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Santeri Savonlahti

[Idiom]"One doesn't have to go fishing further than the sea" - 2 views

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    "Ei tarvitse mennä merta edemmäs kalaan." There is no need to seek happiness far away. I see that happiness consists of small things that can be found near you. It's a matter of own thinking. In the picture there is two Moomin characters enjoying their day on Moomin valley. Moomin are very popular and liked in Finland. More info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moomin
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    Santeri, you captured my thoughts with your idiom and I totally agree: Moomins are the greatest philosopher ever. Though I was wondering if sometimes you have to go far to find happiness. (Have you ever read a novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho?) The idiom is about sailing at the sea. One can sail here at the Gulf of Finland or go further to the Pacific Ocean. In the end, it's the same sea.
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    Iina: Thanks for commenting. Actually I have NOT thought it that way. Excellent =) It's been been years since I read The Alchemist, and don't even remember the plot anymore. I enjoyed reading it, though,
Lindsay Bayer

Oh So Lovely Vintage: Friday Faves. - 3 views

    • Lindsay Bayer
       
      Idiom: "Head in the Clouds" Meaning: To daydream; Not being fully aware or in the present moment; Being distracted by inner thoughts I'm definitely a dreamer. I can easily be inspired by something that presents itself in my everyday life, which makes me want to stop whatever I'm doing to write or create. However, this tendency to satisfy my creative urges have left me with unfinished projects and a bit of a procrastinator. Now that I'm a new mom, I'm learning to be fully attentive to my daughter's needs at a given moment. Through motherhood (and also prayer and yoga), I'm becoming more aware of my mindset and I'm striving to live "out of the clouds" and in the present moment.
    • Johanna Frank
       
      Daydreaming is something that inspires you in life and creates your own world but unfortunately not helpful to start work. I think everyone finds their own way to be set on the ground again. In my case I meet friends that bring me back to life. But still, daydreaming is necessary to just cut off your mind of the world.
    • Annu Kangas
       
      We have a exactly same idiom in Finnish language: "Pää pilvissä". I think that having your head in the clouds is also rather admirable ability. Sometimes it's so hard to stop worrying about all the things you need to do, when all you need is to just think about something nice for a while. Children are a good example. Is there anything more admirable (maybe a bit enviable as well?) than a child who is clearly in a whole other world while playing, or drawing ect.? I think we should be more tolerable when it comes to dreaming. After all it's dreaming that all the real good things start with. :)
    • lauravattulainen
       
      So true. Dreaming is a relevant part of humanity. I think that is what makes us happy. Without dreams and visions life could be grey and depressing. Dreams helps us keep going. Dreams are also very important to arts and that is one factor where I scoop topics. Even now, in my university's art project my subject is one of my biggest dreams, leaving to Africa to help children and women to have better life. Lifting women's status would help many societies because women are in most cases the supporting pillar that keeps everything together.
    • Janie Leck-Grela
       
      My head was always in t he clouds growing up- and even today as an artists. In elementary shcool my teachers would send notes home to my mother reporting : "Janie daydreamed all day and lloked out the windo during class." Partly to being so intrigued with my own ideas or even undiagnosed ADD- I now see that as an asset. So now when my nine year old daughter's teachers report that she is unfocused- I smirk because I know she is just focused on 'something else' just as I was.
  • "Head in the clouds" print.
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    Procrastination is a great motivator. I often need to not do the work in order to solve the problem. It needs to run in the background. I need to walk the dog or answer email or work on another project in order to get it done. Music helps a lot. It doesn't have to fit within this postmodern, industrialized formula. Hands on the keyboard! Now produce greatness! Otherwise I just stare at the computer screen. Data, data, data. I cannot make bricks without clay.
Johanna Frank

Bilder | Stadtchinesen - Der China-Blog - 7 views

    • Johanna Frank
       
      Working makes life sweet. I heard that idiom several times in my childhood because my parents thought work is the most important thing in life. When I came to visit China, I found out, that it's necessary to find a balance between work and freetime. Work is definetly necessary, but there should be time to relax too.
    • Karen Keifer-Boyd
       
      What did you experience in your visit to China that changed your perceptions? How would you change the idiom?
    • Johanna Frank
       
      Well, I saw that people's only target in life is work. There is no time for sitting down and relax, there is only time for their job. In Europe we are used to have a cup of coffee, and a small chat with our friends when we are tired, but in China people connect everything with work. In China I would change the idiom to: Working makes life work and working makes people survive.
    • lauravattulainen
       
      I believe that the work should never be more important to your family and friends. Money and income are important in life, but they do not ever go over the family. Difficult moments in life family support you, the job is not.
    • kaciemcclintic
       
      I like this idiom. I understand this as working is something that's not especially fun, but necessary economically and globally. In doing work the moments that truly make you happy in life will be so much better knowing you could be working. Just like you wouldn't know how well the good times are in life without the bad. As depicted with the guys frustration and the enjoyment of talking with others.
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    China
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    Your idiom reminds me of the saying, "Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life." It seems that you saw a different sort of work ethic in China. In America, sometimes it seems as if there is a negative association with work, as the statement above suggests; working is something to be avoided.
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    Interesting... In Finland it seems like there is two major ways of seeing work now days, some do what they love and work nearly always and everywhere as Lindsay pointed out and some work to support their free time and would like to work as little as possible. Free time is seen much more valuable than work and work is definitely seen mostly something that you should avoid if you can. Working life is thought to be too stressful an insecure. It`s interesting because we have a long tradition of high work ethics in our culture from Martin Luther and the Lutheranism.. The idiom I repeatedly heard when growing up is also a educational one and it directly goes something like this "The greedy one has a crappy ending" (in Finnish "Ahneella on paskanen loppu"). Apparently you have a saying whit a similar meaning "All covet, all lose". My mother used to say that to us (to me and my sister and brother) when we weren't grateful enough for the things that we had or when we didn't want to share our things or when it took a forever to choose a candy from a bowl meant for everyone or when we took too much to ourselves. It worked at least on me. To be a greedy and ungrateful person sounded awful and it still does. But when you look at the modern world and all the economic problems we have, especially how and who has caused them and what the solutions have been so far, it seems like the greedier you are the better. Let's hope that in the end the idiom will show its true meaning to all of these "wall street people" of the world... Here is a link to a bit macabre picture that illustrates the meaning of the idiom: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4083/5186898309_d5e314f66c.jpg
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    Working makes life sweet. I can identify with it. I can also see the Communist propaganda in the message, too. My grandparents are the closest living representatives of that idiom, but it was introduced and reinforced by my great grandparents as new immigrants in America. My families came to the United States to make better lives for themselves and grabbed at opportunity. Working hard and working more than one job was how they achieved a level of success for their family and children. And that work ethic was passed down in subsequent generations. However, I think most of us in the family are trying to achieve more of a balance with work and life. My idiom is "The early bird gets the worm." Your post also makes me think of "Idle hands are the devil's work." Both I've heard from my Grandfather Joseph. Idle hands means that if you have nothing to do, Satan will make good use of them. Have something to do or Satan will use you for his bidding. Work or be the devil's pawn! Michael
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    I have enjoyed reading the postings on Johanna's idiom on "working makes life sweet". I see it as working makes you appreciate the life you have outside of the work place; you appreciate vacations and time off more. Without work, though, a lot of us wouldn't be able to enjoy a vacation because they usually cost money. It is a vicious cycle that we continue to live by. It is also the way people "view" one another here in the U.S. First thing we usually ask someone is "what do you do for a living?" It is assumed that you work and if you don't...wow, you must be rich or lost your job. It is a shame because the economy is so bad and a lot of people need to work but can't find a job. Minnvain's visual that ties into the idiom "the greedy one has a crappy ending" is perfect! I never heard the saying before. The greedy one usually does have a crappy ending. It makes me think of the game shows we see on television. There is always that one contestant that thinks they should go on rather than stop and take the prize they have already won. This can also apply to those who go gambling. Sometimes, "Lady Luck" isn't on your side!
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    I definitely agree with lauravattulainen. Work should not consume your life; You only live once, which seems to be a fitting idiom seen a lot in the Penn State area. When your too busy with work, you miss out on important things life has to offer. For example a husband missing out on his children growing up because he is too involved in his career is a prime example. Experiencing your children growing up only happens once in your life and you should create a separation between work and your personal life so you experience these things life has to offer. That is only one example, but the moral is take your time to enjoy life, there is more to it than just work!
Janie Leck-Grela

http://www.tuttobimbo.it/resized.php/300x800/images/articoli/cap.jpg - 6 views

    • Teresa Maria Federici
       
      Idiom: Ricci capricci (For each curl one whim) Meaning: Curly headed people, children in particular, are supposed (and - why not? - allowed) to have one whim for each curl. I heard this idiom throughout all my childhood: I was a very curly girl, and my grandmother was used to say that idiom to my mum when I did some mess. Her intent was justifying me at my mum eyes, but for my mum this had another meaning: since I was a little curly girl, I was supposed to stomp my feet forever and ever and therefore she could resign to the idea of having a capricious daughter. But there was a third meaning, the last one: as far as I understood, for me it was simply a very funny rhyme that reminds me of a quite popular dialectal italian song, whose refrain says exactly my grandmother words: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md8zdZL1wW0 (I can translate it if you are curious!) Teresa
    • Teresa Maria Federici
       
      Ok then! I'm happy that you like it. First, this is the italian lyrics: http://wikitesti.com/index.php/La_donna_riccia It's the speech of a man explaining (probably a friend) why he doesn't have to marry a curly headed woman, NEVER! And he says: Take who you want, if you want to get married, BUT don't choose a curly headed woman. With her pretty curls she'll bewitch you but after only two months she'll leave you! Refrain: No, no, no! No, no, no! Curly headed, no! Because for each curl there is a whim! That's why I don't want a curly headed girl: Because for each curl there is a whim! That's why I don't want a curly headed girl! I don't want a culry headed girl! First he kisses you then she leaves you: you can't understand anything at all! She's like a tangled hank! She ties and unties you till that you get crazy, but if she caresses you, you surrender! Refrain (2 times): No, no, no... - So, do you want a curly headed girl? - No, no, no! - So, do you want a curly headed girl? - No, no, no! - Ok, but why? Because for each curl there is a whim! That's why I don't want a curly headed girl: I don't want a culry headed girl! I don't want a culry headed girl! No, no, no! Hope you enjoy it! Let me know! :) Teresa
    • Deb Ryland
       
      That is very funny! Thanks for the translation...now I have words to go with the tune!
    • Janie Leck-Grela
       
      I love this idiom. My three-year old daughter is a head strong curly girl. I had never hear the phrase before- but will use it now! I think it is intersting how we can endear even the most stubborn attributes in the ones we love.
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    YES...please translate Teresa. I enjoyed the upbeat rhythm of the song and would love to know what he is singing about! Your idiom is very humorous and I never heard it before. For a curly headed child who loves to be "curious", this is a blessing! ha!
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    This idiom was very nice and positive! I might use it sometimes when I do have whims that someone don't understand...:D Luckily I have curls!
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    Ah, that's why my family is whimsical--we all are curly heads :)
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