Remembering this post, I think it's time to evaluate my performance in 2008 in these categories. Some look pretty silly from today's perspective, and that's a good sign, since it probably means I have moved on. Regardless into what direction, at least I moved.
So let me take the minutes to go through my old list of "what I want to do in 2008", and... ah, see what's been happening. That's below.
Before that, I think I will make it a lot easier for 2009, not going into as much detail. My seven goals for 2009 should be, I think:
1. Don't fuck anything up that you don't want to fuck up.
2. Further work on stabilizing mental performance (processor speed), so that periods of extreme brain activity would be longer lasting, and not always followed by one- or even two-day recovery breaks.
3. Trust the same people as before; in addition consider trusting honorable gangsters, the occasional freak, and good-hearted yet challenged folks. But don't trust idiots, because they're idiots.
4. Walk more, because then you discover more.
5. Drink more Coke, because it's just great.
6. Get Worms Armageddon to work on Windows Vista.
7. Wake up early, because mornings are a great part of the day.
So let me take the minutes to go through my old list of "what I want to do in 2008", and... ah, see what's been happening. That's below.
Before that, I think I will make it a lot easier for 2009, not going into as much detail. My seven goals for 2009 should be, I think:
1. Don't fuck anything up that you don't want to fuck up.
2. Further work on stabilizing mental performance (processor speed), so that periods of extreme brain activity would be longer lasting, and not always followed by one- or even two-day recovery breaks.
3. Trust the same people as before; in addition consider trusting honorable gangsters, the occasional freak, and good-hearted yet challenged folks. But don't trust idiots, because they're idiots.
4. Walk more, because then you discover more.
5. Drink more Coke, because it's just great.
6. Get Worms Armageddon to work on Windows Vista.
7. Wake up early, because mornings are a great part of the day.
It's not that I'm seriously collecting. But I happen to come across some quotes. Sometimes. When people say stuff, or I read some. Here are a couple of my current favorites - updated once in a while (including the time stamp).
Small but decisive parts of Forbes' ranking of the 25 dirtiest cities in the world happens to read like my personal travel blog of 2006/2007.
German summary by Der Spiegel here; the original Forbes ranking with pictures here ; and the top 10 here:
1. Baku, Azerbaijan
2. Dhaka, Bangladesh
3. Antananarivo, Madagascar
4. Port au Prince, Haiti
5. Mexico City, Mexico
6. Addis Abeba, Ethophia
7. Mumbai, India
8. Baghdad, Iraq
9. Almaty, Kazakhstan
10. Brazzaville, Kongo
14. Moscow, Russia
German summary by Der Spiegel here; the original Forbes ranking with pictures here ; and the top 10 here:
1. Baku, Azerbaijan
2. Dhaka, Bangladesh
3. Antananarivo, Madagascar
4. Port au Prince, Haiti
5. Mexico City, Mexico
6. Addis Abeba, Ethophia
7. Mumbai, India
8. Baghdad, Iraq
9. Almaty, Kazakhstan
10. Brazzaville, Kongo
14. Moscow, Russia
A recent trip to Vilnius has again triggered my desire to rant about airports. Because I'm forced to spend quite much time there, and because this is exactly the kind of time I'd rather use for doing something more useful, such as banging my head against a wall...
Vilnius is especially bad, but I will talk about this later. Here are a few picks of airport experiences that I found especially remarkable. This will be updated regularly, as I tend to meet new airports once in a while, and the love-hate-relationship is extended continuously...
(originally from Jun 2006; updated Oct 2006)
In the mean time, I even dare to say that Vilnius has moved from rank 1 to rank 2 of my Most Hated Airports. The leading position is proudly taken by Major Shithole Of Excellence, the main airport of Uzbekistan's capital city Tashkent. A beautiful airport in fact, but unfortunately filled with clueless staff, groundbreaking corruption, and pointless hassle.
Also, one thing that amuses me by now is how different the rules are even inside one small region. What do airport security controls confiscate, what do they let you go through with? Just a small overview on a few recent experiences to illustrate what I mean (the situation on the liquids might have changed for obvious reasons, I was in Istanbul last time in July):
- In Tbilisi, they confiscate matches and liquids. They let you take lighters and batteries on board.
- In Baku, they confiscate all lighters. They let you take matches, batteries, and liquids on board.
- In Istanbul, they confiscate batteries. They let you take lighters, matches, and liquids on board.
(originally from Jun 2006; updated Oct 2006; updated again August 2007 and September 2007; and January 2008)
Vilnius is especially bad, but I will talk about this later. Here are a few picks of airport experiences that I found especially remarkable. This will be updated regularly, as I tend to meet new airports once in a while, and the love-hate-relationship is extended continuously...
(originally from Jun 2006; updated Oct 2006)
In the mean time, I even dare to say that Vilnius has moved from rank 1 to rank 2 of my Most Hated Airports. The leading position is proudly taken by Major Shithole Of Excellence, the main airport of Uzbekistan's capital city Tashkent. A beautiful airport in fact, but unfortunately filled with clueless staff, groundbreaking corruption, and pointless hassle.
Also, one thing that amuses me by now is how different the rules are even inside one small region. What do airport security controls confiscate, what do they let you go through with? Just a small overview on a few recent experiences to illustrate what I mean (the situation on the liquids might have changed for obvious reasons, I was in Istanbul last time in July):
- In Tbilisi, they confiscate matches and liquids. They let you take lighters and batteries on board.
- In Baku, they confiscate all lighters. They let you take matches, batteries, and liquids on board.
- In Istanbul, they confiscate batteries. They let you take lighters, matches, and liquids on board.
(originally from Jun 2006; updated Oct 2006; updated again August 2007 and September 2007; and January 2008)
I felt I have to make some 2008 resolutions. For once.
Not sure I'll keep them, but some of them seem to make sense. Despite that some of them visibly contradict each other. Anyway, it's the intention that counts. More than anything else, I suppose, in this case.
In case you got any resolutions to make, check out this here: http://www.pledgehammer.com/
Not sure I'll keep them, but some of them seem to make sense. Despite that some of them visibly contradict each other. Anyway, it's the intention that counts. More than anything else, I suppose, in this case.
In case you got any resolutions to make, check out this here: http://www.pledgehammer.com/
Oh, how highly subjective, I hear you say.
Yes, of course, I answer.
Top 5:
1. The incredible Maarija/Katu/Mairi team at NoKu in Tallinn, Estonia (some years ago).
That wasn't service - that was personality, party, interesting conversations, and later friendship
2. Ieva (I guess that's her name), normally upstairs in afternoons/evenings, at Ai Karamba in Riga, Latvia (still there).
Sense of humor, great attitude, and always a breathtakingly cute smile.
3. The team at Chelsea Arms in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in the earlier days (service just got worse and worse later...).
The guys who knew at your second visit what you had, who you were, and would remember that even after you weren't there for six months.
4. Garage Bar at Shota Rustaveli in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Good mood, good style, and they did impress me forever when they went to buy cigarettes for me.
5. Jao Da, Kitay Gorod, Moscow, Russia.
I've spent whole days there when I needed to work and had no time to run around searching for other free wireless Internet spots. And instead of becoming annoyed by me, they just became friendlier and friendlier, until I felt I'm almost living there.
Also remarkable:
- The Coffee Nation branch at Riga Airport
- The old Coffee Nation branch at Barona Street in Riga (closed since a few years, unfortunately)
- The Double Coffee branches at Strelnieku in Riga; at Dome Square in Riga; and the one at Mihailivska in Kyiv, Ukraine
- Finnegans in Baku, Azerbaijan (not sure if it still exists)
- I Love You bar in Riga
- K.T.Komba club in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- La Riva in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (the service is quite bad and clueless, but their friendliness and attempts to make it up again turn it into a quite cute experience)
- Radio Bar in Riga
- Sports, the underground club near the Central Stadium, in Almaty, Kazakhstan
- St. Germain in the old town of Biel/Bienne, Switzerland
- That cafe at the corner of Shevchenko and Zheltoksan streets in Almaty, Kazakhstan
- The Cavern, the Beatles theme bar at Pushkina in Kyiv, Ukraine
Worst 5 (first rank equals worst placement):
1. A cafe at the main street in Qobustan, Azerbaijan. No idea what it was called. We didn't expect marvelous food or anything out there, obviously - but we had expected that a) you wouldn't need to counter-check every item on your bill, and b) that they'd at least half-heartedly help us deal with the bunch of intrusive taxi drivers and aggressive drunks that sat there
2. Reval Hotel Latvija, lobby bar. I guess you need to write them a letter in order to ever have someone come over to your table; and they manage to be too busy to serve you even when the place is almost empty.
3. At SoHo in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Ignorant, normally unfriendly, at times even cynical remarks about guests in Russian, assuming these guests wouldn't understand.
4. At Hotel Rus in Kyiv, Ukraine. Typical example of post-Soviet-want-to-be-a-good-hotel-but-have-no-bloody-idea-what-a-good-hotel-is (except that they-do-know-that-a-good-hotel-is-expensive). Pathetic rooms, ridiculously overpriced, disinterested staff, and a service culture that makes you think they've had their education in a sniper battalion of the Red Army
5. A cafe in Karakol, Kyrgyzstan; I forgot the name, but it was near the central market in the heart of the town, and one of the few truly frightening cafe/bar experiences I've had (and if you know what sort of places I normally like to hang out in, you know how bad this here must have been).
Yes, of course, I answer.
Top 5:
1. The incredible Maarija/Katu/Mairi team at NoKu in Tallinn, Estonia (some years ago).
That wasn't service - that was personality, party, interesting conversations, and later friendship
2. Ieva (I guess that's her name), normally upstairs in afternoons/evenings, at Ai Karamba in Riga, Latvia (still there).
Sense of humor, great attitude, and always a breathtakingly cute smile.
3. The team at Chelsea Arms in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in the earlier days (service just got worse and worse later...).
The guys who knew at your second visit what you had, who you were, and would remember that even after you weren't there for six months.
4. Garage Bar at Shota Rustaveli in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Good mood, good style, and they did impress me forever when they went to buy cigarettes for me.
5. Jao Da, Kitay Gorod, Moscow, Russia.
I've spent whole days there when I needed to work and had no time to run around searching for other free wireless Internet spots. And instead of becoming annoyed by me, they just became friendlier and friendlier, until I felt I'm almost living there.
Also remarkable:
- The Coffee Nation branch at Riga Airport
- The old Coffee Nation branch at Barona Street in Riga (closed since a few years, unfortunately)
- The Double Coffee branches at Strelnieku in Riga; at Dome Square in Riga; and the one at Mihailivska in Kyiv, Ukraine
- Finnegans in Baku, Azerbaijan (not sure if it still exists)
- I Love You bar in Riga
- K.T.Komba club in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- La Riva in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (the service is quite bad and clueless, but their friendliness and attempts to make it up again turn it into a quite cute experience)
- Radio Bar in Riga
- Sports, the underground club near the Central Stadium, in Almaty, Kazakhstan
- St. Germain in the old town of Biel/Bienne, Switzerland
- That cafe at the corner of Shevchenko and Zheltoksan streets in Almaty, Kazakhstan
- The Cavern, the Beatles theme bar at Pushkina in Kyiv, Ukraine
Worst 5 (first rank equals worst placement):
1. A cafe at the main street in Qobustan, Azerbaijan. No idea what it was called. We didn't expect marvelous food or anything out there, obviously - but we had expected that a) you wouldn't need to counter-check every item on your bill, and b) that they'd at least half-heartedly help us deal with the bunch of intrusive taxi drivers and aggressive drunks that sat there
2. Reval Hotel Latvija, lobby bar. I guess you need to write them a letter in order to ever have someone come over to your table; and they manage to be too busy to serve you even when the place is almost empty.
3. At SoHo in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Ignorant, normally unfriendly, at times even cynical remarks about guests in Russian, assuming these guests wouldn't understand.
4. At Hotel Rus in Kyiv, Ukraine. Typical example of post-Soviet-want-to-be-a-good-hotel-but-have-no-bloody-idea-what-a-good-hotel-is (except that they-do-know-that-a-good-hotel-is-expensive). Pathetic rooms, ridiculously overpriced, disinterested staff, and a service culture that makes you think they've had their education in a sniper battalion of the Red Army
5. A cafe in Karakol, Kyrgyzstan; I forgot the name, but it was near the central market in the heart of the town, and one of the few truly frightening cafe/bar experiences I've had (and if you know what sort of places I normally like to hang out in, you know how bad this here must have been).
Yes: Subjective. Haven't had time to visit them all. Guess there are lots.
And: No firm criteria, just the overall feeling.
Top 5:
1. Bern, Switzerland. Friendly, green, beautiful, great life quality, enough activity.
2. Istanbul, Turkey. Beautiful, impressive, multi-cultural, diverse, relaxing, wild.
3. New York, USA. Capital of the world, undoubtedly. A polis of the modern world.
4. Hamburg, Germany. Alive, dynamic, diverse, friendly, ideal size.
5. Riga, Latvia. Diverse, beautiful, comfortable, even if a little too small.
Almost made it:
Avignon (FR), Barcelona (ES), Berlin (DE), Besancon (FR), Bukhara (UZ), Cesis (LV), Edinburgh (UK), Inverness (UK), Irkutsk (RU), Kazan (RU), Kyiv (UA), Lausanne (CH), London (UK), Lviv (UA), Odessa (UA), Oslo (NO), Paris (FR), Piran (SI), Pula (HR), Reykjavik (IS), Seki (AZ), Sofia (BG), St. Peterburg (RU), Tallinn (EE), Tartu (EE), Vilnius (LT)
Worst 5 (first rank equals worst placement):
1. Almaty, Kazakhstan. Polluted, ugly (except for the mountain view), monotonous, middle of nowhere, poor infrastructure.
2. Kaliningrad, Russia. What must have been a great city once has disappeared in WW2, and what there is now is, at best, a sad example of how not to build a city. Almost as ugly as Naberezhniye Chelny, but with its history, even sadder as a story.
3. Naberezhniye Chelny, Tatarstan, Russia. A city with neither face nor history, built to build trucks, and feels like it.
4. Lexington, Kentucky, USA. Sure one of the most pointless places I've been to.
5. Baku, Azerbaijan. Nice on the first glance, and very agreeable for a short visit, it turns into an everyday annoyance and into a multitude of problems if you (have to?) stay longer.
Almost made it:
Andijan (UZ), Balti (MD), Dnepropetrovsk (UA), Frankfurt (DE), Rezekne (LV), Warsaw (PL), Zaporizhiye (UA)
And: No firm criteria, just the overall feeling.
Top 5:
1. Bern, Switzerland. Friendly, green, beautiful, great life quality, enough activity.
2. Istanbul, Turkey. Beautiful, impressive, multi-cultural, diverse, relaxing, wild.
3. New York, USA. Capital of the world, undoubtedly. A polis of the modern world.
4. Hamburg, Germany. Alive, dynamic, diverse, friendly, ideal size.
5. Riga, Latvia. Diverse, beautiful, comfortable, even if a little too small.
Almost made it:
Avignon (FR), Barcelona (ES), Berlin (DE), Besancon (FR), Bukhara (UZ), Cesis (LV), Edinburgh (UK), Inverness (UK), Irkutsk (RU), Kazan (RU), Kyiv (UA), Lausanne (CH), London (UK), Lviv (UA), Odessa (UA), Oslo (NO), Paris (FR), Piran (SI), Pula (HR), Reykjavik (IS), Seki (AZ), Sofia (BG), St. Peterburg (RU), Tallinn (EE), Tartu (EE), Vilnius (LT)
Worst 5 (first rank equals worst placement):
1. Almaty, Kazakhstan. Polluted, ugly (except for the mountain view), monotonous, middle of nowhere, poor infrastructure.
2. Kaliningrad, Russia. What must have been a great city once has disappeared in WW2, and what there is now is, at best, a sad example of how not to build a city. Almost as ugly as Naberezhniye Chelny, but with its history, even sadder as a story.
3. Naberezhniye Chelny, Tatarstan, Russia. A city with neither face nor history, built to build trucks, and feels like it.
4. Lexington, Kentucky, USA. Sure one of the most pointless places I've been to.
5. Baku, Azerbaijan. Nice on the first glance, and very agreeable for a short visit, it turns into an everyday annoyance and into a multitude of problems if you (have to?) stay longer.
Almost made it:
Andijan (UZ), Balti (MD), Dnepropetrovsk (UA), Frankfurt (DE), Rezekne (LV), Warsaw (PL), Zaporizhiye (UA)
Top 5:
1. Tallinn (Wifi everywhere, and free)
2. Riga (Wifi everywhere, and sometimes free)
3. Berlin (plenty of hot-spots, many free)
4. Hamburg (plenty of hot-spots, many free)
5. Tashkent (enough hot-spots, all free)
Worst 5 (first rank equals worst placement):
1. Baku (almost no wireless Internet available at all)
2. Almaty (almost no wireless Internet available at all; few hot-spots working)
3. Kyiv (a few dozen hot-spots; most aren't working; and prepaid cards are rarely available)
4. Zurich (plenty of hot-spots, but crazily overpriced, thank you Swisscom)
5. Vilnius (many unreliable hot-spots, strange sign-up systems)
1. Tallinn (Wifi everywhere, and free)
2. Riga (Wifi everywhere, and sometimes free)
3. Berlin (plenty of hot-spots, many free)
4. Hamburg (plenty of hot-spots, many free)
5. Tashkent (enough hot-spots, all free)
Worst 5 (first rank equals worst placement):
1. Baku (almost no wireless Internet available at all)
2. Almaty (almost no wireless Internet available at all; few hot-spots working)
3. Kyiv (a few dozen hot-spots; most aren't working; and prepaid cards are rarely available)
4. Zurich (plenty of hot-spots, but crazily overpriced, thank you Swisscom)
5. Vilnius (many unreliable hot-spots, strange sign-up systems)