I just wanted to say 'good bye' through something Kalina & I like best - lolcats :) I hope it is not our 'good bye for ever' but just a 'good bye'. Thank you for everything. Thank you for being YOU. The best American Group ever. LOVE YOU :* From Cherryland, where little happy wisdom teeth never die, little Aś :*
As you probably know I love Incubus. This love started about 6 years ago and I can't see any signs of an ending. The thing is that they have just released a brand new video for their brand new song 'Black Heart Inertia' after a long time of silence. And... my problem is that I can't be critical when it comes to the band and their music. Therefore, I'll write this: THEY ARE GREAT :D
Check out the video, it's really awesome ('Are you in?'-style a bit, which is great :) 'BLACK HEART INERTIA'
I have absolutely no idea why I have not written about it in the first place :) I don't know how this could happen :)
Probably everyone has heard me saying these 3 magic words:
"White Fluffy Clouds"
Yes, "White Fluffy Clouds."
It's a title of a book, or rather a compilation of artwork, poetry, insights, reflections, portraits, pictures, by Brandon Boyd, the lead singer of Incubus.
I've been dreaming about having this book since it appeared on the market. I've been dreaming and dreaming and dreaming... until my friend went to the US and bought "White Fluffy Clouds" and "From the Murks of The Sultry Abyss" (Boyd's second book) for me :)
That's probably the most important and valuable thing I have.
I love this book simply for everything: pictures, drawings, photographs and reflections.
Here's my favorite quote: "To think that one's actions could please the masses is indeed a notion bound in irony; someone will inevitably find something wrong in almost everything. So do what it is that you do best and remember to have enough tolerance for two."
I hope everyone finds a book as inspiring and interesting as "White Fluffy Clouds"... and "inspiration moving forward" :)
...Neil Gaiman, an author of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels, graphic novels, comics, and films, whom I have re-descovered recently. I learned about his work from my boyfriend who gave me Coraline and said: 'you really need to read it'. It was a perfect book for my oral Polish Matura exam, because I was preparing my presentation about cats in literature and there was one very sarcastic black cat in this book. I can tell you one thing: I thought it is a book for children, but seriously, I was 18 years old and I was afraid to go to sleep and close my eyes after reading this book. Buttons will never be the same... :)
Now I'm reading Coraline again to check the differences between the book and the movie, which by the way is extraordinary, and although I almost 22, I try to avoid reading this book late at night or I at least try do something else before going to sleep.
As soon as I have some more free time I will steal some Gaiman's books from Tomek's room and read them secretly late at night :P which will probably deprive me of sleep for some time.
What is so special about Neil Gaiman's works? We talked about him and his books (surely Tomek has a lot more to say on these topics) and we concluded that when you read his books or stories you believe that all these things may have happened in reality. I mean, it's written in such a way that you believe him, that you think it may even happen to you. M is for Magic :)
Here are some titles of books written by Gaiman: Coraline (Koralina), Neverwhere (Nigdziebądź), American Gods (Amerykańscy Bogowie), Stardust (Gwiezdny Pył - there is also quite a recent movie based on this book), Anansi Boys (Chłopaki Anansiego), The Graveyard Book (Księga Cmentarna), M is for Magic (M jak Magia), Fragile Things (Rzeczy Ulotne) and many more.
And here are movie trailers of Coraline (if you have a chance to see this movie in 3D, then do see it, because it's unbelievable):
If the world still exists, in 5 years' time my day may look (more or less) like this.
I hate Mondays (just like most of people), but there is something I hate even more, i.e. getting up at 6am. I'd rather stay in bed till noon. OK, I take a quick shower, dry my hair, iron my clothes, put them on, have some sandwiches and tea. I take everything I need, kiss Tomek (who does not have to go to work so early!) goodbye, and leave our 'sunny house' as we call it. I go to the garage and start my old red Mini Morris (old, but still great) and drive to work. On my way to school, I stop and buy some muffins in one of Kalina's bakeries. YES, they are the best :) After spending a few hours with my junior and senior high school students, I go back home where I prepare some dinner and wait till Tomek gets home. I the afternoon (or rather late afternoon) I go to a private language school where I have 2 of 3 English classes. Then I finally get home where I can relax together with my husband. It was a long long day, but a very good one, because I started and finished it with Tomasz :)
The words immediately associated with Barack Obama's presidential campaign are: CHANGE and PROGRESS. In the near future we'll be able to see if he will put these words into practice and if they are not just empty promises. But actually, I am truly convinced that he is going to fullfill most, if not all, of his promises. He is a highly inspiring and motivating human being. He is an incredibly charismatic born leader and... last but not least, he is a really handsome guy :) You can say what you want, but everyone is better than George W. Bush... and Obama is just great :P I hope we'll change Kaczynski for someone like Obama (I know, I know, let's be realistic... it's Poland :P). By the way, isn't Kaczyński similar to Bush in some (hmmm... quite many?) respects? :P Once more: Yea Obama!
To be honest, before I started studying at TTC, I never thought I would ever like to be a teacher. But things have changed and I've been teaching in a language school in my hometown for 4 months so far... and I must say I REALLY like it :)
My very first lesson took place at the beginning of summer holidays and it was some kind of a trial lesson - I was observed by my future boss, which made me very very VERY stressed, and 'my learners' were adults, which made me even more stressed. It was the first time I had to put theory into practice and it turned out not to be so easy. I remember preparing for this lesson for the whole day and still feeling totally stressed out, even paranoid :P What is more, the day was extremely hot (about 35 degrees) and we wouldn't have survived without air conditioning. But generally, I survived it and realized it wasn't as bad as I had expected it to be; I received some comments and advice what to focus on and what to improve, which I found very useful and helpful.
My first lesson in a public school was with 2nd grade junior high school students and it took place in November. I was scared simply because it was the first time I had to conduct a lesson with more than 3 people :P I couldn't imagine myself standing in front of 16 students because the situation wasn't equal - it was 16 to 1! In my mind's eye, I could see them putting a garbage bin on my head and behaving like animals :P Fortunately, the class was really great and friendly and I was surprised to discover that I am able to handle discipline problems (of course, like in every class, there were 2 or 3 students who misbehaved from time to time). I managed to do everything I had planned, the students understood everything and participated in the lesson actively. The next day my mentor teacher told me that the class was constantly asking about me and they wanted to know when they would have another lesson with me, which was really nice.
Today I know that teaching is something I want to do in the future. I want to develop in this field and be a good language teacher in the future. On the basis of my 4 month 'experience' in teaching (at a private school) I have discovered that working with teenagers, junior and senior high school students, is something I love. They are just great - I can talk to them freely, we understand and like each other. Generally, it's fun. So far, I find my job very rewarding and I hope it won't change :)
I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes, Christmas is all around me, and so the feeling grows
It's written in the wind, It's everywhere I go, So if you really love Christmas, C'mon and let it snow
Yes, Christmas is just in a few days, but unfortunately I do not feel the Christmas atmosphere yet. Of course, Christmas season is very well visible in huge shopping malls, where everything is so glittery, almost saying 'look over here!', 'buy this!', 'spend all your money here!'... Perhaps I don't feel the atmosphere because of these two more days at college when everybody else is at home preparing everything for Christmas, cleaning the house, decorating Christmas trees...
But it wasn'y always so. My childhood memories of Christams are very cheerful nd pleasant :) I always laugh at myself when I think how much I pretended to look as if I didn't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree :P Our dad always took us to our cousin, Adam, to give him Christmas presents, then we went for grandma and returned with her and the presents were already there! Unfortunately, Santa had already left :P Delicious Christmas dinner, opening presents, talking, laughing, watching 'Kevin' - these are my childhood memories of Christmas :)
I do hope this year's Christmas will be full of happiness, that everyone will spent it surrounded by people you love and care about... MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR :)
It's my big brother and me in 1993 (I think I don't have a few front teeth on this photo:P)
Yes, that's right (yes, yes Kalina, I know what you are thinking about :P).
Music is a very personal thing and I know that we should neither try to persuade nor force people to listen to our favorite music. I know how painful it is when people give you CDs you have absolutely no inclination to listen to :) That's why I will at least try not to FORCE you to be interested in my music :) But still... :P
I've had different times in my life , but actually various kinds of rock music have always been 'closest to my heart'. Any sort of classification is useless here, because people may call the same group's music 'alternative', 'funk rock', 'funk metal' or 'rapped metal'.
So, I'd like to present to you:
BEN KENNEY
For me - an absolute genous. Many people just don't understand what I'm talking about (but Halszka does, cheers), but yes, Ben is just great. I know I talk about him too much. I know my boyfriend is totally bored with Ben, but still :P
Ben used to play the bass guitar in The Roots, an American hip-hop band, now he is a member of Incubus. He also plays in his own group called The Division Group (or Supergrub) together with Ashley Mendel and Neil Evans. Ben has released 3 solo records so far ('26', 'Maduro' and 'Distance and Comfort') which he created all by himself from the very beginning to the end.
Here's 'Eulogy', enjoy :)
GARBAGE
Shirley Manson - she's a star. Girl's power :) My friend from high school said she would buy Garbage's records after seeing covers of their CDs. I don't know why, but I would as well. If you have time and energy you can watch their videos (they are pretty strange and full of androgynous ideas, but still great). One of my favorite Garbage's songs is 'I think I'm paranoid'... it may explain a few things :P Enjoy.
INCUBUS
Yes, Incubus. I started to be interested in them in 2002 I think, when I heard 'Are you in?', but then in 2003 I saw 'Megalomaniac' video and that was the real beginning :) This is 'IT' for me. No more words, just music.
'Anna Molly', kudos.
...and 'Summer Romance (Anti-Gravity Love Song)' acoustic, a long time ago when Brandon Boyd wore sweaters :)
Just as everybody, I find it difficult to write about things, places or people I've known for my entire life. I mean, how can I describe a place you probably have never been to or you are not interested in? But let's say you are :)
So... my hometown (or 'my village') is Szamotuły. It's an old small town about 34km from Poznań with more or less 20 thousand people.
What I like most about my town are parks (we've got at least 4) where you can relax, lie on the grass (then it's warm) and take a deep breath of fresh air (the air is cleaner and fresher than in Poznań, that is for sure).
There's also one funny place which people call 'Piaszczychy'. It's an area near an open air swimming pool and tennis courts. To be honest, I didn't know that this area is caled like that although I was born in Szamotuły and have lived here for my whole life :P My friends laughed at me about an hour and couldn't believe I didn't know 'Piaszczychy' :)
There are much more interesting places such as 'Bajka', 'Trójka', 'Cegielnia' and so on. Come and check them out...
'Someone will inevitably find something wrong in almost everything, so do what it is that you do best and remember to have enough tolerance for two' Brandon Boyd 'White Fluffy Clouds'
