A special day

Today is the day of canonization of 2 great popes- John Paul II and John XXIII- a celebration not only for the Christan Church, but also for confessors of other religions who feel their lives were influenced by these 2 exceptional people. I've just watched the transmission of the solemn Mass from Vatican and I'm really moved. I can't express how proud and happy I am because our compatriot is offically Saint John Paul II. For the Poles He was (and still is) a role model, an example of a person who is truly close to God, who gives hope, who was taking care of a family and young people and who shows that everyone can be saint.
I don't forget about Pope John XXIII who organised the Second Vatical Council and started the dialogue with other religions, showing the respect for them, but for me, as a Pole, Saint John Paul II will be always closer.  I must confess that every time I think about his life, I want my faith to be as strong and unshakable as his and to be a good person.
I'm so grateful to God for these two great people who changed for sure the Catolic Church and lives of millions of people all over the world, who gave us the example of humility and piety.

Back to work:)

Every year it's the same thing. First, we look forward to Easter, which I'm sure most students associate with free time and relax, we have so many plans for these several days off and then... before we realise, we must return to our daily routine. At least, this is what I experience annually and I must confess that the older I am, the more difficult it is to accept this sad fact. Fortunately, some celebrations are still yet to come- in 2 weeks time, there's another break because of the Labour Day (and I'm very happy about that, because I want to finish reading "Sense and sensible" by Jane Austen :) )
There's one more thing which repeats every year- before Easter I can't wait to eat sweets(because I avoid them during the Lent); when I see chocolate or cookies, it seems to me there's nothing else I need, but when the Lent it over, I hardly can swallow a lump of chocolate since my body has already weaned off such an amount of sugar. Well, I'm wondering what to do with all these chocolate bars now... I hope that after going back at university, I'll need more carbohydrates; otherwise, I'll start up a shop:P

The Railway Man

Another film review today! This time it's a war film/drama "The Railway Man" with one of my favorite actors Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman.
This is a story of a former soldier Eric Lomax (C.Firth). During the II World War, he was forced to work on the Thai-Burma railway as an engineer. He falls in love and marries Patti (N.Kidman), the woman who he meets in the train. Their life is very difficult, because, as Patti soon discovers, her husband still can't cope with the war experiences and have terryfying visions- for example, it seems to him that he sees one of the Japanese Kempetai officers, Takashi Nagase, who was mostly responsible for the tortures and suffering of Eric.
His best friend, Finley, tries to convince him he should find Nagase and kill him, because he believes it will help Eric to forget about the pain; When after their conversation Finley commits suicide, Lomax decides to go and find his enemy. It turns out he's a guide in a war museum. Eric is furious and want to revenge...
The ending is surprising and very moving; I have to confess I was near to tears at the cinema.
This film is based on a true story- Eric Lomax died in 2012, a year later than Takashi Nagase, at the age of 91. In 1995, he wrote a book on his war experiences.
If you're wondering which film you want to see at the cinema, I recommend you "The Railway Man". It presents how war may influence on a man's mentality, but also gives an opportunity to think over the role of true love and revenge.

Breton music

In case you still don't know it,  I'm a great fan of celtic music. My fascination started several months ago, I suppose, but to be honest, as a child I also used to listen to Enya, whose voice I adore to this day. I must confess that, until recently, when I thought about celtic music, I thought only about Ireland. How much I was wrong! Last time, thanks to the course of listening comprehension, I discoverd totally new dimension of this kind of music- Breton music. Brittany is the region of France which in the past was inhabited by Celts and the signs of their culture are still visible there.There are many Breton singers and bands who play traditional instruments (for example harp) and sings about...Hmmm...it's hard to describe the topic of their songs in one word, but mostly about nature and some stories from the past, legends, etc. Breton artists sing in not only in French, but also in English(these 2 cultures are connected, because Celts lived in the Ireland as well) and in Breton, celtic language, which I find really difficult to speak. 

I love celtic music, because when I listen to it, I can forget about my problems, bad mood, tiredness and imagine I'm somewhere else. I strongly reccommend it to you, it's magical :) 

Here's a song "Tri Martolod" by Alan Stivell, hope you enjoy it :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z593IhlhR4s