A few days ago Sean Fraser commented on my frozen blog: “…I guess you could always make some pumpkin soup to warm you up.” No, I didn’t make pumpkin soup. First, it’s not traditional here. Second, as it’s not traditional I never made it and my mom never cooked it either. Third, as it’s not traditional and my family didn’t have any experience making it my taste receptors couldn’t appreciate pumpkin soup and I didn’t want to risk trying untested recipe from the Internet.
Instead I called my mom to write down details of cooking rice with pumpkin and milk. You see, the idea of making something with pumpkin caught me.
So here is the recipe.
1) First we need to prepare pumpkin. Take your pumpkin, pare it, remove its core and seed if it haven’t done before. Slice it into cubes. (here can go also small amount of carrots, apples)
Put some water in a pot and place it on stove. Wait until it starts boiling. Then throw cubes of pumpkin there.
Cubicles of pumpkin boiling in water
Pumpkin gets ready very fast so it will be 5 to 10 minutes as it becomes a little squashy.
It’s time to take the pot off. Remove water that left in the pot. You can keep some amount of water for further if you like though.
Smash pumpkin. It’s not necessary to make it indiscrete mass, bigger and smaller piece are acceptable.
Smashed pumpkin
2) It’s time to prepare some rice. Millet, oats or barley can be used instead of rice also.
First we need to put some milk into the pot (you can use that one where we just boiled pumpkin and you can mix milk with water left after pumpkin). Bring it to the boil it, don’t forget to check it constantly to catch the moment when it’s ready.
As soon as milk gets boiling put rice into the pot. I took 250 mg or less of rice for one liter of milk.
Mingle it almost all time with short pauses. I forgot to do that though my mom said “Don’t forget!” and rice glued a little. It took some efforts to detach it.
3)When rice gets puffy put mashed pumpkin into the pot. Put a pinch of salt and two spoons of sugar or less.
Rice and pumpkin boiling with milk in the pot
Now boil until it gets ready. I don’t know how long it takes. Just try if it feels like ready.
Put some milk fat into it.
And it’s ready.
Yummy!
P.S. I have to read more recipes on English. I’m not very well with cooking expressions. I don’t even know how many times I wrote “put”, or what are terms for different kinds of cutting, etc.
Our main goal was to visit an exhibition of hand-made dolls that took place at the recently opened showroom “Atrlife-design”. It’s pity that it’s not permitted to take photos there! So many interesting pieces of art there and it could give some ideas for any enough creative person. I’m ruminating if I’m enough creative or not. But anyway here is their web page. And here are two sample of works that could be found there (taken from their site).
Old clacker
Morning of Casanova
It is located not far from our house (only 1,6 km or 1,2 mi) so we walked there.
First I need to tell you that our pavements are not everywhere clean from ice and snow. Actually some parts of it have very thick and slipping ice. It’s very difficult to walk on it and people look like clumsy ducks trying to cross it. I just don’t want to think why streets of the capital of Ukraine are maintained so badly. But is the fact.
Second I need to tell you that we had President elections in Ukraine on the 17th of January. It’s hard for me understand why leader of the elections can’t be President and the second round is needed to elect the President finally. So I can’t explain, something like 50% of votes should be given to one candidate; as we had 10 of candidates votes were spread and the leader gained only 35% of votes. So the election race of the first round just finished and it’s all over again. But only two candidates are taking part in it.
Why am I telling this to you? Because we’ve met rampant cleaners of pavement that didn’t see where ice were dropping, people they were sweeping to… They were hired by one of candidates that is in administration. It’s our present Prime-minister actually. It irritated me so hard! This person can influence to give money those who are supposed to clean roads and pavements, this candidate can raise salaries to yard-keepers, can organize purchase of ice-cleaning equipment,etc, etc, many ways!… What does this President maybe to be do instead? Just acts locally to impress passing by people that she/he is caring and loving. This is just a crap! As for me it has done more harm for the candidate, because it shows very good how pretensions she/he is!
After visiting of the show room of Artlife design we decided to took a photo-stroll along Pushkinskaya street.
Remains of demolished building
I was really impressed by the remains of the demolished building that is shown on the above picture. I don’t know when, how and why the building was demolished but it’s interesting what was left after it. Scrags of the walls were left from all four sides, some windows are still left in walls, foundation of the building is still there. But what is the most interesting to me is the short tower. You see the brown doors that lead into the small yellow two-floor building? The path made through ice and snow turns left to meet another door on which “Apartment Nr. 11″ is written. And this apartment is located in the short tower that left after demolishing. *If you click on the image you will be forwarded to the image with notes on it*
Another demolished building
I named the picture above “Another demolished building” but it seem to me that it’s just an abandoned building that were broken down because of its abandonment. It looks like former kindergarten or clinic. It’s located just in the inner yard of an inhabited house. I am wondering why they demolish beautiful historical buildings when there are a lot of buildings like this that have no architectural value.
Beautiful building
I was really amazed by the gorgeous building above! It made me think about history of the building and the Pushkinskaya street itself. I’ve never seen anything like this! Look at these arched windows, bas reliefs… Oooh I felt so terribly sorry for it! Now only tramp dogs and trams themselves live there. Interesting what it was earlier! I will try to find some information about it! This building is deep in my heart.
And the last one building.
Terrace
After we got home I’ve done what I dreamed about for a long-long time 
Broken still-bank
Money
90 pcs of 50 kopeck coins
105 pcs of 25 kopeck coins
147 pcs of 10 kopeck coins
110 pcs of 5 kopeck coins
7 pcs of 1 gryvna coins
and some banknotes
So the total amount is 105,45 gryvnas 
It's cold ... brrr
It’s -20C (or -4F in accordance to the converter) outside. Instead of sitting at home on a comfortable coach, drinking hot tea and watching a romantic movie we took a photostroll. Konstantin was making photos. He’s hands are not totally frozen now Some of the photos (majority of them actualy) was taken by our film camera, and it’s not developed nor scanned yet. So I will share them later.
But still on my opinion we took some interesting photos of some buildings and something else. And it’s worth to see since Konstantin’s hands and my cheeks were almost frostbitten. 
Here is a tenement building. It’s in awful condition. Unfortunately history buildings are like an eyesore for our capitalists. History buildings are situated in the downtown mostly where land is expensive and profits could be skyrocketing if use this land “properly”. So people, corporations which can afford it but the land where history buildings are located. But in accordance to the state law buildings that are historically or architecturally valuable are not allowed to be demolished. So some building were set to fire, some are waiting to be broken because of age, some of them are completely hidden with advertisement linens. It makes me sad.
Tenement house
Love this part of the building.
Love this bas-relief. Look at the snakes and leaves of horse chestnut
But as you’ll see below some buildings have more pleasant destiny. It’s called reconstruction.
This building is to former tenement house. But look how nice it looks!
Tenement house - reconstructed
Sculpture of another formed tenement house.
Sculpture
It was really cold so we went to the shopping center to have a warm. Great, wonderful department of theatrical equipment were waiting for us there. There are so many interesting things! I would spend hours browsing masks, wigs, dolls, different props that only could be imagined. I’ve never been in such place so it was all new to me. We were so excited that took photos only of few statues.
Pocahontas?
It would be nice to decorate a house with this statue, wouldn't it? Only 1000$ and it's yours
Freddy Krueger
It would be very useful for thematic restaurants or night clubs.
It’s just awesomeness to me!
First of all it wasn’t a week as planned. We escaped three days earlier.
It was quite stressful actually to spend some time with my parents and my husband. My mom doesn’t accept me the way I am. I started to recognize myself only then when I started to live with my husband. I wanted even to draw up a list of my favorites, like type of clothes, favorite season of year, etc. I can’t say that I’m less stressed here living with Konstantin’s mother. It’s just not that painful. But sometimes (very often to say the truth) I feel like an animal at bay, or in prison because I live in unpleasant circumstances and I do not have nor understanding, nor moral support from my mom. I understand and perceive that people all over the world may have much worse live. But that doesn’t help. We don’t aspire to the worst but to the best!
Ok, enough of that!
As soon as my parents got married my dad bought aquarium. Grandma and grandpa didn’t allow to keep pets and even aquarium fishes. So, by now my dad have 27 years of experience of taking care after fishes and plenty of different stories. We changed dozens of aquariums from small 3 liter to huge (as for a flat of 44 sq m) 500 liter.
Immersion heater
We had once predatory fish with huge mouthes; barbuses lived with them.
Once my dad boiled all fishes in aquarium. We didn’t have thermostat at that time so he warmed water in a tank with an immersion heater. But of course he had forgotten that he put the heater into the fish tank.
Another time aquarium cracked and we still do not have any idea how that happened. We were sitting in a living room watching TV and suddenly it just broken down. At first we didn’t know what to do, because electricity socket appeared to be in the center of the flood and we were to scary to move. Dad ran to the power board, switched off electricity, we gathered all fishes that happened to be on the floor. Some of them were cut but every fish was alive.
Some of inhabitants of the present fish tank (photos taken by Konstantin, post processed by me)
Gold fish
Running fish
My parents kept the Christmas tree decorated so we could see how it was beautiful and prolong holiday mood a little; and I could remove decorations. I think they got lazy when it came to the point that the tree needs to be knocked down.
Photos by me.
Some of taken of tree decorations
Not yeat taken off
Decorations are put in the box and only pine needles were left
So only needles of dried pine were left on the floor after the tree were taken away. BTW do you have any utilization programs for the trees in your country? We don’t.
Some of pieces of winter Donetsk. Photos taken by Konstantin, post processing by me.
Waste bank after coal mining
Donetsk is mining city originally. So we have more than 120 of waste banks in Donetsk. One of them is above. Some people that do not know about it are usually surprised! “What? There are mountains in Donetsk???? I though that only Carpathian and Crimean mountains are in Ukraine! Wow!” They are really good to slide from! This one has too steep slopes, but there are plenty of waste banks with more gentle slopes.
Peparations for Epiphany
I am not quite sure what these men doing on the above picture. But I assume that they are making some preparations for Epiphany that is celebrated on the 19th of January here. This photo is taken on the 18th. I think that if we went to this place a day later we would find people bathing in ice-holes. Now they are making them.
Ducks
There were black-cocks or pheasants (Konstantin could recognize) but the flew away. Konstantin is sure scary :-]
An eldery man feeds pigeon
What is the difference between a pigeon and a dove?
Church
Now the church is empty. But there were crowds around on the 19th of January. Everybody came to consecrate some water.
Building
This building was surely a bright spot! Didn’t see it before. And I can’t remember if it’s just a reconstruction or a new building. I tend to think that it’s a reconstruction.
Finally, finally I was bowling!!! Yahoo! I won even! )) By the end of 1,5 hour of bowling I caught how to play It was so much fun!
Balls and me
Are balls in bowling called “balls”?
They are all mine!
Looks like I'm caring water mellons
I and my friend Dasha
I
Our lane
Dasha and Konstantin
Konstantin
Today evening we are getting on the train that will bring us to Donetsk next morning. We will spend a week there with my parents. I do not know yet what we will be doing there. But I’m planning to go bowling at least Hope this time it will successful!
Konstantin is out to buy some groceries for our trip. They sell water, tea, cookies, beer,etc on train but they are quite expensive there. Train is the only place where I appreciate tea with a lemon much! If they ran out of lemons it’s a kind or tragedy to me.
I will lay on the berth listening music from my Sony Ericsson which serves me faithfully for 3 year (it’s a record) and maybe reading my ‘Attack of the unsinkable rubber ducks’ of which I have 120 pages to immerse to.
Konstantin will be listening his music too on the upper berth and playing Sony PSP.
Hope everybody will have great week ahead!
After severe snowfalls we finally got a rain today. Nice, isn’t it? Everything is slopping and wet and dirty… Guess what the weather forecast for tomorrow is?! -3C (26.6F) We will be skating to our work places tomorrow
Bowling plans failed
On Friday I booked a bowling lane to go bowling with my friends on 3.00 pm for 2 hours on Saturday. *BTW I was told once that in English language people don’t PLAY BOWLING, they GO BOWLING. Is that right? Well, in Russian we play bowling * I was so excited! I even made an event in my facebook calendar.
Failed bowling event
And you know what? On Saturday morning I had a minor quarrel with Konstantin. Was upset. Raised my mood to the highest peek I could. Took an hour trip to the bowling club. While trip remembered that we didn’t have a cash. Called to the bank to find where the nearest cash machine is. Got there, got money. I got intestinal upset (sorry for details here). And when we arrived we were told that we DIDN’T BOOKED a lane! Arrgh! I was ready to tear them to pieces. I’m sure that somebody overtook my lane! But no, of course I didn’t do that. Haven’t they never heard about the competition? There are plenty of bowling clubs in Kiev…
Do you love bowling?
Inconscientes
Inconscientes is the best film I’ve seen recently. It contains everything I love: comedy, drama, detective, mystery, erotics, romantics…
This film is just awesome! I was skeptical at first because it was downloaded by my dear Konstantin and we have a huge gap between our tastes. But when I looked at her, heard these voices (we prefer to watch film in original language with English subtitles) I put away my “Attack of the unsinkable rubber ducks” to watch it
INCONSCIENTES
What is the best film you watched recently?
How’d you see if I were your child?
This is a question that I was asked yesterday.
I was befriended by a afro guy on facebook. I accepted it, because, you know, I love to learn about different corners of the world and I didn’t have yet friends from Africa. So, why not?
As soon as I accepted him as friend he started to chat. (AG – afro guy, ME – me)
AG – … … … Im called
ME – Ooooh, such a long name! Nice to meet you.
AG – Where are you living?
ME – In Ukraine. And you?
AG – Ghana
ME – How’s there?
AG – You know Ghana?
ME – Of course I know Ghana. I studied geography in school. It’s in Africa, West Africa if I’m not mistaken.
AG – Yes.
ME – So, how’s in Ghana?
AG – It’s cool, quite. But we are facing poverty here.
ME – Ah, that’s bad. Almost every African country is poor.
AG – So, we are facing it.
After a while….
AG – How’d you see me as your child?
ME – What? What?
AG – I mean I want to be your child, so you took care of me.
At first I thought it was joke
ME – I think you made a mistake.
AG – Why? I’m 16 years old boy.
ME – And I am 26 years old girl.
AG – But you have higher educational level!
I started getting irritated.
ME – So what?
Well, then I said good but, wished him good luck to find what he wanted and went offline.
Was that the well-known Nigerian scam or he really wanted to be adopted (doubt so)?
Have you ever met a person who’d said he wanted to be adopted by you?
I want to keep blogs that are dear to me in one place. So I decided to copy some posts from myspace blogs.
Below is the blog I wrote the 7th of April 2009.
That’s the last repost.
02.04.09
The most favorite thing of travelling by bus in the night is possibility to greet the greatest miracle of the Earth, the sunrise. This is the most incredible phenomenon as for me. Far more amazing than sunset. Sunset is like dying, fallin asleep. You do not need energy to do this. But the sunrise is the greatest power that awakens the whole world. Actualy, existence of these natural forces makes me very spiritual and blessed.
Being ill and being snoring the whole 800 km trip doesn’t help good mood. I wasn’t able to sleep at all these long 1 hours so today I feel myself even worse. But moving to the Sun rising over our planet as I was moving to the east was so wonderful to me.
The other thing that can happen while tripping is that you witness car crushes. It was really awful to see that car upside down, totally smashed. I was suprised when I saw an ambulance later moving from that place to the hospital. So I really had a hope that s/he/they was/were alive though now thinking about that I doubt because it didn’t seem that the ambulance was in a hurry.
03.04.09
OMG It was terrible.
We have two dogs, Gerard and Gesy (Gerard was named after one of my favorite actors Gerard Depardieu). Gerard is a son of Gesy. I decided to take a risk in evening to go out with dogs having flu.
Gesy
Everything was just great, dogs were happy to have me playing with them and I was just glad to breath fresh evening air. And suddenly we noticed that Gerard’s anus is bleeding. And it couldn’t be stopped.
We get home and while my parents were preparing to go to the vet I changes three mops as they become wet through with his blood. We were scared. Dogs don’t have that much blood.
Mom called and told that Gerard had punctured wound in his anus and he needed surgery. She was crying because she was scared and almost fainted. So they are staying at the vet hospital. And I’m alone here only with Gesy and watching National Geographic about evolution of humankind.
They said that Gerard will be Ok. So plans for tomorrow to go to the sea (I just want to smell salt sea air) won’t come real.
04.04.09
Gerard is totally Ok! He is jolly and jubilant as always. The wound is outer and there is nothing to worry about. It was actually strange how a stick or whatever it was came directly to his anus.
Gerard after surgery.
05.04.09 – 06.04.09
Tears, embraces, etc.
As going west back to Kiev I discovered a new side of the sunrise. The Moonset is amazing! The Moon is so low, so saturated, almost red, dark red. Going right into direction of moonset wasn’t worse than going to sunrise!
I love to discover different sides of such things. Well, of course the proccess of sunrise is obvious but facing it still wonderful!
Photos except those with dogs are not mine.
Originally posted here.
I want to keep blogs that are dear to me in one place. So I decided to copy some posts from myspace blogs.
Below is the blog I wrote the 7th of June 2009.
Yesterday we visited Kiev Photofair.
The main goal was to attend to two seminars.
The first one was about Pentax glasses Limited series and the new camera Pentax K7. We didn’t have much possibility to try it as this is the only one K-7 n Ukraine fot the moment so a lot of pentaxists wanted to test it. But we were really impressed.
It was lead by our Kiev photographer Andrew Turtsevych. Here are some of his works.
Actually he has very good site, very logical as for me and useful. Unforunately it is russian. I just do understand this, if you are a photograhper of international scale why not to make two versions of the site, Russian and English?! What a shame!
Then we made a break, ate some unhealthy food in McDonald’s which is ashamed of course, but it’s fast and you know what to expect. Right?
The second seminar was about still-life. My unfavorite photo genre. So I wasn’t really gratefull listener but at least Konstantin was happy! It was lead by Val Krey. There was a looot of listeners, just not enough chairs in the room.
And again, sites of this master are even stranger! Only one site is English, you can click on it above and several Russian not connected to each other.
I just do not understand still-life photos. It is boring as for me. yes, I would be able to take good photos, I think I would love the process, experimenting with materials, but I never love the result.
At the beginning he showed two picutes. Two bottles taken in different ways. The left one was unprofessional photo and the right one was considered as professional. But I LOVED the left one! It was alive!
Photos he showed us at the seminar. Example of what he told to us.
Then Konstantin would love to buy a filter for camera to take good pictures in sunny weather. I have to say that Konstatin chosing something is much much worse than any woman trying new clothes. He can bear his decision half an hour, an hour … The last time he wanted to buy a bottle of beer I just had to squat because I get really tired. He is like Mr. Monk
Then we took a stroll.
Click to see a HUGE one.
Hope you are having nice weekend too!
Originally posted here.
So, Christmas is on the 7th of January. Why is it so? Because of differences and discrepancies bertween julian calendar and gregorian calendar catholic and orthodox celebrate the same Holiday with difference in 14 days – 25th of December and 7th of January. There is another holiday that we celebrate that is connected with these calendars but I will tell about it another time.
In old times people started to prepare for Christmas in autumn after harvesting. This tradition is kept in some villages but not in cities of course. People had stocked special harvestings of grain varieties that is called Diduh, you can see a picture of it below. In some areas of Ukraine it was made of first harvestings, in some areas – of the last.
Diduh
The place where it was located was called “the Heaven” [Rai] because it was believed that souls of primogenitors woulb be at that place during celebration, and it would protect the house from evil souls.
Early morning on Christmas Eve (the 6th of January) man and woman of the house started to prepare the Holy meal: kutya and uzvar (traditional compote made of dried fruit, mainly apples, pears and prunes), knysh (special type of bread), cabbage rolls (with meat and grain), etc. All these should be prepared with before-sunrise water taken from the well. I bet in villages they still keep this tradition making cuisines. Everything should be cooked BEFORE the first ray of sun!
Kutya and uzvar
There are so many traditions that are supposed to be done while waiting for evening to eat! Kids rolled over the floor to summon cattle for the next year; lay the cloth during which all family gathered together to blow out the air to avoid souls of dead to be covered with the table-cloth; etc. Didug was brought into the house after everything and everybody were ready. And starting from this point it wasn’t allowed to do any house chores. And everything that could be in help to do the house chores (like brooms *vacuum cleaners now*, dish wipes *of course you can not bring out the dishwasher *, etc.) was brought out of the house.
So all dishes were prepared waiting for evening. You can imagine that the top of kutya should be dried a little till the evening and that was true! And that was done on purpose! It was belived that souls of dead ate those grains on the top. And then the dried top was given to chickens, ducks, geese…
Children spent all the time closer to evening outside to catch sight of the FIRST star that appeared on the sky and then run to the parents to start the Holy meal! It was forbidden to eat before the first star appeared on the sky. Can you imagine how hungry people were? and most of them were on their last day of 40 days abstinence It’s my favorite part by now. I clearly see kids storming into the room with happy shouting “Mommy, daddy! It’s time to eat! The star is on the sky!” and their parents calmed them down :) I love it!
There were twelve dishes as number of apostles: kutya, uzvar, pease, soup made of cabbage, fish, cabbage rolles, borshch, vareniki, pancakes, porridge, pirozhki, mushrooms. All dishes are not very nutritious and I think that that is right! After 40 days of abstinence it would be hazardous to eat too nutritious food.
After the meal people started to sing carol songs. Below is an example of Ukrainian carol song. It was really hard to find a joyful carol. I remeber them as energetic, merry, but if you search youtube with “Ukrainian carol” you will be disappointed how wearisome the most of them are. So below is the best I could find on my opinion.
Man and woman of the house were not allowed to sleep at night, and they had to lay in their bed fully dressed. It was done to protect the house.
Early morning of the 7th of January boys (only boys!) before the sunrise took a stroll to visit all neigbour houses. The boys called vinshuvalniks. It was a bad sign to see a girl first in the Christmas morning , so vinshuvalniks did a good deal They gathered more candies and presents then all people together during strolling with carol songs!
I think it’s good point to finish my story here.
Happy Holidays, everyone!
I want to keep blogs that are dear to me in one place. So I decided to copy some posts from myspace blogs.
Below is the blog I wrote the 10th of June 2009.
So, 25.07.09 looks like the best date to get married to me. It is not ideal but no major negativities.
Last Thursday I came to the register officer to find out when we can register our application. She said that “application” days are: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
So, I took a one day off yesterday to attend registration, Konstantin skipped half of his working day, but it was closed!!! Why? We had Trinity Sunday on the seventh of June and they transferred this extra Holiday to 09.06.09. Of course they didn’t know that when I asked!
So, the office opened everyone swarmed inside. But! A bit of a bummer They do not accept applicant today!!! They register marriges today! Oh, we were very irritated! Can you imagine that? We (I’m talking now about all couples) missed our works yesterday, and we do it today again! WTF?! We wanted to make a little, local coup
