Best Night Of My Life :)

I had one of the best nights of my life yesterday. Having been a fan for about 20 years, I have never had a chance to see them life for some reason. I finally saw them yesterday at the o2 Arena in London.

The Depeche Mode concert was fantastic!!! The show was amazing!!! It started at about 8pm with Soulsavers as the opening act. Then, right after 9pm The Boys came out and the magic started... DM played about 20 songs, from their newest LPs (Wrong, Hole To Feed, In Chains, Miles Away/ The Truth Is) to their brilliant pieces from the 80s (A Question Of Time, Never Let Me Down Again, Stripped, Behind The Wheel) and 90s (Walking In My Shoes, It's No Good, Policy Of Truth, In Your Room, I Feel You, Enjoy The Silence, Personal Jesus, World In My Eyes) and Martin, of course, gave us his Freelove, Home and One Caress.

The Arena was packed with DM lovers. It was such a mix of people, from over 50s adults to young teenagers and even kids with their parents :) It was great to be amongst the younger audience for a change. Everybody had a great time. The atmosphere was HOT, HOT, HOT!!! The boys still got IT, Dave is charming and sexy as ever and their music is simply inspiring...

They rocked the show pretty damn hard. I danced, sang along and had the time of my life! I don't even care about the fact that I've lost my voice - it was that brilliant!!!

I will definitely be the first person to buy tickets for their future shows!

And for now... Enjoy The Silence...

Dreams In Tatters...

I knew it would happen eventually but I didn't know it would happen in an overcrowded train on the Central Line in London...

I was on my way back home from work. It was 6pm and even though the tube was pretty crowded, I was one of those few lucky ones who was able to sit down. I was listening to Sounds Of The Universe - the latest Depeche Mode record. With headphones tightly covering my ears, I completely forgot about the whole world and, most importantly, about the fact that I was surrounded by dozens of commuters not necessarily listening to music on their own ipods... I was so withdrawn and disconnected from everything around me that I didn't even realise I was singing In Sympathy along with the band's frontman, Dave Gahan. Out loud...

I suddenly became aware that someone was looking at me and smiling. Politely, I smiled back. Then I saw another person gazing at me and then another one and another one... Can you imagine the embarrassment appearing on my face when I finally realised why people were watching my with strange smiles (read: grins) on their faces... I think my cheeks became as red as they possibly could... Feeling abashed, I turned off the ipod immediately. I heard someone saying something like "Nice voice but please don't sing anymore" with a sarcastic tone... Just great... Judging from people's faces, I had a feeling that nobody really appreciated my vocal skills... And I had seriously considered changing my career and becoming an international diva next year... my dreams were left in tatters...

Angie's growing fan base :)

Some of my friends may have let me down recently but my dog's friends circle grows bigger every day.

Angie has been with us for over a year now and has made some good dog friends over the past few months. I have also met some very nice people I would not have met if she were not with us. It may sound silly but it is true - thanks to my dog, I have established new friendships :)

Saffi is the first and the most important of all Angie's friends. I have written about their friendship in my previous posts so I am not going to repeat myself. The important thing is, they are still best buddies, are always crazy with happiness when they see each other and I do not think this is going to change any time soon.

Then, there is Balthazaar, a small, white staff. Angie and Balti (that's how I like to call him) are like two puppies in love. They run around the park for hours, chase each other and try stealing sticks from one another. Angie is faster than Balti and he sometimes gets a bit frustrated when he cannot keep up with her. So what does he do? He gets under Angie and tries to knock her over on her back. He is sometimes successful and when he is, it pisses Angie off because she likes to be the one who is on top all the time...

There is also Bailey, a massive, black English Bull Terrier. Although he looks very fierce, he really is a big, gentle softie. And he is sooooo lazy... I have never seen such a lazy dog in my life! He does not want to run... he does not want to play with sticks... he does not want to chase other dogs. He just stands in one place and watches the "action" unfolding around him. Thankfully, Angie has her own ways of "turning him on" and when he is finally in the mood, he starts chasing her and having some fun. Boy, does he look funny when he runs! Even his facial expression changes.

Then, there is Angus, the White Scottish Terrier. He is a lot smaller than Angie but loves her to pieces. She is very careful when playing with him. Weighting 30kg, she could easily break his neck or injure his spine. She never jumps on him like she does on other, bigger dogs.

Another one is Major, a massive Staffordshire Bull Terrier. He does not really play with other dogs but when he sees Angie, he changes dramatically. He likes to play rough and that is what she likes best!

Now that I think about it, most of Angie's best buddies are big, masculine and strong dogs. Why does she like them so much? And why do they get along so well? For once, I think there is lots of staffs around. Secondly, Angie likes big dogs because she does not have to be careful when playing with them. She loves playing rough and getting physical with other dogs. She can achieve the highest level of enjoyment and playfulness when playing with dogs that like to play tough as well :)

Best Christmas Markets

Polish Christmas markets held in Cracow, Warsaw and Gdansk are amongst the best ones in Europe! You can enjoy Polish carols, treat yourself with delicious festive foods, drink hot mulled wine and buy some beautiful, traditional gifts and hand-made toys, decorations and ornaments.

So if you plan to visit Poland before Christmas, you have to make sure you find plenty of time to experience a Polish traditional Christmas!

Are We Still Friends?

What is the meaning of a friend?

According to the Modern Language Association, the word signifies a person 'attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard...a person who gives assistance... a person who is on good terms with another'. True and obvious. We all know it.

So what do friends do? they appreciate and value each other's company and are altruistically loyal towards one another. They like us, we like them back. They regard us with care and sincerity and so we trust them, too.

What is the meaning of MY friends, then?

Before I left my country 9 years ago, I had had dozens of friends. Good buddies, best mates, close and not-so-close friends. I was a very sociable, outgoing and happy person and used to see them almost every day of the week.

Has anything changed since then? Many things. First and foremost, I have grown up, matured, become more responsible. Today, I would not do many silly things I did several years ago when I was in my early twenties. But I think it applies to everybody. We all become more level-headed and rational with age.

Many years have passed. I have made new friends, rebuilt former friendships and stayed true friends with only a few. What about the rest? Well...

Some of my so-called "friends", who were rather close to my heart not that long ago, have completely forgot about my existence. They do not have the time to talk or write from time to time... I am not thinking about regular contacts, regular emails, not even mentioning regular phone calls. I am talking about sending few words to my mailbox every now and again... once a month... once every three months...

I know I could contact them myself. And I did. I called, sent emails, text messages, tried chatting on Skype. Numerous times. Some of my "friends" eventually reply with few words or chat for few minutes. Others (not pointing out any names here) cannot be even bothered to do that...

Some, like me, emigrated abroad few years ago. They did not even make an effort to write simple 'hello, how are you?'. It was a different story when they were about to leave the country. I was the source of many useful information about the life in the States. Boy, did they like me then! So they left and I heard from them twice (and only because I was the one who wrote to them first). It is hurtful because back in the good days we were rather good friends and used to hang out a lot.

Others have been trying to write an email to me for the past year and, apparently, cannot find the time to finish it... I am patiently waiting and wondering for how long I will have to wait for that email to finally hit my mailbox...

I understand that we are not 20 anymore, that everybody has their own families, work, duties... blah, blah, blah... Well, I have work, uni and other responsibilities, too. And I sometimes have difficulties to manage the time in my life and end up doing everything in a hurry. But I always find the time for my friends. It makes me think that if they were really interested in what happens in my life, if they really wanted to keep in touch, they would. It is as simple as that. I cannot be the one who always makes the first move. I cannot and I do not want to. And considering the fact that many of my "friends" do not even reply, I cannot be bothered anymore. Why should I? And so I don't anymore.

I have got several close friends, one best friend and I am perfectly happy about it. And for the rest... Why should I care about someone who does not give a damn about me? I don't give a damn about them, either. I simply do not care.

There. I said it.

I thought I would finish my post with this poem. Just to remind people what friends should be like:

A friend is a tender shoulder
On which to softly cry

A well to pour your troubles down

And raise your spirits high

A friend is a hand to pull you up
From darkness and despair

When all your so-called friends

Have helped to put you there

A true friend is an ally

Who can't be moved or bought

A voice to keep your name alive

When others have forgot...

Author unknown

Work, Work, Work...

Slawek is finally coming home tonight. I have not seen him since Monday morning when he left for work. This week has been a bit crazy, so was the previous one and, frankly, the next one is not going to be any better either... Work, work, work... everything seems to circle around it... and I really hate that fact!

Not-So-Disastrous Weekend

I thought this past weekend would be unfortunate. For several reasons. First, because I had to make something I had never made before. Second, because I was going to watch something I was really looking forward to but was not sure whether it would be any good. Surprisingly, the past two days turned out to be a really nice weekend...

I will start from the beginning.

A couple of weeks ago Slawek's boss went hunting... As a result, Slawek was given a deer... a half of it, I mean... one front leg, one back leg and a comber. I know how it may sound but I just have to write it down... (and please don't think I'm a psycho)... there was a dead deer in my freezer... (yeah... I know... it sounds a bit freaky...)

Anyway... Last week we decided that it was time to finally eat it... I started defrosting the two legs on Wednesday morning. On Thursday morning, I had to pull the deer's skin off. Although it was pretty easy to remove, as you can imagine the whole procedure was pretty disgusting. Thankfully my friend Juan offered his help and did almost all the dirty job for me.

At first, I wanted to marinate the meat in one big piece and roast it in the oven. But then I found several recepies for deer steaks, chops and stews and decided it would be a better idea to cut it into small pieces.

To tenderise the flavour, I marinated the meat for 48 hours using a reciepe I had found on a famous Polish chef's website. On Saturday, I fried the pieces of meat, put them in a big pot, added fried onion and Polish bacon, veggies and remaining marinate and cooked it for about an hour and 20 minutes. I added a bit of red wine, plum jam, tomato puree and the stew was ready to eat.

Chiara and Mauro came over on Saturday evening. We sat at the table along with Esther and Juan. As a starter, I served baked stuffed tomatoes with salsa. Then, it was time for the big thing... I served the deer stew with roasted potatoes and pickled cucumbers. I was so affraid that the meat would not be tender enough and that it would not have a great taste. I could not have been more wrong. The stew was very tasty, the meat was tender and the flavours were well balanced. I should have jotted down all the nice comments that were made at the table. I think everybody really enjoyed the meal and I must say that I am very proud of myself :)

Sunday was a bit boring. It rained cats and dogs almost all day. I defrosted a freezer and a fridge, cooked chicken soup and made some chicken and veggetable jellies.

In the evening, Chiara, Mauro, Slawek and I went to the O2 Arena to watch Michael Jackson's This Is It at the Vue Cinema. I really wanted to see this movie but I was a bit anxious at the same time and was not sure about this whole idea of making a documentary about "what would have been". The moment I sat down, however, and the film started rolling I knew I would enjoy every second of it. And I did... I really did.

This Is It was made of over 100 hours of footage of Michael Jackson's rehearsals before what was supposed to be one of the greatest come backs in the history of music. The documentary showed his enormous talent and professionalism. He knew exactly what he wanted to make out of it. He knew every single detail, every song, every word, every rhythm and every sound. He was in good spirits, smiling, laughing and joking with people. He moved and danced like 20 years ago. All of the backup dancers, although highly trained and 20-30 years younger than Michael, did not dance half as good as him.

Not even once Michael Jackson's death was mentioned in the movie and I was particularly happy about it. The documentary was a celebration of his genius. It mirrored him as an artist. I am really grateful I was able to watch it and I think Michael's come back tour would have been trully amazing...

New Beyonce

A friend of mine sent me this video yesterday... So funny and so cute :)

Reconciled Friendship ;)

After a few days or even weeks of crazy situations with both my PC and my laptop, I think I have reconciliated my friendship with computers :)

So many things happened... so many bad words were said... and so many times my PC was almost thrown out of the window... and considering the fact that I keep it in a room located on the first floor, landing of mentioned PC on the sidewalk in front of the house would be painful... for the PC, that is...

In short, I bought a brand new HP laptop!!! It has a great design (which is very important for a girl ;), it is all shiny, sleek and pretty :)

It has a preinstalled Windows 7 which I think rocks! It comes with a 4.00GB RAM memory and 320GB hard drive. It has a HD bright-view widescreen display and bluetooth support, great media centre and many more great features...

I am so happy :)

I can honestly say that I am falling in love with computers all over again ;)

I HATE COMPUTERS!!!

That is all I am going to write today!

Chestnuts...

Last Sunday, Slawek and I took Angie and went to Greenwich Park. I love that park. It is so beautiful and pleasing to the eye. Even though there were lots of people there that day, the park was somewhat quiet and peaceful. We took a long stroll amongst chestnut trees, oaks, thorns, birch, broom and heath trees. We stopped for a cup of cappuccino and a piece of carrot cake at the Pavilion Tea House. We laid on the grass and enjoyed magnificent panorama view of the River Thames, the Docklands and the City of London.

While walking through the park's alleys, we realized that chestnuts were everywhere... Chiara and Mauro were going to come over later that day so I thought it would be a good idea to have baked chestnuts with them... Slawek told me that those chestnuts were not the ones you could eat. I, on the other hand, was sure they were the ones... We started picking them from the ground. By the time we finished, we had about 5kg of chestnuts which Slawek had to carry in his backpack... Later at home, it turned out that they were not very good for roasting or baking... Just to make sure, I put a couple of them in the oven cutting their skin beforehand to prevent the fruits from exploding. I think the skin on one of them was not cut properly because after 15 minutes of baking we heard a very loud explosion... I really did not see that coming... How can one tiny chestnut make a mess like this is beyond my imagination... It turned out, of course, that the chestnuts were not very tasty and we ended up throwing them away... I saved just enough of them to make an autumn, chestnut decoration... of well...

Uni, Uni, Uni...

General lack of proper organization, messed up timetables and students chaotically running around campus not knowing what to do with themselves is a long-established tradition at my university. Each academic year, the beginning of the first term is exactly the same… It was like that when I started studying for a Bachelor Degree at UEL in 2005… Several years have passed, I am now doing Master’s Degree (also at UEL) and not a thing has changed… It drives me up the wall!!!

I have just been sent another, “corrected” timetable for Semester A… it is the third one within less than a week… How am I supposed to organize my life, my work and my time when they change everything every two days?!

I know it is a big uni… I know there are lots of students, lots of modules, lots of professors, lecturers and tutors… I know there are many things to organize and many issues to put in order… But, for crying out loud, they had the entire summer to do it!

I want to SCREEEAAAM!!!

My Beloved Granny...

Even though my granny has four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, I have always been her favourite grandchild. I do not really know why... Maybe it is because I was the first one? She has always been my beloved granny, too. We have always had this special relationship that I do not have had with anybody else.

I have so many great memories from my childhood years thanks to Her... I remember my granny when I was maybe 4, 5 years old. We used to play this game... She was getting down on her knees and let me ride on her back. I was screaming “faster, granny, faster!” and she would give me rides around her living room pretending to be a horse carrying a princess (me :).

Every time I came over to visit my granny, we would build a house under a table in her living room. We used chairs to make the house walls and a blanket to darken the “house” inside. My granny always crawled under the table to “visit” my little house and a have a cup of pretend tea with me.

She had a big magic box. It was full of buttons... There were hundreds of them inside... all in different sizes, shapes and colours. I used to play with them for hours trying to find and match two or three identical buttons. The box was truly magical to me...

My grandma is almost 82 now. She is in a perfect physical shape. Her heart and other organs are in perfect condition. There is just this one thing... She is suffering from the Alzheimer disease...

She has been on medication for few years now, but the disease slowly destroys her... She has good days but she has also been losing herself progressively... The disease is, unfortunately, degenerative and incurable... She suffers from memory loss and has difficulty in remembering recently learned facts. She becomes very confused during the day and sometimes does not know where she is. She becomes irritable, over-sensitive and moody. She can be very aggressive towards other people and accuses members of the family of stealing her money. She has mood swings and cries with no apparent reason only to laugh five minutes later...

A couple of last months were very difficult for everybody. My granny felt very bad and the state of her mental health was getting worse every day. She was rude to everybody and unbearable to be around. She could not remember who she was, where she was, where she lived... she could not remember whether she got her monthly pension money or whether she ate dinner or not. She could not even comprehend the idea of making herself something to eat... Everybody was worried about her, tired of the situation, exhausted from constantly ensuring her of virtually everything...

We all came to a decision that granny could not live alone anymore. My mom’s sister decided to bring granny to her house in Holland where she has lived for few years. First month was really tough... after awhile my auntie had just enough... grandma was feeling worse and worse... my auntie was becoming depressed, tired of the worsening situation and could not stand it anymore...

Nobody knew what to do... We started considering placing granny in a home for people who suffer from Alzheimer disease. I did some research regarding homes for elderly in Poland… Asked few people for their opinions, I read few blogs and forums… Discussions were highly-debated and, unfortunately, those who have never experienced people with Alzheimer disease and who have never had to deal with many dreadful and shocking situations were the ones who had the most things to say. I am not trying to justify any decision that my family will probably have to face in the future… All I am saying is that those people who really have no idea what it is like to take care of a person with Alzheimer disease, will always have something bad to say against those who have to make such difficult decisions…

Everybody was expecting the worst... We all anticipated that granny’s state would worsen even more... We were just waiting for the inevitable...

After doing some research, my uncle found a private home in our home town... It looked surprisingly good. I was expecting a typical home where elderly people just wait to die... Amazingly, that home is really nice... They have polite, respectful and professional staff of doctors and nurses offering 24h medical assistance... They offer many things for housemates: rehabilitation, physiotherapy, games and activities, tv room, sitting area, a chapel and a church not so far away from the house (which is very important to my granny)... all those elderly people who live there are engaged in many things, they are mentally stimulated and motivated almost all the time...

Because I live in England, I do not get to see my granny very often. That is why I decided to go to Holland and spend some quality time with her. I had booked a flight and, a few days later, I landed at the Eindhoven Airport. My auntie picked me up and we headed home... I was afraid my granny would be in a bad state, that she would not recognize me... But my auntie told me that granny had been feeling better lately and could not wait to finally see me...

The time I spent with granny was precious. She was happy, joyful and in high spirits all the time. Before she started living with my auntie, granny lived alone for few years. And that is probably one of the reasons why the disease was progressing so quickly. And all she needed was a bit of company... all she needed was just few people around her who would make her feel loved and secure...

We decided not to place granny in a nursing home. It would be too fast and it would be cruel. Not now... If her health worsens to the point where we just do not know what to do anymore, then we will see. This thing cannot be rushed. It needs to be thought about very carefully and it cannot be an impulse decision.

So for now, I just want to show her how much loved she really is and I want to enjoy every moment of her happiness and the slightest smile on her face... that is all that matters now...

Skyride Photos

Below are the promised photos from the Mayor of London’s Skyride.

I think either people responsible for taking photos at the designated photo points or those who uploded them later on on the Skyride website must have experienced some technical problems, as we have found only five photos of Slawek and I and only two of them were relatively good enough to publish.

Chiara, however, brought her own camera to the festival and we took few photos as well :)

Lunch at St. James's Park

Lunch at St. James's Park

Resting area :)

C & M

Buzzing Bees

65,000 cyclists on the streets of Central London

Cycling...

Mr S.

SIM ;)

In traffic...

:)

"Great" Day...

I have had enough of this day! I woke up with headache, back pain and sore throat.

If it wasn’t enough, going to work today drove me up the wall… I think Central Line is the worst one in the London’s underground system in terms of crowds, the amount of bad-smelly people and rude idiots.

Morning started bad but evening was even worse…

On my way back from work, I was waiting for a Piccadilly Line at the Hammersmith Station. A strange looking guy was standing at the platform and looking at me. I didn’t pay attention to him at first but after he got into the same wagon and kept starring, I became a bit suspicious. After patiently pretending I was not bothered by him and waiting for him to get bored by the lack of any attention on my part, I changed to a different wagon. One minute later he was standing next to me! I then changed to Central Line. He did, too. I got a bit frustrated. And then I saw him taking pictures of me with his mobile phone!!! That was it!!!

I said with an angry voice ‘What, the hell, do you think you’re doing?!’ He said ‘Nothing…’ I said ‘What do you mean “nothing”?! I just saw you taking pictures of me with your mobile phone!’

He obviously denied that fact and that is when I started screaming at him… I screamed a lot and I screamed very loudly… I told him I was going to call the police and then we would see whether there were any pictures of me in his mobile. And considering the fact that I didn’t know him and he did not have any permission to take any pictures of me, he would be in big trouble. He suddenly admitted that he took one photo and was just deleting it. He got off at the next station. I was really relieved, I must admit.

What a freaking wacko… Filthy, disgusting bastard!!!

I Had A Dream...

I had a pretty bizarre dream… I was flying a jet… a proper military two-seater jet…

I wasn’t a pilot, though… The pilot was 60 year old woman, with grey hair and a very nice smile.

It was the first time I was in a jet (in real life, I can only dream of sitting in one...) so I was a bit anxious and tense. She told me not to worry and assured me I was going to have lots of fun. She manoeuvred the jet in the right position on the runway and asked the air traffic control tower for the permission to take off. The permission was granted and we were in the air within seconds.

I truly love roller-coasters and the more thrilling and breathtaking the ride, the more fun I have. I also thought that not much could surprise me in terms of amusement rides. But that dream... OH MY GOD!!! It was amazing! That pilot lady was one freaky aviator. She did rapid turning movements, climbed upwards, suddenly dropped down and did rolls and loops... The feeling was mind-blowing... It was so strong and so real, I could actually feel G-forces pushing me back into my seat...

That was the best dream ever! :))

Reading Over One's Shoulder...

How many of you have ridden on a tube, a bus, a train or a plain and enjoyed reading a nice novel, a mystery thriller, quirky magazine or simply a newspaper? Pretty much everybody, I assume. How many of you had that weird feeling of someone reading it with you over your shoulder? I would say everybody has experienced it at least once...

Don't we just hate it?!

I was thinking about it the other day. I was observing people on the tube reading some stuff. After realizing someone was picking over their shoulders, many passengers seemed quiet annoyed about it. Some rolled their eyes, others closed their books, some positioned their paperbacks so that “naughty” people sitting next to them could not properly see anymore, and others moved places. I started wondering whether I was acting the same way when someone was trying to read what I was reading...

So today, on a tube, I carried out an experiment. I was pretending to read James Patterson’s novel 7th Heaven and secretly paid attention to those around me. It did not take long before I realized a man sitting on my left was reading the book with me. And, to be honest, I got a little bit annoyed about it... He had his own book so why did he have the desire to look at mine? Was it more interesting? Was it more attention-grabbing? Was it so extraordinary that he just could not keep his eyes off of it?

After thinking about it for a while, I came up with a theory that had nothing to do with any of the above. I simply think people do not even realize they do it. I do not think they consciously want to pick over someone's shoulder in order to annoy them. I think it is a reflex action... It is such involuntary and spontaneous automatic behaviour that people cannot control it. This is the way I see it.

I do not really understand why we get so annoyed by it in the first place... Those who read our books would not steal the letters from them... They would not vaporize from a newspaper... Words written on each and every one of the pages of a newspaper will still be there... answer to a silly question in ELLE Magazine will still be present on exactly the same page even if someone reads it with us... a murder case will still be solved in the last chapter of a psychological thriller even if someone picks over our shoulder and reads it too... So why do we hate it so much? Is it because it is OUR book, OUR newspaper, OUR magazine and nobody has the right to look at it and to invade our privacy?

I do not know... All I know is that every time a have a feeling of someone reading my book over my shoulder, I simply want to look at that person and say “Do you mind?”

Anyway... I have found this Subway Etiquette: The Art Of Reading Over Someone’s Shoulder. You can access it here.

Quite handy, I must say :)

Skyride 20.09.2009.

Yesterday was a day I had waited all year long… The Mayor of London’s Skyride…

Over 65 thousands of cyclists, Londoners and tourists, took their bikes and rode famous, free of traffic London streets.

Slawek and I hopped on the saddles in the morning and headed for Victoria Park Hub (at least that was where we thought the starting point for this part of London was… like last year…) We were really surprised when we realized that there was no hub in Victoria Park… nobody knew where the hob had been moved or whether there were any hubs at all this year… Our friends, Chiara and Mauro, were bewildered as well… We checked the Skyride website using a mobile phone… nothing was mentioned about any starting points anywhere in London… we had no map, nobody knew what to do or where to go… I asked one cyclist whether he knew where the hub was and it turned out it had been moved to Mile End… 7 km from where we were… After few minutes of cycling, we finally found the hub… I was really disappointed… the starting point was poorly signposted and was much smaller than last year’s…

Anyway, we put on green Hi-Viz cycling bibs displaying “Mayor of London’s Skyride” sign and rode to the city’s centre. We started the 15km route from Tower Hill, passed the Tower of London, rode through Lower and Upper Thames Streets, Victoria Embankment, Northumberland Avenue, through Trafalgar Square and The Mall, passed Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Monument.

The resting area was located in St. James’s Park. It was packed with many activities: food, entertainment, music, bike trials displays… Professional BMX and Mountain Bike riders performed tricks in the so-called Street Zone whilst amateur riders could try their luck in stunt riding. You could get a free bike make-over in the Style Zone, learned few tips on health and wellbeing from the members of British Cycling and Nike4Life or took part in a cycle sprint challenge in the Active Zone.

The park was packed with thousands of people lying around on the grass, having their lunches or simply relaxing and enjoying the beautiful, sunny day.

After half an hour, we headed back towards Tower Hill. We posed and smiled for some pictures as we rode past few cameras at designated Photo Points. By the way, the photos were supposed to be ready to download from the Skyride website today at 9am... I think so many people tried to download them that the site crashed... I will try tomorrow again and if I am lucky, I will post some pics from the festival...

Overall, the day was awesome! Over 65,000 cyclists took part in the festival. Bikes and green Hi-Viz bids were everywhere!!! Streets were packed with wall-to-wall riders: moms and dads, grannies and grandpas, kids from smallest to those big ones… couples, loners, groups of friends… clowns on tall bikes, bumblebees buzzing and dancing around amongst the riders, music lovers with huge speakers blasting out tunes, even a piano guy who rode his bike while hitting the keyboards…

The day was simply brilliant and I already cannot wait for the next year’s festival…

Rain... :)

Aren't they amazing?

I have no idea who these guys are, where and when this video was recorded... I would love to get to know more about this group so if anyone has any idea who these guys are, let me know please :)

A Tour of the Olimpic Park

I was invited on a tour of the Olympic Park. Just to clarify... I was invited not because I am such a VIP :) I just happen to live very close to the Olympic City and the ODA (Olympic Delivery Authority) responsible for developing and building the new venues and infrastructure for the 2012 Games invited some people living close to the site.

The tour departed from Stratford Regional Station at 6pm. Before getting on a bus, I had to show my tour invitation and a driving licence to prove that I am actually ME and not some Jane Doe trying to steal some confidential information from people working on the site ;)

After my identity was confirmed, I happily sat in one of three mini busses, prepared my camera and impatiently anticipated the magical event along with 35-40 other lucky individuals excited to see what was going on in their neighbourhood.

It took us approximately 8-10 minutes to reach the Olympic Park. Security on the Park is very tightly controlled and all participants had to show their photographic identifications again. What is more, one of the security officers walked into the bus with a search dog, checked everyone’s bags and made sure no one was bringing anything suspicious to the Park.

And we were in...

The tour lasted for about an hour and, unfortunately, everybody had to remain on the bus for the duration of the visit.

I was really impressed, I must admit...

I had the opportunity to see how the major venues for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are developing and taking shape. Even though the whole place still looks like a huge construction site, it was a really nice experience.

Our tour guide, one of the chief managers of the site, shared with us some very interesting facts about the Park’s development.

We learned that building and preparation of the Olympic Park consists of four phases:

Phase 1, called “Planning and set-up”, involved planning, setting-up, preparing budgets and timetables for delivery.

Phase 2, called “Demolish, dig, design”, included clearing and cleaning of the Park. The ODA cleared the land, demolished hundreds of buildings across the site and moved the powerlines from the overhead steel towers into tunnels running underneath the site. By the end of summer 2008, the Park was prepared and ready for the big build.

Phase 3, called “The big build”, is the major stage. The “big five” venues of the Olympic Park will be constructed and built over the period of 3 years (between summer 2008 and summer 2011).

Phase 4 consists of test events that will take place between summer 2011 and April 2012.


The 2012 Olympic Games are being planned closely with the long-term improvement of the region. After the Games, a new area will be incorporated with the surroundings of the Park. Local community will benefit from a new park, new homes and outstanding, world-class sporting facilities. It sound promising considering the fact that East London has been a rather underdeveloped area and improving the region means more fun for us all :)

Construction has already begun on the new infrastructure, utilities and transport links in and around the Olympic Park, as well as on the Olympic Village, Aquatics Centre and the Olympic Stadium.

The Olympic Village

The Olympic Village is going to provide accommodation for thousands of athletes, team members and officials from all around the world during the 2012 Olympic Games. It will include restaurants, shops, medical services, leisure facilities and large areas of open space. After the Games, the Olympic Village will become part of Stratford’s regeneration project and will provide thousands of new homes for sale and rent.

The Aquatics Centre

The Aquatics Centre will act as a gateway to the Olympic Park. The venue will accommodate two 50m swimming pools and a diving pool. Up to 17,500 fans will be able to watch athletes taking part in Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Modern Pentathlon and Water Polo competitions. After the Games, the pools will be open to use by local communities.

The Olympic Stadium

The foundations of the Olympic Stadium have been completed and work is now being carried on the upper seating structure and the roof. The Stadium will take the shape of a bowl and it will allowed 80,000 fans to watch Opening and Closing Ceremonies as well as Paralympic and Paralympic Athletics. After the Games, 55,000 seats will be demounted and taken away. The Stadium will be transformed into a 25,000 capacity Athletics Stadium and will host a variety of sporting, cultural, educational and community events.


According to the Olympic Park leaflet I have been given, other venues of the Olympic Park during the London 2012 Olympic Games will include:
- Hockey Centre with 20,000 seats for fans wanting to watch Hockey, Paralympic Five-a-side Football and Paralympic Seven-a-side Football;
- Eton Manor with 10,500 seats for the Wheelchair Tennis fans; 2,000 seats for the Paralympic Archery fans and training facilities that will later be transformed to a tennis, football and hockey facility;
- IBC/MPC (the International Broadcast Centre/ Main Press Centre) that will host 20,000 of the world’s media in state-of-the-art facilities;
- Basketball Arena with 10,000-12,000 seats for Basketball and Handball finals, Wheelchair Rugby and Wheelchair Basketball fans that will be dismantled after the Games and reconstructed elsewhere in the UK;
- Handball Arena with up to 7,000 seats for Handball, Modern Pentathlon (Fencing) and Paralympic Goalball fans which will later be converted into multi-sport arena;
- Velo Park with 6,000-seat cycling Velodrome and a BMX Circuit with 6,000 temporary seats. After the Games, facilities for road cycling and mountain biking will be added and the Velo Park will be left for community to use.

It is all very exciting and I cannot wait for tickets to go on sale... I would love to see the Opening or Closing Ceremonies (or both :) as well as to support athletes from my country with the hope of winning at least 10 golden medals in the 2012 Olympics...

Fingers crossed...

Horses

The last time I sat on a horse was when I was a teenager. One hot summer, I was staying at my aunt's summer house in Rokitnica, Poland. The horse belonged to one of the local farmers. It was one of those big, working horses and I could not really tell whether I liked it or not. However, the idea of sitting on it was very tempting as I had not sat on a horse before. I was probably 12-13 years old and had no idea how to get on a horse, what to do and how to behave. And, let's be honest, the farmer had no idea either. The horse was just a tool for him... it was just a hard-working animal used only to make the farmer's life on a farm easier.

Anyway... not knowing how to get on such a big horse, my cousin and I came up with an idea. We took an old, wooden chair and placed it next to the horse. I stepped up on the chair and, to this day I do not know how, I got on the horse... I must admit, I did not like that new feeling at all... The horse was too big, it was uncomfortable and unpleasant to be sat on it and I felt really awkward about the whole situation. I think I got off the horse quicker than I had got on it... I did not like this whole experience at all and have been rather hesitant and skeptical to being around horses ever since. I do not think I have ever stood close to a horse since that day...

I realised how wrong I have been this whole time last weekend...

Slawek and I visited the Horse Riding Centre in the Lea Valley Regional Park on Saturday. And I have completely fallen in love with horses...

Two horses in particular caught my attention. Even though they were rather resentfull at first, I somehow managed to gain their trust. First, I picked some grass. Holding my hand flat and keeping my fingers together, I slowly reached out and handed the grass to one of the horses. I repeat that a few times. Then, I let the horse to smell my open palm hand. Once the horse realized I was not going to harm it, I slowly and gently touched it... the horse readily accepted my touch. Its hair was long and soft... it felt nice and warm to the touch of my hand...

While training my German Shepherd, I realized how important body language is when interacting with animals as it reflects our leadership abilities. While making a physical contact with the horse, I tried to hold my head up high, made careful and deliberate movements and kept an eye contact with it all the time. In the end, the only way to gain a horse's trust is to get it to accept the idea that it is okay to let you touch it.

It was one of the best feelings I have had for a while. Being able to feed them, touch and caress them was a great experience. I will definitely visit the stables more often now. And maybe one day I will even be able to learn how to horse ride... I would love that!

Blackberries

We went blackberry picking on Saturday again. The day before, I had collected 10 small jars with the idea of making blackberry jam and blackberry syrup.

I think we picked more than 4kg of blackberries. They were big, black and really sweet. I rinsed them with water when we got home on Saturday afternoon. I, then, put them in a big pan, powdered lots of sugar on top and left them for several hours (in this case, for the whole night). Next morning, the blackberries were covered with sweet, yummy syrup. I squashed some juice from a whole lemon, carefully stirred the blackberries and boiled them on a low heat for few minutes. I put them in jars while they were still hot and I poured the remaining syrup in 3 glass bottles. Surprisingly, from 4kg of blackberries, I got only 5 small jars of jam...

We are definitely going blackberry picking next weekend!!!

Oh, one more thing. Of course, we took Angie with us as well and, to my biggest surprise, she loves blackberries!!! How strange is that?!

Homemade Cheesecake

I have just made a vanilla cheesecake. I usually make it on a sponge cake and either orange or lemon jelly. This time, however, I have made it with a kick... Firstly, I moisted the sponge cake with a splash of Martini Bianco, poured the cheesecake mixture and let it set in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then, I decorated the cake with blackberries Slawek and I had picked from bushes in the Springfield Park on Sunday. Finally, I poured some jelly on top... I am now waiting for the cheesecake to cool down in the fridge... I really hope it will be yummy :)

Strange frames of mind...

I turned on a computer and checked my emails this morning. Except of several scam messages, I have not received anything important. I then clicked on my blog's icon. The main page of my blog opened, I clicked on New Post icon. I was starring at the monitor for good 20 minutes and I finally realized I was not able to come up with any topic to jot down. Even though there are so many things I would like to write about, so many thoughts I would like to share, somehow I just could not come up with any sensible subject.

I have not been in a very good mood lately and I think this fact greatly affects my thinking processes...

I have promised myself not to bore anybody with my swinging moods and uneven frames of mind. I do not really want to write about the reasons... why something happened... why something has not happened... why something has influenced the way I am... and what I would love to happen in order for my mood to go back into its original, happy place...

Yet, I write this blog to share my thoughts, whether they are happy or not-so-happy thoughts, with whoever wants to read them. On the other hand, however, I write this blog for my own pleasure and satisfaction. Of course it is great when other people read my posts, find them interesting and come back to read more. It means that what I do, what I think and write is interesting enough for somebody to keep coming back. But if I think about it, I really write this blog for myself. Why? I don't know... Maybe it is because it makes me ME... Maybe it is because I want to record some of the things that happen in my life and read them in few years time... Maybe sharing my thoughts and my experiences with virtual strangers is what really drags me into writing and exposing myself to the world... I actually like reading other peoples' blogs... it creates a sense of virtual voyeurism... And I like when people read my posts as well... What is it called? A virtual narcissism?

Anyway... I started off with a general wonderment of whether I should write about my low mood and ended up writing about the reasons behind writing my blog... It simply shows how disconnected I have been lately...

Ok, I have made up my mind. I am not going to write about what is bothering me... about my problems however serious or not serious they might be... or about my roller-coaster mood. I will keep it to myself... It is better that way...

The Last Goodbye...

Michael Jackson's memorial service held yesterday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles was a very touching way to say goodbye to the greatest entertainer that has ever lived on our planet. Many people paid tribute to the King of Pop... friends, colleagues, family members... It was all very emotional and moving...

Michael's brother, Jermaine, sang Smile, one of Michael's favourite songs from Charlie Chaplin's movie Modern Times. I think, for him, it was a perfect way to say goodbye...

Of course everybody is saddened by Michael's death as he has passed away too soon... But we should be grateful... we should be grateful that we have got to see his extraordinary talent grow over the years... we should be grateful because we have been able to witness his undeniable genius...

Michael's irresistible musical legacy will never be forgotten... let's never forget what his life, music and performances were all about... and let's smile every time we hear Billy Jean, Black or White, Thriller, The Way You Make Me Feel, Smooth Criminal, Man in The Mirror... let's smile every time we watch him dancing in his videoclips... let's smile every time we see him doing "the moonwalk" in recorded live shows... let's smile and think that he was the best and always will be...

Smile, though your heart is aching

Smile, even though it's breaking

When there are clouds in the sky

You'll get by...

If you smile

With your fear and sorrow

Smile and maybe tomorrow

You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you'll just...

Light up your face with gladness

Hide every trace of sadness

Although a tear may be ever so near

That's the time you must keep on trying

Smile, what's the use of crying

You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you'll just...

Smile, though your heart is aching

Smile, even though it's breaking

When there are clouds in the sky

You'll get by...

If you smile

Through your fear and sorrow

Smile and maybe tomorrow

You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you'll just smile...

That's the time you must keep on trying

Smile, what's the use of crying

You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you'll just smile...

written by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons in 1936

music composed by Charlie Chaplin

sang by Michael Jackson in 1995

Angie's new best friend

Slawek and I were relaxing in a park the other day when we saw a little baby girl crawling on all fours towards Angie with a "I'm-gonna-get-you-you-big-fluffy-monster" kind of look on her face.

Angie is a really big dog and does not look like a puppy any more, so the baby's dad cautiously asked whether our dog has got an appetite for small children... :)

Amelia was sitting on the grass and was handing the tennis ball to Angie... Angie was lying right next to Amelia with her paw on the girl’s knees... she was gently taking the ball from Amelia’s hands only to give it back few seconds later... Amelia was ecstatically screaming with happiness and Angie was licking the girl’s face...

It was a really cute and funny scene :)

The King is Dead...

Michael Jackson was such an inspiration to many people around the world... He was controversial... he was eccentric... he was unconventional... and yet people loved him for his artistry...

God gives people certain gifts and he was touched by a very special one... one that will never be forgotten... he could sing like nobody else... he could dance like nobody else...

For him not to be around is just surreal...

He was a genius... He was a legend... He was an incredible showman and a very unique talent...

His spirit and legend will live on...

Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009)

Spain...

I have finally pulled myself together and processed some of the photos I took in Spain a week ago. I went there to visit my friend, Pati. She has lived in Spain for about 8 years and has just recently moved to Mataro - a nice, small town in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia.

We had a fantastic time together... below are few photos I took in Mataro and in Sitges, a coastal town famous for its gay and night life that we visited on Sunday... We had so much fun over there!

a beach in Sitges

a beach in Sitges

a beach in Sitges

sand sculpture

17th century church of Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla

one of many unusual terraces

this poem is in Catalan and I have no idea what it is about...

a street in Sitges

El Greco - a sculpture by Josep Reynés I Gurguí

street graffiti

stairs by the sea

morning coffee with Pati

Men...

Emancipation... liberation of women... yes, it is what we wanted! We have struggled for so long to be treated on the same level as men... to be seen as not inferior to them, to be seen as not superior to them but to be seen as equal. And, thank God, we are slowly getting there. Not that long ago, men and only men held all the important positions, worked for government, were chief directors, doctors and lawyers. Not that long ago, women had only marginal roles, were men’s secretaries, receptionists and nurses, or simply stayed-at-home servants and housekeepers. It has all changed and today, more and more women are doctors and lawyers, many occupy significant managerial and government positions.

But has the situation changed for the better...?

I think we pay a high price for our emancipation... Yes, we want to be free. Yes, we want to be liberated and modern. Yes, we are hungry for the same opportunities men have got. But we didn’t say we wanted to be treated like dudes...

I think that women tolerate men’s rude behaviour to a great extent. They accept men who treat them badly, who do not take care of them, who treat them like dirt. Is a rude and offensive guy more manly and macho because he acts like an idiot? I don’t think so. I am sure many women (and I hope men as well) would agree with me when I say that ignorant, impolite and bad-mannered guys are not sexy at all. They are repulsive, unappealing and simply dull.

Where are all the gentlemen and nice guys gone? Why don’t men treat us like women anymore? We didn’t ask them to stop caring for us, taking care of us, loving us. We are still attracted to romantic guys. We are still attracted to men who open door for us, bring us flowers, offer us seats, take our coats... We still want some love, affection and romance... We still want to be admired, glorified and adored... Do we really want too much? Is this treating us like dudes a price we have to pay for wanting to be respected and appreciated on the same level as men?

Our society becomes more and more intolerant, narrow-minded and simply rude. I really do not expect men to offer me a seat in a tube. I am a young, healthy person and do not have to sit down wherever I go. What makes me mad, though, is when I see a visibly pregnant woman struggling to protect her belly from elbows of other passengers or an elderly lady who can barely stand on her own while a young, “cool” dude sits on the bus and pretends he does not see them. That is what really pisses me off.

I think this is a really big problem. Many people lack simple courtesy. And who is responsible for teaching them good manners? Parents. School. Society. We experience the world on our own but it is up to our parents and teachers to show us how to behave and conduct ourselves. They should be the ones who have formative effects on our minds. They should be the ones who influence our characters, values, ideas, principles and morals.

Even animals have principles. It is really sad that people, equipped with an indispensable skill such as logical and coherent thinking, still lack certain commonsense standards.

It is official now...

After reading Peter's post about the bunny and the fox, I realised that I have got a bunny at home too... well... not a real bunny-rabbit type of animal but... my dog...

Many websites describe typical characteristics of a pet rabbit and Angie unquestionably falls under several depicted categories:

  

- she can be kept indoors and outdoors...

- she is equipped with enrichment activities such as sticks, balls and other toys...

- she is a very social animal and, like a rabbit, finds her companionship with a variety of creatures, including humans, dogs and other living creatures...

- she is very alert...

- just like a rabbit, she uses her cunning to outwit me whenever she has got a chance...

- she grazes on grass and leafy weeds...

- she jumps in high grass like a bunny...

- she loves carrots...

- she has got really big ears...

Now that I think about it, Angie may not be entirely normal either...

- she drinks while laying down...

- she eats while laying down...

- she always drops all of her toys in a bowl full of water...

- she lets me clean her teeth with a toothbrush...

- I don't have to force my hand down her throat when she is on medication because she loves taking tablets and has no problems eating them whatsoever...

- she would dance on two legs for a piece of carrot...

- she loves taking baths and we cannot leave the bathroom door open because she would jump in and sit in a bathtub patiently waiting for a bath...

I can now officially announce: MY DOG IS CRAZY... 

but it shouldn't really surprise me much... 

all in all... like master, like dog... :))

It could happen to you :)))

- Honey, what would you like for dinner tonight?

- Anything. I'll eat whatever you make.

- What do you mean anything? Don't you know what you want to eat?

- I'll have pork chops and fried potatoes.

- Yeah, right! Do you think that I don't have anything better to do?! You come back home from work at 7pm! I've already done laundry and homework with the kids! Tell me what you want for dinner!

- But I've just told you I want pork chops...

- Listen, I'm not in the mood to play games with you! Couldn't you eat something like a normal person?

- Ok. Make me potato pancakes, please.

- At 7.30pm?! Are you freaking mad?! Besides, we don't have any potatoes. Why didn't you buy any on your way back home?!

- If you told me, I could have bought some on my way back from work. The market is open until 9pm. 

- Why would you want to buy potatoes in the first place since I've been doing it my whole life?! And by the way, we had potatoes last night. We're not going to eat them every day.

- Baby, you've asked me what I would eat so I told you.

- Oh, just stop with this "I've asked you". I'm asking you for the last time, what do you want for dinner?

- What can I have?

- It's so typical of you! I'm asking what you want and you're answering with a question!

- ... ok... maybe toasts?

- I know you would eat all my toasts knowing that I don't eat any other bread! I'll make spaghetti for dinner... or warm up some frozen meat sauce. Decide already!!!

- Ok... I'll have... meat sauce... I haven't had it for a long time...

- Sauce? Don't you want spaghetti?

- Ok, I'll have spaghetti.

- Finally! Getting something out of you is a real struggle... Do you want some grated parmezan on top?

- You know I don't eat spaghetti with cheese.

- Great! I wake up early in the morning and go to the store to get that damn cheese so you can put it on top of spaghetti and you're telling me now that you don't eat cheese?! Since when?!

- I haven't eaten cheese for 10 years...

- Ok. I'll make you spaghetti... at 8pm.! I'm not going to eat it, neither are the kids. You'll eat it alone! Like you couldn't just eat that frozen meat sauce...

- Of course I can, baby, warm it up for me please.

- Couldn't you have said it before?! Do I really have to drag everything out of you?!

- ...

- Here's your sauce... I'm wondering what I should do with this cheese...?