Football and Englishmen

I discovered that I have never really written about my University football team. Strange, but I think that it has been one of those things that has influenced me quite a bit during the last year. All the things that come with it: Englishmen, team spirit, professional coaching, dedication etc. I’ll try to elaborate on them a little bit.

Firstly, the Varsity game (local rivalry between University of Sussex and Brighton) was held yesterday in Eastbourne. Brighton, who were the favorites of the game, won it by 2 goals to 0. I must note that I didn't play- I haven't really got back my form after the operation. Well, anyway, we lost, but actually I think we really should have won. It was just one of these days, when we couldn’t score. I think we had about 4 chances of scoring, but we didn't- something like the Valencia vs. Arsenal game.

Secondly, I’d like to mention a couple of words about our coach George Parris (an ex West Ham star). I started playing football when I was 10 and I have played in the second, third and fourth division in Estonia, but I haven't encountered coaching like that. I guess the football culture aspect comes into play here- the game can really be seen on a different level. More like a game of chess or something like that, always covering different angles and thinking at least three steps ahead. Nothing like in Estonia, where they just roll the ball and tell you to run after it and kick it. Stupid, don’t you think? Anyway, I wish George all the best in his coaching career and hope that he’ll make it in the big game- coaching for a Premiership team.

And then there is something about trust, team spirit and Englishmen. I do not know why, but it’s very hard to put it into words. If you have seen the movie Constant Gardener, then maybe you can picture/imagine the feeling I’m tying to pass on. I must say that sometimes I am/was really confused and impressed at the same time. The fact of doing ones duty and not complaining about it, is somewhat special. I haven’t seen it to that extent in Estonia and I guess I never will. Strange, but I think Estonians are somewhat more egoistic in all the things they do.

Yesterday...

was a strange day. Really, weird and no unifying theme in it. And I really do not know why- it was just scattered all around randomly between the x and y-axes. It had a beginning, then an end, middle, again a beginning and a strange kind of good ending.

A brief description of it goes something like that. Buy the way, I'll try to do it in Snatch style- you remember the scenes of having a drink, bang- stamp in the passport, flight taking off and then a cab? Well opening my eyes at six o’clock, writing the conclusion to my essay, going to the uni and printing it out, proofreading, re-printing and then bang I hit the wall. Overload of the printing system- not enough memory. Setback. Thought. Outcome- I didn't present my paper- sent it to my supervisor to correct it. Bad and sad- was very disappointed with this outcome, but hell, things happen or as I like to put it- shit happens.

Having a lunch in SPRU, returning some books and taking a bus home. A nap for two hours- honestly, I think I really overdid it with this one. Waking up and having a new day, starting it all over again with a main aim at looking for comfort about not submitting the essay. Went to Melrose to see if they can trade my dissatisfaction for a bowl of steaming mussels. Well, delicious, gourmet stuff. One of the best examples coming out of that kitchen. And they almost took away my guilt as well, at least for a certain amount of time.

Rami calls and asks me to go and see Ice Age II with her. I tell you, that's a blessing to speak and share one’s ideas with her. The movie? Well, wasn't as good as the first one, but ok. Quite funny at times, but nothing special. I think they overdid it with the squirrel a little bit. If you are a fan of Sids' humor then "if your species has expired clap your hands" and "hey ho, what's that sound, all the mammoths are in the ground." are the parts I liked the most.

The end was celebrated in the Lion and the Lobster with Rami, Guillaume, Ludovic and Ai. A little discussion about Ukrainian politics- don't ask how we got to that point and as far as I remember something about IMF and WB. A glass of whiskey, and I guess that's about it.

Quote of the Day

The new Mac OS Tiger is very funny. It has a cool software called widgets- small little windows like applications that provide you with the information you want. Those who do not know what I am talking about can check this site.

Well, my inspiration comes from one of those small widgets that provided me with a positive quote every day until I decided to delete it. Why, you ask? I don't know, guess the quotes weren't so good and after a while they started to repeat themselves.

But what I really wanted to quote is a thought from Enn Kasak (an Estonian physicist and philospher) and his lecture called "How does it feel to be stupid?" He talks about knowledge and reasoning- bringing across his point very well. Anyways, what caught my attention was his thought: if you imagine a creature or a being who knows absolutely everything, how does he know then what or how does it feel not to know? A good paradox, don't you think? Maybe a bit too linear thinking lies behind this, but a good thought anyway...

Creative destruction

Natural Born Killers- probably one of those movies that influenced me quite a bit when I was younger. This week for over ten years I had a chance to see it again. And how did I like it? Well, to be honest, the movie had lost much of its touch. Ten years ago it seemed good and deep for me. Now, I really didn’t feel amazed or blown away- everything in the message seemed quite trivial. I guess, my idea about not re-reading some of the books that i read in my childhood, has payed off. It's just not worth spoiling the memories.

However, something still caught my mind. When I was watching the movie with Oliver Stone’s commentaries he expressed an interesting thought (at a point where there is a riot in the penitentiary): “Love of chaos. The energy that rebirth us is chaos, it’s an energy that invades us. We know, when we see it. It’s like hearing rock for the first time- some people are just scared of hearing things that they don’t know. They pull back- there is something dangerous in that.” What is it about chaos and rebirth? What is it about chaos and freedom? What is it about chaos theory and order behind that? Supposedly chaos is freedom, but what about rebirth through chaos? Sounds really like Shumpeter's economical expression of creative destruction- the creation that destroys all the new and thus creates innovation- the engine of progress in an economy. Well, i really have sympathy in this latter thought.

Freakonomics

I’ll try to put forward a little overview of a book that I finished a couple of days ago. It was the Dubner’s and Levitt’s pretty famous and often referred Freakonomics: A Rouge Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. Buy the way Financial Times voted this book as one of the best business books written in 2005.

Well, the hype around the book has been quite huge. Even when you pick it up, one can only read exceptional praise on its blurb: “prepare to be dazzled”, “a phenomenon” etc. But once i had read it, to be honest, I must say that was left a little bit disappointed.

Firstly, the story seems to praise Mr. Levitt a bit too much. I found it quite awkward to read chapter after chapter how good economist and person Levitt really is- if I’d wanted to know that, maybe I would have read Levitt’s autobiography instead.

Secondly, I think that the book is made too accessible and thus loses some of its cutting edge. Very rarely there is any discussion on the methodology and sometimes I felt that Mr. Levitt falls into a hole that he himself created. I quote: “Experts depend on the fact that you don’t have the information they do. Or that you are befuddled by the complexity of their operation that you wouldn’t know what to do with the information if you had it. Or that you are so in awe of their expertise that you wouldn’t dare challenge them.” I think this is exactly what happens when you present your research results like it is done in the book. The conclusions of his/their research seem to just pop up from nowhere… Or then again, maybe I fall into the wrong category of a reader (because of my background) and what I really should do is look up on some Levitt’s original work. Well, I will not- have better and interesting things to read.

But what about the results? Were they interesting? Well, the case of crime decrease seemed kind of deja vu from a Fukuyama book that I read some years ago. Maybe, the point about incentives is good and the example with real estate agents. And what about the name of Ku Klux Klan? The author states that it comes from the Greek word klukos – circle. Previously I’ve encountered a different meaning something like click-click of a gun when it’s triggered. Ahh, nevermind.

Eesti keeles

Hirmus tahtmine tuli siia natukene eesti keeles üht-teist kirjutada. Eestis käimisest on selline soe ka veel sees- ei tea ainult kui kauaks seda jätkub. Tegelikult on kohutav tunnistada, aga soov oleks juba praegu inglise keele peale jälle ümber lülituda. Surun silmad kinni ja püüan pingutada...

Brighton on ilus ja Estonian Air on meeletult alla kainud.

Juhtus nii, et teisipäeval kui siia lendasin, ootasin lennujaamas kolm tundi enne, kui lend välja lendas. Kommunikatsioon selle koha pealt, miks lend hilineb, oli pea olematu. Peale pikki ponnistusi, sain teada, et neil oli probleeme Manchesterist valjalendamisega. Miks, seda muidugi mulle ei öeldud. Ja siis lennuprotsess kui selline, oli ka suht koshmaarne kuna: a) keegi nolk oli okupeerinud minu koha; b) sattusin istuma mingi jõnglase ette, kes üks kolmandik reisist ainult karjus. Stjuardessid kahjuks ei vaevanud kordagi midagi ette võtma, et see karjumine lõppeks. Vahtisid ainult külma näoga pealt samal ajal, kui kõik teised inimesed minu lähedal näppe kõrva toppisid. Ausalt, kui oleks mingeid mõistlikke alternatiive (va. Easyjet), lendaksin ilmselt mõne teise lennukompaniiga. Tea, kas ma olen ära rikutud või mis?

Brighton on kuidagi kevadiliselt ilus. Linnud laulavad ja päeval on sooja kusagil 12 kraadi ümber. Ja mis kõige tähtsam: meri on sinine ja lausa kutsub enda äärde lebasklema. Kahjuks, pean siin vähemalt poolteist nädalat enda esseedega maadlema enne, kui mingisuguselegi aktsioonile seal ääres mõelda. Ka SPRU's on olukord väga vaikne: vaid üksikud Phd tudengid ja siis mõned minu kursainimeed käivad eksinud pilkudega ringi mõeldes oma töödele ja tegemistele. Mis puudutab minu tegemisi, siis hetkel paistab, et see riskikapitali essee saab mul olema suuremaks komistuskiviks kui teine kirjatükk, mille kavatsen teha otseinvesteeringutest väikeriikidesse. Kuidagi raske on kinni hakata sellest riskikapitali teemast. Ei suuda leida seda ühendavat liini. Ja liin on vaja ju leida. Täna pean leidma liini...

Ja miks see valge taust siia tekkis? Ei teagi, ilmselt on see seotud selle meeletu tantsutahtega, mis peale mandlite lõikust tekkinud on. Muidugi, eks see kevade tulek on ka loonud veidi positiivsema fooni tegutsemiseks.