Summer Plans

We have come to a decision to spend our holidays in Poland this year. We are going to jump on our car and head to the unknown... or rather well-known... :) I know it would be so much easier to just book a flight and be with our families within a couple of hours. We do not want, however, to leave Angie with strangers and have decided to take her with us and travel by car.

It is going to be a long journey involving 1500km on the road. We would normally make it in about 16-17 hours but considering the time we have to spend crossing the Channel, all the stops we have to make to exercise the dog and the state of Polish roads, I think we are going to make in about 20 hours.

We have just booked a ferry from Dover to Dunkirk in France. The prices for the end of August and mid September cruises are not that bad, actually. There is one thing that has really surprised me.

In order to board a ferry with a dog, we have to pay for the pet’s ticket, £15 each way. Now, because a pet is like any other passenger (!), charging for a dog seems like a fair enough idea. Once on board, we cannot stay in the car and have to go on lower or upper decks. We cannot take the dog with us and have to leave her locked in the car. Ok, these are the rules we have to acknowledge and agree to.

Nevertheless, there is one thing that I do not quite understand. If I travelled without a car and wanted to board a ferry to France or back to England on foot and with a dog, I would be allowed to take my dog with me and would not have to leave her anywhere. The only rule that applies to this situation is that a dog must be on a lead and must stay on the lower deck for the duration of a cruise.

So how come am I not allowed taking my dog on a lower deck when I travel by car? I feel that since I pay more money because of the car and since I am charged a ferry ticket for my dog, I should have some privileges, wouldn’t you agree?

Well, apparently bosses who are in charge of this ferry business do not agree at all. It is just unfair and a bit disappointing... that’s all...

There Is Something You Should Never, Ever Do While You're Waiting For A Train

I am off work. Finally. It has been a really long day and I just could not wait to finally get out of there. I walk down an escalator at Hammersmith Station. I patiently wait for an eastbound Picadilly train. While I am waiting, I notice that my hands are a bit dry. I take hand cream out of my purse. Before I put the lotion on, I take off my engagement ring and put it in my mouth (I always do it because I just hate when cream gets in slits of my ring). I put a bit of lotion on my hands and start rubbing them together. I see a train coming. I take the ring out of my mouth and place it on my left-hand ring finger. The train stops and in this very second I see my ring falling down on the platform. The rest is just slow-motion, movie-type standard. I see the ring reaching the ground. I scream "OH, NO!!!". My "no!!!", however, does not really help and the ring slowly rolls away, bounces off the wall of the train and falls down the platform. It is gone! I have lost it... I have lost my engagement ring...


I see a Customer Service Adviser. I approach him with a "oh-my-god-what-have-I-done" kind of look on my face. He smiles and calmly asks: "Have you dropped your mobile phone, dear? Don't worry, we'll get it for you". Oh, boy, do I wish it was my mobile down there on the tracks... And then I start panicking. I almost yell at the guy: "I haven't dropped my mobile! Far worse! I've just dropped my engagement ring! I have to get it! You have to help me! I need my ring! I need it now!". The man smiles once again, tells me not to worry once again and then calls a colleague and asks him to assist me.

After about two minutes (although it seems like hours) another TFL worker shows up holding a metal stick that has a small hook on one end and some sort of a big, round magnet on the other. He also smiles and tells me not to worry. He asks me what I have dropped and where. I explain to the guy that it is a white gold engagement ring with a diamond. I tell him where and how I have dropped it.

We start looking for the ring but cannot find it. There is lots of rocks and dirt on the tracks. We cannot see the damn ring. A train comes. We have to postpone the ring-searching until it is gone. The train leaves. We bend lower and scan every single place, inch by inch trying to focus on smallest details. No luck. Another train. Other passengers become interested in what we are doing. They start asking questions. I give a description of the ring. An elderly couple offers their help and starts looking for the ring. I almost cry. I tell the Customer Service Adviser that my fiance is going to kill me... that I have to find the ring... that it is bad luck if I do not...

Another train. The elderly couple wishes me good luck and gets on the train. The Customer Service Advisor and I get on our knees. I can see he really wants to find it for me. Other people dangerously bend over the platform edge. Everyone tries to help. Another train comes. The worker tells me that I would probably have to come back later in the evening or tomorrow morning when the station is less busy. I cannot really blame him. The situation gets far too dangerous as other people bend over the platform edge trying their luck in finding the ring. Another train stops... then leaves. We are still on our knees.

Two young ladies approach and asks whether they can help me. I tell them the story once again. One of them offers another pair of eyes, at least until their train comes. She starts looking for the ring. And then I see it. It is there! Below the platform! Amongst the rocks! I yell: "I've found it!!! It's there!!!". I literally jump on the girl and start hugging her happily. I can tell the Customer Service Adviser is also excited. He smiles and gets ready for the big moment. Another train comes and we have to wait until it leaves the station. The worker gets on his knees again, stretches out the stick and reaches for the ring. People around us are quiet. Everybody awaits the long-anticipated moment. The worker gets the ring on a hook and handles it to me. I can hear sounds of relief around us. I put the ring on my finger and start randomly hugging people on the platform. Everyone is happy for me and they wish me good luck...

Is there anything I have learned from my little incident? Oh, yes, definitely. I have learned that I should never, ever take off my engagement ring before putting hand lotion on my hands...

Feeling Upset...

Today is a very sad day... Polish President and dozens of key Polish officials are dead... Poland is in mourning... I have never been a big fan of Lech Kaczynski but I am deeply disturbed but what have happened today... I do not have the words to describe how I feel... I am upset... I am sad... I am feeling anxious about the future of my country and my fellow Poles... Let's stay united...

Training Session

Below are a few photos from one of the last training sessions with Angie :)

Down

Take it

Sit

Touch

Sit & stay

Finish

Back In London

I spent last weekend in Poland. I caught an early flight to Lodz on Friday morning. The weather was beautiful! Sunny and warm, +19 degrees Celsius!!! I was shocked!

My mom and her partner picked me up from the airport. It was very nice outside so we decided to go for a walk and had an early lunch at a small restaurant that specializes in making delicious pierogi (a Polish word for dumplings). We then went to see a solicitor (my main reason for going to Poland) and visited Slawek's parents'.

Saturday was very busy. Even though the weather was horrible (it was raining all day and it was only +10 degrees Celsius), Saturday was quiet busy. First, we went to visit my grandpa's grave, did a bit of shopping. Then we went to see my brother's daughters and spend few hours with them. I also managed to see few of my friends. We went to The Lizard King Pub, had a few delicious cocktails and pints of beers, talked, laughed and listened to rock'n'roll music that was played live. We had a good time. It is a shame I could not stay a bit longer. Maybe next time...

I am back in London now and, even though the weather sucks big time, I have been really happy and cheerful since I have got back.

A Short Visit

Due to the circumstances not entirely depending on me, I am going to spend the following weekend in Poland. Although the reason why I have to go there is not something that makes me happy or something that I would want to share with the rest of the world, I must say I am looking forward to my little trip. Hey, my friends, here I come!!! The Lizard and rock (and roll) await! :))

It's Almost Weekend

It is almost weekend and I have no idea how I will spend it...

Firstly, I have been as sick as a dog for the past 2 days and, unfortunately, I am not getting any better... Secondly, Slawek has gone off to Poland today and will be back on Tuesday night... I am all alone...

I have the whole weekend to myself and myself only... So let's think... I am going to uni tomorrow. I will have a very interesting lecture on multiculturalism, identity politics and cultural differences. I will probably spend some time in a library researching the above and looking for resources that would help me to prepare for a next week's lecture.

I will have to go shopping... I need to buy presents for Slawek's and Alex's oncoming birthdays. I am also planning on visiting my friend, Justyna, on Saturday but it will depend on how I will have felt. I will spend a couple of hours drinking cocktails while chatting with Pati on Skype. And I will spend hours being out with Angie...

That is my plan for the weekend... :)

I am back

"To keep posting on my Past, Present, Future blog at least once per week"... I wrote this on the 1st day of January 2010 as part of my New Year's Resolutions. It clearly has not happened and I have not kept my promise. I have not written anything for over six weeks! I do not even know why... Was I too busy? Not really... Maybe I just did not feel like writing anything... Or maybe I simply did not have anything to write about...

I am back, however, and ready to blog!

Here is a short update of couple of things that took place over the past 2 months:

I went to Spain to visit Pati in the mid January. I have had a chance to meet her new boyfriend. Ricardo seems like a decent bloke. He is not Josep, though... I really, I mean really, liked Josep. It is a shame they are not together any more. But that is life. People get together, something goes wrong, they break up... You just have to move on and look for happiness and for your other half somewhere else.
And Ricardo... It is hard for me to have an opinion or to judge someone I have met once in my life. But he seems like a nice guy. I hope Pati is happy with him. And when she is happy, I am happy.

I have started taking Angie to agility classes. We have attended four sessions and I am not really sure whether we are going to attend any more. The trainer is the main reason. He is nice, he has got knowledge, he is qualified to run training classes (at least that is what he has told us... I have not really checked his credentials with the Kennel Club yet...) The only problem with the guy is that he is so unorganised! He talks too much, dog owners do not know what they are supposed to do most of the times and everything seems a bit out of control. I know he has just become a dog trainer not that long ago. So maybe he just needs more time to deal with issues and more time to learn how to organise training sessions. However, if I spend money, I want to make sure that it is spent properly. I do not want to feel like I am wasting it or like I am wasting my time. And, unfortunately, that is how I have felt while attending his classes.

I am back at university. Want to finish my MA. Although I find this semester's modules quiet difficult, there is also an element of greater stimulation of the senses, better motivation, encouragement and willingness to find out new things and issues.

I have decided to start swimming. I have not really excercised lately and thought it would be a good idea to get back in shape. I consider swimming a great way of doing it. I have started slowly, two times per week, a couple of pool lengths at a time. I want to increase the length with time, I do not want to rush anything because the results could be disastrous.

Slawek and I have also started taking Angie to a vet in order to sort out all the vaccinations, blood tests and documents necessary if we want to get her a pet passport. We want to take Angie abroad with us this summer and have got to start the procedure at least six months before we come back from holidays. Obtaining a pet passport is not a big issue here, it is just the law allowing us to come back with her that is a real pain in the neck.

After months of virtually not taking any photos, I have finally bought a new camera! Nikon D90 is my newest toy for the upcoming months.

And last but not least, I got peed on by a dog... twice... What is up with the universe??? An event like that is supposed to bring me happiness and good fortune... I am not really convinced, I must say...

Check It Out

Hey, check out this link, people...

http://sleeptalkinman.blogspot.com/

I find it absolutely hilarious :)))

My Guilty Pleasures

Everybody has a guilty pleasure. Some people have just one. Others have several. Some people talk about them openly, others prefer to keep certain information to themselves. The truth is, most of us crave for something naughty and most of us feel guilty for enjoying it. So do I.

When thinking about my guilty pleasures, I thought I would have difficulties coming up with one. Surprise, surprise... The list got a big long but I will stick to just a few guilty pleasures of mine...

1. Watching Big Brother is certainly one of my biggest guilty pleasures. I don't know what is so interesting about this show, I find people taking part in it highly miserable and annoying and it is completely boring most of the time. Yes, I know I'm wasting my time watching it. And yet, I watch it. Thank God I am sometimes hit with moments of clarity that are followed by a good, loud blow of guilt to my head.

2. Drinking Drambuie, Southern Comfort or Disaronno. What can I say? I like having a drink while taking a bath or watching a movie. Is that really something I should feel guilty about...?

3. Chinese food... I know it is full of fat and contains lots of calories. But I just can't help it...

4. This one is quite obvious - chocolate. I cannot live without it. As a matter of fact I think I am addicted to it. But guess what? I don't care! Forbidden fruits taste the best and so does chocolate. To be honest, I don't even feel guilty for eating it several times per every day...

5. Shoes... "Do you really need another pair?", the guilty conscience on my right shoulder asks. "Of course you do, dummy!!! Buy them!!!", the Devil on my left whispers. I always listen to the latter...

Bring It On 2010!

1st January 2010... I cannot believe how quickly the time passes...

How could I describe the past year? Interesting... Full of surprises... Emotional... Trying...

Lots of things happened during the last 365 days. Some of them put a smile on my face, some were encouraging, others emotionally distressing. Below is the short summary of a few events that took place in 2009:

1. I had to postpone finishing my Master's Degree and take a gap year due to financial difficulties.

2. I saw Depeche Mode performing live at the o2 Arena in London.
3. I taught Angie how to close every single drawer and lower cupboards in my kitchen.

4. After weeks of training and hard work, Angie completed the Advanced Stage of Obedience Course and won a gold medal in a small slalom competition.

5. I established new friendships and rebuilt relationships with old friends.

6. I realised some people considered themselves my friends only when it was convenient for them or when they wanted or needed something from me. I also learned that being honest with some of them would take me a long way and after months of not being sure whether I should have done it or not, I finally got of my chest what really bothered me. It helped me clear the air with few people. It also resulted in some of my friendships being flushed down the toilet.

7. I fed an elderly, homeless man.

8. I got invited on a tour of the Olympic Park in London.
9. I took part in the Mayor of London's Skyride along with over 65 thousands cyclists.
10. I became a member of PETA and Dog Trust.

11. I cooked the deer stew for the first time in my life.

12. I watched every single episode of Friends for the 100s time and watched all 4 seasons of my favourite TV drama, Prison Break.

At the beginning of every New Year people make lists of New Year's resolutions. From promises of staying healthy to declarations of getting better jobs and saving money, the lists are endless. The truth is that most people do not keep their resolutions for more than a week and, according to some research, only about 12% actually achieve their goals.

I realise, however, that I am no different than others and I also am tempted to promise "the impossible". So here is the list of my New Year's Resolutions for 2010:

1. To finish my Master's Degree in Media Studies with a very good grade.

2. To keep posting on my Past, Present, Future blog at least once per week.

3. To move out of London.

4. To train Angie to jump through a hoola-hop and start taking her to agility classes.

5. To eat less chocolate. Yeah, right... Let's be honest. I do not want to make any promises I know I will not keep... I, thus, promise to eat more fruits and veggies.

6. To get a job in the media sector.

7. To start learning a new language. Out of so many alternatives, I have opted for either Chinese or Japanese (which one is easier?)

8. To focus less on negative sides of life and smile a lot.

9. To stay away from fake and boring people.

10. To spend more time with friends and show them how much I care.

11. To start kickboxing again.

12. To use my camera more often and take more pictures.

Too many resolutions? Perhaps. Unrealistic? Don't think so. I think moving out of London is going to be the hardest one to achieve but, hey, nothing is impossible, right?

All the best for 2010!

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 ;)