Blog: english

Avdibeg Mixtape 007

It's time for a new Avdibeg Mixtape, and it is a seventh in the series. This time, metal doesn't dominate the list for once, but there are some really nice songs. Journey's Don't Stop Believing always reminds me of that epic ending of The Sopranos, one of the best TV shows ever. There are a few songs from the 1980s and 1990s.

I really like dark songs from Depeche Mode, and Halo is one of them. Fun fact: Jenna Elfman is one of the dancers in the video.

The final song on this tape is Weezer's The Christmas Song, which I guess is appropriate, given that the holidays are approaching. I've heard it in the TV show The Bear in its amazing episode “Fishes”.

You can see all the songs in the Avdibeg Mixtape 007 here.

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Snow in da ghetto

I made this photo exactly eleven years ago, on December 2, 2012. I took it when we lived in a building in Moldeparken in Vejle, where many citizens from non-Western countries lived. Hence, the title that followed the photo on Facebook: "Snow in da ghetto".

I really like those warm colors.

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Breeze of Delight

I’ve heard for the first time of Mirza Redžepagić, a Bosnian composer and guitarist, and his song "Breeze of Delight". It is a fusion of jazz, flamenco, and saudade. Pretty good, and I like it.

I will include it in my next mixtape.

New mixtape

It's almost a year ago, I made my first mixtape, which is part of the project called Avdibeg Mixtapes, and it's been a fun project, which I intend to continue. It is fun to stumble upon a new song I never heard before or a song that reminds me of my past or some period in my life. That's how I often remember songs — I usually connect them to my life and experiences along that trip.

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SNKL1

I received my Seiko SNKL1 yesterday, and I think it is an amazing piece you get for the money. Because of its elegance and simplicity, people think it has 'the looks of a Grand Seiko'. :)

I ordered it together with a sapphire glass, and it really pops the dial of the watch. Since the original bracelet isn't of high quality, I changed it to this leather brown strap. I like this watch a lot. It has a perfect size (38 mm), and I think that Rob from Monsterwatches even adjusted the movement, because my SNKL1 is pretty accurate.

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Dolia - The Gift

Isn't it amazing how small the world can feel sometimes? During my daughter's visit to Bosnia this summer, she met a lady whose son happens to play guitar in a metal band. Upon learning this, she eagerly exclaimed, 'My dad listens to metal!'.

Today, this lady shared a link to her son's band, and wow, what an incredible song it is! Their track 'The Gift' impressed me thoroughly. The musicianship and vocals are impressive, and the lyrics are equally noteworthy. As someone with high music standards, I'm usually very critical, but Dolia's music pleasantly surprised me. It's delightful that they're fellow Bosnians, offering a taste of our beautiful landscapes and rich mythology. Yet, it's the music that truly stands out. The song is quite catchy with interesting irregular time signatures. Dolia being a progressive metal band is an extra bonus.

I highly recommend giving them a listen! I'll definitely keep an eye on them.

Magical Macedonia

My wife and I spent five wonderful days in Macedonia, primarily exploring the capital, Skopje. We flew from Hamburg Airport to Skopje International Airport on Monday, albeit with a 40-minute delay (as usual, Wizz Air didn't provide a clear explanation), and returned last night, braving one of the worst storms to hit this part of Europe. Fortunately, our journey back to Denmark went smoothly.

Our room at hotel DOA
Our room at Hotel DOA in Skopje

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War for territory

When I was seventeen years old, I was a refugee in a Danish refugee center. It was a very small center with no more than 120 people. We were a few kids of similar age, and we would listen to music in the basement of the center. My brother and I, along with a few others, would spend a lot of hours playing games and listening to mostly heavy metal bands like Pantera, Dream Theater, and Sepultura. I remember we got hold of Sepultura's newest album sometime in 1993. It was called Chaos A.D. It was a pretty heavy album, and probably the heaviest band that we had listened to up to that point. Anyway, there was a particularly one song that I really liked, and it was “Territory”.

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The Lack of Courage of Never Let Me Go

In the realm of dystopian narratives, the potential for thought-provoking exploration of complex themes is limitless. “Never Let Me Go” (2010), directed by Mark Romanek and based on Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, presents an intriguing premise but ultimately falls short of fully realizing its potential. Maybe because it only just scratches the aforementioned realm, without any ambition to explore it further. While the film boasts a talented cast, it seems to lack the courage to delve deeper into its own narrative, resulting in what can only be described as a missed opportunity.

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Tea is Chai

If tea spread to your country by sea you call it tea, if it spread by land you call it chai. This is because the ports of Fujian and Taiwan use the coastal pronunciation "te", whereas Mandarin uses "chá".

So, stop using both names when offering tea to people – there is no 'chai tea'! :)

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This girl gets it

This lady nails what's wrong today in the modern society.

You're not respectful, you don't give them peace. Maybe try being kind and sweet and nice, and don't bring drama into their lives. And don't try to change them. Accept them for who they are and believe in them.

Genocide: A World History (book)

In the human journey through history, we have marveled at the heights of human achievement and progress, from the arts to science, philosophy to technology. Yet, we must also confront the darker aspects of our shared past, acknowledging the tragic reality of the ultimate human brutality—genocide. Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin coined the term that the UN defined in 1948 as acts committed with “the intent to destroy, in whole or in part a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
a. Killing members of the group;
b. Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
c. Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
d. Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
e. Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.” 1

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