Writer's Block: Globetrotting

 

Goodness... there are so many places I would love to visit (as my friends know I am sucker for free trips *grin*).

Though, for some odd reason (as I am not huge US buff, rather quite a critic) I would visit New York, New York, US of A.
My life has been revolving around it in odd ways last ten or so years so I guess there is some reason for that and I should see what that reason would be.

 

Blog life. And what happens when a crazy stitcher travels.

I haven't actively read blogs in a couple of years (yikes!), I think that more or less after spring 2008, that spring when I first realized that there is something wrong with me and got lost in my brain fog.

2008.

Three years ago.

I met Darling Husband that same year, even it feels like yesterday.

Anyway, today I started, out of the blue, collect all my feeds from Bloglines to Google Reader as I decided it would probably be better in the end as I have my calendar at Google too and this way I can get most of my necessary stuff on my iGoogle.

There was abandoned and hijacked blogs, which I just skipped, but many of those blogs I used to read are still going strong so do not wonder if a new, yet familiar sounding name starts commenting. It's just me coming back.

My first anniversary with thyroid meds is on Wednesday and I am still surprised how much the whole thing has affected to my life. And how much it still affects. But life must go on and with time things will get easier, I hope.

Travels

My mom and I went to Tallinn earlier this month: ate like horses in an medieval restaurant (see the virtual tour here. In addition to great surroundings (this time we at at Krusensterni Saal) they serve great food), bought Estonian cheeses, dark roasted coffee and... I found craft magazines.

In other words: Estonian beading magazine and Russian Susanna and Cross Stitcher.

And we are going to Tallinn again soon as we, or rather my mother, got two free ferry tickets from tax free (this company gives free cruises after using certain amount of money in their tax free store). We are going to hit one shopping mall... there is a craft store too. Guess where I am going?

1998: Giveaway reminder, Very Good Things and stuff

First I would like to remind all my stitchy friends about the AMAZING giveaway here at my little blog.

Very Good Things

As some of you may have noticed I have been celebrating certain event in near future at Facebook and also in form of a little ticker on top of my blog...

We found a way to get reasonably priced tickets for Mr. Wonderful (as for some funny reason tickets are cheaper when purchased from here - of course purchasing them online always helps) and... He is coming home for the holidays!

Though the bad news is that he has to return Spain in January to wait for The Papers. Gah. And from there He travels to Nigeria for a while, luckily His brother arranges the tickets for Him.
Which is good news, and in the end we pay for all the plane tickets (Spain-Finland-Spain, Spain-Nigeria-Spain) 80€ which is very good news. (Rough estimation of the whole cost, had we paid them ourselves, is appr. 1100€ ($1,621)...)

Knowing that He is coming home has made me go ga-ga. Had I the money I would redecorate whole apartment for holidays, but I guess it's lucky that I don't have the money, so I have just bought little things... like gorgeous satin bedsheets.

But I am waiting to cook Him all the Finnish Yule specialties and I guess we will have more food than we need when I am done.

Dear Santa

I have been a good girl (ermm... well, relatively) and all I want for Yule is my Wonderful and this:

All I can say is:

I got curious and just checked that the design, accessory pack and postages would be only 45.5€! I may be tempted... even more if I get more money on 15th than I anticipated (I will get rest of my holiday pay (actually rest of the payment for returning from your yearly holiday - funny term, and thought) in addition to my wage) - but that would mean getting 1300€ (because there are bills to pay and stuff) and I really don't think it will happen (I am paid twice a month, which makes it highly unlikely to get such sum after taxes even though I get rest of my holiday pay).

Spain is not all THAT bad

After everything nasty I may have said or thought about Spanish system I wish to voice out that there is at least one good thing in there (in addition to my Wonderful): money transfers through bank from .es to .fi are much faster than from .fi to .es - though it is also more expensive in there.

Basically money transfers within EU should cost only as much as they would cost within the country of origin because, like people and things, money should be able to move freely within Union area. BUT when I make EU transfer at bank counter it is 30 cents and when the same thing is done in Spain it's 3 € - admittedly it is also faster, though I was just thinking that transfers to Spain may take three days (instead of appr. 1 from there to here) because Spanish banks want to make money with the interest as it is stated that EU transfers can, but should not exceed (otherwise one is applicable for some kind of refund, afaik), take as long as three days.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that local banks wouldn't do the same thing, but obviously they like to play that trick with local transfers: I noticed one day that even my pay came ~00:45 and all the bills which were due that day were taken from my account, but still showed in my "Confirmed Future Payments" until 8 am when bank day started.
And transfers between banks (companies, not locations) take 1-2 days even though the payments could be made instantly with modern technology.
But then, I don't pay much service fees so I don't mind that too much. As long as I get my money.

But, now I have to head to get our satin sheets from the post office. See you later. ^^

Back

Well, what can I say other than that Málaga was cold despite the fact that all thermometers claimed +10°C- +12°C (and Pete's sake, no heating... Ok, I know it's the Southern Coast of Spain, but still it would do some good) and that those 2½ days weren't enough?

Life hasn't been treating Mr. Wonderful very well lately and to put a cherry on top of it he got sick during the weekend and my poor man has to be sick all on his own (eat the logenzes I left and think of me). (Who knows, maybe for the next time he gets cold he is in Finland getting it. *whistles innocently*)
And it may be that I got the bug from him too (I wonder how... *ahem*).

No pictures, as you may guess we weren't out that much *innocent cough* and all the pictures I have are of Mr. Wonderful and I am SO not going to share that gorgeousness. *evil grin*

Short note aout airlines: Brussels Airlines could improve leg space, customer service and server food on their flights...

Alive, sick and waiting for January

I have suffered from mild URI from last week and being work-a-holic I have been working as I had no fever. Few days ago I jokingly said to one of my co-workers that I will surely get sick when I have my days off...
Well, unfortunately that was true and yesterday morning I went to see a doctor as I was coughing quite badly.

Result of that visit was sick leave to 22nd for viral upper and lower respiratory infections and course of antibiotics because I am asthmatic and in greater risk to catch bacterial infection, and because I was already coughing yellow sputum (sign of bacterial infection).

Getting suitable antibiotics was a quest itself: it took half an hour for the pharmacist and my doctor to find suitable one for me because of my allergies...

So, finally I have some time for finer things of life, but not the energy because those antibiotics make me sleepy.

Anyway, I am glad to announce you that I will be off from 9th to 12th (rather 13th as I come back late) of January because I go to Malaga to see Mr.Wonderful.

Yes, only for a weekend, but we thought it's better than not seeing at all for G-d knows how long period.

"How many skeins do you see?" and Tallinn

I received my GASTs from One Star's Light Needlework Supplies yesterday and after some floss apartheid I had this pile of floss for the Rose Sampler SAL with Linda.
I was curious and counted how many skeins I have reserved...

...

31.

Noticing that Ellen recommends that when stitched on two threads over two one should reserve 12 skeins altogether and that I am going to stitch this over one with one strand I think I have enough. I am not quite sure though.

Tallinn

Few shots from Tallinn, mostly from Vana Tallinn i.e. the Old City of Tallinn:

The interior shot is from Peppersack, the restaurant where we had lovely, lovely lunch: chichen fillet with wild rice, curry sauce and mango chutney with small glass of house white wine and for dessert some white chocolate mousse with rum cherries and the best cappucino I have drank since Nyíregyháza.

I am tired, but it was fun. ^^

Back

I could have stayed week or two, but the car was rented and so forth so here I am again, as promised. (I may go back there with my mother in August.)

Pictures can be found from here - as you probably guess those are mostly kitties.

Travel bug

I have found a great reason to have a job, not to buy any more stash for a while and to launch a buttload of new designs...
I want to take the jet plane and go to have a cup of coffee with someone. (And make his phone bills a bit smaller... )

Once again I am sure that this is an insane idea to many, but I need to do it, no matter the outcome, because it feels like the right thing to do.

Baltic Sea is still where it used to be

...and it still has ice in/on it during winter.

 

We ate well, did some shopping and I noticed that if I want to get cheap drawing paper Tallinn is the place. (They have good quality paper even in regular super markets. O_o)
I am also proud owner of a cafetière (makes 8 cups, was about half of the price it is in here), some cumin and garlic cheese (those are not in same cheese, just before you begun to yack), rice flour (that stuff is much cheaper in Tallinn than in here) and some absolutely wonderfully smelling white chocolate with blueberry chunks in it (and dark chocolate with cherries, it just doesn't smell as good). It is also extremely good.

Not very eventful, but nice little trip.

Epilogue

KLM: Great service, rather inexpensive tickets (for me they were very inexpensive, as you know), good food and gorgeous stewards.

Bangkok: You either hate it or love it. And it seems to me that I fell in love that city, despite of it's noisiness and crowds - or maybe that was the actual reason, I don't know.
I could have lived there.

Food: was great and I was able to consume most fruits and vegetables I can't eat in Finland.
Actually I had less food related worries during that month than I've in here during one month. We process our processed food too much (what's the idea of cornstarch in yoghurt for instance?).
And seriously, I had less allergic symptoms in Bangkok than I have in Finland... I even ate food which was soaked in sesame oil and I had no problems. I don't even dare to try that in here...

We talked about it few times... "You really should make a business out of this, you know? Wolfie's holidays for allergic people: 'Come to Wolfie's and eat what you can't eat at home.' You could make good bucks with that."
I still have dirty dreams of those fruits...

Pictures: In here.
There is one set of pictures I haven't blogged of yet... I popped by in Wat Pho one day. (Pictures in here.)

I dislike taking pictures of 'things' which are sacred to people (don't ask me why. Out of respect, I guess, even I'm this rude being I am), but I made one exception when it came to Reclining Buddha

"The highly impressive gold plated reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high, and is designed to illustrate the passing of the Buddha into nirvana.
The feet and the eyes are engraved with mother-of-pearl decoration, and the feet also show the 108 auspicious characteristics of the true Buddha."

It really is stunning. And huge.

Wonderfully peaceful place, I recommend. And I also recommend to reserve whole day in case any of you ever visits there. You'll easily lost sense of time when strolling around.

Shoes: Were almost new when I landed, now they're in pieces.

Was it worth it?: Yes, absolutely.

Goodbye Wolfie, goodbye City of Angels

Wonders of laptop: I'm sitting at port 52 in Bangkok International Airport and writing an entry. Rather nice, I'd say. I'd like to ask one thing though, which would be internet connection, but you can't have all, I think. I'll post this when I get to Finland.

About half an hour ago Wolfie and I departed from each others. My luggage got checked in about two hours ago, and it's going directly to Helsinki- Vantaa so I won't have any worries in Amsterdam when I get there (which will be about 5:35 GMT), and probably I'll have some time to wander around and get something to eat before my flight to Helsinki departs.

We said goodbye after having nice dinner (my last tom yam ka in Thailand, fortunately I've recipe for it) - and piles of other things) at the airport.
What matters is that it was nice goodbye: Hugs and smiles, and we're friends (as said, we do remember why we fell in love with each others to begin with) which is more than most failed couples can achieve. (Aren't we so perfect? *grin*)

I have no regrets. (I hope he doesn't have them either.) These last four months have started a change in me, and even I don't know what I'll be. But I know it'll be on better direction. It'll mean I'll become even more the person I want to be. And that's more than I ever asked.

As an epilogue:

It was wonderful as long as it lasted, and I'm happy we got the chance even we failed.

I never thought that someone's love can fix so many cracks from my soul, even the love failed. As that is what really happened to me. At least I feel like it. (Big credits to give for a human, don't you think? But it's true.)

See you on the other side

This time it'll be Finland.

It's time for me to begin to start pack my bags, even though I'm not out of Thailand before Saturday evening (23:00 GMT+7).

And just to make sure you wont miss me too much, picture of lovely little creature I've met during my trip:

Blabberings to follow...

Wild S.E.X., and 'Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me. Happy birthday dear me...'

Happy birthday to me.

I've to admit that it has been heart warming to receive whole bunch of birthday wishes (Thank you all. They mean very much ^^). First ones (actually Angela was the first one few days back) I got from Wolfie, just when day changed from 2nd to 3rd. And what surprises me is that my father remembered my birthday, it hasn't happened in years - ~14 years if I'm not mistaken. (As usually he remembers it only because I remind of him.)
Talked about this with Wolfie and he had an interesting theory: people learn to appreciate those things they're afraid to lose when they're in danger to lose them.

According to my mother it rained when I was born... it was supposed to rain today, but it didn't, and minutes before dusk it looked like this:

Rainy? Though it's possible that there'll be another thunderstorm during evening - or at least some rain.

And as I'm fond of memories... how was my life year ago? Hmm, even situation is what it is I'd like to say that my life has gotten, if not better, more balanced at least.

Then to this day. As we know my plan was to go to PINN's... Failed. Why?
Because they don't have store in former WTC anymore!
But fear not! I went to bookstore to sooth my nerves and guess what I found? Ten points, cross stitch patterns! So, I spent ~2000 BHTs (equals 41 € or $52.5) on S.E.X.. *ahem* But they're that kind I can't get from anywhere else, so I had to.
And you know, those 'magazines' and booklets contain unbelievably many HUGE projects so I just purchased opportunity to have something to do for next five years.

For example this project doesn't look that big when you look at the finished item, but as you see, the design takes two huge pieces of paper to fit in (that pink thing is A4 sized magazine for a comparison):

   

Size of that design is 'modest' 210x460.

And to my picture loving readers... My shopping spree.

As a curiosity I also seem to have few designs of king of Thailand. Which leads as nicely to... In addition being my birthday today is Monday, which is Yellow Day in Thailand.
Yellow is king's colour and as he was born in Monday... This is how streets look like (not everyone wears yellow in Mondays, but you can see surprisingly much of it in this spesific day) in Mondays (picture in question is from soi which goes behind this building)

Official quote of the day

"If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow."

Latest addition to family

Actually Wolfie gave (he's a sweetheart) this to me few days ago: my new baby, external ~11GB hard disk. ^^

Btw

1. Exploding feeling is gone. I just needed time alone, and concentrate on what's important... In other words: stitch Alter Echo.
2. New fruit in my list:

   

   Wolfie brought some jackfruit when he came back from work today.
   It smells and tastes like wine gums. ^^ Though it's too sweet to be consumed in bigger amounts. But what's important is that I haven't had any allergic reactions here from things I've never tasted before this trip. (I've had two reactions: one from popcorn in movie theatre and other in Japanese restaurant for reason X.)

And now... maybe some coffee, maybe a DVD on a player and off I stitch. Is there better way to celebrate your 27th?