Walking to sunShine

apsik @ 2010-08-29T22:40:00

2010-08-29T20:40:19Z

*gigglesnort*
BTW, been teaching this great group in August. I wanted to give them something light to chat about in one of our last classes, so I gave them Avatar (tv) to watch. They loved ep1 and even wanted more... :P So I'm getting up early tomorrow so that I can prepare some activities for ep2 :P

about seconds and mars

2010-08-24T06:32:38Z

So... I asked the little witch about an album she could reccommend for me to listen. And to my absolute horror she gave me "This is war" by 30 Seconds to Mars (little did I know she was on her pre-coke-live-music-fest funk...) .

And I was actually pretty surprised by that album. I honestly didn't expect it to have such an effect on me - I listened twice, decided that the songs aren't half bad and I didn't give the band enough credit. I had a generally positive response to it, but it bothered me that the songs all seem so damn tailored to perfection. I mean I could hear plenty of catchy, interesting songs, but there was just not enough soul in that music. It wasn't alive enough.

But there must be something in it, I just can't name it, because I keep coming back to it and re-listening to it - just to find that missing piece of understanding :P

apsik @ 2010-06-02T09:21:00

2010-06-02T07:18:58Z

Going Postal.

OMG. It made me squee!!

O Dollhouse - krótko.

2009-07-18T17:26:26Z

Widzę, że aktualnie w rynshtock króluje rewatching Buffy, ale mi po głowie chodzi ostatnio Dollhouse. I naprawdę tylko za sprawą finału i unaired episode. Dają między oczy :P Serial robi wrażenie, pomimo odczucia, że Joss pierwsze 10 odcinków traktował jako długi wstęp do 1x13.

Przyjemnie jossowy, do tego, choć to pewnie największa oczywistość roku i powinnam zamilknąć na zawsze.

Of a book that really surprised me... with its success.

2009-02-22T14:42:58Z

Now, I am a procrastinator by nature. In moments of procrastination I do dumb (or dumbyfying) things, such as watching film's I otherwise never would, cleaning my room, baking, or reading books that I roll my eyes at.

Such as "Twilight". It took me several days to listen to the audio version (cause that's the one I downloaded for one of my students, a fan of the story), and I found it one of the worst books I've ever wasted my time on.

Now I have no love for "Twilight", which is obvious from the words beneath the cut, I also have no apologies for the fans that might come across this text. I'd also like to note that I haven't seen the film, or read the other three books about Bella and Edward.

...seem to be incredibly shallow and tend to be sketched in two adjectives each, e.g. Bella: clumsy, oblivious; Edward: protective, beautiful; Jacob: young, eager, and so on, and so on. I really tried to find something to like about this book, because so many fans can't be wrong, can they? Apparently so. It's incredible how Bella's overanalysing can change a potentially interesting plot into a boring monologue about Edward and the rest of his family.

Also, the book is clearly misogynistic. Hah, Bella even knows how to use that word, but she has absolutely no problem being pushed around by Edward, this way or that way. His comments about her being so clumsy she can't stay on her own would actually be funny if they weren't true (and what does that say about the author? No other convenient plot devices? Oh, well, let's just make the main character an adorable idiot who can't walk five feet without falling down, that will make the story roll real smooth, that will), and if she didn't oh so readily agree to be treated as a baby. Obviously she's got daddy issues, but she projects her need to be protected from Charlie to Edward that it seems to be the only thing (apart from her sweet smelling blood) that keeps them together. Oh, and her oncoming depression, that apparently makes her seem more of an adult and therefore more attractive to Edward, bored with bubbly high school kids. Apart from that, Bella keeps getting into trouble and Edward keeps saving her. That's stretching the stereotype a bit too much, in my book. Sure, I like Disney - but even Disney has girls that save themselves.

I do admit, Ms Meyer has hit a goldmine - so many adjectives and drama as well as such brilliantly beautiful people circling around an ordinary American teenager, that's bound to get fans among teenage girls. Plus, the way Bella's plainness is constantly contrasted with the Cullen family's extraordinary looks, is basically feeding off of teenage fears of being plain in the world of dazzlingly attractive people attacking us from the tv screen.

I found the book quite schematic and predictable. I'm able to face the fact that every teenage girl needs a bit of exaltation in her life (hell, I think I used to read similar crap when I was 15), but for the love of everything that breaths, I can't see the reason why it's so popular.

I blame the marketing. I can't imagine taking Twilight seriously for any other reason than making some money on it.

Well, it felt good to get this out of me :P

I feel much better now :)

Ten fics, ten words meme nicked from hambelandjemima :)

2009-02-20T12:27:31Z

Write ten fics in ten genres using only ten words each.

Mine are True Blood (4), Firefly (2), Doctor Who (1), How's Moving Castle (1), Buffy (1) and ne xover. Some of them might contain slight spoilers for True Blood up until ep6.

Oh, and I used the same genres, too, I'm not sure whether I was supposed to pick my own or not.

Angst(Firefly)

Mal pulled the trigger and River collapsed, dead. Simon screamed.

H/C (Doctor Who)

Donna yelled untill the Doctor stopped brooding and snapped back.

UST (True Blood)

Sookie stretched, tshirt riding up. Sam watched her very carefully.

First Time (Firefly)

Inara smiled, when River said "Thank you for the demonstration".

Threesome (True Blood)

Sookie dreams and sometimes it's about both Sam and Bill.

Smut (True Blood)

Tara arched her back and made a noise. Sam smiled.

Romance (Howl's moving castle)

Howl knew Sophie was difficult to court. He loved challenges.

Friendship (true Blood)

Sometimes Tara said 'thanks', even 'please' - only to her friends.

Crack!fic (Buffy/True Blood)

Spike enjoys drinking Tru Blood in front of his victims.

Baby!fic (Buffy)

It was hilarious - Buffy unable to change a baby's diaper.

Of True Blood

2009-02-18T14:56:16Z

I watched the first two episodes of True Blood... I love it :) It makes me laugh (the fangs...oh, those fangs! :P) and I quite like Sookie and Bill, even though she seems to have no self-preservation instinct whatsoever. The plot itself, well, it's not incredibly impressive, but it's fun - I like the fact that vampires are "out of their coffins", as Sookie put it. No mystery to reveal here - and good.

I already killed my transfer for the second episode, so it will be quite a problem to wait for the next one... I'm getting impatient :P

apsik @ 2009-02-09T09:35:00

2009-02-09T09:02:23Z

One more exam to go... otherwise done :D And with flying colours, if I say so myself :P

January is not over yet, it seems, huh? The calendar is lying, it's not February... the atmosphere is inredibly January-like.

I'm going to Holland for Easter :) A friend of mine is there for the Erasmus program, and since she's staying there for Easter - me and Silla are coming to her :P I can't wait :)

Otherwise... nothing's really going on besides exams. I'm turning into a stay-home hamster in a tracksuit. Feels weird. I need to get out more :P

My shiny new layout was made by one_lill_witch :] As usual - I can't remember when was the last time I made it for myself :P Thanks, witch.

...and a happy new year, lj :)

2008-12-29T06:38:57Z

Offline till January. Off to celebrate. What? The new set of days and seasons, I suppose. Where to? Hell if I know, I doubt it's even on the map... :P

Enjoy your celebratins :)

Of the Christmas Special

2008-12-28T10:48:01Z

Excuse my squee, but the vision of David Morrissey...

...as (nearly) the next Doctor had me going 'kyaaa!' for five minutes before I decided to go on watching the ep.

I may not be a huge fan of David Morrissey but he's an impressive actor and he does his job incredibly well. He'd make a great Doctor, imho.

Rosita was sweet (always telling him off :P), it would be cool if she'd left with 10:)

I'm both disappointed and relieved that this special didn't end with a funny cliffhanger, but then again how can you top Titanic crashing into the TARDIS? :P I can't wait for the next companion... but I actually hope it could be a guy this time. It would be fun to see the dynamics between the Doctor and a full time male companion, unlike part-time, coming and going Jack and Mickey.

Plus, it's less likely that I'd have to sit through another starry-eyed girlie drooling over the Doctor.

That's what fans are for, for goodness sake :P

Of 'Boys Over Flowers'

2008-12-27T22:21:12Z

Co by w domu nie zwariowac zabralam się za Hana Yori Dango, serial. przedwczoraj skonczylam pierwszy sezon, ktry widzialm ze dwa lata temu czy cs kolo tego, a od wczoraj (bo to polnocy bylo jak skonczylam ogladac...) wciagam drugi.

Jdoramy są jak Bollywood, tylko nie śpiewają. (Powiedziała Wiedźma, a ja mówię 'amen')

Za to mówią 'neee?' i 'moshi moshi?' i są na tyle wciągające, że zupełnie zapomniałam, ze mam już na kompie DW Christmas Special, i gdyby nie przegladanie flisty (a konkretnie dark_vanessa, dzięki)pewnie bym zapomniala na dobre :P

Więc dopóki hanago 206 się nie ściągnie... obejrzę Christmas Special.

I będę się zastawiac czemu Doctor nie mówi po japońsku.

LJ user apsik...

2008-12-24T20:51:13Z

...wishes you a happy Christmas season :)

(though she still thinks that mothers should be locked away during Christmas time :P)

Obviously not learning

2008-12-20T20:42:44Z

I did the same Christmas Carol mem as anxiety_junkie, but I can't seem to paste in the results.

Anyway - it said I'm all for family Christmas (??) and I hate tacky Christmas shopping mall kind of time.

Weird. And for the record, I like Christmas shopping, it's a wonderful procrastination-type activity. Plus, I love figuering out all the nifty little gifts for the family.

It's going to be a bit of a wild crowd this year at our house (which kinda makes me want to turn the other way and run for my life), but I suppose I'll just have to deal with it.

And I don't like Silent Night, either, whis is apparently my theme carol. It's boring :P

Of being a nerd

2008-11-24T22:18:17Z

tranquil_me requested that I move my lazy ass and finally make an entry, though she didn't phrase her wish quite like that ;P

I've been online for... hmm... two weeks now. And my computer's more on than off. Despite that, I'm too busy to watch tv shows or play with lj - essays, reading, tests and so on. It's like I'm offline even when I'm online :P

On the plus side I'm in the process of choosing my new BA topic. I thought of something to do with gender studies, like the image of a modern woman among teenagers. The research would probably involve working in a public school. I shudder at the very thought, but that's field work for you. The danger is either being eaten alive by some undiscovered tribe of cannibals or a bunch of tough teenage girls.

I honestly don't know which scares me more. :P

There's also the subject of local democracies, and with professor Matynia's book ("Performative democracy", I reccomend it) being published, I'm also interested in research in that area.

My schoolmates (is that the right term?) and I are planning an additional discussion group - all about anthropology. It still seems quite strange to me that I'm willing to spend so much of my time on that subject and that studying it gives me such a thrill.

It's a shame I stopped reading fanfic, though. Yes, I know, it's like I've turned green and grown horns. My world is quite upside down :P

Seeing as I'm turning into a fat(ter) nerd, I joined a pilates group. It's enjoyable, but I'm a disgrace to the group - I actually managed to fall off flat surface (no joke) and I seem to have lost all the muscles that should be around my belly. They're gone! It must be a hilarious sight - thankfully I'm not alone in my humiliation - Kasilla is with me, and that's good enough :P

What else... nothing, really. I'm devoting my time to anthro and work and socializing (mostly with other anthropologists and teachers - and isn't that just sad? :P). I'm turning into a happy little workaholic. Worse, I'm turning into a teacher - as I was telling Tranquil, when I see a blackboard, I want to write on it. When I see a mistake, I want to correct it. When I hear people speaking English around me - I want to say "repeat, please" :P

I seriously need a carreer change.

And this post took more idle time online than I usually spend in a week! Huh...

of LOMUS. And SPN. And maybe a bit of HMD. TvShows+Acronyms=BFF :P

2008-10-11T16:44:38Z

As for the new Spn... apparently sleeping with Sam turned Ruby into a good samaritanian with no spirit. Shame. I liked her as with a bit of claw. She's a bit weird when tamed :P And what was that "oops, an angel, sorry, dude, I left the iron on, thankskaybye!" followed by a prompt reppearance in the next episode? What, did Sam get her pregnant and she's hormonal? A bit inconsequential, I think. I suppose we're to expect a Ruby episode, explaining all about it. Why not, I'd like to know more about her motives.

Castiel... apart from the obvious "mhhhr, I like him" thing, that plot... made me think of Buffy and "The Powers That Be". I suppose that the balance between good and evil, blah blah blah, finally needs some vocalizing, but I'm just... not impressed.

I do like Dean being snarky towards Castiel, though. And the fact that he's a bit strange, like he's not really sure of his body, unsure of 'his human vessel' (and obviously unsure of what a comb is :P). I find it amusing, and a nice touch. That actor presented Castiel's strangeness very well.

Also, I think that Bobby will be killed off by the end of the season. So far he's made of concrete and steel but his luck will probably run out, if they want to keep up the tradition of one important dead body at the end of each season.

I'm also relatively sure that Sam lied when he said he won't use the 'freaky esp stuff'. I can't believe he'd give it up that easily.

Watching the first episode of Life on Mars US. I've mixed feelings. I'm expecting somethign fresh added to the old story, but...

"Hold on, baby, I'm coming"?

Right. Like Sam would ever say that. (maybe in some NC-17 fic.. :P)

I do like the different approach to the feminist theme, the fact that Jason O'Mara can pull of "Smug Sam" just as well as John Simm (though I'll need some more convincing before I appreciate his version of "paranoid, insane Sam"), and the music - new tunes (in the company of the old ones) are definitely welcome.

Unfortunetely, while I realize that the seventies' atmosphere was different in the US and I appreciate this is pictured nicely, I'm afraid that the US version is just not up to scratch.

Plus, that talk with little Colin was way to straightforward. I doubt all that was necessary. Meh.

Oh, and I'm sorry, Gretchen, but... UK Annie >>>>>>>>>>>> US Annie.

All in all... I might just watch the second episode. Might.

I actually like the PI. I must admit, the people behind the show know how to step over the holes they make in the script in a creative way. Wilson? I'll miss him, but I guess it would be unrealistic if he'd stayed at the hospital. Obviously.

I still feel the urge to ask Cuddy to marry me and become the father of her children, biology aside ;P

Of cut downs and colds.

2008-10-11T09:52:34Z

of colds: sneezing all over the place. Should be learning. Can't focus. Damn.

Of cut downs: I need serious cut downs here. Mostly because I don't get to use lj as much as I used to and because of a unpleasant situation at the place I'm renting this is not likely to change (the usual, the landlord is a dick, and the new - housemate not only has no imagination whatsoever but is incredibely nasty as well). I will probably change the size and shape of my flist - don't take it bad, I'm trying to be honest and respectful here. I will quit several communities, maybe join some other. Maybe.

For now, I'm trying to do some re-arranging on the layout as well, but without the help of one_lill_witch I have no idea how that might end :P

Ok, I'll see you guys tomorrow.

O Ad Spectatores

2008-08-10T11:26:39Z

Wsiadam w autobus i jade do Wrocławia na to: Linia Wrocław-Rzym. Nie mogę się doczekac! :D

Do zobaczenia w poniedziałek ;)

O bolly

2008-08-10T07:12:31Z

Powoli wciągam się w Bolly. Na tyle, że zakupiłam wczoraj Panią Domu... :P

Zakupiłam, i zauważyłam, że filmy są do wyboru. Zadzwonilam więc do Boga, by wzięła drugi egzemplarz, na co ona pyta, czy kupiłam nowe głośniki. Otóż nie, nie kupiłam. Bóg na to, że jej laptop też ma jakieś lipne i tylko na śłuchawkach ogląda filmy. No jak to, ale ja chciałam zrobic wieczór z bolly! Bóg się zmartwiła, lecz nie na długo, gdyż zalała nas fala optymizmu i stweirdziłyśmy, że i tak kupi drugi film coś się wymysli :P

Powoli wciągam się w Bolly...

*powiało grozą... taką rozśpiewaną i tańczącą*

;)

Of celestial red tape

2008-08-10T07:01:15Z

Found at penny7b's :]

Source: Celestial Archives

"Notice 2: Foundation of the Sol Office of Nonaggression

Date: 1st October 20 BC

From: Public Relations

A winner has been chosen for the face of the SON competition. Jesus (also know as Yoshua) is our lucky unborn applicant from the parochial region of Nazareth. It is hoped that this handsome young man will be a draw card for the untapped female market, also having a manual labour background he will hopefully appeal to the working classes rather then just the current academic and theologian customers that make up the bulk of our active subscribers."

Enjoy ;)

O luźnych spostrzerzeniach (źródło: gadu wieczorami)

2008-08-07T21:48:48Z

Błyskawiczna komunikacja na skalę masową wypluła popkulturę i smsy, a wydaje mi się, że przebiegało to mniej więcej tak:

Nic lepszego nad esemesa miec nie będziesz, człowieku popkultury, powiedział bóg Mass Medion i zaśmiał się szyderczo.

I tyle jeśli chodzi o luźne przemyslenia na ten wieczór :P

Of Chech artists

2008-08-06T11:22:13Z

THIS photo reminds me of River Tam. Kinda obvious why, but I thought I'd share it anyway. I'm currently in love with Jan Saudek and Sara Saudkova's photographs. They depict some things - gender, love, relationships, bodies - in a way that makes me want to surround myself with their photographs.

Follow this link to their site, if you're interested.

I found about them in Prague two weeks ago. What really got to me in Prague wasn't the architecture or the atmosphere (because the only atmosphere in the Old Town part is that of a museum...), or even the brilliant Chech beer ;) but the galleries and museums. And Chech photographers :)

O czasie pedzącym

2008-07-03T08:06:16Z

The last 7 months have passed so quickly I din't even notice them passing. I did and learned so much I can't really take it in. And it's not just about school - though school helped :P

Wrocław is a place that sucks you in and twists you around so that you don't know up from down - and still makes you happy. It did make me happy, even when things got wrong and a bit out of control.

And now, after Summer School, Experiencing the New Europe, I can even tell you that Wrocław has layers. ;P

Seriously though, I've had so much fun on that project that I barely remember the fact that it was freakin' hard work! If you want to see the result of our three week time worth of lectures, interviews, trips and general productiveness, I suggest showing up at the Tourist Information Centre in Wrocław and asking about the tour of the Four Temples District and Cenntenial Hall and surrounding areas. Because we did a damn good job creating those tours. We learnt so much while we were at it, too - not only about Wrocław.

I met brilliant people from SUNY Brockport (and other places) - am now contemplating student exchange program. Upstate New York instead of Leeds, as was the previous plan.

We'll see. :)

****************

Ostatnie siedem miesięcy mineły w takim tempie, że ledwie je zauważyłam.

Mam wrażenie, że zrobiłam tyle, widzałam i nauczłam się tyle, że nie potrafię tego ogarnąc. I to nie tylko dotyczy szkoły - chociaż szkoła pomogła.

***

Świat zrobił krok
w siedmiomilowych butach
i pociągnął mnie za sobą.

W uszach świsnął wiatr
Chałst powietrza zapiekł
I zatrzymalam się

Na chwilkę
Razem ze Światem

***

Wrocław to miejsce, które zawraca ludziom w głowie i i wywraca ich świat do góry nogami, a jednak ich uszczęśliwia. Mnie uszczęśliwił, nawet kiedy zrobiło isę źle i wszystko mi wypadło spod kontroli.

A teraz, po Szkole Letniej, Experiencing the New Europe, mogę nawet poweidziec, że Wroclaw ma warstwy. Jak cebula... :P

A tak na serio, to bawiłam się kapitalnie - na tyle dobrze, że już zapominam, że to był kawał ciężkiej roboty. Jeśli chcecie poznac rezultat owej harówki, proponuję zajechac do Wrocławia i zapytac w Tourist Information Centre o wycieczki po Dzielnicy Czterech Świątyń oraz po Hali Stulecia i okolicach. Bo się świetnie spisaliśmy przygotowując owe wycieczki. Nauczliśmy się przy tym mnóstwo - nie tylko o Wroclawiu.

Poznałam genialnych ludzi z SUNY Brockport (i kilku innych szkół) - kontempluję program wymiany z tą szkołą... Stan Nowy York zamiast Leeds, jak planowalam wcześniej.

Zobaczymy :)

The Doctor's back and he's taking Donna with him :D:D

2008-04-12T22:18:38Z

I loved the "Partners in Crime" episode :) It made me LOL so many times... :) And I appreciate it because an hour ago I was crying my eyes out reading a book. Yes, crying! It was "Najwyższa góra świata" ("The Highest Mountain in the World") by Anna Onichimowska. It's a collection of short stories for children which I got as a birthday present from one aunt or another, like, ten years ago. I read it constantly then, and now it still makes me awfully emotional.

And then came the Doctor and Donna and the mined conversation and the adorable bits of fat... There's nothing like an episode of Doctor Who to make me laugh :)

Oh. Hi ;) Home for the weekend :)

Good news! Will be online since May. My moronic landlord is, well, a moron, so I'm getting it done myself, though it's not going to be a landline. More expensive, but quite independent from that useless git. So yay :D

Hmm... time to sleep now. I think I need some rest :]

Good night :]

Easter, Easter :) Have a good one :)

2008-03-23T22:00:03Z

I was going to make a lovely voice post, but apparently LJ maintenance is beyond me today :P So I'll just write a note :)

A girl comes home for three days (after three weeks!) and instead of peace and quiet she finds dust to be swept, multiple surfaces to be washed and parents to be brought up. Honestly, mum and dad are like children when I'm not around... :P

Ah, it smells of Easter at home... and winter. Because it's been snowing on and off for the last three days! oO That's just weird. Where's the spring I was so excited about? Where is the spring I was anticipating so restlessly? Where's the spring I bought two pairs of shoes for?! Now that's just unfair. Also, I just can't get rid of the cold that's been dogging me for the last month, so I've been particularly docile today. Taking into account the fact that on Easter Sunday our flat is infested by various family members eating, drinking and making bad jokes, I feel very proud that I only wanted to hit Junior with a frying pan once.

Hehehe... what have you guys been up to while I was off educating myself - and others? :P I can safely say that I was socializing with a positive result (fuzzy pink feelings, people, I'm all fluffy inside), experiencing teaching difficulties (will not murder thirteen year old students... will not...) and expressing interest in poetry ("That's my fucking Leśmian, get your hands off that book, bitch!" - the scenes at Cheap Books Centres can be terrifying... honestly!).

And nothing much besides that. I'd probably have much more to say if I had the net connection in Wrocław - but my landlord is a bastard. It's fucking irritating, and apparently I can't get to stressed out, the doctors said so. So either I'll murder the landlord to relieve my stress level or be forced to get a more expensive internet connection :/

In other news... my fingernails are pink, so are my lips and eyelids. I've worn a dress all day. And a lovely white sweater. OMG, I'm a girl! :P

Okay now... I'm sure that there's like a gazzillion fics and entries to read... so I'll leave you in favour off drowning myself in the world of written word of the lj kind :) *smooch*

ps. Phil! I watched six episodes of Lost s4 so far - I love it :D It was absolutely worth the wait :]

Of Fate being a bitca

2008-02-11T20:23:24Z

So. Home for two days. Online, for heaven's sake.

...and I'm stuck writing papers. *sigh*

*HUGS EVERYONE ALL THE SAME*