The year begins with winter. A faint, barely-breathing feeling that something is rising from the earth — something already lives, while something else is only awakening, only being born into this world through the heavy layers of ice and cold.

Wittingly or unwittingly, to a greater or lesser extent, openly or secretly from ourselves, we take offense at people, most often at those who are close to us, those who are in some way important to us.

Many years ago, in 1975, Yuri Norstein and Sergei Kozlov released a short animated film based on Kozlov’s short story Hedgehog in the Fog. The film runs for only about 11 minutes and tells the story of the Hedgehog’s adventure — or rather, his long and difficult journey through the fog on his way to meet his friend the Bear Cub in the forest. Along the way, the Hedgehog loses his jar of jam, but eventually finds himself.

An iconic line from Lewis Carroll's legendary book, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", can readily serve as a motto for the "Achiever". An Achiever is someone who deliberately turns their life into a race for ever more success. Yet outward signs of success — a red diploma, a business of one’s own, a luxurious home, a prestigious car — rarely bring a person happiness or even a sense of satisfaction.

Do we know ourselves? And do we want to know ourselves? Do we see ourselves as a whole person, or only as the part of us that we like? And to know what we are like, for example, like an iceberg, it is not enough to know only the part that is above the water. This is how it is with us as well: to understand what we are like, we need to see the part that psychology calls the "Shadow." And often we are not quick to acknowledge it in ourselves.

She is a middle-aged waitress, he is a man just released from prison who finds a job at a diner. These two seemingly very different lives intertwine, leading them on a romantic journey into each other’s souls.

In the modern world, where information pours in in an endless stream and multitasking has become the norm, many of us face a constant sense of fatigue. We look for causes in lack of sleep, poor nutrition, or physical strain. However, often the true culprit lies deeper—in the unceasing inner dialogue that we call the "word mixer".

Seventeen years ago Iron Man was released in cinemas worldwide by Paramount. Based on Marvel comics, it launched an entire cinematic universe, beginning with the story of Tony Stark.

Perhaps you have noticed that many important events in a person’s life — decisions, meetings, gifts of fate, and acquaintances — happen by chance. Reflect on your own life and, in your view, what has happened by chance. Perhaps you happened to meet someone by chance, and that person later played a significant role in your fate. Perhaps you didn’t know the answer to a question when you took the exam, and then happened to answer it correctly. Perhaps you made a decision by chance, made a choice by accident, or spoke words by chance that positively influenced the course of events.

In 2008, Tt Games released Lego: Batman, which became a hit and gave rise to an entire game franchise inspired by movies, TV shows, animation, and later even other Batman comic-based games.