Love and Other Drugs

Now this is the kind of feel-good movie that you would watch on a boring Tuesday evening when can't find/don't want anything to do and all you need is a pretty picture to cheer you up. 

Love and Other Drugs is a comedy/romantic movie set in 1996-1997 that tells the story of the free spirited twenty-something Maggie suffering from Parkinson's desease and the charming (but ever so cute) drug-rep Dean whose relationship evolve from "just sleeping together" to falling into the unplumbed depth of love. The story is accompanied by the defining pop songs of the 90's, and some of the typical fashion of the decade, such as Doc Martens and denim dungarees worn with only a bra underneath. The chemistry between Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal is unbelievable strong, they are a real eyecandy that you cannot get bored of, not even for a second during the almost two-hour runtime of the movie. 

Although, at first  Love and Other Drugs seems nothing but yet-another dumb blockbuster with  hardly any plot and an unrealistic over-the-top perfect couple played by overpayed A-list Hollywood stars, it is a really good romcom with well-written characters, great chemistry, lots of nudity and sex scenes - all beautifully composed, and the nostalgic scenery of the 90's. This movie is absolutely worth watching, and not just once, but on numerous Tuesdays when all you need is a good old pick-me-up/eyecandy movie.

The Beauty Lies In The Details

Yesterday I finally went to the library, and did a few hours of thesis-work: did some research and took notes. Then, as a reward, and as the weather was absolutely beautiful with clear sky - the bluest of blues, crispy cold air (I adore it!!) that makes my cheeks rosy, soulwarming sunshine, and snow still on the ground, I decided to do the thing again that I enjoy so much: go on an urban photo-hike, and wander around aimlessly on the streets of Budapest for hours, and take a handful of photos. This time I went to one of my favorite parts of the city, Disctrict 13, Újlipótváros to be exact, the area surrounded by Jászai Mari Square, Szent István Boulevard, Westend/ Váci street, Bessenyei street, and the river bank. It's as if time has stopped decades ago in this area, it's filled with cute little traditional shops - hairdresser's, confectionery's, delicatessens, galeries, violin-maker's, artshops, taylor's, antique shops, several bookstores, florist's, grocer's, and a handful of cafes and restaurants. Indeed, it is one of the best parts of the city with it's ever so unique and nostalgic atmosphere and tiny romantic streets. This is the area where the great Hungarian poet, Radnóti's wife lives (yes, she is still alive, believe it or not), where you can feel as if you traveled back to earlier eras. Here is a taste of what you will find if you decide to explore Újlipótváros:

All sorts of signs on the fronts of the houses (you can enlarge the photo by clicking on it)

A palmful of spring (do not fall for the trick, it is still winter)

A beautiful delicatessen around, or rather, right on the corner 

(owned by the talented waterpolo player Szívós Márton)

Very socialist (or should I say authentic retro?) hairdresser's

...more old hairdresser's, but this one with better marketing

Superpretty shopwindows with homemade and marvelously canned/packed jams

Some real manna - reborn as a chocolate-chip cookie

A perfectly named cafe/restaurant, just the right thing for me - except that I can't afford it with my tight student budget

English and French taylor's, handmade by Maksainé herself

The cutes antique store ever

A built-in miniature statue of Saint Florian, the patron-saint of firefighters

This district is pretty much the area where I want to live once (no sooner than in about 6-7 years, I am afraid)  I get around buying my own flat. I guess I should start saving up, or rather find a job at first.

Word of the Day

knackered [ˈnækəd] Brit Slang

adj

1. exhausted; tired out

2. worn out; no longer working, esp after long or hard use

 

e.g.: I have so much to say, so much to write about, but I am knackered, so the account of my day shall come tomorrow.

"...and it was all yellow"

So, I did unpack my camera today. As a matter of fact, I even went for a long walk in the castle area during the afternoon. Oh, how much I had missed my good old wandering around and taking photos uncounted! I really really needed this: to be alone, wander around aimlessly, concentrate on nothing but the sight and the photo I am taking, and get my head cleared in the process.  I discovered some places in the castle where I hadn't been before, they are all so pretty and romantic, especially in the winter, when there's snow on the ground and on the rooftops of the houses. Although I had thought that everything would be white - that's what I went there for: to see and take photos of the great whiteness -  I did find some bright colors. 

So here's what I bumped into:

 

For about the six thousandth time, I realized again how much I love Budapest.

Can't you just adore Her?

Let it Snow

Another short, useless, unproductive where-has-my-day-gone? day. Terrible headache, suffering like a dog, but it's getting better now, finally.

It's undoubtedly winter again, with lots and lots of snow! I could stand by the window for hours and just watch the snow falling. It is so beautiful!! I should unpack my camera already, go on a walk, and take a few photos. Tomorrow, definitely!

The thing is, I really miss taking photos.

I know Christmas is long over, but we're still in season for this song, aren't we?

(Its quality is not perfect though.)

The tale of the annoying cold, the tiny snow, and the comforting Gilmore Girls

I have an annoying headache, I am sleepy, exhausted, and annoyed, plus I think I am going  down with a cold. This kind of headache is usually the first symptom of my catching a cold, then comes the weakness, exhaustion, sore throat, runny nose, etc. I really, really do not want to be sick right now. But it's not like I have a choice, is it?

This is how I feel right now, and not just because of this upcoming and utterly annoying cold, but in general. You know, it's just life...

But at least (and last!), it's winter again! As a matter of fact, it just started to snow as I was getting off the train in Budapest. Then it kept falling for a couple of hours in teeny-tiny flakes. I don't think it will stick though, but hopefully there's a lot more to come in the next few days. Winter cannot be over just yet!

Although there's only a very little snow on the ground, it still cheered me up. This is pretty much how I looked like when I stepped out of the train station (despite the fact that I did not have Luke Danes on my side):

That's all folks, for now at least. I think it's time I put my pg's on, crawled under my blanket with a big cup of Tetley's strawberry tea and started a good old fashioned and incredibly comforting Gilmore Girls marathon. Hopefully that's all I need to get a little bit better.

Blue Valentine

I had been waiting for this film for years, especially in the past year, since it premiered a year ago at Sundance last January. I had not known much about Blue Valentine before, except that its genre is romance/drama and that it stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, both whom I adore since The Notebook and Dawson's Creek respectively. Probably this is why I thought that this film would be somewhat like The Notebook: a romantic drama, which is, although pretty cheesy, but a feelgood and timeless movie that can be watched several times because the happy ending will always be a comfort. 

Well, all of my preconceptions were misconceptions. Blue Valentine is not at all a feel good movie that you would pop into your dvd player on a  rainy Saturday afternoon when you don't feel like doing anything else but cuddle up on your sofa under a blanket with a cup of tea and a bag of crackers in your hands, because all you need is a little bit of cheering up. Well, this is movie is not for such an occasion, it's much deeper, much heavier and more complex than that.

Blue Valentine does tell the story of a married couple, juxtaposing the past - how they met and fell in love with each other - and the present - how they struggle through their marriage which is coming to its end. It is, indeed, a lovestory, but a rather broken and bitter one.  Nevertheless, it is most certainly worth watching, especially for Gosling's excellent portrayal of the loving but freespirited and alcoholic husband, Dean.

Getting Creative

This is the last day of my long weekend at home, as tomorrow I am returning to Budapest, and hopefully I will get into thesis mood already. Today I finally took out my super-duper typewriter,  which I am completely in love with, and played with it for a little bit. This is what I ended up with:

 

Yep, it's a bookmark made of fabric, with one of my favorite quotes on it by Jack Kerouac from On the Road. It wasn't the first such bookmark though, as I made one for my sister's birthday a little over a month ago.

 

I think it's a great idea to type on simple white fabric just like it was a sheet of paper, then mix/sew it together with other pieces of fabrics, becuase  this way words and complete texts can appear on surfaces where they either haven't appeared before or where they can only appear with the help of a professional printer. Not to mention that using vintage typewriters feels a little bit like time-travelling, and the typewriter font is supercool and I adore it! I am constantly brainstorming with myself about how I could use this technique, what other surfaces are there where such typewritten fabric could be placed? Patchwork-style bags, simple cotton shopping bags, pencilcases, and cosmetic bags would most certainly be chic with literary (and other) quotes on them, wouldn't they? I guess I'm gonna go on brainstorming, looking at photos and looking for ideas until I find the best and most creative one. 

By the way, it's such a shame I can't type in the dorm, I would definitely be more productive, had I got the chance to use my typewriter there... Especially since I do have a typewriter with me in the dorm, but it's so loud, that even though both the window and the door are closed, my neighbours can still hear it, and it would probably annoy the heck out of them. Not to mention that it's exam period, everybody is on a crazy schedule, either studying or trying to sleep. 

Bummer.

(The book in the second picture is Puszibolt by Cserna-Szabó András, I'm gonna read it sometime soon.)

"I guess you could say that I 've a call"

Am I the only one with this crazy addiction to stationeries? Ever since I was a little kid I have always been looking forward to September 1st, the day when the new academic year starts in primary and secondary schools. The main reason of my awaiting wasn't exactly about school  and studying though, but because a new academic year meant a trip with my Mom to the best and biggest stationery store in town and I got new writing, drawing, and painting materials. I have always been enchanted by the wonderful world of stationeries: all the  finely checked and lined notepads, notebooks and journals of different shapes, sizes, and covers, ballpoint, gel, fountain, and felt-tip pens, watercolors, paintbrushes, ereasers,  coloring pencils, crayons, chalks, cartridges with all the different colored inks, pencilcases, bookbags, etc, etc... It's a completely different world with a very special atmosphere, isn't it?

Although I finished secondary school several years ago, and I could get through university with simple white copy paper and a cheap ballpoint pen, I still cannot pass by a stationery's without popping in, you know, just for a second, just to take a look around, for I might come across some real treasure. These days I always keep an eye out for hardcover, finely lined notebooks, as I am very particular when it comes to keeping a journal. So whenever I bump into a notebook that meets my criteria, I always buy it, becuase who knows when the next will be that I can find such a great notebook?! This is why you will find at least half a dozen perfect but empty notebooks in the drawer of my desk, all waiting and ready to be filled with words. 

Being a true graphomaniac, I am truly, deeply, and madly addicted to pens, especially fountain and rollerball pens. (I cannot care about simple ballpoints anymore...) Although I don't write that much with pens any more, every single time I go into a stationery shop (so every time I walk by one...), I (must) buy a pen, usually a rollerball, probably a kind I either really love or a brand I haven't tried yet. I guess this is the easiest, and more importantly, the cheapest way to feed my addiction.

And today I bought eight more rollerball pens. Yes, eight. I was doing some shopping at Lidl, when I saw that they were selling these ballpoints, a set of four in a pack. There were two different kinds, a fine-tip one and a standard 0.7 mm one, they were pretty cheap (yet, really good quality), so I was like what the heck?, I hadn't bought a pen for at least a week, anyway.

So, I guess, even if I stopped buying new pens from now on, I don't  think I would run out of writing material in the next few years, I have so many rollerballs and fountain pen cartridges by now stacked up or lying around either at home or in the dorm.

Now that's what I call addiction.

Oh, by the way, do you remember that short story about the eraser we probably learnt in first or second grade in primary school, titled "The Magic Eraser" (A csodálatos radírgumi)? Whenever I see an eraser in a store, this story always pops into my head. If you don't remember, you can read it here.

Skins. Watch it. It's good for your complexion.

A couple of days ago I finally started watching Skins, the great British tv series that tells stories from the every lives of middle/working class teenagers living in Bristol, UK. I am not far into it yet, I am only at the third episode of season one, yet, I already very much enjoy it's atmosphere, the great characters, and authenticity.

Without a doubt, it's worth watching! As a matter of fact, it's so worth watching, that I am having a Skins-marathon tonight!

Home Sweet Home

Long, tiring day with lots of running up and down, standing in line, waiting, packing, rushing, teaching, getting on train, riding train, coming home for the weekend. Every single time I enter our flat I realize that there is, indeed, no place like home. Although I only spent eight or nine days in the dorm, it feels sooo great to be home again.

Book 2: Hazaviszlek, jó? by Tóth Krisztina

A couple of years ago I spent most of the summer reading contemporary Hungarian poetry; that was the time I first came across Tóth Krisztina: I read her first two or three books of poems. I cannot really remember my feelings on them though, I know that I liked them, and thought that they were certainly worth reading. These days, or rather, in the last month I have really been into Hungarian literature, prose - novels and short stories - to be exact. This is how I bumped into Tóth Krisztina's second collection of short stories/essays, and I am really glad I did! 

Tóth Krisztina writes beautifully,  those utterly popular (god only knows why??) metro-writers who top the bestseller charts have nothing on her, nothing at all. Most of her stories are set on the streets of Budapest and on the public transportation of the city - I guess that's where she found and  picked up most of her ideas, and that's why her stories are so down to earth, so easy to imagine, and somewhat familiar; yet, there's also a certain uniqueness to them  that stops you and makes you think for a minute. The stories are utterly diverse: some of them will make you smile, or even laugh out loud, some of them will upset you, or even make you cry, some of them will warm your heart, but non of them will leave you behind without feeling something.

This is pretty much the best book I have read lately (Ever since Lolita, maybe? Nope, Asszony a fronton was also really great.), I will re-read it several times, without a doubt! This time I loaned it from the library; I will probably read it again before returning it, but I must also have my very own copy of Hazaviszlek, jó? on my bookshelf, so sooner or later I will purchase the bo and take it home. And not (just) because that's what the title sugggests me to do.

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."

via thedeepz

Yep, that's my one and only to do list these days. Today has also been about getting stuck in front of the bloody internet in the morning: first looking for rooms to rent and job ads in Bristoll, then looking for job ads in Budapest (first possibly writing/journalism related ones, then anything that would take an English/American studies major who reads a lot, writes relatively well, but has no work experience or any other/particular qualifications), and freaking out upon realizing that I will never ever find not only a job that I like and enjoy, but any job, for that matter. 

This is what I always do to myself every once in a while: freak out, because I am already (almost) 24 y/o, still haven't got a degree, have no work experience, start looking for jobs like a maniac on the largest ad sites (the ones that came up first-second-third when I google job ads), get more and more desperate and hopeless by each minute I spend with looking, because with every single ad I read, I realize that I have no (hardly any?) chance to find a job, as an English degree worths nothing, says nothing, does not qualify me for anything. I also realize that  I spent the last 3-4 years with reading the finest of English and American literature, spent god only how many hours listening to history and lingustic lectures, preparing for tests and exams, not to mention doing researches and writing academic essays... (and the rest is yet to come). 

And it's all worth nothing, it was all worthless. It's all useless knowledge that I have in my head, for no one looks for/wants to hire a person with my kind of knowledge. Is there a position out there that requires my knowledge at all?

Somewhere in the back of my mind there's a hardly audible sound whispering that the situation isn't that bad (ISN'T IT???), and it will be all right sooner or later, all of  that knowledge cannot be completely worthless and useless. But I just can't believe that right now. 

So this is how my slightly altered list goes:

• get off the fucking internet

• get your shit together, meaning:

1. Try to be in bed earlier (I mean by midnight...) from now on (whooops, it's almost 1AM already, I guess I am not starting that today...)
2. Get up at a decent hour (no later than 8AM) every day
3. Go to all the different libraries you have to go and collect every book you need for thesis, first thing tomorrow
4. Read and do research for thesis, don't do it half-assed, but actually spend several hours with it every day (despite the fact that the deadline is still 4 months away, and you do everything in the very last second)
5. Write up bibliography and a presentable synopsys ASAP.
6. Make an appointment with advisor and consult her.

These should all be done by now, but I haven't been able to get my shit together for weeks, and I have been procrastinating since the new year's... The stressing and panicking is keeps getting worse by each day. I really really should stop this masochistic lifestyle ASAP.

That's all the whining I got for today. Congratulations on being able to read it all the way through.

(The qoute in the title is from Confucius.)

...and the Golden Globe goes to... Ricky Gervais!

I was going to write about the Golden Globes today, but I haven't gotten around watching the award ceremony yet, plus the winners are posted all over the internet, so I said screw scratch that, I am writing about Ricky Gervais, he is the best thing about the GGs anyway. As a matter of fact, he is the only reason why I am looking forward to and watching the entire ceremony.

Honestly, I cannot remember when or where I saw him first... A few years ago I started watching the origial (British) version of The Office, but after a couple of episodes I cancelled it, because... I found it too British (there's no such thing as too British:)), somewhat odd, did not like the fake-documentary(mockumentary?) style, and I just did not get that peculiar (brilliant?) sense of humour this tv show has. However, I do remember Ricky and his brilliant jokes from the Golden Globes a couple of years ago; I also remember thinking: "Now that's what I call a wicked (but soo great!!) sense of humour! ...And by the way, that paticular British accent sounds familiar." So after the show I looked him up, and realized that he's from Reading, England, the exact same town I used to live in during my au pairing days. Hence the familiar accent, and my fondness of him. Since then I have seen several of his stand up comedies, shows, and whatever I found on the internet, and he never fails to put a wide smile on my face. For some reason, I am not really into English/American stand up comedy, or to be correct, I hardly know any English comedians, because I don't watch  English stand up comedies... Still, I don't think anyone could beat Ricky in the race for "Who's my favorite English comedian?".

I guess I really should give another chance to The Office, shouldn't I?

Here's Ricky's best moments from last year:

Flipped

Ever since I saw the trailer of Flipped last summer, I could hardly wait to see the complete movie. Finally, tonight I had the chance to watch it, and I must say, 2011 has been about really good and entertaining films so far. 

Set in 1950's small town United States, Flipped tells the not so original but ever so cute and admirable sort-of-love story of two eighth graders, based on Wendelin Van Draanen's novel of the same title, accompanied by the classic pop songs of the age which never fail to cheer me up. Oh, and did I mention that it's directed by Rob Reiner, the guy who brought us such cult romantic comedies as Stand by Me, Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally (one of my fav romcoms ever) and the Bucket List, just to mention a few of his best known pieces. Although I have only seen When Harry Met Sally, The Bucket List, and Flipped, I am pretty sure I'm sticking with the guy, because his films are worth watching, without a doubt.

Black Swan

I have always known that Natalie Portman was one of the most talented actresses of her generation. You cannot not remember her as the twelve year-old Mathilda in Luc Besson's classic movie, The Professional (1994), as Amidala in Star Wars, as the somewhat odd but absolutely adorable Sam in Zack Braff's indie film, Garden State (2004), the basted gambler in Kar Wai Wong's My Blueberry Nights (2007),  or the (again) somewhat odd but beautiful waitress/striper in Closer (2004), just to mention a few of her various and diverse roles.

In Black Swan she portrays Nina Sayers, the perfectionist ballerina, who gets the role of the Swan Queen in a production of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake". She is perfect for the role of the White Swan, however, her director is not sure that she is also able to play her evil twin, the Black Swan. As she is becoming more and more like the Black Swan, she slowly loses her mind in the process.

Natalie Portman is truly amazing in Black Swan, without a doubt, it's the best perfomance of her career so far. The movie is nominated for 4 Golden Globe Awards - best drama, Portman as best actress in a leading role, Mila Kunis as best actress in a supporting role, and Darren Aronofsky as best director, and I am pretty sure it will get a few Oscar nods as well. Hopefully at least two of  the Golden Globes will be won by Black Swan: best drama and best actress. As the poster says, the movie, indeed, is an extraordinary intoxicating masterpiece, a haunting thriller/drama/horror with a brilliant music, one of the 5 best films of 2010. It is an absolute must, and not just for Portman/ballet lovers!

FYI: Golden Globe is being held tomorrow evening/night, so by Monday morning we will all know what's the verdict on the number of awards.

I’m afraid of 9 out of 69 common fears

Useless, useless, pointless day. I could not have been more unproductive even if I had tried really hard. Seriously, where are all my days  going? How come time is slipping through my fingers so bloody easily? Why don't I stop it and start doing something? 

I am too tired lazy to write a proper post, and express my thoughts on anything, so instead I choose the ever so easy ctrl C - ctrl V solution. I bumped into this test/thing a few minutes ago. I hate it when a post says "Reblog this if you are... blablabla,  and hardly ever reblog anything, but this time I am just gonna go along with it.

I do not know what it tells about me, but this is how it goes:

Cross out the things you’re afraid of and put you’re score at the top.

1. the dark
2. staying single forever
3. being a parent
4. giving birth
5. being myself in front of others
6. open spaces
7. closed spaces
8. heights
9. big dogs
10. birds
11. fish
12. spiders
13. flowers or other plants
14. being touched
15. fire
16. deep water
17. snakes
18. silk
19. the ocean
20. failure
21. success
22. thunder/lightning
23. frogs/toads
24. my boyfriends/girlfriends dad
25. boyfriends/girlfriends mom  
26. rats
27. jumping from high places
28. snow
29. rain
30. wind
31. crossing hanging bridges
32. death
33. heaven
34. being robbed
35. falling
36. clowns
37. dolls
38. large crowds of people
39. men
40. women
41. having great responsibilities
42. doctors, including dentists
43. tornadoes
44. hurricanes
45. incurable diseases
46. sharks
47. friday the 13th
48. ghosts
49. poverty
50. halloween
51. school
52. trains
53. odd numbers
54. even numbers
55. being alone
56. becoming blind
57. becoming deaf
58. growing up
59. creepy noises in the night
60. bee stings
61. not accomplishing my dreams/goals
62. needles
63. blood
64. dinosaurs
65. the welcome mat
66. high speed
67. throwing up
68. Falling in love
69. super secrets

If you repost this, it’s been requested that you title it “I’m afraid of _ out of 69 common fears”

If you get more than 30, I strongly recommend some counseling.

If you get more than 20, you’re paranoid.

If you get 10-20, you are normal.

If you get 10 or less, you’re fearless.

People who don’t have any are lying.

So apparently I am fearless.

I have always been aware of that. 
More or less.

"When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes”

This will be yet another post when I am whining about my addiction of buying books and spending way too much money on them, but the truth is I am really happy whenever the slightest excuse comes up to purchase yet another volume.

So this is how the whining goes:

I should be researching for my thesis, reading all things Sylvia Plath, but I am way too lazy to get down to business, and instead, just to get out of my duties, I am reading anything and everything I can put my hands on.  I am one of those geeks/bookworms who, whenever an allusion or literary reference comes up in a novel, googles that certain allusion, then makes either a mental or a written note to read something by that writer that has just been discovered. This morning I was reading Leányregény by Polcz Alaine, in which the main character lends a Kaffka Margit book to another character. It immediately reminded me of the mental note that had been floating around in my brain for a few months, to read something by Kaffka Margit. I knew that Színek és évek was her best novel, and it had been on my To read list for a long  time. Of course I could not get the bug out my ears, I looked up the above mentioned book on bookline, and found out that I could buy it for a few hundred forints. However, if I get something on my mind, I want it immediately, and cannot wait, especially not for days, and especially when it's about a book, so I decided to look for the book on Múzeum körút, as there are several second-hand book stores in that area. In the afternoon I went for a hunt, did find the volume, and although it cost almost three times more than if I had gotten it via bookline, upon being this incredibly inpatient and restless, and eaten up the consumer society, I had to buy it on the spot. (It was still pretty cheap though.)  

But before locating Színek és évek, I had to go into a few other bookstores, and in of them I found Halálos Tavasz by Zilahy Lajos. This is yet another book of the Ulpius Anno series: these novels were written and first published in the 1930's, written by prestigous but maybe not that well-known writers. I guess this Ulpius-Anno series did not become that popular and successful when the books were republished a few years ago by Ulpius, and now they are being sold for 400-500ft in discount book shops. First I thought that these were shitty books, written by contemporary authors (I had not noticed the "anno" word at that time, I guess.) But then I looked them up, and quickly realized that these are good writers who wrote great, real literature, unlike those so-called writers whose rubbish novels are being published by the dozen and advertised on the windows of the metro cars by Ulpius. I think they write pure crap that has got nothing to do with literature and real writing, yet, they are incredibly popular and are on the top of the bestseller charts, simply because the marketing of the publishing house is really good (Meaning: they put a rather incredibly high amount of money into advertising.) So, after finding out how great and entertaining this Anno series were, I decided to buy every volume of the series, or as many as I can still find in the shops. Halálos tavasz is one them, it's almost sold out, or at least I had thought is was already sold out, so I did not have the heart to leave it in the store. 

So this is how I ended up buying two books today, although I really should not have, becuase I already have plenty of volumes to read...

Then upon returning to the doorm, the door-man handed me a package that has arrived for me in the mail today. It was from Los Angeles, another book I was lucky enough to mooch: Savage Beauty by Nancy Milford. It's the biography of the great American poet, Edna St. Vincent Millay, written by the also great and prestigious Milford. 

The situation is the same: soo much to read, in so little time. Especially when I should be concentrating on completely different books.

(The qoute in the title is by Erasmus.)

O Dear Winter, Where Art Thou?

It's been a short, pointless day, not much to write about, really. After about 3 hours of sleeping at night, I went to teach in the morning, than I had some errands to run in the city... Then came home, had lunch, took a nap in the afternoon... and the rest of the day is gone, without a trace and point. The hours are slipping through my fingers. I should gather myself, get started with serious reading, research, and writing.

But before that I definitely need a good night's sleep. A very long one.

Oh, and by the way, where the heck winter's gone? I want my winter back! I want good old cold, snow-frost on the window, and at least 5 inches of fresh, crunchy snow under my feet. I mean, common', it's the middle of friggin' January, 'nuff with the mild weather, I want to wear my hat, and scarf, and those pretty leather gloves I got!

I want to build a snowman! I want snowball fights! I want snow angels! 

I want crunchy snow and crunchy air, and rosy cheecks. I want to wake up to the sound of snow shovel at 5AM! (I love the sound the shovel makes as it hits the ground when people are shovelling the snow away in the morning. This is my favorite sound of the season, beside the crunchy snow under my feet, of course.)

I WANT MY WINTER BACK!

It cannot be over yet. It has just started. I had been waiting for winter all year long! Winter is the best season EVER.

Dear winter, please come back!

(I don't think I have ever used that many exlamation points in a piece of writing. Excessive use of exclamation points is really really bad for you.  Under no circumstance* are you to copy my utterly irresponsible act.)

(Only exception: case of lost winter and desperate cry out for some fresh snow.)

'Cause You Always Need a Plan

So today, after spending more than three weeks at home, I am back in the city, back in the dorm. I had been kind of looking forward to coming back, because  I was pretty much bored at home after a couple of weeks, I had hardly any no social life, and I could not really trick myself into do the research for my thesis. I needed change of place, environment, and atmosphere, seeing different faces, talking to different people, and walking different streets. On the other hand, I was very comfortable at home, in my warm and cosy room, curling up on my bed with a cup of tea and read for hours, then watch a film or two  in the evening while Mom took care of me. But after a while it all gets too comfortable, days get shorter, and you become desperate for some change in the scene. 

So I came back to Budapest, and it's exam period, but this time I don't have any exams, and it's weird, because at this time of the year the dorm is different, kind of weird, there is this peculiar silence lying behind the doors and sweeping around in corridors, making the air thick, it's almost like the silence before the storm. In the past three years, in the past 6 exam periods I have been part of this odd silence, but things change, and this time I am not. My mind is set on different things, I am not thinking about tommorrow, the day after that, or my next exam, but about my future that is pretty much far yet. My mind is occupied with England - for weeks now I have been thinking about returning to England. I am pretty much preoccupied by quater life crisis (what I am going to do once I got my degree in my hands? What will be my next step?), and I must figure out my next move after university, I must set my next goal, otherwise I will feel that my days are aimless, and there's no direction to go to. So after making a Pro-Con list in my mind, I decided to go back to England after graduation. I have to put my English to good use, after all. Naturally, a lot will happen in the next 7 months, I might, well, probably will change my mind, then change it back again. I haven't bought a planeticket or anything like that yet, but right now, this is the plan. 

We'll see how things will go. 

We'll see how life will treat me out there,  in the very grown-up world.

Book 1: Kit szerettem? Mit szerettem? by Polcz Alaine

This is the first book I started and finished in 2011. As I have mentioned before, it's the second book by Polcz that I read. The first one was Asszony a fronton, and I was so impressed by it, that I decided to dig deeper in Polcz's works, and read more of her books. You know what? I am glad I did. As a matter of fact, I am going to dig even deeper, especially since I have already loaned another novel by her, Leányregény.

Kit szerettem? Mit szerettem? wasn't a novel though, but a collection of short stories. I learned  whom and what were the most important people and things in Polcz's life: she writes about puliszka, relationships, friendships, her marriage, her travels, places that meant her the most, etc. The thing that makes this book special is that she writes about her private life in a very cosy and intimate way: not just giving away those facts and details, and making them public, but weaving  and turning them into beautiful stories. 
To me, the most fascinating thing was how she wrote about  Weöres Sándor - she called him Sanyika all  her life and all the way through in the book, I found that pretty funny -, Károlyi Amy (she was Weöres' wife, and Nemes Nagy Ágnes. These people are "The Great Hungarian Poets" to me, they are almost like the gods of Hungarian literature, whom I know from the pages of textbooks and the shelves of the library. But from Polcz's book I learned about an other side of them: they weren't only contemporaries but really good friends, too. It was so interesting to read about how they hung out together (that's probably not the phrase I should use in such a context), how Weöres had drinking problems, what his marriage was like with Károlyi Amy (who by the way is the Hungarian Emily Dickinson, another poet-genius), how Weöres had been in a platonic love with Polcz all his life, and how he kissed her at a party when he was rather drunk. I don't think you get to read about such things anywhere else, these stories are most certainly not told anywhere else in such flawless style, from such an inner perspective, without wanting to produce any sensation. These are simply the people whom mattered the most to Polcz Alaine, and it was natural to tell these details that textbooks will not inform you about when she wrote about her relationships and loves of her life. Although Kit szerettem? Mit szerettem? wasn't as capturing and such a page-turner as Asszony a fronton was, I am really glad I read it, because  those tiny, everyday details, the private lives of great minds, those not-taught-by-textbooks things I am most interested in.

And one other thing: I have never been to Transylvania/Erdély, but Polcz wrote so much about it and with such great love, it awoke a desire in me to go visit and roam around in the area. Until I get to travel, I figured, Iam going to read novels that take place in Transylvania, I will probably re-read the Ábel series by Tamási Áron. Do you have any other suggestions? What abut Wass Albert books? I am yet to read any of them.

Never Let Me Go

I just finished watching Never Let Me Go.

I am not quite sure what to write about it, I do not even know yet whether I really liked it or not. 

Anyway, this is a movie based on Kazuo Ishiguro's novel of the same title, the story of a tragical love triangle of scientific specimen, set in dystopian England. The leading roles are played by Carey Mulligan - who I think is a genius and whom I truly admire ever since I saw her in An Education, Keira Knightley - whom I do not think much of, and this movie did not change my opinion of her, and Andrew Garfield - whom I knew from and enjoyed pretty much in  The Social Network. Never Let Me Go was included in several "Best Movies of 2010" lists (here is Time's), I most certainly cannot argue with that, for this picture has every right to be on those lists. What it also deserves is a few Academy Award nominations in the categories of best picture, Carey Mulligan as best actress in a leading role, and best original score. Best writing - adapted screenplay? I cannot say much about that, since I haven't read the book yet, however, should I bump into it somewhere, I would probably read it. 

What I am most certain about is that Carey Mulligan is brilliant and incredibly talented, and once again she plays her role extremely cleverly, there is no over dramatisation, no over-playing, no giving too much away, showing just the tip of the iceberg. (Is it too much if I say that she reminds me of a young Judi Dench? Not just the way she looks, but her way of playing as well.)

I am pretty sure I will watch Never Let Me Go again, paying more attention to the details, for, as we all know, the devil lies in them. Hopefully, Hungarian film distributors will be clever enough to release it to the big screen, and next time I get to watch it in the cinema.

Until then I will keep listening to its brilliant score.

Puliszka

Do you know what puliszka (mush) is?
Have you ever tasted it?
Do you know how to make it?
Have you ever tried?

I am reading Kit szerettem? Mit szerettem? (Whom Did I Love? What Did I Love?) by Polcz Alaine which is collection of short stories from her life. The very first story is titled Puliszkácska, and as you can assume, the entire story is dedicated  to and is about Polcz's love of puliszka. She writes about this traditional meal of the poor, how they used to make it, how they used to serve it, what they ate with it in Transylvania (Erdély) where Polcz is from. I quickly learned that puliszka is her favorite meal,  as she goes on and on about how delicious it is and how many variations there are to eat it and serve it. No wonder it awoke my interest and tasting buds! 

I had heard about puliszka before, I knew that my Grandma mentioned it when we had talked about how things were back in the old days, decades ago. So  this morning when I visited my Grandma who by the way lives in a tiny village nearby Miskolc, I asked her if she knew what puliszka was and whether she would make some for me. She was more than happy and willing to do so, and in no time she got the cornstarch out from the cupboard, boiled some water, put some of the cornstarch in it,  seasoned it with some salt and butter, then put it on the table. Voila, there it was the awaited and famous puliszka right in front of me. I quickly got a spoonful and tasted it... and it was kind of what I expected and kind of what I did not. It did taste like corn, it was mushy, and somewhat reminded me of grits (tejbegríz; or is it called Hasty Pudding in English?) but I was missing the milk or some more seasoning. I am probably too much of the child of the 21st century, and cannot appreciate the good old and traditional meals of  my country. I am not saying that puliszka is bad or that it does not taste  good, but I guess I will stick with tejbegríz, the flavour that I am most familiar with and the meal that brings back my childhood the most, especially when it is sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

Baking Time: New York Cheesecake

Do you want to know where I came across cheesecake for the very first time? In the classic tv show, Friends: there was a complete episode dedicated to this heavenly dessert. Ever since I saw it, I always wanted to try out and make a cheesecake. (If you missed that episode, here is your chance to catch up. It will most definitely get you into cheesecake mood!)

Yesterday I felt like baking, and decided to make New York cheesecake again - this was my second time baking this particular cake. You may have noticed by now that I am utterly interested in Anglo-Saxon  gastronomy, especially American desserts. Cheesecake is one of them, one of the most famous ones, as a matter of fact,  I had been wanting the make such a cake for a long time, so no wonder I was pretty happy when I bumped into a really good recipe on Allrecipes.com. So here is how you make a real and incredibly delicious New York Cheesecake: (The entire recipe is copied from AllRecipes. You can find useful comments and suggestions here.)

Ingredients:

• 15 graham crackers, crushed
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese1 
• 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch springform pan. 

2. In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter.  

3. Press batter onto bottom of springform pan. 

4. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust. 

5. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking. Chill in refrigerator until serving. 

Notes:

• Since in Hungary you cannot buy such a thing as "graham crackers", I used plain ground crackers (darált háztartási keksz), it's a perfect substitution. I do not know the exact amount I used, but it's probably around one cup (25dkg?). You  need to use more than two tablespoons of melter butter to mix with the ground crackers. This batter pressed onto the buttom of the pan should not be thicker than half a cm (1/5 inch).
• The best cream cheese is probably Philadelphia, but tesco's own brand and Hajdúsági  Tejszínes Friss Sajt work just as well, and they are much cheaper. 
• 4 packages of creamcheese is about 90 dkg. 
• Once you turned the oven off, the cake does not need to be in the oven for 5 hours (you cannot hold out and wait that much anyway!). The main reason to wait this much is to prevent the crust from cracking, but my crust was pretty soft, not hard at all. A couple of hours of cooling is more than enough.
• It gets even more delicious by the following or the second day, so if you can, save a few slices for later.
• If you use this portion , you will end up with a really big cake (16 big slices). If you make half a portion, you should use a smaller pan, but you will still end up with a proper 8-slice cake.

Enjoy!

The Library-Building Project

Surprize, surprize, I am still not done with recap, especially when it comes to books. Here's it the list of volumes I enriched my ever-growing library with in 2010: either bought or mooched them. The length of the list clearly shows my book-addiction as well as how seriously I have started building a library of my own, because:

“I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.” Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

So this is how the list goes:

1. Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris
2. The Puffin Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
3. White Oleander by Janet Fitch
4. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
5. The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette by Carolly Erickson
6. Little Children by Tome Perotta
7. Holy Fools by Joanne Harris
8. My Laterst Grievance by Elinor Lipman
9. Swimming Sweet Arrow by Maureen Gibbon
10. My Life in France by Julia Child
11. Front Row by Jerry Oppenheimer
12. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
13. The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud
14. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
15. Stern Men by Elizabeth Gilbert
16. Bögre Azur by Varró Dániel
17. Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger
18. A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
19. Forrest Gump by Winston Groom
20. A Good Life by Jay McInerney
21. Three Willows by Anne Brashares
22. Szerelmeim Könyve by Salinger Richárd
23. The Boys Are Back in Town by Simon Carr
24. Nesze Neked Terézanyu! by Rácz Zsuzsa
25. Franciadrazsé by Vass Virág
26. The Graduate by Charles Webb
27. Aranyecset by Dallos Sándor
28. A nap szerelmese by Dallos Sándor
29. Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin
30. The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster
31. Empire Falls by Richard Russo
32. Lipstick Jungle by Candance Bushnell
33. One Fith Avenue by Candance Bushnell
34. Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott
35. Little Men & Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott
36. In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
37. Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
38. Ecstasy by Irvine Welsh
39. The Art of Sylvia Plath by Charles Newmann (ed.)
40. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
41. Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith
42. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
43. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk
44. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
45. Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery
46. Dead Poets Society by N. H. Kleinbaum
47. Blueeyed Boy by Joanne Harris
48. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo
49. Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
50. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
51. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
52. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
53. Napló 1933-34 by Kosztolányi Dezső
54. Kosztolányi Dezső Válogotatt Versei
55. Jöttem, láttam... vesztettem? by Székely Éva
56. Blaha Lujza naplója by Blaha Lujza
57. Sok húhó Emmiért by Aszlányi Károly
58. A férfi mind őrült by Török Rezső
59. Kaland a vörös hajú lánnyal by Vaszary János

Apparently, I bought far more books then I read last year. I guess I won't run out of reading material any time soon.