Is Christmas the best time of the year?

Hi Everyone!

How are you today? I must say that recently I have spent a lot of time with my family talking about different stuff and laughing my head off. In my point of view, family bonding time is enormously important for numerous reasons, for instance this is "a great way to model expected behaviors inside the family circle and with others in the community. Modeling expected behaviors is also a great way for the parents in the family to learn how to communicate to each other as well" (http://houston.cbslocal.com/2011/10/26/the-importance-of-family-bonding-time/). I recommend you to glance at this article, it seems to be very enlightening. 

Anyway, I would like to pose a question about disadvantages of Christmas. Do you agree that Christmas is the best time of the year? In my opinion, there are many inconveniences. One of the issues is certainly an abundance of food: we serve a large number of dishes and, what is worse, everything is really rich. Furthermore, Christmas preparations is a very time-consuming process which rests with women. Quite often this is a real grind but they want to cope with expectations. 

 (http://angryjogger.com/i-am-feeling-pretty-hopeless-at-the-minute.html)

I believe that it is worth pointing out that the Poles waste a lof of money buying misguided gifts which are too expensive. Why? We want to please not only our family but also circle of friends. We forget that a small present gives pleasure as well and does not cost too much. 
Anyway, Christmas (generally holidays) is necessary: this is a kind of a binder which unites people.

Is it worth eating chocolate?

Hi Everyone!

How are you today? Christmas is getting closer and closer and we have to run a lot of errands. It can be exhausting but at the end of the day, this is a splendid and enjoyable time for everyone. Do you agree with me? What leads you to Christmas? 

I don't want to write about a Christmas tree, gifts, carols... Everybody talks about this. Today I would like to touch on a slightly different issue, which is chocolate. Are you astonished? 

Do you think that eating chocolate is heathy? According to dailymail.co.uk, "Scientists have revealed that eating chocolate - in reasonable amounts - makes you feel emotionally better and so improves the smooth running of your body's endorphins. It even protects against heart disease" (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3728/Eating-chocolate-good-you.html).

For this reason, if you had a heart attack you should substitute one coffee cup for chocolate.

It is woth pointing out that these reasonable amounts do not convence me: I can not stop myself from eating more and more.

 (https://michigan.spoonuniversity.com/live/chocapocalypse-looming-chocolate-running-low/)

You know well that thanks to not only antioxidants but also other substances, chocolate prevents premature skin aging. That is why chocolate is widely used in the production of toiletiers and cosmetics. Furthermore, according to English specialists, eating chocolate has a beneficial effect on our mood. It also helps relieve stress and burn away tension. What conclusion would we draw from that? We should eat chocolate! :)

Why is fast-food so beloved?

Hi Everyone! 

How are you today? Have you already bought some gifts for your family? I am an enthusiastic advocate of practical Christmas presents. The reason is why I do not like storing unnecessary things. 

Today I would like to touch briefly on very interesting subject. Why is fast-food so beloved? Do you often eat in fast-food restaurants? What are the effects of fast-food on our health?

 (https://onmogul.com/articles/why-fast-food-is-ruining-america)

According to Dictionary.reference.com, we understand fast-food as something "that is prepared in quantity by a standardized method and can be dispensed quickly at inexpensive restaurants for eating there or elsewhere". (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fast-food)

In my point of view, there are several factors which influence on fast-food's popularity. One of the major is, as its name suggests, low preparation time. Thanks to new technology, you can not wait a long time for your meal. But a what price? 

It is worth pointing out that fast-food does not cost an arm and a leg. Nowadays more and more people are saving not only money but also time. Thanks to fast-food restaurant chains they can do it. Unfortunately, they forget about inevitable and disastrous consequences: obesity, heart disease and stroke... Furthermore, many children eat pizza or hamburgers daily. What about their healthy eating habits?

How to overcome laziness?

Hi Everyone!

Yesterday I woke up and what I saw out my window? All houses were plunged into darkness. Unfortunately, I had to wrap up warm and faced problems. In autumn and winter the bad weather discourages people from coming out. In my point of view, particulary in the evening, we perfer to call in on our friends rather than roam around the town. What is more, we need something which can help us to increase our interest and motivation. As for me, the weather makes me feel awfully lazy. Could you advise me on this matter? At first, the definition of laziness:

"It is a state of passivity and of letting things stay as they are". 

(http://www.successconsciousness.com/overcoming-laziness.htm)

(http://www.socialsmiling.com/1740_laziness-is-nothing-more-than-the-habit-of-resting-before-you-get-tired)

My friend (I can always rely on her) told me that I should start by making a list of all of my duties. Ok, if it helps me to achieve my goal I am ready for this. Then, she made me log out of Facebook. Why? According to experts, social networks absorb so much of our time and many people decide to delete their Facebook account. Another thing that distracts us is, obviously, a mobile phone. It is worth switching off our iphones and smartphones. In order to be more active and productive we have to clean our houses: in well-organized surroundings we stop feeling overwhelmed and... overworked :)

"The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" of John Boyne

Hi Everyone!

Recently I have read one of the books of John Boyne, an Irish novelist, which is titled The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. I decided to tell you about this novel for two reasons. First of all, in my point of view, it touches really embarrassing problem and, obviously, it is worth bearing this in mind. Furthermore, a Boyne's style attracts reader's attention. Why? He has this amazing capacity to tell about very serious matters in simple words.

(http://www.dailyedge.ie/boy-in-the-striped-pyjamas-voted-favourite-winner-of-bisto-book-awards-346677-Feb2012/)

Do you know John Boyne? He was born on 1971 in Dublin and published his first novel  called The Thief of Time (Weidenfeld & Nicholson) in 2000. It is woth pointing out that Boyne recived Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of East Anglia this year. Today I would like to present you his the most well-known book which was awarded with a large number of prizes, including Irish Book Awards Children's Book of the Year, Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis and Qué Leer Award Best International Novel of the Year. 

Taking place in Germany, the story focuses on the life of one of the German wealthies families in the 1940 s. One day, Bruno  the 8-year old boy moves from Berlin to the country due to his father's responsibilities. The father works as an officer: it is really valued profession. Bruno and his sister, Gretel can't get out. But Bruno breaks the rules and, as a result, he knows Shmuel. It might appear that his new friends lives in an entirely different world: behind a barbed wire fence...