Coming back to blogging here

After a while, I want to re-start this blog, because so many memories are forgotten in everyday life. Even though my fashion blog is receiving the most up-to-date updates, I want to keep this one anonymous, with everyday photos and little musings.

Marie Antoinette costume talk

Today I went to the Wallace Collection to see the Marie Antoinette costume talk. Last month, I was very happy listening to Madame de Pompadour sharing her life and fashion tips, so this time I was eager to see what Marie-Antoinette has to offer. 

I am huge fan of the Queen of France. Of course she made some mistakes, but how could she not, being taken away from her family to a foreign country where she didn't know anybody and being barely 14. The talk was interesting, even though I already knew most of the things. Unfortunately it was very short - too short for my likening and that was the biggest disappointment. 

Afterwards, I wasn't keen on going shopping on Oxford Street on Friday afternoon  - it's literally madness out there. I decided to read a book in the sun. It's supposed to be the most controversial book of the year (to say the least) and tells a story of a girl being in love with the paedophile - Tiger, Tiger: A Memoir by Margaux Fragoso.

Hazelnut Latte

Today we went to see Thor in 3D. It's good we packed our 3D glasses, because otherwise you have to pay for them - they're no longer free. I guess it's a way to protect the environment as you don't throw away things you buy, but at the same time it's another way for the cinema to make more money. I did like the movie, but I was expecting a little bit more. Natalie Portman's portrayal of a smart-woman-scientist wasn't convincing and the special effects were only OK. But it was good fun to see it and only cinema gives you this quality and 3D image, so it's worth to go - even if only for the experience.

Later, we had a lunch outside in the sun. The only good bits of the lunching was the sun, some ingredients in my salad and the fact that I was spending time with the Boyfriend. The place was awful and I swear my foot will never step there again. It was supposed to be a nice French-Italian bistro, but the staff was horrible and the food was overpriced. 

Clock at Trafalgar Square measures time till the Olymic Games 2012 begin in London.

After a short walk we ended up in the same spot as yesterday and I've finished Room by Emma Donoghue sitting on the same bench, where I started it 24 hours before. It was great to lay/sit in the sun and just enjoy free time. The book is great, but I don't want to write a review and spoil it for anyone, so I'll only say - read it - you won't regret it! I also tried Costa's Hazelnut Latte and it's divine. New addiction has found me!

Dirt Exhibition at Wellcome Collection

Today we went to Wellcome Collection at Euston Square to see 'Dirt' exhibition. 'Dirt' reveals the fascinating world of filth that remains one of the very last taboos. Bringing together around 200 artefacts spanning visual art, documentary photography, cultural ephemera, scientific artefacts, film and literature, the exhibition uncovers a rich history of disgust and delight in the grimy truths and dirty secrets of our past, and points to the uncertain future of filth, which poses a significant risk to our health but is also vital to our existence.

Following anthropologist Mary Douglas's observation that dirt is 'matter out of place', the exhibition introduces six very different places as a starting point for exploring attitudes towards dirt and cleanliness: a home in 17th-century Delft in Holland, a street in Victorian London, a hospital in Glasgow in the 1860s, a museum in Dresden in the early 20th century, a community in present day New Delhi and a New York landfill site in 2030. Highlights include paintings by Pieter de Hooch, the earliest sketches of bacteria and John Snow's 'ghost map' of choler. I was expecting something more on the edge and shocking, but it was still very interesting and I'm glad we decided to go. Boyfriend was even more interested than me reading all the information next to the objects! I wonder why men are so attracted to ugliness? Ha ha.

Afterwards we took a long walk to Baker Street and had really healthy lunch (green vegetables salad with salmon) and then even longer walk to Leicester Square. Boyfriend went to see Meek's Cutoff - I talked about it for so long, I convinced him to go. Because I already saw it, I decided to stay in a nice little park next to Chinatown and read a book (Room by Emma Donoghue) and wait for him. I also went for a nice Costa Latte - I missed it in Poland! 

Royal Wedding Day

Today Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting married. Over 2 billion people are going to watch this happen - so there's no pressure or anything for them! We're also watching, unfortunately not in Hyde Park, because I'm ill (typical for me - waiting for something for so long and of course I can't see it because I'm ill).

I am looking forward to see two dresses in particular - it's obviously Kate's dress (I wonder if the Sarah Burton's Alexander McQueen design rumors are true), but also Victoria Beckham's dress (she's supposed to wear her own A/A design, but I think she might have prepared something special). Not so long to see!

AFTER:
The Dress is simply beautiful and classy. When I saw it, it reminded me of the Grace Kelly's dress when she married her prince. I was expecting something bigger, but I knew that Kate will keep it simple and traditional in her own way. She did it! Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen really delivered. So great to be today in London and feel the atmosphere.

Countryside

Yesterday me, Boyfriend and Mother with two dogs - my Krecik and Boyfriend's Sara went to our family's home in the countryside. I absolutely love this place. It was there where I first got on a horse (or rather was put on a horse) when I was only 3. I've spent some amazing summers there. Although sometimes I was bored, sometimes I was annoyed that there's no cellphone coverage... now I truly appreciate all these things (where in the world there's no cellphone service?!): peacefulness, nature and a blue sky. It is literally in the middle of nowhere surrounded by woods and fields. The nearest shop and asphalt road is 40 minutes walk through the forest and hills.  

At home

The journey was really pleasant. I had to get up shortly after 4am, get ready, eat something and finish packing. I was all alone going to the tube and I think I woke half of the neighbourhood when the wheels of my bag were making noise on the pavement. I waited for 8 minutes in the tube, but still managed to catch the bus to Luton. I was so happy, because the idea of standing at the bus stop in the cold morning for 20 minutes wasn't appealing.

At the airport everything went smoothly and my plane wasn't even delayed. Boyfriend and his sister came to meet me at the airport and we went to the bus stop to catch a bus home. Around 5-6pm I was at home. It was very, very weird to see my mom. After all these months of not speaking, I was so afraid. But to my relief the evening went rather OK, although the difficult talk was also there. 

Krecik is happy as always. After the operation he's not changed and forgot about it already. Just as cheerful as I remember him. He went to my bed in the morning and just slept there for a couple of hours. 

We just came back from the plants shop and now I'll do some cleaning and I'm going to my aunt to drop off some things, because I'll be sleeping at her place tonight. In the evening I'm meeting my Friend and I'm very happy about that! 

 

Mixture of emotions

I feel mixture of emotions. I'm leaving London tomorrow morning. Very early morning. Going to one of the first tubes of the day and then change at Finchley Road for GreenLine bus to get to Luton. I'm just focusing on the journey, packing and try not to think about tomorrow. On the one hand I am excited, on the other, I'm petrified. I had little panic attack in the morning, so I just quickly jumped out of bed to get something to occupy me.

I had a really long talk with Dom-dom (for 3 hours) and she told me to be brave and strong. She gave me courage that I can speak when I'm accused and to let the things simply pass me by. I hope I'll be able to do that.

I was packing today, cleaning and just preparing. I also watched the entire coverage of London Marathon and it was so inspiring! To see old and disabled people running for the Xth time is amazing. I am so motivated to run every day I'm gonna be in Poland and also power up in the gym when I come back. I also checked out The 2011 Adidas Women's 5K Challenge that's gonna take place in Hyde Park on Sunday 11th September 2011. I am enrolling for sure and I'll take Dom-dom probably with me. Gives me something to aim for!

I also registered for the London Olympic Games 2012. It's only 500 days left to the start and only 10 days to register for the ticket ballot. So it was really the last chance I had to do it. So now it's out of my hands anymore. It would be wonderful to go. 

So I guess the next post I'll write will be from my bedroom.

Mesopotamia exhibition at British Museum and Meek's Cutoff

I had to get away today, so when the plans with Dom-dom did not work out, I knew I will go somewhere anyway. I was a little bit sad about Dom-dom to be honest, because I thought we're gonna have a fun day together, but I also understand that she flew in in the middle of Friday night from the work conference. 

I woke up really early and was tired, because I didn't sleep well. I'm stressing out about going home and seeing Mother. Sometimes it terrifies me so much, I am sick. The only way is to focus on something else. So I decided to go to British Museum and explore Mesopotamia's history. I was really hooked after reading some chapters in A Little History of the World and wanted to learn more. There were lots of people in the museum toady - typical for Saturday - but these particular rooms were practically empty. I walked for almost two hours there, read almost every little information card on the displays. I also ate lunch in the museum - I love sitting behind these long tables.

Later, I went to Blackwells and - of course - ended up with few more books. I am pretty excited about Room by Emma Donoghue and Tiger, tiger by Margaux Fragoso. I also went to Superdrug and got an amazing kohl crayon, some mascara and gold eyeliner. 

Because I don't like going to the cinema alone to watch violent and stressful movies, after checking on the website I've chosen to see Meek's Cutoff. The movie is not something you would expect (especially when you see the trailer). It's not typical Western, to my relief, because I detest Westerns. It tells a story of a group of settlers, who travel through the Oregon desert in 1845 and find themselves stranded in harsh conditions. Lost and with no water, they capture the Indian on the way and since then their only chance of survival is to trust the person, who doesn't understand them, just as they don't understand him. Because the scenes are really long and not only on the people, but also on unforgiving nature, I've felt like I was inside the movie. It totally deserves all the star ratings it has.

 

A Little History of the World by Ernst Gombrich

Ugh. So Boyfriend left and he's boarding the plane right this second. To be honest, I still can't believe that he left and I'm all alone until Monday. I have this feeling that he's gonna come home any minute from work and enter the room with huge smile on his face. I keep myself busy with cleaning, mini-at-home SPA and watching Jersey Shore. I also have plans to read The Slap and maybe some leftover Sunday Times magazines. 

Last week I've finished reading A Little History of the World by Ernst Gombrich. The book is fantastic, and starts with the enternal 'Once upon a time...'. The introduction is brilliant and interesting. The book starts slowly explains the history of the world and provides a great outline for both adults and children. It does tell a 'story' in such a way that encourages you to find out more. The only drawback for me was that I realized at the very end of the book that it was written over 50 years ago (I had no idea who Gombrich was, as far as I know, Boyfriend got him mistaken with Polish writer Wiktor Gombrowicz). Therefore, I disagree with some of his views - especially concerning modern history - World War I and II as well as the communism era. He focuses on the industrialization and the connection between machines and people in whole chapter, regrettably omitting USSR and Marxism. I was also disappointed not to have any information on communist China (even though there are few China chapters along the way) or Korea and Vietnam wars. So that's why towards the end of the book I got a feeling that he was bored with writing and wanted to wrap it up as soon as possible. A real shame, because I would gladly give this book 10/10.