Shame, Success and Weekend Report

Greetings Radio-fans,

Hope you've been enjoying your weekend. Mine's managed to obtain the correct proportions of productivity and relaxation to warrant a lack of fear towards going back to work on Monday. So what did I do with my time?

Watched two movies.
After hunting around Friday night for some movies worth having, I was disappointed to find that there really hasn't been anything worth watching come out for a long time, bar a few titles. Having already seen Shooter and Next (Both quite enjoyable), there were few movies left on the list. I settled on two that I would watch with very low expectations.

Smokin Aces
I really don't know what to say about this film to be honest. I don't remember watching a film where I sat expressionless throughout the entire ordeal. I was saved feelings of disappointment as I hadn't any expectations of this movie. The synopsis of the movie on IMDB suggested a somewhat comical turn of events throughout this movie but having watched it, I saw nothing comical, (despite the directors best efforts to instill it.)

A lot of people died, and for no apparent reason. The storyline failed to engage my interest, in spite of a cast of unique characters (although most of the characters with any sort of "character" seemed to be killed off fairly early in the piece) The director clearly wanted to be Guy Richie but sadly, was too far off the mark. There's no reason for me to recommend this movie to anyone so i'm not going to.

Epic Movie
As with the Scary Movie Franchise, Epic Movie exists for a sole purpose, to take the piss out of all big budget films in any way possible. (Although preference does go to tacky methods) However unlike Smokin Aces, this movie had a few good moments and even some others which I feel guilty about laughing over but anyway, that's the nature of such movies.

Without going to much into details about this movie, it was more enjoyable than Smokin Aces, even with it's tacky story-line. (which is intentional in this franchise of movies) Sometimes it was a bit much, (also trademark for the franchise) but it actually makes it's intended mark on the viewer. The same cannot be said the 'other' movie.

If you're a fan of tacky humor and want to see a particularly good piss-take on Cap'n Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Carribean fame, then it's probably worth having a look.

Cheese Cake
Saturday afternoon was spent making a cheesecake. The procedure was largely successful and the results appeared to be quite acceptable. But we had to wait until Sunday for the official taste-test.

Sunday came and after my hairdresser, Tanya (one of Sveta's friends) came and cut my hair, we all sat down to some cheesecake. As if like magic, the cheesecake popped out of the tin and held together. (my major fear was that it wouldn't. But it did! So we rock!) And the verdict? Simply Sensational! Tanya and I had two pieces (because one piece is never enough) while Sveta opted for the singular variant (Why spoil a good thing?) So morning tea for the next week is sorted. :)

Haircut
As I mentioned, I had a much needed hair-cut as I haven't been shorn since before I went to Riga. (3 Months ago for you chronologically challenged individuals) It is fantastic having a hairdresser that comes to you (or is that me?) and be trimmed in the comfort of your own kitchen. The dinners filled with hair trimmings for the next few days might be considered a delicacy. (or a choking hazard depending on the size and volume of the trimmings in question)

Business
I've got a few possibilities coming up and to facilitate business for one of them, i've been developing a new website and business card for myself and my own teaching setup. Another proposition is starting a new business with one of my banking students. So whatever is decided, I have the opportunity to make good money for myself. (lucky me)

I hope you have all had a good weekend. Keep out of mischief and I hope to hear from you in one form or another. Take care.

Matt.

Search and ye shall discover!!

I don't know how long it's been the happening thing, but Radio Krasnaya, the one, the only is now ranked number 1 on Google.

Let us rejoice with the establishment of an AdSense Account!!!!

It hath been brought back!! It's ALIVE!

..."Hark! A miracle has occured! Just when it was thought that the unthinkable had happened, a ray of light shone down on my 160gb backup drive and all the data magically reappeared! It was like it was never gone to begin with..."

An external backup harddrive is invaluable piece of equipment. Good for storing movies, music and photos, it is usually a reliable storage solution to keep your main drive free. So when 100gb of my data simply ceased to exist one day, I was so completely speechless, I couldn't even swear at it.

In fact I didn't do anything about it for three days until I just decided to plug it all back in to make sure. And I must say I was pleasantly surprised to find out i'd jumped to the wrong conclusion and that, in fact, everything was still there. Another victory for me.

Now, to fix my stupid Glofiish X500.....

the long and deafening silence

Greetings people,

I'm not dead. I'm just busy. Which means that i've been neglecting my blog. (Standard procedure for when my life gets busy) So it might interest you to know a few things that have been happening as of late.

First, work is progressing rather lovely, paying well and offering lots of other opportunities and worldly experiences. I teach two senior execs at a large Russian bank and thoroughly enjoy doing so.

I've also taken up playing paintball and have organized several events for friends, students and collegues over the last few months. I have my own equipment (which rocks the socks so much in terms of reliablity and overall coolness) For those of you interested in brands, it's a BT Designs BT-4 Assault. It's semi auto at the moment, but the electronic grip frame is on order from the states giving it the ability to shoot fully automatic as well as several other firing modes.
I've been getting plenty of bruises (although fewer and fewer after each game) and barely give them enough time to heal before organizing the next game. Photo: In the visor for the 5th time that day. Smile!


Mum and Sal came for a two week visit which was whole new levels of awesomeness. Viewers of Sal's myspace and Mum's Flickr account have no doubt seen pictures already and have been wowed by the beauty of this city. But really, photos cannot do this place justice. Just ask them when they return to Aus, you simply have to get out there and see it yourself. It was a fantastic two weeks of catching up and sightseeing and I am genuinely disappointed that they are gone. They are currently in Saint Petersburg and will be on their way to Denmark for the Scandinavian leg of their crazy European Odyssey. So to Mum and Sal, thank you so much for visiting and Sveta and I wish you the best for the rest of your holiday!! Say hi to Princess Mezza for us!
Photo: We all try and do our best to pull an EU Family Photo. SCORED!

The weather in Moscow currently is quite nice. Not too hot and certainly not too cold. Rain is not too frequent and humidity is not as high as it was last year at this time. All in all, very livable conditions.

After a long wait, agonizing and craving my long lost Logitech Z-5500's, I finally gave in and ordered a new set. They arrived a few weeks ago, they are installed and pumping. The sound is just as good as I remember it and is gauranteed to get my neighbors back for all the times they have kept me awake moving their damned furniture.
Photo: Z-5500's. Sexy as I remember them.

The set that has got me going crazy at the moment is From Jasmund to Wittow - Mixed by Marco Torrance. If you are into Chillout and Ambient, and this set is not a part of your collection I suggest you stop reading this damn blog and get it here right now. (Right-click and Save As for you IE users, poor sods) Not quite as good but still of a high quality is another Marco Torrance set, Silent Trains of Thought. It is available here too. (Right-Click and Save As)
Photos: Left-Jasmund (Germany), Right-Wittow (Germany)

Well I hope all you peoples in your respective corners of the world are keeping happy and well. If you aren't happy, I recommend rectifying your unhappiness immediately, striving for more appreciable feelings. Take care of yo bad selves.

Matt.

Riga Photos up already!

Hey you! Stop what you are doing and visit the gallery now. Point your browser towards http://www.delxaunique.com/gallery/riga/ and prepare to be amazed.

Only back today and the things I do for you people.

Stay tuned for the detailed story of trip. "The Riga Diaries"

Matt.

My blogging gnome has sprung his cage!! Gasp

Yes it's true Radio fans.  Gnomes being the crafty creatures they are will eventually escape your haphazardly built confinement center.  Unfortunately during the busy months of this year, (read: all of them)  I was forced to consider the services of the said blogging gnome to post articles on my blog while I was tied up in business.  After recieving the gnome by Russian Post (a little badly bruised but otherwise in good shape) I set him to work in keeping Radio Krasnaya up to date.  And at first, the results seemed quite positive.

However, at first is always followed by then.  Then the unthinkable happened.  I walked into my dungeon one day to find that the gnome had escaped!  But that wasn't even the worst part!  The cheeky bastard hadn't been writing the blog entries he was being accomodated (imprisoned) to write!  Horror!!!  Hunt as I may, the gnome is nowhere to be seen, and we all 
know that you won't find a gnome who does not wish to be found.

So here it is, the update.  And yes a lot has happened, and a lot is going to happen.

First and most foremost developments first.  My number of private students has become plentiful nad profitable.  Thus, adressing the need to teach more private hours, and the economic truth that school will never be able to beat the $75+ an hour that I get from my other students, I have left the confines of the school to make
my own way in the world.  More money: Less hours was an attractive option and I tookit.  I'm currently in my last days with working full time at the school but
my relationship with them will continue, although with much fewer hours per week.

At the end of this week, I'm going to Latvia for 1 week.  We're going by train. Fully sik.  Four person sleeper, hopefully Bez-snorers (bez being Russian for "without")  Hotel, train, paperwork, all lined up.  Should be very very nice.  If anyone knows
of anything worth seeing in Riga, pop in a comment as we'd be more than happy to have
the extra ideas.

I fear our oven has been deaded.  I'm yet to go check the fuse box, i'll do that tonight when I get home.  But I think the problem is not necessarily with our fuse box, and more to do with our 1970's soviet oven.  I'm starting to think what it would look like after it had been dropped from our 9th floor apartment onto the ground below.....

All else seems to be going well, particularly the weather, It was nice, wavered a bit with a few cold days but seems to be "putting it's manners back in" (eh Tom?) with a few fairly warmish days recently.  So all in all, good times for all.

For those who didn't believe the gnome excuse, I apologioze profusely for the lack of blogging activity as of late, and a bit later too.  It's been extremely busy combining private and school lessons but i'm happy to say that I'll have quite a bit more time and lot's of photos for you to have a look at when I return from Riga.

Until then, I hope you are all well.  The people I know, I miss you!  The people I don't, It's nice to meet you.  When we get to know each other, i'll probably miss you too!.

Take care all, Bye bye now.

Matt.

Time for a timely update

Greetings all. In order to quell frustration and revolt against the current regime of blogging frequency, I have decided to break the silence with text and imagery to hopefully assist you in the full-time task of maintaining your sanity. In other words, allowing you to spend your free time taking in the current news from Russia without thinking too much about your own problems.

First and foremost, some advice to anyone living or travelling through Moscow. Avoid dried apricots like the plague. I don't know what they put into them but here they have at least 10 times whatever it is that makes you do what you do after several dried apricots. You have been warned.

Valentines Day is coming up. I hope you blokes have all done the right thing and organized something for your ladies. Or are in the process of thinking about what she might like. :) :)
We are going out to an Indian Restaurant and it should be a fine evening indeed.

In other news, I'm due to pick up another in-company class after the company sent an email to the school requesting another teacher. I'm hoping this isn't a sign of what's to come. From what i've heard, it can be a rather frustrating experience working for this particular company. Maybe I should have said no, especially seeing as I won't be earning extra money.

I got a 419 letter the other day. I can't believe these scams are still going round. Sadly some people are still in the mood to scam. A friend sent me this link for 419 Eater, a website set up to scam the scammers. Some of the things that they have made scammers do are just hilarious. If you have some time to kill, then go for it. See it here.

Another thing that has recently come to my attention (courtesy of Sveta) is the Hapland series of games. If you are a Logic Nerd with too much free time, then these little games will give you hours of endless entertainment and will have you dreaming about little stick figure men pulling levers and getting destroyed by landmines. Click here to free yourself of spare time for the next week.

The weather is now Freakin Cold on the Moscovite Weather Skale. Ears will fall off if not protected by some form of hat. Hope you Australians are enjoying your toasty weather. If you feel like cooling off, come for a visit. We'll cut a hole in the ice for you and you can go swimming.

I make the best pizza ever. I roxxor!!!

My samsung player is awesome. It is roxxor too!!

I have been going on a download spree recently. James Bond movies have been on the list. I haven't seen Octopussy for ages and was quite excited at the prospect of watching it again. Unfortunately, since the version I got hold of was in Spanish, the experience was a bit less enjoyable (read, understandable) I now also have a 250 gb drive to store downloads on. Yayness!!!

We are expecting our washing machine to arrive on Monday, looking forward to not having to wash clothes in the bathroom any more. :) :) Due to space constraints however, the washing machine will be forced to reside in the kitchen. Hopefully it will co operate with our fridge and oven (who will probably try to brainwash it with Soviet literature, and say things like "The way things used to be." or "When I was made..")

Next week, the shipment of airsoft weaponry arrives from Denmark and we'll be pushing ahead with LAST and it's going to be awesome. We won't really start playing until March as it will still be too cold. Anyway, it is going to be a nice!! I can't vate!!!

Alright, I know you all have lives, I will let you sleep/work and eat as before. Hope you is all well-like. Don't be mischievious. Be nice to cats. Ciao and Paka.

мэтью

Busy times now and ahead

Greetings all!!

I apologize for the delay between the last update and this one. It's busy time here, many things to organize. To update you the weather is getting colder. All hopes (not mine) of winter passing us over have been officially dashed. Although i don't think that we will match the -36c of last year. It's now February and the everything is back in full swing.

Lessons are all going well and I am expecting to start teaching two private students within the next month. Always good for some extra cash.

I bought a new toy. A Samsung YP-K5 MP3 player. I thought I had shaken off the gadget phase, no, sadly mistaken. My excuse is private students. The K5 has foldout speakers which makes it perfect for listening exercises at in-company and private lessons. Initial tests have proved it quite capable.

We have started recruiting for LAST - The Lingua.RU Air Soft Team. And results are looking positive so we will be airsofting quite soon. Have a look at the promotion poster below. (Click to enlarge)

That's pretty much all. Oh, I saw the new Bond movie since the last post. Very enjoyable. All criticisms of Daniel Craig not performing are unfounded. Very impressive. If it's still playing and you haven't seen it, you owe it to yourself.

Hope you are all taking care of yourselves and your respective jobs aren't giving you grief. Keep well and I will speak to you all again soon.

Enjoy!

Matt.

Corporate Design

We at Radio Krasnaya are constantly working to develop our professional image. Here is an example of our latest corporate branding development. Expect T-Shirts and coffee mugs in stores soon.

The Hunt Begins

Moscow is a very trendy place. People wear nice clothes, especially women and dirty shoes are a character flaw. So it was very surprising to see a mullet amongst the trendy elite. And it's even more surprising to see it on a woman.

But ladies and gentleman, i'm told that the aptly titled "Euro Mullet" is the epitome of fashion. And that a few privelaged women have been sighted sporting this unique and exclusive style. It is the new aim of this month to capture a photo of one such fashion and share it with you, the valued listeners.

We will attempt to find the secrets of the "Euro Mullet". What makes it so alluring and empowering to the wearer? Why is it so rare and where did it come from? We won't rest until we find out and have shared it with you. Stay tuned.

News, News & More News

Greetings all.

Theres but more news to tell. Today we get our new internet provider set up. We will have 3.5 MBit connection and 60 channels of TV. Nice nice indeed. :) Visit Akado site here (Russian)

Also BKC (my Employer) has announced a payrise and is raising the accommodation allowance too, each by $50 Yank. This amounts to an extra $100 Yank overall. It is also nice nice. :)

And the new statistics system is in, so I can tell how many people are (and aren't) reading this blog, how often they are doing it and where they are when they are reading. So you all have no excuses. :) :) Google Analytics is a super powerful tool for monitoring site traffic and can tell you where your site visitors are coming from and what they are clicking on once they are in your site. And the best part is that it is FREE!! Visit the Google Analytics site here.

Hope you are all enjoying the weekend. I have no plans for mine as yet but i'm sure it will be enjoyable.

Take care radio fans.

Matt.

Radio Krasnaya - 7th Ranking on Google.com

Ladies and Gentlemans,

Running a search for Radio Krasnaya on Google yields a 7th Place Result. This is all well and good, but we need more!!!! Radio Krasnaya needs your help to attain the top spot. Tell your friends. Send them the link. Make our presence known. Every single hit counts so do your part to help Radio Krasnaya to become the top dog in the kennel.

WOOF!!!

To Update you (So that you will be updated)

Ladies and Gentlemans, it's time for Ze Update.

<<---Dorky News Music Plays--->>

Greetings and welcome to the Radio Krasnaya Semi-Often Major Novosti Update. Making news tonight, The First Moscow Light Festival on Chistye Prudy, My general state of health, reshuffles in my timetable, fantastic new opportunities, gifts from people, my progress studying Russian and the weather. We're glad to have you with us. We'll be right back after the break.

<<---Insert Break Here--->>

Welcome back. FIrst in tonight's news, last Sunday, we were lucky enough to attend the first-ever Moscow Light Festival, located on Chistye Prudy (literally Clear Ponds). This is the first event of it's type in Moscow and boasted a good turnout of views. A small section of Chistoprudny Bulvar (Boulevard) was rigged with different lighting displays to create different atmospheres. It's reported that a few people expected a little more than what was presented and hope that next years display surpasses the quality of this one.

In other news, it would appear that my cold is waning and has just about taken off for the hills. It is a good feeling and considering my state of health this time last year, it is certainly an improvement.

Now to Lingua news where a few recent developments have resulted in changes in my timetable and doors being opened to new possibilities. As previously requested, I will recieve the early start timetable that I was chasing last year. Most days I will start between 8:30 and 9:00 and finish in the early afternoon. THis is fantastic as it brings my timetable pretty much in line with that of my girlfriend. (Although not looking forward to the early waking and crowded metro journeys that come with it)

As for the new opportunities, this is actually the reason for the timetable changes. I have a new in-company class with one student. 3 times a week, i will travel to the office of a well regarded Russian state-owned bank to help the Senior Vice President to improve his English skills. I'm not exactly sure of the opportunities that will spring from this, but i'm sure, somewhere along the lines, there will be.

After we return, we'll present gifts from friends, my progress learning Russian and the weather.

<<---Insert yet another annoying break just here--->>

New Years is a fantastic time in Moscow. Fireworks, Alcohol and most importantly, presents. YAY! Presents. I got presents. Nice presents indeed. Let me tell you what presents I got:

• A new pair of leather/cashmere/wool gloves (Thanks Princess)
• A rabbit-ear wine opener (Thanks Rob & Marina)
• A Lolly Tree (Yes lollies grow on trees) (Thanks Olga & Sergei)
• A special glove so i can hold hands with Sveta without our hands getting cold. (as above)
• A set of plates and bowls (Super nice ones) (Thanks Natalia)
• A picture frame with sea artifacts to decorate our flat (Thanks Dima)
• A bottle of "Riga Balzams" from Latvia (Thanks Lena)
• A new cordless phone for apartment (Thanks Irina)

& Many more...(Ok not that many more) Thank you all for the super presents. They are fulli roxxor!!!

Ahem. Now to my progress studying Russian. I have had several lessons with my lovely Russian teacher (who also happens to be my girlfriend) and so far I feel as though I have been progressing well. (Albeit several complicated words which take 20 attempts to pronounce them well enough to be understood.) eg. Разговаривать - To talk - Pronounced- Razgavarivat' We started learning the past tense last night which at this point, appears to be fairly simple. I know though that a lot of frustration is ahead. But I'm ready for it.

Now to the weather. People are still scratching their heads over the peculiar winter weather this year. Rain over the last two days, absolutely unheard of before in January, permanent cloud cover for the last two weeks and temperatures circa 0c to +4c. Compared to last years temperature of the time, circa -20c, the weather seems quite tame and there's not been many complaints. Will the winter come this year? We'll have to wait to find out.

Thats all from us here at the studio. Have a wonderful evening. Goodnight.

<<---Dorky music plays, lights fade--->>

Beware Pre-Intermediates!!

You will be meeting the same fate today as the Elementaries did yesterday.

<<-------Insert Evil Laugh Here-------->>

Look out Elementaries!!

Today you're going to learn about cars!!! Muhahahhahah.

A special Treat!!

Greetings all. Welcome to dessert 101. Because you've been such loyal listeners, I have decided to do something nice for you. I'm going to share a secret recipe with you.

THis simple yet super yummy treat will save your life if you are expecting guests and are in dire need of a dessert to feed them with.

If you dare to attempt this recipe, you'll be needing......

• 1 x Cup of Strawberries


• 3 x Oranges


• Icecream (Recommend Vienetta but any vanilla icecream will suffice)


• Whipped Cream (Make it yourself or from a can)


• 3 Teaspoons of Sugar


• 1 Tablespoon of Honey


• A blender

Once you've got the goodies, you'll need to...

1. Take that cup of strawberries and blend it. Leave not one strawberry unmangled. Blend with 2 teaspoons of sugar and the tablespoon of honey.


2. Peel the oranges and get rid of any stringy bits (Time consuming but will yield a more satisfying result) Then Blend with remaining sugar. (Add more if desired)


3. Chill the strawberry and orange sauces until required.


4. Whip the cream (Or shake the can if you are using the stuff in a can)


5. Put slice of Vienetta (Or 2 scoops of normal icecream) in the centre of the bowl.


6. Put whipped cream on top of icecream.


7. Put strawberry sauce on one side of the icecream/cream and orange sauce on the opposite side. (You can put orange sauce first without sacrificing quality of the dessert)


8. Eat with much enthusiasm and smiles.

Serves 6 people (Or 2 famished people x 3 times)

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Let me know of your successes (or failures) in making this masterpiece. If it is a success, then you will owe that success to me. And if it is a failure, then you probably didn't follow the instructions correctly. :) :)
Cheers.

Matt

Mild update complete

For a few weeks now, Blogger has been offering to upgrade me for the latest version of their blogging software with much enthusiasm. Today, I collected my thoughts on the matter and weighed up the pros and cons of the upgrade. I decided that I could offer my listeners more with the enhanced features of this latest version and pushed the upgrade button.

You will notice that there have been a few subtle changes to the blog. First and most obvious is that a few colours and fonts have been changed. Why? Becuase I feel like it. Secondly a few things have changed names. Comments are now called "you says". Thirdly, there some more items added to the right sidebar. "хорошо" & "плохо". хорошо (kharosho) is Russian for "Good" and плохо (Plokha) is the word for bad. It's my version of what's hot and what's not so hot.

I hope you enjoy the new subtle changes and find it easier to get the latest news from Moscow. Enjoy.

Matt.

THe crazy days that were...

Our stupid internet has been giving us grief. For the last few days, it has been working for 5 minutes per day. The 3 hours it's been working for today has probably come as another internet service provider has phoned us with another great deal which we are thinking of chasing. 3.5 Mbit cable with unlimited traffic and 69 channels of TV for a little over what we are paying now for 1MBit. Do the maths.


In other news, i've caught a nasty cold and it's not very nice. I think its getting better now. At least I can be thankful for not having to work during the worst days and for not having the same terribly cold weather as we had this time last year. The weather is still in positive figures. A student was telling me today (Yes today is Saturday and I worked) something about some gulfstream coming from the Atlantic which was responsible for the peculiar weather.


We have a bear. It's name is Mr White. And Mr White has been long overdue for a wash. So we decided that it was time for him to have a bath as he was starting to look like Mr Brown. He seemed to enjoy it although he was Mr Damp for about 2 days. Now he is Mr White again and seems to be much happier.


My New Years resolution was to learn more Russian. Last year and the year before (WOW that seems scary when you look at it like that...) I made excuses that I was too busy. This time there will be no more excuses. SO today I did the inevitable and bought a Russian Grammar book. No there is no excuse..


Well I hope you are all doing well. Thank you for your messages. I try to respond to as many as I can. (When my internet works of course) Take care of yourselves

Matt.

Great Balls of Fire

New Years Eve and the days after are truly a festive time in Moscow. Forget sleeping early for at least a week after the event.... Why??? The answer is simple. Fireworks. What is illegal in most states in Australia is widely available here in Moscow. By widely, i mean that you can buy them in supermarkets.

So many different types.. Rockets, candles, mortars, sparklers, crackers... you name it, its right near the toilet paper in your friendly local supermarket.

We had the traditional Christmas dinner late this year. Tonight on the 3 January in fact. It was a good opportunity to play the new Nintendo Wii and set off many fireworks which someone else had spent their hard earned on.

I must still have not grown up becuase the sound of explosions is still exciting. :) :) Unfortunately anyone trying to sleep might not have been as excited as i was. THe logical thing to do would be to find a quiet field somewhere and set up a launch pad. In Moscow however, it's not terribly practical. So a small park sandwiched on all sides by blocks of flats is perfect. The sound of fireworks echoes approximately 20 times before it finally dies down. Multiply that by the number of fireworks we launched and you have the collective decibels of the last Soyuz rocket launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazahkstan.

Tomorrow night, we have some more to launch. :) Get ready Muscovites.. We haven't got quite enough to blow the ass out of this country, but we do have enough to deprive you of some sleep. I hope my neighbors suffer the most. Teach them to rearrange their furniture at 2am.
:) :) I'm so bad!!