Personal messages

If you have read the book "Five languages of love", you know about these languages and if you know me well enough, you know that my language of love is "Time" or in other words, I feel the most loved and important in someone's life when this someone wants to spend time with me or just show by any means that I'm there in their thoughts.

Small message like "Just wanted to say Hi" through sms, e-mail, skype, FB, vkontakte, phone (thanks we live in the era of technology) can just make my day.

My close friends know that I may be super busy, but will still take a minute to chat over the phone if someone special is calling (hmm... yes, this distracts me from work, but makes me happier :))

Although with all the technology being developed we forget (or get too lazy) about such personal things like a postcard send via mail. Something you can actually touch. The fact we don't do it that often anymore makes them even more special.

Sveta, thanks for sending me this postcard that totally made my day, I loved the rabbits! :)
We don't really speack the same "languages" sometimes, but today we did ;)

Beginning of 2010

Well, the New Year started not as I was hoping it would.
Most of you already know "the story" which actually may not be of such an importance, but had a big influence on me..
To make a long story short, in September I "made a wish" - on a piece of paper I wrote down what kind of job I'd like to have (ok, here's a secret: I reeeeaaaally want a job in either a Russian company working with US, or a US company having business in/with Russia, a kind of job that would give me opportunities to travel often to the States, this is just sitting inside of me and I can't help it). That time I had no idea how to make this happen and where to look for a job that would combine all the things I put on that paper...
But since then I started to see opportunities close to this "dream job", like I was offered 2 volunteer jobs in USA, but unfortunately I can't afford having a volunteer job :( Although none of them felt like "the one", but I had a feeling I'm on the right way..
In the beginning of December I saw an opportunity that made my heart jump out. A US company Pandigital Inc. located in Dublin, CA is expanding it's business overseas and is searching for a trainee from Russia to enter Russian market to do a 6-12 months traineeship in California and then if everything goes good - get hired with the company and possibly keep working for them in Russia and yes - it is international marketing exactly. It took me about a week to realize that this opportunity combined a lot of things I deep inside have always wanted. I applied and easily made it through 2 interviews and 1 "personality check". I say easily because after each interview I thought I failed, but out of 100 applicants I made it down to 2 and... got rejected just when I was so close. I was so positive and happy about the opportunity that I was sure it is mine. Of course I was anxious too because it would take some great changes in my life, but I'm feeling stuck at where I am right now, so I was ready to make this step.
I don't know what went wrong, but I also know that anything is possible it's just hard to keep trying after failing so bad. So going through a lot of "why's" I think this was some kind of a test to see if I'm serious about this "job abroad" thing and also to get my dreams back on the surface.
Ok, done, understood.
Give me another opportunity and I'll take it right away! ;)

This made me more determined and... I mean I even went to a kickboxing class today!!

"Determination. The will to endure to the end, to get knocked down seventy times and get up off the floor saying, “Here comes number seventy-one!”"

(hope I'll have less than 70 ;))

Happy New Year!

Soooo, this is it. The 2009 is about to end in couple hours. And I'll say "thank you" to this year but I'm not going to miss it. "Thank you" because I was forced to learn and grow so much, because there were challenges that I had to go through and I think I did well; I'm not going to miss it because it was difficult year for me and many people I know. 

I gained more confidence as a professional and with some help I think I finally figured out what I want to be as a professional and I'm extremely grateful for the opportunities particularly in this field (just to clarify - it is international trade and international marketing).

I gained more confidence meeting new people, going out with a bunch of people I see first time is like a piece of cake for me now and the circle of good acquaintances has grown for me.

I gained much more confidence with guys and was able to get rid of many stupid complexes I used to have and it works perfect! ;) I'm glad I have many guy friends now and I think working in a guy team played it's role ;).

I finally learnt to love and enjoy my curly hair! ;)

there are many other things I'm grateful for...

Yet, there are bigger challenges and lessons to be learnt in 2010, like being a better friend, a better sister and daugher (I guess you can never reach a perfection here). There are quite high goals and therefore challenges I set for myself in 2010 and it'll take some great bravery from me (hopefully I can have enough).

So I'm pretty much excited for the year of 2010!!

I love you all and wish you the best in New Year, I hope I'll get a chance to see at least some of you next year!

Love, love, love... I need to get ready for starting to make my dreams come true ;)

Something I write about too much :)

You may think I'm obsessed with dreams and goals and stuff and I guess I'll have to agree, because I believe that people have to have dreams because nothing can be better than realizing that you are living your dream, something you really wished for yourself.
But of course you not gonna get it just with the click of a finger, you will have to make the flow, not going with it.
I wanted to state it right here in my blog that I realized that I was living my dream last year, I can't describe how great and inspiring it feels to realize that. It was probably even more than I could have imagined and I really can't describe how grateful I am for that.

Never stop dreaming no matter how big your dreams may seem to be, they ALL can become a reality one day.

"Future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams"

Free hugs

Have you ever heard about the "Free hugs" campaign that took place already in many cities around the world? Today me and some other people had this campaign in our city of Novosibirsk. For me it was also another way to "level up my courage", because you know hugging random people on the street takes a little courage ;) (You should take into consideration the "Russian mentality" which is not used to things like that at all).
But it was really unforgettable experience. People reacted absolutely different, most of them were up for a free hug, some of them were suspicious, some gave us really weird looks, some asked for our telephone numbers ;) But the most important were smiles on our faces and faces of the people we hugged..

Why don't you give someone a free hug and see what happens? ;)

Escaping from your comfort zone

So I have a title to give to year of 2009 in my life - it's a year of me being in the army training, army training for personal development and while I still have lots and lots to learn, I'm far ahead now from where I used to be even in the beginning of this year. 

And a big part of this training is about deciding what I want, what are my goals and learning to pursue them and learning to listen to myself and not "the crowd". 

I have been thinking a lot about changes, my comfort zone and everything. I've read somewhere that when something in your life doesn't serve it's purpose anymore you need to move on despite the "security" it might give you, because if you don't, you get stuck. This happened with my previous job - I've learnt so much there first year, but then it all became a routine, no learning, no growing,  even though it felt "comfortable" at some extent as I loved my co-workers and knew everything there, I really wanted to move on. And even if I miss my co-workers a little that experience is in the past.

Even if I have a new job now where I learn a lot and really growing professionally and incredibly extending my network of useful contacts.. I'm more and more realizing that Novosibirsk doesn't serve it's purpose for me anymore... I like this city, it's comfortable because I know everything here, my parents are here... and still I have this same feeling that I'm stuck here, I need to move on somewhere else. And I'm not talking about moving on to seek career in the first place (career is not my #1 priority), I just "feel" I need to get out of my "comfort zone". I'm scared as hell to do it all by myself, but I know I will do it and I know that I will only benefit from it.

And just today I read an article about going up a level in courage: "...What could you do today that would help you level up in courage? Where have you gotten so comfortable that it’s not even a challenge anymore? What are you avoiding doing that you know would provide you with tremendous growth? Follow that yellow brick road, my friend..."

sounds so familiar ;)

Robert Frost (1874–1963). Mountain Interval. 1920.

 The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.