maria

2006-03-27T00:19:00.000+03:00

Oona-Omppu-Omena :)

2006-03-27T00:18:00.000+03:00

Oona in her favorite chair.

Travel plans

2006-01-10T01:17:00.000+02:00

All right everyone. It's been a while. I hope you all had nice holidays and the new year is starting well.

I have only seven weeks left at the day care. That's a good thing. Well, actually I kinda like it there now. Oh, I guess I didn't tell you that the bitchy director got her sorry butt fired after a couple of complaints. So, after that everything has improved a lot. Good for me.

We were in Chicago right before Christmas. It was a fun little weekend trip to see old friends there. We went to downtown and it was nuts. Couple weeks before the holidays Michigan Ave. just gets freaking crazy. Although it was rainy, grey and cold, Chicago is still one of my favorite cities. :)

I'm going back to Finland in March. Now I am trying to find cheap flight back here.. I have my return ticket TO Finland, so I need another round-trip form Helsinki to Toronto. Luckily the flight are a lot cheaper coming this way from Finland.. These guys consider Finland as one of those exotic countries (which sure is true) and air fare is pretty crazy.
I will be staying in Finland for three to four weeks and then return to Canada.

In late April Sami and I are going to CUBA!! I'm very excited about the upcoming trip. Well, who wouldn't be? We found pretty nice deal on a 2-week package vacation. The hotel is all inclusive, right on the beach. Water is turquoise and the sun is hot. Ok, now I'm annoying everybody.

Sami is leaving for Barbados this Sunday. The board of management of this company he works for is located there. Nice. I will be staying home with Sigvard. He'll be gone only for a week, so I'm thinking I'll survive.

Take care everybody.
m

Merry Christmas

2005-12-24T20:30:00.000+02:00

Have a happy Christmas everyone.

m

christmas and work

2005-11-29T17:35:00.000+02:00

So, we have settled in Canada. We're doing great, Sigvard the cat is good and everything is going well. Christmas is coming up and I can feel the panic raising in me: presents!! I've been online, trying to find gift ideas.. I found a very informative and good site on Christmas. Unfortunately it is in Finnish, but everybody from Finland, take a look: Joulu.info.

I work at a local daycare and I've had some issues at work. I know that interns often get taken advantage of, but it really feels like crap, when you know you've been screwed over. Here is a letter that I will hand out to the board of directors tomorrow. Maybe you can share your thoughts with me after reading it. Is this really that bad?

“On Monday Nov. 7^th I went to talk with Shelley about my hours. Originally we had agreed that I would be working in toddlers Mon, Wed, Fri from 9am to 1pm and in preschool as the TA from 3:30pm to 5:30pm everyday. Rest of the time I would spend on my music program (Mon, Wed, Fri 2pm to 3:30 and Tue, Thu 9am to 3:30). Since I'm doing only 30 minutes of music at a time in every program, I need only approximately 5 hours/week for the actual music teaching.

Until the Monday 7^th of November, during my 'extra music time' I had been used as a supply staff, covering other staff who was sick or otherwise absent. I did not get paid to do this. In my understanding, it is against the center restrictions to have an unpaid staff/student covering qualified staff. I also understand this to be very convenient for the supervisor not having to call an actual supply to come in.

I asked Shelley if it would be possible for me to spend all of my extra time doing school work off site and working towards my degree. And if not, should I start filling in the supply time sheets every time I am covering other staff. Shelley did not like the idea of me asking for more money. We agreed that I bring in my own laptop, because she does not want me to leave the building during the day (other than my lunch break, of course).

I have gone through my pay stubs and they show that I get paid for 12 hours/week. I find this somewhat weird, because in my understanding I need to get paid for (at least) 22 hours/week (12 hours in toddlers and 10hours as a TA in PS). I was told that I would get paid different amounts for these two programs, but I didn't think the amounts to be $10 and $0.

It is true that I can only earn 700CAD/month in order to be eligible for the monthly allowance from the Finnish government. However, as in right now I'm earning little over $500 a month. And as a student those $200 would make a big difference.”

Oh well, back to the work..

wisdom teeth

2005-08-31T16:45:00.000+03:00

Just noticed I never told you what happened with my last three wisdom teeth. I got them pulled out on the 29th of April. I was a little bit annoyed because 30th of April is like Labour Day in Finland. And we were invited to a party..

The whole procedure took less than 15 minutes. It didn't hurt at all. (I actually had a job interview two hours after the appointment..) The dentist told me that I wouldn't be able to eat or speak for a while and I would look like a hamster. But after a couple of hours I could talk normally, my face was normal and I even ordered a pizza! I had no toothache what so ever.

I have been very lucky with my teeth.

People who take good care of their oral health tend to live longer than those who don't. Bad oral care can lead to heart and blood vessel diseases. Even to diabetes.

Ok people, remember to brush and floss your teeth. :)
m

to canada

2005-08-28T17:47:00.000+03:00

We are getting ready for the move. Our departure is in a week, so there's still a lot of practical preparations to do.

I'm most worried about little Sigvard, who will not be flying with us in the cabin but with the luggage and air cargo. We almost had to leave him at home, because Finnair doesn't allow pets in the cabin on our flight. First I was terrified to put him down to the hold, so I called a veterinarian and he said it would be fine. I'm still not comfortable with the thought that my baby cat will be spending a nine hour flight in a dark, loud place like that. And nobody can check on him. Does anyone have experience of traveling with pets?
Luckily there is no quarantine for cats brought from Finland to Canada.
Here are the requirements for bringing a cat to Canada:
-rabies vaccination (at least 30 days prior to the arrival, but max 1 year)
-microchip
-'passport' (documentation of all the vaccinations, the chip, general info of the cat etc.)
-Note that most countries (incl. Canada) require the vet to be a government veterinarian, licensed vet won't qualify.

+check the requirements for the box/bag your bringing your cat in, the airlines are very strict about that. We bought a new one too: Clipper 3.
This is perfect for Sigvard who's 35 cm tall and weights 5 kilos.

Please let me know, if you have some tips on traveling with a pet.

Cheers,
m

2005-08-01T21:20:00.000+03:00

sigu

news

2005-07-30T19:46:00.000+03:00

Ok everyone. I didn't make it to Chicago this summer, but it turned out that Sami and I are moving to Canada. And of course Sigvard is coming with us. :)

Everything happened very fast and is still confusing. Sami got a job and I applied for an internship. We got lucky and now are waiting for the work permits. Wild.

I've been working the whole summer in a laundry service. The job is killing me, but it also motivates to study harder. :) I shouldn't complain, I get paid pretty well.. I guess.

My sister, EL, is now in New Zealand as an exchange student. Couldn't get much further from Finland.. My other sister was accepted to the University of Lappland so she is moving there. It's going to be quiet around here.

Have fun,

m

sad news

2005-04-28T09:43:00.000+03:00

Yesterday evening my sweet little dog, Viivi past away. She had been eating some kind of poison, that was meant for getting rid of rats. She was only 4 years old and so cute and active. I miss her a lot.

I'm very sad. Very sad.

m

it's been a while

2005-04-26T09:20:00.000+03:00

There has been no time for me to write on this blog. Ok, that was a lie. I'm lazy. But seriously I have been busy. Spring semester will end on May 13th, but before that I need to do heaps of studying. (I learned the word 'heaps' from my Australian friend Matthew, and have no idea if I can use it in that kind of sentence)

This Friday I will get the last three wisdom teeth pulled out. Very nervous.
Yesterday I managed to get a job interview, but the only time available is on Friday afternoon. I explained that my whole head will probably be swollen and I won't look my best. At least they'll remember me. (and maybe they'll feel so sorry for me, that they want to ease my pain and hire me :) Good plan. Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather go there with all my teeth in my mouth, looking nice, not like a hamster.

Last weekend I went over my parents place in Kankaanpää. There were two reasons for my trip: mom sewed me the prettiest dress for my sisters graduation party and a gardening job. I'll upload some pictures on this blog after the party (June 4th). The gardening job was good. This man (who owns a sausage factory and has loads of money) called me and wanted help with their garden. Of course I said yes (absolutely need the money). I did seven hours of raking on Saturday. On Sunday morning I didn't have a single muscle in my body that didn't hurt. But it was good for me. Saturday was a perfect day to spend outside. I even tanned a little. I think. :)

Well, now I have to get going.
Have a good one.

m

to chicago?

2005-03-31T18:36:00.000+03:00

I have loads of school work to do before the spring semester is done and out. I'm starting to feel the raising panic in my head. I really should get to work, but here we are again, waiting for the inspiration, which is not going to show any signs any time soon. May is going to be hell. Exams, papers to do, entrance exam (yes, I'm hoping to get my major changed), and my mom needs help organizing a graduation party for my little sister. And I need to start working already in May. Now that I wrote all this down I started feeling even worse.

Anyway, the thing motivating me is the trip to Chicago which is hopefully going to happen this summer.

Need to get back to work.

m

i can feel it

2005-03-22T16:19:00.000+02:00

Spring is finally here! At least yesterday and today. It's funny how much more energy you get from the sun. It makes you happy to see snow melting and hear birds singing.
School is busier and the dates for final exams are getting closer. I should spend a lot of time doing school work, reading and writing papers not to miss due dates..

My very good friend Teresa is going back to Chicago for the summer, so I'm also planning to go there. I'm not sure how to make all the money I need for the trip, but I'll figure it out.

I've also found the joy of sports. During my Easter vacation I'm going to ski. Again.

Be happy everyone.
m

tooth and sami

2005-03-11T16:22:00.000+02:00

This morning I went to get my allergy shots, but because of the infection and antibiotics the nurse refused to do the treatment. I told her how I'm scared to get my wisdom tooth pulled out and she told me to go see the dentist right away and ask about premedication possibilities. I did, and the dentist was clearly amused that I was so upset because of the upcoming procedure. So, his suggestion was that I'd go there a little later (12.50) and he would pull it out the same day.
I went home, was nervous, did laundry and decided to make Sami some breakfast and take it to bed for him. Good idea. Well.. He wasn't able to get up. He had chest pain. For about 20 minutes he had this weird pain and then he told me that he feels really sick. I jumped on the bed, lifted his legs up trying to get some blood to his brain. He fainted. I called ambulance. I was in panic, but I think I did pretty well. I was crying the whole time (I know, that's wrong..), but the help arrived soon, and then I was a little embarrassed with my read face and swollen eyes.. but still in shock. They did all kinds of tests and Sami was feeling better. Then they told us to go to the hospital, they didn't take Sami because he's feeling ok and not needing immediate help. The doctor came to see him, and after EKG-tests and stuff like that he (mr. doctor) said that Sami's heart is fine. It's his spine that has some problems. Hmm...
Well after that we still had 30 minutes till my appointment at the dentist. We went there a little early and he (mr. dentist) was ready to do the operation a little early too, so I had no time for further panicking. It didn't hurt at all! Now I have a new appointment on April 19, that's when he's going to pull all the rest of them out. And the day before that I can go and get some Diapam to make me more relaxed. Haha. :)

What a day.

m

tooth ache

2005-03-10T22:15:00.000+02:00

I missed school again. Last nights pain was pure horror. I ended up crying like a baby, painkillers didn't work nor did the antibiotics. (I also have an infection, because the skin is damaged. Gross, I know.) It hurts.

m

wisdom teeth

2005-03-09T19:08:00.000+02:00

I'm terrified. I've had this weird headache since Sunday, and been waiting for the flu. Now for two days I've had pain in my cheek and chin bones as well. Today I went to a dentist (after I realized I wasn't able to eat anymore because of the pain) saying I'm afraid I have cavities (I don't actually know what the pain is like, because I've never had one. Very proud of my teeth.) and he took a look in my mouth. "Well this is an easy diagnose -" he says "your wisdom teeth are growing to a wrong place, so they brake the skin while you talk/chew. We need to take them all out." Help.
I had my last dental check one and a half years ago and the dentist told me that my teeth were good and I didn't have to worry about those four last ones... Right.
Next Tuesday they're going to take the first one out. Just the thought of it is freaking me out. Does it hurt? I mean it must, but how much?
Poor Sami, I'm already complaining and whining all the time.. It must be bad after the procedure.

m

2005-03-09T19:06:00.000+02:00

Here's my dog, Viivi. I don't understand how some people say German Shepherds are scary. :)

vacation's done

2005-03-08T13:47:00.000+02:00

Vacation was a little different from what was expected. Everybody got sick. First on Sunday one of my sisters, then on Wednesday my brother. On Thursday all my siblings and I went to a blood test. My brother threw up. After that we went to donate blood, one of my sisters threw up there. And the other fainted at the H&M store a little later. Next night my youngest sister couldn't breathe and we took her to the hospital. Apparently she now has asthma. That night she threw up, and got a high fever. Next day she had a bad headache and high fever.
Now I'm waiting to get sick. And Sami too.

I went skiing. Twice. I liked it.

m

computers and skiing

2005-02-24T19:00:00.000+02:00

For some reason I got this idea that I could learn html and design web sites. Well, against all expectations it turned out I couldn't. At least in 10 minutes, that's how long I had the patience to try. I'm not a patient person.
There was a research if the people who have a broadband Internet connection are less patient in their real life, because they've used to get fast service online and their computers are working so fast. Research said yes. And so do I. I want everything right away: learn Italian, Spanish, html, css, have money, travel, pizza, 6-pack abs, firm tights. And I go mad if my email doesn't open in less than 0,5 seconds.

One more day of school and the long waited winter break begins. Exact translation of the Finnish word for 'winter break' is 'skiing vacation'. I'm afraid I have to go skiing, 'cause I promised Sami I would go. We'll see. Maybe we'll do more than 3 kilometers this time. I'm really not that anti-sporty as this might sound. Really, I just don't like skiing.

Friends on TV. Gotta run.
m

skiing

2005-02-23T18:02:00.000+02:00

The World Championships in cross country skiing are taking place this week in Germany and the Finns are doing bad. Not that it would affect to my life in any way, but I guess it would be nice (for them at least) if they did better. But then again it's their own fault if they suck. BTW, I like people who can admit their own mistakes and failures. One example of people always blaming everyone else is Kalle Palander. He's a Finnish downhill skier who lately has been doing bad, but that's not his own fault. It's the icy hill or weather or fans or his hair (that is falling out of his head too early) or media. Like these things would have anything to do with his skills. So Mr. Palander, if you're reading this blog: Instead of wasting your time in this kind of garbage, go practice.

I hate skiing. That's one of the reasons I'm really not the one complaining if the Finns are too slow and not in the top positions. Sami and I went skiing last Friday. I did surprisingly well and agreed to do the whole 2,5 kilometers. :) My mother is totally into skiing. I think she's skied 600 kilometers this winter, and counting. That is crazy. Crazy, I say.

All right people, time for me to go.
m

insurance

2005-02-22T20:33:00.000+02:00

Sami and I took out a home insurance. The deal was pretty good, and what made it even better was the 30% discount if we buy a travel insurance at the same time. And so we did. Now we're insured at home (or actually only most of our belongings) and when we travel 50 kilometers or further away from home. And it's valid abroad too, of course.
The reason for taking it was my little accident, which destroyed a cell phone, a digital camera, a bottle of liquorice vodka (salmiakkikossu) and a purse. Two words: ALL GONE. So in case of other accidents we wanted to be sure that we're covered.

And what did we learn from my little story?
-Don't store alcohol in your purse - drink it.

m

google adsense

2005-02-22T18:56:00.000+02:00

I decided to give it a try. Funny what kinds of ads they put on my blog.

m

working online?

2005-02-22T18:08:00.000+02:00

This whole summer job thing stresses me out. So, I did a little research on some money making options online. Didn't find anything suitable for me. I guess one problem is that I don't live in the States (-> can't fill out surveys or join focus groups.. And they don't pay very well either, that's what I hear.) And other problem might be that I'm not that good with computers...
Does somebody have suggestions how I could make money on the Internet?
George, any tips for your lovely Finnish friend?

Take care now, bye bye then.
m

cat and vacation

2005-02-21T21:03:00.000+02:00

Sigvard is so cute. On Saturday I was thinking how hard it must be to be a mom (or a dad) and not totally spoil your kids. They're too adorable when they sleep.
Our cat likes to sleep on my chest when I watch TV or read or just get comfortable on the couch. I could be staring at him for hours, he's so tiny and beautiful and cute and all. And he is just a cat. How hard it must be having own children and not over protecting them..? Crazy.

Winter vacation starts this Friday. A much needed brake. Sami, Sigvard and I are going over my parents place. They have an exchange student from Chile staying with them and we're going to go keep her company. It's going to be fun, because both of my "older" younger sisters are coming too. And their bf's. My younger siblings are looking forward to the brake because of Sigvard. They just love to play with the cat (am not sure if Sig feels the same about them).
(Let me do this sibling thing a little easier for all of you: I have three younger sisters 20 yrs, 18 yrs and 7 yrs and one brother 8 yrs old)

Love and peace.
m

winner

2005-02-15T16:27:00.000+02:00

I did it. I finished the essay that's one month over due. I feel great.
So why didn't I do it right away? That we may never know. I should make that a habit; do all the school work in time. Or maybe even a couple days earlier than the due date. (This will not happen, ever)

An old friend of mine sent me an email (actually two) today. Made me happy. Friends are cool to have. (why does that sound a little retarded?) Well, it's true. I like having friends.

Last weekend my dad and I built a climbing/playing thingy for Sigvard. (see the picture below) I think he's all for it.

Me tired, go for a nap now. Bye.
m

2005-02-15T16:25:00.000+02:00

sigvard's playing thingy

sunday

2005-02-13T21:19:00.000+02:00

Why are Sundays so annoying? Why can't we just enjoy the last day of the week and not think that tomorrow we have to go to school/work again? Sundays are ruined by the thoughts of Mondays. And after all Mondays are ok..

I'm terrified. I just completed a form online and took out a student loan. I never even thought of that, but now it seems that there is no choice. Wow. Need to get a job. I think I need to forget my plans to go and visit some people in Chicago this coming summer. Sad.

My sister and her bf left today. The whole weekend was a blast. They are a lot of fun to hang out with. On Friday we went to a bar and wanted to play Trivial Pursuit and drink some beer. We ended up having this weird dude sitting in our table with us and speaking of things he really didn't have point or opinion on and did not actually even know what he was talking about. But like all the great drunken people, he didn't give up of jadijadijaaing, made a fool of himself and made us drink even more. On Saturday we went bowling, which was fun. Then we drank a little more beer. (Don't get me wrong, this is not a habit and NOT the reason I need to take out a loan..) And then today, I've had this normal 'I-don't-like-Sundays' -vibe.

Take care everybody.
m

Hey Gball: we're proud of you. You rock :) (we=m & sigvard)

summer job??

2005-02-10T22:34:00.000+02:00

I'm looking for a summer job. Easier said than done. In this town there are so many students that it's almost impossible to get a job for a short period of time. Especially for summer when almost every student can work. (Well I'm sure the same problem exist in any town for that matter...) So as a freshman in a university I have no qualification for anything yet as I've come to realize, I have no chance to get any well paying or even ok paying job. And nowadays when you apply for almost every job via email, they don't even get back to you and let you know. How easy would that be? Just say: "Sorry, the place is taken, you looser" or "Better luck next time" or "Loose weight". Something that does not leave you guessing if you should apply to a hundred different places more. I'm so stressed out about this. Today I called a place I had applied a month ago, asking if they wanted my work references. She told me they've invited some people to the interview and one of the places has already been taken. And there is no way in hell they could let all 200 applicants know. "¤/&!(¤%&?-¤#

My sister and her bf are coming to visit us this weekend. That is fun. And makes me feel better too. There's only one little thing.. I have been lazy (again) and have a paper to do (3 weeks over due), and I feel that I should get to it fairly soon. I hate when work keeps piling up, and the only person I can blame is myself. :(

Sig is doing good. Getting bigger. Crazier. Funnier.
Peace.
m

2005-02-10T21:45:00.000+02:00

maria and sigvard

2005-02-10T21:44:00.000+02:00

cool fish

2005-02-10T21:40:00.000+02:00

mountains of sinai

back in finland

2005-01-24T20:29:00.000+02:00

Egypt was fun. The weather was good and laying on the beach for two weeks was very relaxing. The only thing annoying was the local store owners or taxi drivers who were trying to get your money all the time. They're lying a lot and if somebody's nice to you it's only because they want your money. Even the police. They'll do justice if you pay them. Not that we had anything to do with the police, but our travel guide told us. An example of the local habits:our friends paid 30 L.E. (about 4 euro) entrance fee to get to the public and free (!) beach. They did that for five days until it turned out, that it was just a cab driver taking people's money at the gate. Great.

The Red Sea was beautiful. At first I was really scared of going to snorkel. We bought masks and water shoes and were excited to go for a swim. Well it wasn't very pleasant for Sami, 'cause I got some sort of panic attack under water. All the fish were swimming at me and I couldn't stand up and I kept getting salty water in my mask... It was awful. The next day I was a little more brave and by the last day at the beach I loved swimming in the sea and watching all the colorful fish. We also got a water camera and are hoping that the pics are good.

Our cat got really big while we were gone. I totally missed his baby weeks. He was staying at Sami's parents house for Xmas and for our whole vacation, so it's a total of 4 weeks not seeing my little sweetie. But now he's really, really cute and knows some funny tricks and stuff.

Well, I think this is all I've got this time. Take care everyone.
m

vacation

2004-12-07T20:59:00.000+02:00

I'm so excited. Sami and I just booked a two week vacation in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt. It's going to be so much fun. I've been waiting to get some place nice with him for a long time.

And who's gonna look after Sigvard? Well.. I think that's going to be Sami's mom.

Gotta go pack... :)
m

worming our Sigvard

2004-12-01T13:48:00.000+02:00

On Monday we started worming our cat. I'm not sure if that's the reason, but lately (actually since Mon) he's been all wild and frightened. Especially in the mornings (when I'm the only one up) he is all weird. Probably because he wants all the attention he can get after the whole night alone.. But there has to be more than that. E.g. when I'm making breakfast he runs up my legs and back and sits on my shoulders. It's fine if you're wearing jeans and a thick sweater, but if you're still wearing nothing but underwear, his nails under your skin really hurts.

As I mentioned earlier, he really loves to poo. Apparently he also loves the poo. When I'm emptying his sand box he goes all nuts. He tries to jump into the plastic bag and rescue his feces.
Sometimes he scratches our toes or hands too hard, so now we've been training him not to do that. We have Mr. Bad Water Bottle, who sprays him if he doesn't behave. I think we are not doing very well, 'cause mostly we just think that he is too cute to be punished.

Now I really need to get started with all my school work. I have a ton of it and I have been so lazy.

Behave yourselves.
m

2004-11-29T22:28:00.000+02:00

This is our sweet little cat, Sigvard.

cat

2004-11-29T04:10:00.000+02:00

Last Thursday Sami and I got a cat. He's 8 weeks old and so so cute. He is also a little crazy, and that's the reason we picked him. We call him Sigvard. Weird name for a weird cat.

So we went online, looked for some people selling kitties. We found an ad, and I called them. They said we could go and check out the cats later that day, so we did. The place was in the middle of no where and it was a little scary to go inside the house. Anyway, they had four beautiful little baby cats and we picked our very own wacko-cat after the lady said that he has the most character..
Before we went to pick him up, we stopped at a store that sells cat equipment. We bought a lot of stuff, which was kind of funny, not knowing what our cat would be like... And we've never owned a pet so it was interesting.

Well, now we are living a nice family life, spoiling the kitty and most of all laughing at him all the time. He is so funny and cute! And he loves to poo. Luckily, he knows where to go, and we've had no accidents with slippery brown stuff on the floor. :)

Later on I'm planning to upload some pictures of him. (Unfortunately at the moment I don't know how...)

Have a great day.
m

So this is my blog

2004-11-29T03:38:00.000+02:00

All right..
For a long time my boyfriend, Sami has been telling me to set up a blog. Now I've done it. This is cool. Probably a lot of useless stuff will be on this site. But hey, it's my blog.
m