Insomnia : dreams & memory

I am not in a sleeping mood again! Thanks to my internship preparation period and free time!  I decided to share with you some interesting facts about dreams and memory.
Scientists found that we have zones of wakefulness and quiet in our brain. So that some of our neurons may be in relaxed mood while we are awake and may be working while we are sleeping. Some of them start to realize their biological function when we sleep. Psychological functions are being repaired during the long sleep. During the fast sleep our brain digests information, and some of neurons produce acid which help our brain to run its function well.
Hormon melatonin is being produced only in the darkness, and it also affects our sleep in a good way. So it is better to sleep when it is darkness around.
Good sleep is giving strength to our memory to remember things. If we don't sleep well our educability is falling down (in average - 60%).
If you study in the morning, you won't remember a lot in the evening, but next morning you remember everything, the same if you study in the evening- you remember things well in the morning, but next evening you need to force your memory. So if you want to prepare well before exams, better to study in the morning and in the evening, and sleep well during night.
Scientists also recommend that if you need to learn something urgently, better to have a nap, in the condition of drowsiness your brain will accumulate information better. Also they say that during sleep you can not study anything unconsciously, during sleep you can just fix the steps of information in your memory
Thanks to theoryandpractice.ru for such interesting food for thought.

Хотела, но передумала

Заходили сегодня в монобрендовый магазин HTC на Суворовском, хотели купить телефон HTC Desire Z. 
Направились именно в этот магазин, ведь в интернете уже разошлись ролики с открытия, где генеральный директор региона Центральной и Восточной Европы говорил о замечательном сервисе, которым будет славиться данный магазин, ведь каждый сотрудник прошел стажировку, и с удовольствием расскажет о любой интересующей покупателя модели. 

Мы зашли в магазин, и из четырех, работающих в этом время человек, с нами НИКТО НЕ поздоровался, и НЕ предложил рассказать более подробную информацию об интересующей нас модели телефона. Более того, после того как я обратилась к продавцам, сидящим за стойкой, и спросила о цене и особенностях интересующей меня модели телефона, мне сказали, что нужную информацию Я МОГУ ПРОЧИТАТЬ НА ЛИСТКЕ БУМАГИ, прикрепленном у стойки, на которой даже не было той самой модели телефона. Сам телефон находился в центре зала, и рядом с ним не было даже бумажки. 

После того, как я сказала "Спасибо" за предоставленную информацию, и мы направились к выходу, с нами НИКТО из четырех человек НЕ попрощался. 

Возникло ощущение, что больше я туда не буду заходить, а телефон буду покупать у реселлеров.

2 in 1: digital and analog signal

I have been already writing about the fact that we are slightly living in digital society now and about the role of the book in our times (In the world where the only constant is change). But from another hand our life is still absolutely full of this fantastic mix of past and present, digital and analog, black and white.

Some days ago I found a very interesting idea of the bookmade by Jonathan Safran Foen "Tree of Codes". His idea is that reading a book can be in a different way. It is not that important to go from page 1 to page N. You can FIND needed thought, you should FIND then by making a mix of hyperlinks inside book.

Also guys from Visual Editions decided to change/ to make experiment of  the standard format of the book, invented centuries ago, and designed some other books.I  liked it. Hope, you will find it interesting too!

Be consistent in your desires

Why am I writing about it now?
Cause some days ago I faced very interesting situation happened with me and my friend. But I will tell you my story.

 Since summer I was thinking what should I do with my life? Should I start my own business, should I learn a bit more, should I work in company or organzation?  That time I decided to apply to study at Strelka Design Insitute in Moscow, I prepared application an portfolio (they were cool), but I was not selected, most people selected that time had a background in architecture. I understood it that it is not the time for me now to study. It is time to practically apply my experience.
Then I asked myself, what do I want to do? And I decided to try my self on TV. Me and my friend went to TV casting. It was fun for us, we were not too serious about it. But In 3 week I had a call telling me that they want to see me as TV -presentor. The programm, where  I suppose to create interior design things for country house (this I like to do a lot-designing!). I was excited and we agreed that I have 2 weeks to think about those TV programms and things I am gonna do and in December we should start recording videos. 1 month past and I didn't receive a call. I decided to call myself to TV channels, but I couldn't reach the editor of my programm, I called 3 times but it was not successful. I thought that may be some obstacles arose, or they have change their mind... So I decided to apply for the very interesting internship in Brazil, in VALE. I started to write my application. I wanted to apply for Communication Planning and Project Analyst, but people responsible for the selection process, recommended me to apply for Digital Media Analyst, cause I didn't match some "required" criteria in previous one. I started to pass through the selection process and it happened that I was selected for the 1st internship I wanted at the beginning. This process was quit long, but on 6th of January I was matched!
Then I started to solve quiestion with visa and passport and I found that I really face so many obstacles, I was absolutely pissed off. And the day I was the most down I had a call from TV (almost 3 month later), where they were asking if I am ready to record my TV programm. It was a shock for me! I have 2 opportunities where I am accepted and both of them are interesting and cool, but I already made bigger step to Brazil and I refused TV one.
At the same time I applied to participate in Art House Coop Sketchbook project. I was supposed to receive the sketchbook to draw in by the end of November, but I arrived only on 3rd of January! I had only 10 days before the deadline to draw a whole book! And of course I was in a rush and couldn't not sent it by 15th of January. But the day before deadline, organizational committee announced that deadline is prolonged for 3 days! So I was able to send everyting on time, cause I was consistent.
At the end of the day, I want to say, that to reach you goal of course you need to be focused on it. There should be one important thing in single moment of time, when you start to double you goals or things you wanna reach, you may not only not achieve any of them, but the worst, you may achieve them both and then you will need to make a hard choice!

Zombie

Can not not to write about this phenomenon.
To give simple definition, zombies- are undead creatures made of former people.
But I want to write about them as a character of our times.
Cause I think. They are not only book's and film's heroes, like vampires, werewolves or supermen, they are also people, who are extremely focused on something (they are working on something like hell, they are watching TV like being hooked, they are playing computer games like crazy).
Last years they became extremely popular, in my opinion. For some clerks 'killing zombie' in a computer game is something like checking 400 spam e-mails.
Personally, I didn't like movies about them, but some time ago I started to play computer game "Call of duty. BlackOps" and special edition "Zombie". The game is simple- my mission is to kill, to earn money and to stay alive. Playing this game I started to feel like zombie, some kind of interest, strategical thinking and ardor arose in me. And what is more interesting I found a book by Max Brooks "The Zombie Survival Guide".
I think it is genuine, despite the fact that it is written about zombie. In this book there is so much useful and logically correct information which may help me [us] to survive during any biological war, any zombie attack, or any technological disaster. There is information about weapons, shelter, behavior to survive, team leading, preparation, psychology of the crowd, etc, etc. And I really read it all and I understand that may be it is unlikely to face walking undead, but I really agree with author, that it is better to be prepared.
After playing and reading I had a dream where I was like playing a game after reading the book, but I used knowledge in my dream and it was awesome cause I didn't die!!! And this was absolutely crazy.
At the end I wanted to share with you some links and wanted to warn you not to become zombie in any sense!
Survive a Zombie Apocalipsis
Mathematical Model of Survival in Zombie Attack
The Zombie Survival Guide (e-book)
P.S. Also I don't believe that they don't exist or didn't exist...

Must vs. Want

How often in my head I hear: "I must do it! But I don't want!
How often in our life do we put Must vs. Want!
How easy is life with Want and how difficult it can be with Must!
This happens often we you need to do something routine, when you need to meet deadline, when you don't have inspiration, when you are working and thinking under pressure.

Now in my life I face this pressure again. It happens with Sketchbook project I am participant of.
The point is that this project unites people all over the world who like to draw sketches in Moleskine [or other] notebooks. Some of my previous sketchbook you may find at www.issuu.com/AnnASKryabina.
I was supposed to receive my notebook almost 2 months ago. But due to post office or other problems, I received it only yesterday. And there is less than 10 days [instead of 2 month] before deadline to draw almost 100 pages of sketchbook. And I didn't even start!
I love to draw and I really appreciate this project. But I feel under pressure even I should not. It is one of the most enjoyable thing ever! But I must have inspiration to draw. I can not buy it or order, also It doesn't work according to timeline.
I started to search in the internet about Must and Want. And I understand the point. But how can I make myself not afraid of meeting deadline and searching for inspiration? How can I relax and enjoy?  
"The more you feel that you have to have something and the more emotion you put into clinging to that thing, the more you push it away. Neediness creates a mindset of lack in your life instead of a mindset of abundance. Neediness causes us to become attached to a specific idea or outcome. Becoming attached to anything always causes emotional distress". [More here]
Do you have any good advise how to overcome this Neediness/Must and just Want?