Cycle

"Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance you must keep moving."

And that I will do.
I'm planing to get back on my bicycle, just this time i'll be better prepared.
So here I will make a list of things that I have, things that are on the way and things that I still should purchase.

-Spare Tube
-Tools
-Travel Insurance

-Pannier
-Rack
-Speedometer
-Mudguards
-Padded Shorts
-Safety Vest
-Gloves
-First Aid Kit
-Emergency Blanket
-Handlebar Ends

-Helmet
-Lock
-LP

A Week Ago

It's been a week since I moved. And just about yesterday I realized that I've lived in four places in the last 12 moths. How crazy is that? It's a rhetorical question, no need to answer. It seems like all I've been doing is looking for a new room to rent.
Anywho, I really hope that this place will be satisfying enough to not have to move again any times soon. At least not while I'm in this city.
I moved to a place where I was least likely to move to. A flat on the other end of the city, meaning I have to take public transportation in the morning to get to work. (I am a person who can not stand crowded buses!!!) Before I used to walk almost everywhere, but now I have a bus pass, so I choose to take the bus even if for a short distance.
Second is that I live with one person, a guy, from a different ethnic background. While originally I was looking to live with more than one person, since I've always believed it is more fun to live with more people. While I don't necessarily like people with me all the time, i like knowing that there is someone in the house. And well, I chose a flat that is not very cheap, the rational part of me would have gone with a not-so-good flat with cheaper rent.
So I contradicted myself in every way, chose something that I was least likely to choose. This surprised not only me, but people around me as well.

Last Saturday I was out with some friends, and got home at around 3 am. I had to be in work on Sunday, so I went straight to bed to get at least a little sleep. At 7 am there were police officers banging at the door (welcome to the neighbourhood), they had received a call from my flatmates cell phone, and they had come here to check if everything was ok. However, my flatmate wasn't home, so it was quite frustrating. The police, and I called him several times, but he refused to share his location. It was so confusing!!!
But in the end everything turned out well, and I even made it on time to work.
On Monday was poker night, but Bar 10 was closed and no one had been informed that it will be shut for the night. So we all just went to a casino to play poker there, but i had little luck and lost soon. Played some Blackjack, that turned out to be fun, since I got some money out of it! :P
Rest of the week went by pretty well. Work is like usual, just getting to it is a hassle, ..no it's not a hassle, but ugh, i just dislike going to work by bus. When it's time to get home, it literally takes ages. OK, NO it does not, but it takes long. I don't like this. But I'll get used to it.
On Thursday I bought pizza. Had watermelon for dessert. And topped the evening with loads of Youtube videos (enjoyed the unlimited wi-fi).
Friday I went out with two gals. The club was alright, but one of the girls got sick soon, and started disappearing on us. So we found her and had to call it a night a bit earlier than expected. By the time I got home I too got a bit sick. Probably because too much drinks had been mixed (wine, champagne, gin, apple sourz....). And today I had a bad hangover, I don't usually get that.. It was not a pleasant morning. Spent rest of the day watching Big Bang Theory and Bones.
My life really seems empty at the moment, maybe I need a new hobby, or just pick up an old one...?

Purchase

I, like most of us (I believe), usually download music online. Illegally. Yup, that's what I do. Very rarely do I actually buy a song online. Now that I come to thinking of it, online I've actually paid for just one song. And it was only because I couldn't find where to download it, but I liked the song very, very much.
All for good, today I made a change, I purchased two CDs! You heard me. I went into a store and purchased two brand new CD, in a legal store. I know, WHY?? That's what I would be thinking. If I wanted, I could get all these songs online without spending any money. Besides, CDs just take us space, and that's no good (especially now). But somehow a new part of my brain took over and I decided to go ahead and buy the CDs. The first CD I found in the shelves of FOPP was The XX this year's album Coexist. I've not listened to it yet, but should be good. The second CD that I purchased is the new album of Canadian band Wintersleep called HELLO HUM. I'm listening to it as I write and I am enjoying it. I don't know if this is actual satisfaction, or if I am just reassuring myself that it was a purchase worth the money. I've like Wintersleep ever since I heard them the first time, so I assume that this is real satisfaction.

Well Happy New Year everybody. I'm staying in today, having a glass of Asti and then heading to bed.
A quiet evening for me, thank You very much. :D

Now Playing: Wintersleep - Nothing is Anything (Without You)

Money Matters

It's almost 2013. Who would've knew that the year will go by so fast? The year really did go by fast, but when you come to think about it, many, many things have happened since the beginning of the year.
I was going to do a later sum-up-the-year post, but I have a feeling that this one will turn out into one.

In the long run it has turned out to be a travel year. January was the start of this journey, I went to Paris. In a way it had always been a dream city for me. Not entirely, but it was definitely one on my checklist. How could it not be, right? Then I also visited Scotland's capital, Edinburgh. Compared to Glasgow, it is much, much cleaner and more beautiful. February was a long month as well. I got my dad a lovely camera for birthday, then I went home to visit for a week. Also, in February before going to Latvia, I moved in with different people. Lovely people, and I come to thinking that the time I spent living with them has been by far the best time in Scotland. Living with Inga was great! I mean, I had a good friend for all that time.
Then March finally came and I went BUNGEE jumping. Now that was amazing. It was something I had always wanted to try, and was so very glad I finally did it. It was better than I had though it would be.
April went by quietly, did not do much, I suppose some small things added up.
In May I went to Northern Ireland. Before that my mom visited me on her way to Canada.
In June I bought my unicycle, and that is why it is called June. :D In July I got a new bicycle since my previous one got destroyed at the beginning of June.
In August I went about to see some other cities in Scotland, I visited Stirling and I visited Aberdeen. In September right after my birthday I went to Ireland, Dublin. After that I had a party for my birthday, it was fun. In October I went to London, and met my brother there, and we had a couple great days in the big city. November was the next best thing after Paris, I visited Iceland. An country with fascinating scenery. Then I went home again for a week to visit my family.
And it is December now already. Shall see what will happen before it ends.

There it is, my year in a few sentences.
Now I really gotta run. :D

I'm Loving It

I think I should do something about my good old blog "Song of the Day". I hadn't posted anything for a very long time (since last years October) and so I shut the blog down. It still exists, but it's not available to the public. Today I've been going through the last few songs on that blog and I came across this beauty Sloan - Unkind. There is something in this song that I really enjoy. It could be the rhythm, or the melody, or the simple lyrics, i'm not sure, but I have been listening to it several times now, and i'm not bored of it (yet). About that blog, I was thinking that in stead of posting a new song every day, I could have a Song-of-the-Week kinda deal, sounds reasonable, and keeps the idea going. I shall think about it.

I have been having a nice week, I blame the unusually good weather. Sun in Scotland is a luxury!


Plus I have settled some important matters regarding something that has been bringing me down for a very, very long time. In a few months this thing will be out of my life for good! Can't wait.


One more thing, I can't figure out what I should do in April for my one-thing-a-month. In January I went to Paris, this was a great opportunity to get away from everything, even if it was just for three days. In February I went back home for a week. Had a chance to meet my family and friends. Plus I was there for dad's birthday, which is why I went home at that time in the first place. In March I finally went bungee jumping. This was amazing!!! Probably the best choice I have made in my life so far!! I believe that everyone should try this for what ever reason they want to, either to push new limits, fight the fear, or be brave, or what ever... JUST DO IT! Really, you will not regret this! So now April is around the corner, and I still don't know what I should do. I have vague ideas, but none of them are spot on ideas. **Pounders.**


All right my lovely muffins, time to follow the white rabbit. :D

J'aime Paris

Be it as it may but you always have to be the first. You have to be the first and the last. You have to be everything. If you aren't everything, then you're nothing. If you're nothing you are nobody. And if you're a nobody, then people will soon forget you (that is if they ever even got to know you in the first place). You must be priceless, you have to strive for the best, for that's what you deserve. You have to put your best foot forward. Always put in all the effort you possibly can, because what you put in is what you'll get out of it. Easy come, easy go. You can't expect the world to be at your feet if you sit there and do absolutely nothing.

So there, i said it.

!

Man nav naudas. Neko citu negribu teikt.

Savādi Gan

I'm in Latvia now. I will stay here only for a month though. I flew in Friday, but just now did I change my facebook current location from Ottawa to Riga. Not for long though. 

Anyway. I was so excited to hear Latvian in public from people that I do not even know. After all, I haven't been in Latvia for eleven months, so don't blame me, blame the time (yeah, the time is always guilty). However, I was very disappointed to hear some of the conversations. The worse one was when I was in Origo with a friend of mine and one cashier was talking to the other. They both were young women, a few years older than me. They both were wearing shirts of the store they worked in, it said that there is a summer sale (or something along those lines). One was blond, while the other had darker hair that was tied in a pony tail. The dark haired one said to the blonde one: "So you really see yourself working and living abroad?" To which the blonde one said that she does not see any other choice. I was saddened, but it was the truth.

The situation in Latvia is really worse than I thought. Everyone sees money as a priority. Businesses are barely functioning. While people look like worn out clothes. I feel like things have gone so low that it is impossible to pull it all up. 

I was sitting with my friends at a fast food place (hahaha, I guess I can not blame the time here, but only myself), and my brother had bought fries along with other saturated fat foods. And I, as a person with hight demands asked if he had brought the sour cream sauce for the fries. He then went to get two packs, one for me and another for one of my friends. And then my friend said, something like, right, there are still some nice people in the world. Yeah, she probably didn't mean it the way I am interpreting it, but still, he bought something, and that is what made him a good person(?). Is that really and indication of a good person? I don't think so. Not only does this show in buying foods. How about cards, or ticket for the trolleybus? Is it the "good" person who buys things, or is it the "generous" one, or is it the one who simply has the money to spare for it. Further more, the city public transportation.. This was a very unpleasant surprise. As most of you know, the prices have raised dramatically for the public transport, and the whole system, has changed as well. What I have observed was that very few people actually pay for their trip, no matter if it is one bus stop, or seventeen. Very few people pay the price/ticket. Why? Too high prices? Maybe. Or is it the control and the effort that is put in to control this? Yeah, I guess it takes money to hire people who go around and check, but isn't it worth it? The fines are ridiculous as well - 5Ls. That is the most hilarious thing ever. One ticket is one tenth of the fine. So, if you don't get caught after cheating ten times you are pretty much saving money. AND since people probably do not get caught often, they are saving money. AND saving money is not only cool, it is also very useful, especially now!

The next thing ties in with the money. While very, very few businesses might be experiencing good times, tons are failing. Today I was riding home and I saw a good store that I liked close. It looked like it had been closed for several months now due to the wood that was nailed to the windows and the sad, grey worn out façade was falling down and creating debris piles. The other day I saw that the kiosk on Avotu and Čaka street intersection has been removed as well. Why? Why? I had known the existence of this kiosk ever since I can remember myself. This whole situation is erasing my childhood memories. How can I prevent this? Huh?

I also noticed that most stores are empty, except for the ones that sell used clothing. At all the stores that are still functioning people are crowded around the "last sale" stands. People are eager to save, to spend less, and to get the best deals in town. This is devastating. It takes up time and effort to find these deals, it takes away from the time people could be thinking of how to spend time with their families, or being happy about a national success in a sport discipline. It is very depressing to walk around when everyone is so determined to save, save, save. Why don't they go ahead and save themselves rather than money? Yeah, money is important and all, but it isn't the most important thing, that's for sure. 

I have been ditching Latvia to the most now, and all I really know is nothing. I am scared to look in deeper. I am seeing an iceberg, where the most is underneath the surface, but before I dive, I have to learn how. So that is why I am studying outside of the country. There I will get to have an education. I will develop my personality and dinf out how people live in another culture. I will then get to compare the one in Canada to Latvia, and to Scotland (not even mentioning the many things I know about other cultures around the world). This is really why I like social psychology, it is not the data, but the actual behaviour of people groups that fascinate me.

Chance can be done! :)

Now, yeah, people are very much money motored now. It is simply the way people have learned to adapt to the current situation. However, I have noticed some positive change, the TV has some positive shows and commercial. There are many events and concerts around the country, many of which are free or inexpensive. I have also learned that there is a huge growth in tourists since last summer, which means that the Latvian currency has some buyers. It also means that there are some businesses that are not failing. I also love that there are nice people, who remember to be polite and nice. There are pros and cons to everything, but it takes some effort to not only see the pros, but also bring them out more than the cons. 

I'm off to bed now, so take care. Meanwhile, I will try to wrap my head around everything once again.