22. HISHE : How It Should Have Ended

As I mentioned in my previous post, there are several YouTube channels that improve my English. The first channel I wrote about was Screen Junkies's the Honest trailers whose goal is to entertain you through reviews read by magnificent Jon "Epic Voice Guy" Biley. Now it's time for HISHE.

In terms of content it's a similar channel to the previous one. Here, voice actor skills are paired with great animation. The creators show us alternative solutions that would often make lives of movie characters much easier but were consiously (or not) ignored so that a movie wasn't too short. Or the ridiculous ones that had no sense whatsoever but appeared in a movie script anyway. Have you ever asked yourself a question watching a movie like "why didn't he/she do that or that, he/she would have survived" or something like that? Well, that's a channel for you. They are laughing at lazy writing (as well as the Honest trailers).

If you're a fan of Batman or Superman, you'd love it as these two often meet each other to drink some cofee and sometimes even to talk with characters from a particular movie about their adventures in that particular production. Soon the place became a cofee shop for good guys. After some time bad guys were offered their own. So, it's no longer a comical reaction to some movies, it's a universe on its own where the boundaries beetween movies don't exist. It's a great fun and English lesson as well.

Highly recommended!

SPOILERS ALERT!

21. Screen Junkies (Honest trailers)

I still lack effective ways to work on speaking, however thanks to the Internet I can listen to English speakers and boost my vocabulary and expressions every day. There are several YouTube channels that help me improve me English and today I'd like to show you one of them.

Screen Junkies channel has accompagned me since high school. Back then it was extremely difficult for me to catch up with the legendery Epic Voice Guy but I watched it anyway. That was a challenge I really liked to face because of the efforts the creators put into each "honest trailer".

However, I should have started by explaining what the Honest Trailers really is. Well, it's a project created by Screen Junkies. Their content focuses mainly on pop culture. When it comes to the HT, these guys become sort of critics. They make movie, TV series and game reviews in a really entertaining way thanks to their comical remarks concerning plot and characters and (or maybe first of all) because of the guy who has been reading their scripts for more than six years. Jon Biley, who is more known by his pseudonym "epic movie voice guy", is the star of the show. He has everything in his voice to make you smile. He modulates it so that he sounds like a classic trailer voice-over artist. And the results are hilarious; his voice is spot-on.

Thanks to the channel learning English isn't just an obligation but also a pleasure. I could write about it for hours but I think it'd be better if you see it for yourselves.

SPOILERS ALERT!

PS. The channel is constantly growing. Nowadays it's so popular that even some movie directors / screen writers admit that while doing a movie they try to avoid mistakes the Honest Trailers writers could joke about in their clips.

PPS. Sometimes they are even invited to react to the HT review of their own movie. For example :

20. Pyrkon

          Have you ever heard about Pyrkon? Do you know it's one of the largest fantasy convents in Europe? But first of all, what does "Pyrkon" mean?
          I'll start with etymology. "Pyr-" is derived from "pyry" what in Greater Poland's (one of the 16 Polish voivodes) dilect means "potatoes". "-kon" comes from "konwent" (= convent). Greater Poland is facetiously called by some Pyrlandia which means "the land of potatoes". Knowing all of that we can figure out that Pyrkon is a convent that takes place in the Land of Potatoes, in Poznań more precisely, which is the capital of Greater Poland.
          Each year the attendance is growing. Last year there were up to 44,000 participants.

          It started in one of the public schools in Poznań and now it takes place in MTP (Międzynarodowe Targi Poznańskie = Poznań International Fair), which is huge. 

          Pyrkon is what all fantasy addicts need. There are plenty of things to see like :
- lectures about franchises a lot of us love (Harry Potter, the Lord of the Rings, the Witcher, Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes, video game / comic book franchises and many more) or things related to them, for example slavic / nordic / celtic mythology ; if you are a fan of a particular movie, video game, comic book, book, TV series in the fantasy or science fiction genre you'll find something interesting in Pyrkon's program for sure
- shows at the main arena (medieval sword fights, martial arts, extraordinary team games, dance workshops, etc.)
- masquarade (professional cosplay contest)
- integration places
- comic book reading rooms
- larps (live action role-playing ; players become actors in an improvised storytelling)
- meetings with fameous guests (writers, actors, publishers, sometimes directors like last year Tomasz Bagiński, vlogers / Youtube "celebrities" like Marek Hucz and Jan Jurkowski from Polish Youtube channel G.F. Darwin or Jon "Epic voice guy" Biley from Honest Trailers, or even with musicians since this year there will be meetings with Percival)
- places to eat and to socialize with other Pyrkon lovers
- places to play board games 
- entire building devoted to merchants who sell things many geeks would die for (mugs, pillows, accessories from games / movies etc., comic books, mangas, oriental food, sweets included, posters, figures, toys, playing cards, bookmarks, etc.) and even more (gothic / medieval clothes, armors, swords, jewellery, handmade too, etc.)

          There is also a place to sleep and to drink (the second one only if you're adult).
          Each year Pyrkon lasts three days and this time it starts on may 18th. Based on my experience, if you attend it with a group of friends or with your family, it's wonderful. It's a huge must-see not only beacuse of the attractions, but also for its great ambience. People there are more than friendly: you become part of a greater family.
          There are two drawbacks when I think about Pyrkon. Firstly, there are moments you can feel this whole Pyrkon family is too numerous; because of that it's more and more often called Kolejkon ("kolej-" comes from a Polish word "kolejka", ang. "a queue"). Secondly, unfortunately each year it becomes more and more expensive. Still, it's a fantastic adventure and something all of you should experience. 

PS. There's no way you can find me if you go there. This year I'll become a ninja...

Peace out

19. Batgirl

          My English classes made me think about my childhood. I remember I was rather a shy and calm child. There wasn't many kids nearby so most of the time I played alone in the garden or at home during cold days. However, I did have some adventures and I had friends with whom I was "discovering" the world. There are planty of stories I'd like to write down here on this blog but this time I'll focuse on something that happened when I was alone.
          Bored almost to death I started to look at nearby trees with interest. Until that moment I didn't consider them as toys. I'd never tried to climb a tree before. But then I found the one whose brenches were low enough for me to catch them. First, I used them as a swing. Then I decided to try "something no one had ever done before" and while swinging I turned upside down. While the tree was probably crying for help, I was proud of my courage and my "bat" skills. You know, it's obvious that bats stick to the thin brenches full of leaves and pull it to the ground. I did it many times, I showed off to my friends and encouraged them to do it themselves. Thinking about it as a young adult I'm glad / surprised that all of us survived.

18. Le SNU (Service National Universel)

          It's time for another dose of information based on my project prepared for French classes. This time my goal was to talk about a topic that was vividly discussed in French speaking coutries. I've chosen le SNU or le Service National Universel. I think the meaning can be easily understood if one speaks English so I won't try to translate it. 
           Le SNU is all about French gouvernment wanting to prepare the youth for the unexpected in everyday life, what in case of France is rather undestandable taking into account its relatively frequent terrorist attacks. Emmanuel Macron announced the project before even becoming president. He made it clear in 2015: the French will have to fullfil a military service which then transformed into a three-stage "course" carried out by trachers. The first two stages will probably be obligatory. In case of adults it wont' be for sure since according to some French politicians it could be considered illegal and in contradiction with the European Convention on Human Rights.

          The first stage concerns teenagers aged from 11 to 16. It's goal is to teach the young how to behave in critical situations and how to help people who are hurt; basically, resistance to stress and first aid. 
          There is alternative during the second stage. One can volunteer in a society helping homeless people or spend a week in a sort of boarding school during holidays. Emmanuel Macron want them to learn about fraternity and diversity. It'll be prepared for 16 years olds.  
          Finally, the last stage is for young men and women who want to serve the country as a soldier or a civic service worker.  
          The French, frankly speaking, seem to be less than eager to do what the president expect them to do. Young people are reluctant and probably afraid in regards to this plan (for them it might be a step towards obligatory military service). The politicians are also concerned as Emmanuel Macron's election promise is expensive. On the contrary, the president of France considers it a way to make his country better.

17. Easter's coming...

It’s almost Easter eve so I’d like to wish you all a happy time with people you love, a familial, peaceful ambience and a healthy and reasonable Easter feast. 

As a French language student, I’ve prepared some cool French expressions related to the upcoming event. First of all, here are some basics:

Easter – Pâques

Easter eggs – les oeufs de Pâques

Happy Easter – Joyeuses Pâques

Easter Day – jour de Pâques

Easter holidays – vacances de Pâques

At Easter – à Pâques

And now, let’s see some French proverbs related to Easter.

FR Se faire poissonnier la veille de Pâques

ENG Lock the barn door after the horse has bolted

FR Noël au balcon, Pâques au tison

ENG A warm Christmas means a cold Easter

FR A Pâques ou à la Trinité

ENG On the twelfth of never / When it’s Christmas in July

Joyeuses Pâques!

16. Making “HoDdeok” – Korean perspective

Recently (yesterday, to be honest), I found out about an interesting Youtube channel. It belongs to a Korean guy who presents content on Korean and Polish language and culture. As much fascinating as his other videos really are, I’d like to focus on something specific and go back in time to one of my previous blog entries at the same time, more precisely, to the Sweetness of Korean cuisine. I explained there how to prepare an oriental pancake, which I truly love till this day and I think I finally learned how to make them taste marvelous.

I’ll explain it one more time, briefly : hotddeok is a Korean yeast pancake filled with sweet sauce (sugar, cinnamon and nuts optionally).

I found a rather simple recipe in Polish on the Internet, tried it out and then I decided to write about it on my blog. I was convinced that a “real Korean hoddeok” is made differently. Guess what, it’s not necessarily the case! There are some small differences between Korean and Polish ingredients; however, the outcome seems pretty much the same. I learned about it thanks to Korea Kolega channel. The montage of his videos is really Korean, I’d say. So, this is a great opportunity for those who don't know how Korean TV really works.