Brezno

Sometime during February I was in the Low Tatra's (Malé Tatry) in Slovakia. I was there with a few good friends and enjoyed the weekend a lot, with sleeping, drinking a bit, playing table hockey and table football and singing. The usual stuff, which makes you feel fine and enjoy the company of good people. I don't want to go into detail. Don't think I want to.

What I want to talk about, and I'm sure I will remember for a longer time, is the city Brezno and it's surroundings. The first day I was going by foot for around 12 km's to see a near cave. The nature was beautiful, the weather clear, the roads slippery... The time flew by, and with a good friend to talk to it is always a good experience. Around 1pm, when we started to feel hunger, we stumbled upon a small cheese shop, where traditional Slovak cheeses were sold. Delicious! We bough also "bryndza" (sheep cheese) and "korbaciky" (woven cheese - the best were with onion flavor yam). And then we visited a stalagmite cave near there. (no pictures allowed, only for extra costs of course).

The second day I had a trip to Brezno. One of my friends lives here, so I was very interested in the city. As it is not a big city (you can see the whole city from the near hills) I enjoyed to walk freely and not getting lost a lot ;) As it was such a wonderful day I made a walk near the river, after like an hour I started to get hungry, so I tried to get to the city center. I was thinking what would I say, when somebody would ask me where I'm heading to, and I imagined to reply to a friend who lives in the Hviezdoslavovo street (in every Slovak city there is a street with that name.). For my biggest surprise just a few minutes later I found that street. Theory proven :P

Then my travels continued and with a rather long detour I got into the city center. Nice :) Wanted to eat something, found a pizzeria, at 16:00 they serve every pizza for 90 Skk. Fine... it's 15:00. Let's go around a bit more. Following some older buildings I got to a church and behind it was a road up a hill. I believed I will get a nice picture from the city from up there. I think in this case I was mistaken... at least not with a mobile camera...

The road went right into a graveyard. I felt a pleasing calmness and sadness while I was up there. I was looking around and found a few old graves and sepulchers. It was a beautiful day. I needed to be alone for a while, and this was the best place to do so.

and a nice pizza and a good beer at the end!
Cheers!

Beware of the Thing

Back in the 60's... A small family: mother, father, two children, a grandma, an uncle and a butler. Sounds quite normal, as it is. Though there is some more to mention like a lion, a hand and a dark, spooky surrounding. For those who don't know yet, I'm talk about the Addams Family.

In the last week I found most of the episodes of the original show on the Internet and I am watching it since then. I enjoy the the family members roles, and how they harmonize with each other.
A silly father, Gomez, who seems careless and is focused only on the things he loves, his hobbies, family and mostly his "querida". When near his wife he is easily falling into an almost uncontrollable state of the urge to kiss her.
The strange mother, Morticia. In my eyes a beauty in all means. Black long hair, humorous, full of the will to live with sarcastic and dark remarks. Having control over the family. It's nice to see, that she always has a good word to everybody, and encourages them.
The children being smart and "well mannered", playing with all childish things, like explosives, bats and spiders.
Lurch is someone no one could ignore. Gloomy, quite and still has so much to say with so few words... like grrr...
And uncle Fester. Who is simply crazy. Thing the hand, who never dials a wrong number, is always helpful. Kitty the lion, who doesn't eat human and is afraid when somebody screams at him and the burger eating plant called Cleopatra :)

A beautiful story of outsiders of the society, who in their own misunderstood ways try to be as polite and helpful as they can be. The jokes are always from the same field, and in this age you already know most of them, never the less the atmosphere of the family caught me, and so I will watch all of it. There are just two series anyway ;)

PS: I'm watching the series through veoh.com , if anybody is interested...

How easy life was...

In the last days I was remembered my childhood. I don't believe that I have ever grown up. This is a statement, that has to be clarified. I feel like a child, cause a child searches and enjoys the moment, while for me a grown up plans his/her future and enjoys the process and the success.

A few days ago I had to copy some documents, and at the copy shop there was a child looking at the movie "The Little Engine that Could". He was watching it on the computer, through which they print from USB keys (pen drives). The seller came (most probably mother, not sure), told that he should wait a few seconds, and can watch it again.

Of course he was quite unpleased by her decision, to stop him from his activity... well no one really cared about him, so it was natural to watch what is interesting a bit... And it was also natural for him to complain on the change of his position.

I would have felt in his situation now, like I'm unimportant, and just in the way. A quite unpleasant feeling. So I tried to make him smile. I love the fact how easily you can make children smile just by paying them attention, and so getting their curiosity. So I payed him attention. He looked around, so he saw me. I was looking right into his eyes. He didn't pay much attention at the first seconds, but as I was looking at him still he got slowly curious. After 20 seconds we played hide and seek with eye contact. Hiding the eyes behind the chair between us, and then searching for the eye contact again

This whole game gave me also a feeling of peace, calmness and happiness. The wonder of a simple childish game. He smiled, which made me smile also.

PS: Picture can be freely used, thanks to www.morguefile.com and Mary R. Vogt. Be aware that even a picture has it's copyright, not only music and video! ( original: http://www.morguefile.com/archive/?display=186338& )

Another one down

It's always hard to accept, that something you got used to diminishes. I heard a lot of music on pandora.com, before this happened: http://www.pandora.com/restricted
I loved that station, found some new bands I find to my liking through it, and got never bored of the music. last.fm is a pour alternative, as it happens, that I can choose any kind of music, after a half an hour I get to hip-hop or electronic music. I think they sort the artist to eachother and not the songs... or I don't know... simply it never worked as fine as pandora.

And now my second source of quality media deceased. www.stage6.com a.k.a. stage6.divx.com. I loved that site a mass of high quality movies, from the early 50s, through documentations and animes... and if you were lucky, you could get a glimpse on the newest movies (of course because of the copyright issues they tried to delete the illegal stuff as soon as possible).
Features included high speed download, high quality movies, full screen view, no limit for the file length. And the possibility to save the movie on your hard disk.

Thank you for delivering a whole lot of quality movies. Thank you for the hours of movie, I have been seen because of you. I hope you will be resurrected soon!

Some more info:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/66198-divx-and-stage6-chock-full-of-fail
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stage6

-> As I see in the divx forum, a spark of the spirit lives on... 1 month to wait to see the truth: http://newstage6.com/ <- well a few days after I wrote this post the idea was banned on copyright claims, according to my knowledge. :( Will see what veoh.com has to offer... or some other sites... please give a note, if you know of a good provider

Small wonders of technology

I remember the days, when I was a child, and wanted an instrument I could intuitively play. And then once in a while I just moved my fingers randomly in the air, like I would know what I'm doing. I believe that a feeling is all you need to make something unique. It's most probably also a feeling that most of the "air" guitar players dream of + a whole lot of need to show them selfs off :)

A lot of times happened to me (before I bought an MP3 player) that I was just imagining, creating some kind of a song on the go. Usually of course it where just parts from different song I have already heard and I glued them together... but sometimes it was something new, that no one will hear again (maybe). Or some classical instruments playing a Sunday afternoon song, other times words were going through my mind forming verses which made sense, and I never had a tool to write them down. Maybe now, if I will be brave enough to take out my mobile and switch in on record, I will have something. But the older I get, the less of them appear. And I think it is a sad think. Trigger your imagination, if you can. That's what a dreamer tells you :)

All in all I drifted away again from the original topic, so here it is. The theremin. An electronic instrument you don't have to touch, to make music with it. Enjoy the movie, if you got interested. (when I look at the artist I have the typical feeling of calm waters are deep :))

Preparation for summer - Action plan

On Monday I got some great news (though could have been better ones). I will go for a summer internship to Benifaió, Valencia, Spain through IAESTE Slovakia.

I wanted to write down my action plan, but got an e-mail from them (IAESTE), describing what they will need from me to do, to proceed with my application. And even then I just have a very high probability to go... I hate it when it's less then 99.69%...

I was always screaming when I was unsatisfied with something to everyone instead of talking to the person I needed to talk to, as I got used to the fact, that when I need attention usually people don't listen. And as for today I wanted to write onto my blog anyway, so I think I will write down the unpleasant facts around this traineeship, which though will be solved in a few weeks.

What angers me now is:
add 1.) The loosy description of the company, and what kind of work I will do there... This won't be that a big problem, but they would like to have a motivation letter from me, which is in this case I think pretty absurd. Of course, there are no limits for inspiration, if the price is right, which is (live in a different culture, country. The first time I will have the experience I'm so interested in)... And I heard now, that they can cancel my internship if they want to. But I have as usually no real information.
add 2.) The second interesting think is, that they want to get a list of subjects, I have completed in school... also quite absurd as I'm quite sure, that I will get that only in Slovak... so would be quite interested what does guys will do with it.
add 3.) That I didn't know this could happen. The actual information flow from IAESTE was, that I will have to make language test, give some papers after that, and then I will be able to go abroad. This was in November. Since then no information at all. And now I'm surprised. And actually this is what angers me the most. I hate it when something appears, what I'm not prepared for. It simply drives me mad.

On the other hand I have to say, that this gives me a feeling of great pleasure after making the tasks. But usually it took 2-3 hours to get the results of my work. Now it can be weeks. grrr I hate to wait with things that influence me so much and can't do anything about them (and I'm sure there are just a very few ppl, who wouldn't feel the same).

Maybe I'm just comparing to much, as I worked in AIESEC, that has a totally different way of managing these kind of things. Maybe.

On the other hand, please don't get scared by this entry. It is a mood, which will pass away, in my heart I'm excited and more then happy, that I've got this chance. I'm looking forward to it, and want to get as much as I can from it. So all in all, imagine me with a smile on my face ;)

"Emotional security" or when things change

I'm very sad in the last weeks, cause I lost a point I could lean on emotionally. I believe that most of the people have habits they don't give up, because they are used to it and feel secure doing/experiencing them. Such habits, moments can relate to experiencing the same situation for a long time, or just a few moments which carved themselves in our minds. Some of the situations I value: is a shower with hot (not boiling) water on my skin, as I used to go to the thermal baths quite often in my childhood - this brings quite pleasant memories back. Or simply sitting before the computer and hearing music which is in harmony with my feelings. This is more like a dull feeling of comfort. A feeling of something I know and am sure, that nothing can surprise me or hurt me when I do it.

I lost such a secure point in my life this year. After so much talk about climate change and such this year I finally admitted that it can be true. The second sunny warm winter in the south of Slovakia. How sad for me. If you live your whole life with four seasons than you can't really imagine, how could it be without one of them, how could it change. And now it is here. While the spring is still full of the birth of life - bloom, animals appear, the summer is hot as always - giving the feeling of freedom and joy, the autumn amazes me with all its color and gifts I miss the winter. I miss the snow.

The nature died this year also. The trees lost their leaves, the flowers disappeared as most of the birds and animals, but the country didn't disappear before my eyes under a white layer of snow. Except of x-mas and New Years Eve there was no snow or snowing around. I miss the feeling from my childhood, when I made snowballs, enjoyed the falling snowflakes.
I shouldn't romanticize the memories too much. But the though of snow comforted me. And this feeling is missing this year. If I would go into the wiccan believe - though the sun was killed in autumn this year again, his body was never buried. The cycle of life lost from it's beauty.

I want to see real winter in my hometown again.

Every coin has two sides (Benazir Bhutto)

While the media gave me a picture of Benazir Bhutto as a holy woman, it was very interesting as a friend living in Pakistan gave a different picture of her.

http://klepo.net/journal/
please look up - Day 213 (30.12.07) - The political Dynasty of Bhutto

Sorry, but only in Slovak: there is also a Slovak entry on his site + read also the feedbacks on the article, he is referring to.

http://klepo.net/slovensky/index.htm
Deň 214 (31.12.2007) - moj pohlad na Benazir Bhuttovu...

The Plains - Petőfi Sándor

I have the feeling that most of the people I know from my hometown and surroundings, with whom I was going into grammar and high-school have something in common. We love the place we are living. It is nothing special, I believe most of the people feel the same about their hometown and the places around it.
I won't go deep into the talk about why I feel so, cause it isn't anything you can describe, I rather put here a poem of a Hungarian poet. I won't translate the whole poem, just the phrases I had to learn in school and are still sometimes flying in my mind - cause I feel that way. It's quite a hard text to translate.

1.verse:
What are you for me, grim pine-grove lands,
Wilderness of the Carpathian Mountains
Though I admire you, but I don't love you,
And my thoughts don't wander in your valleys

2.verse:
Down on the plains, flat as the sea,
There I feel at home, there's my world
I'm like an eagle which escaped from his prison
When I see the never ending fields.

3.verse
Then my mind flies up
Above the ground near the clouds,
With the smile of the fields
From the Danube to the Tisza .

Last verse:
You are beautiful, plains, at least beautiful for me!
Here was my cradle slewed, I was born here.
Here should the shroud burrow my face, here
should my grave round up above me.


Az Alföld - Petőfi Sándor

Mit nekem te zordon Kárpátoknak
Fenyvesekkel vadregényes tája!
Tán csodállak, ámde nem szeretlek,
S képzetem hegyvölgyedet nem járja.

Lenn az alföld tengersík vidékin
Ott vagyok honn, ott az én világom;
Börtönébõl szabadúlt sas lelkem,
Ha a rónák végtelenjét látom.

Felröpûlök ekkor gondolatban
Túl a földön felhõk közelébe,
S mosolyogva néz rám a Dunától
A Tiszáig nyúló róna képe.

Délibábos ég alatt kolompol
Kis-Kunságnak száz kövér gulyája;
Deleléskor hosszu gémü kútnál
Széles vályu kettõs ága várja.

Méneseknek nyargaló futása
Zúg a szélben, körmeik dobognak,
S a csikósok kurjantása hallik
S pattogása hangos ostoroknak.

A tanyáknál szellõk lágy ölében
Ringatózik a kalászos búza,
S a smaragdnak eleven szinével
A környéket vígan koszorúzza.

Idejárnak szomszéd nádasokból
A vadlúdak esti szürkületben,
És ijedve kelnek légi útra,
Hogyha a nád a széltõl meglebben.

A tanyákon túl a puszta mélyén
Áll magányos, dõlt kéményü csárda;
Látogatják a szomjas betyárok,
Kecskemétre menvén a vásárra.

A csárdánál törpe nyárfaerdõ
Sárgul a királydinnyés homokban;
Odafészkel a visító vércse,
Gyermekektõl nem háborgatottan.

Ott tenyészik a bús árvalyányhaj
S kék virága a szamárkenyérnek;
Hûs tövéhez déli nap hevében
Megpihenni tarka gyíkok térnek.

Messze, hol az ég a földet éri,
A homályból kék gyümölcsfák orma
Néz, s megettök, mint halvány ködoszlop,
Egy-egy város templomának tornya. –

Szép vagy, alföld, legalább nekem szép!
Itt ringatták bölcsõm, itt születtem.
Itt borúljon rám a szemfödél, itt
Domborodjék a sir is fölöttem.

x-mas present

The last couple of years I used to write poems on x-mas, and send them to friends in short messages(sms). This year I have sent the wrong "version" (0.69) of my x-mas letter, so the poem didn't came to the ppl... and somehow I had a bad mood most propably, cause I wasn't able to do the same in Hungarian and Slovakian... So I will share mz verse here anyway. It is very amateur, as I used to say the though is what counts :)

I used to write in x-mas time
a poem or two for those I like
So I send here with all that's dear
My best wishes for your next year

The sun should shine, the rain should fall
Good people come and bad should go
Smile a lot, enjoy your time
Remember the words: "This life is mine"

And remember too, the wise mans clue:
"Make people happy, it comes back to you!"