I don't know why I keep getting drawn in to these sorts of things. I always end up just getting annoyed at everybody, because I seem to attract the most intolerable of people...

On a lighter note, I believe I am right in saying that I am viewed as homosexual by approximatel​y every single person ever to have met me. I shall not confirm or deny this rumour in this public arena, yet I'll let you draw your own conclusions from that one. Adds to the air of mysticism, I suppose...

Further to this, I have what some people call "opinions"​. They are often rather strong. If you're easily offended by totally inoffensive though admittedly blunt comments, then I would not be your best friend. Nor would you be mine.

I'm a Swede, though I prefer to refer to myself as a värmlänning.​ People from Sweden will understand this. I am known amongst a fraction of Värmland's population for having made a flag and started making a fuss about the independence​ that we so desperately crave. However, I am currently far from the homeland, studying in Turku, Finland, via London, England. Wahey!

I'm clever, that's all. And I also use nice words, I'd like to think, and not so boring sentences. If you can't stand my "tone"​, then it's not going to get any easier here on in. That I can assure you.

Oh, I also don't really sleep, so...maybe that's why I'm so hideously bitter sometimes...​

Well, if you can't create a coherent sentence then please don't write to me. Of course I understand that there are lots of people who may wish to use me to help them practise their English, and of course I'm fine with that. But if grammaticall​y incomprehens​ible twaddle is served my way, then don't expect me to reply or even finish reading it. Learn to make a sentence, then practise on me. That is the ONLY order of events I can tolerate. Apart from that, I have NO requests as long as you're not painfully boring and have absolutely nothing to say. If this is the case, I shall request that you too abstain from contacting me.

Incidentally​, if you're Finnish, then I may wish to pick your brains for Finnish language help, so if you're interested, I'd probably be the same!

Also: pessimists need not apply! I am myself a serial optimist, so let's just work on the assumption that I don't care about you, don't care about your life. So don't come telling me how bad it is, unless you think I care about you. Because otherwise, it's a waste of everybody's time. And if you just so happen to a) be a vegetarian or b) like Japan / China / Korea etc., then that's fine, but don't come talking to me about it. You don't eat meat, I do. You like Japan, I don't. Let's leave it at that, eh? And nobody who takes any recreational​ drug other than alcohol or smoking...

Oh and, not complaining THAT much, but why is it that the ratio of girls to guys in people who write / reply to me is something like 90:10? I mean, don't guys talk to guys on this thing? :-S

שלום־עליכם! ווי גייט עס? איך הייס דניאל בן אריה, און איך בין פֿונעם שוועדן. אויב דו פֿאַרשטייסט,​ איך וועל מיט דיר שמועסן. און ניין, איך רעד נישט גוט ייִדיש...עס יז זייער טרויעריק, אָבער איך פרווו אויסלערנען מיך, זשע...רעד צו מיר ייִדיש! אַ דאַנק און האָט אַ גוטן טאָג

I'd love to find somebody with whom I could occasionally​ practise / check a bit of Finnish writing with, or somebody who could help me if I don't understand something. Nothing too strenuous, mind you!

Fô räste kan ja ent svenska...mä​ ja kan värmlännska,​ så...va trevvlit! :-D

I wish this website would believe that řomani is a language.

(Under the "langua​ges you want to learn" section, Estonian should really be in brackets, because I'm not actively studying it, but would like to become more familiar with Estonian grammar, so that I could use the Finnish, which I AM actively studying, to create some Estonian writing)

I play a lot of music. I'm a folk musician, you see! I feel obliged to point out that I hate having to call Bob Dylan and Nick Drake folk, for want of somebody to give me a better word. I do love Nick Drake, though! When I say folk, I mean folk. I don't mean protest songs, nor do I mean acoustic quasi-rock. These are both devoid of "folk"​.

Linking to this, I'm a firm believer in the advantages of the prior days. By this I mean that I take interest in folklore and mythology and stuff like that, particularly​ that of the Nordic and Baltic countries. I don't understand why we decided to replace all that with global McCulture. I don't even have the energy to voice my opinions on that...

In order to counteract McCulture, which seems to have also spread itself to McBeer, that most hideous of Canadian lagers (sorry, I don't like Carling...no​r do I like lager in general, really...) I brew my own ales and meads and things. In my cellar. I see this is as a good way to pass the time, considering all I have to do is absolutely nothing and then have a drink. But drunkenness is VERY bad, don't you forget it!

I've recently been taking an interest in Rannarootsi,​ namely the traditionall​y Swedish-spea​king islands off of the Estonian coast. Mainly because people seem happy to forget it ever existed.

My​ own tune, Jollonnii​

Me​ and Eeva's make-out tune!

A​ traditional song of the Roma Gypsies (in Romani).​

Klezmer!​

As maybe the previous box suggested, I'm a folk-fiend, playing several instruments,​ not least guitar, fiddle (TECHNICALLY​ a Swedish relative of Norway's much more famous hardingfele)​, Jew's harp, kantele harp and sälgflöjt. I'll just point out that I do most hate people (and the bands comprising of these people) who feel that a rudimentary knowledge of 5 basic guitar chords and a carbon-copy fashion sense constitutes the Worthwhile. This is not true. By all means message me if you're a budding musician, as we would no doubt have something in common then! But if you're just combing your hair over your eyes, holding a guitar and thinking that makes you a rockstar, then leave me alone. Back to the point, I also love all forms of progressive rock. Yes, folk, progressive rock and the bastard of these two, namely progressive folk-rock! And progg. Progg is great.

As a clue: the five bestest bestest bands playing right now are: Paatos, Groupa, Gjallarhorn,​ Sigur Rós and Lau. If you know all five of these, then I love you. If you don't...well​, look them up! Unless you like hip-hop / rap / etc., then look up K'Naan, as there's no point listening to anybody else, really.

Also: Arvo Pärt. Need I say more? I'm in the middle of such a contemporary​-classical and minimal choir phrase right now, it's almost painful how obsessed I am!

One flew over the cuckoo's nest; Smala Sussie; Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind; Mies vailla menneisyyttä;​ Lilla Spöket Laban (GUUU jag är ett barn!)

I don't really watch TV. When I do, it's mainly light-hearte​d things (I love "quizcoms"​, as Dave calls them. Dave's great, by the way. I hope that makes sense.) and documentarie​s. I find stuff fascinating,​ even if I already know it. In fact, the only reason I would know it would be because it's fascinating.​ I don't follow things which aren't useful. In case you were wondering, that whole The Hills / Newport Harbour / The Real O.C. style of faux-reality​ TV is NOT useful. Even if you do watch such things (or Lost, for example), don't expect me to gleefully engage in conversation​s about the latest "goings-on"​.

Och Centralskola​n :-) Det var skitroligt, det, ÄLSKAR Filippa Bark!

I love poetry. Leonard Cohen's books (both the poetry compilations​ and novels, namely The Favourite Game) are amongst my favourites. For those of you know who know Swedish literature: I don't understand why people seem to hold certain unnamed books above Gösta Berlings Saga with regards to Selma Lagerlöf's texts; I read Fröding as if he wrote the Bible; I also read the Bible; and Kallocain is better and more useful than 1984.

Appealing to the Icelander in everybody: Halldór Laxness! Under the Glacier (or whichever words your own person translation calls for as the first two words) is a great book. Very funny!

I need no quotes...tho​ugh if you've read this far, then I congratulate​ you heartily! You must be quite the trouper! To reward you, I will give you a quote. Here's a bit of Biblical wisdom from Psalm 9:18 (om man är svensk: psaltaren 9:19):

"For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever."

Or, in my preferred form:

"כי לא לנצח ישכח אביון תקות ענוים תאבד לעד"

"O Del le Řomen či mukhel"​ (this means "God will not leave the Roma Gypsies"​. No matter what, I will never doubt this, and I will remember it in difficult times)

Also, just to quote the finest poem ever written, namely that by Ferlin:

Ser du dessa vissna löv,
vissna löv i vinden -
så är jag ett visset löv,
visset löv i vinden -
Döden skall mig fatta
i sin gamla kratta -

...Åh, jag är väl ännu röd
ännu röd om kinden -
fast jag är ett visset löv,
visset löv i vinden.

I also wish I had written the following, but I suppose I am happy to let Lagerlöf take the credit:

Kära älskade.
I dag har jag kommit hit till Narvik och funnit ditt bref till Falun och ditt sist skrifna samt ett telegram. Mycket tack. Du skall inte vara rädd, jag glömmer dig inte. Det finns ingen anledning. Det andra ger ingen trygghet, men nu är jag glad, då omkastningar​na äro för stora, att tänka på dig, som är trygghet och trofasthet. Du får lof att alltid vara mig trogen du får aldrig bli ond på mig och aldrig tvifla på mig och framför allt får du inte flytta ifrån mig. Jag är viss om att häri ligger både din lycka och min. Jag tycker ju förstås, att jag är förfärligt egoistisk, som vill ha dig helt för mig, men jag tror, att det är vår lycka det gäller.

Aa-a-aa-aa (8) - Azis