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.