S. Try Sailing Day

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:17:00 +0000

There is this wonderful thing about Sydney: even if you don't have money, you can do amazing stuff. Like sailing. No boat, no money, no experience, but I was cruising the harbour on a racing sailboat last weekend :)

It's a part of NSW and ACT sailing clubs initiative - Try Sailing Day.
It means that everyone can rock up at any participating club, and will be taken out to the harbour for a quick tour. You don't get to sail per se, rather as a passenger, but people who sail the boats (owners who volunteer for the clubs) explain all they do on the water etc. And the best part - it doesn't cost anything!

The idea is to get people motivated to join sailing clubs, as boat owners (that day won't come soon for me), and also as helpers - there are harbour races every week, and they always need additional crew members. So basically you can turn up at a sailing club on Friday evening (twilight sailing), say you want to help, and they'll put you on a boat to help with some basic stuff. Recreation and adrenalin, and all for nothing :)

With Try Sailing Day, we were lucky to get on a smaller racing sailboat - no rails, just a small open deck and you sit on the side and hold the edge, and the mast with the sail is may be 8-10 meters tall, amazing :)

The guys told us the boat is going to tilt with the wind but not overturn (that's a consolation), but when we were getting out to the harbour, the boat actually stood almost 90 degrees to the water! the opposite edge of the boat to us was actually in the water! but we didn't fall, apparently the keel is made with a very something, and the boat physically can't overturn. But in any case, it gets enough adrenalin pumped through your veins when you are in the middle of the harbour on a racing boat going faaaast...

I'm very excited about the prospect of becoming a sailwoman :) (and by the way I already did a beginner course a couple of months ago with Karan in Balmain, which was awesome, we were sailing by ourselves then :)))

Below are a few pics from the Try Sailing Day, and the rest is on flickr HERE

350 Climate Action Day - Sydney and 5,000+more events around the world

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 09:08:00 +0000

It wouldn't be possible two years ago.
It has sprung from commitment of individuals in every corner of the planet.
It was organised by word of mouth and via internet.
It was amazing and I was glad to be a part of it.

Yesterday, 24 October 2009, was the most widespread day of political action the world has ever seen - the International Day of Climate Action, when at over 5,200 events around the world, people gathered to call for strong action and bold leadership on the climate crisis.

It was broadcast in media around the world, became front page news in NY Times, BBC, CNN to name a few, and was the top news story on the planet on Google.

It is amazing how widespread the movement became. In one day, thousands and thousands of people came together to show they care. There were over 5,200 events in 181 countries - from New Zealand to Iceland, from Mongolia to Guatemala, from Canada to Zambia; and even in Belarus there were over 10 different actions (I'm very proud).

The day showed it's not only active young people in developed countries, but EVERYONE and EVERYWHERE is demanding action on climate change. Old ladies in Bangladesh, teachers in Ghana, parents with their kids in Sydney - everyone is coming together, because it matters.

Photos and videos from the day will be compiled and delivered to the world politicians in Copenhagen and prior.

This International Day of Climate Action was organised by 350.org, a movement calling on global leaders to reach a deal in Copenhagen in December, that would bring the level of CO2 in atmosphere to 350 parts per million (the safe level) from 387ppm we have now already (unsafe level). More info on the science and the day is on 350 website.

Of course, I couldn't be a passive observer, and took a part in a few events here in Sydney: twitter hour (sending messaged to the prime minister demanding commitment to 350 target), carrotmob in Surry Hills, and the biggest of all, forming 350 at the steps of the Opera House (it's me at the bottom of 5, can't really see but I'm there! :)

We had Sydney's lord-mayor C.Moore speaking, scientists, musicians (Felix from The Cat Empire); all major media including TV networks were covering the event - here is a write-up in Sydney Morning Herald today.

Update on the Enviroweek Challenges Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:25:00 +0000

Here's where I'm at with 3 more days to go:

(you can donate on my special page HERE)

1. Have offset my 2 tonnes of CO2 with Greening Australia - check out the certificate:

2. Have switched my superannuation option (like a pension fund) into a sustainable investment fund.

I'm so excited about this one, feels incredibly good to know that my super investments do not contribute to any evil corporations (hopefully). I've switched to AMP Capital Responsible Investment Leader Fund through my provider Sunsuper, more info about the option I chose, HERE

3. Still going vegetarian, no plastic bags or cups consumed (perhaps it helps I'm mostly at home this week hehe), and power switches (all, including even wifi!) are off at night.

4. I've requested a renewable gas option for our apartment, however the whole building is locked into an exclusive gas provision with AGL, who don't have any green gas options - boooo! so that's my challenge done but un-executable unfortunately...

and the only task left is to buy a bike this week! I'm still looking for the best option...

Please support me on my greener journey :)

You can donate on my special page HERE

Go Sveta! 7 personal challenges for the Enviroweek. Please sponsor me.

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:49:00 +0000

I confessed earlier that I'm a bit of a greenie, nothing too radical but trying to do my bit.

I've never really done anything public, but today I heard about Enviroweek in Sydney, 11-17 October and decided it's time to do something more active, plus it's fun.

I'm fundraising as part of Enviroweek dare, and have set myself the following challenges, all to be completed in the next 5 days:

1. Offset my 2009 household emissions (2 tonnes)
2. Request to invest my superannuation (like a pension fund) into more sustainable industries
3. Go vegetarian for a week, until 19 October
4. Decline all plastic bags when shopping and plastic cups when drinking (means no takeaway coffee or drinks)
5. Turn off all power switches at night
6. Switch to renewable gas if I can (already have 100% green electricity)
7. Buy a bike to ride everywhere.

If you would like to see all of the above becoming a reality, please donate.
http://www.everydayhero.com.au/svetlana_zhukova
It might seem a lot but I'm fully committed and hopefully will get your support along the way!

GO BETTER PLANET!

I'm trying to raise as much money as I can, and I only have 5 days. Please PLEASE support me! :)

Click on the link below to read more and to donate to my challenges: http://www.everydayhero.com.au/svetlana_zhukova

Please dig deep or however much you can afford to sponsor me. It only takes a few seconds.

Spread the word and forward to as many people as possible.
thanks in advance :)

http://www.everydayhero.com.au/svetlana_zhukova

UPDATE

Have just offset 2 tonnes of CO2 with Greening Australia, so that's Number 1 done. Going for the 2nd day of being vegetarian, no plastic bags or cups consumed so far. And everything was off at night at powerswitches, apart from the phone & the fridge.

The Age of Stupid - 6 Days to Go

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:26:00 +0000

I tagged everyone who can attend the premiere event in their country

The first successful dramatisation of climate change to hit the big screen. - The Guardian

Think an inconvenient truth but with a personality. - LA Times

here, here - my bit in helping to promote this great action on climate change.

The Age of Stupid is a climate change movie, and the best part is, it shows different perspectives from around the world, and motivates you to do something - even if simple things on a personal level, but most importantly, creating noise for Copenhagen talks making sure we have a chance.

I saw the movie here in Sydney and it's great, check out the reviews and blog posts about it below. It's a one-day only event, and it's now or never!

Read on.
And get your tickets - with 50+ countries it's very very likely you can attend.

If you can't attend, you can still watch the premiere event live the next day, and you can buy a dvd and watch a movie with your friends. Make a wave.

Join Moby, Radiohead's Thom Yorke, Gillian Anderson, Kofi Annan, Mary Robinson, Heather Graham, people in 50+ countries and over 700 cinemas for the cinematic event of a lifetime.

The Age of Stupid - Global Premiere

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Republic of, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

Watch Trailer

Read Press Reviews

Get your tickets and Help spread the word

A Streetcar Named Desire - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:09:00 +0000

Last Saturday it was a glamour time - I have attended the opening night premiere of "A Streetcar Named Desire" play of Sydney Theatre Company.

It's quite a cultural event around here - starring Cate Blanchett in the main role, and directed by Liv Ullmann, famous director (I have to say I haven't heard of her before, but she is very known; an actress in the 60s, dircetor of the Faithless movie and an ex-wife of Ingmar Bergman, starred in most of his movies - of which I've seen none either I have to admit - but I've heard the name :)

The opening night was an interesting outing - many Sydney celebrities were there, I think I saw Miranda Otto, a few local actors, a couple of TV personalities, and I'm sure many other 'who is who's' were around - unfortunately not being local, I couldn't be as impressed :) Just saw camera flashes going off, but who they were photographing all the time, I have no idea...

Now, the play.

I think the acting was great (but I wish we were sitting closer to the stage, so I could see better the acting of Cate Blanchett!), and all critics are raving, tickets are sold out and impossible to get etc... But I wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be.

May be it's the fact the play went for over 3 hours - which is quite long and takes away the dynamism and intensity of the events in my opinion. Or was is that the story line of the play isn't as scandalous/confronting as it was when the play was written? With the media nowadays everything is much more on display, and there are many stories we see around and hear about, that are much more shocking, gripping and thought provoking than the play. The subject now seems almost trivial...

Or was it that I didn't know the background/plot, haven't seen the movie with Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh to appreciate the story?

Blanche (played by Cate Blanchett) is far from sexual predator/addict the character is described as; you feel rather pity for the poor soul rather than her desires...

But for a balanced point of view, check these two reviews out:

"Extraordinary" - Australian Stage online (joined by similar reviews form The Australian, SMH and many others: READ HERE

"Missing something" - from Same Same, and the only review that echoes my thoughts on the play: READ HERE

Nevertheless, it's a very good play - this opening night was almost like a partying gift from my company - I managed the sponsorship of STC for the last couple of years, so it's a very good exit I'd say :)

The Age of Stupid Premiere

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:01:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I've attended a really cool event - Australia/NZ premiere of a climate change movie "The Age of Stupid" www.ageofstupid.net

(interesting how the news about the event reached me - through a newsletter of 'green pages' publication I'm subscribed to :)

It's like 'An Inconvenient Truth", but more personal, with several stories spanning across continents

Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man born in the 2000s, now living alone in the devastated world of 2055, looking back at "archive" footage from 2007 and asking why we didn't stop climate change when we still had a chance?

The 92 minute film was filmed on location in America, the UK, India, Nigeria, Iraq, Jordan and the Alps. In addition to Postlethwaite, it "stars" a 92-year old French mountain guide, an entrepreneur starting a low-cost airline in India, a Shell oil man who rescued 100 people after Hurricane Katrina, an African woman living in Shell's most profitable oil region in Nigeria and two Iraqi refugee kids trying to find their brother.

It sounds very cliche to say the movie acts like a wake-up call, but in many senses it does. I came out reaffirmed in my career decisions and determined to make a contribution in demanding a global climate deal in Copenhagen. It's not enough to change the light bulbs anymore, time to make decisions on policy and economy levels. Or else it will to be too late.

-> GO AND SEE THE MOVIE - AND PLEASE READ ON

http://www.ageofstupid.net/global_premiere

After months of extremely hard graft, Global Premiere tickets go on sale today. We're aiming to break our own Guinness World Record and launch the film in 600+ cinemas in 50+ countries on September 21st and 22nd September. We may even beat Star Wars to the biggest global film screening (though have to reach 800 or something cinemas for that (how ludicrous would it be if our little climate change doc beats Star Wars?!?)).

Check out the events in your country on The Age of Stupid website. The movie will screen in:

Antarctica, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Federated States of Micronesia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazahkstan, Kiribati, Latvia, Lebanon, Luxemburg, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, S Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, UK, USA, Venezuela, Wales, Zimbabwe

SPREAD THE WORD!

There are slight variations in the different countries, but the gist is:
- Solar-powered cinema in New York beaming by satellite to 50+ countries
- Cinemas round the world watch the green carpet arrivals (15 mins), The Age of Stupid (90 mins) and the live event afterwards (40 mins)
- Gillian Anderson, Pete Postlethwaite, Kofi Annan, Mary Robinson, Ed Miliband MP and Franny Armstrong speaking
- Thom Yorke from Radiohead singing live
- Live link-ups to a melting glacier in the Himalayas and a destroyed rainforest in Indonesia
- Top celebs arriving on bikes, rickshaws, electric cars, sailing boats, rowing boats and public transport before braving the papparazzi on the green carpet (which is made of recycled soda bottles)

Other highlights include a beautiful 280 seat theatre in Hong Kong,13 screens in Brazil, a live TV broadcast in Thailand to 4.5 million homes, a green carpet & candles event in Madrid, and a 585 seat cinema in the Maldives with the President as special guest

-My pics from the movie premiere in Sydney-
Green Carpet etc

If you are thinking of going, please could you book your tickets (by going to your country page above) within a week, as the distributors are going to assess how much interest there is and then pull any cinemas which don't look popular. Oh, and we're only on for one night, there isn't a week of screenings or anything, so if you miss it on the 21st/22nd September, then you've missed it.

Short film about UK premiere to give you a taste of what's in store: http://vimeo.com/6048944

Please help
As ever, we have zero dollars advertising, so please help get the word out.
1. Buy tickets to your local cinema for you, your mum, your boyfriend, your boyfriend's hairdresser and all their friends
2. Put together an outing for your school/sports team/church - make an evening of it by arranging a meal before or after the event (after may be better, as you'll all hopefully be inspired to start discussing how you can get involved in climate actions in your area)
3. Send the info round on any mailing list you are part of
4. Go onto the listing page (http://www.ageofstupid.net/globalpremiere), look through the locations and then send the details direct to your friends in whichever country/town/city they're in. There's an easy widget on each individual theatre's page, which lets you send the details without faffing around with emails.
5. Go mad on Facebook
6. Go mad on Twitter

Global Premiere page: http://www.ageofstupid.net/global_premiere
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=122440801800

45 life lessons

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:37:00 +0000

This note/post has become an interesting thing lately; it's been passed on and forwarded around internet with a note that it was written by a 90-year old columnist. Everyone gets inspired, but somehow the truth got lost on the way - Regina is 53 and wrote that entry when she turned 50, not 90 :) hehehe

Funnily enough, many people seem to like these lessons less once they learn the author is younger; looks like we believe wisdom only comes with a very old age.

I disagree, and want to share this 45+5 lessons, I found them very right, making you feel content with who you are, and inspiring to celebrate life. Read on :)

45 LIFE LESSONS AND 5 TO GROW ON

by Regina Brett
Sunday May 28, 2006

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.

It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don't ask, you don't get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Original post HERE

Column about the "internet aging process", 90 years in 50, HERE

When can I call Australia home?..

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:42:00 +0000

Just read a blog post of one of most interesting philosophic peopel I know, Arthur (here)

It got me unsettled again on my 'where i belong' type question. I'm thinking that Aussies are very lucky in a way that then can freely travel the world and yet have this beautiful country as their homeland. I reckon if you could choose where you born, Australia is quite awesome - you grow up in this great nature and enjoying life place, and when you grow up and get bored/desire more, the passport gives you opportunity to travel and be accepted almost everyone (definitely better than being americans, IMHO). And you can always come back to re-charge, and what a beautiful place to re-charge Australia is.

I guess for us, foreigners who come to Australia in most cases for a short while, and in most cases staying for many years, the Australian lifestyle, comfort and environment are the major attractions. I enjoy living here, and I hope I will stay for longer. But I don't feel free... I'll explain.

Free for me is at home, in Belarus (which may seem ironic to some :) It's to do with the fact that I know the place, I have my roots, my family, childhood friends, and even rights there (however universally limited, but I am an equal citizen there). This last bit is actually more important than I thought. Free also means that I can leave, and I can come back. Now, I can't go to as many places and as easily as most of other countries' citizens can, but there is always something I can do, and I can always come back.

In Australia, I'm a visitor. If I leave now, I can't just simply choose to come back, and this limitation somehow daunts me, it makes me feel less secure with where I am in life, and somewhat stains my happiness here. which is a bit of a vicious circle really - I'm happy, that's why I want to stay, but it's not that easy, and I'm not 100% happy...

I would love to have that freedom one day - the freedom to leave Australia behind, knowing at the same time that it's always there for me. I wonder will I?.. Should I?..

(and what is this travelling and coming and going away business anyways, my grandma would say :)

Lessons From Living Abroad

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Thu, 21 May 2009 10:21:00 +0000

It was an interesting and insightful evening today.

1. I had a chat at a work function with my also foreign boss about how sometimes/some australian people are actually close-minded towards foreigners (excluding UK people). Even when speaking correctly (mind you, many foreigners speak better english than locals), you are asked to repeat what you say because people don't expect to hear things in a foreign accent. Or worse, people try to correct you - and while meaning perhaps well, aussies are not precisely the most polite people, so this can be quite annoying.

And especially those people who have never lived overseas (majority), are quite set that their white australian way of life and thinking is the right way. My company, for example, is very homogeneous. The whole sales team is anglo-saxon, and apart from the finance department and ground operations, we do not have asians. I think I'm the only one employed with non-australian/UK passport - which is not a bad thing in itself, it just represents quite certain points of view.

Foreign experience is not as much appreciated in Australia as it should, in my opinion. I was lucky enough to start my job in Sydney in a team that respected diversity and I had the opportunity to present my opinions. But in so many cases I know the companies do not leverage the experience of their staff who represent different cultures.

Lesson #1: when moving overseas/living in a different country, for your own happiness at work try to choose a company or team that will leverage, appreciate or at least acknowledge your overseas experience

2. When I got a cab to go home, I got a driver who was Russian, from Baku (Azerbaijan). Of course, he asked where I'm from - I do sound eastern-european, Russian to be precise :) My theory is that if you started living overseas after 18, your accent will never go away, but I'm actually proud of it now - different story. He told me that he has lived in Australia for 26 years, and before that in Europe and US, but he still misses Russia. The old one. He says Russian people of Soviet generations are most intelligent - over 60-80% would have university education as it was free. This cab driver used to be a marine engineer. So many scientists, engineers, sportsmen from ex-USSR are now in other countries earning their living in their field, because they have their brains to offer. But the nostalgia never goes away. For small things that are ingrained in memory - songs, movies you grew up with, childhood memories of ice-cream for 10 kopeeks, summer camps and grandma's preservatives for winter...

But that taxi driver, even though he misses Russia a lot, doesn't want to go back. Which is smart actually. He doesn't want to go and see his memories of good old days be shattered by a new Russia. Yes, I believe in a bigger picture life there is better that 20 years ago, and will keep getting better, but the thing is it's very different. People are very different. Even to how I remembered from my own - very early - USSR childhood. You can be killed for 1,000 dollars, because money and material status matter so much now.

And that cabbie, he doesn't want to see that, because then he would loose his place in life - it's hard to accept when you are 50 that your motherland as you know it doesn't exist anymore. And at the same time you are never a part of your new country's life, because you miss the old one, which is no more... Vicious circle.

Lesson #2: Protect your memories. Or be brave to face the changes and be brave to adapt to a new reality.

3. And finally, I read an article in The Economist about how living abroad gives you a creative edge. The most interesting part is actually the comments, some really really cool thoughts there. One of my favourite comments:

Living overseas also forces you to accept alternate viewpoints and opinions and think about things very differently to how you would normally look at them.

READ THE ARTICLE

The key thought is that living overseas makes you more flexible and adaptable to change (given open mind and curiosity). And you also actually need to live abroad, not just travel - a key difference.

Lesson #3: Reflect on how your overseas experience has changed you. And once you understand your strengths, leverage on them. Be proud (but not arrogant) of your diversity.

Alexander Rybak from Norway - Eurovision 09

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Sun, 17 May 2009 12:04:00 +0000

Just finished watching Eurovision 09 (yes I do watch it, especially since it's in Moscow this year!), and the 1st place went to the Norwegian guy of Belarusian origin, Alexander Rybak (Александр Рыбак).

And what's interesting to observe - Russian and Belarusian media refer to him as a kind of 'our guy'. He is also very cute :)

While I'm very happy for the guy, he looked very genuine - there is this tendency I noticed that if anything is remotely related or originates from Russia etc, we will claim it our own. That guy is as Norwegian as they come. Yes, his parents are from Belarus, and he was born there, but he left the country when he was 6 and have never been back since... He is not a citizen, and I'm sure considers himself very Norwegian. Alexander is not Belarusian, in the same was as I'm not Lithianian, even though I was born there :)

His parents probably left because Belarus, their own country, couldn't provide them the living their talent deserved (they are musicians), but suddenly now he is 'ours' ?? Alexander means more for Norway and is much more theirs than he ever was or will be for Belarus. And fair enough. And good luck :)

I think the place of birth doesn't matter as much as the environment you become an adult in. What language do you speak in school? Who are your role models? Where do you spend your summer holidays? What language do you think in?

In the current all-global, all-travelling, all-interconnected world, it's not the country you are born in, that makes who you are. It's you choosing who you are by choosing where you belong and what you do.

I'm so happy it's possible.

Reporting from my couch in Sydney, me - born in Lithiania, Russian by origin, grew up in Belarus, lived in Russia and Netherlands, and am settling down in Australia :)

Eurovision 2009 in Moscow - results

and the winning song on YouTube

turning 26

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Mon, 11 May 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Tomorrow I turn 26. so funny, I don't feel the difference from being 24 or 25. Because I think the life is in the current, and happens day by day, minute after minute. All these dates & milestones anyways are just mark-ups invented by us. 25 December is Christmas for some, and a normal day for others, every celebration is only in the attitude, not in the date itself.

And so I think our life changes when something happens: events, decisions, meeting other people - not when your calendar turns and you mark up another year in the birthday celebrations tradition... Birthday is just a moment in time to stop and take notice.

I think the fast-paced life I lived in my teenage and early 20s made me used to the changes; I feel like nothing special or significant happened in the last year or two, while before something quite radically changed almost every year.

I want new challenges and new surroundings; new conversations and new motivations.

How am I going to make my next year the most exciting year yet??

About Susan Boyle

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:37:00 +0000

I finally watched Susan Boyle video, in short - amazing. In case you haven't seen yet, the full version (with pre-show backstage comments) is below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

over 75,000,000 million views, 200,000 comments, it's a global sensation

It's such a cool story, a few thoughts that were running through my head:

- beautiful moment, I had a smile on my face since the moment she started singing

- never have preconceptions, assuming too many things backfires :)

- such a shame how people reacted to her at first. What where all those comments in the beginning, frowns, tone about?? Don't people have a chance to start doing something later in their life? Do you really have to be only young and beautiful to be considered a talent? entertainment industry is such a monstrous machine, seriously

- gotta love internet and youtube in particular :) Such story could have never happened a few years ago

- a lesson to aspiring social media/viral specialists: it happens when there is an authentic story, not just a set-up you want people to follow

- I watched with delight how judges' faces changed; got it??

- interesting how quickly the audience switched from laughing at to applauding to, from frowns to smiles. Either people can admit their mistakes, or it's the success that wins the crowd over?..

- it's never too late to give it a try :)

WTC (World Trade Center) movie

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 07:05:00 +0000

It's been on my list of movies to see for a while, and yesterday I got to it. I saw United 93 when it first came out, so WTC was more of 9/11 told through a personal story. It's one of those movies when you keep staring at the screen watching credits, when the movie is over. It's very sad. I think that day had such significance, because it was totally unexpected, and happened to a very symbolic place in a very symbolic city. I've been at the WTC site in New York, and hat off to everyone touched by it.

But then there is another perspective, too. As Karan said, it's a very sad story, but every day there are hundreds of people dying in explosions and wars that people don't care about as much. I went online for some numbers, and since 2003 there were 91,466 civilian deaths in Iraq. And there were also many before 2003, and before 2001, too.

I also remembered that in Belarus, my home country, at least 1/4 of the whole population died during the World War 2 (which was raging for 4 years). 2,5 million people. It's almost 2,000 people dying EVERY DAY FOR 4 YEARS. It's like we had 4 years of 9/11 happening every day.

Why human race spends its power more to destroy than to create, I do not understand.

4 Reasons Why I Disagree With the "social media employment test"

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 04:47:00 +0000

Now, this is a post I feel strongly about. The general idea of employers looking for a better rounded individuals is true (in an ideal world), but I disagree with the statements of the following 'social media employment test'
Here is why.

(disclaimer: if a person in question is being evaluated as a social media specialist, then yes, the article applies. If it is any other profession - my response is below)

1. "You need to have twitter, FB and linkedin". REALLY? Social media is a communication channel of CHOICE - people choose if they want to use any media, how they want to use it, and how often. If I choose not to have facebook profile, why would it make me a worse candidate? If your recruitment agent tells you "hire the guy who has FB vs the one who doesn't" as a differentiating criterion, may be you need a new recruitment agent.

2. It's PERSONAL. People start facebook, blog, twitter, linkedin profiles for all sorts of reasons, and if I choose to login to facebook once a week, not 10 times a day, and have 80 close friends against 800 everyone-I-know, it doesn't make me a better or worse employee. (well, it kinda makes you a bad one if you spend 2 hours of your working time on facebook - unless you work for facebook). No one has the authority to say "this is a right use of social media. This is a wrong use of social media".

3. "Start your blog to portray yourself as a well-rounded individual". Hmm, let me think about this one… Genuinely interesting blogs and tweets are started as a personal passion, they are AUTHENTIC because people care and have interest for what they write about. Gimmicky social media backfires, you know.

4. "Do not express controversial points of view on your profiles". Now, this one upsets me the most. Most interesting reads are the ones that spark conversations - which usually happens when there are different views. Write what you care about, not what your employer wants you to care about (unless the two are the same, then you have an ideal job already).

Concerts, arts, travels, scanvenger hunts, parties...

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:47:00 +0000

Just caught myself on the thought - again - that the time flies so fast. Guess, the more I do, the quicker it goes :) Last 1,5 months were quite full on with events, now that I think of it:

- Cat Empire concert, finally, and it was AMAZING
- City Chase city event in Sydney, great fun, and we won a prize :)
- Adelaide getaway, Tom was back in town again: WOMAD festival, wine region lunches and beach walks, just great
- Coldplay concert - wow, that was better than I thought, respect Coldplay
- Harbour cruise party with work, a birthday of our fictitious character of the research study, was fun :) and sydney harbour is gorgeous, as usual
- got hooked on Twitter
- signed up for the short course with NIDA, how to be a theatrical producer
- Sydney Theatre Company sponsor's dinner - amazing idea to take sponsors back stage on a tour, and lead onto a stage, where all tables set up. Great night, with Tim Finn performing and Cate Blanchett presenting!
- Have organised my company's participation and sponsorship of Earth Hour, and have myself spent Earth Hour running around Circular Quay on a scavenger hunt :) recurring theme it seems...
- attended program launch of Sydney Writers Festival, great set-up and bohemian crowd, but me and my colleague were well below the average age of guests :)
- have been to my first Pecha Kucha night in Sydney, interesting evening - I'm coming back in July
- attended a private viewing of Archibald Prizes at Sydney Art Gallery (major portrait awards in Australia) - what is it with me & arts???

will try to make up a report on most interesting parts of the above, with pictures, but some other time, tired now, going back to sorting out pictures for flickr :)

My Earth Hour Story

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:31:00 +0000

I've participated in Earth Hour since it's beginning in Sydney in 2007, and this year I was lucky & active enough to get involved more than usual. I think it's such a simple yet powerful idea, and it's amazing how a team's simple thought to increase awareness about climate change has become a global movement. Here's my 2009 Earth Hour story:

1. With the help of several people from my company Adshel I've managed to organise a national media campaign pro-bono, which was pretty cool. We've also run an internal competition for the best version of the Earth Hour posters, even IT and financial departments got involved :) It was great how everyone got on board. More info HERE and HERE

2. I distributed a few Earth Hour cards at my apartment block, and my friends got their share too:

3. I wore the EH t-shirt and answered questions of people in the shops and on the streets about the event

4. During Earth Hour itself I participated in the EH themed treasure hunt at Circular Quay, which involved jumping into the water taxi without support exactly in the moment when the harbour went dark for Earth Hour; convincing bus drivers to let us sit in the driver's seat; hunting policemen to take a picture of; etc etc etc. Lots of fun :) MORE PICTURES

Our team - room #6 (palata nomer shest :)

Opera House during Earth Hour

5. and I've blogged, twittered, flickered :)

I think Earth Hour is a great example of how a modern campaign and movement spreads - via social networks, people, talks, videos, it's web 2.0 initiatives it its best. Everyone can do, entry cost is zero, effort is minimal and its fun!

Here's to Earth Hour, let's hope its message is heard when it's needed - in Copenhagen this year.

Achievements, social media and looking for a job

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:19:00 +0000

One friend working at McKinsey is going to start his PhD at Weatherhead School of Management on organisational behaviour - effect of meditation on leadership; another friend working in a global entrepreneurship organisation, is applying for INSEAD; another friend is moving from Sydney to Signapore to take on a much greater role with a multinational compnay he's been working for; is it a new bar set for achievements, or what?

------

It's interesting how social media usage is staggered over time. A couple of years ago most people I know would be on nomdalife community; then facebook went global, and everyone conversing there, nomadlife pretty much forgotten; now twitter is the new hot thing, and i increasingly spend more time checking links off twitter than FB (which I have to admit was never to high on my agenda but very useful nevertheless). I wonder what's next in the line of new social media toys.

------

I also wonder, how I'm going to find the inspiring, interesting and better paying job with a potential for an international career in the midst of the financial crisis, when the unemployment is rising.

Old Emails

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 04:58:00 +0000

To find an email of a guy I used to work with in Minsk, I decided to search through my old emails in yahoo (my first email!). And I discovered my Pandora box, but a good one :)

It's a mailbox of happiness.
I started reading through emails of people that were dear to me at the time, emails written at different times of my early growing up life, when I was discovering myself and my friends. People I have not remembered about but who meant so much to me at the time, words of encouragement that kept me going even in toughest of time, sad and happy news, it's all there.

It's like a dive to the past: 2000 - 2003, everything was so different back then...

I'm very reflective now, and very happy.
I need to keep in touch, I have so many great people in my life.

Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 08:37:00 +0000

"Two years after my mother died, my father fell in love with a glamorous blonde Ukrainian divorcée.He was eighty-four and she was thirty-six. She exploded into our lives like a fluffy pink grenade, churning up the murky water, bringing to the surface a sludge of sloughed-off memories, giving the family ghosts a kick up the backside."

I just finished reading a book I picked up at the airport, "Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian". I started it on the plain and couldn't put down - you know one of those books you just want to know what's next?

I think part of the attraction was that the story is about a family story of old-time migrants from post-war Ukraine to the UK, which I can vaguely relate to. I became quite interested in the books that show the view of foreigners of the ex-USSR countries, and how people from these countries fare abroad.

It's actually a funny book, witty I should say. There is an old man, father of the family who left Ukraine post-WW II. After his wife dies, he decides to marry a woman from a modern Ukraine - post-USSR, and the book is about how it all happens and what are the consequences for this man's daughters, who consider UK their home. There are themes of parents and children relationships, immigration and native citizens conflicts, old and new-wave migrants, war and communism and capitalism, and human feelings that are the same really whatever language you speak.

I highly recommend this book, especially to people who have friends from ex-USSR countries and/or are interested in learning a bit more about that part of the world' mentality. And it's also very entertaining :)

I was a bit melancholic though after I finished it. I'm quite lucky to originate from Russia and Belarus, but I'm even luckier I grew up in a modern era, not 50 years ago, and that I am as free as I am, and as comfortable in life as I am.

Read it. Seriously.

Looking back and ahead

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 03:01:00 +0000

I have realized a week ago it's been 2 years as I'm in Australia. I didn't think the time would pass so quickly. It means it's been more than 2 years since I finished my AI year, since I was part of Europe, since I saw most of my friends. I'm about to decide on making Australia my home for the next few years (may be longer?), and my mind can't stop going round in circles thinking what was and will be in it for me.

The first year - year and a half I spent as a visitor; I enjoyed my job, I made new friends, I didn't ask or expected much, and simply enjoyed living here. I fell in love and everything became just perfect.

And when it was time to decide what's next, I've decided to stay on for a bit longer, to give a chance to my relationship. I started a more 'normal' life - work from a short experience became work, my international friends left, we moved houses and settled into our own routine. We talk about future plans and buying a house. I started enjoying being part of Australian lifestyle rather than a traveller; I have my favourite places for Sunday breakfast in Newtown and love Australian bands. I love the nature, the weather, the vastness, I love Sydney, the freedom and the enjoyment and the comfort of life.

But there is also another side to turning permanent from a carefree visitor. I have realised that separation from my friends back home and in Europe and elsewhere is now permanent. I can't meet them for a weekend getaway, they can't fly in to see me here, and we'll most probably never again live our lives together. That part of my life is over. I started feeling jealous reading news from other friends who see each other once in a while, travelling across Europe. (I probably don't realise that people from the other side of the world looking at my pictures and stories how I spend my holidays in Australia feel jealous too - the grass is always greener...)

Apart from having a great place to live in what matters most are the social connections. Having a great summer doesn't replace the need to have friends you can share happiness and frustration, and talk about meaningful - and meaningless, too - things.

Most friendships are formed in early childhood, school, uni, and in my case, AIESEC. I have dear to me people - childhood friends, uni friends, many great AIESEC friends - and they will remain dear for ever, but none of them is next to me anymore. I'm here by myself with my second half - who wasn't born and raised in Australia either - and if for the last several months I tried to ignore the fact that my social circle shrunk and I effectively have to build it again from scratch, I can't avoid this anymore.

If I can't spend time with my existing friends, I have to make new ones. The problem is that I have been spoiled with meeting great people without any efforts, when I was in AIESEC, and I've grown to believe it will continue to be so. But when your routine is house - work - house and weekend activities, it's not going to happen anymore. I need to make an effort if I want to meet creative interesting people who share similar beliefs. "Looking for people with international leadership experience, interest in sustainability, travelling and having fun. Can also be creative and/or related to arts. Have to tick at least 3 boxes to be eligible"
Not asking for much, am I? :)

Next step is to get off my lazy bottom and do something!

Inspire Antarctic Exhibition

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:45:00 +0000

To travel to Antarctica has been my dream for a long time, up there together with travel to the space - equally inspiring and seemingly impossible. I've read enough good classic travel and science fiction books to imagine the places,, and incredibly enough, just 10-15 years later - now - it is possible for a normal person to do both. It's amazing.

Of course, you must have something like $10 million dollars or so to fly to the space, which is still beyond reach for most of people, but it is POSSIBLE.

I have also learned that there are flights to Antarctica - in fact, from Australia, and it's not too expensive, only you don't land - and there are tourist expeditions departing from Argentina. I guess capitalism is good, it enables, in fact motivates, many discoveries.

And today I have learned about a perfect opportunity. It's a project with an international team, in the area of leadership and sustainability, and it's an expedition in the Antarctic.

Inspire Antarctic Expedition
http://www.2041.com/antarctic-expeditions/

A girl I know is going on that expedition, and suddenly it becomes so real because people I know are doing it. I'm jealous, but I'm so happy with the power of the international network that let me learn about this project.

Very exciting :)

25 Random Things About Me

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 05:42:00 +0000

If you are tagged in this note, it's your turn to write 25 things about yourself!

(I admit I got inspiration from the random things of other friends, well, the consolation is that the content is different :)

1. I was born in USSR, in Lithuania, and I call myself Russian from Belarus. (my parents are from Russia and all their families are in Russia, but we ended up in Belarus after USSR collapsed, and so I have a magic (not!) Belarusian passport. I call both countries my home, but I'm not sure I belong to either.

2. I have set my foot in 25 countries by the age of 24, some of them for half a day (Moldova), some of them for 2 days (Paris), some of them I lived in.
Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, England, Norway, Germany, Portugal, Turkey, Serbia, Italy, India, Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Egypt, Australia, USA, Brazil. Most of the places I've been to are due to my work in AIESEC.

3. I'm very bad at replying to personal email and messages, and every year I make a New Year resolution to improve it.

4. When I was 16, I participated in a beauty contest. No, I didn't make it past the 1st round :)

5. I shared apartments (for at least a year) and rooms with 21 different people, including my parents and my brother. They were from Belarus, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, India, Australia, Colombia, Canada. Two of them were old ladies I rented a room from when I was 15 and 16. Maximum number of people I shared one room with was 3 - in my times at uni, when everyone in our building lived in 4 people shared rooms.

6. I haven't watched many famous (from western culture) movies - I haven't seen Godfather, or Grease, or Star Wars etc. I equally at times confuse Queen's songs with Scorpions, and I'm not afraid to admit I like ABBA.

7. My paternal grandfather was in KGB, and my father and my brother are military officers. No, I don't think it influenced me, but I wish I could use a threat of KGB connections at times.

8. If I have to choose between cooking and washing the dishes, I opt for cooking. My dishes of choice are pasta and tuna salad.

9. The worst fashion disaster in my life was when I wore a pink cardigan, black mini-skirt, red stockings and red shoes with a purple backpack to school. I was 12 and I don't know what my mom was thinking when she let me out of the house. I also have an addiction to having pigtails till now, but I think it's time let it go.

10. The most personally and professionally challenging moment of my life was to deliver a candidate election speech at an international conference for a global leadership team of AIESEC, in front of 100 people. I got the voting approval, but wasn't selected to the position, and it was the most rewarding learning process for me. At the end I did make it to that team, but in a different role. And that year was one of best years in my life.

11. I would love to work for some time as a movie director, art gallery manager, travelling photographer and Olympic Games coordinator. My dream job would be working as Earth Hour manager, TED organiser or Flickr creative team.

12. I have a fear of spiders and snakes. Quite unfortunate considering I live in Australia that has 8 out of 10 most poisonous species in the world...

13. My dream travel destinations are the moon (or at least a space station) and Antarctic. Perhaps it has to do with the amount of science fiction I read when I was growing up.

14. Things I miss about Belarus - family, friends, our family home, my dog, calm nature, change of seasons. Things I don't miss about Belarus - closed-ness of the country, lack of national spirit, grim entrepreneurial and democratic conditions, bureaucracy, lack of cafe culture and dark freezing rainy winter mornings. Things I miss about Moscow - speaking my language, summer evenings in the city, feeling of cultural belonging, endless possibilities. What I don't miss about Moscow - snobbishness, focus on money, ultra-competitiveness, overcrowded streets, over-smoked cafes and clubs.

15. Things I miss about Netherlands - being in the middle of Europe, developed infrastructure, 2-min walk to the office, afternoons and evenings in Amsterdam, Haas kebab house, apple tart at Dudok, and historical heritage. Things I don't miss about Netherlands - too many rules and procedures, tax system, too logical (not very emotional? not expressing much of emotions?) behaviour, winter without snow.

16. Things I love about Australia - pretty much everything.

17. I do not drive (at all) and do not know where the brake or accelerator are in the car, I'm probably the only female at 25 who doesn't drive, among my friends. But I have a great sense of direction.

18. I prefer Hungry Jack's (Burger King) over McDonald's. My latest addiction is strawberry smoothie.

19. When I watch TV, I get quite absorbed, so I am trying to watch very little of it.

20. I became quite an extremist with recycling after coming to Australia, and do not buy take-away coffee because cups are not recyclable. For the same reason I'd rather stack grocery into my handbag than taking a plastic one.

21. I don't like small talk and especially don't like this morning ' hi, how are you' greeting, which doesn't really imply other than 'fine, thanks' answer. I attempt small talk at networking functions - this is how it all starts, anyways - but get bored when people get to the question 'so, where are you from' and 'oh, I've always wanted to travel the moscow-bejing train'

22. A lot of self-awareness and ambitions I have surfaced because of AIESEC, and I think the decision to join this organisation was by far the most important choice I've made.

23. I'm an atheist, but I've been to churches, catholic and orthodox, to mosques, synagogues, hindu and buddist temples. I find mosques the most inspiring and peaceful, the one that made the most lasting impression is a closed for restoration mosque in downtown Cairo.

24. I don't have a distinct hobby, the closest I came to collecting is getting fridge magnets from the places I visited, most of them are on my parents' fridge.

25. I think the solution to many of our problems lies in re-inventing the lifestyle that is not based on consumption as a source of satisfaction. I'm still searching where my contribution lies.

---

I got inspiration from Tom.
I'm tagging: Jem, Su, Masha, Darius, Anthony, Marc, Karan, Selina, Marie, Katya, Marius, Gabi, Geta, Paul, Zhenia, Gosha, Helena, Jim, Shantanu, Liz, Rhonda, Katya L, Marina, Westy, Jingwei

Rules:
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

Guess what we had in the office today? Baby possum!

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 10:20:00 +0000

Our executive PA works as a vet assistant on the weekends (great combination, isn't it :)), and recently she has got into her home care a baby possum. She (possum) got orphaned, and Kathryn will take care of her for the next couple of months, until the possum is grown up enough to join other possums that will be freed into the wild.

The baby animal is so cute, she is very small, and has big eye - like a mice, but with longer legs, doens't sound too attractive, but that baby possum is so cute. She has a warm water bottles underneath, to keep as if its mom is near, its seriously small animal, sleeps all the time.

How cool is this, having a baby possum sitting in a bag next to a PA's desk, in the office of a media company - viva Australia :)

Australian Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Svetlana Zhukova) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 11:19:00 +0000

I remember when I first arrived to Sydney, it was end of February, and by that time summer wasn't strong, then next summer - my first in Aus - it was all cold and rainy. So I was a bit complaining about the weather, but not anymore.

This summer is turning out to be very hot - in some cities like Adelaide and Melbourne there are heat waves, with power outages, not working public transport, and up to +47(!) temperature. Sydney isn't too bad, but still one of saturdays it hit +40, even in the evenings it is still very warm, and it feels so good to be in airconditioned environment of the office :)

In fact evenings and late afternoons by the sea are the best. when you go out in the evening for dinner, the weather is so pleasant - warm wind, and great to be in light summer clothes in the city lights. Afternoons are even better, when the heat subsides, and water at the beach is so nice, soft (if you go to Coogee or Balmoral), alive with people but not too crowded, and light breeze cooling everyone down.

Finally I get to use the fact that I'm leaving in Sydney, and will definitely this week go to the beach after work - because I can :) Every time I get to the beach, it's like a vacation without taking the vacation :) being from continental europe, i can't stop admiring the ocean :)