"Verta imevä perhonen kyynelyökkönen on kotiutumassa Suomen luontoon. Lajista on tehty vuoden 2000 jälkeen yli sata havaintoa.
Perhoselle kelpaa myös ihmisveri. Suomen luonnonsuojeluliiton viestintäpäällikkö Matti Nieminen ei kuitenkaan usko, että yöaikaan liikkuvasta perhosesta on todellista vaaraa ihmiselle.
- Vaikka se perhonen kykenee imemään ihmisen verta, niin todennäköistä on se, että se ei kuitenkaan ryntää ihmisten iholle. Turha on pelätä sitä, että öisin tämmöinen vaara olisi Suomessa tästä eteenpäin, Nieminen rauhoittelee.
Kyynelyökkösen imukärsä on tavallista vahvempi ja siinä on väkäset, jotka mahdollistavat ihoon kiinnittymisen. Yleensä perhosten imukärsä soveltuu vain veden ja kasvien nesteiden imemiseen.
Suomen Luonto -lehdessä julkaistiin tiettävästi ensimmäinen kuva, jossa kyynelyökkönen imee verta perhostutkijan sormesta. Kun perhosia ei häiritä, veren imeminen kestää muutamia minuutteja. Imukohtaa särkee seuraavat kaksi-kolme tuntia ja imukohta erottuu vielä seuraavana päivänä aavistuksen turvonneena.
Kyynelyökkösen suomalainen nimi tulee siitä, että lajin on tiedettuy imevän kyyneliä nisäkkäiden silmistä, ja jopa verta näiden ihon läpi."
(shivering...) I'm beginning to believe in karma... I SAID I WAS SORRY!
Splenetic
Earlier this spring someone here came across with the problem of writing about private matters publically behind a nick. I have now encountered the same thing, and as a result The Other World will take a brake until I learn to shut up. It may take a while so all of you have a nice summer, during which I will dwell on the consequences of this blog and my inability to think before talking (or sending an e-mail...) for the rest of the summer and concentrate on my second blog that doesn't allow me to rant and rave about other people.
Six minutes I got an epiphanic revelation. During the past week, the eight days I've been trying to reach the teacher who failed me, I've been using the same e-mail address (of mine, that is). I have used that same (the e-mail provided to me by the university) address to many other e-mails as well, but none of them have replied either. So the epiphany... I came to realise that what if the programme doesn't really send the mails even though they are in the sent-mail files. I just tested the theory and realised that that is exactly what is does... or doesn't do, more like. So, I take back everything I've said about the Teacher S during the past eight days; none of it was justified, but a result of a technological malfunction.
The change of plans is about 'Hadal'. The delivery of Bonnier had problems, resulting in 'Hadal' (as well as Sturm and drang or something similar) being late. So now I just have to go get it tomorrow. In the morning, before the exam. I'll probably be the first one there at nine, only to get that album. Ah, well.
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The Meme of the Day: www.alypaa.com. I continue promoting these quizzes about trivial things. But at least it may prove to be useful at some point.
No, I am not listening to Europe (ugghhhh...) but Velcra's first born 'Consequences of Disobedience'. As all the enlightened know by now, tomorrow Velcra's third will officially see the daylight. I'm sure there are some poor bastards who have decided in their almighty stupidity to download the promos of 'Hadal' to the Internet, but fortunately (for once) I don't know where to look, nor how to download them and quite frankly I don't care to know. I'm the kind of person who likes the feeling of unwrapping a concrete CD out of the plastic; to see it for my own eyes instead of a punch of pixels on the screen, to feel the paper of the booklet, to read the lyrics from that booklet, to look at the pictures inside... The whole digital music idea without the real thing I find actually quite lame. It's the same thing with those idiots who want to publish some bloody e-books. Fine, as long as there are also the real books available, books whose covers and pages to touch, whose pages to turn and hear the paper rattling, whose scent to smell; the one you can read even if the power goes out.
"When when's today, the machines say, what is a man to do..." (Sonata Arctica: The Worlds Forgotten, The Words Forbidden)
But to go back to the countdown... As I am writing this, there are approximately thirteen hours eleven minutes and 48 seconds to the moment I walk outside Anttila, sit down to the market square to change some other album into Velcra's 'Hadal'. This is to happen at noon tomorrow before my parents burst in. Maybe even sooner in case the beloved teacher doesn't show up for her office hours at ten a.m. (inhuman time for a nocturnal being like me). But anyway, I just listened to the samples of most of the songs in ‘Hadal’ at http://www.velcra.com/music_hadal.htm, and I am thrilled! The ones to catch my full attention were ‘New Recruit’, ‘Dead End Lane’ and the name song ‘Hadal’. The weirdest (in a positive sense) is so far ‘We Must Start Again’. I CAN’T WAIT!!!
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I'm nearly finished with Nathanael West's 'The Day of the Locust'. There are two things I need to check; the locusts (and try to come up with an explanation why they were chosen for the title; maybe it's a reference to the bible? In that case I have to... mmm... *get* to watch an X-Files episode in which Mulder quotes the bible about locusts). The other includes the symptoms of schizophrenia: I am convinced Homer is schizophrenic. I also have to check the correct spelling of the word; if I get to express my Homer theory I want to get the words right. Nothing undermines a theory better than continuous misspelling of an essential word(s).
I got the call to the entrance exam today. I have to say the questions, albeilt far from unexpected, are interesting. In the first section (the title “henkilötiedot” breathtaking in its unoriginality) there is a question, however, that would require correcting because it lacks one option.
What is missing? Yeah. This questionnaire is for the interview carried out by a psychologist; I guess I'll have to come up with some not-so-offending tone to point out this... well, discrimination. After all, "avioliitto" and "rekisteröity parisuhde" are not to be compared with the current lack of rights and responsibilities in registered relationships.
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Today, as I was at the Red Cross donating blood, I had this (praying mantis) epiphany; all of a sudden I just realised how much I actually enjoy living in a community with both of the official languages co-existing so visibly. It never ceases to amaze me how lucky Finland’s Swedes are for being raised bilingual. Really, if I ever have that child I would want to raise her/him here. Vaasa is my home.
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My parents are coming here tomorrow. I have to clean up my apartment and take out (read: hide) everything that may cause controversy (in other words, movies ‘Secretary’ and ‘Tipping the Velvet’ and my entire Restricted section in my bookcase. It is rather ridiculous I even have to do such a thing, really. I mean, with those posters it should be pretty obvious what my sexual orientation is. And no, I haven’t told them. Not because I would be afraid of their reaction (which probably is n e g a t i v e) but because I want to break this clan tradition of not talking about anything. I’ll tell them once they are able to directly ask me.
Your Detailed Results:
Physical Touch: 10
Quality Time: 8
Words of Affirmation: 7
Acts of Service: 4
Receiving Gifts: 1
I suppose that’s true; the point when I find touching comfortable *is* high, but once I’m beyond that point it is very important to me, as this quiz affirmed. But hey, I’m quite a cheap girlfriend since I don’t see gifts as signs of affection.
I just want to make a public apology. When I said about twenty-four hours ago that the new Sonata Arctica album was a disappointment... well, I'd like to take that back. I would be lying if I said I understand all the songs even partially but I'm growing to like the music part, albeit some of the lyrics remain confusing (as 'My dream's but a drop of fuel for a nightmare' which I'm listening to as I write this).
My apologies. I am but an ignorant metallist prone to jump into conclusions far too quickly. So quickly I was ever able to fail to realise the masterpieces 'For the sake of revenge', 'Caleb' and 'It won't fade'.
Now I'm beginning to get inside 'Unia'. It just took longer than with any other SA album before to conquer even one song. That song is 'For the sake of revenge'; I nearly know the lyrics by heart. 'Caleb' is getting its place among the favourites although I'm still not quite sure what it tells about. I'll just give it time.
Requiem in pace power metal Sonata Arctica.
Hail progressive metal Sonata Arctica!
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I think I'll watch Silent Hill again tonight. The picture below is actually made of the sequense that caused me the main anxiety after I first saw the movie. There's something so creepy about the armless guy. You know, until the Making of -documentary I never noticed that the Red Pyramid doesn't have any actual loincloth (aha! finally I got to use that word!).
Post scriptum: damn it! Even that mere picture makes shivers of horror run down my spine. Hrrr...
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The Meme of the Day: www.jigzone.com. As I've said before, the inventor of jigsaw puzzles should get that posthumous Nobel prize for peace.
“While you are sleeping I steal your earring
Light you one candle, this anger I handle
They said I won’t find but now I’m beside you
I’m not all that stable, you should know by now”
Sonata Arctica: The End of This Chapter
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Can't sleep. I'm feeling anxious. I still haven't warmed to 'Unia'. Actually, I just switched back to 'Silence'. This is how I like Sonata Arctica served: power metal, shredding, real power shouts, "kovaa, korkialta ja jumalattoman nopiaa" combined with tragic stories of unfulfilled or lost love!
Still haven't heard 'Eva'. I'm slightly wary when it comes to the song. What is having a new singer has changed Nightwish's style like the style has changed with Sonata Arctica? Thanks to these two, I am growing sceptic with 'Hadal', too. Far too many changes to a routine-loving person like me, especially to think of in the middle of the night in an already-anxious state of mind.
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Since I have trouble sleeping again, I ended up doing a punch of quizzes provided by MTV3's Helmi (http://www.mtv3.fi/helmi2005/kuudesaisti/artikkeli.shtml/392057). A warning to those who are planning on killing time there: the site is heavily heterocentric.
Which jewel are you? -> “Smaragdi”
What is your single type? -> “Vaeltaja” =)
Which goddess are you? -> Artemis
What kind of a pig are you? (meant for men but ah, well!) -> “Maatiaissika”
“You scored as a Batman, the Dark Knight
As the Dark Knight of Gotham, Batman is a vigilante who deals out his own brand of justice to the criminals and corrupt of the city. He follows his own code and is often misunderstood. He has few friends or allies, but finds comfort in his cause.”
Batman, the Dark Knight - 75%
Neo, the "One" - 71%
Lara Croft - 67%
Maximus - 63%
Captain Jack Sparrow - 63%
In the end, I was far too tired to get myself up at 07.00. Instead I'll wait till Monday; I'm sure that 'Eva' makes it quickly to the most wanted list on NRJ. I'll just listen to it then.
But more importantly I got the new Sonata Arctica album 'Unia' today. I am currently listening to it for the second time. I tend to be prone to be rather negative on any new stuff so it's likely that whatever I say here today about the music has probably changed by next week. But here's an amateur review on the album after the first four hours.
Overall I found the album not meeting my expectations. I am disappointed mainly due to the lack of what I see as *real* Sonata Arctica, songs that are played and sung "kovaa, korkealta ja jumalattoman nopeesti". Okay, it's heavy but Kakko, as far as I remember, doesn't get to shred with his voice that high, unfortunately. The same goes to Jani's guitar. 'Under your tree' is the obligatory Big Ballad; in this song the keyboards have quite a big role, as seems to be the case in some other songs as well. They do create a dreamscape-like atmosphere. 'Caleb' (I actually know someone bearing that name) reminds me of 'The boy who wanted to be a real puppet': they both tell an epic story. 'The Vice' is my personal favourite alongside with ‘Good enough is good enough’. I'm not quite sure what the trick is, but it probably has something to do with the neat combination of a catchy melody and heavy guitars and a nice, mysterious ending. But all the points for including the cello in 'My dream's but a drop of full for a nightmare' as well as the classical elements in ‘Good enough is good enough’! And the background part in Finnish in 'To create a warlike feel' also get deux points. Just make one song in Finnish and don't drown it in the English lyrics sung on top of it!
But as for the notorious ex-musical aspects. I don't know who is responsible, in the end, for what is printed in the booklet inside the covers, but whoever the hell it is... shame on you! It's bears T W O incomplete lyrics, those of 'To create a warlike feel' and 'Fly with the black swan'. Nun liebe kinder gebt fein acht! For once the covers are well-made and then someone lets incomplete lyrics get printed. There are also a considerable amount of apostrophes missing, not to mention misplaced lyrics.
All in all, this collection of dreams does flow forward nicely, but I feel like there's something missing. But as said, I'm viewing this from the point of view of a mundane listener with no knowledge of the actual playing or singing or mixing or the rest jargon things. I still like more the four previous albums but it'll probably change as soon as I truly get inside these songs. I'll try again then if I feel like ranting and raving how stupid I was not realising how ingenious some song was. The somewhat …eh… cowly ending of the album remains a mystery.
Step 1: Put your MP3 player or whatever on random.
Step 2: Post the first line from the first 15 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song.
Step 3: Post and let everyone you know guess what song and artist the lines come from.
Step 4: Strike out the songs when someone guesses correctly.
Step 5: Looking them up on Google or any other search engine is CHEATING!
Step 6: World domination!
Just in case someone actually tries to figure out my results, let it be noted it is *not* Sonata Arctica, any of the albums. Here we go. Note bene; there were only nine songs on the album to begin with, hence it’s shorter than it should be.
1. I want you to know that I’m happy for you/ and I wish nothing but the best for you both
2. Ladies up in here tonight/ No fighting, no fighting
3. Äitis yrittää, veljeskin on onnistunut/ hankkii elantoa, seurustelee vakavasti
4. How can you possibly have fun with a jellyfish?
5. She sits in her corner singing herself to sleep/ Wrapped in all of the promises that no-one seems to keep
6. I am the Candyman - Coming from Bountyland/ I am the Candyman - Coming from Bountyland
7. Do you breath the name of your savior in your hour of need/ And taste the blame if the flavor should remind you of greed
8. I know there’s something in the wake of your smile/ I get a notion from the look in your eyes
9. Wake up/ Grab a brush and put a little (makeup)/ Hide the scars to fade away the (shakeup)
Go on and give it a try. I want to know if anyone can find that one which is fairly tricky.
