I am in Riga. I find it even more contrasting than Tallinn. The bus station and the rail station versus the Old Town give a really diverse picture of Riga. Issues I have: the currency and the coins (highly valuable small things that will get lost easily) and virtually no free wireless access in the centre. My day was saved by Reval Hotel Latvija, where they have free access throughout the hotel. But bar keepers and cafe owners: what are you thinking? Nobody is going to go through the hassle of buying internet access time for 0.50 lats per hour. So I vote with my feet and go to a place where they have it (in this case the Reval Hotel Latvija’s Lobby Bar).
The trip here was bumpy, too. Yesterday I took the 7am bus from Tallinn, which, instead of heading to Riga, went to a bus depot where we had to change into another bus due to “technical problems.” The road to Riga is filled with road works (mostly on the Latvian side of the border), so it does take more time. Therefore I arrived an hour later than scheduled.
The road was pretty scenic and it seems that there are very beautiful beaches along the road to Riga from the Estonian-Finnish border. I’d love to have a summer house somewhere there.
Today was a good day. I got a fair bit of work done.
After work I felt like I need some exercise so I decided to go biking. To combine it with something useful, I also decided to recycle all the empty bottles that were lying (sp?) around my flat. So I put the bottles in a big bag, and hopped to the saddle of my bike and went to Pirita Selver, where I knew was a bottle recycling machine thing. I am not doing the recycling thing for money btw, I could not care less if I got this 13 EEK for these bottles or not. Anyway, I have a small complaint about the recycling machines: although they have become more reliable lately (meaning that they are less picky about the bottles), there are still too few of them and there are limits to my patience. Last time I had to wait for 20 minutes at Tondi Selver to give away my 7 bottles that were piling on my table at work. Anyway, I feel happy and my flat feels slightly more orderly.
The best bicycle route I know in Tallinn is the Pirita stretch that goes along the promenade. It is long, it is big and it is scenic. Unfortunately it was quite crowded and the sea smelled funny, but I still enjoyed that trip. I was little disturbed that an ambulance and a police car were again at the illegal beach near the sewage outlets near the port. I wonder what happened there, again. It seems as something bad happens there nearly every time I pass the spot.
I might take up Lasnamäe next once I figure out how to get up the hill without too much effort.
I am also happy as finally the windows of my flat were washed from the outside (they had to close the street for the night and did it while people, incl I, were asleep). The work has been a little sloppy, but they did it in the dark so I forgive them.
Tomorrow morning I will have an early start as I take the bus to Riga to visit the EYP VeRi session. I’ll be back Friday night.
Went to see King Ubu yesterday and enjoyed it immensely. The play was staged at an old Soviet military airfield near Haapsalu, in three separate aircraft hangars. One really has to see it as it cannot really be described. It was funny, it was interesting. I have never had so much fun in theatre before.
Recently I went to two concerts of Estonian bands. Yesterday I saw Dagö and Ursula in concert at the Pirita Convent Ruins. Ursula was OK, although it felt a little like a school band. I know the slightly-built young guys in suits with guitars trend (as evidenced by Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs, Maximo Park and the Arctic Monkeys, although Ursula tends to be more like a poor man’s McFly) is now coming over here. They have one catchy and different tune called “Heiki”, though, which for me resembles Franz Ferdinand’s “Michael”, although it is not half that intriguing of a song.
The second and main act was Dagö, fronted by Lauri Saatpalu. I did not recognise any of the songs, but was not completely bored either. It did last a little bit too long, and the band and its songs are very Estonian, melancholic, folksy etc. I am not a fan, but do not mind them either. They should try a little bit different stuff, it seems to me they are terribly afraid of being popular.
I need to write about this in more detail, but it seems to be that pop music seems to be frowned upon in Estonia. There are not really any pop-bands, which makes the Estonian music world quite boring for me. I love pop, and I am not ashamed of it. Much like with how you cannot really choose who you fall in love with, you cannot help what music you love. Therefore I embrace the fact that I love the artistry of Michael Jackson and the like.
Of Estonian bands I did really like Singer Vinger 20 at Õllesummer. I was surprised that I knew almost all of their songs from my childhood. I might even go and see them on tour…
Those, who are unhappy with the erosion of consumer rights regarding the usage intellectual property, who are tired of the draconian and customer unfriendly measures to stop piracy finally have representation. The Pro Piracy Lobby is here!
I long for the time when IP rights are not anymore used as tools for maintaining outdated and backwards business models, by companies who have bought themselves these copyright laws. If there is one area of law that requires serious reform, it is IP law. Hopefully things will change.
Shocked by my low Happy Planet Index, I have decided to start living in a more environmentally friendly way. This means reduction in consumption of meat, which I unsuccessfully already tried this Spring, but am now going to restart. Also, I try to buy less things and use more of those I already have.
But my main achievement today was that I came to work riding my bike. It took ca 40 minutes as I was not particularly in a hurry (about the same it takes to take the bus, coincidentally). Now I am very satisfied with myself, having done good for my health and the environment. The route I took (Kakumäe – Rocca al Mare – Ehitajate tee – Tammsaare tee) was fine, the only drag was waiting for the lights at zebra crossings.
Here is the ill-fated, but beautiful Michael Jackson charity anthem. This should have been released.
Apparently, the production of the song was hampered by MJs then record company Sony, but also by the fact that MJ chose the wrong kind of person to produce the record for him. Subsequently that guy went on to sue MJ for non-compensation and the trial that ensued was not particularly good. Sad to see so much effort going to waste (and it is not the first time this has happened with MJ).
I am involved with a youth organisation called Tegusad Eesti Noored (Active Estonian Youth). On Friday, an article about us ran in the Youth section of the Estonian business daily Äripäev. Apparently, the photo in which I was also in was chosen to represent TEN. See if you recognise me.
I was initially supposed to also do the interview, but had too many things on my plate at the time.
P.S. You can also spot me on the top left header photo at EYPEJ.org. P.P.S. I had nothing to do with having those photos at those places, but I do not mind. I just found it a little bit curious.
The film that I have been long waiting to see (and hoping that the wait is worth it) is currently test screening in the US, so it should be released in the fall. Here is the poster, check also the very cool official website. The Fountain is the new film by Darren Aronofsky, maker of “Pi” and “Requiem for a Dream”.
There are a few early reviews from the lucky few who got to go to the test screenings and they seem to have enjoyed the experience immensely. It has been described as not only the best film of 2006, but perhaps one of the best films of all time. Made on a smallish budget of 35m dollars it is not a typical blockbuster and might not end up in Estonian cinemas, I hope I will have a chance to see it in cinemas very soon. The IMDB page lists 13 October 2006 as US release date, while Germany gets to see it 19 October and France 8 November.
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