Just few seconds before the ending of what it was supposed to be romantic comedy.
Cherry: Oh come on! Smooch her already!
Fairy: Yeah, I gotta pee.
I think we have a winner for the worst movie of the year. On scale from 1 to 10 I'd give it 0.5.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Where is home?
Moving to Berlin wasn't really that difficult (apart from all the physical exercise that was included). Probably because I wasn't completely aware of what I was actually doing. Of course thoughts like "Am I completely nuts?" did cross my mind from time to time but then quickly disappear to the "Don't panic!" area. Douglas Adams knew what he was talking about.
First days were kinda exciting and confusing at the same time. Mostly I was dealing with fundamental questions like: where is the post office, where can I get decent caffeine fix and where am I anyway. While looking for answers I found extremely useful things like:
- Soft drinks with gas are very popular,
- if you make out words that sound german, people might even understand you,
- organic wine is actually quite tasty.
I also found out that it IS a good idea to visit huge computer stores without a credit card. Especially if they have also Apple Store.
So right now I am still kinda adjusting, discovering the city and trying to practice my German. I'd say I covered the basic level by mastering shopping conversation (hello, how much, goodbye, yes, no) and random useful phrases like: Can I have some toilet paper?
What's next? I have no idea. Let's wait and see.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Germanwings FAIL
I made it to Berlin, unfortunately without my hamster. My first post here should probably be dedicated to glorifying the city, however I am still too irritated by Germanwings and their serious lack of information skills. Here's why:
1. I read the info on their website: So I got a note form the vet, my hamster is under 8 kg and is not in the category 1 restricted breeds. I just needed to make a phone call to "check" him in. According to this info I should pay about 25 EUR. Not really cheap but OK, I don't really have a choice.
2. The contact page is somewhat confusing as not all the call centers have the full numbers. After second week of trying to reach them on five different numbers and some effort trying to get the right number, I finally managed. The guy on the other side, supposedly empoyee of germanwings, said I need a note from the vet and 35 EUR which I pay at the check in. Ok, So maybe they raised prices because of the crisis.
3. I come to the check in, already check in all my luggage, including the cage, and then point at the hamster. Only then they told me that rodents can't travel with planes. And if I wanted to get the cage back I would surely miss my plane. Splendid. I swear I could hear Murphy laughing out loud.
So now I have the cage while my parents,only 700 km away, are stuck with my hamster. I would to complaint to them but there is no email on their website and I am too pissed off to spend money on calling them.
So dear Germanwings, we spent fun few years together but now it is time to move on and find something else. Because I deserve better :P
1. I read the info on their website: So I got a note form the vet, my hamster is under 8 kg and is not in the category 1 restricted breeds. I just needed to make a phone call to "check" him in. According to this info I should pay about 25 EUR. Not really cheap but OK, I don't really have a choice.
2. The contact page is somewhat confusing as not all the call centers have the full numbers. After second week of trying to reach them on five different numbers and some effort trying to get the right number, I finally managed. The guy on the other side, supposedly empoyee of germanwings, said I need a note from the vet and 35 EUR which I pay at the check in. Ok, So maybe they raised prices because of the crisis.
3. I come to the check in, already check in all my luggage, including the cage, and then point at the hamster. Only then they told me that rodents can't travel with planes. And if I wanted to get the cage back I would surely miss my plane. Splendid. I swear I could hear Murphy laughing out loud.
So now I have the cage while my parents,
So dear Germanwings, we spent fun few years together but now it is time to move on and find something else. Because I deserve better :P
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Good, Better, Sziget 2009
Sziget proved again to be my favorite festival. Excellent camping spot in a beautiful and gigantic park (island), insanely diverse cultural/other happening AND superb concerts. What's not to like? Plus I got to go there for free thanks to my DJ friend Luk@May.
This years main theme of the festival were animals. Inflatable and furry animal toys, animal costumes, tents in the shape of animals and of course the beasts that come out of people after a bottle or two of vodka. Very primal, very zoo-otic.
It was literally impossible to go to all or even most the concerts and performances that were happening, so I choose only the ones I really wanted to see.
Highlights:
As it is for the rest: It's been almost a week and I am still recovering from everything. If you are bored there, it's probably your own fault.
This years main theme of the festival were animals. Inflatable and furry animal toys, animal costumes, tents in the shape of animals and of course the beasts that come out of people after a bottle or two of vodka. Very primal, very zoo-otic.
It was literally impossible to go to all or even most the concerts and performances that were happening, so I choose only the ones I really wanted to see.
Highlights:
- I am X,
- Editors,
- Bloc party,
- Primal Scream,
- Klaxons,
- Fat Boy Slim.
- Pendulum
- Performance show in Magic Mirror,
- Dance and theatre show with gigantic wheel.
- The Prodigy,
- The Ting Tings.
As it is for the rest: It's been almost a week and I am still recovering from everything. If you are bored there, it's probably your own fault.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Urban adrenalin sports
I used to think adrenalin sports are quite exciting. Bungee and parachute jumping were on my teenage "to do before I die" list. Now they are on the top of "to do if I want to die" list. Not because I wouldn't like adrenalin sports, but because I'm already doing too many as it is. Like walking through the city.
Being a complete bookworm, I own lots of books. So many that I still didn't manage to read even half of them. Naturally that doesn't stop me from buying new ones. So every time I see a bookstore, I have a two level adrenaline experience: passing and entering.
Entering usually includes complex dilemmas such as: do I really need it, can I afford it, should I wait for few more days... Most of the times they are solved by a swing of my credit card. There's probably no need to describe the "excitement" when the money is actually taken from my account. What goes for books, goes also for movies and CDs, except I actually get to see and listen to most of them.
My other daily intake of adrenaline is provided by biking through the city. It's quite amazing how it resembles the ride on a train of death in the amusement parks:
So I don't really need to do any extra adrenalin sports, because living in a capital provides me with all the adrenalin I'll ever need.
Being a complete bookworm, I own lots of books. So many that I still didn't manage to read even half of them. Naturally that doesn't stop me from buying new ones. So every time I see a bookstore, I have a two level adrenaline experience: passing and entering.
Entering usually includes complex dilemmas such as: do I really need it, can I afford it, should I wait for few more days... Most of the times they are solved by a swing of my credit card. There's probably no need to describe the "excitement" when the money is actually taken from my account. What goes for books, goes also for movies and CDs, except I actually get to see and listen to most of them.
My other daily intake of adrenaline is provided by biking through the city. It's quite amazing how it resembles the ride on a train of death in the amusement parks:
- disorientated pedestrians, randomly apprearing from nowhere,
- overwhelmed supermans on bikes, rollerblades and motorcycles, imitating the speed of light,
- drivers paying more attention to their phones and make up than to the road,
- cars, parked on the cycling tracks with drivers opening the doors only a second before the biker appears,
- people, throwing stuff outta windows.
So I don't really need to do any extra adrenalin sports, because living in a capital provides me with all the adrenalin I'll ever need.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Brunch de Luxe
Brunch usually means enjoying a special meal while reading morning newspaper and sipping coffee. Of course sometimes it also means getting up in the afternoon, still a bit hungover from yesterday's party, not being able to decide whether to have breakfast or lunch.
In both cases food must be involved. So why not try out scrambled eggs on leek with fresh salad?
Ingredients:
Melt the butter and fry chopped onion on it. Add chopped leek, cover the pan and leave it for few minutes untill leek becomes soft.
Add scrambled eggs and salt and fry it untill the eggs are done.
Cut the tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, add salt and some olive oil. Garnish it with fresh basil.
You will find garlic bread a perfect addition to this brunch. Unless you are a vampire of course :)
In both cases food must be involved. So why not try out scrambled eggs on leek with fresh salad?
Ingredients:
- leek,
- onion,
- 2 - 3 eggs,
- tomatoe,
- mozzarella cheese,
- fresh basil
- olive oil,
- butter,
- salt.
Melt the butter and fry chopped onion on it. Add chopped leek, cover the pan and leave it for few minutes untill leek becomes soft.
Add scrambled eggs and salt and fry it untill the eggs are done.
Cut the tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, add salt and some olive oil. Garnish it with fresh basil.
You will find garlic bread a perfect addition to this brunch. Unless you are a vampire of course :)
Friday, July 10, 2009
Heineken Open'er Festival 2009
It takes several good reasons to travel that far just for the music festival. Fortunately the organisers provided a couple of great reasons to book those plane tickets and pack my bags.
Open'er Festival was substantially smaller than Sziget withonly about 60.000 visitors. But the nice surroundings, summer weather, great music and good organisation, made it equally unforgetable.
First surpise was the coupon/card payment method. At first it seemed quite weird to have to go to some boot to buy coupons or add money to your card, but later on, especially after few beers, it turned out to be a mighty good idea. If only I would be able to keep track on the amount of money I still have on the card.
Free bus to from the festival area at Babie Doly airport to the center of Gdynia was much appreciated. Need for proper coffee, cuttlery and a flushing toilet should never be underestimated.
And after years of visiting festivals I finally learned I can enjoy the concerts without being 10 meters away from the stage. Priceless.
I was really looking foward to this concert, trying not to expect too much after hearing their live performance is pretty much dissapointing. For me it wasn't. Even though they didn't connect much with the audience, they did connect a lot with the music.
The only real dissapointment were the technical problems. The sound went out in the middle of the song. Twice. So the concert was briefly interrupted to fix this problem and the guy explained that such things can happen also on the festival. I understand. But they really shouldn't.
Gossip:
Since I wasn't a fan of the bend and new only one of their songs, I didn't know what to expect. But when Beth Ditto came on stage in her black hot pants and corset, screaming: "We are so fucking happy to be here!", it was just getting better and better. Great concert great communication with the audience and excellent performance. Not to mention the drummer was illeagally cute. Worth seeing again.
The Kooks:
The band was mindblowing. Absolutely great performance, excellent communication with the audience and amazing energy. Don't remember when was the last time I danced so much. Love it, loved it, loved it! Maybe the security guys didn't love it so much as the singer spent a lot of time playing and singing off the stage. Bummer. Well done Kooks!
White Lies
I didn't manage to see much of the concert cause the tent where it was taking place kinda sucked, if you weren't in the front. Still I did enjoy the soothing music of White Lies. Didn't notice much of a performance, still the audience went wild everytime they started or finished a song. Lovely concert but I wish I would have seen more.
Kings of Leon
Least but not last - KOL. It was by far one of the best concerts I've ever seen. Not just because practicly everyone at the festival was attending it, but also because of the amazing honesty, energy and dedication of the band. They were amazed by the crowd, singing their songs, screaming, jumping, dancing.
"This is our first time here." they announced at the begining. Later on Caleb Followil said they didn't know what to expect and they though nobody will know who the hell they are.
"But this is amazing!" They promissed to come back to the festival every time we would want them and played an extra song too. It was an audio orgasm without competition.
Cool Polish feminist electro punk band. Too bad I didn't understand any of the lyrics.
The Calog
Decent music but too few english songs to understand what the sing about. Hopefully not about beer, chicks and bohemian life of a rock star.
Poland has their own simbols for toilets. I discovered that ▼ is not a sign for women's toilet. Apparently a circle is more of a female simbol. Go figure.
It is good time to visit Poland during the strawberry season. Got a bag of these beauties for only 1 EUR.
Sunsets were breath taking!
Rakoon dance
Queens of the rodeo
Flying commercials
Place for fashion junkies
So see you again next year?
Open'er Festival was substantially smaller than Sziget with
First surpise was the coupon/card payment method. At first it seemed quite weird to have to go to some boot to buy coupons or add money to your card, but later on, especially after few beers, it turned out to be a mighty good idea. If only I would be able to keep track on the amount of money I still have on the card.
Free bus to from the festival area at Babie Doly airport to the center of Gdynia was much appreciated. Need for proper coffee, cuttlery and a flushing toilet should never be underestimated.
And after years of visiting festivals I finally learned I can enjoy the concerts without being 10 meters away from the stage. Priceless.
Highlights of the festival
Arctic Monkeys:I was really looking foward to this concert, trying not to expect too much after hearing their live performance is pretty much dissapointing. For me it wasn't. Even though they didn't connect much with the audience, they did connect a lot with the music.
The only real dissapointment were the technical problems. The sound went out in the middle of the song. Twice. So the concert was briefly interrupted to fix this problem and the guy explained that such things can happen also on the festival. I understand. But they really shouldn't.
Gossip:
Since I wasn't a fan of the bend and new only one of their songs, I didn't know what to expect. But when Beth Ditto came on stage in her black hot pants and corset, screaming: "We are so fucking happy to be here!", it was just getting better and better. Great concert great communication with the audience and excellent performance. Not to mention the drummer was illeagally cute. Worth seeing again.
The Kooks:
The band was mindblowing. Absolutely great performance, excellent communication with the audience and amazing energy. Don't remember when was the last time I danced so much. Love it, loved it, loved it! Maybe the security guys didn't love it so much as the singer spent a lot of time playing and singing off the stage. Bummer. Well done Kooks!
White Lies
I didn't manage to see much of the concert cause the tent where it was taking place kinda sucked, if you weren't in the front. Still I did enjoy the soothing music of White Lies. Didn't notice much of a performance, still the audience went wild everytime they started or finished a song. Lovely concert but I wish I would have seen more.
Kings of Leon
Least but not last - KOL. It was by far one of the best concerts I've ever seen. Not just because practicly everyone at the festival was attending it, but also because of the amazing honesty, energy and dedication of the band. They were amazed by the crowd, singing their songs, screaming, jumping, dancing.
"This is our first time here." they announced at the begining. Later on Caleb Followil said they didn't know what to expect and they though nobody will know who the hell they are.
"But this is amazing!" They promissed to come back to the festival every time we would want them and played an extra song too. It was an audio orgasm without competition.
Discoveries
Mass kotkiCool Polish feminist electro punk band. Too bad I didn't understand any of the lyrics.
The Calog
Decent music but too few english songs to understand what the sing about. Hopefully not about beer, chicks and bohemian life of a rock star.
Trivia
Poland has their own simbols for toilets. I discovered that ▼ is not a sign for women's toilet. Apparently a circle is more of a female simbol. Go figure.
It is good time to visit Poland during the strawberry season. Got a bag of these beauties for only 1 EUR.
Sunsets were breath taking!
Rakoon dance
Queens of the rodeo
Flying commercials
Place for fashion junkies
So see you again next year?
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Polish seaside
While visiting Open'er Heineken festival I couldn't resist my tourist urges so I took a look at the nearby cities. I was impressed. Apparently Poland is not only affordable but also very beautiful. People were very nice, often offering to help me with my luggage.
GDYNIA - small city that I visited every day to have brunch, coffe and relaxing time at the beach. After discovering cute little Hollywood bar, it soon became my favorite place. Apparently not only mine as every day it was harder to get the table. Lunch and delicious latte for only 3-5 EUR? Abso fuckin' lutely!
Café Cyganeria, also near Hollywood, is a perfect place for coffee people. Tastefully decorated place with a long list of coffee, nice waitress and comfortable couches made me wanna sit there for hours. So maybe it was a good thing that I found it only the last day.
SOPOT
A small city with a huge promenade, famous crooked house and creative tribute to Roman Polanski on the beach. Because of the less salty see, swans are randomely floating on the water. Quite adorable.
GDANSK
Absolutely amazing mideval city, rich with beautifyl buildings, street life and cultural happening. Accidently I visited it exactly at the time of big floods. However all the broadcasting made me a bit confused as I saw no traces of flood, nothing even close to what was shown on TV. Weather was perfect and if I could I would stay there much longer. Gdansk is a definite must see and I would love to visit it again.
One the way back I spent the night at the cuttest little hostel in Warsaw. Hostel Zielone Mazsowze is well hidden in the building close to the central train station. Instead having that impersonal hostel feeling I felt more like I am staying at my friends flat. The receptor was very nice, helpful and understanding about my struggle with the entrance door in the middle of the night. To make things more interesting - NGO that owns the hostel, is involved in projects on sustainable development. I like them even more.
So that was my Poland. Absolutely worth seeing more than once. And if you decide to visit it, don't miss the oportunity to try pierogi, gofry and Zubrowka. Possibly in that order :)
GDYNIA - small city that I visited every day to have brunch, coffe and relaxing time at the beach. After discovering cute little Hollywood bar, it soon became my favorite place. Apparently not only mine as every day it was harder to get the table. Lunch and delicious latte for only 3-5 EUR? Abso fuckin' lutely!
Café Cyganeria, also near Hollywood, is a perfect place for coffee people. Tastefully decorated place with a long list of coffee, nice waitress and comfortable couches made me wanna sit there for hours. So maybe it was a good thing that I found it only the last day.
SOPOT
A small city with a huge promenade, famous crooked house and creative tribute to Roman Polanski on the beach. Because of the less salty see, swans are randomely floating on the water. Quite adorable.
GDANSK
Absolutely amazing mideval city, rich with beautifyl buildings, street life and cultural happening. Accidently I visited it exactly at the time of big floods. However all the broadcasting made me a bit confused as I saw no traces of flood, nothing even close to what was shown on TV. Weather was perfect and if I could I would stay there much longer. Gdansk is a definite must see and I would love to visit it again.
One the way back I spent the night at the cuttest little hostel in Warsaw. Hostel Zielone Mazsowze is well hidden in the building close to the central train station. Instead having that impersonal hostel feeling I felt more like I am staying at my friends flat. The receptor was very nice, helpful and understanding about my struggle with the entrance door in the middle of the night. To make things more interesting - NGO that owns the hostel, is involved in projects on sustainable development. I like them even more.
So that was my Poland. Absolutely worth seeing more than once. And if you decide to visit it, don't miss the oportunity to try pierogi, gofry and Zubrowka. Possibly in that order :)
Monday, June 22, 2009
Women and technology
There is a common belief that women and technology don't go together. If that would be true every housewife would need a training before she could start using her kitchen.
I've been asked several times to help "make the presentation appear on the projector" by the room full of men. So I think saying "women don't understand technology" is just an excuse for those, who are either not interested in it or are simply too lazy to deal with it on their own.
However I could agree that women (if I dare to generalise this not at all unified category) maybe have different expectations and needs towards technology. And I'm not talking only about design preferences or various period tracker applications. There is an interesting debate about the topic in the comments of this post.
Personally when it comes to computers and software, I want it to:
So is it fair to say you designed software for women when it's not going to satisfy all the women? I think not. But I would definitely go for software with a little of personal touch.
Here's an example:
Beeing annoyed by endless windows popping up when least needed just to ask me if I am really sure about some action, I've wished I would have had different options than "No" or "Close". Having "STFU" or a third option "No. And never ask me again." did cross my mind several times. And I would definitely love to be able to rewrite certain commands in a more creative way. Of course that is not the only thing I'd like to change.
So what is the alternative? Honestly I don't know but if there is one, please do share it. After all the purpose of technology is to meet the needs of the people and not the other way around.
I've been asked several times to help "make the presentation appear on the projector" by the room full of men. So I think saying "women don't understand technology" is just an excuse for those, who are either not interested in it or are simply too lazy to deal with it on their own.
However I could agree that women (if I dare to generalise this not at all unified category) maybe have different expectations and needs towards technology. And I'm not talking only about design preferences or various period tracker applications. There is an interesting debate about the topic in the comments of this post.
Personally when it comes to computers and software, I want it to:
- be simple (have good usability),
- be visually appealing (not flooded with colors and animations),
- allow customization,
- speak my language,
- have a bit of a personality.
So is it fair to say you designed software for women when it's not going to satisfy all the women? I think not. But I would definitely go for software with a little of personal touch.
Here's an example:
Beeing annoyed by endless windows popping up when least needed just to ask me if I am really sure about some action, I've wished I would have had different options than "No" or "Close". Having "STFU" or a third option "No. And never ask me again." did cross my mind several times. And I would definitely love to be able to rewrite certain commands in a more creative way. Of course that is not the only thing I'd like to change.
So what is the alternative? Honestly I don't know but if there is one, please do share it. After all the purpose of technology is to meet the needs of the people and not the other way around.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
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