NADA DE NADA

2009-06-26T11:36:00.002-04:00

You Didn't Deserve to Go Like This. Rest in Peace

2008-11-04T21:48:00.001-05:00

BARACK OBAMA IS THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I'm happy. Now let's see what's next.

2008-11-04T05:53:00.006-05:00

VOTE FOR OBAMA 3

If you don't go today and VOTE FOR OBAMA, tomorrow this could be your president if McCain suffers a heart attack. And she's ignorant, stupid, and uses big words to say nothing. Sarah Palin doesn't know the name of the Canadian prime minister or the fact that Johnny Holiday could not be Sarkozy's American adviser. The United States don't need metaphors and idiocy, they need facts and willingness. They need OBAMA. The world needs OBAMA.

Vote for McCain = Vote for Palin = Vote for disaster
Support for Obama, but not going to vote = Vote for McCain = Vote for Palin = Vote for disaster
VOTE FOR OBAMA = VOTE FOR THE LAST CHANCE THERE IS

2008-11-02T13:03:00.008-05:00

Obama Lost because of Mirela

This is the best idea I've seen in a long time. GO VOTE FOR OBAMA! You wouldn't want the weight of such a loss on your shoulders.

Mariana, you've made my day!

2008-10-25T11:46:00.001-04:00

Vote for Obama 2 - Sarah Silverman

The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

2008-10-06T10:56:00.004-04:00

Privind în cruciş

1. Cum n-aveam internet acasă, într-o marţi seara m-am uitat şi eu la "Gran Hermano" în Spania, să mai pierd ceva timp pe la 10.00 noaptea. Am rămas stupefiată când am auzit deodată pe fundal o melodie românească ce suna tare mult a manea. Şocul a fost amplificat de un anunţ apărut ulterior în josul paginii, care mă invita să formez nu ştiu ce număr pentru a descărca miunata melodie habar n-am care a lui Florin Salam. Se pare că şi televiziunea spaniolă s-a adaptat cerinţelor spectatorilor săi români şi-a zis că, dacă tot trebuie să-i suporte, măcar să scoată un profit de pe urma lor.

2. În Spania există imensa obsesie a repartizării salariului până la sfârşitul lunii. Cand m-am dus pe 23 septembrie cu o hârtie de 50 să cumpăr o pâine, vanzătoarea mi-a spus printre z-mbete că sunt tare norocoasă sşi că ar trebui să fiu dată drept exemplu. N-am mai stat să-i explic că pentru mine era un fel de început de lună, că nu aveam mai mult de 9 zile de stat acolo. După câteva zile, mergând să-mi deschid un cont la bancă, descopăr o broşură care îmi promitea să mă ajute să ajung la final de lună cu bani în buzunar. Încă n-am intrat în panică... poate pentru că n-a trecut o lună de stat acolo.

3. Tot din cauza lipsei de internet, până să încep cursurile mă duceam şi eu la internet cafe să îl mai informez pe soţul meu în legătură cu vieţişoara mea de pe-acolo. A se lua în seamă faptul că locuiesc în Cerdanyola del Vallés, un orăşel aflat la jumătate de oră de Barcelona, deci nu chiar în buricul târgului. M-am trezit înconjurată de o mare de români care comunică numai prin enumerarea diferitelor denumiri ale anumitor organe. Am ajuns să mă bucur atunci că pot fi cnfundată cu o rusoaică sau poloneză, pentru că nu insitam neapărat să ajung să fac parte forţat din grupul lor.

4. Din motive destul de serioase, a trebuit să mai pompez nişte adrenalină şi să mă întorc pentru 1-2 săptămâni în Montreal. Problema prezintă două aspecte pozitive, dintre care unul este faptul că-mi revăd soţul. Al doilea aspect pozitiv TREBUIE să se facă simţit mâine. Partea proastă este că pierd o grămadă de cursuri dintr-un an de Masterat, ceea ce sigur se va resimţi mai târziu. Asta ca să nu mai pomenesc banii daţi pe avion, dar ce contează, că doar soţul e izvor nesecat. Ştiam că la un moment dat va trebui să fac această deplasare, dar parcă nu mă aşteptam să sosească atât de repede scadenţa.

2008-09-03T05:34:00.003-04:00

Simple Makes Nice

When accepting and delivering translations to the company I work for, I usually end my messages by writing "have a nice day", "enjoy your weekend", or any other such appropriate wish. Sometimes I also use "best regards", but I find that somewhat cold, so I just insert it, for variety, when I know I will soon be sending another message to the same person. I don't like the "sincerely yours" ending, for instance, although I do insert it when writing a pretty official message; after all, do I need to add "sincerely" to prove that I'm truthful :-)? Furthermore, does that mean I belong to every person I write to?
Anyway, after having sent my translations today, I received two messages from the person that handled them. The first one thanked me for the work, but the second one, which had been sent after one minute, thanked me and wished me a nice day as well.
Sometimes I think that people are too busy to care about such details, and that they might even think I'm sort of childish, but I keep adding these simple wishes because, after all, who doesn't need a nice day? Or at least a wish for it? Well, today's messages prove that sometimes people take notice. So I'll keep on doing it.

Image source: ThinkUKnow.co.uk

2008-08-30T10:52:00.007-04:00

Daily Conversations

First phone call
My mom: "Mirela, there's been some sort of bacteria they found in Canada, in Toronto, I think, and some people have died because of it. It's found in meat, so pleeeeaaaase be careful not to eat too much meat and look at the package carefully."
Me: "Don't worry, mom, we don't east that much meat during the summer, and I always look at the expiration date when I buy it." (at that time, I had no idea there even existed such a warning, and it didn't impress me too much; I had bigger fish to fry and worry about. The only thing I knew I had to do was to assure my mom we'd be fine).

Second phone call:
Hypermarket (machine): "We'd like o inform you that there's been a warning issued regarding the product XXX that you bought from us. Although it is not on the list of potentially contaminated meats, we have been asked to withdraw it from circulation and to ask all customers to bring back the product so that they're reimbursed."
My husband: "Oooo Kkkk..."

- Ten days had passed since we had bought the product. It was for my husband's work, and, since it was very tasty and light, I had also eaten a considerable part of it. We had 3 slices left.-

First reading

Me: "It's not on the list, but it did come from that plant. I've just read some info and it says the number of the plant, which is identical with the one on the package. It says between three weeks and 70 days could pass before any signs appear, after which it is already too late . I'll go get my analisis done tomorrow, and depending on my result, you'll either take a day off now, or you'll have them done before I leave, during your vacation."
My husband: "Don't worry, I'm sure it's nothing serious. They're just being extra cautious. Go have your analysis done, so that you can leave with a light heart, but you'll see it's nothing. If you got listeriosis, it's from that mouthwash you use, Listerine. (trying to make a joke which didn't really work on me at that time)"

First visit to the clinic
Me: "I wouldn't want to seem crazy, I'm not a hypochondriac or paranoid, but I've just received this call and I would like to get some analysis done to make sure I don't have listeriosis."
Receptionist (smiling ironically and speaking loudly): "Miss, there's been no recorded cases in Quebec, so we don't have the required analysis. We wouldn't want to cause panic among people. If you want, you can call this number."

Second reading
Me: "It's on the new list! Obviously. At first there were 3, but now 15 people have died."

I have to say I'm somewhat scared. And the irony is that the way authorities and medical staff handles the issue is what made me so. I understant there's no analysis available yet here, but don't laugh in my face and tell me you don't want to panica people. I was the one who got the phone call, so I didn't just start inventing symptoms out of some sort of hypochondriac issue. There's been no recorded deaths in Quebec yet? OK, so we need a few casualties before we can start protecting and informing people. I try very hard not to exagerate, but it's kind of hard when you know you're leaving in two weeks to a country that most certainly does not have the means to detect or treat such a disease, while leaving your husband alone, who's known for not being the first to go see a doctor. Although you realize the odds are in your favour, knowing that there is a remote possibility to feel sick only after more than two months can cause you anxiety.
I just hope no one else gets sick and dies. Maybe it could be contained. You know it's unlikely to get sick, but it's a grim feeling, nevertheless.

2008-08-24T18:25:00.006-04:00

Elefantelul in magazinul cu borcane :-)

In ultimele luni m-am straduit sa-i gatesc sotului felurile sale preferate, avand in vedere ca in curand voi pleca si el nu este pasionat de invartitul tigailor sau de aburitul oalelor. Am ales sa fac pui in stil Honolulu, dar am uitat sa cumpar ardei copti, unul din ingredientele esentiale. Cum acesta se adauga la urma, am pregatit mancarica si, pe mla ora la care stiam ca va sosi de la munca, i-am dat un apel, cerandu-mi scuze ca-l rog sa faca efortul de-a culege de la magazin un borcan de ardei copti.
Este important de stiut ca ardeii copti se gasesc pe toate rafturile, in timp ce gogosarii murati nu prea exista in magazine. De fiecare data cand am avut nevoie, a trebuit sa merg pe la magazinele romanesti ca sa am cu ce pregati salata de boeuf, de exemplu.
Revenind la istoria initiala, ma trezesc cu sotiorul acasa, obosit mort, cu apele curgand pe el dupa atata munca, dar mandru ca mi-a adus doua borcane de ardei copti. Sau de gogosari murati.
Cum as fi putut sa-l cert ca mi-a venit acasa cu asa ceva, cand era amarat ca vai de el si bucuros, in acelasi timp, ca mi-a adus ce i-am cerut? N-am putut insa sa nu rad cu drag de el si sa nu-l intreb cum a facut de-a reusit sa descopere gogosarii murati pe care-i caut de ani de zile, si nu a vazut sirurile de borcane cu ardei copti. Pai s-a dus la raftul de alimente biologice, pe la care eu nu dau nici sa ma pici cu ceara.
Eh, macar acum am cu ce sa-i fac salata de boeuf, chiar daca nu planuisem.
Stiu ca femeile isi au locul la cratita (da, da!) si ca barbatii au spirit de vanatori, dar oare barbatii sunt programati genetic sa nu faca deosebirea intre borcane? Sau intre orice feluri de alimente? (cica si tatal lui ii aducea mamei patrunjel in loc de leustean). Bine ca de Pasti fac eu cumparaturile, ca altfel m-as putea trezi ca fac ciorba de cal in loc de miel.

2008-08-20T23:28:00.003-04:00

Montreal Rules Monopoly

While reading about the new Monopoly version, I was extremely curious to find out which cities would replace Boardwalk and Park Place, the two spots I would be able to kill for while playing the game. My husband knows the drill and even when he ends up with both of them, we still work out some sort of a deal and they become mine.
Big was my surprise (and disappointment) to find out that MONTREAL ( say what?) would be taking Boardwalk's place, while Riga would come in second, on the Park Place spot. Montreal, you say? How about Rome, Madrid, London, Barcelona? Why Montreal? And why are there three Canadian cities on the board? The answer is simple: Canadians are a very proud people, I have to give them that, and are French Canadians are even worse. They knew about the proposal, they voted, and they got it.
I know that from now on I'll be fighting for the light blue, red and orange properties, all for sentimental reasons.
The winning cities are:

Dark Blue: Montreal, Riga
Green: Cape Town, Belgrade, Paris
Yellow: Jerusalem, Hong Kong, Beijing
Red: London, New York, Sydney
Orange: Vancouver, Shanghai, Rome
Magenta: Toronto, Kyiv, Istanbul
Light Blue: Athens, Barcelona, Tokyo
Brown: Taipei, Gdynia

By the way, Toronto is so much more beautiful than Montreal. And Quebec is absolutely gorgeous. And I'm kind of sad that Bucharest (or Constanta :-D ) are not there, but what could I expect?

Source: CTV

2008-08-15T21:14:00.008-04:00

Saint Joseph's Oratory Moments

I had no idea there were pilgrims who would climb the stairs to an Oratory on their knees. Do they feel like they get closer to God by doing this? If He wanted us to go through such pain, why did He send Jesus to us? On the other hand, if you still want to show your humility and remorse, I'd better see you on a cross, with blood gushing from your hands and feet.
When did it become fashionable to have your picture taken while you light candles for the ones you love? I know the votive chapel was mesmerizing, I did take some pictures myself, but I didn't feel the need to appear in them! While you're at it, why not take pictures of you hi-fiving Jesus's statue or french kissing Virgin Mary's icons?
Among other things that impressed me (the whole Oratory is breathtaking), there were two places where you could get guidebooks with information about the Oratory's history and attractions, to say so. The amazing thing is that they weren't sold by anyone. You could take them freely, but you were kindly asked by a few written signs to put 2 dollars in the box next to the case. I saw some people taking a leaflet and leaving one toonie, and I saw many more grabbing the book and continuing their way without becoming 2 dollars poorer. Maybe they missed the signs. Or maybe they didn't.

2008-08-06T01:31:00.006-04:00

Cum ne-ar denumi extratereştrii dac-ar vorbi română?

În timp ce mă ocupam eu frumuşel de traducerea filmului "Meet Dave", dau la un moment dat de cuvântul "alien", pe care, evident, trebuia să-l înlocuiesc cu echivalentul din română. Instantaneu antenuţele îmi transmit termenul "extraterestru", aşa că dau să-mi continuu liniştită treaba. Dar stai aşa, că nu-i aşa! Extraterestru, dacă nu mă înşel eu, se referă la cineva sau ceva care nu este de pe... Terra, logic. Perfect, minunat, numai că în filmuleţul respectiv cuvântul "alien" este folosit chiar de nişte... aliens, exact. Deci noi eram extratereştrii în contextul ăsta. Numai că noi nu suntem extratereştri. Are sens ce bolmojesc eu aici? Mă rog, după ce am stat să mă gândesc puţin şi după ce-am răsfoit câteva dicţionare, fără însă a găsi un sinonim aproape perfect al cuvântului, m-am oprit la "pământean".
Asta m-a trimis cu gândul la modul în care Columb şi Cortez i-au descris pe amerindieni când au ajuns în Noile Indii. Amerindienii ăştia erau nişte sălbatici cu înfăţişare ciudată, cu obiceiuri ciudate, cu limbaj ciudat, cu mod de viaţă ciudat... ce mai, totul era ciudat. Atât de ciudat, de fapt, încât în descrierile lor, C&C au fost nevoiţi să recurgă la comparaţii cu lucruri deja cunoscute de ei, dar care aparţineau unor neamuri străine şi inferioare, desigur, cum erau evreii şi musulmanii de pe teritoriul Spaniei. Aşa aflăm, de exemplu, că amerindienii aveau moschei. Nu era deja evident ?
Toată abrambureala asta vrea să ducă la o idee relativ simplă: percepţia este subiectivă. Da, ştiu, am descoperit America! Pe lângă asta, în general se ia în calcul versiunea celui care se află într-o poziţie avantajată (pe diferite planuri). I-a întrebat cineva pe amerindieni ce cred ei despre minunaţii cuceritori ? Dacă li se par ciudaţi sau nu ? Dar maurilor şi evreilor, le-a cerut cineva părerea cu privire la nivelul de evoluţie al creştinilor ? Aşa şi noi, românii (în cazul ăsta), ne limităm la cuvântul "extraterestru" (înlocuit uneori cu "marţian", pentru variaţie), deoarece nu vedem de ce am avea nevoie de alţi termeni pentru a exprima noţiunea de entitate externă. Doar extratereştrii ăştia nu există, deci cum ar ajunge ei să vorbească despre noi ? Da, dar cică nici amerindienii "nu existau" înainte de 1492.

Image source: wpclipart.com

2008-07-30T21:02:00.002-04:00

Americans, Stop the Hypocrysy and Start Acting!

I'm so sick of all this American drama and hypocrisy!!! Take the tv show called "America's Got Talent", add in a soldier who's just returned from Iraq, spice it up with regular singing skills and what do you get? A whole new level of screaming in awe, appreciation and national pride. I'm pretty sure this guy wouldn't have gone through to the next level had he not been wearing that military uniform. The judges were in tears, and they even called his wife to join him on stage, while the audience were waving their hands as if they were attending a friggin' Michael Jackson concert or something. Not to mention the hero's exit ("hero" being one of the few terms I don't use lightly here), covered by Mariah Carey's song... ta-da-da!!! Hero, obviously.
My dearest Americans (although I should say "United Staters", since "Americans" refers to the people living all over the three American continents), if you appreciate your troops that much, why do you keep on voting for that amazing President of yours, Bush, who cares about nothing else than money and oil? If you cherish your army men so much, why do you support the war in Iraq and swallow all the bs that the Government is feeding you? Or are you in such a need for heroes that you'd rather send young people to war zones and get them wounded, or even dead, instead of letting them stay home and enjoy life together with their families, just like the rest of you? I guess the U.S. of A. are nothing without all that fake appreciation and crocodile tears. Maybe you don't feel like you have enough to be proud of, so you need to create your own plastic reasons by sending people to die for utopic rights and liberties. No matter what your reasons are, at least stop pretending to care after the harm has been done and learn to accept your guilt.

2008-07-28T07:21:00.017-04:00

6

friend
hazard
ideals
relief
temple
labour
humour
kisses
island
jiggle
elated
reseed
forget
softly
refill
temper
resent
joyous
flower
thorns
hoping
shield
encore
gazing
family
... some of the 6-letter words that make up our 6 years of marriage. I'm happy we've got to where we are.

2008-07-24T16:54:00.004-04:00

Is the 3rd Time Really a Charm?

These last few weeks, my stomach has behaved like one of those super duper Whirlpool washing machines, 'cause what would my life be without these self provoked adrenaline rushes? So I got accepted at the UAB, and after reconsidering all my options, I pretty much decided to stick with it and give up on Granada, because by the time I would get an answer from them I should already be in Barcelona, and I'm not THAT big of a risk taker. Although you never know what I could cook up at the last minute.

Next step, buying a plane ticket, of course. After long hours of browsing the Internet and calling travel agencies, I've finally found a 520$ ticket to Barcelona for September 25 (Air Transat kind of rocks, btw! For now, at least...). It looked good to me, since I knew that I had to show up for registration on September 29 & 30, so after harassing my husband with messages and phone calls for about an hour (it's a miracle he didn't get fired!), I decided to buy it. After having sung "Kumbaya" and danced around the fire for joy, the next day I get a welcome message from the UAB and a handbook, which also mentioned that the first semester starts on September 15. Madonna, what do I do now?!!! Miss two weeks out of a one-year Master's programme? No way I could do that. First thing was to send my best wishes to those who offer all this "clear" information, after which I spent another day or so (until half an hour ago, to be more exact) looking for a similar plane ticket before September 15. After many calls, e-mails and an additional 150$, it looks like I'll be leaving September 13... well, almost September 14, since the departure time is 10.05 pm, so I shouldn't have too much bad luck. The plane will probably spend two extra hours on the runway anyway, so I'm safe.

While freaking out over the ticket issue, I was also looking for housing. Can't really afford to stay in Barcelona, and I don't se the point in living too far from the university, so I set my eyes on the university campus in Bellaterra. I would like to live alone at first, until I know whom I'm moving in with, so I decided to rent an individual room for about 270 euros. Same thing, write to them, wait for an answer... "We're sorry, these appartments are only for Bachellor's level students, but we'll be happy to offer you an individual room in our new appartments for students at the Graduate level for only 745 euros a month. Or you could share a room for half of this amount." Don't you say so! I'll get back to you once I speak with my manager. So now I'm still looking for a room and waiting for some answers. Plus other things, 'cause I just like it that way.

Truth is sometimes I get tired. I'm getting close to needing some kind of stability. It's true that I'm married, so I do have a family, but I would like to be able to call a place "home", to have a decent job, and make babies. On the other hand, my adventurous spirit and my eternal search for that Spanish experience won't let me rest until I've done my best to achieve my goals. People have always said to me "It's your age that gives you the guts to do it." I was told that when I left Romania, at 19. Two years later, my cousin gave me this line when I left for Canada, under a bit of an adverse omen. She was 30 at the time. Well, now I'm in between 27 and 28 years of age, and I still get that "It's your age..." phrase when talking about Spain. I don't think that's true. I wouldn't have the same guts if I were 70, obviously, but up to some point I think my main drive is my relentless ambition. It may also be stupid ambition, but it's mine and I have to pursue it. I get scared sometimes, I worry a lot, but I need to go on. I know my decisions affect other people, but I'm really doing my best to find a ballance here. I'm trying not to be too selfish, but I also have to follow one of my biggest dreams. I wouldn't want to resent anyone for the rest of my life for not having been able to take this chance. And I honestly do appreciate all the support I've been getting.
So here I am, shooting for the unknown for the third time. Hopefully, it will be the last time. But it might as well not be. We'll see.

Photo source: mind-mapping.co.uk

2008-07-23T23:00:00.003-04:00

Luaţi un SEXAPIL şi o aspirină de două ori pe zi

Acum un an râdeam pe ascuns de spanioli, care au luat anumite cuvinte din engleză şi le-au tradus literal în limba lor. Astfel, "hot dog" a devenit "perrito caliente" ("căţeluş cald") şi "heavy metal" este "metal pesado" ("metal greu").
Ei bine, acum, în timp ce verificam un cuvânt în DEX, am rămas stupefiată la descoperirea cuvântului "sexapil". Am zis c-o fi vreun medicament descoperit de curând, aşa că m-am apucat să-i citesc definiţia; la câte boli mă apasă pe mine, sigur mi-ar fi fost util într-un fel. Din păcate (sau din fericire), se pare că singurul lucru pe care îl poate vindeca este lipsa de... companie, desigur. A nu se confunda cu Viagra. Rezultă faptul că ne-am săturat să folosim versiunile româneşti precum "nuri" sau "farmec", şi-am apelat la limba engleză. Eu chiar n-am nicio problemă cu asta, având în vedere propriul mod de exprimare, dar parcă era mai bine să lăsăm cuvântul scris ca în engleză, decât să-l stâlcim în halul ăsta.

2008-07-20T23:24:00.004-04:00

Sauteed Spiders, Anyone?

My mouth is watering, my eyes are wide open, and my papillae are experiencing what you might call "a culinary orgasm". All of these because I'm watching a documentary on Animal Planet about insect eating in Thailand. Yummm!!!
When I arrived in New York, in 2000, my cousin's husband used to work in an upscale Chinese restaurant. Without knowing that fancy new yorkers wouldn't think of eating such things as ants or snakes, the first thing I asked him was whether he could bring me any kind of insect to try. Of course he answered "No", but he still offered to bring me some orange pork or Chinese noodles. Imagine the disappointment!
And now I'm watching this show and seeing all those people enjoy the wonderful larvae, spiders and crickets... My husband says I'm a freak. He might be right, but I still hope (and will do my best) to one day be able to enjoy those delicacies. Mmmmm!!!

2008-07-15T16:31:00.004-04:00

Not Such a "MERRY"-go-round!

As I was looking over some of the photos we took in Spain last year, I discovered one taken at the amusement park in Logroño. It's the picture of what could look at first like a regular merry-go-round, but after a second it turns out to be a "live" merry-go-round. Indeed, those ponies are real, and I can still remember the shock we had when discovering that people had thought of using ponies in such way. Where were the Human Rights activists, what were the police doing? The only ones "protesting" against this kind of abuse were the park's patrons themselves, who simply refused to ride or to let their kids use such a carousel.
They even had name tags! And this happened in Spain, a modern, Western European country, in the year 2007!

2008-07-10T11:25:00.004-04:00

Am intrat la Masterat! ¡Me aceptaron en Barcelona!

Da... deci M-AU ACCEPTAT! Nu m-aşteptam să-mi răspundă imediat şi să-mi scrie că în curând voi primi un mesaj oficial înştiinţându-mă că am fost acceptată în programul de Master al Universităţii Autonome din Barcelona... dar aşa s-a-ntâmplat! Plânsete, eliberare de stres, telefoane, fericire... acum am mai multă forţă să continuu, să aplic la încă o universitate sau două ca să-mi fac eu damblaua. Ideea e că m-a acceptat a doua universitate de pe lista mea, şi prima la care am aplicat. Astăzi mă simt cam bine :-))). Oţi fi voi vai de capul vostru când vine vorba de procedura academică, dar tot sunt topită după voi şi vreau să vă cotropesc ţara!

¡¡¡¡Sííííííííí!!!! ¡Me aceptaron en España, a la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona! ¡Feliz, emocionada, asombrada, llena de esperanza... y muy, muy feliz, claro :-)))!

2008-07-10T00:56:00.006-04:00

Da' tărâţe de borş ai?

Nici nu ştiu dacă să fierb de nervi sau să mă bucur că îi interesează persoana mea. Eh, deocamdată aleg prima variantă.... vorba vine, că reacţia a sosit în mod involuntar. Deci aplic eu frumuşel la o universitate din Spania, gândindu-mă că nu mă vor accepta deoarece nu pot trimite traducerea oficială a foii matricole până la data limită a înscrierilor (chestii birocratice, nu contează), ca să nu mai vorbesc de problemele apărute cu formularul electronic de înscriere, ca să primesc din partea lor un e-mail cerându-mi lămuriri în legătură cu nivelul meu de limbă spaniolă!!! Nu tu vorbă de foaie matricolă, nu tu "pâs" de problemuţele respective, ci dovedeşte-ne că ştii limba spaniolă! Băi deştepţilor (mi-oţi fi voi dragi, da' când vine vorba de administraţie...), la ce naiba serveşte diploma pe care v-am trimis-o şi care spune clar că m-am licenţiat cu distincţie în Specializare spaniolă, secţia expresie şi cultură? Da' diploma aia care spune că am terminat un curs avansat de limbă spaniolă chiar la voi acasă, cu media 9,50 (care era 9,75, dar nu vă plac decât rotunjirile în defavoarea studentului)? Da' descrierea tuturor cursurilor luate şi notişoarele alea de A, cam ce vă spun ele? Da' când scrieţi pe site că e nevoie fie de un certificat, fie de cursuri de limba spaniolă, voi ce vreţi de fapt? Deci acum vă trimit frumuşel diploma mea de bacalaureat, chiar dacă nu era nevoie, să vedeţi că şi pe aia am un 10 la spaniolă, vă trimit şi recomandările profesorilor (că nu mi le-aţi cerut prima oară, şi-am zis să nu vă-ncarc cu hârţogăraie), din care veţi afla şi c-am lucrat ca asistent de profesor, şi-o să vă spun şi că fac spaniolă din clasa a IV-a... poate vreţi şi foaia matricolă. Să vedem, oare e suficient? Sau o să mă băgaţi şi pe mine pe lista respinşilor, ca pe toţi nefericiţii din etapa anterioară, spunând că n-am putut dovedi nivelul meu de spaniolă? Deci să-mi bag piciorul!

Image source

2008-07-04T07:24:00.005-04:00

New "CSI" Episode Featuring Italy

I've just read on Yahoo! that Italians have started fingerprinting Gypsies from the nomad camps outside Roma, Milan and Naples, which determined human rights activists to accuse them of racism and whatnot. I can't help but wonder how come that the U.S. are allowed to fingerprint every living soul entering their territory by plane, while a European's country way of protecting itself and the hundreds of children send to beg every day is seen as a major violation of human rights? I know Italy's main reason is that of controlling the incoming population, but why not take advantage of the fact that this might also reduce the number of children who have to steal and ask for money instead of playing and going to school? Maybe it would have been better if, instead of fingerprinting Roma people, Italy would have kicked out every Gypsy and every Romanian living there, followed by imposing visas on all Romanians willing to travel to Italy. At least that couldn't have been called discrimination, could it?

Image Source

2008-07-03T20:27:00.005-04:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, CANADA!!!

These days Quebec City celebrates its 400th anniversary. Impressing age that deserves a grand celebration; even I, a declared opponent of Quebec's policies and lifestyle, I went, together with my husband, to the beautiful city (why not admit it?), hoping this would be my last trip there for a loooong time. Newspapers were fighting for the most beautiful pictures and touching articles, people were eating poutine (a specific dish consisting of french fries topped with cheese and some kind of sauce) and getting drunk, politicians were giving speeches praising Quebec's heritage... all in all, the atmosphere was pretty festive.

And then came July 1, Canada's day. This year Canada turned 141. You would think that this is an even greater reason to celbrate; after all, this IS your COUNTRY'S anniversary. Well, not quite. July 1 is declared moving day in Quebec. The only province that has a moving day decided to pick Canada's day for people to move. Why should they be happy and remember that they too are a part of Canada? No, let them carry heavy pieces of furniture and get stressed over moving prices! On top of that, if you picked up next day's paper you would discover huge front page articles about the whole process of moving your precious belongings from one dwelling to the other. Not even a single word about Canada Day. Not on the first page, not on the second... and not on the last. And yet, the Prime Minister went today to Quebec City to honour its existence.

Have I ever told you that you suck? Stop remembering and start having an honourable life!

2008-06-29T16:36:00.001-04:00

¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡Te quiero, España!!!!!!!!!! ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡Ya era el tiempo!!!!!!!!!!!

¡España, campeona de Europa!

2008-06-29T15:19:00.001-04:00

Goooooooooooooooool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go, Torres!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-29T13:13:00.004-04:00

Spain Doesn't Need Anyone's Sprain

One hour and a half left until the beginning of the Euro final. Three hours and 20 minutes left until Spain will take the cup.
Many were saying that Spain would have more chances if Ballack were to be left out of the game due to his muscle injury. The thought is nice (I'm so bad!), indeed, but I say Spain can beat Germany even with Ballack on the field. I've just read on Yahoo! that he'll be playing during the final, so all I can say is that victory will be that much sweeter ;-).
I love my German friends, I can hardly wait to visit them, but as far as the Euro Championship goes... it's time to step aside. It will be less painful this way :-))).

Photo Source: The New York Times

2008-06-23T16:12:00.004-04:00

Mircea (Badea, nu cel Bătrân) şi turcii

Acum vreo 10-15 ani toată lumea mă întreba cine este idolul meu, dar eu nu aveam niciun răspuns de dat. Da, îmi lipeam afişe cu Joe Lando şi Jason Priestley pe uşă, visam să-l văd pe Al Pacino la ceremonia Oscarurilor, îmi doream să fiu la fel de frumoasă şi descurcăreaţă ca una dintre prietenele mele, dar nu aveam un idol. Poate mama, dar pe ea aş numi-o mai degrabă model. Ei bine, acum, la venerabila vârstă de aproape 28 de ani, cum spun unii, m-aş putea hazarda spunând că Mircea Badea a devenit, subit şi (sper) iremediabil, idolul meu. Evident, este vorba de o exagerare datorată euforiei pe care mi-a provocat-o vizionarea videoului de mai jos, dar cum să nu recunosc faptul că devorez aproape toate înregistrările cu emisiunile sale, că nu-mi pasă dacă depăşesc limita de descărcări de pe Internet şi că al meu gât se resimte după şirul de gesturi aprobatoare la care îl supun în timpul vizionărilor?

În acest video Mircea Badea vorbeşte despre meciurile Croaţia-Turcia şi Olanda-Rusia. Eu nu am avut ocazia să urmăresc decât finalul celei de-a doua partide, dar m-am informat în legătură cu evoluţiile echipelor şi nu pot spune decât că vorbele lui Mircea Badea exprimă exact ceea ce creieraşul meu rumegă de cîteva zile. În stilul său flegmatic, dar extrem de profund, realizatorul emisiunii "În gura presei" include aceste două înfruntări în categoria lecţiilor de viaţă, lăudând îndârjirea jucătorilor turci (şi ruşi) şi lipsa cuvântului "resemnare" din vocabularul acestora. Cu astfel de demonstraţii de ambiţie, cine mai are nevoie de cărţi si filmuleţe motivaţionale?

2008-06-16T01:16:00.008-04:00

2 Things

1. La muţi, mulţi, mulţi, mulţi ani, Mi! Nici n-are sens să-ţi repet că-ţi trimit cele mai bune gânduri. E distanţa, e diferenţa de fus orar, e perioadele care ţine mult şi bine, e unele, e altele, dar tu rămâi in sufletul meu ca un prieten "cu distincţie" :-).

2. Speaking of "distinction", I'm happy to be able to write that in a few hours I will have officially graduated with distinction from Concordia University, Montreal. I've waited for this moment for 9 years, since I was accepted at Ovidius University, Constanta, and I'm now finally able to live it. For one day I refuse to think of what the future holds, of the lack of certainty a diploma carries within itself, of the long and difficult road I have ahead. I need to enjoy this moment, and I'm so ready to do it. I can't even sleep because of how anxious and happy I am... and because I don't want for my hairdo to get ruined, as well :-P.
Am reuşit, mămăiţă!

2008-06-12T00:08:00.011-04:00

Un trădător nenorocit

L-am intrebat astăzi pe un amic turc cum îl privesc conaţionalii săi pe Hakan Yakin, jucătorul de fotbal cu dublă cetăţenie care a marcat unicul gol al Elveţiei contra Turciei. Văzusem reacţia protagonistului, am inţeles că i-a fost greu să dea gol în poarta unei ţări al cărei cetăţean este, dar mă interesa să ştiu cum îl văd ceilalţi. De la colegul meu am inţeles că este încă iubit şi admirat în Turcia, chiar dacă joacă la altă echipă, şi că nu anticipează reacţii negative în urma evenimentului de astăzi. Nici eu n-am auzit huiduieli după marcarea golului.

N-am putut să nu-mi aduc aminte de injurăturile care mi-au fost adresate de-a lungul timpului de către mulţi români care aflau că am plecat din ţară. De la "trădătoare" şi "laşă" pînă la cuvinte pe care nu le-aş reproduce vreodată, lista a căpătat proporţii considerabile în cei 8 ani de când fac parte din diaspora româneasca. Şi eu nici măcar nu sunt persoană publică. Evident că m-am întrebat cum s-ar manifesta românii dacă un jucător "de-al nostru" (sau "de-al lor") ar fiinţa în echipa altei ţări şi, pe deasupra, ar mai şi înscrie un gol într-un meci împortiva României. Hmmm...

2008-05-11T12:41:00.003-04:00

Artificial Intelligence

U.S. authorities have decided that taking your shoes off and having your fingerprints taken at the border just doesn't do the trick anymore. A new law, which has been discussed for a while now, allows officers to download all the files you have in your computer and to even seize your laptop for an uncertain period of time. After all, I'm sure that any terrorist wannabe would enter the U.S.A. with laptops full of maps of mine fields and instructions on how to hijack bicycles.
It seems that Bush is trying harder than ever to leave an abominable legacy and to get his name on top of the "roller coaster to hell" list. How long will everyone let the U.S. bully them and ignore human rights? Until now, only Brazil has taken a step in the right direction. A friend of mine was telling me about how the South American country stops U.S. citizens at the boarder and keeps them for hours in a row, while taking their fingertips and analyzing their criminal record. Why don't all other countries have the guts to do that? After all, one is only as powerful as the others let him be.

Source: The Inquirer

2008-04-21T21:14:00.011-04:00

Insane and Insensible

A few days ago, Mariana was trying to let me in on the philosophy behind the movie "Un chien andalou", by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí. I don't know how or why the readings I'm doing for my final essay made me think about our discussion, but I took advantage of this flashback and looked up the movie on youtube. I found it, I watched it, I didn't understand much of it, of course, then I went on wikipedia, I understood a bit more, and I finally accepted the fact that I have to dedicate more time to deciphering this movie... as soon as possible. Until then, I only have one question: am I weird for not being repulsed or shocked by the famous shot of the eye getting cut by a knife? Buñuel himself said he placed that scene at the beginning so that people would enter a psychedelic state that would allow them to better absorb the surreal atmosphere of the movie. Am I already that dysfunctional or is it just that I've seen this scene too many times and read even more about it?

2008-04-17T15:43:00.003-04:00

Stonehenge - Astrology, Religion or Medicine?

Although there’s no denying the beauty of Big Ben at sunset or the mesmerizing effect of the architecture of Westminster Abbey, Stonehenge is undeniably the English landmark that has always attracted most archeology aficionados and tourists eager to find out the secret hiding between its stones. Many theories regarding its original purpose have surfaced throughout decades, among which the most widely accepted portrayed Stonehenge as a sacred site, an astrological/ astronomical observatory, a primitive calendar or even a hiding place. Recent investigation has come to show that its most probable purpose was to serve as a healing place. The blue stones considered to have healing properties and the bones buried nearby support this theory and open the way for more advanced research.

2008-04-04T12:33:00.007-04:00

Memories that Will Always Follow Me

I was new at Concordia. It was my second semester and I was still getting used to a system completely different from what I was used to. I felt inferior for not being Spanish, English or French native, at least, and I didn't think my ideas would be good enough for this demanding university and its professors. "Critical reading" was a course that announced itself to be very competitive. The first class only reinforced that idea on us, and all of my 11 colleagues from the previous Spanish course dropped it. I was alone, again, but I couldn't give up that easily. Surprisingly enough, I managed to "float" through grades of A- and A until towards the end. I felt encouraged by how interesting the readings were and by how our professor would help us see things we would've never thought of otherwise. All this energetic serenity was disrupted when for our final assignment we had to pick between Isabel Allende's "De barro estamos hechos" and J. L. Borges' s "Emma Zunz". The first text was fairly easy and most of my colleagues wanted to write their essay on that. Meanwhile, I could not understand anything from the Argentinian writer's short novel, but didn't want to have a work similar to the others. Therefore, when our professor set up appointments with each one of us, I took advantage of my allotted time and shared my dilemma with him. He told me that I could turn this essay into an attempt to understand Borges's work. "Of course", I said, "but what about my G.P.A.?" (grade point average) "I wouldn't want to destroy it because of such audacity." I will never forget his answer: "Of course there's always this risk, but you will never know until you've tried... and I think you can do it."

It was exactly what I needed. I spent more than one week fighting with "Emma Zunz", I kept on looking for that interesting idea I needed... and I finally found it. I managed to get A+ for the essay and A+ for the whole course. But it was about so much more than just that. He let me express myself and taught me to explore my ideas, no matter how stupid or irrelevant I thought they were. He encouraged me to look beyond my fear of public speaking and consider a teaching career. He made me be passionate about Golden Age literature, considering that I'm not that fond of literature studies. He determined me to take risks and dig beyond the surface. He came have a drink with us after class, although it was his birthday and he could have spent the evening at home. He told me he'd come shake my hand at graduation, although he'll be on sabbatical. He's everything I could wish for in a professor and a human being. I'm so fortunate to have had him as a professor and I could never forget what he has done for me.

2008-03-27T08:46:00.005-04:00

Bebe - Malo

El ritmo de esta canción me da más fuerza cada vez que la escucho; nada que ver con las palabras, sólo el ímpetu y la determinación de la interprete. Ya me tiene obsesionada.

2008-03-26T16:22:00.002-04:00

What the Hell Is Wrong with Me???

I must have too many things on my mind, otherwise I can't explain the stupidity of missing words in 3 out of 5 translations! I know I'm very worried about lots of stuff and that my mind wonders off with every minute, but it's never happened to me before, not even when I was really, really upset. I was laughing today when seeing that I had missed 4 words... thus loosing 3.6 points. I felt like hitting myself with a brick, but I could only laugh. What the hell? I thought I was stronger! Come on, Mirela, wake up and stop acting like that! The worse is yet to come.

2008-03-23T03:11:00.004-04:00

Entre salidas y entradas

La cara miente siempre, porque ni nosotros mismos sabemos que hay adentro. La falta de expresión dice más que una mezcla de sonrisas, guiños y lagrimas. Y para qué seguir con la mentira, ¿quién y a dónde vuelve? Nadie, a ningún lugar. Tener sueño no quiere decir que puedas dormir.

2008-03-09T13:14:00.012-04:00

Snowstorm Aftermath

Yesterday was the worst day I've ever got to live in Montreal. We knew it would be snowing, but the only things that could've prepared us for what we had to face would've been words like "typhoon", "don't leave your homes" or "you might freeze while walking". It usually takes me 10 minutes to get from the building I live in to the metro. And that's going uphill. Yesterday it took me half an hour to get home from the metro. And that's downhill. Small, icy flakes led by the fierce wind would bit my face, while my legs got lost in the snowy molasses and took their time resurfacing. If Gogol were alive, I would ask him to describe yesterday's scenery. But since that's not an option and since I couldn't take any photos yesterday because I had forgotten my camera (and, anyway, I might've frozen to death while trying to get such a souvenir), I can only post some photos of the aftermath. Unless you live in Siberia, don't ever let me hear you complain again about how much snow you have to deal with :-)!!!

This is what I found this morning
after opening the balcony door.

Yup, these are cars!

2008-03-07T21:19:00.002-05:00

Why Moms Can't Do Yoga

Considering that my biological clock is seriously ticking (and I know I have to keep ignoring it for a good while), I could not help but let out all kinds of weird onomatopoeias when I received this tender video via e-mail. If someone told me about this, I would never believe them. How adorable is that baby? And how funny?

2008-03-02T20:48:00.004-05:00

Politistii balerini

Sa mai aud pe careva ca se repede la politisti, ca-i invinuieste pentru orele pierdute prin diferite birouri sau ca ii considera prosti! Pe langa faptul ca muncesc zi de zi pentru a ne asigura securitatea... adica siguranta, da, si stau in ploaie si zapada numai pentru ca noi sa ajungem acasa si sa ne bucuram de chipurile zambitoare ale familiei... ei bine, pe langa toate astea, aflu acum ca domnii din Timisoara au inceput sa ia lectii de balet, pentru a se dovedi nu numai utili cand dirijeaza traficul, dar si gratiosi. Singura mea temere este ca soferii vor fi pur si simplu hipnotizati la vederea unui astfel de spectacol si vor uita sa mai plece din intersectie.

2008-02-26T07:53:00.007-05:00

My New Collins Dictionary

With this being my last semester, while taking 3 courses I'm also working on my Specialization paper, which consists of two translations of ~ 3000 words each (Spanish to English and English to Spanish) and a 12-page essay. Yesterday I had to go see my professor and discuss the difficulties I had with my first translation, which I would like to hand in next week. There was a "sentence" that didn't have a verb, but I had even more trouble finding a few words describing the Mapuche (a civilization from Southern Chile and Argentina) adornments.

This professor has always told us that we should get the Collins S/E - E/S dictionary, with more explanations and definitions than the others, but I had bought the Oxford way before that, so I didn't feel like buying a new one only for a few small differences (or so I thought). Thing is, my professor was able to find in the Collins dictionary all the words I had trouble encountering in my Oxford one. The Thesaurus proved to be just as helpful, so by the end of our meeting I had decided to take about 130$ out of my pocket and buy the two beasts. That is, until my professor, the one who also helped me last year, when I was going through some rough times, told me that the secretary had some "Collinses" from professors who had left or had simply bought new ones. They found one and told me I didn't even have to return it: "They're here for students like you, you'll be needing it for a long time." I was and still am speechless. He said that with the money I had saved I could now buy the Thesaurus, so that's exactly what I did.

I went home with my laptop and the Collins in my backpack and the Thesaurus in a bag. By the time I got there, I had a big headache and my back was almost crumbling. Nevertheless, I was all smiles and started to look up words and compare, and now I can hardly wait to get my hands on the first translation and make the final touch-ups. With such professors, how could I not? I feel so lucky sometimes! Thank you very, very much!

2008-02-23T18:20:00.005-05:00

Oscars Night

When I was in Romania, I could never see the Oscars movies before the actual night of the awards. That's why ever since I've been on the other side of the Atlantic, I've tried to view them all before the ceremony. This year I had to keep on postponing it because of schoolwork, so this weekend there's sort of a marathon going on at my house: I have to watch a movie every 3 hours. I'm already drowned, but I have to keep going. I've just finished "Elizabeth" and now I'm getting ready for "There Will Be Blood". I've sort of made up my mind about who I think will win the Oscars, but can't say anything until I've seen them all... or almost all.

2008-02-22T19:29:00.004-05:00

You Know You Live in Montreal When...

... you answer the phone and a lady starts talking to you in Chinese. Wrong number, of course!

...you're nothing special unless you speak at least 6 different languages.

... instead of going shopping at the mall, you drive to New York for the weekend to buy nicer and cheaper clothes.

... you might get arrested for staring (lovingly) at someone's baby. That is, unless you don't get beat up first.

... there's not much fun you can have in the winter, but you can hardly wait for the 4 months when the streets are filled with people and with all kinds of festivals.

... 20-30-year old people, who are better dressed than you, ask you for money at every corner.

... going to Peru costs just as much as going to Romania (although there are huge price differences once you get there).

... you either adore the city or just simply hate it.

2008-02-21T20:03:00.006-05:00

Eu NU!

Arhi, bunicul blogosferei :-), simte ca intra la apa si vrea sa-i traga si pe altii dupa el, asa ca ma intreaba (cred ca de mine era vorba) cum stau cu muzica piratata. Ei bine, ca un copilas ascultator ce sunt, pot spune ca am cca. 650 de melodii, ca anul asta nu am tras mai mult de 10 (sunt o infractoare in toata regula!) si ca din totalul de 650, vreo 550 sunt primite de pe la prieteni, care mi le-au trimis de pe cd-urile achizitionate, logic. Am aproape orice gen, asta ca sa nu spun chiar toate genurile.
Se pare ca nu ti-a iesit miscarea, Arhi, asa ca schimba tactica.

2008-02-11T22:36:00.000-05:00

Nerdy Translator Fun Fact

Something that made my school reading more pleasurable and had me laughing for a few minutes:

When asked to translate the phrase "Out of sight, out of mind", a computer in Japan came out with a phrase that meant "Confined to an insane asylum". It actually makes sense when you think about it :-)).

From Gregory Rabasa, No Two Snowflakes Are Alike

This is even better than the by now famous Google translation of "viejo verde" - "green old man". In fact, "viejo verde" is the Spanish term for "pervert".

2008-02-11T19:54:00.000-05:00

"Just in Time for Valentine's Day"

Valentine's Day is an occasion I look forward to because I consider it to be the most beautiful holiday, after Christmas. I don't care that it's an American holiday, I also celebrated it when I lived in Romania; for now I find myself in Canada, so it's even easier for me to succumb to its hearty spirit. The only thing that annoys me about Valentine's Day (and the same goes for Christmas) is the commercial aura it's gained during the last decades. Besides all the heart-shaped candy boxes and the red teddy bears, what gets my annoyance really going are those diamond commercials where I hear the phrase "just in time for Valentine's Day". Oh, really? Hmmm... guess I hadn't realized how lucky we are that all this jewelry goes on sale right before Valentine's Day! Isn't that just amazing? Guess I should go stock up on those diamonds, maybe next year there won't be a sale "just in time for Valentine's Day".

2008-02-05T16:35:00.000-05:00

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

My very good friend Gianluca singing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" with his church choir. He had us sing this in Spain, but it sounds so much better here. Amazing job, guys, and it's so good to see you, Gianluca, in that atmosphere... again. I hope to have the chance to see you live once.

2008-02-05T08:29:00.000-05:00

Behind the Corner

I've been in a really bad mood lately. And by that I don't mean being grouchy or breaking everything around me, but just avoiding social contacts and experiencing a feeling of anxiety. Maybe the fact that I'll be graduating soon and plans may not work out the way I expect them to has me somewhat tense. On top of that, I almost freaked out yesterday for getting an A- on my translation because of one small sentence I missed and of other 5 things I got wrong, although they're basic stuff... based on my knowledge, I would've gotten a 95%, but that's still gnawing at me. I'm not playing anymore. This is no longer about school, but about what I want to do for the rest of my life. But no pressure there, right? I'm surely just overreacting...

2008-02-02T14:02:00.000-05:00

Petition for the Release of Sayed Pervez Kambaksh

From Nicole I found out about the 23-year old journalist from Afghanistan who was sentenced to death for having militated for women's rights, thus defying the Muslim fundamentalists. Sayed Pervez Kambaksh afirmed that the teachings of Mohamed did in no way encourage the extreme treatment applied to women. About three months ago he desired to oprganize a group discussion on this matter at his university, but instead he got arrested, was judged without legal representation and is now waiting to be executed.

The British newspaper The Independent created a petition which anyone can sign, so that we can all contribute to the Western pressure against these extremist, shameful acts. Other related articles can be found on Javno World , Gulf Times or BBC News.

2008-01-22T21:12:00.000-05:00

Rest in Peace, Heath Ledger!

He was an amazing actor, with a great future ahead of him due to his tremendous potential and his professionalism. There is not one role of his that I know of to have left me disappointed. He was only 28 years old. And he died today... I completely doubt a potential suicide, since I don't think his integrity would have let him accept to be found this way... naked. I'm suspecting a stupid, damned, illogical accident!!! I am so, so, so sorry about this loss... he was one of the few potential Hollywood eternal stars, but he didn't deserve to become one so soon.
His recently finished movie, The Dark Knight, will have its premiere on July 18 of this year. One last tribute to his sky-rocketing, yet unfairly short career.
May he rest in peace!

2008-01-14T08:15:00.000-05:00

Pomelnice & co. Inc. S.A. S.R.L. etc.

Am trait s-o aud si pe-asta! Dintr-un clip cu Mircea Badea aflu despre site-ul pomelnice.ro, care ii ajuta pe bietii credinciosi sa-si trimita pomelnicele la diferite manastiri din tara, oferind pachete ce contin intre 1 si 3 pomelnice care pot ajunge in locurile alese. Uite-asa ni-l aduc acesti facatori... de bine, desigur, mai aproape pe Dumnezeu. Si-asa ne-aducem noi aminte de Dumnezeu foarte des si ne rugam la el numai cand ne merge bine, pentru a-i multumi din inima noastra pioasa pentru milostivirea Sa, acum putem sa luam legatura cu El si prin internet. De ce sa ma duc la biserica din colt si sa depun un acatist, cand oamenii astia mi-l pot trimite ei la nu stiu ce sfant calugar, de-a carui rugaciune sigur asculta Dumnezeu mai mult decat de cea a parintelui de-aici?
M-a impresionat si ceea ce-am citit pe site cu referire la partea financiara. Saracii crestini (dintre care cica unul e baiatul unui prefect de undeva) ar fi dorit sa ofere un serviciu gratuit, dar cazna si abnegatia angajatilor, plus taxele pentru serviciul de curierat si diferite procesari nu au permis un astfel de proiect. Din lista lor de cheltuieli, am inteles ca nu le ramane nimic de pus deoparte pentru zile negre :-(. M-as fi bagat si eu, dar nu am gasit Putna pe lista, si in alta manastire nu prea am incredere...

2008-01-12T09:43:00.000-05:00

My June 16 Odyssey

Here I am, at the language lab again, on my first Saturday shift. This is the downtown lab, as I requested, since last year I got completely bored with the lack of activity from the other campus. Anyway, while I was waiting for people to show up (this surely is one busy place, and it's only the beginning), I checked all the graduation info I could find. Including the date... But first:

June 16, 2000 - I left for the United States

June 16, 2002 - I arrived to Canada (no, I hadn't planned it to match the date)

June 16, 2006 - this year I found out that June 16 is the birthday of someone who was bound to become a very good friend

- I was accepted by a Spanish University for the Student Exchange Program

June 16, 2007 - I went to London - I had only certain days available for this trip and June 16 was the only one when the Ryanair ticket cost 0.01 cents

Going back to my Graduation, it looks like it will take place on... of course, June 16, 2008!!!

I always use number 16 when I play the lottery; I haven't used 6 that much, it's true. Too bad this year June 16 is a Monday, so there's no game to try out. I guess I'll go to the Casino after the ceremony :-)).

2008-01-08T19:32:00.000-05:00

Moment

No matter how much I try not to, sometimes I just feel hopeless. I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm going nowhere. I'm just too tired of all this.

2008-01-08T15:52:00.000-05:00

My Romanian Professor

What are the odds of studying at a Montreal University and having a French professor who's only a few years older than you and... was born in Romania? I couldn't believe it when I saw his name. I'll just have to ask him about his life story at the end :-P. He seems like a very nice guy, although I know for a fact that younger Professors are tougher. Well, it's a Linguistics course, so it can't be that bad ;-). Now I'm really curious about this class.

2008-01-08T15:13:00.000-05:00

Barack Obama for President... I Guess

One of my biggest wishes for this year is to see a Democrat win the U.S. presidential elections. I've had enough of George Bush (before writing his name, I erased 6 adjectives that always come to mind when thinking of him) and I believe that no one could do more harm than him... except for all the Republicans put together. They are just a bunch of extremist, gold-digging racist people who would not think for a second of putting their country's and the world's best interest before their personal hunts. At some point I was attracted by the idea of seeing Giuliani in the White House, but his messages against illegal immigration turned me off big time. It's not an issue of supporting illegal immigrants, even though I was one of them. My problem with this matter is the lack of integrity U.S. politicians have been proving for the last 7 years, at least, when promising they would offer most immigrants a chance to get their Green Card after many years of hard work, while behind closed doors they didn't know which better means would help them hunt illegal immigrants down and send them home. It's true, at the end they came up with this 5-year residence, after which people would have to leave the States. Of course, let's have them work like slaves for 5 years, live in inhuman conditions and then chase them away; they'll have a few more dollars in their pocket and we'll build our economy on their backs.

The Democrats, on the other hand, have always shown more concern about immigrants, be it legal or illegal. The economy has always done better during their time and, although Bush doesn't leave much space for any effective positive changes, there's still a tiny hope that at least things won't change for the worse. Between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, I tend to support the latter, although I haven't followed that much his agenda. I only know that Hilary has never had to deal with poverty and will surely not care so much about immigrants, while Obama's father himself was an immigrant from Kenya... let aside the fact that he represents a visible minority. So Hilary's a woman... and? Women already have a good life and I don't see her fighting for any more rights... a woman, even the President, will never be able to change what a society dominated by men managed to build in so many years. I don't think that's what we need. It's surely not what I need. I need a world with less wars, if not none, U.S. with more respect for themselves and for the others and a neighbor who won't provoke Canada's collapse. I'm not forgetting that all of them are politicians before anything else, but I just see Obama as a valid president and as someone who might care less about oil and more about people. If that's possible.

2008-01-04T11:59:00.000-05:00

The Last Legion

I've just finished watching the third episode of "The Last Legion". No, it's a regular almost two-hour movie, but I kept falling asleep while watching , so it seemed like a series to me. It's truly not a boring film, it's just me who hasn't got much sleep lately. I'm not going to comment on it, I'm not so good with critic, I'll just say that it's a historical movie worth watching, that has nothing in common with the bad, bad joke that was "300".
There's something else I'm concerned with: did women wear modern make-up in the 5th century? Even more, did women wear make-up and look gorgeous while fighting better than men?
Neah, I'm just teasing. The movie is very interesting for those who are looking to know a bit more about Roman history, as it deals with the resistance of the 9th legion against the Goths, in order to protect the young Emperor Romulus Augustus Cesar. Although years don't quite match, as Wikipedia proves, the movie gives people an idea about the events that took place in that period of time and the importance honor and patriotism had in those days.

2008-01-04T11:48:00.000-05:00

You Never Know...

I've started this year in the best possible way: dancing the first night away (I wore red, I had money on me and I did kiss at midnight... let's see if all this really works), sleeping the next day, and feeling my friends close on my birthday. As Mi was saying, I think 2008 is pretty much a boring number, but the fact that I turned 27 makes me feel better about this year's numerology... I like the number 7 very much.
I'm afraid that I have very high expectations from this year, unlike from the last one. Some things are bound to happen, such as my graduation in April and the festivities in June, the parties I'll be having with some friends and my moving to Spain. There are other things I'm hoping for, but since I've learned the hard way not to have too high expectations, I'll just take each episode as it comes. I cannot help but be optimistic... and yet I'm trying to prepare for the worst.

2007-12-30T06:03:00.000-05:00

La multi ani!

Vroiam sa fac asta pe 31, dar avand in vedere ca am primit un mesaj care m-a uns pe suflet si ca s-ar putea sa nu mai apuc sa scriu pe aici in ultima zi a anului, voi face acum urarile pe care le planuisem:

Cetin si Daniela, va doresc din toata inima sa fiti cu adevarat fericiti in 2008 si dupa aceea. Sa fiti sanatosi si sa ramaneti mereu dulci (eu asa va vad, nu faceti scandal :-) ), hatri, acizi - adica Cetin - si zambitori. Sa nu va pierdeti speranta, atata vreme cat nu va copleseste. In sufletul meu aveti un loc special, cu toate ca poate nu se vede. Si eu inca mai sper sa ajung sa va cunosc personal... poate la anul.

Mi si SilverHeart, sa fiti fericiti, sa nu mai intampinati greutati care sa va taie elanul, chiar daca doar pentru o scurta perioada, sa fiti din ce in ce mai uniti si sa priviti fiecare zi ce trece ca pe-o etapa din parcursul unei iubiri nesecate. Sunteti doua persoane minunate si meritati numai raze de soare, chiar daca in Copenhaga sunt cam rare. Mi, urare speciala: sa reusesti sa te imbeti in ultimele si primele zile din 2007/ 2008 dupa pofta inimii :-).

Nicole, sa ai cel mai bun an de pana acum, sa fii puternica si sa gasesti cat mai multe picaturi de fercire, care sa-ti transforme viata intr-o metonimie a optimismului. Chiar daca nu simti de cele mai multe ori, pentru ca nu mai stau atat de mult la computer, eu iti trimit mereu ganduri bune si ma bucur sa intrezaresc speranta in randurile tale.

Doamna Ela Roseni, multa sanatate va doresc si un an cu aceeasi bogatie spirituala pe care ati impartasit-o pana acum. Cat mai multe muze si bucurii, poezii si sentimente pozitive. Mereu este o placere linistitoare sa va citesc.

Quinzelle, sa-ti pastrezi jovialitatea, pofta de viata si bucuria pe care-o simti la vederea unui curcubeu, simtul umorului si luminita din ochisori. Sa ai cat mai multe realizari, sa fii sanatoasa si poate sa reusim sa ne vedem la anul.

Meplusmyself, sa te insoteasca in continuare setea de cultura si inspiratia de-a transforma marile opere literare in experiente personale, sa descoperi mereu mai mult decat te-astepti si sa ti se implineasca cele mai arzatoare dorinte.

Happy New Year!

Sacha, you know it's always a pleasure to drop by your virtual home, which makes me feel closer to you. You have an amazing talent for writing, your soul could not have found a more suited occupation than this. You know you have a very special place in my heart and that I'm sending you nothing but my most pure wishes. Don't ever change and have the happiest year yet!

These are pretty much all the people that I know that drop by once in a while and that I consider my friends. If I missed anyone, it wasn't my intention. I'm sending good thoughts to anyone who might happen to find this page. Have a Happy New Year, with health, joy and great achievements.

2007-12-30T02:13:00.000-05:00

Another One Bites the Dust

Time has come again for my retrospective of the past year; without blinking, twitching or shaking I can say that this was my best year yet. I entered its door without expecting much: all I was hoping for was to have some fun in Spain and to be able to improve my accent... in the end, I got so much more than I was looking for.
This year, I've found myself. I've dropped my shyness and let my real self come out. I've learned to let go of things that harmed me, but to appreciate even more the ones who stuck with me. I've learned to love. I've learned that I cannot have everything, but that I have to make the best of what I have... which is a lot. I've discovered that my place might be in Spain. Could it be true that after 8 years of wondering, I'll finally be arriving home? We'll see. I've found out that there's more to life than spending it in front of the computer. I've discovered that regrets hurt more than remorses... sometimes. I've learned how to laugh at a bad photo of myself. Thank God for that, cause there are so many of them! I've learned about self-control... about elegance. I've learned that I am still allowed to behave like a child whenever I want to... because I don't have to ask for permission. I've learned that the grass is not greener on the other side. I've learned that I'm one of the luckiest people alive. I've learned that happiness does exist. I've learned that no words could ever describe what I've learned this year.
Thank you.

2007-12-21T12:12:00.000-05:00

Just a Few Questions

Why are we so racist? Why do we let Bush do whatever occurs to his area in between his pockets and his... attempt of a brain? Why do Americans have the right to get the name of every person that's supposed to board a plane FLYING OVER the U.S.A. and then forbid those whose names they don't like to get on the plane? Can't Arabic people living in Canada visit Latin America? Should I stop talking to my friends of Muslim heritage because they might be terrorists? Do we actually live in a cretinous, xenophobic, hateful world?

If that's the case, I prefer to remain in my "dream world", as some say, and still take each person as they are, without judging their origins or following the "leadership" of the worst person to have been born since Hitler.

2007-12-21T10:04:00.000-05:00

One More Semester to Go

I finally feel like saying that this semester is over. I received more than I had bargained for, but the results were close to making me happy. I guess I have the tendency of expecting from myself a bit more than I can give. Which is good, most of the time.
I've never had so many essays to write... I'm not even complaining about the exams, although there were a few, because the number of essays just overwhelmed me. A good friend asked me for an approximate number of papers I wrote, and I calculated a mere 18 big ones and about 30 small ones. On the other hand, this is my last year, so what was I expecting?
Next semester I'll "only" have four courses, one consisting in my Specialization paper, which I've already started working on. I have to register for Graduation (I'll never understand why you have to pay in order to graduate, not that it really matters), and in April I should be able to say that I'M DONE. Then, in June, there'll be the Graduation Ceremony, which I'm anxiously looking forward to. I'll finally be able to say that after 8 years of... being away (from where?), I managed to get the diploma I'd been longing for for so long. It made me emotional talking to professors and counselors about me graduating. Some of my friends don't seem to care about that specific moment, but I do.. The only thing missing will be my mom and some of my friends, whom I wish could be there... but they'll get to see photos and videos.
I don't know why I'm rambling now about all this... there's time. Maybe I just need to release some of the emotions that have been building inside of me for the last months. I can hardly wait to be able to say: "I've made it!".

2007-12-09T17:58:00.001-05:00

Cel mai frumos cadou

Multumesc pentru tag, Nicole, dar zilele astea chiar nu simt c-as putea vorbi despre cel mai frumos cadou primit. Anul trecut mi-a amarat gustul Sarbatorilor si am ajuns sa nu-mi doresc decat sanatate si noroc (e foarte important) pentru cei la care tin, pentru mine si pentru toata lumea, pe cat e cu putinta. Am incercat sa ma gandesc care a fost cel mai frumos cadou primit vreodata, dar am sfarsit prin a enumera cam tot ce mi s-a oferit de-a lungul vietii mele, de catre oricine, pentru ca fiecare are o semnificatie deosebita pentru mine. Iar pentru anul care urmeaza nu-mi doresc decat exact ce-am spus mai sus, sanatate si noroc... norocul de-a fi acceptata la Masterat, sa spunem, dar are si asta diferite aspecte. Acum astept "cadouri" pe care sa mi le pot face singura, dupa ce depun o anumita doza de efort.

2007-12-09T17:44:00.000-05:00

Concert Spice Girls sau probleme cu capul

Avea dreptate cine spunea ca la batranete dam in mintea copiilor. De unde pana unde, cand am auzit eu ca se reunesc cele 5 domnisoare, unele devenite acum madame, mi-a traznit ca vreau sa merg si eu la concert. Am incecat sa-mi explic pornirea prin faptul ca melodia "Viva Forever" m-a linistit oarecum cand treceam printr-o perioada foarte grea. Bun! Hai sa m-apuc sa caut bilete pentru concertul din 30 sau 31 ianuarie. Sa sarim de la intriga direct la deznodamant, anuntand cu elan si pompa ca nu voi merge, deoarece cel mai ieftin bilet costa 180$. Las' ca sta Mireluta acasa si asculta frumusel la mp3, sperand sa treaca usor si peste aceasta criza adolescentina! Ceea ce nu reusesc insa sa inteleg este cum se poate ca un bilet in primul rand sa coste 2500$, iar unul in al treilea rand sa fie 1500$! Cine ar fi atat de disperat incat sa vrea sa ocupe cu orice chip randul din fata, cand vorbim de asemenea suma? O de-alde mine, ca adolescentii din ziua de azi habar n-au cine sunt Spice Girls. Si cum Dumnezeu sa se-ndure o tanara de... 25 de ani, sa spunem :-P, sa dea suma asta exorbitanta doar pentru a vedea ce inaltime are tocul doamnei Beckham? Inca un mister de nerezolvat.

2007-12-09T17:28:00.000-05:00

Superba-mi cana

Acum o mie de ani lumina mi-a cerut Quinzelle sa-i arat una dintre canile cu care m-am laudat. Uite, scumpete, asta este cana mea preferata, pe care evident ca n-o folosesc, de frica sa n-o sparg. Cred ca vreau s-o las mostenire, altfel nu-mi explic. A trebuit sa fac poza cu flash, ca altfel iese cu purici (deh, camera luata la disperare, ce sa-i cer?).

LE: Haha, pe poza marita vad ca nici nu am sters-o bine de praf! :-)))

2007-10-23T08:45:00.000-04:00

7 minuni ale Romaniei

Pentru ca ma tot feresc de pastrarea unui ton pesimist, as vrea sa enumar si cele 7 minuni romanesti din sufletul meu:

1. Mama
2. Mamaita
3. Marea Neagra - plaja iarna, faleza de la Cazino, stabilopozii acoperiti de gheata (pe care i-am vazut doar in poze)
4. Muntii plini de zapada si mirosul de fum care ma trimite cu gandul la Craciun
5. Toate cartile care mi-au fericit anii, de la "Povesti nemuritoare" si istorisirile lui Creanga, pana la proza fantastica a lui Eliade, iubirea mea din adolescenta. Ce vremuri!
6. Bucuria de-a merge "la tara". Eu nu am avut bunici la tara, dar cat mi-as fi dorit!
7. Copilasul sau copilasii mei - vor fi minunile mele si vor fi romani.

2007-10-23T08:13:00.000-04:00

7 ma tot urmareste :-)

Meplusmyself m-a intrebat care sunt cele 7 lucruri cu care ma lupt in Romania. Eu imi voi lua libertatea de-a enumera aspectele care ma deranjeaza in privinta Romaniei sau a Canadei, specificand despre care e vorba la fiecare afirmatie.

1. Canada - indiferenta oamenilor ma revolta fara incetare. Faptul ca acum 2 ani mama, care ma tine pe un piedestal presarat cu diamante, mi-a spus ca m-am schimbat, ca sunt mai rece si mai rea, mi-a ridicat niste semne de intrebare si a initiat procesul de "recuperare". "Supravietuirea" in cadrul unui sistem este de multe ori rezultaul adaptarii la sistemul respectiv... I guess. Unul din motivele pentru care am ales sa plec.

2. Romanii care pleaca in strainatate - ura si invidia pe care romanii nu pregeta s-o manifeste fata de concetatenii lor cu fiecare ocazie. Printre cei care mi-au provocat greutati, romanii ocupa un loc fruntas. In al doilea rand, nenorocirile pe care unii dintre noi le fac in alte tari si pentru care avem toti de suferit.

3. Canada - usurinta cu care canadienii acuza alte tari de rasism, in timp ce ei isi ascund adevaratele sentimente si faptele in spatele unui chip indiferent sau zambitor, depinde de situatie. Faptul ca imi spun ca vor sa mearga in Romania sa salveze tiganii!!!, dar ca de multe ori ei iti ignora cv-ul daca ai un nume strain.

4. Romania - faimoasa lama de Orbit sau bomboana primita in loc de rest.

5. Romania - usurinta cu care angajatii oricarei institutii presupun ca le esti inferior si ca pot tipa la tine sau ca te pot ignora.

6. Romania - modul in care epateaza niste lichele care au avut destul noroc pentru a fura sume exorbitante.

7. Romania - faptul ca nu mai am pe nimeni acolo, cu exceptia mamei mele... poate si a tatalui meu, cine stie.

2007-10-16T16:06:00.000-04:00

7

7 years... that's supposed to be a lucky number.

2007-10-16T16:04:00.000-04:00

Copilul femeie sau femeia copil

Ma intreb uneori daca exista o anumita varsta la care ajungi sa te simti femeie. Sau care e doza ideala de copilarie pe care s-o porti mereu in suflet. Ma aflu intr-o peioada destul de incerta pentru mine: teoretic, nu mai sunt un copil, dar nici femeie nu ma pot numi. Sa fie ceva in neregula cu mine? Peste tot pe unde m-am aflat in compania altor tineri mi s-a spus "nebuna". Se refereau la moacele mele ciudate si uneori amuzante, la glumele pe care le faceam, la bucuria pe care o manifestam fata de cele mai simple lucruri, la usurinta cu care dadeam in mintea copiilor. Ma simt de multe ori ca un copil, si nu neaparat in sens pozitiv. Si totusi, ma confrunt cu probleme care n-au nimic de-a face cu povestile cu zane si printisori. Uneori ma simt imbatranita, obosita, dar asta se intampla mai rar de cand m-am intors din Spania. Din cand in cand simt nevoia unui compliment care sa nu contina nuante infantile; acum le obtin pe strada, dar eu as avea nevoie sa vina din alte parti. Eu sunt cea care danseaza in timpul cursurilor, care face glume cu toata lumea, care vorbeste cu voce de copil, care incee sa topaie pe strada fara vreun motiv aparent... dar tot eu sunt cea care petrece cate o ora, doua, aranjandu-si parul, punandu-si machiaj, cea care poarta tocuri si uneori se imbraca elegant, cea care intra in magazine in cautare de noi haine... Uneori as vrea doar sa mi se recunoasca si accepte ambele fatete.

2007-10-12T13:08:00.000-04:00

Orange Peels Are Bitter

There are orange peels laying on the floor. I've just thrown a chocolate wrap next to them. I gathered all the dishes from last night and piled them up in the sink. Empty water bottles surround me. I've started writing my essay for Monday, but I stopped. I'm reading "La Celestina", "1984", and trying to read again" Don Quijote de la Mancha". I haven't watched TV in a long time. I'm tired and sad. I'm looking at photos. I'm thinking about what was going on last year around this period. Bad, bad things, good things that turned bad, and just plain things. I'm thinking about what was going on half a year ago. Amazing things.
I'll pick up the orange peels, the chocolate wrap and the bottles soon. I'll do the dishes. I'll finish my essay. I'll continue and eventually finish the three books. I'll go back to feeling full of life, content and hopeful. I'll close my pictures file. I'll think again about what's hopefully waiting for me in the near future... or just the future. I'll apparently forget again, for a while (can't get used to not remembering). It's just one of those moments that I left somewhere behind me, but that sometimes drop by for a short visit.

2007-10-06T18:30:00.000-04:00

"Macho" Commercials

Why is it that in most commercials that have to do with buying new floors or windows, there's this couple formed of a 40-ish beautiful woman and a 60-ish man who looks as if he were made of money? She just sits there, smiling and nodding, while talks to the salesman and looks like he's going to take out his loaded wallet any minute.
I could write 10 pages on this subject, so I'll just stop here.

2007-10-05T09:27:00.000-04:00

Guernica

When in Madrid, I took the opportunity to go see Guernica, Pablo Picasso's famous painting, at the Reina Sofia Museum. I had learned something about it in high school, but couldn't really remember much of it. By an amusing coincidence I had the chance to encounter a group of French people, whose guide explained to them the significance behind the painting. Two days ago we also discussed Guernica's historical background in one of my courses, without concentrating too much on the painting itself. The reason for it was that Guernica could be interpreted in an infinite number of ways; even Picasso refused to explain it, saying that, when starting a new work, the painter himself does not know all the symbols he'll have reached by the end.

Guernica was inspired by the bombings led by the Nazis against the Basque town called Guernica, in April, 1937, during the Spanish civil war. Appalled by the suffering of the Spanish people, Picasso chose to depict the horrors of the civil war, whose main cause was Franco's desire to take over the Republic, in his consecrated cubist manner. The painting was then part of the 1937 Paris International Exposition, where it didn't receive much recognition, not even by the U.S.S.R., country that was on the Republicans' side.

As for the interpretation... the one version I heard and was impressed by would be that the enraged horse in the middle would represent Franco. Its iron-like tongue would indicate the suffering Franco has inflicted on Spain, which would be the bull that's looking away from the horse, with an expression of fear on its face. Although the bull's body is painted in a darker nuance, its head is very visible, implying the strength of the Spanish people, despite all their suffering. Beneath the bull there is a screaming woman holding a dead son; her breasts are hanging, without any milk left, which could symbolize Spain's lack of prosperity and despair for the many sons it loses in this absurd war. The whole painting contains scattered members and frightened, crying faces - the general state of the people's souls and lives. Another intriguing element would be the light bulb in the middle, above the horse, that could be interpreted as a light bulb that's on, one that's off, an eye that watches everything... and so much more. After all, IT IS Picasso! There is also a hand holding a candle, which might represent Spain's hope that peace will eventually settle over its tumultuous past and present. As I said, there are so many possible interpretations that we will never be able to completely understand all the Guernica's implications. But that's the point of a brilliant painting, isn't it?

Although Guernica traveled all over the world, Picasso always wanted to see it back to its people. Franco has tried to bring it back to Spain, in an useless effort to show the world that he is not the tyrant he's believed to be. Nevertheless, Guernica returned to Spain only in 1981. Even nowadays, it is still used as a means for political tensions between the central government and the Basque one; no later than last spring, the latter asked Madrid to let them expose the painting in the Guggenheim Museum, in Bilbao, for the 30th commemoration of the Guernica massacre. Approval was not granted on basis of the painting's fragility and impossibility of transportation.

The only thing I would like to add is that I'm extremely sad that a country with such rich history and so much suffering (some caused by the Spanish people itself, it's true) as Spain could be reduced by Romanians to a "strawberry picking country". There is so much more there that we will not be able to discover, not as long as we will insist on degrading this country's spiritual richness and cultural contribution to the world.

2007-09-30T18:00:00.000-04:00

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Gianluca!

Eh, tenía que hacer un "video" para ti también, no quería que te enojaras :-). Otra vez, he cambiado la hora, porque en Italia ya es tu cumpleaños y no quise esperar demasiado. ¡Que coincidencia, son exactamente las 12:00 en Italia :-D! Lo divertido es que no yo escogí la foto que se ve cuando no estés mirando la "peliculita". ¿Que raro, no :-D?
No necesito decir nada más, ya lo sabes todo, como siempre :-).

¡Atención! Para visionar este "video" se necesita tener mucha indulgencia, leer muy rapidamente y usar un poco de imaginación, que ya sé que tienes :P.

Si no funciona muy bien aquí, lo puedes ver en este sitio:
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-198505465057803408&hl=en-CA

2007-09-30T12:21:00.000-04:00

Guppies Buddies

Led by melancholy for the time I had a small aquarium in Romania and for all the fish I received on FaceBook from the friends I made in Spain (long story), 3 days ago I got myself 4 guppies who seem to brighten the house. Now I'm sad, one of them spends most of his time on the bottom of the aquarium and I'm pretty sure it won't be long before he goes... I'm still wondering what I've done wrong. Nevertheless, there's something else I wanted to write about. Ever since he's been down there, one of the females has almost not moved from the area. She's been circling him, kind of trying to push him to go up, or she'd just swim around him, while the other two were on top. At one point the other male came down and swam with his ill friend for a few minutes. I just can't get enough of that affection and dedication they're showing. I know fish have very small brains, but I'm beginning to wonder about their soul...

LE: OK, cut that buddies thing! The female was really supportive, but I pretty much think the other male bit this one, since there's a huge wound near his tail that wasn't there before. I'm so mad right now!

2007-09-29T23:23:00.000-04:00

Roberto Benigni Between Principessas and Tigers

At first, there was "Life Is Beautiful" ("Vita è bella"). In my book, I mean, since that was the first Roberto Benigni film I saw. I had heard about this famous movie, I had seen the director and actor jump like a monkey on his way to the Oscar stage, but I hadn't gotten an occasion to see the movie. I finally got it this spring, in the most suitable company there is. I never thought I could laugh at a movie about the Holocaust. "Life Is Beautiful" interweaves tragedy, laughter, tears and romance in a story that tries to teach us that love of all kinds can survive in the most challenging circumstances. The audience can't help but fall in love with this Jewish Italian family (actually, the mother is not Jewish, which gives the movie a sweet and sour twist). The first part of the movie lets us in the adorable, smart and humorous way in which Guido Orefice charms Dora and convinces her to become his wife. I mean... this may not be the best looking man out there, but I simply fell in love with him... in between falls of laughter and sighs, that is. In the second part, the two and their little boy are taken to a concentration camp, where Dora gets separated from the men of her life. All I can say is that the laughter doesn't stop, no matter how much sadness one might feel. I was never torn between emotions so much; one minute I was laughing, the other one I felt like crying... but couldn't, because Roberto Benigni would give me a reason to at least smile in the next instant. I could not describe all the feelings this movie made me aware of, but every other day I still find myself saying "Buongiorno principessa!", trying in vain to imitate Benigni's joy. I thought the cards scene from "Love Actually" was romantic, but the one from this movie beats it by far, and has much more profound implications.
Tonight I had a second taste of this Italian's boundless personality and sensitivity. Cavilers might argue that "The Tiger and the Snow" ("La tigre e la neve") follows the storyline of "Life Is Beautiful", but I beg to differ. It's true that it presents the horrors of another historical conflict (the Iraq war) and that the plot is based, again, on the intricate ways of love, but this should not lead to underestimating the movie's substance and original humor. Attilio de Giovanni, a poet and university professor, goes to Irak after finding out that his ex-wife, whom he's still in love with, was hurt in an explosion and might die within the next hours. I wouldn't say I liked this one as much as "Life Is Beautiful", but it reinforced my desire of looking for as many of Roberto Benigni's movies as I can. I mean, the guy talks to camels, has keys falling from the sky on request, is smart, incredibly funny and would make the most romantic gestures for his wife (at least in the movies, although I doubt this is the case).

2007-09-18T14:04:00.000-04:00

Give Me a Synonym for "Dictionary"

Earlier today, in an attempt to relax for half an hour, in between my studies, I played a silly game that sometimes makes me more nervous than calm. This was the case today, but this time the players had me exclaim "how stupid can one be?!!". Instead of enjoying the game, I had to fight with people, while trying to explain them the Thesaurus IS a dictionary. "No, dictionaries give definitions of words, this one gives words with the same meaning". Am I going crazy or this is plain ignorance? "OK", I said, "it's a SYNONYM dictionary"!
I don't know, I was just extremely shocked by this episode... blah!

2007-09-16T15:44:00.000-04:00

Chris Crocker Is NOT an Exponent of Gay Men!

Everyone has heard by now of Chris Crocker, the big Britney fan who made a whole scene over the negative attention his idol, sister, friend, model, whatever received. I'm not planning on discussing that issue, no words of mine could do justice to his performance. There was a different aspect that disturbed me regarding this huge "Chris Crocker effect", and that would be the image he casts on homosexual people and the way the media perceives his protest.
In the following clip the star wannabe complains about how hard gay men have it compared to women, bringing up issues like STD tests, shaving and a bunch of other dramas he has to go through. According to him, women's monthly problems or birth-giving pain are nothing compared to his excruciating efforts of looking pretty. First of all, you don't have to shave your hair every day just because you are homosexual. I've met men who dated other men and still looked gorgeous with a beard, had a very masculine allure and lived a normal, dignifying life. They didn't need to act like a drama queen in order to express their homosexuality. Second of all, you wouldn't need to take all those STD tests if you stopped running between dates and considered actually having a fulfilling relationship with only one person.

Now, about the media's attitude; I'm so sick of reading titles like "Gay People Fight Over Britney" or "Gay Men Defend Britney"! That generalization has no common sense. As far as I know, there were only two homosexual men who took attitude over Britney's performance: Chris Crocker and Perez Hilton. Why would you automatically assume that they represent all gay people out there? Not all homosexuals are obsessed with celebrities or are celebrities themselves, and, more importantly, I believe many gay people were outraged by Crocker's material and attitude. They don't need to be represented by anyone, and especially not by some weirdo who doesn't do them any good and casts an even bigger shadow over gay people. No, there are homosexuals who DO NOT behave like that Crocker individual, do not condone that type of acting and to whom Britney Spears's career presents no interest.

2007-09-10T22:14:00.000-04:00

Back to School

After a pretty strange year, with one semester spent between tears and almost having professors beg me to hand in my papers and one amazing semester spent in Spain, I'm back to my beloved Concordia University... which seems determined to kick my behind in what I'm hoping to be my final year (keeping fingers crossed for Friday). After two days of seeing very few people I know (most of my friends have already graduated), today I finally got to see lots of familiar faces, including teachers. You know you've spent too much time in school when all teachers know you, although you haven't had any courses with some of them. Anyway... If I make it through the next ten Mondays, it means I'm much tougher than I think. On this day I have 4 out of the 5 courses I'm taking, I spend 10 hours at school and almost 2 riding the subway train, I have to run like crazy between buildings and I only have a two-hour break between 4.00 and 6.00 pm. I'll be having one or two exams each week, starting with September 24, essays to hand in just as often (starting this Wednesday) and all my professors seem determined to convince us that C is a good grade... pffff!
The upside of it is that I simply love 4 of my 5 courses (one of them is French, go figure... although it's still grammar, which is a plus), as they all concern Spain, from Literature to History. I'm also happy with the teachers I have and the material is unbelievably interesting. On top of all this, I'm more hyped than ever and ready to face this amazing year Concordia has in store for me.
One thing that I finally learned, making sure that I'll never forget it again: Guernica, Picasso's famous painting, returned to Spain in... 1981!!! No wonder I'm so interested in this painting and agreed to spend some good minutes looking like a fool in the middle of the Reina Sofia Museum! By the way: the horse is Franco and the bull is Spain. Hmmm! One of these days I should try and comment Guernica, see if I got it right.

2007-08-23T22:12:00.000-04:00

Buon compleanno, Alessia!

Perché voglio che tu lega cuesto messaggio domani (o dicciamo oggi anche se non e ancora il tuo compleanno in Canada), ho cambiato l'ora del mio blog, perche non mi piacerebbe che i miei auguri sianno apparsi con la data del 23 agosto. Vedi la fatica che faccio per te? :-P
Mi dispiace essermi dimenticato scrivere alla fine del video "¡Feliz cumpleaños!", ma spero che abbia capito che quest'era l'essenza :-).
Ti voglio molto bene (possiamo dirlo con il "molto"?) e spero vederci molto pronto :-).

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-3367938352413757243&hl=en-CA

2007-08-21T12:27:00.000-04:00

Buon compleanno, Cristina!

Anche se mi piacerebbe potere scriverti un messaggio in italiano (non detesto l'italiano, lo sai? :) ), non sono ancora capace di farlo, perciò ho fatto la cosa che so fare un po' meglio: ho guardato delle foto e t'ho fatto un piccolo video :). Spero que ti piaccia un po'.
Ti voglio benne, benne, benne! Oppure TVB :)!

P.S.Ho scritto tutto (c)questo da sola, con un po' d'aiuto del dizionario. Si vede che sonno molto orgogliosa, verro? Forse non dovrei... :P

P.S. 2 Si resulta difícil verlo aquí, usa este sitio, debería ser más fácil:

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-6945248121025338376&hl=en-CA

2007-08-14T13:38:00.000-04:00

Alfabeto instantáneo

A: Amor - lo busco en todas sus formas, pero también me gusta ofrecerlo, si puedo B: Bailar - libertad, felicidad C: Cuidado - a veces no tan aconsenjable D: Deseo - mudarme a Europa E: Esperanza - casi nunca me deja F: Flores - muguetes G: Gracias - Intento darlas cada vez que las merezcan H: Hogar - todavía no sé dónde es el mío I: Ideal - falta mucho J: Juegos - me ecanta jugar, en todas las maneras posibles... sólo que a veces no puedo K: Kilógramos - espero guardarlas lo más lejos posible L: Locución - ¿Qué puedo decir? Me gusta la gramática. M: Mis italianos - sí, ya sé que tengo un problema :-) N: No - la "n" de mi portátil no funciona muy bien P: Placer - varias maneras de obtenerla Q: Quiero - quiero la vida y quiero vivir R: Recuerdos - vivo demasiado bajo su influencia S: Sorpresas - vivo para hacerlas y recibirlas T: Tiempo - he decidido de no perderlo más U: Uno - tan difícil V: Valor - necesito tanta ahora W: Washington - la ciudad más parecida al estilo europeo de las que he visto en los Estados Y: You - vosotros, sí, vosotros :-) X: X-ray - fumo demasiado Z: Zaragoza - todavía tengo que ver la catedral

2007-08-14T12:45:00.000-04:00

Tag de la Nicole

A - Acasa : inca nu am aflat unde este B - Bunatatea : om avea-o, om aprecia-o? C - Culori favorite : albastru, portocaliu D - Dans : libertate, fericire E - Eschimos: denumire acceptata - inuit F - Flori : lacramioare G - Galeata: mi-as baga uneori capul intr-una cu apa rece/ a nu se cofunda cu butoiul cu melancolie H - Haine : plictisitoare in Canada, super in Spania I - Ideal: mai am ceva de alergat pana acolo J - Jignire : depinde din partea cui vine K - Kilograme : sa vedem cum le tin departe aici L - Lectura : atat de in urma M - Mesaje : forma de comuicare utila in lipsa de altceva N - Nascuta : Constanta - 2.01.81 - imbatranesc... O - Occident : Spania si Italia P - Parfum : Bulgari si Amarige de Givenchy Q - Quiero :Iubesc viata, vreau sa traiesc R - Romantism : nu pot scapa de el, oricat as incerca S - Sport : tenis si volei T - Tic : ticuri verbale cat cuprinde, de la "Madona!" pana la "super" U - Utopic : doar ceea ce nu depinde de tine V - Viata in 5 luni : Logroño, februarie-iunie 2007 W - Who, when, why, where - ma pasioneaza gramatica, dar am si prea multe intrebari X - X : nu-mi place in "ex", dar ca numar roman e o minune Y - Yesterday : traiesc prea mult in trecut Z - Zodie : Capricorn

2007-08-03T17:05:00.000-04:00

Welcome Back?

Back in Montreal after an absence of 6 months... The same streets, same sad-looking people, same humid heat that dries your throat and sends you hiding inside the house... nothing's changed, but me. And I'm not pretending that that's a good thing; it's just the way it is.
I already feel tired, but I'll just assume this is due to the time change... I refuse to let myself be absorbed by what I've been running away from all these months.
I went to Romania; as I've said, I didn't feel at home back there, no matter the way I was judged for stating this. On a positive note, nevertheless, I had the chance to finally meet some of the people I had been talking to for a fairly long time, some of whom I had already gotten to consider friends. It was a very nice surprise to discover that I hadn't been wrong and that the virtual impression I had was not too different from the real one.
And last, but surely not least, there were, again, Cristina, Alessia, Gianluca and Sacha. They're always there, in my heart, so how could they not do their best in charging my batteries before coming back to Canada? Now and then I still get a strong ache that fills the emptiness in my stomach, but I'm learning how to deal with it.
There's one thing I know for sure: I'm tired of this virtual life... I need to live the real one :).

2007-07-11T11:47:00.001-04:00

Romania

Nope... my home is not here either. Stronger feelings for Spain and... let's see what else...

P.S. I miss you so much!

2007-06-28T03:45:00.000-04:00

...

4s... el nuevo número primo... indivisible...
Nuestro Peter Pan, nuestro ProTAgOnIsTa, nuestro preferido, nuestro niño, nuestro menomato, nuestro amor, nuestro disminuito, nuestro dolor de cabeza, nuestro confuso, nuestro hombro, nuestro amigo... nuestro tanto... nuestro Gianluca.
Sin promesas... sólo con lo que hemos vivido... sólo con todo.
¡Que sueñes con los angelitos, Gianluca!... porque la vida es sueño, ¿verdad :-)?

2007-06-25T06:13:00.000-04:00

5...5...5...5...5...5...5...5...5...5...5...5...5...

In my room... a room I could not stand for 5 months, always
trying to get out of it. I'm crying... I need to cry, as I'm realizing more and more that it's over. One week left... By this time next
Monday I'll have all my luggage prepared... package sent... goodbyes said... makeup running down my face from so many tears... a bigger heart, although it will feel broken for a long time... hopes... a shadow of enthusiasm for going home... sadness... richness... why does it have to end?
No, I already know the answer... this is not real... what we lived here it's not what real life means... and yet, life is all about this... about feeling, about being speechless, about living each moment as if it were the last... and the last moments have arrived.
I wasn't expecting this... I thought I knew how to live my life, how to accept things I didn't really want, but came with the package... I had come here to study, to improve my Spanish, to do what I've been doing for some time now... just to get by. I didn't know anything... do I know anything now? I have no clue, but there are so many things I feel...
I knew it would be very difficult at the end... I didn't know I'd get to love the three of you so much, to feel so lost at the end... the end... it just feels like it, I know it's not the end... and I'm not lost... I'm more aware of my path than I've ever been, although there's still so much to discover... I know that's the charm of life, but it feels kind of difficult to look at it that way right now...
I'm sad, and yet happy... sorry for not being able to live my happiness with you... I walk down the street, I see the trees, and I start crying. Someone comes to say "hello" and I almost break down... it was all like this...
That's all...

2007-06-11T22:51:00.000-04:00

Estados

Tirada por hilos elásticos ensuciados con aceite...
Mirando formas de nubes psicodélicos en el techo de un cuarto...
Envuelta en instantes que "hace[n] la vida suficiente"...
Pegada al reloj de una pantalla convulsiva...
Buscando salidas dentro del movimiento de una pestaña...
Ciega por los miedos que salen del bote del rincón...
Muda al usar palabras y estrepitosa al no decir nada...
Agobiada por mi misma...
Escuchando el ronquido de la oscuridad (o de uno de mis vecinos)...
Tabula Rasa con cada madrugada...
Asustada por ser Tabula Rasa al anochecer...
Llevada por una boya de pesimismo en un oceano de optimismo...
Conmovida al descubrir mi propia incapacidad de conmoverme...
Leyendo frases y entendiendo imágenes...
Tan abierta que la corriente de mis impresiones empuja todo hacia el fondo...
Sorprendida por la felicidad instantánea...
Resolviendo ecuaciones con una multitud de incógnitas sin poder comprobar el resultado...
Luchando contra enanos, sombras, certezas, sensaciones...
Sin hambre, sólo con mucha sed...
Vencida por el sueño pero en la imposibilidad de descansar...

2007-05-31T17:25:00.000-04:00

Just Don't!

For the second time I had to erase some comments made on my blog... and I honestly don't enjoy doing it, since I'm writing all these things for myself and a few friends... or so I thought. The first time I did it because it was a message posted on a touchy subject, although the author had no idea what I was talking about, so it wasn't his fault. The second time, nevertheless, I was offended in a way I wouldn't have expected and on grounds that had nothing to do with reality. It upset me very much initially, since it took me by surprise... but then I just didn't care... as I said before, I learned not to care about people who try to spread fake rumors and who don't see outside their little house of glass.
If you don't understand what I'm writing about and are not willing to ask questions when you don't know what to think about a specific post, don't bother telling me what you think. Or do it, but don't throw words that are not worth a penny and come from your personal anger. I'm not going to defend myself, I'll just erase the comments and go on with my life. I'm willing to accept my faults (like not keeping in touch with some important people), but I'll not look back for one second when accused of things I've never done. I wasn't kidding when I said I changed; as a friend, I'm still the same Mirela, or maybe even better, because now I've become a friend to myself as well; nevertheless, for those who want to show me that there's no such relationship between us and act hurt, while trying to take "revenge", I only have this to say: have a nice life!

2007-05-29T22:17:00.000-04:00

Pentru un sufletel...

2007-05-28T19:45:00.000-04:00

What Makes the Past Four Months So Special?
(Why Don't I Want to Leave?)
(Who Am I?)

Leaving my eternal love for Spain aside, I'll try to enumerate a few of the numerous experiences and changes I've lived during my Erasmus experience. No, it's not over yet, but tonight I feel happy (as in so many other days and nights) and, given the fact that I don't write that often here, I'd like the last post to be a joyful one; don't like the 39 days... thing that much.

1. I went skating for the first time ever... and loved it! The first day I fell down 4 times; the second one, 4 times as well! The third time, tonight, only once... and somewhat improved my posture (which wasn't too difficult, considering that the first two times I looked as if I were searching for pennies on the ice :P ). I don't even feel tired... and I'll surely be going back!
2. I rode a bike after 8 or 9 years, if not more... can't even remember. There's a premiere here as well: I had to dare and ride it on the street, and not only on the sidewalk, as before; felt kind of scared, but made it!
3. I visited some of the places I've been hoping to see for many years. I've been known to say "see Spain and then die". Hmmm... now I know I don't want to die quite so fast :), but even if this were the case, there's hardly anything I would change. Until now I've been to Logrono (hi, hi!), Pamplona, Alicante, Valencia, Zaragoza (although...), Santo Domingo (also known as Burgos - ha, ha!), Laguardia, Madrid, Bilbao, San Millan, Granada (with its astonishing Alhambra), Sevilla and Cadiz. What's missing? Barcelona, for sure, and maybe Salamanca... as for the rest, there's no telling when and if... Oh, of course... how could I not mention that I'll be going to London and... ta-na-nam... Italy?!!!
4. I've danced more than in my entire life... and I feel so free when I dance... or whatever it's called the way I move on the dance floor :P. I don't care that much about what my legs and hands are doing when hearing a song I like... no matter where I am. The joy I feel makes me move.
5. I haven't studied THAT much (ha, ha!), and yet I feel like I've learned so much! I skipped classes... tons of them! In two years and a half I've only missed two hours of class, and that for very strong reasons. In Spain I've given up on worrying about school and concentrated on living and defining myself... filling the needs that had been yelling at me for a long time, while I tried to put them aside.
6. I've done something else for the first (and possibly only) time, but I'm not going to say exactly what I'm referring to :P.
7. I've learned not to care about what some people think. I've learned to ignore; I'm still working on this aspect, but I feel like I've made some serious steps in this direction. Most of the time I've done exactly what I felt like doing.
8. I've discovered (with some serious help from my friends, it's true) that I'm pretty. I've also learned how to look at an "ugly" picture and laugh, although at first I might've felt the urge to erase it. Not to mention that I've ventured into posting photos of myself on the web!
9. I've uttered my first words in Italian; I'm sure I sound awful, but I've done it! I can understand most of daily conversations and I could scream for help if someone pointed a gun to my head. It feels great!
10. I've entered a few stores and asked the salespeople if they knew a store that carried the same merchandise as them, but of better quality. OK, this is not something I feel so proud of, but it's something I've done for the first time and something that proves I can be obnoxious at times. At the same time, I've been laughed at when telling various people and my friends that I'm a shy person... hey, I really thought I was :)! And still am, to be honest :P.
11. I've taken part in a recording for the Erasmus program and have also given an interview for the school digital newspaper.
12. I've gotten drunk "a few times"... most of which I had lots of fun :P. I have yet to get drunk and not remember most of it, but I don't see that happening anytime soon :P.
13. I've bought lots and lots of clothes, most of which are tops; I've also gotten used to wearing short tops, something I wouldn't have imagined a few months back.
14. Cristina and I went by ourselves to a disco, while a bit drunk, saying that we were looking for two cute guys; of course we were not serious, but we surely had some fun bashing on the guys and dancing our way through the place :P.
15. I've talked about things I never thought I'd mention. I'm not saying I feel completely comfortable doing it, but it's a start.
16. I had my hair dyed by my Italians... couldn't have imagined that 3 people would "waste" their time to look after my hair! I've also had my makeup done by Cristina, gone shopping with her, Alessia, Gianluca and other colleagues or tried to sing karaoke.
17. I returned "home" by myself at 4:00 a.m. ... a 40-minute walk :P.
18. I've made 3 friends to whom no epithets would do justice. They've offered me what only one other person was willing to give me... I've only realized that now that it happened; I wasn't even expecting anything from the 3 of them. At some points I tried to run away, but it was impossible and made no sense. Is it weird that I feel that this relationship made me become independent?

Do I need to repeat that these are just SOME episodes? SOME memories? Am I fortunate or what?!

P.S. Just in case... "bashing on" refers to saying bad things about someone and DOES NOT imply any sort of physical contact!

2007-05-25T22:31:00.000-04:00

39 days...

39 days left... I just found out a few minutes ago that there are 39 days left; a month and a half, as I used to think of it, seemed a bit more than 39 days... but I was wrong; next Sunday will be June 3rd, which only leaves me ONE MONTH! One horrible month, full of exams and of people who will be leaving; people with whom I've shared the best period of the last 26 years... people... friends. Today there was the first farewell party. I can't say that I've suffered, I had never spoken to the ones that will be leaving, but I realized that this is only the beginning; more Erasmus students will soon be leaving, and most of them will be people with whom I've built precious memories.
Out of the four of us, I'll be the second one leaving; I know I'm being selfish when I say that I feel somewhat relieved for not being the last one to go... I don't know whether I'd be able to take each one of them to the bus station, and then return home by myself (metaphorically speaking). I've already done it once, for the Easter vacation, and it felt horrible, even if it was for only ten days. However, knowing that I'll be seeing them shortly after will give me enough strength to leave our little "Isla de nunca jamás"... and to go with Gianluca to the horrible bus station.
I can't be sad... I don't want to end this precious time with a month of tears and isolation; I'd be cheating on who I am and throwing everything out the window. I'm just a little sad right now, after learning that I only have 39 days left.

2007-05-24T13:23:00.000-04:00

Andalusia

Yesterday I came back from Andalusia; every day I thought of the many words I'd be putting on this post, the thoughts I'd be able to transform into letters and the joy I'd feel later, when reading these pages... once again, I was wrong. I'm "somewhat" stubborn and it takes me a while to learn... I cannot do it! I can only say that no book or picture can depict the miracle that is Alhambra... a paradise in the south of my spiritual heaven, which is Spain; nothing can bring you more joy than a reinforced friendship, the proof that you haven't been creating a reality based on straws; and, finally, Don Antonio... after 7 years...
Andalusia, you were in my heart before, now I've become you.

2007-05-16T10:50:00.000-04:00

Thank you for your help, for your patience, for your mistakes and for the breaks you gave me. Thank you for knowing and for being my friend :).

2007-05-07T19:38:00.000-04:00

Mis italianos 2 - el regreso del castigo de Erasmus :-P

Tomando en consideración las quejas de mis italianos sobre la foto que he publicado hace un mes, he decidido (no, esa es sólo una broma, de hecho me obligaron hacerlo) de mostrar lo bonitos que son (entienden el español, así que no puedo decir otra cosa).

Ellos son mis italianos... ¡odiosos, pero míos :-)!

2007-04-29T23:49:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I can't help but get scared... two months...

2007-04-29T23:14:00.000-04:00

Reasons Why I Want to Move (Back) to Europe...

1. There's no horrifying ocean between me and my family... my mom. I made a decision 7 years, respectively 5 years ago, I've had my share of the "American Dream", now I believe I can make a second choice of coming back. I'm not on my own anymore, I have to think of others as well, but I know I belong here. In Europe there are cars, buses, trains, planes... I could even walk :P; in Canada... there's only a deep, disturbing ocean.

2. People haven't forgotten to smile in Europe... in Spain. They'll stop on the street, while walking their dog, to talk to you... about anything. They'll give you directions, walk behind you when you take a picture and even chase after you when they see you're going in the wrong direction. Today, in Bilbao, a car stopped and the man sitting on the right got out, asking us if we wanted him to take a picture of us... you won't find this in Canada. I haven't, at least. I was speechless...

3. The same people find the time to go for a coffee or any kind of drink after work; they know how to enjoy life and not let themselves driven insane by the ruthless work deadlines... did I mention that people smile?

4. I should be able to continue my studies and obtain a PhD in Spanish Grammar in... Spain.

5. Everywhere you turn there's art, there's history... there's culture. No city or town is similar to another, each one of them has something that leaves you breathless and makes you feel like you've conquered the world just by walking down its streets.

6. All my friends are in Europe.

7. I could be myself here... I'm happy here.

8. Just because I don't want to leave...

... and so many more that I can't put into words.

2007-04-26T20:43:00.000-04:00

Romeo and Juliet at "La luna"

Tonight my friends took me to "La luna", a club where every Thursday evening people get together to listen to stories, jokes, legends and such other tales narrated by various... artists, why not? I've been wanting to go for a long time, but tonight I did not feel like getting out of the house (as if I stood a chance!). I eventually decided to go and found myself listening to stories about... love, indeed! Did they know I was going or what?
Well, there was one story that almost had me stand up while clapping. What can I do? No matter what I might say or how I might act, deep down inside I'm a hopeless romantic. It's an imaginary tale inspired by the Shakespearean play "Romeo and Juliet"... and it goes something like this:

As he lived in a different city and was not able to see Juliet, Romeo sent a messenger to Verona with a letter for his lover. The only problem was that this messenger did not only carry letters, but also mortal diseases, since he traveled through so many cities (and about all diseases were mortal at the time, right?). Once he reached Verona, he found Juliet and started reading the letter out loud. Before getting the chance to finish it, he fell down and died because of his illness. Everyone who was around ran away, as the illness was contagious, but Juliet, out of her deep love for Romeo, took the letter from the messenger's hand and continued reading the rest. Upon having finished reading the letter she died, struck by the same illness. Her love was much stronger than the fear of death...

Too bad I can't tell the story as the guy did :(! And it sounded so much better in Spanish :P! I know it's kind of exaggerated, but it was simply beautiful... !
My roommates' reaction: "Very romantic, it's true, but extremely stupid, as well!" NO, it's not stupid, it's true love, something so rare nowadays... I know, I know, I'm not being reasonable! Blah!

2007-04-26T05:35:00.000-04:00

Maybe because it's raining...

2007-04-24T20:11:00.000-04:00

Official Threat

I should be sleeping, but I can't, although my eyes are all blurry. I'm afraid that if I go to bed, I won't wake up on time tomorrow... again. I have a presentation tomorrow, and one on Thursday; meanwhile, maybe I should also read Melanie's essay.
I'll be cooking tomorrow night, unfortunately for Cristina, Alessia and Gianluca! They are just killing me about the Romanian food, which they pretty much hate. They don't even let me touch the utensils they use to cook! And they call themselves my "friends" :P! Gianluca and Alessia discovered a Romanian store today... I'd known about it for a long time; if they keep making jokes, maybe I'll have a surprise for them tomorrow :P.
I'm so tired... and I don't know what's wrong with me :(. Ah, it's ok, should be better tomorrow. It'll surely be better!
Good night, Mirela!

2007-04-22T00:05:00.000-04:00

Madrid... and Back to Logrono

Ever since I can remember, every time I'd come back from a trip I'd feel disappointed. Now I returned from the best journey of my life (yet?) and I keep feeling happy. Madrid was... anything between enchanting and extraordinary, Gianluca proved to be, once again, the best possible company, despite his precarious state of health, Don Quijote and Sancho Panza filled my heart with tears of happiness, Picasso's "Guernica" let me discover more of its intricacies and made me laugh at the same time, El Prado filled one of my biggest dreams, el Parque del Retiro offered me melancholy, hope and moments of shame mixed with laughter, Puerta del Sol disappointed me a bit, Gran Plaza made up for it and let me savor a "granita" in its European atmosphere, and el Palacio Real blocked my thoughts on interjections of admiration.
Now I'm back, only to find the same spot of happiness, Logrono, Cristina and Alessia (maybe the only two pieces missing from the Madrid puzzle), Gianluca, who keeps being here (although he'd rather be someplace else), the sun, the park, the music, the smiles... the dream.

[later edit]: No, no, no!!! It's not Gran Plaza or Plaza del mercado... it's PLAZA MAYOR! Why can't I get this name right?!

2007-04-15T21:07:00.000-04:00

Doare, dar nu tip... inca :D

Dupa cum spuneam mai demult, aproape toti Erasmusii cauta sa "se cupleze". Nu conteaza ca au prieteni/e sau chiar logodnici/e prin tarile din care vin; aici relatiile oficiale nu par sa aiba valoare. Nu am nici o problema cu asta, sunt ultima care sa judece asa ceva; fiecare isi traieste viata dupa cum doreste. Dar incercati sa n-o faceti sub nasul meu, ca mi-s si eu om si au trecut cateva lunisoare bune :P! Ce tot spun? Sigur ca veti continua practica, iar eu voi continua sa dansez :P.
Intr-o seara, venind putin ametite (chiar eram putin, daca zic!) de la club, incepe o amica sa-mi spuna ca nu mai are rabdare pana vineri (mai erau 2 zile) cand vine prietenul ei, ca a innebunit tot urmarind cuplurile mai vechi sau mai noi care-si aratau afectiunea in (aproape) toate modurile posibile. Da, draguta mea, te inteleg foarte bine, dar nu uita ca el a mai venit si-acum o luna, si-o sa mai tot vina! Nu prea-mi place sa dau replica asta, dar atunci am facut-o: "Si eu?" "Eh, da, dar tu esti mai matura si te stapanesti, chiar te admir pentru asta". Cum adica? Daca am 26 de ani inseamna ca pot sta pe bara la infinit? Te inseli, draguta mea, rationala, rationala, dar pana cand? Nu maturitatea m-ajuta sa nu ma gandesc mereu la asta, ci faptul ca dansez si ma prefac ca nu vad :D.
Acum cateva zile ma intorceam de la Zaragoza... cu mama! In autobuz, chiar in fata noastra, doi tineri scumpi se contopeau de mama focului! Ma rog, doar fetele lor, dar pentru doua ore am crezut ca o sa raman cheala! Hai sa ma uit la film, sa nu-i mai vad! Complotul universului va spune ceva :D? A observat si mama ca n-am stare... care gandeste mult prea modern si prinde subtilitatile, sa nu credeti acum ca topaiam pe scaun :P... si imi spune: "Hai ca-ti dau eu un pupic, sa compensez". In ce hal am ajuns, sa ma pupe mama ca sa-mi treaca "temperatura"! Hotarat lucru, are simtul umorului prea dezvoltat :P.
Sunt cuminte, dom'le, ata ete! Ma rog, in general. Ocazii au fost cat cuprinde, dar daca nu se poace, nu se poace! Masochismul ce ma caracterizeaza nu ma lasa sa profit de ele :P.
Jumatate dintre Erasmusi si-au tocit deja coatele la gandul ca miercuri plec in Madrid cu un baiat! Vedeti sa nu va rupeti hainele pana ne intoarcem, ca tot voi iesiti in paguba, si mie chiar nu-mi pasa. Doar ma amuza putin forfota asta. La fel cum ma amuza felul in care unele domnisoare se grabesc sa le critice pe celelalte, pentru ca in noaptea urmatoare sa se regaseasca in aceeasi pozitie (joc de cuvinte neintentionat :P). Daca vreti libertate pentru voi, oferiti-le-o si celorlalti.

2007-04-15T19:53:00.000-04:00

Ce s-a mai schimbat

Este oficial! Nu voi mai locui in Canada prea mult timp! Bine, oficial pentru mine, mai am de purtat cateva discutii cu sotul meu la revenirea in tara... aia. Cum m-as mai putea intoarce la stilul acela de viata cand aici imi pot permite sa fiu eu, fara a ma simti ingradita si frustrata? Ca sa nu mai spun ca aici imi pot face doctoratul fara a trece prin masterat :D. In 2 saptamani merg la Salamanca pentru a ma interesa daca au loc si pentru mintea mea cu pitici pe cale de disparitie. Nici Madridul nu pot spune ca-mi displace... daca e in Spania, e de bine. Ce tot spun eu? Daca e in Europa, e minunat! Dar, cum eu ma specializez in acest domeniu, ar fi de preferat sa ma aciuez pe-aici.
Incepusem sa ma gandesc ca sunt eu mai ciudata, antisociala si alte alea. Atunci cum se face ca aici nimeni nu ma crede cand spun ca sunt timida si cand mi se repeta mereu ca sunt invidiata pentru stilul meu... care mie mi se pare extrem de natural? Cum se face ca, in sfarsit, imi permit sa fac ceea ce doresc, cand am pofta si cu cine vreau? Nu am planuri, si totusi niciodata nu am timp. Nu mai am nevoie sa mentin relatii de complezenta; imi place de tine, stau cu tine; ma stresezi, nu ma uit urat la tine, dar aleg sa-mi petrec timpul cu altcineva sau singura... nu ca ar fi cazul. Am fost bolnava timp de-o luna, dar nu am simtit. Raceala nu trece cu pastile sau cu timp petrecut in pat, ci cu viata! Nu stiam ca dansatul in ploaie sau intinsul pe o banca in parc la 3 dimineata sunt cele mai bune leacuri pentru durerile fizice.
Nu mai am nevoie de confirmari care, culmea, exact acum se trezesc sa vina! Stiu, oameni buni, stiu :)! Nu imi trebuie decat ceea ce am. In sfarsit, pot spune ca nu am ceea ce-mi doresc, ci imi doresc ceea ce am!
Mi-am dat seama si de faptul ca nu am regrete; fiecare pas pe care l-am facut, gresit sau bun, m-a adus aici. Sunt fericita pentru ca sunt eu insumi; nu-mi mai doresc sa fiu altcineva.
Nu-mi mai este teama de iunie/ iulie. Daca acea perioada nu ar exista, nu ar avea valoare aceste luni. Si nu as avea ocazia sa raman eu.
Carpe diem! In sfarsit!

2007-04-15T16:45:00.000-04:00

Test

Ce mai fur si eu de pe la Cetin :P.

Personality Disorder Test Results

Paranoid	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	62%
Schizoid	\|\|\|\|\|\|	22%
Schizotypal	\|\|\|\|\|\|	30%
Antisocial	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	38%
Borderline	\|\|\|\|\|\|	30%
Histrionic	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	46%
Narcissistic	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	58%
Avoidant	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	34%
Dependent	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	38%
Obsessive-Compulsive	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	46%

Take Free Personality Disorder Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Narcisista am devenit in Spania, si sunt foarte mandra de asta :D!