Obituaries

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

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 in 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

Not a poor record

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

From capitanalatriste.com

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

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

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

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?

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

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, removed probably in a paranoid  raid of absurd copyright complacency . Would not be illustrating children books a fantastic occupation, anyway?)

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

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

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

MAKE MISTAKES and move forward!

Lessig es un tipo razonable y con integridad intelectual

Casi todo lo que dice vale la pena escucharlo

Akne(15) AKA Emil(15)

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

Image procured from Postimees, by his observing father.

Geddafi/Kadafi is at home

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?

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!

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

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

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:"