Best month of 2013

I wanted to write this post for a month now and finally I managed to find some time (in between working, getting ready for college, making soft toys, looking for a "career" job, watching Asian drama, and playing "Heroes of Might and Magic" - yeah, I'm a busy woman haha).

Anyways~

May was the happiest month of the year - all thanks to the greatest woman in my life, my role model, my best friend, my mentor, my mom. She came to visit me!!!!! Ok, that might not sound that exciting for the most of you, but we are separated by 10(!) time zones most of the time. I get to see my parents once a year for a short period of time or even less often than that... I'm so sad. I miss my mama and papa a lot (<--- that's Russian for "mom" and "dad").

It was the 2nd time mama visited the US. The first time was 2 years ago with papa.

And now it was her 1st time going to another country by herself. I can't even imagine how hard it must have been for her 'cause she knows only a couple of phrases in English. And she had to travel all by herself. And she had to transfer to another flight in JFK. AND her transfer flight was delayed.

I took a day off to get ready for her visit (major apartment cleaning haha) and personally pick her up from the airport. I even made a big poster saying "MOMMY", you know, like we used to see in American movies)))   When I saw her coming down the escalator, even when I hugged her, I could not believe it was real. I could barely hold my tears...

Man, time flew by. But we managed to do some great things together. We went shopping. (And made some selca pictures after that. Girls will always be girls, no matter how old they get)

We had some Caramel Frappuchino (not a usual thing for us, but something I wanted to do together).

We ate at China Buffet <3

We went for long evening walks and talked, talked, talked...

We even went to a local festival (it happened to be a NASCAR racing week in Charlotte) and took pictures with all the mascots (?) we could find))))

Mama dyed and cut my hair, I showed her how to apply liquid eyeliner. Well, girly things. I wish mama lived close to me so we could do it more often...

And... we went to North Myrtle Beach for a week! We lived in a nice condo for a very nice price (thanks, Elliot Realty!) a minute away from a bay. One day we even got up early enough to see sunrise!

Ah... the time flew by so fast. The best month of the year is over. But the saddest day of the year is over as well (that's reassuring to know) - the day we said goodbye. The week after mama's return to Russia was like a haze. Everything felt so surreal. I don't even remember much about it. I was on autopilot - woke up, ate, worked, went to bed...

It's not like we don't have a chance to talk (I don't know how we'd survive without skype haha) - we call each other every other day, it's just... different I guess. I can't hug mama and papa over skype. I can't smell them. Sometimes I can't even tell if they are being real or just act like everything is great in front of a camera (so I won't worry about anything). I just wish they are healthy and happy. And I wish I can come visit them next summer.

Oh... I miss them so much...

Я скучаю!!!

Step by Step

...I'm getting closer to my goals.

Usually I write down my resolutions on New Year's Eve and forget all about them. A common situation, nee? Well, not this time! I believe the Year of Snake will bring a lot of good changes for me, but only if I work hard.

So what was on my Resolution List?
1. Make friends
I have nothing to brag about  T____T   But I tried! First of all, I wanted to find people who love the same stuff as I do. Kpop, of course! Forums and social networks are not enough for me, so I posted an add on craigslist (lame) trying to find somebody from my area (Charlotte, anyone?). I was looking for E.L.F.s in particular, but I guess either there are no SuJu fans around here or they are too cool for craigslist))))))) I got just one reply. From I guy who likes Rolling Stones. SERIOUSLY, people don't know how to read!
Also, I signed in on a Russian Super Junior forum, hope I can contribute to the fanbase by translating tv shows and articles and tomodachi o tsukuru, of course.

2. Learn how to dance hip hop (popping)
I don't have money to pay for dance lessons, so I decided to learn some Kpop moves haha. I'm trying to learn Wonder Girl's "Like This" (got through with the chorus and bridge parts so far). My next goal is to learn Miss A's "Breath":

(waaa~ it looks so difficult)

3. Get down to 53 kg
I'm 55.6 kg now. That's 6.4 kg (14 lbs!) less than my last year's weight. And I didn't work out since fall; ate sweets and all that! Well, I cut down my evening munching. Another 2.6 by summer and I'll be super happy!

4. Keep on learning Japanese and Korean (as well as brush up on my Spanish)
Got "Integrated Korean. Beginning 1" from the library. Never opened it...
But hey! I watch Korean shows and drama every other day! (there is still hope for me)

5. Open a store in Etsy
[not yet]

6. Keep on looking for translating/tutoring jobs
Yeeeey~ I've got a tutoring job! It's only once or twice a week, but I'm super happy! 
I used to believe that I would hate being a teacher (in a classroom full of uncontrollable kids), but I really enjoy teaching responsible adults. I should bring my resume to Berlitz or some other language school. Who knows, maybe my dream will come true and I won't have to go back to college for another degree.

7. Finally get an American Driver's License
Maybe one day, when we fix the car...

8. Blog more often
[FAIL]

9. Become more social
See (1)

Oh well, I have A LOT to work on... 

Happy New Year Ya'all!

I wanted to write this blogpost yesterday, but was super busy. I had the Big Cleaning Day (大掃除 oh-souji), oh well, at least I tried to... I believe that the way you meet the new year is the way you spend it, so I try to finish everything I've started doing this year and clean the house.
Anyways, at the end of year 2012 I'd like to remember all the good things that happened to me and express my gratitude (yeah, I'm trying to practice the "Secret")

2012

• I went to Russia to visit my parents and my grandma (for her 80th Birthday). For a week I was in a town where I used to spend my summers as a kid. Oh my, so many memories... Also, I finally got to meet my baby nephew))) He's super cute!
• I had a photo shoot by a professional photographer for the first time in my life.
• I dyed my hair blond ^______^
• My best friend from high school asked my to be her daughter's godmother. I feel honored.
• I met a lot of interesting people while working in JR.
• Blog  ;-b
• I became an E.L.F. Thanks to that adorable and sexy dorks I got tones of laughs and happy memories. Now I'm a part of the Sapphire Blue family. I love you, guys!
• I started to learn Korean.
• I kept on translating (as a hobby though...)
• Lost some weight! From 62 kg to 56.6 kg. Way to go, girl!
• Finally some changes - I quit my job and moved to a big city. Yatta!
• Discovered the "Secret".
• Found a job within a month.
• A K-pop song on the radio! It was the first time EVER I heard a foreign (non-English) song on the radio in the US. PSY = one love.
• Learned a very useful word - "omochikaeri~!" (meaning something like "it's so cute that I wanna take it home!")

And now, my resolutions for 2013:

• Make friends!!!
• Learn how to dance hip hop (popping).
• Get down to 53 kg.
• Keep on learning Japanese and Korean (as well as brush up on my Spanish).
• Open a store in Etsy.
• Keep on looking for translating/tutoring jobs.
• Finally get an American Driver's License.
• Blog more often =)
• Become more social.

I Don't Need a Man

Ok ok, I need my man. That was just a name of a song that inspires me lately. Miss A's "I Don't Need a Man". It is on a constant repeat on my mp3 player for a couple of days already. The song is NOT about hating on men as it might seem at first. It's about not leeching on men or parents, about spending your own money.
Here's the video with English subs and romanization so you can sing along (thanks to popgasa and Kpopfanzone):

There are so many things I wanna do but need money for... I want to travel, want to buy that cute sofa from IKEA, want to sign in for a fitness club membership as well as ATA membership, want to open my own store, want to order a floral dress from a Chinese wholesale website, want to go to a dentist,want Super Junior's 2013 calender (oh my it's so awesome... *fangirl mode ON*) I want to spend my own money though. I'm a big girl now, and I hate it when my parents help me financially during tough times.

I need to pull myself together, get my ass up, and make some changes.

(I have a feeling that 2013 is going to be all about changes~)

Spooky Savings

Oh my gosh, I LOVE after-holiday shopping. After-St.Valentine's is my favorite, 2nd place goes to after-Christmas shopping, but after-Halloween is not bad either. I bought 2 bags of goodies and spent less then 6 bucks!!!
Reese Pieces - 10 cents.
Hot Chai Mix - 40 cents.
Cake mix - 12 cents.
Cute baking cups - 20 cents.
Tights - 50 cents.
Wings - a dollar!!!
etc.

Everything was 90% off.

Not bad, huh?

And the best part is satisfaction from looking at the receipt...

Saved $49.37!!!!
I SO love after-holiday shopping ^___~

Downsizing~

I figured why would I keep 2 blogs if I come here once in a blue moon? So I just copied two lonely posts from "J.O.B." and pasted them here for my future kids haha.
I'll try to blog more often... Hey, I've made some progress: I write in my paper diary every day now. To be honest, I like my diary more - handwriting seems more personal or smth and I can sketch some cute characters there as well. Also, I tend to forget what I want to convey as I type (I'm slow).

Re-post from 20 September '12: What should I do?..

I guess, I'm at the point of my life where I need to think everything through and finally make up my mind.

What should I do?

I was hoping I was done with this question when I went to college. But no, it's not over yet. Will it ever be?

When I was in high school I spent months on thinking about my future. What do I want to do in five, ten years? Would I still be interested in something that inspires me now? What kind of skills do I have to help me get there? Can I make money from that and be independent? Will it be easy to find a job? Well, you got the idea.

In high school I was obsessed with English. At that time, there weren't may books in English in libraries and the Internet was almost non-existent. Whenever I found something in English I felt as blesses as a shopaholic who saw a Versace bag on sale for 5 bucks. English was like a getaway to another world. So I knew for sure - that's what I wanna study at college.

Colleges provided only 3 paths: I could become a teacher (no, thank you), a translator/interpreter (gimme gimme), or a mysterious linguist. I ended up becoming a linguist (alas, I wasn't smart enough in social studies to get into translator/interpreter program). Theoretical and Applied Linguistics - sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, natural language processing, history of linguistic studies, translation, applied linguistics - we had so many subjects but they gave us only superficial knowledge. Only pieces of a puzzle.

Isn't it sad? Five years of college (American evaluation services even considered it a Master's degree) and almost no major-related career opportunities. Of course, if I stayed in Russia, I could easily become an English teacher or, if I got lucky, a translator/interpreter for an international company. I'd been a personal English tutor since my sophomore year at college. I liked it and all, but let's be real - it's an ideal side job not a career. Teaching at school simply turns me off - kids in big groups scare me, and it doesn't worth it for $5/hr. or less. Teaching in special agencies, so-called "English clubs", don't pay much either, although the audience is more appreciative. In order to get a translator job though, one should have years of experience. But where would I get this experience if nobody wanna hire without it? It's a classic Catch 22.

Anyways, I'm in America now. My knowledge of English doesn't make me special here. So I need to come up with a new plan. I don't want to be a server or a sales associate for the rest of my life, but that's exactly what I've been doing for last 3 years. It's so pathetic... But that's gonna change soon. I just need to figure out how.

The majority of people ask "What should I do?" because they don't know what they like and have no idea what's gonna satisfy them, hence it's hard for them to choose a career. My problem is that I like so much stuff. I wanna be a translator, an office worker, a business analyst, an actress, a librarian, a flight attendant, open my own business (restaurant or hand-made soft toys shoppe), work in a bank or an advertisement agency, or be a part of a marketing group. So many things fascinate and inspire me, so I can't choose the one. I seriously incline to being a translator (a have the right degree and skills for that), but that's not a steady kind of job unless I sign a long-term contract with a company. Most of translators in America are free-lance. Also, a serious translator should be a member of American Translators Association (I'm not rich yet to pay $240 for a year membership, if I pay this now I'll have nothing to eat), without this membership one can't even take a certificate exam. This bureaucracy kills me!

So, what should I do? Work part-time as a server/sales associate, save money for ATA membership and   certificate exam, and hope that I'll be chosen over hundreds of other free-lances? Or maybe I'd better got to college and get a degree in business, marketing or management so one day I get a real job? (OMG, if I don't even have extra $240, how am I supposed to pay for college?)

I should make up my mind soon. I'm gonna turn 26 in two weeks. Time passes by, and I still haven't found my dream job. As soon as I make up my mind, I'll do EVERYTHING I CANto get there.

Man, this post turned out lengthy! If you're still reading this, I'm sorry. It must be very tiring.
Anyway, thanks for sticking with me)))

I have an interview at T. in 9 hours, so I need to make some research on the company - I gotta get the job!!!  (Positive thinking. Positive thinking.)

Good luck to me on the interview! Please, keep your fingers crossed for me ;-)

 - Ни пуха, ни пера!
 - К чёрту!!!

(yeah, I'm talking to myself hehehe)