I woke up this morning, and realized the hot water was running... What a miracle!
Is it because today is a holiday???

Speaking of hot water, my friend's heating system was turned off yesterday, and she's freezing at home, and she lives just 2 blocks away! What a country!

Don't worry, be happy.

P.S. And where's the hot water???

It seems like it has started to snow! Finally! There's nothing better than a good  snowy winter - and snow is surely the first sign of it. It is also a sign that it's time to get ready for Christmas and New Year - and to me it's the best time of the year. 

Speaking of holidays, I still do not have any idea for my Halloween outfit - and the holiday is tomorrow. Any ideas, guys?

I would really love to have snow here except there's STILL NO hot water there, it's been my third week without hot water, and I'm starting to get cold. If the snow comes this week, I'd get frozen at home! And they promised to fix the hot water pipe only in a week!!! What a country!

The college goes alright, and it makes my quiet busy with all the tests - but it's a good thing. 

So, waiting for snow...?

The college has started - and I'm excited. I was looking forward to having practice this school year - this meant going up to the north, wear hard hat and heavy boots, and get some interesting experiences. Mostly, I wanted to go through this once again - I still miss this good feeling I had in Chayvo.  And what I learned today was that we gonna have the practice next year - and it almost made me cry!

I really like being back to college - despite of all the tests and exams, it's a lot of fun, and I can't wait to learn many new things this year!

I have finally got my kitten, a cute white kitty-girl.
And named it "Kyoto" - after Stan - who gave it to me. 
Does anyone else want a white kitten? Stan has 2 more...

 

I do not want much - I just want my hot water back... to take a shower, wash clothes, clean...
It's that simple! 

Friday morning started with headache even though there was NO drinking on Thursday - and it sucks.  

Mother's back from her vacation - I was not happy to have her back, but cried when saw her coming closer and closer in the airport bus - I have become too sentimental. Starting from next Monday, it's gonna be all the same again - getting up at 7.50, running to pick her up and take to work. It's a lack of my sleep, my fuel, my life...

I'm looking forward to weekends - to catch some sleep, cook a good dinner and help Mom with her garden. 

What are your plans for the weekend? 

P.S. This headache is killing me...

I could hardly miss it and leave it without a comment: President Obama got a Nobel prize! - and I don't think he deserves that!

Americans say, "The last thing Barack Obama needed at this moment in his presidency and our politics is a prize for a promise."

Yeah, by now there are surely more callouses on his lips than his hands. A promise beautifully made raises hopes especially high: we will revive the economy while we rein in our spending; we will make health care simpler, safer, cheaper, fairer. We will rid the earth of its most lethal weapons. We will turn green and clean. We will all just get along.
                                                                                                           - Time. com (CNN)

As for the elections last Sunday, Medvedev's and Putin's team got most of the votes - I expected this but being a way too naive still believed that something would have changed. But not, everything's gonna be same in this *ucking country. 

That's definitely time to get ready and leave for the better. 

 

I am lonely - I wanna go back home to a place where I've never been physically but has visited so many times in my dreams.
I know I will be comfortable there. People say home is where your heart is. 

And I know there's someone who's waiting for me. And this brings smile to my face and tears running down on my cheeks. 

It's what callled "happiness".

* * * * * * * * * *
Happiness is the true awareness of the beauty of every moment of life and being able to be thankful for every moment even when things are difficult or sad or scary. It is knowing that just to be alive is a wonderful thing full of opportunities to experience new things and to grow more an more every day. And maybe most importantly, to be able to share those moments with someone special that you really care about.
It is not about having material things or being rich, although that can be really fun. It is about loving life and knowing that no matter what you have or don't have; what ever you can or can't do; you are alive and experiencing the wonder and beauty of life and that your attitude is what really depends on how good your life is and how much you enjoy it.
-- TLM
 

Finally, the picture is clear. I keep working and sleeping.
Tomorrow's gonna be the "drunk" day - my high school classmate will have a Birthday.
It keeps raining, and I'm looking forward to winter, Christmas, New Year, Santa, Christmas tree and presents. I love this cold season. :)

Everyone - have good weekends!

Keep in touch,
Annie
 

Again - speaking of the club. We all saw the schedule for next month. We all expected the repairing for 2 weeks and made plans like catching some needed sleep, spending money in shops and having home parties. We really liked the idea of this 2-week vacation. 

...Until we saw the schedule. It said, "The shutting of club project" - and then the last 2 parties. That's when we started to feel concerned. We kept smiling, even celebrated the Katty's B-Day, but felt scared inside. We tried to get explanations. No results. 
We do not know what to do. Is it really the end?

UPD: Here's the answer: http://vkontakte.ru/club10046830. I wish we all could hear this in person instead of getting news like this online from social network...

 * * * *  * * * * 
 

UPD
* * * * * * *
As of the other things, Mother's still on vacation in Khabarovsk, and I moved to her apartment for this time - so everyone's invited for dinner on weekends. 

Natasha & Sergey,

Congragulations on becoming proud parents!

Let me know how you gotta name your cute little baby-girl, okay?
 

 

I've been reading some blogs of expats that work on Sakhalin, and found an interesting quote, "People that on Sakhalin have a saying, "It's not the end of the world, but you can see it from there!"  - quite right, huh?

I clearly remember how I have heard the word "expat" for the very first time. "GP" had also confirmed I gotta go to Chayvo, and I was advising with V. on what to take with me and what it really would be like. That's when she mentioned the "expat" word explaining that's how they call all the foreigners (to me, the word "foreigner" sounded a lot familiar than "the expat") - I truly tried to remember the new interesting word, but it swept out of my mind. "They pay the housekeeper gals and sleep with them", V. continued (thanks God I was hired as an interpreter!!!) - it made me really surprised. "Sleep for money?", I asked. Oh yes, I was soooooo naive! 

Chayvo allowed me meet so many wonderful people - mostly expats, who had been totally different than all the other people I have ever met before! It's not only about looking different and having their own clothes style, but also different way of thinking. To me, they were like the aliens boarded to the Earth by mistake. I learned the word "expat" pretty quickly once I got to Chayvo, and it was not a way too difficult to make friends with the expatriates. Soon I learned that "the expat" is short of "the expatriate" - a person who has left the motherland and came to another country. 

- * - * - * - * -

Speaking on what has happened yesterday - let me tell you a story. I am a big fan of old music, an there's nothing better than listening to ABBA instead of this new techno. I was lucky enough to get 2 tickets to the retro party at "Duke", and I asked for a day-off at the club. I did a great make-up and dressed up, and I was really looking forward to dancing. Arrived at "Duke" with a friend, I go stop by security asking my friend to show the passport to make sure she was 21 (there's a law here that says that teens under 21 are not allowed to the night clubs) - she showed him the passport. I have ever had problems with the security here before, and I had left all the docs at home without any such a thought! So you know what? I was also asked for the passport! *uck! As a result, we have not got in because a friend of my was actually only 20.  I was feeling pretty bad because another gal who was 16 easily got in without any questions - and we made a conclusions we simply didn't fit to the environment. And we had to take a cab and go to our club where I got really drunk feeling offended. Well, no days-off for a long time! 

As it's Friday here, everyone have great weekends and give me a call someone - I don't wanna spend Saturday & Sunday in bed! 

I think I am being sick - that's all because I am starting loving going shopping!
I'm even making a wish-list now and will provide it to your attention on Facebook.

As for the other issues, I have finally registered on TOEFL and booked a place on May,8th,2010 in Vlad. If anyone happens to be in Vlad in May next year - let me know and I'll try to meet you!

It's raining here again - it seems the fall's coming - and all the good mood is gone. Are you positive today?

 

As many of you know, I got 2 jobs - one in oil & gas company and another one in a night club. I've been working in a club for over 3 months, and have noticed lots of those little signs that people got used to and don't think about as it could be something unusual.
What I'm talking about is the service.

Oh, yes, please stop yelling that it's Russia, and we, Russians, don't know what a good service is. We definitely don't until we go to a really expensive restaurant with the well-trained personnel or abroad where people surely know how to earn money, do business and provide great service. So, as you see, there are only 2 ways to feel relaxed and comfortable in a place that you're visiting.

Well, back to club and service. To me, a good and reputable club starts with the security - also, security guys are the first people that you meet at the entrance door. They decide if you meet the standards of the club and either let you in or try to find an excuse so then you’d leave to another place. But they (the security) will surely be well-dressed up, polite and greet each and every potential visitor (we call them “guests”). They won’t beat anybody or speak trash. They will always be close enough if there’s a problem that needs their participation.

Speaking of internal issues, they will never be late to work as I was witnessed of yesterday night – the only one “green” security guy came to work on time, but he had no idea of what he should have been doing! Some of our security guys do bodybuilding, and they eat 4-5 times per shift: let’s make some estimation – 4 times x (at least) 15 minutes = 60 minutes = 1 hour. And these guys are being paid for that “lunch time”! That’s ridiculous! :( 

Now imagine that you’ve come through the serious face-control, passed the dress-code check and finally you’re in! Having a big and heavy coat, you’d better leave it at the hatcheck room – that’s where you meet the hatchecking girl. Always smiling, she politely greets you, takes your coat and gives you your card.

And then (ouch, the entrance finally!!!) – you’re at the cash-desk, where you again meets another polite & smiling girl who gives you the card and does all the final calculations when you’re leaving. You handle her money for the entrance fee and get to the club. Cashier is only the person that greets guess, gives cards and take money – she’s not supposed to solve problems and listen to this drunk trash when guests are “not in a mood” – let’s leave this with the administrators (that are never there), managers (who hold all the responsibility) and security (usually comes when everything’s already resolved).

Being thirsty, you head to the bar and order a drink. A professional barman (no matter if it’s a handsome boy or a cute girl) makes you a cocktail or even 2, and if you’re in a mood, even talks to you about the *ucking weather, world crisis and small wages. A waitress replaces your ash-trays once it’s full and brings your orders on time. Oh no, she never argues and wouldn’t say any trash word – the client is always right.

Another story if you wanna order hookah (kalian). Speaking of our club, it is not always possible. 2 shifts ago, none of our guys who are responsible for making hookahs, made them – they all rejected, and the client was left without one!!! Yeah, a great service we provide.

At the end: coming to a night club you expect to have a nice time, relax by dancing ad having a couple of drinks, but instead you fight with the bad quality service and wild personnel. I do not know why people still leave some tip – probably, it’s not that bad after all! Let’s all cross our fingers and hope that the service would be better in all those places that we love to visit, but hate to go due to the attitude.
To me, I have seen a good service in only 2 places in our town – and both really expensive. I tend to believe they trained the personnel not because of the good income. And you know what? – No matter how high the prices are, I will be visiting these places because that’s where I feel like I’m taken care of.

I tend to believe that there are some places where personnel looks not on outfit, but on the look of your debt card – bet if the card if at least Gold, you’ll be allowed to most of the places. I remember one day Mother and I was surfing the town by shopping for some nice dresses. At the end of almost 5-hour run from store to store, we felt starved and decided to have some lunch. Leaving all the packages in a car, we entered the café, and saw an empty hall. An angry waitress headed us to a small table somewhere in the dark corner, and brought a menu. To my question of why we were sitting there and if there was any possibility to move to another table, she replied all the other tables were reserved, but there were no plates on the tables saying so. We left the café immediately – there was no desire to stay there after such a hosting! I tell you, they have lost me as a client forever – but I could leave them a good tip.

I remember my US friend told me a story about the service. Her husband and she were able to visit a really expensive restaurant in NY – it was that kind of restaurants that you have to make reservations long before your visit (at least, a month). I don’t really remember what she said she ordered, but when the food was delivered, she realized it looked different than what she had expected – and she shared this thought with her hubby. The waitress, who was close to them, heard this and the plate with food had immediately disappeared from the table and replaced with another one. Plus, they both got a free dessert and the manager of the restaurant personally came to excuse for such a mistake!

Being an optimist, I still naively believe that Russia isn’t such a bad place and we are all not so silly and can learn to be better.
Everyone – have a great week! Keep in touch!

-Annie
P.S. Speaking of professionals: here is the video of our barmen making cocktails:

Tomatoes, watermelons, lots of meat and candies "Ptichie moloko" - I can have tons of this...

P.S. The bad mood that I had this morning (because of the lack of sleep) has disappeared when I got an email that I've been waiting for. Can you guys imagine? A short email can change your mood, bright your day and make you forget about anything but the sender. Internet is the best thing ever!

Another car accident. The cops said it was my fault, and that means the insurance company won't pay me a penny. :( I am not hurt, but the left passenger door has to be replaced. I think I need the third job - what do you think? :)

And here's the picture that our Geometria.ru photographer took of me (I like it):



Everyone - have a good week. I'm going to watch "Desperate housewives" tonight and finally catch some needed sleep - very tired.

I have finally decided what my goals for the next 2 years are:
- Go to Japan or any other country in December ’09 – January ’10 so then my passport will show that I have a successful experience of leaving Russian and arriving back there;
- Pass TOEFL test in Vladivostok in summer 2010 – and have high grades!;
- Buy a small condo or house far away so then it would be cheap and I will own some property rather than a car;
- Graduate from local Russian/Sakhalin college and get a degree;
- Make sure my boss Ron would make me an invitation so then I will be able to get my working visa;
- And, finally, leave this for the better, to someone I love and who loves me back. And be happy – that’s all that matters!

Not a big deal, huh? :)

P.S. The worst part of this is that I’m losing people I love and care about. I know it is their choice, but my heart cries when I realize I’ve lost another one…