Diorama Verbal

Obituaries

2011-08-09T10:35:00.007+03:00

Speeches, descriptions, discourses and any other type of word collection seem so short of what one can say about a person. Repeating even trivializes any content. I have no idea what medium to choose to keep alive Jaan´s memory. It is frivolous to talk about it all day long but after 4 days of his absence I cannot think of anything else, constantly, compulsively. I want to say it all, event the smallest of details. He liked and appreciated everything he had, without any shade of doubt his was the best family, home, house, wife, doctor and country, not to mention things: his pillow, his bed, his watch, his car (beyond its useful years), and everything else. This I see as a great display of generosity. He could not see a flaw on us, and judged no one. This understanding and acceptation of life as it is, of others most admirable. He was not loud, extravagant or dramatic, the very contrary, Jaan was calm, modest and elegant. He was humble but with dignity. He was brave, courageous and giving. He loved me, our children and family everyday with countless silent acts. His life and departure both were his gifts to us. He lived for us and tried to keep alive for our sake and protection while his body was so exhausted that he could barely move. The past years his strength of will supported many recoveries. Wherever he might be, I hope that he is free of burdens and pains, blessed, and happy. I hope he departed knowing for a fact that we saw the human being he was and loved him even if in a very clumsy manner. He liked the Estonian Summers, berries, the forest, collected tin cans and adds, liked golf, football, books, writing, British humor, his home, Saturdays, his old clothes, memories of childhood, Estonian programs, politics, Purtse, maps, listening to radio, rock music from the sixties, French songs, the sea, friends, beer, sauna, holding my hand, Estonian manor houses, cheese, wine, walking, seeing his family happy. I do not want to ever forget these or his reassuring presence in my past 16 years. I loved this man, and I want to feel him again next to me.
I have no idea can I continue writing anything on this blog or not. Our family has changed. I do not feel the same person. There has to be a mark or many to this time. A beautiful picture of my dearest will follow and I will see when I can bring my self to return to these activities ever againg.

Gastronauts

2011-06-19T19:55:00.003+03:00

This is not a blog on food but well, I have to share a frequent cooking method, analogous to an old recipe by Yvonne, that most importantly, ALWAYS results is compliments.

Take any meat, add half a cup of soy sauce and 200 grams of sour cream. Put to the oven. THAT IS ALL! Did not I share this marvel earlier?

Somewhere in Tallinn, by the ports

2011-06-11T13:04:00.003+03:00

Not a poor record

2011-06-10T20:01:00.005+03:00

If considering that last year I made only 11 entries. I am living crazy times. At this age I want conforts, security, cozy afternoons, and serenity. Instead everything around is so hectic that I wonder if I will reach old age with any energy left to do as I please. On the other hand I am productive, I am alive.

I am also tired.

This afternoon I thought that the streets of Tallinn in non-rush hours are completely taken over by driving school cars. They specially like roundabouts and hills. 2 of the only 3 hills of this city are located between here and my work place, also the second busiest roundabout of Tallinn. There is no point in waiting for the rush hour to pass. The alternative is even worse.

Tomorrow spending a hopefully summery afternoon with Yvonne, and back to start packing, finish the PHD proposal, organize documents and plan the adventure that awaist us next week,

Sunday: more of the same, plus some hours of sleep, Monday: work, application, errands and departure. We are all off to Sweden. Tuesday: Arrival to Sweden, settling down of Juulia, preparing for Jaan and her. Tuesday Amsterdam, The Hague, Wednesday Madrid and DEALING WITH AVIANCA,

Joonas and Emil fly to Medellin.

Lonely sad Thursday. I feel it in advance. My boys will be away for 2 months.

POBRES ESPANOLES

2011-05-24T23:55:00.003+03:00

From capitanalatriste.com

Pobre Zapatero. Que cambia para quien si deciden llamar a elecciones anticipadas? Mas de mapas:

2011-05-07T02:33:00.002+03:00

The reality has nothing to do with our interpretation even if common signs are used to identify it. It happens all the time. I like these guys of XKCD very much. Why I did not study mathematics?

It is our second trip to Stockholm already

2011-05-07T01:15:00.004+03:00

Experiencing:

-That teaching and learning nowadays can be as fun as one wants

-That one can be extremely lucky even in the most difficult situations
-That integrity has to be the guiding principle of all relationships or they are simply not worth maintaining
-That one of the busiest metro stations in the world is Stockholm central at any time in the day
-That many Muslim women who cover dutifully their heads have no trouble wearing shorts+unflattering leggings that expose every inch of their "textured" legs, sending confusing messages about their interest in keeping such customs
-That more than 50% of the people that I have met in the streets of this city seem to have come from places of the world other than Europe
-That trust is more important and effective in dealing with others than fear and suspicion. People usually respond to trust by caring to preserve it
-That I have very little time left to read all there is to be read and do all that I have wanted to do and procrastinated about

-That mass consumption of information and mainstream thinking turn into the mass-murdering of independent ideas and creative living

-That children must be let to "live" their ways so we can also live ours, in peace, when they reach an age when we can no longer control them
-That delegation is fine -LIBERATING-, even if results are far from perfect
-That gardening is rewarding and addictive
-That flowers adorn better than jewellery
-That the smell of the most expensive perfumes stink if to compare it with the natural aroma of fresh flowers and/or clean, sun bathed laundry
-That beauty is ruined with the mask of make up
-That when one learns how to enjoy the small gifts of life half of it is already gone.

Moved to tears

2011-04-15T11:58:00.005+03:00

A woodsign by scaredycatprimitives

I was very wrong and I just understood it. I am very grateful for this. Some hope returns and along some energy.

Tao?

2011-04-13T10:52:00.004+03:00

Image found in the blog of brazillagorilla

Satisfaction is so seldom found in activities other than giving, helping or contributing. So clear for me, why such an alien notions for most?

LOVE. The universal love is generosity, the oneness with others. I have loved.

Doris Kareva writes nice things

2011-04-05T23:13:00.011+03:00

Have never been fan of any poetry, but now I am kind of connecting with my adolescent son´s despair and some expressions seem so nice...

Kõik, mida vajad, tuleb su juurde (Everything you need will come to you)
ühel või teisel varjatud kujul. (In one way or concealed in other)

Kui tunned ta ära, (if you recognize it)
saab ta su omaks. (It turns yours)

Kõik, mida tahad, tuleb su juurde, (Everything you want will come to you)
tunneb su ära ja saab sinu osaks. (It recognizes you and remains part of you)

Hinga, loe kümneni. (Breath, count to ten)

Hind selgub hiljem. (Its value (price?) will become clear later)

Doris Kareva

(Illustration by Oliver Jeffers. Would not be illustrating children books a fantastic occupation?)

And here one more, one of many more simple pretty thoughts:

Sa ei ole kellestki parem. (You are better than no one)
Sa ei ole kellestki halvem. (You are not worst than anyone)
Sulle on antud maailm. (The world has been given out to you)
Näe, mis seal näha. (See what is there to see)
Hoia seda, mis on (Care for what is)
su ümber, hoia, kes kõrval. (around you, who is next to you)
Kõik olendid omamoodi (All beings in their own way)
on naljakad. (are funny)

Kõik on õrnad. (All are fragile)

Doris Kareva

Apariciones

2011-03-31T22:08:00.003+03:00

Juro que casi me choco hoy llegando al trabajo cuando vi a la senora de esta foto esperando el tranvia afuera de la universidad. Que si la viiiiiiiiiii!

Datos de copyright obvios: como no le pude tomar una foto, pues la busque en el internet.

Japon

2011-03-14T18:03:00.006+02:00

Respuesta practicamente al instante: signalhouse; The art of James White

El mundo espera una recuperacion rapida, por que este pais es importante, valioso, comprometido, hermoso, honorable y da ejemplo de coraje y cooperacion. No hay saqueos ni fatalismo como si paso en Haiti. La disciplina de los habitantes, hasta la de los mas afectados es ejemplar. Mientras tanto a pensar en lo que hay que hacer para que los hijos puedan disfrutar del mundo como nosotros lo hemos hecho. En pocos anos las fantasticas carreteras de Europa no van a ser transitadas por las exigencias que se van a imponer respecto a los vehiculos aceptables, el consumo de energia y el costo de los combustibles. O se comienzan a usar las energias renovables o paramos de invertir en infraestructura que no se va a necesitar!

Por que sube el precio del petroleo? No es por las revueltas del mediterraneo o los conflictos del medio oriente. Todo comenzo en Tunez, que no comercializa crudo; el precio sube por que ha sido, es y seguira siendo la tendencia. El alza es una complicacion avisada. Por que hemos basado el desarrollo de nuestra civilizacion apoyandonos en energias que se agotan. Quienes tienen que ahorrar combustibles? Todos. El precio quien lo paga? Nosotros.

Developing

2011-03-09T12:36:00.002+02:00

MAKE MISTAKES and move forward!

Lessig es un tipo razonable y con integridad intelectual

2011-03-09T09:53:00.004+02:00

Casi todo lo que dice vale la pena escucharlo

Akne(15) AKA Emil(15)

2011-03-09T00:31:00.003+02:00

Life with a 15 year old. To be translated, soon...

Image procured from Postimees, by his observing father.

Geddafi/Kadafi is at home

2011-02-22T12:04:00.006+02:00

Or so it appeared in my window to the world: NHK World, with an umbrella. Was it really rainy in Tripoli or was it another sign of Geddafi/Kadafi disctinctive style? Just the same we experienced in Lombardy, rain and much rain!
Above, the mini-mini Fiat 500 o new version of the former Topolino that we could rent to go to the lakes, A view from Bergamo and a flower I am determined to plant in my garden as soon as I can figure what it is, and irressistible olives at a huge market in Brescia on Sta.Lucia´s day.

A real update, a matter of fact or the import of yet more problems into Latin America?

2011-02-21T21:03:00.005+02:00

Illustrating the similarities. Just to clarify: they are of different age and born in distant continents.

Can Latin America swallow Venezuela identifying, protecting and patronizing a Lybian dictator with a poker face? What a mishap for the neighboring countries, I really thought Hugo could no no worse to his country and the continent. Will we see his fall also some years from now?

Y va Libia!

2011-02-21T12:52:00.003+02:00

Cambios de regimen o de personajes, la cuestion es que la ola de oposicion productiva sigue. Ojala que Yemen no se quede atras. Todos los regimenes desesperan, y que tomen nota los que aunque alejados podrian terminar igual: Rusia, Venezuela, Corea del Norte y demas. El momento de la caida llega para todos y esos lideres intocables terminan huyendo. Por que la gente no perdona el autoritarismo nisiquiera el que conduce al progreso: Iran, Egipto, CHILE??? Que humanidad la nuestra. No se entiende. Y el multiculturalismo que no funciona, y tanto expansionismo comercial que trivializa el sufrimiento de la gran mayoria, y las cosas de todos los dias...las que parecen irrelevantes.
Y que el calentamiento global me lo explique alguien por que lo que esta pasando y siendo presentado como la via a una era glacial en Estonia es que nos despertamos a -30 grados centigrados. Las tuberias estan congeladas, hasta dejamos a Kyoko entrar en la casa...QUE LLEGUE LA PRIMAVERA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
De Italia, buenos recuerdos y algunas fotos de los dias lluviosos que nos tocaron. Pronto. Mucho trabajo. Ya casi. A Estocolmo. En unos dias.

Wise steps to take ahead

2011-02-11T20:21:00.003+02:00

HEYYYY, just a minute!

What regime now will be really democratic? Egypt without Mubarak needs too many changes so this unprecedented step would not be a waste (possible only in there, what would happen if anything like that would have taken place in Libya, Jordan, Morocco or Saudi Arabia instead? Do not they want, need or deserve the so call democracy that Egyptians claim to request?). What Venezuelans, Ecuadorians, Nicaraguans and Bolivians think about this?

Has democracy been achieved? This massive hysteria seems very scary to me, specially if after few years something like the rise of fundamentalism also takes place in that country. What will happen with the peace processes advanced with Israel?

Hopefully the very best for that country, region and people' s will follow. This is REALLY a renewal year, the one of the rabbit/cat.

Estonica

2011-02-11T00:17:00.005+02:00

This is a good source of information about Estonia, an On-line Encyclopedia.

This is a Web-comic that I could identify with today. Oatmeal is the name of the site. Title on the post: "If you do this in an Email I will hate you:"

Agotador

2011-02-10T00:24:00.007+02:00

Y sectario como a los que mas critica. El fundamentalista mayor, con el discurso mas poco creible de toda Espana simplemente por lo emocional y poco objetivo. No verifica ni evoluciona, no balancea su repertorio de datos, insulta, pero triztemente se siente el vengador de las causas -todas-, e injustamente descalificado. Calma! Ojala no le dieran tal relevancia, para que la polarizacion se redujera. Por que hay que ser una cosa o la otra? Es que el que no es derechista es izquierdista y por ende cabalga en las filas del comunismo y es aliado intelectual de Kim-JongII? Es Rodriguez Z. realmente el mas anomalo e incapaz de los lideres politicos que ha pasado por el gobierno espanol? A casi todos los observadores nos parece un normalisimo y predecible socialista. Liquidarlo politicamente es una tarea imposible! Este es Hermann Tertsch, a secas. Su linaje a estas alturas no importa. Describe a su pais como se imagina uno la tribu ultima neardental y todo el merito de su posicion se empobrece con esta propuesta de terminologia extremista. Como todo!

Seguimoscoleccionandoimagenesdeabsolut

Stretching the joy

2011-02-09T22:25:00.005+02:00

Juulia made a felt brooch for me today. I wish I had the time to make beautiful things hand made jewelry like that or objects that are simply beautiful, like the pin cushions above by piece of cake felting projects. But what to do with them next? Where to keep them? How long this indie fashion of DIY and handmade artsy stuff will last?

Image by Pille from her fantastic blog nami nami. Find her recipes on the link to your right!

Mango lassi cheesecake by Heidi Park, from morning to evening. Recommended. It may be the best cheese cake I have tried so far, and the baker also prepares AREQUIPE (with all the letters) cheesecakes. Shaking off the Colombian experience is difficult! She visited and brought a bit of its flavor back with her all the way into ESTONIA! I also had luck this evening with an avocado. Very seldom I cut open one so ripe and mellow, evenly ready, delicious, we combined it daringly with rattatuille a la Jaan. the combination was really a match!

I knew it, anything with a good avocado becomes heavenly, does not it?

News. Egyptian democracy?

2011-02-07T15:54:00.005+02:00

From the same website

The Super Bowl in USA: Distracting for fewer than suspected. The spectacle of the year, a great revenue for TV producers...Nothing else matters there. THERE. Here, plenty more is taking place.

The newly discovered relevance of an otherwise confused constituency in Egypt? People need to have a say, but democracy is NOT THE RULE OF THE MOB. It is also fallacious to think that the popular will struggles for the general welfare. Mobs are emotional and polluted by distress and desperation. Objectivity is absent from their claims. Democracy in this country will not be created with an act or two. The process that this requires must follow the established rules, the procedural justice, what the emotional discourse of socialists from far Europe do not consider, the rule of law, the basic doctrine of their staple/favorite system: democracy. However none thinks about alternatives, and much less about the consequences of the Egyptian irrational -even if justified- widespread hysteria. Looking a step or two ahead would be much more responsible that claiming an abstract and detached support for this uprising.

Why no journalist asks one of the demonstrators -or several of them- what do they want? What are their expectations? Beyond the stereotypical and thoughtless chant-like answer: "Mubarak out and fuck America," they have NOTHING to say. They do not know.

And who says that every country would be better off becoming democratic? Is not this something that the same constituency must figure on its own?

Distraida/Too distracted to be able to work

2011-02-04T15:55:00.004+02:00

What is in a Greek yogurt that the others cannot match? Unavailable in Estonia...

Hoy sigo en las nubes ahora pensando en un yogurt griego con higos y melocotones, ademas de miel y exracto de vainilla....

Can't concentrate in anything else but rich creamy, fatty Greek yogurt (like creme fraiche) with caramelized figs (self made), peaches or apricots and honey. Vanilla extract would also help adding flavor to this craving.

Being European

2011-02-04T13:49:00.008+02:00

Seems to signify that by default, a person needs to be anti American. I find the attitude difficult to understand. Public and categoric statements about detesting the American culture and people or lifestyle in TV, by journalists and politicians have to sound inappropriate to any person with a little bit of perspective and multicultural training. Pilar Boyero, for example, maybe (?) a great singer, but nothing else. In the thinking she should be no leader. I could barely assign any worth to her many many comments during a recent broadcast in the Extremadura channel on satelite TV. If I were in charge of her image, my recommendation would be to talk more intelligently -or to stick to singing copla-

Now that in NY smoking is being prohibited in the parks and beaches, most media personalities use the opportunity to expose the topical opinions, the cliches and criticism about excessive control (Excess regulation they speak from the paradigmatic region of the complicated procedures, The EU!). Can't anybody see the merit of prohibiting cigarette buds contaminating the environment, impregnated in nicotine that every toddler finds and sucks while parents sunbathe during the Summer months? I applaud the message although regret that people have to be told something so common sensical: Cigarette buds are polluting, dangerous, gross, and should be disposed of properly. In Estonia I have had evil thoughts about those who care little for their beautiful beaches as well. So many leave their 2 lt plastic bottles behind, but will we have to prohibit drinking any beverage by the sea? Interesting idea if sanctions consisted of cleaning public spaces, for free, several months in a row...Forced labor that is, but we are all forced to recycle for example. I DO SEE THE CONNECTION! :)

I was appalled by the image of downtown cafeterias and coffee bars in Madrid. Never before I went to any place where people in disregard of basic manners, threw the garbage to the floor. Any of these establishments in the capital of Spain hoarded at the time, innumerable napkins, residue of food and cigarette waste all over, except from counter and table tops.

I was the most surprised when after politely daring to ask once, Why littering was allowed? and Why not to place some bins to dispose of the trash? (the barman noticed my south American accent) the answer was: But where are you coming from? Colombia? Do not tell me that you do any better! Colombians must be much dirtier than us! What a display of talent...I was not going to try convincing this anonymous guy on that in fact this was really an authentic/indigenous Spanish habit (left from Madrid 3 years ago, maybe it all has changed). One that is difficult to get used to. However, foreigners love Spain, and I have not heard anybody claiming that they are nasty people. Why Europeans like to pick on Americans so much? Who does not have "RABO DE PAJA?"

LET'S OBJECTIFY OR AT LEAST BALANCE THAT! If there was only a bit of diversity and few anti Venezuelan, some anti Chinese, several anti North Korean. Or what about not committing so hard and definitively to anything so abstract as hating an entire culture/country? Being nice to people and working hard makes up for an empty mind. Shake off the stereotypical politic views and just live.

Dia mundial contra el cancer

2011-02-04T12:40:00.010+02:00

Chocolates fuera del alcance de Joonas, El establo en Purtse, 2009

Comer sano, superar dificultades, relajarse simplificando la vida, tranquilidad, silencio, recato, deteccion precoz o cuidados profilacticos, hacer ejercicio, algo de buena suerte, asistencia medica profesional, terapias complementarias, apoyo, dedicacion, acompanamiento, buenos amigos, alejarse por completo del cigarrillo, y en resumen vivir una buena vida.

Casi todo posible. Aveces el cancer nos despierta del letargo de la vida comoda y el sinsentido pero no deberiamos necesitar una tragedia para vivir bien. En los ultimos anos muchas personas que conocemos y queremos han sufrido de cancer. Las historias tragicas abundan y nos hacen tambalear en la propia lucha, la de Jaan y de esta familia que ha tenido una leucemia que enfrentar. No hay victorias definitivas sino pequenos logros que tenemos que apreciar. Unos meses mas de vida, tratamientos que nos dan esperanza, aprecio por lo cotidiano, emociones renovadas, desprendimientos positivos. Hay cosas que agradecer, que sigue vivo hoy, y esperemos que por mucho tiempo, el suficiente para tener experencias gratificantes, para crear recuerdos felices.

Todos podemos vivir mejor

En los burdeles de Venecia tambien se daba de comer. Alli como tentempie se creo el famosisimo tiramisu, por los anos 50. Aqui hablamos de la receta de Emil, de cuando cocinaba (durante la adolescencia los intereses se suspenden...). Hoy les recuerdo lo facil que se hace, para endulzar este fin de semana y vivir mejor:

Huevos, azucar y mascarpone mezclados con fuerza hasta espumarlos (separadamente). 4 huevos, 200g de azucar, y 500g del queso. Homogenizar a mano. Las galletas deditos (lady fingers/savoiardi/soletillas) se remojan en cafe con licor de almendra o amaretto, al gusto, y se comienza a organizar el postre en capas. Se refrigera y se pone al servir con cacao espolvoreado por encima o chocolate en trocitos. A mi me gusta con ambos y el chocolae con naranja. Jaffa! Lo voy a hacer manana para todos, por la vida de Jaan, de Veronica, de mi papa, y todos los que con tanta dignidad han vivido esta enfermedad, y los que los hemos acompanado.

When things are not discussed early, clearly with the rigth people

2011-02-02T17:50:00.007+02:00

Calligraphic art by Margaret Shepherd

Disputes take place. Disagreement is better than misunderstandings and what they may cause.
Conflict is not bad, it could be a great opportunity to review positions, relationships, attitudes, opinions. To transform, evolve, progress.
Constructive conflict management is a skill as useful as good reading. Sometimes the problems lie exclusively in the way people interpret signs.

Dormir en la cama de los padres

2011-01-18T23:28:00.008+02:00

J. se fue para USA y me quedo con los ninos hasta tardisimo en la cama, Joonas se queda conmigo. Lo disfruto, ahora mas cuando comienzo a sentir que Emil va desprendiendose de todo, del "nosotros" 5, de los programas de fin de semana, de las opiniones familiares, ya no hablamos con certeza en nombre de todos. Somos Emil, y los otros 4. No crece mas, pero se independiza. Me aferro entonces a Joonas que todavia piensa solo en sus papas y en complacer a la mama siendo el nino mas bueno, mas fuerte y mas sabido del mundo, es que lo es. Febrero parece lejano y lo del transplante inefinido. La acumulacion de hierro en el higado crea un riesgo que no parecen estar dispuestos a correr en Estocolmo. Esta ha sido una historia larga de muchisimo suspenso. Continuara.

Sigo queriendo un ex/libris tipo sello y si consiguiera material esculpible y cincelitos lo haria muy simple. Aqui de navidad, como siempre llegaron muchos libros mas, para J. por ejemplo, SNOW COUNTRY. Hermoso, japones, famoso, elegante.

Fotos, los hijos comiendo muchisimo, sabado en la cocina de la casa. Cerdo, papas con crema, queso y brocoli, torta de chocolate, galletas de avena y morcilla estonia de navidad con repollo agrio.

Felices en esta navidad

2010-12-14T21:22:00.002+02:00

Por que va a haber un bebe nuevo en la familia. Por que Jaan sigue hasta ahora en remision y con la posibilidad real de un transplante. Hoy todo parece perfecto.

A reason to attend one's life

2010-12-01T17:33:00.008+02:00

Another blue house for my collection of images with blue houses :). This time by kukuxumusu. Needless to say I want to paint this house blue. DARK cobalt blue. On the outside. I think my neighbors could not cope with such decision. Lucky them I have no time to deal with it.

I was going to have visitors today. MANY. I had not even paid attention to this place around me for a couple of months. A LOT. I had to work on rebuilding a normal living space, clean, cozy and family friendly (with food, for instance) for the past 8 hours. I have not finished, but everything begins seeming normal. NOT TOO GOOD. Just OK. Dinner is ready with pluses, the air smells cake and quiche, the sanitation of the house was excellent corner by corner. I spent a bit of my cherished pine cleaner and Marsella soap for the walls and furniture. I placed candles strategically and planned for the snacks and dips while in the meantime I received mobile messages and emails from the group. I noticed them a minute ago. They cannot come. NONE. It is snowy, cold, someone has fever, the other emotional exhaustion, a fourth remembered a previous engagement, and there are few who did not explain why. It does not matter. I could have read a book but I am glad I did not.

I have had a terrible week, of course not the worst of this horrible year. This day has been useful to get my home back. It was not a waste but I do not think I will be volunteering for the a sewing evening anytime soon.

Things to change

2010-11-17T09:05:00.006+02:00

Why my 14 year old believes (with cult/like passion) that he needs a phone that could overtake his life and simplify every possible activity to the point of turning him into an inert entity, unable to operate, survive and be satisfied without the object (the phone) that provides him with instant satisfaction and accessibility to everything at any time, anywhere? Every other child in this country is spoiled with the most advanced technology at such age. What they will be even able to desire few years later, if anything? I predict a short span of attention, very little satisfaction, lack of appreciation of what really matters, reduced emphaty, and insatiable appetite for gadgets. This is all programming them to have unlimited money *needs* and therefore to turn their parents into slaves to their demands.
Why people do not notice this happening? It seems that I am the only one around refusing to purchase an iphone or a nokia N900 while I still keep my many years old simple calling device...
Instead I wish to go to the Autumn show at the Kyoto palace in Japan, also to Spain to see our friend Eva and her family. Jaan hopes to make the pilgrimage to Santiago, and Joonas is OK with a chocolate candy every evening. Juulia cannot make up her mind, she is at the threshold of adolescence sometimes happy with very little and others feeling terrible for the misfortune of everyday routines but in general, she finds comfort in anime drawing and crafting. It is the boy, at 14 who out of the sudden wants nothing else but things, very expensive and unnecessary ones.

Dream Eater Merry will be turned into anime, at last. Maria watches over us is a best selling manga that has been turned into a real life characters movie. We like it!
Not understanding the appeal of the works by kengo Hanazawa. Just too tragic to comment on the lousiness of loosers and other ordinary people...Should this be funny?

No, the blog is not abandoned

2010-11-05T00:37:00.006+02:00

We had 6 weeks of happy reunion with laabueladeemil. Here having a view of Russia, from the Estonian border.

We are just postponing. 2010 continues being a challenging year. No planning possible. Just waiting to see how things are week by week. I am, for example, 5 weeks away from finishing the semester! Wishing to be in Spain again, happy and hopeful. Unaware.

Thinking a lot about friends and family even in the absence of letters and phone-calls. We are busy beyond words.

Want to stitch more, learn how to sew, eat food prepared by someone else, have a dust free house, my own business connected to books somehow, travel to Spain, the UK, and stop aging so fast. There is plenty to do but just one very complicated life to schedule it all.

Recuerdos

2010-07-15T10:38:00.006+03:00

Un insuperable recuerdo de un quesito envuelto en hoja de platano -Uno de los mejores y mas escasos (hasta en Medellin) sabores del pasado-, los pasteles del tejadito (todavia existe? En miami abrieron alguno -Autentica colonizacion paisa en USA-), la pizza de rumo's, las jugadas de catapis de segundo de primaria a "primero de bachillerato," las finquiadas en todos los niveles de comodidad o incomodidad posibles, las levantadas con olor a arepa donde fuera, obleas con arequipe, chitos de los de Jack snacks cuando salian tostados, morenitas de la rosa, sapitos del Astor, las lejanisimas crispetas dulces y empanadas de la iglesia Santa Teresita, los primeros palitos de queso de solo frutas, salpicones de la primera frutera; con de todo y miel, perritos calientes con guacamole de San Diego, eran los 80s!!!! El olor de la costa despues de 6 horas de viaje en carro, si aire acondicionado, el fresco de la noche en Cartagena, pescado frito con nada mas que limon, patacones!!!!!!!! Kola Roman o Premio (ya no lo venden?), los cuadernos nuevos el primer dia de colegio, los prismacolors con las puntas irremediablemente quebradas, los borradores rompehojas, mis primeras cosas de Sanrio en los 70s, con Little Twin Stars y My Melody, colecciones de calcomanias, plaza sesamo con Abelardo, los que no podian botar la basura en la caneca, el waltz del minuto y el conde contar, no con Big Bird, Elmo y Co. , mi primera "mejor amiga" en la que todavia pienso hoy, los papas perfectos que le iban a durar a uno toda la vida...la niñez.

Joonas, acumulando los propios recuerdos. Verano, 2010, Purtse, Ida Virumaa, Estonia.

Many more suns

2010-07-03T01:23:00.006+03:00

Joonas at Kristi's too self concious already to allow a natural capture

Juulia at Kristi's unaware of the camera, concentrating

Joonas, Juulia, Jaan last Sunday

30-32 degrees in here. We are enjoying another Summer with J. while others are never to be seen again. I have a sore throat from last week despite the temperatures. No interesting events other than having a full house with 3 kids at home permanently for the next 2 months. We have survived 6 weeks, done everything possible at our reach, including dentist visits, baking, gardening, hiking and sleeping far too long and counting...

A must read

2010-06-11T01:02:00.006+03:00

"Everything was better back when everything was worse" We miss Spain.

-Parque Juan Carlos, Madrid. Juulia y Jaan-

Simple. Simply one of the best and quickest way around in any occasion:

strawberry-ricotta-graham-tartlets

The past weeks have been characterized by inefficiency. Lost files and pictures from computers, flash drives and external memories, ALL to be exact. The end of the semester with a balance of zero savings, unsuccessfully trying to sell the car (again! We're stuck with it!), not a word from the university regarding the doctorate, very few contacts with friends and family, and no donor for J.

E. is growing with all the pains it implies for the both of us. He has a teen mind with the drives and pretense of adulthood. I also have 3 months of imposed communion with the 3 children; Too many complications ahead...and a pretty video to share:

Con varios proyectos en mente

2010-04-20T18:46:00.003+03:00

Para pasar las muchisimas horas de los muchisimos dias de la hospitalizacion de J. que comenzo hoy con el segundo ciclo de FLAG-Ida. Con ganas de sopa de esparragos VERDES, de hacer una quilt para colgar en la sala de Chabliss (Cafe, verde azul y blanca con motivos algo zakka), y si alcanzo escribir una propuesta sobre el control del internet y la propiedad intelectual, el digitalismo y el capitalismo aplicado al mercado del conocimiento...un poquito de todo y mas de lo mismo.

Update

2010-03-02T10:54:00.002+02:00

Failed first round of Chemio. Trying a new protocol starting today. If we do not hope then what else? One month and a week from diagnosis we are all the same preoccupied. The children are fine. The winter should be soon coming to an end with loads of melting snow. It has been a weird time. Recalling the previous months is almost surrealistic. We went through Christmas almost without noticing it, and it is already March! No other plans in view to discuss and most happenings around us seem so irrelevant that an interesting post will have to wait. Love and good health to all!

Time to reorganize, reschedule, review and reset

2010-01-24T10:36:00.005+02:00

We will be busy and engaged with difficult projects. There will be little time to blog. These sort of journals contain so many cherished memories, that I hope they will be up here forever. The children will read the story of their family, have an insight on everyday details, follow the images of the family life and events that otherwise fade away and nobody remembers. I look around as if I was being given the opportunity to revisit my past, like if my life was already a memory. Everything changes. Changes are supposed to be good and promote growth but my life as it is is fantastic, beautiful, harmonious and priviledged. I have a very good partner, and I want him to grow old together with me. Again, we will be busy trying to maintain this.

Record winter

2010-01-12T13:49:00.006+02:00

Snowy, white, cold, very beautiful! All the pictures were taken close to our house by the sea bank of Tabasalu. The images here do not reflect even a bit of these amazing views because we used Juulia's small digital camera during our improvised brisk walk. A sunny day of the very few that we have during the Estonian winter. Everybody was out at the parks, forest, skiing...The ideal nordic season.

Looking forward to dine out today

2009-12-29T12:01:00.005+02:00

I am already visualizing an oversized glass of any non home made drink, as different as it can be possible from the gingerbread and spicy wine spectrum, and loaded with ice. I will, for the first time, greatly appreciate the ice on the drink.
A late best wishes message from the sick, completely overloaded with Christmas produce and flavours lady of the house and Co. Seasonal greetings for all!!!!!!
This year we did not manage to get anything ready on time, but still thought about all our friends and relatives with affection and nostalgia. Please, make of 2010 the year of your visit to Estonia.
We will go to Lido (The Latvian export restaurant) this evening to give the kitchen, the cook and all of our stomachs a break!

Yes, because we have mostly bad pictures. Here featuring Kyoko, Joonas and Emil before they went to sledge last weekend.

Few complaints, no offense intended

2009-12-10T09:50:00.005+02:00

J. changes the settings of the computer everytime he uses it; mutes its volume invariably despite repeated requests to resist temptation; erases icons that I often use and deletes shortcuts I need. In the car, he moves the mirrors, pushes the sit back and low, heats, and the worst: modifies the memory of the radio making it for me impossible to locate my favorite station again (the only one I appreciate in this country). Note that he uses my car only to fill the fuel tank. I will have (for the peace) to give up trying to show him the reasonability of my petitions to leave everything as is, but it will also mean that I must budget a considerable time waste for the rearrengement of my preferences at least once per week. He takes strange pictures. This year, Joonas saw Santa for the first time and J.´s caption of the experience did not show either Joonas or Santa Claus in full. They are both parted from eachother already, faces unrecognizable...Luckily someone else (I am sure it was not J.) made another photo...The failed pic is is our other blog.

Taken in the International Women Association Christmas Bazaar, where Emil and I were helping with the selling of "pre-owned" books

Almost done with 2009

2009-11-27T23:33:00.003+02:00

Lately working and sometimes, just sometimes hand crafting for the holidays. This Sunday, coinciding with the first advent, Monica Elejalde' s birthday and the opening of the Christmas Market of Old Town Tallinn, is the International Women Association Charity Bazaar in which Emil and I will be volunteering. In addition I made this advent calendar in felt for sale at the hand made stand. Only one because it takes many days to finish and mount it so to make any profit with it the cost gets too high...hoping it will sell... On the 2nd change of boiler -it broke for the third time this year- Hey! It is December, the big spending month, on the 7th candle's day, and from then on countless meetings, parties and celebrations.

De las ultimas dos semanas

2009-11-10T10:13:00.006+02:00

Con Joonas, caminando en Paldisky, una ciudad a 30 kilometros de Tallinn donde hubo industria militar y asentamiento de submarinos durante la ocupacion Sovietica y ahora no hay sino ruinas y estos acantilados

Emil al borde del mismo acantilado

Con Jaan

Lo que queda del Paldisky de la USSR, solo en imagenes

La primera nevada del ano. El primero o 2 de Noviembre. Desde la ventana de la cocina, el jardin de atras.

Not the very same version

2009-11-02T21:35:00.006+02:00

I cant get enough of Edith Piaff. What about this one??

Classical design I like to use

2009-10-28T12:37:00.003+02:00

On a trench coat, dark blue, I wish it size 8 eventhough unrealistic...

Original design I want to use

2009-10-26T11:36:00.002+02:00

By Kim Yong-jim

I am completely into bikes

2009-10-01T10:35:00.003+03:00

Y me quiero ir a vivir a Copenhage. El reino de Dinamarca es un pais excepcional. Liberal, tolerante, limpio, su poblacion irreverente pero educada, escepticos con razon; no por sabotear irreflexivamente cualquier idea ni para declararse opositores perpetuos, esta razonablemente conectado con el resto del mundo y su ambiente es especialmente seguro para los ninos que pueden crecer y desarrollar cualquier talento por frivolo e innecesario que parezca y convertirlo en un arte. Los daneses viven y disfrutan de sus libertades! Son activamente libertarios y paradojicamente monarquicos. Una combinacion de dignidad y respeto ideal.
Tambien comparto la estetica del pais, y la preferencia por el trafico economico, ecologico, sano y SILENCIOSO: ZAPATOS BLANCOS CON MEDIAS NEGRAS! Son etapas por las que todos pasamos...

The Danish Poet (Norwegian-Canadian Animation, Nordic in any case!)

Nonsense

2009-09-30T22:49:00.007+03:00

My statement today will be sweeping and simple: playlist has ruined its policies. I am moving to hypster where listening to music is NOT YET costly like it became the past year in last.fm, or restricted for unknown, misunderstood or fanatically applied copyright regulations...Playlist will be deserted soon. Could extend interminably on the issue of legitimacy of the laws and the benefits of applying common sense before executing intrusive-biased-disturbing regulations. -Do not get me wrong, I believe in the need for protection of all kinds of intellectual property but also in a balance where we all admit the importance of the fair use doctrine-. But I advanced that today my comment will remain sweeping and simple. No need to convince anyone. Annoyed at the obstacles that states impose to development...
The time for tea and cozy woolen socks has arrived. Now we are thinking on how to cellebrate Christmas with karolain and JF. We do not yet know where...

I wish I could paint this well (here):

And finish projects like this (Zara Home):

With few ideas in mind, though. Juulia is also learning handwork at school. Posts on her creations will necessarily follow!

Behind the scenes

2009-09-08T10:00:00.005+03:00

We have been furiously laborious, devoted, industrious and productive. Experiencing the new academic year, schools, routines, bus schedules, commuting arrangements, courses to lecture, and a baby cat has occupied all of our efforts lately. Nothing of it is visible. No photos this time.
Our pledge: as much as this family might grow to love the new pet, the cat will NEVER be the focus of this blog and her pictures shall not turn into the bore of all friends and relatives. A promise easy to keep while our camera batteries continue to be empty! But really, do not animal owners realize that every pet is the cutest only to them, and probably none is so innovative and smart because in fact most do the very same tricks time and time and again?
Why to patronize pet clothes manufacturers?
Why to purchase pet insurances?
Why to designate pet heirs?
Why to bother and spend on pet beauty salons?
Why to waste time arranging for pet psychiatrists?
Why on earth to sponsor charlatans such as pet psychics?
This is not a popular post, is it? But somebody has to dissent from the massive charade that sometimes turns life into absurdity. In a world afflicted with poverty, social injustice, marginalization, security problems and environmental abuse, every unjustified allocation of resources such as purchasing a diamond necklace to a dog or for what it matters any piece of clothing, just as much as taking a trip to outerspace "just for fun" is an insult to the human kind. Are not 20 million dollars too much to pay for a spacecraft ride? Has the person who spends on it already done everything else possible with the cash? I can come up INSTANTLY with innumerable great ideas. Part of it could be put into very good use, for example, improving the inadequate satination situation in countries where children die massively in need of water and other basic resources, helping few families to pay their morgages, sponsoring medical treatment to those who cannot afford it, etc...
It seems difficult to enjoy the pet craze and compulsive attention to animals that some display. Excessive self indulgence defies good taste as well. I tend to prefer people who are good and generous to other people(and other beings) than those animal lovers ill suited to relate to anybody else...
Restatement: Pets need vaccination, care and affection. That is all. No less, no more. less is neglect; more is foolishness.

El proyecto del verano esta casi listo

2009-08-28T19:56:00.003+03:00

Blogging does?/does not? ruin friendships

2009-08-27T10:29:00.007+03:00

Like this article affirms about FACEBOOK (How the title concerns the content of the text with precision? I have no idea but it is a good pitch for Facebook users to "dig" on it). As an occasional user of both channels I must admit discomfort and regret when I post too specific account of our activities or clearly irrelevant facts about life-our life. Who should care? Those who do would get to know it anyway...I understand the posture of the author very well. Sometimes I am compelled to feel the same (very, very bored, specially about the silly quizzes people compulsively take and even sillier results that strangely enough they volunteer to disclose!!!!). One should also appreciate the possibilities that this social networking offers. Mixed feelings: One can be creative, save time (no mass-emailing-impolite- but publishing-impersonal yet acceptable-), inform and get informed, have the option of a contact, etc. Anyone can also become annoying, silly, boring repetitive, a nuisance of www proportions! My limit: Never harass others to the point of urging to Twitter. MySpace is too much for certain ages and lifestyle. Who has the time to "secondlife" and "firstlife" efficiently?

By Elizabeth Bernstein in the Wall Street Journal Online:

" Notice to my friends: I love you all dearly. But I don't give a hoot that you are "having a busy Monday," your child "took 30 minutes to brush his teeth," your dog "just ate an ant trap" or you want to "save the piglets." And I really, really don't care which Addams Family member you most resemble. (I could have told you the answer before you took the quiz on Facebook.)..."

I keep this cartoon in mind

We can´t blog so often

2009-08-23T01:17:00.003+03:00

I am knitting 2 new projects, reading a dummie´s book on crocheting, finishing "Asta´s book," preparing the house, the wardrobes and supplies for the children to begin school in one week, catering for the family of 5 full-time, and supervising the construction of our new sauna.
J. is all about the building of our back deck (terrace); back to work on Monday.
E, J.A. and J.J. are too busy enjoying their last days of Summer holidays. Tomorrow E. has a get together with the Reaalkool group that will form for newcomers to 7th grade.
I would love to visit Yvonne before the end of the season.
We missed to contact so many people this Summer, but next year we can already organize terrace parties.
Sara should come and stay few days. How nice it would be to see her after 10 years.
Not hearing anything from Josefina disconcerts me. Are you around? Last thing I heard you were moving from UAE to Algeria...I think of you and your life with 3 toddlers...I miss our life in Washington. We were so young, so happy. We are still happy, are not we?

Returning soon! Documenting also.

Why J. takes this sort of pictures????

2009-08-18T15:51:00.006+03:00

J. used to surprise me with them long ago, now I get deeply confused when out of 300 photos taken during our family outings 275 are moved, blurry -in the digital age- or simply like the few below: weird. Maybe the interest on the images resides in their very senselessness?

1. Anytown anywhere?
2. !!!???!!!
3. Whose head is this? Who was supposed to be the main character on the picture?
4. The wrong family. Unidentifiable people that we have never-ever seen in our lives, not even during the capture!

A more constructive annotation, from TED(www.ted.com):

Friends are leaving

2009-08-17T10:47:00.005+03:00

This time to Brussels. Foreign service. Some friends are also returning from Kiev, after 7 years abroad. This is why I am not that sad, and in any case we have the plan to visit them before next Summer. It is very hard to move around the world with children and forget about home, projects, routines and expectations. It is specially difficult to neglect one´s career. The life of a diplomat´s family is no paradise as it might seem.

My grandmother left her hometown Ovejas, Colombia (below, left) in 1941(?), for entirely different reasons. They made their home in Medellin, Colombia (below, right. The house in the city and a country house they visited sometimes). I think she never overcame loosing her sense of belonging despite the many gains. I can very well relate to that!

Ex-libris, again

2009-08-12T23:53:00.004+03:00

I love al of these, in no particular order. Mine should include blue, a monogram of some sort, sea life connotations, and silluetes no matter how complicated combining all of it might seem.

Mas ocupada que nunca

2009-08-12T22:48:00.001+03:00

Por las vacaciones de la familia entera y la cantidad de cosas por hacer de este verano. Ha hecho sol por semanas y hemos aprovechado cada momento posible afuera de la casa, cocinamos afuera, comemos afuera, hasta dormimos afuera o con las puertas y ventanas de par en par. En una semana y media cuando volvamos a las rutinas nos ponemos al dia en forma. Como no estoy por el computador con tanta frecuencia, son pocas las paginas que he visitado, pero entre esas vi lo siguiente:

-De poco impacto grafico pero idiomaticamente atractivo, convincente. Nada de que "la margarina para la mesa y para la cocina a todos nos gusta mas..."Algo parecido podrian pensar los que se encargan de los anuncios de jabones y detergentes:

-Una idea simple, una solucion perfecta para un problema de todos los que leemos paperbacks de 500 paginas y apenas logramos mantenerlos abiertos sin despedazarlos:

imagen: "ya no quedan blogs"

-Claro. Lo visual no deja ninguna duda. La web que comercializa esta tiene muchas mas por el estilo o en todo caso originales:

www.threadless.com

- Un capricho de siempre: Un cameo griego. Azulado. Broche.

Revisiting Naantali

2009-07-24T22:16:00.001+03:00

Naantali is located in the Southwest of Finland:

This coming week. Just 3 days, Moominworld, Salo, and the Summer markets of Helsinki in the way back home. We look very much forward to it, specially Emil who will stay on his very own for the most part, for the first time. Now, the days before that trip it is the time to collect the blackcurrants and the cherries of our garden.

A movie to watch one more time

2009-07-20T19:24:00.001+03:00

The Piano and its great theme song. Among our favourites of both genres. This is a good sample of its photography:

Books by my bedside (no night stand):

-White Teeth by Zadie Smith. Funny, entertaining and very good to improve my rusty English. I have read up to page 77 so far.
-The Pirates of the Digital Millennium by John Gantz and Jack B. Rochester: An avalanche or arguments to support mine, yes, or argument against. Anyway, convincing. Second review, page 46.
-Jerusalem by Selma Lagerlof: Essential guide to the understanding of silent, ceremonial, Nordic cultures. I loved it, it has been compared by my closest friend -J- with Tammsaare, just on the lighter side. Finished my solo and in page 30th of our shared reading experience.
-Elizabeth by Anne Somerset. As much as biographies can be enjoyed if too sympathetic they can`t persuade the reader. I am in page 620, very near its end.
-Del Amor y Otros Demonios "Of Love and Other Demons" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Found by chance while unpacking the remaining boxes from Madrid yesterday morning and only 10 pages are left for me to enjoy tonight. Fantastic, literally.

Mao, la historia desconocida by Jung Chang awaits still, "next in line" from Summer2008!

El graffiti aveces es arte. AVECES

2009-07-20T11:56:00.000+03:00

"Tras las Huellas de banski"

Como estos entre muchos otros que el enigmatico Banski deja por ahí. Sobre el se puede leer esto, o ver estas imagenes.

Osmusaar

2009-07-14T10:40:00.000+03:00

Con antojo de esparragos verdes

2009-07-09T23:23:00.000+03:00

Pero incapaz de comprarlos en Tallinn por 9 EUR la media libra! En ocasiones como esta se me antoja estar en Espana...La paleta de crema sinembargo cuesta 10 centavos de EUR... Compramos una caja de 36 para los ninos, claro esta.

The Lost Tribes of New York City from Carolyn London on Vimeo.
Al mejor estilo de Aardman; Creature Comforts

Wishlist, an update.

2009-07-08T15:07:00.000+03:00

I look forward to unfamiliar/original/genuine lines of reassurance and confort, inspiration, enlightment, the upcoming short vacation we will have in Finland, the begining of a sucessful academic year, healthy, kind and loving adolescents (compatible if they really try hard!), the wooden terrace J. has been planning to build, visits from family, relatives and friends, and spare cash to visit home asap. I know I can´t ever own a katsushita Hokusai painting but can get an iMac if I just wait a while longer. I have given up the idea of living in a huge hacienda or a Medieval castle (for practical reasons, mainly but not only) but still ponder over the possibilities to find a suitable manor house, better yet if with a patio in the middle.

Katsushita Hokusai

Donegal castle. Ireland.

Palmse Manor House, Estonia

Ahhh, and I would love to find Persepolis, the movie in Spanish!

VERY HAPPY

2009-07-03T16:07:00.001+03:00

I just received a call from someone I was looking forward to contact for a long time! I have not seen Laura Cordoba in 17 or 18 years approximately and still talking to this old friend made my day. She is in Norway, well, satisfied with her life and very successful. I will put my energy now that we are in touch in convincing her to come and visit me in Estonia! I hope I do not have to wait that long this time!

Whatever happens this weekend

2009-07-03T13:28:00.000+03:00

Raining or shining, the Estonian song festival will take place, and this family will attend.

Picture taken by OLIW: http://www.flickr.com/photos/oliver1/685995331/

This is a picture of the choir that performed in 2007. This year, the general festival is held and during two consecutive days thousands of Estonians sing and dance in traditional dresses. It is difficult to calculate how many people are singing in here at the time, 30.000, maybe?

Mas de lo mismo

2009-07-01T14:28:00.000+03:00

Afiches de propaganda política sovietica y fotos de contraste
(Free copyright)

Solo hace falta que la imagen tenga otra cara. La egolatría, el populismo, la tiranía, la paranoia, lo rojo y las masas que ignorantes o hipócritas celebran a esta personalidad parecen las mismas...También la pose de amigarse con lideres del mismo tipo o en todo caso que estén "en contra".

Restatement

2009-07-01T12:46:00.001+03:00

What to do with an old laptop? How to reuse it or recycle it in a crafty way? I still keep it somewhere handy just in case a good idea comes by.
I wish I could revive it at all for the kids to be resourceful with it, actually the best scenario would be that Emil figured something like this, or this and turn the device into a running equipment.

These pictures are the remainings of the legacy of a socialist, popular, devastating revolution, followed by the occupation by the Soviets to Eastern European countries. Most are still trying to rebuild and repair the damages after 50 years of "everything belonging to everybody," or rather to NONE, so why to care? The heroes of many Latin American current leaders (or so they say) turned a dozen of countries into trash receptacles (just to mention the most visible, almost trivial part of the tragedy of a totalitarian socialist regime). Is that what the population of Latin America is really looking forward to experience? We would be much better with the Socialist propaganda off these outdated politicians´ repertoire for good.

Below: A typical Soviet poster and few images of an apartment building in the Easternmost part of Estonia, very near to the Russian border, occupied mainly by labourers living just as they have been used to even before coming into this country (Soviet colonization policies). The building is not abandoned and it is in the very centre of the a town. Mostly Russian families/ordinary people live in!

Detalles

2009-06-30T11:31:00.000+03:00

El fin de semana lo pasamos en Ida Virumaa, ayudando a Kersti con el jardín de la finca(Nada que ver u oír desde que radios y televisión por todo el mundo rinden interminables tributos a Michael Jackson). En verano Estonia parece el país mas lindo del mundo. Todo se ve y huele bien. Esta semana contrasta estruendosamente con el invierno: +29 grados centígrados a la sombra!

En mi casa, una planta que creíamos muerta de repente floreció y esta así hace 2 semanas!

Emil y Juulia, cada uno en los suyo. Purtse, finca de Kersti, Ida Virumaa, Estonia.

Las plantas se tomaron el patio de la finca!

Detalles: Flores silvestres, malezas y cebollas!

Que encarte para los que decidieron en Honduras manifestarse en contra del coletazo del huracán populista que cree liderar Hugo. Lo correcto por parte de otros países es rechazar la violencia, lo esperado, que la mayoría del pueblo Hondureño se pronuncie a favor de lo que creen que les conviene, pero que es lo que puede pasar? Restaurar el gobierno para que el circo Latinoamericano continué su esperpentica marcha quasi- socialista y de paso encarcelar a unos cuantos "valientes" (tolerando intervencionismo venezolano a la criolla, y perpetuándolo, claro esta!), o legitimar la violencia de un golpe de estado militar? La vía mas eficiente era la de educar a la población, para que nunca, nunca, se crea los cuentos de estos caudillos contemporáneos a expensas del progreso...ERA. Ya paso la hora y Latinoamerica esta en la situación mas precaria que yo pueda recordar. Ahora si que después de quejarse del imperialismo y el colonialismo ya no nos manipulan ni nos explotan los países mas grandes, mas desarrollados, mas fortalecidos, seria impensable desde el punto de vista del derecho internacional vigente, sino que nos manipulamos y nos explotamos entre nosotros mismos, sobretodo por que que diablos le importa a Hugo, o a cualquiera de sus secuaces el sistema jurídico internacional? Ellos si se dan el lujo de acabar con el continente de todas las formas imaginables y todos indolentes lo vamos dejando pasar.

Pulmon libre, buceo, snorkel, clavados...

2009-06-24T10:10:00.001+03:00

Antiguo y clasico:

Caricaturizado(anime), ilustrado y ridiculo:

Mi interes:

El de Juulia:

Modern art

2009-06-16T16:55:00.001+03:00

I am so terribly outdated! It took me a couple of months of devotion to things other than the Internet not to get it anymore. I do not even recognize the cozy old blogs I used to frequent. Everything happens too fast in this environment. I was annoyed to realize that last.fm is not free anylonger. I enjoyed the proyect but consistently will say no to limitations of any kind imposed in the www. This is an environment to put information at everybody´s feet, not the other way around. For MODERN ART please click the post!
Will I ever catch up?

Shared via AddThis

Graffiti

2009-06-16T10:13:00.000+03:00

Pique made simple aka "pico de gallo!?"

2009-06-15T17:50:00.000+03:00

This is the simplest salad one can prepare with great results does not matter the proportions used. Here in European cuisine cilantro (coriander) is not very common, I had a very hard time finding it fresh in Tallinn, imported all the way from Italy! Although it should be available in every shop, for it is an "Europeanized" herb, it is seldom so (originally from Asia, but very common in medieval cuisine since it grows wild in the southern part of the continent centuries ago). Our attempt to cultivate it at home also failed. One little bag of seeds that fill good four square meters of year round bush of cilantro in Medellin, miserably failed to even germinate this Spring. Cilantro leaves are anxyolitic and can also be used as a digestive help.

In the Americas (South, Central and North America) cilantro is used the most. It can also be found in a number of delicious Asian dishes, but the Mexicans are the sef appointed ambassadors of the product. A tortilla without pique (Col.) is not a real tortilla. Their restaurants have defnitively popularized the product. Because this family is passionate about CILANTRO, tonight I will garnish our dinner with Pico de Gallo.

Ingredients: Onion, Cilantro (fresh and only fresh), tomatoes (pear tomatoes, the riper the better), lime juice, any sort of peper (we prefer a simple paprika for it), garlic and salt to taste.

Method: Chop it all, mix it well, and let it sit for 15 minutes.

Pic-nic en Jagala Joa.

2009-06-15T14:56:00.000+03:00

Con Yvonne y los hijos de Katrin, para que Kristian y Emil se conocieran ahora que van a comenzar juntos en el Reaalkool.

A carpenter´s workshop

2009-06-11T10:09:00.000+03:00

This was such a nice old house that I wished I lived in Colombia to purchase one of the many run down/forgotten ones in a small town to remodel it just the way I want (and to participate in FAJARDO´s presidential campaign ). A carpenter´s workshop in an edifice of a quarter of a block in El Retiro, Antioquia. I imagine the wonderful patio it is built around and regret that I cannot have a patio of the sort in the middle of my house in Estonia. This is just not a colonial country.

This picture does not do this house any justice :(. I want a patio, a COLONIAL patio anyway:

It is late to comment on EUROVISION, but these songs were fantastic!

2009-05-22T11:15:00.000+03:00

For the first time I see anything of worth in this silly contest.
1. The Russian efforts in putting up the greatest show ever succeeded
2. Estonia, Russia and Sweden had really good songs
3. How being cute (Is he really so cute? His looks seem rather average to me) awarded the Norwegian singer the first place?
4. Why Azerbaijan, Albania and Turkey could collect so many supporters? Their presentations were terrible ad the songs amateurish, boring, the worst of the bunch!
5. Patricia Kass was GOOD! and deserved a better place in the finals
4. Which country other than Norway could afford at this point to host an EUROVISION contest anyway?
I hope the next year the quality of the music will continue improving and the policy of patriotism is replaced by one that can take merits into account!

Please, listen to these nice melodies: The melancholic Estonian character manifest in one and the Intensity of any Slavic nation in the other. The last is the song that represented France by Patricia Kass.

El Retiro, Antioquia, Colombia

2009-04-17T22:36:00.000+03:00

This is still a very conservative small town (blue everything, not a touch of red on the houses of this streets). At 20 minutes from Medellin, serving some of the very typical grilled meats of the area, plus strawberries and cream, waffles filled with toffe (better than the dutch toffe waffles sold in Starbucks for 3 EUR for sure!, but at a reasonable cost of 10 cents of EUR with all added) and blackberry jam, and fresh lemonade, mixed with the peels and all, sweet and sour. I love this place!

From Medellin, for a while longer

2009-04-12T17:33:00.000+03:00

The yellow dress in the Yellow Patio,
Palm flowers: It's the Season!
At grandfather's pool: the joy of Spring
Juulia and the little flower of flowers
Joonas rests watching Discovery Kids in Spanish: "Mr. Maker"

Mas pulpitos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-12T16:14:00.000+03:00

Los pulpos son menos lindos en realidad de lo que aparecen cuando representados grafica o esculturalmente. Me gustan! Como los que ya publicamos en esta entrada hace muchos meses. O esta otra, hace muchos mas. Las vacas son hermosas SIEMPRE. Azules (como la de Annecy, Francia), o en la Avenida de las Vegas, pleno Valle de Aburra -all the same-.

He pedido permisos para el uso de todas estas imagenes, pero hace tanto que perdi el registro de fuentes. Vale decir que ninguna de las de pulpos es mia? Las vacas si!

There is always WIKIPEDIA

2009-03-10T17:48:00.001+02:00

Rhymes with the Orange 08.02.2004

If an entry proposes no reasonable amount of novelty should I still post it? I never know.
The song MY WAY (Frank Sinatra, his staple theme, sung the first time in 1969) has been released at least 85 more times by different other interpreters. It is in your best interest that I recommend you to ignore CALAMARO´S version. He made a mistake on this one that he has to live up to for the rest of his natural life, and beyond. I still fancy his music greaty!
Concerning MY WAY I would stick with Sinatra, and welcome the remake by Robbie Williams. At the touch of admiration, everything this man does seems fine. To me.

Venezuelans might not be realizing that if their president is (or is made) so mighty and powerful to give to "the people" everything they ask and need, he also holds that power to take it all away at will. Arbirariness does not provide other incentive than caution. In time, caution turns into suspicion and fear where the authority acts unpredictably-randomly, based on mood or whim. A society does not develop healthily if what binds it together is so precarious. How can these people be walking the way to misfortune and stagnation that other countries have utterly regretted, and why they do it so cheerfully?

Los blogeros con identidad

2009-03-05T11:58:00.001+02:00

Estos si son devotos de sus ideas, consistentes con la tematica que exponen y coherentes. Por eso los leo. Son pensadores en serie, no toderos complacientes y temperamentales como debe ser mi caso.
Me la paso leyendo-divagando-preparando las clases de derecho comparado. Y lo que leo como me inquieta me saca de contexto -inevitablemente-. Comienzo trabajando un concepto juridico cualquiera y casi siempre termino enterandome de los avances en tecnologia digital o comentando blogs de artistas graficos. Parece que casi todo lo que me interesa me conduce inevitablemente hasta alli. Lo que queria sugerir, sinembargo, es que hay tanto en que pensar y tantas posibilidades de expansion intelectual que elegir un solo tema "tiene que ser" una limitante forzada. A mis casi 40 "de todo un poquito" sigue siendo el penoso lema, pero como se abarca el "todo"? O peor aun, como se elige entre tantas opciones la insignificancia de una sola? Lo cierto es que los web logs de mas popularidad son los mas consistentes los que demuestran la mayor continuidad tematica. Como es que hay gente tan comprometida?
Este me gusta mucho, por que su autor razona escrupulosamente, no hace comentarios falaces. El tema que lo ocupa es el de la informacion, tambien el de la tecnologia que la transmite. Este es uno de los weblogs mas populares en nuestro idioma y lo consulto a menudo por que ademas tiene enlaces pertinentes sobre asuntos que estudio y enseno: propiedad intelectual, la legitimidad politica y juridica, etc. Alude a temas de la actualidad politica Espanola, es un ciudadano conocido y reconocido por sus credenciales profesionales y academicas: Enrique Dans

Completely tired

2009-03-04T10:11:00.001+02:00

Another webcomic by xkcd

Of having to register and login everywhere. I ran a check around forums, news and blogs on the absurdity (annoyance, ok) to waste half or more of the time one spends online accessing the privilege of merely accessing. Reaching most times "somewhere" foggy, banal, disorganized and terribly busy with adds and instructions only to realize that you no longer remember what you needed in the first place, but you can still be sure it is not there. It gets even more disturbing when after a while you decide to capitalize the investment (time, energy, information) using the product these cybercommunities offer and you can´t recall the data you used; with the login names or passwords forgotten, you will inadvertedly get engaged in the same obnoxious processes.
I found nothing on the issue. I surely missed to register somewhere...

It should be the turn of an entry in Spanish, BUT,

2009-02-25T12:31:00.000+02:00

This is a post on ESTONIA. Yesterday was the 91th anniversary of its independence and the traditional Presidential cellebration took place in Jõvi. An otherwise remote (or rather removed from the public interest, because it is really close, as any Estonian would say: "Our country is so small that everything is nearby") location that draws no attention or interest from the rest of the country in an area that is associated fairly or not, with the times of ocupation and the decadence that followed the events of 1991.
Jõhvi, however was a clever choice from the President. Estonia is every single part of it, and the State, which is all of the population represented by the mandataries in charge, must reach out to maintain the connection with its people. I want to see my own President hosting traditional celebrations like this in different towns every year, moving some of the ministries to cities in need of revitalization and development, recognizing local leaders from every small town of the country.
"Estonia is so small that everything is nearby," becomes an advantage for its government to be effective and respected. The speech delivered by Toomas Hendrik Ilves was convincing, realistic and pedagogical. A presidential speech unique that did not bore anybody! I wish I was the first making a public note on it. It emphasized the need for solidarity, a quality that is rare to find in this part of the word. I liked the assessment, the tone, the emphasis, the place and I am sure it will be the talk of town for long.

Another example to follow from this country is its love and respect for nature; This website provides an insight of the woods and wild animals inhabiting it. What a fantastic idea to provide this window to the world into any country. Once again, I want to see someone coming up with the same initiative in Colombia so the word, and we have finally access to the beauty of our gifted land! The site has links to 4 different cameras with direct stream into the forest, for birth watching and into the nest of an owl, plus a fantastic collection of pictures of landscapes by different contributors. Enjoy Estonia from afar!

This image by Arne Ader is specially nice because even though I am not very fond of birds (I probably have a phobia by association. Sara Farine fears them irrationally and she´s been my very good friend more than 20 years now), this looks like a drawing by my favourite illustrator of all: Lisbeth Zwerger

Source and author: Arne Ader

I am developing a passion for Belgian Orangettes

2009-02-19T09:26:00.000+02:00

This picture was taken and belongs to gatogrunch who also has other great photographs in his flickr account.

And growing intolerance for injustice, specially if derived from negligence, because of "not getting it," not bothering to learn and advance, the self imposed incapacity to discern.
An unidentified official of an border control agency from a not so distant country evaluated my application of a transit visa and decided that I was not persuasive enough to convince him/her on my "capacity (financial?) or intentions to leave that country in less than 48 hours." I have -like one million- arguments to prove the person wrong, based on data PROVIDED and readily AVAILABLE. This profusion is what demonstrates his/her inability to think manifest in the reasoning accompanying the refusal notice, or something else: an unjustified dismissal of all the information available about my request. This person's claims are so notoriously faulty that I am compelled to think nationality was the factor that REALLY attracted attention. Being Colombian has obliged me to invest great portion of my vital energy demythifying whatever people think that comes "in package." tiresome.

Now, for certain, my capacity -the financial one- is disturbed by the wasted air plane tickets (from Tallinn to Miami, a gross amount of money has been thrown to the bin). The Border control agency of that country advises in its Website not to make definitive arrangements for the trip before having the visa but this is another disconcerting line among the many others:

1. If you cannot demonstrate you will leave the country within 48 hours you shall be presumed to intend to stay +
2. Therefore, it is your burden to show convincing proof of your intention to leave within 48 hours after arrival. The standard document (papers. print outs without any juridical value) are itineraries or any sort of booking arrangements +
3. Between the booking of tickets and the submission of the application to the Embassy can and will pass weeks +
4. Any experienced traveller knows that booking tickets can be done in 5 minutes over the Internet, but keeping the booking requires very fast if not immediate payment +
5. Either you pay so your booking is convincing, serious, real or you do not and it would be cancelled, which in turn will make your application false, because the "proof" of intention will not be valid.

Phoney recommendation. Is there any real guideline applicable or followed by border control agents other than the legitimized gut feeling?

Stereotypes strip people off their uniqueness. How can ANY one characteristic, say nationality in this case, could comprehensively define a person or determine someone's life? I find this thought unappealing and uncomfortable.
My children, however, are being taught to bond closely with the ethereal thought of being and behaving nationals of their homeland. It poses to me a difficult dilemma to resolve: should I counterbalance the teachings of standardization or let their individuality dilute on behalf of appreciation for their cultural heritage?
The rising wave of nationalism is puzzling to me. How this notion could possibly contribute to a better world? In very practical terms, I have more pressing and interesting things to do than trying to match my attitude with the definition of being Colombian or anything else so far removed from what matters to my daily life. I prefer to go to cinema (watched Vicky-Cristina-Barcelona, another fantastic film by Woody Allen), eat cinnamon rolls or anything else, really...ANYTHING else.

Even sheep are all different, please take a look at this illustrative project:

I am watching/liking this

2009-02-17T14:51:00.000+02:00

Bill Maher on DVD. He is hilarious to say the least. I am buying his stuff, did I tell already that I am about to embark in a real-life adventure? I will travel from Estonia to Colombia in about 6 weeks, it will take me about 40 hours and 4 different planes to reach the final destination, not to focus on the real sad issue: cost.
The prices to go from anywhere in the world to Colombia and from there continue being outrageous. It seems cheaper to go from Patagonia into deep Russia/the Siberian steppes. No reasoning can justify this foolishness. I can imagine profits. Colombians travel a lot! Specially those that live abroad and regularly visit! To revitalize the economy facilitating travelling could be a good social policy, starting from opening a ferry line between South America and Central America, FINALLY connecting Colombia and Panama. Commerce and tourism would flourish, no need to resort to extremes to earn a living in the border towns. Think Tallinn and Helsinki linked with several boat lines per day, 7 days a week for VERY inexpensive fares. Can it be possible that I am the only one sensing that with a bit of diligence few towns could come up with plenty of legitimate options for development and we, the Colombian abroad -ex pats-, could maintain a closer relationship with our country?

I also found this illustrative example of illiteracy. I wonder if he is proud to be a concious activist? No original source available, just a random picture from an unrelated website...

Retrospectiva. Cumpleaños de Emil.

2009-02-01T15:22:00.001+02:00

Torta de chocolate, por solicitud expresa, la sobrecargada de chocolate negro, con cubierta de cacao y naranja Lindt derretida en crema de leche (40%). Extremadamente calórica pero de sabor tan intenso que un trocito basta ( para quedarse enganchado!).

Marilis, Liisi, Arianna, JuuliaA., Linda y el festejado. A los 13 y ya rodeado...

El jardín, al día siguiente, cuando después de meses al fín disfrutamos de unas horas de sol.

To break the news, or not

2009-01-31T23:34:00.000+02:00

My child hopes and believes in anything he is told. He even trusts that there is no relevant unknown, for if there was his parents must have already mentioned it. He is capable of a confusing naivety so burdening that forces me to choose between letting him keep the wisdom of the heart or training him a more informed judge of events...a suspecting mind!
How could I explain that some things exist only in as much as he believes but most are just the way they are? That among many other sad stories his friends from Spain may no longer feel the loss he still does, and his trip to visit them might be cancelled for that very reason at the core of tens of obstacles and excuses?
I am unable so far to find the way.

The easiest cake I´ve prepared, and liked.

2009-01-29T22:55:00.000+02:00

http://www.scig.uniovi.es/dilbert.html

This is a recipe even I can remember! My friend suggested me to mix:

1. 18-25 finely chopped dates (I made it with 30, all the package. What is anybody supposed to do with 5 left over pieces?)
2. 1 cup of flour (I only had spelt and used it in the same quantity)
3. 3/4 cup of sugar (No need for that much -Reduced to 1/2, replaced it with brown sugar-)
4. Vanilla extract (a bit)
5. A cup of milk (soaked the dates on a cup of half and half for a couple of hours)
6. 3/4 cup of vegetable oil (for softness I added only half a cup plus 100 g. of melted butter)
7. 1 tsp of baking soda (Baking powder would work just fine, but the cake might harden faster. I knew it was not going to last so long as to even cool down),

Pour the mixture into a buttered pan or a silicon cake mould and bake it in a preheated oven (350 degrees) for about 40 minutes.

You will be bound to make it again and again (My friend did not warn me on that!).
Chopped walnuts can be also added, and for serving it whipped cream or any custard sauce would turn this simple cake into a luscious dessert.

Hoy es un dia cualquiera.

2009-01-28T10:24:00.000+02:00

" A ti, que desearias morirte en este instante, una cancion de amor..." Me gusto esa frase y la copie aqui para la concurrencia. La oi en MIA SARAH, pelicula espanola de Gustavo Ron, 2006. Siempre me han encantado las dedicatorias por que son muy dificiles de hacer y por lo mismo adquieren un contenido muy preciso-precioso. Las despedidas exigen la misma sinceridad pero en la dedicatoria esta el "dar" y en la despedida el "quitar" o retroceder, no se en que terminos explicarlo. Una despedida puede tener el significado definitivo del desapego...siempre me ha pasado que soy incapaz de comprometerme asi, definitivamente. He sentido que lo mejor es no decir nada. Irse y ya esta, sin que sea para tanto, sin aspavientos, para que encontrarse de nuevo no requiera protocolos aunque el rito de lo dramatico emocione tanto...
Anoche vimos Kill Bill 2 otra vez. Tarantino en puro, sin la originalidad de Pulp Fiction, ni tan buena musica. Por ver "Love, Honour and Obey" con Jude Law, "When will I be loved," con Neve Campbell "After Sex," y "Tape" con Uma Thurman entre muchas otras, menos conocidas/comerciales.

Lo que me espera desde el proximo lunes, por increible que parezca, en la universidad. Una clase llena de indolentes, mas que irreverentes, estudiantes. Irremediable.
La caricatura es reconocible, o no? Es una foto de una copia de Groening.

Why so few people want to travel to Colombia?

2009-01-26T14:13:00.000+02:00

We watched a documentary by the NZ TV on The Travel Channel; Intrepid Journeys, where a woman (I wont sponsor her struggle for popularity outside NZ)was reporting on her unusual and "unsettling" trip to Colombia. Much to my surprise, the camera showed very little more than her complaining self (too tired, too sleepy, too cold, too hot, too scared, too hungry, rather unaccustomed, etc.) and few mountains and water ways that could have been filmed in Borneo, Papua, Congo or Brazil just as well. Not a single time she showed a positive attitude about any of her experiences (Unlike most reporting travellers who politely refer to any of their destinations as a wonderful place regardless of any objective consideration), naturally forgetting to mention that those couple of weeks in that tropical context did not show more than 1% if too much, of what a country consists of in terms of geography, demographics, or culture -what really matters for viewers of channels of this sort. This woman had nothing to say about our unbelievably optimistic people, Colombian first class food, the country fabulous architectural worth, its music, biodiversity or else. She was barely impressed by the tallest palm trees in the world at the Cocora Valle. In short, we could simply not believe what we were listening to, her lack of insight, the misinformation that derived from her account of events. I can imagine though that people got to know her very well, she made sure of it. This is as much as the world knows of my country. No wonder why tourism is so rare.
Colombia has the marvels that every other country claims as their own, and it is so far unspoiled by massive tourist herds. Maybe that is why it is worth exploring.

Emil loves Colombian music...the modern approach:

La coleccion ideal

2009-01-23T16:28:00.000+02:00

Trajes tradicionales del mundo.

Ojala pudiera tener uno de cada uno y tambien donde exponerlo. La herencia cultural de cada pais tiene un valor permanente y una razon de ser cuando se aplica a lo que parece simplemente folclorico como un vestido de chapolera (Colombia). Alrededor del mundo estas manifestaciones son motivo de orgullo, los trajes tipicos son aceptados en el protocolo diplomatico para las recepciones de mas alto nivel, por ejemplo para las que tienen lugar en casas reales.
Por que entonces tan poco aprecio por lo tradicional y tal obsesion por lo que este de moda? Por que se discute-critica la eleccion de disenador que hizo Mrs. Obama, globalmente?
Asi comienza lo que algunos consideran noticia: "Michelle Obama, la ya Primera Dama de Estados Unidos de América, satisfizo las expectativas creadas en torno a la vestimenta que luciría en la primera jornada de los actos..." Y se extiende sin contenido intelectual alguno en lo que constituye un tratado complejo sobre un vestido que podria ser descrito en dos palabras: notablemente elegante. La publicacion, procedente de Republica Dominicana, segun "confiesan" sus editores, contiene pura filosofia de etiqueta de acondicionador para cabellos resecos y sin brillo: como quien dice, basura. Yo quise comentar (es una publicacion digital), pero el URL especificamente me reprime con el siguiente aviso: "debe estar LOGUEADO para poder escribir comentarios" y como no tengo idea de como adquirir el susodicho estado de logueamiento, signifique lo que signfique, no voy a poder opinar en ese medio.
Michelle es muy elegante, y en todo caso que se vista como quiera, en los tiempos de reestructuracion economica globar y crisis financiera este tipo de temas no tienen ninguna importancia.

Aqui en orden:
Estonia (Muhu), Corea, Japon, Samis, Bolivia, Colombia/Panama, Tuaregs (Mali), Tuaregs (Marruecos), Argentina (Gauchos).

A thought spilled out of my mind. Because I am nobody I can say. The irony of not holding political power is that actually, I might.

2009-01-22T12:17:00.000+02:00

After reading an article from the International Affairs Journal of this month by Zbigniew Brzezinski, that Jaan sugested (probably to prepare me for the upcomming evening chat, a typical topic to talk about after long protests from my part on the decadent role of unavoidable dialogs involving ONLY grocery shopping, school and training rides, snow shoveling, pros and contras of being a cat owner, considerations upon procuring instead a turtle or low mainteinance fish, taking the garbage out, preparing Joonas for bed and the such), I came up with an opinion. It is not wrapped up and will remain incomplete for a while, but I though to share it before I forget the importance of it in the midst of other pressing matters (today is Emil´s 13th birthday!). The weekend will arrive and the house will be full. Here we are. I am happy to realize that I can take very well power inequality. In international relations that is!
Who Am I to evaluate this article? A reader. Entitled enough.
Dear Jaan:
It was not bad nor impressive or progressive. It seems rather shallow but persuasive to the uninitiated. Thank you kllk for sharing it. I hope you continue sending me good readings. Sometimes for the lectures they can be good material. The recovery of the legitimacy of the American leadership will be extremely difficult and in my opinion would only result from a long withdrawing attitude. They should cut drastically the interventionism and concentrate in their own internal affairs, an inwards turn which is much needed, meanwhile preparing a comeback with austerity and serious commitment to participate exclusively in international arrangements where every party involved would also act and take responsibility. The world must feel their absence and claim for it. They will surely be missed. A very assertive "mission" by a very assertive foreign minister can be counterproductive to their needs at the moment. The author mentions that USA is used to take decisions unilaterally suggesting on top that it imposes the consequences onto the European countries. I disagree with the underlying-subliminal maybe condescending premise. USA, just like any other country decides unilaterally on the basis of its own interests, whatever they might be, but certainly very few can carry them out financially and politically. It is because Europe does not want to take any responsibility that USA has been able to impose its policies and actions as well as its influence (desired, respected, wished, frowned upon or else) around the world. As a consequence, only the US has paid a price for it leaving European countries unsoiled. I wonder... France, Germany, Spain and even the UK have deceptively clean their hands on any matter that could concern failed international policy. Europe is helplessly ungrateful to the country that has hosted all its refuges, fueled its economy, purchased its touristic products and maintained the world economy running much longer than the duration of this crisis. Not ever Europe after decolonizing has even pretended it cares to disrupt international events does not matter how close or how appalling they might be (wars, human right abuses). Europe is preoccupied with petty matters such as imposing fines to bikers without helmet, unfastened drivers and possibly devising more regulations to prevent workers from actually working so they do not suffer work related injuries. European design is fashionable and still booming. Europeans pay six times the reasonable price for a banana and still miss to understand why Africans or Latinos cannot catch up with "THE" standards of civilized nations. Europeans are no longer more educated and knowledgeable than Americans are. See the result of my modest evaluation in Estonia. People are deprived from the joy of being responsible, everybody can get higher education regardless of their merits. In fact it is such a right that it has derogated the right to self improvement. Any bad performance is awarded a passing grade. The purpose of educational institutions is to issue diplomas, and provide work to the staff no learning, teaching or knowledge transmission involved. Europeans now hypocritically patronize third world radicals, autocrats and totalitarian governments all the same while overlooking all sorts of nonsense. No explanation to this state of affairs is eloquent to me and I am puzzled about the massive protests not against the EU but against the US. To keep complaining about the damage that the US has inflicted to the world seems simpleminded and yet easier than to engage in projects that would actually mean anything to the human kind. I think of it in a reductionist way, I admit it. I try to imagine states as people where the USA is the mighty leader and the other players have their own role. If you think from that perspective, it is pathetic to understand the attitude of Europe. Just a shame. USA deserves less resistance and merits more support. Supporting that country we help our selves. Help the helper. We want no different rules in the international game of power. USA should retreat, contract, rebuilt its power and have the dignity restored to return in a better moral standing after a while. What would happen to the rest of us? Dunnotknow! Why should I know? Probably antiamericans can propose a good formula where "Transparent" Russia or "generous" China would take a join lead with "altruistic" Iran or better yet with "detached" venezuela?" to bring economy and power sharing back on track. If there is a world surviving that revolting notion, though.

I have been thinking this for years and years! With or without Bush this would have been the case. Where does he reside now by the way?

Disengaged

2008-12-28T12:17:00.000+02:00

But again, not on purpose. I lack the time. We also lived the Christmas events and survived. JF and C have not seen beyond our back yard. Today is the first sunny day in 2 weeks that we experience, but this is a matter of fact statement, not a complaint. Illustrative images of the season:

2008-12-10T22:43:00.000+02:00

Too much information is too much. Just a thematic cartoon.

Forgot about VELITAS day but looking forward to the next weekend. Friends are visiting, Cazuela mexicana (By Carolina) will be served, Christmas decorations can be displayed, the academic semester will end...

We are in the mood to celebrate.

Pirates and snow

2008-11-24T22:05:00.000+02:00

Can´t avoid thinking about Somalia. This country must, by popular request, turn its resources toward the fight against piracy. There is no point for them in even going assertive and expressing their interest in their own affairs first...it is Saudi Arabia, the EU politicians and international trade agents who make their demands heard while squeezing the vitality of African countries in their fists. The world seems to be a very unfair place for the less favored. The worst they are doing, the more requirements they need to fulfill to fit the standard of civilized nation. Ecuatorian bananas are the very best in the world but in the EU there is a quota for canary plantains. Mali could develop a bit by processing its cotton or at least exporting it freely, but who would care about that country while it does not have the possibility to raise pirates and unsettle the peaceful highseas? Must be because they have no access to it. A landlocked state that is, like Bolivia. Shame on this world!

In the meantime Estonia looks fantastic (in the outside). It has been snowing for four consecutive days (and nights). Snow is fun for vacationing, but it requires plenty of shoveling. Driving is very difficult too.

Friday morning, preparing to go to work, and Saturday afternoon in the middle of the storm:

Driving in town on Sunday and back to home. These are the streets as they were then:

Under the snow and on top of it already on Monday:

13

2008-11-17T09:35:00.000+02:00

Comimos en Lucca y no mucho mas, el personaje principal, como en los ultimos 36+ meses fue Joonas. Para hoy: pie de manzana con el auspicio de Jaan y Emil.
La casa de Madrid esta por desempacarse.

La remodelacion no se nota todavia por el desorden que lo domina todo en nuestra vida. Todo un paraiso de actividad para cualquier persona que sufra de obsesiones compulsivas (no para Emil, como efectivamente se ilustra en la imagen, que tambien documenta el hecho de que cuando un hijo a los 12 anos calza 42 no hay medias que le lleven el ritmo, ni mama que lo note hasta que no se haga evidente en una foto):

This is what has kept us so very busy.

2008-11-12T20:22:00.001+02:00

We downgraded from this:

To This:

But it is much more comfortable. These renovations have made us go from expectant to exhausted. Workers at home 12 hours per day for 2 full months are NOT recommended. The dust they produced will remain in the most unpredictible places for years to come.
Hoping to return to normal and boring routines, resuming our life and finding essential items misplaced during the works. For instance combs socks, jars, boots, swiming suits, towels, linens, hats, gloves, drawing paper, notebooks, scissors, pillows, paintings, and my graduate school diploma, among other "small" things...Where have all those items gone?

More captured images of our house before and after, later.

Inexplicable

2008-09-29T22:56:00.000+03:00

Por lo que sea: reblancecimiento, madurez, nostalgias, reconsideracion de prioridades, o por el buen ejemplo de Juan Restrepo me encanta oir esto. Es como volver a comenzar desde los 5 o 6...4 o 5?

Categoria: Canciones de las que uno no se escapa, las que todos se saben sin tener idea por que...Musica de fondo existencial.

Finally from Tallinn

2008-09-13T19:48:00.000+03:00

With I.Connection and very little time, but back to semi-normal, almost settled. Soon "hands on" everything not related to survival!

Alguien recuerda el nombre de la novela de esta cancion? O esta mas bien fue la cancion de cual novela?

Alice

2008-07-28T15:19:00.000+03:00

A legacy, a gift by Randy Pausch. Please visit Alice.org, a site that enables children to learn basic computer sciences (programming) for free.
Because there are better sources than this of mine to learn about him, And an introductory article form the NYTimes with links on his story. A famous professor, an infamous cancer, and lessons to teach to our children, why not?

Arte religioso y surrealismo en la pintura de Jeroen van Aken

2008-07-24T23:28:00.000+03:00

Esta fue la contradicción que encontré en la obra de El Bosco. Lo golpea a uno por que es insuperable, sin ningún elemento de juicio anterior, expectativa o información me sorprendí con sus pinturas. Probablemente por esa contundencia es que ha fascinado a los mirones comunes y corrientes, visitantes de museos casi por obligación u oportunismo (como yo) tanto o mas que a expertos y estudiosos del arte. Al fín, después de mucho "amague" fui al Prado con Juulia Aliide.
En la colección permanente del museo hay una sala dedicada a la pintura flamenca primitiva entre las que se destaca principalmente este pintor. Vivió en el siglo XV, lo que lo ubica en una época de manifiesto rigor religioso y persecuciones ideológicas por parte de la iglesia católica. La muestra incluye sus dos pinturas mas famosas: El jardín de las delicias y la mesa de los 7 pecados capitales que impresiona y atrae igualmente. La temática manifiestamente mística contrasta con lo conceptual y reduccionista de los personajes e incluso el paisaje que fabrica. En técnica y estilo asociado a sus contemporáneos pero con la descriptiva figurativa del surrealismo mas estricto. ¿No se trataba tal vez, del Dalí de su época? Es la sensación con la que uno se queda.

Visiblemente atormentado por las lecciones morales pero tocado por la misma gracia creativa. Me quede completamente cautivada con la imagen del jardín de las delicias, en un formato muchísimo mayor al que me imaginaba. ¿Cómo fue que pudo "componer" con tanta libertad "impunemente"? La imagen corresponde al panel central de la obra que no refleja en nada el impacto del color y las dimensiones del original.

Diseño grafico/artes bien aplicadas

2008-07-23T01:10:00.000+03:00

Desde Alemania: Olga Bielawska y Astrid Schildkopf, diseñan para el mundo kitsch, el globalizadisimo (desde siempre) y a la venta aquí donde sobra de todo, creatividad mas que nada. Para la muestra un botón. No-Zakka.