A world without words would be quite boring. Do you like words? Any particular ones?
Here are my favourites.
Finnish –> tähtitaivas, taivaanranta
Swedish –> regnhimmel(which isn’t an actual word 
English –> vivaciousness
Russian –> жизнерадостность
Polish –> życie
Hungarian –> szivárvány
Spanish –> rompecabezas
French –> joie de vivre
German –> Alleinheit, Philosophie
My head is about to explode into a thousand – no, a million – pieces. I know what I need to do, but it seems that rest of the world doesn’t quite agree.
In the last couple of days I have realised how important you are to me. In fact, it would be very difficult for me to get by without you. I promise to pamper you really well if you just start functioning again. I’ll buy you a pair of beautiful, real running shoes so that you’ll never feel any discomfort again. I will brighten your day with some pretty and summery nail varnish – do you like yellow? And last but not least, I will treat you to a massage.
Just, please, come back. Life is no fun when you are out of order.
IR theory. Decision theory. Psychology. Sociology. Cognitive theories. Game theory. Rational Choice-theory. Polyheuristic theory. Realism. Neo-realism. Liberalism. Neo-liberalism. Constructivism. Marxism. And the list goes on.
National interest. Diplomacy. Hegemony. International conflict. Elections at home. Leadership style. Geopolitics. Propaganda. War. Media. Globalisation. Economics. Sanctions. Peer pressure. Human rights. Legitimacy.
And somewhere in there one has to find that one, specific decision problem.
But one thing is sure. It’s time to tiptoe down to the basement, attack all the junk and wipe all the dust off Politics Among Nations.
In the meantime:
Political Analysis and a huge cup of tea. Cheers!
Every year when the snow has already melted, the flowers are starting to show their faces and the children are excited about school ending soon. When people celebrate May-day and pass out on the streets (or have sex in public places – both things have been duly documented). When mothers are celebrated and everything starts turning into green, the unavoidable happens. And this year it will happen too.
I’m quite excited about this… and the best part is that I will be in Finland the week that all the important games are played, so I can watch hockey with some real hardcore fans. (I’ll just miss the semi-finals). You know the dril… go go go Suomi, go go the Czech Republic and go Russia. In that order.
Yesterday when I got up from my chair after an hour and a half of analysing Hungarian poems, I noticed that something was wrong with my foot (which had felt completely fine right after running). And something is still wrong, because I can’t walk on it. Tiptoeing is fine for a while, but actual walking is out of the question.
Looking at the bright side – now that I’m pretty much tied to the sofa, I can focus on important things – like all those scary deadlines that are gathering on the horizon and giving me nightmares!
Or I could just eat chocolate.
A while back a friend and I went to the cinema to watch the film that won this year’s Oscar for best foreign film – In A Better World. It was a wonderful story about rage and revenge, and while watching it, we both wanted to go to Denmark ASAP. Unfortunately we saw the dubbed version, which ruined the experience a little bit – I’m sure it would have been even better in the original.
We are also currently watching a US TV-series called The Killing, which is based on a Danish show, Forbrydelsen – The Killing. That one is also wonderfully slow, beautiful and thought-provoking. Even though the remake is good, I’d really like to watch the original, too.
“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that!”
- Rocky Balboa -
Soon I’m off to the gym (for the second time today) and after that it’s time for Hungarian class.
It’s already the last week of April – incredible! Summer is just around the corner, and it’s going to be so good, I can feel it in my bones. This following month will be crazy though… There are assignments waiting to be written and exams that must be taken. I’m awfully behind with the reading for my Hun Lit class, so a few trips to coffee shops need to be scheduled so that I can dig into those wonderful Hungarian minds. I’ll have to go to Stockholm twice, and it’ll be lovely, because there is nothing quite as beautiful as Scandinavia in spring.
And this week? The last week of April will be dedicated to the gym, the Hungarian language and international relations theory. Hopefully there will be some time for writing as well. It’s funny that – these are the very ingredients for happiness in Zsuzsi-land.
A bit of girl power is good when the twists and turns of life are a bit too quick for me to handle… it’d be nice to relax and take a deep breath before jumping into the game again.
O... jestem, jaka jestem
o...robie zawsze to co zechce
Chociaż wstaję bardzo wcześnie
Bardzo późno chodzę spać
Czasem nawet sobie przeklnę
Zgadnijcie, jak
We just booked tickets for a visit to Switzerland and France in July. I’m excited since I’ve never been to any of these countries (Zürich Airport doesn’t count 
I was asked to share some pictures from Valencia with you readers, so today when I went for a run, I brought the camera me to snap some photos for the blog. Hope you like them 
Outside our house.
Someone smarter than me would probably have taken a bike instead of running!
Town hall + square
Too much people!
Almost there!
The food (puchero) was waiting for me on the table!
Here’s the list (same one as last year).I just stumbled on an abs challenge over at this blog, and since I like challenges and my goal is to get a bit fitter – why not? The point is to make 1 sit up and one Russian Twist (is that’s what it’s called in English) on day 1, 2 on day 2… 97 days from now, I should be able to do 100 of each.
I took some photos for reference, decided that I do not like the way my stomach looks like (so you don’t have anything to worry about, you won’t have to look at it either) – hopefully it’s in more decent shape in July.
Instead I’ll convince you that every girl needs a pair of red heels – and wish you HAPPY EASTER!
Life is full of decisions – in every situation it is up to us to decide whether we will do something, or leave it undone.
It is also up to each and every one of us to decide whether we want to find our true potential, push our limits. Or if we are happy with the way life is. Nobody else will do that for us, and taking responsibility for our own life – our successes and failures – might be one of the greatest challenges we will ever face.
Now, are you in or are you out?
Now that the True Finns will possibly be in government, the great question rises: who are the “untrue” Finns?
Maybe I should be really worried now? My Swedish is better than my Finnish. My home is in the not-so-loved-island-of-Åland. EU is quite a useful invention after all, a multi-cultural society is fantastic, great – not scary. There’s not even anything wrong with foreign aid.
Well, guess what: I’m as much a Finn as everyone else living in that country. I pay my taxes, speak both national languages, an ancestor even changed his Swedish surname to a Finnish one (and thus I ended up having a pretty cool surname, if that has any importance whatsoever).
In my country colour doesn’t matter, nor does mother tongue. Every individual has the right to choose his or her religion: and it’s nobody else’s business. Selfishness and “protecting our own” is not something positive that we should aim for at all costs – we do have a responsibility to those who are less fortunate than us: to those in our own country, but also those abroad. International cooperation is far better than isolationism.
All citizens in Finland have the right to vote freely – a very big number of citizens made a decision that might seem unacceptable to the rest of the voters. But because of the democratic system, they had the right to make that decision, and it’s something that the rest of society should respect. Instead of criticizing, pointing fingers and being ashamed for the “bad publicity”, I hope that politicians and citizens can leave the pettiness aside, analyse the situation and work together for a better society.
After a hectic (and sangria-fuelled) weekend, I am now relaxing in the sofa and trying to make some sense, and forming an opinion, of the following:
Finland elected a new parliament and government today – one of the interesting factors this year was the rise of the True Finns, a populist party that probably has made more sense to the average person than all those fancy academics who speak incomprehensive gibberish. Sad, but true. These are not the final results, but the list shows the dynamics of Finnish politics quite well: 4 big parties (three traditional ones and one newcomer), plus a few smaller parties who will make it into government. Once again we’ll see a coalition government – the question is: who will be in it? I know what I’d prefer, but with these stats, it doesn’t seem to be very likely.
Today’s…
…adventure: step-class. I survived without killing myself. Enough said.
…treat: tortilla de patatas and Belgian chocolate.
…highlight: one of my best friends is coming tonight [if they make it out of Barcelona].
…strange event: my brothers hardly never call me. Today A did, and the conversation went something like this: A – hi, do you want to talk to mum? Z- sure, is she there? A-No. Z-???? A- but I can ask her to call you when she gets home. Z-oh, ok. Thanks. Is there anything else you want to talk about? A-no… bye!
…reading: an interesting article named 'Anarchy is what States make of it: the social construction of power politics'. Written by Alexander Wendt.
…gift: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. En castellano.
…bad idea: having lunch in the sun –> horrible headache.
Someone once said that young people have forgotten that it’s OK to be sad: sometimes, instead of creating a façade, a wall of smoke, we should just sit down, let the tears run down our cheeks and scream. It’s actually quite human to feel blue once in a while.
I’m not really sad today, so the above paragraph has nothing to do with me, it was just a thought that occurred to me – actually this day has been both cosy and productive… I finally finished reading the book with the interesting title Sista kulan sparar jag åt grannen (I Save The Last Bullet For My Neighbour") while hiding from the world under my blanket. The book was good: about the war in Yugoslavia. The rest of the day has been dedicated to two dreadfully boring things: methodology and equations. And I’m cursing my brain for being so a-mathematical. It’s so FRUSTRATING to stare at the same equation for half an hour, knowing that it’s something I should know but my little greys just refuse to cooperate.
Now it’s time to cuddle!
“But I was happy in the first place because existence, the bare fact of being alive, was sufficient to make me happy”.
-György Faludy, My Happy Days In Hell, p.42
{picture}The top made both bodypump and running a bit more cheerful… I even had matching, bright yellow socks!
And smoothie for dinner: strawberries, a kiwi, natural yogurt and lots of fresh mint.
A classic for lunch: rice with shrimps, feta cheese, garlic, white pepper and fresh basil. Today’s dessert consisted of strawberries with some whipped cream.
Not only does she speak to herself in English, but she does so with an Irish accent.
I have always believed that with enough faith in yourself and hard work, there are very few limits for us. But now, after a few hard days I feel like I’m ready to toss all dreams and visions in the bin – I haven’t got the strength to believe in myself right now. But the point is, if I do that, then I’ll lose myself. Moments like this I feel really, really lonely. It’s always been my own choice, to keep quiet about those deepest concerns and dreams (no need to jinx things), but when things start getting shaky, it’s a very lonely road to walk.
That’s me today, tired and uninspired. And my right hand is hurting: we had a bit of an argument, the barbell and I, this morning. What else did I do? Breakfast outside, raspberry-shopping at Carrefour. Pizza for lunch (and my stomach is yelling at me!), work, studying… oh, and a nap! All the usual stuff, I suppose. I need to sit down and do some planning, reading… But now I’m off to bed, my head isn’t working too well right now.
Yesterday I felt like running for the first time in a very long time – I’ve been running at the gym, but it’s mostly been about forcing myself to reach to a certain amount of kilometers. Yesterday’s run was something quite different, though. It was easy, fun, and I could have continued for much longer. It felt so good.
The exercise plan for this week is as follows:
My cousin had put this on her fb-status this morning, and the truth is that it makes a lot of sense
In English this means something like…
Beauty is self-confidence, not thinness. Beauty is to be friendly, not a face full of makeup. Beauty is to care about the soul, not looks. Beauty is a wide smile, not fashionable clothes. Beauty is friendship, not pretentiousness. Real beauty comes from the inside, not the outside.
Tonight has been dedicated to one of the greatest poets I’ve ever read, a certain Alexander Blok. I found the poem and translation here! Scroll down for the English translation. Enjoy
Есть в напевах твоих сокровенных
Роковая о гибели весть.
Есть проклятье заветов священных,
Поругание счастия есть.
И такая влекущая сила,
Что готов я твердить за молвой,
Будто ангелов ты низводила,
Соблазняя своей красотой...
И когда ты смеешься над верой,
Над тобой загорается вдруг
Тот неяркий, пурпурово-серый
И когда-то мной виденный круг.
Зла, добра ли? - Ты вся - не отсюда.
Мудрено про тебя говорят:
Для иных ты - и Муза, и чудо.
Для меня ты - мученье и ад.
Я не знаю, зачем на рассвете,
В час, когда уже не было сил,
Не погиб я, но лик твой заметил
И твоих утешений просил?
Я хотел, чтоб мы были врагами,
Так за что ж подарила мне ты
Луг с цветами и твердь со звездами -
Всё проклятье своей красоты?
И коварнее северной ночи,
И хмельней золотого Аи,
И любови цыганской короче
Были страшные ласки твои...
И была роковая отрада
В попираньи заветных святынь,
И безумная сердцу услада -
Эта горькая страсть, как полынь!
29 декабря 1912
In your innermost songs there are hidden
Fateful tidings of death.
A curse on sacred commandments,
And a profanation of joy.
And such an alluring strength
That I'm ready to pass on the rumor
That you brought angels down
With your seductive beauty...
And when you mock faith
That dim, purplish-gray
Circle I've seen before
Suddenly blazes above you
Evil or good? - You're thoroughly alien.
People speak of you enigmatically:
For some you are Muse and miracle
For me you are torment and hell.
I don't know why, at dawn,
At the time of my last strength,
Rather than die, I caught sight of your face
And begged your consolation.
I wanted us to be enemies,
So why did you present me
With flowering meadows, the starry vault-
The curse of your beauty?
More treacherous than a northern night,
More heady than golden champagne,
And more fickle than a gypsy's love
Were your terrible caresses...
And there was a fatal delight
In flouting sacred truths,
And my heart was maddened
By this bitter, wormwood passion.
29 December 1912
Wikipedia tells us that “fredagsmys” is an activity where all the family gathers on Friday night to celebrate the end of the work week. They eat takeaway, candy and may take a drink or two. Tv-watching is essential.
It sounds so very pink and fluffy. And so awfully boring. Maybe I’m still too young to appreciate these kinds of things, but I don’t see the point in making such a big deal of watching telly and eating candy on a Friday.
