I'm a member on Interpals, a very handy site to
meet people and make pen friends all around the world. I've been a member for
years now and I've enjoyed every single moment. Yet, Interpals disappointed me
a lot by changing their profile policy in the way that the profiles must be
very short. So, I decided to shift all my profile text here that I used to have
on Interpals. Now I just have the link to this post in my profile and I advise
allt he visitors to read it through here. Fortunately Blogger hasn't limited
the lenght of the posts - at least yet.
* * * * *
About me:
I'm a 32-year-old lady from Helsinki, the capital
of Finland. I'm here to make friends and discover the world, different
cultures, and to make my world view and ideas even wider from what they are at
the moment. It's great that the development and different channels online like
Interpals have made it as easy as what it is today.
As a person, I'm sociable, open-minded, and
positive. People say I'm fun and easy to get along with. I'm very talkative
which does mean that when I write the letters and messages tend to become long.
People who know me better sometimes pick on me (most positively, of course)
that when I get started in talking there's no off-button to push. And being
sincere, I must say it’s pretty much so.
I have a light and happy attitude towards life. It
doesn't have to be anything big or huge to make me happy or get me in a good
mood. I know how to enjoy life. When the basic things in life are okay
everything is okay - that's one wise saying and one of the things I base my
attitude and way to live on. It's not worth getting upset if the coffee turned
out to be too strong. My glass is always half full, not half empty. And so on.
I'm very down-to-earth and my values of life are
anti-materialistic. I don't need expensive things, brand clothes, and I've
always found it hard to understand people who want to be posh, like boasting
around, and are after others’ envy. I could afford things like Guess and Louis
Vuitton but owning something fancy doesn't bring happiness or satisfaction to
me.
I value honesty, loyalty, and I cherish what is
important to me. I never judge people. No matter what we were like we all would
have the same right to be what we are. The content beats the appearance.
Here's a joke I heard long time ago. But in
addition to being just a joke, it sums up exactly how I feel about material and
what is really the most important about each of us - not so much what is
outside but surely what is inside.
Boy: Marry
me?
Girl: Do you
have a house?
Boy: No.
Girl: Do you
have a BMW car?
Boy: No.
Girl: How
much is your salary?
Boy: No
salary, but...
Girl: No
but! You have nothing, so how could I marry you? Just leave me, please!
Boy: But
listen! I have one villa, three property lands, three Ferraris, and two
Porsches, so why should I still need to buy a house or a BMW?! And how can I
get salary when actually I am the BOSS of myself?
Girl: Oh
well, that's nice! Wanna get married?
Boy: GO F*CK
YOURSELF B*TCH!
I work as a customer representative in a leading
Scandinavian company in the telecommunications field and I love my job. It's
versatile and nicely challenging. I like challenges and I'm definitely not one
of those who'd take the line of least resistance. I'm a business economy
graduated. I live alone in my own apartment with my two cats. Garfield and
Kenneth are "the family of my own" at the moment.
I'm a type of person who's always up to something
but I also know when to stop to take a breath. Being an organized and
"positively" quite pedant personality, I need a routine in my
everyday life and I want particular things to be and go in a specific way
around me. But I can also be spontaneous when the situation calls for it.
I've recently set up a web blog which can be found
here. I love writing – I have loved it for as long as I remember. I was the
only student in school who was like, “Yay!,” when the teachers began the class
with the words, “Today we write.” In addition to having pen palled for over ten
years, I've had several web blogs in all these years. This is the latest one
which I'm now keeping up. The previous blogs don't exist anymore because the
sites where I had them were closed.
NB! You should notice that I may be
"online" pretty often on this site but it does not mean that I'd
necessarily be available as much. Mostly when I have my computer turned on or
I'm online on mobile I have particular web sites on as well and Interpals is
one of them. So, do not let the green ball burning next to my name bluff you if
it takes a while for me to get back to you.
You can take the chance, give it a try, and find it
out more if you feel I’d be worth it. I'm self-confident enough that I could
say I'm a person worth knowing!
Requests:
I enjoy socializing and communicating with people.
All kind of communication from chatting to deeper discussing is welcome. I'm
open to all sorts of topics from small talk to deeper conversation. I love
sharing opinions, ideas, and viewpoints.
I don't have any list of criteria as long as you're
decent. We never know who we'll meet tomorrow... or just in a moment. Mind you,
if you're any sort of spammer, you'd be just wasting your time. And if you have
nothing more to say but "hi how r u", don't bother. I expect decent communication
where I can see people are really interested in keeping in touch because that’s
what I do too.
Also, I can't stand if one doesn't bother to write
English properly. I do not reply to people whose way of writing is, "hi hw
r u im intrstd n u, can we b frinds, wrt bck plz!" I hate when I have to
guess every other word I'm reading. I don't mean I'd expect perfect language or
grammar because I believe such a thing doesn't exist in any language. But I use
and want to see clear language used - no deliberate confusion.
I'm certainly not one of those who would just
disappear after a few letters. I think it's such a coward way to treat someone
who shows interest to keeping in touch. I don't mean one should sit and write
letters for 24/7. Sometimes life is calmer and sometimes more hectic. It's very
relative as well as what the term "to delay" and what it really
means.
I don't see adding friends to the friends list so
important because it gets to "collecting friends" so easily. The
thing that matters a lot more is that the keeping-in-touch doesn’t break.
Though, the people whom I have contacted can add me to friends, as I've set my
privacy settings in that way.
I'm fine with writing here or via e-mail, just
which feels nicer. I know this may disappoint a particular amount of people but
I'm not into snail mailing. It's for a personal reason which is not that I
wouldn't like to bother. So, you can contact me through the Message tool. My
Wall is not available, so that I can avoid any spam messages. In addition to
the message tool you can also reach me via e-mail, Skype, or SMS with the ads
listed above.
I'm often on Skype. Having a smart phone makes it
so easy even if I was on the go. In addition to pen palling, I'm also into
chatting. But I don't use with a webcam, so if you don't chat without it I'm
not the right person to contact.
If you want to make sure that I accept your request
on Skype instead of ignoring it by accident, do send me a message here or
express clearly who you are in the little message box on Skype while adding me.
I get too many spam ads which is why I don’t accept random blank requests.
Language exchange requests:
I love languages – simply said. One of my passions
is to learn languages. I'm not trying any record in learning languages but I
simply have a sincere fascination towards languages. I'm able to read and write
Braille even if I'm not blind. And I'm teaching myself some Sign language out
of sheer curiosity. But I'm not deaf either.
As much as possible, I'm trying to keep the
language skills up that I have. And I have a great will to learn more. A
language doesn't consist of the grammar and vocabulary only but there's always
so much more such as the background, language family, history, and roots. Nous
pouvons parler français. Ma compétence est intermédiaire et je tiens à le
garder. Le français est une langue belle! También podemos hablar español. Yo
puedo hablar español básico y me gusta practicarlo.
* Finnish is my native language.
* English I started studying when I was nine years
old. I had an American teacher in the years 1997-2004 from the seventh grade up
to the end of high school, so my English is American. Since the beginning of
the 21st century, I've been using English actively in my free time and also at
work. Even if I wasn't born as a native speaker I've listed English as "my
native language" on this site because I consider my skills to be sound and
versatile. My English usage is nearly as fluent as my Finnish usage and my
knowledge of the English language is wide. I’m aware of dialects, accents,
idioms, sayings, regional differences, different slangs, and many such things.
I've also studied English philology and linguistics.
* Swedish is the second official language in
Finland and everyone has to study it in school. I studied Swedish for seven
years and I need it in my current job. My skills aren't as strong as my English
skills but I can say they are still advanced.
* French and Spanish I've studied for two years of
each and could survive in basic chats and tourist situations. But if I was
given a deeper topic... then I'd be in trouble!
* German I've studied in high school for half a
year and I know the basics but I've used it less than Spanish and French, so
I'd be more insecure if I had to use the language as a tourist in
German-speaking countries, for example.
* Russian and Arabic I can't really speak as much
as I'd like to because I've studied and learned mainly the alphabetical systems
and some of the most common phrases and vocabulary of them. But hopefully one
day I’ll be further with my skills.
* Hungarian and Estonian interest me because they
are Finno-Ugric languages as well as Finnish is. I'm interested in learning
more of the languages themselves, about their backgrounds, and the history.
* Thai and Turkish interest me because Thailand and
Turkey are such great vacation destinations. I've been to Thailand twice, in
Phuket and Pattaya, and will surely go again. I've also been to Turkey and will
surely go again there too. As I'm a language lover, I simply could not travel
to either of the countries as well as any other countries without being able to
say at least a few things in the languages spoken in the places and know a bit
about the languages.
* Chinese and Japanese... well, I'm fascinated by
the Asian cultures and especially of these two languages (as well as Thai
already listed above). I've taken a couple of courses of Chinese and I've been
studying Japanese by myself.
* Latin interests me as a language for several
reasons beginning from the historical and ending to the fact it has an
influence in many things such as medicine and biology.
* Hindi, being one of the most spoken languages in
the world, interests me because I’m interested in Indian culture.
* Esperanto, being a synthetic language, having
only around 1,000 native speakers in the world and only 10,000 who can speak it
fluently... I want to belong to the 10,000,000 who have become familiar with
the language at some point.
* Icelandic is one of the Scandinavian languages
and one of my dreams is to travel to Iceland one day.
* Swahili interests me as one of the most notable
Bantu languages. I'm interested in different African languages and their
variations and dialects in general. One of my dreams is to have a vacation in
Mombasa one day.
* Italian should be rather easy for me to learn it
because I know some Spanish. Italian cuisine vocabulary is pretty familiar to
me by now, so I guess it's a nice bonus. Italian cuisine is one of my
favorites, lasagna being one of the two of my all-time favorite foods, so I’ve
not been able to avoid learning a little bit of Italian language.
* Igbo has started interesting me for a few
different reasons. It's quite fascinating there are so many tribe languages in
Africa and I've now started getting familiar with this one. So, what I can say
here is kedu nu, hi y'all!
In addition to all that, I'm teaching myself Sami
(you can see what it is here). It's so fascinating! Only a very small group of
people speak it in Finland. Finland's Lapland has always captivated me a lot.
You must note that even if the list of languages on
the top of this page looks crazy, if one looks at it only, I've added the
descriptions exactly to minimize any misunderstandings. I'm not (literally) any
"language genius" but I must confess, which was proved already very
early in school, that I'm good at them; I learn fast and it's also easy for me
to learn languages.
My hobbies and interests:
Some of my hobbies are reading, writing (letters,
blog, and stories), playing the piano, photography, swimming, and jogging. I'm
a type of person who's basically always up to a lot. I'm interested in
literature, cultures, psychology, history, politics, and world's events. Even
if I'm not a religious person I'm interested in religions - I'm interested in
them as a science.
Nature is very close to my heart. One of the best
ways to relax is to go for a walk to the forest. Long time ago, I read an
article written in a health magazine that the best way to get shake of the
stress after the week at work is to go for a walk to the forest. And that works
very well to me at least. I live in a suburb that is surrounded by nature.
There’s a big river passing the building where I live. Garfield loves go for
walks too, so we often go together. He walks on the leash like a dog.
I'm very fond of cooking and baking and I'm
interested in different cuisines world-wide. One of the most enjoyable things
for me is to have a good meal with a glass of wine - either in a good company
or just by myself. I consider myself a good cook and I'm also interested in
wines and the wine culture. I mostly cook what I want to eat. My friends and
family know to "be shocked" if they see me buying frozen or fast
food.
My weekdays begin around 5:30 a.m. when I get up
and go to the indoor pool that is next to the office. I do a 45-60-minute-long
swimming exercise which is a guaranteed way to give me the best energy for the
day and the routine. I'm more an early-riser type than someone who would enjoy
staying up still around three or four o'clock at night. Exceptions happen
though! I love swimming and I don't neglect my dear hobby even on the weekends.
Even if also then, I'm an early riser it may not be exactly at 5:30 a.m.! One
of the very enjoyable things is to wake up to see the dawn.
I started doing yoga in the middle of October 2013
by taking a beginner's course and ever since I've been totally hooked on it.
Yoga has a very strong effect on me. The yoga exercises help me to relax and
calm down in a way that is really amazing! I find yoga to be a nice hobby for
me as an opposite of my active personality. Sitting down, crossing my legs,
closing my eyes, and breathing deep is as effective to shake off stress as
going for a walk to the forest.
Favorite movies:
Thrillers, horror, and old action are what I enjoy
watching. The list of the favorites would become rather long if I wrote all of
my favorites down. I'm also very keen on the older classic Walt Disney movies
such as Aladdin, Mulan, Hercules, Pochahontas, and Beauty And The Beast.
One of my all-time favorite Walt Disney songs is
I'll Make A Man Out Of You from Mulan. Briefly said, I was teased in school
because I'm poor-sighted. When I started my working career, it was a hell of a
piece of work for me to find a job. No one wanted me because the employers who
interviewed me were simply prejudiced. I never had many friends in school
because other kids were afraid they might be teased too. But no, I never became
a gal wading in self-pity. On the contrary. The teasers grew me a sound
self-esteem because the more they teased the more I realized I'm really no
worse than anyone else. It took a lot of self-examination but I got to the
point to discover it. I've also gone through some other hard times in my life -
such hard times that have really taught me how to appreciate happiness and when
the basic things of life are well. So, in a way I see myself as Mulan in that
clip. She's struggling and struggling in tough world. But finally, when she's
pushed away and not wanted anymore, she grits her teeth and makes her way
through. And with her guts and that she doesn't give up, everyone realizes
she's no worse than anyone else. My life experiences have made me open-minded
and positive. That's also one reason why I'm not racist, not a bit. We all are
equal in this world because we all are humans. And we all have the same right
to be here. We all have some issues - some people have more than the others.
But it doesn't matter as long as we are fine with ourselves. If we aren't happy
with ourselves we cannot be happy with others either - a simple fact that is.
Favorite TV shows:
The ones I could mention are The Bold And The
Beautiful, Salatut Elämät (Finnish), The X-Files, Tuliportaat (Finnish),
Diili/Deal, Sex And The City, Friends, Muumit (Finnish), Terra Nova, Kotikatu
(Finnish), Ihmeiden Tekijät (Finnish), Parhaat Vuodet (Finnish), Top Chef,
Master Chef, The Voice Of Finland, The Apprentice, Big Brother, and Helppo
Elämä (Finnish).
Yes, I did list Big Brother above. I’m not into
reality shows in general but BB is an exception. Every time a new season begins
here I can’t help thinking how it’d feel if I was one of the residents of the
house. And every time I end up realizing I surely couldn’t make it. Just such a
thing that I’m so hooked on my watch and that I should suddenly give it away
and I’d not know what the time was… it’d drive me insane.
My favorite quiz show ever is Pointless; an English
show from BBC. I basically like just anything from BBC because the quality is
good. Here in Finland, we have BBC Brit among the other BBC channels available,
and I have it on my TV. Pointless is so hooking that I don't want to miss a
single episode. I really like the host, Alexander Armstrong. But just the idea
of the show is really awesome... or well, how Brits would say, brilliant!
A talk show I enjoy the most is QI. Again, that's a
proof of the quality of BBC. QI isn't just a fun show but it's also teaching,
and I enjoy it very much for that very reason. Stephen Fry is another great
host. And if I'm totally honest, it was sad news to me to hear that he's
stepped out from hosting the show. Yeah, I may have an attitude but I think QI
ain't no QI without Stephen. One of my all-time favorite QI clips is the
following - by the time I saw it for the first time, it did leave me
speechless! You would say there are 50 states in the US, right? Yeah, you'd get
minus points for the correct but yet obvious answer instead of going for a
non-obvious but as well a correct answer. Quite interesting knowledge that is
indeed!
Favorite books:
Mostly I love thrillers and detective stories; if
there's a political, historical, cultural, religious, social, philosophical, or
psychological flavor in a story, it's even better. I've never published a book
myself but I enjoy writing stories too.
If I had to mention a few of my favorite authors,
I'd list Sidney Sheldon, Evelyn Anthony, Patricia Cornwell, Ilkka Remes
(Finnish), Clive Cussler, Robin Cook, Mary Higgins Clark, Reijo Mäki (Finnish),
Henning Mankell, and... yes, the list would probably be more or less endless,
so these are just a few examples.
Favorite quotes:
Positive attitude is the spice of life if I'm
asked. And this wisdom quote is one of the best ones I've ever heard. Every
time I have hard time or I feel blue I think of it. It gives me energy to carry
on and wander through even the toughest difficulties.
The secret of happiness, bright mind, and good mood
are The Ten Commandments Of Positive Attitude. I both believe and follow all of
them. Especially in harder times when life throws difficulties in your way it's
most important to keep your chin up and carry on even if it sometimes felt like
a hell of an overwhelming job to do. But at the end of the day, it's always
worth it.
1) Respect yourself.
2) Keep in touch with your friends
3) Speak and listen.
4) Learn new.
5) Look after your energy and well-being.
6) If needed, don't hesitate asking for help.
7) Find the things that bring joy to your life.
8) Let the new things get you excited.
9) Forgive and apologize.
10) Cling to your dreams.
"I didn't have time to write a short letter,
so I wrote a long one instead.”
- Mark Twain
"Live each moment happily and making the best
of it like it was your last one."
- Tiina Maya
"You can see the surface but you have to take
a look under it."
- Tiina Maya
"Take a picture of this moment today – it will
be history tomorrow!"
- Genie from Aladdin (the movie: The Return of
Jafar)
"True love grows slowly and soundly within
years. So, it's not love at the beginning. It's desire."
- Tiina Maya
"Shared joy is doubled joy. Shared sorrow is
halved sorrow."
- Tiina Maya
"Make the best possible game with the cards of
life you've been dealed out instead of wasting your time and energy of life for
envying what you don't or can't have."
"Keep calm and be yourself!"
"Hurt me with the truth but never comfort me
with a lie."
"When life gives me a hundred reasons to cry
I'll show life that I have a thousand reasons to smile for."
"Kudos, positive attitude! Happy life is based
on it."
