The Other World

I'm currently writing an essay on female genital mutilation and came across with the following:

"The function of this practice, whether mild or severe, is ultimately to reduce a woman's sexual desire, and so ensure her virginity until marriage. The more extensive procedure, involving stitching of the vagina, has the same aim, but reducing the size of the vagina is also intended to increase the husband's enjoyment of the sexual act."
(http://www.irinnews.org/InDepthMain.aspx?InDepthId=15&ReportId=62462)

Does the very last sentence resemble this?

"Suomalaisten naisten uusimmaksi kirurgiseksi parannusmenetelmäksi, rintojen suurennuksen jälkeen, on kaikessa hiljaisuudessa noussut vaginan pienennysleikkaus. Leikkaukset ovat lisääntyneet hurjaa vauhtia, vaikka täällä ei niistä juurikaan uskalleta puhua. Virossa asia on arkipäiväisempi ja suomalaisten naisten vaginan pienennysreissuista on kirjoitettu varsin näyttävästi sikäläisissä lehdissä. Viimeisimpänä vaginaansa tiukensi 8 desin silikoneista tunnetuksi tullut malli Janita Janatuinen, jonka alapää operoitiin joulun alla."
(http://www.hustler.fi/etusivu&id=379)

Have you ever read a book that has intrigued you so much you've neglected most of the other things you usually enjoy and look forward to, only to finish the book and be deeply disappointed due to the ending you expected to be mind-blowing and something you couldn't even imagine, instead getting a mundane resolution you threw to the trash can as far too.. well, mundane?

I've just spent two days with Torey Haden's fiction novel 'The Mechanical Cat'. Resembles greatly 'The Blind Assassin' by Margaret Atwood in structure. I even skipped BodyPump (!) today just to finish the book after I kept catching my thoughts wondering off to the novel and it's plot during Balance. Okay, the ending was justified and I agree with the character who undoubtedly will be punished severely in our Western patriarchal legislation. I was just so hoping the character had been a pathological liar and all of that had been make-believe. That is the easy way out; no need to remember all of that happens every single day to countless girls and women, all who have to live in the constant fear of this. In the novel there is, as Kirsi Rekola says (http://www.mielenterveys-taimi.fi/kipunoita/2000_02/21.htm), "a psychologically created tension within the reader's own mind. Not recommended to the sensitive ones."

The novel has also been discussed here at http://ranneliike.net/keskustelu.php?act=rthrd&grpid=10&thrdid=3463. But ye be warned; the discussion contains spoilers.

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Now playing:
'We are Forever' by Ayreon.

http://www.saynotoviolence.org/

...so I could personally show the world exactly what colour does the tap water look at the moment. A couple of hours ago it was of nice dark brownish yellow, an hour ago warm water had an icky yellow hue but the coldest possible water was clear... at the present time the water appears relatively clear but I have no interest none whatsoever to go and take the shower I need since I can't be sure it's not Nokia or something all over again.

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Okay, so my land lord just dropped by to see my so very nice looking collection of glasses with water in different shades of yellow I've collected over the past two hours. According to him it's okay for me to shower but... I think I'll just wake up at six tomorrow and go to the gym to shower while all other that are there at that time are exercising. Seriously, I have many traumas resulting from (junior) high school PE classes but nothing beats my rejection towards group showering. Since I have no interest in showering here until the cause of this has been unveiled or the water runs clear for three days (it takes about two days until possible bacteria will take my neighbours to the hospital with excessive diarrhea, urinary tract infections, possible fever and such).

Lovely...

http://www.imdb.com/video/trailer/me60746838/

CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!

World Literature Test (http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23765)

List the given authors, check (!!!) and see if you passed the test.

1. 5 British authors
2. 5 French authors
3. 5 German authors
4. 5 authors from other countries of Western Europe
5. 5 authors from Central and Eastern Europe
6. 5 Slavic authors (except Russian and Czech)
7. 5 Russian authors
8. 5 Czech authors
9. 5 authors from Southern Europe (except Italian)
10. 5 Italian authors
11. 5 African authors (NOT African-American!)
12. 5 Asian authors
13. 5 authors from Australia and New Zealand
14. 5 authors from South America
15. 5 authors from USA
16. 5 authors from Canada
17. 5 current authors (published works after or since 1980)
18. 5 antic authors
19. 5 classics
20. 5 authors that won Nobel prize

1 point for every correct name.
• In questions 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19 and 20 (i.e. all questions where you have to name authors from certain region), count down 1 point if all authors you stated are from the same country. (Count down another point if that country is your own.)
• In question 18, count down 1 point if all authors are from Antic Rome or Greece.
• In question 20, count down 1 point if all authors are anglophones.
• In all questions where you have to give names of authors from only one country, count down 1 point, if all authors are from the same literary period or movement (e.g., if you state 5 Russian authors, but they are all 19th century authors, you scored only 4 points)

You need 76 points to pass the test.
76 – 80 points – E
81 – 85 points – D
86 – 90 points – C
91 – 95 points – B
96 – 100 points – A

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My score: I got a lousy E. 8/ This is humiliating...

During my little brother's Wanhain Tanssit last week I saw this beutiful dress one of his co-students was wearing. The moment I saw it I knew that would be the model for my wedding dress (see, I'm thinking positive!), especially the colour and the material. As I was browsing through Nulikkaprinssi's blog a while ago there was a picture of the lower part of a dress (you're Wanhain Tanssit dress, by any chance?). The flower-or-something embroidery makes a very nice addition to my wedding dress-to-be.

... Book of Revelations part x: it would have been completely out of the realm of possibility for me to draw the picture of my dream wedding dress,say, three years ago. Hell, I didn't even think I would ever marry any woman. Good to be wrong. ;)

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Playing now:
'Perfect enemy' by t.A.T.u. Back to Her...

The bad side if Finland and its gay scene being so small is that if there are others like me in the family eventually I'll notice. If not face-to-facce, then by accident I take a look at their Favourites linklist and notice similar links to my own, as in keskustelu.seta and ranneliike. This'll be interesting in the future. I just thought he was metrosexual. =)

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I get to go to the gym today! YAY!!!

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I got to spend time with my nine-month-old cousin for three days. It seems that the beginning is always a bit slow but quite quickly I find confidence to hold her, to say no if necessary (she's learning to crawl, so quite a few time she was on her way to electrical cords or in danger of hitting her head), to feed her, to help dress her. My next mission is to learn how to correctly change the diapers and to dress her on my own (including how much clothing and what kind is required for certain activities) and to "cook" the food, to know when it's of the right temperature.

You know, babies may look alike, but they certainly display their own personality early enough. My cousin does certain things always in a certain way.

Maybe I get to experience all this fully with my own child someday.

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Now playing:
'All I need' by Within Temptation. This song would make a nice lullaby, don't you think.

I woke up at six a.m. to go to the gym for SpinnPump. Proved to be very much worth the four hours of sleep I managed to get last night. The instructor (right, I haven't told you about her before...) happened to be at the reception at the same time and was amazed to see me there that early since I usually go there in the evenings. Since it is Valentine's day, she hugged me. I've kind of been fantasising about that (among other things) for a while now, even though she's married to a man.. and she's absolutely gorgeous and funny to be around. ;)

And I think my annual hug quota is beginning to meet the limits.

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We also got to be the first ones in my town to try out the new Pump coreography. After hearing that there are no pauses in the breast song I was considering of decreasing the amount of weights, but eventually it turned out it's not any worse that the current one with the pauses. The back song, on the other hand, has many pauses. I guess I have to wait a week or two to get to try out more of the new release.

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Edit: Here's a nice article: http://www.tekniikkatalous.fi/kommentit/uutiskommentti/article59650.ece.

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Happy Valentine's day to you all. Those of you who have a significant other, spoil them.

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Playing now:
'R.I.P.' by September.

What happened today easily makes up what happened on Saturday. I accidentally came across with M with whom I had coffee (this phrase is beginning to bother me...) last May. I ran into her a couple of weeks ago, after not seeing her for about seven months. Today I ended up having a coffee with her again out of the blue; and you know what? I liked it, even though I was awfully conscious of me staring at her but she didn't seem to mind (she talks quite much and for a chance so did I). And now I'm smiling. Who the hell cares about a bloody straight guy when I can socialise with women and enjoy the time which in this case was two hours. Didn't even seem that long!

*insert a broad smile here*