Lapland trip

I am invited to visit this cottage up north in Lapland. So I will start my early Easter holiday today, no choice for me as I have explained to my colleague, better go there now than in Summer :-) I will skip that..

No electricity, no water, outside toilet and in middle of no where. Let see how interesting it will be. Well it will be nice if go with a girl :-) but not this time yet ... very unfortunately.

I will update something after I come back... remember that NO electricity !! no Laptop SOB SOB....

Life is short
I meet my ex-colleague this morning at bus stop. Chat a bit and got to know that he have prostate cancer since last year, fortunately he is fine now and under medication. It is not the "dangerous" type. He is looking fine and very positive thinking. I was a bit "dunno what to say" during the conversation, this is first time I came to face this type of problem. It is really make me thinking about life and death.

It is also reminded me of my college friends conversation in previous annual re-union. Somebody mention that we are already reach half mark of our life time... if one can live up to 70++...

So, never take life for granted :-), you never know what can happen next day...

Palmusunnuntai ja Virpominen

Palm Sunday and "Virpominen" :-), I can't find the English name.. anyway story start like this...

"Ding Dong". There is someone at the door...mmm who could it be??? Surprisingly to discover that there are witches standing there, they ask something to get my permission (I've forget what they ask, actually more like don't understand :-)), I said OK... and they start chanting..(for Malaysian, it is read exactly read as in Bahasa baku" with emphasis on the "r" )

"virvon varvon tuoreeks terveeks tulevaks vuodeks vitsa sulle palkka mulle"

I did not get the translation of these word, so I cannot explain. It is some sort of blessing. So next candy was given out for them :-) and the witches went to next house :-).. OMG I'm save :-)

""Virpominen"" is the tradition (related to Pagan practice) that get the influence from Karelia Region. The young kids will dress up as witches and go around to give blessing for new spring and try to get some candy. It is very interesting and meaningful tradition :-), it is depend on the region, in Oulu, they do that one week before Easter, palm Sunday. The kids will start collect some bushes branches and decorate them with feather and colourful paper and also other stuff like small egg type decoration. This branches is called "Vitsa" ... not Vista :-)
Check how many my friends' kids, Samuel and Saana did for the vitsa, they will get a lot of candy :-) Hopefully they still got teeth to eat next day ha ha ...




I also got 2 "vitsa" that day, my friends' kids gave me, aren't their cute :-) And I did some cheating, I've gave out theirs parents candy back to them ... (Don't blame me, I dunno what to do, need to do something...)