Writer's blog

A common definition of a writer's block is that the they lose their ability to write due to lack of inspiration or creativity. Me? Sometimes, I just don't write. Period. I should, though, and I should do it more often. Writing clears my thoughts and puts them in a more organized form to be dissected and analyzed. Or whatever.

I participated in an English speech contest here, hoping to actually achieve something here. In the first round (a kind of qualifying one), the texts were given. Or rather, you randomly select one of five or six different texts. Of course it was just my luck to get a overly sugary sweet speech about love. Actually, now that I think of it in retrospect, it seemed more bittersweet after all. Needless to say, I didn't make it past even the first round. Will blame it on the topic.

If you have followed my tweets (Twitter updates, same as my Facebook status messages), you know that some student here committed suicide last week. She (yes, a girl) apparently wasn't afraid of the heights. They say in the school's BBS (discussion board) that the motive is either the high pressure due to exams or problems in love life, both of which are quite plausible explanations.

I guess that just about ruins my earlier plans to talk about how I felt that the Chinese people were so much happier than people in Finland, for example. But it was just an initial illusion I had, being in ignorant bliss and "tourist mode" myself. The more I got to know people here, the more I learn about the stuff beneath the surface and the more I realize how alike all the people in the world are. How similar problems they are all dealing with. It also acted as a harsh reminder that I couldn't escape my own demons by just going to someplace new. The dust has officially settled. Oh, and the nights here are officially colder than in Helsinki.

You may also have noticed from my tweets that I finally saw both Wall*E, the Pixar movie I was eagerly anticipating since this spring, and the Dark Knight, the "second" batman flick (which I didn't quite anticipate, but was just curious about). Out of these two I have to admit that I was soooo disappointed at Wall*E. Maybe all those praising reviews I read had me set ludicrously high expectations for it. A movie about robots, for gods sake! To me, they didn't feel human at all. I even liked Ratatouille better. The Dark Knight, however, was a pleasant surprise. Maybe also because I didn't expect so much of it. It was gloomer than I thought, which is good for a superhero movie. I mean, the Iron Man was just too happy hippy.

Other than the news, my life is still going on the same. School and work still come and go, stuff at the tv station is still interesting as ever, and I still miss u guys at home. Laters...

Singles and boys

November 11th was a singles' day. At least in China, that is. And I spent most of it on schoolwork.

I've never heard of the singles' day celebrated anywhere else. The date "11/11" is just perfect though: four ones, aka singles. According to internet sources, it started in the 1990s from a Chinese university mostly as a joke, but then has evolved into mainstream. But mostly it's still celebrated in schools. As well as the subsequent day (here at Tsinghua -- I think the date fluctuates from school to school), the boys' day.

It sure pays to get friendly with the local kids.. erm girls? Again, most of them are from the tv station anyway. At eleven fifty on singles' day, just about when I was going to go to bed, I got a phone call from one of them to come down and out my dormitory. Believe me, you want to pick this call up. So right after midnight, I was greeted with four (!) girls from the tv station, which is a kind of primary peer group of mine here, as us exchange students don't have our "home classes", similar to high school.

What's this boys' day then? Well, the girls are supposed to give their male classmates presents and boys are supposed to pretend they didn't know the girls were preparing. And vice versa on girls' day in the spring. A) I'm just glad I don't have to go through all the trouble in the spring because I'll be gone by then lol and B) ... did I have a B?

Anyway, I guess in a culture experiencing such a rapid change from traditional to modern there are lots of lonely souls caught in the middle of the fray, and so the need for these kinds of festivities exists. Not implying anything but I sure enjoyed my "surprise". They gave me a hot cup of coffee and a pair of gloves, with my initials and a text "THTV" (Tsinghua TV) on it. So heartwarming, right?

It's about time I needed a new pair of gloves anyway... ;)

Midterm frenzy and other things

Wow, this week's been frenzy. With lots of midterms coming up next week the people are getting very busy with their schoolwork and deliverables. I myself have done a few half-nighters, with some of my Chinese (you know... Chinese Chinese) schoolmates pulling full-nighters this week. And when the Chinese people do it, they have to work in the shared washing room of their floor, because electricity to their rooms are cut at 11 pm.

Can you imagine that? Someone working over their laptop in the washing room in the middle of the night? Apparently, that's common. And here I complain being just massively tired.

Wait... have I already spent about half of my time here? That can't be true. One semester is definitely too short a time, noooo! Just when you get used to the idea that you're living in your true motherland, they'll take you away.

I never quite felt Finland was my true home, and after few months in China, the mixed feelings are even stronger. There's just this new sense of identity and belonging I've never felt before. Like not once have I woken up in my dorm and wondered "What the hell am I doing here?", it feels just so natural.

Oh boy, I just don't know what will happen in the future.