Mizuki's Wonderland

Update

2008-11-05T21:58:01Z

Well, it's been a while... Life's been quite hectic, what with the move, the start of term and work, not to mention other neverending family thingies that make me want to run away as far as possible... To a place where nothing reaches me and I can concentrate on being me and getting to know exactly what I want from life. Which is not as obvious as it may seem.

There's too much to write and too little I actually want to share... So I guess I'll leave it like this. I've recently begun to appreciate the value of keeping some things to yourself instead of blurting them all out.

Life is about secrets.

Mountains, Camping and Renovating :P

2008-07-25T11:03:53Z

First and foremost - my holidays are NOT going according to the plan - meaning that not only did I go on a short trip to Brenna in Polish Beskidy with a couple of my friends (which was more of a spur of the moment decision), but I have also been completely ignoring my Japanese correspondence course and haven't learned a thing. For the first two weeks I did absolutely nothing and for the next two I've been in Brenna and then in Dąbrowa Górnicza renovating our new flat. And there's A LOT to renovate.

Saw "My Girl", the Korean hit drama of 2006..... It was nice, though a bit too much like Delightful Girl (and the producers knew it to, if the last five minutes of the final episode are any indication xD). Other than that I read the Twilight saga and though I know the book's complete crap in many aspects, I still loved it xD

In an hour I'm going camping to Slovakia for nine days. I MIGHT go for a few days to Ukraine after that, but that's still undecided. I mean, I took my passport and some extra money, but it still hangs on the weather, my strenght after nine days of hiking and who will I be going with, of course :P The weather might be the trickiest part - there are floods in the south of Poland, but I'm not sure about the situation in Slovakia or Ukraine...

Well, I'm going :P Be back in two weeks or so :P

Les vacances! :D

2008-06-30T15:03:56Z

Validations: 9/9
Exams: 3/3

Yep, today I got the results from Friday's test from linguistics and I'm officially starting my holidays :) Tomorrow right_now_1 and I are starting our language learning session (he'll be learning French and I Japanese xD), so you can expect some rants about Japanese grammar :P Also, I'm planning to write a large batch of my novel during these holidays... What I've got so far is not really impressing: only 11 000 words as of today, but I'll do my best to change it :P Ganbarimasu! xD

I went to the Rialto cinema/theatre on Friday to see two of Kim Ki Duk's movies... "Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring" was.... weird :P Lots of awkward sex scenes (I mean, really awkward xD Why do guys always show/write about sex in such a dry, matter of fact, animalistic sort of way? The sex in Haruki Murakami's books, as well as in Michel Houellebecq's novels is always bordering on turpism. Then again, I've recently read a short story of Manuela Gretkowska, one of Poland's well-known contemporary novelists, and she described an intercourse in such a flowery way that it made me shake my head. I guess there isn't really a good way to write about sex, is there?), beautiful sceneries, sort of trademark covering of the face (in "Time" the face thing is kind of more important though xD), and male screeching in Korean in the Atumn part :P. I love the concept of the stone, though. How you carry it through out your entire life, climbing the mountain.. the stone wants to keep you from going on, but if your will to live is strong enough you can carry the stone no matter how far is your destination and how difficult the journey. I was really touched :3

The second movie was "3 Iron". It was AWESOME xD I mean, we're sitting in the cinema, watching the beginning, and I ask Greguar: "Hey, isn't that the guy from Delightful Girl Choon-Hyang?" And it was xD Normally I can't really remember the Korean actors and actresses (their names are way too confusing), but after seeing "3 Iron" I'm definitely going to remember his name xD About the film though: very powerful, had me strapped to the seat :P The two main characters don't saying anything through the entire movie, but you can see how their relationship progresses without any problems. I was only a bit bugged about the golf thing, I mean wtf? Totally absurd xD That woman in the car was weird. Why was she there? To show what, exactly? That Tae-suk's unhealthy obsession with golf could have some dire consequences? Also the ending was... huh. Well, it was great and all, but I don't really get the moving like a shadow thing XD Completely random. But still, I bought the DVD in Empik, should be able to go get it in two days maximum xD

And the last rant for today: after seeing "3 Iron" I was on Jae Hee high, so decided to do something mind-numbing again and waste away my weekend on watching another drama. Since the concept of "Three Dads One Mom" was too stupid even for me, I settled for "Witch Yoo-Hee". It was okay, I guess... Not really gripping, but the love relationships were not as predictable as they always are xD The witch plot was stupid and overdone, the actress stiff as a board, and the main evil character the one Korean actor I really can't stand xD I mean, he has no facial expression, no chemistry with other people, he's like a walking stick cartoon character... Even his sort of redemption was stupid xD I really liked both Moo-Ryong and Johnny, though. Didn't know for whom to root at some point, even though it was obvious that Johnny wouldn't get the girl... Eh, poor him. I really hearted him, he was so sweet :P One thing that bothers me: why the hell does Jae Hee play stupidly named characters? Here it was Moo-Ryong, and in "DG Choon-Hyang" it was Mong-Ryong... I mean, come on.

That's it for today xD Don't kill me for the overdose of stupidity - I need some place to rant about those things as well xD

Weird xD

2008-06-23T11:33:01Z

Validations: 8/9
Exams: 3/3

It's odd how sometimes you can't just be happy for yourself :P I got the highest grade from my French exam, yet I feel like a dumb idiot who doesn't deserve it. I saw the written part, and it was covered in corrections, and I'm sure that my speaking was horrible, I kept trying to say things I couldn't because I don't know the necessary vocabulary or grammar and kept making stupid mistakes. I was sure I'd get a 3 or a 3+ and I got a 4+ O_o Combined with the 5 from writing and grammar it gave me a 5. I really don't know what to think about it XD Maybe it's my unhealthy ambition, or something... or a weird perspective: I'm used to being able to express myself quite well in English, so when I have problems with saying the most basic things in French I am easily frustrated. But from a more objective standpoint the level of French in our group is supposed to be DELF 2, so they can't really expect us to spontaneously form long, grammatically correct speeches full of difficult vocabulary.

Changing the topic: I saw the last two episodes of Last Friends, the final without subs, unfortunately, and even though I don't exactly understand some things, I think it's one of the greatest dramas I've ever seen. Seriously. I'm not going to go into the psychology yet, I'll probably do that after I have seen the last episode with subtitles... But I really, really, REALLY love the concept of "tomodachi janai, koibito janai" xD It completely exceeded my expectations xD <3 <3 <3

Working woman xD

2008-06-19T11:38:32Z

Validations: 8/9
Exams: 2/3

I got the job! xD I went to Katowice this morning and officially signed the contract, I'm starting on the first of October. I'm a bit freaked out (understatement of the week xD), but I think it won't be that bad... Or at least I hope so :P

The decision about the mortgage was positive, although there were some conditions, for which we'll have to wait for about a month and we're not sure whether the people selling their flat to us will want to wait that long.... It's all so messed up, I'm getting really fed up with it.
I went to my Dad's grave today... and I found a bloody advertisement leaflet under one of the candles. They are f*cking everywhere, even on cementaries -.-

Unbelievable xD

2008-06-17T14:34:13Z

They called me! I'm going on another interview on Thursday xD Incroyable XD Arienai xD

Half-done xD

2008-06-16T11:55:44Z

Validations: 6/9
Exams: 2/3

I passed the history and culture exam, though I thought I would get a higher grade... but oh well :P I never did get more than 3+ on all the history tests in high school, so a 4 at university is still good :) But it's kind of sad - I like history very much, when asked about something I can spin a fantasy tale about it, connecting it to lots of insignificant details, but when it comes to testing my knowledge, I always score a lot less than I thought I would. Eh, life :P

I have the exam from French tomorrow - can't say I'm really confident about it, but there isn't much I can do about it now... Should have learned more when there was time xD Wouldn't have to cram so much today xD

About my interview - if they want to work with me they will get in touch in the next two weeks, but I seriously doubt they will. I didn't do that well, besides I'm a nineteen year old university student with absolutely no experience xD Fat chance xD

And lastly - about Kurosagi the movie. Don't watch it, it's awful ;_; Stupid Shakespeare references, running around with katanas (where the hell did they come from, damnit?!), Yamapi looking as if he had just swallowed something disgusting, angsty scenes in a fake graveyard (wtf? why was Katsuragi in the damn tomb?! and why did Kurosaki stand above him with the katana?) and in the rain with poor Kurosaki crying his poor heart out (so stoopid, btw), absolutely no plotline for Tsurara (I mean, she was in five scenes or so, didn't say much, just stared sadly and smiled once, don't get what was so important about her to have the second place in the credits... I would have given the place to the ugly guy who played Katsuragi... but oh well, it's Horikita Maki. But Yamaki fans didn't get much to feed on either... xD). The saddest thing was that the angst was so oppressive that all the humoristic parts of the show were completely destroyed. Though I did kind of like the scene when Kurosaki had to escape from the elevator. And Kurosaki as Jack Sparrow was totally random xD

End of rant :P And yes, I'm a geek.

Haaa! Victory! :D

2008-06-11T09:36:37Z

Validations: 5/9
Exams: 1/3

The teacher sent the exam results via e-mail and guess what?xD I passed! With the highest grade, too! XD Gu-rei-to! xD

I watched "9 ends 2 outs" all day yesterday - treating it as a complete break from studying - and I must say that I really liked this one. Of course, the pace was sometimes really stretched and some plotlines were quite boring (for example I couldn't see any chemistry between Nan-Hee and Jung Joo, but they stayed together for nine episodes out of sixteen O.o) but the slow pace brought in return an opportunity for the characters to naturally develop. I also really liked the relationship between Nan Hee and Hyung Tae - their friendship was great, their acting was awesome and the way they talked to each other, without any inhibitions... oh, I wish I had a friend like that too! xD

The newest episode of "Last Friends" came out today and I was like, WHOA, it was so intense. Poor, poor Takeru~! ;_; And his evil onee-chan found him... And I really do hope that Ruka's not the fore-shadowed death from the first episode... All in all, I'm loving this series more and more with each new dose :P It's a shame that there are only two episodes left... I recommend this to anyone :D Can't really understand why they are promoting "Zettai Kareshi" and "Gokusen 3" instead of this pearl.

And to end today's entry... I got a call from the language school where I had sent my CV... I'm going for a meeting on Thursday :) I'm both excited and scared :P It's my first job meeting ever xD Wish me luck!

A bit of freedom. :P

2008-06-09T09:12:40Z

Validations: 4/9
Exams: 0/3 (but one written, I'll know if I passed at the end of the week)

I had a monster of an English literature exam today :P Of course out of 40 or so questions the four I had to write about were ones of those I didn't particularly like - but oh, well, that's life. But it proved something to me - I still have a lot of work to do before I can say that I'm really good. Recently I had classes with a really nice teacher and they were a pleasure to attend and I was the only person in the class that had any interest in what we were doing, so it seemed that I might have some talent in this area... But in truth I lack a whole damn lot. I have problems with interpretation - I never see the important things and notice idiotic details instead, and that never helps when you are writing an analysis that will be graded :P

But in order to go into publishing I need to reform my mind and put much more work in what I'm doing. And thought. A lot of thinking, analysing and learning till I am brain-dead XD

But right now I have some free time. Last night I made some minimal progress on my novel, "Hedatari", but since I used a completely different style of narration I had to re-write everything from scratch - so in fact I took several steps back instead of forward. But I feel that this way I will be able to move the action in a smoother and quicker way than before. I always forget about economizing my texts - I tend to describe all the isignificant, boring details, infinitely stretch the conversations for no apparent reason and lose the important things in the meantime. Thanks to some advice of madwriter I tried a different approach and for now it's going quite well :)

Apart from a novel to write there are a lot of books waiting to be read, and I'm starting to seriously think about watching "9 ends 2 outs", all because of Jenny's awesome video... See for yourself, it's seduisante x

Ghrrrrr.

2008-06-07T20:17:56Z

I just got back from a b-day party of one of my friends from high-school and I'm really pissed. And not in the alcoholic sense, too -.- My friend's boyfriend who lives in the city I'm going to move to started to make fun of that particular suburb, saying really unpleasant things about the place and its inhabitants and it really made me angry. Why am I so easily influenced? Why do I lose my temper over what some irrelevant person says? And he's one of those types. One of those talkative, "cool" people who think they are so great and don't care about anybody and anybody's feelings while in fact there is nothing special about them. Heck, he got kicked out of university 'cause he didn't pass an exam and he's so proud of the fantasy/computer games community he has created on the Internet. What's so special about him? Bloody bastard.

My ex was just like that. He told me once that he doesn't walk a girl home after a date if he doesn't feel like it. And he didn't walk me home, at least at first. But I was too blinded with the fact that I actually have a boyfriend that I didn't chuck him the first chance I got. And well, I talked to him recently and told him sketchily about my current family situation (which is dreary, I tell you) and I thought that he might sympathise, 'cause his was actually quite similar, but nuh-uh, he told me that life sux, yeah, but not for him, because he bought a new game and he's happy. I stopped the conversation.

Are there any nice guys out there who like me? 'Cause every time I like a guy he doesn't give a shit, so it seems that my future husband will have to like me first -.-

Finally..

2008-06-06T13:08:21Z

Validations: 4/9
Exams: 0/3

Today at university was exhausting - first we had a painful validation from latin (I passed! The note could have been higher - I got a 3+ and I wanted at least 4... - but still, I've finished! No more latin! xD), then we had to wait as the teacher checked our tests, then we had an additional lesson from latin, then we had to wait and we had a validation from French. It was mighty boring.

And now I'm so sleepy.... And completely devoid of linguistic imagination, so I'm going to stop this entry before it gets too complicated :P

Session time! XD manic laugh

2008-06-03T12:19:02Z

Validations: 2/9
Exams: 0/3

The most frantic time of a student's life - the finals! (or examination session, if you want to be literal :P) As it's my first year as a student it's only my second session (the first was in February), but the summer one is generally more tough than the one in winter. Last semester I only had exams from General Practice of English and from the History of Philosophy, but this term there's an exam from General Practice of French (oooooh, scary xD), History of British Literature and History and Culture of the UK and the USA. Everyone's mighty frightened of the latter two tests, but I'm quite laid back about them... My greatest fear is actually the validation from latin xD But I'm optimistic XD Though there's quite a lot of work to do... but eh. I find that I'm happier when I work rather than when I'm bored, sooo.... It's not so bad :P

The validations already in my possession are Applied Linguistics and P.E. :P Actually, today was the last day ever when I had to go to P.E. Feels kind of nostalgic xD Hopefully I won't become obese because of lack of movement xD

Work, work, work ahead of me...

2008-06-02T06:41:01Z

I realized today (well, actually, I knew all along, but it hit me with much more force just less than an hour ago) that I want to work in publishing when I know virtually nothing about literature. I always regarded it as necessary evil while in school, and maybe that's why I got such a poor mark on my Polish matura exam last year. But I feel this year's different. Something changed inside of me, very drastically and my tastes have changed along with it. I've got a surprising hunger for real literature, not for repetitive chick-lit or for fanfiction ('cause that's all I read until recently). I'm so behind that I might not be able to recover in just one year. So much to read, so much to know and so little time. But I'm not going to give up. I'll try and make some of this idea of mine, I'll try not to abandon it as I did with all the preceding ones...

Keep your fingers crossed! :D

Ganbaru :D

mizuki1988 @ 2008-05-30T11:56:00

2008-05-30T10:04:48Z

Due to dean's hours I'm sitting at home instead of learning French grammar and I should be writing topics from English literature, but I only managed to scribble something about "Leviathan" and I'm entirely spent. Oh, how I wish that it was already the end of June... I've got un tas de livres to read, novels to write, Japanese to learn... And a new flat to move to xD Yesterday I tidied up my wardrobe a bit and threw out some of my old clothes so that when the time comes to move I'll have less work to do :P If everything goes according to plan I'll be moving in a month or so... Should be in my new flat in July. Hopefully.

Watched two "Last Friends" episodes yesterday. Why is Eita always having relationship troubles? I hope he gets a happy ending, but I seriously doubt it =.= But I must say that his "agony" plot is coming along nicely... Those flashbacks sure are scary O.o

I should get to work - Jane Austen this time xDD (and yes, I'm jumping up and down the chronology xD).

J-horrors and music videos...

2008-02-12T00:37:45Z

My mum's currently out re-living her youth (or, rather, fully enjoying life, as she'd put it), doing dubious things with her new boyfriend (!!), my ex-step-father is in Spain hunting for a second-hand, fourth-rate car for a limited amount of euro and I'm naturally at home, bored out of my skull. I went to the local DVD rental shop and got a real pearl, though ("Ghost Train" with Oguri Shun), and spent the evening surrounded by darkness, in front of my mum's 42 inch telly, with my black cat in my lap and gasping "Oh, Holy God!" for half of the movie :P It was quite scary (and also rather sick, in some places... but I guess that's just a Japanese thing), even though the acting was kind of forced and the plot was really slow... The good thing, though, was that Oguri Shun wasn't killed during the first eight minutes of the movie (like in "Azumi" -.-) - in fact, he wasn't killed at all! I was overjoyed :P But he looks kind of dorky with short hair xDD

About music videos - I've always wanted to make pretty MVs, even though I hardly have the talent (well, I might be a bit hard on myself, but who wouldn't if their MV guru was JennyProd? --> you should check out her videos, they're awesome) and I've recently decided to try my luck after a year-long pause... I'm making an MV for "Sore wa, Totsuzen, Arashi no you ni"... There aren't many, and it's an underappreciated drama and all... I guess I'm doing okay for now :P Will see how it turns out in the end :D

Free time! :)

2008-02-08T17:42:43Z

Gah. Wanted to write something interesting but nothing I scribble sounds even remotely fun -.- I feel restless today - I've got a week of freedom ahead of me and absolutely no idea what to do with it. All my friends had paired up with their significant others for tonight and I, sadly lacking in that department, was forced to stay at home on a Friday night. How lame is that, I ask? ;_;

So instead of going out I decided to reactivate my journal. Technically there's lots of things I could write here, but most of them involve either all the bad experiences from the last few months (my ex-step-dad has decided it was time to have his own baby, and unfortunately not with my mum :/) or my studies (end of term and the examination time has come and gone, with quite nice results for me, I guess :P).

Let's focus on some pimpage instead :P I recently saw "Secret" - a Taiwanese production, co-written and directed by the actor Jay Chou (he also plays the male lead) and I have to say that I was completely blown away! :D I've yet to discover how the Asians manage to incorporate all of the best ideas into their films and dramas :P This movie was a masterpiece of romance, mystery, wonderful music and great special effects. It's about a guy who transfers to his father's school, where he meets a fun, but mysterious girl. They fall in love, but the girl is not exactly who she appears to be, or rather, when :P It's really worth watching if you like a bit of magic and good classical music :P Check it out on crunchyroll.com :)

Okaaaay...

2007-11-25T19:35:24Z

So my fangirlism and nerdism reach new levels. I used to watch only Japanese dramas.... but now I moved to Taiwanese. But, I still thought that Taiwanese guys all looked like sissies in too tight pants (well, I only saw Hana Kimi, It Started with a Kiss and Tokyo Juliet at the time, and Wu Zun looked more like a pretty doll than a man in the last one...)... that is, until I saw Devil Beside You and fell in fangirl love with Mike He xD And with Chinese hard rock xD The opening theme song was the best. Seriously. Even though my best friend thinks it was weird xP

About everything else... Hm. The fact is, I'm watching Chinese dramas instead of studying French (I've never really been a dilligent student, no no...), or anything else for that matter. Well, I did make omurice today, so that's good... My family's almost in pieces because of a huge row last week... but that's normal, too. My family's always in shambles -.- Oh, and I'm having recurring moodswings concerning a very pathetic topic. And that's also normal, 'cause I'm normally pathetic that way :D I'm not even sure if I spelled pathetic right... Gah. It's really bad. Should go do some homework. Even though it's obvious that I'm not gonna anyway.

Independence Day XD

2007-11-11T16:45:59Z

Yep. It's Independence Day in Poland. The shops are closed, it's snowing like mad and unfortunately it's Sunday, which means that we won't have an additional holiday this year... pfft.

I'm having a language oriented day. First there was a half hour session with L'Assimil (a French self-study course), then another session with French vocabulary, then hiragana practice, and now I'm about to start some exercise for the English past tenses. And then... we'll see :P Although I don't plan on starting any new languages today... xD

Kirei na soraaaa....

2007-11-08T22:17:19Z

... NOT XD Contrary to today's entry's topic, the sky in Poland is not beautiful at the moment - it's raining all the time and the weather's simply awful... But I'm still in possession of my good spirits, so it's not that bad. I'm currently listening to Shuji to Akira's 'Seishun amigo'... The video is pure, uncensored LAMENESS! XD Why is that Johnny's boys always look like sissies in their videos? Come to think of it, they always look like sissies, full stop. Well, Yamapi doesn't when he's acting... and I guess Kame isn't so bad either... But in my opinion they should stick to dramas only. The song itself isn't half bad (I'm stuck with it in my head for the next couple of days... ), and Yamapi does have a nice, haunting voice when he tries... but Kame just screeches. I mean, come on. It's a little boy's voice. And their dancing..... omg, I can't even describe how lame it is. And all those meaningful looks they shoot at the camera... Buahahaha xD

(Note: it doesn't stop me from loving Yamapi. It MIGHT have decreased the amount of respect I hold for him, though. It's the white pants' fault, really. XD)

Anyway. Life's going okay, I guess. Recently I've been feeling rather good in my own skin and I'm happier than I used to be... I take it as a good sign, altogether... :)

Omu-raisu xD

2007-11-06T17:38:21Z

So I made a little culinary experiment today - yesterday I was watching the first episode of 'Lunch Queen' (yet another drama with Yamapi - even if it's just a small role - and that's serious fangirlism on my part, but that's irrelevant...) and there was this Japanese dish mentioned all the time... so I looked it up, saw that the recipe looked too easy to be true and then decided to make it for dinner today. Aaaand... it's brilliant! Chicken rice with white mushrooms and green pepper inside of an egg omelette - omu-raisu xD One of the best things I've ever done/eaten. My parents were amazed xD

Next time I'm making okomiyaki xD Yay for Osaka and spatulas! :P

What about those dreams, anyway?

2007-11-04T11:25:51Z

I have a lot of dreams, as many as any other person. There are some that I feel strongly about and those that are only a passing fancy. The latter are less of a problem than the former. Because what happens when the dream simply cannot come true? I mean, yeah, there's a lot of talk that if you believe, or work hard, you can achieve whatever you want... But there are some instances when it's simply impossible.

What to do then? Do you let go and live on, finding other, achievable things, and are happy, or do you try no matter what? Let's give an example. I had a dream of studying in Cracow. I wanted to move there no matter what, therefore I chose to apply to a course that would be easiest for me to get into (meaning English philology, because I scored 100% on my English matura exam :). But it turned out that the other requirement was the result of the Polish matura exam, which I didn't do so well in (only 62%) and because of that I barely missed the admission point (by two points). So I didn't get in. But I managed to tell myself that it was okay, that studying in Sosnowiec is also good, because the course here combines English and French and it's better to know two languages instead of one.

But there was another dream hidden behind studying in Cracow. I thought that if I managed to get accepted to UJ (the Jagiellonian University) and study English, then, after three years or so, I could try to get into Japanese philology. This was the crux of the matter. English was just a pretext, something to show that I'm studying something that will later bring me money. But I'm actually not particularly interested in English culture or literature or history, and my English knowledge, while not perfect, is already on high enough level to get most of the jobs I would consider.

The problem with Japanese philology is that in Poland it's extremely rare and it's horrendously difficult to get in. Only three universities have it - in Cracow, Warsaw and Poznań - and in each of them there are only about 20 places. The admission requirements vary, but it's mostly English and Polish written matura. The math is quite simple - with the maximum of 20 places, about as many candidates per place and my poor 62% from Polish it's virtually impossible to achieve. For example, the English philology had 19 people per place, 60 places and the admission point of 133 points (I had 131 ;_;).

If I had been born a few years earlier (three would do) I could prepare for a university exam and try to pass it as many times as I wanted. But now that university admission is only regulated by your results from the matura exam, there's relatively little you can do. You can, of course, repeat the exam, but the Polish exam is so stupid that for an idiot like me, who doesn't give a damn about literature and always sees something that's not in the key and completely ignores everything that is, it's impossible to get more than 65 % . And it's too little to get into Japanese philology.

So the best option for me is to let go and live on. But it's sad and difficult... There's a theory that in order to be happy, you should have achievable aims. But what is an achievable aim?

University life?

2007-10-10T20:44:22Z

So I started uni and it's all right, I guess... Only I can't get used to getting up so early (6:30, which normally isn't quite that early, but for me, who, for the last six years usually got up at about 7 it's really early xD) and going to sleep before midnight xD The English part of the course is okay (English seems to be at something between FCE/CAE level, which means that I don't have to worry too much....), well, apart from history of Britain and British Literature, which are taught by a weird woman who can't give an interesting lecture to save her life. The French part, on the other hand, is really scary xD We had conversations on Monday and the woman came in, started speaking and continued to do so regardless of the fact that we hardly understood a thing xD But I'm optimistic :)

To continue where I left last time I wrote... I went to the wedding, was cordial and polite, then my mother came, behaved like an utter idiot and then had the gale to blame me for not sticking up for her and saying that she had behaved abysmally... We're okay now, but those were really unpleasant moments...

Apart from that my life's going okay. Not great, no, but all right. I finally managed to read a part from the book about languages I borrowed from the library about two months ago... And read a part from another book, which I'd had for two years now xD And I bought a jacket that is bright tourqoise! xD The brightest item in my wardrobe apart from a sunny yellow top... the rest is in black and khaki (or olive green) xD So it's a real change and it also means that I've got virtually nothing to wear it with xD

Sadly, university life has depraved me of my inspiration... I have neglected my ficcies and my major novel works (both HEDATARI and The Mieroszewski Palace.... Although I think HEDATARI needs some time to gain some more depth to the story and the characters... I'd like it to have the same feel as the Mieroszewski Palace when I write it... like writing down things that had been long in the brewing, and not thinking them up off the top of my head).

And last, but not least... I've developed another unhealthy interest in a Japanese male idol xD This time it's Yamapi (much better than Oguri Shun, I think xD) and at the end of September I was on constant Yamapi high - I watched Nobuta wo Produce, Kurosagi, Proposal Daisakusen and the available episodes of Sore wa, Totsuzen, Arashi no you ni almost in one sitting xD Since then I managed to get my hands on raw version of episodes eight and nine and though I hardly understand a thing, I'm impatiently waiting for episode ten (the last one) to download... This drama is kind of weird... normally I'd say it's pretty boring, but both the leading actress (who is a thirty-something) and Yamapi have wonderful roles... And the romantic story is really great :D Can't wait to see the end.

Family.... only good in a photo?

2007-09-22T12:26:18Z

Hmmm. My family is pretty small, as neither my mum nor dad had a lot of siblings, and I don't really keep in touch with the family from my dad's side (complicated issues from a few years back). So it leaves me basically with my mum, my step-dad (and his very big, extensive family, which I'm not exactly related to) and my aunt, uncle and two cousins from my mum's side. To be entirely truthful, they are the type to only keep in touch if they need something. A couple of years ago I was best girlfriends with the older cousin (the younger is a boy), even though she is eight years older than me. But then some things happened (I'm not exactly sure what it was, though) and she stopped calling. Then she went to England to work, found the 'love of her life' and came back with him, not having saved a penny. But, she didn't come to stay in Sosnowiec (which is a city bordering with Będzin), but in Zamość, which is right next to the eastern border, and about 200 km away. Then his family threw them out (I think it was something like that...), so they came back to stay at my aunt and uncle's flat in Sosnowiec... Then they moved out to some kind of a rented hole... She got pregnant and they are engaged.

Or so I thought until yesterday. The wedding (in a church) was supposed to be after she gave birth to the baby, sometime in spring next year, but yesterday she called me (after not calling me for more than a year and missing my birthday last month) and... asked me to be her witness in a civil wedding (I don't know how else to say that -.-)!!!

I agreed. Even though it's next Saturday and she haven't had the decency to ask me in person. She hasn't even informed my mum, who is her godmother, by the way. My mum's fuming and said that if she doesn't come this weekend to invite us, she's not going to go. It's all really messed up... Maybe I shouldn't have agreed? But at the time it felt right to agree and there was no reason not to... Or maybe I'm just, deep down, happy that she even remembers that I exist? She was my 'best friend' back when I was still a lonely know-it-all, before I became close with Riftryu, my best friend of five years now. Or maybe I'm just a push-over xD

Translating...

2007-09-19T16:08:46Z

I would like to get a job as a translator, but I don't think I'm up to it yet. Although I've got a reasonably good grasp of English and my vocabulary is quite good, I don't really know the exact meaning of half the words in Polish. I mean, I understand them perfectly and can use them in the right context, but when it comes to translating it word for word, I'm stuck. Besides, there's also the matter of all of those idioms and British or American references I know absolutely nothing about. Is it even possible to become a translator without an extensive knowledge of the country from which language you are translating? I guess not.

I AM starting somewhat of a translating course in two weeks, but it'll be a long time before I learn it all... But oh well, patience, they say, is a virtue. XD

I'm currently re-writing the beginning of my fictional story, Hedatari... but, unfortunately, in Polish. If I ever finish it, I'd like to try to have it published, so I guess there's no other alternative. IF I ever finish it, that is xD

On a more down to earth note - only five days at work left - now I'm giving out leaflets in front of the Economical Academy in Katowice (means many handsome students xD ... but also as many stuck-up bitches who can't even say 'no, thank you' and look at me as if I'm a bug to be squashed.... or ignore me altogether -.-). And then.... then... I'm starting university! Whoa xD Big step for me, yeah xD

Community work :)

2007-09-15T17:01:54Z

My hometown, Będzin in the southern Poland, is a very interesting city historically speaking. It has a fourteenth century castle, very early eighteenth century palace and dungeons supposedly built by the German during WWII. Before the war half of Będzin's population was Jewish and it was called the Jerusalem of Zagłębie (the district of several medium-sized cities in the area, bordering with Silesia). There are several remnants of those years - pictures of Jews and catholics living door to door with each other, photos of a beautiful synagogue that had stood near the castle (burnt during WWII), a small synagogue in a basement in the city centre, called The Mizrachi Synagogue and a nineteenth century Jewish cementary on the castle hill (sadly very neglected).

Recently there has been a major discovery in an old tenement-house in the city centre - it turned out that it used to be owned by a very rich Jewish family - the Cukermans - and that in one of the flats there used to be a private synagogue. The frescs had been covered by a layer of ugly plaster, though. My former high school (which on itself is a historical monument - it's been here from 1902 and many of its alumni fought both in the first and second world war) took the responsibility of bringing it back to its former glory and the students volunteer to clean up the walls and uncover the frescs. Even though I've gradutated, I'm helping a bit as well :) I love the history of my hometown and this is a wonderful way to involve myself in it... Feels really great :D