Drained....

Lately I am getting more and more exhausted. Feeling drained and empty.

There are so many things I have to consider that even weekends feels like ordinary working days. Job is draining me out, sending applications, preparing for skill tests and getting ready for UN tests - all those things are slowly killing me. On top of that, there are some crafts, which I should get done as soon as possible.

Honestly, first I was enjoying sending out applications and getting ready for skill tests. It let me to revise some materials and improve my knowledge about some things. I actually remembered why I love international relations! But currently it is starting to get too much. And what is worse - I feel like I should pick up even more things. Maybe some courses, read some professional magazines and books, try new kinds of crafts...

Even though I do feel drained, there is also something good to it all. I am getting more confident in myself, even if I get rejected. It is like when you first started to learn skating or riding a bicycle. First it is scary and you are afraid to fall. But as you get more and more scared, the chance to fall increases with it. And at the end you are so stiff that you fall, and fall, get up and fall one more time. With each time you learn that falling down doesn't really hurt that badly. And you learn what you shouldn't do and what you should. Just... after a while you get tired from trying and all you wish for is a break. There is always tomorrow, when you can pick it up from where you left it.

I still haven't decided what to do... what to drop and do I really have to drop something...

Wired bracelets

While ago friends made me a lovely birthday present - a book about wired bracelets. I haven't made anything based on the ideas they have there, but it inspired me to try to play with wires and beads.

First bracelet was quite simple, yet lovely - red-purplish. I really liked the look - shiny, yet robust. Few weeks ago one of my friends, who gave me the book, had birthday, so I made her a wired bracelet too. This time I used white, light green, dark green and yellow beads. It came out very well and my friend really liked it. I hope she will actually wear it.

But...

When I compared the green bracelet to the one I made, I didn't like "the trial version" any more, it seemed too... too... plain? bad quality? too robust? I still tried to wear it, but I understood that many things are lacking. So this weekend I remade it.

In my opinion, it came out even better than the green one.

What do you think? :)

Diary of Mountain Tourism: 4th day

July 21, 1981

This was the first nice morning after multiple gloomy and rainy mornings. We decided to go for two-day hiking. We left the half finished hostel, where it was possible to break one's neck in matter of fact, and our journey started.

We had dressed warmly as it was quite cloudy, but still after 20 minutes of walking we started to remove one piece of clothing after another. We took a break at one interesting place, which is connected to local folk story. There are colorful ribbons in the pine trees around the healing spring. People tied these ribbons hoping their wishes will come true. The sight is truly colorful and variegated.

After a long walk uphill we made an other stop at a waterfall. We had to go up stairs to see the waterfall. There was a bridge over the river right in front of the waterfall. It was a perfect place for taking photos. Cliffs were disrespectfully and tastelessly painted with colorful signs and words.

Our path went steep uphill after the waterfall. The look down to Arshan was magnificent. We crossed Kyngyrga river multiple times, sometimes by using ropes. Sometimes I got a really unpleasing feeling when I looked down at the rapids and restless stream. For the night we stayed in midway between Arshan and mountain-pass. For dinner we had nicely smelling tea from the herbs growing all around us.

Regīna

Green and red snakes

While ago a good friend of mine brought me some of her old bead necklaces and asked me if I could do something with them. I said, that I will try. One was made from black crystal beads, but other from smaller and bigger palish pink beads. It took me few months to figure out what to do with palish pink beads as they were in so nasty color that alone they looked simply horrible. And then it hit me! Spiral bead necklace with those pink beads and deep red ones.

It was my first time making one, so it took a while, lot of cursing, few lost and few eaten beads (nephew...), but at last I finished it! It will make a great belated Christmas present for my friend!


After seeing the finished version, my mom had a brilliant idea. Similar necklace, just with snake pattern. It would look like there is a snake around your neck. I got fascinated by this idea and decided to try it. Quite soon I figured out few things I have to take into consideration:
1. The pattern of the snake - There are many snake patterns. Fortunately, snakes are scaled and these scales goes in spiral as well. So it kinda solves the question about how to turn their pattern into beads. Problem arised from the fact, that a necklace matching big snake, would be big as well. But small snakes have smaller scales and it doesn't really solve the question how to precisely put their pattern on necklace.

2. Pattern of necklace - it is quite hard to match snakes pattern with necklace pattern. In necklace, beads goes in spiral and, to hold together, I go through a certain bead in previous line (marked in bold).
00  00  00
  00  00  00
0  00  00



So, I have to take into consideration in what color is the bead in bold and where it would show up in the pattern.
3. Amount of colors - More colors I have, harder it is to work with them. If I use too many, then it might turn into a huge disadvantage. There would be a bigger possibility that I would make a mistake and it would be harder to make a precise pattern.

In the result, I decided to go for a simple pattern I found in Google - yellow snake with black patches. I didn't have yellow or black beads and I had no wish to spend extra money on a quick idea, when I had no clue how it would turn out. So I decided to make a green snake.

Let's see how it turns out. Currently it looks like a caterpillar.

Diary of Mountain Tourism: 3rd day

July 20, 1981

The first night, when we were so close to the nature, was wonderful. Baikal rustled quietly and raindrops started to fall closer to the morning. It was warm in the tend and sleeping there was quite comfortable, but, unfortunately, we had to get up as it was our turn stay on guard.

We had planned to leave for Arshan today. There had to be a spa with hotsprings, a hostel and, of course, beautiful nature. In the morning, rain was falling nonstop, so we had to eat cold breakfast. While we were eating, we were talking about what to do as we had no tickets for the bus.

"Gentlemen" from neighbour group, Juris and Zigis, walked to Slyudyanka once again to meet the boss of bus station, then auto bases cheif, after that - Chief of Party Committee. Matter gets solved easily at so high level and they provided us with a special bus. But while we packed our tents and got there on time, bus had taken in other passangers and was long as gone. We called local government and again waited while they and bus traffic controller got the buss to return and pick us as well.

At last we were on our way! After three hours of driving by rivers, little villages, where they grow  potatoes at the best case, but mostly weeds, we arrived at Arshan.

We didn't know where we would stay for the night. Hostel was in process of being reconstructed and it was raining. We got an advice to go to the hostel anyway and talk with workers there. Maybe they will let us stay there for the night. They generosity was equal to the amount of alcohol we provided and they let us stay. We got comfy and started to prepare the dinner on improvised workers' stove, which could give us a deadly electric shock any moment. We finished our meal and went to sleep.

Maija

Friday and Teddy Bears

At the end of friday, my colleague left a little note with a "me to you bear" image and good wishes for next working week for every coworker to see on Monday. She left one on my table too, but I had to promise I won't sneak a peak until the Monday.

While she was making them, I got a huge push for an idea, which was sitting somewhere in the back of my mind - to make my own teddy bear. On that evening I looked up only few tutorials how to make your own teddy as I was still at work.

Today I pushed my idea even bit further - I looked up not only patterns and more tutorials, but also talked with my mother about some old coats we had. We have multiple old fur coats from bunnies, foxes and fur seals and some fake fur coats at the country cottage. Some of them are really old, but still looks good. Mother doesn't want to throw them out as she things they could get a second life as fur vest, pillow... or as a teddy bear. But that's another story...

As for handcrafted teddy bears, I got
Patterns: 
 63 Free Teddy Bear Patterns
Tutorials:
How to make a teddy bear from fur coat (youtube)
And idea for materials:
Old fur and fake fur coats and towel material
Materials for decorating the teddy:
Lot of ribbons

Now I need to put my hands on missing materials and get the "click". And then it would be only matter of few days and my first teddy will look at the world with bright eyes.

Diary of Mountain Tourism: Intro + 1st and 2nd day

When my mother was still a young girl, she loved mountain tourism. She always kept herself fit and saved money so she could spend few weeks hitchhiking in mountains. She used to tell me how she traveled all over the Soviet Union like that. No mountains were left unvisited and countless adventures were experienced. And sometimes there was a task for a group - to write down what happened that day, so memories of the trip would remain as vivid. Just recently I found notes from few of her trips... I will try to translate them and share with you.
---

July 18, 1981


There is a restless movement in Tourist Club. Eight people are trying to even out the crinkles in the bags, so another can of food could fit in there. And another... and another.. Then we find out that the bag's weight can't go over 20kg in TU-134, so canned food, bread and tent pegs has to be fit in hand baggage instead.

Attempts to reach the average baggage weight continues in the airport. Turns out that one of the best way to do it, is to wear climbing boots in the plane. It gives extra 800 grams after all!

17:41 - Plane gets off. The distance to Irkutsk is 5300 km. After a cup of coffee, the unchanging blanket of clouds is starting to make us drowsy.
The plane lands in Perm at 20:25 by Moscow time or 22:25 by local time. After that we land in Novosibirsk at 00:05 by Moscow time or 04:05 by local time.

The sun is starting to rise. This might be the shortest night as the flight lasted only an hour and a half.

Māris
---

 July 19, 1981


We reached Irkutsk at 3:35 by Moscow time. Right after receiving our baggage, Juris and Elmars went to book the returning tickets.

After an hour, when we have gotten the return ticktes, we moved to railroad station from where we will go to Arshan. Train was going to leave after quite a while, so we had lot of free time. That's why we left our bags in the railroad station and went to see the city. Weather was really warm and we were tired from the the long flight, so we were barely moving. We visited Planetarium and Museum of Nature and bought more food. Time was barely moving forward and we still had few hours left until the train departure. The rest of time we wasted in railroad station while sitting on our bags.

17:45 We managed to get in the train and our trip to Arshan begun. Time after time we can see Baikal through the window and the first photo gets made. We got out of the train in Slyudyanka as there was supposed to be a good traffic to Arshan. Bus was leaving only in the next morning, so we settled down in the first suitable spot next to Baikal and near the station. Both groups had dinner together and it was the first chance for us to get to know each other better. We drank and sang a bit. We had to get up early in the morning, so soon after the dinner everyone left for their tents. We heard cops walking around our tents in the middle of night, but as they had nothing against us, we could drift back to sleep peacefully until the morning.

Alda

I am Latvian...

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LATVIAN OR HAVE BEEN IN LATVIA TOO LONG, IF:

1. You get used to explain abroad where Latvia is. [True. Once there was a guy who thought that Latvia is in Latin America.]
2. You get shocked if somebody abroad does know where Latvia is. [Yup! But it happens rarely]
3. You are proud that Latvian Lat is the most expensive currency [Yes]
4. Ice hockey has become the most important thing in your life [Partly... I watch only Olympic or Championship games]
5. Half of your friends disappear to study or work in Ireland or UK and you think that’s normal [Kinda true...]
6. You’ve learned the hard way that a triangle means women’s toilet and a triangle upside down means men’s [False... I found it out as a kid in easy way]
7. Anything goes wrong you blame the Russians [I blame government]
8. You see someone smiling in public, you think: well, a bloody foreigner [Not always, but yea...]
9. You are afraid crossing a street, especially at zebra [Not really]
10. Everything 50m above sea-level seems like a mountain [Maaaaaybe...]
11. You love the Baltic Sea and go swimming there at nearly any temperature [Always!]
12. You consider Latvia the best and worst place on earth – at the same time [Partly, I know that Africa has it worse]
13. You put an “s” or “a” at the end of foreign names, so you can conjugate them [Tempting...]
14. Hugging is reserved for sexual foreplay [Kinda. Latvians aren't too found of too much skinship]
15. You sincerely believe that LAIMA is the best chocolate in the world. [Of course it is]
16. You think it’s normal to not pay income taxes and know what is to get salary in envelope. [No]
17. You know more than 50 Janis [guys name]. [Bit less]
18. You know more than 20 Ligas, Ilzes, (each!) [girls name] [Bit less]
19. You think metal doors are a necessity. [Yes!]
20. You can’t even imagine what is gallon, farenheits, inches or pound. [Those are confusing x.x]
21. You never smile in public when you’re alone [Mostly yes]
22. You laugh at Russian jokes. [Yes]
23. You actually get these jokes. [Yes]

Seems like I am not fully Latvian, but most of those points were true for me :)

Things I want to do...

It is written is stars, that I easily get interested in things and just as easily get distracted. Seriously! I ran some star reading utility with precise date and time of my birth and it was said there. I could make a huge list of things I want to do, have tried to do and have finished... ok... without the part about having it finished...

Actually I will make that list now!
1. To learn more about other country religions - Have read only first few pages of Koran.
2. Learn Japanese - I kinda know hiragana and understand few words. Nothing more. Have tried to learn 3 times
3. Get back my French knowledge - Je ne parle pas bien le français...
4. Write a story - Countless attempts, but I have never gotten past 20 A4 pages. I lose inspiration or get distracted
5. Organise my folders and files on PC - Chaos still rules over it. I have only 1/100th of all files well organised, around half - I know where to find what, but rest is like a black hole. What ever goes in, never comes out...
6. Be active on social media - How often did I post for the last year? What about Twitter? And my Facebook is for playing games... Haven't been in draugiem.lv for months as well
7. Keep my spendings and income in check - I could do it only for 1.5months
8. Get fit - *eats a cookie*
9. Finish the list - This list is endless.....
10.

A separate list for my handcrafting attempts:
1. Weaving - finished a pouch for phone for goddaughter and got the weaving frame... and I have weaved enough material for 1/4 of bag I wanted to make
2. Knitting - Leg warmers for me and a scarf for goddaughter. Still haven't finished the hat for her...
3. Embroidery - Made a pouch for phone for myself. Pouch for sunglasses still unfinished
4. Cross-stitch embroidery - Made a decorative pillow for a friend, started to make a pouch for phone for myself... unfinished
5. Beading - made a small braclete for myself, necklece still needs to be finished. Wasted a lot of money for different beads...
6. Other crafts - Made two keychains for friends, none for myself

My gems

At university, I was studying French and since then I have quite many useful links to French self-studying.

About.com - French Language - Got to say, that About.com has quite good self-studying guides, hints, tips. One way is to sign up for their weekly studying messages. They will keep sending you words to learn, grammar, texts, tasks, which will keep getting harder and harder. The site also has quite some useful "exams". One of my favorites, even though it was lacking in area of "listening". I have a bunch of different French learning pages bookmarked from About.com

Bonjour - If About.com was lacking on listening part, then this site is only about listening and repeating.

Bonjour de France - Bookmarked it because of the French tests they are offering. But I have a feeling that they have much more to offer.

Azurlingua - Another place to test your french skills. The rest of site is about learning French in paid lessons.