My inner child loves zoos. Whenever I travel, whether it's to cold England or to frying Portugal, I tend to end up in the local zoo. Not surprising then, when a trip to Porto came along, Zoo da Maia was on my itinerary.
It's not so easy to get to, if you believe the local tourist office. For some mysterious reason, the travel people completely fail to market this pleasant and interesting zoo, focusing instead on innumerable Douro cruises and wine cellars.
I may understand a retired German tourist feeling otherwise, but from my point of view - why on Earth would I want to visit a wine cellar? BO-RING! Now a zoo, that's entirely different matter...
Lady behind the desk in Porto's main tourist office gave me a strange look when I asked about the zoo. She went on to explain how it's impossible to get there without a car and how it's nothing special anyway. Rubbish, all the way! A short metro ride gets you almost to the gates of the zoo, and as to the entertainment potential - I loved it. I described it in detail here, but if you don't feel like reading a proper review, let me just tell you that the place was full of shade-giving trees, the animals were presented in a very approachable way, seal show was delightful and the whole thing was reasonably priced.
It remains unknown why the tourist office clerks want to strip your stay in Porto from all the fun (although I do have my suspicions).
Wednesday 20 July 2011
Tuesday 19 July 2011
Armageddon that didn't happen
Armageddon and all sorts of Apocalypses are some of my favourite subjects. I love catastrophic movies, and I have this particular trait - I dream in disasters. Earthquakes, volcanoes, wars, plane crashes, pandemies, tsunamis, you name it - my dreams have it all. Once I was rather scared by all this mayhem and woke shuddering every second night or so, now I got used to my dreaming patterns and treat it more like my very own movie theatre.
I follow a few volcanic/catastrophic blogs and watched BBC non stop for a day or two right after the Japanese earthquake happened. Disasters are awe-inspiring in their power. I even wrote an article listing the likely and the unlikely ways in which the end of our times may arrive.
But I draw a line at Harold Campings of this world. Long before Camping's promised Rapture Day, I was wondering - where will the poor guy hide on May 22nd? Or will he be cheeky enough to emerge in public and say something like - oops, miscalculation (guess what - he did just that!).
Anyway, May 21st came and went, and I vented my feelings here, right after the ominous date.
I follow a few volcanic/catastrophic blogs and watched BBC non stop for a day or two right after the Japanese earthquake happened. Disasters are awe-inspiring in their power. I even wrote an article listing the likely and the unlikely ways in which the end of our times may arrive.
But I draw a line at Harold Campings of this world. Long before Camping's promised Rapture Day, I was wondering - where will the poor guy hide on May 22nd? Or will he be cheeky enough to emerge in public and say something like - oops, miscalculation (guess what - he did just that!).
Anyway, May 21st came and went, and I vented my feelings here, right after the ominous date.
Monday 18 July 2011
How to make great coffee
Coffee and me go back a long time and our relationship has been pretty stormy. There was a time, good few years ago, when coffee was not enough - I implemented the daily intake of caffeine with 3-4 energy drinks which (you can probably guess) only left me poorer and craving for more. There was a long period of rather bland, boring, but oh-so-quick instant coffee - two spoonfuls of coffee powder, two of sugar, fill half with water and half with milk, drink by the bucket.
Then there was another time when I divorced my coffee completely - I was on 3-4 cups of coffee during an office day and it made me feel invariably awful. For a short while I've become an anti-caffeine zealot, not only abstaining from drinking any, but also preaching near and far on eternal damnation unless you quit NOW. I do tend to be weird.
Then two things happened and suddenly coffee stopped being a menace. My days in the office were over, and so was constant stress that goes arm in arm with corporate employment. And I discovered the French press.
Instant coffee is a thing that happens to me very rarely these days and I don't miss it one bit. Now, the glorious, pitch-black liquid that pours out of my French press each morning.... Mmmmm... I don't get out of bed without it (not for longer that it takes to make it, that is). It's not even the caffeine (although I did read that the content is disctinctly higher than that of the instant mud) - it's a feast for the senses. Taste, smell, bitterish smoothness warming my mouth - it was an instant addiction. Trust me, there is no better coffee than French pressed coffee*. Try it out.
*Ok, pressure brewing may rival French press. But it's a question of spending 10 bucks versus 1000 bucks...
Then there was another time when I divorced my coffee completely - I was on 3-4 cups of coffee during an office day and it made me feel invariably awful. For a short while I've become an anti-caffeine zealot, not only abstaining from drinking any, but also preaching near and far on eternal damnation unless you quit NOW. I do tend to be weird.
Then two things happened and suddenly coffee stopped being a menace. My days in the office were over, and so was constant stress that goes arm in arm with corporate employment. And I discovered the French press.
Instant coffee is a thing that happens to me very rarely these days and I don't miss it one bit. Now, the glorious, pitch-black liquid that pours out of my French press each morning.... Mmmmm... I don't get out of bed without it (not for longer that it takes to make it, that is). It's not even the caffeine (although I did read that the content is disctinctly higher than that of the instant mud) - it's a feast for the senses. Taste, smell, bitterish smoothness warming my mouth - it was an instant addiction. Trust me, there is no better coffee than French pressed coffee*. Try it out.
*Ok, pressure brewing may rival French press. But it's a question of spending 10 bucks versus 1000 bucks...
Friday 15 July 2011
How to turn your garbage into a garden
My garden grows mostly in plastic cola bottles, cut in half. There is also a few plastic fruit punnets, a milk carton or two (three? four even?), some profitrole boxes and, until recently, my strawberry seedlings were developing vigorously in a rectangular plastic thing that once held carrot cake. With cream cheese frosting.
See, so far I'm only flirting with gardening love. I'm quite not sure if we'll stay together for life or is it just a one-year stand. Totally conscious of this fact, I thought it foolish to splash out on tens (if not hundreds) of pots and pans from gardening centre. Being permanently broke might have added something to the equation, yes.
When you think of requirements for a growing container, what do you need? It needs to be reasonably waterproof. With a bottom easy to pierce through (whatever you may think, drainage IS important - I've learnt it the hard way). It needs to be fairly big - my experiments of growing radishes in empty egg boxes did not bring satisfactory results. There's a few more requirements but after I've considered them all, the solution presented itself like a good old revelation - GARBAGE BAG! Plenty of good growing pots there.
Primo - plants grow like crazy (see a picture if you don't believe). Secundo - I'm being green, prolonging life of all sorts of rubbish bits for those few months and not adding to the already overflowing landfills. Tertio - I haven't spent a penny. Nothing, nada, it all came my way totally free.
I call it a good deal. How about you?
See, so far I'm only flirting with gardening love. I'm quite not sure if we'll stay together for life or is it just a one-year stand. Totally conscious of this fact, I thought it foolish to splash out on tens (if not hundreds) of pots and pans from gardening centre. Being permanently broke might have added something to the equation, yes.
When you think of requirements for a growing container, what do you need? It needs to be reasonably waterproof. With a bottom easy to pierce through (whatever you may think, drainage IS important - I've learnt it the hard way). It needs to be fairly big - my experiments of growing radishes in empty egg boxes did not bring satisfactory results. There's a few more requirements but after I've considered them all, the solution presented itself like a good old revelation - GARBAGE BAG! Plenty of good growing pots there.
Primo - plants grow like crazy (see a picture if you don't believe). Secundo - I'm being green, prolonging life of all sorts of rubbish bits for those few months and not adding to the already overflowing landfills. Tertio - I haven't spent a penny. Nothing, nada, it all came my way totally free.
I call it a good deal. How about you?
Monday 11 July 2011
Chocolat
Do you remember the movie Chocolat, starring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche? I believe that it made quite a stir when it came out back in the year 2000. Definitely from the 'light and pleasant' shelf, yet with this particular kind of magic that makes watching it an unforgettable experience...
Hah, did you notice what a smooth liar I'm becoming? I actually didn't like the movie that much. It was ok, I guess, with Johnny Depp looking stunning as always but not quite reaching the top of his acting abilities, and Juliette being as far as possible from the way I imagined the book's heroine.
Because oh yes, there was a book. While the movie didn't massacre it entirely, it didn't do it justice (as it so often happens). The original Chocolat story, written by Joanne Harris (with her other books being quite worth checking out as well), can boast of having one of the most elegant and wise happy end I've ever seen which is to the movie's ending as Sahara is to Arctic. Don't let the film industry rob you of this treat! Go and grab the book! Now!
Can I use this opportunity to remind you that there are things called libraries in the world and you don't necessary need to buy it? You may want to, eventually (I ended up with having a copy even after I've read it), because it's a rare kind of books that can be read more than once. On the other hand, you may not, and my smart advice (modesty first, always!) can save you space, money and trouble.
If you want to find out more about the book, go and check my review on Squidoo - it's fairly decent.
Oh, and the sequel is not half as good. Sorry, Ms Harris, but you skipped the unconventional (= not sugared up the American style) happy ending bit, and I can't forgive that.
Hah, did you notice what a smooth liar I'm becoming? I actually didn't like the movie that much. It was ok, I guess, with Johnny Depp looking stunning as always but not quite reaching the top of his acting abilities, and Juliette being as far as possible from the way I imagined the book's heroine.
Because oh yes, there was a book. While the movie didn't massacre it entirely, it didn't do it justice (as it so often happens). The original Chocolat story, written by Joanne Harris (with her other books being quite worth checking out as well), can boast of having one of the most elegant and wise happy end I've ever seen which is to the movie's ending as Sahara is to Arctic. Don't let the film industry rob you of this treat! Go and grab the book! Now!
Can I use this opportunity to remind you that there are things called libraries in the world and you don't necessary need to buy it? You may want to, eventually (I ended up with having a copy even after I've read it), because it's a rare kind of books that can be read more than once. On the other hand, you may not, and my smart advice (modesty first, always!) can save you space, money and trouble.
If you want to find out more about the book, go and check my review on Squidoo - it's fairly decent.
Oh, and the sequel is not half as good. Sorry, Ms Harris, but you skipped the unconventional (= not sugared up the American style) happy ending bit, and I can't forgive that.
Friday 8 July 2011
Tornado month
Oh man, ain't it hard to write an article when you have only a few figures to play with!
You've all heard about the gigantic tornado outbreak in April 2011, right? I've published an article about it even before the month was truly over (and had to update my figures a few times...). I have discovered two things in the process:
- it is hard to find reliable figures. In the end I used NOAA Prediction Centre data, but they are likely to change (even now!!), as scientists go through each single tornado sighting to re-confirm them.
- when you have only numbers, it's a real challenge to write an article that holds your attention. I don't approve of sensation-hunting tone of some publications these days. I notice it again and again - cameramen hunt for images of people screaming and being hurt, then in public say - 'Oh my God, I pray that they are safe' or 'I'm so sorry for their loss' and think that everything is ok. I call it feeding on someone else's suffering, you can call it whatever you want.
So no, my article does not include too much hype. It's rather dry, because it deals with mathematics and not with the human tragedy.
Consider yourself warned.
You've all heard about the gigantic tornado outbreak in April 2011, right? I've published an article about it even before the month was truly over (and had to update my figures a few times...). I have discovered two things in the process:
- it is hard to find reliable figures. In the end I used NOAA Prediction Centre data, but they are likely to change (even now!!), as scientists go through each single tornado sighting to re-confirm them.
- when you have only numbers, it's a real challenge to write an article that holds your attention. I don't approve of sensation-hunting tone of some publications these days. I notice it again and again - cameramen hunt for images of people screaming and being hurt, then in public say - 'Oh my God, I pray that they are safe' or 'I'm so sorry for their loss' and think that everything is ok. I call it feeding on someone else's suffering, you can call it whatever you want.
So no, my article does not include too much hype. It's rather dry, because it deals with mathematics and not with the human tragedy.
Consider yourself warned.
Thursday 7 July 2011
The ultimate cream soup recipe
Oooh, it's nasty and depressing Thursday in Ireland. I was wakened today at something like 7 am by the sound of a thunder (thunderstorms occuring maybe 2-3 times in a year) and it hasn't improved since. Rain, hail and howling wind, five minutes of silence and rain droplets start banging on my roof all over again. Clouds are heavy and make it hard to think straight, and I have an article review to write when feeling completely uninspired. At least subject of the review is quite relevant.
Today's article is all about cream soups (or blended soups, if you prefer). You can make them out of almost anything in no time at all and you are rewarded with thick, warming broth and tummy screaming with joy. It doesn't take Einstein to spot that I'm a big fan of cream soups.
Funny thing, for a long time I thought that they are magically difficult to make. For some reason my brain registered cream soups as posh food and posh food must be difficult, right? How else would you get charged such a shovelful of cash when eating out in nicer places?
Guess what, I was wrong.
Cream soups are quick, easy and unexpensive and you can make endless flavour variations if you only know the basic recipe. I think I didn't eat much else for entire week right after I discovered it.
I may even take my own advice today and cook up some nice cream soup for myself. Split pea sounds good. Big mug full of steaming blended soup, warm soft blanket and I may yet survive the storms.
Today's article is all about cream soups (or blended soups, if you prefer). You can make them out of almost anything in no time at all and you are rewarded with thick, warming broth and tummy screaming with joy. It doesn't take Einstein to spot that I'm a big fan of cream soups.
Funny thing, for a long time I thought that they are magically difficult to make. For some reason my brain registered cream soups as posh food and posh food must be difficult, right? How else would you get charged such a shovelful of cash when eating out in nicer places?
Guess what, I was wrong.
Cream soups are quick, easy and unexpensive and you can make endless flavour variations if you only know the basic recipe. I think I didn't eat much else for entire week right after I discovered it.
I may even take my own advice today and cook up some nice cream soup for myself. Split pea sounds good. Big mug full of steaming blended soup, warm soft blanket and I may yet survive the storms.
Wednesday 6 July 2011
An Ode to Polish Sausage
Sometimes writing about humble food is difficult when you want to scream and change the world but oh well. I'll scream some other time, ok?
I am Polish by birth and have been eating Polish sausage my whole life. I was never particularly impressed - how can you be impressed by something so obvious? Always on hand? Then a few years ago I moved to Ireland. Since then Polish shops cropped up everywhere and getting Polish meat on the Green Island is no challenge anymore, but at the beginning I simply couldn't find it anywhere. I visited my family about two years after the big move and guess what - I nearly cried when I opened the fridge. Forget sweets and all other delicacies, sausage was what I craved most.
Inspiration for this article visited me when I was eating my fried sausage dinner one day - it was so damn good and suddenly I thought - why not write about it? I took it really seriously and during my next shopping trip bought all the props needed for a decent photo shoot - thin, dried sausage, medium versatile sausage, large sandwich sausage... That was a good week, believe me.
Polish sausage is a piece of art, full stop. I am yet to try something better in this department. If you have a chance to buy some - go for it, you will not regret it. If you need a little guide to learn how to make your choice in the sausage world - go read my article.
And bon appetit!
I am Polish by birth and have been eating Polish sausage my whole life. I was never particularly impressed - how can you be impressed by something so obvious? Always on hand? Then a few years ago I moved to Ireland. Since then Polish shops cropped up everywhere and getting Polish meat on the Green Island is no challenge anymore, but at the beginning I simply couldn't find it anywhere. I visited my family about two years after the big move and guess what - I nearly cried when I opened the fridge. Forget sweets and all other delicacies, sausage was what I craved most.
Inspiration for this article visited me when I was eating my fried sausage dinner one day - it was so damn good and suddenly I thought - why not write about it? I took it really seriously and during my next shopping trip bought all the props needed for a decent photo shoot - thin, dried sausage, medium versatile sausage, large sandwich sausage... That was a good week, believe me.
Polish sausage is a piece of art, full stop. I am yet to try something better in this department. If you have a chance to buy some - go for it, you will not regret it. If you need a little guide to learn how to make your choice in the sausage world - go read my article.
And bon appetit!
Tuesday 5 July 2011
The Good Soldier Svejk
I tend to be good in writing book reviews. Top notch ability to judge, trust me. I'm saying these words with a bitter-sweet smile on my face, because I also tend to dislike such attitude. Unfortunately I agree with the saying that all critics are writers that didn't make it, most of the time, anyway. And I'm not going to treat myself as a particular exception to that rule.
Yet... I simply have this uncanny knack for writing reviews. I have read thousands of books in my life. I also have incredibly high expectations when it comes to literature. Well, you can't have read Marquez or Kundera (to name only the first few that come to my mind) and crow in adulation about Harry Potter. You simply can't.
I probably couldn't bring myself to praise market-popular books just for bucks. Or if I could, the review would be flat, uninspiring. No matter how hard I try, I still can't bring myself to lie with charisma - the knowledge that no matter what the frills, it's still a lie and bullshit is too overwhelming. But I can write very good honest reviews of very tasty books. They flow. They write themselves. It's a pleasure to work in such mood.
'The Good Soldier Svejk' is one of the classics I took to my workshop for dissection. On my personal scale from 1 to 10 (10 being great), I gave it eight-ish. I did find some flaws (oh, do I dare, or should I fear Mr Hasek haunting me from his grave?), but I also crowed in adulation, because the book deserves it.
If you've never heard of Svejk, it's high time you met him.
If you've met him sometime, you may find it worthwhile to renew his acquaintance.
If you are a die-hard Svejk fan, than you probably shouldn't read my review at all, because you won't find anything new there.
Yet... I simply have this uncanny knack for writing reviews. I have read thousands of books in my life. I also have incredibly high expectations when it comes to literature. Well, you can't have read Marquez or Kundera (to name only the first few that come to my mind) and crow in adulation about Harry Potter. You simply can't.
I probably couldn't bring myself to praise market-popular books just for bucks. Or if I could, the review would be flat, uninspiring. No matter how hard I try, I still can't bring myself to lie with charisma - the knowledge that no matter what the frills, it's still a lie and bullshit is too overwhelming. But I can write very good honest reviews of very tasty books. They flow. They write themselves. It's a pleasure to work in such mood.
'The Good Soldier Svejk' is one of the classics I took to my workshop for dissection. On my personal scale from 1 to 10 (10 being great), I gave it eight-ish. I did find some flaws (oh, do I dare, or should I fear Mr Hasek haunting me from his grave?), but I also crowed in adulation, because the book deserves it.
If you've never heard of Svejk, it's high time you met him.
If you've met him sometime, you may find it worthwhile to renew his acquaintance.
If you are a die-hard Svejk fan, than you probably shouldn't read my review at all, because you won't find anything new there.
Monday 4 July 2011
Zucchini nightmares
Whether you call them zucchinis or courgettes, you probably know that once you have a plant, you have a million zucchinis to utilize. It IS a delicious, versatile veg, but sometimes it can be... well, too much.
This article shows me being empathic towards all the people blessed/cursed with zucchini harvest. There's some ideas on what to do with the excess zukes and some light hearted stories with zucchinis in the focus.
You won't really find any specialist zucchini advice here, but you will probably find something to laugh about. Or just something that you can identify with. Hopefully.
Uff, I have to admit I'm not big into zucchini slogans inspiration today. Instead of the blah blah, can I simply invite you to read the article and hope that you'll enjoy it?
You can tell me if you don't, you know :)
This article shows me being empathic towards all the people blessed/cursed with zucchini harvest. There's some ideas on what to do with the excess zukes and some light hearted stories with zucchinis in the focus.
You won't really find any specialist zucchini advice here, but you will probably find something to laugh about. Or just something that you can identify with. Hopefully.
Uff, I have to admit I'm not big into zucchini slogans inspiration today. Instead of the blah blah, can I simply invite you to read the article and hope that you'll enjoy it?
You can tell me if you don't, you know :)
Saturday 2 July 2011
Talk to your plants
Do you talk to your plants? Do you? Really? Are you weird?
I would risk to say, you're just kind.
I started this little debate quite a while ago, just to see what do people think about plant talkers. I gathered up pros and contras, found some famous plant talkers and finished it off with a duelling platform, where you can voice off your own opinion.
If you were wondering - of course I talk to my plants! I don't know if it makes them any happier, but it surely pleases me.
To find out what other people think - follow this link.
I would risk to say, you're just kind.
I started this little debate quite a while ago, just to see what do people think about plant talkers. I gathered up pros and contras, found some famous plant talkers and finished it off with a duelling platform, where you can voice off your own opinion.
If you were wondering - of course I talk to my plants! I don't know if it makes them any happier, but it surely pleases me.
To find out what other people think - follow this link.
Friday 1 July 2011
10 things I hate about the Internet
This article was written in the purest flash of inspiration during all of my career in online writing (well, so far). It practically wrote itself.
I had just spent a few hours surfing the Web, browsing piles of rubbish, drowning in ads, reading the nightmarish absurdities and being drained out of energy in the speed of light. I recall I was also pretty angry then for personal reasons, and mixture of these circumstances fruited with the edgy, slightly sarcastic and unexpectedly funny piece on dark side of the Internet.
I generally like the Web, you know. I work with it, goddamnit. I've stumbled upon great things/acts/people/ideas that otherwise I would have no chance to meet. But let's be honest - the really good stuff takes up maybe 10% of the web space, the rest is total (and mostly corporate) shit fountain. Looking for something funky is sometimes satisfying, because it closely resembles treasure hunt.
On other days I just feel I'm drowning in shit.
Writing about it was an effective way of letting the steam off, and the result is actually pretty good.
Bon appetit.
I had just spent a few hours surfing the Web, browsing piles of rubbish, drowning in ads, reading the nightmarish absurdities and being drained out of energy in the speed of light. I recall I was also pretty angry then for personal reasons, and mixture of these circumstances fruited with the edgy, slightly sarcastic and unexpectedly funny piece on dark side of the Internet.
I generally like the Web, you know. I work with it, goddamnit. I've stumbled upon great things/acts/people/ideas that otherwise I would have no chance to meet. But let's be honest - the really good stuff takes up maybe 10% of the web space, the rest is total (and mostly corporate) shit fountain. Looking for something funky is sometimes satisfying, because it closely resembles treasure hunt.
On other days I just feel I'm drowning in shit.
Writing about it was an effective way of letting the steam off, and the result is actually pretty good.
Bon appetit.
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