A near miss

I just can't wait to February.. Firstly it's because I'm nearly sick about all my exams I'm cramming for. Secondly, apart from my examination-sickness, I can't wait to celebrate carnival with my friends. It's going to be a real bal masqué and I'm sure it will be incredible. It became our little tradition - last year we were organising the ball too, but then.. it was quite stressing for me..

Last year I was responsible for organising the party. Of course, I was really stressed but I managed to take care about every single detail. Well.. at least.. I was thinking so.. I took care about dancing hall, about catering and music. I planned every inch of my distinguish costume - I bought a mask (overpaid but gorgeous), I had watched many tutorials and I learnt to make a lovely braided updo, I even bought a pair of dance shoes. Everything was perfectly set in my detailed plan. But I forgot about one, quite important thing. A few hours before the ball I realised that I had forgotten about my dress. Beautiful, emerald green dress I bought a few months ago. It was too loose in waist and I was supposed to give it to my mum's friend to fit it. I was an urgent task because the dress was looking baggy on me. I started to panic. Thetime was short and I had no idea how to solve my problem.The safety pins were ineffective and my sewing skills were insufficient. Then I noticed that my mum had disappeared. My dress was missing too. But I didn't appreciate what my mother can do. After.. I don't know.. about twenty minutes she returned with the dress. It was fitting perfectly.. I asked her what had she done, but she didn't want to tell me. She is rather an overbearing personality so I gave up questioning her. I went for the ball and we were dancing up to the next day morning. It was fun but when I realise that was a near miss it gives me shivers.. This year my dress was the first thing I took care about ;)


Well.. I should get down to work now.. I don't want Febrary holidays to become a near miss too ;p

Far over the misty mountains cold..

I'm a film buff and during the holidays I've watched a few movies that were released recently. Among the others I've finally gone to the cinema to watch "The Hobbit". I simply love LOTR and I was really excited about new Tolkien movie. I was really curious how they directed Bilbo's story and I was not dissapointed ;)

I think it is one of the best films I've ever watched. Funny, full of MiddleEarth's atmosphere, absolutely captivating. People say that it is a film directed for the fans of Tolkien and that's true. These breathtaking landscapes of the Middle Earth,  haunting soundtrack, witty dialogues and colourful characters (hilarious dwarfs especially !) let the viewer to really take it in.

I watched it in 3d, 48 frames per second and honestly, I must say that it was worth the money I've paid ;) The special effects were technically and visually stunning. I really did immerse myself into it.  I felt like a Bilbo's fellow for a while ;)

I realise that my opinion about the film is a normal Tolkien-fan reaction, but I do recommend it. It is really enjoyable. And the only objection is that we must wait up to December to watch the sequel :(

To catch up..

Sorry for a such a loss of time. I haven't been writing since November, but I promise - I'll catch up with the others :p

In a nuit shell about last weeks:

- Christmas.. - it was absolutely one of the most beautiful moments I spent with my family this year. We were truly enjoying the time we were spending together. The atmosphere was great, almost unrealistic - we were singing carolls, taking walks in a snow-covered forest, enjoying presents and laughing all days.

- New Year's Eve.. - I was celebrating it with my friends. We were dancing up to 6 a.m. Quite tiring, but really exciting ;)

- Right now.. - swotting, swotting, swotting... :/

November

The weather is awful. I don't like November - it's such a sad month... There is only one person who managed to show me its cold beauty and convinced me to admired it - L.M. Montgomery.  I've just read her book called "The blue Castle" and these few lines about November changed my attitude.. :)

November--with uncanny witchery in its changed trees. With murky
red sunsets flaming in smoky crimson behind the westering hills.
With dear days when the austere woods were beautiful and gracious
in a dignified serenity of folded hands and closed eyes--days full
of a fine, pale sunshine that sifted through the late, leafless
gold of the juniper-trees and glimmered among the grey beeches,
lighting up evergreen banks of moss and washing the colonnades of
the pines. Days with a high-sprung sky of flawless turquoise.
Days when an exquisite melancholy seemed to hang over the landscape
and dream about the lake.  

All Saints' Day vs. Haloween

Many of my facebook-friends added a lot of new photos recently, which show them wearing dreadful costumes. Yes, it's famous Halloween. We all know this tradition from American movies ;) Well, as for me, I find it quite silly. People want to be "as cool" as Americans so they pretend to be a vampire or a werewolf or Joker from Dark Knight. It's not just a problem of costumes - there's something much more deeper.. I'm trying to understand why do people want to scare each other. It's like.. well.. It seems to be against nature. Ages ago people were struggling to deal with fear and know we are creating monsters just to 'feel the thrill', isn't it weird? Maybe I'm odd, but I have never even watched a horror movie, because I really don't like this feeling - being scared.  

Well, as for the tradition - it is great, but unfortunately it's not ours. We used to celebrate All Saint's Day on 1st November. Well yes, it's quite a sad day - we don't party, we don't drink - we are reminding of our relatives who have died. It's a vital element of Polish culture. Why should we abandon it?  

Routine..

I have still mud on my sneakers. Just think: I was on the beach yesterday.. I visited my friends who live in Wolin. I love this place so much :)
But today is Monday.. and I hate Mondays. Hello routine! I missed u, I truly did :]

Slava Ukraini!

I'm looking at my photos from Lviv right now.. just to cheer myself up.. ;) It was such a great time - the best part of my holidays actually. I went there with my two friends. We had no plans - we just wanted to spend that time together and have fun. So, we were sightseeing, spending money on our silly whims and each day we were dinning at other restaurant. I remember very well dinning at one, called 'Kryjivka'...

It's quite remarkable place because it refers to the Second World War and UPA and it looks just like a real partisan bunker. Finding the restaurant is pretty challenging because it is built underground. When we finally found the old wooden door and we knocked on it, an old man - a real stern guard, demanded a password. "Slava Ukraini!" we answered (thanks to the guidebook we were able to) and so, we were allowed to enter 'Kryjivka'. Everything inside refers to the UPA, old wooden tables, authentic photos of UPA soldiers on the walls, waiters dressed like partisans, mouth-watering Ukrainian dishes in military plates. I really enjoyed it - the atmosphere was great, my 'pielmieni' were delicious and the service was so nice although I'm Pole. Yes, I really did. Until I found in the menu a duck in cherry sauce - a dish called 'Tupolew' for 24 hryvnyas...