Mad Confection's Adventures

Alright, alright

2010-10-02T22:04:00.003+03:00

So it's been like, a million years since I last updated anything. Been busy, sort of. I'm thinking about putting up one of my NaNo works here, chapter by chapter. Let's see how that goes.

Rainy Days

2010-07-21T11:25:00.008+03:00

It's already been over a week here :D Can't believe how quickly time goes by! I haven't eaten cakes for days, and am feeling subtle withdrawal symptoms xD
It's raining. Who doesn't love the rain?

It's been fun, these past few days. A cousin dropped by to visit and it's a delight to meet people like him - mom clearly didn't want him to leave, and she's now plotting and planning for him to visit us in Finland. He reminded me so much of my own little brother that is was a bit eerie :D

Another relative (or well, a few relatives) are coming soon too. One of my aunts and her family. Then, on the 26th, two friends of mine will be arriving. So yeah, I really can't wait. xD

Anyway, aside from Story About The Story, I also bought By Hook or By Crook, written by David Crystal;

This is a journey in search of the English language but not along any route that's been explored before. Acclaimed linguist David Crystal takes us down the intriguing side roads, via entertaining diversions and through the mysterious groves and thickets of English, to create a unique and mesmerising account of the language and its speakers. From Bangor to Bombay and from Stratford to San Francisco, Crystal subjects Tolkien, 1960s cult television, Kolkata, pub names, Bovril, ancient runes and all manners of verbal curiosities to his inquisitive examinations.
A linguistic travelogue like no other, By Hook or by Crook captures the quirky, tantalizing nature of language in a fascinating exploration of people, places and words.

It's still raining~ I bet the evening will be awesome. And I have his urge to buy another book. I already bought one book on literature and another on English language... so now I need a few about writing itself, right? :D *gleaming eyes*

Now I must choose whether I make tea or chocolate cappuccino...

Hot & Here!

2010-07-18T14:07:00.013+03:00

Alright, so here I finally am (and have been for 8 days already) - in Istanbul!

It's been brilliant, to be honest. Sure, the weather is hot and sunny but not intolerably so... besides the heat gives an excuse for drinking fresh orange juice and eating ice cream whenever! :D

Been hanging out mostly in Beyoglu, since we live in the area, but have visited Cevahir and Sultanahmet a few times this year. Prayed the jum'ah in the Blue Mosque last Friday and it was freaking awesome! I hope that I'll get to pray there quite a few times again. In Finland there aren't good opportunities to pray in a Mosque, so I'm going to enjoy this chance here as much as possible.

The cafe I tend to prefer over the others is Mado, but I did try Gloria Jean's Coffees with my sisters. Their milkshakes were awesome, and so were the cakes, but compared to Mado it's a bit pricey.

The chocolate here is cheap, too, and while chocolate is always good, once you've gotten used to eating Fazer, anything less than perfect will be immediately noticed.

I've taken lots of pics (since I did buy my camera just for the sake of taking lots of pics here) and while lots of them are blurred and not too lovely, I've decided to delete nothing. I'm totally keeping every single picture, no matter how blurred or dark it is!

I'm yet to visit Aya Sofia or Topkapi again (visited them last year). I'm waiting for my friends (who'll be arriving in a week or so) and for my cousins (who'll arrive next week, Insha Allah) before I go there.

Last year my folks and I visited the Olivium Outlet Shopping Center, but decided to not go there this year - it's not really worth the trouble, since Beyoglu's shops combined with those of Cevahir and Sultanahmet are more than enough, no matter what you want to buy. I'm here to buy veils and books, my sisters found some clothes to buy, and we all found awesome bags that I totally should buy a few more of.

But oh yes, books. The book stores here are something so awesome and special and have so many books that I'm dying to buy... I promised myself to wait at least will my friends arrive, because spending money together is more fun than spending money alone, but I already caved in once and bought a book.

The Story About the Story - Great Writers Explore Great Literature is a collection of essays and cost a small fortune but I couldn't resist. The back says:

Never before collected in a single volume, the essays in The Story About the Story feature lively discussions about great literature by the most prominent authors of all time. Editor J. C. Hallman has pored through countless collected essays, searching for pieces in which author approaches literature from a personal angle. The result is a collection that offers an invaluable course on literature as well as an introduction to "Creative Criticism," a form of critical essay that involves a personal - not to mention provocative, intelligent, and, at times, hilarious - perspective on literature and life.

So basically, it's made of win and so darn fascinating that I'm happy like whoa that I bought it.

The only thing I could complain about is the mosquitoes. I mean, seriously, 21 mosquito bites isn't really something I wanted, but luckily applying a bit of hand lotion keeps the itching at bay and stops me from scratching - which I'm glad for since scratching mosquito bites can cause scarring.

Ooh, I want cake now. Or ice cream. Maybe I should go later to get some. The best part about eating cakes here is that I walk so much, and there's quite a bit of sweat involved, too, that I end up losing a bit of weight instead of gaining. And there's only so much sweets you can eat before wishing for a proper salad or a simple piece of bread.

Right, I say that while shamelessly eating popcorn. Simple piece of bread, mmkay? xD

I've got my eye on a few other books, too. I guess I need to make some sort of spending schedule and put aside the book-money.

I'm just a tad bit worried about when we go back to Finland - how much will my suitcase weight!? Also, I feel like I've spent lots of money on practically nothing, even though I keep on thinking how cheap the stuff here is. What have I bought? A soap, a veil, a book, a keychain, a bag... okay, so maybe I've bought some stuff xD

The most money still is spent at restaurants and cafes, I think. It's just so easy to not notice how much money actually is spent there.

Ooh, I got this sudden urge to play either scrabble or alias. Got the stuff for neither, and online scrabble sucks mostly. And I used to play so much sudoku and mahjong at home that now I really am fed up with them xD Will be going out at six, which is about three hours away. Till then I'll just either play freerice or write.

I'm tempted to buy another veil, but I doubt that I'd buy another Armine. Depends on my wallet's health condition during the last week :D Arimen veils aren't cheap, but they're so lovely <3

I bought one (the veil in the pic). I'm yet to use it though, mainly because I've been so focused on thin pashminas instead of the square veils I usually use. My sister taught me a good way to tie the pashmina, and I almost like it more now than the square veil style xD

But yeah, enough babbling, I guess. Off to get a bottle of icy water to drink. It's hoooottt...

Soon!

2010-07-08T19:04:00.004+03:00

So much time has already passed, and Insha Allah soon I'l be going to Turkey!

I've already packed most of everything and am eagerly waiting to go to Istanbul and take pics :D Knowing me, it'll be mostly about food xD Oooh well~ At least I'll remember what I ate there, eh?

Gotta remember to look for Neuro web design : what makes them click? by Susan M. Weinschenk and Influence : the psychology of persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini when I come back. I found them both at the library but couldn't borrow them then. So unfortunate, but no can do. I'll just have to remember to get them as soon as I return.

Yesterday I met with a friend (she'll be coming to Turkey later on this month as well) and on that same outing I took my Esprit shoes to get fixed - the heels of both shoes needed a bit of care as I mentioned in my last post.

Next post will be from Istanbul, hopefully! :D

About 5 more days

2010-07-05T13:49:00.002+03:00

Less than a week to go! Hurray!

Still got a few things to do - for example take my Esprit high heels to be fixed. Or well, the end of the heels need to be replaced. It shouldn't cost more than 15€ as far as I know. Oh, okay, according to this site the prices start from 8€. Let's see how it goes, then!

Got also some other stuff to buy too, like chocolate cappuccino xD Gotta take a box of that with me just in case. Not that I missed it last time, but just in case.

I didn't take any cards with me... maybe I'll take one pack. Now to decide which one xD

A few days ago I also wrote Thy Wisdom, Media. Frankly, I'm not yet too sure of whether or not I like or even approve of it, but whatever, still leaving it on DA.

8 days or so to go

2010-07-02T17:04:00.003+03:00

I bought a new pair of shoes. They're black ballerinas from the shoe store Mekka, and are so unbelievably comfortable and pretty that I'm wondering whether or not I actually deserve them xD Maybe I should take a picture? Nah, later. Too lazy to do that now xD They're so pretty, though, even from the inside.

Aside from the shoes, I bought nothing new, really. Starting to get a bit nervous about Turkey. It's about week away and we'll be meeting relatives and I hope that my luggage won't be lost. But ohhh, I really can't wait. I'll be taking pics of every cafe and restaurant I visit! xD I mean, I'm going there mostly to eat and buy veils anyway. And maybe shoes. And bags. And trinkets. But whatever... :D

Before I go, though, I'll be meeting a friend next Wednesday and she will later on visit me in Turkey. Hurray! Can't wait to hang out with her there, too :D

Summer in da house!

2010-06-27T17:18:00.004+03:00

Went out (again; I suspect I might be developing this thing called social life). This is just the right weather for eating ice cream. Helsinki is really, really a comfortable city. It's safe and very pretty and one can just wander around with an ice cream in hand without looking out of place.

I bought some stuff. Guess I should make the Remember To Buy These -list before doing the initial packing. I will probably start crying if I forget my camera (I bought it specifically for the sake of this trip, dammit!). I'll definitely post up pics here, although knowing me they'll all be about food. It won't be "what I did today" as much as "what I ate today". xD

But yeah, there's still a lot I need to do before leaving. I decided that the only books I'll take with me will be the Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper (a girl can't travel without her favourite book series, yo!). 5 books, and they're not that thick. Last time I went anywhere for a whole month (Germany, Bonn) I took the Belgariad with me, and that series is much more... uh... sturdier.

Speaking of Germany. It's the football match going on. Go Germanyyy! Deutschland muss gewinnen! Du kannst es schaffen!

But yeah, gotta go get some tea and maybe check the suitcase. Do I need anything? A new veil, perhaps? *hopeful look*

Why is the tea gone?

2010-06-26T18:05:00.005+03:00

Currently listening to: Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers

The thing is, that my tea collection is pretty huge. Having 70+ different kinds of tea available at all times is just something I've gotten used to. And now I suddenly realized that several types of tea in my collection are finished.

Luckily, they all are types I can find in Finland (guess it pays to be stingy with the teas bought from aboard). So, ohohoho, tea shopping time!

Argh, I have a headache. And feels like centuries since I ate chocolate.

Oh, now iTunes gives us Abba (Knowing you, knowing me). Aren't we having flashbacks and reviving old memories. What next? Beatles?

Actually, I should just go back to writing. Or maybe I could go check what to take-- argh, no. Two weeks to go before Turkey, it's too early to start packing now!!

GMH

2010-06-24T23:01:00.006+03:00

Gives Me Hope

I recommend checking it out.

GMH is where people share with the world their most hopeful, uplifting moments and allow others to draw strength from their experiences.

That's quoted from their "about" page.

Spell-check this!

2010-06-24T22:56:00.002+03:00

No, seriously. That vid rocks.

Aside from basically making a list of what I should do, I've been doing pretty much nothing. Two weeks till I go to Istanbul and I feel like I'm frozen in time. Not to mention that I find myself getting irritated at my own rambles - seriously, I've been talking about Turkey all the time and if I don't stop any time soon, I'll...

oh, whatever. Can't wait to be there.

2 weeks!!

Steps!

2010-06-20T20:00:00.004+03:00

Uuugh. Sports aint my thing. I mean, I like bicycling, but the actual "working out" by doing steps and sit ups and what not... gah. Anyway, I'll try to cultivate myself to like it. A bit of workout won't be of harm, on the contrary. Maybe one day I'll do like 100 sit ups and be like "man, I remember when I used to faint before I reached 30". Not that I have actually fainted yet, but you get the picture.

But yeah. Back to write!

Time sure flies!

2010-06-19T14:33:00.009+03:00

I've been wearing the veil for a year, now.

And to be honest? Before I started wearing it, I was a bit worried considering that veil-wearing women in foreign countries tend to get mixed reactions. Easy to spot in a crowd, yo! However, much to my surprise and relief, I can't recall a single problem that had to do with the veil during this past year.

But anyway, let's look at the past. Where was I a year ago?

On a vacation away from Finland!

More precisely, in Turkey, Istanbul, ready to leave the rented house for a shopping spree with my sister (she at that time was wearing the veil already). I was just trying on one of my mum's veils when she walked by and said "that looks pretty on you". It felt really comfortable, and so I just suggested half-jokingly "shall I start wearing the veil, then?". I don't quite remember my mum's reaction, but she didn't discourage me. I think she might have been happy, worried and excited on my behalf, all at once.

But yeah, since my dressing style was already bar-the-veil hijabi style, there really wasn't much to change. I had thought that with the veil I'd feel the heat slightly worse (I think it was +36 Celcius average in Istanbul that summer?) but instead it sort of shielded from the sun and made walking outside more tolerable.

And then it progressed from there.

I love veils. I mean, srsly. Some love shoes, some love bags, I can't help but love veils. There are so many of different colours that I can match with accessories and what not. For example, one of my favourite veils is a white and green, and I bought from Brigitte Bijou a necklace for it. Hold on, I think I have a picture of it here somewhere.... Actually, tell ya what, I found three pics! I'll include them all :D

Combining necklaces and veils isn't the only thing, of course. You can combine shoes (altho I tend to prefer black or white shoes, but I wouldn't turn down a pair of lovely shoes with the same shade as one of my veils!), bags, gloves. During winter I combined a veil of a certain colour with a scarf that was of the same colour - only a few shades lighter.

Since the rest of my clothes tend to be of very calm colours - I prefer dark, pattern-free clothes - the colours of my veils and accessories don't clash with the rest of the attire.

Whoa, it seems that this entry turned into a veil adveritising one, but no can do. It's the anniversary, oy! And I'm just smitten with it. I can't wait to go to Turkey again to buy more veils. I mean, sure, there are some in Finland, but they're really hard to come by. Actually, all of my veils are either from alexi13 or Halonen... not counting the ones I bought from Turkey last summer.

This time around I've decided to buy at least one Armine veil. They're a tad expensive so I can't really buy as much as I'd want, but hey - slowly yet surely my veil collection will grow!

Ah, three weeks till I go to Istanbul... I wonder if there are any countdown generators I could use? xD Ooh, I found one! Now let's see how it works...

Well look at that! It works!

Create Your Custom Message

Hero

2010-06-18T19:32:00.004+03:00

He eats ladybugs.

They're round and crunchy in his mouth. The mush is cold and burning, but he swallows it anyway regardless of the repulsion he feels. He swallows again and looks at the remaining moving red dots in his hands; they're full of ladybugs.

This is what duty tastes like, the dirty flowers tell him. You hate it, don't you? That horrible taste, that awful sensation. What a good boy you are, doing what you hate just because you have to.

He doesn't listen, because he knows that the flowers might be right. Or they might be wrong. He doesn't know which but he knows that he shouldn't listen. Listening to malice is a mistake, and mistakes are hands that could pull him down. Mistakes can trip him, can fool him into failing, can make a wrong man out of him.

So he eats ladybugs and says nothing.

He vomits butterflies.

Their wings fill his throat, almost choking him. He opens his mouth and they fly out. He tries to breathe through his nose but stray ladybugs crawl out from there; not everything done has merit. He still doesn't regret doing his duty, because duty is what makes a man, he thinks. The dirty flowers laugh and clap their green hands.

A fool! they cry, voices like silver and sugar. A fool you are, taking a jest and making it a job.

He doesn't listen to flowers, because what would flowers know about words? He gave his word, a promise, which turned a dare into duty. He can feel ladybugs inside him, butterflies flying through him. He screams and squirms at the sensations within his body, so painful, so revolting. Duty is heavy, duty is disgusting. He doesn't want it, but what's a man not worth his word? Nothing! Nothing but a flickering illusion; quicksand beneath your feet and forked tongue behind perfect teeth.

He knows that there's a difference between blue and yellow. He knows there's a difference between ordering and obeying. It's the same difference that pulls I must do something six steps above something must be done.

So he eats ladybugs and vomits butterflies.

Because that's what heroes do.

I'm a hero, I'm your hope,
I break my bones so you can cope.
I fix what's wrong, do what's right.
No rest for the wicked, no chance of flight.

Bored

2010-06-18T19:26:00.003+03:00

Been listening to Assemblage 23 (just gotta love the music. I can't help it! xD) and drinking citrus tea. I should write, but instead I'm just procrastinating.

Went today again bicycling with sis and ended up doing some moderately needed shopping. I never thought that I'd actually like bicycling. But turns out that yeah, I'm not allergic to exercise after all :'D

But yeah. Off to write.

Too many almonds!

2010-06-17T14:17:00.008+03:00

Yesterday my sister and I dug out our bicycles. At first I wondered whether or not I'd still be able to ride a bike (it's been years!) but apparently some things can never be unlearned. Eventually we ended up in an empty park, eating peas, oranges, strawberries and mini tomatoes while listening to music and just talking about the upcoming trip to Turkey.

I've been also thinking about some of my works - I really need to finish the one I'm working on right now. It's not that I don't have the ideas, no. It's just that I'm too darn lazy to focus on one work for a long time. Still, I must concentrate on that story and finish it. Maybe if I made up some kind of a writing schedule?

Anyway, today the intention is to go out again. I could pack a notebook and plan a bit (the story, I mean), just in case of another random picnic taking place. Maybe I could take a book with me as well. I've got this book I'm yet to read, even tho I really want to. I got it just yesterday. We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. I read the intro of the book and found it fascinating, not to mention that the reviews really made me interested.

Aagh, my thoughts keep always going back to the Turkey trip. Will be meeting relatives and friends there, not to mention that the country (or well, what I have seen of it, which pretty much = Istanbul) is just awesome. I mean, sure, I mostly advertise their food to friends, but what really makes it fun staying there is how the people are so nice and welcoming.

23 days till we finally go there. I can't wait x)

Meanwhile, I've been munching on almonds. I'm totally addicted to almonds. I like pistachios more, to be honest, but somehow it's almonds that I always end up eating. Blah. I'm getting sick of them XD

But now, srsly ppl. Gotta write. I will stop playing sudoku and scrabble, and focus on the darned work. And in a few hours, Yours Truly will go out again. Ha!

Together We Drown

2010-06-13T17:26:00.002+03:00

The dog's barking outside. Or maybe it's inside. Actually, it could be inside your head, that noise. At this point you don't really know or care. The contact lenses in your eyes are making them itch and had you not been this lazy right now, you would have moved to take them off.

Days like these, all you want to do is to be still and gather the energy you should have. You want to get it back from the world that's sucking it away, from the obligations and duties that reach forward, stripping you of every coin, skin falling down in patches as well. What do they leave you with? A half-empty bottle of coke and a screwdriver? The clock is racing every breath you take and you're growing older, doing nothing, being nothing.

There's a yellow guitar on your bed and you'd like nothing more than to see it broken. But you won't do that. You won't even sell it to get its weight worth of cash from a naive upstart at ebay, opting instead to look at it every now and then and think about what you should do. Maybe it signifies uselessness. Or maybe it's just a manisfestation of bad taste.

"You should make peace with yourself," someone said, and you can't remember their face or voice or where you met them, but you remember their words and the half-eaten pear they gave you. You threw it away.

You understand the concept of peace but you do not know how to achieve it. Serenity is a word, but confusion is your world, and you don't know how to apply peace on you and live it. If it was a cloak, it'd be the sort you wouldn't be able to wear without ripping. But do you care? You would, but there's just too much on your empty plate right now.

There are voices in your head.

There are screams that won't ever be heard, buried deep inside you. It's not madness, it's anger. You have never considered yourself mad, as much as just... tired. Tired enough to prefer ending a life over starting it. Tired enough for you to dream of dragging your kicking, screaming problems into the cellar and letting them rot there. Tired enough to close your eyes and feign ignorance while in truth you can see more than others think you do.

But ignorance is your excuse for not caring. When you look at someone who's hurting, you see them with eyes that show nothing but boredom, because you're too tired to care. Sometimes you think that if it was you who was dying, you wouldn't bother to scream for help.

So you paint a portrait of serenity with your words, carry it like a shield and walk forward trying to believe that nothing will touch you. Nothing will hurt you. Nothing will rebut your sense of reality, not even reality itself.

This is Apathy, dressed up as Serenity, dancing with Confusion while Exhaustion wraps itself around you.

Together we drown.

It's raining outside!

2010-06-12T22:01:00.002+03:00

Drinking tea and wasting time while listening to World Cup via TV - USA vs. England. England is so far leading by one.

I've been considering putting up one of my so-called novels on deviantart. Disguised Demons isn't finished - it was my NaNo 2008 work, and around 70K so far, and I know that I'll need to rewrite a lot of it. And since I never intended to attempt publishing that particular story officially, then might as well put it up - someone might enjoy reading :D