Who canceled the Winter?

Ola, amigos =)
I've been REALLY busy lately, so I am very sorry that I couldn't wish y'all a Merry Christmas in time. But at least I have a New Year and old style Christmas day which is the seventh of January, so I can fix the situation.
Why I was busy? Exams... I had math and biology. I passed the math exam (oh thanks God I did!) algebra C and geometry B, but still have biology after the break. That's mean that my break wouldn't be fun - I have to study, study and study (like V. Lenin said). The winter break starts now-27th of Dec and lasts till 11th of Jan. I have about 10 days to learn botany.

Anyways,

Merry Christmas Salado! 

I love y'all and miss y'all!

Well, that's not it for today, because I have some more things to say. The politic situation is still the same, though since it's pretty close to the New Year's day its much calmer. Plus, it's somewhere where I am not involved in. Frankly speaking I don't really care, you know it - I wrote it before, what I am really cared about is winter.
What the heck is going on in Russia? Where is Winter? Where is harsh Russian winter with low temperature, wind, snow? Well, it's fine if the temperature is not that low =) and it's now windy, but the snow! Why?
I missed snow a lot while I was in Texas, I hoped for the good winter and I don't get a good snow.
I mean we do have it, but it's barely white and just covers the land in one basic layer..
The temperature today was like 20 F. Pfff....It should be -20 F for this time of the year.
This year the president canceled the winter time (when you change your clocks for an hour back(or forth)). People say that Medvedev canceled the winter time, so the winter canceled itself.

Politics?

Em, well I think I am not really good at writing stuff like that, but as I promised to tell you the situation with elections as I see -I'll do. Frankly speaking, I don't really care about the government, because there is no way I could affect it and I am not affected either. I mean personally I don't really feel any changes that the president does. I wonder if there are any changes. I will look for anything that possible happened here while I was gone and will tell you later, but I doubt that it was a "Moscow" level.
So, after  the Soviet Union broke up(1991) there were three presidents in my country - Yeltsin, Putin and Medvedev, although Medvedev and Putin are from the same political party. Last 4 years Medvedev was the president(or Putin?) and Putin - prime-minister, now they are...changing?
The deal is that after elections people understood that they are not happy with its results.They don't want "dictators in Russia anymore", so they want another government. That's why everywhere now(even in my town) there are huge meetings on main streets and squares where people basting.
I don't now what's your press is telling you, but everybody yells here - "revolution". Well.. not yet, but it's going to be.

Now, my opinion.
Common, there won't be any revolution. What is a revolution? It's blood pretty much, some casualties, army, fire. But nowadays people are not the same as they were last centuries, when all parts of the world were in revolutions. We are more loyal now.
Well, even if I should take the word "revolution" more easier, anyways - what will it change. What do people want? What do they want if half of this crowd didn't even go to vote, because "it's too far"/ "to complicated"/"my voice won't be heard, anyway"/"i don't want to"/" i'd better spend my free time in another way" and so on. What do they want? Another president? Ok. What it will change? It's like the beginning of last century, when Russia was in Revolution - people deserved a better government and they got changes - Bolsheviks came and everything was fine at first, but then.... I may stop here, so Mr. Bremer can make a communistic joke.=)
Well, as you get it, I don't think that changing the president will help. What's more, looking at pictures of other candidates, I don't really trust them.
Plus, Russia is a huge country and it needs to be under control or, as my history teacher said - "we will ruin ourselves by drinking too much".

School

I know, I know I haven't been updating much, but as a rule when I have something interesting to tell The Internet connection is gone. =(
Oh well, now, as I am at home - nothing will stop me from downloading pictures. What pictures? Hmm, I don't know since when, but last Fridays it's been a tradition to bring cameras (we don't have policies on phones and cameras, what's more - we can bring laptops to our lessons) and took photos. Personally, I didn't, I was too lazy to bring mine or to do anything ("steal" somebody's camera and do the hardest job), so I pretty much was an object, as well most of my classmates) .

I think it is math. Yeah...

A look down from the window, it says that a student left his "heart" at school

I am cool - I sit next to teacher.

That's our "sleepy boy" and... Anastasiya =)

Who said that I can't jam without instruments on chemistry?

Somebody called me a sunlight. Neat

Well, duh - we study too

Look! An opened window!

Don't ask what's with my face. Sometimes spies have be...spies. I am Chinese!

Biology. And I have "ears"

Sleeping or solving problems?

It was a math class and a hair style place at the same time. Look at the.. look that teacher gave me =)

Background, the best biology genius you've ever seen)

No comment?

Somebody is working. Somebody is not =)

Next to the teacher again

Who knows...

My English is getting worse I guess - I don't have speaking practice, so, people, get on the skype! Hm...could I skype with the band?
Right now I am attending a special course that is preparing foreign students for English tests and exams like SAT, TOEFL, FC. Hope, it will help me =)
If you'd like to know what the heck is going on in Russian politics - I'll tell this story tomorrow.
Oh and I was remembering Vegas couple days ago, so if you know any  (at least fine) movies where the main action is going on in LV - let me know. Thanks =)

KFC

Guess what happened this weekend? I was hanging out with my friends in a MEGA mall and accidentally saw a KFC  cafe. That was so amusing! The taste of America again =)

Stereotypes

Common that's hilarious)

Dictionary:

Shapka-ushanka

Fufaika (Tulup)

Valenoks( Valenki)

 

 

Samovar

Balalaika

Happy Birthday

Was I lost for like two weeks in here? Well, it's not about me anyways.
There are two birthdays today and since it's a girl and a guy, I'll let a guy go the last, because "ladies first".

19.11
Dear Gabby, I miss you a lot and still remember some Lithuanian you taught me =) 
Aš tave myliu!

 
Now it's a gentleman's turn. =)
Jack Liller - you got it.
Have a wonderful 19th  and have fun, besides studying ( though I don't believe that you only study in Baylor). =)

Heroism

Today's topic is heroism, I decide. I mean, we all know that there are no real heroes in our life, like Superman, Batman, X-men or others. But not only those people could do great efforts in their cartoon life - people all over the real world do acts of bravery all the time, they are just not that  big of a deal for population (except guys from the fire department). 
So we all do feats*, by doing something small, but it is worth saying because somebody can't do that or you couldn't until you tried a lot of times.  (I hope you are not loosing what I am trying to say)
For example - a track runner could establish a new personal record and it would be a feat for him. Or a woman on a diet could loose a pound - it's a feat for her.

A week ago, I received a box with some stuff from America, I am really thankful for it and I want to say that I consider the writing my address on Russian on a side of the box as a feat.  It's great! I left my address on both languages and to rewrite it, I guess it is hard if you have no idea what are those "sticks" and "marks" mean. Who did that, by the way?

Next, I did an impossible thing! I changed an earing myself! Common, this could be a feat too! It's really hard to see where the piercing goes.

 Here is November for you. The lowest temperature yet was -4 F. It's not a feat for our weather =)

 

*Shame on me but I had to check the word feat with Google, if he lied to me - I meant it as an act of bravery, act of your strength. 

Happy Birthday

05.10.
Happy Birthday, Erin Bird! You are such a fun person! Keep it this way =)

1. Erin and Beyonce.
2. "Take a photo how I am eating from Michele Jackson's hand!"
3. Opening a fright trail door. It was scary...You screamed after doing that and Gosh, that was scary, even if there was nothing behind it =)

Happy Birthday!

Remember the 5th of November

Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot...

If you have never seen V for Vendetta - see it tonight =) Learn a story about Guy Fawkes and how he wanted to explode the parliament, watch a movie about Utopian Britain and Guy Fawkes follower and then learn a little poem - be as crazy as one of my friends(her name starts with an "A" and you probably know whom I am talking about, but I "won't tell" you anyway). 

Btw, I couldn't just shut up. It's a second month already...

Fall

Wait, it's still October, right?
My problem is that I wanted to take some pictures of  OUR fall to show you. So you can see all those red and yellow nature. But, I didn't, and when I was about to go to do that - I realize that there is snow everywhere!
I use some old pictures that I found in my computer. Enjoy.

Maybe next fall I won't forget to do it in time and I'll make some good ones - those like 4 or 5 years old =)

Weekend

Well, well, well... I am sure that the percentage of my message beginnings with "well" is about 90%, but it's okay, we can live with that, so I'll go on.
Fall break! Yay! I am so happy, partly, it's actually might be very boring here sometimes, especially after life in a big city, but I can deal with it - it's only one weak and  I have some time to prepare for exams at school and some time to hang out with my friends.  Speaking of exams, if I won't pass - I will be out of school, which will lead to:
-No fun life anymore
-I'll have to somehow write about my fail to my blog
I hope that it will never happen, though I kinda skipped the last day of school before the break - it's all about FLEX and here is a real start of my message to y'all (I went a funky (heavy*) way to it).

This weekend, starting with the  29th of October, the first and second round of program FLEX took place in my native town - Nizhniy Tagil. For those who don't remember or don't have any idea what FLEX is, I am telling you now - so don't ask me again. FLEX stands for Future Leaders Exchange, it's the program that sent me to America a year ago absolutely for free. It was established in 1992 or in 1991...somewhere there, by Bill Bradley (I know him! I know him, I know him!! he came to my house, I took his interview, I have his award "philosopher stone" and he is a sweet guy), so they could fix some conflicts after the Cold War.
<----- his autograph... )
FLEX has 3 rounds, 1st and 2nd rounds are usually held together, the third one a month later and then if you are a finalist you will know it like in April.
Usually, they held competition in few big cities in area, this year the did it in Tagil also, I guess because it's more closer for some suburbs and there are always a lot of people that try out from my town.What's more it was in my former school, so I got to meet some of my teachers.
As an alumni, I came to help. There were also three another alumnus  - two girls from my year and another one that was in States 5 years ago. There were two people from the stuff from American Councils(Moscow) - a Russian girl Alina and an American - Chris (short info - he is from New Jersey, learnt Russian in college, speaks it nice...). 
So yesterday and today we volunteered  - helped to pass the worksheets, other files, looked for discipline and so on.  Plus we had some really great and fun time with Alina and Chris, for us it was a great pleasure to talk with Chris -  I haven't talked\heard American-speaker almost since I got back here!
The most memorable and funniest thing that I heard from him was the phrase "Sibir kurit"(Сибирь курит) - "Siberia smokes". Explanation. There is a belief/stereotype/ thing/ whatever that people smoke to relax, so they are usually nervous. So you smoke when you are nervous.  Not long ago, Chris got pictures from his parents in New Jersey - they have snow all over! So today, he showed us this picture and joked, meaning that "it's a lot of snow, so Siberia is nervous and jealous". Siberia, as you know the coldest part of Russia. With lots of snow.

Chris shows u a soup in school cafeteria. he loves Russian food.

Alina, flex alumni (2007)Alesya, school teacher Olga Babyshkina

Speaking of snow..
Today, later on (it's already 30th of October remember) me and my friend Anastasiya hanged out together and I made some pix for y'all. Look - it's snow! Btw, not much of it anyways.

well, i was almost falling while pressing the button

somewhere, not even close to the center of course

 *heavy - not only beginning, but the whole message went the same way. no inspiration =\

25.10

Hey Salado! Guess what? It snows right here! 
It's actually not the first snow, we had a little bit of it earlier, it was mixed with the rain. But today, I think, it might actually create a thin layer and stay, unlike it didn't in Salado last winter =)
Yay! In winter, I'll make lots of pictures, so you won't need to use google to see what snow is =)

Promises

 Well, let me start with a fake-lettermen-jacket-fashion. I am really mad on this one! Because when some Russian guy saw this idea in American movie or something - he didn't see the whole point of having a letterman jacket. Y'all should be very proud of yourselves - somebody had an idea of a letterman jacket and it makes you unique. It tells what your school was, your extra-curricular activities - your childhood and then, almost the same thing with college. After all, when you are old and have thousands of grandchildren - you can look at your jacket and remember some nice moments. Even if you disagree with me and think that the letterman jacket makes you look "same as everybody" or you'll find another silly reason, still - just hear me and stop arguing. I am the one, who had never had this tradition in my country and I had a luck to have a letterman jacket because I did something, so it means something to me and now I can see some Russian kids wearing stuff like this that they bought in a shop. Although, my complains end on next point - those fake jackets are not warm - they are sort of like a thin sweatshirt, so they probably would be hidden under warm coats soon or taken away, plus they don't have patches or anything. Btw, hopefully I'll get mine in the end of this months. Yay!

This is Veronica, yeah she has a fake jacket, but she is real sweet and even agreed  to pose

a picture for my blog for this message. Hey, girl =)

Room. Em.... I would avoid comments on that one. It's neat...sometimes. We have a really big full-hight mirror and funky walls.

h

Oh and my lectures. =) This is a piece of a chemistry notes when I forgot my notepad, so I had to write on a random piece of paper. The thing is - the English words I use. It's really comfortable, because some Russian words could be endless and by the way  those notes (on the picture) are not too bad,  on mine bio notes English is  used way more often.

 

BTW #1. Football(soccer) pictures are not very good, all you can see is a bunch of guys.
BTW#2. If you were a b-day person and I missed you, it's not coz I forgot or you are not important. I love you, but I blame an internet.
BTW#3. The longest words (yet) that I had in biology is NADP - Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphat (takes only one word and  34 letters), then it's
succinate dehydrogenase (it takes one word also and 21 letters) and deoxyribonucleotides (20 letters).