My Life

My favorite TV Shows

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retro-ikona-telewizji_1063-31

A long time ago I made a post about some of my favorite movies and I thought why not share some recommendations about TV series also. Just to be clear I basically didn’t watch any series (besides Top Gear and the Simpsons) before our trip to SE Asia but there I discovered Westworld and now we (me and Anna) find ourselves quite often spending quality time behind a laptop screen :).  We both generally prefer Sci-Fi related shows (she of course watches several different “beautiful” series also with a lot of romance and drama 🙂 ).

Anyways – I will rank them in my preferred order although in some cases it’s really difficult to rate one on top of other. I also added IMDB links to all the series. Here goes!

  1. Planet Earth and Planet Earth 2 – these are in a totally different genre compared to all the others in the list but they will take you on an incredible journey through various beautiful places on our (only) planet. This is a MUST watch for everyone who… well actually for everyone who lives on Earth to be honest :)! And of course legendary Sir David Attenborough and the magnificent camera work. It literally took them years and years to complete 6 episodes. You can find an interesting article about it here.
  2. The Grand Tour and “Old” Top Gear – well it’s just really really good entertainment and a good example about how the people matter, not the show itself (hinting to Clarkson, May and Hammond). Of course in several occasions they go a bit too far but that’s just a part of it. Definitely would recommend!
  3. Black Mirror – Just superb and really makes you think about how technology will affect our future! I wrote a separate post about it, you can find it here.
  4. The Simpsons – it’s a classic, probably no comments needed :).
  5. WestWorld – there’s also a separate post about it, link available here.
  6. Dark – this is really an atmospheric series that revolves around time travel but with it’s unique style. And when there’s time travel involved it’s always interesting and thought provoking! What happens if I go back in time and stop my grandfather meeting my grandmother… (Which I of course would never do even if it would be possible 🙂 )
  7. Stranger Things – this is one of those hit series at Netflix but with a good reason since it’s really awesome! There were only a few episodes that lacked the quality compared to others but generally it’s really well executed!
  8. The Crossing – although this show is also very Sci-Fi related it concentrates more on the characters and human relations/behaviours in complicated situations.
  9. Altered Carbon – this is once again a really thought provoking series about what is consciousness and what makes “us” us. What would happen if we could just trade one body or “shell” for another and make unlimited copies of ourselves… but enough information, go and see for yourself :)!
  10. Lost in Space – this one mixes a “family show” with Sci-Fi, aliens, spaceships, psychology, relationships and much more. But it does it well :)!

I hope that you found some value in the list if you’re interested in these kind of TV series and you’ve been thinking about watching something new. I personally cannot wait already when there will be new episodes released to all the series mentioned above!

Feel free to share your own recommendations about some shows that you have really liked!

Netflix and chill everyone :)!

All the best!

Lauri

My Life

Cup 2019

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…is what we call our competition series with friends. Basically it means that once a month we get together with friends and compete in different activities. For extra motivation we keep a scoreboard and at the end of the season in December the winner gets a special trophy cup. Hence the name :).

This is actually already the third season I’ve initiated this and already tomorrow there will be the second competition of the season (where going go-karting). In the first 2 seasons there were 6 of us but now our group has grown to 15! Of course not everyone can attend to each event but I believe 10+ people will participate each time.

I got this idea several years back when I saw a group in a pub celebrating the end of the season. i just went over there and asked what’s going on and since then this idea has just stuck with me. So I cannot take the honors of being the original author but I can definitely pass this idea on! And that’s exactly why I’m writing about this. I would strongly recommend to organize something similar in your group of friends. Nowadays we’re always so busy and quite often don’t “have time” to even get together once in while. This kind of series is a good way to enjoy quality time while also taking part in a friendly competition. I can tell you from experience that if in the beginning of the season there’s not much thought about the scoreboard then at the end everyone is keeping track point by point :)! Our group is guys only and each event is organized by a different person but you can do it in whatever format suitable :).

Here are just some examples of the different activities we have done through the years: disc-golf, archery, darts, laser battle, strongmen competition, mini golf, fencing, poker, shuffleboard, darts, orienteering, bowling, song battle, target shooting and much more. Besides just having fun you can also try out new things and you never know what you might like or in where you can find a hidden talent :).

So once again, I urge you to try it and feel free to share feedback about how it went :)!

Here’s the picture of the first year trophies (1-3rd place and a special prize for the best event by a democratic vote)

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My Life

Time flies

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It’s been a while since I posted in here but sometimes small breaks can be very refreshing :)! Quite a lot has happened during the last month. Workwise it has been an extremely interesting period doing a lot of things I haven’t done before starting from renting saunas and freezing chambers in order to conduct different tests up to holding a zeppelin on the ground right before the start. I’m eager to see what the next few months will bring!

Secondly Triksi has grown quite significally and from June we will take her to puppy school. First time for her (logically 🙂 ) and for us also! Should be interesting! Luckily for some strange reason the weather in Estonia during the whole May has been great! Basically no rain, warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine! It would be awesome if it stayed like that throughout the summer!

I’ve actively continued creating Meetups at least 2-3 times a month from playing boardgames to enjoying the thrill of Ultimate Frisbee. I’ve also met some really great people with whom I also communicate outside Meetup community.

Generally every chance we get we go out for a walk or a picnic. These things were great before but now with Triksi it’s even better :). I’ve also had a chance to play discgolf a couple of times which I really like and many other great adventures from discovering underground tunnels to shooting from a badass shotgun and Desert Eagle! I can say that the latter has quite a kick :).

In the next few weeks we also plan to renovate our kitchen. Most of the things have already been chosen and bought – now we just have to roll up our sleeves and get to work!

All in all it has been an awesome last month and I’ve also written down many great blog post ideas so you’ll hear from me soon!

Enjoy the summer! (Or winter if you’re from Australia 🙂 )

All the best!

Lauri

My Life

A truly illogical movie filled with misuse of resources and a huge lack of strategy. But still fun though :)

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I am talking about the last movie in the Marvel saga – Avengers: Infinity War. I went to see it because I really liked one of the latest Marvel movies Thor: Ragnarok and I hoped that they continue the theme in this movie also. And I can happily say that they did. They have found a way how to make fun of themselves without making it look ridiculous. They don’t try to be serious as they did in the beginning. Since how serious can really this kind of movie be, right :).

But as the caption of this post says, they really pushed it a bit too far regarding the logic and reason in this film. Of course it’s totally common that a sense of logic is never priority over entertainment in these kind of movie but it just seemed that they tried to pile as many superheroes as possible into one chapter without truly considering what to do with them. I think you will get the idea when you see the movie. If the Avengers and the team would have hired a strategist it would have been over in 10 minutes :).

Nevertheless it was actually a pretty good movie filled with funny dialogue and action. I think that the mainstream audience nowadays just requires more action-packed movies with a lot of things going on at the same time. By the way the runtime of it is exactly the same as one of the sci-fi classics 2001: Space Odyssey (149min) but there’s literally 10x more things going on. I prefer more action personally although Space Odyssey was also a great mind provoking masterpiece. Just go and see for yourself, all in all I’d recommend it :)!

infinity war

My Life

The awesome life of dog owners

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Triksi has been with us already for a month and a half and we’re gotten used to the happy life of being dog owners :). Everywhere you go you’ll meet other people walking their dogs and of course we want Triksi to socialize with as many other dogs as possible so she would get used to it. But while our furry friends are doing their business (and by that I mean playing 🙂 ) it’s just natural that at the same time you’ll be talking with the other owners. And you can really meet many nice people like this :). Quite often we’ve also went to the nearby dog playing grounds (ok, mostly it’s Anna who’s done that 🙂 ) and in there you can sometimes find even groups of people with their dogs. We also try to bring her with us whenever we can. Luckily she really likes driving with a bus/train/car and she just sits quietly in our lap waiting for the arrival. Also she is rather small so if needed we can just pick her up or place her in a special bag with windows. In that sense it’s much easier with a smaller dog, I wouldn’t imagine bringing for example a St Bernard everywhere, although they are also really awesome as are actually all dogs! They are just so loyal, loving and all they ask in return is some attention and of course food and water. It sometimes really seems that we don’t deserve them.

Triksi sending some sunshine vibes 🙂

Triksi platsil

My Life

Balance is everything

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I believe that in every part of your life there should be a balance. For example it’s great to communicate with people, spend time with others but you must find time for yourself also. You should do some exercise, keep your body moving but not to an extent that already in your forties you’d feel an aching back and knees. Occasionally it’s totally fine to spend on yourself and buy something that you really want but you mustn’t forget your long-term plan. There are times when it’s great and even necessary to take a time out, relax, clear your head and just enjoy the moment while it’s also good to have periods when you’re giving all you have, focusing, thriving towards a goal. And so on and so on…

So currently in my life there’s a bigger change going on. For the last half a year my life tempo has been really relaxed and I’ve given a refreshing break and a new start to my mind and my body. Just a few days ago I took up a new challenge workwise doing something that really hasn’t been done before. At least here in Estonia. It will be tough but interesting and fun times ahead so I’m really eager to get going :)!

Always keep in mind to have this balance in your life. Being off-balance might not show in the beginning but after some time you’ll probably start noticing some effects that it has on your life – not only in that specific area but generally. Everything is connected and before we can direct our energy outside, we must manage our inner self 🙂

balance

My Life

A Story behind Steve Jobs’s last words

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I know that Steve Jobs’ s last words were actually “Oh Wow, Oh Wow, Oh Wow” but this story that has been circling around in social media and other places for the past several years really has a significant point. It doesn’t matter that it’s made up, the message that it holds is what matters. For those who haven’t read it, here’s how it goes:

“I have come to the pinnacle of success in business.
In the eyes of others, my life has been the symbol of success.
However, apart from work, I have little joy. Finally, my wealth is simply a fact to which I am accustomed.
At this time, lying on the hospital bed and remembering all my life, I realize that all the accolades and riches of which I was once so proud, have become insignificant with my imminent death.
In the dark, when I look at green lights, of the equipment for artificial respiration and feel the buzz of their mechanical sounds, I can feel the breath of my approaching death looming over me.
Only now do I understand that once you accumulate enough money for the rest of your life, you have to pursue objectives that are not related to wealth.
It should be something more important:
For example, stories of love, art, dreams of my childhood.
No, stop pursuing wealth, it can only make a person into a twisted being, just like me.
God has made us one way, we can feel the love in the heart of each of us, and not illusions built by fame or money, like I made in my life, I cannot take them with me.
I can only take with me the memories that were strengthened by love.
This is the true wealth that will follow you; will accompany you, he will give strength and light to go ahead.
Love can travel thousands of miles and so life has no limits. Move to where you want to go. Strive to reach the goals you want to achieve. Everything is in your heart and in your hands.
What is the world’s most expensive bed? The hospital bed.
You, if you have money, you can hire someone to drive your car, but you cannot hire someone to take your illness that is killing you.
Material things lost can be found. But one thing you can never find when you lose: life.
Whatever stage of life where we are right now, at the end we will have to face the day when the curtain falls.
Please treasure your family love, love for your spouse, love for your friends…
Treat everyone well and stay friendly with your neighbours.”

Big shout-out to the person who actually wrote this!

My Life

A special mentioning of my Skechers shoes

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This post might sound silly but based on my experience I’d just like to bring out and recommend Skechers shoes that I got before going to SE Asia. If to be honest I had never bought anything from them before but since there was a special offer and they were really comfortable I decided to try them out. And I’m really glad that I did! First of all they are really light, from appearance point of view suitable for a jogging track and also wearing with jeans in a more polite place but most of all extremely durable! Through our time in SE Asia and even now afterwards they have basically gone through hell but still look almost like new!

For example they have endured countless hours and miles of walking, running, playing basketball (which is really rough on shoes), being wet, being stepped on, riding a scooter (which usually just destroys the soles since most of the time in traffic jams you are slowly dragging your feet 🙂 ), jungle hiking, gym time, climbing on rocks and much much more. And since besides flip-flops they were the only shoes I wore on the trip for a half a year in a row you can believe what I say. Skechers shoes might not be the cheapest ones but the quality is definitely worth the price! This certain type had special foam solution for extra comfort and honestly they are as comfortable now as they were in the beginning. Long story short – if you have never used their products, definitely it’s at least worth a shot!

tossud

My Life

Facebook Gameroom

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Playing computer games can be really fun. Although for the past several years it has been not very often when I find myself behind the computer playing games (and mostly they are nearly 20 year old games like NBA Live 2001 and Colin McRae Rally 2.0) once in a while it’s still a great entertainment and fun way to spend time. Of course you must remember yourself not to get too carried away otherwise you could just spend hours doing it. I must admit that as a teenager there were times when I forgot myself in the game world for too long – just one more hour.. and then one more hour :).

A while back I discovered Facebook Gameroom and especially the game War Robots. It just reminds me one of my favorite game back in the olden days – Mechwarrior 3. I must admit that the graphics and AI in games has evolved massively in the past few decades. I remember the times when you could get Doom 2 or Jazz Jackrabbit on a few floppy discs, now you would need tens of thousands of disks for just one game. But Facebook Gameroom is just the place for a person who is really not into gaming but would occasionally like to have some fun with simpler computer games. The choice is enormous and installing takes only minutes. Most of the games and perks are free but of course FB and game developers need to earn somehow so there are also many paid-for extras. Go and see for yourself!

https://www.facebook.com/gameroom/download/

FB gameroom