Morning routine

Для моих русских друзей, кто хочет перевести мой блог - наверху есть кнопка переводчик - RUS :)

Basically for every person there is some sort of a morning routine that they do. People religiously pour themselves a cup of black coffee, some active ones do some morning yoga every day. Lots of my friends can't imagine their life without an oatmeal or for the others the day wouldn't start perfectly without a breakfast sandwich from a nearby coffeeshop. Anyway for the all of us the good start of the day is essential and for me the good day always starts with a hot ginger-lemon tea. It's so simple yet so benefital! For more than 2000 years, lemon and ginger are a part of medicinal practices. They’re basically used for preventing and treating countless health issues. Besides boosting energy circulation in your body, it enhances the body’s metabolic rate.

Below are 5  reasons to start your day with lemon ginger water:

1. Lemon ginger water is extremely beneficial in cleansing the liver. Lemon is a natural diuretic and also stimulates digestion by stimulating bile production in the  liver. 

2. Lemon Water is alkalizing. The body functions best in a more alkaline state and cancer cells tend to breed in an acidic body.

3. Great for glowing skin!  Lemon ginger water is better than any anti-aging cream on the planet.  Rich in Vitamins C and B (specifically riboflavin which protects cells from damage and is great for tissue repair), and minerals like calcium, phosphorous and magnesium (which are great for bones but also calms stress, nourishes adrenal glands, and stimulates collagen).

4.  Both ginger and lemon are great for digestion. 

5. For all the above reasons lemon-ginger tea helps the weightloss.

 - Grate about 1/2 inch of peeled ginger root into a mug.  

- Pour boiled water over the top and let sit for about 3-5 minutes. 

- Squeeze a half of a lemon into the water.  

- For a touch of sweet add in 1 tsp. of stevia or 2 tsp. of raw local honey.  

(If using honey, wait for water to cool to warm instead of hot).  I find the taste of lemon and ginger enough for me but will add local honey during allergy season or if I am feeling a cold coming on.

Also I always add cinnamon and lime as I love the flavour and it's also extremely beneficial so try it both ways and see which way you prefer.

Try this for 30 days and see a change in your energy levels, the radiance in your skin, and the numbers on the scale.

Xx Sonichka

old town PDX

Finally I've reached the computer to be able to do a blogpost - yay! It's been a long time and as I said in my previous blog post there've been so many changes in my life that I felt like I needed a break from photography and my blog. Anyway I'm back and here is what already happened. For the those of you who didn't know - I moved to the states less than a month ago and now I'm living in a wonderful state of Oregon. The whole settling process is taking longer than I thought however I'm very happy that things have been running smoothly. 

2014 came around SO quickly, I almost wasn't ready for it. I feel like I have to have plans and expectations all set out for the whole year, but I don't. Life is spontaneous sometimes and that is what a diary is for after all.  I always thought i'd be one of those people that needs family around me most of the time and the comfort of a home. Then travelling made me realise that distance isn't such an issue, and being somewhere that is a bit out of your comfort zone, can actually be an amazing experience. Moving two countries was quite the task. I realised I had way too many clothes when packing, so I had to give away more than a half of it.

As this blog post is mostly devoted to us hanging out in Portland a couple weeks ago I don't want to write too much of personal thoughts on America yet, however I think in the future I'll do something like "the shocking differences in cultures", or "tips on moving to the other country" or some other gibberish that you might find useful or interesting. ;P Here are a few snaps we took in Portland on one of these Saturdays, where we visited Winter market  at Shemanski Park with local goodness and mainly just walked along the streets, watching the people and enjoying the cool city vibe. 

xx Sonichka

Наконец-то я добралась до своего блога! Я упоминала в предыдущем посте, что в моей жизни произошли ( и происходят) большие изменения, поэтому я хотела оставить блог и фотографию на некоторое время, чтобы все обдумать и понаблюдать за происходящим. Одним из самых важных событий стало то, что теперь я живу в США, в замечательном штате Орегон. Мне потребовалось некоторое время, чтобы обосноваться и я рада что в приниципе все прошло достаточно гладко и комфортно.

2014 год настал ну ОЧЕНЬ быстро, я даже не была к этому готова. По идее у меня должно быть  куча планов на весь год, но нет. Я думала что я навсегда буду рядом со своей семьей, потому что для меня нет лучше места чем дом. Но чем больше я путешествовала тем больше я понимала, что расстояние это и не так уж и страшно. Переезжать было не так уж и легко, у меня обнаружилось огромное количество вещей, которые пришлось раздать, что на самом деле пошло на пользу и стало своеобразным "очищением" для меня. Считается, что от вещей вообще нужно избавляться с определенной хаотичностью, дабы очищая карму, так что теперь я думаю, все у меня должно быть в порядке :)

Этот пост вообще посвящен Портланду, где мы погуляли пару недель назад, поэтому я не буду писать слишком много всего, скажу лишь только, что в будущем напишу пост что-то вроде "культурного шока" или "советы по переезду в другую страну" ну или еще чего, что будет интересно или полезно.

Так что здесь мы съездили на так называемый "субботний рынок", где полно органической еды и все, конечно, можно попробовать.

life update: bitter/sweet

 I haven't done a blogpost for some time so I decided to do this one in order to update you guys on what's happening with me and why I've been quiet for a while.

 Sometimes I just like to take a break from the Internet if life gets too busy or overwhelming. Basically the first thing that happened was that my grandma passed away in November. She'd got ill and just a week later she was gone so it it's been hard for me and my family to cope with the idea that she is not with us anymore. I have done a couple of shoots at the studio for these past couple of months but I didn't feel that it was my best work due to what happened so I wasn't in the mood to post anything on here. My grandma was a strong person and someone I've always looked up to. Everything in her life she achieved herself no matter how hard it would become. She went through the world war, through Stalin repressions, though the Soviet Union and through so many other things that would bring anyone down. She was always trying to find the best in every circumstance and that is something I've still got to learn. Due to her incredible talent we have so many memories left of her, like amazing masterpieces she embroidered especially for each one in our family. I've posted a few photos of them on my instagram.

       Dear grandma, I've learnt so much thanks to you and your stories. I'm sending lots of love to you up there . Please say hi to dad and grandpa and I hope that I will become someone you can be truly proud of.

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There  are also other changes that have been happening in my life recently and that also kept me quite busy. First of all- I quit my job. It's been more than two years since I've been working there and as much as i loved it there I can't be more happy to be opened to new upcoming opportunities. It was basically my first serious job after I came home after the work and travel program in the states and I can't believe that the time has gone so quickly!

 And last but by all means not least...I'm moving to America! :)

I can't be more grateful for everything that has been happening to me and I feel blessed that now I can be with someone who makes me incredibly happy. 


I'm leaving just in less than a week. It's scares me as much as excites me at the same time. I'm gratefull for everything the universe is sending towards my way. I'm definitely a lucky one!

I promise to check in with you soon, my dear reader.

Happy thoughts and lots of love xx


Sonicka

Summer family trip

В ноябре так хочется куда-нибудь улететь, особенно туда, где тепло и солнечно, где можно лежать на пляже, наслаждаться солнцем и радоваться жизни. Пока я восполняю недостаток витамина Д, пришло время выложить фотографии с нашей поездки в Европу в июле. Для меня эта поездка была особенной, потому что это первый раз, когда мы с мамой вдвоем поехали в отпуск. Но не совсем обычном для нас формате - мы поехали в круиз по Средиземному морю. На пути у нас были три страны и миллион впечатлений ну и конечно было просто приятно провести время с мамой, которая у меня самая лучшая ;)

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November is a month when everyone wants to fly away somewhere sunny and warm, where you can just relax on the beach, enjoy sunshine and be happy. While I'm filling myself with vitamin D I think it's a perfect time to post the photos from our eurotrip from back in July. This trip was very special because it's the first time when I was traveling abroad with my mom. And in a very unusual way - we went on a Mediterranean sea cruise. There were 3 countries to see and a million of things to experience and of course it was a great pleasure to just be able to spend some quality time with my mom, who by far is the best ever ;)

Начали мы свое приключение в Венеции, заплатив неимоверную сумму сначала за водное такси, а потом за прогулку на гондоле. Но это того стоило, и я считаю, что это самый лучший способ по-настоящему оценить красоту Венеции. Нам так же повезло, потому что у нас был самый прекрасный гондольер, который насвистывал итальянскую песенку и аккуратно двигался, позволяя наслаждаться всеми видами этого старинного города.

На самом деле складывается ощущение, что все, что вокруг, это декорации, как будто ты оказался в фильме или красивой открытке. После неимоверного количества еды и приключений мы отправились в Дубровник, Хорватию, где посетили Старый город. На следующий день мы уже были в Греции на острове Крит, где мы провели целый день на пляже (как же я хочу там сейчас оказаться!) и закончили наше путешествие в Риме.

Я пишу этот пост очень быстро, потому что у меня сломался компьютер, поэтому времени расписать все подробно нет, но если у вас будут вопросы, я с радостью отвечу! так же мой предыдущий пост с фотографиями с айфона здесь. Надеюсь вам понравится так же как и мне :)

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We started out journey in Venice when we first spent a ridiculous amount for a water taxi and a gondola ride. But it was worth all of it as I think there is no better way to fully experience it's beauty. We were also lucky to have a wonderful Gondolier who was whistling an Italian song while moving our gondola very carefully so we could enjoy all the views of this old town.

Honestly, when you are there it all seems to be just a stage-scenery, as if you are in a movie or a beautiful postcard. After an enormous amount of food and adventures we went to Dubrovnik, Croatia where we've visited a beautiful old part of the town. Next day we found ourselves in Greece where we spent the whole day on the beach (I so wanna be there right now!) and ended out vacation in Rome.

I'm writing this post very quickly because my computer broke down so I'm using someone else's. That's why I can't describe everything in details but you are welcome to ask questions if you have any! Also here is the link- clic here -  to my previous post about the trip with my iphone pictures. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! :)

ps. might have some grammar/spelling mistakes

:P