My English Blog

This afternoon, I listened to a radio podcast called "The Tiki Tiki Tiki room". The announcers talked about a surprisingly big amount of money, British people spent on going out to things, they don't want to go to. The one said a story when he rejected going to a family wedding. However, we all know how hard it is to be assertive. I think it is very relatable to go and spend money on something we don't fancy doing. I am trying to live every day how I want to but it is obvious that sometimes it's just impossible.

Recently I watched a very interesting talk of Graham Hill who introduces himself as a weekday vegetarian which obviously means that he eliminates meat from his diet from Monday to Friday. This is a great way to reduce the percentage of killed animals and decrease the risk of many diseases. He talks about a common stereotype which presumes that you can be either a vegetarian or a meat eater. In fact, you can just reduce eating meat as he does, if you are not ready to go off with it yet. a culprit The police officer caught a culprit red-handed. sustainably This firm promotes a lifestyle without damage to the environment and presents the way how to live sustainably. to lessen Being a vegetarian lessens the risk of getting sick. https://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_weekday_vegetarian

Today I watched an incredibly interesting and inspiring talk of Tim Urban, who talks about pushing off every task that needs to be accomplished by some deadline. He introduces two types of the brain depending on a person - procrastinator or non-procrastinator. In a funny way, he shows how easily we try to postpone every job we are supposed to do by doing every other activity instead of this one. Finally, he presents a "Life Calendar" wanting us to think about what we are procrastinating on, especially when everybody has a deadline. To be honest that was probably the best TEDTalk I have ever seen so I encourage you to give up 15 minutes and watch it! It's worth it! To perplex The teacher gave two tricky answers to  perplex  the students. A dread She overcame her  dread of heights and went bungee jumping. To watch over She was calm because she felt like her guardian angel watched over her.  https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_urban_insi...

Last evening I watched one of my favourites show, The Ellen Show. In this episode, Ellen showed a video of many performings of a Former First Lady in which her amazing impact and incredible deeds were presented. She has been an inspiration and a role model not only for every American but also for other people all over the world. Her initiatives, as a national campaign to get children healthy or special support for the military families, has helped millions of people. Michelle is a guiding light for everyone. to captivate His brilliant answer captivated the teacher. profound When I told her that our dog is dead, she felt profound sadness. stoop to something She is mature, so she didn't stoop to his level. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDxC1DBWqkc

This evening I watched a funny story of Rami Malek who has already won the best actor Oscar for his genuine portrayal of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rapsody.  He talks about a situation when he helped his twin brother graduate in college. Rami delivered greek monologue which killed the professor. Surprisingly, she did not notice that the authentic performer was not her student at all. Rami, by this performance, saved his twin from failing year. I recommend watching any of interview with Rami whose sense of humour can cheer everybody up. overshoot Don't try too hard because you can overshoot it. take advantage of He took advantage   of the absence of his mother and watched TV all day. sceptical The teacher acted  sceptical after reading my essay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z888RfTq_Qo

Yesterday, I watched a talk between Ellen Degeneres and Ellen Pompeo who was recently honoured with a Glsen Award for supporting the LGBTQ community. She introduces Glsen as an organisation which advocates gay and straight alliance specifically in school. Sickeningly, there has been an increase of 65% in violence against gay students this year. Glsen organisation is trying to fight with this lack of tolerance by setting up Gay-Straight clubs in schools. Thanks to it, kids feel supported and protected.  to freak out Her mum was freaking out because she didn't come back home last night. pooling The pooling will show who was the best candidate in citizens eyes. to get beaten up Last night, he got beaten up by two strangers.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGhUQNS2dJI

Today I watched a video which shows what happens in our body when we swallow the gum. As much as food by chewing is breaking into smaller pieces, gum's form is not changing at all. Still, the muscles of our digestive track remove it in a day or two with other food that cannot be fully digested. However, too many gums can cause damage to health. It automatically clogs the intestines triggering stomachache or constipation. intact She had an accident but happily, her spinal cord was intact . fish out She was looking for her diary in her bag and finally  fished out  it. spit Footballers often spit  on the pitch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_1sVri3b2w

Recently, I watched Ellen's program where the history of a firefighter, who lost his home due to a fire, was shown. What hit me was that the firefighters to deal with big fires work 24 hours on and 24 hours off which is an unbelievable effort. This is an example of not only a huge commitment but also courage and responsibility. They are heroes who are equally concerned with the well-being of others such as they are of themselves. to reach out This charity reaches out to help blind people. to realign She has to realign her way of thinking. wrapped up I am wrapped up in a lot of stuff so I can't go out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtYhgvxArOY&t=201s

Yesterday I started to think about changing my bad eating habit but I was afraid of failure. After watching a video which explains a mechanism of the brain during everyday activity, such as riding a bike or brushing teeth, I can say that everyone can break every vice and implement a good habit. It is because of the flexibility of the brain. It is constantly changing during a day and if the same behaviour is repeated, the physical structure of the brain is changed and the new habit is formed. efficient Nowadays cars are so much more efficient . a cue That was my cue to get up and study. subconsciously  She subconsciously  conjured up a memory of him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN1aRN5bQQ0

The video titled "What would happen if you didn't sleep" by answering the titular question, shows effects of sleeplessness, which are obviously worse memory and mood but also health problems such as increased risk of diabetes, heart stroke and even obesity. The scientists claim that absolute need for sleep is essential because of the high activity of a "clean-up mechanism" during shuteye. This system removes all toxic byproducts that increase the urge to sleep and simply waste our brain. an adolescent She goes to high school so she is now adolescent . to replenish I have to replenish  my glass of water again - I've just drunk it all. to sleep into slumber I am really tired so I will sleep into slumber as soon as I come home. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqONk48l5vY

Yesterday I watched Ellen Degeneres' stand-up. She did not only crack jokes, as she usually does, but she also raised many important issues, including difficulties which she had to meet with after coming out. On the one hand, I felt terribly sorry for her because of struggling and hatred she had to stand. On the other hand, I admired her because coming out was a very brave decision. Ellen's speech made me think of the significance of the people's line to the LGBT community. Homophobia is a very common problem and a serious danger. It often comes from fear or misunderstanding. The prejudice against gay people can lead to a huge decrease in the gay people's self-esteem of or even to a self-loathing. The truth is that everyone has a right to happiness and love and nobody can criticize or insult someone because of his orientation.  

Yesterday I was coming back home after the football training. I felt happy and satisfied, even though I was totally exhausted. I realized that no matter how tired I am I will always be fulfilled because I do what I love. These thoughts made me aware of the huge role of a hobby in our lives. Firstly, it enriches your life. A hobby makes you a more interesting and sociable person. It is a great way to meet new people who have similar interests. Additionally, due to having a hobby, your self-esteem and confidence increase a lot. Every activity in which you are good at is a good reason to build your belief in yourself. Secondly, having a hobby can influence your health. It relieves stress which consequently protects you from many illnesses and feeling overwhelmed. A hobby enables to recharge batteries and makes you ready for work. I consider my hobby a part and parcel of my life and I cannot imagine living without football, so I recommend everyone to find this interest and enjoy it!

January is a month of New Year resolutions. It is a time when gyms are crowded and drugs developed to help people to give up smoking are more common than ever. However many people refuse to make changes because of a sense that they will fail. It made me think whether we should consider New Year resolutions as a work motivation and a chance of changing something in your life that is not going well or as a risk of cracking because of failing to fulfil them. On the one hand, every promise you make to yourself is an obligation that not only provides us to improve our quality of living but it also leads us to do more self-reflection. On the other hand, it is sometimes hard to follow resolutions. Consequently, we may feel disappointed and inadequate. I think that unless you set irrational goals, there is no reason not to make your life better!

Yesterday I was scrolling through facebook when I found out something that I have never paid attention to. I noticed that people tend to share with others only positive aspects of their life. They post photos from holidays, meetings or parties presenting their life as a perfect living. It occurred to me that people create in social media an ideal self-image which is often a fake one. Due to the fact that anyone can see our profile on the web, people want to impress others, no matter if they know them or if they are strangers. That is why they try to idealise their persona. It made me realize that we should be careful while using social media because there is a really thin line between sharing moments from life and pretending someone who we are not.

Last time I had to make a really tough decision. The problem was that there was no good solution. After two weeks being in two minds, I resolved to follow a path which I considered the best possible option. The point is that now I can say that I am not sure with the accuracy of my decision. This is a common situation when we often regret our choices or at least we fell less satisfied than we would be after choosing a different option. But should we blame ourselves for making 'bad' decisions? Of course no. At first, we should start thinking about making mistakes as learning opportunities. After one bad choice, we will not make it again. Moreover, if we make a bad decision, we have to forgive ourselves. No one makes only good choices because being wrong is a natural thing. So if you will make a bad decision, do not regret it, just forget and draw a conclusion for the next time.

Parents have almost always been authority figures for their children. These days more and more celebrities replace mothers and fathers and become a role model for young people. Seeing as how they have an influence on youths lives they try to use it. When I saw on a social media how celebrities promote toons of things that they probably haven't even tried, it made me aware of how stars manipulate us, often in a tricky way. As long as advertisements on TV have a clear message, a paid-up person tries to convince fans to buy a relevant product by wearing brands clothes or just presenting a product and pitching it. It is a new way for business but an unfair one because stars use their fame to persuade us to buy a product. Consequently, they make more money. Of course, not every celebrity is taking part in it but, unfortunately, more and more famous people follow this path. 

School is a part and parcel of youths everyday life, where students have to struggle with tests and exams, day after day. From my observations, it goes practically always with daily stress. When I saw my friend trembling of fear because of a short test, I realized how badly can school pressure influence our lives and also our health.  Upcoming tests, too much homework and the amount of studying required can cause "killing" stress and can result in a lack of sleep. Consequently, it leads to poor results at school, but more importantly, it affects our 'body clock'. As we already know, stress is not a good adviser, so we should avoid it. First of all, we should learn for ourselves, not for grades or reputation. It is also important to find the most effective way to study and to manage time for studying wisely. The final advise - find at least one hour each day to relax!

Yesterday was a 100th anniversary of the National Independence Day in Poland. A centennial was celebrated in various ways - more than 30 thousands people took part in a running race and practically everyone displayed Polish flags. Additionally, as always, thousands of people attended a march through central Warsaw, which was organised by nationalists and far-right groups. The march included activists who were promoting racism and homophobic slogans. This situation made me think how cruel is our society if there are still thousands of intolerant people. A world is a blend of individualities - religions, cultures and lifestyles. It makes our place of living more colourful and varied. That's why we should do our best to improve our quality of living and share love and tolerance instead of hate and aggression.

Last week I was with my friend in a burger bar. When I was there last time, there was only one type for veggie, so I got shocked that there are now five vegeburgers on offer. This situation made me aware of the increasing number of vegetarian. I started to think about the reasons why more and more people are turning veggie. The most obvious cause of not eating meat is the suffering of animals. A veggie lifestyle awakens a compassion for them. It also affects positively on our health. Plant-based diet keeps us fit and strengthens our immune system which prolongs our lives. Additionally, it reduces the risk of cancer and heart diseases. Finally, it's really tasty and varied diet. All in all, going veggie doesn't only make us friends of animals but it has also a huge and positive influence on our health and well-being.

Last week I had been feeling depressed and overtired for a few days. I didn't know what caused my bad mood. Then I came to the conclusion that the current weather could affect me badly. Autumn is, of course, a beautiful season while there are stunning views of colourful trees and paths strewn with leaves but it is also time when days are getting shorter, nights longer and temperatures are gradually dropping. Also, there is much less sunlight and much more rainy days. These changes have a huge influence on our general sensation. That's why we should protect ourselves from a seasonal affective disorder by doing exercises, eating healthier, taking vitamins and essentially - by enjoying life.  So if you feel under the weather - especially during fall - you have to find the way how to get happy again!