Yay, it's another election coming up! (Hey, bear with me, I'm Swedish. Having the opportunity to participate in elections outside September every fourth year is still a novelty for me.) Which means funny test results for the shameless election geek that I am. And yes, nighteevee, I've already used my voting privilege, so don't worry. Although had I known it would be possible to actually vote in advance at my uni this last week, I wouldn't have had to walk through half the town to the library voting station the week before. Oh well.

( My political views according to the computers in some selected countries. Such as the ones where I can actually understand the questions asked. )

On a different, but actually somewhat similar topic, an excerpt of a morning conversation:
Me to my dad: "Is it some kind of holiday today since you don't get any morning newspaper?"
Dad: "Yes, it's Sweden's national day."
Me: "Oh..."

I know it is the D-day anniversary, and I know it is EU election day tomorrow. But remembering my own country's national day... Why should I do that?

So. Last paper for the semester handed in, and classes ended yesterday, which I guess means the end of this university year. The odd thing is that I - for what I almost think is the first time in a way too long time - feel kind of sad to get a boring summer break. Funny that it should take that many years at uni before I got to feel like that. Many, many years and first now I get into a class where I get classmates that I actually like to interact with. It's weird. Think if it had been and felt like this back when I first started and really needed it. Oh well, better late than never I guess. Even if it is almost too late. Or in some aspect it is too late, since everyone else have their own circles, friends and families, which limits the interaction somewhat. But still, it has been fun. Really. This last uni year has been, well, interesting. Not happy, happy, happy exactly (hey, it's me, what do you expect), but at least different.

Sometimes I really hate my brain, just because of the left and right halves of it being both powerful. It's both a blessing and a curse I suppose, since I really need the right side of my brain's dreams, wonderful what-if scenarios and potential future images. Especially lately. Without those, I'd be doomed. And I'm also very much in need of my logical, rational left side. Without that, I would be insane.

I just love some of the imaginations and at least somewhat plausible ideas and potential scenarios that my mind is capable of rendering. Because since I apparently do have an equally strong left side brain as well, they are actually that - potentially possible. Not always likely though, but still not impossible. And I'm a sucker for those daydreams, I must shamefully admit that.

But even so, at the end of the day, it's always the logical, rational - and boring - left side that has the power to veto and point out the flaws and unlikeliness in the dream possibilities. And that is so irritating sometimes.

In short, I hate my mind for being essentially me; A wannabe dreamer that fails hard due to his masochistic tendencies to be so damn boringly realistic and responsible in the end.

Now, I'll better go and fight my parents' too fast-growing grass...

It's spring in the air, for several days in a row! Wow.

Today's flattering moment - I bought stuff at Systembolaget (for eventual readers unfamiliar with the honoured Swedish institution, it's the state monopoly store for alcoholic beverages) and to my surprise I was asked to show an ID card; which was many years since I last had to do, I might add. I know people tend to underestimate my age somewhat, but do I really look that young now?

Anyway, I thanked the attendant for her flattering request and showed my ID, on which she responded "Åh, du är ju nästan halvvuxen." ("Oh, you're almost half-adult.") Not exactly the most expected statement, but somehow I really liked it! It's probably a very accurate description of me.

Finally the end of an unusually tough week for me, and very irritating because I didn't expected it to be so hard. But my mind sometimes seem to have a mind of its own and quite a sadistic one as well. Or maybe that's just another way to say that I'm a moron giving myself unnecessary trouble sometimes. I don't know.

What I do know is that I really need to try to lower my stress levels a little by now. Writing block when you need to produce papers to hand in does not make for a good combination. Neither does stress-induced headache. Or high levels of bluesy feelings... Actually, I'm not sure what is the cause and what is the effect of what any longer. Oh well, something got handed in at least.

After a couple of weeks being stressed to pieces, it has been nice to actually have had a weekend that allowed me to get my stress levels back to normal. (I.e. not gone, just less extreme. That's me.)

Anyway, some of the random stuff I've been able to notice during my moments of trying to calm down:

V for Vendetta turned out to be a much better movie than I had expected.

Quantum of Solace turned out to be just as I expected. That is, a somewhat decent action movie which gets a lower rating in my mind than it should have got had they not called it a Bond movie. Because there isn't really much Bond left in it I fear, so why insist on calling it that?

Bleach - yes, we're in manga territory now - and more recently the probably less known Skip Beat! apparently have started being published in Swedish translation now, something I've totally missed. As late as a month or so ago I concluded that the local manga wave seemed to have slowed down to a lull after a brief overview of the bookstores. Guess that's what happens when you're more geared toward the English language market than the Swedish one. What's more interesting than the actual title - since I had a look at Bleach years ago but didn't found it interesting enough back then, and now 33+ volumes of a shonen series feel too much to go for - is the fact that it seems we actually have started to get a wider group of translators here. That's nice. Maybe. Because I haven't actually read their translations, so I shouldn't say too much.

Oh, and I have discovered that when it comes to doing nature science computer models, I suck at understanding the math formulas used, but I am somewhat better (not exactly good though, "better" is a relative thing) at understanding it when swapping to the computer syntax version of the models. Which - unfortunately - is the exact opposite of what the instructions assume that you should do.

Meme task from dzioo and such a good excuse for me to talk.

Comment to this post and I will give you 5 subjects/things I associate you with. Then post this in your LJ and elaborate on the subjects given. (You may also comment without committing to doing something of your own, I'm nice today.)

( Ramblings on Cagalli, politics, fanfiction, shadow, and shyness )

Why do my ramblings always turn out feeling so dull and serious compared to others when they do this? Oh well, I suppose it's a personality thing...

It's January for sure. Lousy weather (2°C, rainy and windy), I'm tired, unmotivated to do the many things I should do, and mostly just longing for better times. Probably that's why my brain tries its best to recompensate by providing me with wonderful dreams for once. The kind that almost could be true and when you against your will wake up, you're left with that bittersweet feeling - grateful for the much needed solace it provided, but hating that in the end it was just a dream.

Yes, I have no idea why this qualified as a post either.

Time for another year to end, and as has been usual lately I have problems making up my mind if it's been a good or a bad year. Anyway, happy new year to all of you!

( Short and random list of Best of 2008 )

Also, a while ago, a surprise small package from Japan turned up, courtesy of spherehunter who I am greatly indebted to now!

( I could have gotten an Asuka in a nice aerobics outfit... )

Because the headline caught my eye by succeeding in having that humourous cynical wit I so love.

Call me a liberal, a leftist, or even an anti-capitalist if you want - for once I don't mind -, but this doesn't really has anything to do with any of that; my total approval of this editorial is entirely based on - what do they call it - oh yes, common sense. Or fundamental ethical principles, maybe.

Plus, it has Michael Eisner's name in it.