Taking a bath

A really hard day is coming to an end. What I need now, before I go to sleep, is a hot, relaxing bath. I go upstairs to my children’s bathroom. They have really a big bath there. I turn the light on and close the door. I take a soft cotton bath towel out of the cabinet and put it on the edge of the bath. It’s pink in colour and it matches the overall colour of the bathroom.
I come close to the bath: on my left hand side, in the corner, I see the white wicker basket with cosmetics, sponges and the white sea shell with the creamy bar of soap inside. What fragrance of bath gel shall I choose? Floral, honey and milk, vanilla? Or oriental and spicy? I think The Spirit of Africa will be the best for this winter night – it’s a mixture of wild musk, cinnamon orange and some other fragrances. I light white candles, put them around the bath and turn the light off. Now I touch the surface of the bath: it’s slippery and terribly cold! I put the plug into the plughole and turn the taps on. I feel the taps become warmer. The hot water like a waterfall enters the bath with a thundering sound. I gently squeeze the bottle of gel and watch the fragrant liquid trickle down to the water. The foam grows really fast and fills the whole bath. Now I take off my clothes and check the temperature of the water: it’s really hot but I love it.
I step into the bath very carefully and lay down. I feel the warmth of the water penetrate my body. I close my eyes and have a wonderful recollection of my holiday in Africa: a beach, sand, the sun and oriental smell of incense around. Now a similar fragrance fills the whole bathroom. I would love to stay here for a long, long time, but the water slowly gets colder and the wonderful foam disappears. Now I wash my body with that creamy white soap and a sponge. The soap dissolves on my wet skin and leaves foam on it. I rinse my body with a shower. The water in the bath gets milky in colour.
I get out of the bath, stand on the plushy carpet, and wrap that big pink towel around my body. I dry it very gently. My skin is so smooth and silky and smells fabulous! I rush upstairs to keep The Spirit of Africa in my bed.

Brushing my teeth

When I close my eyes, or look into the distance, I imagine that I’m in my bathroom. I’m standing in front of the wash basin and turning the tap on. I’m going to clean my teeth.
I take my green toothbrush from the small, blue beaker standing near the wash basin. I unscrew the tube and squeeze the toothpaste on the toothbrush. The paste is white and has a fresh mint smell.
Before I start brushing my teeth I turn on the radio. I clean my front and back teeth. I massage my gums. There is a lot of foam in my mouth, so I spit it.
When I have finished, my breath is fresh and my teeth looks healthy. I touch them with the tongue – they feel absolutely smooth and I feel more comfortable. I love this feeling.

On Christmas, a month after

Christmas is no longer celebrated in the way it used to be. Many people think that it has become an extended holiday time and a festival of excess, often in striking contrast to still present poverty.
Do you agree or disagree? (an IELTS essay)

The way people spend Christmas has definitely changed. Miserly, on the one hand, there are people who treat Christmas as a leisure time and occasion to indulge, and on the other hand, there are many deprived of even basic goods, who haven’t a chance to feel the Christmas spirit. To a large extent, I found that true.

Christmas has become a commercial event, especially in Western countries. There is an unlimited variety of ideas for presents in stock, shopping is simplified. Many self-help books are delivered straight to our houses, and the Internet is full of tips. Their purpose is to raise our expectations higher, to buy more and more expensive goods. Unfortunately, presents are no longer gifts from the heart, but a way of showing off wealth. It is possible to prepare Christmas in one evening – supermarkets are full of pre-cooked meals. Extraordinary shopping for Christmas food is no longer time-consuming.

Additionally, Christmas is becoming departed from religious traditions. People have more liberal attitudes, modifying them to their own style. For instance, carols can be heard at shops, in streets, nearly everywhere, but not at home at Christmas. The focal figure of Christmas is now Santa. He has replaced, in a way, Jesus.

Holidays like Christmas used to be very familial, but the role of the family has changed. Many people are not living together with their relatives. Often there are complicated relations in the family caused by divorce. Consequently, people get to the point when Christmas celebration is not essential for the family. Stressful life also makes an impact on people to break with traditions. Many find Christmas time as a great opportunity to go on holiday and relax.

To sum up, Christmas is undergoing changes, and it is an inevitable process. Undoubtedly, it has become too commercialized and it might have lost it’s sense. The main reason is that the world has changed, and the way of celebrating it has to keep up-to-date.

329 words

My 2007

pros:
I went on holiday to Britain and worked and travelled there for 3 months. I gained a lot from the trip, I don’t mean money – it was incidental to the experience. In pleasant and unpleasant situations I tested the strength of my character and realized how true friends I have. To add more, I started studying a second subject.
cons:
Natural day is still too short :)
I didn’t manage to go skiing and visit my friends in Slovakia
I should have paid more attention to my health.

Hot and cold in 2007

If warmth is essentially good, and coldness something to recoil from, then 2007 was a hot year. Truly, it hasn’t really ended for me, since I’m constantly reaping the benefits of all the good things that happened. I’ll remember its intensity.
Hot: … riding high on positive emotions … having two epiphanic moments, both deeply affecting my well-being and relationships with others … meeting lots of like-minded people at Pilgrims, Canterbury … giving my first workshop on blogging in teaching English there … drawing inspiration from younger colleagues and many motivated students here at home … successfully reversing the roles: my students reporting me rather than the other way round … re-engaging in serious letter writing … editing the book on European identity with vimakov … opening my mind to music (DI6) and authors (Camus) once rejected as lifeless … Radio 4 podcasts coming close to perfection … seeing the Mac happy to work my way … using sexy TextMate application for everyday writing … coffee … malt whisky … burning a lot, wearing a fiery orange vest inside out, sleeping on deep red bed linen, but learning a lot …
Cold: … the world of malls and bar codes tightening its grip on the area I live in … children learning about adult life too fast, the young turning into windbags far too early, seniors becoming living statues way too soon … a great deal of home-grown Polish moaning, misery and malaise still around …

Looking back on 2007

When I look back I think that last year was rather good for me. Especially two things were very important. One of them was a wonderful holiday in Paris. I had always dreamed about traveling abroad. I spent one week in Paris with my friends. The other thing was that I decided to learn English again. Both people in my group and teachers have been very nice to me, so I’m happy that I met them. I hope that my English will be more fluent. 
Although I didn’t have any extraordinary adventure, last year wasn’t bad. Nobody in my family had any serious diseases or dangerous accidents, which was most important and helpful for me. I realised that every day is special and so I shouldn’t waste my time for trivial things or situations. I learned how to take pleasure from small, ordinary things. I should remember to smile and be optimistic even at difficult times.

Why 2007 was a good year

During the last days of 2007 I was trying to answer the question of what the whole year was like. I think that, in general, it was a really successful year for me. Of course many problems and really hard moments occurred, but now I’m trying to keep in my mind only the best that happened.
First of all, I didn’t lose anybody really close to me, on the contrary, I made a few new friends and got to know a few interesting people. My family were all fine, nobody fell ill, nobody had an accident and I still have them around. I was proud of my son and daughter’s results in the entrance exams to their schools. I lost almost 15 kilos of my weight and it was a fantastic result I had never reached before. I started to wear sporty clothes and I felt younger. In October 2007 I started my English lessons after a long break. I had felt like doing it years before but I couldn’t.
Another really important thing was a driving license I was determined to get. I took driving lessons and many times I had to burn the midnight oil to learn the ropes. I did my best and eventually I succeeded in one shot. Now I can’t wait to drive my own car! I also came close to starting dance lessons but I had no enough time to manage all those things, so I hope there will be more opportunities to realize my plan in 2008.

2007, oh no, not you again

I am going to reverse the order and start with cons.

cons

It is running away. Speeding from you. Nothing changes. Another year, oh God, that is 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days. Completely wasted. Same old faces, same old places. Even if they change, even if you have seen them for the first time, even if they make a difference. Airplanes, sandy beaches, fireworks. Was 28, am 29; was 73, am 74; was 3, am 4. Older, uglier, grumpier.  

pros

It is funny to realize how the Sun rises in exactly the same fashion day after day, week after week, year after year. It does not matter at all: 29, 74 or 4. At any moment, there is exactly the same chance to make a difference.

My 2007

To sum up last year, I think it wasn’t a very good one for me. Nothing special happened, but there were a few good things. The best was that I started English lessons again. I was glad to meet my former English teacher who helped me make decision about it. I think that step by step I understand more English, while I still didn’t manage to speak a lot. I need more time for it. I was happy to start dance lessons with my partner, too. We had a great time. So, I did something good for my mind and body. 
Another important thing was that I managed to change myself a bit. I believe that all changes start in the brain. I was successful to change my attitude to many things in my life. Now I feel happier, calmer, my mind feels free. My life’s philosophy is to notice and enjoy little things and if I can’t change something I have to accept it. 
Last year brought a few bad events. I was very sad to say goodbye to my old dog when she got very ill and we had to put her down. Another sad goodbye went to my idol, Luciano Pavarotti. My dream to be at his concert in Modena in Italy, I didn’t realize. 

2007: pros & cons

To me, the year 2007 was not remarkably different from 2006.
pros:

• had a really nice vacation abroad
• continued to have a really great relationship with the loved one

cons:

• didn’t see my sister
• realized that 2007 wasn’t any better than 2006
• got a bit more grumpy

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