It's Our Anniversary

Tuomo writes: It’s our fourth (?!) Canadian anniversary. On this day, four years ago on our trip to Vancouver – long before we even started the immigration process – we decided to get married. Straight people would’ve done it years earlier, but in the US, getting married wasn’t something that was even an option. Most importantly, tying the knot wouldn’t affect our lives in the United States one way or the other. Dave would still not be able to sponsor my Green Card, a privilege available to thousands of bi-national couples, some of which are shams and thus instances of abuse of immigration laws.

But thanks to Canada this right was made available and eventually helped us move to Canada as a couple… We’re still a little confused about the importance of this day: should we make a big deal of it – or an enormous one… :-)

At any rate, I’d like to share a song with you Vem tänder stjärnorna “Who Lights the Stars,” a song by Eva Dahlgren, who also happens to be lesbian. The lyrics in Swedish and her dark, husky voice make chills run down my spine, but it is the refrain in particular that crystallizes my feelings for Dave and how he is important in my life:

...men vem vänder vindarna
vem får mej att gå
dit jag aldrig gått
vem tänder stjärnorna
som bara jag ser i dina ögon
vem vänder vindarna
och för mej dit min tanke aldrig nått

And here’s a translation (with some poetic licenses):

But who changes the direction of the winds
Who makes me go
There where I’ve never gone before
Who lights the stars
That only I can see in your eyes
Who changes the direction of the winds
And gets me there where my thoughts have never reached

As an interesting footnote on teh YouTube page, someone had written in Norwegian that they had used this song at their wedding/commitment ceremony! This suggests how Eva Dahlgren, who sings only in Swedish, is not only very well-known but also well-loved beyond her home country.

Merry Christmas!!!

Tuomo writes: Merry Christmas to you all from Rhode Island!!!

Despite the fact that we're in the States for the holidays, here's a taste of Canada and Canadian humour in the form of my favourite holiday song: The 12 Days of Christmas interpreted by Bob and Doug MacKenzie (Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas) from SCTV, a Canadian comedy show from the 80s:



Cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu-cu :-)

Joulurauhaa kaikille - Christmas Peace to All

Tuomo writes: Terveiset Rhode Islandista! Toivotamme blogin välityksellä suomalaisille ystävillemme rauhaisaa joulua.

There's this tradition in Finland that dates way back to the 14th century whereby at noon on the 24th Christmas peace is announced. The announcement is read from the City Council of Turku, and from then on until Twelfth Night any crime commited is concidered aggravated - I think it still is... More trivia: Christmas Peace was first broadcast over the radio for the first time in 1935 and on TV in 1983.

I wish I could have found a clip on this event to show how the announcement is still taken seriously by Finns...

In the context of modern society, noon on the 24th is concidered the latest that stores are open. After this, the whole country winds down and remains shut down (in more ways than one) until the eve of Boxing Day, or tapaninpäivä (St. Stephen's). And honestly, Finns are OK with this, though I wonder what really goes on in families these days with cell phones and Internet connections! As a teenager, I remember being bored beyond belief by the end of Christmas Day because there was nothing entertaining on TV; the only entertaining "must" event of Samu Sirkan joulutervehdys, or "Jimminy Cricket's Christmas Greeting" - a repeat year after year - had been broadcast on Christmas Eve... And there were to be no phone calls in or out until after Boxing Day.

Naughty or Nice?

If you’ve been bad, you get a lump of coal for Christmas in North America; in Finland, you get twigs so that your parents can give you that long overdue spanking...

Any thoughts on what the guy in the next clip will be getting for Christmas? Oh and trust me – it really is PG16/K16 at best! ;-)



And what about you all? Have you been naughty or nice? What is Santa bringing you this year?

Action Plan!

Tuomo writes: Today was the last time for the Career Choices and Life Satifaction (CCLS) class at Kwantlen University College. Lemme tell ya: if you are thinking about taking a course that helps you get your s#!t together, go for it. I am very satisfied with the way things worked out for me, and I'm sure that my classmates agree with me. In the picture to the left, you can see not only Joy, our fabulous intructor "remover of obstacles", but also the board on which we gathered all the areas that we had discussed in class one way or the other. They ranged from writing resumes and cover letters to assessments to doing crafts in class (trust me - that can be quite eye-opening!). My favourite was the guest speaker who gave a presentation on happenstance, or how any moment can turn into a networking opportunity either there-and-then or years later...

In my case, one of the three two-week active job search weeks lead to my current daytime job as an on-call auxiliary assistant at the Richmond Learning Centre!

As our last task we had to come up with an action plan for the future. Instead of creating a folder that I'd eventually put on a shelf and then forget all about it, I created an action plan diarama: I got a 3D frame from IKEA, and then went to town - Fabrice would be so proud of me! I'll post a picture of it soon (i.e. as soon as my cell phone came recharges...), but I'll share my mission and vision plans with you all:

Mission Plan: To share my knowledge and wisdom in the most contructive ways possible

Vision Plan:

• Celebrate friendship
• Celebrate learning
• Celebrate myself

Motto: Quis caudam felis erigebit se non feles ipsa

In sum, I feel much better about myself and my future than I did just four months ago. If that's not worth CA$240 then what is?! :-)

Snowflakes - Brought to You Courtesy of CityTV!

Tuomo writes: I've come to discover that the early morning show on CityTV with Simi and Dave (what a silver fox - though no competition to Anderson Cooper!) bickering about fun stuff is much more entertaining than the one on GlobalTV. While the traffic camera and graphics on GlobalTV always seem to be focusing on Fort Mann Bridge, CityTV covers a wide array of morning rush hour issues, including the fact that traffic can be gnarled up even in Langley!

This was was highlighted as one of Simi and Dave's fun segments on the show this morning: cutting snowflakes on line! In case we need yet another way to waste away our hours at the computer instead of doing what we were supposed to be doing. Like me right now: instead of getting off my ass and getting kitty litter for the kitty cats, here I am telling y'all about cutting snowflakes online... :-)

Baltimore in Finnish Media

Tuomo writes: Our friends in Maryland, and in particular those who live in Baltimore, will be delighted to know that 34th Street in Hampden was highlighted on Channel MTV3 news last week.:

Jouluvalot ihastuttavat ja vihastuttavat USA:ssa

Suomalaiset joulukadut hillittyine koristeineen ja parvekkeet ohuine valonaruineen kalpenevat yhdysvaltalaisten rinnalla. Lähes joka kadulla on omat koristeensa, ja mitä enemmän ne vilkkuvat, sen parempi.

Päivi Sinisalo kertoo raportissaan, että eräs Baltimoren kadunpätkistä on kuuluista jouluasustaan. Kaupunkilaisten mielikuvituksella ei näytä olevan rajaa: löytyy liikkuvia tonttuja, puhallettavia pukkeja sekä valoa jos jonkinlaista. Sähkölaskussa ei todellakaan säästellä.

Baltimoren asukkaat itse ovat haltioissaan, ja katua tullaan katsomaan kauempaakin. Maan jokavuotinen ilmiö on silti oikeusjutut, joissa riidellään siitä, mikä määrä kimallusta ja koristetta on liikaa.

And here's a translation:

Christmas Lights Raise Mixed Emotions in the United States

“Finnish Christmas streets with their understated decorations and balconies with thin light garlands are no match to the American taste. There are decorations on practically every street, and the more they blink, the better.

“In her report, Päivi Sinisalo tells us about a stretch of a street in Baltimore that is famous for its Yuletide decor. There appear to be no limits to the imagination of the Baltimoreans: motorized Santa’s Helpers, inflatable Santa Clauses, and lights of all kinds. This is clearly not the time of the year when people care for their electricity bills.

“The citizens of Baltimore themselves are delighted, and people come to have a look even from afar. However, this annual American phenomenon also brings about lawsuits in which the parties involved fight over how much glitter and baubles is too much.”

Our friends Eric and Alan would host a Christmas party the weekend after our Finnish Independence Day Reception, and part of the program involved walking over to the aforementioned street and be amazed by the display of Christmas lights people had put up. I remember the first time having been almost disgusted by such opulence bordering this side of bad taste, but then walking away with a sense of humour in the end. In fact, I looked forward to seeing the display on 34th Street! Ah to be in Baltimore...!

Too bad the report itself (and the video clip, which does not work any more due to Finnish copyright issues) serves the purpose of tsk-tsking at American excesses rather than showing a way of celebrating Christmas... :-(

We Have the Keys!!!

Tuomo writes: We finally have the keys to our beautiful Banbury. We met at 1, got the keys after a short wait and at 13:25 we walked in as the proud owners of our house. Unfortunately, the stove wasn't hooked up (though it was supposed to be) and there were a schmutz here and there (on walls that are to be painted), but it is a beautiful house. Can't wait to move in for good...!

Later on we'll invite Angie and Tuukka, Joy, and Mika over for some champagne. Well Mika won't have any... :-)

I wonder what the cats are going to think of the move...

Iċ ēom Bēowulf!

Tuomo writes: We went to see Beowulf tonight. Visually speaking amazing, acoustically - deafening! Oh and for the record: Denmark is quite flat in terms of geography - unless somehow the fjords disappeared after the 8th century :-)

Considering how much I'm interested in Old English and the history of the English language, I'm embarrassed to admit that I had no idea of what to expect in terms of a plot. All I knew was that there was a monster called Grendel, and that the story takes place somewhere in present-day southern Sweden (e.g. Geataland = Götaland). Oh and that Grendel's mother was upset about her son's death. But then what? I had no idea of the rest of the plot... but I was never that much into literature to begin with...

I might have taken a more serious interest in Old English literature though had I been able to visualize Beowulf as one hot dude! Both Dave and I were thinking the same when Beowulf took off his armour and chainmail... Woof! Or as that might have been rendered in Old English: Hēo wæs mycel hēat! Wōf! :-) I may have to find my Teach Yourself Old English book and start developing other impure thoughts on Beowulf in the language of his times - and throw in a dative or two for good measure...! Hmmm, I'll just have to find out how to decline the noun phrase the hot man in all cases, singular and plural...

So it shouldn't surprise anyone that I was very pleased to hear some Old English (e.g. lufiende min "my love"). I just couldn't resist declining nouns like cyning "king": cyning, cyning, cyninge, cyninges... I probably got it wrong, but it got me at least temporarily distracted from Beowulf's impeccable pecs :-)

And one more thing for the record: even as a gay man, I couldn't help noticing that Grendel's mother was quite bodacious too :-)

It's Flaming Wreath Head Girl Day!

Tuomo writes: December 13th is Luciadagen, or St. Lucia Day. For most Finns (including me), it’s just another day in December, but for the Finnish Swedes, a minority that forms approximately 6% of all Finns, it’s a big thing, possibly their biggest cultural event of the year. Needless to say, this day is a big event in Sweden too, and as I came to learn earlier this week at the Scandinavian Centre, in Denmark too.

As someone whose mother tongue is not Swedish, growing up I never registered Luciadagen in any other way than finding an image of a blond girl wearing a wreath of lit candles on her head in my Christmas calendars. In the Finnish Swedish community on the other hand, depending on the family, one of the girls in the family would be St. Lucia, and she would wear a white robe and have a wreath with lit candles on her head. Then everybody would sing Sankta Lucia, either in Swedish or Italian, which all about asking St. Lucia to bring light into the darkest time of the year in Scandinavia. Ask Monica (or even Kai) for more sordid details :-)


Come to think of it... I've never had any fantasies about being a Lucia Maid, but I wonder what Dave would think about me bringing him breakfast to bed (a twist to the tradition!) wearing a white robe and a wreath of candles on my head... He'd probably yell me for getting candle wax on the carpet and trying to burn down the house :-)

Here are two not-so-well made clips of the Lucia Maid procession in Helsinki:

Clip 1

Clip 2

For those of you who care, the language you actually hear in these clips is not Finnish but (Finnish) Swedish!

And here’s a clip so that you can get a better idea of the song as well as see a genuine Flaming Wreath Head Girl:



And just in case you hadn’t figured it out, it’s Dave, who’s 25% finlandsvenska, who refers to St. Lucia Day as Flaming Wreath Head Girl Day. Technically speaking, it's more his heritage than mine! :-)

A New Craft for Me!

Tuomo writes: Last night, i.e. Tuesday night, was again Finnish kids' night at the Scandinavian Centre. These are kids between the ages of three and seven (pre-K to Grade 1), and their parents are both Finnish, so instead of teaching Finnish just as a language, our goal is to teach them academic skills in a Finnish-speaking environment: crafts, singing, playing, and language arts tasks, etc in Finnish as it would take place in Finland. It's amazing to observe how these kids are starting to "lose" certain skills in Finnish or their linguistic skills in Finnish are not developing at the same rate as in English.

In other words, the kids are seemingly fluent in Finnish when interacting with themon an everyday basis. Linguistic gaps don't appear until they are asked to discuss topics that relate to their school life or culture; then they run out of words and resort to code switching, or "filling in the gaps" with items of the dominant language takes place. For instance, topics like their favourite toys or what happened at school can be surprisingly challenging. And these kids get to speak Finnish with both of their parents! One can only imagine the challenges of a kid who has only one parent who speaks Finnish...

A fascinating example of gaps and code-switching took place a couple of weeks ago. One of the boys was trying to explain why he thought the girl in the story we were reading was not having a pleasant dream (there was a picture of beautiful butterfly, and all the others thought that the girl was having a pleasant dream) :

"Se on... blood-sucking... perhonen!"
It's a [blood-sucking] butterfly!"

In my opinion, this suggests that the boy had developed a concept, i.e. talking about scary things that boys of his age are fascinated by. It is highly likely that this had occured independently of the mother-father home environment and with a lot of support from the surrounding English-speaking culture (cartoons, classmates, etc.). This is a quite common phonomenon among bilingual children, and unless some form of intervention such as bilingual education, language immersions, etc. is available, the home language (in this case Finnish) atrophies to a language that can only be used to cover a limited range of domestic issues.

Related to the episode of the blood sucking butterfly, I asked him:

"Kuinka sä tiedät että se perhonen imee verta?"
How can you tell that that butterfly sucks blood?

I was trying to see if by wording my question this way (rather than give him the participial phrase vertaimevä "blood-sucking") the boy would be able to create the missing participial phrase in Finnish. And lo and behold, a moment later he did - and all by himself!

So just beware, I have plenty of cute anecdotal stories to bore you with to support my point of view that even limited bilingual education is essential to raise fully functional bilingual kids.. :-)

Anywayyy, what I really wanted to gush about was how - thanks to teaching Finnish to kids - I have also discovered a new hobby: feltwork (Finnish: huovitus). The teacher Satu had brought coloured wool from which made these cute bright-red felt apples. I had never done this myself, so there I was with a bunch of pre-K and first grades making felt Christmas apples! We made red apples and a green leaf to be sewn onto the red apple, after which a string of golden floss was also sewn on so that the apple could be hung in a Christmas tree.

I'm so proud of my red felt apple; hopefully I'll be able to post a picture soon! And I'm so glad that I've discovered yet another craft to keep myself entertained - and people on their toes! Nobody can be sure any longer of what I will be making them for their birthdays, etc. :-)

WWJCD?

Tuomo writes: WWJCD? No, I have gone evangelical... well not quite... I've become a huge fan of Justin and Colin, or more precisely Justin Ryan and Colin McAlister. This real life gay couple are the hosts of my favourite show on HGTV, The Home Heist. Because bad design, Canada, is a sin.

Originally from Scotland (I looove their thick and occiasionally unintelligible accent!), they are my gurus when it comes to decorating. On their show, they arrive at a home that is in dire need of some form of design resuscitation and then they perform their designing magic. Drama is inevitable, and witticisms fly something fierce. And the results are fabulous. And let's not forget Colin's (or is it Justin's) oversized yet fabulous boutonniers that just keep on getting bigger and bigger...

If only they could pay a quick visit to our new home and give their seal of approval to our sense of fabulousness :-) Or is it fabulousity?

Mukmuk?

Tuomo writes: A couple of entries ago I wrote about the official Vancouver Winter Olympics mascots, Quatchi, Miga, and Sumi. I also mentioned that there was a fourth one, which does not appear on the video clip. Therefore I thought it would be appropriate to introduce Mukmuk, my personal favourite because he deserves more exposure than he's currently getting in the media.

And what in heaven's name is Mukmuk, considering that the other mascots are these fantasy creatures that the locals claim do not represent Vancouver? Mukmuk is a Vancouver Island marmot, an endangered rodent.

The reason why they are endangered may well lie simply anough in Dave's acute observation: they're so cute you could eat one! Once again, I think Dave has a point :-)

How to Waste Time

Tuomo writes: Here's yet another cute webiste to help you while away the hours at the computer: instead of creating poetry only on your fridge door you can now do the same online! Enjoy!

To err is human; to purr - divine (On a tchotchke for cats in a petstore)

First Day as an Auxiliary Assistant

Tuomo writes: Yayy! I have a day job!!! OK so it's an on-call position but that's better than nothing...

The day started by getting to the office at 8:30, starting the computers, and going through the voice mail. Then I prepared all the colour-coded tutor schedules (surprisingly challenging) and completed the task of checking whether the URLs on our handouts to students were still active (surprisingly many weren't). Sent out a couple of faxes, responded to phone calls (and tried to sound like I was on top of things though I wasn't), and sent out an long over-due e-mail to friends (I guess I've got the grasp of how to look busy!)

Tonight I'm going to see Enchanted with Angie (Joy may be joining) because Dave's having fun with his coworkers. I've been wanting to see this ever since I saw the preview in the summer - and Dave's glad that he doesn't have to go see it :-)

I may have stuffed myself silly with sushi (courtesy of Tuukka and Joy), but there's always room for Sour Patch Kids...

***************************************

Après le cinéma: Regarding Enchanted... All I can say is that it was adorable; the Little Princess in me will be happy forever and ever!!! Perfect as a date movie but also fun as a self-parody. James Marsden was perfect as the charming but thick prince of fairy tales, while Patrick Dempsey (a growly oooh!) was just deliciously perfect in the role of the true prince in a shiny armour. Swoon :-)

(Marsden, left; Dempsey, right)

Dad's Home!

Tuomo writes: I wasn't looking forward to calling my mom tonight and hearing more about what hadn't been done. As a result, I was quite surprised to hear dad's voice instead of mom's! He was released on Wednesday evening, right before the Independence Day, a big thing for my folks. The tests he'd been waiting for will be carried out next week, and there was no need for him to stay at the hospital any longer.

And not a moment too soon either! His hollering roommate had been replaced by another, this one even more raving mad. She refused to stay at the hospital, and even started to act violently towards the staff who tried to calm her down, get undressed and go back to bed. She said she'd call for the police, and the staff retaliated by calling in the guards. It wasn't until the 200 kilo guard showed up and gave her a menacing look that she calmed down. Even so, they tied her down, as a safety measure...

My dad's summary of the week-long ordeal: not a fun place...

She's Ninety - and still Going Strong!

Tuomo writes: Hyvää itsenäisyyspäivää!!!

After centuries of varying degrees of mental and physical abuse by her spouces until 1917 when she declared her independence, Finland has been able to blossom and to become a fabulous gal that she is today at the age of 90. Though this freedom was seriously threatened in the late 1930s and early 40s by her former spouse to the east, she remained headstrong and did not succumb to the agressions. When asked for the secret for her success, she coyly responded, "Sisu, Sibelius, sauna, and rye bread. Oh and Nokia phones!"

Here's the Finnish national anthem (with an English translation for the Finnish Language Challenged):


Unlike the past few years, Dave and I won't be hosting an Independence Day reception this year. Under normal circumstances, that would have been held last Saturday. For one, we don't have the kitchen for it. Then there's the issue of limited space to entertain such a crowd of people... Oh well, maybe next year... Not that there are any other fabulous holiday parties lined up anyway...

On a more somber note, here are some Wikipedia links to other world events that have their anniversaries on this very same day:
Halifax Eplosion (Halifax, NS 1917)
Ecole Polytechnique Massacre (Montreal, QC 1989

Who's Hot

Tuomo writes: On a much lighter note...

When we lived in Maryland, we'd watch Channel 8 in the mornings for news, traffic, and weather reports. Our mornings would be so much brighter when Adam Caskey would be there with his weather forecast, especially after he trimmed his jew-fro to his current short haircut. We'd try to see if he wore a wedding band, ergo if he might be"one of us"...

Now that we live in Langley, we no longer have this morning luxury... Nowadays we watch Channel 11, or GlobalBC. Their weather forecaster is Mark Madryga, nowhere as dorky-dreamy as Adam but still IMHO belongs to the category of hot. Dave disagrees vehemently: nobody can be as hot as Adam Caskey.

Here the two are, for your viewing pleasure ; you decide - but don't forget to share your opinion!

Adam Caskey (left), Mark Madryga (right)

Dad's in the Hospital:-(

Tuomo writes: Tuukka calls me Saturday morning at 9AM to come over: mom had called and told him that dad has been in the hospital since Tuesday! He had met with his physician about his sciatica, but the physician noticed some arrhytmia and wanted my dad to go immediately to the hospital. Since he was out on his car, he got the permission to take his car back home before going to Mariansairaala ("Maria Hospital"). Before leaving for the hospital he went to the bathroom and noticed some blood in his stool. Whoo boy...

I can't recall all the details anymore, but dad had been on this (Danish) painkiller Voltaren retard due to his sciatica. I decided to google it there and then and see what kind of information I could find out on its possible side effects. Turns out that gastrointernal bleeding is a common side effect for this drug, and in the case of older people "can be serious." Ack! Fortunately, by conveying this information (with the specification on older people conveniently omited) I guess I was able to calm my mom down a bit. Not that I'm a physician let alone a phrmacologist (albeit a blond one), I'm sure that relaying the information that the bleeding was probably due to the drug rather than some other cause was good news. In fact, at the hospital they had taken my dad off Voltaren, and consequently he had started to feel better.

I talked to my mom again tonight. On Sunday when we had last talked, my dad was supposed to go through some diagnostics and stuff, but as of Tuesday night Finnish time, none have been carried out. The doctor has been around only once, and nobody knows when my dad's going to be tested. The (Estonian) staff, while adequately friendly, tells my dad one thing ("I'll take your temperature") - and then act upon it like an hour later! I guess if things were worse, my dad would be taken better care of, and he would've been transferred to a better hospital...

Oh and nobody is around on weekends, so this week, with the Independence Day falling on a Thursday, is going to be the week from hell... no physicians, no doctors, no diagnostics until...?! Perkele...!

To make things worse for my poor dad, his "roommate" is this demented lady who's yelling things like. "What are these Commies doing here?" or "Kill the bleep-in' Russians!" Apparently she's been given the green light to transfer either home or to some other facility, but not only does the patient not want to move or go home but her next-of-kins do not want her home either. Considering how regimented my dad is (he has to listen to the news in peace and quite once an hour), having to deal with the misery of hospital food or poor service just pale in the light of having to deal with this additional misery.

Keep your fingers crossed; I'll keep you posted on how this procedes...