Melfka’s Birthday Week
My birthdays have always been the “me” time. I can count on the fingers of one hand the few events I could consider my “birthday parties”, but I never really minded it. Each year I’ve tried to schedule time off school (which also meant skipping the lectures of university when I could) or off work, and did whatever sparked my fancy. Which, mostly, mean doing nothing, playing video games, or trying that weird cake recipe. My birthday was always the day I celebrated surviving yet another year, and becoming if not smarter, then at least more experienced when it comes to mistakes being made.
Yet, my friends still manage to make my birthday special in one way or the other. (more…)
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February 28, 2017
It’s almost a year since I closed the door of my Irish apartment 
Last year I had a chance to read a series of urban fantasy novels set in Ireland. I did it partially by my friend’s recommendation, and also as a part of my own comparative research for the novel set in Dublin I’ve been working on. And even though I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the story, reading each chapter of these books made me die inside a little. 
I’ve planned a few more posts before this one, but it seems that Christmas time tends to affect routines even if someone is not traveling, preparing a big celebration, or hosting family members, and the end of the year had sneaked on me almost unnoticed, so here I am, writing last minute summary of 2016 which for me personally didn’t turn out too bad of a year. 
It’s been quite a while since I’ve last posted my music inspirations, even though my 
I was born in a country where Halloween tradition doesn’t exist, so I missed all the candy-collecting fun as a child, but the holiday itself had always seemed mesmerizing to me, especially in its darker and spookier way. The lanterns in the dark, the ghosts wandering between this world and another… What’s there for a speculative writer to not like? 
The other day we’ve met our neighbor heading out with his dog and his camera. “It’s this time of the year,” he said with a smile. I also watch the growing display of Halloween decorations in stores (many more than what I was used to in Ireland) and the biggest pumpkins I’ve ever seen (which in a way proves the cliche saying that “everything is bigger in America”). Because, yeah, it’s this time of the year too.
One would think that writing keeps me so occupied, I don’t have time for any other hobby, and in a way it does, though at this point I consider my writing more of a job than a hobby. I try to do it daily, and I still do it for fun, but also with quality in mind, and I write with a mindset of one day getting my work out there.
When over eight years ago I boarded the plane for the first time ever, I couldn’t help wondering whether I’d like flying. I still remember the first step I made on the steps leading up and the moment my other foot left the ground… My last step on the Polish ground for who knew how long: I was just about to immigrate to Ireland—excited, anticipating, maybe a bit worried—but I still couldn’t resist thinking of flying. After all, it’s the dreamer’s ultimate dream, isn’t it? 
They say that writing is a lonely business, and in a way it’s true: when you sit down to write, the whole world ceases to exist as you traverse to another one, to the one in your head. Someone might be sitting beside you, figuratively holding your hand, but you’re still somewhat on your own with the text you’re writing.