english – Page 10

orangino

yesterday, in the archipelago with good friends: orangino.

the game about yourself and your relations

the rules, in short: each one chooses between themed cards, which comes with a statement. for example, in close relationships, i tend to make the other feel powerless. then, the person in focus chooses to lay, face down, an answer card that matches the statement [1: not at all, 2: somewhat, 3: mostly, 4: indeed]. at the same time, everybody else decide for themselves to what extent they think the statement is true for the person in focus. coins are rewarded the person depending on how well the self-assessment correlates with the other’s perception.

however, winning is merely the end, if at all. it’s secondary at the most. i like especially:

the fluidness of the game. you grow, you change, and it’s taken into account. i suppose it would be fine to play orangino again in a few years time, even with the same questions. and of course, playing with different people makes quite a difference.
the instructions for which types of cards should be taken out of the game depending on the context. (ie, party: leave the green cards)
the fact that in parallell with me typing this, i’m reflecting upon some things from the game last night.

in meta-news: my blog has turned into advertising space. tomorrow: find out how viagra changed my life.

big in china, hated in nigera

so it seems. i am in frequent contact with chinese and nigerian (to name a few) applicants who seek admission to åbo akademi. in general, the nigerians just don’t make it. and they’re furious. especially those that don’t get admission because they faked their certificates.

i come to think of how much i hate dealing with authorities that get to know a lot about me, whereas they remain anonymous themselves. especially customs, kela and the police.

since i deal with lots of applicants who don’t gain the right to study at åbo akademi, they get to know me by name. and i definitely would not like to meet several of them. in conclusion, i must never go to nigeria.

edit 14.7: add pakistan to the list.

diving diva

I LOVE DIVING. [insert flashing heart here]

[insert big fat smiley with tongue hanging out and two more tacky hearts]

my brother has a wet suit and other diving stuff but i’ve never tried it before, until today when he, robin and i went for a swim. the water was extremely cold, 20-something, but the wet suit is a MIRACLE! i felt like a seal with it! with the weights on i was 10kg heavier and the actual suit made me 3cm thicker everywhere. it was like having an extra layer of fat. i felt warm and cozy.

robin took a nice photo of two terns while i was preparing to dive.

they were on guard for their baby tern.

hence the rapid welcome.

close, but close friends?

i got the message and backed off.

i entered the sea as a seal. lovely feeling.
still highly unpopular though. but my appearance as a seal cooled them down. i even hauled myself up on the cliff close to the baby tern. i’m a seal i’m a seal 🙂

and i can DIVE! i started diving from the cliff shore, along the bottom, and this is where i got up. hard to tell how deep i went, the angle was about 45° but i did not reach the bottom. later, kimmen told me the depth is about 15 meters. i might not make it in the future either, during the last meter i got a funny sound in my head as i tried to level out the pressure. then again, 15 meters should be doable.

in any case, i love diving.