No. 4.: Books

Pour a cup of tea, coffee, or cocoa, open the cookie jar, pick out some of your favourite cookies. Decide where to sit. It's the hardest part. Next to the radiator would be great but after a while it's so hot, you'll have to move. It's so beautiful outside, all the snow and whiteness, you can't sit near the window, it would distract you. On the bed you would fall asleep, bed is for sleeping, anyway. The couch will be great this time. You don't need music, it's 'bookytime'. Grab your paperback, take a seat, relax, enjoy, imagine. That's all.

Reading is the most ambivalent thing ever. We usually answer questions like 'Do you like reading?' with a sentence 'I don't have enough time...' Actually it's not even an answer for the question. 'Yes', or 'No' would be. So which one? I do. I love reading. Also I love movies as some of you may know. But books are a septillion (10^24) times better than movies. Why? Well...

A movie is made like this: The director reads a book, he thinks about it, comes up with a concept how to make the movie adaptation of the book. He has the idea, goes to the publisher's office, saying 'Hey, I've got an idea about this one! How'bout...' and then the producer says 'Aah... I don't like this character.. could we... and here I don't like that she dies... maybe... yeah... some lollypop would be better...' And then they make the movie with the cast.
You go to the cinema, and everything from the book gets to you harvested, processed, baked, cut, even chewed, served on a silver plate of millions of dollars budget. You don't have to think at all... It's all there. It's just lollypop.

A book on the other hand is like this: You sit down and read. You pop in your mind, let your imagination fly on the words, read from your own point of view. Sure, you have to harvest and bake alone, but after chewing it's much sweeter then you expected.

And there are lots of talented authors, lots of great books. If someone says 'I haven't seen a book which caught my attention yet...' he just has to try it harder. So many genres no one could count, so many books no one could read them all. And that's the beauty of it. The choice is so enormous there will be always a new book to start.

Also your language improves with reading, but that's more like the reality part of it all. That's not why we like reading. We like it, because it's good. Reading is like travelling to a different reality, a so far unknown realm of dreams and new feelings. No matter it's a fantasy, crime, or historical novel, fine art or just a book from the shelf, it's something new. A place where you can let your imagination fly.

Literature is music for the eyes and cinematography for the mind.
So go, pick up your piece of Chaucer or Stephen King, or whatever you read and close this stupid blog!

Keep up, just two more, and it's no. 1.!

No. 5.: Arts

Anyone who knows me well knows that with a good painting or novel or nearly anything that's decorative or has a value of beauty, I am swept off my feet... Beautiful things buy me. And vice-versa. I buy them too. I think everyone likes beautiful things, or beauty itself. Who doesn't, well, that person needs to see a doctor. Not because the doctor is beautiful. Of course it can be possible, I didn't say that doctors are ugly, did I? No, sure I didn't.

I love buildings. I always wanted to be an architect. Ok, not always, but I started to feel that way around the time I started the university... Not just because it sounds nice. ('Krisztián Ömböli, architect'.) But because that's a type of art where you can make things which will (if you're good in it) stand for decades. Literally you can 'make something big' and not the world's biggest hot-dog...

I love novels, short stories, poems, and anything connected with literature. I also like fictions and novels based on the truth, I like the way the writer expresses his (or her, of course) own feelings, thoughts through someone else (the protagonist). I also like writing. There was a time when I wanted to be a writer. (It was about 4 months ago...)

Painting is a really good thing. Are you curious why I can't be a painter, or an architect? I can't draw. That's the unfortunate truth... But it doesn't matter, because I can't write either, yet I try to. So maybe I'll be an architect sometimes. Or I'll write the word 'architect' so many times that my name will be put in the World Guinness Records book maybe... in... 2067... If there will still be one. The only thing that matters is that arts are good. Arts are... arty...

Maybe I could start with some inventions... like... inventing a toothbrush with built-in mobile phone. That'd be handy. 'Ya' 's 'fhat?' Maybe Leonardo Da Vinci begun his career as an inventor and then started painting... who knows? Maybe inventing handy and clever things (like cellular toothbrush... cellbrush!) improves one's painting skills? I could imagine that! But... Arts are good!

Homework for next year: visit as much exhibitions as you can! Maybe we'll meet somewhere.
No. 4. Is on its way!

No. 6.: ZZZ

What's better than having good programs all day, speaking with lots of people, learning new things, listening to good music, meeting friends and making new friends on one day? Sleeping. Sleeping is one of the best inventions on Earth. You just close your eyes, think of something good, like... sleeping... and you're already asleep. That's it. Nothing tricky.

Witty new things just popping into your mind one by one, new pictures, people you've never met before, people you've met a long time ago, or people you meet everyday - in one scene. In your dreams you can't die, they say, and that's true. That's why dreaming is better then being awake. Or... Is it better? Living in a dream world? No, of course not, you have to live your normal life too, but sometimes you just find the answers in your dreams. How to threat a situation, how to talk with people, a new idea, a song. Have you ever written a song in your sleep? Or a poem? I did, and I must say those were gorgeous! Just... the best poems I've ever read. But, of course I forgot it when I woke up. What a shame...

When I was a kid I didn't like sleeping at all... Why should I waste my time being in horizontal position, with my eyes closed, it's just... It doesn't have a sense. But nowadays I am sad because I don't have enough time to sleep. It's just that I'm being older. I would like to sleep through winter.

But let's see an example why sleeping is good:
Your best friend meets your highschool love and tells her that you are really angry because she didn't want to go on a date with you. You just smile gently at them and the actual Bond-girl comes up to you on the dance-floor, asking you to help her to find her lost five-million dollars in her bedroom. If you find it, you'll get the money, plus a car with a cute little puppy in it and of course some other service... Then the picture changes and you're the biggest rock star on Earth, giving a concert in London. Jimi Hendrix plays before you as a warm-up. There's a huge stadium, huge amount of people, a crowd... an enormous crowd... you just pick up your guitar, pop in the amplifier, want to start singing, but Dizzy Gillespie wants to talk to you for a second... He asks for money and job. Of course, you accept him and ask him to play with you on the concert. Again, you pick up the guitar, the crowd is shouting and the alarm clock wakes you up... the alarm clock wakes you up... the alarm clock... DAMMIT! It's schoolday... again...

What's the no. 1 worst thing on Earth? Waking up after a good dream...

What's the no. 6 best thing on Earth? Sleeping a big...

What's the no. 5 best thing on Earth? You'll find that out soon! Keep tuned! ;)

No. 7.: Tea

What could deserve the 7th place better than tea? This hot piece of Paradise? This... good... thing. Well, tea is good, we all know that. It has some caffeine in itself, so it prevents you from falling asleep... as long as you're drinking it.

Drinking tea has a big cultural background in some countries like India or England. Some drink it with milk, some without sugar, some like it hot ( :) ), some doesn't like it at all. There's tea in almost every colour on Earth, white, green, black and so on, and of course there are the teas which are made of fruits... Every kinds of fruits.

Also tea is a marker of social background. Drinking tea in tea-houses means something, like 'I'm a businessman, I play seriously.'. And, tea on the other hand is a symbol of softness and 'good things' (while coffee is something like 'bad things'), so taking someone to a tea-house on a meeting or a date is always expressing something.

But if there were a fight between coffee and tea, who would win? I really don't know. If I were the judge I would call it even.

Tea 'The Leafy Monster' VS. Coffee 'BadBeans'
(A small part of the broadcast on the match.)

Commentator I.: It's the first round and as I see the power of the two competitors is even. Now! There Coffee tried to use some of his caffeine...
Commentator II.: Yes, we know that he has a really good caffeine power, but it exhausts really early...
CI.: ...yes, that's the problem...
CII.: While there's nothing interesting in the ring, I'd like to tell our listeners some info about the two guys. Tea 'The Leafy Monster' is one of the oldest competitors in the history of this sport, I don't really know how old he is now...
CI.: I neither...
CII.: Whatever, he's very old. And also he has lots of World Championship victories until... I think about...
CI.: ... the year of 1500, maybe?
CII.: Yes, I think you're right. Now that's the time when Coffee 'BadBeans' came to the scene and tried to take away the triumph...
CI.: There Tea tries to use his good breath on Coffee, and did you see?
CII.: Yes! Coffe is a bit dizzy... that was a nice one. It won't be a walkover. I think the judges liked that too.
CI.: I'm sure of that!
CII.: Well, so since 1500 they're fighting for the favour of drinkers.
CI.: That's right. Now, a bit of commercial break but then we'll come back with the fight!

...And the fight is even as I said,so it doesn't worth watching...

What's your favourite? Stay awake for the 6th!

No. 8.: TV Series

Do you remember Jockey Ewing? MacGyver? Or K.I.T.T., the speaking-jumping car? Of course you do! We all do, because TV series are part of our life even if we don't want to pay attention to it. We wait Wednesdays to watch House, or Desperate Housewives or... whatever series there are.

Is it a problem? No, of course not! (Actually... yes, it is, according to psychologists, addiction and stuff... but who cares?) We all love TV series and if someone shows us a picture of David Hasselhoff, I'm sure the first thing that comes into our minds isn't one of his fabulous songs in German, however, I'm sure we all adore him for those. The first thing we remember is him running after a black car, from a bomb, into the sea, or towards something really-really dangerous. Saving the blonde. Putting in jail who deserves it... Or, of course destroying GOLIATH or KARR (I just loved those episodes! :D ).

Some of us like CSI or others like Sex and the City, L, or Queer as Folk... Dexter... Prison Break... Heroes... and much more. It's a part of our culture. (Sadly or not, I don't know...) Some of us like the Highlander series (am I right, Dóri? :) It's for you: )

Well, saving a brother, the world, a blonde, someone from a shark, a car, an earthquake, with a blonde, from a blonde, decapitating each other, joking on each other, or whatever the topic of the TV series are, watching them is always fun. There are funny English, witty American sitcoms, or horror anthologies: doesn't matter. If the protagonist is handsome and his girlfriend is sexy, it must be successful.

After all I don't know why series are so successful. It must be something dealing with psychology I think. But who cares? Until the world is suffering by the evil Lex Luthor we mustn't wait and think about this silly stuff!

HELP! No. 7 is coming!

No. 9.: Monosyllabic conversations… Yep.

Have you ever had a feeling you don’t feel like talking at all? (OK, then… Have you ever felt like talking? Nice… Then who am I writing to? ) Then you must be aware of the fact that sometimes everybody feels this way. Like… they don’t want talking. So they do so like they are into talking very much but they aren’t… This happens when there are no cereals in the morning usually...

Jen: ‘Hey!’
Mark: ‘Morning…’

- Mark sits down next to the table, starts reading the paper while Jen opens the fridge taking some milk out -

J.: ’Milk?’
M.: ‘Coffee.’
J.: ‘Right. Slept tight?’
M.: ‘Yep. You?’
J.: ’Kind of…’

- Jen opens a shelf, grabbing the box of the cereals -

J.: ‘Cereals?’
M.: ‘Nope.’
J.: ‘Empty.’
M.: ‘Knew it.’
J.: ‘Me too. Just hoped.’
M.: ‘Right.’
J.: ‘Kids?’
M.: ‘We don’t have kids.’
J.: ‘Right. Just… forgot it.’
M.: ‘No problem.’

- And Jen sits down eating jam and bread… -

Well, that’s the story. Short, isn’t it? Why do we complicate this kind of things? Like… Of course we could form longer sentences. But why? Is there a point?

Jen: ‘Hey there!’
Mark: ‘Good morning, Sweetheart!’
- Mark sits down next to the table, starts reading the paper while Jen opens the fridge taking some milk out -
J.: ‘Do you want some milk?’
M.: ‘No, thanks, I would prefer some coffee instead. Do we have some?’
J.: ‘Yep, I think so. Then I make some coffee for you. How was your night?’
M.: ‘It was good, I’m much fresher today. And how was yours? Good?’
J.: ‘Yes, something like that. Could sleep ‘til midday.‘

- Jen opens a shelf, grabbing the box of the cereals –

J.: ‘Would you like some cereals?’
M.: ‘No, thanks! But…’
J.: ‘It’s empty! You didn’t … I asked you to buy some cereals the other day! I told you!’
M.: ‘Yes, Honey, I know… sorry…’
J.: ‘Honey? By the way we don’t have honey either!’
M.: ’Sorry…’
J.: ‘That’s why I don’t want kids from you!’

- And Jen throws some jam and bread towards Mark. –

And THAT’S why I like monosyllabic conversations! They’re honest, they’re strict, and not that dangerous as dangerous the long sentences are.

No. 8. is coming! Bye.

No. 10.: Funny acronyms: F32UA!

There are some abbreviations in the English language (or more often in internet-language if there is something like that) which are so funny or useful I really like them. (OK, I'm not talking about LOL because that's not funny anymore. Everybody uses that even if they could use 'Maan, you're so funny I'll pee my pants!' instead. - That would be funny BTW. )

There are some nice acronyms, aren't nice because of their form, but their meaning. For example IOK2MM, the invention of Joe. Well, that's a good acronym. It's OK to make mistakes.
But it made me think about this: Why don't we use acronyms in public transport like... 'DNLOotW!ID!' instead of 'Do NOT lean out of the window! It's dangerous!'. You don't even have time to read it. It's like: 'What a long sentence... Whatever... I rather lean out than read this...' As you see long sentences are dangerous!

Or we could write formal letters with acronyms. We use Ph. D., or Dr. or Mr. We could write like this:

'D. Mr. A.,
I send this L. b. I want U //Yeah, I know U know this kind of abbrev.! :) // to send me some I. about the start. Eng. course in your L. S. ...'

-- No one could read this out... :) --

There are some useful three or four-letter acronyms like LOL, which I think is the first instant message acronym. And it is totally overused. I know people using these nasty three letters even in Hungarian contexts. Even orally. And it's not that nice. But most of this people play WOW too, so in a way I can understand this kind of language transformation.

There's BTW (by the way), or OK which I'm sure is an acronym, but no one knows its history.

If you are into TV series and you watch The Big Bang Theory (TBBT BTW), the last week they had a hilarious dialogue between Penny and Sheldon. It was something like this:

Penny: What's AFK?

Sheldon: [into his headset] AFK. [to Penny] "Away From Keyboard."

Penny: Oh, I see.

Sheldon: What does that stand for?

Penny: O.I.C....

Sheldon: Yes, but what does it stand for?

(Or there is the also funny 'L3375p34k' where we use numbers instead of some letters, together with acronyms, of course. But that's a whole different story.)

Acronyms are good. So F32UA (just don't forget to describe their meaning for the first time: 'Feel free to use acronyms' this time.)
And the No. 9. is coming ASAP.