Funny Exam

A friend sent me this link, and I had a good laugh. I shall remember to check my children's homework too before any unnecessary 'misunderstanding', ha ha ha.

http://funnyexam.com/answers/popular/4023-is-that-a-hoe-or-a-shovel

Leap Year, Leap Day 29 Feb, 2012

Quote from YLE, 'Leap years are needed to keep the calendar in alignment with the earth's revolutions around the sun, which take 365 and one-quarter days. Leap day is also added to keep the calendar in line with the seasons.'

In Finland, there is a peculiar custom where in the event a man turn down the woman's proposal on this day, the custom mandates him to buy a piece of cloth for his suitor to sew a skirt. Interesting!

An enthusiastic bunch!

I was told that Finnish students are silent, especially those from technical related courses... but today, this is proven once again wrong. I have a bunch of enthusiastic freshman from the technical faculty, who is capable to voice their opinion, share their ideas, and enthusiastic to participate. The challenge is to keep the flame burning, but at least this is a fantastic start against original perception. This is a validation to much of the 'motivation theories' which urged an organization to encourage participation, empowerment, etc. Let's hope all these enthusiasm will bare fruits in near future.

A treat

I have a simple philosophy - 'Treat others the same way as you would like others to treat you'. This works very well for me so far... both professional and personal life, across age groups, cultural background and gender.

Many teachers believe, they must maintain a distance with students to maintain authority, respect and status. However, I prefer to take a different approach. I believe, students and I can have multiple relationships in one, for example we can be teacher/ student in class, colleagues in projects, friends after hours. It may be challenging to 'switch perspective', but I find it beneficial for both parties.

Today, I had a treat from a student. She made some homecook food and we had lunch together. She is an exchange student from China, and will be leaving in a week's time. Although I am not directly her teacher, but we have built a nice relationship over the last 6 months.

Surprise Visitor

We had a surprise visitor this evening... a relative stopped by on her way back from holiday, and brought the children some lovely gifts. It was very thoughtful of her. We don't meet each other very often since we live quite far apart, also we are always busy with work and other activities, so chances to catch up are rare. That's life, but on the other hand, it is not the 'quantity' that counts, but the 'quality'. So, little means more in many ways :)

B's 9th Birthday!

Finally, the BIG day for my little big man. Anyway, he had an eventful and happy day, though this is only Part 1 of celebration. Part 2 coming on Friday where his little friends will come to party, then grandpa and grandma will celebrate during weekend. So, this is just the beginning :)

A pink start!

This morning the environment look so pinkish. A lovely, romantic start :)

  

Quality vs. Quantity

I started my day with a tiny study objective, that I will accomplish one small task this evening despite I know I have a long day of work. However, I was too tired to pursue that goal.

On the bright side, I managed to spend a short moment of nice, quality time with hubby and kids to go for a short walk, look at the clear sky, watched the stars and caught a glimpse of Norther light! What a beautiful night, lovely company, and nice, fresh air!

These are things money cannot buy, and what I would perceive as 'quality life'. Thank you God, for a blessed evening.

Source: Thomas Cook - Northernlight in Finland

Reflection

Time flies...
Tomorrow is my boy's 9th birthday.
Oh my, is he turning 9 already?
It felt like he is still a 'little baby' to me.
But... in reality,
He is definitely not the little cuddly baby... no more.
I have tried to be a 'good enough' mum
However, there were always stuff around
That distracted me from being there all the time.
If I could turn back time
I think I could be a better mum
I hope it is not too late
To reflect and improve
To make our journey as mother and son
Fill with precious moments, good memories
Rich experiences and abundance of loves

Happy Birthday my Son.

I love you!

A Good Verse to Share

Thanks to a dear friend who shared this wonderful verse with me. A piece of good advice to remind me to be more conscious of my behaviour as a mum of two kids. All is so true!

***

WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING

A message every adult should read because children
are watching you and doing as you do, not as you say.  
 
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my
first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately
wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a
stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be
kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my
favorite cake for me, and     I learned that the little
things can be the special things in life.    

When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a
prayer, and     I knew that there is a God I could always
talk to, and I learned to     trust in Him.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a    
meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I
learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't     looking I saw you take care
of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have
to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw how you
handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't
feel good, and I learned that I would have
to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come
from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things    
hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw that you
cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking I learned most of
life's     lessons that I need to know to be a good and
productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I looked at you and    
wanted to say,' Thanks for all the things I saw when
you thought I wasn't looking.'

Paper work, Paper work, MORE Papre work!

Can't believe it, I spent hours just to read through pages of instructions, and then filled in pages of forms! It is so irritating and unproductive! All these hours spent could have been better utilised to study or do my assignment, but so far, the latter has not progressed, and the form filling exercise is still work in progress! Grrrrrrrrr!

Challenge to strike a balance

Today, I was faced with my very first challenge to balance my time since I started my studies 5 weeks ago. I have to allocate my Sunday between rest, family activities, a chat time to deal with kid's challenge, preparing food for the next few days, preparing lectures for tomorrow, achieve my own study plan, and go to practise ski as my personal health plan!

Time is always limited, and to squeeze in so many things on a Sunday is proven challenging! Although at this point, I think I have accomplished all the above, but the fall side is, I am now totally exhausted! So... BED TIME! Goodnight!

Technology and kids

Technogy is essential today. However, the impact on technology in children upbringing can be very challenging. During my childhood, my parents were only concern about me spending too much time before TV, hence neglecting my studies. However, today, such concern almost does not exist! J and B are not so interested in TV programs, but they are addicted to playing games in internet, chatting through google chat and 'googling' information from search engines! This evening, we must have a serious chat with J who has been sulking for few days because we did not allow her to access her 'horse game' last Friday. To show her unhappiness, she spend hours in her little hut upstairs, or outside. She was showing black face when she was indoor, and bad tone when talking to relatives back home! Finally, we decided to have the talk with her, arrange some clearer rules of her usage and play time using internet, etc. It was a tough situation, but we hope now we can move forward with clearer understanding.

Ski championship 2012

This is the annual ski championship for kids in Kajaani. The last few years, J and B have been taking part in different ski competition, but this year, they were interested to give this a try. Not too bad, J ended up  fouth and scored 7 points, whilst B was seventh and scored 4 points. There are still two more competition to go before they announced the grand winner with highest points. I guess the 'number' is not the most important, but the spirit and experiences. The kids enjoyed a lot, and thereafter, our treat of the day is a big, nice opera pizza at our favourite restaurant :) Well done kids! Kudos!!

      

Jessica's Name Day!

Today is my little princess's name day. So, a small little celebration before they hit the ski competition... nothing special, a little cream cake, hot chocolates, big hugs topped up with lots of loves are all the things needed to make my little princess happy on this special day of hers.

Final practise

The competition day.... last minute coaching and practising before kids go for their first ski competition this season! Go baby go!



Jessica's new skate skis

This evening, I decided to take a break to go to the sport store with hubby. I am behind schedule with my own study plan, but this is something important which took priority over my own plans. Tomorrow, Jessica will have her very first ski competition for this season. She wishes to use free style to compete, but her current skis are meant for traditional style. So, we went to look for a new pair of skis for her so that she could use tomorrow. Also, we bought some proper, professional ski clothes for her so that she can ski in comfort tomorrow. Surprisingly, she fits perfectly well into my size 39 adult ski shoes! How quickly she grew! Now she is 149cm tall, and soon she will be shooting over my height! Time flies!

  

A new study mate

Today, my professor introduced me to another new PhD student from Pakistan who is pursuing similar kind of topic as my research. It was very pleasant to know, I could now have a study mate to proceed together, so the study journey will not be so lonely for the next few years. For me, a study companion could play an important role, especially in times when I am stuck with a topic, or when I need someone to discuss, or to give me a push when I am behind time.... so, I hope this companion can play this role. Well, let's see if this study relationship and support work or not. Nonetheless, we have a good exchange of information today, and his background will definitely add value to my journey, and areas of study in the future.

Simple but full of goodness

Many people have the ideology that good food is shark fin, sea cucumber, lobsters and what not... but after having tasted all those, I am still standing firm on my belief that 'simple' food is still the best. Simple food can be equally tasty if one uses good quality, fresh ingredients. Simple food is can be more nutritional and healthier. Occassionally, to have a doze of food with exotic ingredients may be good for a change, but on the other hand, having those kind of food every day could be a torture for my body. Today, I had a yummy meal with organic Chinese cabbage, tomatoes cooked with some sliced pork and small amount of salt. And this is served with my lightly friend Springrolls and fragant Basmati rice. It was a simple but nice treat - my taste  :)

Old friends, Good times

I was in the ICT Fair this afternoon, and met some old friends whom I have done some project work together. Also, I met couple of my English class participants. Though I am no longer teaching this subject in Kaukametsä, but many students still remained friends. We don't keep in touch so often, but on festive seasons, or when we met on the street, we always remembered each other, and that's good enough :)  Friendship forever!

Springrolls treat

Today is my 'relax' day of the week. Although I am a little behind schedule, I decided I will still pamper myself with this break after the hectic day, to relax, and make some nice food for my loved ones plus it is my destress hobby anyway. So, these are the Springrolls I made.

Virtual family!

Technology has changed the way how communication will take place. We have virtual teams, virtual organizations, virtual networks, and today, we have also 'virtual family' (not in second life nor virtual affair :P)! What I meant is, the communication process between family members have changed too due to technology. My daugther was sitting in the kitchen, 10m from me, and we have unblocked view of each other... but instead of coming over to chat or talk, she wrote to me via google chat, then followed by email. So, we had our little 'discussion' by chat in writing, not by face-to-face talking. She expressed mood by the emoticons, rather than the real smiles or sorrows on her face.... oh my! However, if I must stay tune with her, this is the virtual skills I must develop! Otherwise, soon, I will be so outdated that I no longer can communicate with her!

A small step

I felt pretty good today because I accomplished and submitted the final tasks for the first subject. It is not a big deal, only 6 credits, but it is the first baby step forward. Now I must concentrate to complete the second subject. Unfortunately, not very productive today... although I planned to start my assignment at 11am, but so far, this has not come true. On the other hand, the change of plan was due to an unplanned visit to visit some old cooperation partners in the ICT fair in Kajaani. This fair only last for half a day, and it is a good chance to say HI to many familiar faces without going to visit them one by one. Anyway, there are trade-offs some times, and flexibility is required, but staying focus is more important than just following schedule. Lesson learned :)

Orientation program for new coop members

I was participating in a student coop's orientation program today. This is the first time such program is organized despite this is not the first intake. There were approx. 40 participants. All young, talented individuals who are studying in the games faculty. Although the picture I have before the start was that the participants are fairly silent, less interested in management or business stuff, etc... but this was proven wrong after the strategic discussion activities, and hearing their voies, ideas... It was very nice to observe that the participants were eager to contribute and active to share their ideas. That was really great! Now the challenge is to maintain and boost their interests further, and keep them excited enough to take real actions and be committed to the organization. Fingers crossed. Hopefully, all these efforts can change their attitudes and differentiate them from the earlier batches of members!

A good lecture

My students attended an interesting lecture about Innovation Management by a visiting professor from Lithuania. It introduces a new model that helps people interested to start their own business to kick-start the thinking process of their business idea. The tool is fairly simple to apply, and helps to brainstorm systematically. The students are enjoying the session, and they have their first task to think about a business idea using this model, and they should validate in the next session whether the idea may work or not. We will see!

An innovative tool for start-ups

This is a very interesting model with a fairly practical tool to help to-be entrepreneurs to start thinking of the key business issues and to help them validate whether their businses idea can be taken forward or not. The tool is called Business Model Generation and the contents are written in simple text and interesting graphics. Personally, I am of the opinion this is a very good model to kick-start the brainstorming process, however, once the idea is developed, I think other business and management theories will need to supplement the analysis, implementation and control. Nonetheless, still a model worth checking out.

http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/downloads/businessmodelgeneration_preview.pdf

Jessica's chicken pox - Update

Yippee! Jessica is on her road to recovery! Spots are dried now, and she can go to school again!

Busy days approaching!

I can feel the workload coming.... 2 thesis supervision, coordinate a team of 40 foreign visitors, mark 20 assignments, prepare retake exams for three subjects and to mark a thesis in addition to my own book exams, and preparation for an oral discussion which should take place in mid March! That's a plate full in just 3 weeks! God, please give me strengths and determination to accomplish all these tasks!

Good lectures from a visting professor from Germany

After some weeks of arrangement, our visiting professor finally arrived. Her topic of lectures was managing talent in small-medium size company in a challenging region. The topic is very interesting, more importantly, good to know her region in Germany is facing similar problems like Kainuu. Residences are migrating out to other federal states in Germany, population is aging, small medium size companies are not attracting young talents and their mindset is not geared towards a hollistic view of people management. Such issues are not unknown for SMEs in Kainuu too. Anyway, we had two good sessions, and we hope to cooperate further in the future.

Shove Tuesday (Laskiaistiistai)

Today is one of kids' favourite days. In school, they get a shot of pamper with creamed jam bun and hot chocolate drink. They can also bring their own sleigh to glide from a small slope in school... lots of fun! At home, they also had something similar. So, double shot, double happiness :)

  

Power of Love!

Sometimes I wonder...
Where is the source my energy and determination?
As I ponder... I realize, my family is the answer!
Without them, my dreams will be empty and meaningless....
When I am down, they bring me laughters,
When I am stress, they cheer me up,
When I am frustrated, they calm me down,
When I am sad, they give me hugs and show me love....
With them around, my mind is focus,
My destiny is clear, I want to make them proud,
This is the power behind my determination
My drives forward!

I love you all!

A pad for myself!

I am so happy now! First time in my life, I read a 250 pages book about Value Nets in 2 days.... and I managed to get my first draft of my final assignment completed! This is the final task for my very first subject - 6 credits, not much, but a baby step forward to my 60 'study credits' for the doctoral studies :-) Remaining 180 credíts will be the research and 200pages monograh....

I Will Always Love You.... Whitney Houston

I grew up with Whitney's songs which have inspired me to live my dreams and to constantly test my own limits. She will always be remembered dearly.

Source: Mirror News, UK

Kevin Costner's speech at Whitney's funeral on 18 February, 2012

“Whitney if you could hear me now I would tell you you weren't just good enough you were great, you sang the whole damn song without a band – you made the picture what it was.
“A lot of guys could have played my part but you were the only one that could have played Rachel at that time.
“You weren't just pretty, you were as beautiful as a woman could be –people didn't just like you, they loved you.
“You set the bar so high for professional singers... now the ones who sing your song are young girls like you, who dream of being you.
“To those girls who think you might not be good enough, guard your bodies and then sing your hearts out knowing there's a woman in Heaven making God himself wonder how he created something so perfect.

International Week in KUAS

This week is the long awaited international week in KUAS. We are expecting approx. 40 visitors from our partner schools in EU countries. I will have a professor, Dr. Walter and her daughter in my Human Resource Management course for both Monday and Tuesday, then my students and I will attend another professor's lectures on Wed. In addition to lectures, there are also many other activities arranged including Husky safari, Kuhmo nature's park, skiing etc. Looks like a hectic week ahead!

Chicken pox!

Just found out, Jessica might have caught chicken pox from her classmates. It is not very obvious, but from the scattered spots and knowing that few of her classmates already got it for the last few weeks, it is not surprising that she caught the bugs too. Thank god Noora already got it when she was really young, so hopefully she won't get it again after spending a night here. As for myself, this will be the 'real test' to confirm whether my teen encounter was indeed chicken pox  because I had less than 10 spots and did not feel ill at all when I was suspected to have contacted chicken pox at that time. We will see... now I can only pray hard and keep my fingers crossed that I won't get either chicken pox nor shringles.

Jessica has a guest!

Jessica's riding friend and school mate, Noora came to visit this evening and she is staying overnight despite she is living just 5kms away from our home. This is the second time Jessica's friend is staying overnight. The first was last Autumn when one of her ex-classmate came over for a night. Anyway, the girls seemed to be having good time though the boy felt a little left out. He came to watch TV with us, and fell asleep on daddy's lap. Noora is a talkative little young lady. She is 2 years older than Jessica, but they seems to get along really well at the moment despite the age gap. Noora is youngest in her family, and she enjoys playing a lot with Jessica. They both love horses, and they are going to the same riding school together. Anyway, next Autumn, Noora will be moving on to another school for 7th to 9th graders, and may be by then, their friendship will gradually change. Until then, they should treasure what they have now. These are the golden years of their life... ENJOY!

I am stuck!

Wow, did not realize our front yard is covered with thick snow! I spent the whole day in the study (view to back yard) without realizing the strong wind had brought in huge amount of snow from the open fields to the frontyard and drive way. Now I must wait for hubby's rescue to plough the snow away by tractor. I am now 'stranded' since the garage door is also blocked by thick snow!

Jessica's Poetry Talent

I am very amazed by this young lady's talent in writing poets and poems! Here is a collection which I received from her in the last two days.

1. KarkausSika oli meidän parasta ruokaa.
Mika oli meidän hevonen joka huokaa.
Voi sinua sika parkaa.
Voisit vaikka yöllä tallista karkaa.
Isäntä sitten aamulla
etsisi sinua ja rankaisisi minua.
Ei hätää Mika karattaisiin yhdessä.
Niin, ei ideassa mätää mutta karataan me kaikki.
Jos he haluavat otetaan perheestä
tyttö nimeltä Maikki.

2.
Mikroaaltouunis
huusi sulje suusis.
Ei minun vika
ehkä sinun lika.
Paljon pikaruokaa.
Sitä mulle tuokaa.
Sika jossain huokaa.
Anteeks aina suokaa.

3. Mielipide
Sika röhki pää pää pää
Meillä oli paha sää.
Lammas huusi mää mää mää
Meillä ompi saha sää.
Lehmä ammui jää jää jää
Meillä ompi maha sää.

4. Sää
Olen täällä hyvästelemässä
sinua tuulisella säällä.
Olet lähdössä Helsingin keikkaan
 minä lähden kotiin ja meikkaan.
Menin ulos ja tein kolon tunsin
mahassani pahan olon.
Ulkona sataa meillä paljon lunta.
Karhu näkee pesässään unta.
Sisällä akku lataa täysiä tulta
viestin sain äsken jostain sulta.
Ostin kaupassa salaa arvan ja
voitin siitä suuren karhun karvan.

In addition, she is also a talented artist and cartoonist. Here are couple of her 'products'.

  

I am so proud of her! Well done, my girl!

God.com

A friend sent me this poem, and it really cheered me up this morning! Amen!

Every single evening
As I'm lying here in bed,
This tiny little Prayer
Keeps running through my head:
God  bless all my family
Wherever they may be,
Keep them warm
And safe from harm
For they're so close to me.
And  God, there is one more thing
I wish that you could do;
Hope you don't mind me asking,
Please bless my computer too.
Now I know that it's unusual
To Bless a motherboard,
But listen just a second
While I explain it to you, Lord.
You see, that little metal box
Holds more than odds and ends;
Inside those small compartments
Rest so many of my friends.
I know so much about them
By the kindness that they give,
And this little scrap of metal
Takes me in to where they live.
By faith is how I know them
Much the same as you.
We share in what life brings us
And from that our friendships grew..
Please take an extra minute
From your duties up above,
To bless those in my address book
That's filled with so much love.
Wherever else this prayer may reach
To each and every friend,
Bless each e-mail inbox
And each person who hits 'send'.
When you update your Heavenly list
On your own Great CD-ROM,
Bless everyone who says this prayer
Sent up to GOD.Com

Time struggle!

I have so many action items to accomplish today... reading a student's thesis, mark 20 exam papers, read a new book 'The value net' by Cinzia Parolini to write my third assignment, and to finish another book 'Marketing Theory' which I started last week so that I can complete the assignment which is half done at the moment... and to prepare lectures, cook lunch etc.... after spending 1,5 hours of sorting out my priorities and stuff, at the moment I am still at ground zero! Oh my... getting desperate!

Brendon's new 'pipo'

Brendon has made a new 'pipo' for himself as part of his school project. He was so proud of it that he wore it at home, to sleep, to school... everywhere!! It is a nice looking, warm, 'artistic' flee hat, and he has done a good job with all the sewing. Well done, boy boy!

A small progress...

I am very happy today with the small progress I have made todate. I managed to clear 2 of 3 tasks for a particular subject in less than a month, and I am progressing concurrently with two other courses despite of my work and project activities in school. On top of that, I can still have quality time with kids and family.... so, for that, I am so proud that I could manage 'myself' quite effectively thus far  :) 

Image source: Better Finnish

Domain name

I have been scratching my head, brainstorming for hours for a suitable domain name for my research project.... it must reflect few key themes: In-game advertisement, Mobile games, gamers' behaviour, connections, network, start-ups etc. I came out with over 100 choices, of which half are already 'registered' names... and the other half are not to my satisfaction. Wow, this is an onerous task.... and the search continues! Inspiration please!!

Valentine's Day 情人节

Today is Valentine's Day in many countries, however, in Finland, this is the 'Friendship Day'. My students were so sweet. In the morning, when I entered the class, two boys asked, 'Teacher, can we offer some coffee and brownies to celebrate friendship day / valentine day...' Of course I have no objections to that, and they took out coffee, and their 'home made' brownies to serve all the participants in the class. It was very nice gestures. Coincidentally, today I have a some video clips to illustrate Managing Across Culture, so we had a nice time drinking coffee, enjoying the yummy brownies, and watched the 10mins movie clip. Everyone enjoyed. So, I must thanked the two thoughtful boys who had made the lecture so much more interesting :)  Well done!

At home, we will have a small celebration later... And I have a little treat for my love ones...

In return, the little princess drew a nice card for us (a beautiful horse), and hubby gave some chocolates and a bunch of flowers as Valentine's gift... and my heart melted away..... :)

It feels great to be loved.... 幸福的女人也！



Tiring Day....

A long tiring day... many lectures, meetings, back to back one after another. I am glad today is over, and I look forward for a better tomorrow - Valentine's Day   :)

There is a will, there is a way!

I am so proud of myself at the moment. I managed to resist several tempatations like ski, watch my favourite television programs etc. to accomplish my target for this weekend! I completed 7 chapters of reviews out of 9 chapters that I have read, and I am now almost half way to completion of this book exam! BIG BIG pad for myself! Now, I can go to bed with a peaceful mind.... sweet dreams!

A nice break....

Despite my desperation to accomplish my target, there are some things in life which I should not sacrifice... time with family. Today, mummo and ukki came all the way to visit from Kuhmo. It was very nice to have them here, as always. Although I was very busy and behind schedule, but we still had coffee and a nice lunch together. Also, we had a short chat with sis and mum who have just returned from Hokkaido. We managed to 'see' each other but could not talk at some point due to internet connection problem. Anyway, we managed to write some text to each other, and talk without the video. Another happy moment is, I was very delighted to watch Brendon playing with daddy dear. They were having so much fun, and I just could not stop smiling watching both of them play. It was very nice, and enjoyable moments for me. I love you all, my dearest family!

      

Progressing gradually...

I have been writing for at least 8hours now but only got 3 chapters of my book exam done! Still 15 chapters to go!! I blame my slow progress to my lack of concentration power. Although I still have 2 weeks to achieve to accomplish this task, but the days ahead are looking busy with more lecture preparation, project work and also to host the German visitor during KUAS international week.... so, I hope I could have better concentration when pressure is mounting, so that I could accomplish the rest of the chapters within target time! God, help me please, give me strength, persistency, will and power to accomplish this task! Thank you God!

Tribute to my 'Pop Queen'

What a surprise... the pop queen of my teenage days was found dead in the bath of a hotel room in LA. Although I am no longer a fan nowadays, but her songs have been my best companions during my growing days. Everytime I hear those songs, my memories dazzle back to those good old times, as a carefree teenager, and all the good times I have had with my secondary school mates. You will be missed, Whitney Houston!

Photo source: CBS News

Simple joys - 物以稀为贵

When I was in Malaysia or Singapore, I have taken forgranted the abundance of delicious food around me. I could just walk out to the 'mamak' stalls, pay a couple of ringgit, and I could have the best teh tarik, roti chanai, nasi bryanni, nasi dagang, nasi lemak, rendang, cha kuay teow, laksa, nyonya kuih, yumcha... alamak, 'apa apa macam' (all kinds) of food!

In Kajaani (and generally Northern Finland and country side areas), eating out is not a local culture. Women here are mostly very capable to make their own local delights, from dining meals to coffee breads, bakeries and such.

Another challenge is, there are not any good restaurants (at least in my opinion comparing to all the Asian cities I have lived before - price vs. quality and taste), plus there are not many varieties too. So, if I would like to have a good meal, the best solution is to make it myself - with my preferred ingredients, to my likings.

If I am looking for variety, then I must definitely make them myself unless I go to Helsinki, Oulu or other big cities. There are very few local restaurants in Kajaani and Sotkamo, and the alternatives are Pizza, Kababs parlours, Burger chain and a Chinese restaurant. Not even global trendy delights like Japanese, Indian, Thai nor Vietnamese food.

Thank god I enjoy making food and exploring exhautic recipes... so, it is not a big big challenge, despite I love eating and enjoy ethnic delights. Today, I decided to pamper our tummy with Indian food - fragant Basmati rice and grilled masala chicken. Yum yum!

A pleasant break

This morning I decided to pamper ourselves with a Finnish delight 'laskiaispulla' (Shrove Bun). This bun is typically eaten during Shrove Sunday (19 February). It is very yummy (though not very healthy), and kids love it!





After a fattening coffee break, we went for a short ski just outside our home. There was no ski track, so needs much more efforts to ski. Anyway, the weather is good, only -10C with very light wind. Perfect outdoor weather for winter sport.

And now... back to my not so interesting 'Marketing Theory' assignment again  *o*

First Book Exam!

Started second subject for my studies, 'History of Marketing Theory'. Frankly, I am not a 'history' nor 'theory' person, so this subject is really a killer! Dry, boring and long! I should read a 350pages book compiled by a very famous Professor in this area and I shoud review this book and provide my own reflection in less than 30pages. It did not sound terrible, but to 'bite the bullet' to read the book with such contents is a challenging task for me. Anyway, I am determined to get it out of my way... so, today - I put on my 'sisu band', and start my book exam now! Gambarimasu! Need lots of lucks and 'emotional' support today!!

小女人

有时候，做小女人特别幸福也。当我比较年轻时，我心里总是觉得，长大后一定要当个成功的女人。成功在年轻时的意义就是想当个女强人。但，当我事业一帆风顺，一步一步迈向这个目标时，我忽然发现我还是宁可做个小女人好。。。 为什么呢？我想起学生时代，有位男同学跟我说， ''Hei, you are depriving my privilege to serve you''。当时，我回应，''I have hands, I can open the door by myself.'' 现在，回想起这句话，挺有意思的。。。 男士们大多希望可以为他们心爱的女士们服务，为什么我们不索性成全他们，给他们这个机会呢？我终于领悟到这个道理。如今，我非常开心的做个实实在在的小女人，我成功男人背后的小女人。。。

Networking

This is an 'everyday' term in today's business world. I just completed a subject entitled 'Network Theory', and everything in the academic context seemed fairly logical... however, I am surprised that such basic approach is still lacking in the business world. Companies are still guarding tightly their respective corporate boundaries, and cooperations are fairly surface in nature. Trust is a big barrier to deeper cooperation, mindset of the management could be another.

Recently I was asked to provide some suggestions of how my University can have cooperation with its counterparts in China apart from exchanging students for a semester. In my mind, there are countless possibilities to cooperate especially from neutral organizations like universities!

Kajaani is the sister or friendship city of Jiujiang (Jiangxi province), and our university is partner university with at least 4 academic institutions in China... apart from student exchange, we could arrange other simple activities like staff exchange, web lectues, web courses to strenthen the relationship.

In addition, we can also extend the cooperation to the city, provincial and regional level where the academic institutions can bridge research efforts for our local businesses - market research, technolocical competencies and like.  The Finnish academia has lots to offer in the technological aspect, whilst the Chinese partners would add value to our businesses by way of market research, consumer knowledge, etc. If each Finnish university or regional cluster could strengthen their relationship through such aspect, then within Finland, we could build a knowledge rich network that can help each other to enhance our contacts into Chinese market... it would be a 'win win situation'!

Lohikukko (Salmon pie)

I was feeling a little bored marking student assignments and thesis since 6:30am... so, I decided to pamper my beloved family with their favorite Finnish delight - Salmon pie. This is one of the hardest item to bake. The most challenging item in my opinion is the Finnish ryebread (ruisleipä). Baking is a wonderful way to take my head away from boredom, and also an effective way for me to refresh before moving on to another challenging task (Reading a boring textbook!). More importantly, my loved ones get to eat something they like, so that I can anchor their heart to me through their tummies - win win situation. *.*

外国月亮特别圆

I remember when I was young, I have heard this phrase many times, '外国月亮特别圆'. However, the context then is a little different.... This morning, when I look out the window, I saw this big, bright, round moon, the phrase rang in my head again.... It is true from a Malaysian point of view, that '外国月亮特别圆' because we hardly see any moon in Malaysia! Clouds could be a reason, pollution, haze, etc... I don't remember too many days of clear blue sky, and not many times during my stay in Malaysia that I sighted a big, round moon - not even during mid-Autumn festival! However, standing from our position today, I guess Jessica and Brendon will not consider '外国月亮特别圆', hence this childhood phrase of mine would not linger on to their generation.

Ouch! My back is killing me!!

Root cause unknown, I have this sudden backache in the evening which is literally slaughtering me alive. Now I have three patches of Salonpas on the critical spots, and praying hard that the pain will go away...... Jessica gave me a soothing massage, and I have been sitting by the stone stove for an hour for 'heat therapy'.... now, I guess I need 'sleep therapy' and hope for a pain-free back after a good night rest!

Chilling down....

Another hectic week is over! I am feeling relieve on one hand, but stress on the other because this also means I must continue with my unfinished book on marketing theory again (not exactly my favourite). I have a stretch target to complete half of my book exam this weekend, so 'gambarimasu' ne!

Flashback!

I was preparing lecture slides about Japan few moments ago. Everytime when I read something about Japan, fond memories return. This is one of the most memorable countries I have lived and worked for 4 years. It was an eye opener for me, despite I am an Asian. The culture in Japan is very unique but extremely interesting. The business system there is very challenging, but logical for the local environment. The people there are fantastic and I must admit, I have had one of the best performing team - they are dedicated, committed and diligent in what they are doing. Hearing stories about Japan, watching TV series about their stories, and even touring Japan as a visitor is not the same as living and breathing through the system. I remembered my very first day in Japan, I tried to get some directions to my office, and one kind soul actually stopped to assist by pulling my sleeve and walking backwards for about 500m to the directions he came from in order to point to me the direction I should be heading to. Such incident was not isolated. Several times through my stay, people went off their ways to help and that was truly touching! I do wish, one day, I will visit Japan together with my family.... 'I'll be back!!'