Misq Blog! Something about everything!

Yeap it’s officialy weekend! I have waited half of last week for this saturday - what is the plan for today? Well.. it’s 12.30 pm, i have just opened a beer.. To soon? not at all… its weekend! Anyway the plan for today is:
1. F1 GP Monaco qualification race (2 pm)
2. Poznan Canoe Sprint World Cup Race (3 pm)
3. Polish Ligue Football Cup (5 pm)

Now the explanation:
1. F1 GP Monaco qualifications - I have just saw (that’s why i have opened a beer so soon) that finally something is happening with the Renault F1 Team - Fernando Alonso finally was first on the second training - that sounds very good, becouse Brown GP has totally dominated the F1 races. And thats not, I don’t like Jenson Button or sth - it’s just in my opinion that’s the double diffusor which is winning the races - not BUTTON and Barichello! And that’s just not fair.

Basicaly i hope that after 3 weeks of tests some teams will get an idea hot to start winning again - and i mean here either Renault, BMW or even Ferarri, which I dont like the most… Let it be some competition. I also know that qualifications give no info at all becouse of the fact that everybody are just testing car setting, but at least that give US ALL (fans of all teams) a chance to believe!

2. Poznan Canoe World Cup - Well, that’s just a nice suprise - we didnt know about this event till yeasterday, but as we like canoe sprins a lot (we’ve watched all those competitions while Olympics) we decided to go and catch (for the first time) the “live show” Additionally this event is taking place on malta lake which basically is about 500 meters from here

3. Polish Football Cup - It’s almost the end of ligue season (each team have 2 matches to play) and 3 teams are still in a game for the cup. Of course as a Poznan citizen I’m a Lech Poznan fan. But to clear things up - I’m not a football fan and i never was. It all began when i saw Lech poznan in UEFA Cup - they were plaing a lot better then any other polish team, in fact they have won wonderful matches with Grasshopper Zurich (6:0), then even better with FK Austria Wien to get to the UEFA Group Stage…

The Group stage wasn’t easy for them either.. They got into group with CSKA Moscow, Deportivo La Coruna, AS Nancy and Feyenoord Rotterdam - to be honest, for every Polish team it’s GROUP OF DEATH! but.. they did it! They got further… below You can watch few best matches of Lech Poznan in UEFA Cup.

Lech Poznan - Grasshopper Zurich

Lech Poznan - FK Austria Wien

Lech Poznan - ASNL Nancy

Lech Poznan - Deportivo La Coruna

And here is the last and the lost one in 1/16 finals with Udinese Calcio. First match ended with a drew but the second one ended with a score of 2:1 for Udinese :/

Anyway after that I have stareted to watch all Lechs matches and IT’S WORTH And now - the interesing thing is that 3 teams can win the Polish ligue cup - Wisla Cracov, Legia Warsaw and Lech Poznan. Wisla have one point more than Lech and Legia, alhought we all count on Lech winning the cup. Another interesing thing is that each on this weekend matches goes on the same time today - 5pm Even better becouse if one of those Teams will loose any points (even with a drew game), that would mean they loose a Cup. Ok, got go… F1 qualications studio has just began…

From 2nd April Poznan has the new city logo : “POZnan* know-how”.

POZ with capital letters is the official international shortcut of Poznan. “Know-how” because Poznan i a city of effectiveness, success, specialists. Poznan has a millenary tradition of effectiveness. The Polish state rised here, in this city the Polish nation said “no” for communists for the first time. Here is the seat of great Polish companies like: Lech, W. Kruk, Allegro, Astra. I think the slogan is good, design is quite OK, but what is with this little blue star at the end? You can find it in some places of the city. It looks like it has something to do with a hospital !! I really don’t like it and, as I hear, I’m not the only one in this city who thinks so…

Welcome to Poznan. It is a city in west-central Poland located on the Warta River, with over 559 458 (in 2008) inhabitants. It is Poland’s fifth largest city and fourth biggest industrial centre. Poznan is one of the oldest cities in Poland, making it an important historical centre and a vibrant centre of trade, industry, and education.

The Old Market Square and its surroundings are among the most interesting places to see in Poznan. The Renaissance town hall, old houses, charming side streets, numerous museums, monuments and people walking about - all of them create the unique atmosphere of the place. You can spend a really nice time there, even if you are not interested in architecture or history. There are many cafes, restaurants serving good meals and pubs with original Polish beer And of course every tourist has to see the striking billy goats on the top of the City Hall, every day at noon.
The Poznan Old Market is, in my opinion, one of the nicest Market Places in Europe.

‘Stary Browar’ (Old Brewery) is a city within a city, where commerce intertwines with art, history with the present time and peculiarity with everyday life. Shopping arcades adjoin the Art Courtyard, which promotes events related to painting, sculpture, theatre, music, dance, happenings and films. Through the union of place, idea and the people who overflow Stary Browar, a new style of urban life develops. This is a place for watching, listening, feeling and helping to create an extraordinary atmosphere. In January 2005 Stary Browar was awarded by the International Council of Shopping Centers for the best mid-sized shopping mall in the world. I think I can say, that ‘Stary Browar’ is the most popular place in Poznan city centre, where you can either shop or just spend time.

Now, where could one go to play golf, go skiing, ride a bike, sunbathe, ride a tobogan, get your dinner, have a beer or simply go for a stroll? Well, Malta Lake is place! The lake itself is home to numerous national and international rowing competitions which are strictly for the athletes themselves but nobody gets left out from the fun to had around the lake. Malta Lake is a fantastic destination for a family day out. Completing one lap of the lake would take about an hour or so on foot but distraction is inevitable. Try your hand at mini-golf or get serious and try the driving range. Braver folk can get onto the dry ski slope. To the east of the lake is the New Poznan Zoo which can be reached on foot or by the small steam train service.

And here are some more pictures of Poznan - just normal places but still looking unusual. Don’t you feel like you want to visit Poznan?

Greg always says that his favourite kind of wine is beer… And many of our male friends agree with that! Is it true that men like beer and women prefer wine? Or maybe it more depends on nationality? I’ve heard French or Italian people drink lots of wine, Germans or Americans like beer, but with this kind of thinking, I as a Pole, should like vodka, which I DON’T.

So I like wine, every kind of it. It goes well almost with every food and it is good for every occasion, for dinner, party, or just romantic evening with a friend. And, what is worth saying, a glass of red wine every day might be very good for our health.
My favourite one is rose or red semidry but I don’t mind white or even sweet one. In fact once I tasted very sweet cherry wine and it was suprisingly delicious. The last one I tried was the wine direclty from the german winery, which I got from my father. He likes every kind of alcohol, and as he is a frequent visitor in Germany, he always brings me a little gift - a bottle of excellent wine from a local vineyard. I never learned more about wines, the smell bouquet, origin or kind although I like to taste a lot.

What about beer? I don’t mind from time to time. In a hot summer day, a bottle of chilled gold drink might be refreshing But I could not drink it every day. It makes me feel heavy and sleepy and usually I don’t feel good the text day. Although Greg likes beer, his favorite is Irish Guinness which is based on the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century. It has dark colour and characteristic taste.
Did you know that beer is the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage?
Anyway, he says that beer goes with every food and every occasion. It’s good with meat and sausages, at the party, and of course for the evening with the football match on TV. Probably, I don’t know, because I don’t watch any matches. Also I don’t like the smell of beer, and the only way I can drink it is with raspberry or cherry juice.
They say beer can have a positive impact on our health - especially for the problems with kidneys.

OK. So what about vodka , our national alcohol beverage? In Poland is usually is 40%. Personally I don’t like it and Greg neither. Polish people like to dring vodka with shots, for me the only way to drink it is mixed in a cocktail. It’s neither healthy nor good tasted. The only advantage is that you don’t need to drink a lot of it to feel drunk and nice

Well, the first impression for me wasn’t very nice at all. One thing I was thinking was - God damn it’s hudge! And till now i have been using only compact digital camers like eg. Nikon Coolpix L1, so imagine how was I confused while seeing Canon for the first time.

The thing is I really like photography and some people even say I’m good at that.. I also believe that if you want to take really nice picture, you have to find a perfect place at the perect time. And this is much easier with a small compact digital camera than hudge digital SLR… Besides, I like having my camera always with me and that’s starting to be really difficult with the Canon EOS.. Please take a look at the dimentions and the weight(!) below:

Dimentions: 129 x 98 x 62 mm (5.1 x 3.9 x 2.4 in)
Weight (no battery): 475 g (1.0 lb)

Also you can find the full specyfication of Canon EOS 450D Of course besides the weight and the dimentions, other parameters are REALLY IMPRESSING and it’s really worth reading the full review, before making final opinion..

Anyway, my point always was you can easily take great photos with small compact cameras.. As you can see I have just wrote WAS.. Yeap it took me only two or three days to totally change my mind! And to be honest the size and weight of the camera really don’t bother you when photos are so fu**** fantastic! Besides there is so much fun with setting the perfect settings for each photo.. nothing like a compact cameras!!

To sum up Canon EOS 450D is a perfect example of digital SLR for everyone who really loves taking photos, you just need a day or two with it.. In the next post I’ll try to show you few examples but I really need to choose some that you would appreciate and resize.. A LITTLE :))

Update:  Below You can find a little preview of what can You do with EOS 450D and things you’re using every day The photo is not perfect for sure - there are just to many options and settings, besides this photo was taken on the first day of my adventure with Canon.

The closing option in Canon is very powerfull, and when added matching ligthning, you can really catch nice cadr. Anyway, judge by Yourself. Please also remember that photos are much smaller now, than when they were taken (2056px x 3088px), so the quality is a little worse, but still good enought…

Have you ever drunk coffee, which you thought was the best ever? I did. And as I really like many kinds of coffee, and I drank lot of it, I know what I’m saying - there is just one company distributing coffee you need to know: Nespresso!!

They have two different kinds of coffee machines - one is for home and another one for professional use. For every machine there is a different kind of coffee capsules. But really there is no difference between them, they all taste great! And I’ve tried them all: Espresso Forte, Espresso Leggero, Caffe Forte, Caffe Leggero, Ristretto and of course Decaffeinato Lungo and Decaffeinato Intenso.

Here is the short description:

• Espresso Forte - is made of the very best pure Central and South American Arabica which gives it very rich, distinctive flavor and aroma. Drink it strong and black with a little bit of milk and lightly sweeten.
• Espresso Legero - roasted in true Italian style, this blend of Latin American Arabica and West African Robusta is distinctive for its intensity with a hint of delicate bitterness. It offers a harmony of taste, both mild and aromatic.
• Caffe Forte - a pure Arabica made from the finest Latin American beans. This deeply velvety, rich and intense coffee is best savored in a large cup, with or without milk.
• Caffe Leggero - blended from the finest Arabicas from Latin America and East Africa, this intensely aromatic coffee distinguishes itself by its fruity bouquet and mildness.
• Decaffeinato - decaffeinated naturally, it reveals a full-bodied yet subtle flavor derived from its blend of Latin American Arabicas with a touch of Robusta.

Also there are seasonal flavours, which are always delicious. The last one was Jinogalpa Special Club 2008 - a coffee full of flavours. A product of the Nicaraguan earth, it has been given intensity and a wealth of aromas. On tasting, this pure Arabica reveals subtle sandalwood tones and refreshing herbal notes.

It’s also very easy to make a great real cappuccino!! You need just a bit of milk - a little tube with hot air makes your milk into a foam. Then you refiil your cup with coffee and it’s done!

There is another good quality of Nespresso - the coffee capsule of course. Why? Two reasons. First is that the coffe is always fresh sealed with it’s aroma inside the capsule. And the second one is that there is hardly anything to clean! The used capsule goes to the little container which makes the machine very quick and easy to keep clean! For me- very important!

If you didn’t try any of Nespresso coffee yet - I recomend you do that!