some things never become the past

As far as I remember, the photo was taken during Summer 1997 (so I was 7 then) in Sopot. Probably it was during my first vacations in Tricity, and since then I've spent there every summer, as my family live in Gdańsk. That's probably the main reason why I'm so much in love with the sea. :) 

This one was taken at my aunt's place and, actually, I have no idea why I'm wearing the ballet costume :) I may have been 8 then, so perhaps, I was just preparing for a dress party.

a Time Lord

World Trade Center – NY 11.09.2001

Everyone remembers that day. Although I was only eleven then, I can still recall the very moment of coming home from school, turning on the TV, and getting dumbfounded by the news.

A few minutes, 2973 people dead. And it was only the beginning…  the aftermath of the tragedy – War on Terrorism – begun resulting in another thousands of people dead.

Now.. imagine that the attack on the WTC has never happened.

Now, we are aware of the fact that it was bad foreign policy towards Muslims that was the main root of the conflict with terrorists.  Hence, we should have cultivated educational and cultural exchanges, offer moral leadership and treat all people with respect. And that’s what I’d do if I were a Time Lord. Using my brain I’d do everything in order to fight for equality among people all over the world. And, hopefully, such a tragedy would never happen.

John Mayer

John Mayer

Although I listen to various music genres, John Mayer is a singer who has extremely influenced my music taste.

My “infatuation” towards him began circa 2 years ago, when I accidentally came across one of his singles “In Your Atmosphere”. His incredible voice pushed me to listen to all of his albums, which now I adore.

John Mayer is an American pop and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. His first two studio albums, Room for Squares and Heavier Things, did well commercially, achieving multi-platinum status. In 2003, he won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Your Body Is a Wonderland."

Mayer began his career performing mainly acoustic rock, but gradually began a transition towards the blues genre in 2005 by collaborating with renowned blues artists such as B. B. King, Buddy Guy, and Eric Clapton, and by forming the John Mayer Trio. The blues influence can be heard throughout his 2005 live album Try! with the John Mayer Trio and his third studio album Continuum, released in September 2006. At the 49th Annual Grammy Awards in 2007 Mayer won Best Pop Vocal Album for Continuum and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Waiting on the World to Change". He released his fourth studio album, Battle Studies, in November 2009. He has sold over 10 million albums in the U.S. and 20 million albums worldwide.

Had it not been for him, probably I would have never become so much into the acoustic rock. It is thanks to him that I’ve got familiar with other such great musicians as Jason Mraz, Howie Day, Damien Rice or James Morrison.

”To speak another language isn't just cultured, it's a blow against stupidity”

 – the title of the article I’ve just read speaks for itself. Though in Poland we’ve recently been observing a cultural pressure to learn as many foreign languages as it is possible, in the UK the situation is totally different. As stated in the article, after modern languages were removed from the core curriculum, the number of students willing to take up studying any foreign language has enormously decreased. Hence, the question arises – is it really necessary to learn foreign languages if one already speaks English, which, as we know, has become an international language?

Actually, I believe that in order to be perceived as a well-educated society, learning foreign languages is crucial. Not only does it help us to communicate with people of various nationalities, but it also develops our general knowledge concerning the world itself. Knowing a language is connected with knowing foreign culture. Thus, in such a way we can become more tolerant and open-minded towards different beliefs and customs.

What is more, nowadays, when working abroad has become a prevalent issue, speaking various foreign languages is a crucial aspect for employers when approving people’s applications. It is no longer enough to be familiar with one or two languages, since there are more and more people knowing even five different languages.

Finally, assumption that the English language is the only needed language in the world fails to take into consideration significant aspects, such as – for instance – the influence Asian languages have. While few years ago there were only few people interested in taking a course in Chinese, now the number of people studying it is increasing every single day.

When taking part in the IST project in France two years ago, I felt ashamed of not knowing the French language. Taking into consideration French attitude towards using English, it was quite an obstacle to communicate with the citizens. Although such a French behavior of unwillingness to use any other foreign language by tourists is really bizarre, I hope to take up learning that language one day. The thing is, learning any foreign language should not only be a MUST, but also pleasure. 
Hopefully, students from the UK would sooner or later follow my opinion.

Mildred Pierce

Mildred Pierce is a five-part miniseries that first aired on HBO on March 27, 2011. Adapted from James M. Cain's 1941 novel, it was directed by Todd Haynes, and starred Kate Winslet in the title role, alongside Guy Pearce, Evan Rachel Wood, and Melissa Leo.Carter Burwell wrote the original score for the miniseries.

Mildred Pierce received generally favorable reviews. Metacritic assigned the series an average score of 69/100 based on 28 reviews from mainstream critics. Salon.com called it a "quiet, heartbreaking masterpiece", while The New York Times reviewer, Alessandra Stanley, commented that while the miniseries was "loyally, unwaveringly true to James M. Cain's 1941 novel", it did not "make the most of the mythic clash of mother, lover and ungrateful child", and was "not nearly as satisfying as the 1945 film noir".

Novelist Stephen King, reviewing Mildred Pierce for The Daily Beast and Newsweek, praised the acting of Winslet, Pearce and Wood, and admired the show's attention to detail and structure, but complained that the five-hour adaptation was "too damn long".

The series was shown Out of Competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival 2011.