Monday, January 30, 2006
I went swimming today. I've been planning to try Vesikko out some 2½ years now. Finally did it. It was nice, really. I swam 1,000m, went to sauna and left. If only I could make it a habit, it'd be really good.
Also: Tarja! Tarja! Tarja!
That is all.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Well, what do you know. I think Lost might just be worth all that fuss, though I have to admit that I was really skeptical about it at first.
And like misters Monaghan and Andrews hadn't been enough already, I thought I caught a glimpse of Harold Perrineau. Had to check IMDb for it, and it turns out I was right. Add about bazillion teenybopper hearts here.
Thank you, casting person(s). :D
Thursday, January 26, 2006
I'm so annoyed!
The student union aerobic class has been canceled for an undefined period of time due to lack of proper space and instructor. Of course, the cancelation is mentioned nowhere visibly enough, and so me and Sanna went there yesterday at 7pm only to find some really tall floorball players who said that they've been using the gym at the said time since Christmas. Grah.
So we took a walk instead, but it wasn't the same. Especially because we couldn't walk very fast, beacause my thighs were still hurting a bit from Sunday. Bollocks.
Well, at least it's the international aerobic group today so I get to do something. That still doesn't stop me from being annoyed and disappointed, though. I was really looking forward to yesterday's class. Now I have to find something else, because I really want to take at least two classes a week, but there's no way I'm going to find anything else that cheap (it would've been 5e for the whole spring).
I'm also still annoyed because of the effin' proseminar. I'm never going to get it done. Transgression is not my only problem, I also need to find the typical conventions of children's literature somewhere, but there is absolutely no book that lists them. They all just mention that children's literature uses a lot of conventions. Graa!
It is getting frustrating.
I don't want to go to Jopi's office and pour all this frustration out to him because it's not going to help any. I know what I have to do, I just can't do it.
Also, there are no copies of Othello left in the library and I don't know where to find one that's good enough. I can't really afford buying it, because that would be somewhere around 15-20 euros. Arrrrrrgh.
I'm on a really bad mood and it's only a little past 9am. What a nice start for a day.
// edit: Remembered one good thing about this day, though (besides the aerobic, har). The first episode of Lost finally airs in Finland, and that means Dominic Monaghan on my telly <3 And not only him, but Naveen Andrews as well! Whoever did the casting is a genius.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Finished reading Titus Andronicus for the Shakespeare course this morning.
Umm. Wow. At least no one can argue that it's not an experience.
"14 killings, 9 of them on stage, 6 severed members, 1 rape (or 2 or 3, depending on how you count), 1 live burial, 1 case of insanity and 1 of cannibalism--an average of 5.2 atrocities per act, or one for every 97 lines." - S. Clarke Hulse
"This is a great play. We're talking fourteen dead bodies, kung-fu, sword-fu, spear-fu, dagger-fu, arrow-fu, pie-fu, animal screams on the soundtrack, heads roll, hands roll, tongues roll, nine and a half quarts of blood, and a record-breaking 94 on the vomit meter." - Mike Gene Wallace
Exactly. This play was written in the 1590s, and they blame TV and films for violence in entertainment? Right.
Ken said we'd watch the 1999 film adaptation starring Anthony Hopkins some time, but I don't know if I want to. Might be a bit too, eh, gory for my taste. Sure it features also Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Alan Cumming as Chiron and Saturninus but that's not really helping with the characters being what they are.
I'm so stuck with my proseminar it's nowhere near funny and I'm starting to panic. I have no idea what the content should be, and as I really don't understand the theory of transgression, it's pretty darn hard to analyse anything through. I'd like to quit the entire thing but that's probably the most moronic thing I could do. Help me!!
I'm also distressing about a) summer job (I got one message that gave me some hope this morning - of course it's a job I don't really want, but whatever) and b) my exchange. With the latter I've basically got three choices:
1 - try to get to Erasmus exchange through one of my minors, i.e. the department of Finnish language and cultural studies. Otherwise alright, but the university would be in Bristol, and I don't want to go to Southern England.
2 - apply for one of the places from our own list, i.e. the department of foreign languages. Of course, there are no Anglophone countries, so it wouldn't count as my official language practice. Then again, going to the university of Athens sounds very appealing and Roy said that they have great English department. After this I'd have to go and work in an English speaking country for a few months.
3 - wait for the second round of the applications of the Erasmus exchange, see what's left in UK/Ireland and "slip in through the backdoor", to use Roy's expression.
Argh! What to do, what to do??! If I go for option #1, I have to leave my application before Feb 28, so I'm kind of in a hurry here. Of course, Bristol isn't all that bad, and I was hoping that if I get to go there, I could study film and drama, and those could be used as option courses in my degree here. But I really don't know. This is so shitty. And really most distressing. I just want to forget the whole thing and live in sweet oblivion, but unfortunately that's not a choice. Bugger.
I'm going to talk this through with mum and Milla during the weekend and see what they think.
Starting to get extremely stressed out again. I just want to cry. And my headache is back. I just hate this. If only I got a job or made up my mind the exchange thingie, it'd be a lot easier because there'd be one thing less to worry about. Groan.
Friday, January 20, 2006
When it's -29*C outside (-20.2*F), what does a sensible person do? Stay inside with woolly socks and a cup of cocoa, right? Right. Now, what do I do? Take a 40-minute walk outside and go shopping. Hooray!
The reason for this unexpected behaviour is my poor head. I've been suffering from an infernal headache for about seven hours now. Since I'd already tried everything else from green tea to switching school books to Miss Marple, but nothing had worked, I decided I need some fresh air and went out. Didn't work but at least it was an experience.
After the first 15 minutes it wasn't so bad, really. I had enough warm clothes so basically only my face was freezing. And I think after that magical 15 minutes it just went numb and that was it. Didn't bother me anymore. I rather enjoyed the walk, actually. It's really pretty outside now, and not many people around. It's nice and quiet.
I might, however, have to take a painkiller, which I was trying to avoid. The headache alone is bad enough but I feel some cramps coming along, too. I don't think I can take them both at the same time.
Emilia just phoned me. We haven't spoken to each other in a year and a half, and of course I was extremely cranky, thanks to the wonderful headache. And thanks to the crankiness, I didn't really bother to be too polite. Bollocks. But really, it annoys me that people always ask me to come to Helsinki but whenever I hint that the train really does take passengers the other direction too, they get uncomfortable and change the subject. Grah. I've been living here for two and half years and of all my friends, only Emmu and Suvi have visited me. And Milla, naturally. I know that's never going to change, but that doesn't stop me from complaining about it. Teehee.
Anyway. I told Emilia that I have no idea when I have a free weekend because I'm so busy with school, and that is the truth. I'll go to Karkkila next weekend, but after that, who knows. Ah well.
On a happier side note, the first aerobics class yesterday was really nice. It wasn't the best aerobic ever, but it felt so good to really move. It's been ages since I've done that. I'm so proud of myself for signing up. I just hope I'll stay this enthusiastic the whole spring :)
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Ha! Apparently threatening really works. I already asked Rika how WordPress functions and if I should switch to that, received a reply and decided to give it a shot this evening. And what do you know, Blogger starts to work like a dream.
I seriously don't get this. And I seriously despise Blogger. I've just always been too lazy or busy to leave it. I ought to do it soon, though, since this is probably the most unreliable blogging system ever to have existed.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
I'm starting to get sick and tired of Blogger. There's always something wrong. Lately it hasn't let me publish anything. That's not new. Earlier I just needed to click publish, then edit post and then publish again to make it work. Now even that trick is useless. Annoying.
And I'm way too lazy to start thinking of installing any other system either. Bollocks.
I was in Anttila with Samu the other day and suddenly heard a very familiar song, but couldn't quite grasp it. After listening for a while I realised it was Color My World, which is one of those songs on BSB's pirated Never Gone that were never released on the official. Apparently, Westlife's now recorded it and it's on their new album.
Nothing so strange about that. I just preferred the BSB version.
Anyway, the thing got way funnier in my eyes (or ears), as after a while another familiar song was playing. Heart Without A Home. It turns out Westlife recorded that one, too. And the song was actually released on Nick Carter's solo album (and I always thought it was crap).
Why? What for? Anybody?
Thinking of these things isn't healthy, though. I had dreams about Westlife last night. Har. But in my dream Bryan was back in the band.
Ken's Shakespeare course started today and there were only three of us there. Plus Ken, obviously. One girl is coming next week, but as you really need five people for the course to be held, Ken decided to change the course from comedies to tragedies, which he thought would be more popular. He does have a point there because he taught the comedies last year as well and most people have taken it already. I don't really mind since I'm equally interested in the comedies and tragedies. It's just that now I have to read four more plays and I really wouldn't have the time. My schedule's way too tight as it is, and it feels a bit silly to have read two plays in vain.
Then again, it is Shakespeare and although I love most of the stories, I've only read Macbeth (three or four times) and The Tempest this far. And now Much Ado About Nothing and The Taming of the Shrew. So I'm thinking of them as general knowledge and reading for fun (which they were). The tragedies course includes Titus Andronicus, Romeo and Juliet, Othello and King Lear. Ought to be interesting.
Also, Jopi's Literary and Cultural Theory didn't sound half as bad as I'd expected. I'm actually pretty excited about that. The only thing that bugs me is that others were quicker and got all the interesting presentation topics. I ended up choosing postmodernism, which isn't all that uninteresting. I just cannot cope with the fact that I have to say the word out loud several times and not start to laugh.
Postmodernism. Oh dear.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Since I really ought to be revising for my Monter Exam™ that's tomorrow..
(Taken from Rika.)
01. What is your middle name? Onerva.
02. Last person you kissed? If Viivi does not count as a person, then it was the Bepop Person whose name shall remain unrevealed.
03. What are you listening to right now? Beatles.
04. What are the last 2 digits in your phone number? 79
05. What was the last thing you ate? This special yogurt and oat bran.
06. Last person you hugged? Can't remember. Jari last Thursday?
07. How is the weather right now? Too warm and gray. The snow's melting.
08. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Mum.
09. What is the first thing you notice about the opposite sex? The general appereance (and hair).
10. Favorite type of food? Soups and salads.
11. Do you drink? Yes.
12. Do you smoke? No.
13. Ever get so drunk you dont remember what you did? Not really, only small gaps and even that's extremely rare.
14. Hair color? Naturally sand, but now it's red.
15. Eye color? Blue.
16. Do you wear contacts? No need to do that.
17. Favorite holiday? Summer holiday.
18. Favorite month? August or September.
19. Have you ever cried for no reason? Probably.
20. Last movie you watched? Drive Me Crazy o_O
21. What is your favorite ice cream? All the chocolaty and nutty ones.
22. What is your favorite article of clothing? I'd like to say jeans but I couldn't cope without bra, so..
23. Have you ever been to Canada? No, but I'd like to.
24. Do you get along with your parents? Dad, yes. Mum, usually.
25. What is your favorite sport to watch? Hockey, but I don't watch that either.
26. When was the last time you were in your car? Last Friday.
28. What was the last thing you touched? If keyboard and mouse don't count, pillows.
29. What book are you currently reading? Informaatioyhteiskunnan hitoria by Armand Mattelart.
30. Piercings? None.
31. Favorite movie? Edward Scissorhands is my politically correct answer.
32. Favorite basketball Team? Don't have one.
33. What were you doing before filling this out? Talking to Virpi on Messenger and cleaning my computer from all the useless files.
34. Any pets? Viivi is my flatmate's cat.
35. AIM? Not anymore.
36. Butter, plain or salted popcorn? Salted (and very rarely butter).
37. Dogs or cat? Cats.
38. Favorite flower? I don't know any names. I like the violets that grow in the forests, though.
39. Have you ever been caught doing something you werent supposed to? That's very likely.
40. Are you single or taken? Single.
41. Have you ever loved someone? Pass.
42. Who would you like to see right now? Anyone but I have to spend quality time with my books.
43. Are you still friends with your ex(’s)? I could be, we just don't keep in touch.
44. Have you ever fired a gun? No, and preferably never will.
45. Do you like to travel by plane? I don't particularly like it, but I don't have any problems with it either.
46. Right-handed or Left-handed? Right.
47. If you can be with someone right now, who would it be? See 42.
48. How many pillows do you sleep with? 2-4 :)
49. Are you missing someone? Not someone, more like something.
50. Do you have a tattoo? Nope.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
I think I want to have babies with Andy Serkis.
Him and Seth Green on the same episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brian! Now that's a treat if I ever saw one. :)
Yesterday I realised that I feel extremely pleased with myself when I shop wisely. Ie, buy organic and healthy food, and even manage to keep the sum low. Yesterday I bought two bags of food for this week, including a fair amount of fresh fruit and vegetables, and even bought some extra stuff like extra virgin olive oil and these special broth cubes, the total sum was still only 17,11e. Go me. And I also feel extremely pleased with myself when I take canvas bags with me so that I don't have to buy plastic ones.
It makes me feel like A Good Person™.
And while I'm at this, I might as well rant about people who buy bananas and put them in the little plastic fruit bags. Why on earth would anybody want to do that? One simply does not need a bag with bananas. It's just silly. It's not like they're rolling away like apples or oranges. I just don't get it. I am especially amazed whenever I see a person buying fair trade bananas doing that. Harumph.
I was telling about these things to Jetta today, and once again I gor to hear that I am "an entertaining personality". Although I'm not entirely sure it is one, I'm trying to take it as a compliment. But like I told her, with my life so busy and uneventful at the moment, I'm glad I can be enthusiastic about little things like my weekly food shopping, if nothing else.
Speaking of food, I made lentil soup today (my first) and althought it wasn't particularly good, it wasn't all so vile I feared. I'm trying to keep in mind it's good for me and all that. And I like lentils, really. I'm also trying to remember that. But since I finally bought aduki beans today, I can try them next week! Hurrah! I've been only planning to do that some thirteen months or so.
In this post I really wanted to complain about people that have been annoying me lately , but thought it might be better to skip it. It just puts me on a bad mood again and I don't want that. It's enough with my constant headache and stress about the media culture research book exam I'm taking this Friday.
I finally figured out why I've been having troubles with updating the Echo website. Our disc quota was running out. It's like omg duh!!1 Fixed it (ie. deleted all the files from 1999 nobody's missing anyway) and it's alright now.
Still. Effin' eedjit.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Marjo put some of her New Year's photos online, and again I've pretty much decided to effectively avoid (ha, it's the grammatically incorrect Captain Kirk's infinitive!) cameras for the rest of my life. Maybe I should add it to my New Year's projects. Which I haven't written down yet, actually. Ah well. Maybe better not to, as then they'll be all ruined. I am very superstitious when it comes to this.
Anyway. La-la.
Would someone please pay my boob reduction?
Why we never got to the mall, pt. 1...
...and pt. 2.
I saw Anna for some three or four hours on Sunday, which was rather nice. She made a pile of pancakes and we ate them all. With ice cream and jelly. o_O Needless to say I felt pretty nasty afterwards, but for a moment it was fun. It's so weird to think it really is now 2006, which means that Anna's graduating this spring. Which again means that I never went to visit her in Barcelona. Bollocks. Unless, of course, she starts to study something else there (as she was in fact planning), because it would give me another year or two to drag myself there. Woo.
The thought of going back to JNS this Friday sounds moth distressing and relieving simultaneously. I get to return to my own routines and stuff again, and although these past few weeks at Milla's have gone alright and I have no complaints about any of it, I can hardly wait. Then again, I've got so much to do this semester, I honestly don't know how I'm going to pull it off. Rah!
Tomorrow's Helsinki day again. Funny how it's Wednesday. There has been no Wednesday this holiday that I haven't been to Helsinki. That's three times. Plus the New Year's makes it two days more. Funny. But it's a nice change because I hardly ever get to go there anymore because distance and money issues. Tomorrow's not a day for me, though. We're trying to find furniture for Milla's new apartment. I think I might try to convince her to buy the Tommi Evilä bed. Man, that's tacky :D
|