zenushka

oh dear God, it's been a year

2011-03-17T01:24:00.000-07:00

..almost a year let's say. I've been neglecting my duties even for a lazy blogger, I admit. Maybe I didn't have much to say or maybe I didn't have the urge to share it, but I'm back.

I would love to share some Moscow insights with you, however I'm under house arrest for some beautiful reasons, I couldn't explore the city as much as I used to.

But I'm nice enough to write some tips for those who actually can explore the city:

-If you still haven't been to Art Academia in Bresenevskaya Naberejnaya, 6, bld.3; go there, now! It's one of the best options to have a after-work drink but also it's one of my favorite places to dine; nice atmosphere, lovely new factory-redesign neighbourhood and Academia food with Academia prices. Nice...

-Have you been to More Vnutri (the Sea Inside)? You should see how lovely this place is in the summer. It's a small cafe with white and pastel colored interior with many seaside elements around. You actually could hear the sound of waves around in this sea-less city. Check out the website: http://morevnutri.ru/ It's very close to metro station Aleksandrovski Sad. And check out these pics we took last october, I think (wow, it's been a while):

- What else what else...Ah the Zorro Musical. It was a first but we really enjoyed the "action" in a musical. I have to admit we kindo wished for an accident, not because we are bad people, nono, but because it kind of is the reality of theater, don't you think. There were a lot of action scenes where Zorro was flying around the theater with a rope and stuff. And you could see how convenient is the mask, because there were stunts and you think the talented actor with the great voice would jump up and down like that...haha, I had my binoculars on! (I did! and later on I bought a pair for myself, white metal with the chain and everything- oh I love my new binocles)

-For our anniversary we went to СЫР (cheese) Restaurant on Sadovaya kaltso. It is one of Novikov restaurants. After Cantinetta Antinori I was a little suspicious, but I tell you, the food was excellent! Every single dish we had was seriously delicious. Plus the ambiance is kindo cool, they put copper pots on every empty seat, which I think is quite original, it kindo gives you the feeling that they will cook your order in that pot; but I doubt that is the case. Interior design is not so very modern let's say, they made it look like inside of a cheese...sounds good, right. But I seriously object to any kind of exaggeration of that sort. Ok we get it, you have a theme! What I don't like about the place is the exterior, you might never guess that it is a chic dining place from the outside. They put a plastic light in the shape of a cheese and written СЫР in blue (?). The entrance also have blue doors. Wtf you might say and I would definitely agree. But in the end it is a hidden treasure food-wise, go and taste some good italian food. (Ah I forgot, there's a piano as well)

I am tired of writing now, I wish you all well with all your future endeavours. I won't keep this long next time.

xoxo

Gossip girl

(what?)

this city needs an exorcism!

2010-08-09T05:01:00.000-07:00

What's up with the smoke Moscow!?

It's bad enough that for 10 years I had my share of poison, and now I have to suffer through this horrible white nightmare! пошел на хуй!

For those who doesn't know me or doesn't know the fact that I quit smoking last week, I have been in agony of nicotine-free life which ironically don't feel free at all. It turns out that every pleasure preserves the accumulative equal amount of pain which you happily ignore while enjoying the former part of the equation.

I am happy to suffer in silence, I am becoming healthier, it's ok, все нормально; but my non-smoker hubby and my anti-smoker cat suffered this stupid fog of forest and peat bog fires.

We closed all the windows, put on masks to walk to our cars and as if it isn't fun enough: it's 38 degrees outside. And I'm not smoking.

When you stop giving your body something it got used to in such a way that it is almost a chemical infusion, you don't want the negative effects of that substance while undergoing such a pain refraining from it. I ache not to have poison in my lungs and thanks to humanity, global warming has led to extreme hot weather and extreme hot weather led to fires and fires led to smoke in the city. Now I have poison in my lungs.

Pff, summer isn't fun anymore.

unhappy mish

just like the famous fogs of Milan (except for the toxic particles)

give the girl a pen

2010-07-29T00:18:00.000-07:00

I drew tattoos on me and asko the other night, it's permanent as well (until the next shower)

ma giant painting

2010-07-28T23:46:00.000-07:00

Last week I finished my giant painting and delivered it to Atlantic preschool (which is opening soon).

It's been kinda warm(!) in Moscow lately and I, as an artist in despair, don't have an air conditioner. So it's been a long and painful project as well as colorful and exciting. Now the best part of any project: the end :)

check out my room as it turns into a studio to fit the 2*2m canvas

You can check out the site and see my painting on a 3D wall:

http://www.atlanticschool.ru/index.php?option=com_joomgallery&func=viewcategory&catid=38&Itemid=60&lang=en

now, more new projects :)

Prichal restaurant

2010-07-20T04:42:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, one of our friends took us to Prichal restaurant near Rublyevsky. He didn't tell where we were going and kept us hanging until we got there, and get there we did.

The place is an urban patio myth. It is a combination of beach (pool planted on the river, poolside lounge with wooden chaise longues with white mats) and a summer restaurant with kalyans, roasted lamps and tall frozen coctails.

We got seated right away (which is rare, considering we get in line even for Planet Sushi). There were floating platforms on the river with decorated tables for private parties. The mentioned parties have bodyguards waiting ashore. Well of course...

We ended up spending whole evening there, watching drunk old men and beautiful gals (Moscow's finest).

I forgot to take pictures during the day, but here are some photos taken before we left.

29th km Rublevo-Uspenskoye shosse, Ilinskoe

+7 495 504 1269, +7 495 418 4032

http://www.prichal-rest.ru

Подмосковные вечера

2010-06-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

catch that cold

2010-05-23T23:03:00.000-07:00

Ain't life a bitch

Last week I arrived at a sunny, blossoming Moscow and in just two days I got sick... not normal sick mind you, the kind that makes you unable to get out of bed just to go to pee.

I was looking forward to picnics, open air sports, walk arounds and going to Botanicheski Sad for some urban sketching. Now, I can go to the kitchen in 5 minutes, holding on to the walls.

Is this catching cold thing getting bigger lately or is it just me? (sneezing my reason away gradually...maybe). Countless people I know is sick these days and they all have the same shit. I hear "I used to get better on antibiotics, even if I don't, it would take me a week at most to heal. Now it's taking weeks for me to recover. Am I getting older?" I don't know how many times I listened to that sort of complaints.

For those who live in Moscow, (I don't know about the rest, I have no means of observation, plus I don't care that much)-(cranky when sick) getting sick is so common that nowadays we receive the news of a person catching a cold like it is a mosquito bite; "what else is new"...

It seems to me that catching a cold is easy when you move to a country where your definition of cold is not the same with the locals. It is amazing how being brought up in a certain way can affect your way of thinking what is normal.

Maybe I'm wrong, but tell me: is it normal to keep your coat, fur hat and your woolen scarf on when you enter a 28 degree metro station? Ok, the weather might be -20 outside, but when you walk into the station, it feels like a Turkish hamam! I begin taking some things out, just to keep looking not-so-foreign, then I cannot stand for long and take my coat, gloves, scarf and hat off and carry them around with me like a fool. Russian people don't, instead they come in and go out the same as if they are weather-resistant. I understand the tolerance to cold but they also have tolerance to hot. Maybe they are nonconductive...hmm

It is a dead end, we cannot be like them. It is both their physique and upbringing, both cannot be modified.

What we can do is first ACCEPT the fact that WE ARE DIFFERENT, so we should BE WEARING MORE.

I wanna add that we don't eat well here, we should take some vitamins as well. But who has the consistency to do so.

Ok I'm bored and going away from the computer. I remembered that I am in fact still sick. Downloading Lost and Sherlock Holmes (gonna see some Robert Downey maaan)

Stay tuned to hear from grumpy zenushka

^_^

kisses to all

take care

Back in town

2010-05-19T03:04:00.001-07:00

Priviet!
I've been away for three weeks and I am back indeed (a silent "hiphiphurray" :)

I have a fierce energy to write and share, but unfortunately I have little time today.

I will only share a few pictures from my trip of love, serenity, lust and high-caloried pleasures:

take care and stay tuned
xxx

house party-go shawty it's your birthday

2010-03-25T06:07:00.000-07:00

Garage Center now

2010-03-25T05:53:00.000-07:00

Garage Center is hosting two exhibitons; Russian Utopias and Futurologia. If you want to explore Russian avant-garde art and infamous Kazimir Malevich's work you should stop by Garage (http://www.garageccc.com/)

skiing in moscow

2010-03-07T09:08:00.000-08:00

There are 3 good options for skiing in Moscow:

First one is Sorochany ( http://www.sorochany.ru/ )

The slopes are mostly short but there are 10 lifts I think, so you won't get bored or very crowded. The longest slope is 850 m (lift no 8). The only problem would be, if it is extraordinarily cold that day, you would actually freeze on that lift since it is relatively slow.

Yesterday we went skiing in Shukolovo ( http://www.shukolovo.ru/?main=true )

I liked it better. It's hard to say that slopes are better but the place in general is nicer. They have about 11 slopes, the longest being 600 m. However there were less people, so somehow it was more satisfying skii&lift wait-loop-wise. Plus it is not far from Sorochany, they are practically the same distance from the center.

Café in the entrance was more civilized then Sorochany. We had soup and french fries before we head back.

Plus the lifts are much cheaper. There are different tariffes of course but in general the price for one lift in Sorochany is 100 rubles, in Shukolovo it's 50 rubles.

The third option is Volen ( http://www.volen.ru/ )

I haven't been there yet but Asko says it's more chic than the other two. However the slopes are shorter than the other two.

It's -12 now, with no snow :(

Let's just hope that skiing season lasts a little bit longer !

ice ice baby

2010-03-01T01:13:00.000-08:00

Last week we went ice skating in Sokolniki Park. It was sunny and not that cold :)

Near the entrance there was this arena of some sort. On it, elderly russians were singing and dancing as usual. How can you not love this about Moscow.

As for us, we skated a little in the beautiful weather and also enjoyed the ringside view after we took off the skates. We also saw this young couple skating with the stroller.

Hey, check out the icicle outside our window.

But not everything is cold in here. The weekend before that we went to "We are Family" a new spot in town, after a birthday party (actually, as a part of the birthday party).

cantinetta antinori

2010-02-28T23:53:00.000-08:00

Do you know who Arkady Novikov is?

Well, he is the founder of number of restaurants, some of them are big chains like Yolki Palki, Yapona Mama, or high scale places like GQ bar, Vogue Cafe or the matter in hand: Cantinetta Antinori.

Cantinetta Antinori was first opened in Florence, which I read great restaurant reviews about, but haven't been yet (or I don't recall). There are Cantinetta Antinori restaurants also in Zurich and Vienna. The one in Moscow is a joint project by Antinori wine house and Novikov Group.

I read the reviews before I went there because I chose the spot for our 7th anniversary with Asko-my hubby (btw it's our start-to-date anniversary, not marriage). But still I wanted to go to a nice romantic place with good food. Almost all the reviews I read about Cantinetta Antinori was negative, they said that it is a great restaurant chain but the moscow version is just not worth going because of the ridiculously overpriced menu.

Live and learn right?

We went there and as usual I was the only well dressed person there because it seems that mostly businessmen preffered the location since they could expense the meal. The prices are more ludicrous than Plyushchenko winning the silver medal.

I was in the supermarket earlier that day and waiting for Asko to come pick me up to help carry the bags. He got a little late so I walked around the wine part and looked at the prices a little bit. I swear I saw the half of the wines on the menu that night and it is beyond reason. 300 rubles a bottle Chile wines was priced for 600 rubles a glass. Have some commonsense!

So it is not a place to drink a lot of wine, ok...but the food? I consider myself an italian-cuisine fan, I couldn't believe my taste buds. I ordered spaghetti alle vongole and Asko ordered Tuscan bean soup and lasagna. My spaghetti came in 3 seconds which we didn't understand how? There were no shells to begin with...It is for me one of the best things about spaghetti with clams, you play with your food, you extract the meat from the shells. Plus you can see how healthy your clams are. Also it looks much better on the plate. Anyway...since it came so fast it got cold even faster. I really love asparagus in that dish but I've never had one undercooked. And pasta was overcooked. The sauce was more than juicy and it needed a little salt because there was nothing resembling a flavor in that dish. (it costs 1400 rubles btw)

Asko's soup was good but came in a very tiny portion and it costs 700 rubles (for 100 g of soup, figurati!). His lasagna was good but nothing special. I stand corrected that I make the best lasagna bolognese in the world (and I've been to Bologna).

The interior, I have to give them credit, was sweet and comforting. All the jars of pickles and pasta looked so enriching. However, I am not a big fan of FAKE flowers in that type of a restaurant. You over-charge anyway, give something back in return!

And for the complimentary stuff; like juice they serve as soon as you sit on table (very unnecessary) and the sweets they bring with tea are very inadequate, just for sake of serving something.

Soon I will try "Da Cicco" in Profsoiusnaya. One dear Italian friend of mine recommended it but it is so south we always skip it. After Cantinetta Antinori, I would love to try good italian food. Ah, what a disappointment...

I will soon write about El Asador, the spanish restaurant. I loved that one, but what you order is really important.

See you next post

xoxo

ode to snow

2010-02-12T02:26:00.000-08:00

I haven't gone out for four days now. Maybe even more. I will start to have that phobia, whatsitsname, the one that sigourney weaver had in copycat killer movie. The fear of leaving the house. I will continiue my evolution towards botanical substances. I may actually perform photosynthesis to survive. Maybe I will lose weight. If I don't mind the green, I will be supermodel thin. Hehe...I'm bored.

I've almost finished my freelance work, 3D chocolate modelling. Luckily I'm not a chocolate person.

I'm impatiently waiting to see Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. What's up with Johnny Depp's eyes, I'm curious.

I am a pro on I pod touch TH poker now. Texas holdem of course. Not a pro maybe. But getting there...

Alexander McQueen passed away. Most of the girls tweeted as if they have lost their uncles. I have to admit I don't know his designs. But I read that he was too young. Bummer...

Now we have google buzz thingy...I doubt that it would improve communication by any means. But what do I know, I was skeptic about twitter.

I want to create a poll of some sort. Who is cuter, Robert Downey Jr or ...boy I can't think of a competitor. Haha, no poll afterall :) But let me know if you can think of anyone who is cuter than he is...(we are looking for cute ladies and gentlemen...not hot...cute...)

The other day (I think it was a week ago) we went to see the British American poster exhibition on Pushkin Museum of Fine arts. The posters were amazing and all but at the end of the hall, started a shitload of french paintings. I still cannot understand how I missed that part. I visited the museum at least 3 times but always the main gallery. This part had Cezanne, Van Gogh, Gaugin, Miro, Kandinsky, Chagall, Monet, Renoir and countless other artists. This is what John Locke must've feel like when he found the hatch, I thought. (oh, have you seen the first two episodes of the sixth season...I wouldn't be surprised if they find yet another tribe living in the island. How big is this island anyhow? is jacob a prophet? next time on lost) Anyway the trip to Pushkin MOFA was absolutely a wonderful surprise. And the surprise element in Moscow continiues...

Have you notice that this year the snow haven't shut the f%*&! up yet. I guess it has something more to say to the audience. I am so fed up with it. I miss the sunshine. The first time I see a clear blue sky I will definitely sing "sun is shining, the weather is clear/ want you to know, I'm a rainbow too" in my head.

By the way does anyone know a good comic book drawing programme with all the applications for frames and speech baloons for Mac. Let me know.

Oh did I save the best for last or what: check out Pavel Ruminov's videos if you are hungry for inspiration:

http://www.vimeo.com/5435233

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKUk4XdjIWc

That's all for now.

Take care and come to water me from time to time

xoxo

I'm back baby!

2010-01-28T23:07:00.000-08:00

After a very productive month in Istanbul, I am back on business in my favorite cold city.

The biggest news is of course my website. I put some illustration and 3D stuff in it. I like the homepage and my signature fading in (wasn't my idea, clearly. I am the "woaw" client). However, I am not crazy about wall design or sketching part. Those parts are work in progress. An-nyway, check it out:

http://www.zeynepcopurdesign.com/

I have an I pod touch now. I love it. I am officially an I pod touch promoter from now on...I pod touch versus I phone..Listen, I phone is too stressful to carry. Will it be stolen, would I drop it and break it, will I forget it somewhere...I wanna sleep you know. Plus you don't have to worry about excess radioaction while playing braintuner or watching an episode of the Office on I pod touch. Oh my god, did you see 6th season part 2. I think it was one of the best. Micheal consulting Oscar about his colonoscopy the next day, asking if Oscar would tell him what to do, you know because Oscar would know because he is gay. Not even close to Ricky Gervais version but Steve Carell is hilarious.

Where was I before I got distracted like a giant cat. Ah, I pod touch. I want to add the economical situation here. Y'all have telephones. You don't need an I phone to start with. It costs 3 times what I pod touch costs. I pod touch is I phone without dialling. You can skype and text on I pod touch too. Touch can also have wireless, Safari and all that shit. Don't you miss the day when you can forget your phone in your friend's house and you can take it 2 days later without any sweat. I phones are addictive. You become those zombies where you carry your phone from room to room. You can't keep up with a conversation, because whatever the subject would be, you would find a way to google your way with your slightly tilted down head and invisible finger-typing. I pod touch is still naive, because it is primarily an ipod. You can leave it at home.

Enough with i pod promotion. But have you seen i pad...Anyway, people will start to think as if I work for apple. I dont. I'm just a happy user.

What else, what else. I saw the Avatar movie. Did you know that it's been watched more than Titanic. Was there an american hero on Titanic like toruk macto? Hmm...

I also saw "whatever works". I loved the combo, Larry David and Woody Allen. You can't get more jewish than that. Ah, maybe when Woody Allen would have Sascha Baron Cohen in one of his films. You know what, I think he def-finitely should. Sascha is witty, funny and cynical as well. He is the young Woody Allen except the beautiful british accent, good looks and of course the height. Altough Sascha's style is disturbingly different, I shouldn't even make this comparison, but I think he is a good candidate to jewish comedian throne.

I am a promotional wizard today, don't you think. What else did you expect, I come to a clean home, my cat is finally un-stressed (you know the horror of the flight and all) and I am so happy and energetic, I can type my fingers off for hours now. But I won't. Instead, I'm gonna go out with an excuse to buy some cat food and check out the new moscow trends (if tiger print coats or metallic nail polishes are back).

So much to tell, so much to do. I will catch up with some Moscow stuff soon. I just came in, give me a break.

see you next post

xoxo

OUT OF TOWN

2010-01-14T00:09:00.000-08:00

Patience dear readers, I'm in Istanbul for another 2 weeks.

I will be writing soon.

moscow in 3 days

2009-12-14T04:56:00.000-08:00

This article is one of my favortie couple's idea. They told me that I should also write an article on what to see in Moscow in 1 day and 1 week. Good idea, right? It's been a while since they told me about it but I couldn't get to it sooner. Better late than never eh?

What to see in Moscow on a 3 days trip depends on the season you are coming but let's assume you are insane enough to come here in winter. So we keep outdoor activities to a minimum and have lots of warming stops.

1st day:
In case of catching cold and ruining the rest of the trip, I think it's crucial to see the most important stuff on the first day. So you should go to Kremlin as your first stop. If you are not a fan of history nor museums you can put Kremlin tour aside to walk around red square and see the beautiful sight and also have your hundreds of pictures taken like a japanese tourist.
If you want the Kremlin tour you can check http://www.kreml.ru/main_en.asp

While you are there, you might as well see GUM. It's the building that looks like a government facility but actually is a mall. I have to say I was amazed the first time I saw it. It was like an introduction to Moscow, now I get to think about it, it's like a symbol of Moscow's modern culture. Glamour, lights, designer shops, fake trees, beautiful arches that goes side to side with escalators and blindingly colorful adds or discount posters -everything screams of shiny luxury with no taste. But you will be amazed, I assure you. It's like Galleria of Milan, only on steroids.

Don't have a snack there, save your appetite for Tverskaya Street. This street is I think better looking at night with all the lights but still you may enjoy the daytime activities. Here are my favorite spots:
- Pushkin Cafe: well of course, a "must go situation" here. You know the song Nathalie by Gilbert Becaud, it is that Cafe Pushkin. It is one of the symbols of Moscow. There are two of them almost side by side, one of them is a restaurant and the other is patisserie. Both delicious and both expensive, so much that you think the waiter has a personal grudge on you. But I think you deserved an eclaire for 300 rubles (10 dollars).

-Eliseevsky market: Boy, do I love this place or what. It's another interesting place to see just like Gum. I can hear people commenting on other important places to see in Moscow rather than a supermarket but forget about them, I'll write what I like in here. It's an expensive supermarket with lots of difficult to find foreign products. Ah, don't forget the cool interior with the antique look- talk about eclectic, better yet, talk about kitsch!
-FAQ Cafe: http://www.faqcafe.ru/

-Respublica Bookstore: Ok, I'm off the track but I love this bookstore and bought lots of things that I still am in love with. Check it out: http://www.respublica.ru/

-Don't forget the cute gift shop I told you in ho ho hoo

You also have to go to Kamergensky Street for lunch, you will see that there are restaurants lined up here to there. Pick one, but I suggest Akademiya if you want good italian food with some good business lunch offers.

2nd Day:
You can do your souvenir shopping on Arbat Street. It is one of the oldest street, full of history and a slightly visible charm of the old days. You can see Pushkin's house on Arbat, turned into a museum. Lots of souvenir shops around and streets sellers in the middle.

I think you can go and see Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, which has a long and interesting history (google it and leave me in peace:). But if you ask me it's not very essential. If you are into arts, I think you should definitely prefer Tretyakov Museum or Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. You would see the hours fly by and realize how tired you are when you go out. I still go there whenever I can. If you prefer history instead of art you can also see Panaroma museum of Borodino battle on Kutuzovsky pr.

3rd Day:
You would need a slower day, I think, you should see metro stations on your last day. Here are the best stops of my choice: Novoslobodskaya, Mayakovskaya, Novokuznetskaya, Kropotinskaya, Kievskaya...It's cheap and easy and oh so beautiful. You would then also have a chance to see some russian people in everyday routine. How much they read on the subway, how often they get flowers, how do they manage to walk on high heels...that's more sensational than metro stations themselves. (by the way, metro stations are way too hot. Russian people can stand it somehow, I think there must be a scientific explanation for that, but other human beings cannot stand it. So make sure you get your coat off when you get inside the subway so you don't freeze your sweat when you go out)

I think Novodevichy monastery would be a good way to end your trip. The famous poet and writer Nazim Hikmet's grave is in the cemetery. There are also Checkhov, Eisenstein, Gogol, Bulgakov's grave to see, along with many other important russian figures who I don't know very well. The headstones themselves are interesting, just remember the freezing cold and dress accordingly.

I think that's about it. Huh, before I forget, you should also see Stalin's Seven Sisters. They are seven skyscapers used for different purposes, one of them is Moscow University, the other is Hotel Ukraine, another is ministry of foreign affairs etc. You don't have to see them all but I think you should be alert when you drive around.

I made a wooden bangle :)

2009-12-11T04:38:00.000-08:00

have you seen any good drawings lately?

2009-12-08T13:13:00.000-08:00

Check out Luis Tinoco's lovely illustrations, he's a very talented illustrator from Barcelona. I loved each and every one of his magazine works.

http://www.luistinoco.com/gallery.php?m=2&s=12

ho ho hooo

2009-12-08T11:06:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Tverskaya Street for a lovely Oreo Madness (an ice cream desert with oreos crust, oh mummie it's yummy...) on TGI Fridays. To burn the very enjoyable but unneccessary energy, we decided to go for a walk around Tverskaya and accidentally found the sweetest gift shop in a small street.

There were lots of fun stuff, keyboard cushions, various stickers, funny vodka shot gifts, earrings, cups and my all time favorite: notebooks with old book covers. Here's one that I bought for myself. The cover is Nietszche's "Beyond Good and Evil":

I also bought the notebook below for a friend and the funny doorknob sign for another.

I'm too lazy to write down the address but here is their card:

You know McDonalds across Kamergenski right, when you are walking from Mayakovskaya towards Kremlin, it's the street on your right just before that McDonalds. Ah, I stink at this, why do I bother, just look it up on google maps...

ah, and we also saw this star wars white clone trooper dancing on Tverskaya, we didn't quite understand why...

happy Eid folks!

2009-12-02T23:38:00.000-08:00

Just like the last islamic religious holiday, this bayram (the Feast of Sacrifice), the mosque close to Prospect Mira got so crowded, the people started to pray outside the building.

This picture is taken on 7:30 am.

After namaz, the crowd dissolved and recomposed into society, the rest of the moscowers who don't have any idea of the holiday would look at the flood of men in fear.

The metro stations were closed the last time due to overload, so people had to walk to the nearest metro station in cold weather.

I enjoyed it though, it's good to feel like it's bayram.

Eid mubarak everybody!

it's time for something biblical

2009-11-25T04:54:00.000-08:00

I've been drawing for days and I feel a little spent. How I managed to fail to do something I genuinely liked, I'll never know....But productivity is good. It is!

But I can see how weather can affect us, poor humans, and how it can create mood swings. For those who feel tired relentlessly as I do, I have some advice.

- read something you postpone and postpone and postpone...just look at the pile of your eagerly bought and carefully ignored books and take something you feel like and leave aside the one that you just cannot finish. You'll get to that later (as if..)

- prepare yourself a little treat...if you are in moscow, that is easy...the land of faux-luxury (fake luxury if you will). You can get some caviar and a champaign for less than 15 bucks. (God bless this city). But if you live somewhere else, find some cheese to go with red wine... (I don' like other alcoholic drinks but you can get vodka, raki or tequila)....I don' know why, but it seems to be the perfect time to get a little wasted.

- get melancholic! ah that's my favorite...put on some old tunes that reminds you of an era far far away...and lay down to listen in peace. (I mean if you don't have a hysterical cat, of course) To get more pleasure out of this, see recommendation no.2.

- wash something that you try to act as if it's not dirty. For example, your wool gloves.

- bake something really easy and eat until you fall asleep.

- watch a film that you love (how bout godfather?)

- no no watch "one night at roxburry's"...where there's sun....

- take a long bath...(ah now I sound like cosmo..) but seriously, it always make me feel purified.

- listen to "Cold wind"-Arcade Fire

- draw a little fly on your wall. (huh, that's not cosmo)

I will add a muffin recipe soon. You can try that one as well. I would love to have some muffin right now..Damn, I have no eggs...ok, less calories..

That's all folks..

Btw, the title is from Muse "Apocalypse please"...thought you wanted to know..I was listening to that when I started to write.

bye now

moscow biennale 2009-favorite pieces

2009-11-21T02:50:00.000-08:00

what the bleep do I do recently

2009-11-18T00:12:00.000-08:00

I am trying a to read a book in italian. It's quite interesting actually, yet I get distracted very easily- I wonder why...hmm...

It's Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-5, or Mattatoio N. 5. I'll let you know when I finish it, but don't hold your breath.

I missed the japanese film festival last week. Damn you, good stuff on tv!!

I saw "Bronson" on the British film festival though...What a disappointment. I wish they would be more careful with the " 'A Clockwork Orange' of the 21st century" comment...It was so not "a clockwork orange" of the 21st century, it was hardly anything of the 21st century. a film that we wasted 700 rubles on, in the 21st century, maybe. Good acting though.

I finished my wall, wanna see?

A silhouette of Istanbul from left to right. I wish I had a fish eye camera to get the whole thing at once.

I have finished very interesting drawings (I'm not gonna show you now, or maybe never- burn my novels when I die...that was Kafka, not me..I don't have anything else written but this blog...but you can delete my blog when I die). Since it is cold and infectious outside I've been productive in my home's safe and warm environment.

I'll write about 3rd moscow biennale soon.

The japanese film festival is still haunting me.

I don't need a banana

2009-11-17T23:25:00.000-08:00

Since last week we no longer have a garbage container outside our house. A chaihana (it's supposed to mean teahouse but it's a garlic smelly restaurant) claimed our garbage container for themselves and now we no longer can dispose our 60 lt garbage bags. (we somehow produce loads of garbage- I blame it on the cat but who am I kidding, we consume like elephants)

That is unfortunately why I have to use the one inside the building. You know the ones for common usage, on every floor. I try to imagine a worse way of getting rid of garbage, but the only way I can think of is to feed it to rats with your bare hands.

It is not dirty, it is not filthy...it's somethin else! You can feel your nose trying to go back into your skull.

You don't want to touch the air around it, let alone the handle itself.

You need to have two gloves to open the damn thing. And if you're lucky you will squeeze the bag and get rid of it at first try...But if you are unlucky or a fan of hygene let's say; you wouldn't be able to hold still and drop something out of it, then you will curse like you never cursed before.

BUT, there is a plus side to all this....yes there is...Once you close the cover and go home and wash your hands in an obsessive compulsive way, you decide to consume less. A-ha! You postpone having another glass of orange juice. The bottle somehow seems bigger. A banana is not essential for your survival. Why do they make cereal boxes this enormous. I'm gonna eat the oranges with their zest, it should be detoxing, everything is detoxing.

Boy, do I miss my good old, smelly but untouched garbage container.

Damn you chaihana

to wake up and see the white

2009-11-16T01:15:00.000-08:00

I wonder how long it has been snowing, but this is what I woke up to.

God bless this weather.

sunday breakfast

2009-11-15T13:30:00.000-08:00

A type flu-my cautions

2009-11-12T07:20:00.000-08:00

I bought this sterilization liquid "Sanitelle" which absolutely dries out hands, so I started to carry a hand cream. So, first caution:

1) CARRY BIGGER BAGS

I couldn't find a mask in pharmacies, I have been told that nobody could. Then I asked one of my friends who is coming to Moscow this week, to bring me some. So:

2) FIND A FRIEND WHO COMES TO MOSCOW

One of the places to have the most circulation is the subway. How do I solve the touching problem:

3) LEARN TO IMITATE SNOWBOARDING ON METRO

The easiest and maybe more safe way:

4)FIND A GOOD EXCUSE TO STAY AT HOME

Spaghetti- Frutti di Mare

2009-11-11T01:46:00.000-08:00

I have my experience in this area, and there were times when I did a pretty sloppy job cooking this one.

But ı can say I mastered spaghetti-frutti di mare after last monday. It was so successful that we overate! After a coffee, tea and smoking period, when we got back to our normal selves, we decided that it was the best spaghetti di mare, ever...

Ok, I exaggerated. But believe me, it was the best.

Here's the recipe:

You get frozen seafood, about 500gr.
Boil half box of barilla spaghetti no.5

As soon as pasta starts to boil you put in butter and olive oil together (as much as you like, but I find 1 tablespoon each to be just fine) into a large pan. As the butter melts, you add two cloves of garlic and let it infuse to hot oil for 30 secs. Then you add diced onions (1 big one would suffice) and cook for 2 mins. Then you add the seafood. You actually should put different kinds in a different order but I buy pre-cooked so I don't believe it will make any difference. You can add at this point half a glass of white wine and let it boil for a minute. Then you add about one glass of tomato pureé. Add salt and pepper, and maybe some paprika.
And then you wish for your spaghetti to be not overcooked and drain it and add it to the sauce pan.

That's all...

I now wish to have had a picture of that dish but I will do it soon enough. But here's the seafood I always get.

enjoy

social marioposa.blogspot

2009-11-11T00:56:00.000-08:00

I can honestly say that I am a poor internet user...I don't remember a day when I googled something with the right words and find what I want at first go...I also never read news online, check out gossip pages nor see what's hip and new.

I told you, I'm a lonely twitter.

Enough with the game "I never"; what I would like to say is that the only blog I follow daily in this scheme of primitive websurfing is my dear friend's blog www.social mariposa.blogspot.com. She is also the person who inspired me to write this blog.

So a warm heart thanks again to my succesfull blogger and many luck in her career in spreading her wisdom.

Breakfast at Ludi kak Ludi's

2009-11-09T08:57:00.000-08:00

One of the things that I'm gonna miss when I leave Moscow would be our traditional brunch on sundays.
After a night of playing poker with friends or going out to a club or just watcing a movie on a saturday night, it is lovely to realize the next morning that it is indeed sunday. You yawn, strech and stay in bed for a couple of minutes, enjoying the idea of the day to come; to be spent with brunch, sports and grocery shopping.
We have this wonderful spot which I think is a gem in the whole restaurant scene in Moscow. The place is called Ludi Kak Ludi (people like people?) on Solyanskiy Proyezd in Kitai Gorod. It actually is a cafe, but we haven't been there except for a brunch, so we have no idea how would it feel like to be there on weekdays, sipping a cup of coffee.
It is one of those places where you find everything to be just how it should be and nothing more. There are waiters but they only help to clean. You have to go to the counter to place your order and simply go back to your table and chat with your friends until your order is ready and soldier-looking molodoi chelovek announces the ready order and asks you to collect it from the counter. It may sound quite direct and rugged those who has never been to Moscow but believe me this style of serving food fits Russian style right on the spot. The style which I love: nothing dazzling, nothing confusing: plain, simple and functioning. It's rather convenient when you consider american diner themed restaurants.
What do we eat in Ludi Kak Ludi:
Spinach and feta pie
Mozarella sandwich (this is amazing- it has a sauce with black olives and I get a hint of orange?)
A fresh baked croissant
Smoothy No.2

Pies are incredible, the spinach-feta pie is the best but you still can try meat, mushroom or onion pie. They are all very good. Even mozarella sandwich is my favorite by far, but my hubby prefers roastbeef sandwich. Well, have an open mind about it too.

Smoothies are the same as Propaganda and Krizis Janra (they are from the same family), our favorite is no.2 but it has been witnessed that some people actually had no.10 and no.5.

They are open at 11:00, so don't come knocking earlier, they don't think themselves as serving breakfast. Do I have to add that they are curiously inexpensive...

I will try to find a picture of the spot on my computer, I hope I will soon...

You sometimes walk alone

2009-11-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

It's winter time; I know; dark, cold and wet; I know..But still nothing beats going out for a walk with any vague excuse. Warm subway and bright perihods would be little breaks from skin numbing cold and maybe I can get a can of fruity cocktail in a russki fashion while I listen to Amy Winehouse or Coldplay.

I always have an excuse, I sometimes even feel good if some work stays unfinished- which is very often.

Here are some ideas for those who are skeptical about going out for a walk:

You can get to Chistie Prudy and take a quick detour around the park and make a stop on Coffee Bean for hot chocolate and maybe a notorious cheese cake.

And if you want to buy some books in english, you can visit my favorite bookstore "Dom Inostrannoi Knigu" on Kuznetskiy Most Ul. 18/7. After you get a book, say a graphic version of a classic novel, then you should stop by Squat, one of my favorite cafes, on Varsonofevski Pereulok 12/1. Food is not very fulfilling but you can enjoy the tables with different and brilliant paintings on and drink a very inexpensive cocktail (cosmopolitan 120 rub-4 dollars).

And my favorite place in Moscow to walk around is Botanichesky Park on Prospekt Mira. It is of course best to visit on summer or spring with amazing colors and dizzying variety of flowers but still a very quite and relaxing environment around this time of year. A small but very aesthetic pond and a lot of art students painting in silence (less and less every week now).

I will add more walking routes as soon as I can stop my cat playing around the keyboardddd
xoxo

how to buy a pet in moscow

2009-11-08T07:38:00.000-08:00

First of all, keep in mind that it is not very easy; not only getting one, but also keeping one.

Our main problem has always been what to do with our cat when we go out of moscow. Luckily we have this sweet friend of ours who also loves our cat, takes care of her when we are out of town. She certainly is in love with him too.

ok, step by step: getting a pet!

If you live a little outside the center you can easily pick up a newborn kitten or puppy old enough to leave his or her mother. But if you live in the center, seeing a street cat or dog is not very easy. And if you don't have a friend with a pregnant pet, you will buy yourself one.

Last year we decided to buy a cat. We went to stari arbat where we saw pets were being sold in cardboard boxes on the street. We were warned earlier by our close friends that the animals you get from the street usually are nourished poorly, being seperated from the mother early to make sure the little ones would attrack more buyers. so when you get one, after a couple of months it will get sick and die eventually.

So we went for pet shops, which was not a realistic option for us since we didn't want to buy a cat for 23.000 rubles (about 800 dollars), but you sure can buy one, if you are interested in pure breeds or show cats.

After a careful research period we took our chances and go to the streetsellers once again. We were undecided until we saw this beautiful light grey fluffy siamese who kept looking at us. The guy had two of them on his wooden box in front of the zoomagazin on stari arbat. We chose that sweet little thing because we wanted a playful cat and since the other one was sleeping constantly, we didn't even consider her. We bargained a little and at the end little kitten was ours for 3000 rubles (about 100 dollars).

We went inside the shop after our illegal purchase to get some legal cat stuff, toilet, food cup etc. While we were discussing with the shop lady which toilet box to get, she asked the expected size of the cat when she grew. We went outside to ask the seller and he showed us a picture of her mother. It was a pile of fur. We then changed our minds to get the sleepy one. She slept in the car on the way home. We were silent for a while. When we got back home, the joke was on us because she jumped right out of her carrying box and started to play with anything on sight as if she was living there for years. She turned out to be the most playful thing ever. She is one of the greatest cats that I've ever seen, she is playful, sweet and easygoing.

The lesson of this story is you need luck!

You also need a good doctor. Ours is very reccomendable: Veterinarniy Tsentr "SOPICO".

The address is 109544, Shkolnaya Ul. Dom 19 Metro Rimskaya.

http://sopico.ru
8(495) 510-21-90

Ksenia is a very sweet and caring doctor, ask for her. She's been very helpful.

That's all for now.

if you have the time, you can do the crime

2009-11-08T05:34:00.000-08:00

a high tone "yellow!" to everyone who knows me

and my sincere greetings to those who somehow found out about this blog. It was meant to be a secret, congrats!

I usually am late for everything. I am the last one to buy a mac computer (as a designer I mean, don't harrass me if you don't own one), I am the last one to hear about twitter (which by the way is not working out for me still. I have 9 followers, it's not even worth writing something) and I possibly am last for doing something that I am not aware of right now. I am, as you can see, the last blogger in town. I doubted that there were some openings for newcomers.

I wanted to share what I think, see and hear, here in moscow, the city of last things (as in "will keep up with the world in 10 years"; not in paul auster sense).

I also will try to give advice for "what to find, where to find and how to deal with who" for strangers in moscow just like myself.

All the activities, including concerts, festivals, special days (aka.any excuse to drink), I will try to share with you guys...

I hope you all enjoy