Around The World In Beautiful Shoes

Farewell or until we meet again

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:32:00 +0000

I am writing this as my last post on this blog. It has been a great pleasure to work and try to improve myself here. I met some amazing people. Wrote a load of rubbish. Had a lot of fun. However due to current circumstances I know, I will never again be able to be completely honest here and pour my heart out. Time has come, unfortunately, I have to close one door ot open another. I would like to use this post to say thank you to all of those who bothered to read, support and even praise me. Some of you have become like pillars to hold on to in dark times. Something to look forward to. I am not in a dark place right now and things are looking up. However I know I will not be able to cencor my self enough to continue writing here. I fell in love with my blog long time ago and it has been great pleasure and experience writing here. I learned so much. Thank you to all of you and I promise not to disappear. One day if we are meant to we will find one another either in world wide web or in physical world once again. I am sure...
Farewell.
CG

I ♥ your blog.

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:57:00 +0000

Last week as you probably have already noticed I have received my first ever award from Jew Wishes. It's not that easy though... There are rules!

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog ✓

2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you ✓

3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs ✓

4) Add links to those blogs on your blog ✓

5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs! ✓

The blogs I’m nominating are:

1. Pumpkin - From My Swiss Window - for her interesting stories and taking the time to observe the world and people around her.

2. Lotus Reads - for her intellect and ability to constructively criticise books.

3. Vesper De Vil - Vesper's Escape - because I simply love her blog!

4. Peace and Sereknitty - I have been haunting that blog for ages!

5. Retro girl - Creative Pandalerium - for her creative talent in making things and in her strenght!

6. Jayant - The typical college life - for being a VERY good friend and for understanding chess as well as cricket!

7. A better view - for absolutely amazing photographs!

Well I have completed the mission. I must admit it is as much fun giving as receiving!

MENIU.LT - 10 Most Popular English Cupcakes

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:35:00 +0000

Translated version available upon request.
You can find the original article here.

I love working but, no, thank you

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:04:00 +0000

In the last week or so I had a great change of attitude toward work. It has been such a shift, that no one can understand how I managed. But it happened and I did it.
It all began with me having a nasty fit at work a long time ago now, and I realised it is not right, it was like a wake up call. So instead of just acknowledging it I decided to do something about it. I still have a busy schedule, as I need to earn the money to survive, but I have the space to breathe.
Firstly I started turning my phone off at 8PM and going to bed earlier, even if I am not sleeping but reading a book instead, it is still rest. As I was typing articles, I started taking a few moments off to enjoy my cigarette or to eat an apple. Every morning before I got up I would cuddle up to my husband. Little things. All those little pleasures of life, that often without them, life becomes nothing but a pure existence.
I haven't lost my drive for work oh no, but I realised that unless I am fresh and rested, my productivity and the quality of my product will drop. So I started picking and choosing.
Who pays most.
Who pays on time.
Who appreciates me.
Who values my work.
These four are just a few of the criteria for selecting the people I work for. I pick yes, a lot, yes. I have to, so I don't waste my time working for people who are inconsiderate and are wasting my time.
I now know, that not because of shortness of my life, but because of all the reasons I am working so hard, I have to slow down , so that I could appreciate it all. Yes the winter will start next month and I know I don't have any decent clothes ready, that will come, there are plenty of second hand clothes shops there, as long as they are properly washed, they will do just fine. Yes, my dogs like the tinned dog food much more, but dry dog biscuits are better for them. Yes my husband is a meat eater, but eating a little less meat will not do any harm, in fact both of us could eat much healthier food for less money.
The last two months have been extremely hard for us, we had no or very little income throughout, I'm behind with paying my bills and there are only 18 LTL in our bank account as well as being in debt with credit card. But the money will be there in that bank account next week, and the bills will be paid, ad the fridge will be once again full of food.
Once I have re-evaluated m schedule and my work, I realised that by throwing out the disrespectful employers of mine I will not lose money but actually improve my financial situation, by reducing the amount of running around I do. It is silly, I know, that I have not noticed it before.
So these days more and more often, I say thank you but no thank you, or, I am too busy I am sorry. And those people have no other choice but to accept it. It is my life I am living, and I don't want to look back in twenty years time and say: oh shit I wasted myself away for idiots.

Monday - quote day

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:41:00 +0000

"Believe it can be done. When you believe something can be done, really believe, your mind will find the ways to do it. Believing a solution paves the way to solution."

- Dr. David Schwartz

Paulo Coelho - Veronica Decides To Die

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:49:00 +0000

Knowing hat Paulo Coelho is a brilliant writer and seeing this new addition to our local library collection I picked up the book immediately. I read this book in less than 24 hours and the only reason it took me so long was because I was tired and needed some sleep, otherwise I would have read through the night.

Contrary to it's title it's an ode to life. So emotional, so painful at times and still so full of life, entering the darkest and strangest corners of human nature.

The robotic actions in the beginning of the book introduces us to the main character of the book, Veronika, a girl who is fed up with her life for no real reason. She has a decent job, she's attractive and has plenty of boyfriends, but because she never really lived her life, she is fed up with it.

As she swallows each pill, she is more and more assured that she made the right choice and she is finally happy. Only to wake up a few days later in a mental institution to find out that even though they saved her life, her heart is damaged too much and she will die anyway in just a few days. We along with Veronika have to go through these few days, rediscovering life and how much there is to it. Veronika not only changes her life, or the little what's left of it, but also has an immense effect on her inmates. The last thing you'd expect in such a story is love, but it's there too. The love is so pure and so basic and human, that is shakes you to the core.

Yes human nature may not be beautiful to start with, but as we humans develop as individuals and start creating our own true personality it becomes clear, that there is plenty of beauty to be found. This is a great read for anyone, who is depressed or is heading towards depression as long as they read the book to the end. Otherwise, the sadness and the monotony of the beginning of the book, while presenting our sad and monotonous character Veronika may drive them into depressive mood even further.

This book had a great affect towards my change of attitude in recent days that I will post about later. A great read throughout and greatly needed at this point of my life.

Goodbye Around The World In Beautiful Pictures

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:29:00 +0000

There is no point trying to keep a dead blog alive. A big thank you goes to all of you who visited that blog, but as I have no camera to take new pictures and no time to play around with it it has to go. Poet's corner will be next. It was a pleasure playing around, it really was, but it's time to move on.

Visitor report: where do they come from?

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:49:00 +0000

It seems like I have visitors to my blog from all of the six continents of the world. Obviously I appear to be more popular between the North Americans and Europeans, never the less, I never thought that my blog would interest anyone from Australia, Dubai or Indonesia, but seems like these people do find something interesting enough to keep them around at least for a few minutes.

Relaxing

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:38:00 +0000

I think, I should let you all know, that I have paid attention toward my condition mentioned in a post earlier this week. I was burning out and it was a horrific experience. It took a one good fit and a hysteria to make me do something about it, not just acknowledge it.

Since yesterday when I had that evil fit, I have taken action, I went to bed early and postponed the work that could wait. I have eaten small but healthy meals. Even though I still spend a lot of time, I am a lot more relaxed and I have lots of breaks in between even if it's just a walk across the room to kiss my husband.

I thank you all for being supportive and trying to help it will not go unnoticed. I became so relaxed today that I even took some time to respond to people's comments on my blog! There is still along road ahead of me, but now that I have proved to myself that it is possible to achieve as much as before in a much calmer and healthier pace it will be easier. So tonight I am just re-organising my calender to create a more stress free schedule...

*The picture was stolen from here. I hope they won't sue me.

Very funny news article...

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:32:00 +0000

"She had something old, something new, something borrowed... and a man in blue."

- the Times Online

A very funny article has been e-mailed to me by my husband, about a woman who was arrested right after her wedding!

You can read the full article here, it's absolutely hilarious, even though the problem they are trying to tackle is very serious...

Thursday Challenge: TINY

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:10:00 +0000

The Little Black Dress

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:29:00 +0000

What Your Little Black Dress Says About You

You are lively and outgoing. You are naturally friendly.

You enjoy meeting new people and making new connections.

Your style is whimsical and unique. You're good at putting together interesting outfits.

If you were a shoe, you would be: High heeled boots

The Little Black Dress Test

The Symptoms of Burning Out

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 08:47:00 +0000

Yes you all have warned me about this and it started happening last week.

I started having panic attacks. I started crying for no reason. I screamed at my dogs and darling husband for nothing and I crashed out and slept for over 14 hours non stop. The symptoms started showing.

I also for the first time in my writing career was late, but only after warning my boss. The reasons are obvious, we all could see it coming, but I could not afford to sit back. I still can't afford to sit back and rest. Now that I have a reputation of delivering on time regardless of the circumstances I receive more pressure daily.
One of my bosses one evening has dropped two documents each nine pages long to be translated until the next day 10 AM. It was not just any translation, but what I call corporate bullshit stuff. It has to be written in a certain way using certain terms. Just writing about this makes my hands shake. This is what happens these days. I feel dizzy and my hands shake. It is not caffeine overdose, I do not drink coffee, it is my blood pressure reaching it's bottom rate. Dropping so far I can not naturally raise it. I forget to eat. I can not sleep during the week. I don't even want to smoke. I seem to exist of my work and I am starting to feel it's toll.

I do not reply to the comments on my bog because I do not have time for it. I do not have time to have a relaxing bath either. My hair needs cutting and a hole in my tooth needs filling but ironically I can not afford it. I work this much just to make the ends meet. I do not in any way enjoy my life. I'm getting angry. My blog is preplanned, my life is preplanned, there is no space for spontaneity. I'd ask for help but no one else but me can help me right now.

Monday - quote day

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:01:00 +0000

"If a great thing can be done, it can be done easily, but this ease is like the of ease of a tree blossoming after long years of gathering strength."

- John Ruskin

Ozonas - Art From Rubbish; Interview with Robert Bradford

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:07:00 +0000

Art from rubbish?

Robert Bradford is a well known artist from the United Kingdom. He creates his sculptures out of items that no one really needs, otherwise called rubbish. He started sculpting in 1997 and since has become very popular, all his pieces are constantly being exhibited in London, Paris, and other cities.
Mr. Bradford not only converts rubbish into interesting artistic figures, but also uses his experience as a psychotherapist, he expresses his emotions and reveals socially important messages.
He uses his life experience and feelings in his art and what is left is shared with the family.
We at Ozonas were fortunate enough to get hold of Robert right after his famous Big Ben sculpture unveiling and he revealed some more of his life and perspective on art with us.

Can art be ever ecological?

Yes. I don't see the reason why not. Even though it is no the reason why I make it the way I do. I started doing it because I liked the idea not because of recycling, the fact that it is positive and ecological just makes it better.

Do you think your work encourages people to recycle?

I like the fact that most sculptures that I make have history, that they are weathered, that they have a personality, less bland, have the human touch. I like the idea that the material I use had another life. Many who look at them say it's beautiful, and then they realise they have that kind of stuff at home then they can think they can do this or that. Most people when they look at the toys on the floor they just see toys, but there is more.

What inspires you most?

The work is always about what it's like to be human, I hope it comes from life, there is a lot of feeling in it, also ideas, a lot of it is also from my previous experiences as psychotherapist, reflecting the culture and the society.

When did you come up with the idea of using second hand things for art?

I was in this sculpture park in Surrey and I saw this horse, from afar it looked quite beautiful but when I came close to it I saw that it is all rubbish and quite horrible, it's the idea of transforming. However some people just can't get past the rubbish idea.

Do you recycle?

We do now. We are currently renovating a house so we do a lot of sorting, cardboard, electricals, metal, paper all of it, my wife is the more active one in the recycling idea but we both do it.

If you where to come up with a statement to encourage other people to use recycling as a form of art what would that be?

Start with seeing usefulness and beauty. It's a matter of looking. There's lots of things you can do and lots of things you can transform.

So where is the famous Big Ben sculpture now?

It went to the South Bank of Thames and was put up there for a few hours for pictures to be taken with the real Big Ben in the background then it was dismantled and taken to Coca Cola bottling plant in Edmonton, education centre. I have to go down there sometime and make sure all is fine.

Which of your sculptures is your favourite?

I do like the big figures, Toy Soldier is funny and serious, humorous. All of the human figures, toy boy, toy girl and toy soldier, the whole series. Also I like dogs, everyone likes dogs, it's an ongoing thing so there will be lots more of dogs.

What can we expect in your next project? What are your plans for future?

Many things I'm doing right now are dogs and humans, I'm currently working on an angel it's made from toys, big guns also an ongoing project, most recent was the Paris kalashnikov.

Is the kalashnikov an anti-war message?

Yes in a way it is, as it takes a scary object that has killed millions of people and then making it funny and pretty, that way it has less horror in it.

What are you working on at the moment?

Various dogs coming, making two dogs a sausage dog and a sniffer dog on a commission and working on a big angel, from toys. Dogs are an ongoing series and today I've been shopping for more plastic to make the sculptures.

Do your children steal the toys?

Yes, even though they are teenagers and shouldn't be interested, when I come back from car boot fairs, that's where the most of the material comes from, they keep checking things out how does that car work and so on, but they loose the interest quick enough and then I get them back.

Roberrt Bradford is represented by
MAUGER MODERN ART
www.maugermodern.com

Thursday Challenge: LARGE

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:30:00 +0000

Planning

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:43:00 +0000

Those who know me personally, are aware, that I am the most disorganised person in the world. I probably, could not organise a piss up in a brewery, at least my husband does not think so. Still, lately, everything is planned. at least a week ahead. Whom I will e-mail to, what will be posted on my blog, what I will write, whom I will write to and the list goes on. I have achieved this by being overloaded with work. I have so much work to do, that I can not afford, to waste time thinking what to do next, I have to know what comes next. Obviously, sometimes the unexpected comes up, but then I piecefully look at the schedule and organise and reorganise again.

Sometimes, I am tired and I make mistakes, even then I don't allow myself to be thrown off, I simply breathe deeply and sort out the mess I made. There is still a big danger in all this. Most of my life I believed I had an artistic nature and that matter alone justified any disorganisation in my being and here come the panic attacks. I have them weekly. When an unexpected load of work comes through that I can not complete in time, when my dogs are poorly, when I am late. These panic attacks are so bad that when I have them, Graham has to calm me down for a long while afterwards, it costs me time, but I always come up with a solution to sort everything out by prioritising.

I don't like being this way. There is no space for spontaneity, there is no space for impulse, it is pure existence with a dash of personality. There is no possibility of getting out either. I have made my reputation now as a very punctual and organised person, this is what keeps the jobs and my income coming my way, if I stop it now I'll lose it all. Even this particular post, is written on Saturday to be published on Thursday, because I don't know if I will have the time to blog next week. Organisation to the core. This is as good as it gets. Now I just have to go sit down and instead of planning next week, plan my road to happiness.
Somehow I don't think it will work.

Ozonas Presentation

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:05:00 +0000

I can, not only, write in English, but also I translate to and from English. In fact the demand for translations is increasing daily, and this is one of the most beautiful translations I have done. It is for my very important job of networking with foreign companies for Ozonas, they trust me so much I can write to everyone and anyone, while representing the company, and as the company was a little short of something presenting them right, I have translated the Lithuanian presentation package and turned it into this fabulous thing!
You can download all of this beautiful presentation here*. This autumn I will also be preparing a complete issue of Ozonas tranlation, that will mean a lot of work, but the end result will be given out to the visitors in Nuremberg and London exhibitions.**

So, even though the workload is increasing and I have less and less free time, it pays off. The pleasure of seeing a published article or a complete project of some sort is the biggest reward one can get, but when you get paid for doing it too, it becomes an absolutely amazing job to do. Yeah I lose a lot of sleep over it, but I'm moving up the career ladder and I feel that it is worth it, because it gives me the greatest satisfaction of all!

* - The download is via MegaUpload service if you know of better file sharing facilities, please let me know.
** - I will write about this sometime in the near future as they are going to be very exiting events.

All the picture material used in this post is the property of Ozonas.

MENIU.LT - September: Food festifals part II

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Translated version available upon request.

A Different Perspective

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:13:00 +0000

I work for a variety of people, some of them I even don't agree with, but I need to survive. However I never betray my values or beliefs, just because someone, who's paying me thinks differently. It is not the way I am.

The most upsetting thing about that, is that those people never look form a different perspective and believe that only their view is right. As I believe there is no right and there is no wrong, just different circumstances, I find it really annoying. Now, before you have a go at me about the right and wrong thing please understand my view. Every human being has a different perspective for every matter. Some feel that, for example, imposing their religion on others is right, because they are saving the person's eternal life, or whatever it may be. Some believe that allowing death penalty would clean the prisons and the world, and save a lot of people, from somebody evil. Some believe that nuclear power will save the world, because nuclear plants can produce a lot of energy, never mind the cost. Some, like me, disagree with all three statements above, because we believe that we are all different, we have a different perspective, and sometimes it is good to agree to disagree.

However the most annoying kind of all, is the one, that will not even let you express your views and even if they will, they'll insist that you are wrong.

If there is anything wrong in this world, it is saying to people, that they are so. Whatever you call it, misled, confused, brainwashed, all of this states someone is wrong. This, takes away a very basic human right of thinking how they wish. The laws or individuals, may control what you say or what you do, but they can never get into your head, at least not yet.

I am tired from people shouting at me trying to get their point across, it is very annoying and unnecessary, as it will not change the way I think. I may say that I agree just to quieten them, but they will never know, what's up with my head.

The latest event that upset me most, was this individual for whom I did a few translations and other things, last night he tried to get his point across about some type of human called parasite. It made me sick, it made me angry, he kept on about cleaning the world from these people, and I kept thinking of nazis. I am sure some nazis believed they were doing something for the greater good of mankind, but that not in a single way, justified their actions. I was very tired and I knew it is futile with him. He has brought up this subject before in front of me, and I knew he won't give up, I did not agree with him, I just pointed out that we as two completely different individuals have a very different perspective. Some of the things he said were the most ridiculous things I heard in my life, but as a person who has about four jobs (I lost count by now) that is not what I want to hear or talk about at midnight, when I am so desperate to recover some of my sleeping hours that I lost over the week. He kept on and on and on. He knows that because he pays me I won't tell him to fuck off, because financiallly I am still in desperate position, but he also knows that I will never jump at his ideas and agree, in fact mostly I will wiggle my way out as a polititian and try to forget about it.

But I can not forget, I can not keep on swallowing that rubbish of his, just because I am surviving at the moment, because it will not be this way for ever. What I want to do is, tell him that I don't give a damn about his ideas, that seem ridiculous to me. I want to tell him to leave me alone as I don't want to hear anymore of that rubbish, but I feel cornered if I do that, I will loose a little but currently important part of my income. It leaves me wondering whether he is using this as a way to "convert" me just like the Catholics do with people who are starving around the world, they give them a loaf of bread and then have a good follower for the rest of their life. Another thought, how many people like me agreed with Hitler, because they felt cornered, that makes me as bad as them and certainly does not justify my actions.

I want to leave this country, as I haven't met a single person, who would be glad to agree that we are all different and can't see matters the same way.

MENIU.LT - September: Food festifals part I

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:24:00 +0000

Translated version available upon request.

Monday - quote day

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 06:40:00 +0000

We are constantly being surprised that people did things well before we were born. We are constantly remarking on the fact that things are done well by people other than ourselves. "The Japanese are a remarkable little people," we say, as if we were doing them a favor. "He is an Arab, but you ought to hear him play the zither." Why "but"?

- Robert Benchley, "Isn't It Remarkable?"

MENIU.LT - English are going back to the local bakers

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:07:00 +0000

Translated version available upon request.

Thursday Challenge: PLANTS

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:40:00 +0000

A very good thing to do, for yourself, and for the planet

skirmante.gough@gmail.com (CG) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:10:00 +0000

I found this on morsbags.com, and I personally love the idea! In their own words:
let’s do something positive to reduce the hideous number of plastic bags being used - 1 million are consumed per minute globally - of which hundreds of thousands end up in the oceans. the idea is to get together with people in your local community, drink wine and make reusable cloth bags (from old duvet covers, curtains from charity shops etc) and hand them out to the unsuspecting public for free on specified dates outside different supermarkets. meet new people, do something marvellous for the planet and beat other pods (groups) of baggers with your morsbag tally. go to www.morsbags.com to be a part of a wonderful thing! p.s. non-commercial/ non-profitable - just full of beneficial things for everyone, especially whales!

I have a plenty of old sheets and stuff, and I know lots of little tricks with sewing and colouring, so this could be real fun, especially if I got the kids at school involved. The instructions are really nice and simple so anyone can understand them, and you don't have to be an expert in sewing to make this. Are we, the generation of the biggest consumerists changing the history? Don't think so, at least not yet, but we can and it does not mean you have to make bags from old sheets, but it does mean that you have to do something.

Currently I am working hard on coming up with a solution how to have a few different bins for recycle-able stuff, so that it does not make my appartment look like a recycling plant, as well as saving up money to change all the bulbs I can change into those nice energy saving ones. They are really expensive over here, and my wage is not that big, but slowly I will build up, like a good girl. I am also thinking of taking the bus to work in the winter, currently I walk when I can, but during emergencies, like oversleeping I jump in the car and drive there. So I have to learn to take the bus, that would save me money on petrol and make me a better person towards the environment.

I am thinking of sticking this in my classroom:

P.S. Just so you know I already don't use plastic bags, I use my nice cloth bags instead, I'm just thinking of how to get other people into it!