Breathe in. Breathe out. Disbelieve a bit. Repeat. © Wasted Rita

I am no look on the bright side kind of person — my close friends would gladly attest to that, hehe — but even I’ve gotten fatigued with the refrain of ‘this weird/crazy/shitty/fucked up/worst ever/etc year’, that preempts what feels like every conversation and social media post these days.

2020 was certainly different and difficult for a lot of people, and never before had we gotten to experience it quite so collectively. …

As I come more and more to terms with who I am (and am not), I admit this to myself for the very first time.

Childfree women, i.e. those who are childless by choice, can come across somewhat smug, superior like they have better things to do with their lives than their procreating peers. This stereotype makes me uncomfortable on many levels. On the one hand, you need to only peek into the /r/Childfree subreddit to see the very real confirmation of it. This ‘support community for likeminded people’ is — like most of Reddit, let’s be honest — but…

Outsiders think of Russians as cold, drunk and weird. Russians like to think of themselves as hospitable, hearty and smart-ass. If you are a Russian Outsider, however, a whole different perspective opens up.

I am early for a meeting with a friend, and I sit down on a bench in uptown’s prettiest street, to wait and to people watch. A woman walks out of a cosy boutique hotel, — one of the many that sprouted to accommodate the World Cup a few months earlier, — with a cute little pug on a leash. I can’t help but smile, I have…

Citizens of the world — or just globally homeless?

I have only ever fallen in love at first sight twice.

First, when I was just 16. I was spending the summer at a language boarding school in Oxford and, despite their strict curfew, somehow found myself on regular solo escapades to London (oh to be underage and reckless again) The weather was mostly horrible from what I can remember, I had Oasis ‘Familiar to Millions’ live album on repeat in my earphones, — and a pair of shoes that were not up to the challenge of British rainfall. None of…

Current world order imposes the rule of positive thinking. What to do if you find yourself an outsider to this cult of optimism?

Nobody likes a Negative Nancy. No wonder! Positive Polly is so much more fun to be around. She’s the one pulling you onto the bright side, always with something to be grateful for, a joke and an inspirational quote ready for any occasion. Objective reality has nothing on her good spirits because even if she can’t change the circumstances, she can choose her attitude. And why would one choose to be angry or mopey? We are all…

Of all the things our parents tried to teach us, emotional intelligence was the one most important skill very few of us got a chance to learn.

According to my Mama, I used to be an intensely greedy toddler. Laughing, she would tell stories of me throwing fits on the playground if another child touched my toys. I didn’t find that story funny. In fact, it has been chasing my imagination over the years, — inspiring erratic and often misplaced bouts of generosity, in an attempt to overcompensate for that cringeworthy implanted memory. As an adult, I see giving and…

my thoughts on immediacy, self-awareness and that goddamned perpetual connectivity…

Recently I’ve been growing ever more disheartened with the way smartphones have changed us. Am I one of those technophobes, who sees the devil behind the black mirror? Of course not. I love technology. I find it fascinating to be caught in this sweeping current of progress and innovation. Sadly, it is not in our human nature to know when to stop, where to draw the line.

Burning Man is a big part of my life, and I do try to live by its ten principles as much as possible…

Musings on the constant pressure to be more & better, and why I don’t want to be either.

The other day, one of my dearest friends from Trinidad sent me some images of what I deem an amazing and successful designer, and told me that she sees my own little brand going in the same direction. I thanked her for the compliment, but expressed my doubts. She winked, ‘you can if you really wanted to, just saying’. She’s right, of course. At the end of the day, isn’t that the mantra that all of us, millennials, had beaten into us…