The last thing I ever planned or wanted, for that matter, was to write poems. But occasionally things happened on their own and for past years I've written quite a few dozens of them. Don't get me wrong, most of them are not good at all, but some... 

This 'He forbids smiling, no laughing...' Poem is one short piece from my collection I think you may like.

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He forbids smiling, no laughing, this can be hard,
In his mind everything is a lack of light.
He scowls, nothing real, this makes him strong,
No pressure, no meaning, he is a thorn.
He never gets warmer, never gets kind,
No sense of humor, he is a bug.
Created by people and spoiled by ...

Okay, my current WIP is not about a world where Death does not exist. What a senseless world it would be where no one dies, right? But the story is close on the tail of ‘what if there was someone who would be able to defeat Death for good and maybe, if lucky enough, to bring all the dead back to life? Would not it be fun to have dead risen from their graves and turned back to their homes and families?

Mmm, and while you're trying to imagine it, here is my little POEM inspired by this 'possible' world.

Don’t call it angel – it has no wings,

It comes and goes as autumn winds.

Don’t call it monster – it has n...

Those who have a natural attraction to reading, are indeed lucky! But not all of us, lucky bookworms, are being productive in our reading. Quite often, this very attraction turns us into blind puppies that can easily consume book after book and yet struggle to form a good understanding of what those books were about.

When time to leave a comment on the book comes, unproductive reader tends to skip it.

What being a productive reader means?

It means a consistent reading. Of course! But it also means paying attention and being present, while holding a book in your hands. I know from personal experience, how alluring idea to just dive in a book and eat it like a creamy slice of cake with one bite is. I’ve been there, I’ve done that. BUT&...

Everyone has a view at what happiness is. Some, manage to find happiness in mundane things, like taking a stroll outside in the morning, others search happiness beyond things that can be touched, dedicating their daily activities to spiritual practices and self-education.

But what about ultimate happiness – the state of mind that is peaceful and content?

In this easy conversation, I want to share 10 reasons that might be the cause of your yet not found happiness.

Reason #1 Internal Conflict

‘The scariest monsters are those who lurk within our souls.’ by Edgar Alan Poe

I’ve never met a person who did not have some internal conflicts to de...

"Short story is not a sailing ship to take you far in the ocean but a boat to transport you fast on the other side."

Honestly, I had not much of interest in short stories before. I — an experienced bookworm — obviously, preferred full length novels over twelve-page stories. I liked to sail far rather than jump in for a short ride. Till one day, I accidently got The Magic Shop by H. G. Wells in my hands. Unwrapped on a very delicate line between illusion and reality, it was narrated in such exquisite way that I was immediately dragged in, headfirst.

This was the beginning of my journey into the world of short stories.

Doubtless today, I can assure you, that reading short stories is, indeed, one of the greatest ways to delv...

I was born in Russia. How did it happen that almost half of my life I’ve consciously dedicated to learning English, I find rather hard to narrate in few words… But today’s reality is that one of the main things I do for living is working as a freelance translator, using both my passion for English language and my Russian roots to provide the best translations for my clients.

But sometimes, being a translator can be tricky. Mainly, because being a freelance translator means being a negotiator as well. So, before my work as a translator begins, I have to make sure that the ground for the work laying ahead is solid and my collaboration with the client is build right.

As a translator with experience, I’m aware of all the aspects...

When I say the hardest and lowest paying job, what do you imagine? Maybe, a stiff office without conditioner in the middle of a desert, or a hell kitchen with Gordon Ramsay’s doppelganger shouting and throwing fat beef onto heated oily pan right at your side? Whatever it is, I assure you, my version of the hardest and lowest paying job is something else.  

This summer, I decided to change my routine and for some reasons, the idea to change my routine brought me to the idea to sign myself to the most tiring and emotionally draining job of my life. I became the youngest of six women in a farm workers squad.

Each day, we would start our donkeywork at 6 early a.m. and keep working nonstop till afternoon. Under blazing sun, we would carefully gather cucumb...

It’s been always the same, like a badly written story where one human being stands against another. Some use fists to defend their truths, others are sharp at tongue. Each is reluctant to give up.

But does it really matter?

It’s a fact that huge part of people living on this planet struggle to make their lives better. This is understandable. Each has their list of beliefs, deeply engraved on the innate side of their being. But for what I learned, if the life you have today is not yet the life of your dream then surely, the beliefs you’re guarding so much are not simply working for you.

For some reasons, it’s in us to feel like defending ourselves against people’s thoughts, people’s words, people’s actions, in othe...

A few months ago I took a very important decision. I decided to take my first in years, month off writing and use the time to recharge my personal resources. It was not easy, especially the first week. I was anxious and wired to the same thought that I was wasting my time. Each day I seemed to became more doubtful about the whole idea, walking close to the edge to stop it all and return my butt back to work. Writing always meant a lot to me, and taking a whole month off felt like a betrayal.

I heard about the importance of systematic vacation a lot, but as most of the people, I was rather skeptical about it. Those who take lots of vacations will hardly achieve anything in their lives, I thought. Besides, if you love what you’re doing, you have nothing to vacate from, hav...

It was a late hour, a day of October, Russia, and almost two years ago when this poem was accidently written. It was one of the easiest things I’ve even done and to the present days, I keep rereading it when writing becomes hard. Just to remind that sometimes, best things should not be complicated. 

Under racing rays of light, I woke up in dreadful fright.
Darkest vision came to me, black as smoke-ostensibly.
Shallow eyes and stinky breath, held a power in its hand.
And on the neck of darkest thing, lay a tread of serpentine.

Chocking was I as a child, sobbed and prayed to rising light.
'Show your mercy,' pleaded I, 'don't give me up to this shaitan!'
Something scowled at me through dark, and...

If you were an apple, there would be needed two halves to make you whole. Well, in case with us, humans, two halves would not be enough to form your naturally multisided personality and complete a healthy balance to your cooperation with the outside world.

What I mean by that? In my previous post I wrote about self-acceptance and its importance in acquiring solid ground for personal growth and development. I stressed that self-acceptance is not one-time thing you can get once and for all but rather a journey of awareness where each time you learn better.

Well, these 5 spheres that lie in the base of shaping the understanding of your worthiness as an individual in the society, are responsible for not only sharpening your awareness, which impr...

Self-acceptance is not a mythical creature everyone knows about but never really saw. It’s real. And unlike a unicorn, whose absence is not that vital for our lives, self-acceptance decides whether you’re going to have the life of your dream or not. It’s also vital for your mental health.

I always say that self-acceptance is where it either begins or ends for you. It’s one of the major keys to having a happy, fulfilling life.

Now, let’s turn to the definition of self-acceptance.

Self-acceptance is, first and foremost, a form of awareness of your strengths and weaknesses (your positives and your negatives) either given by nature or shaped by life circumstances.

It begins with learning all aspects ...

2014 was a year of challenges for me. I had just finished high school and it was officially time to make big decisions for my future. At that time, it was already around three years since I’ve seriously started writing and mainly, all I wanted from life was to have a tiny room, preferably pen and paper and everyone else to keep their distance from me. I wanted to be a writer, you see. I did not want to deal with life outside of my tiny room and imagination. Not because I hated life (no one hates life, trust me), but because I had no idea what to do about it.

At first, as I thought, my life worked. I lived in a box and I was foam-mouth to protect it from any kind of intrusion. Many years went by like one. I discovered with pain in the heart, that all I was truly doing was...