book review - nonfiction This week I started to read the nonfiction book by Kate Fox "Watching the English. the hidden rules of English behaviour". I've been so eager to boost my vocabulary and spent so much time picking new expressions that I haven't managed to read a lot. Nevertheless, i've read enough to be fascinated by the subtle humour of the book directed both to the nation and to herself as a member of it. The first part of the book includes some scientific basics from anthropology and therefore is sometimes rather challenging but I hope to be rewarded by further chapter devoted, as one can easily derive from the title, to those peculiarities of English behaviour that make them unique. This book consider "good" behaviour, but the author mentions that she had also spent about a decade studying deviant behaviour. I'm not sure whether this earlier reseach has taken the shape of a book or not but if yes, I'd also to like this book. Some day...

You'll be a man, my son Much as I like writing when it's already done and lying on the table, it needs a big deal of preparation to muster up my courage and do something of that kind. So I'm secretly happy both that today is the last day of the writing week and that I'm not out. I'd like to write a kind of a letter to my children or think in a written form of what I wish for them. I wish for my children to become innerly calm, self-confident people who won't waver in the face of problems. I'd like them to accept life as it is in all its diversity and richness but also to try and make the difference to make the world a better place in whatever area they like and choose to. I wish that they had empathy for others, even smaller creatures. I wish that they would not set limits for themselves and believe in their ability to deliver. I wish that when they felt sad or were in a quandrum they had a (legal and healthy :) way to relax and then come back and look at the problem from another point of view. I wish they never let money, other people etc. stand between them. I wish they knew that there is at least one person who is always by their side - me. Hard as I tried I couldn't outdo Rudyard Kipling )))

book review It's not easy to choose a favourite book, so I'll write about the last one I/ve read (in fact, I've heard it as an audiobook). It is Cecelia Ahern's novel "Love, Rosie". The plot is quite straightforward: a boy and a girl (and later a man and a woman) are BFF's. What they at first don't realise is that they also love each other. Because of half-words, being afraid to be misunderstood and to lose their friendship they remain "just" friends until their 50-s. I am not a fan of chick lit, but I did like the book. The main characters are charming, although I would call some of the minor ones one-dimensional. The novel is readable and gripping, I binge heard the audiobook in several sittings. For English learners, it also contains tone of useful vocab in different styles and for various situations.

To leave or not to leave - that is the question It flatters me to think of myself as a citizen of the world. In fact, I've only been in several countries (and not in many) as a tourist, so I can't say for sure and certain that if I lived in another country I would feel as if I belonged there. But I have reasons to assume it. First of all, by now most of my relatives and friends live in the other city so I don't have much to leave behind. I have an itchy foot and travel at least 3-4 times a year (including trips to Kazan), and my two little boys do the same with great pleasure. I conform easily to new environment, don't get stressed if I don't know something and enjoy exploring (sounds like a description of a pet in an animal shelter :) But I think that at the moment I'd like to try living in defferent countries for, say, 10-15 years or more. By then, probably, I'll be ready to settle somewhere (it can also be Russia all right). But I would really like my children to live in other countries as well to help them get a broader view and think out of the box. One more reason is that I am honestly appalled by many things in Russia (like how gays or disabled people are treated, like how the authorities don't give a hoot about environment etc.). At the same time, if I can accomplish something to improve the situation (and not end up behind the bars), I'd also like to do it here. So the big question for me is to leave for a while or forever. Luckily, I don't have to decide right now. My husband wants to expat but I hope I'll be able to talk him into returning if I make my mind to. So after I finish my course we'll go somewhere to see the big world.

Lunch with a star? Better not! There are not so many people I admire (and those are not necessarily seemingly successful) or am interested in. But if I had a chance I would probably have a lunch not with a celebrity but with one of my late relatives or close ones. There are members of my extended family whom I have only seen as a child (like my greatgrandfather) and of whom I have very vague remembrance. But I've heard much of him and am sure that his life was extremely interesting though he had to go through some rough patches and trying years. Alternatively, I'd like to see again my granny, for one, with whom I had plenty of time together but whom I suspect to have never really known as a person. I think that knowing more about my familly would probably add something special to me and would shape me as a person, in a way. Also, family history is something worth passing to the next generation. So I think such a meeting would be both more useful and pleasant than trying to talk to a stranger. On the second thought, I wouldn't say no to a dinner with Ronny O'Sallivan, a British snooker player and 5xWorld champion, who is unbelievably charismatic. He's a natural! And just a handsome man, too ))

I did it my way Since I was 5 I wanted to be a vet. I actually am a dog person so at 13 I got my first dog as a birthday present from my parents. By 17, I had a handful of friends and acquaintances among dog breeders, vets etc. and was sure I knew what I wanted to be. My grandmother has brought up a question about giving me a hand in my enrollment at the medical university (she was a rather well-known ob at that time) but I defied her assistance and with my parents' go-ahead became a vet-to-be. I have a good head for both biology and languages, so I didn't have to study much and had time on my hands to start something new. I chose German by chance but I believe chances are never as simple as that - are never quite accidental. After graduating I managed to work in a cell culture lab for almost 2 years and also was a part-time vet in a clinic. Then I moved home to St. Peterburg and, of course, quit my jobs. I was looking for either job in St. Petersburg - I coulb be a vet, I could fly a jet etc. )) But it so happened that I became an officer at a translation agency and so began to translate myself. Having several free hours in the evening was out of question, so I decided to study again (that is the only thing I really enjoy doing) and in 3 years' time got my second degree as a German teacher. By now I've dropped the postgrduated studies twice (once in Kazan and once in St. Petersburg), received 3 diplomas and am eager to start my new learning course in September. What I want to be now is a translator or interpreter at an international organisation that really makes the difference like UNO, for one. At 10 I had ho idea about being a translator whatsoever. Maybe I just got cold feet and dodged, because being a doctor involves not only saving lives but also facing music for not being able to do it. I think that under certain circumstances I could also be a decent vet (not a surgeon, though - I'm not squirmish at all but being level-headed under time pressure is not quite my strong suit, which is a very serious limitation). I think that one can never know how any single event can play into his or her future life. And that's what makes life so unpredictable and exciting.

Guess who This essay is about a woman who is well-known all over the world, one of the most impactful and controversial figures of the 20th century.Although born in Europe, she spent her life mostly in India, helping the poor to grapple with their severe life conditions. Or at least to die as humans. She has been sharply criticised on many accounts. For example, people shelteres by the houses of her congregation allegedly were hardly offered any medical aid so even those weth mere aches and pains sometimes died due to the lack of treatment. She also had a lot of dips in belief and doubts - something not commendable in a kind of a religious star that she was. In her late years, her life was marred by illnesses. Increasingly frail, she wanted to hand over to other nuns but the members of her congregation voted against so she steered it almost till the end of her life. In spite of all controversies around her, she is a person whose effect will fade only slowly. She took pride in her job although there is very little glamour attached to it.

Model your child - coming soon? The natural way of progress inevitably opens new opportunities, many of which can be deemed arguable. It is well known that medical genetics can help to select embryos of certain gender and some other characteristics. This brings us to a question: is there a chance that in the future we wil be able to "model" our children like in a computer game? Eyes - brown, hair - blond, height - ... Who of us hasn't toyed with an idea of an ideal partner - good-looking, intelligent, etc.etc. One could even go into detail having a strong visual image of a Brad Pitt or a Marilyn Monroe of his own. And now, though not a partner, but you would be able to shape your child. A tempting idea, isn't it? To my mind, the chances are that such a service will emerge in the future. From the technical point of view it is already possible. It might well be in demand, and demand invites supply. Choosing the sex of the baby will presuably be of the highest interest. For instance, there are many families having two, three or more children of the same gender. And if it were possible for them to decide on the gender of their next child and the prices didn't go into orbit, some of them would definitely grasp this opportunity. Appearance is often secondary. It can even be intriguing how the traits of the parents combine in a new person. Sex is something different. There is not much wiggle room there. Either male, or female. And when you get two, three, four, say, boys in a row, it's, well... boring. But it's sheer selfishness. Much more serious reasons for choosing the child's sex may come into play. I mean sex-linked diseases. In such cases it literally is a matter of life and death. On the other hand, in some societies one gender (usually male) is considered to be preferable as compared to the other. And it might well happen that affordable genetic manipulations could cause a demographic shift in these communities. I wouldn't like to go on about ethical issues but it is also nothing to sneeze at. And, strictly speaking, if we adhere to the principles of ethics, we should not meddle in the business of God or nature - call it as you wish. So, after all, even though we now understand the genetical mechanisms more fully and can alter them if needed, the success of creating children tailored to their parents' demands is no sure thing. As for myself, even already having two sons I will rely on tried-and-true methods of conception :)