I was on the bus to work this morning, and a comment my wife had made once suddenly clicked. She said sometime during the weekend that she's starting to get wrinkles (which I don't believe for a moment, but anyway) and that they're the kind of wrinkles you get on the corner of your mouth when you've been smiling too much.
During my commute, I noticed how people really don't smile. Not only that, but their mouths have been arched downwards for so long that it is their natural state, which makes them look even sadder. The act of smiling on its own can make you feel better, and it definitely makes you look better.
So, even if at a specific moment you don't feel like it, remember to smile every once in a while.
A couple of days back, I took a taxi from the office to a congress. The ride was short and it was slightly over 10 EUR. I was chatting with the cabbie in Finnish when it was time to pay. When I gave him my company credit card (and this is when it gets interesting) the guy asks if my name is the one in the card and if I could show him an ID.
I did and after he filled all details in the receipt that was the end of it, but it was rather surprising, since it was the first time in 7 years a cabbie asks for it and the amount was rather small. Why would he do that?
I have heard plenty of times that before the advent of Nokia one of the main exports of Finland were its women, and that still today Finnish women will tend to marry foreigners. Notwithstanding whether I agree with this sentence or not, it is true that the stereotypical Finnish male has a lot of sisu but lacks in his communication skills.
Therefore, I suggest that in order to handle the perceived threat to the status quo, instead of complaining, the stereotypical Finnish male demonstrates the same determination to improve his situation. Some advice to follow could include the following:
Listen to what she has to say. She may not want your help in solving her problems (she's an independent, proud Finnish woman anyway), but a little bit of empathy goes a long way.
Telling her "I love you" more than once in a lifetime is acceptable, as long as you mean it.
Hug her. Hugging doesn't need to preclude intercourse. Other sorts of physical contact like holding hands are fine too.
Respect her. Which doesn't mean leave her alone to do all the housework.
Surprise her. Yes, it might include going to the theatre or some other activity you might not like, but be a man and stick to it.
Be there. Because if she's the right woman she'll be there for you too.
Don't worry, it might sound difficult at first but you might be surprised how low-maintenance the stereotypical Finnish woman is, since she's used to being quite independent too. You will both learn a lot. Good luck.
Disclaimer: I know very few men (and women) who do reflect this stereotype, but if you feel referred to it's not my problem.
Last Wednesday I read this full report on Finland and its economic outlook (some of the articles available here).
My main learnings below:
Economic growth hasn't translated in lower unemployment nor higher incomes per capita.
The baby boomer retirement bomb will explode here earlier than in the rest of Europe.
In order to maintain the same amount of people in the workforce, immigration would be needed. However, the country is not prepared for it nor is very attractive.
There is a lot of focus in innovation, but not enough in marketing that innovation (which is obvious when one reads articles like this one). Entrepreneurship is really minimal.
A couple of random thoughts I have been munching on:
Just finished reading this book. Even though many things are most probably not true, even if this guy did only 25% of what they claim he's worst than most of the other dictators in the world.
Finnair's Asian strategy is working. So much so, that my direct flights HEL-MAD-HEL were full of Spaniards and Chinese coming and going on holiday (there were very few Finns). There were a couple of "little emperors" but nothing too annoying really. The comparison with their partner Iberia couldn't be more lopsided, since in their case the results from their Latin American strategy are a mess (if you fly within Europe service is pretty OK, but if you fly long haul the airline changes from Iberia to Siberia).
Little did I know that today's Helsingin Sanomat had a piece on the same thing (reported by Finland for Thought). My favourites are places such as Doughnut Cape and A Dog Went Mad… LOL.
Eilis-illalla näin tosi hyvän Elisan mainos, jossa tummaihoiset suomalaiset olivat mukana samassa mainoksessa kuin kaikki muut, vaan osana yhteiskuntaa. Oli minun mielestä tosi kannustava ulkomaalaisena että joskus voisin nähdä ihmisiä kuin minä muussa roolissa kuin uhkana.
Sen ja mäkkärin kuuluinen mainos jossa tummaihoinen kaveri puhuu nopeasti Savon murretta toivottavasti alkaavat vaihtamaan yhteiskunnan asenteet. Minäkin maksan verot, minäkin olen kuluttaja. Minäkin puhun suomea ja olen ollut täällä kauan, ja tykkään tästä maasta.
Valitettavasti, joskus en tiedä jos maa tykkää minusta.
