BRINGING BACK THE NEW BASIC OR 10 FILMS TO BINGE WATCH THIS HALLOWEEN

Double, double toil and
trouble; Fire burn and
cauldron bubble.

(In memory of Shakespeare, the original spook-maester)

On the 24th year of life, I am excited to announce that, at last, my duties to this season have been fulfilled. From PG friendly whiskers phase to fitting into adult interpretations of Disney princesses in my teenage years, I announce my temporary retirement from the dress up. This year, I will be advocating for more cozy terms of celebration. And if you have never dressed as an Alice in the Wonderland, ma'am, you got at least a few more Halloweens in you. Where was I going with this? Oh yes, this year, I am bringing back the new basic. To join me, please review the following 10 Films For You To Start Binge Watching Today.


Disclaimer: this post does not contain "Hocus Pocus". Although, absolutely do watch it.

1. Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters 2 (1989) - only a true 90's kid would have hummed the theme song from reading the title, am I right?

2. Casper (1995) - Christina Ricci, the witty gothic queen of my childhood starring in a mischievous storyline with one friendly ghost named Casper.

3. The Addams Family (1991) and The Addams Family Values (1993) - is there a more iconic family, then the kooky Addams Family?

4.Practical Magic (1998) - modern day witches played Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman share the tips on love and the importance of choosing the right spell or beware, your ex boyfriend might just make a come back from the dead

5. Beetlejuice (1998) - Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.
A deceased couple, one obnoxious poltergeist and a suburban American family all meet under one roof under the directing work of Tim Burton.

6. Death Becomes Her (1992) - Wrinkled, wrinkled little star, hope they never see the scars - a black comedy directed by no other than Robert Zemeckis, also known as the whiz-kid of special effects from the Spielberg camp of film-making. Zemeckis would later go on to produce and direct classics, such as  Forrest Gump (1994), Cast Away (2000) and Ghost Ship (2002) to name a few.

The Death Becomes Her, stars Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep and Bruce Wills, who come together in a wandering storyline of when two ladies of his life learn of an immortality treatment..

7. The Witches of Eastwick (1987) - what do you get when you put Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer in one room? A dark fantasy.

8. Mars Attacks! (1996) - I might have as well dedicated an appreciation post to Tim Burton's investment into cinematography, though, I would not be able to cut the list as short as down to 10 films, we know that you'd obviously have to watch them all.

9. Edward Scissorhands (1990) - because why miss on an opportunity to ship the Hollywood's most unconventional (in the best way possible) couple of the 1990's - Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp, coming to your screens this season.

10. Gremlins (1984) - an absolute classic and an opportunity to start the count-down to Christmas.

HOW TO START SAYING "NO" MORE OFTEN WITHOUT FEELING GUILTY OR UNCOMFORTABLE

I have been trying to pin point a moment when pronouncing one particular monosyllabic utterance in response to a favour or an offer became a reoccurring challenge since I grew out of my toddler years. If you are too at a loss when it comes to saying no - that's okay, because in today's blog post we are going to take on the psychological point of view that explains the whys - why do we say yes when we really want to say no? - and the hows - how do I start saying no without feeling guilty or uncomfortable?

First, I am going to start by telling you a little bit about my experience and how I got to feel confident in saying "no" without being or sounding like a douche. The thing that we all have in common is the fear of offending the person that came to you, whether it is a manager who is asking if you could take an extra work load or a friend. We are all pleasers to one extent or the other, however what is important to remember that sometimes saying "yes" to everything can lead to more problems than a simple "no". For this reason, I have chosen to focus on the work dynamic between the employer and an employee (you and your manager) and how we can get you to feel more comfortable at saying "no" at work.

According to my research, the poll that I did over on Instagram, 72% of you felt more comfortable saying "no" to a friend than your boss! Now, of course your friend is not going to have the same influence over your payroll or schedule, but it is okay to say "no" if it keeps you focused on your own goals.

Recently, I have gone in for a job interview that went well so I got offered a trial shift. You see, when it comes to employment, you have to remember that as much as a job position comes with a set of requirements, so does your labour. The supervisors on my shifts liked my attitude, my set of skills, my ability to communicate enough to recommend me for a second run of interviews. As much as I loved being in the company of my potential colleagues and saw an opportunity to perfect my existing skills, ultimately what the job role had to offer wasn't enough for me. I called in the next working day, first thanking them for the opportunity but on another note,  I felt that the job position wasn't what I was looking for and because I value people's time as much as my own, I had respectfully declined their offer. As a result, it was exhilarating to feel in charge of myself, to be the boundary setter and the decider.

In an exciting work environment, "no" makes your "yes" more meaningful. Psychologists put it this way, when we say yes thoughtfully, because we are giving in our area of expertise, rather than saying yes out of a need to be liked, we re far more apt to feel satisfied by giving. Having said that,  it is important to find your voice that will strengthen your ability to say no while lowering its cost to your relationship with your superior/s.

Replace dry and harsh sounding no with a "I'd love to help out, but I won't be able to ..." due to other commitments outside work or the work load that you already been signed to. People are understanding and still prefer quality of your work to outshine the quantity (of jobs, hours that you have put in and been able to complete to a certain standard).

Think it through. No one is expecting an answer out of your straight away, unless it is something urgent. But, let's be honest if its not an immediate "yes" then there are things worth considering. Tell the person that you will check your schedule and get back to them asap.

I hope that you have been able to find this blog post helpful and if you have any more tips that you'd like to share with us - leave them in a comment section down below!

DEPO - A MISANTHROPIC SIMULATOR OR THE BEST SPOT IN TOWN?

One of my New Year's resolutions for 2019 is to initiate travel opportunities of all scales. I must admit though, I am guilty of convincing myself that the part of the discovering experience can only be acquired from traveling abroad. The irony of the latter is that we tend to be missing what's right in front of us. You see, one of the main perks of living in or close by a megapolis (in my case, Moscow) is the rhythm. The rhythm of a busy city points to a constant change, progress and renewal: old establishments close when new ones open in their place, the migration of peoples and exchange of ideas.

To my knowledge, there are a couple of food-halls spread across the districts of Moscow, to mention a few there are: Tsvetnoy Central Market, Central Market on Rozhedestvensky boulevard and Danilovsky Market. As of now, the newly opened "DEPO" is by far the biggest food-hall market in the city.

Well, the place used to be a trolley bus station, otherwise known as a depo, hence the name of the market. Unfortunately, its been closed since 2014 until its new owner renovated it into what the locals refer to as a "misanthropic simulator" (but we will come back to that).

I first heard about "DEPO" through Instagram. As you know, the active participants of social media realm don't rest and are aware of every new brick in plan. "DEPO" opened its doors to the public at the end of last month (February, 2019) and is currently accommodating 150 shops and markets, and 75 restaurants on its premisses. It is the biggest food-hall in the city by far.

The initial impression that I got from my first visit was overall a good one. I thought that the place has strategically combined the best of all worlds - the history of the building, the versatility of space - you purchase flowers, do your weekly food shop, go for a catch up with a friend or set a casual business meeting. Oh, and did I also mentioned that you can also listen to a live band playing on the weekends? You can really do it all in one place, which brings me to the next topic of discussion.

Nonetheless, the opinions of locals have divided from one extreme to other. Those on the loathing side of the camp, leave their raging warnings to the public and consequently point to the place as a

Undoubtedly, the building plan of the place has a familiar resemblance to the one of IKEA, the countless amount of turns, shining signs above almost every market stand that make them look alike and not to mention the availability of CHOICE is downright overwhelming. Forget about popping in for a lunch break if you are coming for the first time. It will take getting used to. My friend and I, for example, took two tours of the place before we settled upon our options. Of course you want to find a place where there is less of a queue but you don't want to see the yawing faces of the cooks either because that doesn't subscribe to a good impression of the food, does it?

Otherwise you are good to go!

CELEBRATING WOMEN FRIENDSHIPS

On March 8th we celebrate the International Women's Day and today I am encouraging you to take the opportunity to hug your sisters tight and recognise the influence that you brought into each other's lives, be it through an encouragement towards personal growth and development or a kick on the butt in the direction that leads you towards the gym. Everyone brings something to the table, right?

Since growing up I always looked for diversity within my friendships. The more polar opposite my spiritual friend from my "Cosmopolitan" girlfriend is, the more I was/am able to connect with people and myself. So where am I going with this? You know the habit of association that we get from role playing when we were children? From impersonating the Hogwarts trio at the playground to taking a magazine quiz of which Spice Girl you are is a stretch but so is my circle of friends. What kind of friend are you? Continue to read to find out if your circle is quite similar to mine or if you can recognise yourself in it too.

is your travel companion. She will get you out of your house when you are at your lowest and your highest because life is an adventure and your successes as well as failures should be acknowledged and celebrated. She is always taking solo trips abroad in pursuit of self discovery, she has an appetite for life that becomes contagious when you are around her.

A creative and gentle soul. She embraces the flaws and finds beauty within the imperfections of life.  She speaks with passion, intrigued by the world around her and grasps the best from every situation. Being her friend means accepting the natural cycles of growth a decay; celebrating marks that time and love leave behind.

A yoga enthusiast, a healer, the gipsy spirit. She taught me how to connect with nature and my ego. She lives in the moment, detached from the bothers of life (in a sensible way). She will teach you so much about your body and spirit, how to listen to it, how to love it and take care of it. She brings a sunshine on a rainy day.

Thank you so much for taking your time. May you celebrate your friendships every day.
Lots of love,
-S

REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK

Let’s start a conversation about a period in life when moving back home after living abroad can be an emotionally distressing experience. The struggle to re-acclimate to the previously familiar surrounding that has become unfamiliar affects more people than you might realise and is also known as the REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK.  In the age of globalisation (slowly dissolving in front of our eyes), travelling or living abroad for a lengthy period of time is not an unusual occurrence. Perhaps, you are a college graduate going on a gap year in hopes of finding yourself as you dive into different cultures or you are working professional, who has been given an opportunity to learn from the leading experts in your field abroad and vice versa. One way or another, you find yourself packing your bags and leaving the familiar behind.

You will never forget the first few months it took to settle into a new place being far away from home. Once you get through that part, the foreign soil becomes the most familiar thing you have ever encountered. But, like everything else in life, eventually it will come to an end.

Psychologically speaking, moving back home can be an equally distressing experience as it is moving abroad. In any case, the longer the time is spent overseas, the greater the shock factor upon the eventual return home. I came into experience with the reverse culture shock when I moved back to Russia after living abroad for over ten years. Prior, I have already had two immigrations under my belt, first from Russia to Spain at the age of 12 and then to the UK when I was 19. To be honest with you, I thought I knew what to expect. But, in the past three months I have never felt more foreign in my life. For the longest time I could not pin a term that would describe exactly how I felt and I did not know whom to reach out to.

Another factor that may influence the magnitude of revere culture shock is the extent of the difference in cultures between the expat’s home country and the foreign country. Usually, I am quick to pick  up local habits, lifestyle and get acclimated with the norms and surroundings. However, the hardest challenge to moving your life to a different place is starting over anew. It generally narrows down to finding the best places where to get food, what bus to take, which documents to apply for, where to go, whom to ask for help when you don't know anyone in town, how to get a job interview.. it quickly becomes overwhelming.

Down below you can watch a video where I go into detail about my journey coming back, help you draw out the important steps to re-acclimatisation as an expat and more. If you have any questions or are seeking advise, leave a comment down below - let's chat!

Modern Art and All That

This week I visited a Multimedia Art Museum (MAMM) in Moscow and naturally I got opinions to share.

MAMM is considered to be one of the most popular curators of art exhibitions here in Moscow (as far as I gathered) and I love discovering creative platforms at every opportunity I get. The museum has two locations in the city, one on Ostozhenka street and they also curate at the "Central Exhibition Hall Manege" for those of you who might be interested in visiting.

Every third Tuesday of the month has free admission rates! So if you happen to be in the area on the day, don't miss your chance to pop in.

At the moment, MAMM on Ostozhenka is curating a fair few exhibitions and I got to share a couple of recommendations myself:

- Albert Watson Dreaming Pirelli Calendar 2019 featuring model Gigi Hadid as "the wealthy socialite", actress Julia Garner as "the photographer" was my personal favourite collection of shots, Misty Copeland as "the dancer" and actress and model Laetitia Casta as "the painter".

Have a peak for yourself from the series of Julia Garner.

- Erik Madigan Heck (ironically) has definitely added a pop of colour to the monochrome theme running throughout the museum at the moment. I have picked to shoot this piece as undoubtedly my most liked. You can see the original picture in colour on my Instagram.

- Still Art Collection. Selected Works
I am a huge admirer of the 20th century fashion photography and this particular exhibition features icons such as Kate Moss, Karl Lagerfield, Angelina Jolie, The Beatles shot by the masters of their craft Annie Leibovitz, Giovanni Gastel, Elliot Erwitt, Guy Bourdin and if you are not familiar with those names then oh boy, here's your reason to make an appearance.

Having said that, I can't quite commit to the feeling of fulfilment after exiting the doors of a museum. I am not sure whether it is a case of a personal mind frame or a consequences of us, as a collective society, going backwards and re-living the trends of the previous century. After all, what is so contemporary about that? Maybe I came to the wrong place.

Getting off topic

As a creative mind myself, I hope to see museums collaborate with contemporary photographers and artists whose works truly evoke emotions in today's day and age. David Uzochukwu, Can Dagarslani, Laura Zalenga to name a few of my favourites. I mean, it is great that through social media contemporary creatives can get recognised not only amongst the minds alike but in the industry too, however wouldn't it be so great to come face to face with their works just hanging there behind the glass-proof frame?

For today I am going to leave it at that. Let me know on your thoughts. Perhaps, we or I can dig a little deeper in a newly featured post covering the contemporary art industry in the digital age.

TOP 5 FILMS TO BINGE WATCH THIS VALENTINE'S

In the spirit of Valentine's day approaching, in today's blog post I will be sharing with you some of my favourite romantic films tailored to all tastes and interpretations of love. Whether you are in a mood for a light romantic comedy or are ready to bawl your eyes out, look no further - you will find it here.

P.S. There are a lot of beautiful films that I watched in my time, as I can't feature them all in-depth, I will try and leave a suggestion for 'Similar' film/s and genre that bring much the same vibe.

He's Just Not That Into You (2009)

[Love Actually, Valentine's Day]

I really want to start off with something light, and there is no better company for your Galentine's evening than a series of entertaining love stories. The five Baltimore lovers, who just like you are in their 20's and 30's, navigating their way through the complexities of modern relationships. 

The title of the film speaks for itself, really. Most of all I really appreciate the short anecdotes inserted in between the scenes that word for word repeat the excuses we often tell ourselves or advise others, when they tell us that they have been pied. "You are too pretty and too awesome. He can't handle it.", "He's not asking you out because he's intimidated by your professional success", "Trust me. It's because he's never had a serious relationship". When in reality we hate to admit that.. He's Just Not That Into You.

Not to mention the film has a star cast featuring: Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Ginnifer Goodwin, Ben Affleck, Justin Long and Bradley Cooper.

La La Land (2016) 

[The Greatest Showman]

I said that there is going to be a variety of genres for all tastes, and musicals are no exception! Besides, is it really a Valentine's season if you don't watch at least one film featuring Ryan Gosling? There really isn't a musical quite like this. I must confess, when I was watching it at the cinema, the first half hour of the film I was thinking "this is too Hollywood for me". The story line seemed too cliche and predictable, Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) is a struggling jazz pianist and Mia (Emma Stone) is an aspiring actress, both trying to jump-start a career in a spotlight of Hollywood fame. Things happen in the middle, success, failure, financial struggles.. Wait until the end. No seriously, do, so we could talk about it.  

Personally, I did not foresee the ending to go the way it did but I am glad that the director Damien Chazelle chose to go in this direction. The ending made a musical, in my eyes, go from a Hollywood cliche to a real life story accompanied by some jazz, singing and dancing.

Before Sunrise (1995)

> Before Sunset (2004)

> Before Midnight (2013)

[The Dreamers, Waking Life]

Before Sunrise (1995) is a first part to a trilogy that captures love over time. The trilogy is filmed over the course of 19 years during which the natural ageing on screen intensifies the sense of lived-in experience. We first meet Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) as two young strangers heating it off on the train bound to Vienna. They initiate a spontaneous decision to spend an evening together, walking around the town of Vienna and making conversation about their take on love, life, break-ups and relationship from a perspective of young adults in their twenties. You really have to watch all three films in order to grasp the bigger picture and meaning that love carries through different stages in our lives. I hold this film so near and dear to my heart, I hope you get to connect with the characters as much as I did.

The films are directed by one of my all time favourites directors, Richard Linklater, also known for his works Waking Life, Boyhood, Dazed and Confused (to name a few).

Carol (2015)

[ Call Me by Your Name]

The ever so elegant, alluring and sophisticated Cate Blanchett plays, Carol, a suburban housewife, trapped in a marriage as she must hide the romantic interest she has for women. Her co-star, Rooney Mara, portrays a lonely young woman, working in a toy store and looking for her chance to set her career as a theatre set designer. Together, they tell a love story of two women, attempting to escape from the social prejudice and judgement of homosexuality in 1950's.

The film Carol is based on the romantic novel by Patricia Highsmith. It was first published in 1952 under the title "The Price of Salt" pitching a true story from Highsmith's life. Highsmith - was already known as a suspense writer - published a novel under a pseudonym, Claire Morgan, to avoid being tagged as a "lesbian book writer", which consequently would 'discredit' her previous achievements in literature.

The Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind (2004)

[The Notebook, Vanilla Sky, 500 Days of Summer ]

Get your tissues ready. Not going to lie, originally I intended to mention "The Notebook" but it felt like cheating featuring two Ryan Gosling films in one blogpost. I went for another one of my all time favourites. 

If you could erase a memory of a person or an event from your life, would you? The Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind explores the intricacy of relationships and the pain of loss. After a painful break-up, Clementine (Kate Winslet) undergoes a procedure to erase her ex-boyfriend Joel (Jim Carey) from her mind. When Joel finds out that Clementine went to the extremes to forget their relationship, he too signs up to do the same. However, during the erasure procedure, Joel is reminded of the happy memories that he and Clementine shared together and attempts to hide those far into his conscious in order to save them. This is as much as I can share without giving it all away.

As always, I hope you liked today's blog post. And I look forward to hearing from you - have you already seen these films? Which ones did you like and which ones you did not? Share your recommendations down below!

All love,

S.