Tuomo writes: I used to think way back in the 80s, when Finland's lack of success in the Eurovision was hypothesized to be due to the unusual language, how wonderful it would be if Estonia (or even Hungary) could participate and how we'd exchage 12 points because we'd be the only ones to appreciate each others songs based on the language. Then Estonia participated in 1993 for the first time with little success though and was eliminated for a year. This obviously supported the language hypothesis - until Estonia returned in 1995 with Kaelakee hääl and placed fifth, higher than Finland had ever even dreamt of achieving. So much for that hypothesis. Then in 2001 Estonia went and won the competition with Everybody. Maybe Finland's lack of success was due to lack of talent or ambition or us being põhjapõder, or reindeer (as the Estonians call us Finns) or something after all :-) Even with Finland's victory in 2006, Estonia had managed to crank out entries that have placed fairly well. So here is Estonia: Kreisiraadio and Leto svet:
Here or
Issand, or dear God! What was this? A Dadaist pastiche or what? I have always admired the Estonians for their wry sense of humour, but in terms of Eurovision this is almost inappropriate. By the time I got to the third part - in Finnish (?!) - I simply couldn't believe my ears and eyes. I don't think this is going to do well - even with the scantily clad girls - though an annoyingly catchy tune (I caught myself humming along a moment ago...) might help Estonia make it to the final. In this light, one is almost obliged to consider Ireland's turkey (pun partially intended) high humour. Please make them stop the noises in my head!!! :-(
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Eurovision 2008: Israel
Tuomo writes: I'm on a roll - I feel I can publish one more review before going to bed. Introducing Isreal, Ke'ilo kan "As If Here" performed by Boaz Mauda!
Here or
One thing I can say about Israel: they rarely disappoint, and this is definitely no exception! What I did not like was the part in English: sing in Hebrew or in English but not both. And this applies to all other countries who do this - just a pet peeve of mine. A "typical" Eurovision ballad that IMO should do well but, on the other hand, could get lost among the other entries by not having that certain oomph. Lots of velar fricatives in the beginning and faboo ethno drums in the end that made me happy...
But what's up with those tweaked eye brows? And that buff body, which fortunately is not present in the clip (but can be explored elsewhere on the Internet). Sour grapes...! :-)
Here or
One thing I can say about Israel: they rarely disappoint, and this is definitely no exception! What I did not like was the part in English: sing in Hebrew or in English but not both. And this applies to all other countries who do this - just a pet peeve of mine. A "typical" Eurovision ballad that IMO should do well but, on the other hand, could get lost among the other entries by not having that certain oomph. Lots of velar fricatives in the beginning and faboo ethno drums in the end that made me happy...
But what's up with those tweaked eye brows? And that buff body, which fortunately is not present in the clip (but can be explored elsewhere on the Internet). Sour grapes...! :-)
Eurovision 2008: Montenegro
Tuomo writes: With Ireland and Finland out of the way, I guess the fairest way to continue the review of this year's Eurovision entries is in the order that they will be performed in the semi-finals. In other words, here's Montenegro, Stefan Filipović, and Zauvijek volim te!
http://www.eurovision.tv/medialounge/video/592
My command of Montenegrin (?) is limited (!), so there's not much I can say about the lyrics other than what I was I able to understand thanks to my skills in Russian and my contrastive philological skills. But like Teräsbetoni, I commend them for singing in their own language!
Now for the more musical aspects: I hate to say this, but beyond the first 50 seconds, I lost my interest. Maybe this song will grow on me, but at first listening the genre (rock) didn't quite tweak my Eurovision nipple. It just sounds too 80s big hair arena rock to me, which in terms of visuals ironically clashes with what the Stefan looks like on the clip! My prediction at this point is that Montenegro might be performing in the final - or if not, at the least beating Finland...
http://www.eurovision.tv/medialounge/video/592
My command of Montenegrin (?) is limited (!), so there's not much I can say about the lyrics other than what I was I able to understand thanks to my skills in Russian and my contrastive philological skills. But like Teräsbetoni, I commend them for singing in their own language!
Now for the more musical aspects: I hate to say this, but beyond the first 50 seconds, I lost my interest. Maybe this song will grow on me, but at first listening the genre (rock) didn't quite tweak my Eurovision nipple. It just sounds too 80s big hair arena rock to me, which in terms of visuals ironically clashes with what the Stefan looks like on the clip! My prediction at this point is that Montenegro might be performing in the final - or if not, at the least beating Finland...
(in a whispered voice) We Saw Gay People
Tuomo writes: I guess our most persistant "bagel point" since our move has been the lack of visible gay people in the Lower Mainland. Ironically, just this past week, a report on so-called visible minorities (Canadian for non-Caucasian) came out; I sighed and turned to Dave and said, "I guess we don't belong to that group."
About two months ago, our friends Jerry and Michael (link to their blog on the right) in Maryland, set up a "blind date" with friends of their, Tim and Keith, who had also moved permanently to Vancouver. They were considerate to reach out first, and what do I do> drag my feet for like a month before I respond!!! At any rate, last night we finally got our act together and met. And what a pleasant evening it turned out to be, so many thanks, Jerry and Michael!!!
We had a drink over at their place, then went out to explore Davie Street, the gay area of Vancouver, and had dinner at a Greek restaurant. After dinner we walked around and returned to their place for a cup of coffee. All in all it was exactly what we have been missing since last June: just being able to relate to someone who's gay.
Interestingly enough, when we compared notes, we realised that some of our friends' reactions to the news that we were moving to Canada had shared the same tone - incredulity: why, are you sure, how come, almost how dare you... Fascinating...
So hopefully, we'll be able to get together again, and this time Dave and I will be hosting them - in our not as fabulous neighborhood in Langley :-)
About two months ago, our friends Jerry and Michael (link to their blog on the right) in Maryland, set up a "blind date" with friends of their, Tim and Keith, who had also moved permanently to Vancouver. They were considerate to reach out first, and what do I do> drag my feet for like a month before I respond!!! At any rate, last night we finally got our act together and met. And what a pleasant evening it turned out to be, so many thanks, Jerry and Michael!!!
We had a drink over at their place, then went out to explore Davie Street, the gay area of Vancouver, and had dinner at a Greek restaurant. After dinner we walked around and returned to their place for a cup of coffee. All in all it was exactly what we have been missing since last June: just being able to relate to someone who's gay.
Interestingly enough, when we compared notes, we realised that some of our friends' reactions to the news that we were moving to Canada had shared the same tone - incredulity: why, are you sure, how come, almost how dare you... Fascinating...
So hopefully, we'll be able to get together again, and this time Dave and I will be hosting them - in our not as fabulous neighborhood in Langley :-)
Friday, April 4, 2008
Eurovision 2008: Finland
Tuom writes: Eurovision season has begun, as one may have judged by my earlier posting on Ireland's entry for this year. Therefore, I am going to (ab)use our blog to reflect upon all the entries that will be competing in the finals hosted this year in Belgrade on May 24. Hopefully this will encourage my friends Tytti, Pekka, and Timo (and Dave...) to post some comments on my ruminations :-)
Last year, the top 10 finalists automatically made it to the final event of the following year with United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Germany (the Big Four, or the biggest funders of the event) while the others had to qualify for the remaining ten slots or so. This year however, everybody - except Serbia (the winner) and the Big Four - have to qualify for the final. Now, since there are a record amount of 43 countries vying to be in the final, there will be two semi-finals.
Let's start with Finland, participating in the first semifinal on May 20. My hapless home country had a long track of bad entries and sometimes sheer bad luck, rarely making it to the top 10, until 2006 when it hit jackpot with Lordi's Hard Rock Halleluja, a novel approach - a combination of masks, hard rock, and pyrotechnics. Last year's entry (Hanna Pakarinen's Leave Me Alone) came across as a spin-off of what had appeared to be the heavy rock recipe to victory. Unfortunately, this didn't quite cut it , and Finland was reduced back to its usual place, i.e. somewhere between places 11 and 20. Despite this rude awakening, Finns were quick to note that at least Sweden placed even lower... BTW Dave claims heard Leave Me Alone on his satellite radio this past summer!
Once again Finns have laid their trust in the power of heavy rock. At this point, I can only assume that the rationale is, "If we can't win the competition by seducing the audience by means of traditional methods (i.e. sex and showmanship), we might as well scare the living sh*t out of them!" :-)
Finland's entry, by Teräsbetoni ("Steel Concrete"), is Missä miehet ratsastaa, or "Where Men Ride Their Horses." Teräsbetoni's claim to fame is that they perform shirtless; in my opinion, not much there to write home about... At any rate, I have to praise their decision to perform in Finnish; way too often since 1999, the entries have been performed in English by almost every country - and not just in English but in insipid English. Unfortunately Teräsbetoni's lyrics rely on some kind of macho humour that I don't quite get ("Where men ride their horses sheep don't dare graze"); as a result, I don't think anybody who doesn't know Finnish will get much out of this "noise." As for me, I prefer the traditional, almost required A-B-A-B-C-Modulation pattern, which Teräsbetoni - lo and behold - does apply here, but give me a power ballad or something poppy at any time instead of this. On the other hand, there was not much better to choose from anyway, so what can you do? But I'll leave the decision up to the 14-year-old teenage boys across the continent, who hopefully will be watching the Eurovision final on the 24th and televoting for Finland in testosterone driven fervour :-)
Enjoy!
or
http://www.eurovision.tv/medialounge/video/606
Here's a rough translation of the Beowolf-y refrain:
Missä miehet ratsastaa "Where men ride their horses
siinä lampaat ei voi laiduntaa sheep cannot graze;
Missä miehet ratstastaa Where men ride their horses
siinä kuulee suden ulvontaa one can hear the howl of a wolf"
Last year, the top 10 finalists automatically made it to the final event of the following year with United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Germany (the Big Four, or the biggest funders of the event) while the others had to qualify for the remaining ten slots or so. This year however, everybody - except Serbia (the winner) and the Big Four - have to qualify for the final. Now, since there are a record amount of 43 countries vying to be in the final, there will be two semi-finals.
Let's start with Finland, participating in the first semifinal on May 20. My hapless home country had a long track of bad entries and sometimes sheer bad luck, rarely making it to the top 10, until 2006 when it hit jackpot with Lordi's Hard Rock Halleluja, a novel approach - a combination of masks, hard rock, and pyrotechnics. Last year's entry (Hanna Pakarinen's Leave Me Alone) came across as a spin-off of what had appeared to be the heavy rock recipe to victory. Unfortunately, this didn't quite cut it , and Finland was reduced back to its usual place, i.e. somewhere between places 11 and 20. Despite this rude awakening, Finns were quick to note that at least Sweden placed even lower... BTW Dave claims heard Leave Me Alone on his satellite radio this past summer!
Once again Finns have laid their trust in the power of heavy rock. At this point, I can only assume that the rationale is, "If we can't win the competition by seducing the audience by means of traditional methods (i.e. sex and showmanship), we might as well scare the living sh*t out of them!" :-)
Finland's entry, by Teräsbetoni ("Steel Concrete"), is Missä miehet ratsastaa, or "Where Men Ride Their Horses." Teräsbetoni's claim to fame is that they perform shirtless; in my opinion, not much there to write home about... At any rate, I have to praise their decision to perform in Finnish; way too often since 1999, the entries have been performed in English by almost every country - and not just in English but in insipid English. Unfortunately Teräsbetoni's lyrics rely on some kind of macho humour that I don't quite get ("Where men ride their horses sheep don't dare graze"); as a result, I don't think anybody who doesn't know Finnish will get much out of this "noise." As for me, I prefer the traditional, almost required A-B-A-B-C-Modulation pattern, which Teräsbetoni - lo and behold - does apply here, but give me a power ballad or something poppy at any time instead of this. On the other hand, there was not much better to choose from anyway, so what can you do? But I'll leave the decision up to the 14-year-old teenage boys across the continent, who hopefully will be watching the Eurovision final on the 24th and televoting for Finland in testosterone driven fervour :-)
Enjoy!
or
http://www.eurovision.tv/medialounge/video/606
Here's a rough translation of the Beowolf-y refrain:
Missä miehet ratsastaa "Where men ride their horses
siinä lampaat ei voi laiduntaa sheep cannot graze;
Missä miehet ratstastaa Where men ride their horses
siinä kuulee suden ulvontaa one can hear the howl of a wolf"
Weight Loss Whine
Tuomo writes: I weighed myself this morning, and much to my pleasure I was down to 208 lbs. Oh to be at a weight where the first digit starts with a 1!
Yesterday I finally had time to go grocery shopping. As suggested by the authors of You on a Diet, I looked for some peanuts, specifically dry roasted and unsalted (because peanuts allegedly help trick the body to feel satiated earlier). Sure enough, the SaveOnFood in Walnut Grove did not have much of a selection of peanuts to begin with, but locating unsalted ones turned out to be a totally useless task. The choice boiled down to two brands of dry roasted, one that was MSG free and the other one that was labeled salted.
Initially, I was prompted to get the one that was labeled MSG free, but out of curiosity, I decided to compare the sodium count of each brand. Easier said than done: one had the nutrition info as per 1/4 cup and the other other as per 1/3 cup! After applying some elementary math skills ("multiply this one by 4, and that one by 3 to get info as as per cup"), I came to the conclusion that not only did the salted brand have less sodium per serving but also had less calories!! No wonder we're fat and confused :-)
Needless to say, I purchased the brand that was labeled salted. In the meantime, the quest for unsalted peanuts continues...
Yesterday I finally had time to go grocery shopping. As suggested by the authors of You on a Diet, I looked for some peanuts, specifically dry roasted and unsalted (because peanuts allegedly help trick the body to feel satiated earlier). Sure enough, the SaveOnFood in Walnut Grove did not have much of a selection of peanuts to begin with, but locating unsalted ones turned out to be a totally useless task. The choice boiled down to two brands of dry roasted, one that was MSG free and the other one that was labeled salted.
Initially, I was prompted to get the one that was labeled MSG free, but out of curiosity, I decided to compare the sodium count of each brand. Easier said than done: one had the nutrition info as per 1/4 cup and the other other as per 1/3 cup! After applying some elementary math skills ("multiply this one by 4, and that one by 3 to get info as as per cup"), I came to the conclusion that not only did the salted brand have less sodium per serving but also had less calories!! No wonder we're fat and confused :-)
Needless to say, I purchased the brand that was labeled salted. In the meantime, the quest for unsalted peanuts continues...
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Home Sweet Home
Tuomo writes: It’s good to be back home where tap water tastes good and the sheets are the right size… The weather wasn’t the most welcoming; we left balmy Arizona around 8 on Sunday morning and arrived in freezing Seattle around 11. Fortunately by the time we got to Langley around 3 - after another long wait at the border though not as long as on our way to the States.
At any rate, what about the Grand Canyon?! Words are not enough to describe it!! The three hour drive from Phoenix itself was an experience itself, as we gradually drove higher and higher, starting at less the 2,000 ft and reaching 7,000 ft by the time we got to the South Rim. As the elevation increased, the vegetation changed from saguaro cactuses to bushes on the mesa to dense pine tree forests. In fact, as we approached the Canyon, we could see patches of snow here and there on the sides of the roads and in the forests. And sure enough, when we stepped out of the car, the air temperature had clearly decreased! Oh but the view… wow!
We settled in our hotel room. Dark, yet deceptively comfortable because we learned later on in the night that the sheets were not big enough for the bed, and consequently were wrapped around our necks while we slept. After a brief snack break we decided to go see the sunset at Hopi Point and get on one of the three shuttle bus tours along the South Rim. Future visitors beware, although there are no signs (i.e. not that we could see any) on this, the shuttle buses only allow seated passengers. In other words, we ended up waiting for a quite a while until we got on a bus because there were so many people with the same destination in mind (go figure!) and the buses did not exactly run every 15 minutes as indicated in the guides.
But the view from Hopi Point at sunset was definitely worth the wait! I’ll try to post some pictures this week, but I’m concerned that they will not do service because they probably won’t capture the perspective, the depth, and the subtle hues of the landscape. I mean where we stood we had an almost perpendicular view into the canyon, only to realize that that wasn’t the bottom, that there was another drop until you could see Colorado River rushing in the bottom…
In addition to lots of oohs and aahs at sunset, there were also a lot of brrrs – it really got that cold! Thank goodness that I had accidentally left my pair of gloves in my pockets when I packed my jacket…!
The following day we got on the same shuttle bus route and drive all the way to Hermit’s Rest, the point furthest to the east. The route beyond Hopi Point will closed down on April 1 for renovations, and the entire route in the summer. This particular route, built originally in the early 1900s as state-of-the-art is no longer such - and lemme tell ya, the planned renovations could not take place a moment sooner! There were times when it felt like the rickety bus was going to roll over and plunge into the canyon… But once again, the views at the end were way beyond spectacular!
Oh and fun shopping was done by everyone… Bless America for tourist shops :-
So now we’re back to the same-old-same-old…
My concerns about weight gain turned out to be correct. Yesterday morning I weighed myself, and though the weight gain wasn’t as dramatic as I had anticipated, there had been some: the scale went up to 212.4 lbs. This morning though it stopped at 210 so there’s hope that by Saturday I will have been able to do some damage control
One more thing: It was Dave’s birthday yesterday, so a belated happy birthday to him!!! 29 (again) and still going strong :-
At any rate, what about the Grand Canyon?! Words are not enough to describe it!! The three hour drive from Phoenix itself was an experience itself, as we gradually drove higher and higher, starting at less the 2,000 ft and reaching 7,000 ft by the time we got to the South Rim. As the elevation increased, the vegetation changed from saguaro cactuses to bushes on the mesa to dense pine tree forests. In fact, as we approached the Canyon, we could see patches of snow here and there on the sides of the roads and in the forests. And sure enough, when we stepped out of the car, the air temperature had clearly decreased! Oh but the view… wow!
We settled in our hotel room. Dark, yet deceptively comfortable because we learned later on in the night that the sheets were not big enough for the bed, and consequently were wrapped around our necks while we slept. After a brief snack break we decided to go see the sunset at Hopi Point and get on one of the three shuttle bus tours along the South Rim. Future visitors beware, although there are no signs (i.e. not that we could see any) on this, the shuttle buses only allow seated passengers. In other words, we ended up waiting for a quite a while until we got on a bus because there were so many people with the same destination in mind (go figure!) and the buses did not exactly run every 15 minutes as indicated in the guides.
But the view from Hopi Point at sunset was definitely worth the wait! I’ll try to post some pictures this week, but I’m concerned that they will not do service because they probably won’t capture the perspective, the depth, and the subtle hues of the landscape. I mean where we stood we had an almost perpendicular view into the canyon, only to realize that that wasn’t the bottom, that there was another drop until you could see Colorado River rushing in the bottom…
In addition to lots of oohs and aahs at sunset, there were also a lot of brrrs – it really got that cold! Thank goodness that I had accidentally left my pair of gloves in my pockets when I packed my jacket…!
The following day we got on the same shuttle bus route and drive all the way to Hermit’s Rest, the point furthest to the east. The route beyond Hopi Point will closed down on April 1 for renovations, and the entire route in the summer. This particular route, built originally in the early 1900s as state-of-the-art is no longer such - and lemme tell ya, the planned renovations could not take place a moment sooner! There were times when it felt like the rickety bus was going to roll over and plunge into the canyon… But once again, the views at the end were way beyond spectacular!
Oh and fun shopping was done by everyone… Bless America for tourist shops :-
So now we’re back to the same-old-same-old…
My concerns about weight gain turned out to be correct. Yesterday morning I weighed myself, and though the weight gain wasn’t as dramatic as I had anticipated, there had been some: the scale went up to 212.4 lbs. This morning though it stopped at 210 so there’s hope that by Saturday I will have been able to do some damage control
One more thing: It was Dave’s birthday yesterday, so a belated happy birthday to him!!! 29 (again) and still going strong :-
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