Author Archives: Timo

Looking for Leprechauns

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It’s been a week since I returned home from Ireland, so maybe it’s time to wrap it up and write something about our trip.

I already wrote during the trip about the Roger Waters concert and how the audience really makes the show and our visit to Ross Castle, but let’s hear more.

TL;DR version: Ash cloud, Dublin, Roger Waters, ghosts in the castle, up north, high cliffs, wind, whiskey, more high cliffs, back home.

Day 1: Dublin

There was some uncertainty whether our flight would ever leave because of the ash cloud from Grímsvötn volcano in Iceland, but it wasn’t really a problem. Our flight just took a little bit longer than normally. We flew the southern route over Netherlands to avoid the ash cloud over Scotland and Northern Ireland. We arrived in Dublin about one hour late. Since my last visit in 2007, they had completed the Terminal 2, which was very spacious, modern and clean. We rented a car from Budget, but not without trouble getting a suitable car with automatic gearbox. We were supposed to get an SUV with automatic gearbox, but we got a Skoda Octavia instead. Good enough. We didn’t register an extra driver, so I didn’t have to drive. I wouldn’t have minded driving on left hand side traffic, but Tuukka was kind enough to take care of the driving alone for the whole week. Thanks.

We had reserved accommodation near Temple Bar for the first night, but a water leakage changed plans and we were directed to King Fisher, where Ana-Marie in the reception took really good care of us. Say hello if you go there.

After finding a pub, that seemed to be an unexpectedly difficult task, and a few pints of Guinness, we headed towards the O2 arena to see The Wall (read more about the gig).

Days 2-3: Ross Castle

On the second day we packed our stuff to car again, bought some food and beverages (read: beer and vodka), and drove towards Ross Castle. We chose to drive smaller roads to avoid road tolls on the motorway and to see the Irish countryside. The roads were narrow, curvy, and sometimes in a very bad shape with a ridiculous 80 km/h speed limit. 50 or 60 km/h would have been more appropriate. We took a wrong turn in many crossroads that didn’t have proper signs and our Nokia N8 navigator application was constantly trying to reroute back to the tolled motorway, despite the “no tolls, no motorways” setting. Otherwise it performed really well, guiding our way to different places.

After many U-turns and small villages, we finally arrived at Ross Castle, that lies between Mountnugent (insert a Ted Nugent joke here) and Finea in County Meath (read more about Ross Castle).

View to Lough Sheelin from Ross Castle tower

View to Lough Sheelin from Ross Castle tower

Ghosts

I said in earlier post that I didn’t hear or see anything weird in Ross Castle, but that’s not everything. I didn’t actually see any ghosts or hear weird noises, but there was an unpleasant feeling of a presence of someone or something, and some mysterious things happened.

Next to my bed was a chair. When I tried to sleep, I always felt that someone’s sitting on that chair. I didn’t see anything, but still I felt that. On the first night I thought I heard some heavy breathing when falling asleep, but it was probably my own. I also thought I heard whispering (similar to the whispering in the jungle in Lost TV series), but that could have been a dream. No surprise I really couldn’t get a good sleep until sunrise.

There was also a door leading to a small bedroom, opposite to our bedroom door, in the end of a corridor. I closed the door, because I didn’t feel comfortable when it was open. A moment later I heard a sound and when I went to investigate, I noticed that the door was open. No one else was near the room but me. I closed it again and thought that maybe the lock was faulty and air flow had pushed it open, but I was wrong. I had to turn the knob to open the door. It didn’t open by pushing. I closed the door and next morning it was again open. On the second day I checked the door every now and then and it stayed closed. Next morning when I woke up, it was again open.

The cleaning woman told us that she once heard a bucket fall down the stairs in the tower and when investigating, the bucket was standing behind a corner, where it couldn’t have rolled on its own.

Janne told that he saw some kind of an orb and had a powerful feeling of ghost’s presence, but we didn’t hear the noises that most of the other visitors (including Ulster Paranormal Society) had reported in the guestbook.

Spooky place, but worth visiting.

Day 4: To north

On fourth day we headed towards Northern Ireland. We didn’t have any idea how to cross the border, but soon we noticed that there really wasn’t a visible border anywhere. Traffic signs just changed a little bit to show miles instead of kilometers and there we were, in the UK.

Our first stop was in Armagh, that seemed to be strictly divided with nationalists and unionists, because there were their flags everywhere. Otherwise it looked just the same as every Irish town. Near Armagh we had a small walk in the Navan Fort with astonishing 360° open view over the green fields.

After Armagh, we drove via Coleraine to Bushmills, where we spent our fourth night. Me and Tuukka walked to Giant’s Causeway in the evening and barely got back to the main road until nightfall.

Day 5: Giant’s Causeway, Bushmills distillery, Carrick-a-Rede and back to south

In the morning we went again to Giant’s Causeway. We walked around the basaltic columns and climbed to the hills and enjoyed the fresh Atlantic air, although the wind was quite strong. There were signs of recent landslides, so it was quite dangerous to go there in twilight.

When heavy rain fell on us, we decided to leave and head to Carrick-a-Rede, which is a small rope bridge leading to a small Carrick Island near Giant’s Causeway. If there’s something special to see, it’s the view (surprise, surprise). You could even see a distant mountain top on Islay, that is located about 65 km north from the northern coast. I hope to get there some day to taste the smoky and peaty Scotch whiskys in authentic environment. Strong wind made the crossing of the bridge a little bit hard. The personnel measured the wind speed and it was 31 something. Typical, they said. Probably knots, because 31 m/s would have been impossible to cross or even be outside without a shelter.

View from Carrick Island

View from Carrick Island

Next stop was the Bushmills distillery store, where I bought two bottles of Irish whiskey and some other souvenirs.

Then we headed southwest to Donegal via Londonderry (or Derry, whatever). Right before Londonderry there was a brilliant view over Lough Foyle.

The roads on the UK side were in much better shape and I got a similar feeling when going from Finland to Sweden. Everything’s cleaner and just seems to be better. I don’t really want to pick a political side, because the conflict there isn’t my war to fight, but it seems that the UK economy with Pound sterling is much better for Northern Ireland than Euro is for The Republic. Irish people seemed to be worried about the economy and high unemployment. Small towns are dying, because there are no jobs and young, educated people are moving to major cities and abroad. Unemployed people get too much benefits without doing anything and it’s not profitable to get a low pay job. Sounds similar to situation in Finland, except the huge drug problem and high crime rate that trouble Ireland. These facts make it highly irrelevant to argue about unions and republics. There are more important things to worry about.

On the evening of day 5 we went out in Donegal to see the Champion’s league final in a pub. We found ourselves in a local Manchester United fan pub that was filled with local football fanatics. After a few pints of Smithwick’s (if you know where to get Smithwick’s in Finland, please tell me) we thought that it was best to leave, because the atmosphere was becoming more hostile and we were sitting in the lower section of the pub that was filled with Barcelona supporters.

Day 6: Slieve League

On the day 6 we drove past Killybegs and Kilcar to Slieve League, that is the highest sea cliff in Europe. The wind was very strong and it was sometimes difficult to stay on your feet. Even stronger than on Carrick-a-Rede. I climbed quite high on the mountain in wet, grassy terrain, but didn’t have enough courage to go on the other side of the top, because my shoes really weren’t good enough for walking there. Again, the scenery was breathtaking and even the Sun was shining. No rain at all. Splendid.

Slieve League

Slieve League

Day 7: Back to Dublin

The last day was spent driving back to Dublin via Drumcliff, Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon and Maynooth. I was planning to buy a bodhrán, but I couldn’t find one that wasn’t made in China. I’ll probably have to order one from Waltons. After dinner, I was really tired and slept a couple of hours in the car.

Our last night flowed really slowly in the Dublin Airport where we tried to get some sleep in couches. I managed to get two hours of sleep until we were told that we have to leave for cleaning. A little later the check-in desks opened and we dropped our baggage there and went through the security check. After a few hours of wandering in souvenir shops we were heading home, asleep on the plane.

Summary: Great trip. Fun, fun, fun. Can’t wait for the next one.

Post Scriptum

How long does it take to get used to right hand side traffic again?

Ross Castle hospitality

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Ross Castle, in the village of Ross, co Meath, a couple hours of drive from Dublin, is a fantastic opportunity to enjoy Irish countryside and hospitality. We spent two nights in this cozy small castle and will certainly return someday.

The building consists of old tower that was originally built in 16th century and rebuilt after destruction in 19th century, and a side wing building that was built in 1960′s on the foundings of older building. One part of the buildings foundations used to be a chapel. The place is filled with antiques, stuffed animals and old books. Definitely worth driving through narrow roads and small villages.

Guestbook is filled with stories from very satisfied visitors and of course, ghost stories.

Many visitors have heard weird noises, knocking on the front door, heavy breathing, footsteps on tower staircase, toilets flushing without anyone being there, seen childrens cradle rocking, glowing orbs and a spirit of a young woman.

I didn’t see or hear anything but a Canadian couple that slept in the tower told us that they could hear lots of ghost noises during the night. This place itself can easily give the creeps to even the most sceptic people; not in a negative way but as an exciting experience in front of fireplace, telling ghost stories to each other.

Food is excellent and the coffee is probably the best in Ireland. The host couple is very nice and we truly enjoyed their hospitality.

I certainly recommend visiting Ross Castle. Spend a night or two and relax.

Audience makes the show

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Sometimes when a foreign superstar comes to Finland to perform, they tell in an interview, that Finnish audience is the best in the world.

Of course they are just polite and want to make their audience feel that they really are the best.

My opinion is that Finnish audience usually is very quiet and stiff. No one sings along. Only a few wave their hands. Sometimes you can even see a moshpit. Of course there are exceptions and sometimes even Finnish ultra shy audience will blow the place up.

Today I was again reminded that it really matters how the audience takes part in the show. I saw Roger Waters performing Pink Floyd’s The Wall in the O2 Arena in Dublin, Ireland.

I was really amazed how every freaking man and woman was singing and shouting all the time from the very beginning to the end. The show itself was great enough to get on your top 3 list (it got to second place after Porcupine Tree in Ilosaarirock festival in 2007 on my list), but the audience really made it an experience you will never forget. Thank you Dublin. It was awesome.

Unhappy with Twenty Ten

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I have myself been reading blogs and other interesting websites I follow with a feed reader application for many years. Currently I’m using Reeder on iPhone and Mac (beta version available). I rarely see the look and feel of websites, unless the RSS feed only has the excerpt of a post, or if I want to write a comment.

There are some blogs that always seem to have a new fresh layout when I visit them, but most people (including me) are too busy or lazy to create a new layout every month. When you find a layout that works for you, it’s easy to stick with it and never update.

I am a little bit unhappy with the looks of my blog. I’m currently using the default WordPress theme, called Twenty Ten, without any major customizations. I know most of my readers are using a feed reader application, e.g. Google Reader, so the looks really should not matter, because they never see what my blog looks like. They just see the content. But there is some traffic coming from search engines, Twitter and Facebook, and they will see the layout.

This layout is not personal. It’s not mine. I have to create a new one.

The pool of creativity and blogging

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Today, I saw a presentation about blogging and gained some new insights about a blog as a tool in leveraging your business and delivering content to your readers and the online world. That presentation reminded me that I still have this blog and I really should write more actively.

When I first started blogging in 2003 (sorry, those posts are not available anymore), a little bit over eight years ago, only a few people new what a blog was and many were thinking why someone would like to present his or her own opinions publicly on the Internet. My first posts were mostly about trying to quit smoking, studying, and other stuff that belonged to the haircut category of non-interesting topics that happen in everyday life.

Since then, I’ve written about music, politics, computers, studying, latest news and many other topics, including the haircut, but my pen keyboard is really not so sharp anymore.

I’ve often wondered where does the energy go that earlier gave me the drive to write and present my thoughts. Sometimes I feel that a human being has a limited capacity of creativity. Consider it as a pool of wonderful thoughts and ideas. Every time we tweet, comment on a Facebook post, chat on IRC for hours, play online games, watch soap operas on TV, even listen to music or just hit continuously the refresh button on an imageboard or a kitten pic site like mindless zombies, this pool is being drained into the void.

When we stop and enjoy the silence, the pool starts to fill again. If you’ve ever tried to solve a complex problem in a noisy office environment, you know, that just going out for a moment, maybe to have a cigarette (I actually quit years ago) or to breath fresh air, or in any other way sealing the disturbing factors away from your mind will help you to fill the pool again and find a solution to your problem.

Blogging is creative work and your pool has to be filled with ideas that help to create the post for your readers. When your pool is drained, you cannot create anything. I’ve been draining my pool with all kinds of useless activities, but also exhausting myself with work, studies and all the hobbies I have. Sometimes you just need to rest and then light the spark again.

One of the insights of todays presentation was that you just cannot fake passion. Blogging is like sex. You have to do it for passion, otherwise it is fake and every reader will know it.

I believe I will find my passion for writing again, because I really like writing.

Salmiac? Yes, please

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Salmiac is black, salty candy that Finns love and it’s the first thing besides rye bread, that they really miss, when living abroad.

Non-Finns usually hate it and can’t stand its taste. If you’ve ever wondered what kind of experience it is for non-Finn to taste salmiac, you should read the Salmiyuck blog.

Finland after “Jytky”

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The True Finns came, saw and won. Their chairman Timo Soini named the victory as “jytky”, which means a huge, unexpected happening, a big bang, or something similar.

Many people have been extremely worried about the election results. True Finns are seen as an ultra-conservative movement that are gaining support with populist theses. They are known to be anti-immigrant and anti-EU and they support nationalistic views with strong army and police force, traditional family values and Christianity. They are often compared to nazis in Germany of 1930′s, but in reality they are not an extreme right wing party, but rather in a political center. However they are not liberal. Not at all.

I disagree with them in almost everything. Hence I voted for someone else in some other party.

However, I’m not worried about their victory. Of course I’m willing to pack my things and go to some other country to live, but the main reasons for that are miserable cold weather, darkness in winter and the cost of living in Finland.

There can be seen a trend in Facebook and other social media, where everyone is considering immigrating to somewhere else and people are publicly announcing that they are not happy with the election result and did not vote for True Finns.

But what will happen next? That is to be seen. The negotiations for the next government are certainly not easy and we may end up having another election if no coalition can gain a majority in 200 member parliament.

In the long run, I don’t think there will be any major changes in Finnish society and politics. People will go to work as usual, discuss about what kind of weather fortune tellers have predicted for summer and complain about what Johanna Tukiainen has said and done, just like before elections.

Nova Trotters and the Streisand effect

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Streisand effect is an online phenomenon, where an attempt to hide information on the web causes it to spread even more.

Nova Trotters is a company hosting some sort of “Best Websites in Finland” competition and they have been receiving lots of criticism around the Finnish blogosphere. The attempt to hide this criticism by cease and desist has lead of course to Streisand effect.

The information is spreading in blogs, forums and Twitter like a wildfire.

More details (sorry, only in Finnish) on the following blogs and forums:

Year plus plus

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Today is the last working day in this year, so it’s time to say goodbye to year 2010. Ride has been bumpy and tough. Really tough. Year 2010 has been the most difficult in my life. It’s also been one of the best. Not the first half, but the second.

During the first six months I was constantly thinking what I want to do with my life. Family and work were both something I wasn’t happy with. This of course lead to crisis, where every wall was falling at the same time. Then the roof came and collapsed, leaving me to struggle my way through the rubble. Rise up. Breath again. Be free.

I quit my job. I started in new one. Divorced and moved on my own after almost ten years. Buried my dearest grandparents. All this happened too soon, too quick. But I survived and got stronger.

Life goes on and smiles again. Thanks to great friends, who have given me their strong support and hope. You know who you are. With your help it was a lot easier to travel through sorrow and pain. I’ve been happier and everything looks better now. I believe next year will be good. Really good.

What else happened?

I got my bachelor’s degree finished. There is still lots of work to do until my studies are complete. Maybe in 2012 I’ll have two master’s degrees. That’s insane.

I have seen numerous good gigs from great bands. Played couple of good ones myself and really started playing drums again regularly.

I have the best workmates ever. I feel we have a good spirit. Let’s keep it that way.

I started saving money. I want to travel. Next trip will be to Ireland and Northern Ireland in May. Renting a car. Driving around. Scary, if you know what Irish traffic is like. And they drive on the wrong side of the road! Some day I want to see New York. Not maybe next year, but it’ll be there waiting for me.

And sports? I have really enjoyed sports again. Yesterday I played some ice hockey. I haven’t been skating much in years, but it went pretty well. I’m considering buying a pair of skates and a hockey stick. Indoor cycling while watching TV series is a regular activity now. At least once a week. In January I will continue practicing my martial arts skills in wushu kung fu. I’ve lost about 13 kg of weight in 8 months, which is nice. I still have lots of extra to lose, but I try not to stress about it.

Let’s see what next year brings. I’m ready and happy with my life.