According to Helsingin Sanomat, climate change is definitely taking its toll. This winter has been between 4.5 to 6 °C warmer than the historical average.
No wonder I still haven't used my proper winter coat (nicknamed the bear for a reason) very much so far. This weekend it's been snowing, so I hope it improves, as I didn't move back from Belgium to have the same weather again ;-).
In Finland it will be at 3 a.m., but heavy cloud cover won't allow us to see it. If you enjoy clearer skies tonight, it would be a nice experience.
Bear in mind that the next lunar eclipse to be seen in these parts will take place in 2010.
Funnily enough, one starts to think that spring is coming when you leave the office after five and there’s still some light (even if the weather’s not that great). That’s what a dark winter does to you.
Cuando me subí al avión a Londres Heathrow, me encontré con una mujer que estaba teniendo problemas para abordar, ya que tenía tanto un bebé como la carreola de éste y no se daba abasto. Lo que me enervó bastante es que el esposo, que estaba viajando con ella, no se dió por enterado y simplemente se subió al avión dejándola "morir sola". Como estaban viajando a México, le pregunté a la mujer a dónde iban y ella me respondió que a Veracruz, de donde es el esposo.
La actitud del hombre me pareció espantosa, ya que si fué lo suficientemente machito para traer un bebé al mundo, tendría que también ponerse las pilas para hacerse responsable al respecto. Qué pena.
Even though the sea is starting to get frozen, the fact is that proper winter as known in this latitudes has been lacking. Snow has been rather sporadic and not permanent, and we’ve been hovering between +3 & -3°C for a month now.
On the way back to Helsinki. Yes, Finns have a “special relationship” with alcohol.
Finland is mostly a winner in globalisation, so I find it rather counterproductive to oppose it here. We'd waste less time riding the wave.
Finland is a very egalitarian society, as anyone who has visited Helsinki can attest to. Given that it is also a relatively affluent society, I have somehow come to the conclusion that maybe some Finns (especially of the younger generation) cannot relate to poverty anymore, as they don't necessarily see it (if Kontula & Suvela are the worst the country can throw at you, you're not doing so bad). Or rather, some cannot see it as something that could happen to them, and "if it can't happen to me, it isn't real".
This is especially interesting since Finland was not such a well-off country until the 80's, and even in the 90's there was a terrible economic crisis. How can people so easily forget?
Most foreign visitors to Mexico (including Latin Americans) can’t understand how Mexicans eat that much for breakfast.
Instead of just coffee and a piece of bread, in Mexico you will start with a plate of fruit with or without a yoghurt topping, then move on to the main dish (usually eggs prepared in different ways, but might also be a spicy tripe soup or even a steak with nopales) accompanied witha glass of fruit juice and finally coffee and bread.
The best way to start the day. Comparing this to the Finnish institution of “riisipuuro” it’s no wonder they are hungry again at 11.
More chronicles on the Mexican breakfast available here, here, here and here.
Why is it that in countries like Mexico or Brazil you are constantly bombarded by ads that promote government initiatives whereas in other places such as Finland or Belgium that is a completely alien concept?
Why can't the government focus on doing its job instead of just shouting around and wasting money on that?
