Make money??

Conversation:

Me: "Wah how come u guys have so much time to watch all these tv series?"

Others: "Of coz we have time la! Nothing to do at nite wat.. What have u been doing man?"

Me: "Blogging? hey.. blogging is quite tiring one ok!"

Others: "Wah blogging is like 1 module for you!"

Me: "haha alright la.. let people know how i'm doing on exchange wat.."

Others: "Hey since you're spending so much time.. might as well make money out of it! Go Nuffnang and put ads on the blog la.."

Me: "eh.. i dun want ads on my blog la.."
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I'm still a skeptic.. but well.. curiousity got the better of me.. trying to see how it works and how it looks on my blog.. =).. notice the sidebar?

Let me know if the ads are inappropriate or offensive.. Coz i can't control what they put up there! Anyway since u're already here.. y not help by checking out the ads? haha.. Oops.. i'm not supposed to tell people to click.. it says so in the terms of use...=P

Seriousness

I've been having so much fun in Finland.. packing my days with activities, doing groceries, cooking dinners, attending gatherings, meeting new people, sharing laughs.. not that i don't enjoy these things... but today's CG session stirred up something inside.. and i realise that i'm missing the serious bits of life that i've come to appreciate..

I miss sharing my life with my loved ones.. i really enjoy the company i have here in Finland.. but truth be told its not the same level.. I miss talking to people i love face to face.. not through skype..

I miss having your fingers between mine.. and your head on my shoulder..

I miss putting my arm around people and giving them a nice squeeze on the shoulder when i know they need it..

I miss asking things like "is there anything you would like to share with me?"

I miss having to find time to listen to someone share his/her burdens with me.. i might not have any advice to offer.. but i know that when i listen... nod my head, keep silent and just be there.. it helps..

I miss talking to people who can finish my sentences.. whom i can be totally comfortable and free with..

I miss praying with people..

I miss having people pray with me.. it makes a difference..

I miss sitting in church meetings.. coz i know we gather for a reason and that there is impact in we in what we decide..

I miss doing small things for people.. like giving them a lift.. simply coz i know they will appreciate it..

I miss saying "its ok.. its just a drink" over lunch..

In short.. i think i'm missing the depth of relationships.. i'm not the emo type at all..hehe.. though i might sound like it.. but if you can identify yourself in the list above.. would appreciate if you drop me a message somehow.. a comment or email maybe?? =)

I'm still gonna work hard and play hard here! But i now have things in a better perspective i think.. =) Having said all these.. i now need to say a big THANKS to everyone here in Helsinki.. whom i believe God has placed around me in His wisdom and purpose. You guys/girls have been wonderful new/old friends to me.. hope that i have been a friend to u too.. (yikes!)

Snip Snip

I finally discovered the true value of the $1 disposable poncho i bought from beach road!

Documenting.. 19th Feb... my first haircut in Finland.. ! In my very own toilet.. =)

I brought over 2 pairs of scissors.. the snipping kind and the thinning kind.. and i convinced Pei Joo to be my hairstylist.. haha

Scary.. i was thinking.. "don't cut my ears"

Actually i think she was more scared than me..

Yay! thanks PJ.. you just graduated as a qualified hairstylist.. can work at Vidal Sassoon if u dun wanna be an engineer.. whoo hoo!

The most difficult part is the cleaning up actually.. all the hair.. and the washing out of the small bits of hair from my clothes.. the poncho wasn't 100% effective afterall hehe

Lapland (14th Feb)

We packed our things and said goodbye to Vasatokka to make our way to Saariselka, a ski resort area of some sort. I was really excited coz i have never done downhill skiing before.. but i was particularly psyched coz i have always wanted to ride a a dog sled. =)

We arrived and immediately got into this hut where they gave us these huge and bulky overalls to wear.. and then we were whisked off in a green SUV to the husky area..

10 mins of instructions and we're ready to meet the dogs!

The huskies were all so excited and cool.. u know i love dogs.. but seeing about 40 huskies barking together was just unbelievable..

Wei Sing is afraid of dogs so she stuck with (behind) me.. but i'm glad to say she touched one later on in the day!

Saying thanks to all my dogs.. the one i am patting above (the black one).. i call her Kopi O.. coz shes so black! Shes the leader of the pack.. =)

This picture above is my favourite.. she wanted to kiss me i think.. shes so beautiful!

After the wonderful husky experience we went up the bus.. brought us to the ski hills.. took so so long to put on the painful ski shoes and made our way to the beginner slopes.. its not that low once u get up! And i'm proud to say i managed to use to ski lift to get to the top only on my 3rd attempt! haha.. it isn't that easy k.. its not the sit down kind.. but the kind tat pulls u up when u kiap the thing between ur thighs..

Only Wei Sing and i in the photo coz the rest can't figure out how to get to the top of the slope yet.. hehe

After 2 spectacular tumbles.. and advice from a nice old lady from UK.. i finally managed to get the hang of it.. Wheeeee!... i can ski!! =).. thanks Pei joo for for being my cameraman..

The end of the ski-ing also signals the end of my lapland trip.. so we hopped back on the bus for our 16 hr bus ride back to Helsinki.. with fond memories of the Northern wilderness.. =) I love Lapland!

* oh by the way.. i took the "sleeping"-in-the-bus-picture by myself.. =) *

Lapland (13th Feb)

We were scheduled for a later slot.. so we could sleep in a little.. Then we gathered at the reception to gear up for Cross-Country Ski-ing! I had no idea was X-country ski-ing was about coz all i knew about ski-ing was the downhill kind..

Basically X-country Ski-ing means going everywhere in skis instead of walking! Its a cool way of moving about in the winter you can go must faster than walking in the snow, and it also allows u to cover different terrain..

Posing only la.. i was stationary.. =)

So after half an hour or so of practicing the different techniques.. we were good to go! We followed Mikka, and she led us on a really nice trail.. in the photo above we were actually on the frozen lake. She also took occasional stops to tell us more about the environment.. like when we encounter Arctic Fox and rabbit trails.. =) Also telling us a bit about the vegetation etc.. I love these nature "walks"..

She also told us about this couple who stays on an island in the lake. They own 25 dogs! They travel by boat in the summer and skis/snowmobile in the winter across the lake to the mainland.. where their car is parked.. But they are are stuck there for a couple of months every year because the ice is too thin to ski on and too thick to row your boat.. =) Some smart Spanish guy asked: "how does he earn money?".. and Mikka replied.. "he works in the summer.... but coz of the system in Finland.. he gets money even if he doesn't work.."



X-country skis are longer and narrower than downhill skis.. and it really is harder than it looks! Started to sweat after a while.. and had to fall a couple of times before getting the rhythm..


It was an amazing way to appreciate the natural environment around us.. the trees and all.. it was beautiful! =)


And so we got back to Vasatokka.. returned our gear and jumped on the bus for the 2nd half of the day.. which was the trip to Inari Reindeer Farm!


We got to feed and take pictures with reindeer.. they weren't as cute as i had imagined them to be actually.. haha.. they all look a little crazy.. with huge eyes popping out.. =) .. Oh ya.. I only brought my woollen gloves.. so i borrowed Ri Hao's left glove.. i'm so glad i did.. coz Reindeers drool.. and they lick vigorously when you try to feed them haha.. sorry Ri Hao..



We also got to ride a reindeer sled! In fact.. we all passed the test and i got a reindeer driving license valid for 5 years..

Riding into the sunset..

After the ride we went indoors where a nice Sami lady introduced to us a little about Sami culture and lifestyle.. We also had the opportunity to see the tools and handicraft that Sami people made.. I suspect its all a commercial ploy.. coz after that they ushered us to the gift shop.. haha..


Being a kiam siap Singaporean i just walked in to take a look.. haha.. and then returned to what is free.. which is to practice my Lasso throwing! the Sami man demonstrating the use of the Lasso was so good.. (he owns the farm).. he managed to "catch" me while i was running away from him.. haha.. What to do.. he needs to catch his reindeer la.. =)


Picture above shows Katya our guide preparing reindeer meat for us to try.. So we were feeding/touching/riding a reindeer a few hours ago.. and then we were eating reindeer..The strange thing is that i didn't feel any sense of guilt whatsover.. haha..


Doesn't look really appetising in the picture.. but it goes quite well with the Lingonberry Jam.. think Ikea meatball jam.. Reindeer tastes like something in between beef and venison.. =)

But again.. the story isn't over yet.. Thank God.. i was walking back to my cabin when i saw something in the sky.. i wasn't sure what i was.. but i got really excited and ran in to call the rest out.. Wei Sing, Leigh and Pei Joo responded to my calls and we ran down to the lake again.. and there i saw it.. For sure.. Feb the 13th isn't that unlucky after all.. Oooh Whoo!!

Still faint.. but with a hint of green.. changing shapes.. brightening and dimming.. changing it's shape again.. We just jumped up and down and cheered.. I'm so so sorry my camera can't capture anything besides this..

The poles were markers for the side of the lake..

One of my life goals have been accomplished.. and i've come to appreciate the fact that you can't go chasing the Northern Lights.. to me.. this phenomenon is so special.. all you can do is just go there and wait.. The Lights choose you.. not the other way round.. Thank you Lord.. for showing me a little hint of your glory!

Lapland (12th Feb)

The third day in Lapland we signed up for trip into Norway and to the Arctic Ocean.. It was a long bus ride but my goodness its the most scenic bus journey ever..

Something i always knew.. that the things that are made by the hands of man may be beautiful.. but they can never be compared to those created by the all creative God. =)

We stopped by at this place called Utjoski Village on our way to Norway. The main thing about this village is the church on the hill. Kirsi told us that people used to come to church here only 4 times a year.. Easter, Christmas etc.. and these were also times when people came to meet one another and exchange goods and eat and celebrate around the fire. So these small houses are also called church cottages.




It was a stinging -23 degrees here at Utjoski.. and plus the wind chill i think its abt -30. The exposed skin feels like its being burnt with hot steam.. It's the coldest temperature that i've experienced.. sprinted up the bus after smiling for the picture above.. and it took 15 mins before my face could feel anything again. Ouch

And so Artti (i think thats how it's spelled) our bus driver took us further north until we reached Nuorgam, the northernmost point in Finland.. and there we crossed over to Norway! =) A very scenic drive along the ocean led us to the village of Bugoynes.. which is also where we'll start turning back to Finland..

The tiny village is so so so pretty and i just felt so blessed to be there.. taking pictures and exploring.. here are some pictures of the beach. Oh and did i mention that this IS the ARCTIC OCEAN?

The one on the right with hands out is me! (i'm not gonna show u all the other photos.. super unglam) I swam in the arctic ocean! =) I can now say i've touched the waters of both the Arctic and Antarctic.. remember Juls? in Albany? =)

Enjoy the photos of the beach..

Seaside houses.. i mean Ocean-side

Ice crystals forming on the beach

We left the Bugoynes and took a different route back to Vasatokka.. stopping up this river. Kirsi told us that in summer you can see salmon jumping up stream to spawn. She also told us that salmon here don't die after they spawn and can do this several times in their lifetime. And apparently bears here don't know how to catch salmon unlike those you see on national geographic. Only North American bears? haha

Border between Norway and Finland.. i was in 2 places at the same time again! (Taken from the bus)

Grill party in the Teepee at night.

But the night wasn't about to be over just yet.. because Leigh, Wei Sing and I decided to layer on all the warm clothes we have.. to camp at the lake to see Northern Lights! we even brought chairs and coffee haha


And yes i saw the Northern Lights.. the 12th of Feb.. but it was super super faint.. i couldn't capture it.. If i didn't see it again on another night i would have said i saw it.. =)

Lapland (11th Feb)

Day 2 of the Lapland trip was a Lapland Survival Course! I was a quite excited about this even though the rest were probably not because of the Jungle Confidence Course i went through while in the army. Plus i'm a big fan of Bear Grylls on Man Vs Wild (Discovery Channel).. =)

Introducing our instructors! Left to right: Kirsi, Esko, Mikka.


Kirsi is an old lady who is super knowledgeable about Sami (indigeneous) people and living in Lapland. Esko is a typical cool as a cucumber Finn.. and it seems like he and nature are ONE.. haha.. Mikka is a small sized lady but don't be fooled by her size.. she's tough =)


First up, snow shoe orienteering. Walking on thick snow is really tough without these because your feet sinks and the snow comes up to knee level. Now orienteering is basically using a map and compass looking for checkpoints. Nothing difficult actually considering Brunei had closed jungle terrain. What made it interesting was learning to navigate through lapland terrain.

One of our checkpoints overseeing a frozen lake

Sausages (with yummy mustard) , Mashed Potatoes and (crispy!!) Bread for lunch.. prepared for us over open fire.. I'm a happy man..

These 2 dogs belong to the instructors.. they're super cute! Free to run and play in the snow.. =)

I had to thaw my frozen feet.. gotta love open fires

Learning to dig a hole through half metre deep the ice and how to use special equipment for Ice Fishing.. didn't manage to catch anything though..

Making fire in the arctic is slightly different than in the tropics.. Choosing wood, making chips.. Shu Shan, Pei Joo and i were in the same group.. nice fire.. =)

Emergency accommodation in the arctic.. making a Quinzee.. something like an igloo.. but made of compressed snow reinforced with sticks.

We managed to all fit inside the quinzee to take a photo.. it was surprisingly warm inside.. maybe about -1 degrees? .. I have flat beanie hair.. haha

The 2nd night we managed to convince the girls to join us for sauna and arctic swimming.. but sorry those photos i can't post! We agreed to only post photos of ourselves =)

Cloudy night.. No Northern lights.. and i went to sleep with an aching body.. Survival is hard work!