Celda 211

Tonight in Madrid there will be celebrated the Goya prizes gala, or "the Spanish Oscars". For this year's celebration they have arranged a show that will be very reminiscent of the Academy Awards celebration in Los Angeles, with a funny host and many entertainment for the whole family who wants to be hypnotized in front of TV. Besides my opinions about the dumb necessity of having fun just like Americans do, I want to talk about the movie that is going to win all the awards.

Indeed, with 16 nominations, "Celda 211"(2009) is the favorite proposal for this year's edition. This thriller is about a jailer who starts his job in Zamora's jail and after 5 minutes a riot starts in the jail, keeping the brand new jailer stuck into a cell. He manages to pretend he is another prisioner and gets the sympathy of the riot leader "Mala madre". So the thrilling factor of the movie is to fear when the prisoners are going to realize he is actually a jailer, however, something unexpected occurs and things get way too complicated. The way the plot develops is just brilliant.

The production of the film is great, and even though it has some american influences, the characters and the way things happen remind the watcher he is actually watching a Spanish movie. These small things make the film appear realistic. A thing really amused me is that they take three ETA prisoners as hostages, because they are the best weapons they can use agains the Status Quo. Luis Tosar plays riot leader "Mala Madre". He is just awesome, he has changed he's look, he's body and he's voice and still he manages to create a thrilling character which becomes completely believable and brilliant.

This is definitely one of the best production in the history of Spanish cinema and I think it is going to gain international recognition. If you like thrillers please watch this movie.

Vitoria gasteiz

Monet suomalaiset ovat pitkään viettäneet lomansa Espanjassa. Silti suurin osa heistä on aina käynyt Välimeren rannikolla aurinkoa ja rantoja etsimässä. Sen takia monet tunnistavat Espanjan aurinkoiseksi ja rauhalliseksi maaksi. Minun mielestä Espanja on paljon muuta kuin rantoja ja aurinko, sillä siellä on todella ainutlaatuinen historiallinen perintö ja monipuolinen kulttuuri ja luonnonmaisema. Tämän perusteella minä haluaisin kertoa Vitoriasta- kotikaupungistani- ja samalla kannustaa tutustumaan siihen, koska mielestäni siellä kannattaa vierailla. Olen lisäksi kuullut muutamilta vierailta että Vitoria on heille osoittautunut arvaamattomaksi yllätykseksi.

Vitoria Gasteiz on noin 230.000 asukkaan kaupunki pohjois-Espanjassa, joka sijaitsee kohtuullisen lähellä Biskajanlahtea olevalla ylängöllä. Se on Baskimaan itsehallintoalueen pääkaupunki, vaikka kulttuurillisesti voisi sanoa että kaupunki on epämääräisessä asemassa Baskimaan ja Kastilian välillä. Navarran kuningas Sancho Ku

udes perusti Vitorian vuonna 1181 Zadorran joen lähellä sijaitsevalla mäellä. Seuraavina vuosisatoina kaupunki laajentui itään ja länteen ja muodosti mantelin muotoisen kaupunkikaavan, joka on nykyisin vielä olemassa.

Yksi tärkeimmistä nähtävyyksistä Vitoriassa on Santa Marian tuomiokirkko, joka sijaitsee vanhan kaupungin pohjoisreunalla. Ilmeisesti goottinen tuomiokirkko oli alunperin huonosti rakennettu ja nykyisin se on remontissa, joka on muodostunut matkailukohteeksi. Koko vanha kaupunki on kuitenkin kiehtova. Täma kaupungin osa on perinteisesti ollut hieman syrjässä, mutta nykyisin sitä halutaan elvyttää ja siellä järjestetään sekä virallisia että vapaaehtoisia kulttuuritapahtumia.

Vaikka nykyisin kaupungissa on runsaasti palveluja, Vitoria kasvoi teollisuuden vuoksi. Siellä on kaksi suurta tehdasta; Michelin-rengastehdas ja Mercedes Benz-tehdas, jossa valmistetaan Mercedes Vito pakettiautoa. Itse asiassa ”Vito” nimi johtuu kaupungin nimestä.

Viime vuosina kaupunkiin on tuotu muutamia kulttuuritapahtumia. Suurimmat tapahtumat on siis jazzfestivaali heinäkuussa ja Azkena Rock Festival toukokuussa. Niissä voi nauttia joka vuosi kansainvälisesti tunnetuista bändeistä. Lisäksi, jazzfestarin aikana järjestetään muutamia vapaaehtoisia jazzkeikkoja pienissä baareissa, etenkin vanhassa kaupungissa, jossa on satoja baareja. Samalla tavalla kuin muutamat kaupungit Baskimaassa, Vitoria on tuttu sen gastronomiasta, joka koostuu ainutlaatuisesta tapas-tai ”Pintxos”-kulttuurista. Pintxos otetaan joka baarissa päivittäin pieneksi palaksi jonkun hyvän viinin kera. Ne voivat olla todella luovia ruokaideoita ja nykyisin nimenomaan luovuutta pidetään tärkeänä oikeaa baaria valitessa. Kuten totesin, baareja on satoja ja perinteinen baareissa käyminen tapahtuu sillä tavalla että otetaan yksi pintxo ja yksi lasi viiniä eräässä baarissa ja sitten siirrytään toiseen baariin. Näin voi vierailla erilaisissa paikoissa ja viettää paljon aika kaduilla.

Vaikka kaupungissa on hienoja tapahtumia, hienoin ja hämmästyttävin niistä on ”Las Fiestas de la Blanca” (Valkoisen neitsyen juhlat). Se on paikallinen juhla johon miltei kaikki vitorialaiset osallistuvat (vieraiden kanssa). Juhlat alkavat Virgen Blancan torilla Celedon maalaispojan laskemisella San Miguelin kirkon tornista. Celedon-nukke kuvaa maalaispoikaa joka saapuu kaupunkiin juhlimaan viideksi päiväksi. Fiestan aikana on muutamia jännittäviä tapahtumia (esim. härkätaistelut) ja koko päivän ja yön kadut ovat täynnä ihmisiä jotka juhlivat, laulavat, juovat ja tanssivat. Tätä kannattaa ehdottomasti katsoa ja siihen osallistua.

Lyhyesti olen kertonut kaupungista jossa olen kasvanut ja jota rakastan ikuisesti. Sanotaan että Vitoriassa on Espanjan toiseksi paras elämänlaatu. Toki on tunnustettava se että sieltä löytyy heikkouksiakin, mutta Vitoria on sympaatinen ja iloinen kaupunki joka keinuu koko ajan perinnön ja nykyajan välillä.

Tehosekoitin

When I first came to Finland I found out that there are great musicians and bands in this country, specially in the rock scene, but perhaps due to language issues, I was not very interested in those bands because they were singing in a way too difficult language; furthermore I considered that Finnish language did not necessarily fit in rock music. Indeed, most of Finnish bands who have succeded abroad are English-singing bands, such as Nightwish, Stratovarius or HIM. Well one may think that singing in English is something essential for a band to go abroad. However, some posts ago I stated that Berri Txarrak, a 100% Basque singing band, is touring in Japan, Germany and recording in the States. This is in my opinion something positive. The band I'm gonna talk about today is a Finnish band that eventually tried to translate their songs into English in order to succeed in the international scene but failed. Perhaps because they are perfectly authentic and good in Finnish language and their music should not do any artificial exercise such as translating themselves in English. I personally think they could have succeeded abroad singing in Finnish because they are a great and own an excellent attitude and energy. They are "Tehosekoitin", what means "Blender" in Finnish.

The band's name can make reference to their ability to mix a number of styles and make something preserving a homogeneous style, mostly due to the voice and melodies of lead singer Otto Gündstrom. He is a real singer, spitting beautiful melodies and an sleazy yet sentimental attitude that smells like Zippo gasoline. This Lahti based band started in the early 1990s while they were teens, but became more popular at the end of the decade with some rock-pop hits. During last couple weeks I have been enjoying with this nice band. They are not active any longer but they have a fascinating heritage. I listened to "Freak Out" and "Rakkauden Gangsterit" (gangsters of love). In these albums, you can find country, jazz, pure rock'n'roll, funky, campy 70's motown stuff, Finnish schlager music (Iskelmä), instrumental surf, Blues, Manchester music (the hit valonkantaja), guitars, synths, organs, violins, clarinets and a musical atmosphere that really impresses. They deal with any style because they are good enough. Lyrically, the songs are powerful, indeed Gundström has at some stage published poetry books.

If you are interested in Finnish music, I think this band is essential because it's pure and authentic, and they definitely show where they are from. They are fresh, funny, sympatethic and very very entertaining. I just love them.

The White Stripes: Icky Thump

I got this album from the library, their latest studio album. I have never been very interested in White Stripes, I thought it was more like an aesthetical/postmodern exercise; the red and white colors and a woman playing drums while a serious/mad looking guy plays guitar...I found no attraction on it. However, I cannot deny that they are one of the bands that currently represent Rock&Roll, and as they say it never dies, I decided to give this duo a chance. So far I have found they are actually very good musicians and their proposal is very interesting. In my opinion Rock&Roll is (or should be) roots music played with electric devices. In other words, the electric instruments in Rock are basically tools for making these already heavy sounds even heavier. White Stripes don't use a bass-guitar and they don't need it, because Meg White's bass drum already does the job. This is an example of how you can sound heavy and full without much, and that respects the essence of Rock&Roll as I understand it. Still, The Stripes are technically very good and they don't hesitate to use studio machinery to make weird but delighting sounds.

In this album one can find pure rocks such as the title track, Bone Broke or Little Cream Soda, Scottish folk based songs (Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn/St. andrews), which are utilized in the album as an interlude between more rock stuff, a Paso Doble based hit (Conquest), burning Blues and Country vibe songs such as "You Don't Know what love is". So we have lots of world music here, and this is also an example of how rock plays the role of "means" rather than "word", just the same way terrorism is a means for ideology. The way the Stripes do this in the album reminds me of Led Zeppelin. Also some voice gimmicks that jack White utilizes.

My favorite ones are Icky Thump, Conquest, Little Cream Soda, catch Hell Blues and Effect and Cause.The White Stripes are weird, but they definitely show that Rock&Roll is still alive and it represents an ever developing artifact for making music and ultimately for expressing feelings. Waiting for their next proposal.

Titanic

Yes, the title makes reference to the film directed by James Cameron in 1997 about the sinking of RMS Titanic in April 1912. Everybody knows about this film and most of you have seen it. It is one of the greatest Hollywood productions of all time and the highest in gross-revenue after Avatar, directed by the way by the same guy. Yesterday I was watching the movie in question. I remember when it came out, I was 11 years old and I was a cinema enthusiast. I was the kind of kid that was so interested in a thing that everybody would take for granted it would eventually build a career in that field. Well, it hasn't been like that, but the point is that I saw Titanic twice in the cinema. The first time I went with my Mom, and the second time with my sister. I was specially interested in the special effects and the way the ship sinks leading most of the passengers to death by various means: drown, hit, fallen, shot, shocked, frozen.... This means that I didn't care much about the first hour and a half of the movie, basically because I did not understand the relevance of the events in the relationships between humans that build the plot of the film, and I didn't understand the difference in economic classes. So yesterday when I saw the film, I could interpret the events on a more documented way.

Although apparently many people consider this film a typical Hollywood film, with an obligatory impossible love story that distracts and even touches the audience before delighting it with catastrophes, I think everything is served on an adequate quantity. I think Jack and Rose's love story is fascinating and it does not really get corny enough to hate the rest of the film, so the audience can still enjoy the sinking without a bad taste in their mouths. When it comes to the way the movie presents the cool and lively poor class (3rd class) and the hateful and rancid aristocratic class (first class), I think it is absolutely flippant, because they don't show the second class, perhaps they are too busy watching the movie. Furthermore, Hockley, the fiancée of Rose, is in my opinion a too caricaturized character, because I don't believe there can exist such a diabolic son of a bitch; I would leave this character to the imaginations of the Disney film creators, perhaps they can actually give the audience the pleasure of seeing such an asshole dead. I like the idea of the pursuit of the jewel as an excuse to tell this story, but I doubt such a high-tech expedition can be arranged to find a piece of rock 4,000m bellow the sea surface.

In general, I think this movie is one of the greatest movies ever made and I think people should admit it, I think it is able to touch any of you even though you think you are tough as rocks. Titanic can submerge you into a love story just as the ship submerges into the water carrying all its secrets. And the funniest thing is that it manages to make you believe such a love story. Everything occurring with a brilliant mix of modern pop and traditional Irish music.

Halo Effect

Last week I took this picture from the balcony of my flat looking South-West. I was very estranged with the shining arising from that building on a vertical way. After researching a bit, somebody told me it is a Halo phenomenon; an optical illusion that occurs when the sunbeams hit particles of ice that fly in the air about 5km high. That is understandable because that day was considerably cold and I believe ice was everywhere. Even though I know something about Northern lights and green rays, I never heard before about this halo effect. It is actually supposed to form arcs and curves in the sky but in this case it appears as a rather straight line. It is definitely another of the many wonders of nature during the Finnish winter. The problem is that in order to enjoy them one usually has to go outside and with -25ºC it is not very pleasant to spend long time out there.

That is why Finns are so happy when it is -5ºC and spring approaches, because they can ice-skate and enjoy their beloved nature without suffering too much. For those who are fascinated with such phenomenon and colors, welcome to Finland, welcome to this eventual paradise.

Winter meal: Alubias de Tolosa

Let me please share a recipe with you. Today is the first of February and here in Finland is a proper winter, while this week we have warmer temperatures. At the moment the thermometer shows -5ºC, what is not that bad. Anyway, I decided to make a traditional winter meal for such a day. It is very easy, very healthy, vegetarian friendly and pretty cheap. The only problem is that it takes time, but you can leave it cook while you go for your duties. The meal in question is red bean soup at the style of "alubias de Tolosa", which is a quite common dish in the Basque cuisine, especially in the inner areas. Beans provide big amounts of protein and they are cheap energy resources. in Finland you can get imported beans from the US in places like City Market or Prisma, and they cost about 2,5euro 500g.

So this is how I do it Red Kidney Bean Soup á la Tolosa:

Ingredients for 4 people.

-250g of red kidney beans

-1 onion

-1 leek

-2 carrots

-two spoons of virgin olive oil

-some salt

-some paprika

-water

Price: 2,3 euro!!!!

The traditional meal includes also hard pork stuff such as chorizo sausage, bacon and blood sausage, but in this case we can skip it and our cardiovascular system will be happier.

Process:

1leave the beans soak overnight.

2. Wake up early and start the job. Chop all the vegetables into very small pieces and put them into a pot, add the beans, the salt, the paprika and the oil and cover the mix with water. There must be water enough to cover the food.

3. Put the pot into a fire, switch it on and wait until the water boils.

4. When you get the 100ºC, turn the fire until the minimum power, cover the pot and leave it cook for 4 hours. As I said in the while you can do your duties, but try to make sure there is enough water so as not to let the meal burn! Once it happened to me and you get the smell stuck on your nose for the rest of your life. Be careful, but remember that patience is quality.

After 4 hours of cooking, the beans have released their starch and this is simply delicious. serve warm and enjoy.

A perfect dish for the whole family. If the kids find the beans disgusting, you can always bend the mix and make a puree, it is also delicious.