I must admit I’ve heard about The Nutcracker many times but have no idea what it’s about. I knew that it was a ballet show by Tchaikovsky but that was the extend of my knowledge.
That is until I saw the trailer for the new movie The Nutcracker in 3D, which I have a feeling is similar to the ballet, but it won’t follow it to the T – I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a Rat King in Tchaikovsky’s piece, but then again, it’s just a guess 
You (my trusted readers) may or may not have noticed that I posted a new category, along with the it’s-time-to-change-the-theme-for-your-blog resolution. I found this really cool theme (after hours and hours of searching, but hey, good things are not always easy to find, eh ) so probably for the next year it will stick.
But I also wanted to add this new category – and wondering how to get that pesky “uncategorized” category removed.
I was sliding down a sandy spiral, slowly and steadily. The sand was scratching my skin, got under my clothes, invaded every inch of the spiral. I knew that as soon as the spiral ended I would be falling for all eternity, with no chances of stopping, just like in the legendary Tartarus. I remembered however that I got a piece of chalk in my pocket (for whence it came I didn’t know), so I took it out and starting writing words on the walls of the spiral, which now turned to the consistency of hard paper: “food” “human” “music” “Alice” “Eric” “dawn” “time”…as I was writing these, the walls started to level out, and I stopped my descent.
I reached a high ledge where I was able to look down on trains. The ledge had a twin on the other side, and it was crowded – people from all age and social categories: teenagers with flashy clothes, elderly covered in rags. There was a young pair hugging and kissing passionately, others were holding hands, others single, all looking down at the trains. I went to sit down next to a pair and a young man. He told me that people like riding in trains.
One of the things I loved about working in the US – besides getting a cool tan, earning money and sometimes drinking banana margaritas (Pedro’s you are greatly missed), was shopping at East Town Mall in Madison, WI (or Shangri-La as I used to call it). Now, there were 3 reasons I always went there: 1. chicken teriyaki (food court) 
; 2. Barnes and Noble 
and 3. The Disney Store.
I’ve been toying with this idea for a long time now, but never got around to do it (lame excuse, but what can I do). So I’ve decided to tackle this project once and for all – I will watch a movie, read the book and compare. I know that the general rule is books are WAY better than the movies but I’ve found at least one example that is the opposite. The list is not that long, but as I read more books by the minute (or day), the project will be slow (not to mention that I might read books that have no movie counterpart and vice-versa).
Yes, I’ve probably bored you with my excitement about reading. And with my Kindle. But now I’m going to talk about the *pause for dramatic effect* excitement of reading on my Kindle – you saw this coming, admit it 
Since today is another sore day, due to yesterday’s workout, I’ve decided to spend some quality time reading – travel blogs (need the updates, people) but most likely focusing on my ever increasing Kindle library. The funny thing is that I seem to have ADD (attention deficit disorder to all you non-medical folk) when it comes to books, which means that with a few exceptions I can’t finish a book before starting a new one. Maybe it’s not so much ADD but a lack of discipline – bottom line, I have an increasing stack of books that are started but not finished. But I will finish them. Eventually.
For some time now I’ve been hearing the “oh, you gained a little weight” speech. If the person is really annoying I reply with “Thank you, looks like you too” 
but if the person is not getting on my nerves, I just smile and say “I know”. It’s true that for the past couple of months I’ve gained weight and while last summer I tackled a fitness program – P90X I still didn’t see the results – of course I have great expectations and I want to see the results NOW, but it’s difficult to find a program that tells me what to EAT to stay fit. I’m not a huge fan of junk food or soda, but once in a while I do like to indulge.
So, one of my NY’s resolution was to take care of my health, and that’s just what I did. My trusted friend Dina pointed me to a great workout program you can even do in the coziness of your home (not that the gym is not a stone throw’s away from my house as is the swimming pool).
I love hugs. I love to feel connected to people and I like to think that people feel the same way. The only type of hug I don’t like is the one after which I am left without my wallet, but so far I’ve been lucky not to be parted with it 
As a young child you are always hugged by relatives and it doesn’t seem so important, even annoying at some times – though not quite as annoying as having your cheeks pinched. When you grow up a little, the independence strikes and you don’t want any hugs good-bye when Mom is dropping you off at school – I even told my Mom not to come pick me up (I was in first grade) because the kids were making fun of mine. To be honest, I don’t remember that anymore, but there you go.
Now, I’m not a big fan of wedding (except of my own I guess, but I will not hold my breath)…all the commotion, the bride is the center of everything (the groom is there so there’s a pair in the picture ), all the guests, the complaints and so on.
And while I try to keep an open mind of these ceremonies, I found a video on youtube that gives me hope. Yes, there are cool wedding, or more importantly, cool video entrances. Jill and Kevin, and their entire “crew” were awesome!
Check them out!
As you pretty much know, I’m obsessed with traveling. No, I don’t dream about it (my dreams have a different recurring obsessive theme) just pretty much obsess about it – if traveling was the victim, I would be the masked dude carrying the chainsaw But no matter how many destinations I came up with, I always hit the same threshold – money.
Enter The Secret. In this documentary, which I assume a vast majority of people has seen and maybe even applied, it is said that if you want something bad enough (hopefully a positive thing), the Universe will make it happen. I admit that I’ve seen the documentary back in 2007, decided to apply it then it went downhill. But I bounced back 
Last year after talking to a former Uni colleague of mine, I’ve decided to learn how to ride a motorcycle. I’ve always been fascinated with them, even though one fell on me when I was little – it was my fault, but you don’t feel the love until you don’t suffocate under one 
Apparently it’s not that hard to learn and I’m going to give it a try. This all is part of the grand scheme of visiting countries on a motorbike – for example, when I will visit Thailand or Cambodia, it will be easier to see the country on 2 wheels, adds a little spice to the traveling life.
So lately I’ve been surfing the net, reading (with a growing amount of envy) the travel blogs of fine men and women who dared to dream and got out into the world. Inevitably I stumble on one destination that seems to be an all-time-favorite: Thailand. True, I haven’t heard a lot of things about this fine country, other than they have amazing food and have the temples where the monks perform holy tattoos, and of course the tranny clubs.
What would be the perfect job? Enjoy what you do, go to work with a smile on your face AND get paid for it. Cool, huh?
The perfect job for me would be travel writing, as it combines 2 of my passions – traveling and writing. Well, it’s easier said than done. It is extremely difficult to find a job in this world, not to mention a traveling job. I know that all I need is one lucky break but that is what makes it difficult. There is a tremendous amount of talent out there and you need to sweat blood to make it.
With the miracle we call internet, anything is possible – keep in touch with friends who are half across the globe, get updates on your favorite sporting events, get news and last but most certainly not least, SEE the world for the beauty that it is.
Lately since I’ve been feeling under the weather, I resorted to my favorite past time (well, one of them to be exact) – traveling. And while I don’t possess the financial resources to do that live (yet), traveling via the internet is the next best thing. So for the past 3 days I’ve been checking out travel blogs like crazy and had a great time gathering information – what to and not to pack for a backpacking trip, how to plan, how to find cheap accommodation and transportation, basically any information related to traveling.
We’ve heard it time and time again that quitters are losers. Depends on how you look at things. If you really want something but quit half way does involve a certain dose of fear. But when you have habits that are increasingly annoying, quitting is a must.
These habits include: smoking in restaurants, chewing (and worse popping) your chewing gum near me, being constantly late or getting into people’s faces about not doing their job while accentuating how hard YOU work.
Well a new year has finally come. I look at New Years Eve as sitting on a fence – the past is behind you, the unknown future lies ahead. Excitement and terror alike play the hula-hoop in your mind.
Christmas was fabulous for me – I got presents which in itself made the holidays great , I got to sleep like a little 
and managed to reach a level where no matter what I ate I got sick – bring on the diet. And while eagerly waiting for the new year to start, I also wrote my things-about-me list
The NY’s Eve party was a smash – even though I knew there were going to be a couple of ‘undesirables’ I sucked it up and went for it. Which is great because I had a great time – great food, great wine, great music, a lot of goofing around, which ended at about 5 am (for me).
January 1st brought a list of what I want to achieve – start work in London, attend the Glee concert, see Scotland and most importantly, pass my specialty exam.
Following the tradition of last year, I’m posting more 100 things about me. Hope I will find so many.
1. A New Year’s resolution of mine is to take up swimming much more seriously than this year.
2. My health, both physical and mental will be on top of my list.
3. Next year I turn 30 and I’m really excited about that.
4. I relived the joy of childhood by attending the Cirque du Soleil show.
5. I was both really happy and mad in London.
6. I have started to learn how to play a guitar.
7. It is decided that when I start work in London, I will take up a team sport – preferably volleyball.
8. The idea of backpacking is really appealing to me, however insufficient funds won’t allow this little luxury.
9. I want to work as a volunteer somewhere.
10. I became a fan of Glee – and while I have no favorite character, there’s no denying the tremendous talent of Rachel.
Here we are, 2 days after Christmas. I am always a little bit sad this time of the month. I mean, since November, I can’t wait for it to be Christmas, then here it is, and after 3 days it’s gone. Gone is the festive holiday spirit, gone is the gift giving, gone is the food – at least most part of it.
This year’s present from Santa was a shocker for me. I got a Kindle. Even though I desired one, I figured it was too expensive for my salary, so I decided once I start work in England, and have enough cash, I would buy one. Well, my dear parents beat me to it. Stuck on what to get me for Christmas, they remembered I mentioned this little gadget, and knowing my passion (make that almost obsession) for reading, they thought it would be the perfect gift. And they were right. I ordered it from Amazon and with the help of the trusted Santa’s little helper, Nana that is , I had my hands on the contraption. And I must say, I love, Love, LOVE IT!!!! As soon as I got it, I uploaded some books I’ve been yearning to read and couldn’t find in the library. Therefore upload number 1 – the Harry Potter series but reading number 1 was A density of souls by Christopher Rice. I was very familiar with Anne Rice’s works – The Vampire Chronicles but had yet to discover her son’s talent. Chris’ style is similar to his mother’s but is different on a more subtle level. His novels are thrillers and can’t wait to read the next one.
A while ago, when I found out that Cirque du Soleil would perform their show “Saltimbanco” in Budapest, I vowed that I’ll be there to see them live. So last Tuesday found me at the airport, after my class with the fine students from the English section, eagerly waiting for my flight to my second favorite city in Europe. The flight was uneventful and had to grab the train to get to my cousin’s place. Now, I have a love/hate relationship with trains. I got to the ticket booth to get the ticket, but surprise, it was closed. I marched down to the track, but no train. Hmmm, what was I going to do? I checked the timetable and said the train would be leaving from track 5. While getting there, I see that a train is leaving. When reaching the track, it dawns on me that the train leaving was mine. From ANOTHER track – track 2 that is. So I braced myself for an hour wait and finally after said time, I was on my merry way. Pizza and Ice Age 3 concluded a busy busy day.
It’s been a while since I visited my little corner of the internet. Naturally I wasn’t sitting ducks, some hard work was involved. I started teaching again, this time my favorite part (Bacteriology – YEY!!!) to indifferent second year students . However there is a catch – this year I’m teaching students from the English section. While at first I was terrified, feeling that I will fail miserably at it, it proved to be a challenge, but a rewarding one. The students are very interested in the subject, they ask question, don’t take for granted everything I say – they need explanations. LOVE IT! Not to mention, most of them are from Sweden so a new game plan is to study Swedish – should be fun Also, since they are not laughing at me, I’m assuming I’m doing a good job. Time will tell!
