goodbye, two thousand sixteen

two thousand sixteen has been a year of mistakes and failures, and, as a result, a year of numerous lessons. it has definitely been a year of learning for me. some things went right, some things went wrong. some months were spent reading and writing, others were so full of work, that i had no energy or possibility to create. i had two major unsaid goals for the year and i managed to achieve them both, but life had other plans and neither of them worked out. i dealt with it and moved on. i enjoyed seeing that i could achieve a goal i had set for myself, i enjoyed being able to prove to myself that i could and so i would. i have always thought that as long as you are here, you have an opportunity to try as many times as you would like. this is exactly what i have been doing - trying again and again, because if it is important for you, you cannot give up on it.

as the year is coming to its end, i feel both exhausted and relieved, but also excited and motivated to start another one with new dreams and new goals. i am curious to see what is coming, what i am going to be able to do this time around and i prefer to believe that it will be much better. meanwhile, it is time to say goodbye to two thousand sixteen. i would like to keep on being boring and create a list with some data about a year of mine. i will be grateful, if you stick around with me. also, as always, feel free to share yours! 

good things list / december

here it is! the final month of the year is almost over. i have been writing good things lists for twelve months in a row now. can you even believe it? this was the first one, right after i started the blog and a few months before i decided to follow a monthly plan. have you already tried it? if no - it is definitely time to. after a year of doing so, i can guarantee you that it is not an easy exercise, but undoubtedly a worthy one, the one that really helps you and changes your mindset little by little.

it seems like nothing happened in december and everything did. i had a major shift in my mind, which turned me into the happiest person for a short period of time and gave me motivation for a long run. the best way to describe this month is to say that it was a preparation for january, in particular, and a new year, in general. it resembled to a busy sunday, the one you spend doing things that you could probably deal with on monday, but you decide that you would like to be ready and have a shorter to-do list for the week. sometimes you feel like you should stop and have fun or do nothing instead, but at the end of the day you realize that it was the best decision and waking up on monday is not a stressful torture anymore. this is exactly how i feel about december coming to its end and the start of january. i am as prepared as one could be, and i got here thanks to making quite an effort!

советы из книги софии аморузо "nasty galaxy"

сегодня - последний понедельник этого года, представляешь? последний раз начинается рабочая неделя. последний раз в этом году стоит собрать свои силы для того, чтобы провести ближайшие пять дней максимально продуктивно, а потому нет лучшего поста на сегодня, чем советы от софии аморузо! 

один день в руане

этот пост случился совершенно неожиданно! я взялась за написание списка всего хорошего, что случилось в декабре, потом открыла пост про две тысячи пятнадцатый год, где упоминаю о том, что впервые побывала в страсбурге и руане и вспомнила, что у меня есть неопубликованный текст о поездке в руан. "почему бы не опубликовать его сейчас?", - подумала я и тут же взялась за оформление этого поста. я написала этот текст больше года назад и с тех пор не открывала его, а теперь было так здорово перечитать его и вспомнить свою поездку. возможно, тебе будет просто интересно, а, может, этот пост вдохновит тебя на посещение этого города. каждый год я мечтаю о том, чтобы путешествовать больше. этот - не исключение. пока реальные поездки не предвидятся, почему бы не окунуться в виртуальные?

пять обязательных к прочтению книг

не будет новостью, если я скажу, что очень люблю читать. книги и писатели вызывают во мне такое обожание, которое я до сих пор не могу описать и толком объяснить. на днях я в очередной раз словила себя на мысли о том, что для очень хорошего дня достаточно почитать очень хорошую книгу, ведь когда это происходит, всё остальное теряет первостепенное значение и уходит на второй план. я уже рассказывала о том, что в этом году впервые начала вести учёт прочитанных мною книг с помощью goodreads. прочитав пятидесятую книгу за год, я написала этот пост и взяла в руки пятьдесят первую. прошел почти месяц и я прочла еще шесть. я также писала о том, как читать книги на иностранных языках. этот год подходит к концу, поэтому я решила рассказать тебе о пяти книгах, которые сильнее других впечатлили меня за последние двенадцать месяцев.

on positivity and dealing with creative block

(текст на русском - ниже)

if you do anything creative, you know those moments, when you seem to be totally useless and helpless. you either have no ideas or you see no ways to develop them into something proper. of course, struggling is common and you are aware of it, but you do not remember it being this bad, so it dejects you. making new attempts does not help, and you keep on torturing yourself with all sorts of negative thoughts. it gets harder all the time, so at some point you stop trying, because you are drained. as a result, you get an extra reason to critisize yourself and to be really hard on yourself...the vicious circle is permanent, unless you break out of it. i do realize that even if you have nothing in common with creative activities, those states are familiar to you too. basically, this is going to be a kick in the ass for anyone, who is trying to do something a little outside of the necessary minimum, something special. actually, i believe this post is going to be valuable for anyone who has ever struggled with something, which makes it literally anyone among us, human beings.

december plans

december has been around for almost two weeks, and i am only now sharing my december plans. a little late? yes, maybe, but not fully. as it is the end of the year, most people are stressed and busy. if you study, your term is almost over, so there is a lot of intense studying involved. if you work, there is a long list of tasks to perform before most of the world will start holidays on the twenty-fifth of december, while the rest of the world will do so a little later and will remain unavailable till the eighth of january. december resembles to a mad house more than anything else, but it does so, only if you let it. however, if you calm down, analyze your to-do list and act without stressing too much, you will be perfectly fine.

december is the time to come to conclusions, to analyze how your year has been and to make plans for the next one too. would you like a valuable piece of advice on the matter? think less, do more. i have been in my head for so long that my thoughts started paralyzing me, and then...i realized that i have been doing it all wrong. i put most of the thoughts aside and started doing what i have been thinking of. as a result, my mood became much better and i am now motivated to do even more! every day i am happier and happier due to doing what i really want to be doing. my plans are one of the reasons for it! SO, in december i am going to...

предпраздничное волшебство и помощь другим

декабрь - месяц волшебства! вне зависимости от того, как складывался год, именно в этот период настроение становится по-настоящему особенным. я обожаю этот месяц, потому что я провожу его в поиске подарков для самых дорогих мне и любимых мною людей, чтобы потом купить их (пусть даже небольшие и несерьезные), упаковать в красивую оберточную бумагу, выбрать открытку, подписать её и прикрепить к подарку. я в восторге от момента, когда я подхожу к елке и кладу под неё маленькие сокровища, а потом радуюсь каждый раз, просто проходя мимо. я вспоминаю детство, когда в день святого николая мама прятала подарочки под мою подушку, а после нового года я еще неделю находила разные приятные мелочи под ёлкой. я благодарна за то, что у меня есть эти воспоминания!

чем старше я становлюсь, тем отчетливее понимаю, что можно быть невероятным счастливым, когда делаешь что-то для другого человека, когда даешь что-то другому человеку. этот процесс наполняет тебя добром и радует получателя твоей доброты. но, к сожалению, жизненные ситуации бывают очень разные. кому-то везет больше, а кому-то меньше. важно помнить об этом и знать, что каждый может помочь другому. возможно, это кто-то, кого ты знаешь, а, может, это человек, с которым ты никогда не встретишься, но ты все равно можешь облегчить и улучшить его жизнь. конечно же, важно заниматься подобным на регулярной основе, но именно сейчас необходимо активизироваться! волшебство должно быть в жизни у каждого. 

first winter days

december started last thursday and brought us real winter right away. as i left home early in the morning, the snow was falling slowly, but steadily, whereas when i got outside two hours later, everything was covered with a thick layer of snow and there were snowdrifts everywhere. actually, such weather started a few days prior, but it did not matter. proper snow on the first day of winter did!

good things list / november

hello-hello! it is time for an eleventh monthly good things list. i always try to be as open and as sincere as possible, so let me tell you this - november was a hell of a month. it started well and everything seemed fine, but then it turned out that my mother had to undergo an operation, then she was at an icu and spent some more time at the hospital, so for a brief period my days started and ended at the hospital. it was stressful and scary. i spent my days acting tough and my nights crying my eyes out. i kept on working, even though it was hard to concentrate my thoughts on anything apart from my mom`s health. nothing else mattered. i just wanted her to get better, and, luckilly, she did. it was a huge relief and i am thankful for it. i am just happy to talk to her every day.

fifty books in eleven months

two thousand sixteen is not even over yet and i am already summarizing what it has been like. reading plays a major role in my life and this is the first time, when i got a chance to properly analyze it. when the year started, i had a notion that i wanted to get better at organizing and structuring my life. i asked myself, how could i do it? tracking my reading habits seemed like a good way to start. eleven months later i have some results to share with you, as well as quite a few details on when and how i have read fifty books in eleven months (nine, if to be perfectly frank). 

five movies to watch / part two

i have recently had a couple of extra challenging weeks, and as a result, my mind has been concentrated on dealing with one particular issue and nothing else. as i am getting back into my regular routine, i started wondering - what was i looking forward to or what could i look forward to? there were a few answers, and watching a new movie was one of the first ones to come to mind. everything good is better when shared, right? this is why today i would like to tell you about five movies that i cannot wait to watch in the nearest future. 

meet tanya khvorostiana

well, well, well! hello-o-o-o <3 after an unexpected two-week break, i am thrilled to be back, and there could be no better way to do it than by sharing a very-very special interview! i am almost sure that you have heard of tanya khvorostiana already, but if you have not - fasten your seatbelt, your world is gonna be rocked soon. let me give you some context. i have seen tanya`s pictures on instagram a few times and i have obviously pointed out to myself that her eye was a special one. she managed to tell stories using images as a tool in a very distinguished way. tanya has been studying in barcelona for three years and has just moved to berlin, when i started following her last year. every time she posted something, i got excited and i wanted more, more, more. her feed was well-thought content of a very genuine kind. she followed me back and then there was snapchat, that kind of brought us together and at some point it was very clear that we had to meet in person.

one year of blogging

(текст на русском - ниже)

exactly a year ago i clicked on "publish" for the first time here, on the blog. this post became a new chapter for me. also i wrote this one in order to explain better what the whole "what being twenty is like" concept was about. since then i have published ninety four posts and i cannot wait to write more. so what was it all like for me three hundred sixty six days ago?

good things list / october

if i had to choose a word of the month for october it would be busy. i did not notice how the month went by. there was a long to do-list every day and almost no time to slow down and have proper rest. while having a growing quantity of work tasks, i decided to get my shit together and take control over my schedule again. more acitivities, more things to do, less time, less energy. i have always thought that being busy was better than being bored, so i am not complaining. i asked myself a lot of questions and i did not find answers to all of them, but i am definitely satisified with the direction i am going in. november is going to be a little less stressful, but hopefully as productive as october has been. it was a great month and i am happy to share my new good things list with you! here is to a happy november <3

questionnaire / part three

here comes the final part of a questionnaire, taken from shakespeare and company cafe in paris last year. the process of thinking well and looking for answers has definitely been an exciting and an enjoyable one. activities like this one undoubtedly help us understand ourselves better, and even show us something we did not know was there. to have a full picture, you can read part one and part two. i am looking forward to answering these questions a few years later and comparing my answers. 

pictures on film / part six

this post with pictures on film is special, because it a travel edition. i keep on saying this again and again, but i am not going to stop, - i was extremely happy to go to warsaw and paris in september. both trips filled me with motivation and enthusiasm. also it was exciting to bring a film camera on the road with me, and i am very pleased with the results. i wish i had time to buy more film in order to take more pictures, but i learnt my lesson and i will make sure to be ready next time.

a day in paris

i wake up and i know that this is going to be my last day in paris. i am filled with gratitude and joy (thanks, meditation app, for this vocabulary) and, naturally, i am sad. i do not want to leave; i want to stay more than anything else. unfortunately, this is not an option right now, so, at least, i plan to embrace an opportunity and enjoy this city as much as i can. i have not properly packed yet, and that is how i start my day, which is not that big of a deal, as everything i have is already either in my suitcase or in the bags next to it. therefore, i am good.

meet anna lebedeva

parisian topic goes on! today i would like you to meet anna lebedeva, whom i have met last year. i have written something for simple + beyond, and she has liked it, as well as noticed that i was in paris then, where she has been living for almost six years now (!), so she texted me. we met at a cosy cafe and stayed in touch. we went for coffees and longs walks around paris, we talked about life, education, career, our dreams and our goals. it seemed like we were using the same language and were looking in the same direction, which felt really-really good, because it does not happen often. anya was one of the very few people, whom i talked to, when i was considering starting this blog. she supported me right away. i was grateful for it then and i am grateful for it now. 

my parisian to-do list

paris is a very special place for me. i do realize that it is not hard to love this city, because it is filled with beauty and magic, but i have an extreme attachment to it due to various reasons. i spent quite some time there and a lot of events took place there. this is the place where i experienced a range of emotions from the most positive to the most negative ones in very intense ways. this is the place, where i met people, who affected me and my life. this is the place, that i want to get back to all the time. this is the place where i truly want to be (can you hear me, universe?). this city is full of sights, but today i am excited to share with you a short to-do list of mine, which consists of very different and in a way unexpected parts. i have been daydreaming of doing all of them for months, and i have done them, which made me satisfied and happy! moreover, i know that i will do them again and again every time i come back. i post this post (that sounds stupid, but what can i do, right?) with hope that it might be useful for you one day!

hello from paris

i have been in paris for over a week now, and i cannot believe that i am leaving the day after tomorrow. even though most days have been extremely busy with work, i have finally had some time to just wander around and enjoy this very special place. a lot is going on, and there are so many emotions involved, but there is no way to express and share it all right now. please come back here on monday in order to read a proper post ;-) meanwhile i will go back to enjoying the tiny bit of time left in my favourite city in the world <3

good things list / september

hello from the happiest and the most excited person. as i am writing this post, i am still looking forward to what is going to happen in a few days, but when you will be reading it, it is going to be happening already, so i am double excited to be in that day and to publish the post and to remember the moment, when i was still waiting, dreaming and making plans. frankly speaking, i would say that september was a great month! it felt as if a very long period of bad luck has ended and a good one has finally started. this is exactly what i would like to point out today - no matter how many times you are going to be disappointed, upset and confused about what to do next, after everything goes wrong, you just have to keep making your next step, because early or late things will get better. they will, but you have to remember it and you should not loose hope! 

on creating happiness

a concept of happiness plays an essential role in our lives. we are raised with an idea that we live for happiness. basically, no matter what you do, your real goal is to get something that will make you happy. of course, it is partially true, but not fully. i have been recently thinking a lot about the fact that we are always told that happiness comes from the outside world (we are supposed to become happy after something happens instead of making ourselves happy/creating happiness), whereas no one mentions that it can and should come from within first and foremost.

how often is this subject discussed among teachers and pupils, parents and children, friends, relatives, partners? rarely! people talk about goals and achieving them on a regular basis, but conversations about inner happiness do not take place that much; frankly speaking, they almost never do. that is why i decided to start this conversation here today and invite you to share your thoughts, ideas and experiences with me in the comment section or in private messages wherever you may find me. 

meet alina kolot

as always i am extremely excited to share a new short interview with someone creative, hard-working and inspirational. today it is alina kolot. every time i see alina`s pictures on instagram, i am overwhelmed by how fabulous paris is, as well as by the fact that even every day life can be this beautiful too. however, it is important to point out that the way alina sees and captures the world is universal, because her images from kiev and crimea are equally outstanding. as you could understand, alina is a photographer. her story is especially interesting, because she graduated from university in kiev with a degree in "design and development of industrial and civil engineering" and then realized she wanted to become a professional photographer instead. she has been taking pictures for quite a while, but did not take it as seriously, as she later would. alina moved to paris to study at speos paris photographic institute, which she has successfully graduated from last year. i met alina last autumn and was happy to find out that she did not only take great pictures, but was also a very interesting and pleasant human being to spend time with. you can see alina`s work on her web-site, as well as follow her on instagram, where she has two pages - a private and a professional one. meanwhile, right now you have a chance to get to know alina a little bit more.

a day in warsaw

waking up at an unusual place is always exciting. where am i? what am i doing here? i look around and i realize that i am at a hotel in warsaw, and i will wake up here three more times. we arrived yesterday (by the way, you can read my first post about the trip here) and the day did not go as it had been initially planned, but we managed to do what we had to anyway, so we are fine. a free day for exploring the city is waiting ahead, and i am thrilled. i cannot wait to get outside and simply wander around, absorbing everything unnknown around me. luckilly, it is still early, so i have enough time to read a few articles and write my daily post on medium in bed, while also drinking hot coffee.

going on a trip

 when exactly nine months ago, on the fifteenth of december, i was boarding the plane from paris to kiev and i was thinking about many-many things. among those thoughts was a question, that bothered me a lot - when would i get on another plane, when would i go on another trip? i had no idea. i had a lot of plans and hopes that they would work out, but i knew nothing about the upcoming months, i would even say - i knew nothing about an upcoming year. i got back to kiev, i settled down and i had to organize my life, so i got a job at ksenia schnaider.

as spring was approaching, we started planning a trip to paris to participate in paris fashion week. i was extremely excited - not only i would go on a trip, i would also get back to paris. i daydreamed about it, i imagined waking up in my favourite city again, looking out of the window and then getting ready to rush outside and enjoy endless beauty around. i made plans in my head and i could not wait. then something unexpected happened - for the first time in more than ten years of travelling abroad, i did not get my visa. i was shocked and very sad. the fact that i found out less than a day before we had to go, made it all worse. i wrote this post afterwards, and it is one of my favourite for sure. anyway, okay, i moved on. there would be other trips, there would be other chances.

questionnaire / part two

a couple of weeks later i am back with the second part of questionnaire from "shakespeare and company cafe" in paris. you can read the first one here, and feel free to share your answers with me either here or in direct messages wherever you can find me.

i hope that first days of september have been enjoyable for you!

meet christie tyler

i knew that this day would come, and it really did. even though the blog is dedicated to what being twenty is like, today i would like you to meet a girl, who  will turn twenty in june next year only. who cares, right? what you are and what you do is way more important, than numbers in your passport. i found christie on tumblr at first and then started following her on instagram too. i loved both her style and the aesthetics of her images. i would definitely wear every single outfit from christy`s outfit, as well as would love to go to places she chooses. however more than that i would prefer to meet christie in person and get to know her a little bit more. i start with my traditional questionnare. apart from being stylish and interesting, doing her blog and a youtube channel, christie also goes to nyu and interns at the messy heads. i know that she has interned and worked at quite a few very cool places, which was an extra important reason why i wanted to interview her. 

good things list / august

before i start, let me tell you - yes, summer is over, but it is okay. i hope you realize that we can feel inner peace and be happy no matter what the calendar says. yes, of course, summer means warmth and fun, but the truth is that it is not always that way. for me summer was extreme heat, which i could barely stand, and a lot of work. as a result, i am more than happy that it is not summer anymore. hello, autumn! i have been waiting! before i start enjoying you, let me remind myself what august was like, and let me tell you despite another portion of bad news and disappointments, it was a fine month. hopefully so was yours.

hello, autumn

well, well, well! hello, autumn! exactly a year ago i was in paris and i could not believe that for the first time in fifteen years i did not have to go anywhere; and i was in my favouite city in the world. pre-school, school, university - it was all over and i was free. for the first time i could do anything on the first of september and this is exactly what i did. i went for a very long walk in paris, i was happy. a year later my life is not exactly how i imagined and planned it to be, but i am definitely on my way. today, vogue us published an article about ksenia schnaider, a brand that i have been working with for more than six months already. it is definitely a victory for us! meanwhile, my younger brothers started his second year at school and i cannot believe how quickly time flies and things change. i am writing this post in between work-related e-mails, jokes with the kid and packing my bag in order to get back to kiev today, because we are getting ready for our spring/summer seventeen show on sunday at mercedes-benz kiev fashion days. it is going to be my sixth year in kiev and my eleventh (?) season at mbkfd. paris, i miss you, but i will come back. i promise! autumn, please, be kinder to all of us. we desperately need it. and you, please, be happy. just be!

p.s. initially i planned to post my monthly good things list today, but simply could not finish it on time, so come back here on monday in order to read it then.

on waking up early

(текст на русском - ниже)

as a child i could not understand why my mother kept on waking up early even on weekends. yes, i knew she had a busy schedule and a lot of home routine to cope with, but i also thought that if she could not get rest on the weekend, when would she? for me weekends meant an opportunity to go to bed late and then sleep for as long as possible. it seemed like it made a lot of sense until i realized that it did not at all, but it took me a while. it was a breakthrough when i understood - if you wake up at the same time every day, it is never stressful for your body and your mind; it is much easier and more enjoyable. even though i have already written a post about my morning routine, i would like to tell you about my early mornings and their importance.

мудрость ван гога

в своем июльском списке хорошего я упоминала о том, что взялась за перечитывание уже прочтенных мною книг. теперь я просто подхожу к своему книжному царству и рассматриваю полки так, словно нахожусь в магазине и выбираю что-нибудь новенькое. я уже перечитала автобиографию моррисси, а также немного кундеры. теперь же мои руки дошли до писем винсента ван гога. кажется, практически никто не знает о том, что это издание существует, а сегодня когда я "отправилась" в онлайн-магазин, чтоб его купить и отправить по почте нескольким дорогим мне людям, оказалось, что его везде раскупили. и это неудивительно, так как в текстах ван гог раскрывается как невероятный мыслитель. 

questionnaire / part one

last autumn i was lucky to be in paris, when my favourite and the most special bookstore "shakespeare and company" opened a coffee shop next door. obviously, i thought they needed one, but i had no idea it was a project in progress. so, when one day i saw a picture of a paper cup of coffee with a geotag "shakespeare and company café", i could not believe my eyes. naturally, it took me some time to come there. now i find it outrageous, because i lived really-really close to it, but somehow i did not go there right away. then there was a very bad day with my mood being very low, so i got dressed and left home. i walked and walked around the neighbourhood and finally "arrived" to the entrance of the cafe. oh, how excited i was. even before entering it, my heart became warm. the place itself was small and there were not that many tables, but there was one free place next to the window, a perfect one for me. i got there with my tiny paper cup of coffee with a new book that i have just bought at the store and i looked outside. it was a perfect moment. i felt so good. all of my worries were forgotten. i was happy.

big birthday post

as i was thinking about my upcoming birthday and as i was feeling upset about the fact that none of my plans worked out this year, i realized that i have been extremely lucky throughout the years of my life, that is why i decided to go back to my previous birthdays. before writing this post, i opened folders with pictures and memories were so bright, that i felt happy instantly, as if i were there. of course, i would write about it all! it is going to be quite an adventure, because i turned nineteen in paris, twenty - in stockholm and twenty one - somewhere on the beach in turkey. today i am turning twenty two in kiev, which is actually more than just fine too, because who you are with matters much more than where you are.

on work ethics

first of all, from my point of view, work is very important. i cannot imagine a life not working. i sincerely do not understand people who are not willing to make an effort to do something with their lives. at the same time, i cannot imagine a life hating your job, which is what happens all the time. that is why i believe you should take quite some time and maybe try out a few positions in order to figure out where your interests and your abilities become a perfect combination. this path is neither simple, nor quick, but definitely a worthy one. therefore, if you are willing to have a fulfilling life, never stop asking yourself: "what is essential for me right now?" and do that. i have previously written about my work experience here and here, but today i would like to concentrate on an issue of work ethic.

on coming home / growing up

i left my home town right after turning sixteen. it was a long-awaited moment, which i have been planning for years. i have always known that i would move after my high school graduation. staying has never been an option for me. never! and i am so grateful that i had a chance to do it. i am so happy i was supported and loved on my way to my dream, which led me to the fullfilment of my other dreams - big and small.

i am turning twenty two in a week. it is so hard to believe it, because at sixteen it seemed like such a distant thing, such an adult moment. i looked at those who were in their twenties and i saw them as actual adults. at the same time, i thought i was an adult too (at least, in my mind). and now... six years later i think "wait, what? this is what twenty two feels like? really?". however, the truth is that i have never believed in age. i knew people who were older than me, but wanted so little in life, whereas i was filled with goals. i could not wait for the moment to come when i could finally open up and work hard. so even though i have never thought it was essential how old you were, i could never stop analyzing age anyway. this is exactly what i am doing here right now.

ksenia schnaider x oh,my presentation

we have all been in the position, where you think "oh, no, it is monday tomorrow" or "ugh, it is monday already", but i have recently discovered that every day can feel like monday and vice versa - mondays can be great too. this was exactly the case yesterday, when we held a presentation of a collaboration between ksenia schnaider and oh,my. everything happened at the least expected location for a fashion event - a modern library bOtan. frankly speaking, i wanted to put everything aside, pick a book from the shelf and read at a cosy spot. however this was not an option! there were so many things to do. luckily, we had great partners. our guests had a chance to eat delicious and healthy cakes by lite delight and try out a new set of healthy drinks by detox shop. it is not news, but you can really make choices, that are both tasty and healthy. even though i ate a burger at one planet afterwards, ha-ha (it was green, ha-ha part two). by the way, i did not have to mention any of the brands, when people are doing a great job, why not?

meet anastasiia nesterenko

сегодня отличный день, потому что у меня для тебе знакомство с еще одной девушкой, которая вдохновляет меня своими мыслями и действиями. зовут её настя нестеренко, и ей двадцать три. она живет в питере, который не только очень красиво снимает для своего профиля в instagram но еще и невероятно тонко и душевно описывает. её посты не пролистываешь в ленте, а оставляешь, чтобы вчитаться и получить наслаждение. каждая публикация - мини-история, после которой всегда хочется еще. кроме того, несколько месяцев назад настя создала свой креативный проект - "классная комната", в рамках которого она и её команда организовывают лекции, встречи, воркшопы. очень надеюсь, однажды побывать на одном из них и познакомиться лично. несмотря на то, что за настей я "слежу" уже довольно давно, почему-то только после ее поста о том, каково жить, когда тебе уже двадцать, но еще не тридцать, меня осенило. я тут же написала насте и она очень быстро мне ответила, за что я безгранично ей благодарна, ведь теперь у меня есть возможность не только рассказать о ней, но и немного вас познакомить. 

good things list / july

wow! it is august today already, i cannot believe it. this month is special for me, because that is the month when i was born. also it has always been the time to prepare for school or university, which equals to buying new stationery (and i am such a fan even now). on top of that, i love autumn, because of the weather, so basically august is the period of waiting for that. what about july? what was it like? there were some highs and some lows (extreme ones), but i reached my goal to find ten good things in the end, which is an extra reason to be glad and grateful. my experiment is going well - i am learning to appreciate little things, i am learning to be more positive, which is great. no matter how complicated things get, there are always simple joys of life, that we keep on seeing as basic, but that are actually essential. therefore, let`s begin!

daydreaming / paris

 

sometimes all you have is your mind, and then it is up to you whether you fill it with good things or with bad ones. what do you choose? today i choose the best things possible, like travelling and paris. i got tired of saying this again and again, but things have been very challenging lately. i must admit - all of my essential plans for two thousand sixteen have not worked out. it is disappointing, but there is nothing one could do apart from accepting it and moving forward. this is exactly what i am doing right now - making new plans, looking for ways to make them happen, nurturing my mind in order to not loose faith in my own abilities. eventually it will work out. of course, it will. 

meanwhile i am here, working on a hot july day. no trip is happening for me this summer, which seems like the most upsetting thing ever, because i grew up being used to travelling in summer. every summer vacation meant a trip, sometimes a few. well, not this time. so, i went through a couple of phases. at first, i was hopeful and dreamy. i wanted to go on a trip, i wanted to be in another city, i wanted to meet new people, speak another language, eat different kinds of food, go shopping and buy new clothes, as well as a few books. i wanted it so badly, that i could not fall asleep at night due to the thoughts in my head. the more i thought about it, the more i believed that it was possible, when...it was actually not. 

fourty five reasons to read morrissey`s autobiography

today my part is going to be very-very short. i would just like to tell you that there is a very special book out there - "autobiography" by morrissey (he is a british musician, singer, songwriter and an extraordinary human being). i have wanted to read his book for a couple of years and finally last autumn i got it with a friend in paris. from the first page, i could see that this book was outstanding, there was something very different from most books. in the end, it was even better than i thought it would be. the way he works with words is truly magical. fastforward to last week, when i decided that if i cannot keep on buying new books on amazon right now, i will re-read my old ones. at first, this thought seemed pathetic and made me even more upset than i was before, but as i opened this book, i realized that it was actually a great idea. i am coming back to kiev tomorrow and i am looking forward to keep on picking up books from my shelves, that i have previously read a year or two ago and discovering their treasures again.

pictures on film / part five

girls, girls, girls! 

a month ago i posted a previous part of pictures on film, which were all, by the way, taken on old overdue film, whereas today you can see the result taken on a new one. after getting back the results, i realized two things: i desperately need to get a camera without a flash, because i cannot control it now, so my camera makes its own choice, whether to use flash or not to; and that taking pictures with a lot of birds` shit on the background is far from the best...idea we have ever had. this set of pictures is quite special because you can see three very different girls i spent time with in june and july, as well as a bit of me. therefore, it is a girls issue of pictures on film, which is exciting. this summer has not been full of events in my life, but i have definitely been lucky to meet great people and enjoy all sorts of conversations and activities with them (mainly being in cafes, drinking coffee and eating food while talking non-top). some say that real life is much better than the one online, which is true, but believe me, internet can introduce you to those, whom you could have never ever met otherwise, and that would have been a huge loss. therefore, go meet people online and then - in real life! it is so much fun, even if you are a home weirdo, like me.

again and again and again

standing up is hard, standing up again and again after falling so many times is even harder, but definitely worth it. it is something you should keep on doing no matter how challenging it seems to be. why? because what other options do you have? give up? how can that even be considered an option?

“ever tried. ever failed. no matter. try again. fail again. fail better.” - samuel beckett.

i am not sure if i have been lying to myself, but it seems like i have been trying pretty hard to achieve what is essential for me. there are things that do not let me sleep at night and do not let me relax during the day. i cannot feel calm or peaceful, because i know that i have not done something i had really wanted to do. i keep trying and trying and trying, but all — useless. i do know that i won`t stop, i will keep on making new attempts, but from time to time i feel like i am one of those people, who never get where they wanted to be no matter how hard they tried…however, i do not want to be that person! i want to achieve my goals, i want to finally be where i actually want to be and do what i want to do more than anything else. how can anything else matter more?

five movies to watch

(текст на русском - ниже)

i love watching movies and i love going to the cinema. for me it is not only one of the most enjoyable reasons to leave home, not only one of the best ways to spend free time, but also a huge source of inspiration. i have previously written about watching movies at the cinema here and here, and probably in most of my "good things" lists, because this process makes me very excited and very happy. basically, any day can become a great one just because of going to the cinema, and i am glad that it is this way, because i have been learning to create my own happiness. naturally, finding things that make you happy and then doing them is important.

the last weeks have been challenging and the last couple of days have been especially disappointing, this is why i wanted to write about something that brings me joy. i am not one of those people, who claim that you should always smile, every problem is an adventure etc. no, i believe that it is totally fine to be upset. moreover, i think that when you feel that way, you must let yourself be in that state for some time and take care of yourself without putting any pressure, but then shape up and do something special, create reasons to feel better. today i am going to the cinema and there are a couple of other movies that i cannot wait to watch when they come out, so i decided to share five of them with you.

on daily writing

i am very happy to have a new post ready today. if you read my post last week, you know that i have had quite a month, and getting back on track is never easy. if you did not - go read it now, before you continue reading this one. after you do - you will know that i have been writing and posting every single day for almost two months on medium. today i would like to tell you a little bit more about it. maybe there is something you have been thinking of starting for a while, but kept on postponing it. well, this post will let you know that you need to start right n o w.

good things list / june

it has been two and a half weeks after my last post here on the blog. it is crazy, because i have been trying to post twice a week for about eight months now. sometimes it worked out, sometimes i only had one post a week, but i had it. it has recently become impossible. i had quite a month, which was full of extra work and i had almost zero free time. it was hard, really hard. by the way, i still kept on writing on medium, because it felt like a challenge i could not give up on, as i promised myself that i would post there every single day, and so i did, but i could not do the same here. even though a blog seems to be a very easy thing to, it takes time and effort, and i love it, but i could not find enough time an energy to keep on posting here. luckily, the busy month is over and i am back. i promise to write and post here twice a week (on mondays and thursdays) and hopefully you will enjoy it. also, i have one thing that i would like to ask you - let`s communicate more! i would love to know who you are and what you think, so feel free to share your thoughts, deal?

pictures on film / part four

YA-А-АY! i am extremely excited to finally be able to share with you a fresh portion of photos taken on film. it took me two months to finish two films, develop, scan and get them back. i would be happy to say that summer means more pictures and more posts, but i am afraid it is no my case this year. anyway i am doing my best. most pictures were taken in kiev, but a few of them are from dnipropetrovsk, my home town. there is a lot of nature, a couple of girls, who motivate and inspire me, as well as a few pictures of me. i really enjoy this whole process of film photography and i hope to take more pictures and to capture more special moments in the future.

(online) shopping

i love shopping, and i am sure you do too. i remember the time when i bought something on a regular basis, not often, but from time to time i did. every purchase was a source of excitement and happiness. i was looking forward to wearing this or that piece, mixing it with other things, that i owned, and then going somewhere enjoying my new outfit. for some this may sound crazy, but if you have always loved clothes, like i have, you know exactly what i am talking about. this is why it is a pleasure to not only buy things, but to even simply look at them and try some on. when i have time, i can spend an hour or two walking around stores and daydreaming about buying everything i like and wearing it all. i did it a lot in paris, because cos and &other stories are heaven. the proof is here, in one of my first posts on the blog. yes, i take lots of pictures while i try clothes on. again, it might seem crazy or stupid, but believe it or not i started doing it way before posting any of it online, so it is not about posing or sharing or whatever. the point is in fixing the moment when you were wearing something you really liked. yes, you may not be able to buy it or maybe you doubt that you will wear it enough, so you do not buy it, but who said you could not enjoy it? no one did. that is why you should enjoy it as much as you can!

quotes part two / reading

five months after i published "quotes part one", it is time for a second part. i am sincerely surprised, that i did not do it much earlier, as i constantly find and save new inspirational and motivational phrases. sometimes i share them with someone close, sometimes i just re-write them in my various notebooks. today i would like to share some of them with you, and i will do it differently - i won`t take five quotes from different sources, instead i will take ten (!) from one book, that i have previously mentioned in this post. i am talking about "god never blinks" by regina brett. actually, i decided to do it right away after finishing the book, but, as you see, it took me some time to get my hands on this post and write it in the end. shall we begin?