Hello and Welcome!
My name is Ivan Petrov and this is my blog. I'll tell you all about my international travels and experiences, I'll show you my photography and I'll also share some of my everyday life moments and thoughts with you.
Let's GO!
I am 22, adventurous and creative guy. I have a passion for photography, love parties and traveling, having fun, watching movies, listening to music, and getting new experiences.
What I also enjoy is meeting people and building good friendships. Join me on my blog page!
Today I was visiting the graduation ceremony at Russian-American Christian University where I have been studying for 2 years from 2004 to 2006. If I hadn't transferred to my current university, I would be a graduate this year too. Really hard to imagine. I don't think I am ready for graduation yet. It would be quite a shock, because then I would have to make a decision right away what to do next with my life. Anyway, it was great meeting my ex-classmates and professors that used to teach me.
[Me and Mr. Patrick Black. He was my English language professor]
[2008 Graduates]
[Dr. John A. Bernbaum, Founder&President of RACU]
[Dr. Mark R. Elliott, Professor of Southern Wesleyan University giving a speech]
So...time for EuroVision 2008 contest. This year in Belgrade, Serbia. I watched it all night on-line and really enjoyed the show, plus it was also interesting to discuss what was going on with friends on Facebook in real-time regime. I really still can't believe that Russia finally won!!! Especially that it was second time for Dima Bilan going to Eurovision after his previous in 2006.
So here is the hero. Dima Bilan. Performing the song "Believe me". And Europe believed him! Bilan was accompanied by famous violinist Edwin Marton, who was playing Stradivari violin, and Plyuschenko, world-wide ice-skating champion. The auditorium greeted Dima Bilan with standing up and applausing. Though I noticed Bilan was quite nervous and performed probably not his best voice, but still it was quite worth gold medal. 2009-Eurovision is coming to Moscow!!!
Dima Bilan performance video:
Now to the songs that I personally liked. I think this year Iceland presented a good song "This is my life" performed by duet Euroband. Bon Jovi probably liked it too;-) This was one of the very few catchy songs during the contest besides Bilan's hit, and it was really good dance-style. The one that you will remember for some time after the contest is over [unlike many other pieces].
Also I was hooked up with the performance from Azerbaijan-duet of two guys performing Angel and Demon relationships. It was first time for Azerbaijan participating in Eurovision.
Latvia team of pirates was fun to watch.
Interesting song was performed by Sebastian Tellier from France:
And finally I thought a girl from Norway had a very strong voice.
I thought it was quite peculiar that Finland for the second time sent hard-metal band to the contest. Eurovision is basically a contest of pop-genre songs, and still there are performances like this. However, previously in 2006, when Finland also sent a hard-metal group LORDI to Eurovision, they got the first place, and Russia [back then also presented by Dima Bilan] only got the second place. Well, this time their song was not at all successful.
It's well-known that Eurovision is not only and not as much a song contest as it is a politician performance, where different countries show their attitude to others by giving a particular amount of votes. So which countries gave us high points: Ukraine-12 Israel-12 Estonia-12 Latvia-12 Armenia-12 Belarus-12 Lithuania-12 Finland-10 Hungary-10 Romania-10 Moldova-10 Serbia-10 Azerbaijan-8 Cyprus-8 Malta-8 Georgia-8 Greece-7 Czech-7 Slovenia-7 Croatia-6 Poland-6 Portugal-6 Bulgaria-6 Albania-6
Final winners: 1.Russia 2.Ukraine 3.Greece
Here are more videos of different Dima Bilan songs: "Believe me" [official video]
[Me, Anton and Elina] I started passing exams already so hopefully by the end of May I will be done with all my classes at university. I am getting more and more excited every day as it is now only 5 weeks before I go to the States. I am looking forward to my amazing adventure. Meanwhile, today it suddenly got chilly again in Moscow, but we still spent wonderful time with my friends Anton, Sasha and Elina. Lately we've been spending a lot of time together and I definitely enjoy our little band. Of course today I wished I had pants instead of shorts. But that's me usual: I never dress along with the weather. Or almost never.
[Happy Anton and his sister Sasha] [I took these pictures on the slide so you can kinda see the reflection on its surface] [Me and Anton] [Nelly Furtado is one of my favorite female artists. She will be giving the concert in Moscow in the middle of July] [Elina, Sasha and Anton] [Just interesting building] [Red Carpet] [Processed/remixed version of our picture] [Me, Anton, Sasha]
It's so amazing that between classes and work I usually spend a wonderful time with my friends. Today was Anton's birthday, so before going to church in the evening we hanged out in the downtown. We first bought our present for Anton (cool t-shirt and sweatshirt) and then had fun time on the Red Square and in the city walking, talking and enjoying the warm weather. What a great Sunday!! [Here; Sasha, me, Anton, Elina and Seth. Location: Red Square, Moscow] [We played some cards right there:)] [Fun on the Red Square] [Me with Sasha and Elina] [What looks like me serving food is actually me putting away stuff from our table to another one. But I find this picture to be quite hilarious anyway] [Sasha, Elina and Nastya] [Awesome threesome or Bond, simply James Bond] [Sasha posing. I really like these pictures. Any magazine...want to buy it from me??? contact me:)] [Church time: Pastor Steve] [Music team] [Here is our birthday man Anton wearing the t-shirt that we gave him as a present]
