January

Not much happened in January. My mailbox is empty and sad. But I got new stamps:)

Now I just need letters to have where to stick them!

It was my Birthday in January. From my dad I got a scanner+printer+xero. I will be able to scan my letters before sending them now. I'm so glad because so many of my letters got lost last year. I had to write them all from beginning. Which is fine for me but not if it happens again and again. I started to get frustrated and wished for scanner so I would just re-send same letter. What do you do when your letters get lost? Do you have copies of them somewhere or you write totally new one?

My friends brought me these envelopes from their trip to Berlin. Nice, huh?:)

I started this project from new year. I saw it in Bubbles blog (who saw it in someone else's blog I think:P). Anyway, I thought it would be perfect thing to do for me. Last year wasn't very good to me and January seemed no better. I write down all good things that happen to me and put them in this jar. It turns out it's getting filled so maybe January wasn't really that bad:) In the end of the year I will open it and read all the happy sheets of paper from the inside and even if (though I hope otherwise:)) I will think my year was bad, I will know there was some happiness in it too:)

It was a bad year for Capricorns

The first thing I heard in the morning in radio was that it was a bad year for Capricorns. I laughed with my mum about it. I don't believe in horoscopes and don't really care about zodiac signs but it was indeed not a good year for me. Twisted leg, health problems, no vacation at all. I didn't send much letters, I almost didn't go to cinema, I didn't go to the theatre, didn't read much books, I didn't travel. I was too tired or too sick or too depressed. So I will welcome 2013 with big pleasure and great hopes.

What good happened to me in 2012:

I've been to Red Hot Chili Peppers concert

I started learning Arabic

I met new friends

I've been to Cracow for a weekend

I've been by my beloved lake for 4 days

I did piercing in the back of my neck

My favourite RHCP song :D

Mazury in Poland where I go every year (at my lake:)):

My piercing :D

And that's all I can think of actually. I didn't make any statistics regarding letters. Maybe I'll do it next year... I probably won't, I know myself well enough :P Last year I read 30 books so this year I challenged myself to read 35 but I read just 25 books this year. Oh well. But I started reading normal books (not just short stories for beginners) in Spanish so at least I'm proud of this. I read 18 books in Polish, 2 books in English, 5 books in Spanish.

My top 3 books read in 2012:

1. Rosario Tijeras by Jorge Franco. It is about a girl raised in poor and dangerous district of Medellin. She gets involved in criminal activities. She meets 2 guys from good families, one of them becomes her lover, the second one a great friend, though both are in love with her. Rosario although she might seem heartless and fearless killer, is very emotional, loving, hurt, scared, depressive, lost, living life to the fullest although she's playing with death a deadly game. I couldn't not fall in love with Rosario, like the guys in the book. And it joined a list of my favourites:) The movie based on this book is also awsome.

2. Shah of Shahs by Ryszard Kapuściński. It's a non fiction. Kapuściński was a Polish journalist and writer. This book is about the rules of two shahs of Iran, father and son, and the life of people under their regime untill the revolution. It's not a typical bigraphy of the shahs but an analize of their rules and Iranian society. Written in an interesting way, great to learn something about Iran's history.

3. Geografias by Mario Benedetti. 14 great stories about dictatorship time in Uruguay and nostalgia about a country on an exile. Benedetti wrote this book while being on an exile himself.

I think I can call this an Arabic year. Besides starting learning the language, I've been going to this Arabic club, listening to Arabic and Turkish music over and over again, trying all kinds of sheesha.

My best musical discoveries this year:

Buika! I am enchanted with her voice.

Hindi Zahra.

My lovely Chavela Vargas died this year which made me feel sad:( I will never have a chance to listen to her alive. El ultimo trago hoy sera para mi Chavela;) I will love her forever.

Do you have plans for tonight? I'm going to have fun in Arabic rhythms, haha. I have already painted my nails golden color:) Now I just hope I will be able to squeeze myself in my dress after Christmas :P

I wish you all Happy New Year :)

Christmas tree and mail

Uff, I'm stuffed with food. I ate too much for those two days! But how can you resist while there's so much good food around? How's your Christams going?:)

This is my Christmas tree. I love the scent of the tree in the house in Christmas time^^

 

My favourite decorations. Little angels:D

These I gave to my mum and aunt for Christmas. Inside were tickets to theatre. It was a surprise, they didn't expect it at all and were very happy^^ When my aunt saw the envelope she thought it's from the kids and contains some handmade card:P

This is what I made for mail art + mini letter exchange last month. I made the envelope of materials from the Warsaw Uprising museum and a lacy heart I once got from Maria Laura. I put inside a postcard (also from that museum) showing marriage during the uprising (of which I unfortunatelly forgot to take photo) so I made war + love theme. 

 Christmas envelope. I took a white envelope and glued a Christmas themed table napkin to it, added some deco tape on the edges. It was an experiment but the texture of the envelope turned out very nice. Easy way to make colorful envelopes if you don't have better idea or materials to decorate it;)

Unfortunatelly I didn't manage to send Christmas cards to everyone I wanted to before Christmas:( I am so scatterbrained, do everything too late. I barely managed to find a gift for my dad before holidays. Did you manage sending all your Christmas mail? Am I the only bad one?

Merry Christmas to the penpalling world:)

My yesterday's post was bitter buuut it's Christmas, smile :)

I want to wish everyone who reads my blog

glitter-graphics.com

If you'd like to read about Christams traditions in Poland, you can look here.

A Christmas "gift" from Polish Post Office :(

I'm very miserable after decision of Polish Post Office about new prices of stamps. Since 2013 they will be 100% higher for international mail:( We'll have one of the highest prices of stamps in Europe, while having one of lowest salaries.

Since I started penpalling over 3 years ago, for 2 years I was very pleased with Polish Post Office services. I had no problems with mail getting lost. But since last year they keep losing my mail (even within Poland). They don't take any responsibility for not-registered letters. And now this price increase for their shitty services?

The way they treat clients is insolent. They ignore all questions concerning the new prices and give no official statement about it.

I have just few penpals so maybe I won't bankrupt (because quitting writing with any of them is out of question). But I am pretty sure many of postcrossers from Poland will limit their activity. Fuck you very much Polish Post Office!

:(