Distances From Water

In Tokyo we lived next to Tokyo Bay, in Odaiba. I liked that a lot. The closer to sea the better, is my secret motto.

Now sea shore is a bit further away from our home - about 15 minutes walk - but it looks like this.

Ok, it looks freezing cold but you see the horizon and all is built by mother nature.

With'n'without

I experienced moments of happiness in a food store today: I went there alone!

Quite many other parents had decided to take their little monsters along. I heard fathers shouting at their kids "do not touch that" and mothers running after their fast moving short companions. Right then I valued the absence of my personal screamer, who was having fun with M in a park.

The kid told us later today that M is nice and I am nervous and therefore bad. That's what you get if you consciously enjoy doing grocery shopping without him: polls drop.

Lazy Days

This is life: both me and the kid are sitting by a computer. I am surfing on the net and he is playing Linux kid's game. (M has that incureable computer virus called Linux on his computer). Of course we could go out doors, to a play ground or for a walk, but not just yet. In no time we are living times when I am away studying in Sweden and the kid has to wake up with larks (and M), eat quickly and rush to his day care and sundays will be only days for this kind of waiste of time. So, I am not starting my day yet.

And an important notice for everybody's knowledge: I am a Mermaid.

You Are a Mermaid

You are a total daydreamer, and people tend to think you're flakier than you actually are. While your head is often in the clouds, you'll always come back to earth to help someone in need. Beyond being a caring person, you are also very intelligent and rational. You understand the connections of the universe better than almost anyone else.

What Mythological Creature Are You?

Keeping Warm

The kid isn't happy about our new home. He says that we are still living in Odaiba and it's M who lives here in Espoo. It will take some time before he accepts the fact that we are living here. It took some time a year ago when we moved to Odaiba.

It's gray, rainy, cold and dark here this time of year, but I don't mind. I can sit indoors - even naked if I want to, which itself isn't that high on my todo-list - and I don't freeze. After two winters in Tokyo I can truly appriciate the fantastic and well functioning central-heating system in Finnish houses.

Living in a Storage

We have finally settled down to our new home. Interiors look still like a storage (I am sitting on floor and there is no lamp in this room). But, we have internet. What else you need for a good life?

M came to Finland on wednesday and went to work the next day. I wonder if he has noticed that he isn't in Japan anymore.

I have lost some things since we left Sweden two years ago: I can't find my nice iron frying pan anywhere and tools are nowhere to be found.

Finnish Cashiers Give Me Evil Looks

In Finland you have to weigh your vegetables and fruits yourself at food stores. The self service scale is placed next to products and not hard to see or find at all. Still I manage to forget to weigh most of times and get scary looks from the person at a cashier.

I find it hard to understand why finns don't use the same system they have in Sweden: the cashier weighs your fruits. Finland must be the only place on this planet where they trust customer to place the price on the product. People try to cheat. A friend who worked as cashier said that it happened all the time. You could tell the price was too low for that number of fruits or the customer had "accidentally" pushed a wrong, cheaper product's button.

One country where this self pricing would work is Japan: people are very honest there. But shops wouldn't allow customers to do service job them selves. Someone's job is to put (rediculously expensive) prices on fruits.

Customer service is suberb in Japan. I really, really, really miss that among these northern zombies who don't even try to hide the fact they hate their jobs and their customers.

Moments of Horror

It's been a pretty rough and dramatic three days: serious illness in my family, strong emotions because of that and ongoing session of major tantrums from my son's side. Fortunately it seems that everything is going to be allright with my little relative and I live in a hope that my son will some day quit being a loud and determined opposition to anything I do, say, or even think.

Next week M will arrive to Finland. Thankgod!!!

Finland Finland Finland

Damn, standing at that bus stop today was cold. We have minus degrees and wind - not my favourite combination at the weather department. But I don't care: it's warm indoors!

The kid is loosening his tight grasp on me and agrees to stay with other people while I take care of things. He seems to like being in Finland and he has enjoyed playing on piles of snow. Those piles we found at my mother-in-law where our ex-dog lives too. There we'll go this weekend to dog-sit the ex.

Our new home is still a mess. Today I found out that the washing machine our land lord left there for us isn't working. Crap.

We have huge piles of books and no bookshells or any other furniture. No interior magazine won't be willing to show our home on its' pages, unless "less is more" turns to "nothing is more" and a messy version of that becomes popular.

And, happy b-day you 40 years old you.