Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 4

Christmas balls, stars and light part 4
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Day 4

I won’t collapse, even though yesterday’s post didn’t get likes immediately. There can be many reasons, which doesn’t necessarily mean it was terrible. I’m good at keeping it together. There are worse things in the world than no one liking something. Despite being active on social media, I don’t get many likes and even less comments. But I post anyway. Sometimes, people find old posts that were posted ages ago. You never know what happens when you’re on the internet. One thing that I’m good at is keeping things together, and I don’t collapse when things get tough. Life’s disappointments make you stronger, and you can take the heat a little better.

The other four things I’m good at are as follows. Two of them are thanks to my late parents.

Cooking and baking

I used to help my mother in the kitchen. That way, I learned how to cook and bake. It had been a big help. My dad didn’t cook, so I cooked for the both of us after my mother died. Sometimes, I try new recipes, and sometimes I succeed, but sometimes I do not. For example, I once tried to make chocolate cheesecake, but it became all gooey and too sweet. I followed the recipe to the letter, but still, it failed. I have more success in cooking a meal. If I like the food I tried for the first time, I cook them again. Now, when I’m alone, I’m a little lazy to cook, so I either order takeout or buy microwave food. But a home-cooked meal is always better, so I still do that. It’s less expensive to cook your own food. I should learn to make smaller amounts of food, though, now that I only cook for myself.

Driving a car

Everybody probably says they’re a good driver, but I can genuinely say that. I follow the rules and consider other people. I only got my driver’s licence three years ago, but I’ve improved since then. I gained more confidence driving because Dad was with me. You get better the more you drive. The longest trip I’ve driven was to Helsinki last week. I even drove in total darkness on the back home. I couldn’t have done it a few years ago. But because of my dad, I’m more confident behind the wheel.

Writing stories

The first time I wrote stories was in elementary school as school assignments, and I got good grades. As a teenager, I started to write in English, and it hasn’t stopped. I have a vivid imagination. Today, I write fan fiction, primarily real-person fiction. It is good practice to learn writing in English, and I have learned a lot of new words. In Finland, we start to learn English in 3rd or 4th grade. That’s how it was in the 1980s, at least. Writing is a lot of fun, and that’s why it’s my favourite thing of all the things I’m good at.

Using a computer

I might know how to fix a computer, but I’m good at using one. The first computer I used was a Macintosh. I was in 7th grade when we got a computer in the classroom. Computers weren’t common then, and you had to know codes. There were no icons to click on, so it wasn’t easy to use one. I used Windows the most because that’s what our school had. It was only the Macintosh that had icons. The first time I used the Internet was in 1997 when I was in business school. As they say, the rest is history. Kids today have no idea how it was then. It’s good that computers have gotten better over the decades. It is more fun to use computers and the Internet these days. But that’s good because things were so slow before broadband and computer icons. That modem sound still haunts in my head. If you lived in the 1990s, you know what I mean.

I wish I could improve on some other things, but that’s another list.

On a cosy Sunday

relaxed wool socks
Photo: ©Mia Salminen 2017

♫Sunday Monday happy days
Tuesday Wednesday happy days
Thursday Friday happy days
Saturday what a day
Rockin’ all week for you♫ – Happy Days, TV tune.

Sundays should be a cosy day, as it used to be. But now the stores are open every day of the week. For me, Sundays are cosy. If they weren’t, weekdays would be stressful. Being cosy doesn’t mean staying inside all day. If the day is sunny, you can be cosy outside. Sundays, my parents and I went for walks in the countryside. After my mum passed away, I still went out with Dad, but the walks weren’t as long as before. He played golf, so sometimes we went to the golf course to hit balls on the driving range. But that stopped a couple of years ago when things happened, and he couldn’t do it anymore.

I still drive to nature or take bike rides whenever possible. That’s my kind of cosy. But I also watch TV or on the computer. It happens every day of the week, not only on Sundays. Watching sports on TV is relaxing and being cosy, even if sports can be irritating from time to time.

I watch the Finnish version of Dancing with the Stars on Sundays, but the season will end soon. Even if I don’t dance, seeing other people doing it is cosy. My late mother used to watch it, so I also started watching it. The final will be next Sunday, but I will watch it at a hotel. I’m driving to Helsinki that day because I’m attending an event on Monday. Life can’t always be cosy, and driving long distances is not. But by car, you move at your own pace. That’s cosy in its own right.

Things you might not know about me

about
Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

Daily Writing Prompt

Oh, happy days! I can talk about myself—not. I don’t like talking about myself. I’m not that vain. But I’m not talking; I’m writing. There are a lot of things people don’t know about me. My family members are all gone, but not even they knew exactly everything about me. I’m also not the person I was when I was a kid. Life experiences change you. You lose people in your life, but you also gain them. The same goes for how you see life. If you don’t grow and stay the same way you were when you were younger, you’re stuck in the past. I try to think positively because the world seems to be a depressive place right now. I don’t know how to plan ahead because I want to live in the present. Things I plan ahead are what I’m going to do next year. Will get back to that later. But now, things you might not know about me. Just a short list, though.

I use Duolingo as a game

I’ve started to use Duolingo recently again. Had a break from it for a couple of years. Not to learn a language. But to gain points and achievements. I have the language I know how to speak English, Swedish and Finnish. I try to learn other languages, too, but it doesn’t get stuck in my head. Some languages are easy to understand and learn, like Norwegian and Danish. I’ve started Italian, French, Irish and Spanish but haven’t used those in a while. I also use the app where you can learn music and math. So it’s entertaining to me, so I hardly remember much.

I love ice hockey

I watch sports often on TV, but my absolute favourite game is ice hockey. In fact, I’m going to see a game this evening (October 18) with my local team for the second time this year. They don’t show the games on free channels, so I usually listen to them on the radio. Seeing a match live has its own rewards. Even though no one ever talks to me or I don’t get to meet new people, the atmosphere is incredible. I would go more often if it was less expensive and the stadium would be closer. I watch the World Championships on TV every year. They show all the matches of Team Finland on the free channel. I only follow the Finnish league, so no NHL ones, even though I read the news if Finnish players have been playing. Sometimes, they show NHL games on TV, so I have seen some of them.

I love going to concerts

Silly, isn’t it. Especially when I didn’t like big crowds when I was younger and didn’t think I would ever go to a concert my entire life. But then came 2017, when I decided to see Robbie Williams in Tampere, Finland. The concert was outside, and the stadium was full of people. It was probably the best decision I ever made. The concert was fantastic, and I also got to see Erasure (pop synth duo) as a warm-up act for Robbie. You could say the live concert bug hit me that day. Now I’ve seen him twice, also in Finland. Concerts abroad are too expensive. The concert music is too loud, but you get used to it. The best part of concerts is to see your favourite act on stage, so it doesn’t matter. Besides Robbie, I’ve been to see Toto (next year, too), Duran Duran (best birthday party ever), Pet Shop Boys and Bryan Adams this year. And the plan for next year is; Kylie Minogue in June 2025, yeah! It’s been one of my dreams to see her live in concert. Fun fact. When I was younger, I wished she was my sister. I don’t know why, though.

I like driving a car

I got my driver’s license three years ago. Since my late dad wasn’t allowed to drive anymore, I decided to go to driving school. I tried it in 1995, but I didn’t finish it. Maybe I wasn’t ready. I didn’t like driving then. I didn’t need a car anyway. My late mother never had a license, so I thought it unimportant. But times changed, and I got my license. I don’t think I would have been so keen if my dad wasn’t with me when I was driving. He’s the reason why I got more confidence in driving a car. You get used to many things; the more I drive, the better it feels. Now I like driving. Driving long distances is a different matter, but I guess you also get used to that. Since my dad passed away, I own his car now. I’ve thought about buying a new car, but I just started to learn to drive this car, so maybe in the future. The vehicle is at least 25 years old, so it has its problems. I haven’t driven in the dark or slippery conditions that much, so I don’t know if I dare use the car in the winter. When the road is clear, it’s easier to drive. I don’t know if I ever get used to driving in the dark when other cars blind me with their bright lights on the roads. I plan to drive to an event in November, but I’m worried about driving that far. It will be close to Helsinki; the fastest way to get there is by highway. You never know the weather by then, so I’ll wait and see.

Those are some of the things people might not know about me. If you don’t know me by now, you might learn something after reading this post. There are Happy Days ahead, and one is happening tonight. Especially if my team wins. I’m just happy to be there, whatever the results.