Porque no supiste entender a mi corazon,
lo que habia en el.
porque no tuviste el valor de ver quien soy
porque no escuchas lo que esta tan cerca de ti,
solo el ruido de afuera, y yo
que estoy a un lado desaparesco de ti.
no voy a llorar y decir
que no merezco esto
porque,
es probable que lo merezco,
pero no lo quiero,
por eso
me voy,
que lastima pero adios,
me despido de ti...
Me Voy, Julieta Venegas
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
May 10, 2010
May 09, 2010
Proof that you're alive
"After you're dead and buried and floating around whatever place we go to, what's going to be your best memory of earth? What one moment for you defines what it's like to be alive on this planet. What's your takeaway? Fake yuppie experiences that you had to spend money on, like white water rafting or elephant rides in Thailand don't count. I want to hear some small moment from your life that proves you're really alive."
— Douglas Coupland (Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture)
— Douglas Coupland (Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture)
May 04, 2010
Eyjafjallajökull and Clapping X(
Two things that bother me:
1.) People freaking out about the name of the volcano in Iceland.
It's Eyjafjallajökull, people. It is a foreign language, and I suppose all the j's and the ö make it look exotic if you're not used to that sort of thing. And yes, it's long, because it's a compound word and an extremely simple one at that. Lots of languages put words together and a long word comes out which looks scary if you don't know the smaller words inside.
The 'freaking out' thing I'm referring too are all the masses of unoriginal people saying, "Haha, looks like a cat walked on the keyboard". That's the sort of thing I expect from a few mindless twitter users, but I've even seen it on semi-legit blogs and even a few news stories. Unacceptable. Yes, it looks like random letters to you. Does Popocatépetl look any better? What about Puxsutawny? How do you think a name like Knightsbridge would look to someone with no knowledge of English phonetics? Think about it.
In this case, Eyja - Island, Fjalla - Mountain, Jökull - Glacier. Island-Mountain-Glacier, see? And if you go for some somewhat obscure cognates, it becomes even less foreign. Eyja - Eyot (another word for Island), Fjalla - Fell (Mountain), Jökull - Icle (like Icicle). So, Eyjafjallajökull could be translated as Eyotfellicle. :)
If you want to say, "Ah, what's it called, I can't spell/say the name..." okay. I understand. It's a long word and it's a foreign one. But then, just call it "that volcano in Iceland" or whatever. Just don't pretend that it's a joke, or illegitimate, just because it happens not to be the same nomenclature you're used to.
2.) People clapping after they give an order.
I can understand clapping first, to get people's attentions or whatever. But maybe my ears are just tender, because I don't find it very pleasant, and so when people clap /after/ they say whatever they need to say, it just annoys/angers me.
I mean, why? It must either be because they can, to show that they can make annoying/loud noises if they want to because they are in control... or else because they somehow like the feeling that they have some power that allows them to affect change merely by clapping their hands.
"Stay on topic, guys!" *clap* - People are quiet for a second, then go back on topic. Magic! Except they probably would have if you omitted the clap, too, and now you've gone and hurt the ears of innocent bystanders.
1.) People freaking out about the name of the volcano in Iceland.
It's Eyjafjallajökull, people. It is a foreign language, and I suppose all the j's and the ö make it look exotic if you're not used to that sort of thing. And yes, it's long, because it's a compound word and an extremely simple one at that. Lots of languages put words together and a long word comes out which looks scary if you don't know the smaller words inside.
The 'freaking out' thing I'm referring too are all the masses of unoriginal people saying, "Haha, looks like a cat walked on the keyboard". That's the sort of thing I expect from a few mindless twitter users, but I've even seen it on semi-legit blogs and even a few news stories. Unacceptable. Yes, it looks like random letters to you. Does Popocatépetl look any better? What about Puxsutawny? How do you think a name like Knightsbridge would look to someone with no knowledge of English phonetics? Think about it.
In this case, Eyja - Island, Fjalla - Mountain, Jökull - Glacier. Island-Mountain-Glacier, see? And if you go for some somewhat obscure cognates, it becomes even less foreign. Eyja - Eyot (another word for Island), Fjalla - Fell (Mountain), Jökull - Icle (like Icicle). So, Eyjafjallajökull could be translated as Eyotfellicle. :)
If you want to say, "Ah, what's it called, I can't spell/say the name..." okay. I understand. It's a long word and it's a foreign one. But then, just call it "that volcano in Iceland" or whatever. Just don't pretend that it's a joke, or illegitimate, just because it happens not to be the same nomenclature you're used to.
2.) People clapping after they give an order.
I can understand clapping first, to get people's attentions or whatever. But maybe my ears are just tender, because I don't find it very pleasant, and so when people clap /after/ they say whatever they need to say, it just annoys/angers me.
I mean, why? It must either be because they can, to show that they can make annoying/loud noises if they want to because they are in control... or else because they somehow like the feeling that they have some power that allows them to affect change merely by clapping their hands.
"Stay on topic, guys!" *clap* - People are quiet for a second, then go back on topic. Magic! Except they probably would have if you omitted the clap, too, and now you've gone and hurt the ears of innocent bystanders.
April 26, 2010
The Photo
It's been almost exactly 8 years since I came across this photograph in a National Geographic magazine. Today, Stumble took me to the photographers portfolio at http://www.art-dept.com/artists/mccurry/portfolio/portfolio.html and I was enjoying all of the shots and the sense of place and life they evoked. And then I came to this picture, and I blinked, and realized, yes, this was the picture.
I had just turned twelve, and I was so taken by the look in the woman's eye... so I sat down and drew it and then I drew and drew and drew. In just a week I drew dozens of pictures that were quite nice, and my mom was so startled - especially by the original - that she actually called my dad and told him that I was at home drawing like a professional.
The quality of each picture diminished as the week went on. I couldn't stop it, strangely. Maybe I got impatient. I don't know. As for the original, and best, picture (not an exact copy of the photo above, but greatly inspired by it)... I left it on a school bus and never saw it again. For a while afterwards I at least tried to find the original photograph, but I never did for some reason, not until this evening.
Hmm.
February 27, 2010
Educational Lolcats
So, a lot of recent web culture is incredibly stupid. Like Lolcats. I can has Cheezburger? Really?
But a lot of it is also secretly intelligent. Like:
Almost makes me wish I was a teacher so that I could make a bunch of these for random science terms/spanish verbs/etc. XD
But a lot of it is also secretly intelligent. Like:
Almost makes me wish I was a teacher so that I could make a bunch of these for random science terms/spanish verbs/etc. XD
My iPod
I have a second generation, 2 GB iPod Nano. It's silver. I've had it since some time in high school, when I got this one and Melissa got a pink iPod Mini. When I take it out, sometimes people think it's kind of funny and old fashioned. I think, really? It's less than four years old! I guess that's old for technology nowadays, but guess what? It still plays music nicely, the display still works, and that despite more abuse than such an electronic should ever be expected to take - mostly from flying around my high school purse along with melted chocolate bars and a dozen double A batteries. And the 2gb of memory? Never wanted or needed more. No, I can't 'sync' with my computer and carry my entire music collection with me. But if I did, I wouldn't want to use the shuffle feature anyway.
Anyway, I've been missing it for about a month. Having music while walking is so nice, even more so when it's cold and miserable. For some reason I often don't think to use my iPod though, at least I didn't freshman year, so when I do use it I tend to appreciate it much more. I was thinking I might have lost it, and then today I finally sat down and thought, where could it be? The Nano is small enough to fit in that little pocket inside of jeans pockets, so it can be easy enough to lose. I'd checked all of my pants and coats, hadn't I? Then I thought, "Well, I did wear that jacket one day..." It didn't seem likely, but I looked in the pockets, and there it was. ^^ Yay
The iPod is engraved with my name and cell phone number on the back. That makes it more special, somehow, knowing my parents ordered it for me. Suddenly I realize that I'm going to lose my phone number when I study abroad. Kind of sad. :S Hopefully I don't lose it...
Anyway, I've been missing it for about a month. Having music while walking is so nice, even more so when it's cold and miserable. For some reason I often don't think to use my iPod though, at least I didn't freshman year, so when I do use it I tend to appreciate it much more. I was thinking I might have lost it, and then today I finally sat down and thought, where could it be? The Nano is small enough to fit in that little pocket inside of jeans pockets, so it can be easy enough to lose. I'd checked all of my pants and coats, hadn't I? Then I thought, "Well, I did wear that jacket one day..." It didn't seem likely, but I looked in the pockets, and there it was. ^^ Yay
The iPod is engraved with my name and cell phone number on the back. That makes it more special, somehow, knowing my parents ordered it for me. Suddenly I realize that I'm going to lose my phone number when I study abroad. Kind of sad. :S Hopefully I don't lose it...
February 25, 2010
Palindrome Poem
I've loved palindromes since that day in Henry's Gifted program when we first learned about them. (the same day we learned about those purple swans, or the same week at least)
My favorite was "Tara saw Bob was a rat." Teehee.
Now some guy has written a palindrome poem. Yikes.
- Demetri Martin
My favorite was "Tara saw Bob was a rat." Teehee.
Now some guy has written a palindrome poem. Yikes.
"Dammit I'm Mad"
Dammit I’m mad.
Evil is a deed as I live.
God, am I reviled? I rise, my bed on a sun, I melt.
To be not one man emanating is sad. I piss.
Alas, it is so late. Who stops to help?
Man, it is hot. I’m in it. I tell.
I am not a devil. I level “Mad Dog”.
Ah, say burning is, as a deified gulp,
In my halo of a mired rum tin.
I erase many men. Oh, to be man, a sin.
Is evil in a clam? In a trap?
No. It is open. On it I was stuck.
Rats peed on hope. Elsewhere dips a web.
Be still if I fill its ebb.
Ew, a spider… eh?
We sleep. Oh no!
Deep, stark cuts saw it in one position.
Part animal, can I live? Sin is a name.
Both, one… my names are in it.
Murder? I’m a fool.
A hymn I plug, deified as a sign in ruby ash,
A Goddam level I lived at.
On mail let it in. I’m it.
Oh, sit in ample hot spots. Oh wet!
A loss it is alas (sip). I’d assign it a name.
Name not one bottle minus an ode by me:
“Sir, I deliver. I’m a dog”
Evil is a deed as I live.
Dammit I’m mad.
- Demetri Martin
February 03, 2010
Two Things to Blow Your Mind
1.) I just found out that most of my friends and I say chree, chractor, and chrick instead of tree, tractor, and trick. It's a subtle thing and at first I didn't really believe it. I can definitely pronounce tree, tractor, and trick without the 'sh' sound getting in there, but it feels stilted. The same goes for dry and drive becoming jry and jrive. I'm wondering whether this is a regional thing. See if you or people you know do it. (If you're not sure, say tree, chree, tree, chree, dry, jry, dry, jry) Thanks, Christy.
Update:
2.) Every time I catch a glimpse of a map in a mirror, it freaks me out a bit.
Doesn't it just look wrong? Especially North and South America?
Update:
2.) Every time I catch a glimpse of a map in a mirror, it freaks me out a bit.
Doesn't it just look wrong? Especially North and South America?
February 02, 2010
Oh, Japan...
Japan has tons of hyper-realistic plastic food models to display outside of restaurants.
It also had lots of cool and weird technology.
Put them together, and you get... Wait, why would you put them together? No one knows but the Japanese. Still, we thought we'd seen it all when we saw these for sale in Tokyo:
We were wrong.
Yes - it's a USB extension inside a plastic dish of noodles, and you can attach little tempura shrimp flash drives to it. I really can't believe this exists.
Picture taken from: http://www.engadget.com/2005/07/25/usb-spaghetti-aka-cable-ga-napolitain/
It also had lots of cool and weird technology.
Put them together, and you get... Wait, why would you put them together? No one knows but the Japanese. Still, we thought we'd seen it all when we saw these for sale in Tokyo:
We were wrong.
Yes - it's a USB extension inside a plastic dish of noodles, and you can attach little tempura shrimp flash drives to it. I really can't believe this exists.
Picture taken from: http://www.engadget.com/2005/07/25/usb-spaghetti-aka-cable-ga-napolitain/
November 19, 2009
September 27, 2009
How Much Am I Worth?
The website is actually very interesting. After you take the quiz it breaks down your value and explains it. It's part lightweight fun and part thinking about how much people are 'worth' - can you put a price tag on a human being? And not even in a more abstract sense, but even in a practical sense?
Once I read that the human body would be worth about 5$ if you sold it for scrap...
September 17, 2009
June 12, 2009
The Education of the Swedes
Hei alle sammen!
Jeg håper at dere liker dere her i Florida! For en søt familie dere er! :)
Jeg tenkte bare at dere ville kanskje vite at her tar vi av bordet etter frokost.
Ha det kjempefint!
It didn't take us long to notice the Swedes. When you stay in a hotel for more than a week, and particularly when you attend the breakfast every morning, you begin to become acquainted in a distant, 'stalkerish' way with several of the more interesting families who are following the same patterns.
The most interesting, most obvious family this week has been a family of Swedes. Loud father, quiet mother, two singing blonde children with bright blue eyes. They dominate the room with their loudness, their foreignness, the singsong quality of their speech... the way they never clear their table after they eat, leaving the busboys, who are only supposed to replenish food and empty trash cans, a mountain of china and rubbish.
So I played a little trick, or taught them a little something, or did the busboys a bit of a favour, depending on how you want to look at it. I wrote them a note, last night, and stuck it under their door. You can see the note in it's original above - the translation would be,
Hello everyone!
I hope you like it here in Florida! What a sweet/cute family you are!
I just thought you might want to know that here we clear the table after breakfast.
Have a great time!
This morning, inconspicuous as always, we watched. And if they didn't clear the table, every bit, admirably so! We were a safe distance off, but could hardly contain our giggles as mamma and pappa walked to the trash cans again and again with the piles of dishes.
Jeg håper at dere liker dere her i Florida! For en søt familie dere er! :)
Jeg tenkte bare at dere ville kanskje vite at her tar vi av bordet etter frokost.
Ha det kjempefint!
It didn't take us long to notice the Swedes. When you stay in a hotel for more than a week, and particularly when you attend the breakfast every morning, you begin to become acquainted in a distant, 'stalkerish' way with several of the more interesting families who are following the same patterns.
The most interesting, most obvious family this week has been a family of Swedes. Loud father, quiet mother, two singing blonde children with bright blue eyes. They dominate the room with their loudness, their foreignness, the singsong quality of their speech... the way they never clear their table after they eat, leaving the busboys, who are only supposed to replenish food and empty trash cans, a mountain of china and rubbish.
So I played a little trick, or taught them a little something, or did the busboys a bit of a favour, depending on how you want to look at it. I wrote them a note, last night, and stuck it under their door. You can see the note in it's original above - the translation would be,
Hello everyone!
I hope you like it here in Florida! What a sweet/cute family you are!
I just thought you might want to know that here we clear the table after breakfast.
Have a great time!
This morning, inconspicuous as always, we watched. And if they didn't clear the table, every bit, admirably so! We were a safe distance off, but could hardly contain our giggles as mamma and pappa walked to the trash cans again and again with the piles of dishes.
May 25, 2009
April 13, 2009
I Will Learn to Photoshop!
I thought I was pretty good at Photoshop. After all, I could compile pictures and make a wicked looking siggy. Or banner.
But I realized that I couldn't even do something as simple as adding water to a scene in Photoshop.
That's going to change.
Ignore the fact that I photoshopped myself here into the Swiss Alps and that I 'Posterized' the whole scene. The point is that I followed a tutorial to add water. That water in the foreground? Yeah, that's completely my invention. I'm going to keep practicing this.
March 09, 2009
Like Nails on a Chalkboard
There's a sort of voice the females here use. Especially the sorority and sorority type girls, especially when talking to boys, or when speaking in front of class, but all of us, really, some time or another. It's horrible to me, like nails on a chalkboard. I don't know how to describe it...
It's one part whining, one part hypocritically mixed phony self doubt and confidence, one part sickly sweet.
There are times when I think that I simply can't listen to it anymore. And then, now and then, I catch myself doing it.
Surely such a habit would have been even more widespread at Parkway West? But now I notice it, now more than ever. I don't know whether it is living with foreigners, and becoming accustomed to strange accents and speech patterns as a part of people's voices, or whether it is some other unknown thing...
But when I hear someone talking like this, my stomach twists and I would prefer anything - a nice Germanic accent, a soft Mediterranean accent, a funny Asian accent, a twangy Texan accent, a hick accent like Laura and Tabi and I indulge in now and then, a striking city accent... anything but this voice...
Slightly screwed up, Jashen? Hahaha. You're right, of course. And I'm willing to bet that my dislike of this voice, whatever fancy words I try to use to turn the world against it, is initially rooted in some hurt. But there it is. And I have to get away.
It's one part whining, one part hypocritically mixed phony self doubt and confidence, one part sickly sweet.
There are times when I think that I simply can't listen to it anymore. And then, now and then, I catch myself doing it.
Surely such a habit would have been even more widespread at Parkway West? But now I notice it, now more than ever. I don't know whether it is living with foreigners, and becoming accustomed to strange accents and speech patterns as a part of people's voices, or whether it is some other unknown thing...
But when I hear someone talking like this, my stomach twists and I would prefer anything - a nice Germanic accent, a soft Mediterranean accent, a funny Asian accent, a twangy Texan accent, a hick accent like Laura and Tabi and I indulge in now and then, a striking city accent... anything but this voice...
Slightly screwed up, Jashen? Hahaha. You're right, of course. And I'm willing to bet that my dislike of this voice, whatever fancy words I try to use to turn the world against it, is initially rooted in some hurt. But there it is. And I have to get away.
Six Very Sweet Birthday Wishes
"Happy 19! I'm so glad I have such an amazing roommate like you! You like cold weather, shrimp noodle, and stupid games... and I like hot weather, beer, and staying up late! However, we love chocolates, sleeping, and talking together. <3 <3 Love you, by sweet roommate. <3"
- Mayumi
"Dear: Mira Chan
Happy Birthday *
As I often say, I really like you very much. I like many people here, but you are the most friendly person in Laws Hall, I think.
Though I am not good at talking with people, but you are always cheerful and kind, so I like to talk with you.
You always give me a lot of knowledge and vigor. Thank you for them!
Please keep being what you are now, from now on.
P.S. - Sorry for my bad English!"
- Tomomi
"Hey, and happy, happy birthday! You're 19, crazy! Anyway, this is in a
way a birthday card, I just wrote down 19 random memories we shared
last summer :P Hope it makes you smile!
Lots of love,
Liisa
1. Sitting on the floor in my room and reading the "My First 1000
Words in Finnish" kids' book and laughing at the most idiotic
pronunciations possible: hamsteri becoming [ham-ster-aye]
2. "...wanna buy an another one?" after the lovely spinach-feta
pastries at Suomenlinna.
3. The anthill. No need to say more.
4. The frustration because of the lack of public bathrooms! Shame on you, Suomi.
5. You analysing Karelian pastries: "It's funny how something
resembles cardboard so much but is still good"
6. Råg Fras.
7. The safety nets in Moominworld and comparing them with the American
ones: "Yes, you could fit a child there, we would have that covered as
well..."
8. Hemingway-picnic in the rain, on the rocks :D
9. You never got tired with playing with the fridge magnets. Sweet!
10. The ode-like praise for Maria cookies.
11. "What if we just... bought the 3-day tickets?" after some four
hours of youtubing and diplomatic "quarter of a smiley face" -ranking.
12. The beauty of the Texas accent: "'course, if I was talkin' like
this, I wouldn't even know what a diftong was..."
13. "You are such a cute new driver" when my driver's license was like
three hours old :)
14.Your affection to rocks. Naww!
15. "Flight cancelled"
16. Hullu sonni rakastaa puuroa.
17. Ordering in Finnish, ice cream in Moominworld ("Yes, I understood"
x)) and hot dog in Ruisrock. <3
18. The pretty, shiny, tiny pieces of glass at Skansen.
19. Your facial expression and high voice "Two things: Firstly, your
latrine has windows, that is really inappropriate! Secondly, THE
TOILET JUMPS!""
- Liisa
"MI-RAN-DI-TAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
HAPPY HAPPY CUMPLEAÑOS!!!!!!!
amiga d mi corazon! estas mas vieja hoy! ejejejejeje... espero que tenga un dia muy lindo.. y q a pesar d q no vas a estar tan acompañada, disfruta tu dia sea como sea!!! =D yo estare contigo en espiritu... ok?
mñn te llamo para q hablemos un rato... ok?
luv ya girly girl! take care! ^^"
- Lucia
"Happy Birthday, dearest friend! I hope it's a wonderful one! I love you and miss you :)
love,
your twin"
- Stephanie
"Bonne anniversaire, Cumpleaños feliz, grattis på födelsedagen, Felichan Naskightagon, Gute zum Geburtstag, 生日快乐, გილოცავ დაბადების დღეს, ᓇᓪᓕᐅᓂᖅᓯᐅᑦᓯᐊᕆᑦ, जन्मदिनको शुभकामना, Yumi selebretem de blong bon blong yu, Quchjaj qoSlIj, Hyvää synttäriä, Fortuna dies natalis! :P"
- Mikko
Jashen's was also very sweet! Thank you, everyone! I feel very loved today!
- Mayumi
"Dear: Mira Chan
Happy Birthday *
As I often say, I really like you very much. I like many people here, but you are the most friendly person in Laws Hall, I think.
Though I am not good at talking with people, but you are always cheerful and kind, so I like to talk with you.
You always give me a lot of knowledge and vigor. Thank you for them!
Please keep being what you are now, from now on.
P.S. - Sorry for my bad English!"
- Tomomi
"Hey, and happy, happy birthday! You're 19, crazy! Anyway, this is in a
way a birthday card, I just wrote down 19 random memories we shared
last summer :P Hope it makes you smile!
Lots of love,
Liisa
1. Sitting on the floor in my room and reading the "My First 1000
Words in Finnish" kids' book and laughing at the most idiotic
pronunciations possible: hamsteri becoming [ham-ster-aye]
2. "...wanna buy an another one?" after the lovely spinach-feta
pastries at Suomenlinna.
3. The anthill. No need to say more.
4. The frustration because of the lack of public bathrooms! Shame on you, Suomi.
5. You analysing Karelian pastries: "It's funny how something
resembles cardboard so much but is still good"
6. Råg Fras.
7. The safety nets in Moominworld and comparing them with the American
ones: "Yes, you could fit a child there, we would have that covered as
well..."
8. Hemingway-picnic in the rain, on the rocks :D
9. You never got tired with playing with the fridge magnets. Sweet!
10. The ode-like praise for Maria cookies.
11. "What if we just... bought the 3-day tickets?" after some four
hours of youtubing and diplomatic "quarter of a smiley face" -ranking.
12. The beauty of the Texas accent: "'course, if I was talkin' like
this, I wouldn't even know what a diftong was..."
13. "You are such a cute new driver" when my driver's license was like
three hours old :)
14.Your affection to rocks. Naww!
15. "Flight cancelled"
16. Hullu sonni rakastaa puuroa.
17. Ordering in Finnish, ice cream in Moominworld ("Yes, I understood"
x)) and hot dog in Ruisrock. <3
18. The pretty, shiny, tiny pieces of glass at Skansen.
19. Your facial expression and high voice "Two things: Firstly, your
latrine has windows, that is really inappropriate! Secondly, THE
TOILET JUMPS!""
- Liisa
"MI-RAN-DI-TAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
HAPPY HAPPY CUMPLEAÑOS!!!!!!!
amiga d mi corazon! estas mas vieja hoy! ejejejejeje... espero que tenga un dia muy lindo.. y q a pesar d q no vas a estar tan acompañada, disfruta tu dia sea como sea!!! =D yo estare contigo en espiritu... ok?
mñn te llamo para q hablemos un rato... ok?
luv ya girly girl! take care! ^^"
- Lucia
"Happy Birthday, dearest friend! I hope it's a wonderful one! I love you and miss you :)
love,
your twin"
- Stephanie
"Bonne anniversaire, Cumpleaños feliz, grattis på födelsedagen, Felichan Naskightagon, Gute zum Geburtstag, 生日快乐, გილოცავ დაბადების დღეს, ᓇᓪᓕᐅᓂᖅᓯᐅᑦᓯᐊᕆᑦ, जन्मदिनको शुभकामना, Yumi selebretem de blong bon blong yu, Quchjaj qoSlIj, Hyvää synttäriä, Fortuna dies natalis! :P"
- Mikko
Jashen's was also very sweet! Thank you, everyone! I feel very loved today!
Birthday Eve and Birthday
Birthday Eve:
I did not cook Singaporean food. I went to Dan and Sam's house with Aviel. They are all new friends. :D We made brownies instead of Singaporean food. Then I tried out a blow gun for the first time, and also played with a bow and arrow, and I wasn't too bad at either one! I was, however, pretty bad at nunchucks and Japanese hackeysacks, which I also tried out. We listened to some Spanish music, trying to translate it as we went. I am terrible at understanding Spanish in music! At first I figured that it would be the same for all languages, but it really isn't! XD German, Norwegian, and Japanese, for example, are usually almost as clear in a song as in speech. Ah well.
Later, we went to the potluck, which was fun. It was strange as always to eat lots of fried rice, some very spicy curry, fish in tamarind sauce, and other asian dishes alongside some good, old fashioned American food such as a western-tasting vegetable soup and corn bread. And for dessert, guava paste alongside brownies! :D I didn't know too many people there, but I find that I am getting more brave about things like that every day! Ju and Prite were there, and so was Linh.
Linh's English is still terrible! Poor girl. :D At one point I was being a bit silly and stood up on a stool so that I was as tall as an American girl I was talking to. Then later I was talking to Linh and I ended up patting her on the head. One second later I realized what I had done and said, "Ah! Linh! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have patted you on the head!" I know that it is impolite in some places to touch people on the head... and I was sure Vietnam was in that region, although I wasn't certain as to whether that custom applied to Vietnamese. She told me it wasn't a big deal, though, because we are friends. :) Okay, I guess...
I entered an eating-with-chopsticks competition with some Asians. This wasn't as bad of an idea as it sounds, because they were Thai, mostly, and therefore only used to eating noodles and such with chopsticks. We ate rice grain by grain. :D I actually won! Haha...
Later we played a game that was essentially the childhood game of Telephone, but with drawings. It was really fun, if I get a FIG next year I'm going to make them play it as an ice breaker. :) Each person takes as many slips of paper as there are people in the group. Then, on the first piece, each person draws a simple picture. Then everyone passes their stack of papers to the next person. The next person looks at the picture and describes it in three words. Then the papers are passed again, and the next person looks only at the words, not the original picture, and draws a picture based on the words. The next person looks only at this second picture, and... you get the idea. :D There were really some hilarious things that came out of this! It was exacerbated by having foreigners that didn't know some words, but even in a group of native speakers a bad artist will mess things up considerably! Plus, one can always take more time and make more complex pictures if the group is doing too well. ;)
Birthday:
I slept in, rolled out of bed, (not literally, my feet is three and a half feet (1 meter) off the ground now), and went to Dobbs at 1, expecting Brunch. No such luck! Daylight Savings Time has begun here, so I ate nothing and liked it. XD Well, actually, cereal was still out, so I ate a few bowls of frosted flakes. I didn't expect to find anyone to sit with, but I saw Pat, Clint, and Maria, and thought... why not sit with them while they finish up? Pat left after a while, but even after I had finished eating Clint and Maria and I were still talking... we ended up talking for two hours, and then it was dinner time at Dobbs! We could have eaten for free, haha. But, we weren't hungry anymore, so I just stole a bit of milk and went back home.
I got some really sweet birthday wishes via the net. :) And otherwise just mosied around. Jorge actually came to see me, which was really sweet. And it wasn't overly awkward, like normally when we see each other now. I told him about adventures from last night and then he left, saying, "Smile, be happy!" I think that might be his new motto or something. Dunno why he needs a motto, or why that should be fitting, because he's normally rather gloomy, but there it is!
Parents called. Lucia/Lydia called. Both Grandmas called. :)
Then Tabi came home, and we hung out for a bit (she made me brownies! How sweet! :D), and then just as Laura got home too we had my birthday party. :D My cake was delicious! I think it was the best birthday cake here yet! Even though it was Spongebob Squarepants themed... and, erm... I happen to hate Spongebob Squarepants. XD Certainly I never once imagined that I would have a Spongebob Squarepants themed birthday cake, and I certainly thought that the window of opportunity for that was closed by now, but surprise! I am generally the cake cutter here, I dunno why, normally because they use my knife (one of the few big chef knives that we own), and I even cut my own cake! I almost cut Spongebob in half doing so... and actually all the Japanese girls squealed and complained! XD
Both Lauras and Tabi and I went to Laura's room for a while. We played with a plastic bag, which Laura said was my Christmas present from her. Laura T. made some lovely fashion statements with it after Laura W. ripped it. :( It was such a lovely pillow before that! Then something interesting happened... Jiyoung facebook chatted Laura.
She never facebook chats us. She never /talks/ to us.
Jiyoung: Um... can I ask you favour?
Laura: Okay?
Jiyoung: This sounds weird...
Jiyoung: But I am locked in room.
Jiyoung: The door is not able to open.
I went out of the room quickly upon hearing that, even though for some reason Laura called behind me, "no, Miranda, stay here!" I went to Jiyoung's door and knocked, and asked if she was okay. She told me she was trapped and the door wouldn't open. I was playing with the door handle a bit when Laura, Laura, and Tabi joined me in the hall. After a minute, none of us could do anything with it. The handle wasn't engaging. So I ran upstairs to get Ben. Ben came down and started playing with it. I ran downstairs to tell the desk supervisor. He called some other C.A.'s and soon we had a crowd playing with old credit cards, wire clothes hangers, and screwdrivers trying to find a way in. Unfortunately the doors here are all but break in proof, from the inside or out.
Jiyoung kept shouting, "I want to pee! I want to pee!" We were worried that she would have to pee in a cup, and word arrived that we had to wait 30 minutes for anyone who knew anything to arrive. Finally they did, and they had to remove the doorknob, piece by piece, with metal cutting tools, until they could pull of the twisty part and pull the... erm... stoppy part out from the inside. A full hour after the adventure started, Jiyoung was finally free to pee! Everyone clapped. It was quite an adventure, but Laura and Tabi and I stayed for the whole thing, partly because we felt responsible, having received her cry for help, and I partly because I am hoping to 'be' Ben next year and deal with similar issues.
Back in my room, Mayumi gave me a very sweet birthday card from Mitsuki, Mimi, Richard, and herself! :D Then I wrote this blog post... XD And it wasn't my birthday anymore. What a shame. :P
Edit: Then Tomomi came in. She had hand made me a beautiful... erm... paper thing saying, "Happy Birthday Mira Chan!" She also gave me a box of Glico caramels and a tiny book in Japanese about the Zodiac animals. Since it is all written in Hiragana (which I can read, albeit very, very, very slowly), and it is a story that I am familiar with, we joked that it was at my reading level. XD Of course, I really know less than ten percent of the words, so it would take a while to read! Anyway, a really sweet gift!
I did not cook Singaporean food. I went to Dan and Sam's house with Aviel. They are all new friends. :D We made brownies instead of Singaporean food. Then I tried out a blow gun for the first time, and also played with a bow and arrow, and I wasn't too bad at either one! I was, however, pretty bad at nunchucks and Japanese hackeysacks, which I also tried out. We listened to some Spanish music, trying to translate it as we went. I am terrible at understanding Spanish in music! At first I figured that it would be the same for all languages, but it really isn't! XD German, Norwegian, and Japanese, for example, are usually almost as clear in a song as in speech. Ah well.
Later, we went to the potluck, which was fun. It was strange as always to eat lots of fried rice, some very spicy curry, fish in tamarind sauce, and other asian dishes alongside some good, old fashioned American food such as a western-tasting vegetable soup and corn bread. And for dessert, guava paste alongside brownies! :D I didn't know too many people there, but I find that I am getting more brave about things like that every day! Ju and Prite were there, and so was Linh.
Linh's English is still terrible! Poor girl. :D At one point I was being a bit silly and stood up on a stool so that I was as tall as an American girl I was talking to. Then later I was talking to Linh and I ended up patting her on the head. One second later I realized what I had done and said, "Ah! Linh! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have patted you on the head!" I know that it is impolite in some places to touch people on the head... and I was sure Vietnam was in that region, although I wasn't certain as to whether that custom applied to Vietnamese. She told me it wasn't a big deal, though, because we are friends. :) Okay, I guess...
I entered an eating-with-chopsticks competition with some Asians. This wasn't as bad of an idea as it sounds, because they were Thai, mostly, and therefore only used to eating noodles and such with chopsticks. We ate rice grain by grain. :D I actually won! Haha...
Later we played a game that was essentially the childhood game of Telephone, but with drawings. It was really fun, if I get a FIG next year I'm going to make them play it as an ice breaker. :) Each person takes as many slips of paper as there are people in the group. Then, on the first piece, each person draws a simple picture. Then everyone passes their stack of papers to the next person. The next person looks at the picture and describes it in three words. Then the papers are passed again, and the next person looks only at the words, not the original picture, and draws a picture based on the words. The next person looks only at this second picture, and... you get the idea. :D There were really some hilarious things that came out of this! It was exacerbated by having foreigners that didn't know some words, but even in a group of native speakers a bad artist will mess things up considerably! Plus, one can always take more time and make more complex pictures if the group is doing too well. ;)
Birthday:
I slept in, rolled out of bed, (not literally, my feet is three and a half feet (1 meter) off the ground now), and went to Dobbs at 1, expecting Brunch. No such luck! Daylight Savings Time has begun here, so I ate nothing and liked it. XD Well, actually, cereal was still out, so I ate a few bowls of frosted flakes. I didn't expect to find anyone to sit with, but I saw Pat, Clint, and Maria, and thought... why not sit with them while they finish up? Pat left after a while, but even after I had finished eating Clint and Maria and I were still talking... we ended up talking for two hours, and then it was dinner time at Dobbs! We could have eaten for free, haha. But, we weren't hungry anymore, so I just stole a bit of milk and went back home.
I got some really sweet birthday wishes via the net. :) And otherwise just mosied around. Jorge actually came to see me, which was really sweet. And it wasn't overly awkward, like normally when we see each other now. I told him about adventures from last night and then he left, saying, "Smile, be happy!" I think that might be his new motto or something. Dunno why he needs a motto, or why that should be fitting, because he's normally rather gloomy, but there it is!
Parents called. Lucia/Lydia called. Both Grandmas called. :)
Then Tabi came home, and we hung out for a bit (she made me brownies! How sweet! :D), and then just as Laura got home too we had my birthday party. :D My cake was delicious! I think it was the best birthday cake here yet! Even though it was Spongebob Squarepants themed... and, erm... I happen to hate Spongebob Squarepants. XD Certainly I never once imagined that I would have a Spongebob Squarepants themed birthday cake, and I certainly thought that the window of opportunity for that was closed by now, but surprise! I am generally the cake cutter here, I dunno why, normally because they use my knife (one of the few big chef knives that we own), and I even cut my own cake! I almost cut Spongebob in half doing so... and actually all the Japanese girls squealed and complained! XD
Both Lauras and Tabi and I went to Laura's room for a while. We played with a plastic bag, which Laura said was my Christmas present from her. Laura T. made some lovely fashion statements with it after Laura W. ripped it. :( It was such a lovely pillow before that! Then something interesting happened... Jiyoung facebook chatted Laura.
She never facebook chats us. She never /talks/ to us.
Jiyoung: Um... can I ask you favour?
Laura: Okay?
Jiyoung: This sounds weird...
Jiyoung: But I am locked in room.
Jiyoung: The door is not able to open.
I went out of the room quickly upon hearing that, even though for some reason Laura called behind me, "no, Miranda, stay here!" I went to Jiyoung's door and knocked, and asked if she was okay. She told me she was trapped and the door wouldn't open. I was playing with the door handle a bit when Laura, Laura, and Tabi joined me in the hall. After a minute, none of us could do anything with it. The handle wasn't engaging. So I ran upstairs to get Ben. Ben came down and started playing with it. I ran downstairs to tell the desk supervisor. He called some other C.A.'s and soon we had a crowd playing with old credit cards, wire clothes hangers, and screwdrivers trying to find a way in. Unfortunately the doors here are all but break in proof, from the inside or out.
Jiyoung kept shouting, "I want to pee! I want to pee!" We were worried that she would have to pee in a cup, and word arrived that we had to wait 30 minutes for anyone who knew anything to arrive. Finally they did, and they had to remove the doorknob, piece by piece, with metal cutting tools, until they could pull of the twisty part and pull the... erm... stoppy part out from the inside. A full hour after the adventure started, Jiyoung was finally free to pee! Everyone clapped. It was quite an adventure, but Laura and Tabi and I stayed for the whole thing, partly because we felt responsible, having received her cry for help, and I partly because I am hoping to 'be' Ben next year and deal with similar issues.
Back in my room, Mayumi gave me a very sweet birthday card from Mitsuki, Mimi, Richard, and herself! :D Then I wrote this blog post... XD And it wasn't my birthday anymore. What a shame. :P
Edit: Then Tomomi came in. She had hand made me a beautiful... erm... paper thing saying, "Happy Birthday Mira Chan!" She also gave me a box of Glico caramels and a tiny book in Japanese about the Zodiac animals. Since it is all written in Hiragana (which I can read, albeit very, very, very slowly), and it is a story that I am familiar with, we joked that it was at my reading level. XD Of course, I really know less than ten percent of the words, so it would take a while to read! Anyway, a really sweet gift!
March 04, 2009
I am 48% Finnish!
How Finnish are you?
[ ] Both of your parents are Finnish.
[ ] You were born in Finland.
[ ] Your last name ends with either -nen or -la/-lä.
[] You know at least five people, whose names are Matti/Pekka/Juhani/Liisa/Susanna/Elina.
[ ] Both of your parents are Finnish.
[ ] You were born in Finland.
[ ] Your last name ends with either -nen or -la/-lä.
[] You know at least five people, whose names are Matti/Pekka/Juhani/Liisa/Susanna/Elina.
[ ] Your name is Matti/Pekka/Juhani/Liisa/Susanna/Elina.
[ ] You are an alcoholic.
[x] You are/have been depressed or know at least five people who are/have been depressed.
[ ] It is a huge media event when a foreign B-list celebrity mentions your homeland.
[x] To you "tan" means being a different colour than a frost of snow.
[x] You are infinetely interested in what foreigners have to say about your homeland.
Score so far: 3
[] You like pea soup and know which dessert and day of the week it should go with.
[x] You love chocolate and/or salmiakki.
[x] You love rye bread.
[x] You have bought "sausage and potato" from a fast food stand. (Arguable)
[ ] You have fought at a fast food stand queue. (Arguable. So I'll take the first one but not this one)
[ ] You drink multiple cups of coffee in a day.
[ ] You eat potato almost every day.
[ ] Independence day should be celebrated by lighting two candles and watching how the president shakes hands with celebrities for two hours.
[ ] You still reminisce the ice hockey world championship in 1995.
[x] You still reminisce how "aja hiljaa sillalla" as pronounced by Aino Ackté won the title of most beautiful sentence in the Paris World Fair in 1900.
Score so far: 7
[] You go "Nordic walking" (walking with two poles).
[x] You listen to heavy music.
[] You watch formula 1 and/or ski jumping.
[x] You pick berries and/or go mushrooming. (When I can XD)
[x] You have or your family has a summer cottage.
[x] You celebrate Midsummer. (Sometimes all by myself)
[x] You sauna bathe on a regular basis.
[] You think that hugging is for lovers.
[x] You speak English with a foreigner, even though you know that (s)he understands Finnish. Then again you speak Finnish with a foreigner, even though you know that (s)he doesn't understand it. (Nyeheheheh)
[] Most songs that aren't in minor are not good.
Score so far: 13
[x] You own something that's by Marimekko.
[x] You own a product with Marimekko's "Unikko" pattern on it. (It's free though... none of the things I actually bought there have the Unikko pattern... but I got BETTER patterns!! Nyehehehe)
[x] You have dishes/kitchen supplies by Iittala/Arabia/Hackman. (Long live my cheese cutter)
[] You read the "Donald Duck" magazine.
[x] You love Moomins.(!! XD)
[] When talking about the president, you talk about "it," when talking about a pet guinea pig you talk about "him/her."
[x] You don't find lakes to be exotic. (Not lakes in general. Some lakes, sure.)
[] You know that you're not supposed to talk in the mornings.
[x] You wait for the traffic light to turn green, even though there are no cars around. (Not in small, pedestrian run cities, (not common here) but everywhere else)
[x] You find it normal that you don't run into a single person when on a walk. (Depends where and when. But the Midwest isn't super busy.)
Score so far: 19
[] Indoors it's too cold if it's not at least 20°C.
[] Outdoors 20°C is too hot.
[x] Less than 65°C in a sauna is cold. (XD)
[x] You don't have to wear a hat outside in sub zero temperatures. (Fahrenheit, no! But I think this means celsius)
[x] You know at least five words for different types of snow.
[] If a stranger smiles at you, you expect that (s)he is either drunk or foreign.
[] To you "European" means a person who's from Western Europe but not the Nordic countries. (Erm... sort of... I would probably call Nordic people Scandinavian instead of European, but when I hear European, I think of all of them)
[x] There are supposed to be silences within conversations and they don't bother you at all.
[x] You apologise for being even a minute late.
[] You understand, that "m" means "yes," "nngg" means "no" and "mnt" means "good morning."
Final score: 24
Multiply your score by two and you'll have your Finnish percentage.
Make "I am __% Finnish!" the title of your note.
[ ] You are an alcoholic.
[x] You are/have been depressed or know at least five people who are/have been depressed.
[ ] It is a huge media event when a foreign B-list celebrity mentions your homeland.
[x] To you "tan" means being a different colour than a frost of snow.
[x] You are infinetely interested in what foreigners have to say about your homeland.
Score so far: 3
[] You like pea soup and know which dessert and day of the week it should go with.
[x] You love chocolate and/or salmiakki.
[x] You love rye bread.
[x] You have bought "sausage and potato" from a fast food stand. (Arguable)
[ ] You have fought at a fast food stand queue. (Arguable. So I'll take the first one but not this one)
[ ] You drink multiple cups of coffee in a day.
[ ] You eat potato almost every day.
[ ] Independence day should be celebrated by lighting two candles and watching how the president shakes hands with celebrities for two hours.
[ ] You still reminisce the ice hockey world championship in 1995.
[x] You still reminisce how "aja hiljaa sillalla" as pronounced by Aino Ackté won the title of most beautiful sentence in the Paris World Fair in 1900.
Score so far: 7
[] You go "Nordic walking" (walking with two poles).
[x] You listen to heavy music.
[] You watch formula 1 and/or ski jumping.
[x] You pick berries and/or go mushrooming. (When I can XD)
[x] You have or your family has a summer cottage.
[x] You celebrate Midsummer. (Sometimes all by myself)
[x] You sauna bathe on a regular basis.
[] You think that hugging is for lovers.
[x] You speak English with a foreigner, even though you know that (s)he understands Finnish. Then again you speak Finnish with a foreigner, even though you know that (s)he doesn't understand it. (Nyeheheheh)
[] Most songs that aren't in minor are not good.
Score so far: 13
[x] You own something that's by Marimekko.
[x] You own a product with Marimekko's "Unikko" pattern on it. (It's free though... none of the things I actually bought there have the Unikko pattern... but I got BETTER patterns!! Nyehehehe)
[x] You have dishes/kitchen supplies by Iittala/Arabia/Hackman. (Long live my cheese cutter)
[] You read the "Donald Duck" magazine.
[x] You love Moomins.(!! XD)
[] When talking about the president, you talk about "it," when talking about a pet guinea pig you talk about "him/her."
[x] You don't find lakes to be exotic. (Not lakes in general. Some lakes, sure.)
[] You know that you're not supposed to talk in the mornings.
[x] You wait for the traffic light to turn green, even though there are no cars around. (Not in small, pedestrian run cities, (not common here) but everywhere else)
[x] You find it normal that you don't run into a single person when on a walk. (Depends where and when. But the Midwest isn't super busy.)
Score so far: 19
[] Indoors it's too cold if it's not at least 20°C.
[] Outdoors 20°C is too hot.
[x] Less than 65°C in a sauna is cold. (XD)
[x] You don't have to wear a hat outside in sub zero temperatures. (Fahrenheit, no! But I think this means celsius)
[x] You know at least five words for different types of snow.
[] If a stranger smiles at you, you expect that (s)he is either drunk or foreign.
[] To you "European" means a person who's from Western Europe but not the Nordic countries. (Erm... sort of... I would probably call Nordic people Scandinavian instead of European, but when I hear European, I think of all of them)
[x] There are supposed to be silences within conversations and they don't bother you at all.
[x] You apologise for being even a minute late.
[] You understand, that "m" means "yes," "nngg" means "no" and "mnt" means "good morning."
Final score: 24
Multiply your score by two and you'll have your Finnish percentage.
Make "I am __% Finnish!" the title of your note.
January 25, 2009
Ice Skating
What an awful song:
I've had a little bit too much, much All of the people start to rush, start to rush by How does he twist the dance? Can't find a drink, oh man Where are my keys? I lost my phone, phone What's going on on the floor? I love this record baby but I can't see straight anymore Keep it cool, what's the name of this club? I can't remember but it's alright, a-alright Just dance, gonna be okay, da da doo-doo-mmm Just dance, spin that record babe, da da doo-doo-mmm Just dance, gonna be okay, d-d-d-dance Dance, dance, just, j-j-just dance Wish I could shut my playboy mouth, oh oh oh-oh How'd I turn my shirt inside out? Inside outright Control your poison babe, roses have thorns they say And we're all getting hosed tonight, oh oh oh-oh What's going on on the floor? I love this record baby but I can't see straight anymore Keep it cool, what's the name of this club? I can't remember but it's alright, a-alright Just dance, gonna be okay, da da doo-doo-mmm Just dance, spin that record babe, da da doo-doo-mmm Just dance, gonna be okay, d-d-d-dance Dance, dance, just, j-j-just When I come through on the dance floor checkin' out that catalog Can't believe my eyes, so many women without a flaw And I ain't gon' give it up, steady tryin' to pick it up like a car I'ma hit it, I'ma hit it and flex and do it until tomorr' yeah Shawty I can see that you got so much energy The way you're twirlin' up them hips 'round and 'round And now there's no reason at all why you can't leave here with me In the meantime stay and let me watch you break it down And dance, gonna be okay, da da doo-doo-mmm Just dance, spin that record babe, da da doo-doo-mmm Just dance, gonna be okay, da da doo-doo-mmm Just dance, spin that record babe, da da doo-doo-mmm Just dance, gonna be okay, d-d-d-dance Dance, dance, just, j-j-just dance Woo! Let's go! Half psychotic, sick, hypnotic Got my blueprint, it's symphonic Half psychotic, sick, hypnotic Got my blueprint electronic Half psychotic, sick, hypnotic Got my blueprint, it's symphonic Half psychotic, sick, hypnotic Got my blueprint electronic Go! Use your muscle, carve it out, work it, hustle I got it, just stay close enough to get it Don't slow! Drive it, clean it, lights out, bleed it Spend the lasto (I got it) In your pocko (I got it) Just dance, gonna be okay, da da doo-doo-mmm Just dance, spin that record babe, da da doo-doo-mmm Just dance, gonna be okay, da da doo-doo-mmm Just dance, spin that record babe, da da doo-doo-mmm Just dance, gonna be okay, d-d-d-dance Dance, dance, just, j-j-just dance
Haha, nevertheless we listened to it on the way to the ice skating rink, and it rang in our heads as we went, and the feeling of it seems captured in the pictures we took.
There's a silly game we play, you know, where you lose the game if you think about the game. We all thought about the game so many times that it's inevitable that looking back at the photos we will all think of it and lose again.
Oh, the bright green idiocity.
I want to go ice skating again in a bit. This was my first time in a few years, and right as I was getting the hang of it again, my legs and ankles were sore. But it was a nice day!
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