All about nothing

Yuhooo! Messenger

2011-03-03T11:43:00.000-08:00

Don't know why, but I love it when such things happen. In the end we're all humas, aren't we?

Mirando hacia adelante a satisfacerle en persona!

2011-01-21T00:18:00.000-08:00

This is going to make sense only for the English-Spanish speakers. Or not :D

Just when I was almost ready to call Google Translate my newest best friend (had lots of translation to do lately - so we spent a lot of time together, or better said: Alexandra + translations = LOVE), I got a surprise from it:

Had a lot fun about it for a while. And I was disappointed somehow because the translation is not like this.. I really liked the beginning: mirando hacia adelante.. it's almost like a magical incantation, in a musical way.

I suppose there is a connection between meeting some requirements and satisfying them, or someone. Anyway, I'm happy I didn't end up my email like that.

Found a better version: "Espero que nos encontremos pronto" :)

Funny, huh?

2010-12-12T11:27:00.000-08:00

Long time ago, when I had nothing better to do - this translates as 'I was a free person with no job', I used to have big plans with this blog, and I made a short video to promote it.

Now I just found it uploaded in my youtube account and was pretty surprised :)

It's been almost 4 months since my last post.

Shame on me, shame on me, shame on me.. !!

When you do something that seldom, it should better turn out to be delicious...

2010-08-27T07:52:00.000-07:00

Following Mihai's example, this is what I have done today.
I'm not going to give you the full recipe, it's a secret. All I can tell you: I did it with love!
Pictures HERE :)

Dog Project

2010-08-05T23:08:00.000-07:00

Not too much for a 26 year old, but it's not as easy as it looks like either. A few days ago, made my first cartoon, and probably the last one as well. I just don't get much satisfaction out of it.

Can't complain about the lack of ideas, but I think I reached the point when I agree my kindergarten teacher, who so kindly told me I have no talent for drawing.

Maybe I should take some singing classes instead.

Full story:

-FIN -

De ce?

2010-08-04T02:36:00.000-07:00

Daca nu sti sa scri corect in limba romana, macar engleza sa o inveti!
Mi-a luat ceva timp sa-mi dau seama ca nu e o gluma atunci cand am vazut asta.

Poate au facut-o intentionat, ca sa atraga atentia de la "24 de zile". Observati cum vor sa sugereze de fapt "24 de ore"? Strategie de marketing!

Small Little Things: "Did You Mean to Attach Files?" - sais my Gmail to me

2010-06-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

.. and just when I was sure I knew all the Gmail secrets, I run into this: (click on the picture bellow)

If you're the type of person that likes well done stuff from the first try, it can definitely save you from the embarrassment of sending the classic "and this time with the attachment.." - email.

Else, it's just interesting to know that google is parsing what is supposed to be your personal messages.

Not such big news though, they do it in order to display the famous adds, anyway, and most people can live with it :)

Some particular reasons why I loved this Easter

2010-04-08T04:30:00.000-07:00

Easter was almost a week ago, but I still feel like I'm on holidays.

Of course that there are the usual reasons - mostly religious - or related to the fact that most people have a few days away from work.

Here are my personal reasons why this Easter was special:

I was home - Such a small detail, I never gave it too much importance. Not until last year when I was coming back to Denmark, after 2 vacation weeks spent in Romania, right before the Easter Sunday.. that was sad, being alone in the airport, waving to my mom, so close but yet so far way, going to Denmark, where they already had Easter a week before (the Protestant one).. but this time I got to spend the day with my family at home.
The Greek Orthodox Easter was on the same day as the Catholic and Protestant Easter. Not to many non-orthodox people in the area I'm living in, but still, it gave me the feeling of a more global-christian reason of joy :) This is a rare event, it only happens once in a few years.
It was on the same day as my birthday - what a coincidence, huh? Couldn't hope for a better present!
Weather in Romania was wonderful - we went to visit our grandparents and had our first family lunch out in the yard (first one, this year, I mean). Plus a long walk through the woods nearby. Pictures here.
One thing I DO HATE about Easter, didn't happen this time.

I'm speaking about those pathetic messages people usually send at midnight(when Jesus resurrected) to all the persons in their address book. At least this is how the 'tradition' goes like in Romania. I used to get them from people that I only met once, and somehow got to exchange numbers, from ex-classmates that usually don't call me at all during year, or from people that from some objective reason I periodically meet, but somehow they don't inspire very positive and Christian feelings (you see, I tried to put it in a nice way).

Of course, totally unpersonalized messages, speaking about the Easter bunny (it's the real spirit of Easter, according to some people), presents such as Ferrari cars (the best way to show our love to our friends and family, according to the same people from before), chocolate bunnies (eating them is the best way to feel loved, in case you're alone on Easter - this is what I heard). Of course, the best ones are those combining the upper themes with things such as crucification, light, faith, Jesus Christ, God, sacrifice, etc.. and the list of blasphemies could continue.. :D

And if someone's feeling uninspired (just as me today), here in Romania we even have specialized websites where you can find them ready-made. Just take care that your friends don't use the same ones, then you're in trouble!! Or not, if you're not like me and you don't care that much about what you say, to whom you say, bla-bla-bla...

Well, this year I got none of these. I only got in return (and sent) normal messages, emails and phone calls, personalized, warm, and decent.. Thank you all!

Just curious, is it because customs changed in Romania while I was away, or maybe because meanwhile I have been deleted from a few address books? And if the customs changed, what's the new fashion like nowadays?

Bergen Trip - So Long Ago

2010-03-10T01:15:00.000-08:00

This was in November, last year, when we decided we want to explore Norway's fjords.

So we did one of the 'Norway in a nutshell' trips. Me and FA (aka Fabulous Ana) decided that was the right time to do it, since we were both in Denmark at that time. And since DK is reasonably close to Norway..

I remember we carefully organized the trip in every detail, and afterwards we sent an invitation to all the people/foreigner groups/students we could think of - more than 100. Moreover, we also specified that friends of friends are most welcome to join. Of course, by the end, people came up with various excuses (like too expensive/too cold/too boring/too Scandinavian). But we still found Faye that joined us :D So it turned out to be a girls' trip out in the wild Norway (ha-ha), with lots of eating, drinking, chatting, picture-taking, and laughing.

And now, here comes the big mystery: the was one more guy who said we would join us and had already bought the plane ticket. At least this is what he replied to me by email. Indian, studying robotics at DTU. I remember nothing more about him, we never met. I kept sending him messages, about when and where to meet, until the last day. He never showed up at the airport. We spent like 20% of our chatting time making assumptions about what really happened to him. Until this day, I didn't find out whether it was just a bad joke (if yes, then why?) or something bad happened to him (I still hope it's my first guess).

The tour itself was made out of small parts, where we were supposed to travel either by bus, train or boat. The landscape there is beautiful. Still, my best memories consist in three other things:

1- the fish soup we had in one of the villages - something creamy with pieces of salmon - it was yummy... oh yeah, sine we're talking about fishy food (yum yum), the fish market in Bergen really got my interest..
2- all the troll stories I heard from a guide, quite intriguing. Now, I'm sure she only told us the same story that she keeps telling to tourists each day, but somehow the combination between her short stories, the wet and rocky landscape, the roofs with grass on top and the small ugly troll figurines I saw in shops managed to raise my interest. I became fascinated by Scandinavian mythology, traditions, old beliefs etc after this trip.
3- listening to Edvard Grieg's 'Morgenstimmung' - Morning Mood - on one of the tour buses. Quite-spring inspiring..

Didn't take too many good pictures of the nature there, the light was not strong enough to make the green-‘autumnish’ colors look right.

That's why I think most of them look faded and boring. Anyway, played a long time ago with the pictures, - (see them HERE) now it's time to upload them, no matter how bad they look like..

And no, the are NOT PhotoShoped, they're GIMPed :)

Also I got FA's permission to upload some of her pictures, much better than mine - only because of the camera :p

PS: Indian robotics engineer (who in November 2009 studied at DTU in Denmark), if you ever read this, please contact me to tell me you're alive!!! - but not before you check out the trip PICS, to see what you missed :p

Old Pics

2010-02-16T05:55:00.000-08:00

Left Lyngby exactly 2 weeks ago. Can't say I miss it, but I felt like sharing these pictures before winter goes away and they become 'outdated'.. Anyway, they are quite old, from the x-mas in 2008. I know for sure it looked absolutely identical in 2009 (I was there), and so it will be in 2010, and so on.. with or without me being there. I'm saying that by taking into consideration the way Danes are protecting nature and generally preserving the green spaces they have left..

(click on the image for the whole album)

So I took the pics on a winter weekend, during one of my many walks around the Lyngby Lake. It actually became a regular habit in my last year there (with a few interruptions). And yes, I know some of the pictures look creepy, but I was never the only one there - as much as I wished :D .. It's full of bikers, people running, or boring families taking their hyper-energetic kids for a walk.. and serial killers like me :D Now, seriously, it's perfectly safe, as long as it doesn't get dark, and you're all alone and cold, in the area where there are no houses, and with no phone. In which case you can save yourself by being quiet and listening from which way the car noise is coming. Once back to civilized world (the highway), you can take a bus and then get home warm and safely.

Enjoy!

Goodbye 2009, Welcome 2010!

2009-12-29T05:18:00.000-08:00

Speaking from my own point of view (that translates as "from my own bubble", not taking into consideration the economical situation, the wars etc..), it was a great year!

Somebody recently wished me to have "a better year" in 2010. Now I admit, it can be just a cliché, people say it without even thinking sometimes, still, it made me think. What am I missing? And what more can I ask for? Does it even matter?

Spent my whole 2009 in Denmark and travelling around, meeting so many people, still always having to say goodbye to someone, going out, parties, fun parks, different gatherings (my facebook pics are a proof of that), trying to fit in among the brilliant people at MDCC, struggling to keep some kind of diet, and wondering about my future. Looking back at these, indeed, it was a great year. I don’t know if the greatest of all, but one thing I know for sure: I enjoyed every moment. I admit, I had my bad times as well, but then again, “what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger” – if I’m allowed to use another cliché.

So no, I don't want to have a greater year for myself, I want my 2010 to be just as great as my 2009, but still, somehow different: I need to make even happier and prouder all those people who stood by me so far. And for that I will need to change myself :D

Thank you all for everything!
and see you next year:)

(thanks Bogdan for the picture:))

Voting Day

2009-11-17T11:11:00.001-08:00

My room is a mess, my life a total disaster - but only today, because I was sick, stayed home and got bored, and instead of cleaning up my mess and deciding what to wear tomorrow and going to bed early so that I'm fresh in the morning, I'm writing this, just because I want to share with the whole world that today I voted for the first time in Denmark.. probably the last one as well, but who cares, the first time is the most memorable one :p

So what's the big deal?

To be frank, I noticed since a few weeks before some smiley guys in front of my window (I live in the center of Lyngby) were sharing leaflets to people passing by. Since I speak no Danish, I suspected for a while that they are trying to convince people to switch to some new internet provider, try a wonder - detergent etc. The funny thing is that they never tried to approach me when passing by, I was like somehow invisible to them, even though I was staring very curious and in a more-than-insistent way at them. Even tried smiling, didn't work. So then I wondered: what's wrong with me? Do I look like I do not use detergent? Or like I cannot afford that new internet provider? But I was wrong, fortunately.

Soon after that, one day in the morning, I was woken up by workers, doing some stuff on the light pole, right in front of my window, again. They were putting posters with smiling-confident looking people (just like in a toothpaste commercial) having that visionary sparkle in their eyes, but still trying to look like normal human beings, in order not to confuse the potential voters.. Then I understood! My suspicions were then confirmed by keywords I saw on the posters: something looking like 'radikal', 'democratisk', 'social', 'venstre' - last one means left, I know it from the metro, when they tell you that you have to stay on the left side of the automatic stairs if you just want to stay still, and on the right if you're in a hurry and want to walk at the same time..
Yes, they were having local elections in Lyngby. Anyway, the moment the word 'politics' came to my mind, I was completely grateful to those people ignoring me and not giving me leaflets on the street.
"Still good”, I said to myself, “I still look like a tourist, and not like an immigrant in Denmark!"

I have no interest in politics, and I'm so disgusted by politicians (could be because I come from Romania, but that's another issue). Actually, I wish food would have the same effect on me as them, then I would be much slimmer (one can also say less fat, that's discussable).
All these events were soon followed by long rides by bus to work, seeing on every pole posters of people whose electoral premisses I could not get. But I do not complain, it could have been much worse, like being home in Romania, having to see every day on TV public debates - or circus shows (another reason to be happy I don't have a TV, or that I don't understand Danish), or hearing pensioners talking about it while waiting in supermarkets' queues. I wonder if it was different here.

Excluding my destructive and negative attitude towards politics and politicians, I was decided not to vote, also because I feel that just being in Denmark for a bit more than a year does not give the right to have a word about such things, when I don't even understand the language and have no idea about most things around me (although I do know when they have discounts in shops). And even if I did it anyway, who I was supposed to vote for, when I haven't bothered to find out anything about the candidates?

Having these in mind, I have completely forgotten that this is the BIG day. Until a few hours ago, when I met Momme, one of my apartment mates, on the street. He asked me if I already voted, and when I said NO, his face reaction expressed something between "Oh, so you don't believe in Santa Claus?" and "I didn't know you are such an irresponsible person". Needless to say, he convinced me to go with him. Elections seem to be a big thing in Denmark, and I was not going to miss that! After all, I always wanted to know more about foreign cultures, behaviors, habits, rituals, etc.. The Danish voting ritual was not to be an exception.

During the 5 minutes walk to the voting place (It's a big building close to me, never wondered what is for before, since it has no shops inside, but apparently it's something connected to the administration), Momme explained me a bit about the candidates, but I am not going to go into this.. nor I am going to tell you whom I voted for, or if I even voted for somebody: the vote is secret (even sacred for some), and it's my right to keep it like this :p

Anyway, there we were, waiting in a relatively short queue (which finished pretty fast).. Surrounded by blond tall polite smiling people, giving us directions where to go next. I got 2 kinds of papers (one for the town, the other for some regional thing). I handed in my 'election paper' (something they had sent me by mail a few days ago). The people weren't even curious to check if I am really the person from that paper, they only crossed out my name in a table, and that was it! Liked that: fast and confidence-inspiring! Once in the cabin, I had to make a cross in front of the name I (would have) wanted to vote for.. with a pencil! - I hope not that type that can be erased by a rubber, but I have no prove for it. Folded my shits of paper carefully, went out having a mature and responsible mimic (like I knew what I was doing) and put them in some boxes (are they called urns in English?), not before getting a free smile from a woman standing behind the boxes/urns. That was all! Simple, fast, pain-free.

All in all, I'm also happy that soon they are going to remove the posters from the pole in front of my window. The faces are right now staring at me, saying 'Have you done anything useful today?', and I don't like that. It's a man and a woman close to each other in the picture (are they a couple?) + another guy, he seems to be new in the party, and his name is Ulf (I'm guessing it means 'wolf', and he must be really popular if he's over there).
Oh wait, they're not looking anymore, they got distracted: two cars just bumped into each other on the street (no casualties, only paint scratches), and the drivers are arguing pretty loud. Lots of action, they are saying bad words, I think, I've just understood 'idiot'.. Now who says I don't have an exciting life in Lyngby?

Albacete Flashbacks - 1 - Looking alrededor

2009-10-16T06:23:00.001-07:00

My favourite Spanish word: "alrededor" - best meaning I can find in English is "around". Alrededor can take any shape, color or smell, can be anything or simply nothing. Alrededor is a 360 taken to power 360 degree view.

I arrived in Albacete early at night, terrified that nobody would be at the student residence for my reception. Took a taxi from the train station. Think the driver gave me the whole tour of the town - should have taken some pictures. I had the impression we were moving in a circle for a few times - or maybe the Spanish air was making me dizy, not sure.

Next morning I got on my balcony and I looked alrededor: nothing but flat land covered by light. I felt like don Quijote, ready to fight against any windmill that I encounter, but more than that wishing to find one first.

...

I left Albacete late at night, or very early in the morning. After a party (Kasia's party, I think), we all headed to the bus station. Well, by "all" I mean most of the other Erasmus friends I had there. I don't remember what we spoke on the way that seemed to me so long, I can only remind the noise of my old trolley’s wheels on the rough pavement, pulled-pushed-kicked by Matteo. I was lucky my bus was almost ready to leave when we got there, I didn't want the others to stay and wait with me that late in the night -early in the morning after partying, plus, I would have risked getting emotional.

Next day, looking alrededor in the airport in Bucharest, first person getting my attention is my mum smiling to me.

(to be continued)

2009-10-15T01:36:00.001-07:00

I guess the picture speaks by itself, I'm still enjoying Denmark for now, and will be here until begining of February next year.

2009-02-22T14:45:00.000-08:00

Remember a time when I was a kid and together with all of the other kids of my age, we were happy to have snow.. and of course we couldn't understand the grown-ups around who were complaining about it. I still love the snow, no matter how cold it is, no matter how bad the traffic becomes, no matter how slippery the pavement is, no matter how bad my hair looks like because of it..
I just wonder what happened with the others of the same age as me, who now hate it..
(image: collage of pictures taken from my window)

Out of Order

2008-12-12T13:56:00.001-08:00

Fell like taking a break. Last weekend was just too exhausting for me. Some people might just all me antisocial, but after 2 consecutive parties, with one new town and a museum between to visit(that was my last weekend, I could call it the sandwich weekend), have that feeling like I just want to stay home, drink tea and watch Hallmark channel with my mum.

First reason: read in my magazine that not sleeping at night is not good for my beautiful face (plus that my grandma confirmed it).
Second reason: my egocentrical side is telling me I'm spending too much time with the same people, and even if they are nice - or at least some of them, I really need a break. Maybe suffocated is the right word for it? No worries, I will soon be the same loving person as always :p.
Yes, I know watching Hallmark with my mum is impossible, I'm in Denmark now, too far away from home, still I've decided to spend a few quiet days... away from this crazy world, away from the people.. well, not that away after all, I mean I will still need to go shopping and to the gym.. :))
Recently (I think it was on Monday morning at work), came to the conclusion that one night of partying per week is enough for me.
But because this time I want to be a rebel and act copletely against any possible expectations from me - I guess I just like saying NO - this weekend there will be no party for me, no staying late any more. I'm only going to meet some AIESECers and interns, go iceskating and then to Tivoli - they made it all beautiful and white especially for Christmas.

Pic: me at the ice bar, a few weeks ago (don't remeber exactly when). Only spent an hour in there, not much to do, after having a drink and taking "facebook" pictures.
ABSOLUT ICEBAR COPENHAGEN (taken from their official website) is the first permanent bar of ice in Denmark located in the central area of Copenhagen. ABSOLUT ICEBAR COPENHAGEN is kept at minus 5 degrees all year round and everything inside is made out of crystal clear ice transported especially from the Torne River in Jukkasjarvi, 200km north of the Arctic Circle in northern Sweden. The walls, bar, tables, and even your own personal glass with a vodka cocktail is made out of the purest ice. ABSOLUT ICEBAR COPENHAGEN is operated in 45 minute time slots and you will be given a designer thermal cape with a hood and gloves to keep you warm during your visit. ABSOLUT ICEBAR COPENHAGEN is permanent and opened all year round. Every six months the whole interior is rebuilt with a completely new design theme.

Busy Days

2008-12-03T14:13:00.000-08:00

By popular request, here's my newest post.

I always have problems recalling what I did the previous weekend. I guess this is a good thing, means I'm busy.

Preparing for the Microsoft Christmas Gala party (did all the shopping, couldn't find the red shiny hight healed shoes I was dreaming about, but still happy with what I have). Yessss... it's the season for the the Danish traditional Christmas parties (Julefrokost). Last time was to another one, less formal, typical Danish food, snaps, carols, then a lot of drinking and dancing.. and drinking again.. skol! By the way, amazing that all Danes complain about how bad the snaps is, but still drink it :)) They even have songs about it. No, I remember none (although wasn't drunk!!), I just have problems remembering things in Danish.

Unfortunately, will miss the AIESEC Julefrokost, which will be at the same time with the company one.

Also, preparing for a trip to Arhus, right the next day, early in the morning.. hope I'll be fresh and still shiny. If not, I'll have plenty of time to get more sleep in the train.

About 1st of December in Copenhagen - we had big plans - to meet as many Romanians as possible and celebrate the national day. We ended up spit in small groups, a bit frustrated for not being able to organize the evening better, but still happy we were out... and that we were ice-skating... and the hot cinnamon tea afterwards was delicious. I'm as bad at ice-skating as I am at any other sport, and of course, my stubbornness is also constant. So I'm not giving up! My knees are now green-yellow-blue - hope won't be too visible at the party this Friday. And if yes, who cares? :D

Soon I'll remember more about my past weekends, so that I can share them with you... (already looking at the facebook pictures - the ones where other people tagged me, don't have any of mine, because I'm too lazy to upload them - and making a list of things I did :D)

2008-11-11T06:43:00.000-08:00

I'm lazy.. Autumn's here.
I've been vaccinated against flue, I'm eating all the right stuff, even take my vitamins, sleep about 8 hours a day.. but stopped running.. which is bad. Probably this is why I feel so lazy. I haven't got to the point when I can say I'm sick of myself, but I'm not too far from it either. So starting from tomorrow, I'll get a pass at FirstFitness.dk.. that should be fun.
Here's darker and darker.. The sun rises completely at about 8 am and starts setting at around 16:30 pm.. but even this is hard to notice, usually the sky is too cloudy and gray to see where the sun is. During week I don't care a lot about this, I leave home when it's almost dark, and come back on dark, also. At the office time passes by very fast, I barely have time to look through the window. Sometimes, if it's clear, I get blinded by the sun, but I'm not complaining too much, I'm just happy that I can see it. About the darkness, I just like to think that the day is the same as before in length, only the night got longer, as a kind of bonus for me :)).. so now my day is 30 hours long. It's a bit harder in the weekends, when I can actually count the hours and see how little light I get. Usually at 5 pm I get very sleepy.
And I'm not complaining about the rain either. After all, it's only water, can't be that bad :p
What else? My picasa account is almost 100% full, so I will need to create a new one.. Will upload some pics as soon as I stop being lazy.

pics

2008-10-06T07:41:00.000-07:00

Commuting&Home

Walking around..

Tivoli Reloaded

Yet Another Late Update

2008-10-06T07:04:00.000-07:00

- 2 weeks ago (or maybe 3?) I moved to my new room, somewhere in Copenhagen's suburbs, a nice small town called Lyngby.
- Despite of the rest of the inhabitants there, I don't own a car, 2 kids and a dog, and I live in a shared apartment, together with 3 Danish guys and a Polish one. All working people, very busy during week, sometimes I don't even notice I'm living with somebody else over there.
- I don’t have internet at home yet, but planning to get some soon. Probably this is why I’ve been so lazy and posted nothing lately.
I'm now 30 mins away from my work, and 20 mins (by train) away from city center. After bringing all my stuff, I realized I still need some shopping to do, so went to IKEA to buy a plant and a lamp.
- Moreover (but I'm still not sure whether this is a good or a bad thing), 3 mins from me there's a huuuuge mall called StorCenter, with lots of shops and places to eat out.. the ideal place where to "get lost" after a hard day of work. Also the perfect place where to spend a lot of money :)
- It's amazing how small things make me so happy: a few days ago, I managed to assemble some boxes that I use to keep my stuff in, following some simple instructions. Could it be becuse the boxes were pink? Also, going to laundry and understanding how the washing machines and dryers work there (there are complicated rules about detergent, coins, choosing the program..), without using a dictionary or asking someone, felt like winning the lottery, even though I was the one paying for the laundry..
- After a one week break, I'm now back to my old healthy habits: badminton and yoga once a week, plus running in the rest of the days. I just hope the weather will be nice enough for me to continue running in the park at evenings. It's already getting darker and darker, and the autumn rain is not as easy to put up with, like the summer one :(
- Tivoli closed 2 weeks ago. They will take a break until Halloween, so before closing they had the crazy week, with lots of discounts and free rides. Of course, I was there to take advantage of all of that, together with my new friend from Ukraine, Irina, also an AIESEC intern. I can now proudly state that I did most of the adults rides, including some that were for kids. We had lots of fun and pictures.
- Wine tasting event, organized by AIESEC. Tried 5 tasty red wines from northern and central Italy, cool atmosphere, and very nice presented.
- Seen Get Smart movie for the second time (I saw it a few months for the first time). The problem is that I couldn’t remember I’ve seen it before until I was at the cinema, and looked at some posters. Makes me wonder if I’m starting to have memory problems or if the movie was so common (entertaining, but still common), that it didn’t worth “storing” it, and simply “deleted” it?
- Also, seen Eagle Eye a week ago. The event was organized by the Club Sports and More from Microsoft. It was fun, but it’s now in the process of being deleted as well… :)
(pictures will come soon!!)

Cold Showers

2008-09-18T02:08:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce you my first major cultural shock.

There was another one before (the language one), but I kind of expected it from before, so wasn't such a big thing. OK, I admit I am kind of ironical about it. I'm not sure it is a real one. Lots of people warned me it will happen sooner or later (I meant the cultural shock). Maybe it's happening right now and I don't know? Am I in denial??

Some months before leaving to Denmark, I even went to a conference that was supposed to prepare me for the great eXchange experience, which is organized by AIESEC, about 2 times each year, and is called ICPS - Inter-Cultural Preparation Seminar- I think, but I'm not sure. That was really fun.
Anyway, there we had some sort of discussion about it, and how to overcome such problems. Now I'm not even sure I understand what a cultural shock is any more... or a shock, generally speaking. It might be because before coming here, I didn't have too many expectations whatsoever (neither positive, nor negative), so I just took everything as it was.. or still is. Or maybe because I chose an European country, instead of going to China or South-Africa.

To get to the point, I didn't have any hot water in my apartment for the last 36 hours. Which was bad. Surprisingly, It all began at the moment when I set my heating to maximum power. Of course, since I'm kind of slow and I don't know anything about plumbing (actually, most of the times I prefer to imagine that water and electricity come together with the wireless from a magic source directly from the walls, it's more simple this way) it took me some time to realize that there must be a connection between the two events. So this morning I was sharing my suspicions to some people while having breakfast at work. At one point, two of them - not Danish, but apparently living here for a longer time and already with some similar experiences, started laughing and explained to me that yes, they are indeed connected. So at one moment, I can have only one of them: either hot water in the shower, or heating in my room. I don't know if it's the same in all the apartments here, I'm curious to see how it's like in the place where I am going to move this weekend.

It's already been one month and a half since I'm here, I need a real cultural shock.
Who knows, maybe I'll have it when I'll be back home in Romania for Christmas? :)

Other non-related stuff:
- today I'm trying yoga for the first time, hope I'll like it
- need sleep
- tomorrow I'm moving my stuff to the new apartment
- will be spending the weekend shopping, or at least "faire du lèche-vitrines"

Copenhagen in a week-end - Random Ideas (retro-active)

2008-09-16T02:37:00.000-07:00

- Art Museum: Reality Check exhibition, some really shocking things, others a bit absurd, but most of them an irritating authenticity, small pieces from people's life and history, strange labyrinths of messy offices, hospital rooms - and that's only a small part of it. Didn't have time for everything, must be back soon, until January, when it will all be ending.

Album: Sightseeing Weekend

- Also, the permanent exhibitions are cool: seen some Matisse and Renoirs, Dutch and German paintings, and lost of Danish works of art, including modern art, a temporary gallery of sculptures, and many more... but only a Picasso. They also have an open workshop for restoring old paintings - hmmmmmmm of course, that doesn't mean that public can contribute to restoring the paintings, but at least they can watch.
- Botanical Garden, tropical greenhouses - finally, found a good place where to spend the cold winter Sunday afternoons. The tropical greenhouse is sooo green and tropical... I mean warm :)

Album: Sightseeing Weekend

- pizza picnic in the king's Gardens
- the apples from King's Garden were delicious (and despite Darek's opinion, I didn't get indigestion because of them)

Album: Sightseeing Weekend

- hate cooking, hate my kitchen, hate my Italian roommate who's cooking daily (Paolo's actually a good boy, the only reason I hate him is because he can cook, and I can't :D)
- a front-view of the little mermaid this time - I've seen it before, but only her behind (yes, the little mermaid's but!!). Actually, the first night I was out here, in Copenhagen, I met someone who warned me about it. He advised me not to have very high expectations regarding the little mermaid. And that was good.. After all, she is called like this precisely because she's not very big. Nevertheless, she really has something special, attracting many tourists from all over the world. We could barely take any pictures of her, because of all the Japanese tourists there with their cameras.

Album: Sightseeing Weekend

- the "Walking Street", in the center of Copenhagen. Was my first time passing by, without spending any money. I usually can't help myself, and each time I have to buy small things. This time I only stared in the shops' windows for some boots, then we continued our way fast, there were too many things to show, in very short time.

Album: Sightseeing Weekend

- Amber shop: there is also an Amber Museum, but this time I was too shocked by the jewels' prices in the shop, so decided to go to the museum the next time I'll have the opportunity.
- discovered an orthodox church here in Copenhagen - it is true, it's a Russian one, but still I'm going to visit it one Sunday soon, even though I won't be understanding anything they say.

Album: Sightseeing Weekend

- the autumn's here, it's getting colder and colder, darker and darker, and the wind blows stronger already.

Album:Sightseeing Weekend

- the Rosenborg Castle - the place where they keep the crown jewels!

Album: Sightseeing Weekend

- Kastellet - an old fortress, surrounded by water, but now a peaceful place.

Album: Sightseeing Weekend

- the museum of the Danish Resistance - during WW2. Some authentic things from that period, most of them really impressive...

Album:Sightseeing Weekend

- except for the Russian church, also seen many others: Lutheran, Jewish, Anglican. Wish I could visit one each week.. that wouldn't be such an impossible plan anyway.
- walked around the lakes.. all 5 of them, I think, and I was pretty exhausted.. and I saw many swans..

Album: Sightseeing Weekend

My Last Week - 10+1 Things about It

2008-09-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

0.Tivoli is neither as huge, nor as expensive as I imagined.1.I'm sleepy
2.Seems that I have a second option to move to a student residence, instead of the rented room, but no matter what I choose, I will definitely be in a new place next month => needed to do some shopping, so I went to IKEA to buy lots of stuff for my new room (they are all pink and white)
3...still a lousy badminton player, but at least I'm both learning and having fun.
4.I love shopping :)
5.I'm sleepy.
6.Signed up for yoga classes at work, but didn't go this week, since I was too sleepy (did I tell you that?)
7.next weekend will be having my first guest here -> Darek => need a plan for sightseeing and weekend fun + will be preparing a room for him + will be doing some shopping for foooood :D
8.Today did 3 loops arond the lake, really proud of myself.9.I got a bit over the ducks, now I'm more into the swans.10.I'm sleepy.

What if Architecture Can Change the World?

2008-08-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

Free entrance at the Architecture Museum last Wednesday!
Was a bit disappointed at the beginning, just a 2-room museum, with lots of small building models and some screens to watch short movies.
I don't know exactly what made me be so disappointed. After all, I knew from the beginning I was going to an architecture museum, not a dinosaur exhibition combined with ice-cream factory tour, culminating with a roller coaster ride.:D
I guess I was already too tired from work, and needed something more entertaining...

Anyway, once I started reading things about the buildings and their purpose, I was pretty much captivated, so I stayed for more than an hour (I think), to watch most of the movies there (at least those in English), and to take pictures of the models.Actually, the exhibition's aim was to display ways in which Danish architecture can have an impact on the communities' sustainability.

Lots of original ideas and complex plans, some of them achieved, others under construction, others waiting for approval, implemented all over the world, serving as schools, malls, office buildings, bridges, etc, either adjusting to the landscape and/or local culture, either not, creating a very powerful and inspiring contrast.
.. also, was quite exciting for me to see in the presentations some of the buildings from Copenhagen I was already familiar with (e.g.: some buildings/streets from Frederiksberg).

Old Place vs. New One

2008-08-27T12:28:00.001-07:00

Too lazy to write full sentences..
This is a short comparison between the 2 apartments.

And a self-explanatory map, just to make an idea of where I live/work/will live. :)

Who cares about the weather?

2008-08-27T00:29:00.000-07:00

This is how the weather forecast looks like for today.. (click to enlarge)
Seems to me really incredible that at this time, back home in Romania is probably sunny and clear, with 35 degrees Celsius.Well, I still don't care too much. I'm just happy because I found a new apartment. Will be back with more details.

Sunny Sunday

2008-08-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

Been to the beach today. The same train station from where I take my shuttle to work each morning: Skodsborg. Only that this time had more time to enjoy the sea.. and the sun, the jellyfish, the seaweeds, the rocks, the boats and so on.
MORE PICS HERE!

Random Thoughts

2008-08-22T08:34:00.000-07:00

The ONLY reason why I think I'm in the wrong country, is because I hate beer.
Copenhagen is the place where I get the most smiles on the street (from people that I don't know).
The best satisfactions I get is when I take the train in the wrong way and get to discover new places.
I like getting lost, I can pretend I'm a turist and ask people for help.
I love ducks!!
If I forget my umbrella home, the chances to have a sunny day get signifiantly higher.
Don't look throught the window before leaving home, the weather can change in like 10 minutes.
My favourite Danish word so far: NU (this means NOW). It's also one of my favourite Romanian words (means NO).

Picture: sunset seen from my room.

Run, Forest, Run!

2008-08-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

So I kept my word and started running each evening lately.
And since I'm terribly lucky (I really mean it), I discovered a wonderful park right behing the building where I live, 2 minutes away.
It also has an artificial lake, with lots of ducks (duuucks!!!) :D
First day I was there, I got tired after running like 3 minutes and had to stop in terrible pains :p. Now I'm able to make half of the loop around the lake, and walk fast the other half, and I'm sure I'll improve even more soon.
I just hope the bad weather that will come in the autumn won't keep me away from continuing this.

Pic: some tree stuff I picked up from the park + some of my stuff...

update

2008-08-20T05:22:00.000-07:00

- did a Canal Tour last weekend, was pretty funny to do it all by myself, sorrounded by other tourists 'armed' with cameras. Very noisy kids, but cute ones. Sat near a french family, their kids kept arguing about the boats and ships we were seeing: "Regarde, c'est mon bateau!", "C'est pas vrai, c'est le mien!".. And with such boats to see, I almost understand them. The good part is that their mum was very happy to take some pictures of me. And I was very grateful too, considering that I had no one with me to do that.

- got my Tivoli pass, hopefully will be using it next weekend!

- other plans for the weekend: outdoor cinema and National Museum ( fresh pictures will come soon)

- need to start running, I'm scared of getting fat here!! I m having my breakfast and lunch at Microsoft, plenty of things to choose from, but I'm not sure I always choose the healthy stuff to eat...

- today will see a new room to rent, I lost track of them, but think this one's no. 6, can't wait to get to no. 13, my lucky number.

- last night I was at the AIESEC elections, we elected a new LCP, and then a brand new board!!(well, not entirelly new, some of the old VPs kept their position). Hope they will do a great job at AIESEC CBS. Have no pics, forgot my camera at home.

- said goodbye to Gabi, my Romanian friend from here, she's leaving to continue her master's degree in Amsterdam, and will be missing her a lot.

Keywords - not in Chronological Order

2008-08-12T10:59:00.001-07:00

- sleepy, smiling, taking the train in the wrong way, learning how to read maps, pronouncing the train stations in Danish, turists, people talking to me in Danish, strong wind

- raining, gray sky, did laundry, ironed shirts
- beach, sand, no waves, noisy children, clear sky
- rain again
- botanical garden, rain, cool, umbrellas, people, blond kids, green house, tropical, wet, hot
- taxes, doctor, pension adviser, danish registration number, rent
- cleaning up my room, waiting for a free pass for Tivoli

- frederiksborg castle, royal family portraits, big garden, napping under an apple tree, old paintings, modern art, water, other aiesec interns

- rain, shopping, jeans, all day long, nail paint
- work, read, installing stuff, have a menthor, try stuff
- plans, looking for a new apartment, phone calls, buying furniture maybe
- movie in open air, festival, red sky, rained again, wet socks
- ducks!!!

In København

2008-07-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

So I finally have some time to write about what I'm doing lately.
Yes, I'm in Copenhagen since Friday afternoon. After a nice trip by buss and ferry from Luebeck, Germany, which lasted 5 hours, but actually felt like 2, I got to the Copenhagen Central Station. Good thing my buss station was close to it, so that I could take my luggage and go to an exchange office to get some DKK, in order to make a phone call from a public phone. And yes, forgot to tell you, nobody was expecting me then any more, because I arrived 3 hours later than expected (wasn't my fault, the trafiic was bad :)))
10 minutes after calling Michael, the LCP from Copanhagen CBS, we met in front of a McDonald's, and then headed
directly to my appartment.
There I had a great surprise to find out that I don't have a room of myself yet. I'm actually still sleeping in the couch, but hopefully not for long time. Good thing the sofa is long enough, so that I can fit on it.

Another funny thing is the light here, the sun sets much later than 10 pm and rises at 4 am, that's really bad for me, since the landlord of the apartment didn't buy yet any blinds to my room. That's why for the last few days I wasn't sleeping more than 5 hours out of 24. Well, at least I have some more time for that until I start working next Friday.

Danish is a very difficut language for me. So far I can say "hej"="hello", "hej hej"="goodbye", "tak"="thank you", and I'm very proud of myself. I'm not expecting to learn too much in a year, especially because at work I will be speaking in English, but also because here almost every dane speaks excellent English ( - I know it because I always stop people on the street to ask for directions when I get lost). But it would be a pitty to leave from here in a year without knowing at leat the basic things about the language, so I will try to make the best of my stay.

Ready to Go!

2008-07-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

Excited about the places I will see, about the language I hope I will learn at least just a bit, but most of all about the people I will meet.
So, what more to say..?

... except for see you in Copenhagen in a few days!

Saying Goodbye

2008-07-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

No posting activity lately, the last few days were dedicated to goodbyes.. Well, mostly farewells to those I'm leaving here, once I'll go to Denmark for one year. Anyway, I had happy goodbyes, funny goodbyes, cool goodbyes, formal goodbyes, even cold ones, all types of goodbyes, except for pathetic wheeping goodbyes I was affraid to put up with. And I'm so happy about this!!
Lots of going outs, plans for the future (career, friends, meetings, holydays), dreaming, celebrating..
Thank you Elena for making time to meet me on Friday, I had a wonderful time (or was it Thursday? I don't remember too good, the time went by so fast).
In the weekend I finally met Anca, Corina and Gabi - Gabi, thank you for the pictures :))
Last night was the bye bye party with the AIESEC people from Ploiesti, from which I have received some gifts that will help me remember about them and about Romania :)). We weren't too many, maybe about 10, consisting mainly of the current board members, but it was fun seeing them again, and remembering about my last AIESEC conference with them.

About AIESEC

2008-07-14T04:57:00.000-07:00

For about 2 years now I've been part of AIESEC Ploiesti, in Romania. Actually, AIESEC is much wider, just take a look here....

And if you've watched the video above, by now you should know that AIESEC, the world's largest student organization, is the international platform for young people to discover and develop their potential so as to have a positive impact on society.
And yes, through AIESEC you can also live wonderful exchange experiences, like I'm about to in Denmark, where I will soon meet the members of AIESEC Copenhagen Business School!!

The Final Countdown

2008-07-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

Less than 10 days left until my departure to Copenhagen. Everything is prepared, except for some little tiny details..
So here is my big plan:

23rd of July
->in the afternoon: leave Romania
-> in the evening: arrive to Berlin and meet Darek
->latter on: arrive to Luebeck

24th of July
-> all day long: spend a wonderful day in Luebeck with Darek

25th of July
-> morning: leave Luebeck (and Darek :(( )
->noon: arrive in Copenhagen by bus :D

Simple, huh? Anyway, still time till then.. and afterwards, plenty of time to sleep, prepare my flat and get ready for my first job ever!!

Happy :))

2008-07-05T03:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had my final exams, which consisted in presenting the VOX project and answering some questions related to computer engineering. Everything went great, so now I can finally call myself a computer engineer! Isn't that great? :D

So, after celebrating this last night with my colleagues, I'm now trying to put myself together and start planning for the trip to Copenhagen, which by-the-way, will be in not less than 18 days. Lots of things to prepare, places to see, and especially people to say goodbye to.

Update

2008-07-02T04:30:00.000-07:00

My latest hobby: sleeping.
2 days until I'll become an engineer.
3 weeks until I leave Romania.
And yesssss, in 2 days I'll be presenting my final project!!!
Wish me luck :)

VOX

2008-06-23T08:17:00.001-07:00

VOX - This is the name of the final project I'm developing for my diploma.

It's a text-to-speech application for Romanian. The main idea behind it: it produces artificial speech by concatenating prerecorded syllables. It's almost working (provided I have all the necessary syllables prerecorded for a given text), I only need to make the program "read" numbers, too.
Less than one week to do this, finish the written documentation , and find the inspiration for a convincing presentation :)) And a bit more than a week until it will all be over and I'll finally be enjoying my summer!

The Big News

2008-06-13T05:23:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure this could still be called big news.. because I think that until now most of my friends already know about it (important: if you're reading this and so far I haven't told you about what happened, or what is going to, that doesn't necessarily mean that you're not my friend!! :D)

Anyway, to make it short: since August the 1st I'll be starting my first job ever!! - which is actually an internship, and seems to be a great one: at Microsoft Development Center in Copenhagen.
And the biggest thing is that I'll be living in Copenhagen for 1 year!! Can't wait for it.
O.K., now that I've said(written) it, doesn't sound(look) like a big thing anymore. But I'm still happy.

I'm back!!

2008-06-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

Hi, it's been a long time since my last time here.
The truth is that I'm not at all a lazy person, and that my life is very far from being boring (OK, this is only my personal opinion, some people may think otherwise). And not that I have secrets or I find it hard to share my experiences with you all..
Anyway, my point is that it is kind of hard writing daily things about my life in a blog, instead of just living my life - especially because I don't have a lot of readers here so far, and also because I use other methods for staying in touch with my friends - like actually meeting them(yes!!!), phone calls, instant messengers, e-mails bla bla bla.
That was until recently, when I got some great news about something that will surely change the way I let my friends know what's been up with me recently.

Don't want to spoil the surprise, so I can only promise I'll get back to this soon.
Until then, just want to say that I'm so happy and grateful for what I have and that I'll be back!
See you soon :)

One of my fovourites....

2007-01-21T12:21:00.000-08:00

So, here I am again, after a long break. Just wanted to share with you the last film I saw: "The hours", starring Meryl Streep- my favourite, Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore. It was the second time I saw it and I think I would love to see it again.. in a few years. Who knows, maybe I'll understand more about how love, art and life mix up... :)

The blue watch

2006-11-30T06:11:00.000-08:00

Here's my newest passion.
10 minutes per day wasted with this.
I like to call it "playing games for stupid children".
I've been doing this for 150 days.. 150X10=1500 minutes.
That means so far I've wasted 60 hours of my life, when I
could have done far more important things.
Or maybe just looking through the window would have
been more interesting.

So after so many months of hard work, yesterday I decided to request my first prize: a blue watch.
Just curious to know how much will I have to wait until
I receive it. But never mind the watch...

But anyway, what made me keep playing all this time? Maybe the prizes?
Is that blue watch that tempting? Or am I addicted?? I hope not.
I was just curious to know if there is someone else in the same situation as me.
Have anybody else tried this site? Or something similar?
If yes, share your opinion to me.

Or if not, feel free to try it and then get back here to write your comments!
But be careful, you might get addicted...