Colourful world

It will probably not be a surprise for you to know that the colours that surrounds us have a huge influence on the way we feel and act. They are widely used in advertising industry as an efficient tool of persuasion or even manipulation,  because we subconsciously attach a meaning to every colour. Sometimes, it is obvious, for example, it is a common knowledge that green is associated with calm and nature, but not all the meanings  are not so easy to guess:

• Blue, apart from coldness and peace, may be associated with boredom, conservatism and professionalism
• Yellow- summer, energy, liveliness but also -which is surprising-  cowardice, conflict and hunger ( I thought it was more optimistic!)
• Orange- creativity, affordability, aggression, food
• Purple - a royal colour, means also mystery, power, and luxury. 
• Red - determination, speed, strength, desire

By the colours that we love or hate, it is possible to define our personality.
My favourite ones are: blue, green, purple and yellow.  I decided to find out if this choice is really a reflection of who I am and here's what I found:

• Green - a good listener, a peacemaker, just, but also possessive
• Blue - reliable, responsible, wise, calm
• Purple - creative, imaginative, a daydreamer
• Yellow - practcal, enthousiastic, optimistic, impulsive

Well, apart from creativity and one funny contradiction (how can I possibly be a daydreamer and practical at the same time?:)), I have to admit that in general these colours describe me quite well. Isn't it interesting? Colours have always been quite important to me, but I would have never thought they can so much reflect one's personality. I am curious to know if we like certain colours because of our qualities or just the other way round- we are who we are due to the colours we love.

Anyway, I think it is good to pay attention to the colours around us. They affect us to such extend that we can easily calm down or get motivated simply by changing what we have in sight :)

Click&help

There are many forms of helping people in need- from donating a certain sum to charity to becoming a volunteer in one of the charity organisations. I admire people who share with those who have less. Unfortunately, there are still many people who use the lack of time or money as an excuse for being indifferent. The truth is we all can help to fight for a better world everyday, without even leaving the house. How? By one, simple click!
How does it work? It's easy- you visit a website where you click on the picture and this way you donate some money to support the organisation's aims. Of course, this sum is usually very, very small(let's say, 5 gr), but when you look at the statistics, it turns out that thousands of people have already clicked too; as a result, the collected sum is quite significant.
I would like to present 3 such websites which I've been using for many years:
1. Pajacyk- a Polish site whose aim is to help malnourished children, not only in Poland. I've learnt that the organisation also improve the living conditions in poor African countries. So far, they've built a clinic in South Sudan and they take care of starving childen and pregnant women in Somalia. You can click once a day.
2. The Hunger Site - an American charity site where you have to click the button to donate money to fight against famine. In fact, once you visit this site, you can see it's one of many similar sites with different aims, for example helping animals, rainforests or those who suffer from diabetes. Apart from clicking, you have an opportunity to sign a petition to show that your voice matters (unfortunately, not every petition is available for people outside the US).
3. Free Rice - my favourite charity site. It's a kind of game, a test- you choose the subject (for example, English, French, the capitals of the world) and with every correct anwer they donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Programme. What I love about Free Rice, is that you can help feed the others and the site helps you to improve your language skills or general knowledge.  You don't have to create an account, but I advise you to do it- then you can see how many grains you have donated from the very beginning. It's motivating!;-)

I'm perfectly aware of the fact that a simple click can't solve all the problems of the world. I just don't want us to be indifferent. One click may ecourage us to become involved in other forms of charity. It may be the first step to change somebody's life.

We are infinite

High school years are fortunately behind me, but I still enjoy watching movies which present the life of teenagers - of course, only if they're well-made. The one I've watched recently - "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"- definitely falls into this category. It's a 2012 American drama whose main character is 15-year-old Charlie (Logan Lerman) The boy starts high school as an outsider, being unaccepted and lost; his best friend commited suicide and he suffers from mental illness. His miserable life changes suddenly when he meets two seniors - Patrick(Ezra Miller) and his stepsister Sam(Emma Watson) who he falls in love with; he's accepted by their group of friends and he slowly starts to believe he found the place where he belongs. Their life is not perfect, either; Patrick is a secret relationship with Brad, a football player, and Sam was sexually abused as a child. Each of them try to cope with their problems and traumatic experiences.
The movie is thought-provoking, but I can't say it's sad; it shows perfectely how bittersweet life could be. The characters are not overdrawn; I do like the way they try to find their place, how they seek happiness and courage to face life, however hard it may be. The film is filled with really good music; one of my favourite scenes is when the 3 go through the tunnel, listening to "Heroes" by David Bowie; that's when Charlie says: "I feel infinite". I feel this way too when I watch it :)

"If you want to kill me, you'd better hurry, because I'm 100 years old."

Earlier this week, I felt like watching a film and when I was searching for something interesting on the Internet, I came across a 2013 Swedish comedy "The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared". The movie is so full with absurdism that it can cheer up even the most pessimistic person.

Allan Karlsson, who lives in a care home, is supossed to celebrate his 100th birthday. Despite his age, Allan is able to take care of himself and when he sees a little boy who plays in a slightly unusual way, he climbs out the window and... this is how his adventures begin. 

Accidentally, he steals the suitcase which belongs to a motorcycle gang member, so obviously he tries to get it back, but it turns out it's not so simple. Let's just say that there are some dead bodies in the film, but the victims are killed in such stupid ways that it's impossible not to laugh. Allan and his companions are the most ridiculously incompatible and inept group of people I've ever seen, but somehow they always manage to stay safe and sound. 

The film is also full of Allan's memories, rather extraordinary ones, I would say, including saving general's Franco life, helping the Americans with an atom bomb (yes, it was Allan Karlsson, everyone, who actually created it), etc. One big historical mess, but such a funny one! :)

To sum up - when you have a bad day, don't each chocolate; you'll only put on weight. Just watch this movie. 

WARNING:  Many uncontrollable bursts of laughter highly probable while watching. 

"However bad life may seem, when there is life, there's hope"

During the break after the exams, I saw "The theory of everything" the movie presenting the story of Jane and Stephen Hawking, the famous cosmologist. Although I'd heard about him before I went to the cinema, I've never been really interested in his life and achievements. In fact, the choice of the film was a sheer coincidence. I don't regret it. I have to admit that I can't recall the last time I saw such a beautiful film.
"The theory of everything", despite the slightly scientific title, focuses more on the the Hawking's struggle with the serious neurological disease  rather than on his actual work. What I particulary like about this film, is that the characters are not overdrawn. Stephen Hawking (played by Eddie Redmayne) and his wife Jane (Felicity Jones)  try to live like a normal family, as far as it's possible; there are moments of sadness and of happiness. The movie presents well the way their relationship changes over the years; the ending may be slightly surprising.
Another reason why this film is exceptional, is the outstanding acting of Eddie Redmayne. While watching the movie, I had the impression he wasn't playing but he was Stephen Hawking. No wonder he won the Academy Award for Actor in a Leading Role. He really deserved it.
I don't forget about the music; the sountrack, composed by Jóhann Jóhannsson, perfectly expresses the atmosphere in every scene. It's so beautiful that I keep listening to it over and over again;  moving, but also giving hope; sometimes making me cry, sometimes cheering me up - like the whole movie.

Moya Brennan

As the winter exam session is getting closer, it is high time I got back to listening Irish folk music. My brain needs it whenever I need to learn something by heart, especially when there is snow outside, because it helps me to concentrate. Besides, I strongly believe that this kind of music has a positive influence on my results, considering that last year, I was literally obsessed with Enya's songs and I passed all of my exams :)

This year, apart from all possible forms of relaxing music, which I wrote about some time ago and which is absolutely my number 1 when it comes to studying, I've decided to listen to Moya( Máire) Brennan, Enya's older and no less talented sister.

I have no intention to write her biography here, you can find it on Wikipedia or anywhere on the Internet. I just want to mention that she was a member  of the family band, Clannad, before starting her solo career 23 years ago and that she is called “The First Lady of Celtic Music”. Her songs were included in the soundtracks for many films, like “King Arthur”.  She is not only a singer, but also a harpist.

What I love about her songs, is the harmonic, beautiful melody, due to instruments such as violin or harp (thanks to Moya Brennan it has become my favourite instrument), but also her voice, which seems to come from other dimension, like the echo in the mountains.  Despite the fact that the majority of her songs is calm, they are very emotional. I do not know why, but whatever the lyrics are about, they make me think of nature: a calm sea, a forest with rustling leaves, the raindrops on a window…  they are truly magical.

So…I have to go back to studying and I hope Moya Brennan’s music will help me to memorize everything J

Christmas spirit?

Our long (but still too short) winter break is still not over, even Christmas is still not over, but somehow I'm sad and  I've got a strange feeling of missing something intangible. I'm not in the mood of listening Christmas songs, I don't feel this joy which should accompany me these days. At the beginning I thought it was because of the tiredness, hurry, preparations or constant necessity to learn something, but later I realised that even when I have everything done, I still feel frustrated. Christmas time is said to be the time for reflexion, so I've been reflecting and I eventually came to a conclusion that it's me who is responsible for this situation. My lack of self-confidence, my self-loathing at times, the fact that I'm never satisfied with my successes; I always want something more, I want to be better, smarter, prettier, etc. 

I'm aware of the fact I'm not perfect and I will never be, but lately I've decided to change my attitude towards myself. I know it won't be easy, but at least I want to try as we have only one life and a right to be happy. It's my New Year's resolution :)