27. Thank God it's (almost) Christmas!

There are only a couple of days left to Christmas and I've just started to feel this very specific atmosphere. It was more fascinating for me when I was a child, but Christmas still brings some positive energy to my everyday life. I have already bought all presents I'd wanted to get. Besides, I have baked a big portion of gingerbreads of different shapes and sizes (I have been decorating them for 3 hours, but the final effect was worth it). Of course, I don't intend to eat them all, so I've already shared a big part with members of my family and friends. The only thing I have to do now is decorating a Christmas tree, which has been my responsibility for years (with a little help of my dad, who bought today some new ornaments). Obviously, I don't even mention all the cooking tasks which will consume most of my time - 12 traditional dishes need a lot of attention. Although the preparations are pretty exhausting, I am waiting impatiently for Christmas. I love this time of the year when my family can just be together in peace and fulfil the customs without thinking of any problems. I have an impression that holidays make us even more close-knit.

One of the things that builds up the whole magic of holidays is definitely Christmas songs. I hear them everywhere - on the radio, in the shops, even in the buses. I want to show you one of my favourite ones, performed by amazing Freddie Mercury and Queen. CLICK

26. Overwork.

This is how I feel right now. Actually, this is how I've felt for the last several weeks. Every next day brings new challenges which recquire my full concentration and a few hours of hard work. How to manage all these duties? I've been thinking a lot about this issue and I believe that good organisation is the key for success. When you have a list of all tasks to do for the next week, you can easily create your own method of working. You can start from the easiest things or otherwise, you can first accomplish the most demanding duties - it all depends on you! Obviously, no matter which way you choose, you will always need some self-denial to keep on fulfilling your tasks regardless of any difficulties. When your plan is reasonable and well-thought-out, you will certainly find enough time for some pleasant activities. All these statements sound great, don't they? Unfortunately, when it comes to work, all my motivation suddenly disappears. In such cases, I think no longer about my excellent plan, I just want to go to bed or watch some tv series. I've experienced it many times and I haven't discovered yet any effective way to overcome my laziness and lack of energy. I have an impression of being overworked and another tasks only exacerbate my frustration. I know I will eventually finish everything I have to do, but after that I hardly feel satisfaction - there is just stress and tiredness. The pressure is gradually killing me. I probably exaggerate a bit, but I haven't seen any way out from this situation so far. All these negative feelings make me looking forward to Christmas and over 2 weeks of relax and peace. I hope I won't get crazy before the break :).

25. Domowe melodie.

It's quite hard to define my musical taste. In general, I listen to rock songs, often the old ones. However, sometimes I fancy choosing something different, maybe a little lighter and calmer. In such cases, I listen to domowe melodie. This is a project of three talented people who create home-recorded music. I totally fell in love with this group about 2 years ago. What I find really impressive about them is that they produce their music from scratch all by themselves, including the lyrics. I also apreciate the simplicity of the songs which come straight from their hearts. The musicians are just modest people with enormous sense of humour and good energy to share. The lyrics are often funny, but they are also rich in context and contain a message about life, love, friendship etc. The vocalist - Justyna - has a beautiful, pure voice and the boys support her perfectly. A catchy melody always makes me singing their songs for weeks. This is why I was so happy when I found out about the concert of domowe melodie in Poznań. I came there with Natalia and we had a really great time. The performance was just incredible! We were standing in front of the stage and we could see everything very well. The members of the group presented the most renowned songs so everyone was singing, screaming and laughing. Besides, there were also several melancholic pieces which were a pleasure for my ears (especially because I love piano compositions). The show was quite specific when we take into consideration the costumes of the musicians (they were wearing the pyjamas) and the whole setting, but that only made the concert even better. I hope I will have an opportunity to see them at least once more in my life.

I truly recommend their songs to you! Here is a little sample: click

24. Tragedy in Paris.

I suppose everyone has heard about the attacks which took place yesterday in Paris. Many innocent people were killed by the terrorists. François Hollande has declared a national state of emergency and closed borders. This kind of situations always makes me speechless. It's just hard to believe that so cruel and cold-blooded people live in this world. This is a proof that we can't feel safe anywhere. What worries me the most is the fact that we actually seem helpless against the terrorism. Is there any effective way to stop this? I hope so. I feel deeply agitated by these terrible events, especially because I have some friends who are living in Paris right now. I think we should now pray for all the victims and show our solidarity with their families. 

23. The Martian (2015)

Everyone feels lonely sometimes. We feel like nobody understands us, nobody thinks about us, nobody even remembers about us. Obviously, we have to admit that these are just exeptional situations. After a couple of days everything is fine and we're surrounded by friends again. But imagine if you were alone not for a week, but for several years. What's more, you would be trapped on Mars, because the crew left you during the evacuation. Doesn't sound good, huh? Fortunately, it didn't really happen. This is just a very general description of the newest movie by Ridley Scott - The Martian. 

The film is worthseeing for many reasons. First of all, Matt Damon as a main character (damn, Matt, we have to rescue you again*) has completely stolen my heart. I've appreciated him as an actor for a long time, but in this movie, he was beyond everything I could expect. Matt impersonates Mark Watney - a very smart botanist who has to handle an extremely unusual situation. For me, it was a big pleasure to watch him. In the movie he is very convincing while dealing with all the problems and expressing both joy and sadness. Generally speaking, the actors were chosen perfectly in this production. Jessica Chastain plays her another big role (after Interstellar) and becomes more and more appreciated actress. I also love the fact that Sean Bean appears in this movie. The character he plays doesn't die (!!!) and makes an inspirational speech referring to the Lord of the Rings*.

The film is suprisingly funny. Obviously, the main theme is rather upsetting, but almost every scene contains some hilarious dialogues or monologues of Mark. The botanist has minimal chances to survive, but he keeps on trying to stay alive, he doesn't want to give up. I believe the humour helps him to stay strong and not to get crazy in this strange place.
The Martian is a Sci-Fi movie, so we can expect many unbelievable facts and special effects. Every single scene looks very realistic, the editors made a really good job. What's more, all the scientific information we get is based on real research, so it's not just the imagination of the director. It makes the film even more intriguing for an ordinary spectator.
To sum up, this is a gripping, humourous and emotional story about suriving and hope. It's about a determined man who has enough power to fight until he achieves his aim. I am really happy I could watch this movie and I strongly recommend it to you all. You won't get bored for a second!

* Remember Saving Private Ryan and Interstellar?

** Sean Bean played one of the main roles in LOTR - he was a member of the fellowship. As you can guess, he didn't survive it.

22. Autumn.

Autumn is a quite strange season. It has both devoted supporters and ardent opponents. It's hard to say which part I belong to, because I can appreciate many aspects of this period while being angry and sad about the others. What I really like about autumn is the entire spectrum of colours that we can observe. From light yellow through intensive red to dark brown - leaves look marvellously when they're no longer green. The temperature drops which is great for me, because I just can't stand the heat. Now I can finally wear my heavy boots and woollen jumpers which occupy plenty of space in my wardrobe. Besides, nothing compares to an autumnal evening with a book, a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate or tea. This is what I call "relax". As I wrote at the beginning, autumn isn't perfect and there are many annoying things this time of the year. Even though I like when it's a bit colder outside, I don't like when I'm "attacked" from each side by wind, rain, hail and what not. What really makes me sad is the fact that all these beautiful colours disappear really fast. After a few weeks we just see the greyness and sombreness all around. People become so melancholic, depressed and powerless just because of the weather. We barely see the sun, that's why we don't have energy to work, to move, even to think. I know I might exaggerate a little bit, but the very idea is clear - autumn doesn't encourage us to leave our beds. My laziness, although it is always present, is most visible when October begins. What's interesting, my mood improves when winter comes. The atmosphere of Christmas, many days off, snow lying everywhere and winter sports on the TV - how can't I be happy with all that? :)

21. Coming back.

All good things come to an end, even if we don't want that. And this summer - it was a very good period indeed. For the first time I acomplished more or less everything I had planned. Of course, there were some changes, but all the most important things were done. I finally got a seasonal work, which wasn't really satisfying, but allowed me at least to earn some money. I could spend it on September, when I went away to Kudowa-Zdrój with my boyfriend. It was just a eight-day trip, but we were trying to see as much as we could. I've never been to Stołowe Mountains before and I'm glad I chose them this time. These are relatively small mountains, but beautiful and really demanding at the same time, so be prepared! Rocks can be tricky, especially when you are naively convinced that this height isn't dangeurous. I appreciated the views, the charming trails leading through forests and fields. Every time we achieved our destination, we were exhausted, but also satisfied and proud of ourselves. Obviously, I took tons of photos (662 to be precise) which are my token from these amazing holidays. I came back tanned, full of energy, with great memories and, unfortunately, leg pain, but even this injury didn't destroy my vacation. The moments we spent there were astonishing, although I don't recommend visiting Kudowa in the off-season - public transport is just terrible. 

A little sample of the landscape. Breathtaking, isn't it?

20. Summer break is coming.

So, this is it. Another year at the university is coming to an end. What I only have to do for now is passing my last exams (yeah, easy to say). After that, I can just be crazy (or lazy) and enjoy the freedom of holidays.

I'm quite enthusiastic about this summer. I have a lot of plans and I hope to realise at least most of them. I intend to finish my traineeship in the library, to work in Germany, to rest in the backyard with my family, to read as many books as possible, to visit new places, to watch another tv show, to meet my friends, to be more active - all these things sound pretty okay to me. I'm not really fastidious, am I? Of course, I also count on some spontaneous decisions and crazy ideas - summer is just a perfect time for doing something totally unpredictable. Anyway, I hope I won't be bored for the next three months. I believe I deserved some pleasant moments after this tiring year full of work. 

19. I am SHERLOCKed.

Yeah, this moment had to come. I decided to write something about a tv series by BBC named Sherlock. As a big fan of Sherlock Holmes - the most famous consulting detective in the world - I just couldn’t give it a miss. I totally fell in love with this production some time ago. Obviously, I was familiar with stories about Sherlock before that, because I had read a few books by Arthur Conan Doyle, who actually created this figure. Anyway, once I started to watch this tv series, I couldn't stop, it was just beyond my wildest dreams. First of all, the action goes on in modern London (which I've always wanted to visit by the way) so the atmosphere of the places is just incredible. Another big advantage is acting - two main protagonists are played by Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) and Martin Freeman (Watson) whom I really admire, because they are impressive and convincing as actors. Of course, I didn't forget about their beautiful, pure british accent which I could listen to for hours. Really, this is a big asset. What I also appreciate in the whole production is humour. Some scenes are simply hilarious, especially when we consider the specific character of Sherlock. He is a very intelligent and direct person thus his relations with other people are quite difficult. It makes the particular stories even more gripping for me. BBC took care about everything - even music is perfect, it can built both joyful and dramatic atmosphere. For all these reasons, I can truly recommend this tv show to you. If you like crime stories and British humour, Sherlock is the best choice you can make.

He's such a nice guy, isn't he? ;)

18. Long weekend.

Although the weather wasn't really pleasant this weekend, I decided not to spend my free time in the house. I chose instead to organize a little trip to Toruń with my boyfriend. Until last Friday, I have never been to this city, but I've heard some approving opinions about it. This is actually the main reason of my choice. Now, after the excursion, I can truly say that I don't regret it, because Toruń tourned out to be such an impressive city. We were there only for one day, but in fact we managed to see a lot of tourist attractions. We spent most of our time in the famous old town where we could see all these amazing, gothic buildings. We were walking down the streets, between beautiful tenements and along the Vistula as well. On Friday, there was also a knight tournament near the ruins of the castle, so we could feel for a moment the atmsophere of the Middle Ages. Of course, one does not simply visit Toruń without buying some gingerbreads - the main symbol of the city. I didn't neglect this tradition and I bought two little packets for my family.

Obviously, I wouln't be myself if I didn't make tons of photos. Here are some of them. 

17. The King.

There is an extraordinary author who actually formed my literary taste. Since I've read the first book of him, I am totally fascinated with this inconspicuous guy from Portland. Stephen King - my personal master of horrors. I suppose everyone knows some titles of his famous books, even without regarding King as a writer. Obviously, I belong to the huge group of his fans. My adventure with Stephen's litterary production began about 6 years ago, just before I started my education in secondary school. One day, when I was sick I randomly chose to read "The Green Mile". I think it was one of the best decisions in my life! I finished it in one day, the plot was so captivating that I couldn't put it away. Since that time, Stephen King has been a regular guest on my bookshelves. Until today I've read more or less 20 books and I surely don't intend to stop. Why I admire him so much? First of all, I like the way he creates characters. Every person in his books is extensively described. As a reader, I can see their thoughts, affections and fears. It allows me to feel better the atmoshpere of the particular book. Additionally, this man can truly build the sinister ambiance. Thanks to numerous details, he intensifies our fright page after page. He invents many disturbing protagonists who stimulate our imagination. King often uses magical and unusual solutions. He combines realism with fiction, which makes his books even more gripping. I can see it on my own example - I often ponder over the book for some days after reading it. As an author, King has never let me down. Of course, just like every writer he wrote both better and worse books, but I believe all of them are worth reading. I can truly recommend them to you. Just a little advice - don't read them at night or you could have problems with sleeping ;). 

16. Hello spring!

If I were to choose one season I like the most, it would be definitely winter, because I love when it's snowy everywhere. Unfortunately, we didn't see much snow this year and the weather was just depressing. This is the reason why I've been waiting for spring with impatience. Now it finally came! I already feel like I have much more energy than before. It's warmer, the sun is shining almost all the time - how is it possible to feel bad when it's so pleasant outside! I can finally begin walking and cycling around the village I live in. And of course, no more warm sweaters and jackets! I can start wearing my t-shirts and sneakers, which is something I really missed. The only thing I'm worried about is the fact that I must stay at university for long hours instead of enjoying nice weather. Luckily, time goes very quickly and holidays will come faster than we think. 

I've just seen a forecast and I'm afraid the weather will worsen in the nearest future. I hope it won't last long, because I need the sun and I believe we all do.   

15. Rock&Roll party!

As a big fan of such music, I just couldn't refuse when Ola and Natalia invited me to a rock concert in Atmosfera live music club. We went there on Friday and we spent amazing time together! The band - CashFlow - gave us a really good performance, everyone in the club was dancing, singing and even shouting. We could hear some classic country as well as rock songs and I must admit that it was just a pleasure for my ears. What's more, there was a party after the concert. We were dancing for a long time to the old hits. It was tiresome, but obviously very amusing so we didn't regret. After a tiring week at university, I felt awesome doing something different, something which is much more fascinating than studying ;). I intend to repeat that as soon as possible. I realised I have to go out with my friends more, it's unhealthy to stay home too often. I told myself: "Don't be so unsociable, do something crazy from time to time". I think I will stick to that.  

A little sample of rock&roll. Everybody knows the King, right? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj0Rz-uP4Mk

14. This is where Poland began.

I have been studying in Poznań for almost two years and I realised that during this time I haven't visited any famous places in the city. I decided to change this as soon as possible, that's why yesterday I went on a little trip with my boyfriend. We chose to see Ostrów Tumski - the oldest part of Poznań, which has a historical meaning for our country. There was a settlement established by Poland's first ruler, Duke Mieszko I, so it's a very significant spot for our national identity. For me and my boyfriend, it was a great occasion to find out something more about the local history and to spend the afternoon in an interesting way. The weather was perfect, so our excursion was really succesful. We were walking through the island's streets, admiring old buildings. We also took part in the city game, named "The fellowship of explorers". We had to find some hints on the monuments and then compose a password from them. It was like a sightseeing combined with entertainment, so we enjoyed this challenge very much, especially because we solved the puzzle :). What's more, we visited Porta Posnania - the city gate, which was opened for visitors a year ago. Inside the gate there is a museum where we can familiarize ourselves with facts about Poznań. The exhibitions are modern, we can get the information thanks to videos, pictures, timelines, scale models and multimedia panels. I must admit that it's impressive and totally worth seeing. Besides that, we went to the Archdiocese Museum, the Archeological Reserve and the Archcathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul as well. This day was tiresome, because we were walking all the time. Nevertheless, it was quite a fascinating trip and I intend to organise something similar again. 

Of course, I took a lot of pictures that day and I want to share with you some of them.

13. Help! I've lost motivation.

Here we are! The most busy period in the student's life has just started. Some tests are already behind me, but the taughest exams are just around the corner so I have to work really hard in the nearest future. I know it will all be worth it in the end, but, of course, I'm completely discouraged when I see all these notes, exercises and grammar rules. As always, everything is more interesting than studying. Why wouldn't I watch another episode of my favourite tv series? Or maybe I could spend an afternoon following biathlon and tennis competitions? And what about all these books on my shelves? They seem to look at me with reproach, saying: "Why don't you read us?". How can I refuse them? Unfortunately, I have to. Even this blog distracts my attention from studying right now, but actually it's also kind of learning, isn't it? Anyway, I'm afraid I'm gonna need some luck during semester finals, because my laziness is about to achieve its highest level. I've always had problems with motivating myself to work and it's really troublesome at university. Nevertheless, I believe I will find some way to manage that. Keep your fingers crossed!