Bands--Yö, Týr, and Jenni Vartiainen

Let's, well, firstly skip Turisas because I will be crazy whenever I come to them.

But still, a good beginning would be Wanaja Festival. I went there mainly for Turisas but then I knew many great musicians during the whole festival.

(1) Jenni Vartiainen is a very different one. Although not as famous as Tarja Turunen the ex-vocal from Nightwish, her beautiful voice comforts me and featured dance (mainly on videos) is impressed. When I was in Wanaja Festival and listening and watching her show, the wind blew the tree beside the stage, and immediately lots of leaves falling flying in the air. It was an amazing picture, just like those leaves were dancing and that completed the whole show. Definitely a magical atmosphere.

(2) Yö--I knew this band when I was checking the band list of Wanaja Festival. It is followed by Turisas. It is not difficult to find some of their songs on Youtube, but not until the festival did I realise how charming they are. Also, I reckon those Finns shared the same idea as me since they started to find the best position much earlier than the beginning of the show. It was absolutely great, and after I came back to the UK I fell in love with their 'Rakkaus on Lumivalkoinen', also the English version Love me like you never did before sang by Jukka Lewis. So here it is, enjoy.

(3) Týr--this band did not have a gig in Wanaja Festival. But it is still famous when people search 'viking metal' or 'Finnish metal' on the internet. They are not from Finland actually, but Færøerne in Danish. Sometimes they write songs in English, sometimes might be Danish or Faroese. I have no knowledge of the both. However, it is still very nice to enjoy their high quality music. I do not really have any favorite song of Týr, but they are averagely good. 

親愛的Turisas海門林納Wanaja Fest 2014的表演

常覺得我再會一種歐洲語言很多事就easy很多。

-反正現在後悔也來不及了呵呵呵，我怎麼不好好學德文呢-

在歐洲語系影響很大，以前都不知道，上學期跟筆譯所的西班牙人聊天，我問說西文文法難冠詞多那學英文會不會比較簡單，她說沒有沒有這不能比，因為完全是不同語系。

然後，在哥本哈根hostel遇到義大利人，兩人都說他們英文講不太好但都會法文。再加上之前看電視訪問在瑞典工作的德國人，人人回答歐我會德文～所以瑞典語對我而言不太難～

粗略分類的話西北中歐（不含芬蘭法國盧森堡和一部份比利時）是日耳曼語系，南歐羅曼語系，東歐不太清楚。大概猜一下好了，德國人北歐人除了有錢教育弄很好這原因，語系相通所以學英文比較不困難，不過反過來說英文母語要學這些語言倒不太容易因為英文文法和冠詞太過簡化，而且後來受到法文影響也多，我自己覺得聽德國人北歐人說英文比在英國更容易聽到所謂British English畢竟英國當地受方言影響口音眾多（跟蘇格蘭人講英文看看好了），而且因為非母語所以也不會用什麼難字（這是我該說的話嗎呸）

最後要誇獎一下芬烏語系的芬蘭，赫爾辛基先不說，在人口49,000的海門林納小鎮完全沒有人不會英文，都醉成那樣了還用英文跟我扯一堆哲學和東方生肖的62歲伯伯太讓我印象深刻了。

Brighter than the stars, brighter than the sun比星光燦爛，比陽光耀眼（上）

後來，累極了的麻生在海門林那往赫爾辛基的火車上靠著窗，朦朧的想，芬蘭人都不大說話的，除了喝醉酒的那些。不，與其說喝醉酒的芬蘭人聒噪，倒不如說他們不是芬蘭人，是在芬蘭的喝醉酒的人，跟烏克蘭愛爾蘭荷蘭的喝醉酒的人沒什麼差別。

*

火車很新，內部淺灰色搭派草綠的皮椅套，搭線條簡潔的桌子，和西歐喜歡絨布椅加地毯的溫暖風截然不同。車窗外白樺樹林翠綠，車廂內很安靜，麻生找到自己的座位邊想，他們是怕打擾到別人呢？還是純粹比起說話更喜歡沈默，還是--

「你好！」對面的人開口了。
「嗨。」
「你到哪站？」「海門林那。」
「真的？我也是！你去海門林那做什麼？」「看我喜歡的重金屬樂團表演。」
「我完全不懂重金屬！我是因為女朋友住海門林那，我要去她家！」

那是薛培拉柴德的嘴，一小時內的一千零一夜，印度人在赫爾辛基大學念高等數學，留在芬蘭擔任工程師，會講三十幾種語言的匈牙利語言學家前女友...很多故事。麻生覺得有趣，他的音量沒有特別小，說不定後面的芬蘭人也通通在聽。

白樺樹林一路倒退終至停止，麻生決定在海門林那繞一下，五萬人的城，卻有好幾位音樂家。不過這時火車上男版薛培拉柴德再次出現，帶著他紅髮的芬蘭女友，她客客氣氣地問，如果她想，她可以載她過去看音樂祭--雖然要走一下，但不很遠，她自己十年前是高中生時也去。

喔，好啊，謝謝謝謝，坐後座的麻生左右兩手塞到大腿和椅墊中間，撐著肩膀興致盎然地聽他們輪流接話。

「我高中時也很愛重金屬，你看，」她轉著方向盤「他們把很大的場地都圍起來了，這裡整片都是。」
「真的欸，沒關係我從這裡進去就可以了，太謝謝你們了！」thank you 很不夠用，他們英國人喜歡 I want to thank you for...I must thank you...

*

海門林那位於赫爾辛基北方，北方一點但還是熱，畢竟是七月。我們的麻生在這裡聽了三小時已經快受不了，門口（她覺得她們像是打工的高中生）管理員竟然說NO，當麻生問可不可以出去再進來的時候。整場音樂季結束已經十點了，不幸（當然也可能是太幸運）的是，她不知道怎麼走回火車站，而且時間越晚，周遭酒精消耗量越大。

手機在剛剛過high拍一堆照片的情況下大部份的電力都消耗完了，又定位不出火車站的位置，麻生只好決定先跟人群亂走一段，再隨便問路，幸好日落晚的北方國度，大家都會說英語。

「對不起，請問train station怎麼走呢？」
「是railway嗎？不難的，你先直走再左轉再左轉就會看到 you won't miss it.」

先直走再左轉，再問人。「對對你再直走就是了。」「謝謝。」
車開一下下、地圖一小段，以人類的能力來說其實都要走很久。
「Moi! You are very beautiful.」麻生接下來遇到的兩個人其中的一個在這句跳針，但她跟他朋友匆促交換的眼神，和他手上的鋁罐總是解釋了一些。
「謝謝，所以火車站怎麼走？」要是錯過最後一班11:49的火車，那得在車站等到4:49。肆點肆拾玖！開什麼玩笑！可是她實在太累，反倒沒效率起來還聊了兩句，像是喝第一杯酒的效果。

*

終於瞥見她覺得應該是火車站的建築時，麻生做了最後一次確認。
「是火車站喔。」金髮綁成馬尾的男人說。
「太好了！我要做49分的火車到--」
「到赫爾辛基。」另一位遛狗的接話。
「但你的火車剛剛走了。」

紀念一下

我在2014/07/24倫敦聖潘可拉斯火車站，晚上十點半遇到巴西國家代表隊的奧斯卡！
應該是回英超踢球吧！好棒噢！但我沒有攔下他簽名ＸＤ突然看到太震驚了
奧斯卡加油！（完全忘記自己是德國球迷）

With vikings, who need the fiction?

西元八世紀，歐洲北方維京人崛起，一路向南侵略到現今蘇格蘭、荷蘭與北德，最遠曾達地中海、美洲，由現代蘇格蘭姓氏中，還能發現北日耳曼語系的痕跡。他們在歐洲建立丹麥王國、自丹麥獨立的挪威王國、後來擴張的瑞典，文化影響鄰近芬蘭與冰島，至今稱Nordic Europe也就是北歐五國，但是維京人的後代主要在丹麥、瑞典、挪威生根並保有皇室傳統。

現代北歐，是人類文化發展極高地區，但是這裡少有高樓與玻璃帷幕建築，卻保留有大量森林、湖泊；不同於羅馬人褐髮褐眼，他們多有金髮和純藍雙眼；這裡有全世界最快樂的人民，又有全世界最高的自殺率；有清晨四點穿透窗簾的陽光，也有長達二十小時的漫漫長夜；他們有禮但疏遠；他們喝酒喝得亂七八糟，但英文跟native一樣好；有引領世界的工業設計，卻也守護自古以來的居住傳統；他們有古典作曲家西貝流士，還有世界最多現代重金屬樂團。

Oh my dearest，在北方星辰之下，我來訪，又離去，唯有北方星辰俯瞰一切。

相信。

先別管世界盃了， 要不要看艾薇塔？

Practice: jointing a chicken

I bought Jamie Oliver's recipe book last month. Initially, I would like to buy the one that translated by Truffle Rose, but buying a book from Taiwan  to the UK is definitely expensive and troublesome.

The page that grabbed my eyes immediately was this: jointing a chicken. I haven't carefully made a budget to compare buying a whole chicken or buying it partly, but Jamie have. And I believe in him. So here I started, firstly the chicken thigh, and then the wings, the breast (I thought I should have separated the breast and the fillet, but I just tore all of them...). But I at least successfully jointed the chicken maybe...80%? Ah, I got to say that the knife I bought in Muechen is absolutely excellent. It made jointing become extremely simple.

Ok, I am going to cook the Sharwarma that I had in Russia. It took me two days (well, not very long at all) to research the flavour. So now I can recall a bit Russian in my mouth.

I think you drink too much because...

...because I drink too little.

That's a comparative problem.

I remember when I increasingly became familiar with Japanese language and culture, some people started to ask me that if Japanese people are good at drinking and do drink a lot. I used to have the same stereotype, but I then found out that it is not true. Many of my Japanese friends drinks but 'good at it' might not be an appropriate wording. From my perspective, it is more like a social life with their colleagues or friends.

Same question keeps appearing after I started the MA year here in the UK. 'Aren't British people good at drinking?' 'Don't you guys go to parties very often and drinks a lot?' Actually, the word I underlined could be replaced by German, Finnish, Russian, Korea, or wherever except Taiwan. Therefore, I started to think that why Taiwanese tends to have the imagination that foreign people drink very much. And here is my conclusion:

I am very sorry but dear TAIWANESE PEOPLE, DON'T YOU DRINK TOO LITTLE?

Really, before pointing at others' faces with the forefinger, isn't introspection more important? I am not saying that drinking too much is wonderful!! Let's drink until drunken!! But sometimes when I ask some of my friends to spend a lovely night together in a small local bar, and receiving 'yes, but I DONT drink!' Seriously. Even though I can drink myself (absolutely ok with that) but it seems to be a little little boring...Another thing is that parents may have a very bad impression of those who drinks, even only a little bit. I don't know why.

All in all, based on my experiences, Taiwanese (subjects are from the people I know, I didn't do a poll or something) do not drink (drinking might not be a mainstream culture in Taiwan) and as a result think people from other countries drink a loooooot. Here I would like to say drinking or not is a personal decision, but keeping asking those questions I mentioned sounds not that smart.

Maybe all is about culture.

Täällä Pohjantähden alla 在北方星辰之下

附上三個語言：芬蘭文原文、英文、中文（中文是我這論文還沒寫完的偽碩士翻的）

請享用北方憂鬱的歌詞與情懷。對於高人口密度熱帶南方島嶼出身的我來說，冰雪、極光、荒原簡直有致命吸引力。

Täällä Pohjantähden alla
korkeimmalla kukkulalla
katson kauas kaukaisuuteen
tulet uniin uudestaan.
Täällä Pohjantähden alla
taivas täyttyy purppuralla
siitä suojakseni peiton
minä itselleni saan.

Ja alla Pohjantähden
minä tulen
minä lähden
ja vain Pohjantähden nähden
itken vuokses kyyneleen.

Täällä Pohjantähden alla
murheita on laulajalla
täällä kuu kumottava
on myös alakuloinen.
Täällä Pohjantähden alla
hiipii sieluun asti halla
ja tunteet tappamalla
rikki repii sydämen.

Ja alla Pohjantähden
minä tulen
minä lähden
ja vain Pohjantähden nähden
itken vuokses kyyneleen.

Täällä Pohjantähden alla
korkeimmalla kukkulalla
katson kauas kaukaisuuteen
tulet uniin uudestaan.
Täällä Pohjantähden alla
taivas täyttyy purppuralla
siitä suojakseni peiton
minä itselleni saan.

Here beneath the Northen Star

on the highest hill
I look far into the distance
you appear in my dreams again.
Here beneath the Northen Star
the sky is filling with purple
of the sky I create a blanket
to cover myself.

在北方星辰之下

最高的山頂上

我看著遙遠的彼方

你再次出現在我的夢境

在北方星辰之下

天空染上深紫

以夜空為鋪蓋

作為我的庇護

And beneath the Northen Star
I arrive
I depart
and only seen by the Northen Star
I shed a tear for you.

在北方星辰之下

我來訪

又離去

唯有北方星辰俯視一切

為你，我淚珠滾滾

Here beneath the Northen Star
a singer has sorrows
here the melancholic moon
is also depressed.
Here beneath the Northen Star
a frost creeps into soul
and by killing feelings
it rips apart one's heart.

在北方星辰之下

有位悲傷的歌者

憂鬱的月亮

也隨之嘆息

在北方星辰之下

靈魂佈滿冰霜

心臟撕裂成片

所有情感成空

And beneath the Northen Star
I arrive
I depart
and only seen by the Northen Star
I shed a tear for you.

在北方星辰之下

我來訪

又離去

唯有北方星辰俯視一切

為你，我淚珠滾滾

Here beneath the Northen Star
on the highest hill
I look far into the distance
you appear in my dreams again.
Here beneath the Northen Star
the sky is filling with purple
of the sky I create a blanket
to cover myself.

在北方星辰之下

最高的山頂上

我看著遙遠的彼方

你再次出現在我的夢境

在北方星辰之下

天空染上深紫

以夜空為鋪蓋

作為我的庇護