How's everyone? 

The Finland I know 我認識嘅芬蘭

Other than exhausted I have no word to describe how tired I'm.

呢種累，真係唔係筆墨所能形容⋯

We strolled around the area for 5 hrs and fed swans and wild ducks.

行街行足5個鐘同餵天鵝加野鴨。

Finland is indeed a nation of love.

芬蘭人好鍾意小動物𠺢！

To the extent that they build huge areas for dogs to run around and beaches for them to swim in. In just my neighborhood, I found 2 dog parks and one dog beach. In the photos you see one big plain for dogs and a beach. 

你睇相見到成塊地劃咗做狗公園同狗海灘你就知啦！

They also allow animals to be on the traffic. 

佢哋重可以帶動物搭交通工具𠺢！

Oh not to mention they hang some food for birds so they can survive the fierce winter. And some pictures show some Finnish people volunteered to decorate a Christmas tree for everyone.

重有佢哋有D人特登係樹上掛D雀糧俾雀仔冬天食，又有人自發去裝飾街嘅聖誕樹！

Yesterday I was complaining to a highschool schoolmate who emigrated to California that everything here is unbearably expensive and there is a lack of Chinese medicine and food.

之前同中同埋怨呢度D嘢超貴同買唔到需要嘅藥材食物等。

Yet actually I love this place.

但其實我好鍾意呢個地方。

It's because they have a government who is so humane and visionary that they understand the importance and benefits of having nature, animals and humans live together in harmony;

因為一個國家要有幾多愛同遠見，先至會將最值錢嘅地劃出來俾人，動物同自然共處；

It's because the Finnish people are genuine and full of love.

亦因為佢哋真係好真，好有愛。

At least all the Finnish people I have met so far are all like that.

至少我識嘅每一個芬蘭人都係咁。

Our traditional Finnish dinner by chef APe! 芬蘭猴大顯神通呀！

Yo! Starting from 8am till 3+pm, awesome APe cooked a wonderful traditional Finnish Christmas dinner for me and Toivo today!!!!

 🎄今日佢一朝日8點鐘就開始煮，煮到下奏3點幾就係為咗俾丞宗同肥企鵝一個傳統芬蘭聖誕節！

In Finnish culture, they like to have a Christmas dinner which can be enjoyed by the whole family for days! 

係芬蘭聖誕文化裡面，佢哋鍾意一煮就可以同屋企人食幾日。

And today, he cooked a 3-kg ham, potato casserole, carrot rice porridge casserole, lanttu casserole (neep casserole) , liver casserole, sekametelisoppa (mixed fruit soup), rosolli salad (Finnish traditional beetroot salad)!!! Actually, they also have a couple more dishes such as Grav lax, herrings, fish egg roes, etc., 

我哋今日嘅菜單裏面就要一隻3公斤火腿，燉煮薯，燉煮蘿蔔米糊，燉煮大頭菜，燉煮牛肝，雜果湯，紅菜頭沙律。其實重有漬三文魚，三文魚籽，希靈魚等我鍾意嘅疑似壽司食物，

However, because I'm pregnant I cannot have them!!!

但我有咗又唔食得所以無煮⋯

Yet, I love these sushi materials!!! 

I have to wait patiently so I can have them next year in Äänekoski! My father-in-law promised to stay in Finland next year and cook me a Christmas dinner!!! Osh Osh Osh XDXDYo!

猴爸應承咗我下年會留係芬蘭過節，煮聖誕大餐俾我同丞宗食！

Then we opened our Christmas presents!!! 

跟著到折禮物環節！

Thanks Mikko and APe for answering my wish lists!!! 

多謝猴兄猴弟，今年聖誕老人送嘅禮物我好鍾意呀！

Now we have a handheld vacuum cleaner to clean up the grains of rice and beans on the kitchen floor! APe is playing with the new toy in the kitchen now hahahaha! And APe got a new pair of boots and he's ready for icefishing now Yes yes yes!!! I got a greeeeeen bathing rope for sauna!!!! Oh and a pair of well-insulated gloves too!!! Thanks Santa Pasanen!

有手揸吸塵機，桑拿浴袍同一流嘅禦寒手襪！浴袍係綠色𠺢！手襪係我搵咗好耐嘅款同有3M處理！勁開心！芬蘭猴收到一對勁暖嘅新水鞋！佢急不及待要去湖邊釣冰魚！多謝曬呀！

Before the dinner, we made a couple of calls to HK and Thailand. 

食大餐前我哋打長途電話同家人祝賀！

As my father and mother-in-law are on vacation in Thailand, and it's APe's first time to cook this dinner all by himself, he couldn't wait to show off his dishes!!! We are all so proud of him! And Christmas greetings to all of you from all of us in HK, Thailand and Finland!

因為猴爸同猴媽係泰國消遙遊，芬蘭猴急不及待要展示佢嘅作品！我哋每一個都覺得佢好強呀！我有3個叻，佢有5個！ 係啦，芬蘭，泰國同香港同人祝大家聖誕快樂！

And then we called HK!

跟著，我哋打俾香港屋企人。

My parents, siblings, sister-in-law and Nathan are all doing well but Nicole has stomach flu! 

佢哋個個都好好，行得走得食得重不停講笑！但小肥晴繼之前撞瘀眼角，今日腸胃炎呀！

She looked so defeated today and didn't want to talk... her well soon my precious! 

佢個樣同食唔到出奇蛋，玩唔到Elza公仔果時個樣一模一樣，慘慘豬呀！快D飲多兩支益力多，食晒D藥藥同乖乖休息就會好快好架啦！祝早日康復，有得去公園玩同睇燈飾！

And I talked with my mum about our research about Toivo.

跟著我就同阿媽傾計。

You know I always want my babies to be real world citizens. 

識我嘅人都知我想生個真正同世界接軌嘅小朋友。

Luckily with God's blessing I'm married to this Finnish apeina (monkey) who shares the same vision and mission with me. 

感謝神俾我嫁到隻有共同目標同方向一致嘅芬蘭猴。

So our babies will speak the most difficult languages in the world- Finnish and Cantonese! On top of Finnish and Cantonese, we will teach them Spanish (APe lived in Spain for 6 years), Mandarin and English too! And that he will have the free right of abode in EU and in HK, a real multinational city! 

而咁啱我哋嘅母語又係全世界最難𠺢𡃓！除咗我哋嘅母語外，我哋重會教佢西班牙文，英文同國語，希望佢能夠好好認識世界。重有，我哋希望佢係歐盟同香港有居留權。

However, here comes one big challenge:

但依家有問題出現啦：

Will my children who are born in Finland have the right of abode in HK?

究竟一個由香港永久性居民生，係芬蘭出世嘅小朋友會唔會有居港權呢？

I read from the HK Immigration Department website that if a child of a citizen of HK is born overseas and is not declared as a Chinese nationale, s/he will not have the right of abode in HK. Is it true? 

入境署網頁話如果個細佬唔係中國籍係無居港權嘅。

但係點解我教果D細路係加拿大籍美國籍又有居港權？我之前想8月尾番香港幫丞宗攞番張香港出世紙但依家⋯有無人可以解答我嘅問題呀？

Why is that I have so many students who are Canadians or Americans but can live in HK? After our wedding in Finland in August, I want to go back to HK with Toivo to get him a birth certificate from the HKG... but now I'm not so sure... anyone can answer my question???

In Finland, it is allowed to have dual nationality, but it's not the case in HK or China. 

芬蘭係容許雙重國籍，但香港就跟偉大嘅強國一樣唔俾人有雙重國籍。

Then why some of our LegCo Councillors have dual citizenship/ nationality? I'm confused!

咁點解我哋成月去旅行同喺議事堂睇AV同閉目養神嘅議員又可以有雙重國籍呢？我覺得我身處霧霾之中⋯

Anyhow, Merry Christmas my dears and we will start playing Power Grid soon!
我而家去玩Power Grid 啦！聖誕快樂！

Chinese BBQ Pork 蜜汁叉燒

This is the first time for me to make Chinese BBQ pork for dinner!!! 
我第一次整蜜汁叉燒做晚餐！

Why didn't I make more and some rice!!!??? Awwww XDXDXD
早知咁好食就整多D同埋飯啦

Hyvää Joulua!!! 聖誕快樂！

Hyvää Joulua!!!

聖誕快樂！

Merry Christmas from Finland!!!

芬蘭猴同肥企鵝由芬蘭為大家送上摰誠嘅祝福！

Today I got a Christmas present from the Finnish government!!! 

我今日收到芬蘭政府送嚟嘅聖誕禮物：我嘅芬蘭身分證號碼! 

It's my Finnish ID number!!! Now I can register for the free medical services and have a bank account and so on!!! 

我而家可以申請免費嘅醫療，銀行服務等。

We will need to check the status of the residence permit later as the police has instructed.

但關於居留淮許就要再等同問⋯

In the afternoon, APe's brother's family dropped by for a visit before they head East for Christmas!

下奏, 猴哥同家人喺去外母家過節途中探望我哋。

Last night we spent a couple of hours making a savory ham and cheese pie and raspberry chocolate cups for them. 

噚晚我哋用咗幾個鐘整咗芝士火腿批同覆盆子朱古力杯俾佢地食。

Santeri liked his choco cup very much!!! 

小新好鍾意個朱古力杯！

I had one without any raspberry because the raspberries available in the market now are from Eastern Europe and there may be pesticide in them. 

因為而家可以買到嘅莓全都由東歐嚟，佢地會有殺蟲劑等對丞宗唔好嘅嘢，所以我無莓食呀！

I will pick and eat as much as I want when summer comes!!!

夏天我一定自己去摘多D，食翻夠本！

We had such a nice though short time with them XD 

今日好開心呀！

Pls come visit us again soon!!!

記得快D再嚟玩啦！

I'm a super woman!!! 我西飛利呀！

Today I cooked 4 dishes to celebrate winter solstice! 

今日我一人主理四個冬至菜！

APe n I both liked the food very much! 

我同芬蘭猴都覺得好好食呀！

The effort and time spent were totally worth it! 

不枉我由12點煮到5點。

APe's friend Kimmo n Alina came visit us. 

芬蘭猴朋友仔大小金毛嚟探我哋。

Alina said the salmon fried rice was very nice 

小金毛話個個三文魚飯同噚日個冰糖紅棗燉雪梨好好食！

And she had a whole bowl of red date pear dessert!!! 

佢一個人食咗成碗雪梨糖水！

But in the end the aftertaste of ginger from the fried rice stopped her from having more of rice. Oops...

但飯入面D薑粒辣親佢⋯

I'm so absorbed in my success! I'm so proud of myself! I must reward myself with 3 stars! Hahahaha

我又自我陶醉啦！我未試過一個人一次整咁多餸𠺢！俾3個叻自己！

APe is feeling unwell again... 芬蘭猴又病咗...

APe is feeling unwell again!

芬蘭猴又病咗呀！

Since last Friday, he have been having a sore throat, runny nose. 

病情由上星期五嘅喉嚨痛到週末嘅喉嚨發炎，有勁多痰同流鼻涕,

He even coughs up phlegm... during the weekend, fever developed and he was shivering and sweating at the same time! His face was so pale he really looked like a white ghost! 

到呢兩日見鬼咁面白如紙加發燒，發熱發冷。

He quarantined himself from Toivo and me.

佢自我隔離。

All I knew was making him some lemon water/ honey or ginger tea.

我乜都唔識只係識整D檸水檸蜜同薑茶俾佢飲。

Yesterday he paid the doc a visit. 

噚日佢去睇咗兩個鍾醫生。

They drew some blood sample and prescribed antibiotics for him again! 

抽咗血，醫生又係開抗生素俾佢，

This time the doc was so generous to give him one extra day as sick leave! 

但竟然開多一日假俾佢係屋企休息！

Thanks Jesus!

感謝神。

I remembered that Kristy said red dates are good for recovery 

我今日記起Kristy話紅棗水對補氣好。

So I looked up a recipe to make him red date pear soup, 

上網搵咗冰糖紅棗雪梨茶煮法整咗D俾佢滋潤滋潤下。

Hopefully he will regain some energy before he goes to work again...

希望佢聽日可以好番。

Tomorrow is Winter Solstice! 

聽日冬至！

In Chinese culture, Winter Solstice is more important than Chinese New Year, 

正所謂冬至大過年，

Hopefully APe gets better and can taste what I make for him tomorrow:

希望佢聽日可以好番，食到我第一次整嘅：

Shiitake mushrooms and pork braised in oyster sauce

蠔油炆冬菇豬肉

Fried Brussels sprouts with garlic 

蒜蓉炒抱子甘藍

Ginger egg fried rice with salmon

三文魚大肚婆炒飯

Sesame dumplings with sweet potato in ginger soup

薑汁蕃薯湯圓

I miss my family! 

好掛住屋企人呀！

Yesterday Nicole called me and told me she tripped, hit the bed and bruised her right eye! 

噚日晴晴WeChat我，話俾我知佢撞到床，

She now looks like a purple-eyed Ultraman! 

成隻右眼腫到咸蛋超人果隻一樣！心痛呀！

I will call and check how she is tomorrow.

聽日我要打電話同佢傾計睇下佢好D未。