Product development

Sometimes I hate product development, and this is especially true for things that need to be replaced from time to time like cosmetics and home stuff such as dish washing liquid or toilet paper. Must be I am very bad consumer because I really do not care about new things. I prefer to find something what I like, and then I always use it. But it's always for limited time as for some reason all producers want to change products all the time. I hate seeing label "New!", usually it's in bold red font or has some star around it. Last time my simple dish-washing liquid Fairy got empty, in a shop shelf I found some 7 types of Fairy: with whatever flavors, some are especially skin friendly etc. Why the hell somebody needs 7 types of Fairy!? Luckily, this time one of them was the good-old one, but I wouldn't be surprised if next time it isn't there. Then it's dilemma for me which one to take (perhaps here policy of the cheapest one is the best).
Currently my particular problem is lipstick. My good-old-favorite lipstick is over, and I discovered that L'Oreal has decided not to produce it anymore. So now already for a month I'm searching for a substitute, and I cannot get it! My favorite color is not around anymore, not in L'Oreal and not anywhere else. It's a disaster! - How can a city girl (ok, to be honest country-girl-convert) live a month without a lipstick!

Strange news

Todays Estonian BNS published an article with following title "BDG osalusega firma rajab Riiga Läti esimese kobarkino", which means that "A company with BDG ownership constructs the first Latvian multiplex cinema in Riga". The news brief goes on explaining that Estonian company BDG is one of the owners in the company that will open the first multiplex cinema, named Cinamon, in Latvia.
What about Coca-Cola Plaza that was opened in 2003 and has 14 cinema-halls? I was in Riga today, and it was still there when I passed by.

Experiment with SEB bank in Latvia

Although the start does not sound to be related to any bank, it finally gets there. As you might have heard, I got married last August. I decided to be old-fashioned and to change my surname. Change of documents was pretty long and slightly cumbersome process: as I live abroad I had to apply for new passport in the embassy where it costs EUR 70 in comparison to LVL 5 if I lived in Latvia; as my marriage certificate was in Estonian, then I had to organise translation which had to be certified by notary which cost me EEK 500; then they had to decide what surname I will get as Latvian linguists like to change people names if in linguists' opinion names are not Latvian enough - my Estonian surname with double "a" certainly had to be Latvianised; then embassy sent all documents to Latvia, and it took some 2-3 weeks when they arrived back. After all this long process I finally got my nice new passport. So I picked it up and started to change my name elsewhere: Estonian ID card, bank cards, drivers license etc. I had also bank accounts in Latvia, but as nowadays I don't go to Latvia that often, then finally in November the first opportunity to visit Latvia arrived.
Here we get to Latvian SEB bank at last where I also had account. When I got there, I proudly took out my brand new passport and expressed my wish to change surname in their records. I received an answer that they need also documents proving why my surname has changed, meaning marriage certificate in my case. Then I asked why it is necessary as Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (the entity dealing with passport issuance in Latvia) has already checked the reason, and, if they have issued a new passport to me, then reason has been sufficiently good and also proofs have been good enough. After all, in general in Latvia we use personal ID number for person identification, and passport nicely shows that person with this ID has a new surname. The bank employee still insisted that they need my marriage application. Being stubborn, I tried to persuade them that my marriage certificate is in Estonian, they wouldn't understand it, and then I would have to translate it for them what I have already done once for the passport issuance. Besides, my marriage certificate is in Estonia, and it's not so easy to bring it "next day". Who knows, when I will be able to come next time. These arguments didn't help. Then I enquired why it is important for the bank to know what was the reason for my surname change if it does not affect my financial standing: what is difference if I got married, divorced, decided to apply for name change because it means something rude or I have serious reason to dislike it. These arguments also didn't help. Then I used my final argument, that other bank in their group, SEB bank in Estonia, didn't require any marriage certificate, but it was enough with Estonian ID card, which is the same personal ID document as passport in Latvia. Also this didn't help and bank's employee insisted that in their procedures it is necessary to provide also marriage certificate. So I was asked to come again.
Finally I suggested if she can make a proposal to their bank lawyer or whomever, deciding on procedures, if this procedure could be reconsidered because perhaps it is too bureaucratic and doesn't provide any benefit to a bank. Perhaps life could be made easier for the bank as well as clients. I received an answer that I should do this suggestion myself.
So name could not be changed, and I had to leave the bank and come again with my translated marriage certificate. I am an emotional person, and after getting out of the bank, I got really angry. I came home to Estonia, went to SEB Latvia internet bank, transferred all account balances leaving 0, and decided to close my account there as soon as I get to Latvia again. Today I got there and had an opportunity to go to SEB Latvia again. I stubbornly didn't take the marriage certificate and took only passport. Today, surprise-surprise, the passport with ID code was sufficient to identify that I am the same person, and I could close all accounts. Well, it looks that life is too good for banks because they care much less for keeping customers than for letting them go.
Ironically enough, I work for a bank myself :)) Not SEB though, but still a bank.

One year older

Well-well-well, I'm one year older again, and now comes 1.5 month period of every year when I'm "officially" 2 years older than Kaido. As it happens, the largest part of my friends here in Tallinn are Kaido's friends, and it also happens that they are friends from high-school, so they are approximately at the same age with Kaido. It gives them right to greet me as "the oldest woman". Isn't it cute?! :)
Luckily my Latvian friends cannot do that as I'm not "the oldest woman" there. Besides, they have to respect the fact that in traditional birthday skiing I skied 30 km, which is at least twice more than any of them except for one. Besides, as it was my birthday, they couldn't groan too much about waiting for me 1-1.5 hours while I did those 30km :))
This birthday skiing might be accounted also as closure of season, as it looks that snow is disappearing, and I hope that now I'll find some time to read those books what I got as present. They look interesting, and overall books are always good thing to give as present to me!