Aunt Monika

So it's been almost three weeks since I have become an auntie Monika.

My older sister had a baby at the beginnings of january and I am extremely happy and excited. It's my very first time to have around such a tiny human being, although it's not literally around because they live in Warsaw. I have to admit that I was quite worried if I will be able to hold a baby correctly, not drop it and to keep her head for her...Yeah, it's a girl, I haven't mentioned she's a cute girl named Klara. She got that name after her great grandmother, to comemorate her.

I went last week to visit my sister and her husband and of course the little human. And I was so excited about her tiny fingers and tiny everything actually, also she has few weeks so she's really polite right now, her cry is not even loud. The last day I was already more confident about my taking-care-of-a-baby skills, and I have to say it's a perfect solution for me to visit sometimes my sister...

It's that I don't plan to have a baby now, I want to end my career and then work, so there will be a better time. On the other hand, I always wondered when will my married sister have a baby, because I really wanted to have a baby in a family to cuddle it and buy tiny socks.We all know it's perfect when you don't have to listen a crying baby all 24 hours, and just spend some spare time with him or her. All the hard parts of parenting we leave to the parents... Probably the most of us will experience this some day, so right now I'm very glad I can take care of a baby girl from time to time and claim myself as an aunt!

I just feel it's quite sad that my parents won't be able to see that girl growing because they live a long way from Warsaw. I think it will be very common these times, because a lot of students stay in the cities where they studied, they settle down far away from their parents. Actually I'm not sure if any of my siblings will ever come back to live in my hometown - we're four, so it's a sad perspective of future if my parents will be alone in there without their grandchildren. Well, nobody said my city will never be attractive, though...Maybe it will revive and convince us to come back, find a job there and let the parents of our generation help their children in raising a child.

12 Angry Men in theatre

I don't go often to the theatre, partially because I haven't seen a lot of good performances, and also because I don't think I like all this mugging of actors. Perhaps I shouldn't say I don't like theatre before I don't see more performances...Anyway, yesterday I had an opportunity to see a quite interesting and good adaptation of 12 Angry Men, the excellent movie from 1957.

I have heard about this movie a long time ago, but I could never get to see it. This autumn I finally saw it with my boyfriend, actually he made me see it - he knew I would like it. Frankly, I think it is one of the best movies I have ever seen. So when we found out that Nowy Teatr in Poznan is adapting this movie, we thought it would be a great idea to go and see it, especially because we don't go a lot to the theatre, as I mentioned earlier. My boyfriend bought us for Christmas tickets and we went yesterday...

 

I am really glad that we went. Although there were some things a little bit exagerated or iritating, but my general impression is very good. There was some glitter, some unexpected lines that don't appear in a movie, but that fit very well in a theatre performance.

It doesn't matter if it is a movie or a performance or a book - the story that it tells always makes me feel so confident about people, it restores my faith in humanity. Also, lately I have been watching a lot movies with MAilyn Monroe, and it keeps making me laugh that in 1950s women were embarrased of wearing glasses! Times are changing so much, now it's fashionable and even those who don't need glasses wear them:)

Anybody who saw the movie 12 Angry Men, may like the theatre adaptation and I recommend it. To be honest, I think it may be very good experience and give us another point of view, because of a fresh and modern look that gives us a director.

One optimistic movie

So today I had an opportunity to see a movie that made embarassed me to feel bad about stupid, little things. It's called Fourth floor (Cuarta planta in spanish) and it tells the story of boys who spend even years in a hospital becuase of bone cancer. Most of them have they leg amputated.


I expected it would make me cry and feel pity about those boys, but it didn't. The movie has about 4 or 5 scenes which show the dark side of the illness. The rest of the film we see jokes, sometimes cruel, activities that boys organize themselves to make their lives more similar to the life they had earlier. It might appear that they don't realise how serious their state is - that they can die soon. But in my opinion they just learn to live with their illness, and they do it really well.

I don't think I would be able to do such a great job and deal with amputation and illness so well. The movie is not even a bit depressing - it's a motivation. It shows the courage to live normally even if everything's wrong.

Of course, I recommend to see it, although I have to admit that it's not a masterpiece for me, which made laugh and cry and I won't forget. But I also think it is worth seeing, especially for those who are scared of cancer, death etc. - some of ill boys will show you a nice way to ... live.

This original New Year's Post

When this particular time of the begining of the year comes, it is hard not to think about new year resolutions. I know and you know it all tends to disappear after few weeks, but if it's something we always wanted to do, maybe it's possible? Someone say that new year resolutions just don't work because they are new year resolutions and they happen to fail. Well, that's quite pessimistic, what about a challenge and not failing this year? I dare myself.

My resolutions aren't really original or hard. I made a list of about 20 books I NEED to read, because I always wanted and it's high time to make it an obligation. I'm gonna mark every book I read and control it every few months - and at Christmas 2015 it will be my gift, to know I succeeded. There will be more books that I will read that are not on the list, but I will write them down. I will be so proud of me! 

Also I decided to go at least once to Spain this year, because I haven't been ther since I came back from my Erasmus (it's been 2 years - and I'm a philologist! ...almost).

And the third thing I thought it would be great to do is something I used to do when I was a teenager. I want to practice to do the split again. I used to be quite good at gymnastics and I miss being that flexible and healthy and athletic. I can practice a split at home, during the winter, which I appreciate, because I also would like to run or roller blade. I feel that I really need any kind of movement and sport activities.

There are thousands of things I would like to achieve this year, some are certain - if, of course, anything serious happens. I am going to graduate, for sure. But if it comes to things that depends totally on me - like reading extraacademic books or sport, I have to be realistic.

PS I really, really wish to participate in a half marathon this autumn but I say that very quietly because I still haven't made my mind and I think I might jinx it. Anyway, wish me luck!