Little Bird Flying

This is the bull named Pajarito, Little Bird weighting 503 kilos. It jumped towards the sitting area of the Plaza Mexico, in Mexico City, just seconds after it entered the bull fighting ring. The poor thing injured six persons and created terror in the arena. Pajarito was killed asap and the bullfight continue for the pleaseure of the rest of the blood thirst audience. Ole!

http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2006/01/30/

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Techno Thriller, part 1.

I just tried to add the Opera Mini browser button to the blog unsuccessfully. First, let me just say that if you want to consider using www through your mobile phone, this is the best place to start - all you need to do is to open your phones native browser and enter mini.opera.com and the app will be downloaded and installed in minutes. The best part is that the software is fully free, you only pay for approximately 100kb of data for the download.

Once installed, this little marvel will render most websites readable and fully enjoyable using Opera's own server. This means that your data charges will be reduced significantly as the server reduces the size of the website to accommodate your mobile phone's screen. Mini should work on most of the java-enabled handsets out there. I've used the browser mostly for testing purposes and have to say that it is definitely good and fast to use.

Secondly, I'm quite disappointed at myself for failing miserably trying to add the button on the right sidebar. I guess it should show there but my purpose was not to move the whole bloody bar like that. Maybe someone who actually knows html could advise on where do I add the script. Another lesson learned: do not attempt to do things that you have no clue about without consulting with more capable people first.

So, if you're interested in mobile internet and want the best possible surfing experience, look no further. Note to self: I should definitely stick to the things I know something about.

Until someone fixes the blogs appearance, my apologies to all.

Just another day...

As with so many previous posts, today's one will most likely be full of complaining, bitching and nearly relentless repetition of old jokes. Here's just a little recap to start with: I should have been more explicit in my previous post about my year 2005. Now one might come accross reading it like a list of things I managed to waste my little money on. This was not the intention, honestly. It is funny, nevertheless, that most of the things that really sprang to mind in the process of writing it were more or less what some more educated people might call consumer commodities. It does go without saying that we all suffer from the same fetish but at least it was not my intention to come accross like a bourgeois pig.

Blah, I shouldn't really care about that but wanted to get that off my chest.

If you're one of the more observant kind, you might notice that this post is, once again, written during the glorious corporate working hours. I gladly take any opportunity to use the time they pay me for to do all things random, such as blogging. Now, and please don't laugh, this is serious, this kind of behaviour can be seen as tactical action against my employer - using their time and their means of production for my own good (?) purposes. I believe a certain continental philosopher actually called this something like 'la perruque' - the wig (this is the time when the more observant ones will once again realize that I've lost the plot). Obviously any tactical action taken will always be only a part of a grander strategic goal and this is the question I, indeed, pondered upon: What and where are my strategic goals in life?

So far, I've managed to leave behind the safe haven provided by the family and the Finnish state. All the tactical actions I have taken until now have taken me to my current situation (yes, I know, this is self-evident) but at no point has it become clearer where will these choices take me eventually. Moreover, I'm not alone anymore making all the decisions that might affect the strategic outcome. The equation is just getting more complicated all the time and my inside tactical centre is getting more confused. Where will we end up eventually, who knows...?

Hell with this! I need gadgets and trips abroad!!! Speaking of which, Granada was rather nice. Should not come as a great surprise that one of the main attractions there was the local drink and food. The great thing about Granada is pretty simple: show up in one of the many nice bars, order a beer and get a free snack to go with it. Yes, that's right, you still get a free snack of great Andalucian variety (paella, chorizo, olives, omelette, etc) with a beer. A word of warning though, or two. The Granadians can be a bit tricky so always check your bill before paying and keep a track of how many canas (a small glass of beer) you have ordered. Secondly, if you spend more that four days, be prepared to be craving for something else to eat. As good as it is, there are limits for everything. In sum, a nice city with gorgeous mountain scenery, the great Alhambra fortress and good tapas (food).

I'll be back - as I keep promising...

Bring it on!

I know I have a tendency to complain about most things I encounter in my life, so this should be refreshing change: the year 2005 was actually not too bad!

It didn’t really seem to have such a hot start, though. In the first hours of 2005 I was alone in my flat in Jakarta, drinking the Christmas leftovers of some truly awful cheapo vodka.

From then on, however, things got much better. I spent a couple of months travelling in Southeast Asia, without even catching malaria. Hurray!

After I returned home from my holidays I had a letter waiting for me. It was a “thanks-but-no-thanks” reply to a job application I had posted before my travels. Well, alright then, I’ll find something else, I thought. But then the phone rang and the same people who had sent the rejection were now asking if I was interested in working for them, something else had come up that would suit me, they said. So, here I am now, quite enjoying the job I didn’t really even apply for.

Not so much changed in my personal life last year. I still keep on living in sin with my lovely girlfriend, which is nice.

I still judge people for little faults that I’m totally happy to allow for myself. But that just humane isn’t it. And if not at least it’s good fun. And if there is one thing we should do this year is bring back the fun in fundamentalism!

So, a good year it was. Not all sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll, but enough of each to keep me going. Now I’m ready for the new year, so bring it on! If it’s as good as the last I have no fear.

Another year gone, what's next?

He-hey, we're back. Now that it's new year and all, I've seen a few blogs with a listing of things from the year gone and for the year to come and I thought that why the heck not. My listings, however, are not exhaustive and conclusive, on the contrary. I can only list things from last year that I remember and want to remember and what comes to predicting the year to come - I'll leave that to Madam Marie and other professionals and stick to less educated guesses and dreams myself...

Things from my 2005:

- Three pairs of socks thrown away as toes started to make their way out from the wrong end.
- Several hundred cans of lager (mostly XXXX as it's often the cheapest but also Carling and Foster's) have found their fizzy way in to my body leaving the good old rex ethyl in action before leaving the body behind in slightly, well at least a little, different form .
- Few angry and pathetic posts about boredom at work and market capitalism in this 'blog', which was started this year as well
- Moved from my old desk in the office to new one (bigger and better, hurray!)
- Got rid of my old Nokia 6600 (my first S60 handset, what a great piece of engineering)
- Replaced 6600 with N70, need I say more?
- Some guitar strings replaced
- Still trying to learn how to play the 'Tele'
- bought a car (my first ever actually)
- two days of corporate hospitality (No, I'm still not brainwashed)
- A couple of trips:
Budapest - nice city with reasonable prices and excellent thermal baths
Lake District (UK) - beautiful scenery and decent hiking, too many tourists though
Yllas, Lapland (not the home of the lapdancing) - Family occasion with plenty of good skiing and great weather. (Xinola's first ever ski trip!)
A couple of shorter visits to Finland to meet family and friends
Champagne, France - Nice little extended weekend in good company and some fizzy drinks.

- Some people were also kind enough to visit us here. Thanks to all those who made it.
- Went ice skating after a seven year break (great fun!)
- Struggling with the cold climate and an old victorian house (ongoing).
- New decent music found. Great and not so great films watched
- Going to theatre in London for the first time.

Things to look forward in 2006:

- A trip to Granada
- A holiday in Mexico and maybe a visit to Finland
- Spring
- Summer and the World Cup!
- Xinola's thesis finished
- Moving to a new house?
- hopefully more visits from friends and family

Things to be afraid of in 2006:

- Gas bill
- George W. Bush's administration and all neo-con/neo-liberalist policies of our current realm (ongoing from several previous years around the globe)

I think that'll do for now but I'll be amending my lists as I remember more things. Now, I think it's time to put some Flaming Sideburns on, they rock!