Республика Калмыкия - day 1

Республика Калмыкия

28 Apr - 02 May 2011

a trip with Nika (Bryan's buddy) back home,

to Kalmykia Republic.

it as a 20 hour bus ride challenge, but it was really worth it!

20 hours coach ride to Kalmykia Republic!

my dinner at some stop over station.

delicious! stew beef, ooo yummy yummy!

view from the bus stop.

Kalmykia National Museum

Nika told us, her friend got married under this pavilion.

communist ice-cream!

mosaic art. lovely!

some war hero statue in the middle of the road.

main entrance.

Mongolian bao!

one of the best photos i have taken of the temple.

i love my canon ixus 130!

they say u put some money and turn this cylinder one round,

and you have read the scripture one time.

a walk around the temple.

steps leading up towards the temple.

another entrance behind the temple.

biggest Buddhist temple in Europe.

entrance to the premises of the temple.

looks like Kong Fu Zhi to me.

they say Yichen looks like their brother here.

Tibetan buddhist temple.

salad. tasted pretty good, though i dont really like it.

salami and cheese!

salad with Russian 'spice'.

Kalmykia's dumplings with meat inside,

ate together with butter or sour cream.

dinner! Russian-Kalmykia style.

cake! very Russian kind of cake.

traditional Kalmykia tea.

tea with milk, salt and a special kind of spice/seed.

tasted pretty much plain without the salt.

in photo: Nika and Nika's grandmother.

dinner at Nika's Grandma's house.

in photo: Nika's younger brother.

for every woman

For Every Woman By Nancy R. Smith

For every woman who is tired of acting weak when she knows she is strong,

there is a man who is tired of appearing strong when he feels vulnerable.

For every woman who is tired of acting dumb,

there is a man who is burdened with the constant expectation of "knowing everything."

For every woman who is tired of being called "an emotional female,"

there is a man who is denied the right to weep and to be gentle.

For every woman who is called unfeminine when she competes,

there is a man for whom competition is the only way to prove his masculinity.

For every woman who is tired of being a sex object,

there is a man who must worry about his potency.

For every woman who feels "tied down" by her children,

there is a man who is denied the full pleasures of shared parenthood.

For every woman who is denied meaningful employment or equal pay,

there is a man who must bear full financial responsibility for another human being.

For every woman who was not taught the intricacies of an automobile,

there is a man who was not taught the satisfactions of cooking.

For every woman who takes a step toward her own liberation,

there is a man who finds the way to freedom has been made a little easier.

Архангельское Парк

Архангельское Парк - 23 Apr 2011

a lazy saturday off to the suburbs 20km off Moscow

map of Arhangelskoe Park

ticket

on pathway leading up to the summer palace.

the main door of the summer palace.

isnt it so lovely?

the main palace, now an art museum

exchange students listening to one of the buddies speak about the park's history.

none of us were really listening since her accent as rather difficult to understand,

i bet she doesnt understand what she is reading off her webpage print out too.

see the drawings on the wall?

the back of the main palace.

looking off the entire park from the main palace.

those house-like things, they protect the statues from being crushed by heavy snow.

a picture with my fellow exchange mates from SMU.

moscow river!

moscow river's still frozen!

no swimming, no fishing! fragile ice.

this is how close we were to Moscow river!

Mandarin Ducks!

donald duck and daisy duck!

such a forlorn picture.

i like the miniature-effect canon offers.

civil servant

i have 2 civil servants at home,

when i was still a little girl,

i dreamed to be like them,

when i grew older,

i thought, maybe i would like to try venturing into the private sector,

now, 1 year shy from my graduation,

and looking at the jobs that i've been applying for,

maybe i am pre-destined to work with the government.

whatever the case is,

my wish is just to be employed,

doing something related to politics and/or law.

will this dream of mine come true?