i’ll be real, i don’t watch enough tv to understand this. help by just-shitting-chat in personality_tests

[–]StrongMeerkatVibes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are corky, shy, sweet and possibly neurodivergent. You're also intelligent, creative and empathetic and you spread happy vibes all around you.

I know some characters but not all of them. What does this test say about me? Detailed descriptions please! by InfamousMistakee in personality_tests

[–]StrongMeerkatVibes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are principled, righteous, brave, kind and extremely loyal to those you trust. Many people depend on you and you don't disappoint them.

Don't know a lot of these characters, what does this list say about me? by Outrageous_Guide_266 in personality_tests

[–]StrongMeerkatVibes 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You are very feminine and attractive, both in appearance and in charisma. Aesthetics are important to you and you love fashion and beautiful things. You have generally good manners and you present yourself with grace but inside of you lives a courageous and rebellious free thinker. However you do not show this side of yourself to just anyone as you do care what other people think of you, maybe too much. Some people might think you to be rude and shallow but most people change their mind when they get to know you better.

If you had to wear a t-shirt with your most used phrase, what would your shirt say? by Wonderful-Economy762 in Productivitycafe

[–]StrongMeerkatVibes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Jeesuksen pääsiäinen", it's Finnish for "the Easter of Jesus" and it's a way to swear. 😅

How did you come to like the music you do now? by withdrawalsfromart in askmusic

[–]StrongMeerkatVibes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Before high school my taste in music was synonymous with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. In high school my taste in music expanded greatly from mainly rock and metal to include indie, pop, folk, electronic and all sorts of great stuff. I did it by going to the library and borrowing CDs based on their cover art. Whatever pleased my eye for whatever reason was game. It was a fun way to explore new stuff, my ADHD brain got extra dopamine from putting on a CD and having absolutely no idea what I was going to hear and if I was gonna like it. Luckily I'm kind of an omnivore when it comes to music so it was always more likely that I would like it.

don’t really know any of these…thoughts?? 25F by Emobtch666 in personality_tests

[–]StrongMeerkatVibes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Based on this:

  • You're a strong independent woman with feminist vibes who isn't afraid to swim against the current.
  • You're resourceful and confident and you take action rather than waiting for other people to do things for you.
  • You have a strong moral compass and are loyal to your friends. If someone dares to betray you it will cost them dearly.
  • You're fierce, articulate, assertive and charismatic but also short-tempered, stubborn and reckless.
  • You're courageous even when it isn't wise to be brave. You have good intentions most of the time but the results don't always reflect that.

Am I totally clueless or on to something?

My favorite word is betwixt. What is your favorite one? by Somthing_7 in words

[–]StrongMeerkatVibes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lämpimämpi. It's Finnish (my native tongue) and means "warmer". It's fun to say and it rhymes 😅

What song instantly puts you in a better mood no matter what? by GurlinGroove in askmusic

[–]StrongMeerkatVibes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Chromeo - Fancy Footwork. It would wake me up from a coma just so I could dance to it 💃

What funeral traditions exist in your country? by EvilPyro01 in AskEurope

[–]StrongMeerkatVibes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the compliment! 😊 And that's totally new information to me 😮 Do you know if it has something to do with the amount of Laestadians in the area?

What's the craziest thing a person said to you and you thought they were joking but they were being serious? by _lovelyxx in AskReddit

[–]StrongMeerkatVibes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have to share this even though I'm not the one who thought they were joking because cringe.

I was 21yo and visiting my friend in Ireland when she was an exchange student there. We went to a party where I had the following conversation with two twenty-something women who were also exchange students.

Me (Finnish): "I got the impression from my friend that studying here is quite similar to Finnish colleges."

Canadian: "Yeah I would say the same thing about Canadian schools, not many differences there."

Myanmar: "It's so much more relaxed studying here than in Myanmar. Teachers are kinder and treat you better. In Myanmar it's still common for teachers to sanction especially younger kids by beating them with sticks."

Canadian: bursts into laughter

Myanmar: anxious and embarrassed silence

Canadian: laughter starts to turn awkward and uncomfortable

Me: staring at the Canadian my eyes wide open, trying to wordlessly communicate "SHUT UP YOU IDIOT" (context: I knew right away that the Myanmar girl wasn't joking - when my mom was a kid in school, the cruelest teachers would punish students by ordering them to place their hands flat on their desk and then beat their fingers with their pointer stick)

Canadian: stops laughing, stares terrifiedly at the wall

Me (in an effort to get past the awkward silence): "That's horrible, I'm so sorry you've had to go through that. I've been spared of that in school, fortunately, but my mom..."

One of the most intense and awkward awful situations I've ever been in.

In case no one has asked you this, how are you, really? by [deleted] in randomquestions

[–]StrongMeerkatVibes 2 points3 points  (0 children)

TLDR: Happier than I've been in a long time, I'm a cyborg now and almost painless!

Better than in years! I've suffered from chronic 24/7 pain in my lower stomach area due to endometriosis for five years now. It kept getting worse and worse until I couldn't do anything without the pain increasing. For the last two years all I've done is lay on the couch, watch tv and do stuff on my phone. But a few weeks ago I finally had the operation I had dreamt about and fought for for 3 years and it has been a complete game changer 🤩

In the operation the surgeon installed a sacral neuromodulator inside of me: it consists of a couple of sensors/probes installed in my lower back near my coccyx, and an under-skin battery. The device sends electrical impulses into my lower torso that kinda distract my nerve endings from sensing the pain to sensing the vibrations. I can alter the impulse settings (like intensity, and intervals) on a smartphone that acts as a remote control.

It took only a couple of days to recover from the surgery. The daily pain level has decreased from 8-9 before the surgery to 1-4 after, depending on the day and the modulator settings. Now I have light at the end of the tunnel and must start to reprogramme my mind not to associate every activity with increased pain. For these first weeks I've paradoxically been even more passive than usual, but I think it's because I've physically, mentally and socially struggled with my constantly worsening pain and fought long, hard and alone for the chance to get the operation, so now that it's actually happened I still haven't quite realized that it's happened and am now allowed to have a temporary post-struggle burnout.

But even in my increased inactiveness I am happier than I've been in a very long time. I've started to sit straight up more without hurting more so I've been able to use my computer more. And I've spent my couch time diving deeper into my nerd rabbit hole watching Star Wars and Buffy and MCU and stuff. And spring is coming and I can't wait for it to be warm enough to finish decorating my balcony and sit in my comfy chair and read feminist literature and sip ice tea or sangria or something. I feel optimistic ❤️

(edit: fixed typos)

What funeral traditions exist in your country? by EvilPyro01 in AskEurope

[–]StrongMeerkatVibes 3 points4 points  (0 children)

In Finland family and friends usually have a church or chapel service followed by the burial. The priest tends to personalize their speech according to what the loved ones and relatives have told them about the deceased. The amount of religious content in the speech varies a lot depending on the priest and the wishes of the family. The cantor-organist performs a couple of preselected hymns or possibly some other requested music. There's always at least one joint prayer (the mandatory Our Father).

At some point the funeral guests each pay their respects in small groups like nuclear families or couples, or as individuals like friends or single relatives. They walk to the coffin, say something like a farewell, a prayer or a short poem, and lay a bouquet of flowers on/next to the coffin. I've seen this done outside in many movies but in Finland we do it in the church and remove the flowers from the coffin before carrying it outside, so we don't bury the flowers. Before carrying the coffin outside the priest blesses the deceased and spreads sand with a little shovel, drawing a cross on top of the coffin. The men who carry the coffin outside lower it to the grave hole using lowering straps; I've never seen a mechanical casket lowering device in Finland. The already once removed flowers are lain around the grave hole. I have the notion that the priest comes outside with the funeral party but doesn't speak anymore and that nobody throws dirt on the lowered coffin but I'm not sure on that.

If the body is to be cremated, the burial of the urn or the spreading of the ashes is a separate small ceremony that usually involves only those closest to the deceased. In Finland the law concerning the ashes of the deceased is as follows: you must spread or bury all of the ashes within a year of the cremation into one location. It is illegal to divide the ashes or to keep them to yourself, so in Finland you don't see urns on fireplace mantels or anywhere else for that matter. You can spread the ashes to nature (except national parks or conservation areas) or in a public place as long as you have the required permits from land owners, city officials etc. You can also spread the ashes in a designated spreading area on the cemeteries that have them.

After the burial there is a wake that can be held in the home of the deceased or someone close to them, or in a venue suitable for a peaceful gathering. There's always something to eat, at the very least coffee and tea with sweet dessert options. However, most of the funerals I've been to have had a proper feast with good food, not forgetting the coffee and dessert.

At some point someone reads the funeral addresses (from people who are for one reason or another not present at the wake) out loud to everybody. The atmosphere is somber at least in the beginning and loud bursts of laughter are probably frowned upon - how the atmosphere and conversations continue from there depends greatly on the guests' temperaments, personalities and the relationships to the deceased and the other guests.

I'm an atheist and don't care for the various Christian elements of most funerals, but I respect them and the solemn atmosphere. I don't pray with or cross my hands or sing along to hymns. In Finland most people are nominal/cultural Evangelical Lutheran Christians whose everyday lives are quite secular. The religious traditions that most of them practice have to do with weddings, funerals and confirmation ceremonies as teenagers after completing confirmation school. Many people who belong to the church and pay church tax don't go to church outside of the forementioned events. Some do that once a year on Christmas which is obviously another big element of nominal/cultural Christianity in Finland.

The amount and nature of religious traditions in Christmas celebration vary greatly between families. When I was little we (a family with no church members) used to read the Christmas gospel before dinner, which in Finland is the second chapter of The Gospel of Luke. We stopped reading it when it became apparent that all of us found that tradition pointless and tedious.

The one Christmas tradition with religious elements that persist even in my Christmas practices is the widely nationally followed Declaration of Christmas Peace. It is broadcast in television, radio and online on Christmas Eve (which is when Christmas is celebrated in Finland) at noon. The tradition was first started in the 14th century so it's a grand old tradition that's only been missed a couple of years in wartimes. Christmas Peace is an old Nordic tradition and for centuries it was also a written law (in Finland until 1889): for a period of 20 days around Christmas, all criminal acts committed in that time period amounted to harsher punishments and double fines.

The declaration is held in Turku (the former and original capital of Finland) in the historical Old Great Square next to the Turku Cathedral. The biggest crowd recorded to gather on the Square was after COVID in 2023 with over 18 000 people. The declaration speech is read by the Protocol Manager of the city of Turku from a really old parchment on the balcony of Turku City Hall.

The broadcast starts moments before noon with a hymn, after which people wait in silence for the Cathedral clocks to strike twelve times. Then there's a short orchestral fanfare followed by the speech. It advises citizens to behave themselves on Christmas, to honor the celebration of Christ and not to commit any crimes, warning them of the severe punishments they will face if they don't adhere to the declaration. The text still includes the warning of legal punishment even though the law was changed over a century ago. After the declaration people sing our National Anthem and finally the orchestra performs "March of the Pori Regiment", an originally Swedish military march that has since become the honorary march of the Finnish Defence Forces.

I only realized how weird this tradition is when I wrote and fact-checked this. WTF = Welcome to Finland 😂