ashke.nu

So it’s been ages since I updated this space. I’ve been lazy with everything else as well, but I still feel a bit bad. Seems I have to force myself to write, and I never used to be that way before. I don’t know what has changed, yes, college, yes, more work-load, but did that stop me before? No it didn’t, I worked non-stop last summer and still managed to update every other week or so. Everything has died for me, don’t take care of my websites anymore, mo other domain is on an indefinite hiatus, and my fanlistings get updated maybe once a month or twice. Yes, still within the allowed time, but still. Seems like a burden and duty rather than an enjoyable waste of time.

A lot of things have happened since I last wrote. I don’t even remember what I wrote last time, probably about going to New York in February. Yes, that is still on, don’t know the exact date which is a bit embarrassing considering it’s not that far off in the future. I had the absolute worst holidays ever, got mono and was stuck at home with a wingeing mum, absolutely miserable. I did miss home, but after a week the glory of it wore off. Felt like proper shit and had to visit the doctors three times before they could tell me there’s nothing to do but wait for it to go away. And I was missing the one person who has come to be one of the most important people in my life - Lex. Absolutely raped my phone bill, but so worth it.

Life hasn’t, thus, been a dance, but getting steadily better. Not that sick anymore, only traces of the effects mono has had on me left. Ear has been absolutely bonkers since my flight back, has been locked and had a sensation of being underwater since. Only now starting to pop a bit, but is it a surprise having had an ear infection.

I should seriously get around to update this website and give it a total revamp. I had ideas even before I came here, but haven’t actually got around to do anything about it due to the immense workload. Have a million things to sort out with little time to do it. This includes going to London on Saturday to vote in the presidential election. Didn’t vote the first round as I didn’t have the time, so I shouldn’t miss the opportunity this time around. Well, I won’t have to go alone, Lex offered to come and give me company. Nice, as train trip absolutely bores the hell out of me.

Well, that’s as much as I can think of at the moment. Laters, dudes.

A lot of things are happening in my life right now, which I won’t get into that much right now. Our first project pretty much blew for me, so I’m hoping the second one will be better. I’m working all weekends at the cinema, which means my social life might be suffering a little. Not much, since student nights are usually during the week anyway, but I always have to decline going somewhere on Friday, as I mostly get in at 9.30 on Saturdays. I love working at the cinema, but I hate having to do 12h long shifts. But I guess it’s alright, since I’m getting paid for it.

So, I have bought my tickets back to Finland. Cost me almost £200 pounds. It would’ve cost me only £170, if I hadn’t had to transfer money from Finland to my English account. I got my tickets online, so the card I paid with had to be issued in the country of departure for security reasons. Well, during those few days it took to transfer the money, the price for the ticket home went from £85 to £110. I was a bit upset about this, but there was nothing I could do anymore about it but live with it. Besides, it means I get to go home, and on a cruise to Stockholm with my sister.

So it is confirmed, I am going to New York in February. It will cost me £545 pounds, but I think it’ll be so worth it. I really don’t know anyone of those that are going, but I’m not gonna let it bother me - it’s New York! Even if I have to go alone. I’ll probably go to most of the exhibitions the tutors have in mind to go to, so I won’t be completely alone. I’m a bit excited, though I know this will entirely mess up my budget. I can afford it barely, but I’ll have a tough time after wards to get back on track. For once I’m really glad I’m working. I’ll just take one more shifts to earn extra money.

What else…I think this is all I have to say. I can’t think of anything I could add, anyway.

Laters.

I’m going to have to come back to writing here, because my LJ is now mostly friends only. I decided to do that since I talk a lot about real life over there, and the people I’m around with, so as respect to them, I don’t want to upset them by them knowing what I write about them. But I’m a person who needs to vent a lot, and obviously I can’t vent to these people, so I vent to those whom it will matter very little - my online friends. So, this journal is thus RL-free, and won’t upset anyone who reads it, at least not by having to read of themselves. In ways that would upset them, that is.

Gah, I might have confused myself there for a bit.

The thing is, you can find all of my website through finding only ONE, if you were inclined to look for them. So this is just a JUST IN CASE thing. That’s why my LJ is now FO.

So “welcome back, Val, you were sorely missed at ashke.nu.” Thank you, I’m glad to be back.

Am now well lodged in England. Term started officially yesterday, and I’ve already had my first job interview. I’m hoping on getting it, the job is ideal, and it would allow me to save for my next rent installment, and by a lucky chance get me to New York in February. Oh, how I’d love that, but the trip is £520, if I remember correctly, and that’s a lot. But it’s the US, and it’s New York even though it is February and mid winter. Grr. New York.

Course seems great, the tutors are really nice and have shown us really great short films/videos. First assignment was very basic and easy, but fun still. Everyone’s not a the same level using cameras etc, so a mandatory induction and introduction course is only reasonable.

Just to note, everything is really expensive in the UK. So beware, a paperback book costs £8 or more - WTF!!! Some things are cheaper, but that’s only because it’s cheaper to get it to the UK than getting it to Finland. Movie tickets are £7, £5 for students, which still is a lot. But movies are movies! Must sees!

Just updating to ensure everyone I’m actually alive. Lethargic, but alive non-the-less. Must now get sleep before I pass out.

I had an Appendectomy on Wednesday at 3AM. I came home on Thursday at 1PM.

I have a scar on my stomach the size of my thumb. It hurts.

Otherwise I guess I’m fine. As fine as you can be after being sliced up in ways you didn’t want to be. I mean, they just informed me that I’m having surgery sometime during the night. In case my appendix is infected. In case. Try to sleep after that. I thought I was going to die.

Well, it was infected, so no harm done. I wasn’t cut up for no reason at all. But I ain’t a happy camper anyway. I haven’t worked long enough to get paid sick leave, so I’m losing many, many euros during my two week vacation. I was supposed to be working the whole Mid Summer, and get extra payment for work on a bank holiday. Many euros, lost – like that!

Am thinking if I’d use my last pay check to travel to the south or somewhere. It’s cheaper if you pick a “left over” vacation from the travel agencies. So I might be able to afford it. This is, of course, just brain storming, nothing is saying that actually am going to travel. Should save my money for England. But I’m desperately needing sun, my skin is white as chalk.

So, Pal is telling me to start walking so my stomach won’t build the wrong kind of scar tissue. She informed me that the three separate scars I have are going to grow into one (not good) if I don’t start moving around a bit. Maybe I should. Am having nightmares where I get a hole in my stomach when my scar starts to grow inwards. Also dreamt that I took a swim and panicked afterwards that I’m not allowed to swim as long as I have the stitches still left.

Now Pal is begging me to bring ice cream, how rude, considering that I’m the crippled one. Forget her referring to my inwards-grown-scar and other nightmares, I call it blackmailing.

St. Petersburg was great! I have two rolls of film developed, but I have yet got to scan the images I want to use. But first I have to mention a funny thing. You see, in Finland there a no stray dogs. I think that the stray dogs that exist get picked up by the Animal Protection organization, I can’t remember the official name. However, there are a lot of stray dogs in St. Petersburg. I was photographing just about everything just outside the check-in point for the ship, trying to get the film shot completely. I didn’t notice, but a stray dog had come up really close to me, and when I took the camera away from my eyes, I seriously got a heart attack when I noticed the dog about a meter away from me. Well, as you know, stray dogs are cute and everything, but can be infested with just about everything from diseases to parasites. So, I started to back up from the dog, since I have about the worst case of phobia for bacteria and unhygienic things. The dog, on the other hand, started following me. Mum was laughing while I tried to get away from the dog, because the dog probably only smelled our dog in my clothes. Well, I rushed inside the building for check-in, and the poor dog wanted to follow me. I think the only thing stopping it was fear of being trampled by the people going inside, and of being beaten by guards. I was honestly terrified, though I felt bad for the dog. I got a bad conscience for wanting to get away from the dog, especially as it didn’t try to hurt me. Well, that’s that, but man how ironic that things like this always happen to me! Boring story, I know, but bare with me.

Now I’m back at school, and I’m already bored with capturing the million tapes I have from the play. I know the lines by heart, and honestly, that is not a good thing! I’m starting to get ideas here. Not telling what ideas though, that’s private! ha. Anyway, I haven’t even started editing yet, since I haven’t got everything on the computer yet. And I fear that the editing is going to take a lot more time than I hope. Syncing the sound from three different shows is going to be hell! And now I’m missing creative writing because I’m writing this and recording the clips onto the computer. Simultaneously.

On top of all that I can’t leave! I have to finish this tape, yet I’m so hungry I could eat a horse (metaphor people!). I need nutrition! Food! All I have is chocolate, Fazer Geisha on top of that (best chocolate-nougat there is!), and I can tell you, that is no good when you’re starving. Anyway, I’ll try to have this done by 4PM, then go to the apartment, do my workout session, and then boil my pasta, which is all I have anyway. And ketchup and some Parmesan and perhaps a bit of grated emmental. Man, even that sounds so delicious at this point! Must not think about food. Must not think about food. Must not. Must not. Must not…

Will post pictures from St. Petersburg soon. Must get away from editing first, though. And find some food…

I’m going to Russia on Saturday. Well, actually, the cruise ship leaves Saturday, and we’ll be in St. Petersburg on Sunday. Me and mum, that is. Mum got a pretty good offer at work, so we decided to go! I’m so excited. I mean, I haven’t been anywhere, since…last year. Well, I know, that’s really not much, but seeing all my friends going here and there I’ve built up an incredibly strong travel-fever, really. I need to go!

Today I’m supposed to start editing the video material I shot last week. I have a total of 16 MiniDV tapes, varying between 30 and 80 minutes. Let’s put it this way, I shot three days, each day 2 hours. Two of those days I shot with three cameras, the last day I only shot with two cameras (one tape each). So, Tuesday I got 8 tapes, Wednesday 6 tapes (plus a bit on two of the tapes from Tuesday), and Thursday 2 tapes. I’ve gone through most of the material I have, NOT in real time, dude, that’s like fifty hours. But now, I managed somehow to brake the VCR. One of the tapes just got stuck inside and wouldn’t come out. The VCR just refused to do anything. So it’s getting repaired for I don’t know how long. Now I’m stuck with my teachers handheld MiniDV, which refuses to record anything onto the computer I’m editing the thing on. I don’t know, I don’t think it can handle the constant forward/backward searching that Adobe Premier likes to do when finding the right in and out point.

Yes, unfortunately I don’t have the pleasure of working with Avid. Adobe Premiere it is, and that’s what I’ll probably will have to live with forever. We were pretty lucky at our previous school to get to work with Avid. Lucky, INDEED! That’s the equipment professional editors use, even for film-editing. So, no, I can’t have that at the moment.

So let’s hope I get the original VCR back soon, because I only have 5 weeks left to edit the whole thing. The theater group who did it will want to see it, the director especially. And this is supposed to be my final project, the project that’ll show I’ve actually done something this year.

Anyway, Geamy, I changed the joined page to look a bit different, different colours and everything. I’m truly sorry that I didn’t realize before that it looked so similar to your’s! I feel really bad, and I hope you won’t hate me forever!

I got approved for the fanlisting for the new Kent album Du & Jag Döden. So, this weekend I finished it.

fan.ashke.nu/kent

Isn’t this great? Well, no one will probably join for a long time, since there’s only a very marginal fan base (since Kent does it all in Swedish. ahem.) and since it’s a fairly new album. Fairly. So Geamy, you should ask your mum to join!

This now means that I have a total of 10 fanlistings and over 3000 members (me included in all ten fanlistings, of course), a cumulative number of over 3 years. I have, of course, the Fight Club fanlisting and the All characters of the Vampire Chronicles fanlisting to thank for this amazing number, with 1200+ and 900+ members, respectively. But only the Todd Gaines and the Lord of the Rings game series fanlistings are really quiet with under 50 members each. Even Lord of the Flies is fast approaching 100 members, as well as Ludo Bagman.

Amazing, really.

I am having a hard time with wordpress. These theme things just mess up everything! Am starting to think if switching to Wordpress was such a good idea. Only thing that looks okay at the moment is the blog-index. Everything else is pretty much fucked up.

I might as well check out the quotes. What else, what else.

How does this border thing look like?

Yeah, so, beware of seeing weirdness all around until I get things fixed.

Have been sick entire week. On Tuesday my fever reached as high as 40°C (104F). Doctor gave me painkillers to take down the fever. It worked but now I’m perspiring to the point that I fear I will melt. Or shrivel up. Throat hurts, coughing so much I can’t sleep well. Nose is running like the Niagara Falls. Or something. Can’t take a shower either, because I’m almost certain that is what made my fever get to 40 degrees in the first place. I feel quite positively disgusting.

So. No school this week. Nor the next, because it’s winter holidays. No lessons are held at all. Will have time enough to rest. But mum won’t let me exercise. Not that I’d have the energy to. But I’ll be back at square one when I am fit enough to continue.

I can’t say that I can afford to complain, since only last week I said in class ‘why does everyone else get sick, but me? I want a good nice fever. Then I’d have a good reason to really just do nothing.’ Well, karma all over. I guess I asked for it. I will now face wrath of God, and getting what I asked for.