Ten: Own a horse

 I had a dream. It was so big, that I was a bit scared of posting it here. Because owning a horse is a huge thing. It takes time, patience and money. Horses are surprisingly fragile and sensitive animals, but feeling the wind in your hair, when you are galopping trough open fields is priceless. Your blood is pure, sparkling, pink endorphines. For me it's a definition of freedom. 

 I was dreaming about having a horse since I was eight. I just wanted to have it, ride it whenever I want, have a very special understanding betwen me and the animal, care for it, not need to ask anybody for permission to galop trough open fields. Surprisingly, my dream came true in a very unexpected way, even before I managed to write about it here. It turns out that I don't need to own a horse to get what I wanted. This story is going to be continued...;-)

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

I saw it yesterday with my friends, because I wanted to see this movie since I found out about it. Well, it's India combined Dev Patel and oh my God, an awesome British cast: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith... This just can't be a bad thing, right? 

You must know that it's a typical feel-good movie, a guilty pleasure. It's guilty, because it's lacking a sensibilty for the post-colonials matters, the main character, a hotel manager Sonny is quoting Kipling... (Yeah, the very same Kipling who wrote "The White's Man Burden"). If you look at this movie from this point of view, it turns out that in general Indians are simply-minded, and naive, so there is nothing wrong in patronising them. Thanks God they have British retirees, who won't let them fail miserably. Also, it's full of the West-meets-East clichees, banalities and slightly too obvious filmmaking tricks.

However, I'm writing about this movie here, because it's also a pleasure. If we leave alone all the post-colonial discourse, we'll get a cheering-up story about some late-bloomers, about the fact that it's never too late. It's never too late for love, for buisness, for quitting a harmful relationship, for struggling for happiness. And it's your duty towards yourself to escape from a bitterness. I know, it sounds trivially, but it's true, and can be confirmed by my grandma, who got married for the second time at the age of 78. 

So... just watch it. Have my remarks in the back of your head, go to the cinema and watch it, you are going to have fun. Enjoy incredible India, enjoy the witty dialogues (congrats, mr. Parker) and I wouldn't be myself if I didn't write it: Dev Patel ♥

Here you can read Nikita's Lalawani comment on the movie. Slightly too strong I'd say, but she made her point.

Nine: See the Northern Lights

Northern Lights must be a pure magic. I can't even say why I want to see it so much, I may simply be like a moth atracted to light. It looks awesome in the picture, it looks even better in a time-lapse video. Just have a look: (btw, good job, Finnland)