October 2020

This month I woke up to life in COVID-19 risk area. I am approaching new flu/covid-19 season already energy depleted, as my life has already been for a while simple and as isolated as sanity allowed.

However, this month ended with a little baby being born and expanding my family with love and joy. It is a sweet distraction from all that is happening in the world.

BOOKS

'Women Don't Own You Pretty' by Florence Given

This book is full of well observed social gender problems and practical tips. Florence Given come across as smart and passionate but at moments a bit too intense as for me. She talks a lot about self development in the context of sexuality and relationships which I enjoyed. Totally agree one should not pretend to be less just to protect ones partner's ego or altering oneself to satisfy omni existent male gaze criteria. However, she seems to advice finding prince/princess perfect that will love one the way one is since one is so perfect... It is an aspect I disagree with her about and would like to comment on. If you search for a partner find someone with who you agree on most important to you aspects and with who you can grow and keep becoming better and better version of yourself while watching them doing just the same for themselves. We are all humans in making. 

'Reboot' by Jerry 

First of all it is business book about spiritual growth needed to succeed in the highest positions in the corporation ladder or as a business owner. Jerry' style of writing is tiny bit too spiritual for me but his metaphorical approach softens truths and they easier to swallow. Also, because not being hard core psychological it is easier to go through (than other book I am currently chewing) and do a bit of journaling without getting constantly too deep into problems from the past (that is emotionally draining, and one can do only that much at a time).

I plan to write a separate post based on this book: 'There is no path... deal with it' (one day when my brain will wiggle itself out of dipper issues). 

'Big Magic' by Elizabeth Gilbert

Elizabeth's TED talk about inspiration and creativity is one of my favorite TED talks. This book is an expansion of the thoughts she shared there. This book is precious to me as I am striving to go back to more creative way of living. This book is filled with wisdom and I can only recommend it.

'All my friends are superheroes' by Andrew Kaufman

It is a cute short love story. Sens of humor there is totally to my taste and I enjoyed reading it.

May Wrap-Up

Life Events

Defended my thesis and got a top grade! Now I am officially a cosmologist!

Together with my husband and my family we celebrated one year of my marriage by eating a piece of wedding cake that we preserved in the freezer for that occasion specifically (Danish tradition).

Books

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas - I enjoyed it.

Man in the Dark by Paul Auster - really good read.

The First Three Minutes by Steven Weinberg - a classic popular science book in cosmology. Since it is from 19.. It is a bit outdated but it is still a delightful book to read.

Cruel Crown by Victoria Aveyard - two novellas Queen Song and Steel Scars as s prequel to Red Queen series. Both stories had potential that in my opinion hasn't been explored. I like the concept and ideas Victoria is presenting in those stories but I lack in depth description and dimensionality of characters. We are being informed that the heroines are interesting and unique personalities but we get to know way too little about them to really believe that it is true. 

Movies

I watched obscenely many movies on youtube. Here is a few that I saw first time:

Not Another Teen Movie - horrible but might squeeze from you few cheap joke provoked laughs.

What's your number? - funny enough if you really have nothing else to watch or if you want to watch Chris Evans playing a charmer.

The Switch - bearable.

The Accidental Husband - sweet and funny enough.

Hot Pursuit - funny enough. 

The Prince and Me - I thought it was funny and sweet but I am biased because I like one particular Danish man a lot ;)

Bad Teacher - horrible movie but it has a moment when the teacher played by Cameron Diaz checks tests of her pupils and probably most people who ever were checking tests/homeworks/exams will find it funny!

I also saw:

Money Monster - pretty good.

The Dressmaker - I liked it a lot. If you liked movie Chocolate then this one has a bit similar vibe, maybe a bit more dark.

The Intern - nice movie to watch with family excluding kids (they might not find it very interesting)

Deadpool - it was totally different form what I expected. At first I really didn't like it and couldn't understand why people loved it so much but in the end I got used to the format it was made and my final conclusion is that if I see it again I probably like it a bit more.

Travel

Keukenhof flower garden - spring garden. I was very lucky to have spectacular spring weather! It was a very nice bike trip :)

The first weekend of May I have biked to Scheveningen beach and Katwijk beach because it was truly "summerish" weekend. Together with the trip to Keukenhof I have made 90 km on bike in four days!

Delft - engineering town of Netherlands ;)

October

Books

10 billion by Stephen Emmott - very depressing book. It hasn't received the best reviews and has been very criticized for not being precise enough when it comes to numbers and data that it refers to. I do not have time to play a Sherlock Holmes myself. Therefore, I have decided to assume that the author probably made some mistakes and that he has a bias opinion. He himself admits that he is a bit on a pessimistic site when it comes to a view on a situation of humanity and on what is going to happen next to our planet. Regardless, I think it was very important book, it is loaded with information and there is nothing to like about future author presents but I think it is a healthy alternative to ignorance and non scientific optimism.

Introduction to Quantum Field Theory by Maggiore - I am not going to describe details. It is an academic book meant for two semester course. I read it in 4 days so you can imagine a headache I had in the end. Regardless, I think it is not the best book for self study because it skips a lot of details.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline - very cool book. I am not really a geek and I loved it, I cannot imagine how much geeks love it. This book is a science fiction, fantasy and adventure in one. It is about growing up, about how our world could be in 30 years. It is full of action book that go through enormous amount of references to 80s. Geeks were born in 70s this is a must read for you!

The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow - I really enjoyed this book. Nicely written book about limitations of science and philosophical methods of dealing with it.

Movies/Shows

The Lobster - it is a very very weird movie. I guess one of most surprising and interesting I have ever seen. It is an anti-utopian love story that will shock you, and about some things you might laugh first when you leave the cinema ;)

The Martian - very good movie but unfortunately not nearly as good as the book. I am saying mostly because movie didn't manage to show how dangerous was the situation of Mark left on Mars on his own. In a movie it seemed way too easy. I was entertained but I would say book is a must whereas movie you can watch if you want to but you don't have to. For me Interstellar was better as a movie, but book The Martian is incomparable to anything because it is absolutely fantastic.

The Maze Runner II - number one was a better movie. This one is not as well rounded and balanced because we get so many new characters and so many turns of action that it is hard to care and fill in in their situation. I sill was entertained but I even stronger regret not having read the books.

The Voice - I have lost one day of my life to watch this program from USA, UK and Poland. It is a great show, funny and so pleasant.

Food

Jujube fruit - is kinda like an apple but very little, and has a stone in the middle. It is a first time I have tried this fruit but it stole my heart. Apparently if one lets it dry it will taste like a date.

Travel

Strasbourg, France - I have spend there almost whole month visiting my husband. I was very proud of myself because I managed to limit myself to manageable amount of luggage.

Paris, France - for the long weekend of October which was also the last weekend of the month me and my husband went to Paris. We have spend there four days. These were my last days in France before going back to Denmark. It was wonderful. Paris is great but we also were very lucky and it was warm and sunny.

Versailles, Paris - I also went on a bike trip to see one of the most famous palaces.

September update

Movies

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - it is a very nice movie. Great music, good sense of humor, handsome men, sweet romance, action and a spy vibe that I love. I definitely recommend it, especially for those that love James Bond or Mission Impossible type of movies.

No escape - The movie is about American Dwyer family in an unnamed Asian country that borders with Vietnam. They find themselves in the middle of a very violent coup where rebels mercilessly attack the city. Rebels attack anyone that do not support them but also they are hunting down foreigners. They fight against the government that allows the foreign corporation investments to take control over main resources of the country. Dwyer's are trying to survive and that is the only theme of the movie.
It was brutal and intense movie. It doesn't have much story or depth, therefore, I think it leaves a lot of space for personal interpretation. Some will find it xenophobic but I despite a lot of shortcomings of the movie found it interesting enough because it made me think about how our complex world runs. I do not recommend it.

Pawn Sacrifice - great movie about Bobby Fisher, his brilliance and his obsessions. It shows power and shortcomings of our mind. It shows a sacrifice and hard work behind success. I really liked it, and I highly recommend it.

Books

The Martian by Andy Weir- it is amazing book and I am waiting like crazy person for the movie adaptation that is coming to theaters this November. This story is technical enough to satisfy nerds like me, but it is a wonderful story of a man with very strong will to survive and of course fantastic sense of humor. I loved it and I recommend it very very much!

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas - I read some negative reviews and I was a bit afraid that I will be disappointed but I am NOT!


Life/Events

I was probably not the only one who haven't slept whole night from 27th September to 28th September to see an eclipse.

I have tried to spend as much time in the garden as possible and enjoy the last warm days of this year. There is just nothing better than being surrounded by peaceful nature while reading a book or an article.

September it is also an Apple Pie time, so together with my mother in law we baked a pie from the apples from her garden. It turned out absolutely delicious.

August update

Books

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas - this book contains five novellas that should be treated as a prequel to The Throne of Glass series. First two novellas are ok. Third novella is a bit slow but ending definitely compensate patience. The last two are the best because of amount of action that take place there. It was nice to get to know Celaena a bit more and also read about her and Sam. I just wish I have read these novellas before the firsts two books in the series. Other than that, I have enjoyed the read.

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas - this is a third book in The Throne of Glass series. It is divided into two parts and we follow three separated stories. One of Celaena in Wendlyn land getting her training by Rowan. One taking place in the king's palace in Rifthold where we are following Chaol and prince Dorian. And one about Blackbeak witch Manon and other witches who have to learn how to fly wyverns. I liked two first books in this series but this one is better. The world is getting broader and reacher and there is some much more of adventure and action. We already know some of the characters but there are also very interesting new once introduced. It ends the way that I am grateful that the fourth book is coming out first on 1st of September 2015 (written on 10th August 2015) otherwise I would have to devote another bunch of hours to find out what is going to happen next ;)

The Embassy of Cambodia by Zadie Smith - it is a short novella about Fatou, domestic servant in London near The Embassy of Cambodia. Through small ordinary events we are getting to know hardship she ran away from and hardship she is having now. This book made me feel emotional and lucky. I highly recommend this story. It is a first book of Zadie Smith that I have read and I will definitely reach for her other stories.

Let's explore diabetes with owls by David Sedaris - it is a book consisting of short stories written by an American comedian. Some of the stories are really funny, some are disturbing, some are very provocative. I think the sense of humor is quite rude and it might not be everyones cup of cake. I could handle it most of the time but sometimes I really had to put it down and wait some time to continue reading. I've got intrigued enough that I consider reading another book by this author.

Movies

Ant-man - is awesome! Very funny, I laughed a lot and very well paced without being overloaded with action. There is a plot and I think overall it is a more rounded movie than other movies in the super-hero gender are as for example Avengers (although I am a big fan of them anyway). I think it could be enjoyed by broader group of audience. It is a bit like The Amazing Spider Man but not as dramatic as The Amazing Spider Man 2. It has a bit of National Treasure with Nicolas Cage vibe, anyway I highly recommend it.

Mission Impossible 5: Rogue Nation - has very good reviews so even that until now I haven't been so much into MI movies I went to see it. It is very good. Definitely the best MI movie until now. It is a filled with action lovely classical spy movie, so funny at moments that you will make you laugh out laud. Plot is interesting, car/motor racing is impressive and the female character Ilsa Faust is surprisingly very well made. She is pretty but her look is kept very natural, she is young (31) but not eighteen and she is quite convincing as an intelligent agent. I was pretty impressed when I read that Rebecca Ferguson that played Ilsa did actually all stunts herself what explains that she did look fit enough to be an agent. This movie left me in a very good mood and I have to say that I hope that Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames and Rebecca Ferguson will join Tom Cruise on his 6th Mission Impossible that was announced to start its production in 2016, because they did create a team comparable in "awesomeness" factor even to Avengers.

Travel

I have gone for a short road trip: Denmark-Germany-France.

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.

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.

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.

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 ;)

March wrap up

Well this was definitely getting ready to wedding month. I am getting married in few days and I am very happy. It was a lot of preparations but I hope our guests and we will have a blast :)

Book

Stealheart Brandon Sanderson - It is an awesome superhero or actually antihero action book. This anti-utopian story is very well paced, and have a nice plot twist. I've really enjoy it. It gives a bit of things to think through. People get superpowers and instead of becoming heroes they become villains. New gifts attenuate in them human nature. I already have second book - Firefight. However, there is 1.5 book Mitosis so obviously I am planning to buy and read this one before getting into Firefight, which I heard is even better than Steelheart.

The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald - I think I've managed to get through it only because I saw movie (which I liked). It is classic story, so worth reading/knowing it but I enjoy it. It is written as a memory so there are a lot of details of the story that we do not know because guy that tells the story do not know. I am glad I am done with it.

Breakfast at Tiffany's Truman Capote - I did not like the main heroine Holly Golightly, so it made it difficult for me to enjoy this story. I am generally not into stories like Pretty Woman. Which goes something like that; an intelligent, handsome and successful man falls in love with an undereducated, churlish, ill-mannered lady of easy virtue. I just cannot believe it could ever happen and if it did then the guy is probably far away from being desirable in my eyes. This story is a bit different but still Holly is not a person I could or would like to ever identify myself with.

Fifty Shades of Darker E L James - It is a second book in "Fifty Shades" trilogy. It is ok. Maybe slightly better that the first book. My fiancé says it is crazy that it take 1000 pages to cover 4 weeks of cheesy romance. I guess he is right, but ten again it is easy read, funny enough and I already know and like enough main characters. I think story gives very shallow character description and dialogs are poor. It seems like Ana and Christian could have way more to talk about but we never get any proper sample. I am probably going to read third book since I already have it and it is not so bad story to abandon it.

Movies

Kingsman - I liked it. Fun movie with a lot of action is my type of entertainment.

Whiplash - Very good movie. Fantastic music. About working hard, about limits, about morals... I think it is a must see!

Cinderella - I do not like Pretty Woman, but I do like Cinderella. I think it has a good message. That being good, brave and educated is a huge value and it will shine from with you.

Jiro dreams of sushi - it is a documentary movie about Jiro who is one of the best cooks in the world. He makes sushi and he makes it well. It is about his strict working morals about his life philosophy and about his dedication to improve his skills every single day. Very inspiring.

February wrap up

This was a very short month, wasn't it?

I have signed my master thesis contract and from March 1st I have one year to work on Effective Quantum Field Theory of Dark Energy and Inflation. I am excited!

Other than that, I am spending most of my free time on wedding preparation.

Books

"Brida" Paolo Coelho - lovely book about taking a risk of following your heart and using your talents. It is an inspiring read.

"50 Shades of Grey" - in my opinion not as scandalous as it is proclaimed. Mr. Grey is definitely abusive, but Ana agrees on things he does to her even she do not have to. Language is very colloquial but it doesn't bother me so much since english is not my native language. It ends in a way that you need to immediately start on the second book "50 Shades Darker", and that is what I am reading now.

Movies

"Imitation Game" - what a story! Mathematics skills is a great power.

I am almost sure I have watched more than one movie but I do not remember?!

I have checked my movie theater membership account and I found out that I also saw Jupiter Ascending :)

Travel

I have spend my "Valentine's Weekend" in Copenhagen with my fiancé, his family, and our friend.

 I have spend 10 last days of February in Szczecin, Poland.

On my way to Poland I have visited for few hours Berlin just to go to PRIMARK and buy some cheap basics t-shirts. 

In Szczecin I stayed with my family. I was taking care of my health and well being while running around like crazy to finalize some things regarding my upcoming wedding. I also had my bachelorette party which was a cosy evening mainly with one awesome friend.

December/January wrap-up

YouTube

Definitely Supersymmetry lectures by Fernando Quevedo became my lifesaver in December while writing report about my individual study of Supersymmetry. Lectures are awesome but the guy that was responsible for recording it has a big minus from me! There is a lot of excellent material lost! And that is very very sad! Nevertheless, those lectures are worth watching if you want to supplement any book in Supersymmetry. Especially if you do self study.

Book

"How to teach quantum physics to your dog" by Chad Orzel. It is well written, lightly funny book about physics that you can read instead of romance, and one day might become very handy if you will find yourself trying to explain quantum mechanics to your kids. I've bought it online as a Christmas gift to my fiance but couldn't control myself and read a bit the moment it arrived ;)

"Howl's moving castle" by Diana Wynne Jones is a fantasy book full of magic. It is about finding courage of seeking your fortune. About going on life adventure and becoming stronger and more aware of your own gifts and talents. Loved it and I have already bought two other books in this trilogy.

Music

have discovered two artists:

Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud
- Lego House
- Don't

and
Mark Ronson - Uptown Funk tf. Bruno Mars

I have enjoyed:

Kiesza - Hideaway, MAGIC! - Rude, and Sia - Chandelier

And went back to some old tracks from 2013:
John Newman - Love me again; Pharrell Williams - Happy; Lorde - Royals.


Food

Chocolate cake from Wendorff :) There are no words that can describe how much I love this cake. And it is dairy-free!! LOVE IT!! I could it it all on my own but have to share because my fiance likes it too.


Event

Christmas Eve I have spend with my danish family. It was full of great food, joy of unpacking presents and fun while dancing around the Christmas tree.

I went to Szklarska Poreba in Poland with my fiance, parents, brother and his girlfriend. I have learnt some cross country skiing - it is great workout and I think on easy trails as those in Jakuszyce near Szklarska Poreba even those that do not exercise frequently can have a lot of fun. It is always good to take a lesson or two to learn some technique. That is what I did and I found it useful.

I have visited Norway to attend a Graduate Winter School in Theoretical Physics, but I also tried Norwegian cross-country skiing. I have to say one thing about my cross-country experience there -  you cannot be a beginner in Norway. I would recommend taking some downhill lessons before you go on any trail there - just saying ;) My ankle still aches ;)


Word

Bae in Danish is a word for poop. But some people on the internet use it thinking it means baby, sweetie etc ;)


Game

"Astronauts" - card game, highly addictive, competitive - I love it! During my stay in Poland we played it everyday after skiing ;) It is about going into space and then to get points for your excursion you need to come back safely home. There is a bit of strategy and luck (dice) involved.


Movie

I have finally saw "Frozen" and I really liked it.

"American sniper" is a good movie, especially if you an ignorant like me and go to see it without knowing it is a story based on facts.

"Big Hero 6" - is fantastic! It is Disney at its best, funny and touching movie.

"Birdman" - it is not an superhero/action movie! But it is interesting and good movie, about crises when your career peak is over. It probably is even more entertaining for people from movie/theater industry because it shows perks of that work.


Hope New Year 2015 is being Good to Everyone!

November Favorites

November has passed so fast that I almost haven't realized it was there. I am glad for that because if one do not make oneself very busy it is easy to get autumn blues.

MOVIE

I was waiting for this movie longer than sane people should wait for any movie... I saw it twice in theaters and I absolutely loved it!

I am of course talking about INTERSTELLAR.

Movie is full of physics, feelings and psychology.
It beautifully shows a sacrifice that great explorers must make to discover the unknown. Breathtaking.

And who cares that in the end they break a bit of laws of nature :p

BOOK

I was only reading science stuff this month... 
And I am not sure if I would recommend books I was reading to anyone...

Maybe let me put it that way:
if you ever would decide to get to know Supersymmetry (beautiful theory in physics, that tries to explain more than the Standard Model does) then do not start from "Supersymmetry and supergravity" by Wess and Bagger. It is a classic but unless you are math oriented it will be a nightmare to go through. 
I have decided to start from "Supersymmetry DeMYSTiFieD" by Patrick Labelle. It is much more useful that Quantum Field Theory from the same DeMYSTiFieD series, but I do not find it perfect...
Anyway...
Supersymmetry is worth the struggle but the struggle is definitely there ;P

MAKE-UP

Definitely a blush and eye-shadow from Body Shop that since I bought them I wear whenever I go out.
The Blush - 01 all-in-one cheek color shade: macaroon - my first blush in very long time and I like how it makes me look healthy and fresh. Not that I mind looking pale and sick but it is a nice change when going out :)
The Eyeshadow - 01 eye color shade: copper!
A very sweet shop assistant recommended it for my skin tone and I think he was right.
I wanted something that you can put on eye lids and it looks good without any effort.
My make up skills are very poor and making something like a smokey eye surpass them ...

Anyway, I think this eye shadow is very beautiful, it is easy to put on with basic brush and it adds a bit of glam to a natural look. Thank you Body Shop for releasing me from learning advanced make-up tricks that I would rarely use ;)

EVENT

I went with a surprise visit to my parents, because my mum had birthday!
I took a train.
I had a half a day in Berlin thanks to that trip. 

I took a long walk ... a bit longer than expected... to have a cup of coffee with a friend and then continued to my hometown Szczecin.

It was a perfect family time.
 It loaded my batteries with extra energy that still helps me to survive those grey, cold and windy fall days.

...

One day when I went out for a walk I smelled winter in the wind.
There is this bite in the air that one cannot ignore.
The winter has arrived!

Happy December everyone :)