cave-man's wise words

couple of days ago laszlo wrote (bolds are mine):

things that bother me:

that all the people around me are so "proper". conformists. one can trace their parents' (teachers, media, hypocritic politicians/bigot priests, you name it) teachings, "values" (hahaha, values!; like "valuing freedom of the individual", right, mr nstitutionalizedly ignorant?) directly in all their actions; as their thoughts
sheepishly follow the politically correct, sterile, estranged frame of mind of
their predecessors. one of the foremost aims in life, or at least in education,
of practically all my friends so far has been "not to live like my parents". to
change things. because we believe that things might turn out better if changed.
or at least it is worth trying. such thoughts, that there might be other bases
of establishing, of organising one's and his environment's existence than those
on which his upbringing had been rooted do not even occur to uchicago students.
they don't want to live differently than their parents did; they just want to
make more money. [...] and I once thought that people in their adolescence
bear a natural, unconstrainable inclination toward the avant-garde, the
rebellious, the free. silly, silly me. hence the realm of their conversations
hover around tv-shows, movies, series, bits of academics, music bands, food
(they can go into fights almost over which place serves the best fast food; i mean, get a fucking life!), and small, ordinary stories which are considered
entertaining (the fact which they each time feel compelled to assert explicitly
by saying, "that's funny"; the kindergarden is baaack; fukuf!).

btw, the few "non-conformist hipsters and alternatives" tend to be just full of shit concealed in large glasses and 70's clothes.

i just wonder if this is some sort of mental disease of mine or just a 'post-uwc' syndrome of disappointment with disenchanted, cruel and real world. the world out of the bubble. with real, 'normal' people... or are they normal?

don't really have to add much more. i think similarly. i feel similarly. after all: "polak, węgier, dwa bratanki, i do szabli, i do szklanki". or "lengyel, magyar, két jó barát, együtt harcol, s issza borát", no?

the cat empire in commodore ballroom

"music is the language of us all"



recognize?



yes. the cat empire. an australian band i had never had chance to hear before i came to canada. well, that is probably only because you did not have an australian co-year. never heard of them either? i think you should. i send you to the source then to make you more knowledgeable. yes, it is wiki. whateva.

anyhow, yesterday we went to their concert. tickets were sort of expensive, but. but we said fuck that. and i am happy we did, cause it was one of the best live shows i have seen in my life. the venue in words of peter's brother "not too big, not too small. just in the size of montreal" was really like that. just perfect. crowdy, but very personal at the same time. we were just by the stage...

the support was already good, you know what is a good sign, cause they usually make the support crap to give a contrast to the actual concert. the australians came on the stage around 22:30 and stayed there for like 2 hours on high positive energy. what these six guys do is just the higher art. i swear. making such music, combining styles, generes and instruments one has to be so bloody talented and devoted. and again, one should recognize the quality of the music only by the quality of concert recordings. these guys were simply stunning.

for further reference:

http://www.thecatempire.com/

ps. yes, people were smoking up in the crowd. :-)

la historia del niño

cada día el niño volve atras a casa después su viaje. está joven noche. la noche hermosa. porque sus padres están durmiendo, él cerre la puerta en un silencio perfecto.

en la cocina, él niño bebe yerba maté y piensa sobre todos países ya es visita. ¡qué lindo memorias! tiempo del chistes juntos con sus amigos grandes de todo el mundo...

¿es esta casa hogar de él? ¿es algo lugar su hogar? ¿dulce hogar? no sabe. nadie sabe.

- ¿hay magia aquí? - piensa el niño. con estos pensamientos el niño dorimirse en la cocina.

su sueños son multicolor.

three cardinal rules

(1) i do not drink alcohol out of plastic.

although, believe me, everyone around me does so. i prefer not to drink at all to drink from a plastic cup. yak!

(2) i do not eat hamburgers.

unless mariam makes homemade ones. ;-)

(3) i do not smoke cigarettes.

unless i roll them myself!!!

drinking with derek...

yeah, i am drinking with my seconnd-year, derek. we have finished a bottle of russian vodka stolichnayas.

then we went to bc liquor store and we bought two more bottles of polish luksusowa. ever drunk that?

then my mother called me.

we listened to pink floyd and bjork and discussed ambitious issues as i would never be able to discuss with a canadian.

i don't really feel part of this society, but i will still try to fit somewhere in.

bjork. dancer in the dark.

oh my god!

i miss the challenge of the mind. everything here is so linear, so common, so canadian, so northamerican. i miss the challenge of the mind.

vancouver - manchester; manchester - vancouver

despite the time zone differences finally i had a longer chat with bakkerud. you know, just like one of these chats we had during interrail or during violating certain policies here and there. one of these small talks about everything and nothing at all. i just think it gives a pretty good overview of how do we, the uwciers, percieve the world after leaving the bubble. oh, and if you wondered about the plagiarism thing, i have bought the copy rights from bakkerud for a pint of beer. i shall pay immediately next time we meet.

andreas says:
hey
grzesiek says:
bakkerud! what is up in the land of queen elisabeth II?
andreas says:
yo! it's really cool here. watched man utd - fc copenhagen last night! fucking awsome!
grzesiek says:
but you lost, eh?
andreas says:
yeah, but the atmosphere with 72000 people was too good to spoil that!
how are you doing up there?
grzesiek says:
i am all right. hanging out mostly with internationals. you get some impression of a border between you and the north americans.
andreas says:
yeah, same actually... almost only international friends. don't know what's going on witht the brits.
grzesiek says:
haha, we've got to meet up
andreas says:
yeah, do you think you can drop by here when you go home for christmas?
grzesiek says:
i am not going home for xmas. i am staying here with other uwciers. mostly because it is not even 3 weeks, and it would be physically tiring to change time zones twice within this short period of time.
andreas says:
ah, ok. they advertise with manchester - toronto for 148 pound. really thought about going to vancouver. got a really good friend from netherlands/israel, who wants to go to toronto, so might go wit him.
[...]
grzesiek says:
and the buddha in bc is so so popular. they are as chilled about it here as the dutch in amsterdam.
andreas says:
haha! wicked. so easier and cheaper than alcohol?
grzesiek says:
comparing to norway - yes! but about the alcohol thing. the stores are still state-owned monopolies... and you have to have two picture IDs with you to prove you are 19. i am not even asking how is it in the uk... :-)
andreas says:
haha. nah, it is not cheap here. i haven't really been out clubbing or drinking yet. mainly hanging out with friends - cinema, football and so on. actually started getting used to big city life. you have to be much more independent and responsible on your own life. but also gives you so many oppurtunities.
grzesiek says:
precisely.
andreas says:
and you are not limited to the bathroom any more...
grzesiek says:
haha! but i kind of liked the bathroom. it was warm.
[...]
grzesiek says:
but i was actually thinking of dropping by manchaster on my way home in april.
andreas says:
yeah, that would be cool.
grzesiek says:
once i get to london is it cheaper to fly or to go by train down to manchaster?
andreas says:
train definately. can get it for 10 pound and takes 2 hours.
grzesiek says:
awesome.
andreas says:
or maybe bus, takes longer, but only cost 2-3 pound if you book before. maybe you could fly from here to poland. think jet2 has really low price to krakow.
grzesiek says:
maybe, but i would rather go on my way back.
andreas says:
yeah, ok.
[...]
andreas says:
i'm going to flekke tomorrow.
grzesiek says:
what!!?? i hate you for being back in europe!
ąndreas says:
no kidding. flying after lectures, going to copenhagen on monday and cambridge to visit claudia on wednesday.
[...]
grzesiek says:
give a huge hug from me to claudia, though
andreas says:
i will. it's gonna be fun to see cambridge as well. hope to go follow a lecture. imagine that ali g studied there.
grzesiek says:
yah! for real.
[...]
grzesiek says:
are you studying like hell, though? i hope you still have time to chill?
andreas says:
i've studied less than 10 hours since i came. i cant describe how chilled my course is.
grzesiek says:
cause i was out clubbing only twice, and i thought i would be out every fucking day. but, i mean it's not the studying that keeps me here, on campus. there are just more interesting things to do than clubbing...
andreas says:
ok, that is still more clubbing than i've had. i'm going quite much to the gym and pool and cooking with friends, exploring the city...
grzesiek says:
awesome. i am getting so fat here on their foods. though i haven't eaten a hamburger since i came.
andreas says:
haha. where the flekke trot spirit?
grzesiek says:
the only thing i do is playing football. no one care and knows how to play this game here, so i play mostly with internationals (again).
andreas says:
that's cool. i started football as well. i play in manchester city's academy.
grzesiek says:
fuck off. (no offence, please)
[...]
andreas says:
there is another uwc student at my exact course! she's from adriatic, milda's co-year. she got fucking 44 points in the ib.
grzesiek says:
and went to manchester!? hahaha!
andreas says:
yeah, fuck off. hahaha! there are so many oxbridge applicants here.
grzesiek says:
i have laszlo's coyear here who scored a lot too.
[...]
grzesiek says:
but how weird is that: we are stuck to the uwciers for the rest of our lives...
andreas says:
from nordic or uwc'ers in general?
grzesiek says:
both, i think. here there is so many of them. like at least 50. apparently, in north amercia only mcalester beats us.
andreas says:
wow. but it is really true. we are stuck with the uwc thing...
grzesiek says:
some completely cut off from it here, though and others just don't go beyond these people, you know.
andreas says:
when i found out that the girl on my course was from adriatic, it suddely felt like i had known her for years. she had heard about matute, for instance. and you? do you stick with uwc?
grzesiek says:
oh, i have friends in and out of the circle. but: if you wanna have a good conversation, you just have to come back to the source.
andreas says:
yeap. uwc makes the world so so small.
grzesiek says:
yeap.
andreas says:
yeap. it's really weird though, as i said, i almost only hang out with int students here, where most of them took the ib. the british seem so boring and plain. quite immature sometimes.
grzesiek says:
exactly. same here. and most of the canadians or americans go to the uni when they are 17!! and i am approaching 20... so if you sum up the age difference with so called "cultural differences" you get quite a gap between me and them...
andreas says:
yeah, same here. brits are a year younger. i think we have more in common with other internationals.
grzesiek says:
bingo. sometimes i think that our nationality is internationality now.
andreas says:
haha, but that is true. i have to get used to be an immigrant myself. i keep going around referring to arabs as immigrants. and friends here always correct me.
grzesiek says:
for du er fucking perkere!
andreas says:
haha. good times, ah?
grzesiek says:
good times.
[...]
andreas says:
another thing. uni of manchester has exchange programme with uni of toronto. so... might be 6 months in canada after the summer.
grzesiek says:
cool. i cant tell you anything about toronto, though.
andreas says:
they also have to melbourne, australia. so i will see.
grzesiek says:
well sfu has exchange programs all over the place, including lots of unis in uk. you could even go to fiji if you were desperate enough.
andreas says:
haha.
grzesiek says:
i am quite serious with fiji.
andreas says:
that you would go there??
grzesiek says:
no! i just thought there was no universities on fiji. you see, even though i am this open-minded and graduated from uwc my vision of the world is still pretty stereotypical and perhaps distorted.
andreas says:
yeah. would probably be a weed uni.
[...]
andreas says:
i'll pack a bit now and then go to bed (1 am here). but ill check out possibility for canada in easter, and inform about my plans that month....
grzesiek says:
right. trot and skål for me. hope there is no rain and fiskekakke.

me gusta...

¡saludos a todos!

este semestre tomo psicología, filosofía, comunicaciónes y también español. mi amigo de venezuela, jesús, llama mi español: "casi perfecto". sí, es verdad. mi abición es muy grande. deseo viajar por países de américa latina, por eso necesito hablar el español. ¿hablan inglés o polacco en esos países? ¡no!

en mi clase nosotros estudiamos vocabulario nuevo y estructuras grámaticas cada día. mi profesora es de méxico y es muy simpática. pregunta todo el tiempo: ¿algunas dudas? o ¿recuerdan ustedes? o ¿por qué no entienden? me gustan mis clases y este idioma mucho. ¡en serio!

nos vemos a proxima posta...

swedish dinner

ha, as a pure norwegian and a friend of henrik i was kindly invited to swedish dinner the other weekend. it kicked ass! we ate lots swedish food and skåled twice as much. the fun we had was a function of both. just check out the pictures!

eating part... posh? nah. swedish...

skåling in the swedish ponder. doesn't the guy in the middle look like erik from åland?

tell me, where else could this guy be from? nothing but sweden!

i have found yet another eastern european on campus! here is the slovak girl called just like my grandmother - łucja.

getting frenzy. about 4:30am.

"pokój i ręce przenikają się nawzajem"

poland: 2, portugal: 1

it was only two days ago when i read in the polish news that portuguese striker nuño gomes, literally laughed out polish national team. i thought: probably he is right, we rather suck. i haven't seen the recent games under beenhaker, but losing home to finland 1-3 and hardly winning over kazakhstan says that we are not exactly on the peak of our abilities.

today, however the things turned. nuño gomes scored his goal in 92nd minute of the game, but it was too late for portugal loosing 2-1 at the venue in chorzów. two goals by always magnificent euzebiusz smolarek dealt with the whole game.

my mother called me at 11:00am here to announce we were winning 2-0 after the first half. that has definetely set me day. definetely. in these situations i really become patriotic somewhat. weird. anyhow:

"polska, biało-czerwoni, polskaaaa biało-czerwoni..."

oh, and one more thing. who was this guy wearing a jearsey with number 17. cristiano ronaldo? who is that?

jesienne haiku zza oceanu

żół-kną im klo-ny
na drze-wach i fla-gach
nad-cho-dzi je-sień

the van gogh story

one more thing that is noteworthy these days.

on the "poster days" at sfu, around two weeks ago, i bought this massive poster of van gogh's cafe terrace at night.

if you don't exactly recall it, there is a picture of it on your right-hand side. by the way, did you know that this picture will be projected in your brain's left hemisphere?

generally people looked at me as though i was a weirdo - i bought posters of paintings by van gogh, picasso and dali. well, reffering to these people i did not buy any 'cool' posters.

but back to the story. couple of days after i had bought that poster and stuck it up my concrete wall, i got a postcard from maria lisiakova who is a twin of mine. guess what was on it? yes, van gogh's cafe terrace at night. no kidding.

it said: "sending you a bit of classic, a bit of europe". funny? perhaps. coincidence? nah, definetely, not. it is either genetics, as my mum infered laughing her ass off or, as i assume, the longing to the real cafe terrace at night in a small european town...

the room b2053 - a month later

having pondered a little bit about my current situation i start regarding the cave of the room number b2053 as 'home'. those who have gone thru' uwc experience probably understand why do i put home in the quotation marks. but that is a different matter. here, i mean that after classes or after run i go back there automatically and i feel comfortable and relatively happy in there. see, i even managed to do something to the concrete wall...

i mean it. notice i have tones of pictures on right beside my head, couple of posters (including original poster of flekke trot and infinite dreams). i also hanged the polish scarf and emptied several bottles... so it goes (paraphrasing the pacifist).

the rest stays pretty much the same, except the mess increased. anyhow, i am probably the cleanest person on the residence. only my mother would not agree with this statement. however she has no point of relation except her own pedancy... she should have seen moonga or nueng back in nh103. that was mess! i still smile to these good old times. they say that when one starts recalling "the good old times" one seriously starts getting old. terrible, indeed.

wszystkiego najlepszego mamusiu kochana!

mamo piszę do ciebie wiersz…

ale tak naprawdę to trochę tak jakbyś ten wiersz pisała sama do siebie. no bo któż inny nauczył mnie czytać i pisać i poezjować? któż inny nauczył mnie odbierać świat i ludzi z tak wielką dozą ciepła i wrażliwości? któż mamo jak nie ty?

bez ciebie, mamo kochana, nie byłoby mnie – dosłownie i w przenośni – takiego jaki teraz jestem. każde twoje urodziny to nie tylko szansa żeby życzyć ci dwustu i trzystu lat, ale przede wszystkim, żeby wyrazić dwa najważniejsze słowa: dziękuję i kocham. nie, powinno być: DZIĘKUJĘ i KOCHAM.

pisząc te słowa u mnie w burnaby cały czas mamy trzeciego października, ale ja wiem, że kraina nad wisłą zaczęła już obchodzić twoje urodziny… niech ci się wyśnią same dobre rzeczy dzisiejszej nocy. tymczasem ja ślę ci tony pozytywnej energii i zmykam do nauki, jutro mam egzamin semestralny z filozofii!

a, i po południu zaglądnij do skrzynki na listy, powinnaś znaleźć tam małą niespodziankę z kanadyjskim stemplem.

jeszcze raz wszystkiego najlepszego i do usłyszenia –

g.