It was a fun weekend. Been to Arno concert at Palac Akropolis; Arthur's (a fellow toastmaster from Bohemian toastmaster club) speech video record at Casa Luisitana, Karlin, Praha; Depressive photo Exhibition of Gregory Crewdson at Rudolfinium; Museum of the Prague city, incl. Prague's coffeeterias exhibit and historic/modern images exhibit; Gypsy music at studio Rubin. Here are photos.

Horoscope for Russian readers.

• Photo report from SUN Tech Days in Saint Petersburg.
• Photo report from my 1st social event with Czechs/(other photos). 1st!!! Believe it or not but it took me 2,5 years in Prague to be invited for a social event by Czech colleagues. I don't know if I had a bad luck or it is really Czechs being a closed society. I believe in many other countries it would have happened much earlier.
• Photo report from the concert of a French band Les Touffes Kretiennes and opening of the Febiofest 2008.

Been to a great concert of Rihanna. But the most important I had a great and fun company to go with. So it was another cool day with Ivanna. Despite it was snowing and cold.



Photos are here.

Great weekend we have been up to:

• Have met a girl, who I was thinking was my classmate visiting from Kiev, who has contacted me via odnoklassniki.ru community site, and later on I have figured out that we actually have never been a classmates before, but she has just got on my friends list by chance. Interesting and fun, huh?!
  
• But we had a great fun climbing to the Petrin Hill Tower, that offered a best city overview in the sunny weather. Definitely it is my favorite tower location in the city now.
• Been to the Birthday party of a friend Aisa. Congratulations, darling!
• On Sunday: Iva's friend Nadia took us by her lovely little silver Skoda Fabia to a nice town neighboring Prague - Teplice. We were very surprised by the picturesque areas around it and the noble history of this spa city itself.
  

Photos here.

During the last weekend we have been up to:

• Angelka, sister's friend from Kiev was on a biz training here in Prague and stopped by our home.
  
• Motorbike exhibition at Vystaviste.
• Checked the dentist emergency service, since Iva has a "wise tooth" appearing.
  
• Saw the Japanese movie, within OneWorld festival -Mechanical Love.

Photos here.

• Yesterday seen quite a cool move:

Mechanical Love / Mechanical
LovePhie Ambo / Denmark / 2007 / 79 min.
The ability to love and be loved is one of the basic definitions of humans. Nevertheless, as modern technology increasingly encroaches upon people's everyday lives, this idea might need to be redefined, i.e. how does artificial intelligence fit into this concept? Director Phie Ambo follows the story of Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro from Osaka University who creates a Geminoid – a remote–controlled duplicate of himself – and prepares to introduce him to his wife and daughter. Another Japanese scientist creates an artificial baby seal called Paro, who keeps lonely and mentally handicapped people company and demonstrably increases their brain activity as a result. The animal–robot responds to the voice of its owners and can even "remember" its name with the aid of sensors. Naturally, these innovations necessarily give rise to some ethical questions: Is it right to allow someone to live under the illusion that they are "loved" by a machine, which does not have the same feelings for them? And then there is the old question about robotics itself: If machines can replace us, are we therefore not totally redundant?

• Today is preparing myself to see quite a difficult one. But I prefer to see the reality how it is even if it is something very, very unpleasant.

On the Edge. Six Episodes on AIDS in Ukraine / Am Rande. Sechs Kapitel über AIDS in der Ukraine
Karsten Hein / Germany / 2006 / 105 min.
Ukraine has one of the highest rates of AIDS in Europe. According to the official statistics, 26,000 people in the country are HIV positive. In reality 200,000 to 300,000 Ukrainians are infected and experts from non–governmental organisations describe the situation as a rising epidemic. This alarming situation has probably also been facilitated by the changes of the past two decades, which robbed people of their certainties and stable social order, leaving many lost in the process. In six chapters, this film examines the issue from all possible angles and pays attention to the other problems that are connected with the spread of HIV, particularly drugs, prostitution and infected children. The director not only presents several people suffering from this insidious disease, but also shows workers from non–profit organisations who are striving to temper the consequences of the illness for both individuals and society as a whole.

• OneWorld photos.

With Ivanna we were on the opening of the 10th One world / Jeden Svet documentary film festival in Lucerna, Praha. Very unusual presentation with toy theater, founders speeches and very emotionally strong movie The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo story about consequences of war resulted in raped and assaulted women in Democratic Republic of Congo that was pesented by it's director of the film Lisa F. Jackson. I have been working in Kinshasa, DRC for 6 month and I felt the movie is objective in showing this narrow problem, but the move does not show and analyzes the much bigger problem of a social catastrophe resulted by the civilian war. I would say the situation in DRC is similar to 1945 in Europe, when some places were completely devastated by war and building of a new social society has to be done from zero.

Yesterday in small hall of Svetozor seen Czech documentary Pul Ctvrte (http://www.pulctvrte.cz) about the simple live of people in the Ukrainian village in Carpathian region, close to the highest Ukrainian mountain Goverla. The film is said to be about the "rich live in poor region". Either it is only a story about one region and does not compares the regions of the countly for example with modern and wealthy capital Kiev, or advanced Odessa or Lviv, I still found it funny and interesting, very realistic from insider point of view. It made me think were Ukraine and myself are now and were I want myself and Ukraine to be and how to get there. Which values are really important to me. Recommend to watch.

La Pelicula 2008 - Spanish Film Festival in Prague. Visited the opening today at KinoSvetozor. Photos.
Movies I have seen:

• La Dama Boba - it was an opening of the festival at Svetozor. Unfortunately the director an main actress could not attend the opening as planned. But even without knowing a word in Spanish I felt it was funny, romantic and nice love story.
  
• Obaba - interesting movie. A flash back to beautiful village in Spain and the multiple storylines about graduates of the local school. Nice images. Great if you love to feel how different time runs in small places and corners - not like in big cities.

Move I have not seen since all tickets has been sold out prior a 5 days - Yo soy La Juani / official website. Hope to see it some other time and place.

Saturday, Feb 24th day trip to JindrichuvHradec in photos.

Now my favorite cartoon "Adventures of Vrungel(Liar ;-)) Captain" / "Приключения капитана Врунгеля" from childhood is available online. Sofar for free view.

Fri, 15 Feb - Sun, 17th Feb. Great weekend meeting with friends (ex-AIESEC trainees in Ostrava, ex-rommates) Dominic, who flew from Basel, Switzerland and Pieter, Netherlands who hosted us in Rotterdam and was guiding our Party Squad through Rotterdam, Scheveningen, Amsterdam.

Photo report here.

Music of the moment - I'm from Holland by Bobby Burns feat. Casablanca Connect:

Songs of today:

• Когда мои друзья со мной. When my friends with me - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Voys6mQug9s
• Голубой Вагон. Blue cart - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j95qCtdpmlc
  

Song of the yesterday

I saw new documentary about Czech photographer Jan Saudek who became world known before he got recognition in his own home country after 1989. I recommend to see it. It is unusual and interesting perspective on live through eyes of one man. I believe he made art from nudity, differentiated from what otherwise could be seen as pornography.

Been to the Festival of Contemporary Japanese Film. Saw: Ramblers and Bright Future. I liked "Ramblers" more due to some unusual humor.

Fantastic holidays at home in Ukraine is just over. I'm back to Prague from Sat, 5th Jan, 2008. What a memories. I don't really have many words. It is just pure emotions...highest state of mind. Here are some fantastic moments in photos.

and music of the moment...

My preliminary plan for Christmas and New Year vocation 2007/2008:

V Jaremche ostanovlus zdes:
http://karpaty.nezabarom.com.ua/yaremche/fortuna/984/photo/ -150 hrn
predlojyli 2x mestny polulux vmesto standartnogo 2x mestny nomer
http://www.karpaty.info/ua/uk/if/jr/jaremche/houses/fortuna/
-500 м від центру міста
-skoree budem odni v dome iz 3h nomerov (tak chto mesto prisoedinitsya est...)
-WC/dush v nomere
-ryadom chastnaja kuhnya 50hrn s chel za zavtrak i ujyn


14 Dec, Fri - last work day at work, WFH, packing.

15 Dec, Sat - by bus going Prague to Lvov, 85 USD
16 Dec, Sun - by marshrutka going Lvov to Lutsk, 5 USD, buy train ticket Kiev-Lvov on 19th (if no ticket stay in Lutsk, take tickets train to Lvov on morning 20th Dec)
17 Dec, Mon - Lutsk, 10 USD
18 Dec, Tue - Lutsk to Kiev by car with Lisa, 20 USD
19 Dec, Wed - Kiev, evening departure by train to Lvov, 30 USD
20 Dec, Thur - by train from Lutsk to Lviv, Iva by train N 085 arrives to Lviv 13:50, excursion around Lviv, by marshrutka going to Jaremche (2,5hours one way, 5USD), from 10+20, znat kak budem vozvrashcatsya v Kiev 27 Dec i esli poezdom to kupit obratnye bilety.
21 Dec, Fri - Karpaty (Jaremche), 15USD accomodation + 10 USD food + 15USD snow equipment rent per person
22 Dec, Sat - Karpaty (Jaremche), 15USD accomodation + 10 USD food + 15USD snow equipment rent per person
23 Dec, Sun - excursion to Ivano-Frankivsk, 15USD accomodation + 10 USD food per person +10 USD for transportation.
24 Dec, Mon - Karpaty (Jaremche), 15USD accommodation + 10 USD food per person - Lisa or mam or pap join us in Karpaty
25 Dec, Tue - Karpaty (Jaremche), 15USD accommodation + 10 USD food + 15USD snow equipment rent per person - Lisa or mam or pap join us in Karpaty
26 Dec, Wed - Karpaty (Jaremche), 15USD accommodation + 10 USD food + 15USD snow equipment rent per person - Lisa or mam or pap join us in Karpaty
27 Dec, Thur - going from Karpaty to Kiev, likely by car with Pap or Liza, (70 USD total) or train (20-30 USD per person)
28 Dec, Fri - Kiev, 15 USD babushka Dina greeting
29 Dec, Sat - Kiev, 15 USD buy return train tickets for Iva Kiev-Crimea or Odessa-Crimea.
30 Dec, Sun - Kiev, 15 USD / alternative going to Odessa by car with Liza
31 Dec, Mon - Kiev, NY celebration, 30 USD / alternative going to Odessa by car with Liza
1 Jan, Tue - Kiev, 15 USD / alternative going to Odessa by car with Liza
2 Jan, Wed - Kiev, Iva by train back Kiev-Crimea, 20-30 USD / alternative coming back to Kiev from Odessa by car with Liza and Ivanna back to Odessa-Crimea by train.
3 Jan, Thur - Kiev, 15 USD
4 Jan, Fri - by bus going from Kiev to Prague, 85 USD
5 Jan, Sat - Prague
6 Jan, Sun - Prague

7 Jan, Mon - back to work

Friend, Andrew sent me a photo and a text report (in Russsian) about his trip to CZ some time ago. Nice observations about Krusovice and Karlovy Vary.

Had a Turkish evening party at home yesterday. Rommate Fhari has invited his Turkish friends and cooked a fantastic meals. Yammy. I wish we have more Turkish evenings like this... ;-)

This is 2nd year in a row when I'm helping to organize the presence of the French Embassy at the International Charity Bazaar at Hilton Hotel. The whole event is organized by Diplomatic Ladies Association (DLA), which is union of ambassador's wifes to Czech Republic. The event is supported by the Mme Klausova, the wife of the President of Czech Republic. The President of the DLA is Mme Helene Fries, wife of French ambassador. She is in charge of both representing the French table and the event in general. I was helping mostly with French table mostly.

The way it works - each embassy contacts the companies and organizations they know to donate for the event i- either money or products for sale. Donated products are then sold at the bazaar at the discounted prices so it would sell faster and buyer would be more happy. All received money are then donated to the charities. For the general public there is a small fee (50Kc/2,5USD) for entrance with is also a source of income that goes to charity. But overall it worth visiting since it is a unique opportunity to shop for cool products from around the world at discount. ;-)

Also as the way networking works I had a change to invite my friend and colleague and a professional photographer (at the beginning of his photography career) from work Tomasz Slota (from Poland) to take the photo report of the event. Here you may see the result:

http://tomslot.info/Bazaar2007 /any my few shots

Overall the event was great fun and I'm packed with my Christmas and New Year gifts thanks to it.