January snow

This morning Budapest became white. The city, the entire city became white, except some wet, black stripes scratched on its surface. The roads disappeared. The houses are all buried in snow up to their rooftops and their chimneys are desperately stretching upwards as if they were fighting for the last bit of air. There is no sign of land, the fences and benches are all hiding under this giant, white curtain. But behind this whiteness of silence there is the hope and conviction that it will be spring again. Until then, enjoy.

Wholesomeness

In addition to providing creative input to the whole ’Wellnet’ concept, I do the copywriting and translation of the Wellnet Café website. It is an exciting task and I am glad to be part of this ambitious endeavor.

7 minutes of fame

This week one of my colleagues, a fellow blogger made a video interview with me (it is in Hungarian so those of you who don't speak the language will miss the deep wisdom - hahahaha - I am spreading here). I was very excited but of course a tad (OK, extremely) nervous about it as you can see. So, be gentle on me and do not laugh out loud at all the bloopers I've made. Actually, if we had wanted to include a gag reel at the end of the video, it would have been at least three times longer than the actual conversation itself. I had a lot of fun doing it though and that's what counts in the end, right? Thank you, Kolostor Őre for having me.

Pécs2010 European Capital of Culture Opening Ceremony

Pécs2010 European Capital of Culture Opening Ceremony was held at Szechenyi Square in the historic heart of Pecs starting at 6pm on 10 January, 2010.

The program highlighted some of the major episodes of the history of Pecs, featuring music and dance performances, light show and fireworks and a final song performed by a choir of celebrity singers.

Good luck, Pecs and may this year bring us closer through art and culture.

Under the Greenwood Tree

Are you looking for a heart-warming film for a cold and dark winter evening? I can but recommend the BBC’s 2005 adaptation of Under the Greenwood Tree made of Thomas Hardy’s novel of the same title. The cast features Keeley Hawes as Fancy Day and James Murray as Dick Dewey. It tells the story of Fancy Day, the new schoolmistress in Mellstock, hired by the town parson. Her beauty and charm bewitch three very different men, all of whom are attempting to win her hand in marriage. But whom will she choose in the end: the rich but gruff farmer, the educated but pretentious vicar or the dashing but socially inferior carrier?

What I found absolutely amazing about the film was the chemistry between the two main characters; it simply made the screen sizzle. Since the film Out of Africa came out, we know that washing a woman’s hair can be insanely sexy. Now, this film proves that washing hands in the same basin can also be an extremely sensual experience.

Although the screenplay slightly changed some elements of the novel (e.g. in the film, Fancy does not marry with "a secret she would never tell"), it is a delightful and straightforward romantic tale that – for a change – does not reflect Hardy’s famous pessimism and melancholy. I daresay that it is the most enjoyable romantic drama since BBC’s highly acclaimed Pride and Prejudice.