There is always a bit of truth behind ‘I’m just joking’, a bit of emotions behind ‘I don’t care’ and I bit of pain behind ‘it’s ok’.
medicine against cold or – talk to your grandma!
this is that time of the year when almost everyone sooner or later faces the almost unavoidable – cold. However, i prefer to think, that cold is preventable and avoidable. Possibly, not for all 100%, but the level of cold or how it affects our well-being can be definitely managed. Moreover, remember, that nature has its own medicine to all its natural pathologies, so, forget about pills or artificial vitamins or food supplements. it’s all about basics. Talk to your grandma!
my grandma passed away many years ago, but in my childhood years when spending many summers with her, she told me that against cold you should do a very simple thing: drink hot milk with honey.
Now, to make this drink tastier and more effective, i have slightly adjusted this recipe and have added the third element – whiskey. It’s killing!
So, if you haven’t caught cold yet and you dont want to catch it either, keep drinking this warming drink: hot milk (heat up milk but dont make it boiling!)+honey+whiskey. as it really will prevent you from catching cold, you are allowed to have one drink per day. And, make sure your feet are warm. 
Enjoy the winter!
The mayonnaise jar and two cups of coffee
‛A professor stood before his philosophy class with some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous ‛yes’.
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
‛Now,’ said the professor as the laughter subsided, ‛I want you to recognise that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things – your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions – and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.
The sand is everything else – the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical check-ups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18 holes. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. ‛I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.’
author unknown
the best and easiest recipe of a chocolate cake
i have baked many chocolate cakes, but the one i just did for Xmas, was the best ever. Maybe the reason was that i slightly improvised and did depart from the original recipe, but the outcome was great: a juicy, rich cake with at times sticky chocolaty consistence and a crispy top. You know, like chocolate brownies, but even better. So, i thought, i shall maybe share this tip with you too.
Take 200g butter or margarine (actually, i think, at the end i added slightly less when i noticed how many calories that all contains!) and mix with 200g (or a standard coffee mug) of brown sugar. dont melt the butter. stir with sugar (with fork, for example) until it is a more or less consistent. it is easier if before baking you leave butter/ margarine outside the fridge for couple of hours, so it gets softer. 
Then, add 4 eggs and mix it until again it is all consistent. i used electric hand mixer, so it is very quick.
then, add 200g (1 standard coffee mug) of flour, smth around 150g milled almonds, an apple/ pear puree (i just bought a 60g jar of baby food and added it all), 50g cocoa powder, vanilla sugar (around 3-5 table spoons), baking powder and just stir everything. once it is nice and relatively firm, add a bit of whiskey. i just poured, did not measure, but i imagine, it was smth between 50-100g.
then, before spreading the dough on the baking tray, oil the tray and spread milled almonds, which will make a nice bottom of the cake.
and then, bake it until it is ready. i test with dry little piece of wood (a match stick). if it is not sticky, it is ready. depends on oven, how much time it takes.
enjoy and dont count calories!
p.s. it’s particularly good if you eat it with vanilla ice cream
London Jazz Festival 2011 – through my eyes and ears
London Jazz Festival was like Xmas for me: an event once a year with lots of positive feelings, surprises, qualitative music and with the best of the best in the town.
On Day 1 i went to listen to a talk with Steve Coleman. I always find it very interesting to actually hear musicians talking about the music they do, their thinking/ feeling/ ideas behind musical notes, their interpretation of their work and their own musical/ creative development which has led them to the level they are in. This time however a couple of very talkative (read – drunken) listeners at times by being as loud as Steve Coleman did not allow me and few other listeners to focus on musician’s story, so unfortunately i think i missed some parts of this talk. My plan to attend a gig of Robert Mitchell later in the evening was ruined when I realized that tube’s Norther line was not working that evening. at times London transport can be really demotivating…
On Day 2 i spent all afternoon at Southbank centre listening to Julian Siegel and after – Arun Ghosh. Arun Ghosh is probably my discovery number 1 of this festival. I’ll be honest, though i knew about him, i never went actually to his gig as i thought that this synthesis of Asian influence and jazz (and whatever else) will not appeal to me. However, i was absolutely amazed. Combination of great a la Asian style solos with at times hard rock, funky rhythm and interesting improvisations made it all extremely enjoyable. My knees were swinging, my head was nodding to the beat..Next, i liked that Serious was continuing tradition from the last year and offered Jazz History talks by musicians. Last year Soweto Kinch and Shabaka Hutchings were leading listeners through the history of jazz based on their own understanding, perspective and interpretation. This year Nathaniel Facey and Shane Forbes (Empirical) told their story with emphasis on those jazz history heroes who have had also a great influence on their own musical development and understanding of jazz. Such ‘talk sessions’ are very interesting and educational as it really gives a new perspective on what we hear and how music is ‘made’ an has been developing over years and decades and even centuries.
Day 3 was a beautiful sunny day (in London you really learn how to appreciate sun) and i went to Greenwich to listen to Martin Speake. This was the first time i heard him live and well – in such a special venue – National Maritime Museum. Wow. Though music is music, i think, venue often can be such an added value and make it all so much greater. There is not much to say except – absolutely perfect music for Sunday afternoon (most of the pieces were Martin’s own compositions) in a perfect venue in the middle of the sunshine lit park.
On Day 4 i went to see Regina Carter who is one of the few violin players on the jazz scene and she must be seen for this reason alone. Beautiful performance mixing in Afro rhythms, traditional/ folk song elements and ‘cooking’ it all with a nice mild hot jazz sauce. Some may want to categorize this as world music probably, however, i think, the improvisation with instruments (how often you can hear accordion in jazz music?) and melodies (from wherever they come) was there and nicely fit in the LJF programme.
Also, worth mentioning, before Regina Carter the audience was ‘warmed up’ by Trish Clowes led by female (!) saxophone player. As there are not many female jazz musicians in general, it was even more surprising to find one to be a leader of the band. For this courage alone to break the standard tradition, i applaud her.
On Day 5 i went to Dalston to see British Piano night led by Julian Joseph and with participation of Jonathan Gee and one more piano player whose name i cant remember. 
I love piano trios. My all time favorite is Bill Evans trio, so whoever gets near to that, breaks my heart. This gig was what I would call a proper jazz in an intimate atmosphere and in a not-overcrowded, relatively small venue. An evening was like my mental yoga.
On Day 6 i went to see Nik Bartsch band from Switzerland. I saw them for the first time in 2009 in Bath Jazz festival and was totally ‘killed’. You cant find anything even close to this band. What they are doing is so unique, you just have to check them out. It’s kind of a hypnotic, at times trans jazz, sophisticated and at times completely minimalistic. What’s interesting, he does not give titles to his songs. Those are just numbers. Modules. I think, the venue was again crucial here (Kings Place) giving enough space for their music and visual ‘choreography’ to express and tell what they have to say.
On Day 7 I went to see Empirical and Archie Shepp. Empirical who have just released their third album Elements of Truth are getting a more and more distinguished voice on UK jazz scene and being recognized by their special style and musical ideas. I bet, it’s just a beginning and much greater things are still yet to come from this musical collaboration. Watch them out. Archie Shepp in duo with Joachim Kuhn was beautiful combination of Joachim’s playfulness and Archie’s meaningful, juicy melodies. at times it felt like i was traveling back in time around 1960s or so.
On Day 8 i saw the performance which, i think, i was waiting for more than any other. Ladies and gentlemen, Gretchen Parlato! I just cant help myself but to repeat and repeat how much i like her latest album Lost and Found. It is fantastic and there is no other album to which at the moment i can relate my own state of mind, soul and heart so clearly as to this one. I have posted my favorite Gretchen’s song before in my blog, but i will do it again. Just in case, you have not yet heard it, but if you have, i am sure, you would love to listen to it again.
This was the end of my this year’s LJF due to unforeseen circumstances. Moreover, due to those unforeseen circumstances, i lost all my photos and videos i took during the festival and i am not able to neither add to my own collection nor to share some of them with you here. For this reason i’m using here some youtube material for reference.
But well, next year, they say, there will be another LJF.
Democracy vs capitalism
the nastier capitalism becomes, the more obviously it proves that it contradicts rather than complements democracy. Capitalism has devalued democracy by moving away power from people to financial trade centres, stock markets and rating agencies which are now making national decisions instead of Governments elected by the people. It is tragic. Case of Greece is alarming.
Occupy London, 29 October 2011 – there ARE alternatives and it is possible!
There has been way too much negativity in the media about this campaign, but it’s serious and just wait or better – do act as well, if you care about the world you live in! it wont stay the same and it must not. water in the kettle is boiling hotter and hotter… and when those 99% will reach the 100% temperature the world (read – mainstream politics) will just have to change. And dont believe those who say those campers are just vagabonds or fribbles or just people who have nothing else to do. there is serious talk going on (i actually spent today an hour discussing all these crisis/ socialism/ capitalism/ neoliberalism/ growth/ cuts-related issues with random people in the camp) and a great level of keenness to change and do changes is in the air. i have captured just some of the ideas spread around there and if you disagree with these, i’m afraid, you are among the 1% and you gonna be in trouble soon cheers.
P.S. before writing my own reflections on this subject, i found this article about Neoliberalism and Occupy Movements and thought that for time being i would want to share it as a deeper insight into this Occupy issue as i strongly agree with the arguments explained in there.
capitalism
Capitalism is like a knife: it cures if in hands of a doctor and it kills if in hands of a murderer.
Confidence and love
Confidence is knowing what you love. If you dont know what you love, you are lost. Haruki Murakami
