Excuses, Excuses It took me eight months. I had surgery; I stood frozen in time. I kept procrastinating. For this condition, one of my friends of the past even took a special medication to unfreeze her writer’s block to allow her to finish her doctorate. Maybe my next blog will be written in a blissful delirium.) IContinue reading
Preface It happened before A.D.)… I had another life in the past, not in retail, not in interpreting, not in blogging, not in charity, but in IT. That was my primary call, not maybe the most interesting, but a primary call in accordance to my education it was… In 1999 I left JohnContinue reading
An International consulting firm, Brain & Company, estimated that the luxury market was valued at $274 billion in 2014, and was set to grow even bigger to a whopping $280 billion by 2015. And just like only a small percentage of the world wealthiest people make up most of the world’s wealth, only a handful ofContinue reading
Day 5. Dublin-Galway-Dublin Monday. So, as it was decided by my brand new Irish friends, the day before, at Max’s restaurant, that I “needed” to go to Galway. Only ‘2.5’ hours drive. Since visiting Ireland twice afterwards, and since visiting Armenia 4 times, I know now, that the definition of time for my beloved nationsContinue reading
I would guess, that 80% of Australians visited Ireland. At least, anybody, who has Irish roots. I can assure you that everybody discovers their own Ireland. I can assure you, it stays in your heart forever. Day 1 Moscow – Dublin. Thursday I went to Ireland from Moscow to heal my wounded heart (very long story)).Continue reading
I adore getting a good bargain and fighting for the best price. I remember 2 hours of negotiations/bargaining/haggling in Jerusalem markets for the beautiful Persian rug. I joked with the owner and promised to become his third wife. That cemented the deal.) I also remember buying jade in Beijing for the best price. It happenedContinue reading
Does it make sense when somebody wishes you Happy New Year and Merry Xmas? Of course it does! Does it make sense when somebody wishes you ONLY Happy New Year and nothing else? In Russia, or in the ex-USSR, it does. Since 1917, Bolsheviks had a hard time re-writing the culture and traditions.They could not eliminateContinue reading
ALGHERO We flew to Alghero from NYC in August 2003 and left behind the biggest and fattest Jewish wedding celebrations, which warranted the biggest and strictest 100 years of dieting. We also left behind the biggest blackout in NYC, one of the biggest in history. We flew red eye to Heathrow, then to Rome. FromContinue reading
This is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places on earth, and virtually any building in the large historic center, threaded with canals dotted with baroque bridges, can be considered an attraction—and indeed, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This is a magical city, with a long list of major attractions. Its Hermitage Museum,Continue reading
Life offers to us the chores and also little things we enjoy. Shopping is one of those little things. It is up to us to make it a chore, a source of anxiety or of a marital discord. But…there are circumstances, when this little joy could be killed by the background noise of the relationshipsContinue reading
When we first visited Korean Fashion Week in Seoul in 2009, the experience was similar to Taipei Fashion week of 2014, with the only exception that Seoul is a major hub city in the world, and Taipei is more provincial and quaint. We were met by the interpreter in Hotel Rivera, which is pronounced byContinue reading
I always thought, if another week would have to be added to 6-7 days of Paris Fashion Week, I would had needed direct champagne line going straight to my head, feeding my brain 24×7. That and the constant buzz, and, sometimes purely Brownian motion of designers, buyers, fashionistas, journalists, bloggers, people to be seen andContinue reading
We, humans, come into this world with certain branding – family name, ethnicity, nationality, religion. Then, some of us, attend private kindergarten, private school, prestigious University… Most of us enter corporate life, or join a family business. We go to churches, synagogues, mosques, temples. We get admitted to the hospital, we die at the endContinue reading
It is very difficult to write now about Russia, without mentioning political situation surrounding Russia and Ukraine, but I will. I won’t mention politics, because Moscow, as one of the most beautiful cities in the world deserves my love and admiration. My story of Moscow is not politically clouded. I was born in the cityContinue reading
Suburban Mega Malls could be coming to your neighbourhood. http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/article/8889119/suburban-mega-malls-could-be-coming-to-your-neighbourhood I think, I became addicted to the Current Affair on Channel 9, or, rather, when I hear the word “shopping”, while having my first glass of wine (two is the limit)), when Current Affair is on, my ears strain, like the ears of a wolf,Continue reading
Across from the Jewish Ghetto, across the river Tiber, pass Isola Tiberina lies an area which only Romans know and only Romans visit. It is called Trastevere. It holds for me the most of Rome’s magical secrets, and every time I visit Trastevere, something magical happens. A bit of history: In Rome’s Regal period (753-509Continue reading
When I first entered the holy grail of Potts Point it was in 1994 – Holiday Inn was on Macleay street, where Icon Building is now. I was supposed to be studying Project Management course there, but instead I was studying Potts Point. For 4 days we had coffee breaks at the hotel with incrediblyContinue reading
When I first went to Paris on my own for two weeks only, I went to contemplate life, to make decisions, marriage including. It was in August, 2003 – the year when Paris was liberated 60 years ago from the Nazis. Well, Paris was a free spirit and even loved the Americans. My Russian accentedContinue reading
The 24th of June, 7pm, Current Affair, Channel Nine: “The Shopping Revolution Heading Down Under”. I am not a Current Affair viewer, but what the heck? The title intrigued me, since I am also waiting for the shopping revolution in Australia. http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/article/8864846/the-shopping-revolution-heading-down-under The anchor announced, that Sephora was coming to Australia and their prices were goingContinue reading
I have been in many places in the world – to be exact in almost all of Europe, Asia, North America. I don’t like sweet things, I never eat dessert, but one place completely transforms me into ravenous dessert eating creature. This place is not in Paris, not in Italy, Spain, Vienna – it isContinue reading
