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Monday, August 3, 2015

July wrap up

Movies

I have watched three new movies this month.

Wild - I would never decide to go on my own on such a trip Jane decided to go. The movie is based on a book that I haven't read so I cannot compare. However, I found this movie interesting and very well made. It is slow paced story of a trekking trip that forces Jane to rethink her life. We get to see short snapshots of her life that very well explain why she needed such a long and difficult walk to reboot her life.

Ida - very good movie (won the 2015 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film) set in 1962 in a communistic Poland where talking about what happened to Jews during the World War II was a taboo topic. Anna, a young woman on the verge of taking vows as a Catholic nun, is sent to meet her aunt the former Communist prosecutor. When Anna learns her parents were Jews, the two women embark on a road trip to rediscover what have happened to their relatives not so long ago during Nazi occupation. Often we hear how people were helping each other even it meant risking their own safety but war is not an easy time and not everyone was heroic. Some people committed crimes sometimes on their neighbors and this movie touches upon this difficult subject.

Minions - good entertainment but it is not as good as Despicable Me or Despicable Me 2. It gives a background story where Minions come from and well as always they pretty cute and funny ;)

The Equalizer - very cool but very brutal. It is not something that I would normally watch.

Books

I have started a new series which is probably a biggest mistake taking into account my tight study schedule but well it is too late now so let me review what I have read so far from a fantasy Throne of Glass books series. The protagonist Celaena will slaughter a lot of people on her way so if you have any anger buried deep inside of you these books might be quite soothing to read ;) There is also loads of action and adventures. Series so far introduces a lot of romance plots that at moments stay at the level of a typical chick lit but I do not mind it. I find these series very entertaining.

Btw.: if you plan to dive into this series then please start with The Assassin's Blade.



Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas - I have read it during one day/night I couldn't force myself to put it down. I went to bed first at 5am. It was very good read. Celaena, the main character, is an assassin. She gets an opportunity to take part in a king's competition and since she doesn't have any better option she takes it. As a story evolves we are slowly getting to know her. Smart young kick-ass girl as for me a very likable character.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas - The king's castle is full of mysteries, dark shadows and magic. Celaena stands in front of new challenges and love, friendship and fate create dramatic plot. We discover secrets about Celaena that definitely encourage to read the next book Heir of Fire...

Travel

I have visited my hometown Szczecin, Poland and I have spent there two lovely weeks with my parents.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

summer diet

Summer is the best time to try to add to a diet more fruits and vegetables. I have so far conducted and up-taken few "food projects".

Strawberry Jam

Just like last year I have made strawberry marmalades. It was a whole day project. I woke up early and went out of town where the strawberry fields are. My parents in law have a friend that owns some of those fields and we were allowed to pick up as many strawberries as we want to. After whole day of cooking I have made 6 jars of jam and two jars of pancake syrup. They won't last long but as long as they will they will make me happy and proud.



Smoothies

I have started making based on milk or juice smoothies. I make them room temperature or 4 degrees if I make too much and I need to put it to a fridge. I store them in body-builder gym shakers but I remove the grating from it. For those that are not gym freaks or do not live with one, what I use is just a cup with a cover so one can shake it before drinking in case the smoothie has separated.

I have started making juice based smoothies to increase my vegetable intake. I do not like to eat salad and fresh spinach, it is not that I do not like the taste (they do not have much of it) but I am slow chewer and I always have an impression that I use way more energy to chew spinach or salad than the energy/calories they provide me with... Anyway, I really like it in juices. I do not follow any specific recipes I just throw what I have with some thought behind it of course. Until now I have 100% success, meaning that all of my mixtures were drinkable :)
 One of my smoothies contained: beets, spinach, squash, orange juice (as a base), frozen pineapple-papaya mix, algae powder and lemon juice.



Milk (I use milk alternatives as almond, rice, soya, etc. milks because I am lactose intolerant) smoothies are my way of preparing fast breakfasts. Here is an example: soya milk, oats, nuts (only if your mixer is strong), banana, lime juice, frozen pineapple-papaya mix, flaxseeds, chia seeds, blueberries, strawberries, and I poured it to a bowl to be able to top it with some honey puffs and eat with a spoon.

Jelly

Jelly with fruit is a great dessert for hot summer days and also rainy gray days ;) (it seems like summer will not come to northern Europe this year).

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

June wrap up

Books

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski - already half way through this book I had to order the next part of this trilogy. This book paralyzed my life for 2 days. The book is inspired by the Greco-Roman period after Rome had conquered and enslaved Greece. Kestrel is a general's daughter in a vast Valorian empire. One day she buys Arin a Herrani slave. Kestrel pity slaves as Arin, Arin hates Valorians. It is very well paced book, with good action, nice dialogs, emotional and mind games between two young people that had to play grown ups because of being born in uneasy war times.
...
I was a free person until the second book The Winner's Crime has arrived.
...
The Winners's Crime by Marie Rutkoski - I really liked it and I wish I didn't have to wait a whole year for the last book of the trilogy The Winners's Kiss to be published (spring 2016). This fantasy romance, probably aimed for younger readers than me (but I do not care ;)), is just beautiful. I like that the choices are difficult for Kestrel and Arin, and how much they are afraid to trust each other despite the love between them. Although living in emperor palace Kestrel is desperately trying to stay true to herself but she knows the price of the smallest mistake and she is being watched very very carefully.



Love Letters by Katie Fforde - it is fine chick lit. Characters are likable and they develop thought the book. It is about romance between Laura and Dermot. Since Laura is a bookaholic organizing a literary festival and Dermot is an Irish most famous living writer whole book plot is placed in literary atmosphere. It wasn't very informative book but still I guessed I learned something about book industry. The only think is that "the truth" is so obvious that at some point stubbornness of the female protagonist towards Dermot is a bit tiresome. It is forgivable mostly because romance is some how a side part of the career progress that Laura's goes through. All in all, it was an entertaining read but it definitely won't go on a list of my favorite chick lit books.

Movies

While We're Young - it is good movie but I am not sure what type of movie it is. It is not a romantic comedy that I was hoping for, it wasn't an action movie that is my favorite to watch... It was a movie that discuss some issues from different perspectives and introduces interesting characters... I have enjoyed watching it but I had a weird feeling in the end that it was a bit about nothing. If one likes one could probably discuss it and analyze human behavior in it for very long time and have some interesting conversations about growing up, getting old, being young, getting kids,... The movie touched a lot of life stuff, it didn't fully discuss any. I wouldn't recommend it to myself.

Jurassic World - it definitely was entertaining. I am normally quite forgiving when it comes to movies. For me if there is good action or adventure, a bit of sense of humor an romance it is enough. However, the way Claire Dearing release a Jurassic Park veteran Tyrannosaurus Rex to fight the genetically modified dinosaur Indominus Rex is too silly. I still liked the movie but I think comparing how well they did with having a bit of science and psychology in the movie this scene is disappointing. Btw. Chris Pratt as Owen the raptor trainer was really good.

Travel

I have spend the last weekend of June in Warsaw, Poland. Warsaw offers all that big city should but still is very affordable destination comparing to other capitals in Europe. It has a lot of historical sites and beautiful parks.


Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Food allergies while traveling


I have just come back from Japan. I have allergy to and intolerance of milk products. Mostly when I travel it is not a problem to communicate my issue in restaurants or hotels but there are places where English is not very common. 

What have I learnt during my trip in Japan is that our allergies don't have to limit our food experience during our holidays and for sure they should't limit our traveling destination choices. 


What I did and what totally worked for me in Japan is that I had dozen of small cards with written in English and Japanese that I am allergic to dairy products. Whenever I had a doubt if the dish I want is fried on butter or has milk in it and people wouldn't be very fluent in English I would just show them my card and point on a dish of my interest.

It worked perfectly. I kept them in my bag, wallet and most of my pockets so that they were always handy.

If you do not want to make such a cards yourself there are web pages where one can print them from, for example those I took to Japan are from justhungry.com.

In Japan there are places where you can easily communicate in English as from my experience very often English skills are quite basic and as it is just enough for simple practical touristic issues (like directions, shopping, etc.) I wouldn't recommend to rely on it when it comes to allergies. 

Such  cards will work in any country that English is not a first or a second language. 
I highly recommend to each time you travel print them and keep them handy. Maybe you won't need it but maybe it will save your mood each time you in a restaurant.

 Happy Holidays ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Niedawno byÅ‚am w Japonii. Mam alergiÄ™ na i nietolerancjÄ™ produktów mlecznych. Przeważnie podczas podróży nie mam problemów by powiadomić w restauracji czy w hotelu  o moim problemie, ale sÄ… miejsca, w których angielski nie jest powszechny.

Podczas mojej podróży po Japonii przekonaÅ‚am siÄ™ Å¼e nasze alergie nie koniecznie muszÄ… nas ograniczać.

MiaÅ‚em kilkanaÅ›cie maÅ‚ych karteczek z napisanym w jÄ™zyku angielskim i japoÅ„skim, że jestem uczulona na produkty mleczne. Ilekroć miaÅ‚am wÄ…tpliwoÅ›ci, czy dane danie smażone byÅ‚o na maÅ›le lub na mleku i ludzie nie byli za bardzo biegli w jÄ™zyku angielskim to pokazywaÅ‚am im mojÄ… karteczkÄ™ i wskazywaÅ‚am na danie.

To działało idealnie. Trzymałam karteczki w mojej torbie, portfelu i większość moich kieszeni, tak aby zawsze były pod ręką.

Istnieją strony internetowe, gdzie można je wydrukować na przykład moje które miałam w Japonii są z justhungry.com.

W Japonii sÄ… miejsca, gdzie jÄ™zyk angielski wystarczy, ale nie wszÄ™dzie. JeÅ›li chodzi o alergie to lepiej być pewnym ze zostaÅ‚o siÄ™ prawidÅ‚owo zrozumianym.

Wydaje mi siÄ™ Å¼e takie karteczki bÄ™dÄ… dziaÅ‚ać w każdym kraju gdzie angielski nie jest pierwszym lub drugim jÄ™zykiem.


 Udanych Wakacji ;)

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

one day in traditional Japanese kimono



While traveling in Japan I have visited Kyoto. Kyoto is a fantastic city with infectious cultural vibe. People even from Japan go there to experience Japanese traditions. One way of letting oneself immerse completely in the culture is of course to wear traditional clothes, in this case it is of course a kimono.


I have rented kimono for a whole day and got a bit of makeup and hairstyle done to create a coherent look.
I wasn't alone. Kyoto is a city filled with people wearing kimonos. It was a great experience and brought me closer to people around me.
I am glad I did it.


Kimono is still worn to special occasions like weddings, birthdays, etc.

May wrap up

Travel

With my husband we went to visit my friend from high school near London, England. Since I have been not once in London before we haven't done much of sightseeing except of a trip to Stonehenge and Cambridge.


I went to Japan for my honeymoon and it was amazing! :) I visited Kamikochi mountains, full of culture Kyoto, and breathtaking Tokyo. I hope to write some more about Japan in separate posts.

Books

Firefight by Brandon Sanderson - fantastic sequel to Steelheart. A bit slower in pace than Steelheart but every page is worth reading because of final "battle". Sanderson is amazing writer and he created very rich universe. In Firefight he is expanding the universe, introducing a lot of new characters and the only sad part is that the next book Calamity is coming in a year time, and trust me when you get to the end of Firefight a year to wait for more will seem like eternity.

Your Fathers, where are they? and the Prophets, do they live forever? by Dave Eggers - I loved this book. It is a fast read, written only with dialogs.  It is about desperate man searching answers about his country (US) in a very extraordinary way. Very tense, well paced book.

Movies

I watched a lot of movies this month. It was my holiday month, and I had two 11h long flights during which at least for me it is pretty hard to sleep. All in all, I feel a bit excused ;)




Far from the madding crowd - I haven't expected much from this movie but I actually think it was good. Soundtrack is very nice and pictures are beautiful. Story is interesting and I am really looking forward to read the book one day to get to know the characters a bit more. I find man-woman interactions from nineteenth century very interesting. The story is settled in the British countryside and follows a "relationship" of Gabriel Oak a young shepherd with a loan and leased farm and Bathsheba Everdene a proud beauty who arrives to live with her aunt. Gabriel falls in love with Bathsheba but when he makes her an unadorned offer of marriage, she refuses. When next they meet, their circumstances have changed drastically. An inexperienced new sheepdog drove Gabriel's flock over a cliff, and after settling all his debts he emerged penniless. On the other hand, Bathsheba has recently inherited her uncle's estate and is now wealthy...

Ex machina - movie about survival and intelligence. Artificial Intelligence versus humans in a very basic set up of a house in a mountains. Very disturbing movie and that is why I loved it.

Still Alice - beautiful story about alzheimer's disease. How it is when you define yourself through your intelligence and richness of your language skills and suddenly your memory do not work and you cannot express yourself anymore. From being one of most bright people an independent woman Alice becomes sloppy, forgetful, dependent on others. This movie is very touching.

The signal - it is not too bad teenage movie. The idea is interesting and I guess it was shown as good as they could taking into account it is a low budget production. I liked the little mind games played in the movie. Anyway, movies about research mostly appeal to me.

Epic - family movie, I liked it. It is a sweet story about civilization of little people that move much faster than we do therefore we cannot see them.

Big Eyes - very interesting movie based on true story of a painter Margaret Keane. I liked it a lot.

Mad Max - crazy, violet but really cool. I haven't seen the old one with Mel Gibson so I have no comparison. But this one is very entertaining and I liked it a lot. As far as I know it is a trilogy so there is at least two more movies to come in this anti-utopian universe.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron - as always Avengers are very entertaining to watch. Movie is full of action, and the action movie type of sense of humor, that I personally really like.

Tomorrowland - very inspiring Walt Disney movie. I loved it! The better world demands smart people that do not give up and want to make a difference. I thought it was uplifting but I guess one can also feel depressed afterwards. In the end, it is a movie about utopia.

Monday, May 4, 2015

April wrap up

Book

Mitosis (1.5 in Reckoners series) by Brandon Sanderson - I loved this novella but it was way to short for my liking. Anyway, fight of humans against Epics started with Steelheart (1.0 in Reckoners series). This time David and Reckoners are fighting Mitosis, and eating Chicago hot-dogs. As in previous book there was action and good sense of humor. However, this book is just a teaser of what is going to happen in Firefight (2.0 in Reckoners series). 

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion- very good and funny book. I would start first from Rosie Project which is very funny comedy about very calculated, organized and not emotionally driven guy that has to realize that he fallen in love. Rosie effect is a continuation of his relationship struggle but with new project BUD - baby under development. I recommend it to anyone who is expecting a baby, but I would especially recommend it to nerds like me who has no logical thinking problems but find social interactions challenging or unnecessary (to smaller or bigger extend) ;)


Movie

Duff - this movie is very overrated. It is funny enough but really not my cup of tea. But then again, maybe I am just too old ;)

Is this really the only movie I saw this month?! I guess I had been busy with life stuff ;)


Life Event


Photo taken by tmx studio.

I've got married and I am having the best time of my life! I am infinitely happy! Wedding party went very well and guests seemed to have a lot of fun.


Travel

I have visited Poland since my wedding took place there. I have done a little road trip and train trip to see as much as possible with my guests. Before wedding we visited Gdansk the capital of amber, and the Malbork castle from year 1406. 




Then we went to Szczecin where my wedding was organized. I haven't done much of sightseeing because I had to take care of my look. My nails, skin and so on needed a bit of extra care from specialist to assure that I will look my best during the wedding day ;)

After celebration we took a night train to Krakow, which is beautiful city with a lot of monuments and history. I highly recommend following restaurants: Pod Aniolami, Wesele, and Starka (here you need to order some vodka shots because they have many different homemade flavors) food and atmosphere is just fantastic in those places. It wasn't my first time in Krakow but those restaurants are on my must visit list each time since I tried it last summer ;)




I have also gone to Auschwitz, and Birkenau (near Krakow) to reflect on human race. I think everyone should see it and understand how unacceptably cruel was what happened there. There is no words that can describe it. You walk around thinking how to describe and then it becomes obvious why one of the prisoners who survived invented a new word to describe it - holocaust. It was an important experience for me because when we discussed it during history lessons at school I think I was too young to understand it as something that really happened, that happened not so long ago. On cruelty in ancient times we can look as believe that humans have changed since then, but can we really claim it with something that happened 70 years ago?




Near Krakow there is also an old salt mine Wieliczka. The salt exploration on this territory started already 3000 years BC. At the turn of XII and XII centuries AC they began to drill deeper wells. It is a nice and very impressive place to visit. There is also a Saint Kinga's of Poland Chapel which is the worlds biggest underground temple. It is 101 meters (331 feet) below the surface.


Inspiration

Emmy Noether - I do not want to write a lot. I am just mentioning her because for some reason I have always assumed  that a man invented the Noether’s theorem, which you come across all the time in physics. I was wrong and the truth blew my mind. Emmy was  an extraordinary lady and I am so happy I got to know a bit about her and her mathematical contributions to science.


Video/Music

Started as a Baby by Jon Lajoie - this rap song made it very difficult for me to stay quiet in silent zone in train I was taking form Copenhagen to Odense. This is just too funny. But if you weren't a baby you wouldn't understand. Thus, it is only for those that started as a baby ;)