Ooooh lala!

I haz new computor.

Winter

I went to a flea market to sell some of my old clothes and to get new things. The greatest thing I found was an old strawberry badge that was exactly like the one I had when I was a kid. Other things I bought were a jumper and a dress. I wonder why I have the obsession of buying dresses when I never actually wear them During winter people complain about the clothes they have to wear. I still manage to pley with my wardrope, in good and in bad. The secret is layers and funky accessories and furry shoes. Here's an example:

jacket: gosh knows crossword jumper + black jumper + top : seppälä jeans: vila shoes: UFF

The best part of winter is the snow. I don't remember the last time we had this much snow (probably because it was back in -62), and I love every single moment of it. Everything seems magical and pure. We live in the winter wonderland.

I try to update more often. atleast once a week.. HAH

I was browsing youtube today and saw a sales pitch for a new game called Dantes Inferno. Cool looking game, wouldn't mind trying it out but my computher would not be able to run it. Anyways the funniest moment of the whole video was when they talk about the poem the game was based on, Dante's 9 layers of Hell. One of the producers say "When I read that poem I was like THAT is a game!"

The Bloody Time of the Year

I hate Christmas. Not because it is commercial, invented by card companies, nor for the forced happygo-lucky athmosphere. Me and Christmas have been good friends in the past, but now I have good reasons for disliking it.

1. The music

For six years, I have been working in stores that play Christmas music. I know the tunes, I know the melodies, and all the lyrics in Finnish and in English. The repetition of the songs is not what annoyes me though. It is the remakes, the new versions of the old songs, where the artist decides to put his or hers own influence on it. 99% of the cases the songs become sappy, over rendered smush that usually is constructed from screaming and crying. Oh my god, we get it! Silent night, Holy night is a beautiful song, but it gets me over the edge to hear the singer practically crying when the word child is mentioned. For fucks sake, it is only on the third row you can imagine what the rest of the song is like!

Plus I hate, hate, HATE Power of Love. This is for personal reasons, that don't need to be mentioned here. Let me just ask a question about it; the single was released during Christmas time, the video shows the holy night, but what the hell does the song have to do with Christmas?! NOTHING! It's worse than bloody Christmas Shoes, and that song is god awful!

2. Shopping

As I mentioned I have been working in a store for quite awhile. The typical stressed out customer getting his or hers last moment presents is not anything new to me. Actually everybody does that, and even though we hate it, we like to brag about how we made it just in time. It is stupid but not really the reason why I hate Christmas shopping.

As you might know, I'm sort of an environmentalist. The waste of great amounts of materia is not what irritates me, but the hypocrizy. During December there is a big fuzz about spending time with our loved ones and how we should cherish the silence and peace. BULLSHIT. Peace and harmony my ass, Christmas is all about getting shit, and we have to go through the yearly hell of the shopping malls for it. I think the perfect gift would actually be just spending quality time with the loved ones without pressure, ignoring all the extra crap.

3. Quality time with the family

Starts off nice, then it is horrible. For me it has not been all bad, but I am over the childish excitement of 'family fun'. It is nice to see folks but I just wish we wouldn't have to have this stupid holiday for an excuse to catch up. Cannot families have quality time without ho ho ho's? Apparrently not. Just look at any holiday movies, even the ones not meant for kids. All of them spread the message of the magical family reunion during the wonderful Chrismas day. If people find it hard to spend time around each other, why pretend to be a happy family at all, even just for one night. All we do, is create an illusion (an expensive one, I might add) to please the common media of the typical holiday picture.

So why this sudden burst? It is 0:00 am, I just realized I fucked up my dads gift(which I'm making myself), and I still don't have anything for mum. Tomorrow we are going to have dinner together, without my brother because he is in Norway. I planned on escaping, but he did it first. I have to wake up tomorrow at 6 to get back to work to hear the bloody Power of Love, fucking Party of Five, Mariah Carrey's Chrismas blower, and for what. To remind me to do things differently next year? As if.

4.Holiday Specials (Excluding the Snowman, because it has the song)

Just watch Star Wars Christmas Special



All I want for Christmas is for it to be over

Tuesday Music

I was browsing through youtube and ended up listening to Natalia Imbruglia's new single 'Want'. I'm sorry, but it doesn't do anything for me. Not changing rythm, high pitched singing, and obvious attention whoring with showing half naked body doesn't cut it. She has changed her style to disco, which is not too surprising, most of the 90's acustic guitar fans have changed to synthesizers. Kids want rythm, easy listening, and they want to move! I don't think this is going to be the great hit of the year, but I have to give her some credit; she is still doing music and she looks amazing.



Sorry for the bad quality. All the HQ videos were missing embed code.

Other video was a pleasant surprise, it was just like we want to see this guy; energic, glittery, inspirational. Mika's We Are Golden is a fantastic song for the late saturday night runs. I want to find my disco hat and go out!



Another happy meeting was with the band called Mumford and Sons. I have never heard about this band, but apparently they just released(just in my terms means this year) their first single, so I guess this is a new discovery for all of us. Little Lion Man is definetly guitar pop, but it has a nice irish feeling to it.



Actually the two fist singles were released during the summer, the last one in early Septemper. I am late, I'll never be a pop culture critic. This happens when one doesn't have a tv or a radio. Anyways, summer was just few months ago

I'm Back (at least for today)

I read two books in considerably short time. They were nothing alike, and I won't compare them more than this, but let me just ask a question. Does one have to like a book for it to be good? I know that both of my reads are international best sellers, praised by critics, and I don't have enought fingers to point all my friends who really like these novels. Still, I'm not convinced about their greatness, actually I am surprised by my oppinion. Let me elaborate:

The first book was The Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, the second Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. While reading the later one, I was convinced that I liked the first one better since it was a page-turner for me. This phenomenom hasn't happened to me in years, so even I was surprised by my interest to get deeper in to the story; I had to learn more about incidents in the two main characters lives. The second did not have the same effect, but still it took only few days for me to finish. My problem against Thompson is how I have a naive fear against drugs and simply cannot find anyting amusing about them (except the part where att'y starts yelling at an old police couple while violently throwing out in a Cadillac).

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a page turner for one reason, it is hard to believe how shitty life can be and you just want to know if, please, anything good happens on the next page. In the end, when the lives of the two main characters, is solved, Hosseini really, really, milks the drama, and it is not all that impressing. Compared to the fast pace of most of the book, the last 40 pages or so are really dragged and have no point. I wish I could praise the book, like I did to my friends while reading it, but I just cannot do it anymore. If the lust for soap is ignored, then it is a really good read. Now I have to say that it was ok.

Against my prejudice I actually prefer Fear and Loathing. The reason for my changed oppinion is simple; Hunter does not enjoy the drama, he leaves it be as it is, and just tells what happened. It was honest, in a way that hallusinating drug user can be, and it certainly doesn't apologise or try to explain. The more I think about it, the better the book actually is, and probably I will give it one more go.


[edit] actually these two novels are very much alike; they both have strong statements about their goverments and culture. It is just the style, main story, and the country that are different. For social commentery they both are excellent, but I still prefer Fear and Loathing.

It is Monday

Ok, today's a good start for the week. I woke up at 6, like I wanted to, and tried out an old/new dress, which looked surprisingly good. I have an exam today, topic: civil engineering. Haven't studied a shit. Whoops. I was really down last week and had to take some time just for myself. Therefore yesterday was a therapy day; I know now how Silent Hill 2 and 3 ends, plus I reminded myself about the greatness of Gilmore Girls.

Not that I want to complain, but I don't understand why people are hyped up about autumn. Hoorray, they yell, finally we can buy lovely autumn clothes, and choose them from wide colour selection. Ok, there are two things wrong with that; the autumn clothes are only in one colour: black, and secondly, who is happy about the fact that more money has to be spent?? Yesterday I was walking to the store and was so annoyed by the gray sky and the dead leaves on the ground that I decided to pack my shit and move to Spain. Bye bye summer and my happy days, I told myself. But then I realized that there are still leaves on the trees.

A Typical Sunday

I woke up at 1 pm, which is really unusual for me. This pretty much set the course for the whole day: I, once again, did fuck all. At four I started to watch Let's Play Silent Hill and managed to brake that one rule I have. No horror stuff ever.
So happily I watched till 10 pm and realized I haven't done any school work. I have a presentation the next day and haven't prepared shit. So off I go doing research. Now it is almost 3 am and I cannot think straight anymore.
Actually it was a good think that I managed to get myself scared today. I wasn't really tired till about 20 minutes ago. Perhaps I should start my mornings by watching Saw and the Exorcist. Lil' bit gore once a day keeps the sanity away!

Japanese spiderman was cooler than our whiny Tobey Maguire (no offence, Tobey, call me!). Even his bitch was much better than Mary Jane Watson.

If you feel horrible, give yourself two days. Then get up, embrace the world, and see how wonderful truly you are. This week I want to smile and to get over all the negative things that has happened to me during the past month. Now is the time to move on; continue this journey. For that, for me this morning is officially dedicated to Disco. Voilá, the latest of my favourite 'shake it' songs:

Niemi

My neighbour has purple hair and likes her small walks around the block. She is worried about slippery roads for her legs are not stable. Sometimes I can see her feeding birds from her window. When I come home little birds still jump around in the bushes under her window. She has a three windows and a typical last name. In the evening only one light is on and she listens to radio. When I open my door, she closes hers.

Friday I heard loud banging noise but just thought it was the workmen building a roof. When I was leaving her safety lock was broken and police tape was wrapped around her door. I could smell blood on the staircase. The smell still lingers.

Now the birds are gone and the is light off.

Leave!

Hooorray! I have an eye infection and that means no work for me for three days. In an office job red eyes don't really matter, but nobody wants to be served by a person who looks like one of the victims from Night of the Living Dead. Too bad for the extra money that I desperately need, but now I have the whole saturday for myself! I can do so many things like stuff and doings and whatsits. Aka probably I'll do fuck-all. Perfect, cannot wait.

I woke up with a non-stop Mumm-ra channel playing in my head. It was a great sign for an excellent day; I went to Itäkeskus, finally sorted some of my financials, and met Justin and the feminist interrupter (aka Ulsa). Nothing else to say, over and out.

Addition

Sorry, I almost forgot. Today's song is from a Finnish artist called Anna Puu. She is the new shooting star from the Finnish Idols. Usually I don't like the music this phenomenom spits out from its guts, but this time I have to agree with the public oppinnion. Anna Puu is great.

My Wednesday Morning

She was huffing and puffing when she bursted in to the class room. Her mind was buzzing and ready for atleast ten excuses why she was late late again. She wasn't.

I Are to Be Studying

I am finally doing some school work. Last week we got a note that last spring's math project was actually obligatory, against all the info that we got, so now I have to finnish the damn thing before he decides to give me no credit. I'm not sure how the exam went, so there is anyway the possibility to get a F, but as another persons grade is also depending on this, I should do some work.

Blog time it is!

On Thrusday the guys had the best idea ever: let's get drunk during the day. So we were supping whiskey at the twins before 9 am and Justin started drawing on my back.








This weekend was great, although I was going to spend the whole time at home doing Stuff. Well ofcourse nothing ever happened. On Friday I did Something (aka nothing) and on Saturday I went to work. Pasi had a house funeral- as he called it and I went there for a few. Later I met some other friends in Kallio and ended up in Molly Malone's. Once again. The band there was afwul, it was impossible to hear the other singer and they really didn't want to be there playing.






For once I didn't get to the drunken buss but stayed at the twins for the night. Those sweethearts did Korma breakfast for us and were so nice although I was probably talking more gibberish than usual.




Anyways Pasi is moving out of his flat in two days and he doesn't have an appartement yet. It looks like I might get a roomie soon! Or atleast some stuff to fill the basement with.

I was going to post a short story I wrote few years back. It might've been the shortest but also the best of my stories. Now it has disappeared to bit heaven. Damn. Damn. Damn.

How To Kill a Mocking Bird

I'm a slow reader. I do enjoy opening a book and letting the words take me to new places, but it takes time for me to finnish a novel. To Kill a Mocking bird is a short-ish novel; it is only 307 pages long. Still, it took me over a month to read it. Not because it was bad, I just read two to four pages at a time.

I bet most of the people have read this one, or atleast knows what it is about. Scout, a seven year girl witnesses the livestyle of small town in American Deep South. The main plotline follows her normal life, but the real story is actually about his father, who fights against racisism in a court case. A Black man is accused of raping a white girl.

The book is touching and good. Ms Lee has a great talent of storytelling and making the world unravel before one's eyes. Atleast most of the times. At first I found Scout to be the most annoying character in the book but she milds towards the end. The story of the black man is touching and Mr. Finch, Scout's father', is a true hero. He was very believable and easy to relate to.

The only real proplem I have with the novel, is the language that is sometimes used. It is written in first perspective, we see the small town of Maycomb through eyes of a seven-year-old girl. I know that my English is far from perfect but man that girl can write! She is supposed to be really smart but this is just a bit too much. She act's like a kid but she uses words like respiration, pilgrimage, contribution, and predilection. Seven year olds don't talk like this.

Nit picking aside, it was a good book. I would recomend it as a light read for the autumn nights.



Books aside, sorry for the radio silence. The cultureshock really hit me hard this time, and I did not have much to say (except woe is me and whinewhine and blahblah). Now I'm trying to figure out now how can I copy big pictures to the blog without making them blurry and start posting pictures again (I need to get my camera first, I forgot it to twin's the other day). Although I want to write more and more, this blog desperately needs pictures.

Me as a drama queen

Oh yeah, should mention that I'm back in Finland. I still have few stories to tell: Brunei and Way Home. Should tell something more about Penang too, but right now, as it has been only two days since I've been back, I have no words to describe my summer. I miss Penang like crazy. Don't want to be back here. I miss Shalima. I miss Ch'ng. I miss my job. Should've done it better. I miss the feeling of content. I miss the feeling of being myself. I really liked myself there.

This song is the perfect movie credit song. I feel like ending credits. A bow and a thank you

Cambodia

This one is long, so sorry, I'm once again too lazy to read through. If there is major spelling/grammar mistakes(and I'm sure there are), you just have to deal with it.

So Phnom Pehn. The minute I crossed the border I knew this was going to be the better part of my trip. You know, I had the feeling in my stomach. Perhaps I was a bit stressed in Vietnam, and knowing that I had survived across to the second part of my journey (ugh what a cliché) I knew that nothing will stop me now.

Phnom Penh itself is another city. Now I truly realize, a city is a city is a city, and I don't want to be in one anymore! But I met some wonderful people there, and there is few remarkable places, which I'm going to talk about a bit later. The city itself is practically same as Hanoi and Saigon, but there were few differences: first of all, it was much darker, as many streets did not have lights. Secondly, there were child beggers, and more child workers. It was the first time I have seen a child begger and now I truly know what it feels like when something stabs a heart. It physically hurt.

The second day I went around the sights with two girls I met at the hostel. First stop was the Killing Fields. The first time I heard about the place, I was excited, like there are real sculls and stuff! How cool is that?! Boy how wrong I was.

Here's a small history lesson: during the 20th century Cambodia had a civil war. The worst hit in the 70's when Khmer Rouge decided to return the dark ages, destroy all the western influence, kill all the educated people and make the rest grow rice. Cities were emptied, doctors, layers, men, women, and children were killed without mercy. Killing Fields are the place where all those people were executed. Over 200 000 people were killed by them.

Now all the mass graves are empty and the bones are placed in a tall pagoda in the middle of the fields. Also all the old structures have been destroyed, but there are still signs stating what was were. My personal favourite was the magic tree. The tree had a loudspeaker, to cover the screams and cry's off the victims. The neighbors had no idea what was going on at the site. Also some of the trees were used to kill babies; souldiers grabbed the baby's feet and whacked his head against the tree.

After the field we went to S-21, a school that was turned in to a iterrigation centre. The place had a eerie feeling to it. The rooms were empty, except for a bed. It was still possible to see blood stains on the floor. Walking through the corridor I could almost see how it used to be a school, as the floors had chess tiles and the walls were painted yellow. Outside thee were the old swing, which was later used to torture victims. I bet you guys are my facebook friends, just wait for the pictures, you'll get the idea. It was really hard to be there

Opposite of the site there is this really nice, flowerly restaurant. It is a total tourist hole, but it was nice to get the horrifying reality check out of our minds. The restaurant was actually part of an organistion, that helps unemployed people.

Next we went to the National Museum, which was nice, but nothing compared to previous sights. The rest of the day was relaxing and planning the next day. Maddie decided to join me so we went to Siem Riep together! What a nice turn :)

The bus trip felt longer than it was (6 hours). I was starting to get tired of the constant travelling. But it was more than worth it. Siem Riep is a nice change of phase. Quiet, calm, and relaxing. They didn't have any streetlights, except close to a river that run through, so it was pitch black when we arrived.

We met up with Edward and few of his new friends. Oh and before that, I FINALLY got my harem pants.

The next day we were off to Angkor Wat. I have only one word: AMAZING. I tried to stay out of the tourist jams, and just get the feeling of the place. Once again, I cannot describe it by words, check out my pictures later. Even better, go there yourself! The pictures don't do justice, none at all.

The best part of Angkor Wat when I found a quiet corner outside the main square. I was just sitting there and this monk came to talk to me. We ended up chatting about western culture, Khmer Rouge, and about people in general. Perfect ending for a perfect trip.

When I came back to Phnom Penh I ended up scammed. I knew what was going on, but I was too tired to care. When I arrived, it was 2 am and I was planning on sleeping at the airport. It was closed, so my tuktuk driver took me to a guesthouse he knew. It was in a really small back alley in the middle of nowhere, and I started to wonder what did I get myself into. The room was worst yet, there were pieces missing from the wall, roof, and it smelled weird. Also it was possible to see through the floor. So peeps, never, ever go to 'No Problem'; it's a shitty place to be.

So the next day I left at 9 to the airport with the same tuktuk driver. The airport was really quiet, and they took 25 bloody dollars as service fee. What a rip off! Anyway. I managed to get home safe, happy, and most improtantly, I had found some kind of inner peace. I love Cambodia, it was one of the best.