Chinese Facebook, among other things

Oh, I'm back finally. Do you know why is it so hard to write here every time? Because I have to click *wait 5 or so minutes*, click *wait some more* and so on... just to get to this text box into which I'm typing now. I so hate this firewall thing which makes using Blogger so much of an annoyance. I know, I know, I could use proxy every time I write here but that's also a hassle.

Anyway, I'd like to start (if this still can be called a start) with a quotation from our beloved chairman Mao, who said something like "one is not a true man, until he has stepped on the Great Wall". Well now, I'm going to continue with another will-be-famous quotations of my own: "one is not a true Chinese student, until he has registered on Xiaonei", the Chinese Facebook-clone.

Actually, on a quick glance, they bear so much similarities that you couldn't distinguish between them. But after discovering and fervently using the Chinese version, I've began to notice subtle (and some not-so-subtle) differences. Firstly, when you visit someone's profile, you leave a mark (like it or not), which means you can't stalk on people without them noticing, haha :D Secondly, there are no relationship information available, it's not even asked for. Instead, on the so-familiar left menu, right under the picture, you get one's hometown (because it is quite normal to travel far distances to go study).

And boy, do the Chinese people love to share stuff (links, pictures, videos etc.) on it! My main page is constantly updating (with only some 40+ friends atm). But the main thing about Xiaonei is that it forces me to learn Chinese as I'm trying to stay current with the latest gossips and stuff like that :D That's why I've become a heavy user of some of the online Chinese English dictionaries. Indeed, my Chinese is has improved quickly. Now I wish I had had the energy to get on it earlier. This is a bit too little too late, but still fun!

Last few weeks have been hectic. Not necessarily because of school. I've been growing a bit apart from it, skipping classes here and there (but still almost always returning homework on time). So I guess the trend seen from my last posting was not temporary. I've also been spending a lot of time at the TV station. They are my family now. Next Wednesday, on Christmas Eve, me and some of my dearest TV station friends are going on a late dinner. I'll try teach them some Finnish Christmas traditions, the good ones I learned when I was young. And of course, there will be presents :)

Yesterday, a fellow exchange friend called me. He said, "I just called to say goodbye. I'm leaving today." After I put my phone down I realized that it has started. The decline. The end of the banquet is near. With that realization came the sadness, sending shockwaves through my body. One by one, my exchange buddies will be gone.

Then one day, it will be my turn.

What's worse, I leave behind so many people whom I've learned to call my friends (In Finnish: "ystävä", not "kaveri", there's a huge semantic difference). Well, they still are after I leave, but I also know what distance does to relationships. Like roses, no matter how you tend them, they wither. Slowly and painfully. Someone said to me, "treasure these moments, for we will miss you". How can I treasure them when my heart is full of pain?

I feel like a prisoner, sentenced to death, knowing my execution date. I'll be forever counting the days...

This will be my third and last quote this time around, and it will be in Finnish. It's from a song and I'm sorry if you don't know the language, but you'll have to look it up, because in the process you might learn something important:

"Kuka voisi kellot seisauttaa / ja ajan pysäyttää / kun maailma lainaa kaikkein kauneintaan."

Yes, my time here is only on a loan. And I'll have to pay it back. With an interest...

But despite all this gloom I hope I've achieved something while being here. Rocked the boat. Left my mark. On things and on people's hearts and minds. You can watch one of these marks on Youtube. It's a music video... hope you like it!

Busy times

Whew, I think now's the time to chill out for a while. I was so busy (and wrapped into) shooting a music video for my colleague at the tv station that I let it interfere with my studies. That video will be shown at their department's students' festival. Nothing biggie but I'm actually skipping classes to do shooting. But I guess if the locals can do it, why can't I? And for your information, the video is going to be GREAT! I'll link it here when it's finished :)

By the way, today I got to do one of the coolest things ever here which was to shoot a four-camera live broadcast and webcast of the 2008 campus singing contest finals. The only bad thing? I heard that in the Spring semester it will be a model / fashion show instead of the singing contest. Why god whyyyy!??!??