Ok, so I'm different. You've got a problem with that?!

Ok, so let's start from the beginning..

Being on holidays means having more time to dedicate to pastimes, like cinema for example. I have previously mentioned my resentment towards cinemas in Italy, where 99% of films are dubbed. I hate dubbing! How can you fully appreciate and "savor" a film if an actor is deprived of their original voice?! I mean, really. As far as acting is concerned, such qualities like voice, pitch, tone, diction and timbre are essential. When the voice is changed, acting changes. There's no way to find exactly the same voice and only change the lg of expression. Therefore I accept dubbing only in cartoons and films for children, where the process of reading can be an obstacle to comprehension of the message coveyed in a film. Plus, there's another thing as well. People. You know Italians.. I mean at least you know what everyone thinks of Italians. Warm and friendly, never tightlipped, never silent, love talking and commenting on everything. That's not just a stereotype. That's true. And whereas this may turn out to be a real advantage is some situations, in others, it may trigger only annoyance. Think about places like cinemas or theatres. Italians wouldn't be able to resist commenting on a move or play for the whole duration o it. Impossible. You can always hear some chitchats, whispers around the whole room once an interesting scene has taken place.

Having said that

Avatar...

Please sit. I didn't like Avatar. Yes, the special effects are amazing, but the story is not. It's simple, acting is not breath-taking, after leaving the cinema, you don't contemplate changing your life or making some important decisions. At the same time, to my mind, the special effects used in this film... the triumph of form over substance occurs... The 3D technique is not perfect yet. The images sometimes change too fast, you feel like on a rollercoaster... and your head is spinning.. and then you end up with a headache...

...vs Nine

Whereas Nine... Nine makes the difference. The first impression you have is that the plot is simple here too, but then you realise it's mind-boggling and captivating, not to mention the gorgeous choreography. All in all, the show is absolutely astounding. I loved it! Plus, as a linguist, I appreciated the effort the actors put to speak English with an Italian accent (they really pulled it off!). Stars like Penelope Cruz and Nicole Kidman proved again to be brilliant actresses and not only beautiful women with long legs.

Please don't get me wrong, I didn't want to offend you, I don't condemn those of you who are absolutely enchanted by Avatar. I'm aware I'm in minority when it comes to judging these 2 films. Let it be. I'm different.

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Odds & Ends : )

Hello my Dear Friends!I'm having this morning free (no social visits until 3pm), so I'm sitting in the study and surfing the Net...

Look what I found, just by case. This is how some self-defence courses for elderly people are being promoted in Antwerp, Belgium these days:

I find these ads so brilliant! : )

On a different note, when typing, this is what I can see from the window:

Isn't it beautiful??! : )

Oh, and as I mentioned on facebook, I had my hair cut : ) This is the result:

Have a wonderful day, everyone! : )

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Surprise, surprise!

Hello my Dearests!

I'm writing to you from... my beloved Poland! I'm sorry, I couldn't share this with you before, it was a surprise I prepared for my Mum's birthday (and since she reads my blog too, I knew I would give myself away!) So I just showed up, just like at the front door in a cold, (the temperature here is about -10 C) snowy evening on January 13, i.e. the day of my Mum's birthday. She was REALLY surprised and happy at the same time. So, I have to admit: not having told you before was worth it, sorry! : ))

So today is the second actual day I'm here and I'm enjoying myself sooo much! Have just come back home from the brand new Ikea store which was opened last month and which is only 10min ride from where I live: I LOVE IT! I truly believe my next appartment will be all Ikea! I might ask them for a big discount when purchasing the furniture since my flat will be a real Ikea ad, I'm sure! : ))

Today in the afternoon, I'm going to head off to another furinture shop as we need to choose a new carpet for the living room : ) Oh, how busy I am! : )))

I'm sending you CAŁUSKI (kisses) and wish you a wonderful weekend! : ))

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New Year Resolutions.

Foreword:

According to Oxford Dicitionary:

"reso•lution /rezlun/ noun 4 [C] ~ (to do sth) a firm decision to do or not to do sth: She made a resolution to visit her relatives more often. Have you made any New Year’s resolutions (= for example, to give up smoking from 1 January)?"

It's new year and it's time to set the goals. I like to do this kind of brainstroming in my head. The thing is it will be the first time I'm doing it on my blog, it is usually all clear and set in my head only but when the old year finishes, I barely remember what the list really included...

Therefore this time should be different. I will be able to see my list at the end of the year and check if/how many of the goals I managed to achieve. Let's see them together.

1. Getting a job.


Not any job. I want a job that becomes my passion and that I'm utterly enthousiastic about. I'm ready to work hard and dedicate myself fully to the assigned tasks but I want a job which is rewarding, not only economically. I want a job that allows me to grow mentally, to meet interesting, intelligent people, to simply enjoy the time spent in the workplace. I know it's a big challenge, especially nowadays. The biggest goal for me this year.

2. To have a dog...


...and be a good, responsible owner. I'd like to raise a dog which is good well-trained and tolerant and which listens to me and obeys me.

3. Look for a new appartment.

The one we've been living up to now is slowly becoming too small... so maybe it's time to look around. It seems easy... ? Maybe. The snag is that I really love my present appartment, and so my standards are really high... I mean I have a small, cosy flat with a medium sized terrace where I can spend my free time and read books or just sunbathe and I realise it will be hard to find sth similar... Yes, we are in Sicily, so the presence of terraces is not sth rare but usually they're surrounded by other buildings (i.e. other people's flats who are nosy, prying and have nothing else to do but staring in other people's windows, balconies and terraces...) How disgusting! The next thing is to find a flat with some green areas around. I miss going to the park. Yeah, but you have sea just around the corner. True, but being brought up in a semi-deatched house with garden and a park 200m away from it somehow left a trace... and now I miss it.

4. Go to NY.


I want to go to see if what I imagine about NY is true, I need to see the yellow cabs and the place where 2 towers of the World Trade Center were placed. I need to see the shops, the NY style and fashion, the people.

5. Learn touch typing.

You can believe it or not but I'm still using 2 fingers only when typing and I constantly look at the keyboard... Nonetheless, I make many errors and need to edit texts a lot of times before publishing or printing anything... I'll give myself a year to learn to use all 10 fingers and to increase the speed of typing. Then I'll post a video showing you my progess : )

I really feel this year is going to be a good one. I can see possibilities, I can feel opportunities. Sky is the limit. I wish all of you to have a wonderful year!

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My wishes for you!

I cannot believe this year passed so quickly! This maybe wasn't a breakthrough year to me, but I'm happy and thankful because it wasn't a bad year either. I was well and so were all my family and friends, I worked almost the whole year, I visited my Polish home, so I can say I am completely and entirely satisfied. Plus, I have sth to celebrate too! Exactly today, 5 years ago, I met my bf... : ) Time flies...

Well done, 2009! : ) I hope 2010 won't be worse!

I wish you all a Happy New Year! I hope you'll have a whale of a time at your parties tonight! Just remember not to exaggearte with the sparkling liquid and be careful when setting/letting off (AmE/BrE) the fireworks! : )) Cheers!

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The new Coca-Cola spot.

I love the Coca-Cola spots. Especially during Christmas. They are always warm and sweet but not too corny at the same time. this is the newest Italian version:




What do you think?

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Christmas postcards from Sicily.

As I promised yesterday, I'm going to drone on my Christmas in Sicily. It's a completely different approach they have, there's never snow so the atmosphere is just not the same as in Poland at this time of year. But it's ok. I mean: " When in Rome do as Romans do", therefore it's just a matter of acceptance and tolerance towards their way of spending this time. Of course there's shopping frenzy before and Santa Claus (Babo Natale) comes every year, and people put on creche rather than Chritmas tree (since there are very few forests here, the only Christmas tree people can buy and decorate are the fake ones, unfortunately) and artificial snow on the display windows. It's just different when the temeprature rises to 20°C and the sun is shining all the time. I got used to it.

1. December 24, 2009

In the morning I was busy baking a cake for the dinner so there are no pictures. Nevertheless, I would like to show you how they (Italians) usually decorate their Christmas table. It's beautiful as far as the colours are concerned but it's very modest and they almost always use the plastic plates to eat (whereas in Poland we use our best crockery for this evening). The evening starts quite late, at about 9.00pm and lasts until midnight or even later: the dinner is followed by a Bingo game. Of course you play with money!


I found it sweet to put the card with names so that no one is confused about where to sit. On the other hand it's disarming they still spell my name this way:


And this is Giulia. One of the most adorable children I have ever had a chance to meet. I played with her the whole evening!


As I mentioned in my previous posts, this year we didn't buy each other presents but donated some amount of money to a lady whose children are paralyzed and need an operation to walk again. However some of us broke the rules... Here's one of the presents from my dearest friends. It's just perfect! : )




2. December 25, 2009

On that day we went to my bf's parents for lunch/dinner.




And in the afternoon we went for a walk to collect some fresh oranges! Who doesn't normally do it on a Christmas Day?!



There were hives too!



3. December 26, 2009

That day was not as sunny but in the morning we decided to go for a walk to one of my favourite places: an old, abandoned lighthouse. The place is wild and not very frequented by people, surrounded by a vast area of stunning plants and bushes. My paradise.

I mentioned playing games before. Well, yes, also that day finished with a gathering at my bf's sister who organized "A game evening". It's very common in Italy to spend evenings between Christmas and New Year's Eve playing cards and various board games. Of course since the Wii invention, the evenings have changed grately.



Ok, that's all about my Christmas. What about yours? I cannot wait to read!

PS. We're still waiting for Luna to have the puppies.. : )

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