blog

Working is so passé. Don’t you think? I mean, how do people get anything done when you have blogs, IM (instant messaging), Tweeter, Facebook, Skype and a whole load of other social networking Internet activities? Not to mention Second Life. Is work being replaced by communication? And how hard it is to concentrate on work when you are constantly buzzed, tweeted and emailed? Who can resist the temptation of not answering an IM or posting a quick reply to an interesting blog article? read more…

This year started off with several new projects and project perspectives for our company, which is really good news these days. We have written a Structural Funds proposal for the Romanian Mountain Guides Association, we have worked on editing and producing 300,000 DVDs for a foundation in Brussels, we are in talks with a UK based health clinic to become their Romanian reps and we are entering the final and very important year of our five year project with the British NGO World Horse Welfare. One would think I should be happy and relaxed planning away our strategies and implementing techniques. read more…

There is nothing more exciting and nauseating then staring at the little nervous line that smugly blinks in your face on a blank Word page. I know only one way to deal with it: start filling it with words until the little bugger is exhausted and begs for forgiveness. I am a merciful creature most of the time and know when to stop.

I love writing, it give me a sense of purpose and it comforts me because when I try my hand at fiction (I recently started and I am very defensive about it), I can break my everyday boundaries. I have no idea if I am good at fiction, I’m not even sure I want to find out. I do feel somewhat divided about the whole process. On one hand I am doing it for myself, because it gives me pleasure and a way to read more…

People can’t see how amazing I am. I’m not even joking, I mean listen to this: I take care of my baby girl, I manage Productive International and I keep the house running. Granted there are million others just like me and they are amazing too. But to most people, it just seems natural that we do this, so banal, and this is really unfair. Should we complain more, should we expect more appreciation? For sure! This is what I am doing right now, and I want you to tell me how hard I have it and how great I am for not letting the ground slip from beneath my feet. But you need more information to fully grasp the level of my amazingness. read more…

Did almost half a decade of Communism rob us of our sense of beauty? Did not owing property make us lose all interest in the aesthetic of living space? Or maybe the constant worry about tomorrow makes you immune to our surroundings? These are the only arguments that somewhat comfort me for the ugliness that is all around us: buildings, window shops, streets, restaurants. People in Romania don’t seem to care much about making a space (private, public) nice.

Walking into a beautiful building or strolling on a pretty street can be so relaxing. It can take your mind off your daily troubles. It can make a trip to the grocery pleasant. It can soften the horrors of waiting in line for useless paperwork at the Mayor’s Office. read more…

My knowledge of politics and economics is very limited. Truth be told both sciences bore me and politics in particular makes me nauseous, especially in Romania. Before having Alex, my daughter, I would always read or watch the news, because I wanted to be informed and because I found it entertaining. Now, most of the news stories are such downers: world economy is collapsing, our planet is dying, PD-L is best chums with PSD (how a liberal party and a socialist one can ever form a partnership should be beyond our comprehension). read more…

One day, a very brave woman got on the case of a young man for throwing his empty cigarette pack in the park. She almost got beat up. I was cowardly watching, deciding it was best not to intervene, fearing for my own safety. While I admire the woman for her courage and conviction, a conviction which I share, I do believe it was not her duty to teach the young man a lesson. It is the duty of the civil society. Unless a national anti littering campaign is made, single acts of bravery like this one will only put people in danger without making a major and lasting change. read more…

Whining is fun, for both the whiner and the … whinee? Don’t we all like to complain, or hear about other people’s misery. Human nature, I guess. That’s why scandal sells. I also suspect misery in general is more creative. How many happy rock stars have you heard about recently? Our blog is mostly complaints, as you can see if you browse all the articles. I want to break this habit and write a happy, and hopefully not to boring, post. About how much I like my new city: Brasov.

My husband and I moved to Brasov in January 2008, one month before our daughter, Alex, was born. She was the main reason for our move. Both of us had lived in read more…

Last night someone stole my husband’s bike. It was chained outside the apartment, in the hallway of our lovely communist block. The incident “inspired” me to write this hate letter to the city.

I’ve been living in Bucharest for almost nine years now, but only started to hate this city a couple of years ago. My hate wasn’t born overnight; it wasn’t like I was in love with Bucharest on Tuesday evening only to wake up on Wednesday hating it. It was a gradual process, fed by things that happened around me, or to other people during everyday life. I’ll try to express this in a list, in no particular order. read more…

Who knew Romania had almost a million working horses? Even though communism was all about mechanization, these horses are its legacy. After the 1989 Revolution the peasants were given back their little plots of land, but soon realized they couldn’t work that land without tractors. So they decided to do it the old way and turned to the reliable horse. Trouble is that during all those years of mechanization, they had forgotten how to look after their horses. read more…