28/06/2014

A break in blogging I guess? / Przerwa w blogowaniu chyba?

My father (on the left) playing chess

Nope. I haven't got lazy. I stopped writing on regular basis, because I directed all my energy is in other projects on which I am currently working, and which give me a lots of joy and excitement. Please allow me to be mysterious about it for a while. I don't like revealing things before they're unfinished. Not, because I am paranoid, that they will not work out. Rather because I value my that I walk my talk.  

Not the words one says value him, but his actions.
(we all know this!)

Despite that, let's be honest, I don't recently rock'n'roll with my writing. I bore myself when I read what I created, so why would I like to bore you?

Of course that should change at some point. In the meantime I am taking a break in blogging. A break which I entitle myself to interrupt at anytime I fell like posting something. Even if that's going to be tomorrow.

Have a great weekend! (play chess :P)



WERSJA POLSKA / POLISH VERSION



Nie. Ja wcale się nie lenię. Przestałam pisać regularnie, ponieważ moja energia jest całkowicie ukierukowana teraz na pewien projekt, nad którym aktualnie pracuje i który sprawia mi dużo radości. Pozwólcie mi więc pozostać tajemniczą na jeszcze jakiś czas. Nie lubię ujawniać rzeczy, których jeszcze nie skończyłam. Nie dlatego, iż popadnę w paranoję, że coś mi nie wyjdzie. Raczej dlatego, że lubię robić to o czym mówię. Czyli od słów do czynów.


Nie to co człowiek mówi ale co robi czyni go wartościowym
(wszyscy to wiemy!)


Poza tym bądźmy szczerzy. Ostatnio jakoś nie szturmuję tym co piszę. Nudzę sama siebie, kiedy czytam, co tworzę, dlaczego miałabym nudzić was?

Oczywiście to w pewnym momencie się zmieni. W międzyczasie robię sobie przerwę w blogowaniu. Przerwę, która uprawnia mnie do jej "przerwania" kiedykolwiek będę miała ochotę na zamieszczenie posta. Nawet jeśli będzie to jutro.

Miłego weekendu! (zagrajcie sobie w szachy :P)

23/06/2014

How to find a perfect flatmate?



Brighton is one of these cities where most people have to share their accommodation in order to afford to live. Of course I am sharing too so I am pleased to say that for a long time now I have been sharing with very nice and considerate people and, touch wood, things are going well.

Those of you who also share accommodation will empathise that this isn't always easy to achieve, as living under one roof with complete strangers can be very stressful and challenging. Ha! Living with a friend could be even worse. After all, we are different people, raised differently and most of the time we come from different cultures. Good luck to anyone trying to make it work naturally!

I bring this topic up for a reason. One of our flatmates is leaving, and we were just hunting for a new flatmate. As we didn't have any recommendations we put an advert on Gumtree and we received approximately ten emails straight away, then another ten a day for the next four days. How should we find the "right person"??

Firstly we knew we wanted a female, and that made it easier to filter who we wanted to see. Then all we could do was trust our gut instincts when reading messages and invite the people who somehow (rightly or not) caught our attention.
Of course there are no tips on how to trust your gut feelings, everybody has to develop the ability to do that themselves.
And "right people" do not exist. Just right situations and moments. Therefore we were not asking for things in common and we were not expecting an intergalactic connection with our new room buddy.

We were looking for a person to share the flat with, not a friend, and if a friendship will come out of it - awesome.
We don't care what kind of music our potential flatmate listens to and where they socialise. I think the only thing that really matters is that they should share our values. If you share values you will always find a way to overcome issues and learn from one other. Maybe a new style of music, maybe a new way of being...

For us our values were: work, honesty, consideration for each other and a need for having a place called home, rather than just some accommodation. We think that we found a "right person". But time will really show if we're right.



17/06/2014

The 4 hour workweek... - a must read if you dream about resiging from your job live how you want it

http://fourhourworkweek.com/

My last post was quite practical, but rather plane. I have a few topics on my mind which I'd like to write about, but my view on how to present them to you isn't there yet. In other words they're not ready, so we have to steady on. In the meantime, I will come back to the book of which cover you may have seen on the photo above my last post. To be precise, it was an Audio Book cover but to make it even more vague at the same time the title was in Polish, so you may still wonder what the hell I am talking about.

"The 4 hour work week, escape 9 - 5, live anywhere and join the new rich" is a book of which I have not heard at all until a couple of months ago when I visited a chain polish bookstore and after finding out, that the book I wanted to buy wasn't available this one has literally threw itself into my face from the bookshelf (if that makes sense:)

I was moaning a bit about the price of it but eventually seeing, that it also includes the audio version I decided to give it a go. The book sounded like me. And I like me :)

In fact just simply listening to the audio I "read the book" in just over a week. In between cooking and doing my make up I finshed it feeeling energised and inspired. 

To make the long story short. The author of "The 4 hour workweek..." gives you several tips and hints on time management, work efficiency, planning your own business which can bring you a regular income and how to travel smartly and economically. Often, when you are actually supposed to work!

Timothy Ferris - the author is an incredibly intelligent (and hot by judging from the cover!) guy who is making the best out of his life every day and everywhere.

After finishing lecture of this book you may want to resign from your job or if not, you will definitely feel as you made a step towards freedom in your life whatever it means to you. I promise. I am feeling free already. The details will be revealed when the time comes ;)

 


15/06/2014

Audio Books - when you have no time, but you don't want to give up on reading


It's been a while since I recommended a book here but this doesn't mean that I am not reading at all. Despite my busy lifestyle I have actually managed to read four rather large positions in the last 1,5 months. I am not saying this to brag as there may not be much to brag of comparing to advanced readers. I mention this, because I want to share my secret of how I managed to read quite a lot in between working full time, exercising, cooking, writing and socialising.

My answer to how to find the time to read is "reading" audio books. They work perfect when you have no time to seat down and read. And as many of you may agree, reading a book it's not just about the time. Sometimes it's very difficult to concentrate on what we are reading. With an audio book this isn't an issue because they are easy to "absorb" and you can always listen to the chosen parts again or repeat the whole chapters.

You can listen to them when you drive to work and you can record them on your Ipod so that you can indulge yourself in their lecture when you go for a run, a walk or weekly shopping.
I listen to the audio books when getting ready for work in the mornings, cooking in the evenings or cleaning my room and this makes the best out of little time I have left outside of my working activities.

Above on the photo the last two audio books I "master" over and over - "4 hour workweek, escape 9 to 5" by Timothy Ferris and "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. I will try to expand on the first one in a separate post soon. However both of them are a must if you know that there is much more into life than working 9-5 for someone else in a place where the last thing you can expect is your professional and personal growth. If you feel that way, go and get "4 hour workweek" as soon as the sun rises :)

12/06/2014

Practical dreamers don't quit


When you think about making your dreams come true you may already know that some of them require hard work and often take years to process. Assuming you are on this earth for a reasonable amount of time already you may have even managed to make some of your dreams come true, maybe for some of them you didn't have to work at all. 

But where am I going with this?

One thing I have realized very recently is that in order for us to achieve some of our dreams you don't only have to work but you have to practice to desire them. Do I make sense?

You have to practice to want something. Watch your dream happening in your mind, look out for it in the real world, in other people's lives, play over and over the thoughts of your desires and most importantly put yourself in the situations when you can try doing things you dream of. And then keep going.

Practical dreamers don't quit. 

You don't know what you're capable of until you try it.

09/06/2014

How to stick to your daily life commitments?


I guess at any point in our lives there are things, we want to commit to do. Implement new habits into our daily routine, adapt new ideas or start a new activity. We say to ourselves we will do it, we may even write them down in an imperative tone and promise to stick to them, but when the reality faces us we just have at least a few valid (and very logical) reasons for not doing so. Sounds familiar?

It does to me. And my experience with those sort of situations goes as follows:


*It's evening of a weekday and I am sitting on my bed with the laptop. I opened Blogger to write a post, which I was creating in my mind during the day or perhaps even over the last few days or weeks. So I open the blogging application, start writing a few words and bum... getting distracted by breaking news of someone posting their new exciting photos on Facebook... or even more vainly, I see that somone just liked one of my photos. Incredible. I spend 20 to 30 minutes digesting this delight and scrolling up and down on the Facebook screen. By the time I really should finish my text I am tired. I tell myself off and I write. Angry because it's late, but technically I have the whole night to be creative and maybe caching up on sleep later.

*It's Monday morning and I committed to regular morning workout to top up my gym classes. I wake up at 6:15 and see my cat sleeping. It's such a sweet view that I try to get over it for the next 5 minutes and I eventually - in emotional pain get up. By the time I wash my face and open my laptop to find the workout I am OK. When I finish I am sorted and grateful to myself that I had the balls to wake up so early in my world.



What is different in both situations? It is that the willingness to take action is there, and both things are beneficial to my development. They are actually things I seem to like doing. Definitely the time limit can be a very strong motivator. I know I have only an hour in the morning and once I have chosen to wake up earlier than usual I better do something good with it. However, the exercise is already designed, I don't have to be creative to do it. It's a routine whereas writing is the opposite. You can't just be inspired 24/7. You need sometimes to take longer to let the words flow. Sometimes, like in any intellectual work you have to even force them.

Whatever our commitment is - an exercise, a study, a new activity the hardest part is to start. So try to choose your commitment carefully cause it's for you, it's about you and it's you who will be doing it. Start it and literally get yourself to love it. I am not saying enjoy it, I am suggesting you to love it. Once you get yourself to that space it will be easier to stick to it and carry on. And if you manage to stick to it, your next commitment will be easier to achieve. And it will make you feel good about yourself which will contribute to your confidence. And that's the main ingredient you need to create those more challenging commitments on your everyday life journey.

06/06/2014

Summer changes on the Menu for Margarita Felis / Letnie zmiany w menu na blogu Margarita Felis


Surely you must have noticed that recently I've been posting less, and only in English when I do. I am not going to kid you that this is due to me being busy, because it's simply not true. Maybe I am a bit busier than normal because I am investing more of my time into my fitness - exercising more regularly and eating more healthily than usual - but not to such an extent that I couldn't have the time for writing at all.

The main reason for my rather less frequent presence here, asides from the fact I managed to break my new camera, is even more simple. My blog isn't developing, and I am getting stuck. I am therefore preparing some changes and thinking of some new ways forward. I will begun from a new web site, which is currently under construction and to which hopefully soon I will have the pleasure to re-direct you. Certainly the layout isn't everything, but I believe it will help to drag me out of this unfavorable state.
What is going to be happening with my writing then? We shall see. I can't promise that I will be writing more, nor that I will be writing less. Currently I am also working on my other craft, details of which I don't want to reveal yet, but undoubtedly the time I've been devoting to blogging until now will have to be invested in this venture. With regards to the Polish version of my texts I can commit to translate only those that are most important, or most valuable to the Polish reader for whatever reason.

Okay. I am not going to bore you for a minute longer. I have a productive weekend ahead and I wish the same for you!



WERSJA POLSKA / POLISH VERSION




Z pewnością zauważyliście, że tekstów na blogu pojawia się ostatnio coraz mniej, w dodatku często tylko w wersji angielskiej. Nie będę blefować, że to dlatego że jestem zajęta, bo to nie prawda. Może jestem zajęta trochę bardziej niż zwykle, poniważ zainwestowałam więcej czasu w moja formę, czyli zdrowe odżywianie i częściejsze ćwiczenia, ale nie na tyle, by nie mieć w ogóle czasu na pisanie bloga.

Główny powód mojej znikomej obecności na blogu (po za faktem, że popsułam nową lustrzankę co niestety przyczynia się też do mniejszej ilości postów) jest jeszcze bardziej prosty. Blog się nie rozwija, a ja mam zastój. W związku z tym szykuję zmiany, obmyślam nowe strategie. Zacznę od nowej strony, nad którą praca już w toku, i na którą mam nadzieję już niedługo będę miała przyjemność was przekierować. Oczywiście wygląd to nie wszystko, ale wierzę, że jego zmiana przynajmniej pomoże mi w wyjściu z tego niekorzystengo stanu.

Ale jak więc będzie z tym pisaniem? Zobaczymy. Nie obiecuję że będę pisać ani mniej ani więcej. Obecnie pracuję nad innym rękodziełem, którego szczegółów jeszcze ujawniać nie chcę, niewątpliwie czas dotychczas poświęcany na bloga zostanie zainwestowany właśnie w to przedsięwzięcie. Natomiast teksty po polsku będę tłumaczyć doraźnie. Postawię na tłumaczenie albo tych najważniejszych, albo tych które z jakichś powodów miałyby większe znaczenie dla polskiego czytelnika.

No już dłużej nie nudzę. Mam produktywny przed sobą weekend i wam również takiego życzę :)




03/06/2014

What do you mean by Eastern Europe?


As you start reading this post, I'd like to ask you to look at the map of Europe. Just google it. So what makes up the territory of Europe and where in the east is it supposed to end?
I am going to be good and whisper the answers. The eastern border of Europe ends by the Ural Mountains which run approximately from north to south through western Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Ural River and northwestern Kazakhstan.

Now, when you're talking about Eastern Europe, what exactly do you mean? Because I mean Russia, parts of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia...
Look at the map again. So where are the Baltic States, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Moldovia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria?

The answer is - they're in Central Europe.

What is this geographical drama for? Because I have had enough of the term "Eastern Europe" when talking about the countries mentioned above. "Eastern European countries", "Women from Eastern Europe", "Eastern European food". Wrong.

Well, there is nothing wrong with being from an Eastern European country, but this is actually geographically correct. "Eastern Europe" is a rather political term dictated by the history of communism in this part of the continent, but these times went away 25 years ago. This isn't relevant anymore and the term Eastern Europe shouldn't be in use, as it's simply incorrect. Furthermore it does not take into considerations the countries which are really in Eastern Europe and deserve at least to be known for where they are.

Have you ever heard that Greece is an Eastern European country for example? Because if we are of the view that Eastern Europe goes from Baltic States towards Bulgaria, speaking correctly Greece would come under Eastern Europe wouldn't it? Not to mention Finland up on the East bordering with Russia.

The Iron Curtain was raised years ago, the only one left is the one in our mind.