PinnedMember-onlyi just want to read a bookis this a new kind of privilege? — Last Sunday, I bought “Conversations with Friends” by Sally Rooney. In Kyiv, it’s rare to stumble on a book in English without Stephen King’s name on it, but I found it. It was jammed between Rooney’s larger novel “Beautiful World, Where Are You” and another book the name of which…Life4 min read
Published in My Kyivites·PinnedMember-onlyKyivite #3 — A Barista So Good Looking He Can Afford To Be A BaristaAgain and again, handsome men take the best spot in any career they choose. — A short curly hair, a face structure of an action movie star(it’s all in the jaw), and a seemingly modest demeanour — a secret combination that makes many girls and boys immediately wet their pants. He carries a degree of masculine energy that’s just enough to attract and not distract…Life3 min read
Published in My Kyivites·PinnedMember-onlyKyivite #2 — A Lady Who Drilled Me Hard And PainfulAfter two hours, she finished with a white sticky cement-like composite in my mouth. — Can I use her real name here? I’m not sure. She didn’t formally say yes — maybe because I didn’t specifically mention that I would write about our encounter. At least, I think I can tell you how she looked. She had long, whole-wheat-coloured hair. She wore white, tight-fitting t-shirt…Writing3 min read
Published in Human Parts·PinnedMember-onlyThe War in Ukraine Turned My Life Into a CircusIn fleeing Kyiv, I left behind everything normal — I’m sitting in a cool, hipster-looking coffee shop with wooden floors and red brick walls, right in the centre of Ivano-Frankivsk. I drink filtered coffee. I see people of all sorts coming inside to sit or take away a latte, a croissant, a cake. …Politics3 min read
Published in My Kyivites·Aug 1Member-onlyKyivite #1 — A Woman In A White JumpsuitShe rushed by me like lighting, leaving her electric energy and animal print behind — A ventilator above my head is working hard to keep me cool, and I do feel cooler than I usually am — maybe it’s the refreshing air that descends on me from the above; maybe it’s the magic of an afternoon coffee (which some might call chemistry, but I don’t…Storytelling4 min read
Jul 29Member-onlyThe Line Between Enjoyment and Addiction Is Sometimes Annjoyingly ElusiveDo I enjoy my coffee or am I addicted to it? — When I try to detach and look at my life from the point of an observer, I sense that nothing I do on daily basis would cross that fine line between “I like it, I enjoy it, I need it” and “I’m addicted to it, I’m obsessed, I can’t live…Self3 min read
Jul 28Member-onlyA Moment Of SadnessWhen the thirst for completeness squeezes your throat, you reach for a cup of wholesome water. — There’s a time in every day when I catch a moment of sadness or, what’s fairer to say, the moment catches me. It starts at different times depending on the season and lasts for an hour or so. …Life4 min read
Jul 27Member-onlyI Have Histamine Intolerance — Most Healthy Foods Make Me SickFermented foods, aged meat, coffee, tea, most fruits, and some vegetables are off the table…is there anything you can eat? — From now on, I will associate grey and orange with a feeling of slight relief. …Health7 min read
Jul 19Member-onlyWhy You Shouldn’t Rent The-Last-Floor-Flat During WarAnd some other things you should and shouldn’t do. — You know what? We’re moving to a new flat. My boyfriend and I have been living in a one-bedroom apartment for three years — it was a medium-term committed relationship/the flat didn’t deserve our commitment for such a long time. Every winter, we ferociously wanted to move out, but instead…Life4 min read
Jun 19Member-onlyPutin Stole My Summer VacationAm I allowed to whine about this? — Today, it’s strange to complain about anything beyond the threat of dying because…people are dying in Ukraine — if not in Kyiv, where I’m right now, then in other places. In my case, I’m not dying — I mean, I am dying but not at the same speed as those…Politics3 min read
