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.