Ivan P. (LSE)

I love sunny weather—sun and wind. In early May, the wind is warm, fast, and humid. You can just stand there and soak it in. When that wind blows over you, it feels amazing! I also love sunsets; when the sun goes down, it’s nice to step out onto the balcony for fifteen minutes and listen to a song. A sunset is just superb. You absolutely need the wind hitting your face. When you’re cycling down a big hill, you let go of the handlebars, the bike rolls, the wind is in your face, the sun is out... you just ride and drift away. That is true happiness.

A bright starry night, everything is clear, and I’m happy—and when my loved ones are nearby, it’s even better.

<...> Beauty is a beautiful sky, forests, mountains—nature in general is beautiful—the sun, flowers, cities.

I love loose-fitting clothes. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t wear any clothes at all. Clothing must be comfortable.

Food should be healthy and beneficial for the body.

I wish I had joined a sports club or exercised more to be strong and fit, so I could be capable of more.

Happiness is when I’m singing my favorite song with a guitar, and I’m doing it well, hitting every note and every chord. Walking down the street and hearing a favorite song is also a feeling of bliss—those melodies that give you goosebumps. You walk along and think: "What is this gray city anyway? What do they even know about music?!"

Music must have the right meaning. I like songs if the words make sense to me and if they align with my perception of the world, my worldview, and my "inner feel." The lyrics don't have to be in Russian, but I must be able to understand them.

Sometimes I don’t understand the meaning, but the melody is so awesome that I love it anyway. But if I suddenly find out (through a translation) that the singer is singing some total garbage—it’s not for me. The meaning of the song is paramount.

I absolutely need company; it’s my way of self-expression. In a large group, I feel needed. A fun party won't happen without me. I can gather a big crowd, it’ll be fun, and many people will enjoy themselves. Organizing things comes easy to me.

The activities of a little LSE: balls, bicycles, construction sets, tanks, planes. I hated destroying things I had built. Even now, I still don’t want to tear things down.

Sometimes I don’t know how to do something, so I go to someone with a "sweet face" and ask: "I need to do X, Y, and Z. How do I do it?" They explain it, and I go and do it.

If someone is in trouble, I’ll go up and give advice: "You need to do this, this, and that." If they say "thank you," that’s great. If they say, "No, what are you talking about?! I can't do that!", well—to each their own, do what you want.

Any task must be planned in advance and finished on time. Don’t nag me; it’s not recommended. If someone doesn’t finish a job on time—it’s "off with their head." If someone lets me down on a deadline, we likely won't be doing business again. If a person had every opportunity to do something but didn't do it because they just didn't care—to hell with them!

On my desk, there must be perfect order; everything must be in its place. I need a very clear system for organizing things and a large, clean workspace.

I will not have a wife who won’t follow my rules. I am the master of the house, and if something is wrong, I’ll slam my fist on the table. I will prove to her that her position is wrong. My position is rational; it is much simpler and more logical from the perspective of a homo sapiens, an intellectual. If a wife won't agree with me, I’ll kick her out. One of the main criteria for me is a person's reasonableness and their inclination toward rational, constructive dialogue.

In relationships, I’m not always tactful. Other people have a problem with that, but I don't. I am very direct; I say things as they are, and I absolutely do not care whether people get offended or not. I know that the people I’m close to—my friends—are always happy to see me; they always have a joyful smile. When we hang out, there are no negative emotions. If I’m meeting someone for the first time, they might not like something about me, but since that person is new to me, I don't give a damn about them by default.

I am a tough person, but that only works to my advantage. I know I can be overly harsh. People who are soft, inert, or "clueless"—they often have a hard life; they can't achieve much and don't survive in society. I don't like them.

Money is needed to feel freedom and to be independent. It’s not about "sitting on a treasure chest" until you die. You need as much money as possible, but you shouldn't forget about other areas of life. If I am in total poverty, I will give up all the partying and trips and just work to feed my family. If there is a lot of money, I’ll spend it: a house, a car, traveling.