S.

Once in a while I am thinking about what is the purpose of my being? Probably quite natural thing for a young person to think about :)

Sometimes I find some rationale, that gives me the direction, and I am getting settled in my thoughts; sometimes "the quest for truth" goes on for longer, when I am not satisfied with my own answers, with my old answers, with thoughts of others; but then times passes by, and I am forgetting the question of the purpose getting busy - as I just live.

Well, now I have found one theory that it seems has concentrated many of my thoughts and will keep me satisfied for longer time :)

Reading a book that a friend gave me, you know, one of those "pocket books" of modern authors about anything (that one a funny novel was on traveling through time to change your karma), I found something interesting, a great tale :)

There was a witch repairing people's karma. She was responsible for that because a life of every person is a link in a big chain, and there are many of those chains of lives in time, each leading to some important, and all of them leading to something good at the end of times. And every person - every link - can be good (happy life) or bad (unhappy life). All Good powers make lives of people happy, all Bad powers make them unhappy. Because when all people are happy - when all links in all chains are good - then this Big Good that we hope for, will happen.

I love this theory!!! So you see, the best you can do in life, and the meaning of it - be happy, because your happiness is a good power that keeps you in balance with the world (with nature, It, good and other meanings according to different philosophers)

Be happy - remember, how it feels? Then the world seems full and bright, and there is no question why is it so, you just live to the fullest and feel everything so intense and happy with you! And then many more people around can contract your happiness, your energy for life!!! As they say, only when you are happy, can you make others truly happy as well.

That idea falls so well now with my feeling of life!..
We are to be happy!

We are to find the balance when our abilities and aspirations come together, when love and belonging to something right, and many other things form our feeling of happiness.
You'd ask, how then it helps others, what is our contribution?
I think the answer is when you feel that you are happy, that you live your life right - then the world around seems to build better around you as well. Your good energy and attitude are transitioned, you do better things, help others or create something you like - and then it's the effect of domino! It's like links in the chain :)

Be happy, and make other people happy around us.
Pretty simple, but worth trying and living it :)

I remember all places I have been in my life…
At some - for longer, at some for shorter; some I lived in, some I was on a short visit. Home countries, conferences, work, business, holdays...
They are all with me, I carry a part of each in my memory :)

RUSSIA
Moscow
St.Petersburg
Ekaterinburg
Novosibirsk
Ufa
Saratov
Izhevsk
Omsk
N.Chelny

BELARUS
Svisloch
Minsk
Grodno
Vitebsk
Zhodino
Volkovysk
Brest

POLAND
Cracow
Warsaw
Bialystok
Lodz
Katowice

NETHERLANDS
Rotterdam
Amsterdam
The Hague
Maastricht
Utrecht
Eindehoven

BELGIUM
Brussels
Brugge
Leuven

FRANCE
Paris

GERMANY
Hannover

UNITED KINGDOM
London

PORTUGAL
Lisbon

ITALY
Milan
Rome
VATICAN

TURKEY
Istanbul

ROMANIA
Bucharest

UKRAINE
Kiev
Odessa

HUNGARY
Budapest
Pech

NORWAY
Oslo

BRAZIL
Sao Paolo
Florianopolis
Rio de Janeiro

SRI LANKA
Colombo

LITHIANIA
Rukla
Vilnus

KAZAKHSTAN
Almaty

SERBIA & MONTENEGRO
Belgrade

USA
New York

EGYPT
Cairo
Dahab

INDIA
Mumbai
Delhi
Agra
Jaipur

To be continued :)

I have realized it was my 7th time I have stepped on Polish land. I have spent there time from several hours (going through Poland home to Belarus) to more than a month (when I was doing my CEED in Cracow in winter 2002)

I have been in Warsaw, Katowice, Lodz, Cracow, many times on the railway station in Bialystok :)

I understand most of what people say and write, and can explain myself with basic Polish (I think if I spend more time, several months for example - I'd be speaking pretty well polish even without taking the courses, as our languages are very similar)

I have a couple of very good Polish friends, some of my best. I know several facts from the history, as Belarus has much in common in the past, we even were one state at some point. Familiar with the modern life of Poland as well, I even know who are some people in politics :) All because of my conversations with my friends - they are the best sources of interest for the country! (put aside my arguments with Polish friends about role of Russia for their country, I just can't stop myself from arguing that Russia is a good country, and will never stop I think :)

Every time I hear this "pshzh" language, I smile and feel comfortable. Hehe being blue-eyed blond I think I can be considered Polish myself :) I even think about living in Poland for longer some time… However this is a subject of too far future which too early to predict with my style of living :)

All of this is to conclude - I like the country and feel close to it.
Czesc Polska :)

Several times I was in Poland, and a couple of weeks back I had another reason to come again - Mike's wedding. This post is however about the city, LODZ.

It's about 1 mln inhabitants, known as a city from the middle of 19th century, when the foundation of several factories laid the foundation for the new industrial center. Mostly known for textile, but now for steel industry as well. One of best movie operators' schools, world-known, is in Lodz. Directors Roman Polanski, Andjei Vaida are from here, as well as many Oscar-titled operators.

One of interesting projects of the city - renovation of old factory buildings (forgotten as ugly district by many) into a prestigious residential area, sponsored by an Australian if I remember right. Red-brick buildings with high ceiling are being designed to be wonderful studios in a green area. By the way, 80% of future flats are already bought, even before the construction starts. Some sights around:





(that last one was the favorite from that district - cute car, isn't it?)

This gate is considered as one of symbols of Lodz


That project may be got all that interest because of the successful completion of another initiative: restructuring one of factory "city in the city" districts into a wonderful modern shopping and entertainment center MANUFACTURA. Great idea and execution!!!





This is my favorite photo of Lodz:


Lodz has several "-est" things:
The longest pedestrian street in Europe: Piotrkowska (this is picture of non-pedestrian part)


The city is as well the greenest in Europe, because of a huge park, almost woods, in the city border; and many other parks:



(if you don't notice at once, look one more time :) there is a rainbow on the photo :)

And the biggest graffity of Europe is in Lodz (unfortunately I haven't seen that), and already mentioned best operators' school, and I believe several other cool things Lodz-ers would mention.

The thing I personally liked a lot and noticed most especially in Lodz - the way how they re-do usual soviet-type blocks of flats. They take a usual grey house of 80th, put some new panels to improve the isolation or smth - and they paint it in several colors!!! SO a usual "sleeping district", how we call it, or residential area, gloomy usually in other places, looks bright and happy.


All it costs - just paint 3 colors instead of one, not that much expensive - and how much better it is for people! I'd give an award for a guy who had the idea :)

There are for sure many more things to explore - I did what I could in 2 days of my visit there.
Cheers, to Lodz and its people!

:)

p.s. I have yet Wroclaw and Gdansk on my list of cities to visit in Poland..

"Greetings"! :)

23 September this year was the date when first of us got married - I was at the wedding of Mike Janiszewski in Lodz.

I came on Friday evening (actually it took me only 12 hours to get from my house by trains and buses), and left on Monday morning. One things that I'm tired of traveling by trains and buses, endless changes, hurry to catch what you need…
But well, it was all worth it :)


Quick facts:
There were around 80 people I guess at the wedding; from our team I was the only one there, a couple of other internationals as well (Juraj Kovac, Adi Russu)

The wedding was in Polish, however sometimes Mike and Daga tried to translate for 3 internationals :))) I think I was the lucky one to understand most of it (I know basic Polish and understand most of what people say and write, as Belarussian language is very similar to Polish, it's somewhere between Russian and Polish in its nature)

There was a ceremony in the church, and reception in a very nice place. The most emotional moment for me was when I saw Dagmara and Mike smiling at each other as the ceremony is finished and Mendelssohn march started to sound on their exit from the church… Ahhhh…



A cool thing I liked - Dagmara asked to bring instead of flours people usually give to the bride, things for children for school, which they gave out later…

The evening and night were great, it was so nice - hearty toasts from relatives and friends, cute moments from the young couple, like a game for their parents and thank you to them (Mike and Dagmara told that the best they can do for their parents is to be at least as good parents for their children themselves).

Some more pictures (where I am :)))



You know when I was looking at Mike and Dagmara in their wedding dresses, I had the thought, that it’s a new quality of them - a husband and a wife, that I couldn't comprehend before it's happening. and at the same time it's so natural for those 2 guys, it just seems it can't be the other way now :)



Congratulations dears!!!
Wish you all the best in years of your life together :)



More PHOTOS from the WEDDING and some from Lodz