Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Photo Contests



I do not remember if I have told you about the two photo contests I took part in, a few months ago. The first one was organized by the Museum of Art and History in Colombes, the subject was : Colombes, to the very heart of the areas – “Colombes, au Coeur des quartiers”. It was not the first time I took part in their contest - every year they do organize a photo contest. Last year it was Water in Colombes – I was 8th. They always ask to make black and white photos, without any photomontage. This year, the subject – to the very heart of the areas – was a bit problematic as I do not know by heart this town – Colombes. I did not have time to wander the streets. Unfortunately, I lost that contest; I think there was a lack of motivation.

The second photo contest was organized by the Haut-de-Seine department. People had to make photos of their Summer in the department. We still do not know the results. I think I do not stand a chance but we will see. I took 5 photos. You can vote for my photos on their website (page 39). You have to give a mark between 0 (awful) and 10 (gorgeous):

http://applis.hauts-de-seine.net/concoursPhoto2009/view.php?by=&direction=&page=39



The photos are not amazing, I know, I did not do my best as we lose our copyrights in this contest. But, I really love Le chat qui voulait être sauvage.

Titles of my photos:

Le réveil matin du 14 juillet 2009

Pluie d'été

De l'autre côté

Le chat qui voulait être sauvage (my favourite one)

Un Pigeon Sur Mon Balcon



If you do want to see the photos of the contest Water in Colombes:

http://st-ainolopa-s-gallery.blogspot.com/2009/06/la-fontaine-2008.html#comments

http://st-ainolopa-s-gallery.blogspot.com/2009/06/la-dame-au-poisson-2008.html#comments

I'll show you later the photos of the contest Colombes, to the very heart of the areas, as I do not have them for the moment - I feel ashamed - I'm sorry.


2 words : ALBERTA CROSS!!!!



A week ago, I got tickets to attend a French TV programme, called “L’album de la semaine” – The record of the week. Every week, this programme organizes a free concert and films it. That week, there was an American rock band called Alberta Cross. It was spellbinding! I yelled a lot, I fidgeted a lot (as I can’t say it was dancing). I was so enthusiastic to hear something new! They are very nice; they do not just come to record the concert for the TV programme. There really is an osmosis between the band and the public, they talked to us (I always answered :) even if I attracted attention a little too much).

It is quite rare to hear a singer who does not sing out of tune! He does have a beautiful voice! When he went from low notes to high notes, it was very pleasant - not creepy at all as with some singers (I will not mention any names). Actually, he could go to very high notes :). I do have the feeling this band does something new, refreshing, innovative. Folk, you should listen to their last record, as I am hopeless when I have to depict something - it will be easier.

It is called Broken Side of Time, I really enjoy their music. They are in concert, in Paris, at “la Maroquinerie”, on November 21st 2009 (17€). I can send to you some “samples” if you do ask politely :D.


Tuesday, September 29, 2009

My Summer Holidays, Last Part, At Last!



I will not be bothering you, again, with my enchanted holidays - this is the last part. I have realized that my Summer Holidays are over and now I must face a new year of studies, hard work and sweat, travelling by public transport. I hope I will not kill myself this year – O I hate French public transport so much! French people are so afraid of draught that they always close the windows, and it really stinks!

So, when we went back to Lublin, from Gdańsk, we stopped at a restaurant to eat something. I will never forget the joke my sister played on me in the toilets. My sister and I went to the toilets after lunch. Unfortunately, I noticed there was not any toilet paper, therefore I asked my sister to bring me some. I opened the door, my sister gave me this holy paper and I thought she was still behind the door - waiting for me - so, I did not take the trouble to lock the door. I was about to slip on my pants, when someone opened the door. It was not my sister; it was a mother with her daughter! Sod it!! I hope I have not traumatized her daughter.

Gdańsk is a beautiful place! When I was there I could not say if it was a Polish town or a German town or a town from somewhere else! It is so atypical there! It is very different from the other towns in Eastern Europe. You will find people from all over Europe. You will hear people speak Polish, German, Dutch, English etc.… It is very easy to understand each other. If you do want to visit Gdańsk, I advise you not to come during “Jarmark św. Dominika”, as it is crammed with people and tourists. It is hard to go for a walk at that moment, but if you are obsessed with shopping, you have to go and see “Jarmark św. Dominika”; I assure you that you will spend all your money freely there.

I stop writing about my holidays! You do have instead some photos. I miss you Poland!




gdansk


gdansk


sopot


gdansk


gdansk


gdansk


gdansk


gdansk


gdansk


gdansk


gdansk


gdansk


gdansk


gdansk


gdansk


gdansk


gdansk


Friday, September 25, 2009

st-ainolopa.eu



It seems that sometimes my domain name - http://st-ainolopa.eu - does not work at all and people can't have access to my Gallery. It is weird and irritating! So if you do have also that problem, write down instead of http://st-ainolopa.eu, http://st-ainolopa-s-gallery.blogspot.com

I'll try to settle the mess with my domain name supplier. Sorry.

Photography: http://st-ainolopa.blogspot.com/p/photography_28.html

Illustration: http://st-ainolopa.blogspot.com/p/illustration.html


A long and boring week



It has been a very long week. I’m really sorry if I have not posted anything on my blog. I do not know yet, if I will move up to the second year of my studies (Anglo-Saxon Litterature and Civilization) or if I’ll repeat my first year - all because of history of Art. I had to pass the exams of history of Art in September and I’ve been waiting for the results. I still do not know. I’m fed up with my university; they should burn the administration! this is a real nightmare! I spend my time there to settle my registration and when I get home, I’m too tired to start up my computer. I have to pull myself together!


Saturday, September 19, 2009

2 eggs that throw me into a panic



A few days ago, I took two photos of the pigeon I told you about.


pigeon1


pigeon2


Now, I can tell you that I saw 2 eggs in the nest. I’m praying the weather not to get colder. At night, it is very windy!

Today, my dog did not feel very well and decided to throw up under the nest on my balcony. I do not know how I am going to clean it without scaring the pigeon. This is a nice day, really.


Friday, September 11, 2009

My Summer Holidays, Part Five



August 6th 2009: We are heading for Gdańsk!

I will not talk about the roads and the drivers again, I promise! There were lots of tailbacks!

We stopped at Lubartów and Warsaw before going to Gdańsk. I have nothing to say about Lubartów; we wandered around the market about an hour - as we were waiting for our uncle to leave his work. I have a bad memory of a cake I bought in a weird small cake shop. Then we stopped at Warsaw and stayed all night. We were at “Złoty Tarasy”, a huge shopping centre where it is very easy to get lost - this is amazing. I did not know there is a Topshop in this shopping centre - I love this shop! Unfortunately, it is not like in London. It is very small compared to London; there were lots of clothes from the old collections and a few from the new one. We did shopping about two hours; I’m in love with this shopping centre, even if it is very expensive!

Then we went to the old town and the new town. It is so beautiful there, but it attracts too many tourists for my liking.

Did you know that during the Second World War, Warsaw was entirely demolished by the f****** Nazis. There was nothing left but the ground and some ruins. So the old town and the new town are not really old. At the end of the war, the world said Warsaw would never exist again but Poland proved the opposite, Warsaw rose from the ashes! All was reconstructed even the old town and the new town; they are the exact copies!

When you go to Warsaw, you will see that people say the new town and the old town. Indeed, the old town is inside the great wall – what remains of the great wall - and the new town outside the great wall. I hope you have understood. I mean that at the beginning, when the city was born - in the 9th or 10th century, I do not know exactly – the town was built according to the following pattern (the same used in every towns in Europe at that time): there was the ‘town council’, the church and the houses; a great wall was gathered around the town as a protection against the enemy - this is the old town. The town was built next to Vistula River (every town was built next to a river). As the town was growing, there was no place inside the great wall anymore, so the houses started to be built outside the great wall - this is the new town.

During the Second World War, Everyone had to fight even the children; they made barricades with everything they had in hand to prevent the enemy from getting in the city.

If you go to Warsaw in the old town, you will see a little statute of a boy scout. It is to honour the memory of the scouts who fought for their country during the war.

You will see also the statute of Jan Kiliński, the hero of Warsaw. The shoemaker was one of the commanders of the Kościuszko Insurrection of 1794 - an uprising against the Russian garrison in Warsaw. People do not say that the uprising – it drove out the Russians for a while – was due to beer trade. Russians stopped beer sale and it got on Kiliński’s nerves. I love that! NO BEER?! IT’S WAR! We arrived at Gdańsk in the evening of August 7th 2009.

The upside down house


On August 8th 2009, we decided to visit Szymbark Skansen, as my uncle’s friends told us it was great there. The shame of it! I’m really irritated because of that place! I really had the impression of a park mixing Walt Disney Resort and Auschwitz concentration camp. I’ll explain everything to clarify my impression. This place is famous for its upside down house, a funny house indeed! You can find some swings, slides etc. You can buy some ice-cream, waffles and drinks. There are a lot of shops, people can get tattooed, many traditional houses are for sale and lots of advertising posters. You see children running and playing. At first sight, I thought we were in a kind of a theme park - a very touristy theme park. When I walked further in the park, I noticed something completely unpleasant. It is outrageous! Next to that shambles, you do have a house that comes from Siberia and a soviet train. It is to show people how polish people were deported to Siberia and how they lived there. They are notice boards that show historical facts and photographs. This is a serious place! I saw children laughing and playing in the Soviet train! This is not a game! How people can be so disrespectful?! I was shocked! This house from Siberia shows how bad were the living and sanitary conditions; the wagons of the Soviet train are very small and yet, they were overcrowded during the journey! The prisoners lived a real nightmare. Look at the map and see how many kilometers there are between Poland and the remotest part of Siberia.

This is a part of Polish history that should be remembered and taken seriously! People should keep silent when they are on this side of the park and not let their children play there and make a noise! They should stay some time in silent contemplation at this place to pay homage to the thousands of Polish people who died in Siberia - because of the Soviets. They should meditate on what happened! Szymbark Skansen makes me sick! It should be closed!

Soviet Steam


A tree with a scarf



Yes, this is queer actually! A few months ago, there was a small storm in our neighborhood - it was a bit frightening. The day after, my mum was looking for her scarf in the kitchen - the one she left on the ironing board next to the window. She could not find it and thought we had done something with it. When I walked the dog a few days later, I noticed something weird in one of the trees of the neighborhood: something green and red. To my great surprise, I realized it was my mum’s scarf! I can’t understand how the scarf found itself in a tree. Our window in the kitchen is very small and the scarf was far away from the window. It must have been a strong storm! The scarf is on the top of a very very tall tree, I do not know how we are going to do to get it back. I do not think the firemen will bother helping us - this is not a cat.


a tree with a scarf


a tree with a scarf


Again!



You’re not going to believe me! They’ve come back! Do you remember that I told you about two pigeons that had made their nest and had laid eggs? I think they have gone mad as they are laying eggs AGAIN! This is really weird, as this is not the time - the weather is getting colder. I thought that they were just resting, but it has been a week that one of the pigeons is in the nest and does not budge an inch. Now, I always will be stressed; I do not want that something wrong happens again. We’ll see!


Tuesday, September 1, 2009

About my Small trip to Krakow



I forgot to tell you something in my last message about my trip to Krakow. Every year in Krakow, in Summer, on June 24th, there is a celebration - called Wianki - that dates back to the pre-Christian era. This celebration commemorates the sacrifice of Princess Wanda. Actually, she threw herself off the great wall of Wawel Castle into the river (Wisla). Why? Because she preferred to kill herself than to get married to a German king. I think I would have done the same...


Another tale from Polish Countries



A spot appears suddenly on your lower eyelid. What are you going to do?

To get rid of it, if you lived in a Polish country a long time ago, you would be told to rub it with a golden ring. It had to be real gold!

To avoid the appearance of this spot on your lower eyelid, you would have to wear on the little finger (the auricular to be more specific) a ring made of black thread.

I love these tales! This is so weird!

I thought that it was fictitious, but my father told me that his friend from junior high school always had worn a ring made of black thread. Some people really think it is true. :)


an Important Date



Today, on September 1st 2009, we do not forget that 70 years ago Germany attacked Poland - and that it lead to the Second World War. I'd like you to know that the first bombings did not start at Westerplatte (Poland) but at Wieluń (Poland). I have noticed that on TV, they do not know it.

I’m still trying to understand why Putin is a member of the Government, again (President, then Prime Minister). All know that Germany and Russia (U.R.S.S.) were guilty, Germany admitted its fault but Russia still answers evasively. Now, Putin maintains that Poland was guilty too, that it made also pacts with Germany : Bullshits! Russia is trying to change the facts, to change History.

We have to recognise our errors. Our parliament has done that over the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. But we should expect the same condemnation from nations who made their own deals with the Nazis”, Putin said. When is he going to admit that Russia was completely at fault and leave the “nations” alone?

I hope you have understood that “nations” refers particularly to one nation, Poland.

I hate to talk about politics on my blog, but it really gets on my nerves. I hate people who try to falsify history to their own advantage.

Sorry I will talk about something completely different, I do promise! :)

I just wanted to tell you to be aware that Russian Government loves to tell lies and does not care about people. So please, beware! Thank you.


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