Summer of 2024

pink and yellow flowers on field
Photo: Generate with AI

The summer of 2024 so far has been both slow and eventful. Weather-wise, it has been different. There was a heatwave here in Finland in May, and then it’s been a little chillier. There have been hot days in June once in a while. I hate hot weather, so this summer has been much better. I prefer it to be between 20 and 22 degrees Celsius, but anything hotter than that is not my favourite. I’m glad we haven’t had the heatwaves they have in other countries.

An event that I went to was Bryan Adams’s concert on June 5 in Tampere, Finland. I love every minute of it. I sat pretty far, but I didn’t get to choose any closer. I bought the ticket in advance when it came on sale, so I couldn’t choose where to sit. If I had bought it later, I could have. But I didn’t know the tickets wouldn’t go that fast. You never know how fast concert tickets go, so I had to ensure I got one. He’s been one of my favourite artists for years. It didn’t matter where I sat; I was there to enjoy myself, and I did. The concert was sold out, so he is still famous here. Rock music is a popular genre over here.

Here is a short clip of one of the songs he performed. If you can’t see the video, do let me know.

Bryan Adams performing, Can’t Stop This Thing We Started

And a few photos.

It was definitely the highlight of my summer.

Other things that have happened this summer for me are lame compared to that. I got another achievement in the GuruShots Photo Challenge. I levelled up to Challenger. I could get one step further to Advanced, but I need a few steps to do that. That’s the highest level I will get. The highest level is Guru, but you need to win a lot of challenges to even get to Veteran. My goal is to get to Advance, but it doesn’t matter. It’s only a bit of fun.

GuruShots new level status

Last but not least, I am going on holiday to Stockholm in August. There will be a noisy festival in the park I live near, so I want to get out of here. Two days away from that noise will be bliss.

Jumbo achievement for me

rookie achievement at Gurushots
Screenshot from Gurushot

It might not be a jumbo achievement in your eyes, but it is for me. There is a website called Gurushots, where you can post photographs you took. Then, you can take part in challenges and vote for other photos. The more votes you give, the more exposure your photos will get. That’s a short version of it.

I don’t know when I signed in, but getting as far as a rookie has taken a long time. Yesterday (June 16), I achieved that. Hard work sometimes pays off. There are some great photos of different things. Some aren’t great, so finding pictures to vote for isn’t easy. Sometimes, the best photos are chosen for exhibitions in other countries. But I think you need to win challenges to get that far. Maybe you need to be a Guru, which is the highest rank you can get. I aim only to participate in challenges and see how far it goes. Getting votes and rising up to another level is the best part of it all. I don’t need to win challenges. That’s an achievement I probably won’t get, but it doesn’t matter.

I enjoy small achievements, and this is enough jumbo for me. If you don’t, where else would you find joy in life?

Repost: What is a cause you’re passionate about and why?

Made in Canva

What are you passionate about?

Daily Writing Prompt

Day 16. I’m not really passionate about anything. The word sounds like you’re mad and do crazy things. I prefer to call it things I like to do. I enjoy writing, but I wouldn’t call it passion. I like taking photographs, but I’m still not passionate about it. I can do without it. Recently I’ve taken photos with my mobile. I thought about becoming a professional photographer once, but then I realised it takes the fun out of photography. I wasn’t taking my camera everywhere like most photographers do. I could take photos if it was part of something, but I wouldn’t do it full-time. I like changes, so sticking to one thing would bore me.

Maybe my passion is watching movies. I saw my first movie when I was 3 years old. It was the 1937 animated version of Snow White. I still remember how scared I was when I saw the dark forest scene. I couldn’t watch any creepy stuff after that. I still can’t watch scary movies. The first time I saw Lord of the Rings- Fellowship of the Ring, I looked away when the orcs were shown. I belonged to a movie club when I was 10, where they showed children’s movies. I went there with my mother. I’ve seen a lot of movies in the theatre and on TV. I always watch them until the end. I can’t understand why people are in a hurry to get out. I’ve paid for the ticket, so why not stay. I also own several DVDs and Blu-rays. I just never seem to have the time to watch them. I’ve seen them more than once, but I also have discs I still haven’t watched. I’ve also studied writing movie scripts. I have experience in movie making. We wrote a scene, and then we shot them. It was hard work but fun. It would be nice to volunteer for an actual project one day.

Another possible passion is music. I listen to it every day on Spotify. I also have the radio on from time to time. Music has helped me a lot. It’s very therapeutic. I listen to it no matter the mood I’m in. I like all kinds of music. It depends on what I feel that day. Music helped me get through my mother’s death. Sometimes I play an instrument. I own at least 3. I only use one, though. In 3rd grade, I played the recorder, but I didn’t like it. Only when I became an adult did I learn to play it. Another instrument I can play is the synthesiser with one hand. I took classes when I was 6, but I only went once. My parents were displeased because they had bought me the instrument and everything. I have played it after that, too, but now one key doesn’t work. Now it’s at home collecting dust. I also own a harmonica but can only play randomly by ear. Without music, life would be dull.

Passionate or liking things, it’s the same, it gives pleasure. That’s better than doing something you don’t like, right?

Originally posted on January 16, 2022