Which part should I pick?

Or the better question is... which one will I be able play without embarrassing myself too much? ::Gulp::

(received sheet music for TASO's fall repertoire today. some nice challenging pieces!)

Cool timpani score... but the snare drum part is even more amazing!

Btw, TASO (taso.fi) is currently looking for a flautist/piccoloist. If you're interested or know someone who might be, please let me know! Application deadline is my birthday :)

"Tarvitsemme orkesteriin piccolonsoittotaitoisen III-HUILISTIN. Jos ystävistänne/tuttavistanne tai muista sellainen löytyy,kehottakaapa täyttämään soittajahakemus kotisivuillamme mahdollisimman pian,kuitenkin 20.8 2010 mennessä. Koesoitot järjestetään elokuun lopussa ,tarkempi päivä selviää kun tiedämme hakemusten määrästä enemmän!"

Tammerfest weekend with Shrek and Friends

Actually "Tammerfest" is a misleading title since I didn't go for any of the gigs. Still, it was nice to soak in the summer festival atmosphere (and the heat) in this city which I now call home.

Went to watch Shrek Forever After in 3D with Jarkko and Akira. A fun, feel-good movie with adequate 3D effects. I'd probably have preferred to watch it in 2D but the 2D version is only available dubbed (in Finnish).

After the movie we met up with Minna and Mika; and a short while later - with prompting from an "OMG" Facebook comment - Hanna. From gelato italiano to greasy festival food to drinks by the rapids to pyytipannu & escargot, we managed to stay cool as we shared laughs and caught up with each other.

A poignant moment in the evening was when Minna turned to me and asked: "How's your summer so far?" and I replied "Hot!". Well, ok, that wasn't the poignant part, it was when after a brief pause, I continued "... and much happier than last summer." Come to think of it, if the only thing I complain about nowadays is the heat, my life must be pretty good. Of course there's always room for improvement and making things better (my health for one), but I've learnt to truly appreciate and enjoy what I have right now.

Besides, I don't want to be like Shrek, only realizing how great his life was after he lost everything. Oops, hope that wasn't too much of a spoiler.

Have a wonderful summer everyone!

Purchase planning....

Looking back at the first half of this year, I've already made several major (tech) purchases: an LCD TV, a PS3 console, and a DSLR. (Add to that a netbook if I include last December.)

A great perk of working for Nokia is that my cell phone needs/wants are taken care of. For the most part. I'm still tempted to get an Android device to play with. However my more immediate need is a new laptop (the netbook is fun/cool but it's under-powered), and a more pressing want is a tablet (preferably something Linux-based).

Lenovo really excited me with the introduction of their IdeaPad U1 Hybrid earlier this year: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/05/lenovo-ideapad-u1-hybrid-hands-on-and-impressions/

That would have satisfied both my desires with one purchase. Unfortunately, it has since been put off indefinitely: http://gizmodo.com/5550500/lenovo-delays-skylight-smartbook-and-u1-hybrid-indefinitely

Damn. Oh well, let's hope they're secretly working on a "U2" with capacitive touch and Android/Meego for the tablet OS :) Or does anyone know of other similar hybrid systems? Need to do more research...

Besides, I shouldn't be buying anymore pricey items this year. I have two major trips planned (back to Dallas and Taipei) and those will hurt my pockets quite a bit. OTOH, electronics are generally cheaper in US and Asia so I could pick something up on those trips. Ahhh, what to do...

Maybe I should auction off my clothes and accessories. I have too much of those lying around taking up precious space that I need for more toys :) But most stuff aren't "branded" (i'm cheap when it comes to clothes) and probably won't fetch much. Better off donating them I suppose.

I think I'll at least get the relatively inexpensive Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II camera lens before the year is over. And I really should stop now because I've surfed Amazon plus a whole bunch of tech sites/blogs while writing this post. Not helping my "purchase planning" one bit :P

Playing games to train your brain?

I've never been much of a (computer) game player. Oh I've played my fair share of RPG, MUD, strategy games etc. when I first started dabbling on computers in my teens, but managed to wean off in my early 20s when i realized how addictive they were. (Plus I discovered boys or something.)

Couple days ago I stumbled upon Lumosity (www.lumosity.com), a website filled with games that supposedly can help improve cognitive abilities such as memory, attention and speed. I definitely sense a constant decline in my cognitive abilities during my 30s, so the site piqued my interest. After just these short 2-3 days of playing the online games (each of them are quick to complete and difficulty level increases the more you play) I do notice that I respond faster and remember things a bit more (at least while playing the games, not sure if it translate to real life yet). And my BPI - Brain Performance Index - has increased, at least according to Lumosity.

All is well and good, right? Having some fun and possibly helping my brain to stay in shape. And with each game being short and quick (unlike most other computer games), I can play/practice as little or as much in each session, depending on my schedule and interest/mood. So what's the catch? Well, Lumosity is subscription based. I'm currently using the free trial right now which will expire in 3 days. So now I'm wondering whether I should subscribe to continue playing or just forget it? Will it be actually effective? Will I get tired of the games? (not so far but it's only been a couple of days... although they do add new games from time to time). Will I get the same results from playing regular computer games instead?

Does anyone have experience with Lumosity or similar sites/apps? Did it work for you? I'm looking for something that's fun yet not too addictive, AND can slow down the aging of my brain. Lumosity seems to have the potential, but I'd like to hear some opinions and thoughts before I invest...

Let's talk about the weather

(And my lunch).

So we've been having this heat wave in Finland, first time this bad in the last 50 years or something. That's all people can talk about nowadays, how hot it is, what records we're breaking, some people loving it and others hating it... for me who've spent more than 10 years each in Singapore and Dallas, you'd think I'd be able to handle the heat. But not having air-conditioning in my apartment makes staying at home unbearable, and sleeping at night even worse. I actually can't wait to get to work the past few mornings (nice and cool in the office)

Dark clouds

Today around 12:30, while I was deciding when to go for lunch, I noticed that someone had dimmed the lights. No, wait, it wasn't the indoor lights, it was happening outside! I looked out the window and in a span of a few minutes the whole sky was covered with dark clouds, blocking the sun and dialing its luminosity waaaay down. Hmm, I better hurry up then, I thought. Due to the summer holidays, the cafeteria in my building is closed and I have to cross the quadrangle to another building for lunch. Just as I was about to head out, however, torrential rain happened. Grrr. Instead of a 2 minute walk I had to spend 10 minutes in the indoor maze that linked the buildings together. Well, at least I was dry.

Lunch purchased. Salmon wok chop suey with noodles. Seconds after my butt hit the chair and me reaching for my fork, the fire alarm went off. No kidding. WTF?? I want to eat my lunch!! At first the few of us in the cafeteria kinda looked at one another wondering what to do next, then the security (or fire marshals) came and shooed us out, saying we had to leave. We stepped out into the pouring rain and had to dash across to another building to seek shelter (no time to go through the indoor maze). I was drenched and pissed. After about 10 minutes we were let back into the cafeteria building. I'm still not sure whether there was a real fire, but one thing's for sure: my Salmon wok chop suey with noodles had gotten cold! Sob!

Yes, it's nice to have a temporary relief from the heat, but the whole timing with lunch and fire alarm was horrible. Just my luck. But check out the temperature graph (screenshot from fmi.fi), you can see a whole 10 degree drop from the rain! Although it's quickly climbing back up now...

Temperature drop