Hello.
Been a long time since I thought about writing something here. All that I think about nowadays has something to do with war, Lebanon, Israel, war, Lebanon, Israel, war, Lebanon, Israel. Do I need to explain more???
WARNING: the following text includes rude words, bad intentions and criticism against a certain Welsh university. If you suffer from an illness that makes you love Swansea, please look away now. If you do not give a **** *** * ****** ***** **** ****************** then please read on...
Back in Swansea again after about two weeks in Tampere. I was amazed to find out this morning that food does not appear inside the fridge like it does at my parents' house. Perhaps the bloody Brits again have some sort of model that is not compatible anywhere else in the world. It wouldn't be the first. No matter how many times I opened and closed the fridge door, the amount of food did not increase inside. All I got was the light, but you can't eat that, surely not??? Anyone been that hungry? Just curious to know how it feels to digest....
Hmmm.... Anyway, it was quite nice (do not tell anyone) to be back 'home' for a bit. Worked my arse off doing research for my dissertation at Tampere University and enjoyed the food they offered to students. For 2,50 € you could eat a big plate of food, which you could fill yourself (imagine the size of that mountain!), a salad side plate and then bread along with that. I was well impressed and even the food tasted like it was cooked by someone who knew how to cook. Now I am back in Swansea, my so called 'home university' and I was not that excited to be back. Perhaps its just by cold black Nordic heart that is incapable to love, but there was no spark. Everything looked grey. The place looks like a bad B-side movie made in the Soviet Union about some small industrial town in Siberia that has nothing going for it. Perhaps I am being too kind. Went to the canteen and thought about having something to eat, but quickly changed my mind. The woman, who reminded you of one of those East - German shot put 'women' who had a thicker five o'clock shadow than many men in their twenties was serving some pile of shit, that actually looked like shit. Perhaps it was, I did not hang around to get a whiff of it. Fucking dump.
Not much love lost in this place, is there?
However, when you are on the beach on a sunny warm day and the waves hit your frozen ankles, it looks and feels like you could be anywhere. Anywhere where you want, just not here!!! Kidding, I love this place, I want to get one of those houses on top of Constitution hill, which is painted bright red or pink or horrible green and grow marijuana in my back room. SUPER! :)
I do actually think that this place can be quite lovely on sunny days. So the people I am expecting to come over and see have no excuses, as it is always nice, happy, fun fun here. And sunny. You know who you are.
On to other things now. I was told by someone that I am boring. 'Old and boring' was the phrase I think. Actually, I have been told many times this. I deny everything. I am happy and lively as a pig in shit.
I read in the tabloid paper Iltalehti today quite an interesting story. About how the people with diplomatic immunity, who drive the cars with 'CD' numberplates terrorise other drivers on the road. As the police cannot touch them, only issue a 'polite reminder to obey the traffic laws' they can drive and park as they want. I think there was a story about some prick from Lithuania who parked his car on the main street in Helsinki, literary in the middle of the road, blocking the tram tracks going both ways. The traffic was blocked for a good hour while he was shopping. Apparently the dude was not schooled in the art of parking. This story, however, is about Poles. In this area called 'Kulosaari' in Helsinki most of the embassies are situated. The driving speed is set to 30km / h as the road is narrow, there are a sports field nearby used by school children and some sort of school as well I think... but the main thing is that its a very posh area. When in a posh area, one must drive through it slowly either to look at the wealth of others or to show your wealth to others. The Pole did not understand that not everyone has a brand new Mercedes in Finland. Anyway, he had nearly driven over people standing near the sports field (not on the actual road), he had overtaken from the wrong side of the road and had been very rude in his usage of the horn. Finland is not like Italy where you use the horn for everything. Listening to music - use horn, nothing to do - use horn, seeing a beautiful woman - use horn excessively, driving on the pedestrian part of the road - use horn. In Finland, you use the horn very carefully as you might get beaten up for your trouble. As you attract attention on someone by honking, either because they drive badly, they drive too slowly, they have not noticed the traffic lights changing - all negative publicity. Sometimes people react to your honking and rip out your side mirrors or something. So pick your targets with care. When you do use your horn after finding a good and easy target, make sure you accompany the honking with an international sign or perhaps an encouraging phrase of 'move your arse you fat motherfucker'. The phrase may vary. Basically, people don't take kindly to the excessive use of the horn, so this Polish clown had driven down the road, at break-neck speed clearly in some sort of physical or emotional pain with his horn blazing. The police very kindly offered some driving tips after they caught up with him.
So this was one of the main stories of 30 March 2007 in Iltalehti. Wow, shit happens in Finland.
Be nice to people and as one good friend of mine kept chanting like a skipping record - 'let go of the past'
Peace on earth.
Friday, 30 March 2007
Thursday, 8 March 2007
The army - boring people to death
Hello again. Its been a while since I last wrote something here that I did not delete after reading through it. Well today is a good day, the sun is out, one can actually feel the warmth of the rays if you really concentrate and find a spot where there is no wind. So basically summer is here... nearly.
Most people who knew before I went into the army, knew that I had been avoiding the damn place like the plague from since I was 18 until I finally went in at 24, so a good six years. I was not really interested in the 'gung-ho' mentality, I rather thought of myself as having grandeur ideals, ideas and hobbies than be caught up in the whole 'boys with toys' charade of the army.
Hmmm.... that worked out well, as now the people who met me after I had spent enough time among the hormone -charged young men to have seen enough spunk to last me a lifetime, they might think that I have army on the brain. Perhaps. When I went in, slightly unsure of myself after hearing all those stories from friends about all the things that they make newcomers go through, I made up my mind to think of it as a sporting holiday. I had just finished a BA Degree, where I actually did quite a bit of work during my last year, instead of being drunk down the pub every night, so my rational was that the army was a holiday. No essays, exams, long academic lectures, hours of pondering what the f**k something meant... nope... not in this place... you could leave your brain at home. Everything you did was organised by someone else: when to wake up, when to eat and when to sh*t. Just follow the schedule. Easy.
In fact, it wasn't really what I expected. I was more relaxed about not having that much free time on my hands, not getting that many evening passes or that sort of thing. I knew that if I had two pints or more, I would have a hangover and not able to function without a fair amount of painkillers the next day. Especially when you had to be up at 5 in the morning, already by itself an ungodly hour to be conscious, having a hangover and being expected to understand what the hell was going on when the sun had not even risen yet, was a bit too much for me. After 3 years of Welsh 'student culture' my drinking tap was overflowing... so I was mostly sober and well behaved in there. Did what I was told and did not question it too loud. This way I was able to make friends with officers in high positions. The higher your friends are up in the ladder the less you have to worry yourself about and do. Perfect. Spent the last months doing pretty much what I liked and came back thinking that the army is not such a bad place. Changed my point of view totally. I was shocked to find that out. Ramboism had taken over me.
So, apologies to all if you have been overwhelmed by the army - stories. If you love me, bear with me!!! :) Anyway, the reason I brought up this army thing is that there was a article about it in one of the Finnish newspapers,
Three new conscripts, 1 woman and 2 men, in the military police battalion were caught in the ladies toilet after the order for 'lights out' had been called meaning that everyone should have been dreaming of their mother's cooking. The three, however had other things on their mind... a threesome in the the shower. A cadet (officer in training) had been patrolling in the vicinity and heard the shower. It is quite normal that you were so busy and occupied by all sorts of lovely assignments during the day that you just did not have time to have a shower, so many had one during the early hours of the morning, before wake-up call. But these showers are not built so that you have long relaxing showers, but for the single purpose of being able to accommodate about a 100 soldiers in an hour. So get in, scrub like hell and get out. The three, however, was there for a good while before the suspicions of the cadet overwhelmed him and he went in to have a look. Apparently they had not been in 'full action' but some preliminary preparations had been seen to. I am sure that many of you know how fast rumours circulate in a group of friends, among colleagues etc... so imagine how fast the news of the incident had travelled through the whole brigade. It became an urban legend in moments. Now the three are under reprimand, stripped of any special privileges and not going to enjoy the rest of their army experience. If you fuck-up once, the army has the memory of an elephant, as nothing is ever forgotten, but brought up by every officer, non-com, roommate and some guy driving a truck in another battalion. And as shit flows downwards, these three will be the end station of everything lovely and homely... So boys and girls... before you end up in the shower either trying to 'enter' a fellow soldier in a manner that is not found in the soldier's guidebook on conduct between comrades in green or if you feel the need to go down on your knees to admire your colleague's private weapon... please don't, because you might start to miss the comfort of mummy very soon!!!
Another story from the army, which happened last winter up in the north during a forest camp. As the soldiers sleep in tents even during mid winter when the temperature, especially up in the north part of the country can sink below - 30 degrees, there is mobile 'stove' in every tent, which is fuelled by wood. The only problem with this is that the tent material is highly flammable and there might be guns and ammunition in the tent as well. So when the stove is on, it has to be tended to and guarded at all times. A guarding rota, along with the totally worthless guard duty outside, where you sit in a foxhole for a few hours and stare into the distance, just in case the Namibian Olympic Team should decide to invade is normal procedure during these camps. Before the camp, a woman and man, both corporals in the same unit had started a relationship together. This is against the rules, of course. Most probably through some back-hand deals, rather than luck, they had been put in the same tent for the duration of the camp, while in the barracks, there is a very clear separation between men and women sleeping areas. During their nightly guard duty inside the tent, they had sex many times, which were taped by the guy on his video camera. The woman apparently knew about this and was OK with it. Later when they had finished their national service and had split up, the guy, in a stroke of genius, uploads the videos on the internet. Some conscript, bored and stuck in barracks, found the videos, which spread faster than a stomach bug in the army. The woman's friend saw the clips and told her friend, who has now sued the guy for 'emotional damage' - a verdict is still pending.
OK. Enough. Sorry. So sorry. At least this time it wasn't about a tank driving over a grandpa.
Next time I promise, it won't be about this...
Enjoy the sun everyone!!!
Most people who knew before I went into the army, knew that I had been avoiding the damn place like the plague from since I was 18 until I finally went in at 24, so a good six years. I was not really interested in the 'gung-ho' mentality, I rather thought of myself as having grandeur ideals, ideas and hobbies than be caught up in the whole 'boys with toys' charade of the army.
Hmmm.... that worked out well, as now the people who met me after I had spent enough time among the hormone -charged young men to have seen enough spunk to last me a lifetime, they might think that I have army on the brain. Perhaps. When I went in, slightly unsure of myself after hearing all those stories from friends about all the things that they make newcomers go through, I made up my mind to think of it as a sporting holiday. I had just finished a BA Degree, where I actually did quite a bit of work during my last year, instead of being drunk down the pub every night, so my rational was that the army was a holiday. No essays, exams, long academic lectures, hours of pondering what the f**k something meant... nope... not in this place... you could leave your brain at home. Everything you did was organised by someone else: when to wake up, when to eat and when to sh*t. Just follow the schedule. Easy.
In fact, it wasn't really what I expected. I was more relaxed about not having that much free time on my hands, not getting that many evening passes or that sort of thing. I knew that if I had two pints or more, I would have a hangover and not able to function without a fair amount of painkillers the next day. Especially when you had to be up at 5 in the morning, already by itself an ungodly hour to be conscious, having a hangover and being expected to understand what the hell was going on when the sun had not even risen yet, was a bit too much for me. After 3 years of Welsh 'student culture' my drinking tap was overflowing... so I was mostly sober and well behaved in there. Did what I was told and did not question it too loud. This way I was able to make friends with officers in high positions. The higher your friends are up in the ladder the less you have to worry yourself about and do. Perfect. Spent the last months doing pretty much what I liked and came back thinking that the army is not such a bad place. Changed my point of view totally. I was shocked to find that out. Ramboism had taken over me.
So, apologies to all if you have been overwhelmed by the army - stories. If you love me, bear with me!!! :) Anyway, the reason I brought up this army thing is that there was a article about it in one of the Finnish newspapers,
Three new conscripts, 1 woman and 2 men, in the military police battalion were caught in the ladies toilet after the order for 'lights out' had been called meaning that everyone should have been dreaming of their mother's cooking. The three, however had other things on their mind... a threesome in the the shower. A cadet (officer in training) had been patrolling in the vicinity and heard the shower. It is quite normal that you were so busy and occupied by all sorts of lovely assignments during the day that you just did not have time to have a shower, so many had one during the early hours of the morning, before wake-up call. But these showers are not built so that you have long relaxing showers, but for the single purpose of being able to accommodate about a 100 soldiers in an hour. So get in, scrub like hell and get out. The three, however, was there for a good while before the suspicions of the cadet overwhelmed him and he went in to have a look. Apparently they had not been in 'full action' but some preliminary preparations had been seen to. I am sure that many of you know how fast rumours circulate in a group of friends, among colleagues etc... so imagine how fast the news of the incident had travelled through the whole brigade. It became an urban legend in moments. Now the three are under reprimand, stripped of any special privileges and not going to enjoy the rest of their army experience. If you fuck-up once, the army has the memory of an elephant, as nothing is ever forgotten, but brought up by every officer, non-com, roommate and some guy driving a truck in another battalion. And as shit flows downwards, these three will be the end station of everything lovely and homely... So boys and girls... before you end up in the shower either trying to 'enter' a fellow soldier in a manner that is not found in the soldier's guidebook on conduct between comrades in green or if you feel the need to go down on your knees to admire your colleague's private weapon... please don't, because you might start to miss the comfort of mummy very soon!!!Another story from the army, which happened last winter up in the north during a forest camp. As the soldiers sleep in tents even during mid winter when the temperature, especially up in the north part of the country can sink below - 30 degrees, there is mobile 'stove' in every tent, which is fuelled by wood. The only problem with this is that the tent material is highly flammable and there might be guns and ammunition in the tent as well. So when the stove is on, it has to be tended to and guarded at all times. A guarding rota, along with the totally worthless guard duty outside, where you sit in a foxhole for a few hours and stare into the distance, just in case the Namibian Olympic Team should decide to invade is normal procedure during these camps. Before the camp, a woman and man, both corporals in the same unit had started a relationship together. This is against the rules, of course. Most probably through some back-hand deals, rather than luck, they had been put in the same tent for the duration of the camp, while in the barracks, there is a very clear separation between men and women sleeping areas. During their nightly guard duty inside the tent, they had sex many times, which were taped by the guy on his video camera. The woman apparently knew about this and was OK with it. Later when they had finished their national service and had split up, the guy, in a stroke of genius, uploads the videos on the internet. Some conscript, bored and stuck in barracks, found the videos, which spread faster than a stomach bug in the army. The woman's friend saw the clips and told her friend, who has now sued the guy for 'emotional damage' - a verdict is still pending.
OK. Enough. Sorry. So sorry. At least this time it wasn't about a tank driving over a grandpa.
Next time I promise, it won't be about this...
Enjoy the sun everyone!!!
Friday, 16 February 2007
Every fourth day
Today its quite miserable and I am happy to be inside a warm computer room. I walked to uni a few hours ago and in the 15 minute period that it takes me to walk from my house to the university, I was soaked to the bone. It has been quite strange to be in Wales during winter and look up to see a cloudless sky. Now its more normal. I went to the travel nurse yesterday to discuss the list of vaccinations I need, should take and are recommended to take on the trip to Kenya - Tanzania - Zambia in May. Yellow fever and hepatitis A booster are the ones I will take for sure, she recommended hepatitis B and Cholera, while I refused rabies and a rare breed of meningitis. Of course its a matter of playing with your own health if you do not protect yourself from some of these diseases, but there is no need to go overboard with getting yourself jabbed with all of these things either. A good dose of common sense is sometimes better than a bruised arm. Refuse ice cubes in your drinks, wash your hands at every possible moment and especially before eating, wash all fruits and vegetables, or better yet, peal all vegetables and fruits, do not drink unboiled water, use purifying tablets in the water bottles bought from shops and when in doubt, step away from the food. Easy! Another factor that will save you a lot of headache is to mentally prepare yourself that there is a high probability that you will be ill at least once during your trip, as you are going into a totally foreign bacteria environment for which you have no immunity against, so its very likely that you will struck down with some sort of stomach bug. So prepare, take your own toilet paper (just in case of emergency) stack up on medicine that will help to nurse you back to eating solid food again and off you go!!!
There is this city / town in central Finland called Mikkeli, where this 63-year-old local man has become somewhat of a legend. He has on average according to computerised police records, which due to sheer number of cases only cover the last 5 years, has been arrested every fourth day and put in jail to sober up. He celebrated his 400th night in jail on the 13th of February. The police, however, did not bake him a cake to commemorate this joyful occasion. The man's crime is that he on occasion, or statistically every fourth day, has a bit too much to drink in a public place. He is not a menace to society or a risk to anyone else except himself, a valid reason for the police to book his usual cell for him for the night. On these sort of occasions, when you read something like this, its quite a proud moment for me to celebrate the fact that I am a Finn. Perhaps a pint at the local pub 'The Woodman' would be the prefect way to celebrate my Finnishness.
News from America now. US Air Force Staff Sergeant Michelle Manhart, 30, has been relieved of her duty and stripped of her rank. Michelle, who has served in the Air Force since 1994, thought it was time she made a little extra cash on the side. The busty brunette stripped for Playboy, showing all the assets God gave her in some photos, while posing partly in uniform in others. Michelle shows in her photos how to stand at attention, how to salute and other vital military know-how. The Air Force, however did not see the educational value of her pictures, because according to a spokesman of the Air Force her actions did not meet the 'high standards expected of airmen'. Michelle;
...decided she had enough and went to show someone else her assets. The row centres on moral decency and on breaking military rules. By using parts of her uniform and acting in a military fashion, she disgraced the institution of the Air Force by associating it with images of erotic nature. As she was an employee of the state at the time, she was under contract to the rules and regulations of the institution and as such by breaking these rules she was subject to punishment. Loosing one's stripes is common punishment in the military sector. Its a good thing that she did not disgrace the flag or end up burning her uniform or something, because then she would not have got away with just a proposed pay-cut and a scolding. When it comes to the yanks, they don't take kindly to people who mess with their symbols.
There is this city / town in central Finland called Mikkeli, where this 63-year-old local man has become somewhat of a legend. He has on average according to computerised police records, which due to sheer number of cases only cover the last 5 years, has been arrested every fourth day and put in jail to sober up. He celebrated his 400th night in jail on the 13th of February. The police, however, did not bake him a cake to commemorate this joyful occasion. The man's crime is that he on occasion, or statistically every fourth day, has a bit too much to drink in a public place. He is not a menace to society or a risk to anyone else except himself, a valid reason for the police to book his usual cell for him for the night. On these sort of occasions, when you read something like this, its quite a proud moment for me to celebrate the fact that I am a Finn. Perhaps a pint at the local pub 'The Woodman' would be the prefect way to celebrate my Finnishness.
News from America now. US Air Force Staff Sergeant Michelle Manhart, 30, has been relieved of her duty and stripped of her rank. Michelle, who has served in the Air Force since 1994, thought it was time she made a little extra cash on the side. The busty brunette stripped for Playboy, showing all the assets God gave her in some photos, while posing partly in uniform in others. Michelle shows in her photos how to stand at attention, how to salute and other vital military know-how. The Air Force, however did not see the educational value of her pictures, because according to a spokesman of the Air Force her actions did not meet the 'high standards expected of airmen'. Michelle;
...decided she had enough and went to show someone else her assets. The row centres on moral decency and on breaking military rules. By using parts of her uniform and acting in a military fashion, she disgraced the institution of the Air Force by associating it with images of erotic nature. As she was an employee of the state at the time, she was under contract to the rules and regulations of the institution and as such by breaking these rules she was subject to punishment. Loosing one's stripes is common punishment in the military sector. Its a good thing that she did not disgrace the flag or end up burning her uniform or something, because then she would not have got away with just a proposed pay-cut and a scolding. When it comes to the yanks, they don't take kindly to people who mess with their symbols.
Tuesday, 13 February 2007
'Mother' Russia keeping an eye on the boys
Its Valentine's Day tomorrow. I wish I was on a desert island celebrating it, rather than here where you can't walk down the street without something red, something romantic, something commercial smacking you in the face. Do not get me wrong, I think its a fabulous idea, to celebrate a day where friends and lovers openly acknowledge how wonderful the people around them are. Well, now its mostly about your lover, rather than your friends, but I think you can also tell your friends how lovely they are. On the 15th you can take it all back and happily walk around town with them having toilet paper stuck to their shoe. You have noticed it a long time ago of course, but its too classic to stop it. But the commercial aspect of this day has made it as infuriating as Christmas, the good thing is that they do not have any annoying Valentine's Day song, which they start pla
ying 2 months in advance. So the point I am really hard trying to make is that I would rather get a good bottle of wine, some candles, a blanket and some good relaxing music. Then spend a nice evening with Pearl sitting on the sofa, talking, laughing and making jokes... in candle light. To me that would be more romantic than rushing around like a drunk Russian looking for something to buy which will express how much you love someone. A good friend of mine, Bakyt from Kyrgyzstan, has embraced the old Soviet way with open arms. The more expensive your gift is, the more you love that special somebody. Even if its so kitsch that you cannot bear to wear it in sunlight. He has infected many people with such propaganda.Talking of things ex-Soviet, the Russian army is having tough time adjusting to the modern world. Last year there was a high profile court case against a Sgt Alexander Sivyakov from a tank academy from the Ural mountains who thought it was funny to bully a young conscript. He made the 18-year-old boy was made to crouch so long that blood circulation to his legs was cut off, then beaten nearly to death. Later on he developed gangrene and they had to castrate him and chop off his legs. The sergeant got 4 years for this, but even if the sentence was a bit on the short side, Russian prisons are no picnic, so 4 years might feel like a decade. Then again today, the publicly humiliated Russian army is in the eye of another media hurricane. Now it seems that senior officers in the army have forced the new conscripts out into the streets of St. Petersburg to make money as male prostitutes. They of course don't get to keep the money, but at least they have balls to show at the end of it. With HIV and AIDS running rampant in Russia, being able to keep your balls perhaps is just a mere consolation price if you get infected. People treat you like dirt after that, you are infected and dirty in their eyes, as good as dead. ... Well, anyway, a mother of a new conscript made a complaint and now the Soldiers' Mothers Association is on the case.
Which is more shocking than all of this, that Jo O'Meara from Celebrity Big Brother is not eating and is becoming anorexic. Apparently the negative press has got to her. Its quite the shock and front page news for the Daily Mirror, The Star and all those important papers. At least she did not go into rehab for swearing.
Anyway, happy VALENTINE'S DAY everyone. I hope you get a nice cuddle.
Friday, 2 February 2007
swimming with the fishes
Its a fabulous day outside, well looking out the window anyway. I am in the computer room listening to Bruce Springsteen and some quite horrible (in my humble opinion) 1980s music and I do hope that nobody heard me listening to 'Holding out for a hero' and 'I'm still standing'. All those jokes about me looking like Elton John, which cut me deeply, have stopped the moment I got rid of my glasses and now that the hair is getting longer than Elton's. Having lived through that horrible experience, I do not think badly of my bullies, *sniff*, even though if they do not watch themselves, *even bigger sniff*, they might end up like Jade Goody - chubby, stupid, racist and alone. You know who I am talking about!!! :)
Something interesting in the news today and something quite different. There is this Slovenian born 52-year-old man, Martin Strel, who wants to swim the Amazon river. Its not quite the same thing as swimming the English Channel or swimming the Seine, as this river has quite a nasty list of inhabitants: sharks, pirhanas, crocodiles, a vast array of snakes and all sorts of really 'interesting' fishes. For example, there is this fish that the locals call the 'Brazilian vampire fish', which can track you down even in that murky water as it is attracted by blood and urine. Why its called a 'vampire' is because, looking like an eel, it will slither bravely into territory where no fish has gone before, attach itself to you and have a 'wee' drink of your blood. I don't really know what happens after, does it just remove itself from a dubious part of your body and go, or does it leave a small itching present behind. Perhaps we can ask Martin when he gets out of the water after his daily swim, as he might be dragging a few of these vampires in his wetsuit. Its apparently going to take 70 days. Good luck to him. If you want you can follow Martin on the web; http://www.amazonswim.com/main.php
Started doing research for my final article for the 'Risk Reporting' course today. Its quite an interesting course, but as most of us are more occupied with the looming dissertation deadline, this course is not getting the maximum effort it deserves. Leaving the dissertation aside, there is something about the theory we talk about, which makes me think of Jurgen Habermas and his 'crazy ass' way of expressing the simplest of things and thus the connection between the two German writers is not a positive one. I am researching material to write about the global warming impact here in Wales and this, I must admit, is pretty interesting stuff. As it is my last worthless essay / article of my academic career, perhaps I will put some 'extra' effort into writing it. Will keep you posted.
Enjoy the sun, the rain, the stars and the wind. Most of them, according to scientists, will change and will be more brutal in the future. So enjoy it while it lasts.
Something interesting in the news today and something quite different. There is this Slovenian born 52-year-old man, Martin Strel, who wants to swim the Amazon river. Its not quite the same thing as swimming the English Channel or swimming the Seine, as this river has quite a nasty list of inhabitants: sharks, pirhanas, crocodiles, a vast array of snakes and all sorts of really 'interesting' fishes. For example, there is this fish that the locals call the 'Brazilian vampire fish', which can track you down even in that murky water as it is attracted by blood and urine. Why its called a 'vampire' is because, looking like an eel, it will slither bravely into territory where no fish has gone before, attach itself to you and have a 'wee' drink of your blood. I don't really know what happens after, does it just remove itself from a dubious part of your body and go, or does it leave a small itching present behind. Perhaps we can ask Martin when he gets out of the water after his daily swim, as he might be dragging a few of these vampires in his wetsuit. Its apparently going to take 70 days. Good luck to him. If you want you can follow Martin on the web; http://www.amazonswim.com/main.php
Started doing research for my final article for the 'Risk Reporting' course today. Its quite an interesting course, but as most of us are more occupied with the looming dissertation deadline, this course is not getting the maximum effort it deserves. Leaving the dissertation aside, there is something about the theory we talk about, which makes me think of Jurgen Habermas and his 'crazy ass' way of expressing the simplest of things and thus the connection between the two German writers is not a positive one. I am researching material to write about the global warming impact here in Wales and this, I must admit, is pretty interesting stuff. As it is my last worthless essay / article of my academic career, perhaps I will put some 'extra' effort into writing it. Will keep you posted.
Enjoy the sun, the rain, the stars and the wind. Most of them, according to scientists, will change and will be more brutal in the future. So enjoy it while it lasts.
Tuesday, 30 January 2007
battle of vodka
Hello.
Dramatic weekend behind now and looking forward to a soap opera - free hectic and stressful job soon. Can't wait to kick off the dust of this place and this group and become a hermit somewhere in the Indian Himalayas. Look at the water flowing and count the birds flying by and perhaps read a poem or two. Become totally insane and have chats by myself. Perfect.
There is quite the important discussion going on right now in European Union Parliament, we need the help of our Russian brothers for this one. Its that dramatic. The damn British, Hungarians and Spaniards do not seem to know the difference between good vodka and some cheap mutation of vodka in a bottle. Every Finn, Russian, Swede and Pole knows that vodka is made out of solely potatoes, grain or molasses. Other 'wannabe' vodka, which are combinations of many different ingredients and even fruits do not deserve to be called 'vodka' or at the very least should be labelled as 'blended vodka'. This is the battle that will be brought to a vote soon in the EU Parliament with Germany currently holding the EU presidency trying to find a compromise. The word round the EU campfire is that Finland, Sweden and Poland will not settle for a compromise. I agree with the view that if its not the real thing, then it does not deserve the label, because I have been duped into drinking something that I THOUGHT was vodka, but turned out to be some cheap imitation. The hangover was final proof of the imperfections in the drink. Would you sell some Tesco fizzy wine as Champagne?
Dramatic weekend behind now and looking forward to a soap opera - free hectic and stressful job soon. Can't wait to kick off the dust of this place and this group and become a hermit somewhere in the Indian Himalayas. Look at the water flowing and count the birds flying by and perhaps read a poem or two. Become totally insane and have chats by myself. Perfect.
There is quite the important discussion going on right now in European Union Parliament, we need the help of our Russian brothers for this one. Its that dramatic. The damn British, Hungarians and Spaniards do not seem to know the difference between good vodka and some cheap mutation of vodka in a bottle. Every Finn, Russian, Swede and Pole knows that vodka is made out of solely potatoes, grain or molasses. Other 'wannabe' vodka, which are combinations of many different ingredients and even fruits do not deserve to be called 'vodka' or at the very least should be labelled as 'blended vodka'. This is the battle that will be brought to a vote soon in the EU Parliament with Germany currently holding the EU presidency trying to find a compromise. The word round the EU campfire is that Finland, Sweden and Poland will not settle for a compromise. I agree with the view that if its not the real thing, then it does not deserve the label, because I have been duped into drinking something that I THOUGHT was vodka, but turned out to be some cheap imitation. The hangover was final proof of the imperfections in the drink. Would you sell some Tesco fizzy wine as Champagne?
Saturday, 27 January 2007
karma
A day after we booked our tickets to fly to Kenya, 'Deadly fever spreads panic in Kenya' appeared as one of the headlines on BBC. The 'Rift Valley Fever' has so far claimed 148 souls this time round, as the fever is being spread to humans from livestock by mosquitoes and from eating infected meat.
We are mainting a positive attitude that the fever, which is mostly seen in the villages rather than in Nairobi will blow over in 4 months. If not, then we are on a strict vegetarian diet and will have to avoid the places where the fever is raging.
At the moment, I see this whole deal as someone / something having a great sense of humour. What are the chances of talking about getting tickets for weeks and months and then when we finally do buy the damn things, the very next day there is an epidemic stirring in our destination? Wouldn't someone call this bad karma?
We are mainting a positive attitude that the fever, which is mostly seen in the villages rather than in Nairobi will blow over in 4 months. If not, then we are on a strict vegetarian diet and will have to avoid the places where the fever is raging.
At the moment, I see this whole deal as someone / something having a great sense of humour. What are the chances of talking about getting tickets for weeks and months and then when we finally do buy the damn things, the very next day there is an epidemic stirring in our destination? Wouldn't someone call this bad karma?
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