This Video Is So Tacky But How I Remember Watching This Thinking That "un Jour" And Now I've Been Living

Pics from magical Sintra! 

@lageografiademicamino • Instagram photos and videos

Finnish, LP fan, tourism student soon to be professional, québecoise by heart and spanish by soul. Living in Lahti, Finland but soon to be elsewhere.

One of the most intagrammable place in Portugal, Costa Nova can be reached by bus from Aveiro. I believe these houses are air bnb use but not many locals live in these. 

This is definitely one time visit thing. The houses were cute and it was more than just a couple houses (surprised by the amount) but they didn’t feel real and everything screamed for touristic in my opinion. 

UMK 2024 Song Review - Sini Sabotage

The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Malmö continues with another rap entry!

Sini Sabotage - Kuori Mua

Sini Sabotage is one of the best known Finnish artists but at the same time one of the rare female rappers in the country. She started her career with a banger Levikset Repee roughly a decade ago and has since released 3 studio albums and multiple radio hits. She has fought her way to the top.

Despite of being somewhat a dream name for UMK for years the idea of sending her new Kuori Mua song to the competition was actually proposed to her by the songwriters and producers.

Kuori Mua which means peel me in Finnish is bold even as a title. If you're familiar with her personality and music you'll notice how this instantly fits her like a glove.

Kuori Mua begins with inviting piano notes and moves quickly to the electronic beat. The song has heat, rush - it tells you how to move and focus. This screams gay anthem. All the banger elements are here and they're well produced.

The lyrics and beat are energetic and sensual - some might be irritated by the Finglish here but I'm not a Finnish rap expert enough to say if this is common for Finnish rap. Chorus is a bit flat, it doesn't bunch me as I'd wish it would. This needs several listens even though it is memorable though. Musically I especially enjoy the beginning of the second verse and the bridge here. The piano based moments give the juiciest sounds. The song improves towards the end but still doesn't meet the expectations in my opinion.

Kuori Mua is not on top of the Youtube and Spotify lists when comparing the UMK24 tracks and I think it hasn't grown to become the banger they'd hoped for even in domestic levels.

What comes to the live performance music video promises several options and it must be big since this has been chosen to start the UMK show on Saturday (Feb 10th). I have no doubt she wouldn't be able to deliver this live.

What do you think of the sixt UMK24 track and would you vote for Sini Sabotage to go all the way to Malmö? UMK final takes place on February 10th!

5 habits I've picked up during my Lisbon years

These are the biggest life changing habits I've picked up during my seven Lisbon years.

They come in no specific order.

Vegetarian diet

Not my pic.

Not that Portuguese cuisine is known for its vegetarian dishes (because it has none!) but my view on food and cooking have changed while spending my 30's in Lisbon (or it's the old age hehe). Good flavors are rather a simple thing and a lot can be done with fresh and good ingredients without complex procedures.

When still living in Finland I didn't enjoy cooking that much or know exactly how to use the best out of the ingredients I had in my reach. Finnish grocery stores are filled with overproduced and ready-to-go meal options which I also indulged greatly. Finnish cuisine is also rather meat focused which I have stepped away from a bit during my years abroad even though I still enjoy a good steak every now and then.

Portuguese supermercardos on the other hand differ quite a lot - many things can be found fresh and locally produced (except cod because that they actually get from Norway). Instead of e-code filled spice mixes you don't need much else to highlight the natural flavors except salt, pepper, lemon and olive oil. This has changed my way of seeing and consume food tremendously.

Nowadays my social media feed is filled with Mediterranean style vegetarian recipes and I've taken on such things as herbs, onions, garlic, olive oil, arugula and fresh vegetables to my daily diet. I take advantage of seasonal products such as pomegranate, watermelon, mint to bring variety to my plate.

Fun fact is that I've also learned to eat oats, berries + cottage cheese in here which all have been part of Finnish classical diet forever but which I used to hate when living back home.

I'm more human

Not my pic.

Things don't always work and not especially here in Portugal. Systems crash, procedures fail and so do people. You cannot be in a hurry while living in this city or schedule no more than one bureaucrat procedure on your weekly agenda. And that one thing takes the entire day often! Portuguese people and culture still embrace old fashion lifestyle in many ways. Many things still run with pen and paper here and developments come in practice slowly. It's human that mistakes take place and that things might not be easy on the first try.

On a different side of the coin however, elderly, pregnant women or people with small kids or injuries often get priority in groceries and other places. Or you might be passed by the queue because you only have one item in your shopping basket when the person in front of you is buying for a family of six. There's humanity in everyday counters. I'm not saying that not being able to trust the process is entirely stress free but I do enjoy the more human side of things. Life is more merciful, my flaws don't make me and I demand less from myself and those around me.

Traditional = more simple life?

Not my pic.

I'm not saying that everything is about money or that you wouldn't need it but when you don't have much of it you tend to prioritize the real things in life.

The essential part of Portuguese everyday life routine is the meals, family and relationships in general. Yes, we all have to go to work but it doesn't become us. During free time people read books, exercise, go to the beach or play football - some of these being perhaps the essential parts of a Portuguese (or even of South European) lifestyle. These off-screen activities embrace social relationships, healthy and in my opinion more equal lifestyle where one's background with money or success doesn't matter.

This a far cry how I remember the years lived in Finland. The society is very performance and success focused - whether it's from the financial wealth to meeting the social standards - life is measured with achievements, success. The standards are the same for everyone, every child, woman and man and pressures start to grow from a very young age on. Individuality feels criminal. It's about reaching the finish line with great scores instead of enjoying the journey and its benefits to you.

Portuguese salary is is still lower than an average EU-citizen's elsewhere in Europe. As mentioned this country is slow to develop, therefore people and the lifestyle have remained traditional in many ways. Despite of the recent years' tourism boom that has brought along more pressure to provide things in a more modern manner. However it's not super uncommon to step into a store that only accepts cash, or to a Portuguese kitchen that has changed only a little during the last century. Life can be so simple.

Outdoor sports

Not my pic.

Funnily enough coming from the country of four seasons, thousands of lakes and forests that offer almost the same amount of possibilities to exercise all year round, I didn't learn to embrace outdoor sports before January 2020 - in Lisbon. I started running just before the covid shit storm, just in time when gyms and everything else shut down. There was nothing else than the empty streets and parks to conquer.

Funnily enough this new found lifestyle would suffer significantly if I ever moved to Finland (or any other Northern country with proper winters) because indoor, treadmill running doesn't do it for me. I'm in eternal love with the Portuguese weather because I can get around the rains or heat waves - the weather is not an obstacle for me!

Less productive

Not my pic.

I said these five things come in no particular order but it feels natural though to put this last. This is the result of all these four.

I don't feel pressured to do anything that I don't want to do. Whether it's to change jobs, to have a relationship, to travel, to exercise or eat healthy. I do all these things because I want to and if not, it's because I'm not feeling like it. I may be less productive and not where "I supposed to be at my age" - I can feel the judgement every time going home.. but the choices I've made during these seven years have felt truly mine and only mine.

Sometimes I do wonder if these changes and steps would have occurred if I had lived in Finland or somewhere else. Some maybe, others not.

UMK 2024 Song Review - Jesse Markin

The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Malmö continues with another entry!

Jesse Markin - Glow

Jesse Markin is one of the most promising upcoming Finnish indie artists who released his debut album Folk in 2019 and was widely awarded for it for example with an Emma (Finnish Grammy) as the best newcomer in 2020. He released his follow-up album Noir in 2021. Musically he would be categorized as a rap artist but his music is greatly influenced by other genres which shows also in his UMK 2024 entry.

He is one of the rare UMK artists taking a stand announcing that in case of winning UMK he would not go to Malmö if Israel participates ESC 2024.

Glow written partly in Finnish toilets but also in the streets of Ghana, is definitely something else. A fresh summer breeze in the middle of cold January - this is a song that no one expected to receive from Finland.

This ain't a simple track, instrumentally rich, would even call it noisy - a lot is going on in here. I hear reggaeton, afro-beats, hip hop / rap, electro / house well, smoothly produced urban sounds - musically this reminds me of Black Eyed Peas a bit. Chorus is memorable and uplifting with "you're gonna make it" where the verses tend to remain a bit flat.

The song doesn't have really a proper bridge and I don't think the rap section in the halfway of the song should be considered as such. And I don't think it's giving the correct energy here but this might be a personal preference. The track seems then a little long and repetitive. Visually this is on of the weakest of UMK video clips this year. Even though the lama is kind of cute!

However, there's a lot of love for this song out there. For those into this kind of genre, the track is an instant earworm but for others it has a risk of disappearing in the background as.. well background music. When speaking about views on YT and streams on Spotify Glow is losing in both lists for its competitors (being 7th and 6th). But Glow does serve a strong feel good vibe and I'm so glad it's here! It does bring light and different perspective to the 2024 UMK line up.

What do you think of the fourth UMK24 track and would you vote for Jesse Markin to go all the way to Malmö? UMK final takes place on February 10th!

LAURA PAUSINI - TI DICO CIAO (new single 2012 Album INEDITO)

Montaggio by Claudio Ciovati - Te ne vai Salutandomi Da quel luogo che è un luogo senza te Te ne vai da qui Con gli occhi lucidi Che piano si colorano Di bia...

Bye uncle.. grateful for having you in my life

Quilty

As the year of 2017 was approaching dangerously towards its end and I towards my 6 months living in Lisbon.. which in fact was the biggest change of life during my 2017. I am still in process of learning how to live and be in Portugal but just to gather some of the lessons learnt… if any.

Not a post about Portugal without a local door!  

I cannot show off with the time well spent since it took me 4 months to get myself to Sintra which is the #1 tourist attraction of the country and only 25km from the city and even longer it took to taste the Pasteis de Nata, which is the local and the most famous delicacy of Portugal. My portuguese skills haven’t developed either as fast as I would have hoped and I have hit some obstacles over there too. But at least I’m somewhat getting how to do things in local way...slowly. And speaking of! Here are somewhat the biggest hills of my Lisboa life so far. 

Pastéis de Belém, legend with a secret recipe since 1837.

SLOWNESS AND INEFFICIENCY

This has caused me the most stress and really question whether or not I am in the right country. I’ve changed bank and gym, I’ve had 7 different phone numbers from 3 different companies. After all of these efforts I have at least 2 out of 3 figured out. I’m realizing that the portuguese function more efficiently during the rush hour than only one customer standing on the line.This demands motivation and changing my way of thinking. 

MAKING FRIENDS

I guess I am a tricky nature. Uncomfortable with many, including with my own people, making friends carefully and trusting only a few rocks in my life. Life has made me this way and together with the character of Portuguese people (shy introvert) I knew finding my place socially might take some time. I still have not taken roots but I’ve made tons of people through Couchsurfing, Tinder and Facebook, made really good contacts and some potential friends. This has given me energy and motivation the most. The moments of joy and feeling of succeeding.

LANGUAGE LEARNING

I’ve never been to abroad without feeling so little like being abroad. Spending 9h of my day, almost 50 of my week in non-portuguese speaking environment – I could be in Timbuktu as far as I knew.. so you really need to make an effort during your free time to learn the language. Me and the negative mood I’ve been on have been my biggest obstacles I’ve been trying to overcome during these last few months.

I compare myself the ones that say Lisboa is the best place on earth. The ones that enjoy their every day they get to spend here. Because I’m not sharing the feeling. I’m not saying that I would not like to be here but it doesn’t wow me or creat me the feeling like I belong here, at least not yet. Lisboa is easy to fall in love when just visiting and it usually leaves the tourists hungry for more. And like mentioned before understanding this country ain’t always the easiest things to do but there are perks of living here which even I do enjoy..

This city is a caffeine addict’s dream. Besides restaurants and cafeterias, book stores and even garages have corner for people to enjoy their daily dose. I don’t usually like black coffee but gotta admit here – it’s not actually that bad. 

This city is for a museum lovers since Lisboa offers wide range from traditional art and historical museums that open up the character of this country until more special themed museums such as for water, coaches and pharmacy. I’ve read that there over 40 different museums in the city. Been to 1 one of them so far. I’ll get there.

Lisboa is an artwork. Hipsters, bohemians and everybody between will love it here. Each layer should be pealed one by one offering new flavours and tastes. Some say I do it too slowly but there’s magic discovering your surroundings doing it the way I do. There’s the art that’s been created on the streets, new pieces coming up every day but then there are the ones that are born within years even centuries made by its people.

Lisboa holds a majestic aura and its spirit is bold. Existing in the borders as we know it for 900 years the country’s different phases are everywhere. The streets I stepped into last July don’t look the same to me anymore. I understand better what was here before me and what has made the things as they stand in front of me. 

Portugal is known for its sunniest weather and mild temperatures even during the winter months but when we Finns have got used to warmed houses the portuguese are lacking the entire heating up the houses-systems. Rainy days are nice cause the night temperatures keep up around +10 degrees when in the clear nights they go as down as below +5. But then there are days when it’s almost +20 degrees and you can walk home with your coat open without heavy gear to keep you warm.

Looking forward to 2018 since for me the spring has already started. Every day gets lighter (not that it’s even really that dark in here) and warmer towards the summer.  Also I think a full year in a foreign country gives you quite educative image of what it’s like to live there. Spending less will only show you one side of the coin. So not quite done yet with Lisboa. 

Greatest moment: borrowing a book from phone box!

UMK 2023 Song review - Portion Boys

The hype is very real around Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), the Finnish national selection for Eurovision and the race to Liverpool continues with glam rock anthem!

Portion Boys - Samaa taivasta katsotaan

Portion Boys have been around for a while. They originally started from Youtube back in 2010 and by releasing regurarly singles slowly but surely made theirselves a name in Finland. Especially the few last years have been succesful for them. They’ve become known as a positive dance-pop group with a lots of personality. 

Samaa taivasta katsotaan represents quite well the band’s musical repertoire and style. It offers a great ending to UMK23 series (as it was released as the seventh and the last track) and also to UMK23 show on February 25th. This is a very rich song, we have several elements and genres mixed in this one and it is the thing that might keep the viewer hooked for the entire 3 minutes but it might also be the thing that breaks charm.

I get the feeling of the song trying too hard. It’s trying to please everyone - we have the rock rap, anthem like instrumental parts, heavy metalish screaming going on. Even the lyrics mention several countries and make references in foreign languages. It’s a mess and it’s up to one’s personal taste whether it’s a mess for your taste. 

The song reminds a bit of Eurovision Movie: Fire Saga by its vibes and with its to be honest Eurovision clichés. Even reference to Latvian Pirates in 2008 has been made in social media. There’s a certain sillyness in here but also the spirit of becoming one despite all our differences. Usually these kind of entries haven’t done very well in ESC.

However,  this might be one of the rare UMK23 entries that I do not wish to advance to ESC. On another year yes but not in 2023 when we have better options. However, I have to admit it does hold the strongest hook in UMK23. This might go against the lovers of Cha Cha Cha as it musically and spiritually stands completely on the other side of the edge. However, I can see this becoming a true Finnhit classic and bringing people together on the dancefloor.

What do you think of the seventh UMK23 track and would you vote for Portion Boys’ Samaa taivasta katsotaan to go all the way to Liverpool? UMK final takes place on February 25th!

Wonderful as it is...

Happy One-month-in-Canada- Anniversary to me! Holiday is officially over and I'm back to everyday duties. Sorry guys, pics could be better but haven't taken any "cool" ones lately :)

Job hunting has started quite nicely. I was super-afraid of the language barrier in my French skills cause I knew that if there’s a quebécois speaker I’m screwed! But so far things have gone well and I’ve got some positive vibes from the places I’ve stopped by.  I’m waiting news during this week but I’m still gonna keep looking just in case the “positive vibe” wasn’t as mutual as I thought. Coming from Europe where jobs are dying out as we speak I find it positively refreshing to see “hiring” signs. In general there are a lot to choose from if you’re not too picky.    

Otherwise the language situation is going allright. I find myself knowing more French than what I give mysef credit for. Writing and reading I can manage and depending on the accent I even understand what people are saying to me. But still gotta admit that québecois accent is a tricky one! I’m counting on that future job of mine to improve my comprehension orale.  I won’t take any classes though cause I feel that all I need is just practical training.

(Palais du Congrès, MTL) 

Building my social circle has been a more complicated process than what I originally planned.. not that I’ve been lonely but breaking through the friendship zone has proven to be more difficult than what I expected. During these weeks I’ve met lots of people, every time different ones, mainly through Couchsurfers, Facebook and Meetup-groups. Every time it’s been definitely interesting, sometimes even fun and more importantly rewarding especially when you happen to meet someone you’re on a same level mentally. Though it is getting exhausting to tell your story and explains the same things over and over again.

 I tend to end up with “outsiders” (tourists, people outside of Québec and Canada) like myself mainly because is natural to meet people who are or have gone through somewhat same things as I am now. Even the locals I’ve met have been originally from somewhere else. Slowly but surely I guess. :) 

I’ve also started going to the gym again. The one I go to, is a bit far, 40min by metro but it’s really cheap 140$ for a year incl. most of the group classes they offer as well. And the best thing is that there’s a separate sections for men and women. Lots of different equipments, not the newest ones I gotta admit but I’ll definitely get my work out done there. Here’s the website if anyone’s interested http://www.aerobieplus.ca/fr/

Not that I’m exactly suffering from a homesickness but while paying the rent a few days ago I started suddenly appreciate the online banking system we have in Finland. It might have been also me but online paying didn’t exactly work out so I had to write a cheque – the very first in my life! And I had to google it how to write one cause I’ve never even hold a such piece of paper in my hand before. The things you learn while living abroad! :)

Within a week I’ll be moving to my new room! Finally. It’s a bit bigger and there’s a proper window. My current room is okay, but it’s too small and especially now when it’s been so hot, the skylight window isn’t exactly my thing. Besides when it rains, the sound is is super loud and it could wake even the dead up from their graves. I have to change the building as well but it’s just at next door so I won’t mind. I still consider finding this place as an incredible stroke of luck. The location, price, interior and everything has been perfect so far.

I’m so looking forward to the fall which I think is finally coming :)