Thursday, October 23, 2008

PIKKU PERKELE



Quite a normal sight here in JKL, I guess. Squirrels are just everywhere. Further more, they are also very bold. If the window is left open and the residents are not in the flat, then such bold squirrel enters the place with no respect. And does little mayhem.


Anyway, I still find squirrels cute. Fluffy and all that. The one on these photos came to my window today to feast with sunflower seeds. Well, the seeds were there for the birds and an old apple for the squirrel, but as bold as it is, it took both, of course.




Sunday, October 12, 2008

SPET IKEA


Odkar študiram na Finskem, živim v državi, na katere ozemlju se nahaja IKEA. Če v Sloveniji ni niti ene, sta tukaj celo dve. Ali pač samo dve glede na dejstvo, da imamo Švedsko za sosedo; konec koncev je bila Finska nekoč del Švedske, njen drugi uradni jezik je švedščina. Turku je pravzaprav Åbo, ampak to je druga zgodba.

Kljub pogostejši prisotnosti IKEA nakupovalnih nebes na Finskem je zanimivo, da se obe nahajata v okolici mesta Helsingfors oziroma Helsinki; ena IKEA je v Vanti in druga v Espu, vse skupaj pa je svojih 300 km oddaljeno od naše osrednje Finske. Perkele. Govorilo se je že, da se bo švedska krasotica preselila bližje Jyväskyli, denimo v Tampere ali Kuopio, a ker se to še ni zgodilo, nas organizacija, ki tu skrbi za študentska stanovanja, vsako leto odpelje na IKEA nakupovalni izlet. Tudi letos je bil avtobus poceni, vožnja dolga, končna destinacija pa spet Vantaa.

Lansko leto sem bila ob IKEA obisku na Finskem precej zmedena. Potrebovala sem kar nekaj materialnih dobrin, ki bi mi olepšale študentsko bivanje. Kakorkoli, v spominu mi je ostal predvsem stres. Letos je bilo že zaradi vesele družbe mnogo bolj zabavno, čeprav je IKEA tudi tokrat pripravila teren za spodobne neprijetnosti.

Deževna sobota je privabila precejšnjo množico, njeni pripadniki pa so se nato z veseljem zaletavali drug v drugega. Nakupovalski podmladek pa sploh, ne glede na dejstvo, da bi jih starši lahko pustili v igralni sobi, in si tako zagotovili nekaj miru. Ker pa je bilo v večini primerov videti, da igralna soba morebiti sameva, se je posameznik lahko hitro znašel ujet med velik nakupovalni voziček z ene in otroški voziček z druge strani. Vsekakor zabavno. Po drugi strani pa pravilno, da se vzgoja mladega potrošnika začne že v prvih mesecih življenja.

Odkritje letošnjega izleta je bilo, da se mi IKEA nenadoma ni zdela več tako zelo fantastična. Ni bilo tako zelo velike izbire, nekatere stvari so se seveda podražile, sploh nek točno določen model lučke, pa še prave barve niso imeli na zalogi. Eh, IKEA is nothing that special. Da sploh ne razmišljam, v kakšnih pogojih so ustvarjeni njihovi izdelki; samo upam, da švedskega dizajna ne proizvajajo azijski otroci ali delavci v sweatshopih.

Kljub temu sem pozabila svojo alternativno oziroma subkulturno nastrojenost proti in si privoščila predvsem škatle, krožnike, skodelice, sklede in termo vrč za čaj. Večinoma v črni barvi; subkulturno naravnanost je pač treba izraziti tudi z IKEA izdelki. Pomembna pridobitev je bil nož za lupljenje krompirja, ki je že danes oplemenitil moje kuharske sposobnosti, saj sem končno lahko pripravila pečen sladki krompir.


All in all - izlet v prestolnico fast-food opreme za dom je bil bolj ali manj zabaven, brez stresa ni šlo, bila pa je tudi dobra družba in švedska torta.

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

日本語 NIHONGO


Last Friday, I have bought the yellow textbook Shin Bunka Shokyuu Nihongo 1. The reason for this not very cheap purchase was the fact I have started to attend Japani 1, Japanese 1 class here in JKL. I have been attending the class for three weeks; then, I have decided I should insist in my language learning. Thus, the book is now mine.

My wish to learn Japanese is not new. Also, it is not connected with popular Japanese culture that invades young European generations; the wish has emerged when I started to practice Japanese martial arts. Or art, as at first there was only Nanbudo. During Nanbudo trainings I was always good in remembering all those foreign names of techniques, positions and katas. Japanese sounded interesting enough, and in 2004 the wish for learning has arisen.

However, things went their own way. At first, I was even considering an option if I would start studying Japanese in Ljubljana as a regular student; I still had a student status, at that time, but also unfinished diploma. I decided to finish my BA first, yet later I was sorry. Thus, I was searching for other Japanese classes, which did not work out. It seems I had to learn Finnish first. For during the summer 2005, my connection with Finland was established; a total coincidence...

...ki je bilo nek točno določeni Finec, s katerim sedaj že več kot eno leto ne govoriva, v nobenem jeziku, ter se nisva videla odkar živim tukaj, dobrih tristo kilometrov stran od tistega mesta. Mogoče mi postaja popolnoma vseeno, oziroma vsaj upam na to skorajšnjo vseenost.

If I was not able to find Japanese language class, Finnish group for beginners was established, and I could enrol. Coincidences, which might not exist, all sorts of events with their own hidden purpuse, which is discovered years later... whatever. After 4 years, moving to Finland and changing Nanbudo for Aikido, the wish to learn Japanese was still present and strong enough.

Now I am a student in Japani 1, learning Japanese through Finnish. And that makes me proud. :) I just have to keep on going...

... pri tem, ko raje pišem blog namesto japonske domače naloge in učenja hiragane.

Monday, October 06, 2008

THE AFFAIR


Finnish opinion, as found sticked to the doors of one public toilet...

Written in red: Neutral Finland supports countries in war with arms trade.