A Cousin's Death

A cousin of mine who was a little older than me passed away today.

It came sudden.

His elder sister had sent him to the hospital yesterday. She thought that it was not serious and had left him in the hospital alone.

The doctor called to inform her that he was too weak to have a CT scan done and they suspected that he had stage-four large intestine cancer as his stomach was bloated.

Today, the doctor called to inform her that he had passed away.

In other words, nobody, including himself, knew he had cancer.

I googled and found that at stage four, a patient's stool would have blood in it and he would lose a lot of weight.

It's sad that he missed all the clues. 

A good friend only discovered she had stage-4B cancer when she found herself bleeding excessively.

Her doctor's prognosis was that she had six months to live but with chemotherapy, she lived on for another 2.5 years.

After my good friend passed away, I often wonder if cancer is lurking in my body. 

(Yes, I know an annual body check-up would be useful in helping to confirm or dispel that thought.)

Einstein rejected an operation to prolong his life as he believed that's Nature's way of calling him home.

I hope I have the courage to say the same thing if it happens to me.

But more often, I wonder why the person who passes isn't me and I wonder when my time will come.

I was sharing with a friend that I feel that I have lived a few lifetimes, more than an average person. I think I am quite done with life. She was stunned for two seconds before laughing out loud. She said, "Indeed. You have gone through many milestones that I have not (and never will)."

I am not sure if it's just me, but after a certain age, I feel that life is not that worth living anymore. I do not know what's there to look forward to - everybody's death? 

Amy Cheung wrote in her book that life is a never-ending journey of saying goodbyes.

People around me start to die in their 40s. It's hard not to wonder when my turn will be.

It also gives me a sense of urgency. My family members and relatives are passing away without knowing God. What frustrates me is that I don't get to see them easily as they live in Malaysia. I can only wait for Chinese New Year to visit them for those brief fleeting minutes. On top of these hurdles, I also need a lot of courage to talk to them about the gospel since we are not close by any measure. The irony is that I am not much of a Christian. I hardly attend church even. I have brought my mother to a traditional presbyterian church but honestly, it bores me to tears. I honestly miss the funky atmosphere and catchy songs of the charismatic churches. I just can't grasp the hymns. Worse, they are in Chinese.

I love Chinese as a language. I even blog in Chinese and prefer Chinese pop songs and ballads, but hymns are really a different story altogether. I was suddenly in the shoes of people whose Chinese is no good. I have to process the word by thinking how to read it and then sing it, a lot quicker than those inept in Chinese no doubt, but I knew it's not me. Chinese should come natural to me, but not in church. I know it's strange but it's what it is.

With all these factors in place, I find myself not enjoying church. I am not sure if I will ever find a church that I can stay at. But I know I have a mission: to share about Christ with my family and relatives.

This year, two cousins and an uncle passed away. Whether they know God, I do not know. I hope to make it certain that they do.

God, help me to share You with my loved ones.

What Kept Me Warm in Norway, Sweden and Finland

Before we set off for the trip, our tour manager texted us that we ought to be prepared for -20 degree celsius but the temperature in Norway and Finland was mainly above zero degree celsius. Only the first day in Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi did the temperature plunge to -11 degree celsius, but even then, the cold was manageable. I was wearing a pair of thick stockings and a pair of furry leg coverings not even meant to insulate.

Some things I think are useful:

1) Thermal wear from the Ultra Warm series of Universal Traveller (RM338) and Uniqlo (S$39.90)

Uniqlo thermal wear received lacklustre reviews on different platforms. My third sister who had been to Antartica said that she shivered in Uniqlo's thermal wear, although it was not known which series she wore.

She insisted that we should get at least a set of Universal Traveller's thermal wear and drove us to JB Premium Outlet to get them.

It cost RM338 per set which included a top and a pair of pants.

My third sister advised us to get the size that fit quite snugly or body-hugging so that heat can be trapped.

Uniqlo's thermal top and bottom are sold separately. Can't remember the cost of the top but the pants cost S$39.90 or RM129.90. Prices should not differ too much from each other.

At first, I only wore the Universal Traveller's set as it was verified by my sister as being 'good'. It was also thinner and softer than Uniqlo's.

When I put on Uniqlo's set, I realised its ability to keep me warm wasn't inferior to Universal Traveller's. 

2) Thermal singlet (桑蚕丝保暖背心）- 52RMB or S$9.50 for 2

I found most of my winter wear on Tao Bao. This kept me warm and it came with bra cups, which means I didn't have to wear a bra separately.

It has a very fine layer of material on the inner side so it feels fitting and comfortable. It was advertised as mulberry silk singlet which is meant to trap heat.

3) White furry earmuffs (毛绒耳罩) - 28RMB or S$5.71

I probably bought close to a dozen earmuffs but I used this most of the time as it can be easily matched with hats of any colour. It can also be worn on its own, hatless.

I find that those with furry headbands cling to the head or the hat better than those that are not furry. Without the fur which create friction, the earmuffs could slip off the head or hat.

The furry earmuffs also look better in pictures.

4) Thick leggings (光腿神器 ) -74.9RMB or S$13.75

 

I NEEDED to wear a skirt. It was driving me crazy wearing pants EVERY DAY. It wasn't exactly comfortable as I bought the stockings which covered the toes. It was pulling in and squeezing my toes while I wore it. It also scratched quite easily. I made two holes when I was putting it on. Nevertheless, this helped to protect my legs from the cold at -11 degree celsius, at Santa Claus Village, but not without another pair of leg protectors which brings me to ...

5) Leg warmers (长毛腿套）- 22.9RMB or S$5.14

It offered a second layer of protection on top of my thick leggings although it felt thin.

A tour groupmate came up to me to compliment that they looked pretty.

6) Snow boots 雪地靴 

199RMB or S$37

198RMB or S$38.78

We were advised to shop at Timberland for S$200 boots but they were too stiff and uncomfortable for us. 

I decided to take a chance on Tao Bao and I bought two pairs for each of us just in case one of them didn't work.

My elder sister didn't believe Tao Bao cheapo stuff would be any good so she bought another pair of high-cut boots for my mother at Decathlon.

It turned out that my mother's boots were slippery on ice and snow while mine gripped well. I didn't even need the crampons most of the time but my mother had to put them on whenever she was out of the hotels.

These boots were comfortable and kept my feet warm. And they were so cheap!

I ended up preferring the white ones as they were lighter, more fitting and more comfortable to wear.

7) Crampons or spikes (冰爪）- 12.8RMB or S$2.38

These worked very well. My only gripe was they were very tight and hard to put on. I guess it's not a problem if you are a guy but I had a hard time pulling them each time I put them on. My index finger's nail came off when I was exerting my strength pulling it and it chipped at the part where my skin was attached. It bled quite a bit. I gave up wearing them after that due to my injury. 

Fortunately, my boots had enough traction to grip the surface of icy grounds.

I bought a tonne of clothes, hats, scarves and gloves on Tao Bao, simply because they were so cheap. I must have ended up spending more than I had budgeted for.

I was quite skeptical like most people though. I was worried that the outfits I bought would not keep me warm since they were so cheap. It turned out that Tao Bao was cheap and good.

On hindsight, I should have got my down jackets on Tao Bao too. I bought two down jackets - one from Winter Time (S$350) and the other from Universal Traveller (S$269) for each of us. They already cost me more than $1000. My elder sister went out and bought my mother another parka jacket for another S$300+. My mother ended up wearing it most of the time *roll eyes*

Day 12 (7 Dec) in Finland: Shopping at LV

They say that Finland's LV is cheap. I did some research and found that it was true.

I didn't intend to visit the boutique and didn't know what I could buy there. My youngest sister suggested buying a Neverfull since my first and only Neverfull Damier has become dysfunctional due to a snapped strap.

I decided to buy the Monogram version but couldn't decide on whether I should get the beige or red interior. 

The saleslady told me that the Neverfull Monogram's original came with the red interior so 'you're getting a piece of its history if you get the red one'.

As for the Damier version, it was first launched with the pink interior but seeing that the Monogram's red interior was very well-received, LV started making Damier Neverfull with red interior.

I was very intrigued by the mention of the pink interior so I requested to take a look at it. I fell in love with it straight away and decided to buy it as well.

My mother said,"Very nice." the moment I carried the Carryall and Nano Speedy. It was hard to resist.

After 1hour and 20 minutes, I walked out of the boutique with 4 bags and a coin purse. It was drizzling. They took the initiative to put plastic coverings over the paper bags.

You can only buy 3 bags and 2 other products or accessories with one credit card and a passport with the same name as what's on the card.  Fortunately, my third sister applied for a credit card for my mother so I was able to buy all.

Day 11 (6 Dec): Cruise to Tallinn, Eating Bear Stew and Tallinn's Christmas Market

Going to Tallinn, Estonia, was an optional tour. At the tour briefing in October, we were informed that usually everybody would opt for it.

It was the second last day of our tour.

It was a 2.5 hour cruise trip.

We were told that ang mohs are very kiasu and would queue up way before the gantry opening time.

On the cruise

We were asked to  book a table/seat and place our jackets on the seats before going off to tour around the vessel.

=

Moomin is a Finnish brand and product. The mascot is a hippo.

We went to the windy sundeck to get some pictures taken

Our guided tour by a local guide.

I asked our tour manager what this structure was but she didn't seem to know either.

Everybody was intrigued by that castle

An orthodox church

The guide launched into a lengthy talk about the orthodox church's history. It was interesting but much was forgotten.

A bird's eye view from the top of the town

The tour manager said this wall was vandalised due to some hatred and was worth taking. Not sure why but we were in a rush, so just take.

The streets of Tallinn

We were left at the Christmas Market at the Town Square and given three hours to shop around on our own before our meet-up with the tour manager down some unfamiliar street.

It was a rainy day. It was a good thing the tour manager forecasted the weather and asked us to bring an umbrella along. I borrowed an umbrella from the hotel reception before I boarded the coach.

It was cold. The Christmas Market had many stalls selling glogi of different kinds but we didn't want to drink that. I found a coffee stall that sold a cup of coffee at 5 euro. I immediately bought one cup. The guy hesitated before asking me,"Do you know about the cup system?"

I replied," No."

He explained to me that I would pay 2 euro for a cup and if I returned the cup at a green stall, I would get the 2 euro back. 

I found the green stall with a bit of effort by asking around.

Since it was rainy, I didn't want my mother to walk in the rain the whole day. I decided to find a cosy cafe to hide out.

I chanced upon this shop near the Christmas Market. I browsed the menu and found 'bear stew'.

I was disappointed by Nili's bear soup but wanted to give bear meat another shot.

The pretty waitress gave us a table for two and I placed an order for the stew.

Surprisingly, it was much better than the famous Nili Restaurant's fanfare.

Meat was more tender and stew was more flavourful.

We left two satisfied customers.

Then we went into a souvenir shop to check out the local handicrafts before leaving to meet the tour manager to leave Tallinn.

Port of Tallinn

Time in Tallinn was too short but it was enlightening to know about the small country of Estonia.

Day 10 (5 Dec) in Helsinki, Finland: Hello, Helsinki, The Rock Church, Music Tree and Christmas Market

 It was a snowy day when we left Rovaniemi for Helsinki. We had to take a domestic flight from Rovaniemi to Helsinki and the weight limit for check-in luggage was 23kg and cabin luggage, 7kg.

It was very stressful trying to keep to the weight limit. Most of my group tourmates didn't have such a problem as they didn't carry a DSLR-like camera, a flashlight and a tripod (damn me). The tripod alone was about 1.5kg. 

The night before we left for the airport, I left behind our bedroom slippers, a few tops, a pair of ski gloves and a tonne of heat packs at the hotel to lighten the load and make space for my potential purchases.

our Helsinki hotel

Our tour manager took us to their Orchard Road shopping belt to familiarise us with the area about 5 to 7 minutes' walk away from our hotel. I think that's a plus for Chan Brothers Travel. It only makes sense to put customers in areas where they can do some shopping on their own. My previous experience with another tour company was very poor. The hotels were always in some ulu places such that there was no way for us to shop on our own.

Stockmann is the equivalent of Paris' Gallery Lafayette. It is a shopping mall with branded boutiques in it. I read that the Louis Vuitton outlet was small compared to the standalone shop along the street so I didn't check it out.

We were taken to a restaurant near Stockmann for lunch. It's full of quaint and quirky decor.

Mushroom soup for a change. A bit sour though.

Salmon as the main course. Decent but forgettable. By then, we had had quite enough of the fish-chicken-pork rotation. The Indian tour mate's mother requested for something else which didn't suit her palate. In the end, she settled with a salad.

After lunch, we were given a highlight tour of Helsinki by a UK-Finnish tour guide.

The Rock Church

The tour manager kept telling us that we would be going to The Rock Church. It sounded very spectacular. I think most of us, if not all, was underwhelmed by its exterior.

"Huh? So it's a church that is made of some rocks?"

The tour guide said that the church is of a great significance to Helsinki: the architecture, the history, the faith, the light. When you sit at the top of the church, you will understand why people wait for years to get married in this church!

Wow, you wait for a venue to be available to get married! Must be something.

The church interior 

The soldiers were preparing for their Independence Day.

According to the guide, Finland's Independence Day is not celebrated with cheers (like the United States). It's a day that they remember as 'the day many people died for the sake of Independence'.

If I understand correctly, the church wall is made of granite. The beams above allow large amount of natural light to come in. 

We went up the second floor and it did look quite beautiful from the top. If there isn't a more beautiful church, yes, I can understand why people want to get married there. It's like how brides wait to get married at Chijmes.

After that, we were taken to a small park with this special tree sculpture in the middle of the park. It was conceptualised from a musical instrument.

I think most of us were fatigued by then. The park didn't look very special from the outside. It took some persuasion to get us down the coach. It's more like a 'come also come already. Just go lah' kind of resignation.

The tour guide told us that the best selfie is taken right under the tree, with the camera facing bottom-up.

 

I guess if your face is slim, it would look very nice. Mine wasn't.

Our last stop was a huge cathedral which we unfortunately was too late for the entry at 4.30pm.

Below the steps beneath the cathedral was the Christmas Market. It was getting chilly and we were tired. I was tempted to visit the Market but I wasn't sure how to get back to the hotel which was an eight-minute walk so I followed the tour guide back to the hotel.

It was about 5pm when we reached the hotel. The tour manager took me to the nearest K-Supermart to buy my blueberry juice I was craving. She also recommended me to try a Fazer drumstick ice-cream in which a chocolate stick hides within. Seeing that she so strongly recommended, I tried it.

It tasted like a normal chocolate Cornetto to me.

My mother was exhausted. I told her I would go to the Christmas Market since it's still early. I didn't want to waste the day. My mother wanted to follow but I felt that it was too tiring for her so she should rest. She fell asleep soon after.

I put on my down jacket and stuffed two hand warmers into the pockets and started my eight-minute walk with moderate confidence, trying to recall the bus route from the Christmas Market.

Then I walked past Louis Vuitton.

I decided to ask for an appointment for Sunday, the last day I would be in Helsinki.

It turned out that the store only started operating on Sunday recently so a booking on the website did not work.

I managed to book an appointment at 12pm, the opening hour.

When I walked out, I continued my journey to the Christmas Market.

At one point, I felt I was lost and I asked a resident for directions. She pointed me to the big Christmas Market while telling me that she was going to the small one as it was newly opened that night. We chatted a bit as we made our way to the markets. When she knew I was from Singapore, she said she had been to Singapore twice. "It was too hot," she said. I replied, "And here is too cold!" She laughed and agreed. 

I shopped around the small one anyway and found that it was mainly foodstalls so I decided to move on to the big one, remembering the direction the resident pointed me in earlier on.

Tried this. They are some fudges in different flavours, but basically all sweet.

My takeaway was: It's an ang moh pasar malam.

I didn't buy anything from the Christmas Market and started my way back at 7pm.