A voyage of 9 years on Grammarly

Nine years in Grammarly
Happy Grammarversary!

I don’t belong to a book club. Never have. But I have been using Grammarly for 9 years. There’s a voyage of learning English. In Finland, we start to learn English in the 3rd or 4th grade. It depends on which school you go to or which year. It was in 1987 or 1988 when I learned English for the first time. I was at least 10 years old, so it’s a long time. I even got a diploma for my improved English. I’ve learned a lot since then.

In Finland, we have English-language subtitles for movies and TV shows, so we learn from them. English has almost become my 3rd language, besides Finnish and Swedish. I listen to English music and read English books. I don’t belong to a book club, but I do belong to a Grammarly club.

I’ve used the Pro version, but I had to cancel it for a while. But now I have it again. The Pro version gives so much more. It checks the spelling and grammar. It’s a good way to learn English. Grammarly is not only useful when writing this blog, but it also works on mobile (Android, iPhone, iPad), Windows, and Firefox. It’s really useful, and it has helped me a lot.

I didn’t realise I’d already been using Grammarly for 9 years. I could almost put it in my resume 🙂 I know more about English than I did 10 years ago. If I hadn’t learned English, this blog would not exist. Not other writing in English, for that matter. I only wish I could learn other languages as easily as this. Those lessons don’t stick in my head as well as English does. And I thought I was good at learning languages, but I guess it’s only English. So far, I’ve managed fine. My dad didn’t speak any language other than Finnish, so my mother and I were guides when we were abroad.

The voyage to another level of English continues.

My Christmas present is to be present

a big christmas tree with lights
Photo: Mia, 2025

My Christmas present is to be present. I have only 24 posts on this blog in 2025 (this is number 25). I won’t make any promises, but hopefully there will be more than that in 2026. It depends on how next year goes. I don’t make New Year’s resolutions because most of them never happen. E.g., if I say I would eat less candy/sweets. Will it happen? No. The same goes for anything. You shouldn’t promise things you can’t keep. You’re lying to yourself and others if you do.

It’s Christmas, and you should be present. So no Internet or social media. If you have a family, spend the holidays with them and not your phone. Stay safe and relax. Christmas is only once a year, Father’s/Mother’s Day is every Autumn/Spring.

Time travel to Bryan Adams Concert

Bryan Adams Concert in Helsinki, Finland

I would like to time-travel to a few nights ago. On Wednesday, August 13, I had the opportunity to see Bryan Adams live in concert for the second time. This time it was in Helsinki Ice Hall. My seat was quite close to the stage, so the view was upwards. There was a mike on that part of the stage where he sang a song or two. My first Mr. Adams concert was quite far, so this was even better. Photos below.

I got to see him from about a meter away when he came to the floor to greet the fans. He went to the back of the stadium and performed a song with an acoustic guitar to the fans at the back. I had a great time. Two hours or so just flew by. You know what they say, when you’re having fun, time just flies by.

Here are a few videos from the concert.

Bryan Adams singing “Somebody”
Bryan Adams singing, “Everything I do, I do it for you”
Lights in from the fans when Bryan Adams performs “Please Forgive Me”

Bryan Adams has now been in Finland 15 times in total (that’s what he said during the concert). This time he had two concerts in Finland. He’s welcome back any time. His live concerts are pure entertainment 👍