My very own 2009

These days unfortunately I am not allowed to do as much as I would like to do - I am sick. But this experience pushed me to use my time more efficiently, enjoy being just by my own and so so on.

New Year is always about something new, making wishes and summarizing what happened this year. I also have something in my sleeve ;)

So ladies and gentlemen, let my present you the most important events of 2009!
My TOP is:

- 2009 will always stay in my memory as a year when my nephew was born! Before I had no idea how it is to have a baby. I was afraid of them, they annoyed me and I disliked all the stories that happy moms told about their brilliant kids. My last experience with babies was when I was 13 - my cousin was born but I didn't spend a lot of time with him. And it was not the same.

But this year - it was kind of revolution... I was so happy and honored when my sister Anya and her husband Zhenya asked me to be Vanya's God mother! I know it is a lot of responsibility and so on. But I feel so great about that) So I became a mother :) And the best thing ever is that Vanusha looks very similar to me and to my Dad. Gens really have their own play!

So thank you God for giving my family such a gift! Now all our lives are just spinning around OUR baby.

- 2009 was also a year of joy, adventure and traveling. This year came to my history as my ERASMUS year! I spent 5 months in Jyvaskyla, Finland. It was a definitely new experience - living in absolutely different environment!

Speaking 24\7 another language, not seeing a Family for long, having troubles with the university in Moscow. But I came through all these challenges and can say it was just unbelievable! Frankly I have never had so many parties, going out 5 times a week - hmmm already on Friday we felt so exhausted :D

But mostly that time was about meeting great people, getting new knowledge (I understood what field I'd like to work at), learning new languages, having a love story.


And it would be unfair not saying a word about the best professors ever: Juha and Kevin really rocked my semester - ofc the education at my own university is very strong (we are in TOP-2 among economical universities in Russia) but their educational system was completely different from ours. I am really happy that such wonderful people stepped into my life and I have very strong feeling that we will meet again! Miss you guys!!!


- And also 2009 was all about traveling! Here are just a few pics:

Lapland, Finland

Helsinki, Finland


Stockholm, Sweden


Barcelona, Spain

Milano, Italy

Oslo, Norway

Bremen, Germany (hiding a message for my dear friend)


St Peterburg, Russia


Home, Siberia, Russia





- and last but not least - my studying at the university is almost ended... Feel so complicated about that. No more lectures :( Sounds weird. Final exam in Jan, diploma project in June - and that is it. I will miss my groupmates for sure ;)

Merry Orthodox Christmas!

Hey guys!

Isn't that good that it is the third post I start with a wish? ;) Probably the best best way to prove that we Russians like to celebrate :D



A quick pic in the supermarket :P

Today it the best holiday of the year... Even if it is not about gifts but about thinking and keeping a look inside.



Btw I've cut a bang!It is a bit messy but just the way I wanted it to be. I am still growing my hair so it was cool to change myself even a little - I am getting bored to fast so I always need to change something! And hair was the easiest way to do that - I used to visit my hair stylist every 1,5 month to renew a color and to make a new haircut. But these days I'm back to my natural color (even if it took 7 months - it wasn't that easy to do, because before I had 3 colors coloration) so there is no need to go to the salon more often than 3 months.





Wearing:
Sweater - H&M
Dress - vintage
Tights - Calzedonia
Boots - Bronx (bought in Finland)
Necklaces - Accessorize, hand made.

And the weather really matches the day (at least it is not raining as it usually happens in Moscow during winter :) ).




There are some pictures of the day and from my one day trip to ones of the oldest Russian towns - Vladimir and Suzdal!




It was amazing! About 15 towns are included in Russian Golden Ring (one of the most popular route for tourists). And I've visited 4 of them so far ;) But it is not the end! Really look forward to go continue the journey! While I am a student and I have more time when I start to work - it is a great chance to travel, right? So I am gonna crab it!

And architecture was so great there! Mostly XV century. And all the pics below are made by in Suzdal.

Taxi for tourists!



Just love these sweet cats ;) It was pretty cold outside. Maybe they just tried to keep themselves warm but they looked like such a cute couple :)





And the best thing is that most of the prices are lower there than in Moscow! And there are some unique things to buy. Like this white faux fur hat I bought in Suzdal! Isn't it cool? Even my mom is exited about that (she hasn't seen it yet, but I described it in details through phone :D so she loves it!)



At traditional Russian tea house. I look so exhausted there, well I really was after 6 hours of walking!





Have a good rest of the day!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Dear guys,

First let me congratulate you with the most waited holidays of a year! You know in Russia we celebrate our Orthodox Christmas on Jan 7. So it is a bit funny to look at my friends' reaction when they ask if I have celebrated my Christmas well and I honestly answer that I haven't ;)

And frankly (unfortunately) we do not celebrate Christmas as much as we do on Dec 31. Everything is just about this day - people have been preparing for this day for months! hehe Just to eat everything in 1 hour after a dinner begins what has been cooked for a whole day :D or what is more likely to continue eating salads from Dec 31 during first days of Jan ;)Both behaviors are so Russian! :D






I didn't cook these lovely salads my friend Ann did)

Due to our country was atheistic, so all religious holidays were not allowed :S But people can not live without celebrations (Russians especially ;) ) that's why New Year become instead Christmas) So these days Christmas is more about having a nice dinner with family (at my family we usually go to my Granny's place) and religious people go to church for a whole night. But hope thing are going to change and we soon will pay as much attention to such a saint day as Christmas is.

I grew up in the Buddhist republic so we also celebrate East Calendar New Year)) Oh, almost forgot, we Russians also celebrate Old New Year))) Before the revolution we used to have our own calendar. The difference between Russian and European calendar was 14 days. So the days we used to celebrated New Year by a new style is Jan 14.

Hehe now u know everything about Russian way to celebrate Christmas and New Year) Hope u have got something new ;)



After a celebration of the end of the exam session) At our university square.

Wearing: fur coat, H&M dress, Bronx boot from Finland, handbag bought in Slovakia, Calzedonia tights.

My last days at school!

As I have already told you guys this year was my last one at the university. And I am happy to announce that I have passed all the exams we have! Actually I've got marks much earlier than official exams dates are and even without passing any of them. Don't know if this practice exists abroad but here in Russia it is called "an automate". You need to visit almost all lectures, give to a professors all the works and projects before deadlines and so on and in case you succeed you are given an automate, but it depends on a subject and a professor. So a main idea is to show a professor how good you are in his subject and he/she can be sure in your knowledge before an exam. But this module was just great for me and super successful! So here I am) The only things I have to do before the graduation are to pass a final exam (in the end of January), get an internship (until May) and write a diploma project. Still a lot to do but at a current moment I've done everything pretty good.

So here are some pictures have been made at our student cafe.



Wearing:

Jacket: bought in England (a gift)
Skirt: Sinequanone
Tank: dad's
Belt: Michael Kors
Tights: Nine West
Boots: bought in the USA probably Nine West
Watch: Marc Jacobs




Now my head is full of positive things like buying presents, sleeping well (what's pretty cool after a lack of time during the module), just enjoying my free time (yoga, figure skating) and ofc planning a trip I have in the end of December (actually in 6 days!).




Don't know why but these reindeer all the time I look at them make me just smile!


Guys, enjoy your time! And Merry Christmas!!!

Cirque du Soleil

Hello!

Yesterday was incredible! It was Cirque du Soleil (http://www.cirquedusoleil.com)!













These days they are in Moscow and we just couldn't miss such an opportunity to watch their show "Varikai" in real. You know it was definitely one of the best show I've ever been at. Everything was just perfect their artists, colorful costumes, first time in my life I saw really funny clowns (before their jokes were unfunny and stupid :( ).




So I feel that this show was kind of an excuse for all the previous wrong cirques I went when I was a child. That was much more than just a cirque show - it brought me back to my childhood, or to a fairy tail I would enjoy being a kid. But I also enjoyed it as an grow-up - their decoration, costumes and actors themselves (especially males) were just gorgeous! Here is my favorite one!




So if you have not visited their shows I strongly recommend you to do this when they are in your area!

Everyone have a good day!

How the life is here...

I've been quite busy - so was absolutely no time for blogging. But finally I can breathe freely now! So my busy times came on Thu when we went out with my groupmates, it was one Cubian bar here, in Moscow. It is our last module at school so we try our best to meet more. That evening was so lovely - just to chill out, have some drinks, share last gossips ;) Shame, that day no one danced there!




And when I came home I decided to create a gift for my lovely friend Natasha (the next day was her Birthday). So I made a collage for her and went to bed very late. And the next day we left the city and went for a whole weekend to one my friend's summer cottage! Ooooo that was so cool! Laughing all the time, having fun and going to bed after 8 am and every day we wake up between 12 and 1 pm))) So no chance to sleep well)) But the best thing about that weekend was banya!!! It is Russian sauna))) And iced water and snow afterwards! It may sound crazy but it really helped me to recover from my getting cold ;)




And on Sunday I was home only at 10 pm, I was sooooo sleepy but I needed to make a manicure, 'cos it was completely destroyed! And the week started at 7 am for as usual, and on Monday our university turned to its 90! And thanks to our alma matter - they reserved one of the best night club to celebrate it! We all were so exhausted after our no-time-to-sleep weekend but there was no way to miss such a party!











So at 8 pm the party had been started! It was soooooo cool!!! So we easily were dancing till 4.30 am and after that we felt a bit tired (what a surprise!) and left to grab a cup of coffee. At 7 I arrived and decided not to sleep for a while through I had an appointment at the Embassy. So I got a visa (yes, I go to Brussels for this New Year Eve!) and only at 12 finally fell asleep, but at 4 was awake by a call and at 6 my yoga class started ) I like when I am so busy but those days were all about too much! Every evening after that I tried to do something and just couldn't! I wanted to sleep all the time :) But guess this time is about to end and I promise to blog more often!

xo

A new module

Hey!

I am officially done with my exams (thank u, God!). And tmr is the first day of the second (and the last) semester for me at school. Kind of sad about it... You know it is time to make a really tough decision what to do afterwards: where to work (pffffff I have to find a place for my internship), where to live and so so on. But on other hand - I am completely free! I am single, about to finish my university, I can move to any city))) Think in years when I have a family, a job, a house I'll think about such opportunity with nostalgie )))

So this week was more about studying hard and a huge celebration on THU after the exam (well, only 5 ppl out 19 passed it!). And yesterday I went to my yoga class and to the ballet instead Halloween party, but no regrets)))