Nightmare

Oh no...After such a good start for the day everything went bad when I returned from work. A Nasty nasty surprise; my housemate's ex-wife (AKA thief) was in the house. How did she get in? Not likely through the window.. So so upsetting. I thought the September 5 was the last time I saw her, but somehow something manifested her (perhaps it was my sincere wish that our paths would never ever cross). Mrs B might be here to collect her personal belongings and then off she goes again, but she also might be here to stay. Still can't believe my eyes. Oh no... Why now. I have never ever met anyone like her- yes, in many ways she is a treasure, a truly unique person. She ain't my favorite though. She frequently ate my food items, left the evidence around, with a clear intention to be found. Once she had to be reported to the police for assault. Why don't they screen these people any better, turn them back at the customs.. I feel like I am exaggerating, but I am not. I wished I could send her through a meat grinder, when I realized she'd helped herself to my food... How selfish of me, but I never agreed to share my food when I moved into this house. So there you go. Got it off my chest, feeling thousand times better now.

I got some work for today, it made me happy. Off to bed then, ear plugs, good book, radio on to mask off any background noise.

'Nothing to do' - day

It is better this way sometimes.. sleep late, take it easy, but I can't help it that I am getting bored. So I am sitting here, updating my blog with most useless info, watching season 2 of CSI New York.
The local market was full of Saturday shoppers as usual and now that Christmas is so near they are all there looking for Christmas presents. My luggage allowance will not stretch above 70kg when I finally fly to Saudi Arabia, but I still keep on buying stuff and then end up selling my yoga books, when there is no more space for them. Who would like to buy them anyway? My advert in a website has not produced any results. I am going to keep on trying.
I have eaten two sausage rolls- they tasted.. hmmm, not delicious, not good but not bad either. The taste of chicken was the one I most craved when I was vegetarian. WAS. Indeed. Everyone has the potential to be a vegetarian, but for me it was not the way to live. At least in my household no one else is and it is rather challenging to sit there watching the others enjoying fish, chicken nuggets and real steak. My vegetarian life lasted more than two years, but then it ended abruptly.. That is another story and it will be told one day.
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Crime Scene Do Not Cross


Death is not procedural or casual, not when it is someone you know.
- Michael Mann

Accident

I was in an accident this afternoon, but not hurt I hasten to add. My travel from Central London to my place in South East London is often by bus, and today was no different. Not far from the destination the bus had to brake suddenly to avoid crashing into a small blue car in front of us. Typical, this guy was on the phone, did not even think of having a look around before driving on to the main road, green light ahead, but for some reason this lunatic stopped! An elderly gentleman fell and hit his head, not seriously, no blood in sight, nothing dramatic like that. But this being London, big city, it took 25 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. Luckily the bus driver thought he'd seen the registration number and perhaps this careless idiot could lose his drivers licence, go to jail for a month or so, and pay a fine (£300 would be good :) for reckless driving. The EMT's checked the injured passengers, no one was seriously hurt so it was a lucky escape for all of us. My prayers are with this reckless driver, who happily turned his back to us and drove away, that he'd come into his senses and get his bloody brain working again. At least when he's driving.

Average extraordinary day

It has been a nice day here.. nothing out of the ordinary, apart from the new Casino Royale film at the local cinema. The film was fine, my type of film, no matter what critics and journalists say it was not disappointing in any way. It was an advantage to be off from work today and see the film, go to post office- and avoid the rush hour.
My next door housemate obviously does not realize that EvErYtHiNg can be heard through the quality 'papermash' walls. Is this the typical British architecture, keeping costs so low that wall thickness is less than an inch... And is it so necessary to telephone people in the middle of the night and not even consider turning volume down? I am not talking about the same housemate, who goes to the bathroom and leaves the door open. This is a very unorganised household, rubbish bins don't get emptied, bathrooms are superficially cleaned, but the smell of pee still remains in the downstairs toilet. Kitchen.. well, it can be left unexplained.. it can stay as it is. My sincere wish is to get out.. Hey, this dwelling has been my home for a year now- it is time to move on. I don't know why I stayed, paying an enormously high rent and the bills.
I realise now that my monthly wages must have been more than adequate, about the average- but the rent swallowed a good portion of it. Now that I have been looking for a temporary job, all I am qualified to do is my own job, and the rest that I could potentially do are just paying the minimum wage. So that is that, loud and clear.
Oh yes, and I found out that my body mass index is 26 so I am officially overweight. Hooray, I'll drink to that.

What do you do ..

I have been packing here like a madwoman, having arrived home and then accidentally knocking my printer too.. At least I am ready for tomorrow- most of the stuff ready to go in a flash, into the container... But am so annoyed with the printer. I have not had it for long, and I was just about to print another page.. and print few photos too, and write a letter to the embassy. They'll receive a handwritten note.. Printer refuses to work, instead of bashing it one more time I left it in peace. I have mastered the skill of wrecking more electrical equipment than I thought ever possible.

This could be the one and only opportunity to let it all come out.. but I could be barking the wrong tree.
But could I just share it with you that it annoys when my neighbor goes to the restroom for whatever and does not bother closing the door. Gee, I do NOT want to hear it all, and definitely do NOT want to see it all. He has no shame at all and obviously no need for privacy. I know I have opted to live in a houseshare, but this goes too far.
I am counting my blessings that I may well be on my way outta here soon, the sooner the better, cant wait yessss ;)
From tomorrow I am officially unemployed, but not too concerned about it yet. Once tomorrow arrives, I may be.

Snow....

Back in London, but it is nice to see the photos and remember what the snowy landscape was like.. Good old snowman, I wonder what became of him.

Thursday-Torsdag

It is already Thursday and I have been waiting with the vain hope for a letter to arrive.. all week. No sign of it though. It came into my mind that I need to check if the letter has been delivered; the letter that contained my precious degree certificates. They were delivered on October 27.. and let me see, what's the date today... 16 November!! Hah. HOW long can it take to stamp TWO certificates, I ask. Just another certificate tragedy I guess. They had to go to an embassy for a legalization procedure, which involves stamping them. It takes less than a second to stamp those two certificates- that is if the stamp is functional.. hehe :)
The week in the land of Santa Claus flies by, as time always does when you are having fun. The highlight of the week has definitely been becoming an aunt, and seeing my grandma. And the rest of the family members.
When I return to London next week the waiting game continues.

What else could I do?
Become a legal secretary? Prison officer? Pathologist? Secret agent?

Wise words and good advice

We went to visit my old wise grandmother today. She is 95 years old! This amount of life-experince is certainly not to be ignored, but respected. She lives in a nursing home, in a small village- it actually gave me a good impression and the elderly citizens are well looked after. Still, it'd be ideal if they could live in their own homes.. but sadly this is not always possible. My grandmother used to remember the good old days, when she went to feed the farm animals, and old habits die hard, so she kept doing the same, leaving the house in the early hours of morning, expecting to find the cows, chickens etc.. who were long gone. We could not allow her to do that in below 32F temperatures, freezing cold winter mornings so there was no other option for her apart from the nursing home.
She is as entertaining and unassuming as always, and eager to give advice. The fact that I am not married is a constant cause of worry for her, and probably disappointing as well.. and in a way, fascinating. She grew up in a farmhouse, got married, had three kids.. something that I have not done yet. But she told me to look after myself, get married, enjoy what life has on offer and then there is more than enough time to think about it all when one reaches the old age. True. That is what she is doing now, surrounded by calmness, a beautiful view of snowy fields and forests.. she was not being negative or moaning even for one second- even though she expressed the feeling of loneliness (her husband passed away less than a year ago). She told me to get married, bring that potential husband candidate home, just to give her enough notice so she can think about the wedding present!
The entertaining part in the conversation was when she asked whether she needs to take her tablets and pills with food or water, or coffee. And maybe "coffee might not be good after all as it contains cocaine"- my mum and I had a good laugh- asked her if she means "caffeine" instead :)

My life has come to a junction, knowing I am the only one responsible of my life, I need to decide what to do. A feeling of uneasiness crawls into my mind when I think about long-term commitments, and things that I'd like to avoid.. Right now I am free, no work, no yoga, but just about enough money to survive doing pretty much nothing for a month or so. Right now I am doing what I REALLY want to do, which is I am on VACATION at my family home, no one there to tell me "do this and then do that" and harassing me. Mind you, Finland is not such a bad place in small doses.. and I even let a tiny idea into my mind of buying a house here.. By the lake..

Back in the land of Santa Claus

It is amazing how air travel works in these modern times. From A to B, almost in an instant, blink of an eye; from one country to another. Armed with a 20cm x 20cm plastic bag for 'liquids', some hand luggage and 18kg suitcase, and all other pertinent info in the form of passport and tickets I headed to the airport... This morning at 3am I woke in London and three hours later found myself in the winter wonderland- Finland. It is cold, not as cold as I thought it would be, but 32 F or so, and icy slippery roads and sidewalks!
I like aircrafts and am fascinated by airports (and not just duty-free shopping). Flying is a delight, take off and landing are the most exciting parts. Breakfast in the aircraft- especially today was a disappointment. Sausage, omelet, beans.. No thanks. A small bread roll and muffin were edible though..
I don't like sailing in the sea, I am scared of submarines and deep deep parts of the sea. Oh I could say I am not fond of aircraft meals, spiders, Comodo dragons and Brussel sprouts either..

First I went to greet my brother and his family, including the dachshund- and then took a train from Helsinki to Lahti. Incredible speed, and well within an hour I was back at family home. No need to mention that I failed to find my seat, and ended up sitting on my suitcase in one of the bike and suitcase compartments.. Tomorrow I will attend my brother's baby's Christening, and then the rest of the week's off!

The last journey

Early morning in London, when I was on my way to work for the last time. Half an hour to gather my thoughts, contemplate.. when did I fall off the wagon? The time passes, years pass, it is like a blink of an eye and I wonder if these years truly existed. What new have I learned and what will I pack with me? This beautiful scenery is not easily forgotten, nor are my friends. From one continent to another, all in a day. What a change; it is incredible, exciting.. The day itself passed so quickly, that the only memory that remains is laughter and fun, teamwork, and saying 'see you again' to a number of people. By God's grace we all will continue our journeys.

Party time

Party time, as the title says. We had fun, me opening the gifts and having chicken curry and chocolate fudge cake with some sort of 'wasabi' spice.. If anyone can translate that, it would be much appreciated. And as always I am the palest ghostlike person of all (has my anemia improved at all..?), but I am kind of used to it, and being 'white' does not bother me. Well, at least the picture of me and the cake tells a story of its own! The cake was delicious!
This was my leaving party at Wagamama restaurant in London- it made me realize the time has come and I've got one more day at work- and then my work has been done.. time to move on. Those people who could not make it on this occasion will hopefully join me for another dinner party next week- how often does one have an opportunity to say good bye twice? This was a fun night.. need I say more.

Happy Endings

It is Tuesday, and it is nearly over. Three more days at work. The prospect of a brief unemployment worries me. Worry, concern, panic, help! The word 'worry' might not be appropriate, but againt all advice that's THE word of choice today. Depending on how visa application progresses, and how everything else falls into its place.. I am looking forward to a break in Finland next week- I will take it easy there. Apart from some work in the garden. No shopping though. Maybe some dog-walking in the early morning. But then I will return to London, and the waiting game begins. By God's grace I will reach my destination.. one day.

Elephant size legs and Borat films

I went to movies last night- the film I chose was not something I'd normally watch but I was told it would be fun. It was the new Sacha Baron Cohen's film Borat.. whatever.. jounalist from Kazakhstan. There was a funny side in it, some hilarious scenes, but some were just tad too much. So, I can't be sure it can be recommended. It was a good decision to go by myself- I could selfishly enjoy my film without a commentary, and could have eaten popcorn too all by myself. This time I had a bottle of water, nothing else, and had I eaten anything I think I'd thrown up.. on a scale 1-10 the film was very close to 2.
After work today I arrived home, realised my legs had turned into elephant size legs, as always. First few minutes are then spent on the floor, in a 'dead sheep posture', arms and legs up in the air. This is an every day phenomenon, my work is done standing- and by the time 5pm approaches, I know my legs have turned into giant tree trunks.

Sunday morning

This is the way I felt in the early hours of the morning. It took minutes and minutes to get up, find that painkiller and go back to bed. Sleep did not come easily, headache was constant companion. I think I may have overestimated my capabilities of digesting licorice, no doubt blood pressure shot right up to the roof and overdose of salt caused the headache. I've been snacking on licorice, thinking that it is not often I do that, but licorice in different shapes and sizes is available everywhere, so yes, it has become my daily treat! They even sell Finnish quality licorice here in the UK, yummy. So maybe that's the cause of the headache.. and whatever other symptoms I was going through yesterday. Yet another weekend almost gone, I am thinking was I productive enough.. was there something I forgot to do.. But then, it is my time, my life, and one unproductive weekend can be forgiven.

Headache

This morning I woke up with a headache. It is now 10.40pm and I have refrained from self-prescribing any paracetamol or any tablet shape stuff. Headache improved ever so slightly when I went out in the morning, but returned as soon as I got home. There is a new housemate- no one had courtesy of telling me anyone new was expected to move in, but I kind of knew something was happening. New neighbor stands there, asks me if I live here. Housekeys in my hand- what can I say.. I am a visitor, burglar (hah, I like that one).. It all began in a wrong way, both of us standing there and nothing to say. Huge embarrassment shining on her face, when she states " oh you must be x's girlfriend", and when I reply oh no, I am not, she looks like she is hoping for the ground to swallow her. So do I, in a way, thinking that it is incredibly rude for her not to bother introducing herself. She apologizes for all the "mess" in the corridor. I was trying to get out, but several suitcases stand in the way and I cannot get to the door. Give up and head back into my room and take shelter there. Headache is hanging on tight, not showing any sign of leaving me tonight.

Freezer like temperatures in London...

It is not long since the days were long and weather too was pleasant. This recent cold weather and colder than cold Northern wind seems to have no end in sight. Fall has not been my favorite season, it always seems longer than summer.. and never-ending. The clocks turned an hour back last weekend- daylight saving time.. well, I spend most of the daylight at work- funny enough, it has been extremely cold at work. Air-conditioning on fullest volume- it may have been colder inside than outside. Sore throat, bones and joints are aching (nothing to do with being unfit and overweight, haha :) but I have been Breathwalking to and from work and even though the wind is freezing I have still enjoyed the walks. Step by step and I have always counted my blessings.. and I have avoided yet another anxious train journey to work. That's probably the best part of the day, walking back home after work. Within a few weeks I will be leaving the snowy mountains.. for the desert! Well, there are hardly any snowy mountains in London, but you know what I mean.
I have known of this job opportunity in Saudi Arabia since June, but kept it secret for a while. Thought about it , it was a 50/50 situation, but it was then just the right thing to do, something I knew I needed to do. It is not my first time in Saudi Arabia- and ever since I left Saudi in 2003, in the back of my mind I knew I would like to return. That thought had to be stored on the shelf, until the time was right, and even now, God willing, the right time may or may not have arrived. There are about four weeks left in London, maybe less.
It is nearly the time to say Good Bye, arrivederci, auf wiedersehen, ma'assalama, nakemiin. But when the TIME is here, I never say Good Bye- I say See you later, God bless you all.