RUSKA

I was away from Finland for 9 days - on holiday in Slovenia. While I was away, all the birches in front of my building had turned golden yellow. The birches, so typical Finnish trees, grow in the park here, and my balcony looks directly to the park; thus, I have a nice autumn view, especially if the day is sunny. Just too bad that the trees will soon be black and bare, all the leaves on the ground. However - Finnish ruska, the time of colored trees, is really beautiful. 

Otherwise I have brought some autumn flu from Slovenia with me, which is totally annoying. Not to mention that I am on sick leave right after I have returned from holiday... now how clumsy is that... 

LOVE, PEACE, HAPPINESS

SONCE...

... je danes poležavalo na naši trati.

STOCKHOLM VIEWS

Morjens! Some time has passed without any new word from me. There was some work, some exams, a bit of sleepiness, slight depression - and there was also one trip. It seems Cinnamon Book is opening a whole serious on Nordic capitals; there is at least one city that will follow the previous booklet about Helsinki. Last weekend, thus meaning from Thursday 17th of April to Monday 20th of April, I traveled to Sweden. My one and only Swedish destination was the capital Stockholm.

First of all, how it started. On Thursday evening our group of students arrived to Turku. As I have some memories connected with that city, I have neither planned nor expected to appear in the place again. At least the castle was still there, still lurking above the harbour, so gloomy and solemn as the whole Turku can sometimes feel like. Anyway, the city had turned into my gateway to Sweden. There was big ferry waiting for us, or better, we had to wait for the ferry about an hour - and finally, off we sailed!

The experience on the ferry was amusing, there and back again. On the way to Sweden we were lucky enough to get some good and fancy cabins. Again, as with my Estonian experience, people invaded Tax Free Shop, providing themselves with cheaper amount of alcohol. For me, it was more interesting to sleep on the sailing ferry. At one point the ship also stopped in Ahvenanmaa (Åland); I cannot say when as I was sleeping and none of us did not even realise the fact. Finally, at about six in the morning, we were kindly woken by the ferry staff - and there was Sweden, waiting to greet us.

Friday started with sunny weather and a long walk from the harbour to our hostel, which was conveniently located in Gamla Stan, The Old Town. Such a shiny spring. The day continued with walking around the city.The weather was so nice, sunny and warm that I decided to walk around, take pictures and try to enjoy the big capital feeling for the rest of the trip as well. Nevertheless, slightly cloudy Saturday was dedicated to walking already before my decision. There was a guided tour around the centre, which became handy as I would not be able to discover some spots by myself. Magnificent buildings, parks turning green, blooming cheery trees.

Later on, I took my time to check out the main shopping district more carefully. The experience of Swedish commercialism was the most strongest impression of the trip. So many things. So much choice - even too much. Hard to explain, but those big shopping malls, in generally called Gallerian, confused me slightly. I like shopping, sometimes, but not if I am confronted with such a mass of products. From the cheapest brands, of course underlined with an infinite number of local H&M's, all the way to fancy high-class items. Well-fare society by all means, or at least so it seemed. Too much goods to choose just everywhere. Highly developed commercialism that creates instant happiness - and I guess also emptiness, and boredom. Hard to explain again. I am not sure if I am done for such a world; I hate myself turning commercial, but it happens.

Last day of our staying in Stockholm occurred. Sunday, clear sky, sunny and warm. I decided to check out at least one museum. My way did not lead to those the most famous ones Stockholm can offer to an eager tourist: I had chosen Strindbergsmuseet, Strindberg's Museum. August Strindberg is perhaps the most famous Swedish playwright; being a dramaturg, I have liked his works a lot. The museum shows his apartment with the atmosphere as Strindberg would still live there, just being out for a while to get some sunlight. Interesting and something to remember.

After this cultural event, some more walking and taking pictures followed... until the time when we had to reach the harbour and, after some confusion, also our ferry. Next morning, Turku was gloomily grinning again... but nevertheless, we were safely back to Finland.

What can I finally say after this short visit of Stockholm? Only this - yes, it was far too short, too busy and a bit too anxious. I cannot just run from one museum to another, with no time to enjoy my life properly. Some impressions about the capital of Scandinavia, about Swedish history, and also about joys of highly developed commercialism have emerged. I do not feel I would belong to big cities, I have never liked them. So many people rushing everywhere, so many tourists, crazy and crowded. However, as Finland, Sweden also seems to be proud on the moose. Fluffy moose-souvenirs were actually the same as here, just the flag on them was different. Vikings are everywhere as well; we don't have them in Finland, since we have Kalevala, but they were similar to those I saw in Iceland. And it was really worth trying some of Swedish sweets.

All in all, I would like to visit Stockholm and, even more, Sweden again. I did not even experience that proper Sweden, with its countryside landscapes. But finally and after this short experience, I still feel I am culturally closer to Finland.

MARRASKUUN LOPPU

Meillä on lunta ja mulla on pimeys sydämessä...

SUNRISE, SUNSET

The light felt as this part of Finland would turn into another planet. What a light. How low the sun was. At nine o'clock in the morning, the sun was so orange as it would be in the evening. Strange feelings. There is no kaamos in Jyväskylä, real polar night is not approaching, but still. Darkness is lurking in the shadows of the silent land, waiting to wrap the sky into the black days of winter. Today, sunrise seemed as sunset...

REFLECTIONS OF AUTUMN

Silent lies the lake, beyond all world it lies the world itself. Silent it lies in stillness, there is no time, and yet there is. Silent lies the lake, the mirror-water, always the same and yet each moment different...

A year has passed since this blog has started. Many things have changed. Some things have vanished into time and memory, vanished forever. Some of the readers do not read me no longer, some new have come. So it is. The lake stands still and silent, all happiness as well as all sorrows are just a passing-by reflection. Brief moments in eternity. And the lake stands still again...

Small photographic exhibition from Korpilahti surroundings, dedicated to the first autumn day - and to the nature itself.

Dear friends and fellow bloggers, have a nice autumn!

REFLECTIONS

JYVÄSJÄRVI IMAGES

The first more serious week in the University has finished. My programme has started. Mainly there have been info-lectures on our studies, however, we have also had the first Cultural Theory lecture. After the first lecture, the subject seems close to Sociology of Culture.

Apart from our Digital Culture programme studies, language courses are also important. International degree students are obliged to complete two Finnish courses. Usually, it is Suomi 1 and Suomi 2, but as the University offers five levels of courses, one can of course attend higher group, too. I have enrolled into Suomi 3. There also seem to be several other opportunities for learning Finnish as a foreign language within the University. So today it was all about the language. I have had another two Finnish classes; both were suitable for students of all levels. First class was about grammar, the second was dedicated to speaking. Well, no matter the topic, the first grammar class was not boring, there was lots of discussions in groups, and the speaking session was interesting as well. Finally, the day turned Finnish-speaking by all means as I my tutor invited me to her place for an afternoon visit. We happened to speak only in Finnish.

Today, it was bright sunny day again. Heading home from the city, I decided to walk through Mattilanniemi, along the shore of Jyväsjärvi. The ever-changing weather offered blue sky and first autumn colours...

FIRST WEEK VIEWS

Jyväskylä, 7.9.2007

Finnish study year starts in September. Since Monday, I have been officially a student. Again! There is really a lot of international students. Most of them are here on behalf of student exchange programmes, yet there is also a nice amount of 150 international degree students. Jyväskylä is a small city. Kylä itself means a village in Finnish. Just do not be mislead by this translation, Jyväskylä is by all means a city - with approximately 80.000 inhabitants. And half of those are actually students. However, our Digital Culture starts next week; now we are just listening to loads of practical information.

Now to my personal practicalities. When I came to Finland a week ago, I knew where I had been going; thus meaning the society here, as I had visited the country twice before. The fact that I already speak Finnish seems a nice benefit. At least it gives me more confidence when it comes , for instance, to food products. I also try to talk Finnish as much as possible, especially within the last days. The knowing of language as it would bring the culture closer, or at least I do not feel so isolated, so foreign.

The city is small, but that does not bother me. I do not feel good in big cities. I already know the streets and it is also not that hard to find them from the map. There is Lutakko for metal and I hope some punk gigs I intend to visit some time in the future, there are some interesting music bars. What else do one need, heh? Many things, still... too many, perhaps.

I do not feel like a tourist here. That and also all the time some errands in my mind is the reason I have not taken many photos yet. Also, I have again this Fake Finn thing of mine going on; I try to melt with locals as much as possible, not to appear as ulkomaalainen, a foreigner. Manly because of the language purposes. However, now I do have a Finnish phone number, and all of a sudden two Nokia cellphones in my bag (so this goes to those many things mentioned above). I had to open a Finnish bank account, too, and I had to encounter personal internet banking for the first time. Well, yes, considering some everyday stuff, I seem to be behind time in both countries, in Slovenia and in Finland. Oh, and I am going to study Digital Culture, beware...

Now I will pass the word to a few of my first photos...

My opiskelija asunto, student apartment community. It is called Roninmäki. No matter that Finland is supposed to be more or less flat (Lappi is different story), I live on the hill, mäki, again.

The view from my window.


Kirkkopuisto - Church Park in the centre.


Agora, university building in Mattilanniemi part of the campus.

OLIPA KERRAN SUURI METSÄ

One upon a time, there was a big forest...

Deep forests, my deep love; I have already been writing on this theme. Last year, exactly a year ago, on 12 August 2006, I went to hike totally alone in Nuuksio National Park near Helsinki. Trees, lakes and swampy area... This forest trip means a lot to me. It has been among the best trips I have had in Finland last year. I hiked about twenty kilometers and it was great. Thus, I have decided to make a tribute to this trip and publish a few photos from Nuuksio. The memories will last...

HELL OVER PARADISE

Metalcamp did happen! Lots of stuff to tell. Thus, I think it is the best to plunge straight into what has been going on during the last week. To make the long story short: IT WAS VERY HOT AND IT WAS VERY GREAT!

Now, lets make the short story a bit longer. Metalcamp is the biggest Slovenian metal festival. This year, it was planned as a kind of metal-holidays. The place of it, Tolmin, is beautiful. Great nature, clear and cool river. Two stages: one for big and one for more unknown bands. A week of camping in nice surroundings, five days of gigs. Hell over paradise indeed.

My kind camp-neighbours and me arrived on the venue last Monday. The camping site is big: people can camp wherever they want. Alright, there could be more showers and more water-facilities . Anyway, the first task was to build the tents in the shadow. So it was done. Then, something odd happened. Some freaks came. And they dragged a carousel with them. Despite the camp was opened since morning and quite some people were already camping on that particular site. Goddamned old and rusty creature was supposed to stand just a few steps away from our tents. What the fuck, a carousel in the middle of the camp!? No go, just no go! Smelly and noisy thing; the only noise we wanted to hear was metal. The hardcore part of mine went a bit... nuts. Luckily, metalheads were not interested in having such fun, and the freaks were gone with the thing on Thursday. Another bad and sad story were those empty beer-cans people were throwing into the river... how could they be so cruel and careless, eh? Perhaps, it would be much wiser some of the bands would point out the care for the nature rather than inviting people to moshpit...

Better stuff. I will tackle the socializing part first. It was nice to see my friends. I really met quite some people. Also, it would be nice to see some more... but this is another story. Oh yes, there was also lots of cute guys with long hair to observe... However, I was surprised as there was so many foreigners. From very distant lands, like Australia. Lots of Swedes; I guess much cheaper Slovenian beer was attractive for all attending Scandinavians. Well, I also managed to chat in Finnish a bit. Yes, there were some Finns. Among those, I met one young band from Joensuu; they were called Exarch. Their gig was okay, I wish them all the best in the future.

The gigs. During the day it was just too hot to enjoy the music properly. The beach was more tempting. Thus, I did not attended as many gigs as I had planned at first. But before I tell you about the good thingies, I have to write on Metalcamp gig-disaster. This disaster is called Cradle of Filth. Oh my. Despite I have never been their fan, they had produced some tracks I have quite liked to hear. But their gig was... just a disaster. It sucked by all means: Danny was not in the mood at all. One could only flee to the small stage. As I did.

My main Metalcamp highlights: Korpiklaani, Satyricon, Pain, Vreid, Ensiferum, Immortal, Blind Guardian, Eluveitie, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Exarch, Ragespect, Zvier. And some others, too. It was so nice to see Korpiklaani again. Dancing and sing-a-long! Satyricon were great, sexy and very now diabolical. Pain was beyond words, Vreid were as cool as fresh Norwegian breeze in the hot afternoon, reunioned Immortal were quite spectacular midnight ghosts... while Ensiferum and Blind Guardian filled me with nostalgia. On the small stage, Ragespect proved to be emerging Slovenian hardcore.

Lots of things, as you can see. May the photos tell some more. If this post seems excited or even overdone it is because I have been really lacking good gigs lately. I have been lacking having fun and meeting people. Lots of the gigs I have skipped during the year because of my trainings. On the Metalcamp 2007 I managed to see at least some of those missed bands. All in all, music and the life there have helped me to gain back a bit of the good mood. Metal on!

The ''ringlspil'' - thanks Banshee for the photo

A part of the camp

The beach - the source of this photo is Paranoid

The main stage and the afternoon gig

The small stage and the afternoon gig

Kaneli :)

SHE GOES METALCAMP

No big words from me today, I guess. More inner events and such blah-blah; but I have not been writing for a while. First of all, I have been feeling like young Werther these days. Emo, caught in some kind of sweet despair and so on. The second thing is that I am about to copy an idea from Aelfsciene and Nárëlaimë. One announcement there is. I am going to Metalcamp this year. And with the purchase of this ticket, I have also supported one young Slovenian hardcore band.

My last two summers were dedicated to Nanbudo. Thus meaning I attended traditional summer seminar in Playa d'Aro, Spain. Serious trainings on the beach twice a day. Now you can imagine an international bunch of people practising martial art in kimonos among all those holiday-on-the-beach-lying people. Well, I guess Nanbudo was there first. Our founder Yoshinao Nanbu Doshu had started the seminar on that beach long before the place has got so commercial. Oh, I had a dream about Spain just tonight... well, yes, I will miss the seminar. This is how things have turned out. Yet I have wished to see our Metalcamp, too.

I should be thinking about my future; and yep, I am thinking about it a lot. Though I am such a person of the past... now I am writing in general. I would miss things and crave for the past. Dwell on it. Hei, even my two latest plays speak about character's past and dealing with it. And I have had one flash these days. Even if I miss some particular things... they have been long gone already. Illusions are what I miss.

Okay, enough of this abstract writing. Speaking of the past again, yesterday, we had a very nice trip with Aelfsciene. We went to see castle Kamen (Stain - Stone - Kivi) near Begunje. A few years ago, I remember we Tolkenians practised medieval sword fighting there, hehe... The place is really picturesque. The weather was nice as well - and, as you can see, we had some fun with taking photos.

DEKADENT - DISSIDENT DREAM

KORPIKLAANI - TERVASKANTO

It is Midsummer tomorrow. Thus, here is this jolly song from the band Korpiklaani. New song from their latest album. Funny video it is, but I like this band a lot.
Perhaps, I will see them live again this summer. I will be dancing! And I wish you, my friends and fellow bloggers - to be happy. :)

NANBUDO NATURE

Last week, the club organized NANBUDO SEMINAR IN THE NATURE. For the third year the place was Rakov Škocjan. Our dojo became tall green grass on the bank of river Rak. I was happy to attend the seminar and to enjoy the trainings outdoors. The place was again so magical. Fairytale landscape. There really is very special energy. All things I like the most together at one spot: waters and forests. However, here are a few photos I have managed to take. They might not seem special to you; yet these images mean a lot to me.

Birches, dear birches

Mirror-water

Old Lady

RAINY ROSE

I took a picture of this rainy rose today. The weather has turned cold after those splendid sunny days. Some time has passed since my last post... and I feel I need to write something. No deep thoughts, just a few egotistic words to keep Cinnamon Book alive.

Past days were busy. During last weekend, International Nanbudo Seminar in Ljubljana occurred. The founder of our martial art Joshinao Nanbu Doshu came to teach us. It was good. The practice was fine and sweaty. Also, I was a bit sorry since I did not take part in an exam this year; nevertheless I am very happy with my progress. But yes, good training can indeed save the day.

Now it feels like more empty days are starting. I guess I will rest a bit. And I will treat my dear self with some special chocolates... mhm.