Em challenged me some time ago to make more revelations about myself. Well here goes, better late than never..

Four jobs I've had during my life:

1. Kitchen help in a retirement home. Probably one of the most physical jobs I've ever done. This was when I was 18 and trying to earn a plane ticket to the US.

2. Bookkeeper. When I moved to the US for the first time, I only had a high school diploma. I had to get a job because my husband was going to college so I managed to find work as a bookkeeper's assistant. I had never worked with numbers, did not even know the rudimentaries of accounting. But I learned on the job, and I learned fast. Still rather miss it sometimes, my fingers flying on the calculator, listening to the paper rolling.

3. Receptionist at Nokia. This was while I was attending university. Back then the employees of Nokia did not walk around with mobile phones. They were still a rather rare item, and really bulky. There were roughly 100 people working for the company back then in Oulu and I remembered just about everyone's extension (yes, real phones back then) by heart. This was a truly memorable job and I made so many good friends.

4. Engineering manager. My persistence paid off in 1996 and I finally got a job with Nokia that corresponded with my studies. I got to work with languages, a fun bunch of people and the job involved lots of travel. A dream come true, really. Three and a half years later I was made an engineering manager.

Four places I have lived in:

1. Olympia, Washington. Beautiful, green town with both mountains and the ocean. Lived there for 4,5 years.

2. Reno, Nevada. Most people know Reno as a gambling scene. True, the casinos are there but there is so much beyond that. Beautiful scenery, always sunny. An outdoorsy type's paradise. Lake Tahoe was in my backyard with all those gorgeous hiking trails and pretty extreme mountain biking and picturesque little mountain lakes to dip into on the hikes and rides. Stayed in Reno for 1,5 years.

3. Dallas, Texas (or rather, Coppell, Texas). How to put this nicely... well... Texas is rather unique. Where else do people you don't really even know call you 'honey', 'missy' or 'darlin'?? But, to be fair, I do look back fondly on my photography studies there and the incredibly friendly people. Our contract there lasted almost two years.

4. Oulu, Finland. The place where I was born, where I met John and where I gave birth to three children. I think a lot of mommas may agree that you view with certain fondness those places where your baby cried for the first time. We are still living in Oulu, at least for the time being.

Four shows on TV that I like to watch (I never really catch anything on TV, I watch recordings on the digibox):

1. Inno. The interior design show with humor and spark that sets it apart from other shows with rather monotonous ideas and 'trying-to-please-everybody' design schemes.

2. Lost. Yeah, it still manages to catch our interest, even after some really bizarre twists in the plot. Ehh, did I say plot??

3. Survivors. Don't ask me why.

4. Desperate housewives. Didn't I just say don't ask me why?

Four places I have been on vacation:

1. Ireland, all over. And I still want back. Haven't been on the Aran Islands and I really, really want to go there. Preferably when the weather gets unpredictable. Or isn't it most of the time?

2. Egypt. With my honey, with backpacks, travelling on the trains and buses. Go see Assuan (or Aswan). The Nile is so beautiful there in the evening light that it makes my eyes water just thinking about it.

3. Paris. If I have to tell you why, you obviously haven't been there. So go.

4. West coast, US. Ahhh, the Pacific Ocean. The sound of those perfectly round stones rolling when the waves come in on the Oregon beaches. The cliffs of Northern California. The fierceless wind on the Olympic Peninsula. Oh, and some advice if you are planning to go there someday: skip LA.

5. Granada, Spain. Alhambra is so stunning, I.. What? You mean I have to stop now?

Four pages on the Web that I visit daily:

1. The fave blogs.

2. News sites: Kaleva, Ilta-Sanomat, CNN.

3. Duh...

4. Eemm...

Four favourite foods:

Whadda ya mean just four???

1. Bobo's burritos. There is no one, I repeat, no one that makes better burritos than John.

2. Lamb rogan josh. This is one dish I always like to test in new Indian restaurants. If they do it well, they are definitely worth a trip back.

3. Chocolate chip cookies, brownies, B & J's New York Super Fudge Chunk.. and the key word is... CHOCOLATE.

4. Graavilohi. Gravad salmon, lax, whatever you want to call it. On ruisleipä - Finnish rye bread. 

Where would I like to be right now:

1. In bed, taking a nap.

2. On a beach, somewhere very warm.

3. On a photography assignment, in one of my vacation spots listed above (or in one not listed..).

4. In my future, a year from now, to see where I am...

Feel free to take the challenge. Got to go do something in the real world now.