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Well I guess I’m learning Russian...

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Brian_N
Pro Member
Canada
Joined 5769 days ago

200 posts - 202 votes 
Studies: English*, Russian
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 Message 241 of 248
21 September 2009 at 1:03am | IP Logged 
Been doing a lot of thinking lately about life in general. For better or worse this project has also been getting some that attention. As I take in what I see around me Iā€™ve come to the conclusion that here in this place Russian is pretty much useless. Why would you need to know anything about Russia (or the rest of the world for that matter) when just by knowing the right people you can get a job where you make over 100K a year doing slacker menial labour jobs. Education is not necessary here, and neither is Russian. I feel the temptation to put everything Russian I have and put it right beside my university coursesā€¦in the bottom of the dumpster. I have my happy ending.   And yet as I look forward one fact remains true, it is my admiration and curiosity of all things Russian that has brought me to this place.

When I first heard of this opportunity I deemed it to be to far to risky. The timing was terrible, just leaving to investigate would cost me my job back in Winnipeg and having financial obligationsā€¦I wouldā€™ve been in quite the screwed position.   And then I found out that this company does work in Russia, and without fear or hesitation I packed up and headed out here in the name of ā€™fateā€™, of course it was going to workā€¦its ā€˜godā€™s willā€™ that I get to go to Russia. And the choice proved to be the correct one. Ironically though that same cognitive distortion that fearlessly brought me here was shattered shortly after arrival by the magnitude of my new situation. My life can go so many ways nowā€¦and that one fact remains true, Iā€™m here because of my desire to truly know Russia and the aggressive approach to life that was to make it happen. Even if Russian is now pretty much useless to me nowā€¦it has a gained a sentimental value. How can possibly abandon that which has brought me so far so quickly?

This project shall continue. My little detour to Russia will probably cost me my chance to be a millionaire before 30 but whateverā€¦I never expected to be this far this soon anyways so it all balances out. Iā€™ll take two years off to go to Russia. The going is good, so I guessā€¦Iā€™ll keep on going.

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Brian_N
Pro Member
Canada
Joined 5769 days ago

200 posts - 202 votes 
Studies: English*, Russian
Personal Language Map

 
 Message 242 of 248
05 October 2009 at 6:03am | IP Logged 
Been thinking lately about something I said before, ā€œRussian is pretty much useless to me nowā€œ. I never realized how much this bothers me. With the current direction my life is headed its quite true. The way things are taking shape the most likely outcome for me is moving to Alberta permanently, starting a powerline man apprenticeship and probably getting married within a few years. Itā€™s a good life, Iā€™d be making a 6 figure wage and could be retired within 20 years with a 8K-9K a month pension. On this path Russian is very much useless, Iā€™ll never need it. And yet, as I try to move on with my life this damn language keep f*cken nagging at me. This whole ā€œIā€™m supposed to know thisā€ crap is starting to get old. Impulsive emotions that just donā€™t wanna die. *Sigh* I couldā€™ve been so happy with a simple life in Albertaā€¦but F*ck it. Russian will be made to be useful. I guessā€¦I guess itā€™s time to build the empire.

$250 per productive unit, or $200 if I want to undercutā€¦per hour. Cost per productive unit 75-100K. Required employees 3 orā€¦1 if sub-contracting is utilized. Estimated time to acquisition of Unit Alphaā€¦11 months or 6 if financing is used. Incorporation dateā€¦still to be determined.

I know how Iā€™m going to kick off the empire but as for when Iā€™m still undecided. Tempted to go the proprietorship route as Iā€˜ll be a one man operation, butā€¦I want to make learning Russian a tax deductible expense (umā€¦corporate bylaw requiring all officers to have Russian fluency, even if it comes at the companyā€™s expenseā€¦lol, of course Iā€˜m going to appoint myself CEO) I still havenā€™t figured out what my company is going to do in Russia though, fate will reveal that to me in timeā€¦alls I know is that whatever it is it will make having Russian ā€˜very usefulā€™. For the moment thatā€™s good enough for me.

There comes a moment in every persons life where that question must be askedā€¦ā€œHow big of a game do you Really want to play?ā€ I donā€™t know about everyone else butā€¦Iā€™m bored with the current game, bring on the big board and then we can talk about little empires, money, and lives spent abroad learning about interesting places and interesting people. Bring on the big board cause Iā€™m ready to play.
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Brian_N
Pro Member
Canada
Joined 5769 days ago

200 posts - 202 votes 
Studies: English*, Russian
Personal Language Map

 
 Message 243 of 248
13 October 2009 at 8:26am | IP Logged 
October 4th-9th

October 4th -> 90 min Total - 3 blocks 30 min (15 min vocab drill)/(15 min sentence dictation)
October 5th -> 30 min Total - 1 blocks 30 min (15 min vocab drill)/(15 min sentence dictation)
October 6th -> 60 min Total - 2 blocks 30 min (15 min vocab drill)/(15 min sentence dictation)
October 7th -> 90 min Total - 3 blocks 30 min (15 min vocab drill)/(15 min sentence dictation)
October 8th -> 120 min Total - 4 blocks 30 min (15 min vocab drill)/(15 min sentence dictation)
October 9th -> 60 min Total - 2 blocks 30 min (15 min vocab drill)/(15 min sentence dictation)

I like the new program I started using a few weeks ago, Iā€™m finding the sentence dictation exercises quite helpful. A sentence is spoken, and then you have to guess and write what was said. Itā€™s a sweet way to put the listening skills to the test. For the moment Iā€™m failing, but as I keep listening its obvious that the grade is starting to improve.

I think Iā€™m finally ready to put Russian grammar under the microscope.


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Brian_N
Pro Member
Canada
Joined 5769 days ago

200 posts - 202 votes 
Studies: English*, Russian
Personal Language Map

 
 Message 244 of 248
21 October 2009 at 7:34am | IP Logged 
Well Iā€™ve made up my mind, 10 months from nowā€¦Iā€˜ll be trying on Russia for a few years. My priorities are starting to shift, I just want to get my education done, nothing else really matters to me anymore. I was one click away from just deleting all the stuff Russian I had. But, just as I was about to click, ā€œempty recycle binā€ It hit meā€¦wait a minute, Iā€™m going to be doing my education through distance, so that means, I could do it anywhere, even Russia. Sweet.    

Alberta is nice, but I need to get out of here eventuallyā€¦Iā€™m bored otta my tree. Tightening bolts day after days is getting old pretty quick. It would help if the people I worked with werenā€™t mentally deficientā€¦but yeah no such luck. I guess I canā€™t expect much though, laborersā€¦

So canā€™t wait to get to Russia. Itā€™ll be fun, different place, different people, different ways of thinking. I know Iā€™ll probably take this back in time, but from where Iā€™m standing, culture shock does sound kinda fun. Purposely turning your world upside down just to see how much itā€™ll screw with your thoughts and emotions.

10 months, so canā€™t wait.

1 person has voted this message useful





Brian_N
Pro Member
Canada
Joined 5769 days ago

200 posts - 202 votes 
Studies: English*, Russian
Personal Language Map

 
 Message 246 of 248
29 October 2009 at 4:55am | IP Logged 
Took the liberty of expanding my credit limit so I can take advantage of any unexpected opportunities for a trip to Russia.   It was a spur of the moment decision. I was opening a new chequing account at another bank because my current one is kinda pissin me off. The new bank ran my SIN number to get my credit rating and approved me right of the bat for a 5K overdraft. I was like, um I donā€™t want a $5,000 overdraftā€¦but I will take a visa with whatever you can give me lol. The papers and my new visa came in today and yeah, my credit limit has just been expanded a few thousand percent. Sweet lol.
Now just gotta get my passport.    

Studying is still going on, and on and on. Same old same old, listening, vocab drill and sentence dictation.

As for things here, Alberta is going great. Been promoted, on thee bossā€™s crew now, handpicked as always lol.    Meh climbing laddersā€¦far too easy.

1 person has voted this message useful





Brian_N
Pro Member
Canada
Joined 5769 days ago

200 posts - 202 votes 
Studies: English*, Russian
Personal Language Map

 
 Message 247 of 248
08 November 2009 at 4:17pm | IP Logged 
Well started looking into getting that passport I need. I imagine I probably could do it online or something but screw it, another week and I should be back in Winnipeg. Iā€™ll stop into the office there when I get back and get the paper work done up. I just might need that passport sooner than I thought.   

Thereā€™s a rumor going around work that our department is going to be shut down probably till next year in a few weeks. Not because the economy or anythingā€¦we Manitobans are just too damn efficient, theyā€™re running out of work for us. Even with the stand around time from the construction yard being unable to supply the line at the pace we need, the other sections are still falling behind. At the pace were going, 3 days and there is going to be lotsa people standing around. And I say sweeeeeet. I hope we get shut down, gives me a chance to go to Russia, even if its only for a week or two. Iā€™m about ready for a break from working 140 hrs every two weeks.

Letā€™s see how all this pans out, Iā€™m hopeful itā€™ll go well.

1 person has voted this message useful





Brian_N
Pro Member
Canada
Joined 5769 days ago

200 posts - 202 votes 
Studies: English*, Russian
Personal Language Map

 
 Message 248 of 248
01 December 2009 at 8:45am | IP Logged 
Well I guess its time for an updateā€¦I WAS going to watch a movie tonight with my roommate and these two girls he was bringing over, until I seen these ā€˜girlsā€™. Um, Shrekā€™s girlfriend in the fleshā€¦times two. Two words, F T.

Once again the cards have been shuffled, Brian goes up and Brian goes down. So yeah, bye bye Alberta, I'll miss having that $3700 deposited into my bank account every two weeks...but meh, easy come easy go.

I have no regrets about quitting. Yeah, my dumbass walked away from that kinda money for tightening F`n bolts lol. We all have our reason, as did I. Um, means that trip to Russia I wanted is temporarily off the table, though that is also by choice. A comparable paying job has already found me...(um friends of family and friends of friends) But strangely enough I`m not interested in making money anymore. I just want to finish my university and continue learning Russian. I`m tired of working with idiots...I want a job where the people I work with are a little brighter than a 5W light bulb. I also want to get around to finishing up Russian. Still planless for what I`m going to with it, but whatever I`m sure life will send something interesting my way. And it if doesn't, well I`m fine with that too. Russian is beautiful and at the end of the day I`d have no regrets know it, simply for the sake of knowing it.   

Been reorganizing for TAC2010, actually already started just haven`t posted yet. I`ll get around to that soon enough. (Ironic...unemployed and I still have no spare time lol.)

Anyways though since I`ll be moving over to TAC I won't be needing this log anymore so I guess....Topic closed.


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