mad dog at the way things went
You could swear, curse the fates
But when it comes to the end
You have to let go..."

Image taken from here