The One With Tarragon (But Without Spinach)

To prepare cream of leek soup did not turned out to be such a challenging task as I had expected. Especially, when I finally got this bloody dragon's wart ( = a nice, folk name of tarragon).

Because I had been looking for tarragon for over three months. I searched for it every time I visited any grocery store. Nothing. Eventually, I remembered that there was this nice, little natural shop, where you could buy various kinds of spices, tea etc. by weight. Bingo!

Which reminds me how much I miss spinach. I do. While abroad, I got used to having spinach-based dinner at least once a week. But I did not use this awful frozen spinach pulp - I used fresh, packaged spinach leaves, which you could find at the fridge shelves around fruit/vegetable stands at every supermarket. And you had to be quick in order to get it - if you didn't make it before lunch time, little was the chance that there would be some spinach left!
Anyway, I learnt that tarragon goes well together with spinach (as well as with courgette, avocado and pears) and that is where the association comes from.

As for the cream of leek - it was pretty good, considered that it was the first time ever I prepared such a soup and I did not follow any recipe but just improvised.

But I still like my cream of courgette better.

Stay tuned!

The One Not At Home

Or I could call it The One In Auschwitz, if you will.

Peter Broderick's song, as remastered by Clint Mansell (score composer to Black Swan and some other films by Darren Aronofsky):
Unfortunately, the original score to Last Night, the movie this piece comes from, has never been released separately. There is the soundtrack album, however, quite extra-ordinary, one of my favourites of the kind.

Gunnar Goes God

A semi-documentary film presenting an existential crisis of a middle-class, middle-aged, Scandinavian guy, whose life - from the perspective of a casual observer - could be perceived as almost perfect.
Actually, there was not much about God. There was more about finding one's goal in life and the meaning of one's life, and about living your life consciously.

If you take it lightly, it may seem a grotesque, a comedy even, filled with nonsensical answers to pointless questions.
If you decide to look deeper, it will become a very sad story of... Of what? I believe the answer depends on the person who watches the movie.

The Alchemist

Paulo Coelho's books qualify to what I call things you ought to familiarise with (no matter how painful it might be to do so), in order to know what everybody is talking about and to be able to state your own opinion on the matter. And so I did, eventually.
Surprisingly enough, in this case it was not that painful. To tell the truth, not painful at all - I quite liked it.
If you think of chapters or couples of chapters and consider them separate short stories, they are pretty good, some of them ingenious even. If you take the whole story, it is not bad either, although a tad too optimistic.
The weak point I can see here is the main character with his devil-may-care attitude - which is unfortunately too big a thing to overlook or come to terms with and spoils the general impression of The Alchemist.
As for the bombastic phrases that Paulo Coelho is notorious for: they do not seem so irritating when intertwined with corresponding events and normal dialogues and descriptions.
All in all, Santiago's treasure-hunt journey did not turned out to be that big torment I had expected.

Stay tuned.

The One With The Rain

Bad news: no white Christmas this year.

The good news, however, is that instead of Let It Snow we have Let It Rain - my favourite song from the Plenty album by Red Box is now a single:

What is more: next Summer they are going to have a concert tour around Poland (I'll be there, no matter what!).
Wait, there is more: the tour is going to result in a live album. Delightful.

Wow. They claimed frequently - the Red Box I mean - that they felt so welcome in Poland, like nowhere else. Still, you could never help wondering whether they only said such things out of courtesy or they did mean them.
Now I believe this case can be considered a sincere and mutual affection of the band and their Polish fans. The proof would be that Simon - the lead singer and a founder member - has come to Warsaw in a sole purpose of announcing Let It Rain première only tonight on the Programme 3 of Polish Radio. (Oh, Simon Toulson-Clarke and his deep, velvet voice, mmm... I like the way he sings - I love the way he speaks!)

Stay tuned!

The One With Reindeer

He turned round, revealing that what had seemed from the back like a harmless navy sweater was actually a V-neck diamond-pattern in shades of yellow and blue — as favoured by the more elderly of the nation's sports reporters.

Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding

Pity, in the movie Mark Darcy is not wearing a diamond-pattern sweater, which was replaced by a reindeer jumper. Still, the scene is hilarious; it makes me smile and creates some kind of a soft spot for both diamond-patterns and reindeer-decorated cloths. Tricky, since it's Christmas time and reindeer lurk pretty much everywhere and can pop out unexpectedly anytime...

Catching up with Adele:

She has been popular for quite a while now. And the more praised she was, the more prejudiced and reluctant I became.
Unnecessarily.

Stay tuned.

The One With Christmas Wishes

It has begun.

However, it started quite nicely: not with long but scrappy and empty wishes, or with thoughtless Merry Christmas.
It started with considerate, forethought and sincere words.

Nonetheless, I am certain others will follow and that each time the experience will be less and less pleasant and just more irritating...

Any way...

Stay tuned.

The One With The Harry Potter Movie Marathon

It took us three weekends to go through all the eight movies of the series, but we managed.
I stand by my opinion that the case with films is exactly opposite to books: the further you go, the better they get (the movies - the books get worse); except maybe for the last one but it is only part two of the Deathly Hallows, so if you look at it this way and take average of the last two films, then my statement still holds, I think.

And this is how I see the HP series: I do not know the directors names; but I do know the score composers and I listen to the music from almost the whole series. The curious thing is that the progress of composers nicely reflects how the whole film series evolved.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Music by: John Williams. Wonderful, playful Hedwig's Theme, which appears repeatedly in many other pieces as well.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Music by: John Williams. More or less the same what you can here in the first part.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Music by: John Williams. This time more varied but still close to the previous two films.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Music by: Patrick Doyle. Nothing distinctive or catchy, he has composed some much better scores e.g. for Sleuth or Gosford Park.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Music by: Nicholas Hooper. The only music composed by him that I am familiar with but it's brilliant: both sentimental and lively, nicely reflecting the romantic scenes as well as frolicsome episodes.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Music by: Nicholas Hooper. Almost exactly the same themes as in the previous part with addition of a few pieces. All in all, still pleasant to listen to, and surprisingly well matching the storyline, despite its being a repetition.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1

Music by: Alexandre Desplat. Well, he is one of my favourite movie score composers ever, so I may be a bit prejudiced. Anyway, I think the music is beautiful - gentle but not sweet, rather nostalgic.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2

Music by: Alexandre Desplat. Different themes, same spirit - I also like it, maybe just a little less than part one of Deathly Hallows.

The next movie challenge of that sort - The Twilight Saga...?

Stay tuned!

The One With The Spoilers

One Day

I'm not lonely, I'm alone.

It could have been such a good film... As it is, it only makes a decent movie with very pretty, eye-candy shots - which brilliantly reflect the times changing! - and unconventional formula: One Day is the story of Emma and Dexter's friendship throughout twenty years; but what we see of this relationship is only one day each year, namely 15th July. Some major dramas take place exactly on that day and of some others we only see the consequences.
I couldn't help comparing Emma's and Maggie's (from City of Angels) deaths. The latter makes perfect sense and makes the whole plot meaningful. The former makes the movie all the more sentimental and pointless. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it for the most part and believe it to be worth watching.

Stay tuned.

The One Where Karo Wishes She Had A Boyfriend

The origin of this peculiar regret lies in the everlasting question: is a platonic friendship between a man and a woman at all possible? Or is it only feasible when certain conditions are fulfilled (e.g. at least one of the party is in a relationship)? Or is it simply impossible and to think otherwise is to deceive oneself, since all attempts to maintain such a friendship are doomed to end miserably any way...?
And, by the way: can you stay friends with your ex(es)?
(My experience so far says the answers are: yes and yes. But I fell like I am about to revisit these conclusions.)

Most of my friends are men. However, some pattern emerges here: they are all married or engaged, or in long-lasting relationships and/or I am friends with their wives or fiancées, or girlfriends etc. as well.

Sooo... Can I truly be friends with guys who are not currently engaged in any relationship? Or do I have to wait till I am in one...?
As I said, I believe it to be possible and that I have already managed to do it. Still, life would be sooo much easier if...

Midnight in Paris

I think everybody who truly wished to see this film has seen it already. And everybody has stated their delight and admiration. I shall not stand out and join in with praising and approving on - well, on pretty much every element of the movie. I loved it, in spite of there being too little bitterness to overcome the overall cuteness and sweetness of the magic city of Paris.
Just one personal comment on the greatest surprise of the evening: Owen Wilson actually can act. He was brilliant portraying the traditional, neurotic, Allen-style male character. Wow. I am all amazement.

That day had to come... Today marks the day when I heard Last Christmas for the first time this Winter. Grrr.

Stay tuned.

The One With The Kettle

I have never been much of a gamer. Yes, once in a blue moon it happened so that I encountered a game which kept me engaged for some time. Still, my commitment was never very intense or lasted long.
However, today I have been presented with a few items that could possibly make me alter my attitude. One of them is Little Big Planet and, oh! I can already see myself enjoying it from time to time - when I am too tired to focus on a good book, or downcast and in need of a cheer-up (e.g. instead of watching WALL-E for the hundredth time). Moreover, while trying out some thing the whole different, Heavy Rain, I got an epiphany on what those two totally dissimilar games have in common: they both resemble the exact types of movies and books I am keen on. Which also explains why I hate Heroes of Might and Magic: I love fantasy but Heroes only pretend to reflect such a world; in fact, the presence of fantasy characters and motifs have very little meaning or consequence there.
So, as of today, PlayStation goes to my list of stuff-to-buy-when-I'm-more-or-less-settled. Somewhere after a digital SLR but before a dishwasher.

Oh, and on that list there is currently an electric kettle. However, I have found out what is one of the reasons why you can be fond of regular, old-fashioned, non-electric kettles. You see, when you possess one such thing and your electricity provider acts up, you are still able to make yourself a tea.

BTW, a nice word from the HP marathon part 2: gamekeeper. And it has nothing to do with games as I refer to them above.

Stay tuned.

The One With The Ocelot

The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), pronounced /ˈɒsəˌlɒt/, also known as the dwarf leopard, is a wild cat distributed over South and Central America and Mexico(...).
The ocelot is similar in appearance to a domestic cat. Its fur resembles that of a clouded leopard or jaguar and was once regarded as particularly valuable.

Looks cute, doesn't it. Well, velvet paws hide sharp claws... So I believe it fits perfectly.

Stay tuned.

The One The Morning After The Housewarming Party

The party sum-up:

• no broken glass/mugs/plates/...
• no damaged furniture
• no furious neighbours
• no hangover
• lots of delicious tea
• number of [full or almost full] bottles left after the party >> number of bottles present before the party (?!)
• and most of all: people I have not seen together in one room literally for years

And a breakfast afterwards that felt so homey as never before in my life.

Stay tuned.

The One With The Mole

Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy

You’re a good watcher though eh? Us loners always are.

Usually I find much pleasure in the activity of going to the cinema itself. Moreover, I haven't been to the cinema for a long time and really missed that.
However, yesterday's movie was just too good to care for anything more.

Colin Firth, John Hurt, Benedict Cumberbatch (Holmes himself from the new Sherlock TV miniseries) and many more... But most of all: Gary Oldman as George Smiley, a semi-retired MI6 agent who is to uncover a Soviet mole within the Circus (as they call MI6 structures). He stole the whole film.
Very good story, a bit complicated but unravelling gradually and therefore not too difficult to follow. And this lazy, yet tense atmosphere of espionage, thick of cigarette smoke, French songs, ringing phones and typewriter clickety-clack.
Marevellous. Both technically and at the artistic or interpretative level.

Stay tuned for more good movies.

The One Where Karo Stays

My friend (and current flatmate, btw) loves this passage from the Moominvalley in November:

The quiet transition from autumn to winter is not a bad time at all. It’s a time for protecting and securing things and for making sure you’ve got in as many supplies as you can. It’s nice to gather together everything you possess as close to you as possible, to store up your warmth and your thoughts and burrow yourself into a deep hole inside, a core of safety where you can defend what is important and precious and your very own. Then the cold and the storms and the darkness can do their worst. They can grope their way up the walls looking for a way in, but they won’t find one, everything is shut, and you sit inside, laughing in your warmth and your solitude, for you have had foresight.

It's a beautiful, charming, warm, little book. What amazes me most is the fact that there are literally no Moomins present in it - and yet there are there: in every other character's thought, driving their every action. Despite them being physically gone, they actually appear on every page. Astonishing.

The funny thing is that my favourite part goes right after the passage above:

There are those who stay at home and those who go away, and it has always been so. Everyone can choose for himself, but he must choose while there is still time and never change his mind.

So this year, for a change, I have decided to stay. And, in a way, to go away at the same time.

And you - stay tuned.

The One Between You, Me And The Lamppost

Last week I went jogging but at some point noticed that something felt wrong - I mean outside, in the world. I realised the lanterns were out and it was hard to spot the curbs or the holes in the sidewalk. So after the first circle around the park I changed the route and started running inside the park. Soon after the lanterns inside went out. I moved outside again but closer to the town centre, so that I wouldn't have to run along that dark street where I had started. After some time I noticed the lamps in the park were illuminated again, so I moved back to park...
Was that some kind of a sign or what?

Yesterday another street went dark, so I had an excuse not to go jogging.

Today, in order to avoid such inconveniences I made a resolution to go running when it was still daylight. But I dozed off at some point... Fortunately, a boy delivering fliers woke me up, otherwise it would have been too late again.
So another sign? At least this time a positive one...

Florence's No Light, No Light would go perfectly here, but was already not so long ago. Or maybe The Sign by Red Box? Well, I love the song but don't believe in signs, so I think not.

Stay tuned.

The One With The Girls Night In

What is the very essence of the girls night in?
I will tell you what. Sampling films based on books by Jane Austen in search for the best, the most recognisable scenes, that every respectable girl has already seen a thousand times. And then comparing one adaptation to another and contrasting the scenes, the actors, the setting etc.
But apart from Jane Austen...

Jane Eyre

Only one word: passion. There is absolutely none in this film. It is pretty and the music, work of Dario Marianelli, is romantic (I have been listening to the score for a few weeks already), the moors are charming... Yet, there is more life in the landscapes and the weather; they seem to reflect the real feelings of the characters and convey their emotions much more proficiently than the actual people do.
However, that is basically my only complaint, so all in all, it is worth seeing.

I have read the book before and I didn't like it. I could never sympathise with Jane, which I believe to be weird, since she is quite an original, strong and independent person, not some light-headed, silly girl.

I'm not in need of tea, thank you.

Hmmm, maybe that is the reason why.

August Rush

If you are OK with the fact that not only you know exactly how the movie ends, but you are able to tell the whole storyline scene by scene... Well... If you are OK with that, then you can find a sheer pleasure in this film: great music, great roles (marvellous Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, wonderful Bono-like Robin Williams and adorable Freddie Highmore); beautifully edited, sweet and warm story of a musical prodigy, whose determination to find his parents lets him overcome every obstacle and leads him straight to the happy ending that you expect from the first minute.
A contemporary Pinocchio, I would say.

Drive

Wow. I believe I have never seen so many slow motion scenes in one movie - and through that they are all the more meaningful. Ryan Gosling is unbelievable, Carey Mulligan good as always, and the others not bad either. (Although he plays so well that nobody could have spoilt the effect, no matter what. It is his movie). The score by Cliff Martinez (hid did Solaris, for example), perfectly matching the mood, combined with a few songs that I would never imagine I could fall for - and yet I did.
Brilliant.

To experience this girls night in I had to go quite far North, but it was totally worth the effort. And I still love travelling, especially by trains, so the journey itself was a pleasure for the most part.

Stay tuned.

The One Without The Christmas Spirit

Me and my friends agree that there's some thing missing around now and that some thing is snow. You can feel it in the air. You get the impression that it's going to fall any minute now - so it feels quite weird when it doesn't. You literally experience the lack of it.
Additionally, the season for all the X-mas decorations has just opened. All in all, it's only a month away from Christmas, so it's not that bad I believe...
The point is that without snow you cannot really feel the Christmas is coming. It feels wrong.

Or maybe the Christmas spirit is here already but I'm simply unable to spot it...?


Stay tuned!

The One With Insomnia

Yes, my dear old friend has come back. That's a bad sign.

Stay tuned.

The One With Beaujolais Nouveau

Beaujolais Nouveau is a young wine, fermented for just a few weeks before being released for sale on the third Thursday of November. The wine itself is not really good - but the marketing is.

I am no connoisseur but it seemed like this year's Beaujolais was better than those I had tasted previously. Or maybe the company you drink it with accounts for some of the impression you get on wine... If the latter is the case, then I'm quite positive that, despite its bitterness, for me little is the chance that there will ever be a better one than Beaujolais Nouveau 2011.

Stay tuned!

The One With The New Map

I didn't really feel like it but when I realised the last time I had gone jogging was over two weeks before, I put on my pink shoes and set off. After all, I've made a promise to myself to run at least three times a week - not once in three weeks. I feel excused, though, since there's been a lot going on lately and I really didn't have means and/or time to cultivate my healthy addiction.

So here is the map with some new routes:

View Kraków // jogging in a larger map

By the way, I have made a resolution to run the Cracovia Marathon again, next year, and furthermore maybe go for the Crown of Polish Marathons badge.

So stay tuned.

The One With 2♣

Imagine a situation where the person who draws the highest card from a deck wins a prize. What is it that the universe is trying to communicate to me if I get 2♣?

Ehhhh... Never mind.

No Light, No Light by Florence + the Machine:

So far my favourite (along with Shake It Out) from Ceremonials, the new Flo's album.

Stay tuned...

The One On Monday. Again

Life has definitely speeded up since I moved.
And how do I know that? Because it's Monday. Again.
And I feel like that previous Monday was only yesterday. No idea where all the other days of last week disappeared...
But this sudden acceleration is definitely a good thing.
Very good, I'd say.

So stay tuned!

-------
I'm still mostly on U2 but a friend of mine reminded me my favourite far-East movie score composers.

Yumeji's Theme from In the Mood For Love and Main Theme from 2046:
(Both themes by Shigeru Umebayashi, both films by Wong Kar Wai)



For the World - theme music from Hero, my personal favourite among all the wire-fu genre movies.

(The movies are great as well, by the way)

The One About And Around Coffee

Amongst the stranger things I own there is a coffee maker. The odd part being that until recently I haven't got a permanent place of residence, I moved from one place to another, and a coffee machine is not of the kind that you can carelessly drag around anywhere you go. It remains the most peculiar Christmas present I have got from my parents - actually, the queerest I have ever got from anybody.
Anyway, I own one and I like it, although I'm not caffeine-addicted and I don't require a daily dose to function normally or to function at all. Nonetheless, I enjoy a good coffee from time to time, so when I moved to my new place I took the coffee maker with me.
Oh, right! The news is: I have just moved out from my parents' and currently share a flat with my good friend.

Which leads me to the recap of the last 7 years, and that is:

• 3 countries
• 5 cities/towns
• 11 shared flats/student dormitories

---------------------------------------------
= countless times of: packing, moving out, leaving, travelling, arriving, moving in, unpacking...

It's been an adventure and I do not regret a bit - I wouldn't be who I am now if it weren't for those challenges I accepted. Still, it's been tiring, so I am glad to have found a new place and the perspective of staying here longer seems to appeal to me.

Anyhow... I didn't make it to unpack yesterday upon arrival because of HP marathon part 1 (don't worry! we'll get to that another time). So I finished today.
And the last thing I did was to clean an set up the coffee machine.

So here I am, hopefully done with all the packing and moving for some time, enjoying my first coffee in my new place and listening to good music:

Still U2-addicted and discovering new pieces. Lately, they have rereleased the Achtung Baby and this song comes from that album. In the 20th anniversary edition you can find the Kindergarten album, which is the alternative Achtung Baby (plus lots of additional remixes). I still can't make up my mind which version I like better. They are both wonderful.

Stay tuned!

The One On Monday

I haven't experienced such a wonderful day for a really long time. In fact, I cannot recall, not a little bit, when was the last time such a day happened to me. The day you would not expect to develop the way it eventually does. The day when so many small, unexpected marvels occur one by one, setting up an exceptional chain of events and steering you inevitably towards new encounters. The day by the end of which you are dead-tired but extremely happy at the same time.

Monday. It did not started in any way extra-ordinarily. I woke up in the early morning and set off to run some errands, at the uni for the most part.
First surprise: no traffic jams and the journey did not last longer than usual.
Talked to my study supervisor. I wish there were more people who can be so positively serene and affirmative on Monday mornings. And I wish I could be one of them.
Met a long time not seen friend and attended a lecture given by him. Two lectures, actually, the other one was more a discussion or seminar, though. Met another friend there. And many more in the meantime.
Hurried home to meet another one . My first guest, as I realised afterwards, the first friend to visit me at my new place.
Went to sleep very late, somewhat weary, yet content with how the day turned out.

And on that Monday evening for the first time in months I felt happy.
It was a good day.

Stay tuned!

The One With An Anvil

For it all started with an anvil.

Funny as it may seem, but that's the truth: it did started with an anvil. I was watching Gilmore Girls, one of my personal favourites amongst comedy-drama TV series. And there was that scene where Lorelai kept blabbering... Well, okey, nothing new, she does that all the time and on any subject possible. However, for some reason suddenly an anvil came up, and she went on and on about the general idea of an anvil in contemporary world; she kept making some comparisons and metaphors, even asking ontological questions.
And there I was, sitting and watching - totally blank, having no idea what the scene was all about.
So I pressed space to pause the episode. I opened a web browser and navigated to an online dictionary, where I typed 'anvil' and get my answer:

Anvil

An iron block, usually with a steel face, upon which metals are hammered and shaped.

That wasn't the first time I looked a word up. Or maybe it was, as long as movies and tv series are being considered. Cause, sure, I had done it before with books.
But that was definitely the first time I made a conscious resolution of not letting this word go away, so that I wouldn't have to check it again.

---

Since then, I have performed this particular ritual many times: pause the film, check the word, resume watching (or bookmark the page, check the word, resume reading). I do that every time I don't understand a word, a term, a phrase, an idiom - may it be while reading a book, watching a full-length movie or an episode of some TV series. I have even developed and perfected various methods, depending on the kind of word I search for.

It is one thing to find a new word and learn its definition. It is quite another to keep it, not loose it - to memorize, remember the next time and, furthermore, be able to use it. Cause there would be no point to this singular quest of mine if I were to let the word go the very same minute I've discovered it.
So first I stared tweeting a word once a day: each time I chose the one that somehow reflected my day: an event, encounter, or a movie I'd watched, or a book I'd been reading etc. That was easy and natural when I was an expat living abroad.
But I'm also keen on writing, so I thought some kind of 'word of the day' would make a nice leitmotif of a blog. The problem was I had already been running a blog regarding my expat experiences. I believed it wouldn't be a good idea to try and incorporate the words there, for it could make the blog messy and fussy. But since I'm not an expat any more, I've decided to put the concept into effect, start a new chapter of my online life and give myself another opportunity to practise the words I keep adopting.

So that's more or less how the idea of me writing in English emerged and evolved.

Stay tuned for more!