Painting the Horizon

Hookay, I'm back from the entrance exams.

Didn't go so well in Turku. I got eliminated halfway through. In my defense, though, the competition out there is really tough. I went with a friend, who got to stay till the end of the exam, so I can't have been too far from achieving the same, given that we are on about the same level. I will admit, though, that I was everything but on fire out there, and maybe I could've tried a little harder.

In any case, being eliminated at Turku meant I could make it to the Kajaani exam, and even had one day to spare, so I visited karhuntaival on the way. The Kajaani exam was super easy, but there was a bit in it that may have wrecked my chances, since it was not about my skills, but rather my personality and dreams, which have helped me in when it's been about art schools, but may not look as good in a technical field. They said if you didn't get a set minimum score from that part, you could not get in.

And, the thing is... I'm starting to have doubts about Kajaani again. Assuming I'm accepted, I can either accept or decline. Yeah, I could accept, but I'm thinking of applying to Turku again in two years (because I realized just how much I want to be an animator), and if I stay in my current school, I would graduate by then. If I go to Kajaani, apply to Turku and get accepted on the second try, I will have wasted four years without a degree to show for it. And I'm still only 21, I'd have time for Kajaani later.


Part of this is just me freaking out over the possibility of having to move to a completely new place, another part is that, well, I've spent these past 6 years with artistic types. The Turku exam was full of that type, amazing and pleasant people. The Kajaani applicants, though, mostly didn't look like the type I could connect with. But then again, a lot of them have got to be huge nerds, so there might be a connection to be found on that level. And there's the fact that I've heard some negative things of the Kajaani AMK, mainly that not everyone who is interested in game development gets to specialize in it, and I'm not sure if that risk is worth taking.

Of course, I've been thinking that it might not be that bad even if I didn't get to specialize in games, buuuut... then I run into the fact that I'm abandoning a perfectly decent place of study to chase after a dream. If that dream turns out to be unattainable, what would the point be in abandoning a pleasant, if pointless place for a place that "might not be that bad"?

So I've been staying at my parents' since Sunday, seeing as how I've got no classes or anything this week.

Their Internet connection has been wobbly for a while and died on Tuesday. I'm actually writing this post from my grandparents' place. Incidentally, my grandmother's little poodle is really starting to show his age. :( He's been prone to coughing fits after running about (which he likes to do a lot) and just today, he seemed pretty dizzy after one of those fits. He swayed and generally looked very unsteady on his legs. Poor thing.


I bought a painting easel today, after years of pining for one. Also bought Guitar Hero yesterday, because nom. I will never get anything done ever again. I always seem to end up spending more money than I'm saving (in terms of food and such) when I visit home.

Been sketching a lot in the absence of the 'net, but I think those will have to wait until I'm back at my flat, with the reliable connection and everything.


Well, I guess that's all for now. Not sure when I'll be able to get online again. Peace out.

Attention, duelists Americans of my friendslist! (and why not everyone else too, if you feel like it)

I want to ask you something.

Let's say you're having a conversation with someone. They don't use your name once during that conversation. Will you notice? Do you consider this impolite or offensive?

I'm asking because I once noted to my mother how, in Hollywood movies, people seem to sprinkle their sentences with the names of the people they are currently talking to ("Well, Dave, I better get going now."), and how odd it seemed to me. She said that it's an American thing and that over there, people would consider it rude not to keep saying each other's names every now and then.

Is there any truth to this?
Because I know that here in Finland Ican bluff my way through entirely natural-sounding conversations with people whose names I can't for the life of me recall. People don't notice, because they don't generally expect to hear their own name in the middle of a conversation. Overall, I usually only have to resort to calling people by their names when I'm trying to get their attention, not when I'm already talking to them. As it can, at worst, take me up to two months to learn new names, this is a relief. Would that strike an American person as rude?

Just got back from a little weekend-holiday with my mom and my sister. Left on Friday, flew to Helsinki and sailed to Stockholm overnight, spent Saturday there, sailed back to Helsinki the next night, spent most of today in Helsinki before flying back.

Things of note:

We had a bus tour of Stockholm on Saturday, and that city is so beautiful. It was all gorgeous architechture and well-tended parks and gardens and wow. Helsinki has its share of cool architechture (the central railway station comes to mind) and even the occasional park, but somehow it's not half as coordinated as Stockholm is. However, I'm inclined to think that Stockholm doesn't have quite as much charm as Copenhagen.

We went to Linnanmäki (=an amusement park in Helsinki) while we had the time, and I was brutally mandhandled by one of the newer rides. No ride has ever made me nauseous, but damned if that thing didn't try. It left both of my shoulders sore and quite a fetching bruise on my left one. Never getting on that one again, thanks.

Also sampled octopus at the ship's dinner. It was like eating a piece of rubber and it didn't really taste like anything.

I spotted a Toys R Us (from a distance) in Helsinki on Friday. I had no clue we even had those in Finland. Granted, that could've been the only one there is, it being Helsinki, but still. A bit of a "wait, what?" moment, there.

I'm not much of a shopper, but I did score Terry Pratchett's A Hat Full of Sky and a WoW game card (three euros cheaper in a certain gameshop in Helsinki than what I usually pay for them). Also, my mom bought Making Money, which I read through on the way back home (great book), and my sister bought Good Omens, which I've read in Finnish some time ago, but have been trying to find in English for a while now.

And. Um. I think that's it.

Just saw PotC: At World's End. Wasn't a complete waste of a free ticket, and it was precisely what I expected; a visually stunning and rather amusing piece with little to give besides those two things.
Behind the cut are my spoilerous thoughts on yaoi stuff.

( Spoilarz. Duh )