Dear Finnish Ice cream box designers,
What the hell?
Sincerely, take a course on ergonomics
Monday, May 2, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
'Today was the day
that I put Everything in perspective.'
This song from that lame commercial on TV gets stuck in my head...from watching a different commercial on TV with a similar sounding tune. I'm pretty sure every time I turn off the TV this song is in my head.
This is less than ideal.
Though the song is quite nice, now that I'm listening to the whole thing for the first time.
----------------
So here's whats going to happen: I'm going to sit here and complete this blog for once. I have started a bunch of drafts but once I leave them and come back, its all old news. Plus I have nothing better to do today until this evening. :)
OK.
My previous entry mentioned the start/preparation for the Finnish Seniors' celebrations. Those were pretty cool. Here's what happens in Finland on the last week of the 4th Jakso (6 week semester).
Monday, not much to the public eye. Just more banners appearing around school. The art class fills up with people making costumes.
Tuesday, the Abi's wore pajamas. The 2nd years were stressing out about the kick out party they organized.
Wednesday, after school - 6pm, our school turned into the Moulin Rouge. Cool, no? This was the GTFO party, Potkiaset, hosted by the 2nd year students. There was music (mostly from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack (with the exception of 'Gay Bar.' lol) and costumes (the sort that would be [dress]code-red back at LNHS. I mean c'mon, it was Moulin Rouge themed. And these people go all out.) and contests (which also would NEVER be tolerated, back home) for the Abi's. Each homeroom had their own contest along the lines of Spinny Bat, a Lap Dance championship, or Guys-do-pushups-on-top-of-a-girl-to-eat-the-banana-in-her-mouth, and a few others. It was all very entertaining. Throughout the whole thing there was a decent amount of clothing loss and PLUS, a pole dancer who came and danced for the school... She had some guts to do that in front of a bunch of teens, but being in Finland...it's different, I suppose. The whole atmosphere was quite admirable in the way that all though there was an incredible amount of indecency (as American high school administrators would say) left and right, the teachers and peers who were watching all understood that 'twas all in good fun. And it was good fun. Well done 2nd years.
Thursday morning the school sat in the gym for the beginning of the Abi's Penkkarit -- their own peace-out party. They were all dressed as various characters. My favorites were the pair of Bananas in Pajamas. Classic. And then Big Bird was great. That guy never ceases to look creepy, especially in the cafeteria, looking for a place to sit. Just picture it. Shudder.
Moving on.
The Penkkarit included music and teacher impersonations (hilarious) and teacher awards and teacher contests (Top Model, SYTYCD, Don't Forget the Lyrics) and a slide show of the Abis' party pictures. Drunken, trashed out, and drawn on pics included. You know, for the whole school to see. NBD.
After the show in the gym we all went to eat (omfreefoodnom). Then after lunch the Abi's hopped into the backs of 4 or 5 large cargo trucks while the 2nd years taped the banners they'd been working on to the sides. Each Abi had a few bags of candy to be thrown down into the rest of the school's outstretched arms.
Once the banners were secured and everyone was thoroughly frozen (it was around -28c that day) the Abi's parade of trucks drove towards the center. The rest of the school walked in pursuit or waited for the next bus. My friends and I took the next bus. Probably not the best choice either...since it was late and we ended up missing the parade around the city with all the other schools' Abis. Bummer. But whatever, I got a lot of candy anyways :)
Once Thursday's celebrations came to a close I think the Abi's all left for their 24hr booze cruise trip...organized through the school. Nothing out of the ordinary, you know.
Friday was a day for the 2nd years, who are now the schools ...elders. Or Wanhat. The day is somewhat comparable to the American Prom, in the sense that everyone dresses up fancy and goes to a dance. The dance, however: completely different. It's totally traditional. All the 2nd years (myself included) take a gym class throughout the 6 weeks prior to learn 6 traditional dances and a more modern one choreographed by the school (the best one, in my opinion.) So in the morning, we go to our school's gym in our schmancy attire and go through all the dances for the student body and parents. It's cool. Then there's cake and coffee afterwards. Between 1 and 4 everyone goes off on their own, usually out to eat. At 4 everyone meets up at Hipposhalli (this gigantic sports center. it's huge). Everyone, meaning all the dancers from all six or seven schools in JKL. We did a run through of the evening's program (half of the people do three dances, then the other half do the other three, then each school does their own.) before the audience came around 6. The run through went fine, except Petja's and my Tango. Good grief. Luckily it went better during the real thing.
After all the dances were finished and my feet were thoroughly sore for the day I went home, changed and headed right back out for the after parties in the center. Which were fun :)
-----------
There you have it, now. That's how Finland rolls when the Seniors get out of school. Oh, and they get out so early because the next few months are part of their Studying holiday. At the end they have a bunch of huge tests for college and whatnot. So ..that sounds stressful.
-----------
Lately a lot of other stuff has been going on. Namely: auditions. and music. :)
Auditions: I finally finished all 3 of my college Musical Theatre auditions (WOOO! KAJDSHFLKAJHSLDKFJYEA!!). So that's nice.
On Tuesday, the 22nd, I auditioned for 'STAGE.' It's a new tv show coming to Finland. The basic outline of it is 6 schools around Finland have a group of 16 or so kids that perform (in parts?) a musical written by the school. Each week in Helsinki they'd film a part live and then there'd be voting and eventually a Finale and such. Sounded cool, and our school was chosen, and on Tuesday Marco Bjurström, Arja Koriseva, and a film crew came to our school to choose the group of kids to perform. It was a cool experience, though the waiting around was madness since I was nervous. Even though I hadn't heard of Arja and Marco before in my life, I knew they were big names...and that I'd be singing in front of them in a moment.
Eventually my turn came with three other girls, and we headed into the music room to audition. I was first. I went in, stood on my X, acknowledged the camera before me and behind me, gave my music to the accompanist, talked to Marco and Arja, said I was from the States, and then I sang.
and it was awful!!
Ohh gosh I was bad. I got nervous and I never got a full breath to sing with...and then my voice got that shakey nervous vibrato thing for the whole time I sang. Jeez.
After it all I hoped that...you know, perhaps they'd understood that it was just nerves. Aha, doubt that!
Maybe I should have stopped and started over...or mentioned that I was freaking out. Or whatever. But, naw. And it's definitely too late now.
So yea, once everyone had auditioned (the 35 or so from our school) they posted a list of who had made it to the next round to sing 'You're the One That I Want' in Finnish and dance. Was my name on there? No sirree. Was I bummed? Sure, but I'm not like..offended or put down by it. I mean, it would be like freaking awesome to have made it, but I know there are plenty of other singers in our school that trumped my audition. So no big deal. Here's me, brushing it off my shoulder. Besides, it was fun doing the whole camera act thing.
But if they put that audition on TV as one of those embarrassing ones (think American Idol, William Hung) I may have to infinitely facepalm. Or at least until I leave Finland.
In the end I think the right people made it. Though some of those right people do not need much more of an ego boost before it goes to their head.
Also in auditions, (this one has a happier ending) my host sister, Linnea, had one for a popular choir here in JKL, Vox Aurea. It was in the JYU Musica building where I rehearse with the JYU Symphony (more on that later...) so I was to show her where to go. I decided that I'd audition as well, if the director would let me (Linnea's was scheduled and stuff so I had no idea.) We went, she auditioned, made it in (woo!) another kid auditioned, also made it, and then I asked if I could ('sure, why not?), though once I said I was an exchange student the director was like 'oh...well...hmm' since I won't be here long and all (and they begin rehearsing for a show in S. Africa in the fall. uhh. COOL.). Ultimately she was like, heck, we'll see how good you are and maybe you could join us for the time being.
So woo, I auditioned and made it. Heck yea. She put me as second Alto (even though Rita says I'm a Soprano, lol) to help out the section. It's mostly youngsters so they could use a stronger voice down there. So, sweet. I start rehearsal after the ski break.
Wo0t.
---------
JYU Symphony: yea, I started playing there a few weeks ago --> LOVE IT. ahhhhh. We have fun music from movies and such. Like Phantom of the Opera, Pirates, Psycho, Edward Scissorhands!! It's super fun. I love playing with strings. It makes the music so much more legit. Esp. in Psycho.
The horn section is three foreigners strong. We got a German, and Netherland..ian and me. It's fun.
Even though I'm 5-7 playing years behind both of them, I feel like I'm holding my own well enough.
With most of the same musicians I also joined the JYU Wind Ensemble. But I've only had one rehearsal so far and it wasn't quite as enjoyable as the Symphony, but no worries.
I also started playing with the professional school's Conservatory. It's another Wind Ensemble. So that's all very fun. Kudos to Oula for getting me into those ... :)
So life right now is all very musical and relaxed. It's quite nice. It's currently the end of exam week (and did I have any exams? Nope.) which is to be followed by a Ski Holiday; I'm going to a ski resort by the name of Tahko with my host family. Sounds good.
Now, if if would only start to warm up. Frankly, I'm tired of temperatures below -20 or even -10 as well as tights/leggings under jeans.
---------
That's a pretty good update for you all, in my opinion. I may get around to adding some explanatory pics or videos sometime. If I care enough once I remember.
I'm off to either go skiing or watch a movie and plot around until I go see a Finnish production of 'My Fair Lady' tonight (yaay!).
Keep it real, folks. I know I am. :)
This song from that lame commercial on TV gets stuck in my head...from watching a different commercial on TV with a similar sounding tune. I'm pretty sure every time I turn off the TV this song is in my head.
This is less than ideal.
Though the song is quite nice, now that I'm listening to the whole thing for the first time.
----------------
So here's whats going to happen: I'm going to sit here and complete this blog for once. I have started a bunch of drafts but once I leave them and come back, its all old news. Plus I have nothing better to do today until this evening. :)
OK.
My previous entry mentioned the start/preparation for the Finnish Seniors' celebrations. Those were pretty cool. Here's what happens in Finland on the last week of the 4th Jakso (6 week semester).
Monday, not much to the public eye. Just more banners appearing around school. The art class fills up with people making costumes.
Tuesday, the Abi's wore pajamas. The 2nd years were stressing out about the kick out party they organized.
Wednesday, after school - 6pm, our school turned into the Moulin Rouge. Cool, no? This was the GTFO party, Potkiaset, hosted by the 2nd year students. There was music (mostly from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack (with the exception of 'Gay Bar.' lol) and costumes (the sort that would be [dress]code-red back at LNHS. I mean c'mon, it was Moulin Rouge themed. And these people go all out.) and contests (which also would NEVER be tolerated, back home) for the Abi's. Each homeroom had their own contest along the lines of Spinny Bat, a Lap Dance championship, or Guys-do-pushups-on-top-of-a-girl-to-eat-the-banana-in-her-mouth, and a few others. It was all very entertaining. Throughout the whole thing there was a decent amount of clothing loss and PLUS, a pole dancer who came and danced for the school... She had some guts to do that in front of a bunch of teens, but being in Finland...it's different, I suppose. The whole atmosphere was quite admirable in the way that all though there was an incredible amount of indecency (as American high school administrators would say) left and right, the teachers and peers who were watching all understood that 'twas all in good fun. And it was good fun. Well done 2nd years.
Thursday morning the school sat in the gym for the beginning of the Abi's Penkkarit -- their own peace-out party. They were all dressed as various characters. My favorites were the pair of Bananas in Pajamas. Classic. And then Big Bird was great. That guy never ceases to look creepy, especially in the cafeteria, looking for a place to sit. Just picture it. Shudder.
Moving on.
The Penkkarit included music and teacher impersonations (hilarious) and teacher awards and teacher contests (Top Model, SYTYCD, Don't Forget the Lyrics) and a slide show of the Abis' party pictures. Drunken, trashed out, and drawn on pics included. You know, for the whole school to see. NBD.
After the show in the gym we all went to eat (omfreefoodnom). Then after lunch the Abi's hopped into the backs of 4 or 5 large cargo trucks while the 2nd years taped the banners they'd been working on to the sides. Each Abi had a few bags of candy to be thrown down into the rest of the school's outstretched arms.
Once the banners were secured and everyone was thoroughly frozen (it was around -28c that day) the Abi's parade of trucks drove towards the center. The rest of the school walked in pursuit or waited for the next bus. My friends and I took the next bus. Probably not the best choice either...since it was late and we ended up missing the parade around the city with all the other schools' Abis. Bummer. But whatever, I got a lot of candy anyways :)
Once Thursday's celebrations came to a close I think the Abi's all left for their 24hr booze cruise trip...organized through the school. Nothing out of the ordinary, you know.
Friday was a day for the 2nd years, who are now the schools ...elders. Or Wanhat. The day is somewhat comparable to the American Prom, in the sense that everyone dresses up fancy and goes to a dance. The dance, however: completely different. It's totally traditional. All the 2nd years (myself included) take a gym class throughout the 6 weeks prior to learn 6 traditional dances and a more modern one choreographed by the school (the best one, in my opinion.) So in the morning, we go to our school's gym in our schmancy attire and go through all the dances for the student body and parents. It's cool. Then there's cake and coffee afterwards. Between 1 and 4 everyone goes off on their own, usually out to eat. At 4 everyone meets up at Hipposhalli (this gigantic sports center. it's huge). Everyone, meaning all the dancers from all six or seven schools in JKL. We did a run through of the evening's program (half of the people do three dances, then the other half do the other three, then each school does their own.) before the audience came around 6. The run through went fine, except Petja's and my Tango. Good grief. Luckily it went better during the real thing.
After all the dances were finished and my feet were thoroughly sore for the day I went home, changed and headed right back out for the after parties in the center. Which were fun :)
-----------
There you have it, now. That's how Finland rolls when the Seniors get out of school. Oh, and they get out so early because the next few months are part of their Studying holiday. At the end they have a bunch of huge tests for college and whatnot. So ..that sounds stressful.
-----------
Lately a lot of other stuff has been going on. Namely: auditions. and music. :)
Auditions: I finally finished all 3 of my college Musical Theatre auditions (WOOO! KAJDSHFLKAJHSLDKFJYEA!!). So that's nice.
On Tuesday, the 22nd, I auditioned for 'STAGE.' It's a new tv show coming to Finland. The basic outline of it is 6 schools around Finland have a group of 16 or so kids that perform (in parts?) a musical written by the school. Each week in Helsinki they'd film a part live and then there'd be voting and eventually a Finale and such. Sounded cool, and our school was chosen, and on Tuesday Marco Bjurström, Arja Koriseva, and a film crew came to our school to choose the group of kids to perform. It was a cool experience, though the waiting around was madness since I was nervous. Even though I hadn't heard of Arja and Marco before in my life, I knew they were big names...and that I'd be singing in front of them in a moment.
Eventually my turn came with three other girls, and we headed into the music room to audition. I was first. I went in, stood on my X, acknowledged the camera before me and behind me, gave my music to the accompanist, talked to Marco and Arja, said I was from the States, and then I sang.
and it was awful!!
Ohh gosh I was bad. I got nervous and I never got a full breath to sing with...and then my voice got that shakey nervous vibrato thing for the whole time I sang. Jeez.
After it all I hoped that...you know, perhaps they'd understood that it was just nerves. Aha, doubt that!
Maybe I should have stopped and started over...or mentioned that I was freaking out. Or whatever. But, naw. And it's definitely too late now.
So yea, once everyone had auditioned (the 35 or so from our school) they posted a list of who had made it to the next round to sing 'You're the One That I Want' in Finnish and dance. Was my name on there? No sirree. Was I bummed? Sure, but I'm not like..offended or put down by it. I mean, it would be like freaking awesome to have made it, but I know there are plenty of other singers in our school that trumped my audition. So no big deal. Here's me, brushing it off my shoulder. Besides, it was fun doing the whole camera act thing.
But if they put that audition on TV as one of those embarrassing ones (think American Idol, William Hung) I may have to infinitely facepalm. Or at least until I leave Finland.
In the end I think the right people made it. Though some of those right people do not need much more of an ego boost before it goes to their head.
Also in auditions, (this one has a happier ending) my host sister, Linnea, had one for a popular choir here in JKL, Vox Aurea. It was in the JYU Musica building where I rehearse with the JYU Symphony (more on that later...) so I was to show her where to go. I decided that I'd audition as well, if the director would let me (Linnea's was scheduled and stuff so I had no idea.) We went, she auditioned, made it in (woo!) another kid auditioned, also made it, and then I asked if I could ('sure, why not?), though once I said I was an exchange student the director was like 'oh...well...hmm' since I won't be here long and all (and they begin rehearsing for a show in S. Africa in the fall. uhh. COOL.). Ultimately she was like, heck, we'll see how good you are and maybe you could join us for the time being.
So woo, I auditioned and made it. Heck yea. She put me as second Alto (even though Rita says I'm a Soprano, lol) to help out the section. It's mostly youngsters so they could use a stronger voice down there. So, sweet. I start rehearsal after the ski break.
Wo0t.
---------
JYU Symphony: yea, I started playing there a few weeks ago --> LOVE IT. ahhhhh. We have fun music from movies and such. Like Phantom of the Opera, Pirates, Psycho, Edward Scissorhands!! It's super fun. I love playing with strings. It makes the music so much more legit. Esp. in Psycho.
The horn section is three foreigners strong. We got a German, and Netherland..ian and me. It's fun.
Even though I'm 5-7 playing years behind both of them, I feel like I'm holding my own well enough.
With most of the same musicians I also joined the JYU Wind Ensemble. But I've only had one rehearsal so far and it wasn't quite as enjoyable as the Symphony, but no worries.
I also started playing with the professional school's Conservatory. It's another Wind Ensemble. So that's all very fun. Kudos to Oula for getting me into those ... :)
So life right now is all very musical and relaxed. It's quite nice. It's currently the end of exam week (and did I have any exams? Nope.) which is to be followed by a Ski Holiday; I'm going to a ski resort by the name of Tahko with my host family. Sounds good.
Now, if if would only start to warm up. Frankly, I'm tired of temperatures below -20 or even -10 as well as tights/leggings under jeans.
---------
That's a pretty good update for you all, in my opinion. I may get around to adding some explanatory pics or videos sometime. If I care enough once I remember.
I'm off to either go skiing or watch a movie and plot around until I go see a Finnish production of 'My Fair Lady' tonight (yaay!).
Keep it real, folks. I know I am. :)
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Cabin Crew: Ready to take KOFF.
Now, I'm not really going to go take some Koff (Finnish brand of beer). It's just what is written on one of the Abi posters in the art room. I don't really get the whole Abi (Finnish seniors) poster thing. I think they'll parade around town one of these days and throw candy. At least that's the image I've gathered from numerous explanations.
But I digress.
Actually, no I don't. Not really. I didn't really have a topic to start with.
Oh! But heres a topic: Host Families!
Most of the people who read my blog probably started wondering what inspired my last post if they hadn't known beforehand.
Basically my first host family. The last one, I mean, was _______ (I'm going to let you read the last post and fill in your own adjective. That way I'm not personally responsible for hurt feelings and I can make sure you've read my previous.) and it was decided (oh look at that use of passive voice. and totally on purpose. gosh I love nerdy rhetoric.) that I should move out. So I did. Moved into the new family's place on Saturday the 30th. And as soon as I got there I put my bags down, tried on ski pants and boots and we left for Riihivuori for some skiing. Intense. Feels good to ski again. It's weird though, because on family trips I'd started to dislike going...but I think that was just when we went to Killington. The rest of the time skiing was quite fun. It's not something you need to relearn, either, so it's nice to hop back on a pair of ski's and get going.
Otherwise the new family is great. The 5 yr old daughter drew a picture of me and stuck it on the fridge which was just endlessly cute. I still get a kick out of it.
Before moving I was a bit hesitant to give up the amount of freedom I had in the previous family's 'care,' but it all works out since I'm living in the basement. If I want to exclude myself I can do it just fine by going downstairs and chilling in solitude. When that gets old I can pop back upstairs to be social -- something my previous arrangements didn't allow. :) So that's all good.
Being farther from the center is a bit of a pain....but I'll get over it. It's no big deal.
-------
What else is going around, here...
Snow: IT KEEPS COMING! omg. But we have had a few sunny days and they are absolutely gorgeous. On Tuesday it was one of those perfectly sunny and mild days and I didn't have to leave for school till 10:15. In the morning I had the house to myself...and the sun was shining brilliantly onto the piano...so I couldn't do anything but help myself to a quick song before heading out to the busstop. Gotta say: totally worth it. I just need more fun music to play. Ballad Pour Adaline gets old...and the intro to Newborn only goes so far.
Mittens: Everywhere. I don't know if they're lost, seeking refuge, misplaced, or forgotten but they end up being everywhere. At the moment I can see one camping out behind a bank of snow outside. The other day they were part of an impromptu modern art exhibit in the Kiosk. Mittens. Everywhere.
Cravings: Mac'n'Cheese. The warmth of the sun's rays. American ice cream. Brownies. Mom's bread. NOM.
Today: What I thought was an innocent olive in my salad turned out to be a grape. That was a nasty surprise.
Classes: Finally a successful solaragraphic!!
The scanner left some spots and I'd like to give it a blue tint. But that's the Finnish sun at high noon and the absurd amount of snow.
Classes otherwise: Two of my 3 are art and our teacher has been out for 2 weeks...so those are pretty pointless. My third is the Vanhat dance class. Vanhat is comparable to the American Prom except the students take a class to learn traditional dances. Waltz, Tango, Virginia Reel. To name a few. It's great fun :)
College: I'm still pretty deep in the application process due to the audition videos. I'm hoping to send them within the next week. (AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!) ...So that's chill and all.
I also got rejected from a school for the first time. And gosh, what a horrible feeling. I could rant, but I already did so to my journal.
Music: With great change comes great music.
...I guess.
And what is music if not to share?
SO my current playlist consists of:
Ultra Bra - a Finnish band. Fun songs.
Take That - Old School british boyband!! Robbie Williams joined back up with them (YES!)
Pendulum - It's just good. For dancing, silent rebellion, brooding, moshing (haven't personally tried this one yet..)
Enrique Iglesias - I'm going to his concert in April with Erin! yessss
Michael Jackson - I downloaded his Essentials and watched 'This is It.' Oh. Mygod. Why wasn't I as big of a fan before?
Laura Pausini - Yay for being cultured and listening to Spanish music :)
and of course:
Jason Mraz (who's getting MARRIED!) Lea Michele and the Avett Brothers and ... lots of others.
I know how lazy you internet people are, so you're welcome, I included a youtube link to my current favorite song of each artist. :) Now it's just your job to not let my work go to waste :)
Oh, and want a tidbit of INTERESTING added to your day? Watch this and enjoy the feeling of 'woah' from the thoughts you have afterwards.
But I digress.
Actually, no I don't. Not really. I didn't really have a topic to start with.
Oh! But heres a topic: Host Families!
Most of the people who read my blog probably started wondering what inspired my last post if they hadn't known beforehand.
Basically my first host family. The last one, I mean, was _______ (I'm going to let you read the last post and fill in your own adjective. That way I'm not personally responsible for hurt feelings and I can make sure you've read my previous.) and it was decided (oh look at that use of passive voice. and totally on purpose. gosh I love nerdy rhetoric.) that I should move out. So I did. Moved into the new family's place on Saturday the 30th. And as soon as I got there I put my bags down, tried on ski pants and boots and we left for Riihivuori for some skiing. Intense. Feels good to ski again. It's weird though, because on family trips I'd started to dislike going...but I think that was just when we went to Killington. The rest of the time skiing was quite fun. It's not something you need to relearn, either, so it's nice to hop back on a pair of ski's and get going.
Otherwise the new family is great. The 5 yr old daughter drew a picture of me and stuck it on the fridge which was just endlessly cute. I still get a kick out of it.
Before moving I was a bit hesitant to give up the amount of freedom I had in the previous family's 'care,' but it all works out since I'm living in the basement. If I want to exclude myself I can do it just fine by going downstairs and chilling in solitude. When that gets old I can pop back upstairs to be social -- something my previous arrangements didn't allow. :) So that's all good.
Being farther from the center is a bit of a pain....but I'll get over it. It's no big deal.
-------
What else is going around, here...
Snow: IT KEEPS COMING! omg. But we have had a few sunny days and they are absolutely gorgeous. On Tuesday it was one of those perfectly sunny and mild days and I didn't have to leave for school till 10:15. In the morning I had the house to myself...and the sun was shining brilliantly onto the piano...so I couldn't do anything but help myself to a quick song before heading out to the busstop. Gotta say: totally worth it. I just need more fun music to play. Ballad Pour Adaline gets old...and the intro to Newborn only goes so far.
Mittens: Everywhere. I don't know if they're lost, seeking refuge, misplaced, or forgotten but they end up being everywhere. At the moment I can see one camping out behind a bank of snow outside. The other day they were part of an impromptu modern art exhibit in the Kiosk. Mittens. Everywhere.
Cravings: Mac'n'Cheese. The warmth of the sun's rays. American ice cream. Brownies. Mom's bread. NOM.
Today: What I thought was an innocent olive in my salad turned out to be a grape. That was a nasty surprise.
Classes: Finally a successful solaragraphic!!
Classes otherwise: Two of my 3 are art and our teacher has been out for 2 weeks...so those are pretty pointless. My third is the Vanhat dance class. Vanhat is comparable to the American Prom except the students take a class to learn traditional dances. Waltz, Tango, Virginia Reel. To name a few. It's great fun :)
College: I'm still pretty deep in the application process due to the audition videos. I'm hoping to send them within the next week. (AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!) ...So that's chill and all.
I also got rejected from a school for the first time. And gosh, what a horrible feeling. I could rant, but I already did so to my journal.
Music: With great change comes great music.
...I guess.
And what is music if not to share?
SO my current playlist consists of:
Ultra Bra - a Finnish band. Fun songs.
Take That - Old School british boyband!! Robbie Williams joined back up with them (YES!)
Pendulum - It's just good. For dancing, silent rebellion, brooding, moshing (haven't personally tried this one yet..)
Enrique Iglesias - I'm going to his concert in April with Erin! yessss
Michael Jackson - I downloaded his Essentials and watched 'This is It.' Oh. Mygod. Why wasn't I as big of a fan before?
Laura Pausini - Yay for being cultured and listening to Spanish music :)
and of course:
Jason Mraz (who's getting MARRIED!) Lea Michele and the Avett Brothers and ... lots of others.
I know how lazy you internet people are, so you're welcome, I included a youtube link to my current favorite song of each artist. :) Now it's just your job to not let my work go to waste :)
Oh, and want a tidbit of INTERESTING added to your day? Watch this and enjoy the feeling of 'woah' from the thoughts you have afterwards.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Host
I could go on and on and on with a nice rant about certain events of today. But one, my spacebar is annoying me and two, even though this blog is in english, and those who could get offended don't speak it so well...I don't feel like taking my chances. Seems like some people don't like 'me' enough as it is. Cool.
I just want to say a few words to anyone out there that might consider hosting an exchange student.
1. Don't take it lightly.
2.But don't have too high expectations.
3.Have an open mind.
4.Realize that an exchange student's priorities are based around meeting new people and experiencing new things.
5.When an exchange student's schooling is only a channel for integration...realize that grades are probably not going to be a priority. Especially if they don't count, anywhere. And especially if that student has done their time at highschool (and worked hard during that time) and sees this new school as a way to learn in a relaxed environment.
6.If you're going to have a lot of rules lay them down right away, so the student knows whats up. Don't let them piss you off before they even know they've done something wrong by you. ...Yet if you're going to have many rules, maybe you shouldn't host anyone.
This next thing is a big one:
7. If your kids are the same age as the exchange student...make sure they're the type of people that are...befriendable. Or at least conversational.
That's all I'll say on that matter before I unintentionally insult people online. That's just a low blow that I don't want to regret later on.
Oh, and if you already have an exchange student...and there are problems (if you don't like them much or you're concerned for their well being....) then just talk to them about it. It's not the easiest thing in the world, but it'd certainly help clear up any gaps.
My hopes are that this post will save some family and exchange student the trouble of an unfortunate time together.
And on a side note:
Here's a fact that I learned the hard way. Language barriers are intense. I've had my fair share of judgement towards others for thinking they were dim because their English was poor. Truth is...their English may suck, like my Finnish can suck, and maybe they're dim when it comes to language learning... But I never realized how hard it is to express the fact that I am a bright person when my speech holds me back.
Maybe I seem slower because I don't always catch a punchline and I never have anything witty to say and sometimes I have to stop and listen and think before a total translation is made in my mind. If I even complete the translation.
Seeing someone struggle with verbal communication is probably one of the easiest ways to judge their intelligence. Trust me though, it's probably a thousand times more frustrating on that other persons behalf.
I have had times where I'll be talking to someone in Finnish and I can see their expectations (and in some cases, all their respect) slowly fade behind their eyes until they just nod their head at what I say and give up on understanding me. Not much else feels worse than trying and failing to express yourself in what has always been the easiest way.
But really...I'm not dumb. And now I see that those people that I have judged probably aren't either. It's hard to see past language bluffs but it's really something to look past right away.
Bleh. I'm feeling tired...FINALLY. I just hope that my eyes don't spring to life as soon as I hit the sack, as has happened all break. My circadian rhythym is on the fritz which, when mixed with insomnia, gets me to sleep a few hours after I go to bed. It's a real treat.
Hrm, I feel like I left a thought hanging somewhere. Eh, I'll come back to it later I guess.
Ah, no, now I remember.
I just wanted to comment on my lovely habit of switching between 'I' and 'they' throughout all of this passage. I'd fix it if I felt like it made a difference. If I reread this later and realize it's confusing then I'll clear it up. For now, though, grammar nazi's can shove it. I'd like to think I've gotten past a grammatical barrier with my writing. Like...I've graduated from it or something. Plus, it's just a blog. Who cares.
Good night.
I just want to say a few words to anyone out there that might consider hosting an exchange student.
1. Don't take it lightly.
2.But don't have too high expectations.
3.Have an open mind.
4.Realize that an exchange student's priorities are based around meeting new people and experiencing new things.
5.When an exchange student's schooling is only a channel for integration...realize that grades are probably not going to be a priority. Especially if they don't count, anywhere. And especially if that student has done their time at highschool (and worked hard during that time) and sees this new school as a way to learn in a relaxed environment.
6.If you're going to have a lot of rules lay them down right away, so the student knows whats up. Don't let them piss you off before they even know they've done something wrong by you. ...Yet if you're going to have many rules, maybe you shouldn't host anyone.
This next thing is a big one:
7. If your kids are the same age as the exchange student...make sure they're the type of people that are...befriendable. Or at least conversational.
That's all I'll say on that matter before I unintentionally insult people online. That's just a low blow that I don't want to regret later on.
Oh, and if you already have an exchange student...and there are problems (if you don't like them much or you're concerned for their well being....) then just talk to them about it. It's not the easiest thing in the world, but it'd certainly help clear up any gaps.
My hopes are that this post will save some family and exchange student the trouble of an unfortunate time together.
And on a side note:
Here's a fact that I learned the hard way. Language barriers are intense. I've had my fair share of judgement towards others for thinking they were dim because their English was poor. Truth is...their English may suck, like my Finnish can suck, and maybe they're dim when it comes to language learning... But I never realized how hard it is to express the fact that I am a bright person when my speech holds me back.
Maybe I seem slower because I don't always catch a punchline and I never have anything witty to say and sometimes I have to stop and listen and think before a total translation is made in my mind. If I even complete the translation.
Seeing someone struggle with verbal communication is probably one of the easiest ways to judge their intelligence. Trust me though, it's probably a thousand times more frustrating on that other persons behalf.
I have had times where I'll be talking to someone in Finnish and I can see their expectations (and in some cases, all their respect) slowly fade behind their eyes until they just nod their head at what I say and give up on understanding me. Not much else feels worse than trying and failing to express yourself in what has always been the easiest way.
But really...I'm not dumb. And now I see that those people that I have judged probably aren't either. It's hard to see past language bluffs but it's really something to look past right away.
Bleh. I'm feeling tired...FINALLY. I just hope that my eyes don't spring to life as soon as I hit the sack, as has happened all break. My circadian rhythym is on the fritz which, when mixed with insomnia, gets me to sleep a few hours after I go to bed. It's a real treat.
Hrm, I feel like I left a thought hanging somewhere. Eh, I'll come back to it later I guess.
Ah, no, now I remember.
I just wanted to comment on my lovely habit of switching between 'I' and 'they' throughout all of this passage. I'd fix it if I felt like it made a difference. If I reread this later and realize it's confusing then I'll clear it up. For now, though, grammar nazi's can shove it. I'd like to think I've gotten past a grammatical barrier with my writing. Like...I've graduated from it or something. Plus, it's just a blog. Who cares.
Good night.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Pyrstötähti
ö
So yea. My first time singing in front of people :) Can you tell I'm nervous as hell? Well...I was.
I'd also like to apologize to Lotta and Pauliina for my red jacket and how it sort of stole the spotlight. My bad.
This is what I love about being in Finland, in a new school, with a bunch of strangers. I don't think I could've done this back at LNHS. No... It's weird how being in front of strangers or new friends is a lot less stressful than performing for the people you've schooled with for many years. Or maybe it's American highschoolers in general (I feel like they're a lot more critical and judgemental).
I don't have much else to say about this. I might get around to uploading our cover of the Foo Fighters' 'Learn to Fly.' If I ever have the patience to tend to a youtube upload on a slow computer like this one again. We'll see.
Another weird thing: as much as I hate watching myself perform....I can't stop. Bleh. And I'm so critical. (SO CRITICAL) Like there are a million things I would fix about this performance...but I won't point them out because there's a chance you won't even notice them. I'm sort of hoping for that. :)
And to all you non-Finns out there, in case you're totally confused; Muumi is like the shit here. Our band decided to incorporate it into the performance. One kid, Joel, always brought up this video of the Mörkö theme song (Mörkö is a Muumin character :: The video at the beginning is the theme) during practices. It was a good laugh so we stuck with it. Then we decided to include the dinky little tune in the middle of the song (also from Muumin) for the heck of it. And at last we named our band 'Joona ja 7 Pyrstytöhti.' Joona was the pianist and a Pyrstötähti is a meteor thing that pops up in the Muumin cartoons a lot. So there you go, a healthy dose of Finnish culture and some odd things explained.
Hey, it was either Muumin-themed or Gay Bar-themed. And unless you want to be caught chanting 'I wanna take you to a gay bar' at random times of day (guilty 0.o) ...then be thankful we stuck with Muumin.
_______________________________________________________
In other news: Christmas. Or rather, Christmas Eve. Or no, Christmas on Christmas Eve.
That's more like it.
The Finnish tradition of Christmas is sort of off for me. Here's some differences:
-The tree is set up and decorated Xmas eve morning. Early.
-The kids dress up as elves. Yes, I gave in to wearing a red elf hat.
-We went to a church service (I guess that's normal around the world...but not really for me...hah)
-The pianist was bad
-We ate rice porridge for dinner
-Then sang Carols (...meh, the Finnish ones.) while waiting for Santa to show up.
-Santa was a woman (I don't think this is traditional...but whatever.)
-ALL the presents are 'from Santa' which is just odd. But a nice cloak of anonymity is thrown over crappy gifts.
(Too bad I left all my gifts at the apartment...now they're all going to know what was from me. When they get them. Eventually. Dangit.)
-Everyone opens their own gifts at the same time
-...neatly
-Then, once everyone has finished they present what they've gotten.
-Then it's pretty much bed time. Though some of us did play one of the new games - Ubongo.
-Christmas morning I slept in till midday.
-Had a lunch of leftovers...
-Then got on Fb :)
So yes. It's quite different. As in, today doesn't feel like the 25th. At all. Like Oula said, it might as well be the 26th. True that.
So yea. My first time singing in front of people :) Can you tell I'm nervous as hell? Well...I was.
I'd also like to apologize to Lotta and Pauliina for my red jacket and how it sort of stole the spotlight. My bad.
This is what I love about being in Finland, in a new school, with a bunch of strangers. I don't think I could've done this back at LNHS. No... It's weird how being in front of strangers or new friends is a lot less stressful than performing for the people you've schooled with for many years. Or maybe it's American highschoolers in general (I feel like they're a lot more critical and judgemental).
I don't have much else to say about this. I might get around to uploading our cover of the Foo Fighters' 'Learn to Fly.' If I ever have the patience to tend to a youtube upload on a slow computer like this one again. We'll see.
Another weird thing: as much as I hate watching myself perform....I can't stop. Bleh. And I'm so critical. (SO CRITICAL) Like there are a million things I would fix about this performance...but I won't point them out because there's a chance you won't even notice them. I'm sort of hoping for that. :)
And to all you non-Finns out there, in case you're totally confused; Muumi is like the shit here. Our band decided to incorporate it into the performance. One kid, Joel, always brought up this video of the Mörkö theme song (Mörkö is a Muumin character :: The video at the beginning is the theme) during practices. It was a good laugh so we stuck with it. Then we decided to include the dinky little tune in the middle of the song (also from Muumin) for the heck of it. And at last we named our band 'Joona ja 7 Pyrstytöhti.' Joona was the pianist and a Pyrstötähti is a meteor thing that pops up in the Muumin cartoons a lot. So there you go, a healthy dose of Finnish culture and some odd things explained.
Hey, it was either Muumin-themed or Gay Bar-themed. And unless you want to be caught chanting 'I wanna take you to a gay bar' at random times of day (guilty 0.o) ...then be thankful we stuck with Muumin.
_______________________________________________________
In other news: Christmas. Or rather, Christmas Eve. Or no, Christmas on Christmas Eve.
That's more like it.
The Finnish tradition of Christmas is sort of off for me. Here's some differences:
-The tree is set up and decorated Xmas eve morning. Early.
-The kids dress up as elves. Yes, I gave in to wearing a red elf hat.
-We went to a church service (I guess that's normal around the world...but not really for me...hah)
-The pianist was bad
-We ate rice porridge for dinner
-Then sang Carols (...meh, the Finnish ones.) while waiting for Santa to show up.
-Santa was a woman (I don't think this is traditional...but whatever.)
-ALL the presents are 'from Santa' which is just odd. But a nice cloak of anonymity is thrown over crappy gifts.
(Too bad I left all my gifts at the apartment...now they're all going to know what was from me. When they get them. Eventually. Dangit.)
-Everyone opens their own gifts at the same time
-...neatly
-Then, once everyone has finished they present what they've gotten.
-Then it's pretty much bed time. Though some of us did play one of the new games - Ubongo.
-Christmas morning I slept in till midday.
-Had a lunch of leftovers...
-Then got on Fb :)
So yes. It's quite different. As in, today doesn't feel like the 25th. At all. Like Oula said, it might as well be the 26th. True that.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Well, fuuuuuuuuuuuuuccccccccck...
Ok. Why the hell can't college applications be a little more unified and organized? Having 5 or 6 different applications, at different websites, with different due dates, and with different requirements is bound to screw someone over at some point.
So, cool. I guess I'm not even applying for Hunter college's honors program (even when I'm positive I'd get in) because first, I confused it with Emerson's honors program with the requirements; I thought I didn't have the materials for the application, so I applied to the normal. Then once I noticed the stupid mistake I fired emails at Hunter to fix it. I fixed it, and I was to just fill out the honors app and waive the fee and it was going to be so easy. Then I got the date mixed with that of a different due date. So cool. I missed that opportunity.
fuck.
this is just a cherry on top of a bunch of other stuff.
on the bright side...I dont have to write an essay today...
and its sunny out. maybe I'll go take some pictures.
rahh. i haven't gotten enough sleep this weekend. its making me angsty.
So, cool. I guess I'm not even applying for Hunter college's honors program (even when I'm positive I'd get in) because first, I confused it with Emerson's honors program with the requirements; I thought I didn't have the materials for the application, so I applied to the normal. Then once I noticed the stupid mistake I fired emails at Hunter to fix it. I fixed it, and I was to just fill out the honors app and waive the fee and it was going to be so easy. Then I got the date mixed with that of a different due date. So cool. I missed that opportunity.
fuck.
this is just a cherry on top of a bunch of other stuff.
on the bright side...I dont have to write an essay today...
and its sunny out. maybe I'll go take some pictures.
rahh. i haven't gotten enough sleep this weekend. its making me angsty.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Shelby and Eden
Since you've been underestimating the love that I have for you, you leave me no choice but to express it in a way you've never seen before.
Oh crap, here comes a rap.
and look at that timing, i'm already rhyming.
yo.
yo.
yo.
here goes:
you say that i dont love you
but girls, you know that that ain't true
why else would i be skippin' school
to tell you that you'd better cool
it down, to a lower level:
think second grade, with ms. plevel.
this problem's just too escalated
i hope its just exaggerated
lets just say this love of mine
has only strengthened over time
now its raging at full throttle
-cooler than the moose-stag thing i found this morning on my shampoo bottle......
so yeah, don't feel all second place
stop thinking that it's like some race
its just, i love you, like hell i do
didnt think i'd need to show it to you
everytime i tell someone else that my heart is true.
now, where else can i go with this?
how do i take back my fist,
from your face
i feel a disgrace
never thought the love i gave
would turn to regret
i could keep till the grave
so just sit back and hear me out,
all this craps not what we're about
we're better than that
we can call each other fat
and not get hurt,
but the minute i tell another
that i love her,
ya'll be all a fluster
so chill, bub,
and cherish the love
that we have, unspoken
because its the kind
that won't be broken
so can you please forgive me now?
since my rhymes are sort of running out.
thats the best i got for now. but shit, guys, you KNOW i love you! do i really need to worry about your feelings getting hurt if i tell megan that i love her on her facebook wall and not you guys? i just didnt think you were so insecure about it all. so, dont be insecure girl. you work this lovin. own that bfflness.
gahh. i feel like crapola. i shouldn't. you shouldn't either. this is me slapping you on the hand saying 'don't freaking doubt me, betch!' and then hugging you because i love you. and i miss you. SHOULD GO WITHOUT SAYING!
but....to add some back burn, i don't see you two posting gushy love letters on my wall either. yet i don't feel left out or upset by it because i have a little faith in ya'll. k?
so, are we cool now? no more of this 'potential fight' business? (don't freak me out like that again, eden.)
and i'll say it again, even though you should have gotten the hint by now.
I.Love.You.Both.Equally.Just.As.Much.As.I.Love.Megan.And.Just.As.Much.As.I.May.Love.Other.Things.Like.GSW.Or.Finland.Or.Something...
Oh crap, here comes a rap.
and look at that timing, i'm already rhyming.
yo.
yo.
yo.
here goes:
you say that i dont love you
but girls, you know that that ain't true
why else would i be skippin' school
to tell you that you'd better cool
it down, to a lower level:
think second grade, with ms. plevel.
this problem's just too escalated
i hope its just exaggerated
lets just say this love of mine
has only strengthened over time
now its raging at full throttle
-cooler than the moose-stag thing i found this morning on my shampoo bottle......
so yeah, don't feel all second place
stop thinking that it's like some race
its just, i love you, like hell i do
didnt think i'd need to show it to you
everytime i tell someone else that my heart is true.
now, where else can i go with this?
how do i take back my fist,
from your face
i feel a disgrace
never thought the love i gave
would turn to regret
i could keep till the grave
so just sit back and hear me out,
all this craps not what we're about
we're better than that
we can call each other fat
and not get hurt,
but the minute i tell another
that i love her,
ya'll be all a fluster
so chill, bub,
and cherish the love
that we have, unspoken
because its the kind
that won't be broken
so can you please forgive me now?
since my rhymes are sort of running out.
thats the best i got for now. but shit, guys, you KNOW i love you! do i really need to worry about your feelings getting hurt if i tell megan that i love her on her facebook wall and not you guys? i just didnt think you were so insecure about it all. so, dont be insecure girl. you work this lovin. own that bfflness.
gahh. i feel like crapola. i shouldn't. you shouldn't either. this is me slapping you on the hand saying 'don't freaking doubt me, betch!' and then hugging you because i love you. and i miss you. SHOULD GO WITHOUT SAYING!
but....to add some back burn, i don't see you two posting gushy love letters on my wall either. yet i don't feel left out or upset by it because i have a little faith in ya'll. k?
so, are we cool now? no more of this 'potential fight' business? (don't freak me out like that again, eden.)
and i'll say it again, even though you should have gotten the hint by now.
I.Love.You.Both.Equally.Just.As.Much.As.I.Love.Megan.And.Just.As.Much.As.I.May.Love.Other.Things.Like.GSW.Or.Finland.Or.Something...
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Falling in Love: Continued
So, we begin at the Stammtisch.
Erin, Charlotte and I were early, but no big deal. We took silly pictures (that looked very odd if you zoomed in) and joked around. Typical.
We watched people arrive from Roninmäki and the other Kortepohja buildings; once there were enough people we got up from the couches and joined in.
The theme for the night was 'Tag-Me' which meant to wear white and bring a marker so people could sign your shirt. Erin had a flag to sign, but none of us bothered with shirts since we weren't university kids and didn't know more than the names of most people.
As the night wore on I danced with everyone, talked, met some more people, tasted Filip's homemade wine-- all that good stuff.
At one point we second place winners got our prizes: an entrance and free drink ticket for Bra (which Charlotte was definitely excited about) and the belly button t-shirt (which I was definitely excited about.) We decided to let people sign those shirts. Why not? Though, by the end of the night, I would've liked more signatures.. I missed a few people.. but whatever. I still like Remi's 'French kiss?' (since he's french, and all) and Bruno's inappropriately placed 'Brazil Loves You' (since he's brazillian and all) and the other statements in foreign languages and broken english. I've yet to figure out who wrote 'ZUM!' I'm guessing one of the Belgians. After all: they would.
I kept on dancing and...well...enjoyed being single :) for which Charlotte and Erin owe me Ben and Jerry's ice cream. (We have a game.)
Too bad the stupid (but really, not stupid) thing had to end at 3. They turned off our music even earlier. This was the good part though. Without the actual 'Barbara Streisand' coming through the speakers everyone in the place sang it themselves. Along with a bunch of other songs like a rendition of that 'Hey, hey baby, (ooh, huh!) I want to kno-o-ow...' song that went more like 'Hey, hey, baby (ooh, huh!) Jyväskylä-ä-ä, will you be my school? (or maybe it said home...it was hard to tell). Whatever.
During the whole thing I was totally totally reminded of that end-of-governor's-school-oh-my-god-don't-make-me-leave-these-people-ever feeling. (You see, most of the JYU exchange students are leaving sometime this month. Sucks.) With everyone singing loudly together and a lot of other people taking pictures/filming it made me think of the mid night breakfast when we all got up on the tables and sang 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight.' Once everyone is home, they'll watch the videos and most will cry. I know the feeling. I felt so connected with everyone there in those moments. That was the best part. Sheesh...I'm not even leaving and I wasn't even with them through everything and I almost cried just because I know how they feel.
But thank god no one's leaving like, tomorrow. There's still one or two full weeks. I've already been invited to 2-3 more parties...and I'm sure that won't be all.
Everyone took their own sweet time leaving the place; the word of after parties still needed to be spread. I was almost dragged to the party in Roninmäki by Bruno, but it was too far away to go there and walk back at such wee hours. I opted to go to the Kortepohja after party. The one that was very last minute, and no one excatly knew where it would be. As a group, we headed towards the M building and went from floor 5 to 4 to 1 to 9 and back to 4 before finding a suitable room. I forget who's room it was, but we went in and sleepishly chilled. There were some tunes on and some drinks were passed around. I was Maarten's (Belgium) footrest and I used him as a pillow in addition to the one someone threw to me. It wasn't too cozy.. but if it had been any more comfortable I probably would've fallen asleep.
Eventually Maarten and Benny decided to retire to their dorms. Charlotte had to get our 4th player's shirt from their place, so we left too. At their dorm, we found out we'd missed the shirtless/pasta after party next door. Haha. NBD.
We three girls left and headed our separate ways.
That's basically the end of the night. I went home, slept, slept in, missed my 8 am class (sucks, since it was Music, where I get to sing), and made it through the school day with only falling asleep once. In PE. (We were doing a relaxation process-thing.)
And now I'm in Uurainen. I went ice skating on a pond with my host sisters this morning. I was on figure skates this time, which are unbelievably different than hockey skates. But I got the hang of it after a bit. And I didn't fall and kill my wrist this time :) Probably because nobody tried to trip me (*cough*TaylorSchwab*cough*).
The snowflakes here are incredibly perfect. Like forreal. I'll have to get a picture of them at some point.
I also went to some Christmassy eat-rice-porridge-in-a-hut thing. Even though I was right by a large fire, I was freezing. But now it's sauna time which is exactly what I want to do right now. So that's all for you guys. More later.
Erin, Charlotte and I were early, but no big deal. We took silly pictures (that looked very odd if you zoomed in) and joked around. Typical.
We watched people arrive from Roninmäki and the other Kortepohja buildings; once there were enough people we got up from the couches and joined in.
The theme for the night was 'Tag-Me' which meant to wear white and bring a marker so people could sign your shirt. Erin had a flag to sign, but none of us bothered with shirts since we weren't university kids and didn't know more than the names of most people.
As the night wore on I danced with everyone, talked, met some more people, tasted Filip's homemade wine-- all that good stuff.
At one point we second place winners got our prizes: an entrance and free drink ticket for Bra (which Charlotte was definitely excited about) and the belly button t-shirt (which I was definitely excited about.) We decided to let people sign those shirts. Why not? Though, by the end of the night, I would've liked more signatures.. I missed a few people.. but whatever. I still like Remi's 'French kiss?' (since he's french, and all) and Bruno's inappropriately placed 'Brazil Loves You' (since he's brazillian and all) and the other statements in foreign languages and broken english. I've yet to figure out who wrote 'ZUM!' I'm guessing one of the Belgians. After all: they would.
I kept on dancing and...well...enjoyed being single :) for which Charlotte and Erin owe me Ben and Jerry's ice cream. (We have a game.)
Too bad the stupid (but really, not stupid) thing had to end at 3. They turned off our music even earlier. This was the good part though. Without the actual 'Barbara Streisand' coming through the speakers everyone in the place sang it themselves. Along with a bunch of other songs like a rendition of that 'Hey, hey baby, (ooh, huh!) I want to kno-o-ow...' song that went more like 'Hey, hey, baby (ooh, huh!) Jyväskylä-ä-ä, will you be my school? (or maybe it said home...it was hard to tell). Whatever.
During the whole thing I was totally totally reminded of that end-of-governor's-school-oh-my-god-don't-make-me-leave-these-people-ever feeling. (You see, most of the JYU exchange students are leaving sometime this month. Sucks.) With everyone singing loudly together and a lot of other people taking pictures/filming it made me think of the mid night breakfast when we all got up on the tables and sang 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight.' Once everyone is home, they'll watch the videos and most will cry. I know the feeling. I felt so connected with everyone there in those moments. That was the best part. Sheesh...I'm not even leaving and I wasn't even with them through everything and I almost cried just because I know how they feel.
But thank god no one's leaving like, tomorrow. There's still one or two full weeks. I've already been invited to 2-3 more parties...and I'm sure that won't be all.
Everyone took their own sweet time leaving the place; the word of after parties still needed to be spread. I was almost dragged to the party in Roninmäki by Bruno, but it was too far away to go there and walk back at such wee hours. I opted to go to the Kortepohja after party. The one that was very last minute, and no one excatly knew where it would be. As a group, we headed towards the M building and went from floor 5 to 4 to 1 to 9 and back to 4 before finding a suitable room. I forget who's room it was, but we went in and sleepishly chilled. There were some tunes on and some drinks were passed around. I was Maarten's (Belgium) footrest and I used him as a pillow in addition to the one someone threw to me. It wasn't too cozy.. but if it had been any more comfortable I probably would've fallen asleep.
Eventually Maarten and Benny decided to retire to their dorms. Charlotte had to get our 4th player's shirt from their place, so we left too. At their dorm, we found out we'd missed the shirtless/pasta after party next door. Haha. NBD.
We three girls left and headed our separate ways.
That's basically the end of the night. I went home, slept, slept in, missed my 8 am class (sucks, since it was Music, where I get to sing), and made it through the school day with only falling asleep once. In PE. (We were doing a relaxation process-thing.)
And now I'm in Uurainen. I went ice skating on a pond with my host sisters this morning. I was on figure skates this time, which are unbelievably different than hockey skates. But I got the hang of it after a bit. And I didn't fall and kill my wrist this time :) Probably because nobody tried to trip me (*cough*TaylorSchwab*cough*).
The snowflakes here are incredibly perfect. Like forreal. I'll have to get a picture of them at some point.
I also went to some Christmassy eat-rice-porridge-in-a-hut thing. Even though I was right by a large fire, I was freezing. But now it's sauna time which is exactly what I want to do right now. So that's all for you guys. More later.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Last Night...I Fell in Love
With Jyväskylä. And I'm guessing this is that 'you just know' feeling you'd get if you'd fallen for a person. Like, ever since I first came to Jyväskylä, many many years ago, I've loved it. But last night I fell IN love with it. You know?
Yesterday was a good day in general.
I skipped school to go to a Floorball (Sähly) tournament that the sports major exchange students had put together as a final project. My team was very last minute and thrown together: it was Me, Erin (from Canada), and Charlotte (from Belgium) as the base, then Charlotte asked a guy from school to join our team when she saw he was sporting Exel Floorball shorts in gym class. I'm pretty sure his name was Marcus. Or probably Markus. But thank goodness he joined our team, team IDK. With his help we tied, won, then lost, then won again and made it to the finals! Surprise!
While waiting around for the final game we just sat around and people watched and mingled and judged. There were a few other constests between games, like fastest shot and get it past the legit goalie. One of Marcus' friends performed incredible stick skills for a bit. It was craziness. Cool craziness.
I liked one team's T-Shirts that said 'Show me your belly button' on the front, then 'and I'll show you around Jyväskylä, the belly button of Finland' with a picture of Finland. I asked Steve if I could get one anywhere and he said he the winners will get some for free. So, woohoo, now we had to win against the Dream Team (a team of actual Finnish floorball players; the only team we lost against...).
Finally the final game rolled around and all the other exchange students were chanting 'Let's go, I don't know!' and doing the wave and it was all very exciting and fun, even if we basically had no chance of winning. The game started with a very quick goal from the other team, and then one from our own, by Marcus. We stayed with the other team for one or two goals until they pulled away. I think the final score was some 7-4 or something. We did lose. No charming victory story here. Bummer.
But even though we lost, second place was not so shabby.
After the tournament ended, Erin, Charlotte and I walked to the center and lazed in Coffee House for a while. Chiara (from Italy) was there and sat with us.
I like Coffee House. It's noThree Goats, but it's cozy and warm and they have delicious croissants.
It was 4:50 ish when we peaced out and headed for our busses. It was dark too. (The whole really early sunset really throws me off. I never have any clue what time of day it is. It's uncomfortable sometimes.)
Back at the apartment I just sat around, per usual, and ate/facebooked. I watched the latest Glee episode (it was ok. Not the best. But Glee's 'not the best' is still highly enjoyable.) and Friends. Showered, Ate, Facebooked, ate all my StudiaMessu candy, et cetera until 10 ish. That was when I headed out to Rentukka (the same place mom said she went to when she was at JYU?) for the Stammtisch/Awards ceremony.
--ok, I'll add the rest of the night later. Imma go eat the AWESOME free school lunch now. K cool.--
oh, and it's snowing. woo.
Yesterday was a good day in general.
I skipped school to go to a Floorball (Sähly) tournament that the sports major exchange students had put together as a final project. My team was very last minute and thrown together: it was Me, Erin (from Canada), and Charlotte (from Belgium) as the base, then Charlotte asked a guy from school to join our team when she saw he was sporting Exel Floorball shorts in gym class. I'm pretty sure his name was Marcus. Or probably Markus. But thank goodness he joined our team, team IDK. With his help we tied, won, then lost, then won again and made it to the finals! Surprise!
While waiting around for the final game we just sat around and people watched and mingled and judged. There were a few other constests between games, like fastest shot and get it past the legit goalie. One of Marcus' friends performed incredible stick skills for a bit. It was craziness. Cool craziness.
I liked one team's T-Shirts that said 'Show me your belly button' on the front, then 'and I'll show you around Jyväskylä, the belly button of Finland' with a picture of Finland. I asked Steve if I could get one anywhere and he said he the winners will get some for free. So, woohoo, now we had to win against the Dream Team (a team of actual Finnish floorball players; the only team we lost against...).
Finally the final game rolled around and all the other exchange students were chanting 'Let's go, I don't know!' and doing the wave and it was all very exciting and fun, even if we basically had no chance of winning. The game started with a very quick goal from the other team, and then one from our own, by Marcus. We stayed with the other team for one or two goals until they pulled away. I think the final score was some 7-4 or something. We did lose. No charming victory story here. Bummer.
But even though we lost, second place was not so shabby.
After the tournament ended, Erin, Charlotte and I walked to the center and lazed in Coffee House for a while. Chiara (from Italy) was there and sat with us.
I like Coffee House. It's noThree Goats, but it's cozy and warm and they have delicious croissants.
It was 4:50 ish when we peaced out and headed for our busses. It was dark too. (The whole really early sunset really throws me off. I never have any clue what time of day it is. It's uncomfortable sometimes.)
Back at the apartment I just sat around, per usual, and ate/facebooked. I watched the latest Glee episode (it was ok. Not the best. But Glee's 'not the best' is still highly enjoyable.) and Friends. Showered, Ate, Facebooked, ate all my StudiaMessu candy, et cetera until 10 ish. That was when I headed out to Rentukka (the same place mom said she went to when she was at JYU?) for the Stammtisch/Awards ceremony.
--ok, I'll add the rest of the night later. Imma go eat the AWESOME free school lunch now. K cool.--
oh, and it's snowing. woo.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Poetry
Today we focused on poems. I wrote a Haiku in response to another poem. It went like this:
'Yes, but do they have
the right to recieve any
approval from me?'
The poem I responded to was in Finnish, so I won't post it, but basically it was a list of what people have the right to do.
Now we're supposed to do some sort of Google search poem. Sounds cool and all except I didn't really get the instructions. Go figs. But at one point the teacher said something about 'what is poetry?' which was sort of more exciting to think about.
SO...what is poetry? To me, bad poetry is a cop out. Something I used in creative writing last year when I just didn't feel like trying. And as a second semester high school senior with creative writing as first period...that happened a lot. oops. (Yet, somehow I scored the best writer of the semester award? Well...I didn't have a stiff competition.)
Good poetry, however, is a nice way of writing thoughts in their concrete form, which, on paper is somewhat abstract. I like how poetic thoughts can rise above grammar restrictions and structure and do their own thing, freely. I like how a lot of poetry is just pointless jibber jabber if I can't personally connect with it, but when the poet's thoughts match my own, the deeper meaning extends past any piece of prose.
And now I have 'Haiku' by Tally Hall stuck in my head.
'Lah dah dee diddum
Lah dah dee doom doo ditto
Dum doo lah dee doh'
'Yes, but do they have
the right to recieve any
approval from me?'
The poem I responded to was in Finnish, so I won't post it, but basically it was a list of what people have the right to do.
Now we're supposed to do some sort of Google search poem. Sounds cool and all except I didn't really get the instructions. Go figs. But at one point the teacher said something about 'what is poetry?' which was sort of more exciting to think about.
SO...what is poetry? To me, bad poetry is a cop out. Something I used in creative writing last year when I just didn't feel like trying. And as a second semester high school senior with creative writing as first period...that happened a lot. oops. (Yet, somehow I scored the best writer of the semester award? Well...I didn't have a stiff competition.)
Good poetry, however, is a nice way of writing thoughts in their concrete form, which, on paper is somewhat abstract. I like how poetic thoughts can rise above grammar restrictions and structure and do their own thing, freely. I like how a lot of poetry is just pointless jibber jabber if I can't personally connect with it, but when the poet's thoughts match my own, the deeper meaning extends past any piece of prose.
And now I have 'Haiku' by Tally Hall stuck in my head.
'Lah dah dee diddum
Lah dah dee doom doo ditto
Dum doo lah dee doh'
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Parched
I can't think of anything to write about. We were even given a prompt...but nothing was coming to me. All I can think about is the fact that by the end of today I will have recorded THE audition of my life. Craziness. And my throat is drying out more and more by the minute. Oh joy.
I think it's the cold air here (mixed with waay more singing than I'm used to) and a sudden bought of insomnia that has chronically stripped my throat of any moisture. It's not such a nice feeling...but it has gotten me into the habit of drinking more water than usual, which is something I've always meant to start doing.
I'm nervous about this audition... and sort of thanking whoever's out there that I am doing it via video. Even though it's still scary as hell, I couldn't imagine what a wreck I'd be if I had to do all that I've been preparing in front of someone with only one shot. In all fairness, I think it suits me to do this through a video. The colleges say its a drawback that'll hurt my chances, but in my case I think its actually helping.
I don't know if it's the high I've been riding on while I've been here, or if it's from progress and a gain in confidence, but part of me believes I can really do this. That I'm not just kidding myself with childish dreams anymore. It's gotten so much more serious. Its a bit frightening. But I like it.
Crap. I just coughed. It didn't feel good. It won't feel good when I have to hit higher notes in Mama Who Bore Me reprise in the next hour or so, either. Water and Xylitol gum. That's my temporary remedy for these days. And a mug of hot water and honey in the mornings. All things help, but nothing is lasting. I guess the best medicine would be a vocal rest, but I can't really do that to any effect in the next hour. And afterwards it won't matter much, it'll just be for personal comfort...which is hardly worth the effort of keeping quiet.
ATM: I'm drinking water and listening to http://8tracks.com/leonfrey/the-saddest-music-in-the-world. The music isn't too sad. I guess it could be if I had some more context behind it...and if I was sad. The songs are pretty, though. Except 'Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain' was just annoying. There was a boop noise throughout the song that was just so interruptive and unwelcome.
I haven't been listening to as much classical music these days. Probably because I'm not in band. No, definitely because I'm not in band. But I haven't lost my appreciation for it.
I miss being in band sometimes. 'Hounds of Spring' came on my shuffle yesterday morning. It was actually prefectly in sync with my walk to school, which is enjoyable for any type of music; it adds some variety to my mornings.
It was sunny yesterday, for the first time in much too long, and as I turned the corner, coming out of the shade, 'Hounds of Spring' was right at the peak of a swell in the song. It was all triumphant feeling which went beautifully with the burst of sunlight I walked into. I love when stuff like that happens: oh, the joys of walking with my ipod.
Class is officialy over now. And I'm off to bury myself into extensive self critiquing for the rest of the day while I film material for my audition. Wish me luck!
I think it's the cold air here (mixed with waay more singing than I'm used to) and a sudden bought of insomnia that has chronically stripped my throat of any moisture. It's not such a nice feeling...but it has gotten me into the habit of drinking more water than usual, which is something I've always meant to start doing.
I'm nervous about this audition... and sort of thanking whoever's out there that I am doing it via video. Even though it's still scary as hell, I couldn't imagine what a wreck I'd be if I had to do all that I've been preparing in front of someone with only one shot. In all fairness, I think it suits me to do this through a video. The colleges say its a drawback that'll hurt my chances, but in my case I think its actually helping.
I don't know if it's the high I've been riding on while I've been here, or if it's from progress and a gain in confidence, but part of me believes I can really do this. That I'm not just kidding myself with childish dreams anymore. It's gotten so much more serious. Its a bit frightening. But I like it.
Crap. I just coughed. It didn't feel good. It won't feel good when I have to hit higher notes in Mama Who Bore Me reprise in the next hour or so, either. Water and Xylitol gum. That's my temporary remedy for these days. And a mug of hot water and honey in the mornings. All things help, but nothing is lasting. I guess the best medicine would be a vocal rest, but I can't really do that to any effect in the next hour. And afterwards it won't matter much, it'll just be for personal comfort...which is hardly worth the effort of keeping quiet.
ATM: I'm drinking water and listening to http://8tracks.com/leonfrey/the-saddest-music-in-the-world. The music isn't too sad. I guess it could be if I had some more context behind it...and if I was sad. The songs are pretty, though. Except 'Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain' was just annoying. There was a boop noise throughout the song that was just so interruptive and unwelcome.
I haven't been listening to as much classical music these days. Probably because I'm not in band. No, definitely because I'm not in band. But I haven't lost my appreciation for it.
I miss being in band sometimes. 'Hounds of Spring' came on my shuffle yesterday morning. It was actually prefectly in sync with my walk to school, which is enjoyable for any type of music; it adds some variety to my mornings.
It was sunny yesterday, for the first time in much too long, and as I turned the corner, coming out of the shade, 'Hounds of Spring' was right at the peak of a swell in the song. It was all triumphant feeling which went beautifully with the burst of sunlight I walked into. I love when stuff like that happens: oh, the joys of walking with my ipod.
Class is officialy over now. And I'm off to bury myself into extensive self critiquing for the rest of the day while I film material for my audition. Wish me luck!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Lad&Dad
Here's on from last week. Our prompt was to write about two out of three picture the teacher put up for us to see.
I could recall the days from Lad & Dad weekend with my old boy scout troupe. They sit there on the very edge of my memory. Most of the time I can’t even tell the difference between the genuine memories and memories generated or fortified by pictures. Pictures like my favorite one of my father and me. It was taken on the first day of the camp when we were told to take a picture with our fathers that expressed our relationship for all the other pairs to see.
I was young, only eight, but a spitting image of my father. I had no reason to doubt my mother for this reason. And the picture we took showed this beautifully. Dad and I had the same red sweater on, with a white shirt underneath. We’re sitting back to back in the picture, looking off in different directions. It’s nearly impossible to tell when my sandy curls became his sandy curls; they were the same shade, same texture. Although I’m younger in the photo, and I hadn’t grown into my own body and dad had a thick beard, it’s clear that we have the same jaw line and cheek structure. Our ears even stick out from under our hair in the same spot.
I’ve loved that picture since before it was taken. I knew it was going to be good, in my head, as I sat there leaning against dad to take it. I’ve never tried, but if I posed the same way as my dad, took a picture of it, and photoshopped it into this picture on top of dad, you wouldn’t tell a difference. I’ve grown up to look just like him. My mother hates me for it.
Well, she doesn’t hate me. At least she hasn’t used that exact phrase…but I know it’s hard for her to look at me and not see him. It’s almost as if she’s frightened; she hasn’t looked me directly in the eyes since he’s left us. Perhaps she’s scared I’ll grow up not only to look like him, but to think like him as well.
I guess I’ll never know. My father and I never talked much. There weren’t ever any heart to hearts. Never a birds and bees talk. Never anything man to man. So I never had a much of a chance to really know him. I know him about as well as anyone else does. Anyone could look at this picture of us and know him as well as I do. And I’m his only son. Only child.
He did keep a journal. Avidly. He’d write at least every day if not more. And this journal intrigues me to no end. If I could only get my hands on all the ones he filled up with his deepest thoughts. Maybe then I’d have some clue to who he was. Then I’d know what he thought of me. And mom. And things like that picture. Or his reasons for why he’s gone now.
I could recall the days from Lad & Dad weekend with my old boy scout troupe. They sit there on the very edge of my memory. Most of the time I can’t even tell the difference between the genuine memories and memories generated or fortified by pictures. Pictures like my favorite one of my father and me. It was taken on the first day of the camp when we were told to take a picture with our fathers that expressed our relationship for all the other pairs to see.
I was young, only eight, but a spitting image of my father. I had no reason to doubt my mother for this reason. And the picture we took showed this beautifully. Dad and I had the same red sweater on, with a white shirt underneath. We’re sitting back to back in the picture, looking off in different directions. It’s nearly impossible to tell when my sandy curls became his sandy curls; they were the same shade, same texture. Although I’m younger in the photo, and I hadn’t grown into my own body and dad had a thick beard, it’s clear that we have the same jaw line and cheek structure. Our ears even stick out from under our hair in the same spot.
I’ve loved that picture since before it was taken. I knew it was going to be good, in my head, as I sat there leaning against dad to take it. I’ve never tried, but if I posed the same way as my dad, took a picture of it, and photoshopped it into this picture on top of dad, you wouldn’t tell a difference. I’ve grown up to look just like him. My mother hates me for it.
Well, she doesn’t hate me. At least she hasn’t used that exact phrase…but I know it’s hard for her to look at me and not see him. It’s almost as if she’s frightened; she hasn’t looked me directly in the eyes since he’s left us. Perhaps she’s scared I’ll grow up not only to look like him, but to think like him as well.
I guess I’ll never know. My father and I never talked much. There weren’t ever any heart to hearts. Never a birds and bees talk. Never anything man to man. So I never had a much of a chance to really know him. I know him about as well as anyone else does. Anyone could look at this picture of us and know him as well as I do. And I’m his only son. Only child.
He did keep a journal. Avidly. He’d write at least every day if not more. And this journal intrigues me to no end. If I could only get my hands on all the ones he filled up with his deepest thoughts. Maybe then I’d have some clue to who he was. Then I’d know what he thought of me. And mom. And things like that picture. Or his reasons for why he’s gone now.
To find the journals, though, would be like the most morbid and awful thing to do to someone. The journals are gone. Mom wanted to bury them with him, against my utmost objections, and she got her way.
It’s been about a year and a half since he killed himself and the dreams have calmed. They aren’t harsh images of the time I ran into his room to find mom crying over him. The most recent and memorable one is just me. I’m at the lake from Lad & Dad where our picture was taken. At least I think it’s me. I look just like dad, so it’s sometimes hard to tell. The dream consists of me standing there in the woods looking for something. I haven’t decided if I’m looking for dad, or if he’s looking for me. It’s usually cold and there’s a wind that goes straight through my red sweater.
All I remember upon waking up is that feeling of loss, but now I see that the true feelings of confusion aren’t from what I’ve lost; they come from what I’ve never had.
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I'm sort of iffy on this one. It's so heavy.
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I'm sort of iffy on this one. It's so heavy.
Tehtävä
Oh, well right away here's a creative writing assignment:
· oman huoneesi / koulun huonekalu puhuu omasta elämästään omasta näkökulmastaan minä-muodossa
- mitä minä näkee, kuulee, tuntee, missä mielentilassa...
Loose Translation: Pretend you're the furniture or an item around you. Or something.
Today has been no better than the rest. More people looked my way today than normal...but when they looked they stared right through me. Per usual. I guess I really should be used to it by now but it seems to only get harder to stand as the days go by.
It's winter. I blame the season. I've noticed a trend with the seasons. In the summer people stare at me dreamily or longingly. But they still don't see me. Their eyes just glaze over but point in my general direction. Looking through me, again. Yet, I can almost enjoy it in the summer by pretending it's me they care about; at least I don't get the constant looks of disgust or let-down that I get in the winter.
Today has been no better than the rest. More people looked my way today than normal...but when they looked they stared right through me. Per usual. I guess I really should be used to it by now but it seems to only get harder to stand as the days go by.
It's winter. I blame the season. I've noticed a trend with the seasons. In the summer people stare at me dreamily or longingly. But they still don't see me. Their eyes just glaze over but point in my general direction. Looking through me, again. Yet, I can almost enjoy it in the summer by pretending it's me they care about; at least I don't get the constant looks of disgust or let-down that I get in the winter.
It's also the first day of snow. Last year, this day was the best in my life. A kid was here. One I'd never seen before. He ran right up to me with joy in his eyes and pressed his warm little face right against me. I could feel the moisture in his hands radiating onto me. I was paralyzed with excitement. I couldn't do anything but love the moment, as brief as it was; the small boy's mother came and peeled him away from me. As we parted I could feel the cold rushing through me again as my sorrow diminished his moist handprints.
That was the only memory I have of happiness. Everything else has been fake or pretend. I know the looks I get are never really for me. They pass straight through, as they always will. It's horrible but I know that's who I'll be, forever. I'm just a window, without an inside to matter more than the outside.
-------------
aww, why are all my entries so sad? I swear it's not a reflection of my own feelings...I'm living quite a nice life at the moment. Maybe it's because I have no 'sorrow outlet' or something. Nothing to channel sad feelings through since my life is sort of awesome here. :)
This one I'm not entirely fond of, but whatever.
That was the only memory I have of happiness. Everything else has been fake or pretend. I know the looks I get are never really for me. They pass straight through, as they always will. It's horrible but I know that's who I'll be, forever. I'm just a window, without an inside to matter more than the outside.
-------------
aww, why are all my entries so sad? I swear it's not a reflection of my own feelings...I'm living quite a nice life at the moment. Maybe it's because I have no 'sorrow outlet' or something. Nothing to channel sad feelings through since my life is sort of awesome here. :)
This one I'm not entirely fond of, but whatever.
Song Story
For this next assingment we listened to some music. A kid from the music class across the hall brought over his amp andd guitar and played us a piece. We've been told to interpet the song however we'd like and to write about what the song said.
To my ears this song started off about Leslie, a powerful business woman. She's blond with red lips, typical beauty, but her hair is pulled back a little too tighly. She's wearing a gray skirted suit with pinstripes. The song describes her as she walks down an empty hallway, slowly, with weight in each step that bounces off the walls resounding in that well known high-heeled beat. Leslie has a file in her left hand while her right swings more freely with her powerful gait. The scene is slightly slow-mo and continues until she's reached a door on the right of the hallway and steps in.
The song changes. Someone in the room has a mollifying affect to the song. It's a man, he's sitting on the thrid seat of the far side of the long conference table. The connection and history between him and Leslie is laced together within the file held in Leslie's left hand. The song creates the illusion that no one else is in the room but the two of them, and a hint of another man at the end of the table, the man to recieve the file. Leslie can feel the tension beween herself, the file, and the first man as she walks to the head of the table. She imagines him staring at her, burning holes into her with his hateful glare. She almost feels guilty until she stop, turns around and sees that he is only staring straight ahead at nothing. She doesn't notice his tightened jaw and forced expression of control. Leslie frowns and walks all the way to the other man at the end of the table and hands him the file.
As the file leaves her hands the music changes once again. This time Leslie fades away and so does the man with the file. The song follows the first man, Kurt. The song floats around him for a bit as nothing else real. He hears and hardly acknowledges something the other man's voice says. It's no more than a mumble to him, but he knows the meaning. Kurt slowly stands and leaves the room. As he closes a door behind him, the empty hallway fades into the street as he walks home. It's cold out, but not unbearably so.
The music follows him on his way home. He takes the longest route. The song and his thoughts correlate through feelings of loss to bitter sweet freedom to a tinge of angsty rebellion. Kurt began his walk with a slow, dragging pace, depicted by the song. But by the end he's standing straight and his expression is nearly hollow. There's a small fire in his eyes that causes him to ball up his fists in coat pockets.
Eventually, once Kurt's thoughts and expectations have solidified the song stops following him and watches him walk ahead, turn the corner and dissappear. Without another being in the area the song fades to nothing.
----------
Yea, I can like this one. I wish I could put this song Ville played on here, but I believe it was improvised. Oh well. Think of your own song :)
To my ears this song started off about Leslie, a powerful business woman. She's blond with red lips, typical beauty, but her hair is pulled back a little too tighly. She's wearing a gray skirted suit with pinstripes. The song describes her as she walks down an empty hallway, slowly, with weight in each step that bounces off the walls resounding in that well known high-heeled beat. Leslie has a file in her left hand while her right swings more freely with her powerful gait. The scene is slightly slow-mo and continues until she's reached a door on the right of the hallway and steps in.
The song changes. Someone in the room has a mollifying affect to the song. It's a man, he's sitting on the thrid seat of the far side of the long conference table. The connection and history between him and Leslie is laced together within the file held in Leslie's left hand. The song creates the illusion that no one else is in the room but the two of them, and a hint of another man at the end of the table, the man to recieve the file. Leslie can feel the tension beween herself, the file, and the first man as she walks to the head of the table. She imagines him staring at her, burning holes into her with his hateful glare. She almost feels guilty until she stop, turns around and sees that he is only staring straight ahead at nothing. She doesn't notice his tightened jaw and forced expression of control. Leslie frowns and walks all the way to the other man at the end of the table and hands him the file.
As the file leaves her hands the music changes once again. This time Leslie fades away and so does the man with the file. The song follows the first man, Kurt. The song floats around him for a bit as nothing else real. He hears and hardly acknowledges something the other man's voice says. It's no more than a mumble to him, but he knows the meaning. Kurt slowly stands and leaves the room. As he closes a door behind him, the empty hallway fades into the street as he walks home. It's cold out, but not unbearably so.
The music follows him on his way home. He takes the longest route. The song and his thoughts correlate through feelings of loss to bitter sweet freedom to a tinge of angsty rebellion. Kurt began his walk with a slow, dragging pace, depicted by the song. But by the end he's standing straight and his expression is nearly hollow. There's a small fire in his eyes that causes him to ball up his fists in coat pockets.
Eventually, once Kurt's thoughts and expectations have solidified the song stops following him and watches him walk ahead, turn the corner and dissappear. Without another being in the area the song fades to nothing.
----------
Yea, I can like this one. I wish I could put this song Ville played on here, but I believe it was improvised. Oh well. Think of your own song :)
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Introduction
This is essentially for my Creative Writing class, so if we have an assignment I'll write it here.
I may occasionally post a random thought or something.
Who knows.
I may occasionally post a random thought or something.
Who knows.
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