Monday 30 January 2012

End of January

Life in a freezer, finally winter has hit us, -22C today and dropping. Thursday, I have an interview at Jyväskylän energia for my thesis work, it is predicted to be -30C then, an hours walk either way. omg whatever will I look like when I get there!!

Hopefully the decision for my thesis title is made by the end of the week! The future looks very hopeful after last weeks, thesis meeting. I have decided to try and get a PhD after this, if not nothing lost! But I would like to pursue a life in teaching and/or research. Time will tell and a little luck wouldn't go a miss.

Weekend we have had some very interesting talks from which I am not allowed to go public yet but anyway WATCH THIS SPACE, as they say!

My nan is out of hospital again today, so third time lucky.

 Picture from JYU, the way to school =)

Well, there is not much more for me too say! I have the allergist tomorrow and I have been going to the gym. I ache in places my brain forgot existed and Eero has a pass to go with me on the weekends, who needs to hire a trainer when your sexy boyfriend does it for free? 

It was a pretty fun experience going to the gym together. I miss running with him it's the only reason I don't like winter. Alas, when the ice is gone we can run again! 





Saturday 21 January 2012

January 2012, how did it go so quickly!!!!???!!!

Time is going very quickly, I am not sure where January has gone. However, my diary does tell me it has almost gone!!

So, where are we now? Work everyday passes the time, I am enjoying work but now uni work is starting to pile up and school hasn't been back 2 weeks! Alas, I knew this last semester would be a "killer" so here goes nothing!


I spent early January looking for master's thesis projects, I can't remember if I posted I did the same in September with no luck. This time, luck has changed. I have had 5 offers already... only 3 of interest to me. Next week, I have two interviews for master's thesis or summer work projects to get some work published to support my PhD application.

I'm unsure what to do next whether to work or PhD, we shall see what life throws my way and with me being me, I have planned for everything anyway. The two choices for PhD universities for me are Aalto University or the University of Helsinki with a biotechnology and waste management theme. Can't research too much yet until I set my master's thesis theme, which I am hoping to do in the next two or three weeks.

I even considered taking a teaching degree at Hämeenlinna, but I didn't have the work experience needed for the course I wanted and annoyingly there was a €250 application price as I don't yet have a Finnish master's degree. This was the deal breaker for me, my bachelors degree was checked for my master's and I am not paying for that privilege. Life takes us in some strange directions sometimes, but it is never just about the destination, it's also about the journey!

I am pretty excited about next weeks interviews. I also have a maybe from a top ranking agency, who I am not willing to name yet, I am somewhat doubtful that that will come off but the worst they can say is no and I still have a two week wait for there answer.

Finnish evening courses restart on Monday. The ones that are two nights a week! I also take Suomi 4 (B2 European framework), a text comprehension course, a Finnish writing course and I took the advanced grammar course last semester.

I also have an allergist appointment the end of this month! which I will be glad of rashes are driving me mad again, also unexplained weight gain. URGHHHH! nothing like putting on weight and eating healthily and exercising!

Gym classes start next week, trying to three classes a week and one to 2 gym trips on my own. We will see how long this lasts as it is pretty awkward to carry allergy food around too. Though this is life for me so I must adapt.

I am already pretty excited about us moving south again! Even though it will be summer when we move and location unknown, well debated hotly! time will tell! I may have to go to Helsinki every day so I don't want to be far away and Eero has to go to Tampere so we shall see!

Somewhere over the rainbow!

Monday 9 January 2012

Christmas in Helsinki and Espoo

Just before Christmas I got to have my cast removed, it was a bit of a shock 5 weeks later it was still badly bruised and worst I couldn't move my hand... along came anxiety attack. Then 5 minutes later I was outside calling everyone laughing at myself. My hand was painful, I couldn't move it and it was numb. I had urgent physiotherapy appointment the next day. My hand had been support bandaged up until then, I couldn't bear to see it. When I plucked up the courage in the office later that afternoon, I was once more saddened that the cast had cut badly into my hand. The next day I had physio, still worried I couldn't move my hand... I had 8kg on the strength test, that hurt so much the world went fuzzy around the outside and I felt sick, 26kg on the "good" arm. He gave me a post cast support to wear and some exercises.

It was a little strange somehow to be back in Finland, time in the UK went so quickly. We went to Hanna and Antti's for Christmas eve days lunch. The to Vesa and Miia for sleeping and the next morning before traveling back to Tampere, for lunch then back on to Jyväskylä. We drove around so much over Christmas and I felt very guilty that hand in cast, or support brace that I couldn't help out with the driving. We got to see the new baby but I didn't hold her for fear my bad hand would hurt and a drop her or something.

2 weeks later, back in the physio's office, the strength had almost returned in my hand but certain movements remained painful and I still couldn't carry weight but the healing time is 3 months, so now I have to wait. I am banned from outdoor sports, then I was so mad, I planned to take the skiing course from school but now I can not...

It has been strange being at work at the time which is at the university, seeing no one I know and knowing they have mostly all returned to their respective countries...

The other thing that was mind blowingly weird was no snow! We had no snow until almost New Year's Eve and even then that was a covering of snow. It has been so warm 0C or plus temperatures any snow that fell, melted soon after. Below this lake was almost in Jyväskylä so we are quite far north for snow at this time of year...  



New Year's Eve, we decided to spend Eero's birthday alone. We could do what we wanted, when we wanted. So we brought us fireworks, favourite foods, romantic walks talking about, love, life, the future... was strangely a lot of fun. We watched our own fireworks then walked into city watched the city's fireworks, went home, watched a film and went to bed, the rest is history.

Pre Christmas Break in UK

Well, it has been chaos... not all good, not all bad. I suppose I could say that it would be a happy medium as it could be much worse. So we went to the UK on dad's week free break from his chemotherapy, he was a lot brighter than I expected and when my friend's saw him, no one suspected he was on chemo. I don't worry so much about his treatment, more to the tiredness the chemo brings.

The first weekend, we went to Somerset, as soon as we woke up from last night arriving in UK and traveling home, more traveling to see my grandparents. they couldn't come to us in Dudley as my nan was waiting for her second hip replacement, which from the get go was a lot worse than the first hip replacement. Enjoyable weekend, nice catch up. Brought my nan a bunch of flowers that were still alive and well 4 weeks later. I took my cross stitching back to the UK to show my nan and mom the design I was stitching for them both, before I broke my hand. 

 Mom, dad, Eero (roast lunch)
 Grandad, nan, me, mom and dad

Monday, we went back to Dudley. Then the Christmas chaos started, off shopping we went. I brought myself some fur-lined winter boots, I actually take that back, I saw them, mom brought me them for Christmas. We went to TK Max and brought nan a designer handbag, she was moaning the old one broke and gave a list of things the new bag must have. After 30minutes of searching, we found one that matched the requirements but for a funny joke (my nan checks everything, I mean EVERYTHING for a price) I left on the £69 RRP.

I left dad my mp3 player and put his Johnny Cash music on for when he goes to have his stem cell treatment and has to stay in isolation for 6 weeks. He also had a jumper we brought from Finland, some toffees and a few other odds and ends. We got mom an amazon kindle and some books and accessories. My brothers, we brought a fleece jumper, warm and smart enough to wear to the office. Eero, had 4 wii games. I had a new mp3 player, boots. Also I had ordered my new lumia 800 (nokia) Cyan... ah I love it sooooo much.

Most of the week was Christmas Shopping, then wrapping it all up. Catching up with mom and dad. Going out for meals with Eero... mom loves to do that and dad even managed to eat too. Not forgetting renewing Eero's and my own wardrobe to be shipped back in a box, I ended up with 4 new pairs of knee high boots <3 happy days.

I also got to meet my old lecturer Peter Jarvis (Dr), my favourite inspirational lecturer, who helped me make up my mind that teaching or training adults could be fun and educational. I loved our catch up over coffee and cake. I actually, I am really excited to go back next time to meet him, as with luck (good hopefully) there will have been so many new and exciting changes to talk about! =)

Time in the UK was so short, it felt like hours rather than days. I got to see the cats and pet them loads so it was happy. Until Tom, clawed and pulled 2 pairs of jeans... I didn't take as many photos or good ones considering my hand was in a cast, the job wasn't so bad

 Maisy (so pretty)
 Tom (so loving but demanding)
Ebby (cute and evil)
We got to go on so many meals out (but me the allergic ate before we went) but it was so much fun. Then we got a few family meals. The traditional family party at mom and dad's where Eero got to meet my aunt, uncle and my cousin's. Also we got to see Aunty Roz and Uncle Jim too  (well Jim as Roz was ill). Finally, a night meeting my friend's for a catch up



 Zara and Eero
 Eero's favourite bar, The Crooked House
Pete, Laura, me and my cast
Ishy, Lisa, and Ian
Laura, Me and Eero "the married couple" lol 

Laura B and her other half to be, came around mom's house later that night and we had a continuation party! =) Laura B also dropped us the wedding invite around the next night. The journey home was a cruel one, less that 2 hours sleep, midway through the night long drive, long flight well 3 hours is long when you are so tired and can't sleep, E slept... Then the 2 hour car drive back, by which time I was asleep, just couldn't fit it any longer.