The Rest Of My Coimbra Photos From The City And The University. 

Who will qualify from ESC SF2 in 2023?

Eurovision is on! Rehearsals are on! We’ve seen most of them performing at the multiple preparties and the first clips on Tiktok and Youtube are in!

It’s time to predict who will qualify on May 11th from Semifinal 2! These are my predictions based on the reactions, comments, listens and clicks in social media, Youtube and Spotify.

Some I will get right, others I may not probably a lot because this is Semifinal 2 with less big fan favourites - However, that’s the risk you will take by continuing reading this.

1. Denmark - Reiley - Breaking my Heart

Reiley is a major Tik Tok star which might be perhaps one of the reasons why he is opening this semi. In Denmark we heard him performing with heavy autotune and the studio cut wasn’t any better but in the rehearsals clips his singing wasn’t that bad actually. They do have a clever staging prop, house like and Reiley is walking through each room - he’s wearing a pink outfit (ESC23 trend). Reminds me a bit of Snap last year. However, in the longer snippet the stage feels a bit empty and his performance in my opinion is not filling it enough.

I kind expected this to become viral or to have some sort of buzz but he’s quite low with views and listens online, there wasn’t much talk (no good or bad) at the preparties either. The song sounds like it starts in the middle and continues like that for the next 3min. So obviously not my personal fave this one. Is Tik Tok generation gonna vote for him? I have doubts. I say OUT. 

2. Armenia - Brunette - Future Lover

Brunette’s music video was already high quality and therefore quite promising. The song has fairly good views and listens in different platforms which indicates that it does have a growing fandome and interest. 

Visually this reminds me of Bulgaria 21 (Victoria) and I see it being memorable and strong enough to break the cursed spot number 2 position. Vocally she seems also on point in the rehearsal clips. I say IN. 

3. Romania -  Theodor Andrei -  D.G.T. (Off and On)

There aren’t many entries that we can say that are surely out but Romania unfortunately is. The guy is 18 years old and rumour has it the song was his school project. He can sing allright and he clearly has a passion. Personally I’m not connecting with this song and I know not many are. The song itself seems messy, his performance to be honest a bit cheap with the dancers and now with his changed pink outfit (we have a lot this year) he will not stand OUT. 

4. Estonia - Alika - Bridges

This is perhaps the best or at least one of the best ballads of ESC23. Dramatic, theatrical but also a little cold. She sings amazingly no doubt. 

The staging seems to be loyal to EestiLaul, she has her piano, similar outfit and structure how she performs on stage - but alone. I wonder if the stage is too empty even though I enjoy the visuals that LED screens are providing. This can fail but I want to believe so IN. 

5. Belgium -  Gustaph - Because of You 

Gustaph has been one of the raising stars of this season, selected quite early on last winter. This is catchy, super 90′s - and it works in my opinion, LED screens are showing the lyrics, Gustaph and his backing vocals / dancers are having fun on stage which will sure come across to the audiences at home. IN.  

6. Cyprus -  Andrew Lambrou -  Break a Broken Heart

This is a decent pop song with a beautiful man singing well - it offers nothing new but what it does it does it well This reminds me of Estonia 2021, it didn’t go through though so bad example but as a song type and a bit visually. 

He sings well. On the stage he’s alone but his presence does fill it. I usually don’t lean on too much whose neighbours are in which semi but Greece is in semi II so... I’m pretty confident this will go to the final. IN. 

7. Iceland -  Diljá - Power

This girl is so full of enery and POWER. There’s a lot of love for this I know even though personally I’m not connecting with this. She’s in a such great physical form obviously but I find her movements and dancing a bit weird even though they might show off her power indeed. The visuals are better on the LED screen what they were in Iceland but I do wonder does the stage look empty? The vocals she nails every time though. 

Iceland does struggle usually to get through - they don’t have loyal neighbours who would back up them and even other Nordics tend to find them weird. I have too many doubts - OUT. 

8. Greece -  Victor Vernicos -  What They Say

Victor’s indie pop song starts a bit slowly. The energy is great at its best but you need to wait for it. Visually I like the colour choices here (anything but red please!) and the lightning effects do work well. I’m not super on board about the wardrobe choice and his jumping - even though it’s age appropriate as he’s 16 years only. But maybe this will appeal more to the younger generation. On the LED wall they also use his own face being reflected - which seems to be somewhat a trend also in ESC 2023. His pronounciation has improved though.

However, Greeks tend to receive votes annyally from their neighbours (Cyprus especially) which might save them even with a weaker song. I see enough potential here so IN. 

9. Poland - Blanka - Solo

This is the hit for summer 2023! Not my personal favourite but this has been elevated a lot by the staging. The colours, visuals (especially on the floor) highlight the summer theme and as a song this is instantly catchy. 

They’ve also added a dance break + wardrobe change which I think work better than in Israel’s performance this year from Semi I. This is IN. 

10. Slovenia - Joker Out - Carpe Diem

Right after the release of the Carpe Diem this grew quickly to become a fan favourite. There’s a lot of positive, free, catchy energy here which will come across despite of not being sung in English. The rehearsals and preparties have proved how the band has charisma and confidence to carry this through. During the clips we don’t see any big props or tricks on the stage except the Carpe Diem reflected in the background - simplicity works here the best. 

I’m slightly put off by the pink outfits as we have some this year. However, potential Top 10 in the Final. IN! 

11. Georgia - Iru - Echo

Georgia often joins the party but their efforts are often not memorable in Eurovision. Not this year. Iru’s vocals are amazing, lyrics not so much but this song is hell of a stormy ballad. The staging supports this with lots of wind I like the so called waterfall LED screens behind her. The white outfit with red lips is divine. 

The idea of the song and performance is not complicated but this is a fine example how simplicity sometimes works the best when performed by a true professional. She slays this easily to the final and will bring Georgia its best ESC result to date for sure. IN. 

12. San Marino -  Piqued Jacks - Like an Animal

We have a few rock entries in this semi. San Marino however offers perhaps the weakest of them unfortunately. Another red theme here, they seem to lean on the rockers charisma but as a song it’s not memorable and catchy in the same way as Slovenia and Australia are. He sings well, they sound good, the lights effects work what we saw from the rehearsal clips. 

However, this doesn’t enjoy much of the ESC hype, love, interest based on the clicks and San Marino has struggled in the past to qualify. I don’t see this year being different unfortunately. OUT. 

13. Austria -  Teya & Salena -  Who the Hell Is Edgar?

These girls don’t take themselves seriously. Their song reflects the same attitude. Instantly catchy, memorable - no one can stop themselves to “poe, poe, poe..” after hearing this. They have a good use of the stage here. It is red theme again but it’s detailed and well executed, we have Edgar Allan Poe face in the background, the girls’ styling is on point, the movements that they do make sense. Clearly a lot of planning and thought has gone into this staging. 

I can’t say nothing bad about this. Probably a winner of Semi II. IN. 

14. Albania -  Albina & Familja Kelmendi - Duje

Albania is every year the first official entry for a new ESC season. Very often I end up supporting them because their songs are high quality, ethnic and tell  a story. Not this year. I’m not connecting with this. And based on the clicks and views, listens not many do.

When Albania hasn’t had a red staging in Eurovision? It’s their national colour but after San Marino and Austria’s red performances... this might not stand out. Albina performs her emotional, dramatic song with her family. I struggle to recognize Albina from the rehearsal clip to be honest but on the other hand she is the only one properly styled compared to the family. We have lots of split ends here and I’m deeply concerned for Albania. I say OUT. 

15. Lithuania -  Monika Linkytė - Stay

My ESC guilty pleasure for 2023 season. I like this one a lot. The gospel kind song and Monika is easy to approach. They’ve transferred the same staging from Lithuania to Liverpool but everything is bigger and brighter. I love how Monika and the background singers have been styled - visually this is beautiful.

Vocally she nails it - no concern. As a song, this tends to start a bit slowly. This is the entry which I’m most doubtful about if it will go through or not. It might. It might not. I say OUT. 

16. Australia - Voyager - Promise

Voyager tried to get their feet wet at ESC already last year but instead became a runner-up in Australia Decides. Their current song Promise is constantly being compared to last year’s Dreamer which perhaps was a bit more impactful.

However, their live staging is full of rock’n roll and high energy. They know what they’re doing and the lead singer is very charismatic. This is load enough which I believe will not be unnoticed by the voters. IN. 

Did you agree with my choices? Or disagree with my opinions? Who do you think will qualify from Semifinal 2? Talk to me in the comments below!

Last of Bologna! Now I’m out! Should go back to shoot some more :) 

Top 5 Non-English ESC23 songs

Eurovision is just a couple weeks away so let’s talk about different entries this year! 

Nine songs that are completely not in English are competing this year at the Eurovision. I ranked my top 5 below.

5. SPAIN -  Blanca Paloma: Eaea

No one can deny her talent. Her presence and interpretation is captivating, almost hypnotic. This is dramatic, load, theatrical, this is art, this has a soul, authencity. I’m a big fan of her live peformance which I hope will make Europe vote for her. However, after all these weeks I still haven’t downloaded this to any of my ESC playlists which make me scared that this might the most painful flops of ESC23. 

4. SLOVENIA -  Joker Out:  Carpe Diem

This is fun! Catchy and the music video is well fitting of the spirit of the song. You don’t need to understand the language or the lyrics to dance to this one. There’s a true disco, retro beat here I enjoy. I hope they’ll get the staging right for this one in Liverpool. 

3. FRANCE -  La Zarra:  Évidemment

This didn’t knock me out at first listen to be honest. But it has grown on me. It has a nice structure, that builds up nicely and in my opinion could have gone even higher, more edgier. I like the beginning of French chanson which then turns into a this groovy pop tune. I kind of expected a revamp but this definitely the direction France needs to go. Well produced, professionally performed and character owned songs! 

2. ITALY - Marco Mengoni: Due Vite

Each year I vote for Italy. Even when I think I don’t like them. Every year the songs grow. I cannot resist the quality, emotion, professionalism, talent that has gone into these Italian tunes. A lot of people say that we don’t need another Italian ballad this year but when it’s this good... there’s always room for one more. 

Marco Mengoni is no stranger to Eurovision as represented Italy already a decade ago in Malmö. 

1. FINLAND - Käärijä: Cha Cha Cha

Maybe I’m a bit bias as a Finn but even if I wasn’t... this is good and even though I wouldn’t find my cup of tea no one can deny the effect and reaction this song will surely cause in the viewer. Either it’s hate or love people will feel Cha Cha Cha will leave no one cold. The agressive cocktail of multiple genres (rap, pop, rock sounds and effects) will reach out majority of Europeans’ tastes. We’re potentially talking about a winner of Eurovision 2023 and for sure the best Finnish result since Lordi in 2006. 

What do you think about the Non-English tracks competing ESC this year? What’s your favourite??

The things I didn't expect

First impressions can be deceiving I guess. I quit my job at the Hostel last Wednesday. It just wasn’t working out. The work itself was fine and I liked the guests and everything. But I was supposed to learn the job faster than I was capable of. I guess they didn’t have really the time to train me so I felt more like being a problem to them. After having a talk with the manager I decided that maybe it’s better that I won’t continue working there anymore.

I’m back at looking for a job again. I still have the gallery where things are going great. I like it and I feel appreciated there. Participated at three events so far, two weddings and one fund raising. It’s been fun, educating and each time different. But there’s not work enough so I still need another job.

(Wedding at the Gallery)

I think I’m gonna abandon the accommodation industry for a while and concentrate on the event scene in MTL. We’ll see how it goes. I’ll figure something out. I'm also thinking of taking a French class just to speed up things with my French learning. I also might get a totally different job which I'd get even paid and that wouldn't have nothing to with my internship.. on va voir. 

At the moment it also looks like that I will be spending my Christmas here in Montréal. Which is okay. My first one away from home. Just worried about my parents cause I know it will difficult for them, especially for my mom.

Over a week ago I had my very first Thanksgiving which they celebrate earlier here in Canada than in the States for example. I was fortunate to be invited over to a friends' house where I enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with an italian twist :)

Got my eyes checked to get some contact lenses cause  there’s something wrong with the ones I brought back home. The examination was a bit different. The doctor used a spoon to cover my eye and this stick with parrot on it and I also had to read a bit of this text in French. It felt weird but thorough.

Here below some of my exploring in the nightlife of MTL. The most memorable night probably being the one where I ended up climbing to the Mont Royal Mountain in the middle of the night with the exchange students of Concordia University. It was cool, pitch-black and so unreal with the remarks made about the dark woods around us and the full moon lightning our way. #mtlmoments

Spent a couple a of days in Tampere, one my favourite cities in Finland, with my camera and a good friend.. More pics coming up! 

What do you dream of?

Okay, time for some sort of closure I guess. Can’t belive that I made it and that it’s time to head home. I cannot help but to be sad about all of this coming to an end but I’m also so happy and grateful that this year happened to me at all.

For over a year I’ve tried to share not only the best part (and some of the bad ones too) of moving to Canada for a year but also the fabulousness of Montréal and Québec. The reasons why it was my dream to live in province in the first place, why I’ve loved my every #mtlmoment and also why I’d like to come back here someday. Still hundreads of things I would have loved to share with you more.. 

But in this last post I won’t be telling you what I’ve been up to for the last weeks either;  I won’t be praising the summer events of the city or the amazing  things I’ve had the chance to do here. They are awesome and definitely worth telling for but now I wanna talk about the bigger picture.

For the last weeks I’ve been walking around the streets of Montréal and a bit in Québec also, trying to notice everything, learn every building, street and a charming café by heart. It’s been hard to look at the city, my favourite places and neighbourhoods, where I’ve lived so much…without knowing if I’ll ever experience them again. Countless amounts of last looks and things I will miss about this city. Some bigger than others.

My postcard collection, used to be much larger thou..

I’ve felt very much like home here. Nevermind of my crappy French but there is this small québecoise that has been growing in me and I wouldn’t have wanted to live anywhere else in North America or in Canada. I have been able to explore and observe the culture and the country that I used to read about endlessly as a kid and which I’ve always been drawn to in ways that only travellers/wanderers/ or however you would like to call yourselves, like me can understand. And for a year I lived my dream. Which is pretty cool, I must say.

Not everything went as planned like nothing goes in life in general speking.. Not saying that Québec and Montréal are perfect. There are things which I totally don’t agree on or that make absolutely no sense to me. But they say that a foreign country isn’t supposed to make you, an outsider to feel comfortable to be in. Adapting to the strange ways and new environment is as awkward as it is giving. It educates not only about the country you live in but also about yourself and where you’re coming from. And I’m not talking about country borders here.

When I talk about my MTL year I cannot help but to mention Couchsurfing. There are other websites who function with the same idea. It is a personal opinion which one works for you the best if not at all. Google it if you're not familiar with the concept.

But I do wanna say that it is a community where you don’t have to travel or even have someone sleeping at your couch to participate the community in your hometown. Besides of the actual hosting and surfing thing, which I haven’t been able to do yet - there are a lot different kinds of events and activites going on, in some places more than others. And I can say for a personal experience that it is a great way to build your social circle as a newcomer.

A lot has been said, lots of negative stuff about Couchsurfing, and here I’m not talking about the exact website but this new way of travelling and meeting people. And I’ve had my share of some of the minor issues but during my year of discovery of CS I gotta say that there is a lot of good stuff here too.

In Montréal the community is very active and, even thou I haven’t discovered the other CS communities around the world yet. However I dare to say, this one is filled with the craziest and the most awesome activities which tells a lot about the members in the community too. With some of them I’ve been lucky enough to build lifelong friendships with.

(not my pic)

It is a community where I haven’t felt the need to explain myself, my spirit and my reasons to come here because most of the CS members understand the desire and even the need to move away to abroad or do intensive, long travels.  Which is the reason why I wanna keep participating in one way or another in Finland too. Or wherever I’ll be living in. 

In general, during this year I’ve put so much time on so many events and on countless amount of meet ups with perfect strangers which not all of them were good actually but in the end it was all worth it. I’ve met people, sometimes only once or twice..others may have already moved on, but some of them have expanded my horizon by their stories and personalities. I’ve heard people describing me as a courageous person for coming as far I have come and in the way I have but there are people out there who’ve gone much further and have pursued way crazier ideas in more extraordinary ways than I have in mine.

Even though this post is already too long I cannot leave out the industry I discovered and worked for the last six months. Who knew that you could make money by testing videogames or that being a Finnish speaker could be such an advantage in Montréal? I’ve truly enjoyed my time and I’m definitely keeping my options open of becoming a videogame tester again. But not for the job itself or how cool and easy it sounds but for the people who work there.  It’s a great job because of the social environment, how deeply you can feel like being a part of a team and the wonderful friends you make along the way. Even sometimes the people you weren’t the most closest to, are the ones you’ll remember for the rest of your life. 

A MASSIVE thank you btw to everyone who’s been living this experience with me, from all the way back home to Québec and beyond…new and old ones. No names necessary, you know who you are. Thank you for being part of my québecois experience. Never would have been able to do this on my own.

Now when I look at my empty room where I’ve lived for almost the entire year; the white walls that used to be covered by my Mtl and Québec postcards and my luggages (which I had to pack four times to get it right!)…. I cannot believe I’m really leaving. These 12 months feel now much bigger and longer than when looking at them in the calendar. Even thou Canada and Québec are a lot like Finland I have truly lived outside of my comfort zone here.

This is the longest period of time and furthest I’ve ever been from home. Without my support system, from friends and family to EU benefits which all of them I was used to having. I’m continuously searching for the right words to describe the spiritual change and growth in me but I’m starting to think that there isn’t any. I've come a long way from the first post I wrote a year ago. 

I can only encourage everyone to do the same, not the CS thing or Montréal thing or even the travelling thing but to pursue your dreams and step outside of your box for a moment. A lot of bad stuff can happen but so can a lot of good too. Concentrate on the positive side. Life is short and time is precious and limited.

I hope that with the posts here in my blog I’ve managed to open up a little bit what Montréal and Québec are all about and encouraged anyone who’s ever had the thought of travelling here to do so. Or made someone local to be a tourist in his/her city and country. 

It is a remarkable place and I’m proud that I was able to call it my home once.

Je me souviens. I remember. 

And...more!

Vote for Finland! 

I visited Palace of Queluz last January which is one of the best kept secrets in Sintra / Lisbon located literally between the the fairytale town of Sintra and the portuguese capital. This is the most beautiful room I’ve ever been visited. And the best part was that I was the only person there! 

My negative review of 2018

So this is the part where I tell you how everything went wrong and everything was shitty! If I had to decide based on this experience whether to travel somewhere else for Eurovision the answer would be NO. I’m so glad I didn’t pay hundreds of euros for flights and accommodation in Lisbon and instead just happened to be here. I’m glad I did this - now I don’t need to wonder and I’m happy to continue my Eurovision love by watching it all from tv and/or online! 

Organization could have been better from the fans’ point of view. The lining up hadn’t been planned properly, there were no fences so cutting in line was kind a easy. Inside the arena not all the screens were on so if you were short and didn’t have seat you might have not seen anything. Also sound quality wasn’t on point when the shows started on the May 8th. The difference between Tuesday and Saturday sound quality is like night and day! Missed several performances on Tuesday’s live show because of the screens and sounds problems. And it was my only live ticket! Just seriously disappointed. 

Also the ticket sales went obviously down south. The arena was quite empty for even Semi I live show and Semi II jury show. The standing arena wasn’t nearly full. Blue ticket, the official one had sold out all tickets but apparently the tickets were being sold on other websites three times more expensive! And a lot of people didn’t apparently buy them for Semis even though the Final shows with its jury and rehearsals were sold out in reality. There could have been use for those tickets which weren’t sold. I’m so pissed about this also cause when we got there there were nothing else left than standing area tickets! 

Overall never felt more left outside alone than this year when I was actually in Eurovision! But let’s move on to the actual songs and results! Obviously many of my loves left out already at the Semis but concentrating the main shockers and disappointments.

My ultimate favorite this year, Estonia. I was kind of disappointed that Elina didn’t get more points from the juries since her performance was so technically, vocally on point. And plus the visuals were memorable and standing out from the rest of the performances this year. Can’t believe she got less jury points than so many who were clearly worse singers and had less memorable performance. 

Bulgaria which had an amazing hype around their song the entire spring came 14th! The jury votes were fine I guess but I expected the audience to bring them up. The performance as the song were really dark but I think it all looked really good and stylish. Televoters gave them only 66 points. Wow. But still love their song! 

I’ve loved French entries for quite some years now and especially this year MadameMonsieur were the best find for me! But something goes wrong for France. They’ve had good songs, great singers and performers, also the visuality and the staging hasn’t been THAT BAD! But still they always fall down 10 positions at least in the actual results. Amir placed 6th in 2016 which was an amazing result for France but still kind of far away from the top 3 which he was originally favorite for. Alma (2017) and MadameMonsieur both placed 12th and 13th far away again from the what they were really going for and audience was cheering them up to. They seriously need to look into this. However France and MadameMonsieur remain for me the best find of Eurovision 2018.

My loves Spain and Portugal! I absolutely loved these songs! So beautiful and emotional, especially Spain! You could not watch that without smiling and feeling the song. But yeah.. I guess they took a hit because there were so many songs this year that went with stronger sounds and were instant hits where Claudia and the spanish couple were left behind and not many actually voted for them. Just sad. 

And what about the UK invention! Again! Last year it was the winning artist from the previous year who was intervened. But last year the guy didn’t take the mic. Poor Sury! But seriously what’s up with the security unable to keep the STAGE are safe! It is the stage for god’s sake! 

I loved Slovenian entry this year from the beginning. But apparently Lea felt her song was lacking drama since she added this cut in the middle of the song where no music or lights would work. In the semi it seemed like the host country screwed up but in the final she changed it to look like she stopped it. From the faces of the audience they didn’t get it or find it funny. Neither did I. Totally unnecessary. 

For two weeks I was hanging around the arena and in Lisbon hoping to spot any artist or blogger for an autograph or a photo. I did see Ireland’s Ryan in Belem on Sat one week before the final. He was wearing his sunglasses so wasn’t sure if it was really him. I POLITELY asked about it and he LIED to me that he wasn’t him. Later on saw posts on Instagram with exactly same clothes and in the same neighborhood. And I liked Irish entry and defended it for others who doubted it! Jerk. There goes my points for Ireland forever. He was the only “Eurovision star” I spotted the entire time. Tragic.

Australia! I loved Jessica’s bubly performance and yes maybe her song was a bit generetic but it was so inspiring and uplifting! And the crowds at the arena seemed to appreciate it. But televotes! OMG so low! She did not deserve this even though her vocals weren’t on point on Saturday night.

Belgium! Not qualifying! How is this possible! Sennek’s song was not my personal top favorite but I know many people liked it. Definite OMG moment this year. Found her live performance cool and giving so much life to her song!