Monday 20 December 2010

Stay in, stress out, celebrate holidays

Special kitty

I'd be lying if I said the holiday season wasn't driving me a tiny bit nuts. Of course this is all a personal issue what with my learned response of doing an effective rabbit-in-the-headlights thing when faced with more than one task with a deadline at the same time, but it's comforting to know that holidays are the best of times and the worst of times to most people so I can safely say that there are too many drawings still yet to finish, too many supplies yet unbought, too much root growth in my hair, too many crunchy things on the floor, too many pieces of furniture yet to assemble, too few hours in the night and way too many things online that are not even moderately necessary for anything but OMGLOOKATTHATCUTELITTLEPUPPYFALLINGASLEEPIT'SSOCUTESQUEE!!!11!!!!
And there go another 20 minutes.
Or 5 hours.

Good thing the state is keeping up the holiday spirit by providing us both with tangible merry-go-rounds and abstract ones. The abstract one being the brand new law about cutting basic social security by 20-40% from youngsters who either drop out or don't accept a student place if they should happen to get one. I know it doesn't sound bad but wait, there's more! This new law makes it mandatory for people under 26 to apply for both universities AND at least two vocational institutes twice a year. And then accept the place they get once they get it, regardless of what their situation is. I mean, it's not like under 26s might have families of their own, or debt, or control over their own lives, or emotional issues that have prevented them from studying/moving to another province or completing their studies before right? They're just punk ass lazy! And besides, everyone knows that mental health is a myth and can be cured by toughening up, right? Right guis? Guis?
I don't think I'll even go into the financial aspects more than that changing your degree program or place of study wont get you back the student benefit months you've used up already studying something that you didn't really choose. Dropping out early to save those months means losing all benefits.
So with that said, and understanding how worried the powers-that-be are of youth falling between the cracks of society, which part of this grand plan exactly is supposed to make things better? Or is it just supposed to kill off a bunch of people and provide cheap labour for years to come and keep the drugs flowing?
Just the sort of thing young families need to be worrying over a wink before the holidays.

Well, this went into cheery territory fast.
On the up side is that that gorgeous gay guy in Skating With The Stars has done some adult entertainment and is mighty nice to look at without clothes.
Also, we have a lot of snow. And when I say a lot, I mean 5 centimeters away from a decade's record. That would be what's officially called as "a whole bunch" of snow.
And I guess it's not that terrible that this week only has 4 workdays. So the next blog will be after Christmas. And the one after that will be next year. That's scary fast. I'm told that next year will go by even faster. Issa scientific fact. There's a nagging feeling at the back of my head that I should do something spectacular next year.... suggestions welcome in the comments.

Now, say "muikku".
Hai thar

Monday 6 December 2010

Lights, cookies, action!

On the whole you could say it was a bit of a sucky week, but then again, expected windfalls of small amounts of moneys and feeling like you actually might have done some good counter a great deal of that suckyness. Also: having not one but two (2!) cups of very awesome blueberry frappucino with not one but two (2!!) pear and chocolate cookies is a powermove that pretty much kills all sucky things dead.
World suck: 0, cookies and coffee: 1

I applied to a few different unis (or "universities of applied sciences" which might translate to "college", but what do I know) in the Fall. And by Fall I mean our Fall that start in September and ends in October when things start freezing over. The reuslts came in just at the end of November and no, I didn't get in. Am I bummed? You betcha! Not just because this will push any sort of graduation off by at least 6 months, but also because it means some added expenses if I wish to study in those 6 months AND that I didn't actually get left out because I did poorly in the entrance exams. Out of 70 possible points, 20 are alotted based on previous work experience in the same field as the degree program. Sooooo, if I already had a job in said field, I would've gotten in to study it. Right. Am I the only one that thinks that's just a tiny bit messed up? Yup, it did piss me off that even though I might do well in the exam and the interview, I'm left in a 20 point disadvantage from the start BECAUSE COMPANIES DON'T HIRE PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO DEGREES IN THEIR FIELD. I'm assuming this was a totally appropriate division of the points about 25 ears ago when you could still get jobs without actual academic degrees. Not that I'm bitter.

Wait, yes I am.

As a result of this (not of being bitter but the other stuff before that) I have two choices for the next 6 months: 1. I'll take more open uni courses, pay around 500€ for the entrance and the transportation, and maybe possibly thought not very likely, have something to give me extra points on the next round of entrance exams. Also, if I should happen to get in, graduation might not get pushed back a whole 6 months. OR 2. I don't sign up for more courses but instead get a proper lense for my camera and work on the non-academic stuff, so that by Summer next year I might have some extra money and wont have to live off tap water and licking noodle wrappers. Also there's the possible added bonus of maybe getting to do some small amount of traveling. There's also a hidden door number 3. that would allow me to do both option 1. and 2., but that's the stuff of myths and legends and something that you really shouldn't pin your hopes on unles you happen to own a unicorn that poops out golden vegan eggs.

So that's the sucky part. Oh and some airhostesses are on strike but I haven't followed that one at all and then there's some strange religious cult made out of ingeneering students and graduates that apparently makes loads of money for the head of the cult while he pressures wimminz into starving themselves to anorexia, but I haven't much followed that one either. And then some bridges collapsed because of lorries running into them and if you really want to get into World Suck, you should read Guy Delisle's travel comics to put western consumerism in proportion. Yeah, I think that's most of the sucky part. The awesome part was tax returns. And by tax returns I mean being able to get that travel comic of Burma by Guy Delisle and going to Helsinki to enjoy the Christmas lights and finally getting to visit Sis.Deli (a coffee shop of sorts that's based around organic and local food) for that very awesome blueberry frappuccino and cookies served by a very awesome lady and then just sitting at a table with my coffee and cookies, reading a brand spanking new comic book while the snow falls silently outside. It was all very very good. Can you tell I miss Helsinki? Hell, I just miss being part of the human race. A cup of guilt-free coffee and tasty cookies is sometimes all you need to feel warm inside.

Is it narcisistic to be happy about getting a Christmas card from someone with your own design on it?
Christmas card