through the glasses that i wear

For night watching

2009-09-27T01:05:00.001+03:00

Something I want to record

2009-05-17T22:02:00.005+03:00

Some half-a-dozen years ago I read Alex Garland's 'The Beach' (yesyes). From that book I wrote down a thought that I liked, on a piece of paper. Today I spotted it again while cleaning up my room. And I still like the thought.

If you accept that the universe is infinite, then it means that there's an infinite amount of chances for things to happen. If there's an infinite amount of chances for something to happen, then eventually it will happen - no matter how small the likelihood.

Ära maga maha võimalust..

2008-02-23T00:09:00.012+02:00

(my apologies for this post being in Estonian as it concerns the Estonian speakers only)

..kandideerida Noored Kooli programmi 2. lendu.
Avaldused on avatud veel 3. märtsini ja aeg tiksub!

Noored Kooli programm tähendab minu jaoks visiooniga ettevõtmist.

Priit Ahte
Noored Kooli 1. lennu osaleja

Füüsika ja keemia õpetaja Tallinna Kristiine Gümnaasiumis

Merry

2007-12-24T23:03:00.002+02:00

Wishing you wonderful Christmas time, the joy from the company of your loved ones, the beauty of the world ..and the yum food! : )

PS Huge thanks to those who have dropped by this sleepy blog to see if there are any signs of me. I have been bad, very very bad at keeping up the contact throughout this past year. Please forgive me!

Midsummer 2007

2007-06-29T21:06:00.000+03:00

At home again to experience it. 2 years ago I longingly wrote something like that about it. This time, another story. From Estonian sort of pseudo-mythology, but rather nice nevertheless : )

* *

A brief time of joy, the time of short nights, full of songs and flowers compensates for the long-lasting duration of hard winter months for us, the peoples of the Northern lands. In this feast time of the North when the Dawn and the Dusk give their hands to each other, an old man told the love story of the Dawn and the Dusk to his grandchildren who had gathered around him - and I will tell you here what I heard.

Do you know the source of light at the Old Father's House? It is asleep right now and at the place of it’s fading it’s gleam still glitters in the sky. The light is shifting already to the East, where it must greet all nature in brilliance. Do you know whose is the hand that takes the Sun and leads it to rest when the day is finished? Do you know whose is the hand that makes the extinguished Sun to fire up again and to begin each day it’s new walk in the sky?

Well, the Old Father had two faithful servants, kin to whom everlasting youth had been given, and when the source of light had ended its way in the very first evening, Father told the Dusk: 'To you, sweet daughter, I will entrust the care of the extinguishing sun. Put it out and hide the fire so that no accident can happen.' And when the sun had to start its new course the morning after, he told the Dawn: 'Your duty, sweet son, will be to turn on the source of light and to prepare it for each new day.' The pair fulfilled their duties faithfully and there was no day when the source of light was missed in the celestial vault. When it moves across the edge of the sky in winter times, it fades out earlier in the evening and begins its way later in the morning, but when the sun wakes up the flowers and songs in spring and makes crops ripen by its hot sheen in summer, then only a short rest is given to it. Dusk hands the extinguisher to the Dawn who sends it off to new life again at the same instant.

That beautiful time had arrived now when flowers were flourishing and fragrant, and while mankind was filling the earth with songs. Both caretakers had looked too deeply into each other's golden-brown eyes, and when the extinguishing Sun went from the hands of Dusk to Dawn, their hands touched and their lips, too, reached for each other.

One eye that is never closed had noticed what was happening secretly in midnight silence. And the next day the Old Father called the pair to him and said: 'I am pleased with your work and I want you to be completely happy. Therefore you may belong to each other and do your duties as a married couple from this time.'

But both answered him at the same time: 'Old Father, do not spoil our happiness. Let us remain bride and bridegroom forever, because in that way we find our joy and our love is always young and new.' And the Old Father agreed to their request and blessed their decision. Only once a year for four weeks can both of them meet in sky at midnight, and, when the Dusk puts the extinguishing sun into her lover's hands, the touching of hands and the kiss follow. The cheeks of Dusk flush a rosy colour that reddens and suffuses the sky, until Dawn lifts the source of light again and a yellowish light in the dim sky announces that the Sun is rising.

First of all -

2007-06-29T20:58:00.000+03:00

Seasonal updates

Run

2007-06-12T00:39:00.000+03:00

For one of the reasons why I will remember today is the fact that I have run 40 mins straight. After more than 2, or probably 3 or maybe 4 years. As happy as a pig about it! : )

I am reminded of Asia

2007-05-30T10:50:00.000+03:00

- It's hottttttt, around +30, and humid
- There are challenges having hot water for shower

Such memories! : )

Springshine

2007-04-08T01:16:00.000+03:00

Uhh just took a look at my dusty blog, and it's still on winter mood. High time for change!

Life's become brighter. At 8pm, the sun is still up. And I have got a beautiful new job in a beautiful organisation - will tell you more very soon. The days are crowded, but meaningful.

Speaking of the Unspeakable

2007-03-09T10:50:00.000+02:00

In February the World Press Photos of the Year were announced.

A thought for Estonia

2007-03-06T13:27:00.000+02:00

Last Sunday, the elections for the Parliament took place. These were the first parliamentary e-lections in the world since our ID cards enable us also to vote online.

Shadowing this latest positive image and other indicators of good developments that have been patronised by our politicians after the beginning of Estonia's independence, there crawls one of the greatest disabilities of heads of state, short-sightedness / inability to actualise strategic thinking for the well-being of the country. I am glad about one thing - it can hardly get any clearer.

My expectation to the new Parliament and the Government is that they too would recognise it, and bring the focus to areas that need their leadership.

More reading on the issue - here.
Great thanks, Made.

Look whom I met today

2007-03-01T01:38:00.001+02:00

Time to wake up the kid inside!

新年快乐!

2007-02-17T18:21:00.000+02:00

One more start - Happy Chinese New Year!!

With no firecrackers and red and gold, having a few mandarins : )

Happiness and prosperity!

See it if you can

2007-02-08T11:16:00.000+02:00

Ceský sen - Czeck Dream
Documentary

People jostling on a remote parking place. Many of them are clutching plastic bags in their hands; some of them are armed with trolley bags. [...] Suddenly the managers of the hypermarket rush out on the stage, greet their customers and briskly cut the glittering ribbon. The escort remove the metal barriers and the crowd starts moving. They still have 300 metres to reach the hypermarket. People start running..

Read on

Cold cure

2007-02-07T17:47:00.000+02:00

Woohooo it's minus 20 something!

It's a long while from the time that I experienced weather like that. This winter has been graceful in minimising its freezing impact until now. But, here it comes - not only pinching your cheeks to give them a nice blush, but also biting your ears and watering your eyes!

The snow glitters in the sun, creaking as you walk around wrapped in multiple layers of clothes.

To manage the cold inside our house, we use the ancient way. Every day there is a real true oven to heat. I go to the shed and carry some pieces of wood inside, place some paper and the wood into the oven (involves some strategising), light a match and then the paper and there it goes (provided that the strategy is working).

Weird it is. I had forgotten how the real fire looked and felt like - not a common experience for those city dudes, those coming from Shanghai or Singapore. It is warm, really warming. From top to bottom, through your skin, and perhaps a frozen heart.

It's not just the poetic stuff, however. The work one needs to put in running such an oven-based household in winter starts already during the summer time. The wood needs to be ordered and received (imagine the load of it you will need), chopped to the right size, organised into stacks for it to dry, after some time to be carried into an indoor place and organised to new stacks to keep it in the right shape for the cold times.. It's only from there that you can bring the firewood for your oven.

I think it's a personal relationship that will develop between you and your wood for warmth - the type that balances on love-hate borders.

And finally, a well deserved and heartfelt cure indeed..

Which way to go? : )

2007-02-02T16:27:00.000+02:00

Wishes for Christmas time

2006-12-25T00:37:00.000+02:00

May it be peaceful and happy!

I am back at home and with my family. For a small Estonian Christmas' photo review, please continue here.

Love

To the road..

2006-12-05T20:16:00.000+02:00

My internship and time in Shanghai are coming close to end. With all the 'See you again!'-s, the warm bright lights are going to shine as the compass turns to the south and then to the north again.

9.12 Shanghai - Xiamen
11.12 Xiamen - Shenzhen
13.12 Shenzhen - Hong Kong - Shenzhen
14.12 Shenzhen - Hong Kong - Singapore
15.12 Singapore - Johor Bahru - Singapore
18.12 Singapore - Bangkok
19.12 Bangkok - Helsinki - Tallinn

Love to you, my friends! Looking forward to meeting you! : )

Wisdom of the Elders

2006-10-23T06:32:00.000+03:00

..to us, 20-somethings. What would we do without them? : )

WTF is this crap about coming to daddy all the time? Daddy's busy practicing his break-dance moves in front of the mirror.

In the words of Cat Stevens:
Its not time to make a change,
Just relax, take it easy.
You're still young, that's your fault,
There's so much you have to know.
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy.

I was once like you are now, and I know that its not easy,
To be calm when you've found something going on.
But take your time, think a lot,
Why, think of everything you've got.
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not.

Daddy says if you spend so much time worrying about the future you might miss the moments... and that's what life is all about. Don't need to go through this "what's it all about" phase.. instead grab a friend and a beer, cry a little, laugh a lot, and love your friend more than you ought.

Personally, I found that if you have a goal, that you might not reach it. But if you don't have one, then you are never disappointed. And I gotta tell ya... it feels phenomenal.

A bit of Shanghai for Estonian-speakers

2006-10-11T17:13:00.000+03:00

Through my brother's glasses in Kohver.

10 misconceptions

2006-09-20T17:53:00.000+03:00

I am doing some Internet surfing for new ideas and info about Estonia and stumbled upon this thing in Citypaper. It is about misconceptions, and I find it a pretty interesting read : )

My personal favourites are the illustrations (by Priit Pärn). For those of you who are not very familiar with the looks of Estonia: your key is the map.

So, here we go:
Top 1o Misconceptions about Estonia by Edward Lucas

Misconception No. 1 — It's Obscure

Misconception No. 2 — It’s Tiny

Misconception No. 3 — Estonians Don’t Have a Sense of Humor

Misconception No. 4 — It’s Boring

Misconception No. 5 — The Food’s No Good

Misconception No. 6 — Estonians are Cold

Misconception No. 7 — It’s Sexless

Misconception No. 8 — It’s Provincial

Misconception No. 9 — It’s Technologically Backward

Misconception No. 10 — It’s ‘Former Soviet’

Whatcha think?

Messages from home

2006-09-14T15:19:00.000+03:00

It's mushroom time! : )

Before long, my mom, who was the one to pick these, will be here in Shanghai. Amazing.. it will also make it complete - my whole family will have been to China. Expanding the cultural and life experience, which will never be forgotten.

The fresh quarter of a hundred

2006-08-29T19:51:00.000+03:00

The dawn of the 25th. Hopeful. : )

How far can 1.4 million go?

2006-07-27T10:39:00.000+03:00

(Estonian population: 1.345 million)

When I got lost once in Shanghai's remote areas after getting off the bus in the middle of nowhere (I had fallen asleep and when woke up, I thought I was close to my destination and got off) and wandered around some utterly random streets, there were 4 foreign-looking guys coming from the opposite direction. When reaching closer, I heard them speaking to each other, and speaking in ESTONIAN!

Here's a cheers to all Estonians who are/have been discovering this land, and among them the two latest additions Kaspar and Martin : )

And they will be here, too..

2006-06-11T17:02:00.000+03:00

I will have visitors!!! My favourites, my brother Eero and my dad will land in Shanghai within the next two weeks!! Can't wait to see you and show you the world here!!