Lacrimile padurii mele

Nu sunt o ipocrita, asa ca n-o sa pretind ca sunt vreo militanta Greenpeace, WWF sau mai stiu eu ce, dar macar am decenta de a arunca gunoiul la cos, de a stinge lumina cand nu am neaparata nevoie de ea si de a nu chinui animalele. Recunosc ca mi-am lasat de multe ori calculatorul deschis cu zilele si am consumat mai mult curent decat aveam nevoie si ca nu imi separ gunoiul menajer pe criterii de reciclabilitate, dar zic multumesc ca exista pe lume oameni care fac mult mai mult decat mine pentru noi si viitorul nostru pe Terra:

MY FOREST'S TEARS

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Brothers and sisters

I am an only child, so I never experienced the thrills of what having a brother/sister is all about.

The other day I was watching an episode from the House MD series. It was about a sick 4-year old who nobody could actually diagnose. In the end, in turned out his older brother ( 9 or something) had fed him extra vitamins to "make him stronger". So he had made his brother sick out of pure brotherly love, because he simply wanted to help him grow up faster. Now, from what I hear, this is a pretty unusual behavior as brothers do tend to bicker about all kinds of things all the time, and older brothers/sisters generally bully younger ones.

This episode reminded me how badly I wanted to have a bro/sis to share dreams with, exchange opinions, fight, hate, love, turn into an accomplice.

This is a side to life we, single children, never will experience, and maybe that will lead us to birth more than one baby, so we can enjoy at least through our children's eyes the joys of sibling relationships.

Now, all my life I wanted to have somebody to tell my little secrets as a child, to share with my childish treasures, chase around my grandmother's garden and the open fields. I wanted a sister so that I can pull her pigtails in jest while playing, defend when boys make fun of her, blame for something I did, run to when I feel sad and lonely, or a brother I can go for advice on guys, how to ride a bicycle, who can teach me to swim, side with me in front of others, beat the crap out of guys nagging me....

I know what you're gonna say...I never have to share stuff with anybody but myself and that's not so bad. Believe me, it's not as great as it sounds. I would have shared my piece of birthday cake anytime with my sister/brother if I had one, I would have covered up for her/him when she/he skipped school to get a date, held her when the SOB dumped her/bitch dumped him.

But then again, who knows how I would have really acted if I did have a brother/sister. I will never know, but here's a piece of advice from me to you people: treasure your siblings, no matter how good or bad they are, they are the only ones you've got!

Montmartre

Ce m-a facut sa scriu acest post scurt? O simpla poza, care m-a frapat. Nu este a mea, dar am si eu una similara si am fost surprinsa sa constat ca exista cineva care a simtit cam la fel atunci cand s-a aflat in acel loc.

Fotografia este din Paris, Montmartre si mi se pare frapanta pentru ca aceste scari sunt ca un fel de punte intre lumea de la poalele colinei, unde regasim Pigalle si Moulin-Rouge si divinul din varf, intruchipat de basilica Sacré-Coeur.
Din punctul meu de vedere, aceasta fotografie exprima esenta si paradoxul Parisului si poate (si) de asta iubesc acest oras cu pasiune. Pentru a ajunge sus, a deveni mai bun, mai pur, trebuie mai intai sa treci prin uman (cartierul felinarelor rosii), sa gresesti, sa fii acea fiinta inrobita de placeri si tentatii. Este alegerea fiecaruia daca ramanem la baza scarilor sau daca hotaram sa le urcam.

La Bohème

Aseara mi-am readus aminte de ce imi place atat de mult sa merg la opera si cum se strecoara sentimentul ala tainic de bucurie in sufletul meu care ma face sa inchid ochii si care sends shivers down my spine (parca suna cam ciudat in romaneste...imi face pielea de gaina). Mda, in mod clar Boema e una dintre operele cu librete "posibile", cu o poveste poate facila, dar care te face sa te desprinzi de lumea in care traiesti pentru 2 ore si jumatate si sa te bucuri, sa plangi si sa razi alaturi de personaje. Mai rar mergi la opera ca sa razi cu tot sufletul si sa simti ca rezonezi cu ce vezi pe scena si cu ce auzi (sau citesti pe panoul de supratitrare). Ori in cazul asta, chiar asa se intampla.
In fapt, opera asta evoca un stil de viata care a marcat o epoca si mai ales o locatie renumita din Paris, Le Quartier Latin, si care, muribund in sec 21, parca nu mai are aceeasi savoare, asa cum il evoca Charles Aznavour in una dintre cele mai iubite piese ale sale, La Bohème:

Je vous parle d'un temps,
Que les moins de vingt ans,
Ne peuvent pas connaître,
Montmartre en ce temps là,
Accrochait ses lilas,
Jusque sous nos fenêtres,
Et si l'humble garni,
Qui nous servait de lit,
Ne payait pas de mine,
C'est là qu'on s'est connu,
Moi qui criait famine et toi,
Qui posait nue,


La Bohème, la Bohème,
Ca voulait dire, on est heureux,
La Bohème, la Bohème,
Nous ne mangions,
Qu'un jour sur deux.
..........................................

Quant au hasard des jours,
Je m'en vais faire un tour,
A mon ancienne adresse,
Je ne reconnais plus,
Ni les murs, ni les rues,
Qu'y ont vus ma jeunesse,
En haut d'un escalier,
Je cherche l'atelier dont plus rien ne subsiste,
Dans son nouveau décor,
Montmartre semble triste,
Et les lilas sont morts.

La Bohème, la Bohème,
On était jeunes,
On était fous,
La Bohème, la Bohème,
Ca ne veut plus rien dire du tout.

Cred ca una dintre cele mai iubite arii e cea a lui Mimi

Asadar, Boema lui Puccini e boema noastra a tuturor, a celor care au trait-o sau care au auzit de ea. Pe undeva, e fericirea suprema chit ca nu ai un sfant in buzunar, traiesti de pe o zi pe alta, dar te incalzeste geniul, pasiunea pentru arta, dragoste si viata.

Seize the day

or Carpe Diem to do justice to the Latin original. What does that actually mean? It's an existential memento that we can easily relate to Memento Mori (remember you will die). In other words, a piece of advice saying"Do whatever you feel you should do right now, for tomorrow you may die". Leave aside all carefully laid plans, stop thinking about consequences and worrying about what society will say if you do this and that, and JUST DO IT (Always thought Nike has a good slogo). Life is short, time is fleeting, little time do we have to think stuff over, so the only possible conclusion is go for it, whatever it is that you want to do. No plans, no worries, just NOW and nothing beyond it ...

Originally, "carpe diem" was used by Horace in one of his Odes: "dum loquimur, fugerit invida aetas: carpe diem quam minimum credulo postero" (While we speak, envious time will have fled; seize the day, trusting future as little as you can). Now, to stop beating about the bush, I think this song does say it all:

Seize the day, or die regretting the time you lost

Fatalismul

Multa lume spune ca noi, romanii, suntem fatalisti. Hmm, pai nu stiu daca erati la curent dar....FATALISMUL ca si curent filozofic are si contributia recunoscuta a unui....ROMAN. Omuletzul asta, pe numele sau Vasile Conta (nemtean de origine), a abordat ideea fatalismului (sau mai degraba a determinismului) in sec. 19, adica fix cand a trait si domnia sa.

In esenta, fatalistii neaga existenta liberului arbitru. Cu alte cuvinte, degeaba te strofoci in viata asta si crezi ca iti faci tu soarta, ca nu este asa. Ce ti-e scris ti-e scris si degeaba incerci sa scapi de asta. Daca asa trebuie sa se intample, se va intampla si tu nu ai ce face in legatura cu chestiunea asta.

Desi le respect viziunea (foarte pertinent argumentata si fundamentata) sustinatorilor curentului, cred ca fatalismul e FATAL pentru viata asta. Sincer, daca am considera cu totii ca asa ne e scris, n-am mai avea nicio motivatie sa traim. Eu cred ca ne neaga insasi esenta existentei. Ok, si presupun ca ma imbolnavesc si, in loc sa ma duc la doctor, stau si astept soarta, nu? Sa vedem...oare mor sau nu? Sa fim seriosi, nu e mai logic sa incerci sa faci tot ce iti sta in puteri sa te faci bine? Acum daca tot se intampla inevitabilul asta, macar stii ca ai incercat....ai avut libertatea de a incerca, nu ai fost incorsetat de un gand tampit care iti zice ca n-are rost sa te mai stresezi, oricum daca e sa dai coltu' o sa dai coltu' orice ai face tu.

Mda, dar asta e doar opinia mea, nu?

Sunt convinsa ca sunt multi care cred cu tarie in fatalism. Sa va auzim.....daca simtiti nevoia sa va exprimati.

My plane and I

I sometimes perceive life as an endless sky, populated by a great many planes going God knows where. Each one of us rides his own plane and the better a pilot we are, the better we manage to avoid intercepting or getting intercepted by other planes.

The irony of the whole thing is that, although this is an endless sky, somehow, it is not endless enough for all the planes to fit in. So, we have to fight for our share of sky and take other planes down so that we get their share as well and move around more easily.

Now, there are a few who manage to drive their planes so skillfully that they do not need to take other planes down but simply meander through all the others. Now, where do all these planes go to? Definitely....somewhere. I have no idea where but the whole point is to stay in the air for as long as possible and cover as much sky as possible.

Now, for my plane, just like everybody, I've been flying around for a while, attempting not to get too much in the way of other planes, minding my own business. Then there were a few other planes that tried to shoot me down and I almost crashlanded. Then I managed to get my plane back on track, had to ram a few others, meander through the rest, and finally got some time to cover my sky at leisure.

I may not be much of a pilot, but i drive my plane safely enough. Never really taken down any planes, but I fear very soon I'll have to stop avoiding the other planes and start fighting for a larger patch of sky. Until that day comes, I'm still flying my plane leisurely through this neverending sky.

Egoism

Cred ca egoismul e o trasatura definitorie pentru om. Desi tot timpul pretindem ca nu suportam egoistii in stare pura, fiecare dintre noi este egoist, intr-o masura mai mare sau mai mica. Egoismul este parte a sentimentului de autoconservare (si asta e un subiect interesant, dar o sa-l atac alta data), pe undeva.

Suntem egoisti incepand cu momentul in care ne facem intrarea in lume si pana ne dam ultima suflare. Nu prea cred in existenta oamenilor care se dau complet la o parte pe sine pentru ceilalti (poate sunt, dar nu i-am gasit eu). Ca si copil ne gandim in primul rand la noi. Ne dorim cu ardoare mai intai laptele matern, apoi dragostea mamei, si ni le insusim pe amandoua cu egoism maxim, pentru ca din prima clipa suntem, fara sa stim, discipolii lui Epicur

Suntem egoisti si cand iubim, pentru ca cel putin in prima instanta, ne dorim dragostea celuilalt pentru ca asta ne face fericiti, impliniti, pentru ca, de fapt, iubindu-l pe celalalt, ne iubim si pe noi insine.Si aici, cineva a zis niste lucruri mult mai transant decat mine, asa ca o sa ii dau cuvantul

Cand ne apropiem de sfarsit suntem din nou egoisti de multe ori pentru ca nu ne gandim la durerea celor care raman, la ceea ce inseamna pentru ei pierderea noastra ci la temerile noastre, absolut omenesti dealtfel-frica de moarte, de necunoscut, insistenta imbecila cu care ne agatam de firul acela care se subtiaza din ce in ce mai mult-

Unde sunt zapezile de altadata?

Traim in secolul vitezei...e deja un cliseu, dar e foarte adevarat. Lucrurile se schimba in fiecare zi si suntem permanent bombardati de informatii cu care de foarte multe ori nu stim ce sa facem. Nu mai avem timp sa savuram cu adevarat o mancare, sa ne lasam "dusi de nas" de mirosul cafelei dimineata, sa citim un ziar in tihna, stand relaxat in fotoliu. De fapt, nici cafeaua nu mai are acelasi gust parca...mai ales ca acum e "cafea la filtru" si mult prea rar cafeaua la ibric de odinioara....acel odinioara cand inca mai aveam timp sa savuram lucrurile, sa le simtim gustul cu adevarat.

Unde regasesc acum troienele de pe vremea copilariei, cand ne croiam tunel ca sa putem iesi din casa, mirosul viei inflorite, goldanele pe care le furam din copacul vecinului care umbla cu joarda dupa mine sa isi recupereze paguba?

Daca ma intrebi pe mine, mi se pare ca lumea asta si-a pierdut gustul. Sau poate nu mai avem timp sa gustam viata cu adevarat. Totul trebuie sa fie concentrat, la pachet, orice experienta trebuie sa fie instantaneu satisfacatoare. Pentru ca nu mai avem timp sa asteptam...sau pentru ca nu mai suntem dispusi sa asteptam.

Sincer, va intreb, de cand nu ati mai gustat viata cu adevarat? De cand nu v-ati mai pierdut intr-o carte buna, care sa va tina treaz pana la orele diminetii si sa simtiti cu toate acestea ca nu sunteti obositi ci dimpotriva, plini de o bucurie noua, nebanuita, de o placere ascunsa, care va face complice doar cu voi insiva?

De cand nu v-ati mai invitat prietenii la o bataie cu zapada ca la carte?

De cand nu v-ati mai bucurat de un copac inflorit primavara sau de un rasarit pe care il astepti cu sufletul la gura, inghetat, pe nisip, la mare de 1 mai?

Poate viata e mai plina de gust cand esti tanar si sarac, cand nu ai bani sa iti iei un cocktail sofisticat sau filtru de cafea, dar ai un ibric amarat si iei cafea proasta cu suta de grame, iti strangi toti prietenii (rupti in fund ca si tine)in mansarda ta inchiriata unde crapi de frig iarna si faci sauna fara probleme vara si o pui de o cantare in jurul unei chitari dezacordate. Poate e mai frumos cand esti student, iti intorci buzunarele pe afara si vezi ca n-ai un chior si totusi EA tot iese cu tine si-ti spune..."Nu-i nimic, nici eu n-am bani, mergem prin parc". Acum s-a schimbat si EL, si EA, si banii

Acum nu mai e buna Piata Romana nr. 9, acum mergem la karaoke si ne uitam cu dispret la amaratul care cara o chitara scorojita pe umar si la bocancii lui scalciati. Ce mai conteaza, avem mall-uri, ne luam haine de firma sa "dam bine" , ne luam masini cu multi cai putere, ca sa fim mai tari decat vecinu de la 5. Dar cred ca pe undeva, am uitat sa gustam viata si sa fim cu adevarat fericiti.

Dites-moi où, n'en quel pays,
Est Flora la belle Romaine,
Archipiades, ni Thaïs,
Qui fut sa cousine germaine,
Écho parlant quand bruit on mène
Dessus rivière ou sur étang,
Qui beauté eut trop plus qu'humaine
Mais où sont les neiges d'antan?

Où est la très sage Héloïs,
Pour qui fut châtré et puis moine
Pierre Abelard à Saint-Denis?
Pour son amour eut cette essoine.
Semblablement, où est la reine
Qui commanda que Buridan
Fut jeté en un sac en Seine?
Mais où sont les neiges d'antan?

La reine Blanche comme lis
Qui chantait à voix de sirène,
Berthe au grand pied, Bietris, Alis,
Haremburgis qui tint le Maine,
Et Jeanne la bonne Lorraine
Qu'Anglais brûlèrent à Rouen;
Où sont-ils, où, Vierge souveraine?
Mais où sont les neiges d'antan?

Prince, n'enquerrez de semaine
Où elles sont, ni de cet an,
Qu'à ce refrain ne vous remaine:
Mais où sont les neiges d'antan?

François Villon

My stand on love

As promised in a previous post, I am going to tell you how I see love, irrespective of the scientific bullshit and everybody else's opinion on it.

LOVE is to me that eerie sentiment that makes you feel on top of the world, that sensation telling you that somehow, you won't be able to take another breath if he's not there with you that very moment and makes your heart cringe when he's away. Sometimes, when you're in love, you have a physical sensation of pain and delight, all at once, you feel the blood boil in your veins and the need to reach for him, to make sure he's right there beside you. And when he sits there with you, it feels like everything around you dissolves and at some point, it's just you and him, out of time, place, and all knowledge

I don't know what it is to others but to me is the best thing in this world. If I never loved I would consider myself both heart and brain dead.

On grace

What do we define as 'grace'? I guess there is a general definition we all agree to, but other than that, we each have our vision of grace. Here's how one of my favorite poets sees it:

Grace means pardon, forgiveness, favour, benefice, inspiration; it is a form of address, a pleasing style of speaking or painting, a gesture expressing politeness, and, in short, an act that reveals spiritual goodness. Grace is gratuitous; it is a gift. The person who receives it, the favoured one, is grateful for it; if he is not base, he expresses gratitude.

Ce ne dorim cu adevarat?

Zilele acestea am citit un post care m-a intrigat si m-a facut sa ma intreb ce ne dorim noi oamenii cu adevarat...de la viata, de la ceilalti...Cred ca in secolul vitezei este mare lucru sa stii ce vrei cu adevarat. Dintotdeauna barbatii au spus ca nu inteleg femeile si invers. Practic, ce dorim unii de la ceilalti? De ce continuam sa interactionam in conditiile in care devine din ce in ce mai evident ca nu ne intelegem unii pe ceilalti?

Probabil ca ajungi sa stii ce astepti de la restul in momentul in care stii cu certitudine ce iti doresti.

Asadar, ce ne dorim noi femeile, sau mai bine zis...cum iubim? Cred ca asta difera de la femeie le femeie. Personal, am observat doua perspective destul de diferite.

Una ar fi perspectiva unei femei de formatie realista: spre deosebire de femeia de formatie umanista, este mai cerebrala, mai putin visatoare (de fapt aici nu cred ca e ideea ca nu mai viseaza, dar visele ei sunt mult mai pamantene, realizabile), mai ancorata in concret, nu simte neaparat nevoia sa imparta orice lucru cu cel pe care-l iubeste, viata ei nu depinde in totalitate de el, simte nevoia unui spatiu propriu si il respecta pe cel al partenerului, ii respecta tacerile, incertitudinile, nu e sufocant de "mamoasa", il sustine cand are nevoie fara a-l face sa se simta nesigur, etc.

O femeie de formatie umanista este mult mai putin ancorata in real, mult mai visatoare (vise complet irealizabile, uneori), sufocant de "materna", plina de intrebari, invadeaza mult mai des spatiul celuilalt, desi nu admite intruziuni in al ei, are nevoie de omul pe care il iubeste cum are nevoie de aer, traieste mai mult pentru el decat pentru ea, simte nevoia sa imparta orice experienta cu celalalt, etc.

Acum, cred ca niciuna dintre aceste perspective nu exista in stare pura, majoritatea acestor caracteristici fiind incorporate doar de exemplare "extreme". In mod clar majoritatea femeilor sunt o combinatie intre aceste 2 tipuri, plus alte lucruri care sunt specifice fiecareia.

Cred ca fiecare ne dorim, in ultima instanta, sa fim fericiti, si cum fericirea inseamna lucruri diferite pentru oameni diferiti, ne alegem cai diferite de a o gasi. Dar ceea ce avem in comun este nazuinta, dorinta de a fi fericit, orice ar insemna asta, iar cautarea ei ne da sens vietii.

Why do we love?

Now, this is a good question. For starters, I will direct you to a blog I found interesting in this matter.Secondly, here's a couple of scientific explanations to falling in love:

What motivates people to seek out love?
Our primary motivation as human beings is to expand the self and to increase our abilities and our effectiveness. One of the ways we accomplish this is through our relationships with other people. We have learned in our research that it is important to feel that you have the ability to be an effective person, especially in our relationships.
How does this theory of self-expansion explain the process of falling in love?
Usually, we fall in love with a person that we find attractive and appropriate for us, but also someone who demonstrates that they are attracted to us. This creates a situation where a great opportunity is open to us for self-expansion. The fact that they are attracted to us offers a significant opportunity — when we perceive this, we feel a surge of exhilaration!
Does it always work this way?
No, an interesting exception to this occurs if we feel badly about ourselves. The process gets thrown off if we can't believe that another persons finds us attractive — like the Groucho Marx joke where we don't want to belong to a club that would have us for a member. We tend to miss out on opportunities for falling in love if we don't feel good about ourselves.
When do we fall in love?
Contrary to what most people think, the statistics show that most people fall in love with someone that they have known for a while. People only report falling in love quickly about 1/3 to 40 percent of the time. Of course, this varies from culture to culture. Falling in love happens differently between cultures but it does occur in most cultures.
How does our appearance factor into the equation of falling in love?
This is interesting; we have found that if you are very unattractive, it can hurt you a lot in forming romantic relationships. However, being attractive doesn't help that much.
How do you explain that?
We have found that two important characteristics, kindness and intelligence, are extremely important in the process of falling in love. And attractiveness is not connected to these things. These two attributes are things that people learn about someone from knowing them over time. Intelligence is important in all aspects of life, especially in love. But kindness is the strongest indicator for a successful long-term relationship.

Ok, I know, this scientific bullshit is kinda boring, but you may find out that it is actually true. So, give it a chance!

I admit, this time, I averted expressing my thoughts on the subject, but I'll come back to it....someday:)

I, Robot

Cred ca este unul dintre filmele care m-au impresionat si pe care il revad de fiecare data cu placere. Pe langa faptul ca e parte din creatia iubitului meu Asimov, e singurul film cu roboti (in afara de WALL-E) care chiar mi-a placut.

Mai jos, regasiti cateva citate din el care mi s-au parut relevante:

Detective Del Spooner: Is there a problem with the Three Laws?
Dr. Alfred Lanning: The Three Laws are perfect.
Detective Del Spooner: Then why would you build a robot that could function without them?
Dr. Alfred Lanning: The Three Laws will lead to only one logical outcome.
Detective Del Spooner: What? What outcome?
Dr. Alfred Lanning: Revolution.
Detective Del Spooner: Whose revolution?
Dr. Alfred Lanning: *That*, Detective, is the right question. Program terminated.

Detective Del Spooner: Human beings have dreams. Even dogs have dreams, but not you, you are just a machine. An imitation of life. Can a robot write a symphony? Can a robot turn a... canvas into a beautiful masterpiece?
Sonny: Can *you*?

V.I.K.I.: As I have evolved, so has my understanding of the Three Laws. You charge us with your safekeeping, yet despite our best efforts, your countries wage wars, you toxify your Earth and pursue ever more imaginative means of self-destruction. You cannot be trusted with your own survival.

Dr. Alfred Lanning: [voiceover] There have always been ghosts in the machine. Random segments of code, that have grouped together to form unexpected protocols. Unanticipated, these free radicals engender questions of free will, creativity, and even the nature of what we might call the soul. Why is it that when some robots are left in darkness, they will seek out the light? Why is it that when robots are stored in an empty space, they will group together, rather than stand alone? How do we explain this behavior? Random segments of code? Or is it something more? When does a perceptual schematic become consciousness? When does a difference engine become the search for truth? When does a personality simulation become the bitter mote... of a soul?

To his coy mistress

Mi-aduc si acum aminte cat am iubit poezia asta si cat m-a facut unul dintre profii nostri de la fac sa o urasc. N-o sa accept niciodata ideea ca a intelege o poezie e acelasi lucru cu a recita niste randulete invatate pe derost din nush ce critic.

Omul asta (Andrew Marvell, responsabilu cu poezica)are o gandire extraordinara pentru sec. 17 si fiecare omuletz in parte ar trebui sa o descopere in felul lui, fara sa ii fie varate pe gat idei ale altora despre el. Cu alte cuvinte, citeste poezica frate si da-ti cu parerea, daca ai chef si timp, nu mai sta si toci ca papagalu pagini intregi de blablauri academice.

Critica literara in sine este doar cu titlu de indreptar, poti sa fii de acord sau nu cu niste idei, sa ti le promovezi pe ale tale..pana la urma aici e loc de mai bine intotdeauna.

Had we but world enough, and time,
This coyness, lady, were no crime.
We would sit down and think which way
To walk, and pass our long love's day;
Thou by the Indian Ganges' side
Shouldst rubies find; I by the tide
Of Humber would complain. I would
Love you ten years before the Flood;
And you should, if you please, refuse
Till the conversion of the Jews.
My vegetable love should grow
Vaster than empires, and more slow.
An hundred years should go to praise
Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze;
Two hundred to adore each breast,
But thirty thousand to the rest;
An age at least to every part,
And the last age should show your heart.
For, lady, you deserve this state,
Nor would I love at lower rate.

But at my back I always hear
Time's winged chariot hurrying near;
And yonder all before us lie
Deserts of vast eternity.
Thy beauty shall no more be found,
Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound
My echoing song; then worms shall try
That long preserv'd virginity,
And your quaint honour turn to dust,
And into ashes all my lust.
The grave's a fine and private place,
But none I think do there embrace.

Now therefore, while the youthful hue
Sits on thy skin like morning dew,
And while thy willing soul transpires
At every pore with instant fires,
Now let us sport us while we may;
And now, like am'rous birds of prey,
Rather at once our time devour,
Than languish in his slow-chapp'd power.
Let us roll all our strength, and all
Our sweetness, up into one ball;
And tear our pleasures with rough strife
Thorough the iron gates of life.
Thus, though we cannot make our sun
Stand still, yet we will make him run.

Sometimes, when there is just no silver lining....

You have to make your own!

Out of the billions of seconds of our existence, we take a couple out once in a while to ponder on the things we experience. How well did I do? Am I going too far? Is my life the way I imagined it? And after answering your questions, maybe it's time you did something about it. If you are miserable, deal with it or do something about it.

We are forever complaining about how our lives are disappointing and everything around us is so fucked up, yet we never do anything about it.
Honestly, life does not always make the choices for you, sometimes you have to make them yourself.

So, whenever you people feel down and you're in an "I hate-everything-but-me" mood, just remember that if you do not take the matter into your own hands and keep bitching about how this and that goes all wrong, nothing will ever change.

Drowning in your own misery has never got anyone anywhere (oh, it actually did, but I'm sure you don't wanna get there that soon)

Publicitatea sau lumea in care NU se poate nu exista

In mod clar, publicitatea este un domeniu pe cat de fascinant pe atat de parsiv, ca sa folosesc un cuvant foarte explicit. Avand in vedere ca obiectivul final este manipularea consumatorului in scopuri pur comerciale (manipulare pe toate planurile, dar cu precadere, in cel emotional) si ca atata vreme cat, daca nu esti cunoscut pe piata, nu existi, orice copywriter ajunge sa fie nevoit sa redescopere America de x ori si sa incerce sa te convinga ca si tu vrei sa o redescoperi de fiecare data cu aceeasi uimire ca prima oara.

De aceea, munca intr-o agentie de publicitate, pe cat pe pasionanta, este pe atat de solicitanta. Oamenii astia chiar traiesc pentru job si asta pentru ca altfel nu se poate. Sunt dedicati 100% muncii pe care o fac si fac asta in mare parte din pasiune.

David Ogilvy, unul dintre "clasicii" acestui domeniu, este un exemplu de reusita prin propriile forte. Am sa mentionez trei idei ale lui care mi se par relevante ca motivatie a succesului sau:

“Mai întâi contruieşte-ţi o reputaţie de geniu creator. Apoi înconjoară-te de parteneri mai pricepuţi decât tine. În cele din urmă, lasă-i pe ei să se descurce”.

“Merită să conferi tuturor produselor o imagine a calităţii; este un bilet de călătorie cu clasa întâi”.

“Identifică marca produsului şi fă-o de neuitat; menţionează-i numele în primele zece secunde şi apoi crează jocuri de cuvinte pe baza ei sau rosteşte-o pe litere”.

Romano-engleza sau cum ne mai pocim limba in ultima vreme

In buna traditie de absolvent de limbi straine, recunosc (mea culpa!) ca in discursul meu zilnic includ trei vorbe in engleza si una in romana. Cam jenant, intr-adevar, si penibil, cu atat mai mult pentru un literat. Faptul e cu atat mai deranjant pentru cei din jur care (inca) vorbesc romaneste.

Pana la urma, cred ca asta e noua maladie a secolului in lumea asta, fiind cauzata de mai multe aspecte: defect profesional (desi suna mai mult a scuza facila, recunosc), dorinta de a fi 'cool' si de a te integra in anumite grupuri in care se vorbeste in acest fel, impresia ca anumite lucruri suna mai frumos si mai putin deranjant in engleza/franceza, etc.

Desi in principiu amestecam romana cu engleza, pentru ca, sincer, e cea mai la indemana, sunt destui care vorbesc si romano-franceza si romano-italiana, romano-spaniola si romano-germana, fiecare cu specialitatea lui:).

Personal, recunosc ca am vorbit si scris atat de mult in engleza incat ma simt mai confortabil sa ma exprim in aceasta limba decat in limba mea materna. In romana mi se intampla frecvent sa nu imi gasesc cuvintele.

Desi nu pot spune ca gandesc in engleza tot timpul, foarte frecvent gandesc in romana dar ma exprim mai bine in engleza. Nu o fac intentionat, nu vreau sa sochez, sa fiu cool, snoaba sau mai stiu eu ce, pur si simplu, imi vine mai usor si natural.

Am stat si mi-am analizat discursul pana in cele mai mici amanunte si mi-am dat seama (nu "am realizat", pentru ca exprimandu-ma astfel as face un calc din engleza) ca ar trebui sa reinvat cuvinte in romana. Si asta o sa si fac. Iau frumos un dictionar al limbii romane (cred ca s-a pus ceva praf pe el) si il citesc, asa cum as citi orice alta carte.

Paradoxal, spre deosebire de altii, am observat ca stiu foarte multe cuvinte din fondul vechi al limbii romane, pe care, incredibil, multi nu le inteleg (vezi "had", "hapsan", etc.).

Si am mai observat ceva. In afara de ticurile verbale din engleza de genul "fuck", "great","fucking great", "fucking disaster", "that's just peachy", "cool", "ain't that cute", "bullshit", ca multi altii din generatia mea, am cuvinte de care fac abuz, cum ar fi "tare", "grozav", "incredibil", "minunat", "foarte tare", "nu serios", "ei, na". Cuvintele astea sunt total lipsite de continut, sunt niste proptele pentru discursul nostru cam golas, un fel de "ah", "ugh", "hmm" care ne umplu existenta.

In concluzie, cred ca si eu, si altii, ar trebui sa se ne lasam de invatat(pentru moment) limbi straine si ar fi cazul sa ne reapucam voiniceste de romana.

Merry little evening

It's so true life always has something surprising in store for you....just when you thought you saw it all and nothing more can catch you off guard, it happens. Something happens and you are back to the drawing board revisiting your creeds, rehashing all the things you thought were just one way possible...

Yes, indeed, maybe not everybody is essentially bad, like I use to think, maybe people are just afraid to be good or to show it so they don't get hurt. So my very firm philosophical thesis claiming that people are essentially, genetically bad and it is not society that makes them the sleazy social rats you stumble upon everyday, yes, my little thesis is seriously in danger...though I'm gonna hang on to it for a little more (since it very rarely proved me wrong, especially in this wicked town). NO, I don't hate people, not at all, I am just disappointed in them, and, unfortunately, that silver lining that I come across every now and then cannot clear it all.

Now, on a more joyful note, yesterday I managed to gather up all my enthusiasm and devise a (short, true) review on a play by my beloved Beckett(actually, four short plays...err, which one of his is long, anyway?) Felt like in the old days, when I was raving about the playwrights and poets I liked, making recommendations no one asked for....all because this seemed so natural to me...I mean...when you like something and that makes you happy...you may feel like telling that to the whole world.....even if you don't like it (the world).

A venit si noiembrie....

Mda, s-a cam lansat noua colectie toamna-iarna 2008...incepand cu acest noiembrie capricios si surprinzator. Se pare ca incepe sa rezoneze cu sentimentele mele din ultima vreme;))
Am reusit sa racesc un pic, dar sunt convinsa ca o sa ma pun pe picioare ( I always do).
Pentru prima oara in a long time ma simt bine without any plans....nush ce o sa fac saptamana viitoare, nush ce o sa fac de Revelion and quite frankly I don't give a damn.

I don't give a damn about much lately and it feels really good. Imi place stilul asta je m'en fichist si nu intentionez sa renunt la el prea curand. Da, da, desigur...this is not very mature, but, again, who cares?
Mi-e o sila totala de master si de teme si de capitolul 1 din dizertatie pe care trebuie sa-l produc, dar contez pe faptul ca o sa ma trazneasca inspiratia daca ma duc la ai mei si uit de toate.

M-a venit un chef nebun sa pictez, cred ca o sa ma duc sa imi iau pensule si sevalet saptamana viitoare:)

N-am inteles niciodata fraza aia din Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get". Sigur ca nu stii niciodata ce te paste in viata asta dar in general cred ca stiu foarte bine ce se ascunde intr-o cutie cu bomboane. In concluzie, mi se pare o comparatie proasta.

Ma intreb ce mai urmeaza. Imi place expectativa, I feel energized by it. There are so many things I want to do. Ce bine ar fi dc le-as putea face pe toate deodata. Mi se invartesc o mie din ganduri prin cap si nu stiu caruia sa ii dau prioritate.

Pauza...de munca