The Reason I Live

I shouldn't be blogging! But this started playing in my head tonight, just had to publish! :-) Not the best of versions, but only one I could find..But yes it's true, this song ,in my life. Found a nice girl band version out there on youtube as well, but you can't hear the song in it so well/not very much action in the video..But I think I like the way the girls are singing it, this song is good for a female voice like theirs. I could hear Sade ( Umm, Sarianna my friend that is! Sade is what we call her..) singing this!! Her voice is a bit like the girl just there, well, in youtube somewhere as said..Haha. But yes, here is: Planetshakers with The Reason I live.



PS- Sade girl, miss ya, it's been waaayyyyyyyyy too long!! Good luck with studying at mo&hope to see you soon!! Can't wait to hear all the latest, share, pray, be, hang! Love, me x

Free to fly

I'm seeing Laura soon for a wee photo shoot (I hope they come out good, I'm not a pro in any sense at all! But just must get some shots to accompany an article..Should've asked Doro to take them, now she is really a good photographer with an artistic eye! Artist as she is..

Anyways, my little sis has her rippijuhlat in a few weeks time, and I tought I'd like to sing a song/couple of songs to her. I was thinking which ones to do and making a list.. "Olet Vapaa" (transl. "You are free") is one that I like! And it started playing in my head.

"Niinkuin linnunpoika joka kurkkii pesästään,
meitäkin nyt tuuli kutsuu lentämään.
Siivet saimme Jumalalta, siivet sydämeen.
Lentää saimme valoon, lentää vapauteen.

Irti päästä,olet vapaa lähtemään.
Anna suuren tuulen puhaltaa!
Irti päästä, olet vapaa elämään,
vapaa palvelemaan Jumalaa."

It's one my favourite "ripari" songs that one, love the lyrics and melody. (I'l ltranslate it for you guys later, no time just now.) Well, I'm not sure yet if that'll be it, I've got some other songs coming up - and also probably in two weeks time you can expect a "down the memory lane" with my own ripari experience, riparimuistelot it shall be I'm sure..It's bound to happen! 12 years ago it was for me..Ok, but I'll save that for later and not go into that just yet (plus no time Mimo!!) But yep, that song is very personal to me.. But I do want to give her a song that is her, and not me, heh! I'm not sure if she feels like those lyrics. I'll have to see closer to the date, how her ripari time goes. (Btw, ripari is this "confirmation camp" - a Lutheran tradition for 15 year olds where issues christian faith are explored with having some fun on the side! The pentecostals and free church have their own similar version, so it is a big cultural thing here. Oh yes, and almost all 15 year-olds do it, christian or not, it's a tradition..86% of Finnish people belong to the lutheran state church you see..) Oh hand the date is June 16th! So not actually far away.. :)

No Stress :-)

Here's something for your friday..



Greetings from Finland =)

(Oh the joys of mobile phones these days! Minna made this, we took the pics at easter time.)

Legendary

Hehe, my friend Minnapinna sent me this video. I'd like to learn Spanish! I simply looooooooooooove languages, and learning new ones! In order to keep up with French (oh, I remember sooooooo little.) and Swedish, I think I should move to both countries for a wee period of time. Spain, why not too? Portuguese is a nice language as well. (My knowledge of portuguese is simply through the music of Marisa Monte) I like the story of Robin Hood, and I'd like to visit Sherwood woods! Did you know there is a band called Sherwood? Anyways, I once wrote on in an English essay back in Upper Secondary that "You are never too old to learn something new" Life shall never get boring as long as there's a new language I can dig into! Watashi-wa Mimosa!

PS Have no clue why it is not letting comments on this post...not intended :)

Happier Days

Today I am feeling like these two videos. :) It's beautiful and sunny over here..Today was also the first day that a jacket of any form (even the lightest ones) was definitely too much! Summer is just around the corner! It looks so beautiful here, so green.

As I was walking into town to get a wee present for my little sis, I thought about how green and lively and amazing everything looks. How the nature has changed and really bloomed and blossomed within the last week or so. And I was thinking how in life in general, sometimes there are tough patches, those times like the first of spring when the snow melts and everything looks rather brown and grey and no green and new life in sight yet. There is a period of time that it doesn't look so pretty, when it takes a wee while for the new life, for the green and the lively and the glorius to grow. But we can be sure that new life will always bound, every year it happens in spring.

It looks gorgeous here! :) Must try get some pics..the birch trees are beautiful! (And green.)

PS Check out Yvonne's blog!

Barlowgirl got it!

And though I cannot see You
And I can't explain why
Such a deep, deep reassurance
You've placed in my life

We cannot separate
You're part of me
And though You're invisible
I'll trust the unseen

To Blog or Not to Blog...

..in Finnish? I am not sure! Help - where's the blogger's help line?! What to do when you have two mother tongues?! (English pretty much is that to me though not officially..but "off the record" kind of :)) I've been feeling like writing sometimes in Finnish too. Is it too mixed if I write every now and then in Finnish as well? Keeping two blogs seems quite a lot..Hmm, I don't know. I am not quite sure. When I first started blogging, I definitely wanted to write in English, and keep up my language skills since living in Finland again. (Those that don't know - I lived in the UK 2000-2003). English was my natural language of expression, and I also wanted to keep in touch with "the outer world" so to speak :) But I guess to be honest, I've been feeling lately like I actually want to be part of the Finnish community as well..Very few of my real life friends actually blog. I've been "on the move" quite a lot the last few months..And in some ways, I guess I'd like to be more in touch with Finnish peeps too. Language can be a barrier. Hmm. Houston, we've got a problem!!!

Que faire?

Voting is on - NOW! Hehe :-) No really, let me know whaddaya think ;)

It is finished!

Thought I should hop on the plane (Pardon me I might be speaking Finnish here -I've stayed too long in this country. Can't remember English colloquialisms) - of course I could not go away from this week without posting something on the Eurovision! Actually I had planned to do a line-up of some entries from past years, but ended up being too busy to blog this week..Well, you can check out my all-time Finnish favourite here though. ;) I like the way there's the finnish flag, which has a cross (!) on it is inside a heart in that logo. Inside the Father's Heart we are..Encaptured like that. I like it. Maybe we can beat some heart and love into Europe. Though maybe not the kind that won the competition this year..My personal favourite was Hungary! The only decent song! Or singing. Though France and Ukraine came close with their hilariousness..I think UK was maybe sponsored by the British Airways (or actually maybe more like RyanAir?)?!? :)

Anyway, it's funny how God leads and guides us. I happened to be in Helsinki b'cos of work from Wednesday to Friday. At one point I ended up sitting on the same train as Karen Fricker. She is a Research Fellow at the Institute for International Integration Studies (IIS) at the University of Dublin in Ireland. Her research is on "Eurovision and Belonging". This so something that interests me! (The belonging theme, not Eurovision so much I mean :)) Here's an article in Hufvudstadsbladet, HBL, (the Swedish-speaking main paper in Finland) on Karen Fricker&her colleagues. They took part in a seminar at the University of Helsinki, the topic being "Queer Eurovison". Tässä samasta suomeksi.

I also watched a documentary on Eurovision this week. In it someone said "Finns take every competition seriously, even if it's bootthrowing. ("Suomalaiset lähtee joka kisaan tosissaan, vaikka olisi kyseessä saappaanheitto".) It's true, hehe =)

It was nice to be in Helsinki and taste a bit of it all, and must say it was a great feel there! It was nice to see the city very lively (not that it isn't that normally) - so much happening. The city did a great job hosting. You can check here of the few things that one was able to see/do! It was nice to be able to have a wee taste of it all. I ended up going to an amazing free gig on wednesday evening, kind of a rock/jazz feel, Karoliina Kallio with a band, the amazingly talented Osmo Ikonen in keyboards. The band was amazing!! They were hugely talented and Karoliina also has an amazing voice. They are all true talents! So I enjoyed enormously. Really really enjoyed the music. And especially the last song they played, "Living on a prayer" by Bon Jovi, the lyrics are pretty good, don't cha think?

" Ooh, we're half way there
Ooh Livin' on a prayer
Take my hand and we'll make it - I swear
Livin' on a prayer

We've got to hold on to what we've got
'We've got each other and that's a lot
For love - we'll give it a shot

We've got to hold on ready or not
You live for the fight when it's all that you've got"

I had a great time! God is Good. I stayed with my friend S.& the wee bundle..He is crying a bit at night b'cos of sore tummy, please remember them in your prayers for peaceful night times. Saw Tixu on thursday, now that was a great time too!

But yeah, to go back to that gig, I was definitely inspired. I feel like it would be nice to do some music with some really talented people. It would be cool. Yep. I miss my Glasgow Gospel Choir singing days..Oh but that was ages ago! It's been ..ohh no, four (=?) years!?! Where does the time go?!? I'm glad we've got forever..I'd run out of time otherwise. =)

Fame Academy

Hee...down the memory lane! I'll write more about this later. This song was playing in my head all fo last week and I went for a search in youtube, and find I did! Woohoo. You can pretty much find ANYTHING in there. But yes more later, I gotta sleep now.. :)

Letter from the Church in Smyrna

(See the link in my former post) This video seemed like the only right way to respond. From me anyway. That letter really touched me. My heart actually sunk. (if you can say that in English) It felt really close. Not like somewhere far away. If you haven't yet read it, do. Here is the original website. (the letter can be found in there too)

What if we prayed..

Love this song! It was playing in my head today.




..and then I read about the killings of Christians in Turkey. Here is a link to the letter
"A letter to the Global Church from The Protestant Church of Smyrna"

A new baby in the world!

My friend S. gave birth to a beautiful baby boy today, he was born 1.5.2007 at 15.07! Look at that date and time!! His birth time has the date written on it - 1.5.07 !! (that's how we write dates in Finnish). Woohoo!! Also, not the least of things at all.. 15.07 happens to be yours truly's birthday!! (July 15th that is) I thought that was amazing clockwork. Wow God!

Hopefully some pictures will soon follow..I am hoping to see them in the next few days - unfortunately S&B are in a hospital 2,5 hours away from me. Though they are staying in a lovely cosy hospital in a seaside town. Nice.

But Congratulations to S. and Baby!!


What a great journey ahead!