2010

Another year has passed and Ieva wants to remind herself and others about what has happened in 2010. As for now I think this year was pretty calm and somehow...maybe boring a bit. Let's see though.

January
- stayed home for the winter break, first time coming home after starting the college. Had a really nice time reflecting upon things and meeting all the people I've missed.
- hosted my Japanese co-year Shoya and went around the country a bit with him. Tanoshikatta!
- went back to college and did some photoshoots (Olga, Allisha, Allisha again)
February
- photoshoot with Makar 'The Portrait'
- went to Venice carnival. It was a-ma-zing. Pictures here.
- went on project week to Croatia and came back totally emotionally exausted. Didn't like it at all. The good thing that the project week I'm going to next year is definitely going to be an awesome one. Yet some pictures from Croatia - 1, 2, 3.
March
- snow in Duino!
- went to the Maribor spring festival in Slovenia. Graphic design workshops, tea rooms and watermelons. Mmm.
- Latino week in UWCAd. The soap opera that they made was definitely the most hilarious one I've ever seen.
- making memories with college friends.
April
- photoshoot with Alessio
- busy helping with the yearbook
- got to know who my prima in UWCAd was (and she is truly awesome)
- had suffered for 3 days in MUN conference. What a torture that was
- nevertheless, met some awesome people and re-discovered how important some of my friends are for me
- finally started enjoying climbing to the fullest
- went to Bologna
- photoshoot with Maria
- went to Slovenia for the long weekend. Weird experience.
May
- photoshoot with Amika
- end of year exams
- went on a boat trip with Marina and Iva and swam in the open sea for the first time
- photoshoot with Anh
- photoshoot with Tereza
- last days with my 2nd years and weird mood in the whole college. Eek.
- went home for the summer and started travelling around a bit
June
- enjoying home and making things again, yay
- Bubble the city events #10 and #11
- French co-year came to visit, therefore going around the country with him and my friends
- photoshoot with Brigita
July
- more accessories
- new blog design
- did a big post about life overall and had her biggest dream come true. All posts about the trip to Japan here.
August
- seaside and getting used to normal life again after all the travelling
- my most favourite photoshoot 'Mercurial breaths'
September
- came back to Italy for another year in UWCAd. Without the 2nd years, but with lots of amazing 1st years, some of who I can really call best friends of mine now. With an amazing room and an amazing roommate.
- CRS reunion in Germany. So much stress travelling, such interesting experience meeting the people I haven't seen for 3 years.
- some fun writing my Extended Essay. Fun continued in October too.
- "Blyksniai" exhibition in Panevėžys city gallery
October
- had the most amazing double birthday celebration (my roommate is one day older than me).
- photoshoot with Lucie
- work work work. University applications, tons ond tons of various deadlines and having no life whatsoever
November
- SATs (eek)
- Art Marathon. So much stress. So much happiness afterwards.
- finally finding some time for myself
- meeting Irene in Trieste
- started making the stop motion video
December
- did the yearbook cover with Rajah (address book cover done in September or so)
- started tumblr (should update more though)
- stop motion video is out! One of my biggest projects this year. Showing it in the assembly to the whole school was also a very strong experience. So much effort and time put in that video. Rajah, thanks again for helping out so much.
- big painting on canvas done
- home. Christmas, snow, silence, books, my room and lots of sushi.

well, that was my summary of the year 2010. Don't really know what to think about it...made my biggest dream come true, had amazing moments with amazing people, learnt a lot. Hopefully next year will bring some changes that I definitely need recently .
Happy New Year everyone, see you in 2011.

Japan: Last stop - Tokyo and some thoughts about life

Well, these first pictures are not exactly from Tokyo. I'm not sure how that place was called, but we went to this UWC camp a bit away from Tokyo. It was a lot of fun, just that the lens of my camera broke...so I wasn't in particularly good mood, but I got to borrow my friend's dad's ones, so thanks to him there are pictures from Tokyo.

And here comes Tokyo. I tried many times to describe the city to my friends and family...but it's impossible unless you visit it. The amount of everything is just to much to describe. The only thing I can say is that I will live there someday. Decided, haha.

some beautiful people.

We went to Miyavi's concert. It was more than awesome. My friend didn't know any of his songs, but after the concert was already a big fan of him. Miyavi definitely knows how to entertain the audience, the music was amazing and the fact that it all was happening in this small underground club just made it perfect. I was literally one meter away from him. At times when I could actually be conscious of myself I couldn't believe that I'm there, in Tokyo, in Miyavi's concert, able to touch him with my own hand if I wish and listening to that amazing music. One of the most precious times of my life and one of those I still don't believe that have happened. Haha, going back in the train at night was also very hilarious, since we were both so happy and excited, that everyone was staring.

Some street craziness. You can find the most random things in Tokyo. And the most random people can find you too (Shibuya at night, OMG).

Tokyo Tower was the second place after Miyavi's concert where I doubted if what I was seeing was real. We went up right before the sunset and saw how the city started shining like one huge Christmas tree. A very nice girls' band was playing live and were just staring down and taking tons of pictures. A-ma-zing.

These were taken in Machida city, the place where my friend lives. Going to the center of Tokyo took around half an hour/hour by train, maybe a bit more, so not far at all. We went to lots of places (Asakusa, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ueno,Akihabara, Harajuku (!!! love love love !!!), Shimokitazawa, etc.), each one having its particular people and architecture and mood overall. Loved Tokyo to pieces.

As well as all the people I met in Japan and those who took care of me. Last pictures are from the last evening when we had BBQ at Shoya's place (more pictures in fb album). Lovely time. I really miss Japan.

Even though sometimes I forget that I've been there. Going to Japan was my dream for so long that I catch myself thinking "I'll go there when I go to Japan" and then I realise that yes, I went there already. Might sound funny, but that's how important this trip was to me.

This trip being so important also made it hard for me to get used to the idea that my biggest dream came true when I got back to Lithuania. Ever since my trip has ended I'm a bit lost not knowing what I want. I need a big dream, a big long-term idea that would be spinning in my head and making me strong to overcome the obstacles I meet in life. I've been trying to find such a thing, yet all my attempts end up with making another list of goals, and goals are not dreams. I don't know where I'm going to be at this time next year, but I hope that by then I will already have another dream - as big as this trip was for me. Even if it is about going to Japan for another summer:)

Snowy jewellery

Some snowy jewellery I made today.

It was a lovely day, was snowing almost all the time. I stayed home since yesterday I wasn't feeling well and had fever - nothing else to expect after shooting for around 2.5 hours outside in the snow. It was fun though and I altered some brain cells in the evening watching another stupid Korean drama. I'm so bad with remembering the names, yet Kim Hyun Joong ftw, haha.

Japan: Hiroshima and Miyajima

Hiroshima was one of the cities I fell in love with (along with Kyoto and Tokyo). I stayed there for 4 days, had the most amazing hosts on Earth and had a lot of fun.

Firstly, I'd say that Hiroshima breathes peace. Everywhere you go, there are monuments, sculptures, little fairs and events happening to remember the victims of the A-bomb. I found it pretty shocking actually, when walking along the green and peaceful river bank the A-bomb dome appeared, with all the monstrious ruins and constructions around.

The Peace memorial museum was also a very shocking experience. I didn't even finish looking at the exhibition, because the whole atmosphere was just too depressing. And some people I met on the streets very randomly also started talking about the A-bomb and even showed me some books and pictures. Very weird.

Other than A-bomb stuff, Hiroshima is a big city, yet very nicely planned and cozy. It's not too small to feel like you live in a city, yet it's not as hectic as Tokyo. I walked home a few times at 1 or 2 am on my own through all the worst drinking streets, everything was more than fine (even though actually Japan is so safe, I don't think it could have been any danger for me). There are also these trams that I haven't seen elsewhere in Japan. And then my hosts were this amazing young couple, Yuki and Taso, with whom I had a lot of fun watching movies or just talking about random things. Really felt like home. They're both artists and...it's weird how I didn't feel like I'm being hosted and they didn't feel that I'm a traveller either. Yuki drew a picture of me one of the least evenings.

Hiroshima is famous for its food, as well as this little island nearby, called Miyajima (the island itself it called Itsukushima, yet the town is called Miyajima). Miyajima has the biggest tori (gate) that is standing in the sea, deers that eat literally everything, a lot of nice sweet shops (Momiji Manju, mmm) and super nice temples and shrines. Loved that place. I went there two times, because after I came back after the first time, Yuki told me that there is a sea festival the next day, one of a few in Japan. I had to come back and it was worth it. Definitely a place to visit when in Japan.

The little ferry that takes passengers to Miyajima.

Omnivore deers, lol.

The gate. When the tide is high, it literally looks like standing in the sea. Awesome.

The most awesome tree I've ever seen.

Pictures from the festival. I was standing in the water along with tons of other photographers. So much fun. Some of them came all the way from different parts of Japan, even from Hokkaido, and I was feeling really lucky to have been in Hiroshima on that particular day, not even knowing that this festival exists.

Every single time I'm doing posts about Japan I just want to go back so badly. Well, Tokyo left only.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! I'm packing my stuff to go to my grandparents' place for a few days, my brother should be coming home soon (I haven't seen him after I came back from Italy), I'm in process of making my room look tidier than usual and painting this this wooden box with weird looking bunnies. The weather outside is amazing, real Christmas with lots of snow. Sigur Ros playing full volume and Ieva is studying Japanese using online flashcard game. LOL. Have a nice celebration everyone!

P.S. I even baked cookies yesterday. First time in my life, haha.

Out

40 x 50 cm, oil on canvas

Done in college, couldn't bring it back for now. Wah, painting with Sigur Ros in the bathroom at 2 a.m. was awesome, lol.

I'm home, trying to get used to the silence around. It's pretty cold and I've been pretty unexcited about things - just figured out why. My university applications have been bothering me a lot. I'm now only one step away from finishing everything for now, feels amazing. I hope I'll get back to my old and never-resting-full-of-artsy-ideas self soon - especially because next week a lot of my friends are coming back to my town from their universities, brother coming home and yeah, Christmas!

Well, I've already started making things - keep checking my blog more often. I promise not to disappead like when I'm in college :)

Obsessed with Kashmir recently. Wonderful Danish band.

oh really

well, apparently I'll be home tomorrow in the evening.

Japan: Naoshima and all the art

Another post about my summer trip to Japan. I apologise for delaying so much...anyway, now we go to Naoshima.

Naoshima is a little island in the Seto inland sea and would have been pretty insignificant if not art. Naoshima and a few other islands around have been formed into this contemporary art heaven - amazing nature, contemporary art museums and installations everywhere. Tourists come and the life in the island is saved. Yes.

I heard about it from my teacher in college and immediately decided to visit. The nature is indeed amazing. I don't really have words to describe it. I also really liked the people there - I met this old lady going from a cemetary and she was just so nice to me, we talked about the life in the island 50 years ago...all in Japanese and she didn't care that I was just mumbling something, not being able to form a normal sentence. I lived in a hostel where I also met a lot of super nice people, mostly artists, with some of them I still keep contact.

Yet the art...I really liked Claude Monet's paintings exhibited and the garden near the museum that was created using Monet's favourite flower species. It really felt as if you are walking in one of his paintings. But other than that, I was a bit disappointed. Yes, I admit, I was tired and maybe not in a mood to absorb all the art around, plus the heat...in the end I was very tired and felt that I've just spent a lot of money, but didn't get that much of an artistic inspiration.

The exposition is cool though. It's all over the island, also in the little fishing village - you basically just enter the house and there are some light installations...impressive. I couldn't take pictures inside, yet I have some of the island itself. Enjoy.

Other posts about Japan here.

well hello little fellow

Tsuyoshi Ozawa's 'Slag Buddha 88', 88 Buddha statues created using the slag of the industrial waste from the nearby Teshima island.

the symbol of the island. There's another pumpkin, a red one, but I forgot to take a picture. Both of them by Yayoi Kusama.

Naoshima at night.

Coming next - Hiroshima.

to the other shore

My first stop motion movie! Don't judge too hard, first time it's always hard, ok? :)

Movie by Ieva Blaževičiūtė

Music by Rajah Bose

Model: Theis

Italy 2010

see it on youtube or facebook

sketch sketch sketch

just a few recent sketches I drew in my first ever sketchbook. Never had any proper one. What kind of artist am I then...?

These past few days were very nice. I re-united with most of the people I care about in college, all the weird mood from last week is gone, my roommate is back from a weekend trip and today is a wonderful day. I've been painting on canvas with oil paint last few days, feels amazing. Painting always makes me feel relaxed, even though I had terrible headaches for both days because of the toxic diluent I used.

I'm still posting stuff in my tumblr. Love the design. Also stumbled upon a cool website this isn't happiness. Love the sarcasm.

Tomorrow is Saint Niccola, gonna be awesome! Wine, sweets, dancing in piazza of Duino with amazingly stupid music and all the college and local people. Vy~

click