Bridging the Distance

3BT: Random Days

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:27:00 +0000

1. Being hugged by my MIL and seeing her brush some happy tears from her eyes after she read the Mother's Day quotation book I gave her HE HE HE HE...

2. The smell and taste of freshly-baked garlic bread. Crunchy and yummiliciousssssss...

3. Finding out from Juliana that my PR is up!!!!!!!!!! THANKS A LOT, Jul!!! ;-D That means I can write ads again to save money for my trip to Singapore. If I can really be diligent, I think the trip will be 100% sure HI HI HI HI HI HI...I'm TRULY psyched!!! *HUGE GRIN*

4. Talking much more than usual to my MIL. It feels nice to be able to understand more things and to be able to communicate more.

5. Seeing hubby's smiles and staring at him (distracting him while he's watching TV and making him so self-conscious that he tries to block my face away) HUAAAAA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...

6. Feeling the hot shower "massaging" my sore muscles after I exercised. I bet I'm gonna sleep REALLY well tonight ho ho ho ho ho ho...

Football Forum

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:17:00 +0000

Anybody here a football fan? I myself am not a huge fan of any type of sports, but I know that many people are huge fans of a certain sports group or individual. If you can't live without football and you want to hang around with other football fans, then you can click here to view expert nfl picks, baseball stats, football boards, sports humor, and many more!

Isn't it fun to be able to find "birds of the same feathers"? ;-D Then what else are you waiting for? Go visit the site and join in the fun!

Weekend Pics

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Sun, 11 May 2008 10:57:00 +0000

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

Standing Women Pledge

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Sun, 11 May 2008 09:44:00 +0000

Michelle challenged me to stand for something based on this pledge below.

Last May hundreds of thousands of women and girls, along with the men and boys they love, in 75 countries and on all continents of the world stood together in parks, on beaches, in churches, at graduation ceremonies, in their backyards and at school yards or anyplace they could find to stand in a global wave of humanity in support of a better world for our children.

We invite women and their families everywhere to take this "stand" with us again, on May 11 at 1 p.m. local time for just 5 minutes, to rekindle the world with our common vision.

We stand for the world's children and grandchildren, and for the seven generations beyond them.
We dream of a world where all of our children have safe drinking water, clean air to breathe, and enough food to eat.
A world where they have access to a basic education to develop their minds and healthcare to nurture their growing bodies.
A world where they have a warm, safe and loving place to call home. A world where they don't live in fear of violence-in their home, in their neighborhood, in their school or in their world.
This is the world of which we dream.
This is the cause for which we stand.

To learn more and register your standing, go to the Standing Women website at http://www.standingwomen.org/

What do I stand for?

I stand for the people who suffer from prejudice and bullies' attacks. I stand for the kids who aren't accepted for who they are because they're "different". I stand for people who feel oppressed by the societies' standards who feel forced not to follow their own hearts' callings or their conscience. I stand for the spirit of love, of giving people a chance, of realizing that we're all somehow connected in this big big world.

Possibility: Visiting Singapore in Oct?

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:07:00 +0000

As you probably know, I'll be in Indonesia for around 17 days in October (arriving on Oct 8th and leaving on Oct 24th). Yesterday we got some brochures on cheap travel packages to Australia and other countries, so we had a discussion on travelling.

I told hubby that it crossed my mind about visiting Singapore while we were on our vacation in Indonesia, but the only discomfort is that we had to go back and forth to Jakarta to do so as there would be no direct flight from Bandung to Singapore.

He said that he was interested in visiting Singapore. I was once there for 6 days in 2000 with my Aussie emailpal and I liked the country so much. I didn't get to see everything there, so I'd love to go back again.

I know we need to save more money in order to make this visit possible, but I think as long as we don't stay in any fancy hotel, it's a possibility. I'm not going to do any major shopping there, anyway, so I don't have to budget much on shopping. We can allocate our budget only for the plane tickets, room rent, food, and entrance tickets to touristy places.

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There are some things I want to ask my Singaporean bloggers, though:

1. I'm thinking that 4 days (5 days 4 nights) would be enough to travel around, since after all we're not going to stay in Indo THAT long. If we're staying in Indo for a month, then we might consider staying in Singapore longer than that. But is it better to visit Singapore on weekdays or also on a weekend? Are there many more interesting things during the weekends?

2. What do you recommend for us to see or visit? We're not that keen on museums or art hi hi hi hi hi...but I know it'll take a WHOLE day to tour Sentosa Island, so what else should we do the next 3 days? Anything particular we should see? Any particular restaurants we should visit? Hubby doesn't like seafood, but I DO love seafood and Chinese food and European food he he he he...Well, I AM a foodie HA HA HA HA HA...

I'm not 100% sure yet about this trip since it depends on how much money we can save, but I HOPE it can come true. It'll be our second honeymoon and we can try making babies then HO HO HO HO...Plus maybe I get to meet some of my Singaporean blogger friends? ;-D

Okay, I'll blog hop later since I want to try making some snack for tomorrow. I bought Princess Cake already today from the supermarket since it was on a HUGE discount HA HA HA HA HA HA...so I'm just going to make some snack today.

Last but not least, THANK YOU SO MUCH for Karen (WaterLearner) for your handicraft. I LOVE IT!!! I'm gonna take a pic of it and publish it here, but later he he he he...

Hero of the Moment Tag + To Do List Tag

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:07:00 +0000

Max tagged me to do Hero of the Moment meme. I have to select my hero of the moment along with a picture and explain why I chose that person.

I've been thinking about it for several days and this is my final answer: My Parents.

Why? Because they believe in me, they always support me, they have given the best that they can give to me. They love me unconditionally and they are my immediate role models. They give me enough freedom and they've taught me so many things. They have such a HUGE impact on my life, especially during my childhood, and the impact continues until today. :-D

I can't thank them enough for what they've given me. I haven't been always easy to deal with, but I'm thankful that they've given me enough trust and room to make my own mistakes and to learn from them.

I also thank them for being able to let go of me (letting me go to such a faraway place), even though I probably don't know how hard it is to do. I also thank them for having been praying for me even before I was born.

I thank them for who they were and who they are today. I thank them for having been my parents. It's such an honor for me to be their daughter. :-))))

And the second tag is from Arlene: To-Do List Tag.

1. Count my blessings every day.

2. Make a baby in Indo HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...

3. Keep on studying Finnish and practicing it.

4. Save money so that we can possibly also visit Singapore when we go to Indo next October.

5. Think positive.

6. NEVER give up!!!

7. Get rid of negative feelings like envy, anger, etc.

8. Not sweat the small stuff in love.

9. Compliment other people when I have something good to say (not keeping them inside).

10. Say thank you.

Faces

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:09:00 +0000

Faces are interesting, don't you think? My Brit friend Michelle once said, "A smile goes a LONG way." Very true!

These days I meet more and more people as I walk to and from the course from Mondays till Fridays. I see many faces as I walk. Remember that the firm that organizes my Finnish course rents a room from the place where my hubby works? Well, the other week I complained to hubby since one of his colleagues didn't smile back at me when I said, "hi" and when I smiled to him. He always has this serious look on his face that is borderline sour. I wonder why.

Some other colleagues of his, on the contrary, ALWAYS look like they're smiling. I bet you've also seen those type of faces, right?

Unfortunately I have no such smiling face, but I try to smile more and more, especially when I meet people that I know.

Now that I've observed many more faces, I realize more how true my Brit friend's words were. How come it seems it's so hard for some people to smile? I understand that sometimes when you're stressed out or depressed or you've just experienced some type of sorrow or heartbreak, then it is hard for you to smile, but if you meet some people over and over and over again, how come it is harder for some people to smile whereas it seems to be easier for others to smile?

Of course if someone hates me, then maybe that person doesn't want to smile at me. I understand that completely. But anyhow, as long as a smile is free, I'll make efforts to share more smiles with others.

Here, let me share some quotations on Smiles:

Smile. Have you ever noticed how easily puppies make human friends? Yet all they do is wag their tails and fall over. ~Walter Anderson, The Confidence Course, 1997

Everyone smiles in the same language. ~Author Unknown

I've never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful. ~Author Unknown

It takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty-three to frown. ~Author Unknown

A smile costs nothing but gives much. It enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that he cannot get along without it and none is so poor that he cannot be made rich by it. Yet a smile cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give. ~Author Unknown

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A Bit of Everything

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:33:00 +0000

Weather:

After a glorious few days last week, this week the weather's back to wintry weather. It even snowed very lightly yesterday, can you believe it? Snow in May HI HI HI HI HI HI...but I don't mind that since there's no ice left all around me and the birds are still singing happily. ;-D Plus I don't have to wear my long john anymore and I can wear my summer jackets already (double jackets). ;-D

Last year I told my sis-in-law that 25'C was the PERFECT weather for me (she said it was too hot for her)...I have a feeling that this year if the temperature gets that high, it might be a bit too hot for me, too.

Last year I saw two girls sunbathing outside the lawn when it was around 15'C and I told Arttu that they were crazy. This year I did sunbathe outside when it was 15'C, even though I still had my summer jacket on since the wind could be strong.

Isn't it interesting? HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...

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Finnish Course:

Officially, the Finnish language course will end by the end of this month, so we only have a few weeks to go. After that a computer teacher will come and teach us something for two weeks, then we'll do the training in different places.

Today my homework is to write down a recipe in Finnish. It's proven to be a tough job to do, since recipes require different types of terms he he he...but it's interesting! ;-D

We're going to go on one last trip together, even though it's not officially decided yet, BUT we may go to Rovaniemi. Wherever we go, I'm sure we'll have fun together. ;-D

Mother's Day:

This Sunday is Mother's Day and at first I was planning on making my own Princess Cake, but unfortunately I can't find any green marzipan anywhere. I talked about it with my hubby last night and he said it'd be better to buy a frozen Princess Cake from the supermarket. Well, it's definitely nice to buy a ready-made one since I'm not too sure whether I can make one well, but if you make something yourself, even though it's not as tasty-looking as the ones in the stores, it'll be a more personal gift, right?

I've bought a Mother's Day book for my mom-in-law. We're going to write something in it later on. It's filled with pictures and quotations on motherhood. ;-D

I think I'm gonna either buy that Princess Cake and make some snack by myself OR I'm going to try making a cake on my own. We'll see about it on Friday. It all depends on my mood HE HE HE HE HE...

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P.S. I want to THANK Karen from WaterLearner in advance for having made some handicraft for me. THANK YOU for your effort, time, and thoughtfulness!!!!!!!! I can't wait to get it HE HE HE HE HE HE...

Li'l Something About Me

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:19:00 +0000

Liza tagged me to do this meme. Since it looks interesting and it doesn't take much time, here we go!!! Sorry to say that I haven't been able to do other tags or post some of the awards I've received, but I REALLY appreciate them. ;-D

1. What’s your favorite color?
Definitely blue, esp. navy blue hi hi hi...Isn't it obvious by the choice of text color I use for my blog? ;-D

2. What’s your favorite quote?
"God's help NEVER comes late, but it RARELY comes early."

3. Favorite television show?
CSI, Lost, Desperate Housewives.

4. What part of the chicken is your favorite?
Thigh and leg.

5. When you get a cold or the flu are you tough or a big baby?
Depends on how bad it is. I once had bone flu and I couldn't do A THING! It was the worst flu I had ever had in my life. Whenever I coughed, I felt it in my BONES, so all I could do was curl up like a fetus in bed since it hurt so much. When my Dad took me to the doctor by car, I was SO delirious on the way there that I didn't even know where we were going. I hope NOBODY catches this type of flu!!!

6. Are you more serious or a big dork?
Depends. Some people bring up the dork in me (like my hubby). *tee hee*

7. Use one word to describe how you are feeling right now.
LAZYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!! LOL LOL LOL!!!

8. Name your worst habit.
Besides being lazy? LOL!!!

9. Name a book that you could read over and over again.
Japanese comic books HO HO HO HO HO...

10. Are you a collector of anything?
BOOKS!!! I wanna have a private library someday. *dreamy sigh*

11. What’s one of your favorite blogs to read?
Too many. I LOVE all the blogs in My Great Blogging Buddies List. ;-D

12. Name one thing you are passionate about.
Counting my blessings.

3BT: Random Days

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Mon, 05 May 2008 12:51:00 +0000

1. I was able to see MANY birds near my in-laws. Most of them were seagulls. Would you believe me if I saw seagulls in a YARD? HA HA HA HA HA...There were approx. 30 birds out there, flying back to the north. Unbelievable sight!!!

2. Sunbathiiinnnggggggggggggg and having fun with my Russian friend IN on Wednesday. Mmmmhhh...

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3. My mom-in-law's thoughtfulness (yes, again!). She offered me something that she needed, but she asked me first whether I wanted it. Amazing woman! ;-D I'm SO lucky!!!

4. Feeling relaxed and having plenty of time to rest during my long holiday HO HO HO HO...

5. Talking to my Mom, Dad, brother, and his wife via Skype and knowing that they're all fine.

6. Hearing that my brother just got a raise and it's quite a nice raise. God is SO generous!!!

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7. Stealing another kiss from hubby today at the stairs down his office/my course place HO HO HO HO HO HO...

8. Watching two people sitting down outside their lawn with their sunglasses on, sunbathing when it was 15'C outside. Last year I said to Arttu that people who sunbathed at 15'C were CRAZY but this year I understand completely that it IS very possible to do HA HA HA HA HA HA...

9. Today my order arrived at the PO and I realized that they were just what I expected they would be and I think they'd fit my parents very well.

I asked my Mom the other month what else they wanted from Finland (besides chocolate) and Mom said, "A sweater for me and a jacket for Dad, BUT DO NOT buy anything too expensive and it's VERY OKAY even if you don't buy them for us. We won't be disappointed even if you don't bring anything else." Ahhhh...bless her soul!!! ;-D

10. Feeling LUCKY to have a hubby like Arttu and telling him how LUCKY I feel. *BIG GRIN* And still feeling SO MUCH PASSION towards him.

The Priority Test

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Sat, 03 May 2008 17:37:00 +0000

This is HILARIOUS, so I just have to share it hi hi hi...

What's Important to You... And What Isn't:

For you, primal needs like eating and sleeping are your top priorities.

You find getting things done to be fairly satisfying. You like feeling accomplished.

Your most important priorities get your attention. You are happily able to let the less important things slide.

You want your closest relationships to be a high priority, but you often don't get around to them.

The Priority Test

Somewhere in Time Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Sat, 03 May 2008 17:35:00 +0000

A 27-year-old guy is dating a 38-year-old woman with four kids. The eldest is staying with her Dad, so the girlfriend is left with three younger children. The guy confesses that he doesn't really love the girlfriend, since he's still in love with his ex-girlfriend. His honesty is really...surprising, fascinating, raw, and somewhat melancholic.

He keeps the photos of the girlfriend's kids in his wallet, yet he refuses to put hers there. He says he doesn't want to do it. He still keeps a picture of himself with his ex-girlfriend, though.

What made them get together? Surely she was old enough to know that the guy probably didn't love her. Or maybe she didn't care about love anymore? Maybe she thinks, "Why not?" And what about him? Maybe he thinks that he can grow to love her over time?

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A friend of mine once had a relationship just because they thought it'd help get over their lost loves. Did it work? Unfortunately not. They had been very good friends for many years, and then out of the spur of the moment, they decided to try having a relationship after experiencing broken hearts. After their break-up, their friendship became somewhat strained for a while, but thankfully it's now back to normal again. At least that's what I last heard about them.

I once heard a friend of mine saying that she actually would have loved to have some more love relationships prior before she decided to marry a guy. (Un)fortunately she met the man of her life right away and didn't have the chance to experience different types of relationships with other guys. One relationship was all it took for her to be a bride.

I've also seen some people getting tired of trying to start a new relationship due to many or some failed relationships. The trauma is too deep to bear after they had given so much time, effort, and love in their prior relationships. They start to wonder if there are really decent partners-to-be left in the world for them to find.

Personally speaking, I think it's good to be able to experience one or two love relationships prior to marrying someone as long as the broken relationships don't traumatize you into trying all over again. But even if you don't, it's just as well as long as you find the right one for you. After all, starting all over again is tiring.

Life is very intriguing. The choices people make, the paths they take, the risks they dare take or daren't take. Don't we all sometimes choose the wrong thing to do, even though we know fully well that it's wrong? I know I do, especially since I'm such a stubborn person.

However, no matter what, I still believe that it's much better to love and lost than never to have loved at all...

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May Day Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Sat, 03 May 2008 16:08:00 +0000

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

3BT: Random Days

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:48:00 +0000

1. Telling hubby that I was checking out his sexy behind (ahem) when he was doing something inside our classroom HO HO HO HO HO HO HO...I CAN'T HELP IT (and I don't want to)!!! *GRIN*

2. My teacher showed me a pic of her son and told us that he was 30 years old. I told her, "He's the same age as I am!"

Then she jokingly said, "Oh, really? I thought you were 16!"

HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO...Yes, thank you very much, being told that made me HAPPY HA HA HA HA HA...

3. Resisting temptation to eat snack late at night and preferred to eat yoghurt instead he he he...

4. Coming home early from the trip to SGO and having plenty of time to take a nap, which I TRULY needed.

5. Anticipating a LONG holiday this week PLUS going to spend a night at my in-laws again HO HO HO HO HO HO...

6. Writing this post using draft.blogger.com so that I can spread my posts into different days. THANK YOU, blogger draft! ;-D

A Trip to Sodankyla Geological Observatory (SGO)

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:48:00 +0000

Today we visited the observatory. Turned out that it was very near downtown (only about 10 minutes away by car). It was the first time I had ever been there. First we went into a medium-sized conference room to watch some slides and to hear the explanations in Finnish. Thank GOD the slides were written in English HA HA HA HA...since technical terms aren't easy even in English.

To be honest, the first guy who gave us explanation had an unclear voice, so it was tough for me to understand him, so I just read the slides he he he he...

My homework is to explain to the teacher tomorrow what we had heard today. I've made some notes, but I still need to write them down in the form of sentences he he he...

Then we were taken to a different building where we had to take off our shoes ha ha ha...There another guy showed us more slides (unfortunately the slides were in Finnish, but he talked in English!!!) and the equipment they used there. Then we were asked to sign their guest book in our own language HA HA HA HA HA...so I wrote "thank you" in Indonesian. ;-D

After that we went out to see how the guy moved the huge satellite dish outside. To be clear, let me just show you the pictures I made he he he...Not too many as it was such a short visit!!!

First pic: a relief made by a Finnish artist. It's obvious that the colourful stuff above is aurora borealis HE HE HE HE...

Second pic: the nice coffee room (?) in SGO's main building.

Third pic: Signing our names in the guest book he he he...

Fourth pic: Me and the HUGE satellite dish! ;-D

Fifth pic: I got to take this pic while the other guy was moving the satellite dish around he he he he he...

Last pic: USSSSSSSSSSSS!!! The guy in the above pic took it and unfortunately it seemed that he couldn't get a good pic of us and the whole dish. Oh well...no worries, though.

Tomorrow is the last day of the week at the course, since we're having a long May Day holiday. YIIIPPPPPPPPPPIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! Arttu says that we might go to Kelujärvi again and spend a night there tomorrow evening, so I may only be able to blog-hop on Thursday night or Friday.

I still have to do my homework nowwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Abundance This Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:02:00 +0000

As I've said in my other post, last Friday we went to my in-laws. That same day in the morning I weighed myself and realized that I had GAINED WEIGHT!!! ARRRGGGHHH!!!! I didn't even know that I weighed that much now as it didn't feel too much. I'm back to my highest weight now and I need to do some diet (cut off some snack, esp. if it's late snacking!) before I go back to Indo, since I KNOW I'll gain weight there.

Yeah, I know I'm fussy right now about this weight thingie since I'd made a commitment to myself prior to moving to Finland that I'd stay in a certain range of weight he he he...I don't want to be too skinny, but I also don't want to be too heavy as it's hard to lose weight (but don't worry, I still love myself HA HA HA HA). But why do I talk about this topic here? Because it's related to "abundance" LOL LOL LOL!!!

And here's one joke for you HI HI HI HI HI HI...

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Anyhow, after going back from the mine, for some reason I was SO tired that I took a nap. I think it only took me less than 2-3 minutes to fall into dreamland. At around 4 pm Arttu went home and I woke up. He had initially thought that I would've been ready to leave right away, but I just woke up and I was still sleepy hi hi hi...

Hey, come to think of it, I've been more tired than usual these past few days. Must be PMS he he he he...;-D

Well, back to the story: we packed our bag and brought everything we needed. We had decided to make some pizza there, so we had bought all the necessary ingredients. Arttu also bought some hamburgers since he thought we could eat them on Friday night and we could make the pizza only on Saturday. It was a nice sunny day to start with and we left home at around 5 pm. ;-D

When we arrived in my in-laws, we found a note written by my mom-in-law. She gave us instructions on which house plants to give water to and how much water we should give. They're still inside now since it's still too cold for them to grow outside. After all, they're still so tiny he he he he...but she's going to take them all out in summer. ;-D

She also said thank you for our willingness to spend the night there. Hey, it's MY pleasure he he he he...She had actually bought PLENTY of food for US!!! Dear goodness...you should've seen how much food she had in her fridge. She bought a WHOLE roasted chicken and also two slices of uncooked steak and as usual, she had plenty of milk, bread, cheese, and other stuff.

Amazing woman!!! I haven't actually told you this before, but twice Arttu was making coffee in her house and twice he forgot to put the coffee pot below the coffee maker. The result was of course obvious. Coffee trickling all over the counter and at one time it even trickled down to the cupboard below the counter so he had to take out all the stuff from that counter and cleaned it.

But what was her reaction? She just laughed!!! Can you believe it? Another amazing thing about her is what she wrote in the note. She said that later on it would be her turn to help us out "if" and "when" we had kids HE HE HE HE HE...

She actually wrote down "if" and "when" just like that and I TRULY appreciate that. She had never told us that she would love to have more grandkids (she only told me that after I had told her that I would want to try having a kid at the end of this year). I'm SO SO SO LUCKY to have such a grand mom-in-law HE HE HE HE HE HE...

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Back to the topic hi hi hi...Arttu and I brought a big box of game we bought at Lidl some time ago. There are many different types of games in that box, including chess and backgammon. We played different types of games during the night and then he introduced me to Mikado. Does anyone else know what kind of game Mikado is? I had NEVER heard or seen it before, but it was VERY interesting hi hi hi hi...

Just click on the link to read about it. We were giggling and laughing while playing it. We had to really concentrate on picking up the stick one by one without moving the others he he he he...We went to bed at around midnight. My mom-in-law had prepared clean sheets and pillows for us to use on their big bed HE HE HE HE HE...

Arttu watched Jackie Chan's Tuxedo on TV for a while (their TV is in their bedroom). I couldn't bring myself to watch it till the end, though, since I was SO SO SO tired. Zzzzzz....

In the morning we woke up late HO HO HO HO...BLISS, BLISS, BLISS!!! Arttu made some coffee and we drank it. Then since around the yard there was still plenty of snow, I played potkukelkka (kicksled) for a while...sliding around the VAST yard here and there while Arttu changed the car tyre hoods.

It was 10'C and the sun was shining, so I had to put on my sunglasses while playing with my mom-in-law's potkukelkka. YIPPPIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! After a while I got sweaty hi hi hi hi hi hi...Then he had to bring in more firewood to the living room. After that we started making pizza together. FUN, FUN, FUN!!! ;-D

After eating pizza, he watched TV for a while as I read some magazines. We only got back home at around 7 pm. At home I watched "P.S. I Love You". I think the movie's OK. I had some teary moments in the movie he he he...

I like the fact that at the end of the movie, the writer doesn't "force" the main character to have a relationship with anyone in particular. I like the fact that it's so clear how one needs time to grieve and let go. One good thing about the movie is that it reminds me to cherish every little moment with my hubby and that I shouldn't sweat the small stuff in love.

One of my fave quotes from the movie is this:

"We're so arrogant, aren't we? We're so afraid of age, we do everything we can to prevent it. We don't realize what a privilege it is to grow old with someone...Someone who doesn't drive you to commit murder. Or doesn't humiliate you beyond repair."

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Note to Self: The other day Arttu had a car accident. He had to leave to a certain place very early, so he got a bit sleepy while driving to that other city. He crashed into a pole and broke the right rear-view mirror. I was SO SHOCKED when I heard about that. I'm VERY thankful that he's okay. I hugged him SO tightly after he told me about that. Phew!!! I hope God will let us grow old togetherrrrrr...and hopefully grow wiser.

Gold Rush

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:54:00 +0000

The trip to the Gold Museum went fine, though it was COOOOOLLLLDDDD since the area had SO MUCH snow still for some reason. We arrived at the wrong end of the museum at first, but then we managed to go to the right one HA HA HA HA...The firm who organizes our course paid for the taxi rent and the entrance fee, so we didn't have to pay a thing. We arrived there at around 10 am and there was a guide who explained many things to us in Finnish.

The museum also boasts many different pictures and mining tools from different countries as well as the copies of the big gold nuggets found in some areas in the world. The biggest gold nugget found accidentally in Australia is called "Welcome Stranger". Do you know how heavy it is? It's 72 kg. *GRIN*

OK, now let me just share some pics with you, shall we?

First pic: This is the information board about Tankavaara Gold Museum.

Second pic: The woman on the right is our guide. Our teacher's the one with purple pipo (woolen hat).

Third pic: Me, a friend, and our teacher. ;-D

Fourth pic: Me again. ;-D

Fifth pic: One of the tools that the miners used back then.

Sixth pic: One of the paintings on the wall.

Seventh pic: Look at the B/W picture next to my female friend. The dark "dots" you see there are PEOPLE climbing up to the mountain post. They each had to bring around 800 kg of tools and equipment and food and clothes to the post as beyond the mountain was a harsh, uninhabited place. And the wooden sled in the picture is the miniature of the sled they used to carry their stuff up the mountain. Click on the picture to see a larger version of it. ;-D

These three pictures below were taken when the guide showed us how to pan the gold. In summer, guests can pan their own gold outside for a price. Since it was still cold, the guide just showed us how to do it inside the museum. Well, I don't think you can get much gold even if you try panning it outside, anyway he he he he...probably just tiny gold "dust" just like in the third picture below.

Can you see the gold "dust"????? Click on the pic to enlarge he he...

This pic below is the replica of the school near the mine in the old days.

Surprisingly enough, after the tour was over inside the Gold Museum, we went outside and found this outdoor museum. There are some replicas of buildings from several gold rush centres around the world.

This one below is a house made of bottles HA HA HA HA HA...

Then we also visited a Stone Museum which was located very near the Stone Museum. The Stone Museum building was VERY cold, though. Here I found very interesting shapes of stones.

Look at the below pic. There's this "mushroom-looking stone" there he he he...CUTE!!!

And look at this beauty!!! ^___________________________^

And here I am with MY HUGE diamonds HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...*wink*

As a souvenir, I bought this bottle of gold flakes. It cost me €6, but hey, it looks VERY nice, don't you think so?

While we were waiting for the taxi to come pick us up, we found a reindeer in captivity near that area, so we ventured closer to it as I had never had a good close-up picture of a reindeer before.

LUCKILY for us, the reindeer came even CLOSER to us!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY!!! My Thai friend threw some bread to it and it ate the bread HA HA HA HA HA...Apparently they eat just about everything! Geez...

I have another classmate whose hubby's a reindeer man and she's got many reindeer. She said that two reindeer of hers LOVED DOG FOOD!!! The dog was obviously mad since the reindeer ate his food, but what could he do? After all, he was MUCH smaller than the reindeer HA HA HA HA HA...

And I managed to capture a short video clip of this reindeer HE HE HE HE HE...

Relaxation Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:51:00 +0000

Been busy again. Soon I'm going to bake some sausage bread to bring tomorrow. Tomorrow our class is going to visit the gold mine and the stone museum and we ought to bring our own food. Everything else is free, though HE HE HE HE...

And tomorrow evening we're going to Kelujärvi to spend a night there since my in-laws are going to Pori with Arttu's second brother to visit the eldest brother. Since their living room uses a wooden fireplace, we're given the task to warm it up and to water her plants. ;-D

At first Arttu thought that we'd just pay a visit on Saturday. His mother suggested that we could stay there a night, but he thought that it would be a bit boring to do. However, I managed to change his mind HA HA HA HA HA HA...YYYEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!!

After all, we do need some quality time WITHOUT computers around. *GRIN* It'll feel like a quick weekend getaway for me ho ho ho ho...and maybe we can bake pizza or something there in their fireplace on Saturday. Or if we're lazy, at least we can cook some sausages in there. YUM YUM...

I CAN'T wait for tomorrow!!! But that means that I'll only be able to blog-hop again on Sunday or Saturday night, so wait for me to returnnnnnnn...

In the meantime, now it's time to bake some breaddddd!!!! :-D

P.S. About my friend in the last post before this one...she's doing better after crying for two days. The biggest problem is that her best friend had done something so awful to her that it had literally crushed one of her dreams for her own future. No wonder she was so upset!!!

After all, having one huge dream crushed due to someone you trusted with all your heart, someone to whom you had given much help, is more than enough to shatter one's world to pieces. I DO hope that later on she can rebuild that dream or create new ones. :-D Who knows that things might actually be better than she expected much much later in the future, right? One has to keep hope inside one's heart. ;-D

P.P.S. A QUESTION FOR EVERYBODY:

Is it a habit in your country for a married woman to change her surname into her husband's surname or use a double surname?

In Indonesia, that's not the case. I don't think I've known anyone who changes her surname into her husband's surname. I DO want to do it after hubby and I got married, but the bureaucracy process would take some time to finish and I didn't want to wait longer in Indo. After all, I had to report the name change and then change my passport and everything else, so it would be such a hassle. I'll just wait until I get Finnish citizenship to do so he he he...

The Straw That Broke the Camel's Back

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:40:00 +0000

That was what happened yesterday in our course. One of us cried and became very emotional. At first I thought the problem was her frustration over learning Finnish. Turned out that her personal problem had been building up and yesterday the "bomb" exploded. Today she told me in brief about what had happened and she said that crying and talking about it helped her somewhat.

Don't we all experience that kind of moment? When the "bomb" explodes since we've put everything aside and the pressure gets bigger and bigger and bigger until we can no longer hold it? Sometimes it may seem as if the cause is something relatively lighter, but when we looked back, we realize that the big issue isn't the trigger. The trigger is just the straw that broke the camel's back.

Let's become more aware of ourselves so that we don't allow ourselves to experiences such "explosions". We all need someone (at least one person) we can trust to share our burdens and problems with. Women especially need to unleash their emotions by speaking it out loud. Blessed are those who have true friends to turn to. :-D

One thing for sure, though, when you've just moved to a new country, expects crying days. :-))) That's only a normal phase of life.

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Our Group Photo

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:50:00 +0000

Haven't had time to do anything much in the blogosphere, but just wanna share one quick picture with you. Our group picture. :-))))

Our teacher's the one at the back on the left, with short hair and blue sweater. :-))))

We've only got about one month left to learn Finnish, then we'll start learning some bits of computer for 2 weeks, then my training starts in mid June. I don't really know what we're going to learn during the computer session, but it seems that it's connected to how to find a job online ha ha ha ha...

We're moving on to the second thick book now, but I don't think we'll have enough time to cover everything. It doesn't matter, though, since at least we have the book for ourselves, so we can study it further later. ;-D Free books are always appreciated HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...

OK, time to get prepareddddddd!!! I'll blog hop tonight, OK? Hope you're doing well. ;-D

The Ineffectiveness of E-Petition

noreply@blogger.com (Amel's Realm) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:28:00 +0000

Found this article that may be handy for us.

The Ineffectiveness of E-Petition