Blogit: The Other World  -
Kirjoitettu: 13.03.2010, 12:12:39 (Muokattu: 13.03.2010, 12:13:17) | After several months of waiting, it finally happened: Tim Burton's latest "Alice in Wonderland" came out. Of course I had to go and see it right away. In fact, twice in a row.
But, oh the disappointment! The movie was alright but it didn't live up to the hype. I did enjoy it as far as escapism went but unfortunately that's it. The bad side of being a genious like Tim Burton is that the bar is pretty fucking high for each movie; what would be amazing by any other director is now quite neutral in his own category. One specific thing that eats me is the use of clichés: I mean, seriously, why use Red Queen's repeated line when decapitating her champion in the final fight? I do think having the head bounce down the stairs to Red Queen's feet would have been fantastic without that patronising cliché that was used. Also, too bad Alan Rickman's face wasn't used in the CGI compilation of the caterpillar in the end.
On positive side, the Hatter was pretty interesting. Not as mad as I expected -although Depp does really nice job with the occasional glimpses of more plain insanity. Luckily we have the Hare! Now that's fantastic! He's hilarious.. "spoon!". While watching I kept wondering just exactly how some of the things were done, like expanding Bonham Carter's head like that. Perhaps the DVD release will have extras in it; I' probably going to get it so I can watch them and the movie in 2D.
Speaking of 2D... I will never again go see two 3D movies in a row. The system does indeed cause headache before long (to me the limit is about three hours).. the question is why? I'll have to see if I can find that out somewhere. Until then I suggest taking the glasses off: you can watch the film without them but the picture will be a bit odd, as if you're seeing in double. The 3D factor wasn't really used in the film much. In some occasions, most notably during the falling sequence (and the poor hedgehog!), it was interesting but most of the time it was just there. I am very much looking forward to seeing the film in the regular way. And I am so not going to go and watch "Avatar" after this. DVDs in waiting again...
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 Torture porn?
Kirjoitettu: 10.03.2010, 23:24:11 | Yes, you read the title right. I just finished watching the sixtha nd the final Saw movie. Now, some people mocked it by claiming it's torture porn. I assume that with this the aim is to propose that the sole purpose of Saw movies is to offer people an opportunity to watch others suffer, seriously suffer, both physically and psychologically (and morally in traps involving more than one person), not so much to offer an actual plausible story in which torture is just a way of carrying out the motivations of the characters.
I suppose it all boils down to one question: which came first, the storyline or the traps? I've watched all the extras the DVDs have to offer and it seems it's a bit of a borderline case. I mean, it similar to the cases (in film, music, art etc.) which are provocative and, in fact, require thinking. The first one to come to mind is the art exhibition by some Finnish female artist who criticised child porn through photographs of minors. Another example would be the movie "An American Crime", which has been accused of sensetionalising the events that actually took place, and being blurring about whether the movie is a drama that has violence or violence with celluloid drama. I think the Finnish phrase "mässäillä väkivallalla/seksillä" is quite sufficient.
So basically: is the controversal thing there for its own sake or does it serve a "higher", more abstract purpose? If you look at Saw movies separately, I suppose one could interpret them as torture porn. However, this in turn boils down to another question: the question whether a viewer perceives Jigsaw's logic of the person's crime matching the game they are chained into, so to speak. If the viewer disagrees, and thus is in need of an even higher purpose, they are more likely to view it as torture porn. But if the viewer does agree, they may be more likely to consider the given purpose sufficient and/or is willing to wait and see what the rest of the movie has to explain on the matter (as there always is a plot twist) or perhaps to the rest of the series (Saw VI did wrap up many loose ends). Of course this division isn't infallible as all Saw movies have several traps and thus propose numerous situation, each in which the viewer must take a stand to agree or disagree with Jigsaw's logic of punishment.
The whole concept of porn (torture or regular) is also slightly problematic as there are also different views on that. Is porn for porn's sake okay? I'm sure there are plenty of people more than willing to disagree but I think it is okay. There's an interesting to this attitude within the adult film community, too: (1) Do the writers/directors take porn for porn's sake without making a plot around it to make it perhaps more believable or to point out clearer that the film is indeed fiction? (2) Do the writers/directors make up a sloppy, superficial, a-few-cliché-lines dialogue as if to.. yeah, what? Does someone need that kind of dialogue and unbelievable plot? (3) Or, do the makers, regardless of the genre and therefore, by definition, having sex in it, make a nice and believable background story and characters for the actors (I'd like to refer all lesbian porn fans to Girlfriends Films but I'm pretty sure you're aware of the production already)? Personally, I'm in favour of numbers 1 and 3. Perhaps this is why I don't get passionate over the possibility of Saws as torture porn as they make the storyline plausible enough to fall to the third category.
Apparently there's no clean-cut answer for this question (and my essay writing has clearly left my brain on the academic writing mode...). Below is a link to a YouTuber called Nykytyne2 from whom I got the term torture porn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRVRYK7G4oU
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 Perkele...
Kirjoitettu: 10.03.2010, 10:41:05 (Muokattu: 10.03.2010, 10:41:16) | Yliopiston lakko ensi viikolta peruttu. Kaikki tahot kuitenkin vain toistavat samaa (luultavasti etukäteen erittäin tarkasti) laadittua tiedotetta asiasta, joka on niin epämääräinen kuin olla ja voi työsopimuksen nykyisistä ehdoista. Palkkakehitys kyllä kuvataan, mutta entäs ne sunnuntain työmääräykset ilman työntekijältä kysymistä? Sairaustapaukset? Jotain epämääräistä jälkimmäisestä on kahden aiemman mallin yhdistämisestä, mutta älkää vain kertoko mikä se uusi malli on saatika mitä ne kaksi edellistä olivat!
Perkele kun voi olla saatanan vaikeaa julkaista suoraselkäistä viestiä, helvetti!!! Pitääkö tässä opiskelijan lähteä soittelemaan Sytyyn ja tenttaamaan niiltä tarkempia tietoja, kun eivät laita niitä itse tiedotteeseen mukaan?! | |
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Kirjoitettu: 09.03.2010, 05:23:50 (Muokattu: 09.03.2010, 08:06:23) | To honour the International Women's Day five hours past I gathered a short list of female artists or vocalists I love.
The amazing Simone Simons (Epica):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNGzltK_tlc
Tori Amos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8ljHOSqc4A
The diverse and angry Candece Clot (Eths):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S97oUM_fjs8
Speaks for herself.. Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCxFTh-XDy8
What a voice! Floor Jansen (ex-After Forever):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjm4BrNAf6s - Not the best possible example of the unbelievable range of her voice but good enough
The angelic Sharon den Adel (Within Temptation):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bqRn0rLq1c
JESSI FREY!!! (Velcra):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBFMeOm7F5s
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Kirjoitettu: 08.03.2010, 07:51:09 | Apparently nothing's been going on in my life in the past weeks. Well... really, nothing useful. The most important thing is that I managed to uncloister today by sleeping approximately 16 hours and got up at five. A bit early for someone with lectures starting at noon but at least I'll be attending the class and I won't be late. And I'm going to need some caffeine to stay up.
Post scriptum: Yes, I'm pretty sure no one cares about my sleeping rhythm but I had to think of something to write as the previous entry was getting boring.
Oh, I did get the "personal" astrological reading. Bullocks, just like I thought. Apparently they just fill in the name in every second name to make it personal. Not to mention that it was over-positive. Another thing is that it repeated same phrases and sentences and paragraphs all the time. The 3-page thing can be reduced into less that 1 ½ pages when deleting all the repetition. At least it didn't make the mistake of "predicting" my love life which undoubtedly would have been straight. Bullshit. Does someone actually fall for that?!
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 Oh dear...
Kirjoitettu: 25.02.2010, 12:11:23 | For the second time in three months I'm contacted by a firm that wants me to consider saving/investing/whatever with their system. First was the poor guy who tried to sell me the pensions system, now I was called to a meeting with a firm (I did some background checking: it's another savings/investment bank) to discuss my finances with an expert. I'll do it just for the fun of it, and maybe I'll learn something new.
But... getting calls about pension, working, savings and investments. Does this make me officially an adult? | |
 This should be interesting... Vol. 1
Kirjoitettu: 24.02.2010, 15:05:48 (Muokattu: 24.02.2010, 15:06:15) | In a rather odd place (Pharyngula) Google positioned an ad for an astrologer who will do a reading for free. So of course I had to submit a request. Now don't get me wrong: I'm open-minded. Sceptic but open-minded. If she manages (or any of her numerous assistants which she must have to respond to all the requests) to give a detailed, passing-my-linguistic-analysis reading that has no self-fulfilling prophecies and these actually happen, I'm willing to give her some credit. This is my personal Randi test.
I should have a response in a couple of days. Then comes the part 2. Stay tuned.
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Kirjoitettu: 24.02.2010, 01:32:46 | Oh.. wow...!!! Now that's the type of society structure I want!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icx5TucPZpw
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 Vancouver... yes, I'm watching one specific sport.
Kirjoitettu: 17.02.2010, 15:09:11 | Just watched Evgeni Plushenko's short performance from last night. Fantastic. It seems that every time he skates I keep watching. In the case of the Sex Bomb classic I'm laughing out loud with tears in my eyes and have shivers running up and down my arms. That guy is the only one EVER to make me wish I could ice skate.
Which made me think: Final Fantasy's one specific song would make one hell of a free performance. This one to be exact: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL0x70xZJkU&feature=PlayList&p=38C4C109E2C32F93&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=92.
One-winged Angel, Sephiroth's theme song. I can already imagine; his amazing foot work, techinical knowledge, performance abilities, and getting the risk factor a couple of notches higher by including Sephiroth's katana in the act. Whohoa!!!
Post scriptum: you can find a somewhat good quality video of the Sex Bomb performance here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyWPyY9wyGM. Hilarious! | |
Freedom of speech under threat... again!
Kirjoitettu: 12.02.2010, 11:48:26 | This time in Britain. There will be a bill proposed soon on libel (=slander). Basically it is similar to Finland's blasphemy law (think of Halla-Aho); an arcaic remnant in the legal code that has not been removed but instead reinforced! The problem with this is of course that no state is an island. Furthermore, Britain is in the European Union. We all have criticised Romania's human rights issues and now Greece's political mayhem, wondering why these states were allowed to participate a union, the purpose of which was to create international law based on equality, peace, freedom of speech and debate. This also means that whatever happens in the UK, also is possible to have effect on us.
Thus far the British law has been used by foreigners who do not like what some British people have to say and this law allows them to be taken seriously, unlike in the case of the Dutch MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali whose criticism of Islam conjured Saudi, Pakistani etc. politicians to attempt to get her off the parliament, the *DUTCH* parliament, as if they had any right to do so. Luckily, the Dutch MPs and Hirsi Ali's party leaders just laughed the attempt off since there was no law these self-righteous dickheads could cling on. Which is exactly what is happening in the UK.
The online petition was launched by Simon Singh, a writer whose book on alternative medicine frauds is being fought in courtrooms. Yes, it indeed is SOOOOO unfair that someone gets to say my alternative medicine treatment of rubbing human feces on other people's bodies does not cure HIV like I say it does!
Bullocks!
Join Stephen Fry and others and sign the petition online on the site given below. All signatures around the world are allowed and encouraged as the law has international impact.
http://libelreform.org/index.php
P.S. If you wish to see Singh's original petition speech, go to this site at RichardDawkins.net:
http://richarddawkins.net/articles/5069 | |
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Kirjoitettu: 10.02.2010, 17:05:14 (Muokattu: 10.02.2010, 18:18:37) | Bloody Valnetine's day! At least it's on a Sunday so I can just shut all the doors and windows and pack food for the day so I don't have to step outside for a minute.
Valentine's day is otherwise a nice idea, but do you have any idea what the day is like for someone like me? I have no friends, no girlfriend (duh!), no nothing. I rather stay home, in bed, and read books, the only "friends" I've ever had.
It's a fucking Valentine's day 364 days a year already. Every day I go outside I see couples holding hands, kissing, friends talking laughing prepairing to go out in the evening. Is it really necessary to twist the knife? Would you like a some salt to rub to the wound, too?!
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I think I'll go and get HIM's latest and listen to it all Sunday. The name of the album is quite interesting, and so are the name of the songs. "The Foreboding Sense of Impending Happiness"... "In Venere Veritas"... "Acoustic Funeral (For Love in Limbo)"... "Ode to Solitude"... ;)
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Thesis thingies for a change.
Kirjoitettu: 08.02.2010, 14:50:07 | I, the undersigned, have managed to come up with a relatively satisfying thesis topic, with a little inspiration from a certain woman. I'm otherwise fine with it.. but there's just one big problem. The instructor will be one of the male teachers, one in particular who gives me the creeps. I don't know what it is but I really do not trust him or want to spend any more time with him as I have to.
This is one of the drawbacks of a small department.
Fuck. | |
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Kirjoitettu: 05.02.2010, 21:55:19 | In yet another attempt to be social, I volunteered to help with organising and executing the student union's anniversary festivities.
.... It ain't working. It seems that all the others are close friends and activists and I'm just an extra pair of hands. There really is no getting in the inner circle when one is already formed. Perhaps I should just leave these attempts alone next time one presents itself to me, since they're clearly not working. | |
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Kirjoitettu: 03.02.2010, 15:26:04 | I am now facing similar problems as those of which Mopsi has been talking about in some of his previous entries. My student allowance is in the end. Finished. Caput. Finaalissa. But as I am still studying fulltime, I need to familiarise myself with the local allowance system. I already filled in the application for living allowance, the next step will be a call and then a visit to the town's social and healthcare division. Quite frankly, considering the amount of taxation they've taken from me (and given some of it to churches without my consent!!!) I'm entitled to have it. Too bad there are no jobs available; now I wouldn't have to worry about Kela's income limits so much. Actually, no: the living allowance does depend on income and the main allowance from the town even more so. Okay, nevermind.
Good that I was taken in custody when I was 17 as I had to pay monthly visits to the local social and healthcare division then. So at least I have some experience on the matter.
Let's see what happens... I won't hold my hopes too up, though. I'm sure they find some way to get away with it or at least reduce any allowance. After all, they are the bureaucratic professionals, not me. | |
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Kirjoitettu: 01.02.2010, 22:59:23 | So... over four years has passed with me drooling after a straight woman. Now I am finally beginning to be able to fall for others. The problem, however, is that they, even though I really would care for them immensely, they would still all be second best choices compared to Her. Is this how it'll be for the rest of my life? That even though I loved them, and cared for them, was willing to sacrifice mych for them, and be truely happy with them, they would still be the second best? Is this what happens to other people, too? That some people just can't forget the first true love no matter how unrequited it is/was?
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Amidst a political identity crisis.
Kirjoitettu: 23.01.2010, 14:10:37 | I've been having political constipation for quite a while now. Lately it has turned into stone and intoa more chronic political identity crisis. I've been trying to analyse it, to try and pinpoint the cause of it several times with little success*. Here is my final try. May not be rational, most certainly it is not thorough but since it's basically an intellectual and personal thing I don't really care. I just need to articulate this somewhat reasonably and coherently so I can make up a Finnish version for the Greens' member manager (it's time to renew the membership).
First of all, I'd like to thank the Greens. Their party of human rights and environmental care has made a difference in Finland. Environmental issues have been added to (almost) all parties' programme to some extent, something that would have been unheard of twenty years ago. You have also managed to accomplish promotion of human rights, especially those of the LGBT community. Again, I am (and will be) grateful for that. Something, however, has changed.
My path towards the Greens was not by my own conscious choice. As a teenager I became more aware of the things I saw were wrong in one way or another, and one of those things was the neglect and abuse of nature. I tried my best to get my parents to recylce, and especially avoid trashing. Eventually I also managed to make a small difference in air quality: my father was a smoker and he used to smoke indoors. My first accomplishment was to make him go smoke in the kitchen by the air conditioner when smoking indoors. The next step was not-in-the-house: outside or in the "Hall". I learned my first manipulation lesson by getting allies with the rest of the family as they would do anything to annoy my father, especially my mother. Even though I was more conserned with cancer than environment, I was labelled a Green (and, naturally, mocked because of it: "viherpiipertäjä" was a very familiar name for me in my childhood home). With increasing interest in human rights issue after my personal revelation about my own sexuality and what difference that -as well as any minority membership- makes in life.
It wasn't until the year 2008 when I became more interest in politics and started to follow the events and decisions more regularly. That is also when I became an official Green. I wanted to show concrete support to their goals and perhaps to find a group to belong to even. The road to hell was, however, indeed paved with good intentions. With every word I read, every decision I saw seemed to trash my idea of the party completely. Now, I do understand that being in the government is about getting an actual grip to power, to make a difference, unlike being in the opposition (they really should make the previous opposition co-operation obligatory again) where you can now only shout things without them having any effect on the government. Furthermore, being in the government is abbout compromise: "I'll scratch your back this time if you scratch my back later." This is where the crisis began: what are we as individuals and as different groups within the party willing to sacrifice to get something else through? As said, even though I am grateful for the in-family adoption right for the LGBT, I am not sure I can live with what has been sacrificed to gain that. I do not like the university reform of which I have been very vocal about. I do not like that you said nothing about the copyright proposal; it was up to Stefan Wallin to withdraw it from the table (no offense to Wallin, he's one of the few men that have a temporary free pass from their sex in my eyes at the moment). I most certainly do not like how more and more things have been piled on communal services without giving any resources to survive from them. One slightly marginal but important decision was seen in a documentary "Liikkumavara" by Annika Grof (why was it placed in TV2 around midnight?!): the increase of daycare and health fees (thank you, Asko-Seljavaara, the only politician inane enough to tell what they *really* thought about the law). All in all: I do not like the way you have been licking Kokoomus's arse after going for a dumb.
This -and many others I did not mention, such as the stance on the possibility of a sixth nuclear power plant application being introduced to the givernment- is why we must part ways, at least for the time being.
I will not lose all hope on you, howeve; I refuse to do so. There is still the next Parliament elections that can make a difference. Until then: so long, and thanks for all the fish.
*This is the third version of the same topic and I still don't think I've covered all the topics and subjects to this disappointment I should have. Well, now it's noted. Even if I did come up with other things, I will not be adding them here later; if I did, there would be no end to the editing process.
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Random bursts.
Kirjoitettu: 18.01.2010, 21:12:41 | "Tule paikalle luomaan kontakteja!"
That is what is said why to go to a recruiting event at the university this week. What does it even mean? How exactly does one "create networks" by wandering from one point to the next with no particular interest but finding something to do the next summer? And, of course, the panel discussions and lectures include, again, to make students graduate and start their own business. I mean, this just sounds SO ridiculous especially at this time. We, the students here now are the children who grew up during the first recession and we saw its effects in our environment or perhaps even saw first hand what it did to small businesses if we (as I did) were brought up by parents in their own small business. We also experienced the enormous cuts in social and educational pilars of the society. And now the same people who brought that upon us are trying to make us want to put ourselves in the danger of the government doing the same thing as last time: betraying all those who had used their own savings to start their own business and are now left to survive with social wellfare. Are these people amnesiac?!
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Kirjoitettu: 17.01.2010, 22:31:12 | Oh, it's been a week since I wrote anything. I suppose that tells of one thing: relatively silent first week at school.
The first Accounting lectures began. I find them surprisingly interesting. I guess one of the reasons for this is that I have no gnawing voice in my head constantly asking "why do you think you have any right to spend your life studying something so useless", unlike when I'm sitting on Post-colonial literature course or Sociolinguistics course. Interesting but from the Friedmanian point of view, utterly useless and unworthy of any euros. I really do not like this division of economically uselful subjects and the rest that don't really even need any name, let alone resources. I mean, who needs "culture" anyway?
(To cheer me up, below I have a picture of a really beautiful jellyfish, Sminthea arctica. Cute, isn't it?)
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About fucking time...!
Kirjoitettu: 10.01.2010, 09:57:38 | The new term and first lectures begin tomorrow. Aahh... about time! One more week in solitude in clumsy attempts to have some kind on intelligent conversations with books and I would have dulled exponetially. I am going to spend lots of extra time at the university just for being able to do so.
I am so happy I've had Xena DVDs to keep me company!
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More summer job anxiety.
Kirjoitettu: 02.01.2010, 02:32:16 | | So. Do people really have to take any job offered regardless of the terms and conditions of that job? Especially if they've already tried the field and it sucked? And they didn't like it in the first place at all, since that was sort of "any job at any terms" thing the first time around? | |
The Society's Least Wanted, reporting...
Kirjoitettu: 31.12.2009, 01:05:22 | Started the summer job anxiety by searching for jobs at MOL. I mean, what the fuck.. it seems that every job requires a higher education or Polytechnic degree on that particular field. It appears I should be an electrician, a trained pedagogic, an economist in all of its branches, and an outgoing extrovert with a fabulous body, readiness to do pretty much anything or go anywhere anytime the emoployer wants me to, a fucking linguistic genius, not to mention that I should get along with everyone no matter how badly shit-for-brains they are, and I should also have a driver's license for the most common vehicles and a trucking card. In addition I should have about a thousand papers from hygeine to alcohol to criminal record.
FUUUUUUUUCCKK!!! What the fuck I'm supposed to do, huh?! Pretend in job interviews and when the trial's over (if I've managed that far) I'll blow my cover and reveal myself to be a fucking anti-social bitch without any kind of motivation? Yeah, except that I don't want to pretend. Why it's always me who has to change to fit what other people want me to be? Why won't others tolerate different people? It can't be that I'm the only one who can't manage with this precariat system, portfolio career? Right? So why do the others not acknowledge the existence of us less social people. Why should we be superhumans to compensate that one little thing? Why don't we get to be average like social people? | |
Gloomy Friday night.
Kirjoitettu: 26.12.2009, 04:13:18 | Can't sleep. Again. I want to go home, not stay here any longer. But no busses go until Monday. I'm not even sure my brother will take the offer of me paying him for driving me home.
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I don't remember if I've told about my mother's christmas arrangementsfor last night. She made us all go to a party thrown by her boyfriends family. Most of the participants were from his side and since my mother spends so much time with them... well, me and my siblings felt a bit out of place. Especially me. A small space packed with unfamiliar people... My sister tried to explain to me some social basics but failed... or I failed, whatever.
Yes, I do know the main themes what not to talk about but it leaves only the unimportant, mundane, stupid things to talk about.. for the sake of talking! That's the thing I don't understand. Why would I spend time and energy to talk about things that do not communicate anything to the other? If I wanted to get to know to someone, exactly what good does talking about where I go to school and what are my major and minor do? Nothing, in my opinion at least. Okay, perhaps it functions as an opening, a bridge to a more meaningful relationship. The problem with this, of course, is that I just don't care.
Another problem, as came very clear last night, is that I find out things I would not need to know. Because when people talk for the sake of talking and drink alcohol at the same time, they are bound to blurt out some things I find utterly unimportant, perhaps even slightly odd but not in the sense of being interesting. I do understand this combination let's people know more of others, also the awkward things, which in turn let's one make a more informative decision on whether one wants to get to know to the other better or not. My problem with this is the alcohol. I hated being there because everyone else drank alcohol and I really, really hate being surrounded by drunken people, especially in the evening, especially when I'm far from home, and especially when I can't get out on my own (the place was in the middle of the woods 25 kilometres from my mother's place).
To add to all of this, we all had to bring a present to one of the randomly selected guests. Obviously I hadn't even heard of most of them, so when I got the person's name, all I could think of was books. So a book it was: a popular science book, to be more specific. And the person it was addressed to? My mother's boyfriend's daughter's husband's sister. And she most certainly is no scientific knowledge fan. And she behaved like a bloody teen pissis. And looked like one, too.
And me? I got a bottle of "sparkling wine". I appreciate the thought and I can understand the motivation behind it (a Finn above 18 years old = drinks alcohol). I'm just having trouble deciding what to do with it. My sister suggested I put it on a shelf since it's a nice-looking bottle. Yes, it is, but... why would I put a wine bottle on display suggesting I like it when I most certainly do not? In fact, the thought of having alcohol in my apartment is appaling. Not because I would be tempted to drink it (hell no) but... I really don't need a constant reminder of my childhood. Besides, my absolutism is a handicap in Finland. If I say no when offered alcohol, there will be a wave of of 'why's. I'm not ashamed of my past which is the main cause for this but most people would be and therefore the situation would also turn negative. And gradually, I become a pariah, a weirdo, a social hazard in a way. Not fun. Some people seem to think I regard myself better than them because I don't drink. I really cannot express how wrong they are. I think of myself lesser than them because I can't drink alcohol. I would like to be able to take a glass of wine every now and then but I can't since I have a fucking genetic tendency toward alcoholism and my personality isn't helping either.
Fuck this. And fuck you, Dad!
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Kirjoitettu: 22.12.2009, 02:16:52 (Muokattu: 22.12.2009, 04:04:09) | "Tää on taas niin tätä."
Should get up at 6 a.m. to get to the bus station on time. It's now 2 a.m. and as writing usually requires conscious brain functions... Even if I fell asleep right now, I'd still be fucked up to some degree tomorrow. Why is it that when you know you have to get up early you just can't sleep?
EDIT at 3 a.m: Still awake. I'm going to so tired tomorrow...
EDIT at 4 a.m: Wanna guess? I suppose it's time for one of my notorius "wakey, wakey!" marathons again. Shit. This and caffeine to stay awake... a bad combo!
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Another thing I've been wondering for a couple of weeks now. Santa Claus. Why do parents reinforce their relationship to their children by lying to them for years? I mean, Santa as we know him is an American invention. Coca-Cola's invention, to be exact. It serves no other purpose than boosting their sales figures and since then all others have taken advantage on this, too. But why lie to kids? His sole purpose from the parental point of view is that he is some vague authority figure, a dictator, who decides if you've behaved good enough to have presents. Is it that parents play the god-card: shifting the responsibility to something imaginary being the kid doesn't get to question?
The way I see it, this holiday is about spending time with a family, preferably family of your choice (which is not my situation which in turn pisses me off even more than the holiday's commercialism...). This is a time when you give presents to those you care about (again, preferably...), to express the affection, the care, the friendliness. What the hell does a strange man has to do with any of this? Nothing. So why keep it up? Because it's a tradition, it's what has always (and I use the term loosely) been done. Seriously, if we were to do everything as before, we'd still be living in caves wondering if the twinkling lights in the night sky are gods' eyes watching everything we do... and shifting all the blame to them, of course.
And no, I have no bitter memories of the lie being revealed to me in some brutal way. I have no recollection of the time I thought he was real. Actually, my mother -when confronted with this question as a kid and even now!- keeps saying he's real (more or less seriously, I hope...). So as a result I ended up taking the autographs of the two Santas in two years and compared them to each other. Not the same (obviously, since the other Santa was my father's drinking buddy, and the other a friend of my mother's). And still she kept saying Santa's real. I doubt this is the fundamental cause of my trust issues but it sure doesn't help to build a trustful relationship between a parent and a child.
...Perhaps I'll watch 'Grinch'. I wish I had the Bad Santa film... so much nastier and thus funnier. Well, I'll have to settle for Thornton below.
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Kirjoitettu: 19.12.2009, 17:19:39 | This is exactly how I see the world being: first you compete to get to the wheel, then you manage to get rid of your competitors, and then the wheel just keeps going faster and faster until...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYTJ9v2vsaE&NR=1 | |
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Kirjoitettu: 17.12.2009, 20:17:12 | Positive news, for a change! During my -hopefully- final depressional season starting during summer 2007, I managed to kill my last surviving cactus. I think it died of draught... Anyway, now that I'm feeling better, I decided to give it another go. I have now a nice plate full of new spiky friends, of all sizes, all shapes and many colours (many of them have flowers: orange, red, pink, green, yellow... only blue ones are missing from the lot). I tried to put a picture of them with this post but I encountered technical problems with my cell phone's Bluetooth. I'll try again later.
Yay, I have cacti to take care of! | |
 Cephalopod Celluloid!
Kirjoitettu: 15.12.2009, 18:16:36 | That is so clever! And cute, too. :)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8408233.stm
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Voi vittu mikä lakiesitys!
Kirjoitettu: 11.12.2009, 14:37:23 (Muokattu: 11.12.2009, 14:37:45) | Tieteentekijöiden liiton ja Professoriliiton yhteinen lausunto hallituksen suunnittelemasta tekijänoikeuslain muutoksesta:
"Tieteentekijöiden liitto on antanut 7.12. opetusministeriölle lausuntonsa hallituksen esityksestä tekijänoikeuslain muuttamiseksi. Liitto vastustaa esitystä ja pitää ehdotusta hyvin ongelmallisena ja epätasapuolisena. Ehdotus ei ole omiaan selkeyttämään oikeustilaa tai parantamaan oikeusvarmuutta, kuten ehdotuksen tavoitteena on ollut. Liitto katsoo, että lainsäädännössä tulee ottaa riittävästi huomioon yliopistoissa tapahtuva tieteellinen tutkimustyö ja siihen kuuluvat erityispiirteet. Tekijänoikeuksien siirtyminen kokonaisuudessaan yliopistoille ei voi missään tapauksessa olla pääsääntö, mikäli tieteen vapaus halutaan turvata. Liitto antoi yhdessä Professoriliiton kanssa asiasta tiedotteen jo tuoreeltaan samana päivänä kuin OPM:n ehdotus tuli julkisuuteen 4.11. Tekijänoikeuslain muutosta vastustava adressi löytyy sivustolta: www.adressit.com/allekirjoitukset/tekijanoikeus"
Eli ensiksi kokkareiden pitää pönkittää keskiluokan lompakkoa entisestään verovähennyksillä pienituloisten kustannuksella, sitten heikennetään väliin vähän työttömien ja pienituloisten sairausturvaa, ja koska yliopistolain muutos pakottaa tieteentekijät EK:n perseennuolijoiksi ei vielä riitä, otetaan kaikilta luovan työn tekijöiltä pois vielä tekijänoikeudet.
MITÄ VITTUA NÄMÄ PELLET TEKEVÄT?! KUKA SAATANA NIITÄ SINNE ÄÄNESTI?! | |
Umm.. reality check?
Kirjoitettu: 09.12.2009, 17:52:35 | tuschman168 said it: "OMFG. It finally happened. I finally lost my ability to distinguish a parody from the real thing. Please someone tell me what this is. I can't tell anymore."
This is one of the comments on this YouTube video called "Just Say No to Sex": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hn6mIK8G2Vc. The organisation is called College Students Against Sex. The name alone is hilarious. How can you be against sex? It's like saying I'm against gravity! There are things in this world you can get rid of and things you can't and every single person on the video is a living proof of that (though I suspect they try very hard to forget that...). But I seriously think all these people were paid A LOT of money to do this, because "Angela" most certainly is either implicitly against the idea or she's just a bad actor.. or a real college student against sex who just REALLY likes to be in front of the camera. Not to mention that party guy.. if you're reading this, for your edification, let it be noted that your heart is on the other side, kiddo. | |
Finnish censorship.
Kirjoitettu: 05.12.2009, 13:27:59 | | Those of you who were adults when 9/11 took place: do you remember any censorship in radio playlists during the time following the event? I'm currently reading a book on music censorship at the present time and there is a chapter on censoring certain songs/bands from radio playlists. Lots of Beatles and AC/DC, also Metallica, System of a Down, Elton John, the whole Rage against the Machine opus censored... I was just wondering if any songs, that are usually played on air, were taken off. I tried to find playlists from September 2001 but, for instance, Radiomafia's playlists from that month were not there; August was there, October was there, but not September. I'll continue looking other stations' playlist archives. | |
Päivä ennen kuolemaa.
Kirjoitettu: 02.12.2009, 12:55:45 | Saw the documentary (why named 'documentary'?) last night by accident. What a nice idea! Good that they actually have death in the title, not some euphemism. Of course, that would be weird considering that the whole programme revolves around death. Minus points for the soundtrach: seriously, the only more stereotypical music choices would have been 'Gloomy Sunday' or Albinoni's 'Adagio'. If you missed the programme, go see it at Ruutu.fi (http://www.ruutu.fi/default.asp?videoID=791&vd=11&cc=1).
Anyway, ended up writing two lists last night. One for people I should apologise to and another for people I want to thank. The latter was substantially longer than the former. Now I just need to find the courage to say the things to the people on the lists. Perhaps I should begin with the least frightening person on the Thanks list: my eight and ninth grade maths teacher. At least I could do that via e-mail. :)
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