GREGORIAN is a German band that adapts popular music to the style of medieval chant. The result is a spellbinding, harmonious blend of styles.
Click for official site
The repertoire of GREGORIAN includes songs by Dire Straits, Lenny Kravitz, Greenday, Nine Inch Nails, Coldplay, Queen, Tears for Fears, REM, Eric Clapton, Metallica, Simon & Garfunkel, Peter Gabriel, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, HIM, Elton John, Sting, Robbie Williams, Enya, John Lennon, The Beatles, The Bee Gees, Pink Fl
Even years ago, in my teens, I remember how I used to long for something that was missing from my life. Inner peace, serenity, a connexion to the center of my being. Now, looking back, I wonder how I went so long without actually doing something about it.
In more recent times, I've known about the benefits of meditation and I've sought information on various techniques. I've tried out a couple of recordings that were supposed to help achieve the Alpha state of mind, where "conscious" thought
I return to the blog known as Siilivaara with so much to say. But let me, I pray you, begin with the not so pleasant news.
The W+E Project, that great and shining endeavour so full of promise for the future, has been terminated.
Now, I am not here to complain that life's not fair. I have no bitterness about this. The fact of the matter is, this is the way it had to go. I have chosen a different path, one which the woman who was to be my wife does not wish to follow.
I am exceedingly tha
As you may know, I'm studying in the field of forestry for the second year now. It's a great field: lots of exciting opportunities and challenges, plenty of work available, an endless supply of new things to learn, a prospect for the future. My school is great, too: my courses are giving me the qualifications to work in a wide range of positions across many different fields, I'm receiving a top-notch education in Forestry, and I've gotten to know some really awesome people.
So what's up with
... more properly referred to as Bionicle® Lillipütties!
The idea of this project is simple enough: Build a massive horde of cookie-cutter Bionicle figures. But why?
Why not?
I've established my rep as a MOCist. I'm not very prolific, but I do have a rep. I've done some cool stuff in the past, and I will most likely continue my sporadic output of BCii-brand MOCs. This project is my particular little pet, the black sheep of the family, if you will. I'm aware that it scores a zero for ori
*Sigh...*
My PE bar is full. Full!
And I was doing such a good job of keeping it at +4. Had to go and ruin it, didn't I?
Oh well. At least I get a copper mask out of the deal.
-BC
... wait for it...
That's right, folks. I have returned from my phantom lurkingness to announce a winner in the Great Hedgehog Hill Kanohi Contest (see previous entry for details). I apologize for the delay.
And so now we're all burning with anticipation to find out who it was that came up with a winning name and power for my original, exclusive Kanohi mask, right?
It is none other than...
... the amazing...
... the talented...
... a person w
Well, if this isn't a bolt out of the blue...
About a year and a half ago, I drew this mask.
("Ooh!")
After recently reading bonesiii's blog entry Vector Art In Powerpoint: Quality, Inexpensive, Easy with great interest, I felt inspired to try my hand at transforming my sketch into a professional-quality image.
I wasn't content to use Powerpoint exclusively. For one thing, the Office gradient tool is extremely limited in functionality. Since I own a copy of PhotoShop Elements 2.0
Chapter subtitles! (Once again, freely translated. Spoiler tags to save on real estate.)
» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «
Comments? Anyone?
Some of these subtitles seem pretty odd without their actual content to explain and substantiate what they're trying to say... But you get a rough idea of what the book is about. Maybe.
Enough to maybe shake you up.
-BC
One of the crummier aspects of being fully bilingual in Finland comes up when you can't get out of attending English classes. On the other hand, boredom does have a way of sparking creativity. I drew a little cartoon sketch to pass the time today...
I surprise myself. Why don't I doodle more often?
-BC
Just as a little indication of what the book is like, here are the chapter titles (freely translated):
1. To the reader
2. On paradoxicality
3. Humility: out of weakness, strength
4. If you seek security, live dangerously
5. You will receive that which you are prepared to give up
6. The less you do, the more you will achieve
7. Only alone can you be together
8. Only together can you be alone
9. If you seek eternity, live in the here and now
Thoughts on these?
-BC
I've been reading an awesome book by psychotherapist and theologian Tommy Hellsten called Saat sen mistä luovut (Engl. You Get What You Give Up). It has totally renewed my outlook on life. Reading this book has been a REVELATION. Literally.
I'm still digesting the contents myself, so I'm not really equipped to provide a summary that would do it justice. But perhaps I'll pick out a few pearls of wisdom straight from the book to post here. Yes, that is what I will do. ASAP. Tomorrow.
-BC
Big news. Really big news.
My girlfriend and I got engaged.
I proposed on the 24th and we celebrated on the 31st with a Finnish-style engagement party.
We both got rings.
A matching pair.
14k gold.
9 grams of gold for $220 Canadian.
That's a screaming deal, folks.
But that's beside the point.
I. AM. ENGAGED.
TO. MY. AWESOME. GIRLFRIEND.
YES!
-BC
I've been away. A million and one things have happened.
In order of relevance to this blog:
1. I no longer build with LEGO bricks.
2. I am selling my collection of LEGO bricks.
3. The above has not come about easily.
4. School has started.
5. I leave for Vancouver on Sunday and will return to Finland on the 7th of September.
Best regards,
-BC
Canada vs. Finland for the gold! Wooo! It's the Land of Hockey versus the Other Land of Hockey! Go Canada! Go Finland! One of you has to win! How can I lose? Hah hah!
It's moments like this I love being a dual citizen...
-BC
I was updating my "How Embarrassing!" content block and I noticed I now have one gross Bionicle sets. That's a dozen dozen. 144. CXLIV if you're into Latin.
Maybe it's time to stop buying them. I've just recently gotten into trading. It's a fun way to get MOC parts without growing my overall total amount of parts.
-BC
Ta-da! Surprised? Yup, I entered the contest. Just squeezed in among the last few stragglers before the deadline. And I shouldn't have, really.
Really. I'm kicking myself for entering this contest. Because it ate up hours upon hours of precious time that I could have spent either sleeping or doing something useful. So here, feast your eyes on the latest spectacular product of my miserable, foolish existence!
Hello! I am picking up a vibration in the Ether... Aha! My audience is now vag
Hoo boy, it's been a while since I wrote an entry in here. But that's OK, 'cause it's my blog and I can update as frequently or infrequently as I want.
Real life has been front and center recently, as it should be. I haven't felt as much need to broadcast my insignificant little thoughts on BZPower. I've been going through some small changes in my lifestyle. My LEGO collection is stashed away out of sight. I'm making an effort to grow up and focus on the here and now. To prioritize. And this
I took the liberty of renaming my blog. Because I could. Because Finnish is such a cool language. Because real hedgehogs don't live on mountains. Because, if I want to scale the mountain, I have to get up the hill first. That's right. Call me low on ambition, but right now I have trouble thinking of life in terms of a mountain. It's too daunting an image. I've got to start small.
I've taken the first small steps towards conquering my inner ills. I visited a psychiatric nurse last Friday and wi
Introducing
BC
Matoran of Wonder
Not to be confused with BZPower member BCii, who is in fact a living, breathing human being.
This MOC will not be posted anywhere else, so please direct all your comments to the comments thread. Thank you and have a wonderful day!
-BC
I wrote a poem. Aren't you surprised?
The Deep
Weightless, motionless,
Bright waves racing overhead.
Timeless, endless,
The surface I ever must tread.
I think I am dreaming.
I am weary of the waves,
Their froth and their fury.
I let myself relax.
Every bone and nerve, relax.
The light deepens
Through green,
And blue,
And darker blue.
I have attained the depths!
My flesh is cool, immobile.
Oh, less than that:
It's hardly even there.
I see the bumpy, ragged,
Stu
Now that I have your undivided attention, LIFE IS!*
Here in Nowhere, Finland, we've been suffering (or, if you're from rainy Vancouver like me, half enjoying) a winter of record high temperatures. The last time we had such a warm December was back in about 1929. I'll leave the economists to make the requisite doomsday remarks about abnormal weather and stock market crashes, but the upshot of all this unseasonable heat is that only this past week did we get the kind of frigid weather systems t
