A few days ago, while I was “enjoying” my bus ride to school, an old man got into the bus. He was carrying some torn looking flower. Those summer kinds that have lots of smaller flowers and look like a small bouquet. One of these little flowers was broken and he gave it to me.
Him: You should say you got it from a young fellow, not me. Me: Oh, no, there’s no need! Him: No, you should say it like this: he kept staring at me, but I pretended not to notice, he was good looking though. Eventually he gave me this nice flower. Me: Really, there’s no need, I could get into trouble. Him: How old are you? Going to school? Me: University, actually… Him: Oh, and I thought you were a sixth or seventh grader..(13-14) Me: Oh, no, I am much older Him: Then you should really find yourself a guy…A nice looking one Me: I have already found one Him: oh, then change the story, he might get upset! Me: OK, I will Him: Spring is finally here Me: Yes, it is… Him: I dunno, today I feel like talking…I have days when I am completely mute, but today I feel like talking to people..
After a few more jokes about his school year, a lady standing next to him got off at a stop:
Him: She didn’t like that I gave you the flower! She wanted it for herself… Me: I don’t thing so… Him: Yes, I saw it in her eyes…
After getting off myself and after going our separate ways, as he got off at the same stop, I started thinking…He was not completely down to earth, as one would say, yet he seemed to so much enjoy that spring day! And he gave me the flower with all his heart…I could not help but wonder, is he actually lonely at home? What makes him not talk to anyone on certain days? People’s reaction to his innocent chats? To his antique jokes? I thought he was fun to talk to…
I was in no mood for anything when I left the house this morning. It was a bit chilly, it was 6.10 AM and I had been working during the weekend. I was just waiting for my cab to take me to work again. I noticed it was quite sunny, no clouds at all, yet somehow that failed to impress me.
Cab came, got it, left for work…Same route, actually one of the same route, each driver has his own favorite one. Was just sitting there, worrying about everything I need to do this week, my two tests and all that.
Well my driver was in an awesome mood, loud music, him singing along, being totally ironic to everything, telling me what a wonderful day it was…I couldn’t say what exactly was it this life loving and enjoying attitude that completely changed my own mood, but it really did! I started looking at the outside world differently, enjoying the sunshine, the open sky, the shop windows and everything else there was to enjoy. So thank you! Really! You gave me the most amazing present on a dull Monday…
For those feeling down, for those feeling sad, for those stressed out, for those too busy to do the things they consider pleasent (yes, I am including you around here somewhere, Mon), here's something that made me feel a lot better after a very tiring night: Click here for more of this sunrise.
Tonight I feel like ranting about anything. Yet I have an issue deciding what to start with…Maybe I should start with the magnificent newspaper Averea (something like Wealth). Judging by the title, you’d expect a decent economic or financial newspaper. Guess again, it is full of entertainment! First page news: Daniela Gorfy has deflated her lips…Wow, what a hot topic! Well, according to football player Adi Mutu, it is a great paper, easy to read, which has only hot topics. He really likes this paper! Why don’t I doubt it?
So what have we learned kids? They chose as image of their public a half-dumb football player, womanizer and with some severe drug issue…Reflection of the target audience? Probably! See, I don’t understand this continuous strive to win a market share of the tabloid business! There are already too many of those! Actually, sometimes I am inclined to believe we only have tabloids as dailies here in Romania…That is why I turned to economic/financial papers anyway. Oh, and a last word on this issue: Libertatea still rules, you will not steal its readers, why not concentrate on the unsatisfied target audiences that want something else except the present daily crap!
Oh, another thing…Why would you use a big fat drawn chicken to promote a brand called Chicken Light??? Is there any way people might thing it contains air instead of fat? I doubt tha
Another hot topic: did you guys notice what has just happened to Jade/Sarah? Someone hacked her blog and completely took it over…And started posting stupid posts and giving an address like jadethebitch…Crappy! But it is easier to take something that already has its readers instead of starting from scratch! Sarah, I am totally on your side on this one! Which reminds me, I have to change the blogroll entry with her new blog!
Well people, stay safe, stay smart and stay happy!
Isn't it awkward how one gets so fast to where he/she has to be but where he/she does not really want to be and how it takes ages for that same person to get to the place where he/she really wants to spend all the time in the world?
Same trend, today...I hate it how time flies by when you are with the people you love and just hangs when you are with those you really do not like or you would prefer to see in a different environment.
I live: in Bucharest, Romania, Europe I work: for an IT company I talk: too much and too loudly at times I wish: people could pick on me for relevant stuff, I could write again, I could have more time for what I love doing and lots of other stuffs… I enjoy: dancing, reading, walking, seeing new places, meeting new people, learning new things, watching good movies, listening to music, almost any kind of music, having my large amounts of Coca-Cola each day, acting on how I feel… I look: like my parents; some used to say, back when I had short hair that I looked like Demi Moore. I always rejected it, I dunno why. I find: it hard to like people all the times…and even harder to feel good at all times, a mood spoiler is so easy to find! I smell: like Dune, one of the old favorites. I listen: to some people without getting bored, ever. Such were the travel stories of my step dad, God rest his soul. I hide: a lot of anger and bad feelings lately. The good parts should always be shared, the bad parts, only when you just can’t take it anymore… I pray: for all that I am to come back to me, all the strength, all the joy of life, all the creativity. I would also pray for tranquility, but that has never been a part of me, so I’ll just pass… I walk: a lot, especially when it’s sunny. I walk because I am too happy or too sad, or simply because I just need to see the people around me I write: used to is the correct tense here…Or will write, hopefully! I see: dead people! Not really, thank God! I sing: only when surrounded by people who love me very much (to bare with me) or when alone) I laugh: a lot, most of the times I can: dance! I can try to cook, but it almost always turns into a disaster area :D I Watch: anything that is on, when I have time for the TV set I learn: a lot of stuff in school, work and on my own, if I have the time I dream: mostly with my eyes open I want: the list could go on for ever! I cry: in very different ways when I am sad and when I am angry I burn: inside and the rest of people and things around me when I am really angry; also when in love, but in a different way I read: mostly when taking the subway I love: K, my family, my friends, a lot of silly things that hold certain memories… I sometimes: wish I could afford a bohemian life…At least for a few months I hate: only for short whiles…It is just like summer rain: strong, fast and short! I touch: people, I hope, although sometimes they seem to move away unmarked by me. I hurt: sometimes, but my friends and loved one always help me trough. I fear: going crazy, ending up alone, failing, knifes and being threatened with blades I hope: K and I will stay as happy as we are now I break: down and can’t stand up from time to time I eat: a lot of junk!I quit: unchallenging jobs I bathe: in bath salts and mouse with lighted candles when I like to pamper myself I drink: to much Coca-Cola I save: not much, I am a spender I hug: and love to be hugged back by those that I love I meditate: when I am really troubled by certain events. Used to do it more often, but even meditating requires time these days.. I play: still love to play games, feel like a child…but would never say no to good computer games I miss: my mom, friends that I have not seen in a long time I hold: on to those I love as long as I feel loved in return I forgive: most of the times. The forgetting part has some implementation errors though I drive: wish to, my own car, soon enough I have: lots of treasures, most of them in human form I don’t: manage my time correctly. I am very good at it in theory, though, I make great plans and to do lists I made: a lot of stupid things over the years I kiss: K, at every traffic light that is red when we are driving I believe: life is truly beautiful I Owe: a lot to my mom and I will never be able to repay her in full for everything I feel: happy with myself generally, unhappy with the amounts of sleep I need I know: a lot of things that I never thought I’d use, yet I find them quite useful at certain times. I wonder: how many more of this you would be willing to read if this did not stop here…:D
A lazy week…yes, this is how it started and how it will probably continue…I cut out of the list everything that could be, important, unimportant, everything that could be postponed. Only work this week, mostly….I needed it, but I still can’t help feeling a bit guilty!
At least I had fun this weekend. We went to a club, Twice. I will never go there again, but that’s another thing. The music was OK, I was glad I was finally going dancing with K again, yet it was sooo crowded that I was acting like a bomb going to explode…Everybody was bumping into everybody…Not that nice! In the end I just stopped caring and tried to enjoy myself and it actually worked for a while.
Sunday we went to the movies and saw the Pink Panther…It was a light, funny movie, a bit cliché, but overall it was a good way to relax on a weekend’s last day.
Other important things this week…I still can read in French with no major problems!
I came home today, after a night’s work, feeling I could do it all: everything I needed to do and everything I wished I could do…My job, my schools, my reading and my writing, all seemed so much easier all of the sudden…
Blame it on the beautiful sunset, blame it on the wonderful movie I have seen…I am happy for this feeling and I am planning to enjoy it.
Talking about the movie, I strongly recommend the Shadow Dancer, an amazing story about writing and not writing, about love and loss, about choosing the half-shadowed ways of a dream life instead of being satisfied by your clear, dull, practical life.
Here is the review in IMDB, a pretty good rating, yet very little information on the actual movie. You can see a more detailed review here.
I can't say I am not a lucky girl! My first day of spring was quite great! After striving to get to the Pizza Hut near the University, I enjoyed my first luch out with K! We have so different schedules that the only time we eat together during the day is the weekend. So I really appreciated it!
Then at work, the guys were already waiting for us with Martisor amulets and flowers. Here is a picture of the things I have received. In case you are wondering, the orchid on the left is very real and it is from K. I hope you have all enjoyed your first day of spring as much as I did! It was a bit cold in what weather was concerned, but very warm it its spirit!
Yesterday morning, before going to school for the microeconomics test that has been keeping me busy lately, along with other things, I checked the weather outside. Chilly, quite cold actually, cloudy but dry. So I left with nothing on my head and no umbrella. It wouldn’t rain today!
When I got out of the subway I stumbled in the middle of a snow storm. It was snowing with that type of snowflakes that sting your face like iced needles…And the wind, the wind that was blowing from God knew what direction! For me it was blowing from all directions! And I could really hear it blowing all around my head, like shivers in my ears…
This kind of weather always makes me feel a bit angry, annoyed, I don’t know exactly how…it just spoils my mood! Yet when I got outside after the exam, the snow was already taking over the town…And I am a sucker for this white cover that sometimes makes everything seem cleaner, purer…
By 11 PM (when I left home from work, all the streets were covered in snow. Of course the City Hall paid, no, stuffed with money, company that should take care of the snow was caught by surprise! They are always caught by surprise by snow in winter! :D
Therefore we have today an amazing first day of spring: snowy and sunny! Yes, it is all covered in snow and lighted by a sun that decided to appear and fight with the passing by clouds as if it wanted to let us know: I am here, and spring will come soon! All you spring/summer lovers, relax…They will come, eventually! It might turn out to be rainy, floods bringing, moody, but there will be a warm season!
Well, so it is the First Day of Spring again…Again too soon, again time passing too fast…Like every year. My birthday again too soon. A month and some change before I turn a year older…Sigh!
The symbol of this special day is the famous – or not that famous - Martisor (a trinket, March amulet) offered to loved ones in early spring. It is mostly given to girls and women, but in some parts of the country it is the other way around, being offered to boys.
According to Wikipedeia, Mărţişor is the traditional celebration of the beginning of the spring in Romania and Moldova, on 1 March. The day's name is the diminutive of March (in Romanian Martie), and thus means something like "little" or "dear March". Nowdays, men offer women a small decorative object also called Mărţişor, consisting of a jewel or symbolizing a flower, an animal, etc., tied to a red and white string. However, giving a little nickle tied to a red and white string is an old custom and was originally designated for both men and women; it was believed that the one who wears the red and white string will be powerful and healthy for the year to come. Martisor is a symbol of the coming spring; a woman wears it pinned to her blouse on this day and up to two weeks after. Occasionally, women also give such gifts to men.
Mărţişor is the symbol of spring and also a celebration on the first of March. This celebration is more than 8,000 years old. Its beginnings are still a mystery, but it is usually said that originates in Rome, because New Year's Eve was celebrated on the 1st of March, the month of the god Mars. He was the god of agriculture and significated the rebirth of nature. For the Thracians, Marsyas-Silen, whose cult was related to the vegetation and the land, had the same attributes. The flower and nature celebrations were consecrated to him.
In early times people painted small river rocks with vibrant whites and reds and people wore them round their neck. Red was the colour of blood, sun and fire; it meant life and symbolized the feminine. White was the colour of clear water and of the sky; it symbolized the masculine. Placing the colours together meant unity between the two distinct powers. It symbolized everything that was alive and the immortality of nature. On the first of March, people organized banquets and usually drank lots of wine.
It is said that the Mărţişor originated from the Ancient Roman culture, where March (Martius) was the month of the war god Mars with a double role: both protector of agriculture and of war. This duality of symbols is kept in the colours of the Mărţişor: white and red, meaning peace and war (it might also symbolize winter and spring). This custom can be found in all areas where Romanians live. Bulgarians also have an almost identical tradition on the 1 March, called "Martenitsa".
In other parts of the country such as Moldova or Bucovina the symbol of spring was a gold or silver medal which was worn around the neck . After wearing the coin for twelve days, they bought sweet cheese with the medal, because it was believed that their faces would remain beautiful and white the entire year.
You can find more details on this wonderful day and its legends here and here.
Sometimes, the announcements, signs, posters you read to be informed can bring you a memorable laugh. See some examples here and enjoy!
In a Bangkok temple: "IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN, EVEN A FOREIGNER,IF DRESSED AS A MAN."
Cocktail lounge, Norway: "LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR."
At a Budapest zoo: "PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUITABLE FOOD, GIVE IT TO THE GUARD ON DUTY."
Doctors office, Rome: "SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES.
Hotel, Acapulco: "THE MANAGER HAS PERSONALLY PASSED ALL THE WATER SERVED HERE."
Dry cleaners, Bangkok: "DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS.
In a Nairobi restaurant: "CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER."
On the grounds of a private school: "NO TRESPASSING WITHOUT PERMISSION."
On an Athi River highway: "TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE."
On a poster at Kencom: "ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO, WE CAN HELP."
In a City restaurant: "OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS.
One of the Mathare buildings: "MENTAL HEALTH PREVENTION CENTRE.
A sign seen on an automatic restroom hand dryer: "DO NOT ACTIVATE WITH WET HANDS."
In a Pumwani maternity ward: "NO CHILDREN ALLOWED."
In a cemetery: "PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES."
Tokyo hotel's rules and regulations: "GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED."
On the menu of a Swiss restaurant: "OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR."
In a Tokyo bar: "SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS."
Hotel brochure, Italy: "THIS HOTEL IS RENOWNED FOR ITS PEACE AND SOLITUDE. IN FACT, CROWDS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD FLOCK HERE TO ENJOY ITS SOLITUDE."
Hotel lobby, Bucharest: "THE LIFT IS BEING FIXED FOR THE NEXT DAY. DURINGTHAT TIME WE REGRET THATYOU WILL BE UNBEARABLE."
Hotel elevator, Paris: "PLEASE LEAVE YOUR VALUES AT THE FRONT DESK."
Hotel, Yugoslavia: "THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID."
Hotel, Japan: "YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID."
In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery:
"YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS, AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY."
Taken from a menu, Poland: "SALAD A FIRM'S OWN MAKE; LIMPID RED BEET SOUP WITH CHEESY DUMPLINGS IN THE FORM OF A FINGER; ROASTED DUCK LET LOOSE; BEEF RASHERS BEATEN IN THE COUNTRY PEOPLE'S FASHION."
Supermarket, Hong Kong: "FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE, WE RECOMMEND COURTEOUS, EFFICIENT SELF- SERVICE."
From the "Soviet Weekly": "THERE WILL BE A MOSCOW EXHIBITION OF ARTS BY 15,000 SOVIET REPUBLIC PAINTERS AND SCULPTORS. THESE WERE EXECUTED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS."
In an East African newspaper: "A NEW SWIMMING POOL IS RAPIDLY TAKING SHAPE SINCE THE CONTRACTORS HAVE THROWN IN THE BULK OF THEIR WORKERS."
Hotel, Vienna: "IN CASE OF FIRE, DO YOUR UTMOST TO ALARM THE HOTEL PORTER."
A sign posted in Germany's Black Forest: "IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONE TENT UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE."
Hotel, Zurich: "BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE."
An advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist: "TEETH EXTRACTED BY THE LATEST METHODISTS."
Tourist agency, Czechoslovakia: "TAKE ONE OF OUR HORSE-DRIVEN CITY TOURS. WE GUARANTEE NO MISCARRIAGES."
Advertisement for donkey rides, Thailand: "WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ASS?"
In the window on a Swedish furrier: "FUR COATS MADE FOR LADIES FROM THEIR OWN SKIN."
The box of a clockwork toy made in Hong Kong: "GUARANTEED TO WORK THROUGHOUT ITS USEFUL LIFE."
In a Swiss mountain inn: "SPECIAL TODAY - NO ICE-CREAM."
Airline ticket office, Copenhagen: "WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS."
On the door of a Moscow hotel room: "IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST VISIT TO THE USSR, YOU ARE WELCOME TO IT."
A laundry in Rome: "LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND SPEND THE AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME."
Name: Alina Home: Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania About Me: "This is my church. This is where I heal my hurts". It's also where I feel free and my preferred means of expression. See my complete profile
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