Living in a foreing country

Is hard.... yes it is.
You may adapt well, very well, even look like a local, and kind of speak the language until levels that can even surprise you. You can learn the culture, the habits, how to treat people, etc.
But the most difficult part is to learn how people think, and why. And adapt to that is one of the challenges that a foreigner confronts when coming to another country.
It may take forever. You may not learn that in your whole stay. You'll think your way, and they'll think theirs, the problem is acting and what it looks like. You will act according to your thoughts, that possibly are very different thatn the locals'. And still, even if you are adapted perfectly and so on, they will not understand. And you will not understand them. or maybe after some years.
Also, to understand people's feelings is hard. They may not express them as in your country. They may not express them at all. Or hide them.

So damn long time without posting anything... my apologies and a picture as a compensation.
Busy times and lazy too....

I had forgotten these feelings and emotions

If I remember right, if it is the only European final Atletico has played since I was born, it was one day when I was a child, if people say 24 years ago I was then 9 years old, at school and I clearly remember the ABC cover. Three spansih teams went into their respective final: Real Madrid in UEFA, Atletico in Cup Winners Cup and Barcelona in Europe's Cup. Only Real Madrid brought their Cup home but it was an historical day for Spanish football anyway. When football was real football and not a business.

We (Atletico) lost that game against Dinamo Kiev 3-0. I did not even watch the game. Better like that because it would have been painful. Besides, I was not so much into football at that time. i was Atletic fan already, that I remember. School mates mock at me because all of them were Atletico supporters. I guess the fact that I was like the "weirdo" in my classroom has also built my character. I don't care. I was happy to be almost the only Atletico fan among Real's. And I am happy now that I am not supporting Barcelona, when everybody has got into "their marvellous play".

Anyway, 14 years later, like in 1996, we have the chance to win two Cups: Europe League and Spanish Cup. I hope we bring them both to Madrid. We really needed this. We almost had forgotten about it.



I am sorry that it was Liverpool the team we needed to beat to pass through. It is a team I really like and a spirit many other teams would like for them. It is my team in England, but well, i think we were better overall and deserved to pass. We should already had left the play off 3-0 in Madrid, but only a1-0 was making me nervous.The second leg was a really hard game to play. I consider that we shoul not had got into extra time, but we did and it all happened in there. Forlán scored ours and we will face Fullham for the title. A night to enjoy, a night to dream, although at the end is only football.

Gol de Forlán (Liverpool 2-Atlético 1)

We are the Champions!

Me and The Cup behind

Last week, just seven days ago tuesday 23rd March, we were celebrating Jokipojat's third victory agains DTeam that gave them the final victory in Mestis playoffs. Was kind of rmotional to feel the center of ice-hockey at least in Finland. These guys deserved it so badly after the last year loose against Vaasa Sport.
Jokipojat made the perfect playoffs, winning quarter finals, semifinals and finals by a 3-0. Besides, our great goalie, Mikko Rämö was declared as Most Valuable Player pf the playoffs.
We attended the games of the final in Joensuu. Exciting, at least the last one, where D-team really forced Joensuu players to put their best into the ice. Some of Jokipojat's goals were just amazing. The 3-2 just made me jump from my seat, what a goal by Jarkko Malinen, pass by Scott Matzka, one of the two foreigners we currently have. The last one, 6-3 for us was also a really beautiful goal by Scott.
The first two legs of the finals were quite tight, we beated them in Mehtimäki 4-3 and 2-3 in Jyväskylä, but were able to crush them in the third leg 6-3 making really beautiful hockey.

Then, celebrations, the delivery of the Cup, the players came to the same bar as we were and we saw them very close, also the Cup (see picture above).

Anyway, something again special that I have lived in this marvellous city, Joensuu. It would be stupid, but if ice hockey opens the city to the rest of Finland it would be awesome. Tampere Ilves already leads the battle for promotion 1-0 but they will sweat blood to stay in SM Liiga. Welcome to Joensuu!!!

Jokipojat

Jokipojat is the ice hockey team from Joensuu. When I got here I thought it would be a very small team, not so important anyway. But I proved to be wrong, at least partially.
Jokipojat is an important part of the city, at least in terms of hockey. Ice hockey is one of the national prides of Finland and sometimes even a religion. And indeed it is cool to have your "own" Ice hockey team in the city I am living in. Do you like ice hockey? Yes, sure. So which team do you support? Maple Leafs? Tampa Bay? Anaheim maybe? Well, hell yeah, I like Anaheim because Teemu Selänne, one of finnish legends plays there, but I like Jokipojat... and no, it is not a NHL team. Not even SM-Liiga. Hopefully next year. Yes We can!!!

Last year we lost the finals against Vaasa Sport, a team that has become one my "hated teams" and this year we are involved there too, with more possibilities.

Today they play the third leg (best of five) of the finals of Mestis (Finnish second division) against D-team. We lead it 2-0, so if we win today, we are Champions. Then, promotion to get into SM-liiga against Tampere Ilves will be played. But that is another thing.

And some videos of their win against LeKi 7-1

GO JOKIPOJAT!!!!

Trio of aces

Not so long ago, less than a month, I took a look at the recommendations that last.fm “calculates“ based on the music that you have been listening to during your “scrobbling life”.

Lucky me, I got the names and went to Grooveshark, my latest discovery in web-based free and legal music players. And it was (it IS) amazing how those bands sound. Straight to my “Best of 2009” without any doubts. Two songs each band and already between 100 and 200 plays in my library. Maybe in a month. It is true that I usually get very excited with new bands at the beginning, but this time is one of these times that the band really stays and ends up being a classic or entering your cd collection. And they have not entered it yet because I have a very expensive priority I want to buy, so they will need to wait.

Their names are “The Boxer Rebellion”, “Red light Company” and "The Joy Formidable”, and I copy here some of their videos and links to their songs through Grooveshark (they are not in Spotify I think).

Red Light Company "Meccano"

Red Light Company "Scheme Eugene" .... I love this song

Yellow!!!

My new YELLOW Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 came on Saturday.I just have to say that I love them, here some pictures.

Best music of 2009

As every year (or almost) since I have this blog, the end of January-beginning of February is a good month to write about what was best for me in music the previous year, 2oo9 in this case.
When all the holy music bloggers (Thank you!) tend to already start looking the year back in November or the beginning of December I start looking at their blogs instead. I like to take the advantage of that.

Get

And there is always, A-l-w-a-y-s! good surprises that I have missed for any reason. Maybe half of the songs that are shaping "mnilu's Best of 2009" are based on these discovers I have made thanks to them.
This year I started compiling the songs in Spotify, but lastly, about two weeks ago, I discovered a web based player, and seems that I like it a lot: Grooveshark, a marvellous web based (yes, essential if you can't install software at work, for example).

your

Let's talk a little about Grooveshark, I guess most of the people will already know about Spotify. It is something like a streaming p2p, although I think that legal, because I think they have agreements with record companies, and literally p2p: you can upload your songs. So, most of the songs I did not find with Spotify I found them in Grooveshark.
Another important thing, for those who do not like to register in sites and bla bla bla, this site does not require registration. But of course I am freak enough to do it and even put my picture in my personal web. Same as in Sp, you can create playlists, you can love tracks, be fan of an user or bands of course.
Grooveshark also has commercials, yes, but not between the songs, just flash ads at the right of the main screen. I recommend it very much.
Anyway, I have been listening to a lot of music and choosing one or two songs from every album if I had liked them enough.
Sixty songs, I think more than three hours of playing, some of them really new bands for me, but what new bands...! some of them are amazing...
Here is the link I hope you do not have any problems in loading Grooveshark, if you even want to register please let me know and let's follow each other!

mnilu's best of 2009

and the songs I found in Spotify, just if you do not want to bother the Shark...

Spotify's mnilu's best of 2009

Soon best albums and live acts will be posted, now I am tired and I have to go to have dinner and then to rest. By the way, if you have a Google account, you can now follow the blog, press the link at the right column ! and...

enjoy the music!

damn headphones !!!!!!!!!!!

Once upon a time in 1992....

...Nirvana played in the Mtv music awards. I remember that luckily, although I dont have so many detailed memories of it, I got to see it live (or was a replay?) that year, when I just came home briefly in Villalba after probably some skating.
The story behind it tells that Kurt wanted to play "Rape me" and that Mtv had absolutely prohibited it. They were upset and the band were told thousands of times not to do so.
After all, the band decided to play some initial chords of "Rape me", just to piss Mtv's directors. Then they switched to Lithium, played it through to end up destroying the equipment.
Also, Krist Novoselic hit his head when he threw his bass guitar 25 feet over him and missjudged its fall.
Here is the video, worth watching




Nothing like these things happen nowadays. It is also good to see how they mock Mtv at the end of the video, when they receive the "Best New Band award". They had attitude. They were awesome. How many good tunes Kurt would had composed in all these years if he would had been alive. Anyway, we miss you, rest in peace.

Me and my poster version New Orleans

My first time overseas

Phones

Photo post

Roskilde's harbor, quite beautiful place to go for a walk when the sun goes down.
Roskide, Denmark, July 2009

Speed
Suvantosilta, Joensuu, Finland, December 2008

66
Under Suvantosilta, railway tracks, Joensuu, Finland, December 2008

Movement
Kukkosensaari, facing to Pyhäselkä Lake, Joensuu, Finland, October 2008 with Alberto

Railo
Pyhäselkä Lake, Joensuu, March 2009

Sunset
Pyhäselkä Lake, Joensuu, Finland, April 2009

Roskilde Festival

One of the most famous and considered festivals around the World. Could be. Possibly is. But they made some bad decisions in my opinion.
They want to make the festival different, booking some "non typical bands" that play in every other festival. Well, maybe they are right, they have been out there for 39 years now and counting, and nobody is going to discuss with them about what they should do or not. Agree.
It is precisely that what saves them. I have been seriously thinking these days that there is a lot of people who attend the festival who may only see the closing band or not even that. I am serious. With the typical thieves hanging around, they may not want to leave their expensive speakers or audio systems alone.
May I be speaking without a knowledge? Well, it is also possible that they make turns staying with the stereo.
I could not believe that a person pays 240 euros just to stay in a camping playing techno music. And those are the people who save RF every year, those who do not care about the bands, in general. Of course I expect that they have seen Oasis, Coldplay and some other bands, but more than that?
What I mainly mean is that some people attend RF because it is RF.
After all, I had fun, a lot of fun and I saw many damn good bands but I expected more. A pity because it cost more than I am ever going to pay again for a festival and there were not even toilets in the camping site.
Here is the list of the bands I saw. I missed some others I wanted to see, due to timetable (who the hell thought about setting ...and you will know us by the trail of dead at 14:30?) and my working days-conditions (I had to go every day to feed teh shrimps):

Veto (although they played on Friday in CPH, I consider them as part the festival)
Twins Twins (Excellent show! Even bought an EP)
Rubberhead Banditz (maybe the best show in the festival)
Men among animals
The Telstar sound Drone
Giana Factory (I think!)
Social Distortion
Fucked up
The Gaslight Anthem (great show)
I missed Mew because it was as full as it could be, although I listened to some songs)
Baddies (very good)
Friendly Fires (Liked it a lot)
Frightened Rabbit
Three first songs of Skambank
Oasis
The Soft Pack
I got you on Tape
Cut off your hands (also one of the best shows)
Quite a lot of The Chap, and surprisingly I liked it
The Pains of being pure at heart
Pet shop boys
White Lies
The Bronx
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Coldplay

That makes a total of 22 bands of which I saw, at least, the major part of the show. Not bad, but still, 240/22 makes 10.9 per show with free camping, which is not bad. Of course the camping is not a great thing. I may not return there if I ever come back to RF... dsgusting.

I am sorry not to have any pictures, but I was afraid of getting my camera stolen, as it could have been very possible, so that is a justified excuse.

About two weeks ago I saw Kaiser Chiefs at Tivoli in Copenhagen, excellent show and only average attendees, and the next stop was Tv on the Radio on Wednesday 29.07 (one of the best shows I have attended) and Beat Day in the middle of August. Maybe others but I am not sure yet.

At least Copenhagen and Roskilde are great cities regarding to concerts. I love Vega!

We won't catch them again this time

I am referring to one of my favourite bands ever, Sunny Day Rea Estate. I remember the first time I listened to them on Radio 3, I was amazed about the first LP, "Diary", but it was not until some years later that I really had access to all their work. The Rising Tide is, simply one of the best albums of all time and let's say the best in the 2000 decade that is almost about to finish. And it was my 25 birthday's present.
Now, they are on a reunion tour to be held in North America starting in September, 20 dates that if people are wise, will be sold out. Again, wel will miss them, and maybe for the last time. A worship band, I hope they will tour Europe or they will change their minds. Two of the bands I have missed, Nirvana and them, two of the greatests.

Tick tick tick tick tick tick Tickets!

This is the second post about concert tickets. Some of those shows will be always in my heart, special moments that will be remembered forever.

I saw Last Days of April just one day before my debut with Rakiss Meiniss. It was a great show and we won the following day also, it was a game at 9:00.

Teenage Fanclub, one of the ebst live shows I have seen in Tavastia, my favourite venue in Helsinki! Definitely astonishing!

The first time I saw Kent live was in Stockholm. That tour (Turné 19) was awesome, and Du & jag döden was a fantastic album!

Sonorama 2005. Mogwai, Maga, etc,

I was not supposed to attend this show, but a friend could not go, and I got the ticket. I liked it a lot though! I would like to see Bloc Party again soon.

And this could have been the best show I have ever attended! Magic The Posies in Madrid. One of the bands of my life.


And two of the festivals I went to last summer, I had a lot of fun in those! Great!

Besides, I will still attend concerts when possible. This summer I have already planned a couple of festivals and maybe some concerts. Let's see if there is a third chapter soon!!!

Give me a ticket !!!!

Este fue mi primer concierto serio: Los Planetas acababan de lanzar "Pop" y me encantaban.

These are some of the shows (better, the tickets that gave access to them) I have enjoyed most in nearly 15 years attending to concerts. I really have good feelings and memories about these concerts. Somehow are part of my life. It is very strange that some bands I have seen maybe ten years ago are still there and that, after 10 years we may "meet" again in a show (like the Foo Fighters last summer or maybe Placebo this next?) and see how have they grown up and feel how much have I grown too. For example, I saw Embrace, the british band when they released their first record, "The good will out" in 1998! and now, today I am listening to them again. It was a warm friday morning maybe ten or eleven years ago, I was in Villalba and they were playing at Los Conciertos de Radio 3, quite far away. My grandmother (I miss you today more than ever) told me not to go, but as stubborn I am, I said I was going. And I went and it was good. Also played on TV later. They played six songs and I liked it. Oh my god. Maybe I was 22 or 23.
Anyway, here are som historical tickets. Some of them may be older than you are. Some of these moments are probably before you started to listen to music. Ahhhh, it is sooo easy to go to a gig today, you can listen the songs freely and even become a fan without buying any cd...anyway, here they are.

That day I finished september exams, I think I had Thermodynamics or something like that... horrible... anyway, it is the warmest concert I have ever been to: meaning TEMPERATURE. Outside it was +18 and the glasses of the venue were steamed up.. seriously in was embarrasing, girls were fainting...paint of the walls stuck to t-shirts.. hell.. anyway, it was a damn good show by Weezer and The Posies.

Another glorious day...

Nada Surf have been one of my favourites also... 12 years ago already.

The first in the line ... yes I am a freak!


U-ru-sei Yat-su-ra! There always will be only one Urusei Yatsura


I really enjoyed this show and I am proud I attended to see one of the best spanish bands ever: El Niño Gusano. D.E.P. Sergio Algora. Genio!



Look at those three! They have to play in Roskilde!!!! They play in Provinssi rock... fuck!

And soon, a second chapter.

Best songs of 2008

I have been compiling songs that I consider as best of 2008. I made a playlist in last.fm, so I recommend everyonr who reads this post to go and check it. The website does not allow you to listen to the whole song in some cases (maybe I am too weird choosing the songs). Anyway, if you want to listen to the whole playlist, these songs may be available elsewhere.The playlist probably contains only 30 secs streaming that could be enough to discover if you like the song. Enjoy.

http://www.last.fm/user/mnilu/library/playlists/2e22g_best_of_2008

y como adelanto un par de videos

Disco Ensemble live @ Paradiso, Amsterdam

Realmente este grupo merece unos cuantos galardones este año: single del año por "Bad Luck Charm" o "Headphones" y probablemente al mejor directo por su concierto en Joensuu.

Pero otro video que quiero postear es el de Blood Red Shoes - Its Getting Boring By The Sea

Best albums of 2008

New technologies are great to develop a better world. New techniques are applied in research, normal life, construction, etc, to develop better tasks and to develop the World in general. That is what happens with the mp3 technologies and the internet. It allows you to listen to thousands of bands that would never had been reached you if internet was not there. So that is the point. After listen to an album I may buy it if I find a reasonable seller that sells it at a reasonable price.
Anyway, as I am listening to music all days, this list may be long, but that is thanks to the new technologies. And believe me I have bought quite a lot of those cds. But I can not buy everything I listen to. Impossible.
As always, no order established, just the best ones of 2008.

Tv on the radio "Dear Science"
Blood Red Shoes "Box of secrets"
Feeder " Silent cry"
British Sea Power "Do you like rock music?"
Duels "The barbarians move in"
Girls in Hawaii "Plan your scape"
Sons and Daughters "This gift"
Last shadow puppets "Age of the understatement"
Underwater sleeping Society "The dead Vegas"
¡Forward, Russia! "Life processes"
Disco Ensemble "Magic recoveries"
Tiger Lou " A partial print"
Die! Die! Die! "Promises promises"
Snow Patrol "A hundred million suns"
Bob Mould "District line"
The Music "Strength in numbers"
The Subways "All or nothing"
Frightened rabbit "The midnight organ fight"
Von Hertzen Brothers "Love remains the same"
Fucked up "The chemistry of common life"
R.E.M. " Accelerate"
Santogold "st"
The Departure "Inventions"
We are Scientists "Brain thrust mastery"
Beck "Modern guilt"
Tokyo Police club " Elefant shell"
Foals "Antidotes"
The Ting Tings "We started nothing"
Oasis "Dig out your soul"
We are Scientists " Brain Thrust Mastery"
The Rascals "Rascalize"