J.D. is gone

On Tuesday 27th of January one of my favourite writers, J.D. Salinger, died in his house, at the age of 91.
To be honest, I could say - Well, it's okay, he was old. He died of natural causes. He hasn't published anything for many years, he decided to walk away from the busy, noisy, modern world and do not communicate with it.
But I feel a loss and I can't help it. Noone will replace him and his great works.
One ray of light - apparently there is a safe in his house, where Salinger kept at least 15 complete manuscripts... Will we able, after so many years, read something "new" by the legendary writer?

The Road

I saw this movie recently and I have to say that, although I was prepared for it to be dark, sad and grey (in the colours and in the mood), I didn't expect myself to be scared.
I haven't been terrified so much for a long time. And the source of my fear was the situation of the two main characters - will they survive another day, another night? Or will they be killed and - oh mother - eaten by other people?
The movie is definitely a vision of apocalypse. What is interesting is that the end of the world, although physically comes from outside (though we don't know exactly what happened to Earth), spiritually comes from the inside of human beings...
Human beings are the only creatures who can distinguish between right and wrong, who can make choices between good and bad. In extremely difficult situations these choices become tragic.
Because it's impossible to say what human's heart could hold inside, every stranger becomes an enemy. You cannot trust anyone anymore. Taking someone's hand equals risking own life. People are the source of fear, people are the source of death.
The battle for life of the father and the son is also a constant fight for the survival of humanity. The boy keeps on asking his father whether they are the "good guys". Does the road make any sense and where would it lead in the end if we are not carrying fire in us?

Cake

Yesterday one of my friends at work brought a cake which she made especially for us, to treat us because of her birthday. As I don't work in my permanent place currently (I moved to a different department for six months, for, let's say, internal internship), I came down during my break just to hear everyone begging me to try it. "There's something in it" I thought. And then I saw it:




Apparently the cake didn't look or taste like it's owner wanted it to be, but I wanted to be a good friend and I gave it a go...
It was okay. Edible. The taste was incerdibly unusual. But I guess I wouldn't have more than that one bite. It looked amazing as well, in a non-random way... I wish everyone put so much effort to treat their friends on because of birthday, no matter what the actual results of their work were! :)

Happiness

I found a very interesting article about happiness - precisely, about the activities that can help us to feel more happy. Even ten of them! So maybe it is worth trying something from the list?
The research shows that the surrounding world, the place and the conditions we live in, generally speaking - the circumstances of our lives - influence our level of happiness only in 10%. The most significant influence on our state of happiness have our genes, something we cannot do much about - 50%.
But the rest, 40%, is really up to us, because it depends on our actions, thoughts, this what we consciously say and do.
What is recommended to do to become happier? Building relationships with other people was put on the first place. Why? When we last for a long time in the same state, living in one place, doing the same work, even if at the beginning it was bringing us so much happiness, after a while we just get used to it and the level of excitement decreases... we simply get bored!
Whilst meeting new people, getting to know them, building relationships never makes us bored, because we cannot adapt to them. On the contrary - they would make us excited and happy.
I think it is really true, and someone who was lucky enough to have at least one true friend in their life or be close with their family, knows that I am right.


On the list with happiness-increasers there is also: meditation, reminiscing good memories, setting and being committed to goals, expressing gratitude, being simply kind to other people...

***

Interesting sentence (sentences, to be precise) I heard today. It goes more or less like this:

People who live with hope see everything further.
People who live with love see everything deeper.
People who live with faith see everything in a different light.

Finally

Now I feel I am civilized... Even my Mum said that now we can feel like in a real home... Simply - finally there is a sofa in our living room! No more sitting only by the desk or the table, on healthy but hard wooden chairs... Now it's comfort and relax time :) The sofa is not big, but it's cosy and comfy and has original jeansy look, and we love it :) It came with a happy red lamp and a small coffee table, so no wonder which place in the house is our favourite now ;)

Avatar

I have mixed feelings about this movie. On one hand, I don't really like Science Fiction or Fantasy movies. I mean, they are okay, but I prefer drama or comedy in the "real" world - these movies have higher probability to bring something more than just entertainment, laughter and pleasure on the "basic", let's say, level. Moreover, while watching "Avatar", with amazing graphics, stunning music, moral choices and important message, I knew exactly how this story was created and that it was supposed to thrill those, who would watch it. Simply saying - to manipulate their feelings.

But, on the other hand, I was watching this movie and, consciously, I was thrilled. I coudln't help myself. "Good job, Cameron" I thought after all. I was really surprised. "Avatar", of which I thought that it would be just a show of magical 3D animation and a simple story of a war between humans and aliens, turned out to be a movie far beyond my expectations. Well constructed story, characters, scenes... Obviously, this is a spectacular movie first of all, spectacular in the most common sense of this word. And I think this is what it was supposed to be. But, the great thing is that under this cover, if we reach deeper - if we only want to - we can experience a vision of the universal journey of every individual through life... I hope that the enthusiastic clapping during the credits was not only for the special effects! :)

"I see you" has now a new meaning. I won't be surprised if it is remembered by more than a small group of "Avatar" fans.

I whole-heartedly recommend.

And a trailer, as usual. And don't hesitate when going to the cinema - choose 3D version...

Surprise

Today during lunch I was having coffee in one of the coffee shops in the city centre. When I was getting ready to leave and go back to work, I heard a new song playing... And I had a feeling that it sounds very familiar. After a couple of seconds I knew already what it was, and how surprised I was! It was a Polish song, sung by a Polish artist. Well, actually the album, where the song is from, was the result of international cooperation, but hearing one of Polish singers singing in Polish in here... Very NOT random. And so nice :)

:(

I hate Mondays. Especially Mondays in January. Dark, cold, ugly. And I hate myself for hating Mondays as everyone else, instead of standing out of the crowd. I am not tired, I am lazy. And I am excellent at finding excuses not to go to the gym and etc...
Well, at least maybe I will spend some time on reading tonight...

Winter wonderland

Although the snow and the freezing cold make it difficult to commute - and sometimes even impossible - my mood is still up. I guess my hopes for better local coping with winter have grown a bit since we managed to get a train to another town today, and then travel by a tram there, and then come back, and even get a bus to the cinema and back :)
It was lovely travelling today in a warm, cosy, quiet train through the fields, hills and villages - magical winter wonderland! I wish I had a camera with me...
And when I was reading the news today about the real "wintery" winter in the whole Europe, I saw a picture taken in one of my favourite cities in the south of France... This is how Avignon looks like now - the city of sun :))

Snowed in

It is snowing. We are covered with whiteness, we are frozen, iced up... and nobody should be really surprised because, in the end, it's January, it's winter - the COLD time in a year...
But here it's quite different - people react weirdly. Some - most, actually - are happy when they see the snow, but after one or two days they start to complain and moan. Well, on the other hand I understand them, because this country seems to be never expecting cold winters and is not prepared at all to keep public transport up during a little freeze. There is no sand or salt on the road (not mentioning pavements), there are no buses working in town, trains have huge delays, airports are shut... One guy from work told us today that the pipes in his flat froze and he doesn't have any water. Apparently this year's winter was the worst in here since many years!
And I am just wondering, looking at the weather forecast for my home country... would those people here survive something like THIS? Strong cold winds, huge snow blizzards coming across whole country, followed by -20 degress... Nah, I think we would all die in here. -5 degress knocks everyone down. I just wish I lived not in a walking distance from work, I would have some "snow" time off :]

Back to reality

First day at work is quite hard after nearly two weeks of holidays. Especially that now, for a couple of weeks, I moved to a different department (internal internship:)) and I couldn't chat with my friends.
But I feel that I brought with myself some positive energy, enough to try to enforce some good changes in our everyday routine. Cooking dinners, more time for reading, and trying to de-stress...

Promises

I don't know why in English they usually call them "resolutions". Maybe New Year's "promises" sound too serious and give those who make them the feeling of overwhelming, at least at the beginning, responsibility. And probably, if the promises are not kept, which happens quite often, we feel sad and guilty. Whereas "resolutions" give rather a feeling of hope and good will to change something, to achieve something, to become stronger somehow. They do not mean that we MUST do what we agree to try to achieve, just because we want to TRY.
Actually I think I have never written down any New Year's resolutions or promises. So here are some, for the first time in my life. I don't know if this changes anything in my life in this new year, but I guess it's good to have them written down somewhere and have a look from time to time:
1. for my body:
- go to the gym 2-3 times a week, not to lose weight, but to be fit and strong. Physical workout increases the level of serotonin in human brain, so this will also make me happier :)
- avoid junk food and try to find some time for proper cooking. Although I don't have sweets or snacks too often, I eat my breakfast and usually prepare my lunch, but know I could to better with making dinners...
- like myself and feel good about the way I look, this would make me happier and give more confidence
2. for my mind:
- finish the second university course and receive my Diploma - I know I can do it, so my goal is to get distinction :) And then I can think about my future career... ;)
- try to develop at my work and find something new and better to do, even if that means only changing a department in the company I work in now
- read more! There is so much to read - not only my study books, but also all the books in polish I have on my shelf, interesting magazines, articles... Spare moment should equal a moment for reading.
3. for my spirit:
- work on myself more! develop positive attitude, be patient and do not give up...
- be good to myself and to others - by simply nice and more hard-working, exchange quarreling for silence... Difficult, but with positive attitude nothing will be impossible for me.
- do not let myself feel upset if others (individuals, institutions etc.) reject me in any way because they do not respect my points of view or my beliefs. If the rules I set up in my life are truly reflecting this what I believe in, and I live in honesty and harmony with my heart and my consciousness, I should not let anyone tell me that I am wrong. In the end everyone creates their own Truth, no matter how many opinions and ideas we share...