good things list / may

it is going to be summer in a couple of days. i cannot believe it!!! summer, already! spring has been as fast as a space ship, but it was full of enjoyable moments and good things. it is time to remind myself what may was like and get ready for a better upcoming june. i must confess, that it was not easy to find ten things to write down this time, but i did it. hopefully, you will to :)

how you see it

it is not about your day, it is about how you see it. attitude is an essential thing, if you want to lead a happy life, and who does not, right? i doubted, whether there was a point of telling this simple short story, but in the end i think it is. it really is! why? because on a daily basis something goes wrong. sometimes we can do something about it, we can somehow change the situation, but sometimes - we cannot. what is left? our attitude, of course! the day i want to tell you about was meant to be bad - i had to do what i was afraid to do and there was a lot of work and the weather was horrible, but it worked out well, because i laughed through it all. it is a great life lesson for me, and this is why i find it worthy of sharing with you.

five books in eight days

today i would like to tell you about the books that i read and to remind you that i started using good reads this year, so you can follow my reading progress here.

when i wrote "writing has been my solution from a very young age. everything that had happened and had mattered a lot to me, had to be documented in this or that (written) way. it is a meditation for me, it is a medication for me", i actually had to use "words" instead of "writing", because it is the power of words, that save me. both reading and writing is my remedy from everything. words are my favourite company, my guards and my heroes. they are always there for me in the form that i am free to choose. when i feel like i am full of thoughts - i write, when i feel empty and lost - i read. it sounds magical, but no matter what the problem is, i always feel better after doing one of those things. perfect solution? doing both.

so, a little bit more than a week ago i had to buy a present for a friend, i knew right away i would buy her a book. for a second, i wondered whether i would not be boring by making this obvious choice, but then realized that i am always happy to get a book and she is the same. a book i bought and, i hope, she liked it. of course, while "visitting" a bookstore online, i could not stop myself from buying a couple of books for myself. i did not have anything particular in mind and decided to buy something i have never heard of. this is what i do from time to time and the process of choosing is always a lot of fun.

on good and bad

"some days are good, some days are bad", - this is what i published a couple of days on my twitter, which i have recently started using again, by the way. the phrase is simple and even basic, but it is profound and real. nothing good and nothing bad lasts forever, there is always something else happening, there are always changes. i have already talked about this a couple of posts ago and i thought i cannot have another post with this mood so soon, i needed something positive and motivational, something you can read and feel good about. wel, guess what? this is not happening. i have been thinking, thinking, thinking and then i read this post on medium. 

"tell us who you are, and tell it honestly. everything has already been said by people much smarter than us. the only surprising story you have left is your own. we don’t want to hear about the amazing you who figured it all out. we want to hear about the real you. the one who doubts, tries and sometimes fails.", - this was it! i felt like someone shook me and i woke up. o f c o u r s e! why would i pretend and write a positive post, if this was not real? if i felt differently? i mean, I LOVE motivational reading. i am planning to tell you about a couple of self-help books, that i really enjoyed, but it is also a relief to find out that you are not the only one who struggles. the truth is that we all do. every single person has something good and something bad going on in the life. every single one! this is how this world is built and how it works. no matter how much you try, there is no way you can change it. however, what you can change is your attitude.

on love for cinema

have you been reading my posts for some time? well, then you are most probably aware of me being a fan of cinema. i love going there. the whole process of actually comitting and watching a whole movie at home is not that easy for me, bu-u-ut going to the cinema is different. if there were options, i would go to the cinema way more often than i do now (and that is a couple of times a month). i mention cinema here, here and here. do not be lazy and check out those posts too. what if you missed one of them? ;)

i decided to write this post because in the last two days i went to the cinema twice and i was so happy about it. i did not like old cinemas in kiev before and i preferred going to the modern ones, but i changed my mind this weekend. on sunday i watched "life" - a movie about dennis stock and james dean. it was shown in a small room with about five rows and six-eight seats in each of them. although it was not that comfortable, it felt special and cosy, so i came back there yesterday to watch a movie, that i have been trying to see for more than a month now, - 'les deux amis". both of the movies were exactly what i was expecting them to be and what i hoped for. the only thing i was sorry about - not being able to watch them in original.

good things list / april

(текст на русском - ниже)

how boring will i be if i start every "good things list" by saying "TIME FLIES". i cannot believe that april is over and only one month is left until summer. however, the truth is that when you are not a student, it does not matter that much anymore. summer comes and you just keep on working, as if nothing changed. somehow it seemed that april was not as rich with good things as march was, but the whole point of making a good things list was to find the positive aspects no matter what and it works. this is what we are here for and let the adventure begin. y-y-e-e-eha-a-a-a! 

• had quite a few delicious breakfasts. i love mornings and i love when they are special. you can read  more about it here. nothing extraordinary is needed apart from a portion of extra attention and some time;

• found time to make tasty (green) smoothies and calmly enjoy them. there is nothing more important than taking care of your health; 

• finally went to a magical place in kiev, where i always buy foreign magazines. when you live in a country like ukraine, such places are rare and especially valuable. i even have their number to check when a desired issue is coming and to "book" it for myself. this time i bought "the gentlewoman" (i am their fan, it would be such an honour to write and interview people for this publication) and "dazed". i cannot even tell you how excited i get about every single magazine i buy. they are my treasures. just like with books, it is a very special moment to put everything aside, sit down and flip the pages, look at the images, read - go to another world, in other words; 

• managed to go to another secret spot, where i buy magazines from russia, like "esquire", for example. i have recently been controlling myself to buy less (and spend less, in general), but i knew i had to have this issue. i love bill murray and i love this particular cover;

• read books as much i could. april was a very busy month, but i tried hard to read anyway, to say "no" to some other things in order to be able to read; 

• started going for longer walks. as i have previously mentioned before, i live next to the park, but in winter i cannot spend that much time outside, whereas in spring i try to be there as often as possible - just wandering around or reading a book on a bench; 

• went to the beach and watched the sunset there. it was a great way to end a wonderful saturday (sunday?); 

• managed to drag an old friend of mine out of work to attend a book fair and just talk our problems out while walking among the stalls with amazing books;
• had quite a few enjoyable meetings, including the one with this lovely creature on the photo below, drinking very good coffee, eating delicious food and walking around the city talking about literally everything, feeling really good; 

• went to my home town to spend five days with my family and cuddle with the sweetest puppy on planet earth (my sincere appologies to the rest of the dog owners). 

 

you know what is next, right? time to turn on some music, open a notebook and write down you own good things list. go do it no matter what. it helps so much to get to the brighter side ;-) 

насколько скучной я буду, если стану начинать каждый "список хороших вещей" со слов "КАК ЖЕ ЛЕТИТ ВРЕМЯ". мне совершенно не верится, что апрель уже закончился, а теперь до лета всего один месяц. хотя правда в том, что когда начинаешь работать, это имеет не особого значения. лето наступает, а ты просто продолжаешь и дальше работать, словно ничего и не менялось. по ощущениям в апреле хорошего было меньше, чем в марте, но суть этого списка именно в том, чтобы всегда и во всём находить хорошее. именно для этого мы здесь, так что приступим! ву-у-уху-у-у-у-у!

• насладилась довольно большим количеством вкусных завтраков. я очень люблю утро и мне нравится, когда оно особенное. об этом ты можешь прочитать здесь. на самом деле, ничего экстраординарного не требуется, только порция дополнительного внимания и времени;

• находила время, чтобы делать вкусные (зеленые) смузи и спокойно наслаждаться ими. нет ничего важнее заботы о своем здоровье;
• наконец-то дошла до волшебного места в киеве, где я всегда покупаю иностранные журналы. у меня даже есть их телефон, чтобы узнавать, когда появится тот или иной желаемый номер, и "заказывать" его для себя. в этот раз я шла за "the gentlewoman" (я - большой фанат этого издания, и писать для него статьи и делать интервью было бы для меня честью), а также "dazed". не могу даже передать то, как сильно я радуюсь каждому журналу, который я покупаю. они - мои сокровища. также как и с книгами,  я получаю огромное удовольствие, отложив всё, чтобы спокойно полистать их, рассмотреть фотографии, почитать  - перенестись в другой мир, одним словом;

• добралась до еще одного тайного места, где я обычно покупаю российские журналы, вроде "esquire". в последнее время я старалась держать себя в руках и делать меньше покупок (и в целом, меньше тратить), но я знала, что обязана купить этот выпуск. я в восторге и от билла мюррэя и от этой обложки; 

• читала книги как можно больше. апрель выдался очень и очень занятым месяцем, но я все равно старалась побольше читать и периодически отказывалась от каких-то дел ради чтения;

• снова начала ходить на длительные прогулки. я уже упоминала, что живу возле парка, но зимой я не способна проводить много времени на улице, в то время как весной стараюсь делать это как можно чаще - просто бродя вокруг или читая книгу на лавочке;

• прогулялась по пляжу и понаблюдала за закатом. это был отличный способ закончить замечательную субботу (воскресенье?);
• вытянула с работы старую подругу, чтобы сходить  на "книжный арсенал", где мы умудрились и все проблемы обсудить, и наслаждение от отличных книг получить; 
• побывала на нескольких приятных встречах, в том числе с этим чудным созданием на фото внизу, попив отличный кофе, поев вкусную еду и погуляв по городу, обсуждая всё на свете, чувствуя себя действительно хорошо;

• отправилась в родной город, чтобы провести там целых пять дней с семьей и поиграться с самым милым щенком на планете земля (да простят меня владельцы других собак).

ты же знаешь, что теперь, верно? время включить музыку, открыть блокнот и записать свой собственный список хороших вещей. обязательно сделай это, несмотря ни на что ;-)