"Baby, you have a possibility play it with me."

Time flies quickly in Moscow and I seem to adopt the ways of the city, its rhythm, traffic and people with increasing eagerness. Also, I'm finally starting to feel comfortable (well, not too comfortable though) at work. There are still few pieces missing from the puzzle but I have no worries, other than the rather disturbing workaholism I seem to be currently developing (I find myself doing the same stuff in the last hours of my sleep as what I do in reality at the work). If you know me well enough, you would know me to be an honest fan of the South European (not to mention Balkan) way of working (не потей! / полако, полако! / mañana, mañana! не бързай! / chill out! etc.). Anyway, it's summer and even a Stakhanovite should rest every once in awhile. Or what do you think?

There's nothing that freshens you up after a hard day's work in the Moscow summer heat like a pint of fresh draft beer. So, yesterday evening I went with few of my friends (from that commune bubble I mentioned earlier) to celebrate an anniversary of mine. If you are keen to know which anniversary this is - ask me the next time we meet face to face. Арайт? Also I'm planning to report your more about Moscow nightlife once I get there. Just give some more time, alright?

Tomorrow I'll be working the whole day (until the late night) but, fortunately, an honest Bulgarian friend of mine managed to remind me, just few minutes ago, of the true reality of life (psst, mind the links!) and now, in the middle of my workaholic abyss, I have a song playing non-stop in my head. A song that will surely keep me going for the rest of the week. All the way until Friday night when I get to Aquarium's (aka Boris Grebenshchikov's) gig (needless to say I'm all thrilled!). And speaking of the devil here I have few samples of Grebenshchikov for you to listen: 

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z4nCJMiD8c

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcwcayA_PW0&feature=related

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya4gegAjmVI&feature=related

Go on. Listen! I dare you.

And I dare you to dare me! This blog you're reading is your only possibility play it with me. So if there's anything you'd like to find out about Moscow, Russia or even me - through an idea or a challenge and I'll be glad to oblige. 

Yours sincerely and fatigue,

Stefan

My Two Bubbels

Well, Mrs. Miggins, at last we can return to sanity. The hustings are over, the bunting is down, the mad hysteria is at an end. After the chaos of a general election, we can return to normal.                         - E. Blackadder 

And so can I. Or at least as far as the life in the city of Moscow allows me to. So far it seems that it allows me a great number of things. Almost everything except completely free access to Internet (and that's mainly due to the havoc I'm having with my good friend Night about the best way of getting my old laptop to use Wi-Fi). Right now I'm trying to learn the wonders of Linux with Ubuntu and getting annoyed almost after every time I press anything at all. Fortunately, I could flee from all that for a moment here to my blog.

So, I promised to introduce you guys to my new friends: Night and Troll. For obvious reasons I won't paste their photos or hand out any specific information but let it suffice to say that they are a young couple living in the most distant corner of Moscow (well, I guess I can at least tell you in which area I live. Here, have a look: http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%BE-%D0%A3%D1%85%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BC%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9). They are CS enthusiasts and very jovial people. We live in an old detached house (built long before the revolution of 1917) with a very cozy and even a bit rural sense to it (as seen here ->).

Don't worry. The place is not a dump although it does look bit shabby and rundown. But to be quite honest - I like it just the way it is. So, here is the first bubble I live in: our own little hippie commune with garden around, nightingales singing all night (and day) long, rebuilding of fence improving with common efforts, couple of cats roaming around the place, a lot of good music and some CS people around the globe to keep good company. And hey! - we have a barbecue evening tomorrow. So if you feel like joining in - come and have a visit!

And here we have my other bubble: lo and behold the Embassy of Finland! The place I work in. And I suppose it goes without saying that this embassy is a small pocket of Finland in the middle of Moscow.

Yesterday, after my first proper (and bit exhausting) work shift, we had a small celebration in the embassy's garden and I noticed that the "small pocket" is not that small at all - there was a lot people (even few kids, which reminds me of few details: in our embassy we have, among other things, a school, medical center, a swimming pool and of course two saunas). And in fact this embassy I work in is one of the three biggest embassies Finland has (the three biggest being Moscow, Washington D.C. and Brussels - tells something about Finland's political position, aye?).

So, these are my two very different realities, my worlds - my bubbles and right now my life seems to be concentrated in both of them and, of course, sailing in between. But somehow the world in between, that is to say Moscow and Russia, seems right now so huge and crowded that I don't really want to jump in more than I have to. I hope this feeling of mine will eventually change (and it should considering that my adventurous friend is coming soon to work within our contingent in the embassy). 

Yours sincerely (& within a bubble),

Stefan

Moscow & Heat

Here I am in the land of the morning star. And of course it is hot here. When I left Helsinki in haste it was still very spring-like with constant breeze blowing from the sea but here, on the threshold of the vast Eurasian steppe, we have an absolutely opposite type of climate: no sea, only occasional breeze and constant oppressive heat. For such conditions I have one favourite song which is consequently dedicated to Moscow heat. Here, have try and listen to the song here: http://www.megapesni.ru/Files-Skachat-ddt-moskva---zhara-bonus-track-mp3.html . 

And one more thing: I have the pleasure of living in these surroundings (the picture is an old one) with my friends Night and Troll (you'll get to know them better soon enough):

Yours in all weather conditions,

 - Stefan

PS. Here you have the words for the song!

Заскрипел новый день, растекаясь дурманом,
Пробежался по мордам холёных витрин
Я ползу по стене непокорным Тарзаном,
Тараканье желанье связав со своим
Я метаюсь зелёной контуженной мухой
Между стёклами окон, похожих на стон
Я июльской жарой, как подушкой, придушен,
К раскладушке прибит безразличным рублём

Москва! Жара!

Простыня саблекожей змеёю свернулась
Между потных, истерзанных, стёршихся ног
Да жара, как сигарой, Москвой затянулась
Раскалённые камни насилует смог
Непрошенный гость и ненужный кумир,
Я шагаю бездумно, колода рефлексов
Карманы от фиг перетёрлись до дыр,
Карманы народа, карманы <подтекста?>

Москва! Жара!

О боже, мы сколько всего нарожали!
Эй, мать героиня безумных масштабов,
Москва, мы тебя раньше в Кремль вмещали,
Теперь не хватает котлет для прорабов
Девушки бедные, девушки в парах,
Жидкое счастье в сверкающих рюмках
Мимо несущихся в ад тротуаров
Дикие кошки в захлопнутых сумках

Москва! Жара!

Вопли ночного метро, как ножами,
Режут на части лимитные души
Поезд ведёт прямо к краю Сусанин
Бедняга слепой и отрезаны уши
Что вспомнят, что скажут вам здесь обо мне
В сортирах, залитых мочой пилигримов
Закрасят, как надпись на грязной стене,
Повесят таблицу и двинутся мимо

Москва! Жара!

Обезлюдели толпы людей на Арбате
На Горького даже следов не осталось,
Стоит лишь измотанный дьявол в халате,
В лапах трепещет какая-то малость
Покоряя Москву, не забудь, что она
Не прощает своих победителей. Да,
Много погибло беспечных героев
От ожирения и геморроя

Москва! Жара!

The Road Goes Ever On

Today is the day. Once more I choose the Road. But before I take the train to Moscow I leave a note here for myself and for anyone who might come reading this site.

Here is a poem by one of best Finnish poets. By no means do I think it's the best one in his repertoire but it just happens to express the feeling I got when walking on an vast open field (lakeus) in Kauhajoki on the eve of my departure. It is a poem about the tranquillity of Finnish summer evening,about growing older and about following the road to an unknown dwelling. And in my opinion it also successfully emphasises the beauty of Finnish language.

Nocturne

Ruislinnun laulu korvissani,
tähkäpäiden päällä täysi kuu;
kesä-yön on onni omanani,
kaskisavuun laaksot verhoutuu.
En mä iloitse, en sure, huokaa;
mutta metsän tummuus mulle tuokaa,
puunto pilven, johon päivä hukkuu,
siinto vaaran tuulisen, mi nukkuu,
tuoksut vanamon ja varjot veen;
niistä sydämeni laulun teen.

Sulle laulan neiti, kesäheinä,
sydämeni suuri hiljaisuus,
uskontoni, soipa säveleinä,
tammenlehvä-seppel vehryt, uus.
En mä enää aja virvatulta,
onpa kädessäni onnen kulta;
pienentyy mun ympär' elon piiri;
aika seisoo, nukkuu tuuliviiri;
edessäni hämäräinen tie
tuntemattomahan tupaan vie.

    - Eino Leino, 1903

There's only a moment

The wind of change is blowing straight into my face and it's difficult to say right now whether I like this expected yet unexpected breeze or not. But one thing is sure: since I wrote that semi-political outburst of mine a lot has happened.

One of the most notable events was the visit of my American comrade. Along with many other things his company made me re-evaluate my habitat i.e. Helsinki and Finland in general or, as we together concluded, to see things from outside the box. And indeed when I was returning home from Katajanokka harbour (with my ears full of Oregon music and my spirit rather down) the face of my home city seemed friendlier than ever before.

Tomorrow there's a celebration in my family due to my father getting his degree in Information Technology. So, one more well-educated person in our family!.. which brings me to my own B.A. degree: according to our university's intranet I've finally made it and will be receiving my diploma on Tuesday - same day I'm boarding the train bound for Moscow.

Yesterday, just before I left for Kauhajoki, I shook a hand of a friend thus confirming our deal of him becoming my subtenant and starting to move in immediately. This means that even if I'm staying in Helsinki for a short while before the departure - I'll be staying more as a guest (in my own home) than an actual dweller. The good side of the matter is that I'm more or less ready for the departure (packed my stuff already, yes!) and excited to leave and that the last moments I'll spend in Finland should be dedicated solely for enjoying myself with friends: the eve of my departure I'll be spending, hopefully, with my very best friends. So even if I'm feeling slightly melancholic right now I have nothing but pleasant things ahead!

And one more thing - usually before going into the world outside our Nordic Shire I spend some time with my parents in my native home (like now) and thus I get the feeling that the Road always begins from here - from this house's doorstep. There are several good farewell songs in the world but this one I'm going to share with you has no match (techinically it's not a farewell song but for me it is). Here you have both the translation and a link to the original version of that song:

There's only a moment

Everything in this storming world is a mirage
There is only this moment - you should hold on to it.
There is only a moment between the past and the present
And that moment is called life.

Everlasting peace would scarcely please one's heart,
Everlasting peace is meant only for the grey pyramids.
But for a shooting star that is falling and burning
There is only a moment, this one blinding moment.

Let this world run through the centuries,
But the ways of this world are not always my ways.
What do I hold dear, with what do I risk in this world?
With only a moment - with only this moment.

There's happiness and sorrow on the path of life,
But there nothing more but a moment - you should hold on to it.
There is only a moment between the past and the present
And that moment is called life.

Yours in high spirits,

- Stefan

PS. Here's link to the aforementioned song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ-hnn1UASQ

Consistency! Going cheap. Anyone?

My preliminary plan for this blog was to stay out of politics for as long as I can. I’m sorry to say that this decision didn’t last for long. So, with all due respect, here we go:

Lately the world around me seems to change extremely rapidly. And for the first time I feel that I’m not really keeping track of where it’s going. This might be due to the fact that for the first time I do not really care to keep track. Let me give you a more informative example:

Only a few weeks ago a relatively minor Nationalist party became the third most largest party in Finland. Similar phenomenon has happened in many other European countries so far and immediately I found solace in the fact that in free market representative democracy with its insignificant games and larks within its bureaucratic system (what many folly people call the legislative power) things seldom change drastically. And so far nothing has changed. Not in the system it hasn’t. And at this point in time it seems that nothing will change.

But a certain change can unambiguously be seen in the people around me: many a people have now, as they themselves so modestly put it, very critical approach towards immigration. Most of them suggest that migrating to Finland should become more restricted. I was surprised (to say the least!) to find one of these people in my most inner circle of friends.

In due course of this passed week and a half (since I got back from St. Petersburg) I’ve been three times congratulated due to my “excellent knowledge of Finnish”. Usually I wouldn’t even mind this well wishing ‘cause I’m already accustomed to these congratulations (for some odd reason Finns seem to think that a person with a non-Finnish or non-Swedish surname must be an immigrant with a modest knowledge of Finnish at best). I’m used to face them every once in a while but never quite so often.

After doing rather small amount of research and hearing rather large amount of opinions from those fellows who’s job it is to take first hand care of this immigration business (in the Ministry for Foreign affairs of Finland) I’ve come to the conclusion that permanent migration to Finland is already limited to say the least. And even if anyone would like to alter the current status quo he’d have to demand an immediate separation of Finland from both the Schengen treaty and the European Union. Who’s for? Hmm… surprisingly quiet I dare say.

After twiddling these thoughts for a week now in my head I’ve done also an other conclusion: I’m glad to leave Finland behind. It seems to get along fine with or without me so it might as well subsist without. Any people that treat me as an outsider just because I have divergent surname or because I speak a language they don’t, do not interest me. Therefore I’m heading towards those people that, by my own experience, treat me differently. Therefore I’m going to Russia.

Unfortunately there are still three more weeks to go before I can take the train to Moscow. But fortunately I’ll have reunion of old friends soon in my home town and an American comrade of mine is visiting me soon enough. So luckily I have something to go by whilst here, in the ever condensing monotony of Finland.

Stefan

PS. I’ve done it. Well, sort of. My very first step on this road of wonder. This road I’ve chosen to follow for the next year or so: I’ve packed some books and all my notes from these last three years into a cardboard box. The space where all my work and all my efforts now fit seems rather compact. And all it consists of is no more than paper and ink. I find this bit sad.