Ушац / Ushats Today I'm going to share with you a fun story about one brand, which was born in the walls of my architectural institute in Moscow. It was about half a century ago, when one student with a surname Ushats came quite early to his drawing class. Of course, he chose the best easel of all available in the room (and I need to mention that easels in my institute are and, seems like always were, very old and shaky) and then left the class to walk in the institute. When he came back, by the beginning of the class, he realized that someone occupied his easel. Ushats approached to the person, who set at it and told: "This is my easel, I've chosen it before you". The other student responded: "Why is it yours? Is it written somewhere on the easel? It is not your easel, and I won't give it to you." So, Ushats failed to return it back and had to be content with a decrepit easel. Ok, the next time Ushats again was the first person for the drawing class, and again he had chosen the best easel; however, this time he wrote his name on it, so that no one could "steal it"… and left the room. When he came back by the time of the beginning of the class, he noticed that all the easels in the room were signed by his surname, and again his easel was occupied. I don't know, what happened later that day, but since that time it became popular among the students of my Institute to write "Ushats" ( in Russian - Ушац) everywhere: on walls, tables, chairs, diverse buildings around the world. As Wikipedia states, these signs are on the Eiffel tower in Paris and many other famous buildings and structures. I personally saw it in a small Russian city, written on a stair in a park. So, if you ever see this name somewhere in an unexpected place, you are already aware of the history of its appearance! Ushatz died in 2012; he worked as an architect, but not many people know it; everybody knows the legend, which is linked with his surname. Thank you for this fun and romantic tradition, Mikhail Ushats!

What is your earliest strong remembrance?

I definetly remember how I walked with a doll which was taller than me - I was only two years old. It was such a joy! 

I was impressed to know that my friend remembers her life since an even earlier period of life: she rememberes her impressions from lying in her carriage and seing faces of adults who bended to greet her! It means, she can remember the time when she was just one year old or even younger...

So, what about you? ;)

One week left to finish the diploma! It's hard to believe that one week later I'll hold a specialist degree! It's been so many years under the roof of my Institute - already... 8 years. The Institute is like my second home already! And I still remember very well the days I passed the enrolling exams... Yes, that's right when people say "Life is very short", I already see how fast these 8 years flew away. But I'm very thankfull to these years, they vere VERY happy and useful, I studied a lot, not only about our classes, but I aso gained a very good life experience... It's a little bit sad that soon these wonderful days will be over, although I believe that the next years will also be good! Ok, enough lyrics :) It's time to forget about the outer world and prepare and prepare and prepare the diploma! Bye!

Lala philosophizes :) I thought about harmonic family and components that make it such. What helps a family to become stronger? How to develop this live organism called family so that it would be healthy? I don’t have much experience in it, but I think I realized something important last night after a long and exhausting family talk. This talk was waving and unconfident because we haven’t learned well how to hear someone but ourselves. Therefore it was nervous; it seemed that all of us were speaking in different languages and about different matters. Moreover, the talk itself was very unstable – we started discussing one thing, then the talk flowed into another topic, later we began to discuss why we should talk about it; someone said that this conversation was quite unneeded and so on… It lasted about 5 hours (yes, we are a peculiar family) and in the end everyone was very exhausted and annoyed. Such talks occur about once in two months and after each one we are really unsatisfied and upset. So, I thought – why does it so? We all are good people, we love each other and still we can’t communicate all right. What is wrong and how to solve this problem? And the answer I got was that healthy family must have common interests and traditions, family members must spend some time together and have something common – for example, small family concerts, games, going outside together, practicing yoga (this is the first what came to my mind), and so on. These common activities must occur at least once a month and during them all the members must be able to express themselves and feel interrelation with the others. It will help family members to know each other better, to admire each other and feel closer. If this doesn’t happen, then I see two possibilities – either family decay or these common doings have such negative character like ours meaningless talks. I think, this is really important and it must be considered in the early beginning of common life of people who want to create their own family. This is like a trunk of a family, it will grow and develop and make it stronger and happier. I hope so.

Magic day My University keeps on pleasing me: two days ago an event took place there, the one which will remain in my memory for a long time. February 16, in Moscow Architectural Institute was a real ball! Live music played, everyone was dressed accordingly (girls were in long beautiful dresses, guys – in tuxedos), but what impressed me the most was the way people kept themselves. Everyone was so gentle and polite, smiling and happy… Since I came there and during the whole ball I’d had a feeling that all of us – me, my friends, professors, - were carried into the XIX century. We dances waltzes, mazurkas, cotillions and other old classic dances and also took part in dance games of those times. I was happy to realize how many people know how to dance correctly (there in a classic dance studio in the University – by the way, I decided to go there after this ball). We learned rules of behavior, how to invite someone for dance, how to thank each other – with curtseys and bows and many other rules. I am still full of emotions… This was really a wonderful day in my life, I hope such events will keep on occur to me because they make me believe in miracles.

"Small" or "little"? "Small", "little", "a little bit", "a bit" - sometimes I have difficulties with finding the right word. What is the difference between theese ones and in which cases to use them? For example - "small" or "little" party? Thank you!

"it" or "this"? In which cases it is correctly to say "it" and in which ones - "this"? For example: "-Return me my notebook, please. -Ok, I'll do this (it) tomorrow." "It is (this is) not my fault" and so on. Thank you!

Yaayyy! My score on the TOEFL is 91! Ohh, it was so scary to open the page when they wrote me that my scores are available... I'm sooo happy now)) Thank you everybody who helped me to prepare for this exam! I remember you and appreciate your help. And now - hahah)) - it's time to relax!..

Most beautiful language

What language sounds most beautiful for you?