My ally--mcbeal skirt

I bet you've all heard the expression "an ally-mcbeal moment". I bet you all know or suppose what it means, especially if you know the character. Now Ally McBeal used to wear at some point very short skirts and as a lawyer she would have problems in court on this subject. I for one, although resembled in many occasions with this character (by guys who would generally want sexual intercourse with me, of course), resent wearing skirts, and short skirts are most of the time out of the question. But yesterday I decided I needed a change. And since I have in my closet a very short skirt, bought in a moment of lunacy I guess, I felt like wearing it.
Now, I am either very ugly in jeans, or everybody was shocked by me wearing a skirt. Either way, it was fun. Somebody told me I look like a girl from Manga cartoons:)).

Anyway, girls, it is true. Guys, no matter how intelligent they might be, fall for a pair of legs and a short skirt.

Karaoke night!

I am having a very busy week. But once the month of December starts, it's party time for me! And I start with the 1st of December, this Saturday, huge party:). Then, on Sunday, the bloggers from Bucharest organize a karaoke night out! And ya people all must know that my hidden fantasy is to sing at karaoke. This is why I even put my name on the list, downloaded the list of songs.. stuff like that. I'm taking it all very seriously, it's my one-time chance to sing in front of a bunch of drunk people, me being quite dizzy as well:). I guess I'll have some proof for that, I have people with cameras around me every day:).
After that it's Joe's birthday! After that, it's my birthday that I'll be celebrating twice this year: with friends and in Barcelona:). So... my wonderful December is about to start and I can't wait for it to begin.

P.S. - My brother's wedding will be on the 29th of June 2008. Can't believe he's getting married. (that is... my YOUNGER brother)

Warsaw .... and my turtles

I must start with the thing that makes me sad: I'm a bad mother, I gave my turtles away!! I donated them to a guy who can't walk, he stays in bed all day long, his sister came and took them away yesterday. I came to think that these turtles were with me during the most troubled period of my life and if they could talk (and have a memory of their own), perhaps they'd have plenty to say (mostly bad things about me being a bad mother, I'm sure). I really hope, in fact, that someone would pay much more attention to them than I did lately. And that they'd be OK.

Warsaw was... strange. Perhaps because the only time I got to visit a part of the old town was by night. It was very cold and foggy, seemed like Twilight Zone a bit. But I looooved the food (if you ever go there, have lunch or dinner at Kompania Piwna!) and the fact that a "large beer" is large indeed, that is 1 L. Of course, Joe and I (Joe is a girl from my office I traveled with) were both very much attracted to the H&M shop in the local mall. Oh, and I almost forgot the Hard Rock Cafe, first time I've ever been into one of those, quite nice, very good food, I even got to see the beginning of a concert of Afromental (these are some Polish guys singing something between reggae, rock and hip-hop as I understood from a cute waiter... Polish MTV as he said).

This weekend I was @work, just as my messenger status announced everybody in my list. I guess everything compensates in this world, hmmm?

A.G. Weinberger, Aura and Warsaw

I'm leaving for Warsaw tomorrow. I've never been there before and, although I'm attending a conference, I hope I'll have some time to take a tour. And, of course, I might be coming back with lots of good ideas for work.
Tonight I've been to a blues&jazz concert. A.G. Weinberger and Miss Aura were great, although the show began a bit awkward, with some aerobic guys doing stuff on stage. A.G was great and Aura has a great voice:). Here's a sample below (it's not from the concert, unfortunately, but I hope I'll find some examples when I get back). And I'm going to sleep, it's quite late and tomorrow there'll be a pretty difficult day.

I found it!

Remember I said I would take care of the forgotten "M needs a home" campaign? Well, I did. And guess what I found last week on one of those real-estate websites:


LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOl. That was a good laugh first time I saw these pictures. U wanna know how much was this dump? 70 000 euro for 29 sq meters. It is in the center of Bucharest, indeed, but anyway....

love story

I admit I am sometimes a sucker for good romance movies. I don't say it very often, maybe because I really don't wanna sound too girlish or anything. But there are nights, like this one, when I come out and say it. Or maybe it's just my constant need for affection that allows me to be impressed by a good love story. Hate it when it's sad though. But they say the sad ones are better.
I must have inherited this taste for good love stories from my grandma. You might not believe me, but she was the only 70 years old woman from that village with a subscription to the local library. And constantly asking the librarian for love novels. She would devour book after book especially during winter nights. And she had a special concern on my emotional future. Coz we were born under the same sign, therefore she feared we might have the same destiny. Although it might not look like that, there are some weird similarities in our taste for men. I guess the "bad boy" cliche fits, or maybe the "hard-to-get" type.
Oh well, I blame it on the sleeping satellite.. Night night!

manu chao - Me llaman calle

This is a song from the latest Manu Chao album. I love it. Maybe because Manu Chao is intrinsecally connected to the best years of my past. Manu Chao works like the Proust's madeleine for me.

my lows

Quite a crappy day today. I was incapable of thinking clear, of doing things, I felt like tied up. I would just stand in front of the computer trying to become coherent and categoric and decisive just as everyone around me expected me to be. Just that I wasn't. I couldn't. Then I got angry on my boss for not understanding this delicate situation. But he was right. I was @work. I was supposed to work at least in the low parameters.
But I kept thinking that this week I left the office at 10 almost every night. I generally do more than I am asked to do because this is how I feel like. I got involved. Can't I be excused and understood for one miserable fucking day? Can't he protect me? Is it so impossible for people around me to just understand that sometimes I CAN BE LOW?! But maybe this is the image I created for myself. I always take care of everybody. I never forget tasks. I am always responsible. Even annoying if you ask some of the guys. So when I am down, they cannot cope with it. They don't understand. They just expect me to be as I usually am. So I guess I should just relax, take it easy, put a little distance between me and work.

@work

If you guys were wondering what am I doing @work, well here it is. Sometimes, in the evening, when fewer people remain, we fool around in the office with paper bags on our heads. Beneath the bags it's me and Daniela, around us is Alin.

Perhaps it may sound weird, but I love it when spontaneous childish things like that happen. It makes us think we are not quite at work :). Of course, Robi the boss wasn't there to see us.

Why I love chocolate

Nice November Sunday. I feel a little bit naughty (yes, I know it's weird to say that about me, but this is how I feel). I rarely ever listen to some of my favorite tunes. Some of them are very nicely put in various commercials.
The one you're about to see is one of my favorites. I also just happen to LOOOOVE chocolate. Now you're gonna see why.

dazed and confused.... more confused:)

I decided to go to Barcelona on my birthday. Cristina and me. Just us girls. I just hope she won't find a guy until then and leave me alone:). But hey, this might be quite an experience, right?

Well, we tried to find tickets tonight and guess what? They are kind of expensive for low cost companies (we found tickets around 490 Euros for 2 persons, I mean, c'mmmmoooon). Searching for other ways to get there, she thought of asking at the railway station if there are some ways to go to Barca by train. Well, no trains go directly from Bucharest to Barcelona or anywhere, except for Venice, Italy (of course, we Romanians are kinda romantic people) and the ticket would cost like 170 euros one way for one person!!! That was very funny, she didn't have the nerve to ask how long this journey would last, this high price was too much for her.

In the end we decided to ask some advice from our boss, the Robi, he's the smart guy around there. And only after that (please notice the respect:P) buy the tickets.
My mother was a bit speechless hearing my latest wish, maybe because she thought she won't have me here for Christmas. I, for one, decided to be selfish this year and think about MY BIRTHDAY. To me it's not a waste of time. Not yet. I like my birthday. It makes me feel special and unique (as if I wasn't already!:))). The age might get me depressed, yes, but hey, who's thinking about that in Barcelona?

I'm going to sleep now, it's late. But I can't leave without the song that inspired the title of this post, no connection (apparently only) with anything I was mumbling here these past few minutes. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Led Zeppelin!

Pink Martini and a very busy weekend

It all started on Friday evening. I went out with a colleague for tea. I ended up in a bar, then in a club where I had the "misfortune" of having two shots of tequila. Home around 4. Next morning I was woken up by the phone, I was supposed to go to Sinaia for the wedding and I was kinda late, my friend Oana called to say she was waiting for me. I arrived at the station quite on time. Of course, I was on the train more time than I was in Sinaia, but I was there:) (pictures in a later post). Then, the Concert. I rarely had the occasion to see something so beautiful as the Pink Martini concert I was at. I mean... these guys are great! And I don't know why, but in the end I felt like I went through my whole life with their songs. I remembered my trip to Italy (Una notte a Napoli), everything from my relationship with C (Sympathique, Brasil, Donde estas Yolanda...), he is after all the one to "blame" for my musical taste; and last, but not least, the present (Hang on Little Tomato). And for the first time in my life I regretted my Dad didn't have the patience to properly teach me how to play the violin.
After PM, I went to a bar then to the same club as the other night.
Today I celebrated my brother's birthday:). And his girlfriend's too.
I can't complain, I had quite a weekend which left me voiceless and a bit tired, but somehow ok with myself.

ooops

I did it! I broke my washing machine. Don't ask me how. I know how but I guess I am too lazy to say it in English. It works, lucky me, but that compartment where I put the detergent is not right in it's place. I took it out to wash it, and I couldn't put it back.
Now, this bothered me so much that I even set my messenger status with this issue, and, of course, sooner or later my friends/colleagues started asking how did I do it, what happened, etc.
C suggested I should write a post on this matter, maybe I'll get some online help, which he also exemplified by quoting some blog of a guy switching 2 washing machines, coz one is always broken or about to be fixed. Ok... so I did it and now I expect you guys to teach me how to fix it. Coz I ain't calling nobody to fix it, it's too much trouble, really.
Tomorrow is Friday. yes, I know you know this, but I just wanted to get into the weekend mood. Now, me sleepy, it's late, night night!

this, that (no other)

My mother says that the next will be great for me. She read this in a dime-a-dozen horoscope for 2008, knowing my hidden passion for this kind of things. Thing is everything referred to work, carrier, money. How about me? How about other things in my life? Hmmm, I guess it's getting worse, right?
But I am quite looking forward for this weekend. Saturday is a busy day. I have to travel to Sinaia for Heta's wedding. Then I come back in the evening for the Pink Martini concert. Then I believe I'm going out, that is in a club. Now that's a good day.
I believe I wouldn't have any reason to get bored. I have a pile of books on my desk, waiting for me to read them, I decided it's about time to learn how to swim and, of course, besides looking for a house (which I only say I do, but I never actually do anything about it, it's only an obsession), I might try taking up driving lessons again. This became a delicate subject in my mind, since I consider it a failure. My personal failure. And I am not at all used to failures.
So you see, I am a busy girl:). At least for a while.

...

Kinda of weird days, these days. I suddenly feel like I am broken inside and need time to regroup. I need time to find that inner balance that would bring me back on track. The problem is I don't really know what track is that. I guess this might be interesting, like a surprise in a box of chocolates, but still I am not anymore at the age of looking boldly at the future and see it bright. I learned deception, delusion (much of my own cause, I agree) and I guess being cautious is only the result.
They call me "granny" at the office. Sometimes I understand why. I don't look like one, but I surely act like one from time to time. And this only because my life at the office so much conquered my inner, personal life, that I find it hard not to involve emotionally. My balance, my outer life is almost gone now. And this is why I sometimes (like these days) feel I don't worth much, that I lack that spark that used to made me different (in my own subtle way, of course), I am not interesting, nor witty, nor smart or anything. I just am. I walk, I talk, I do things from the impulse of my conscience. But there is no.... enthusiasm maybe. I can't put my finger on it, but I feel something is missing, that fresh approach that makes me see things clearly and be sure of my decisions.
I never expected this to happen. I never thought that this age will bring me so many confusing days.
My computer is almost broken. I would like a laptop. I've dreamed of one for 6 years now. I have the money to buy one, but I am thinking it over and over: maybe I need the money for the house. Maybe I would go to Barcelona for my birthday. Maybe... it's the weather. I'm waiting for sunnier days. Or maybe for someone to make them sunny.

nothing...

I had some busy days.. I always do when my boss is missing. I have to sort of take care everything is under control.
But today was special because I went to this event about newspapers and media and I really think that after my head will stop spinning, I might have some clear ideas for work:).
Socially I am zero. Really. I never go out. I plan on not staying home this weekend, since I am also free. Maybe take a tour to Ikea:). Or start once again the "M needs a home" campaign. I might be in luck these days.
This is how the conference started. Pretty significant, isn't it?

yeah, right, October again

I guess I must find somewhere people I can hang out with every day. Because autumn makes me feel helpless and lonely, and I really hate going home after a long day of work. Now it's a time to drink tea, talk to friends, in warm comfy places, away from the cold rain outside.
Anyway, October looks like a busy month. Not only that I celebrate my brother on this month (oh, yes, an his girlfriend), but my girl Heta is getting married and there is this Pink Martini concert I look forward to.
Yesterday we had Muse here. I didn't go, everyone was saying that they are great, I was feeling weird I never listened to them before, but I decided not to go. I am not a hypocrite, I cannot go to a concert not knowing what it's all about.
Now Chemical Brothers is somethin' else. I'm going! On the 20th this month.
Gosh.... it would have been so great to have these guys here some years ago!

my own personal saga

I've been meaning to write about this for some time now, I just didn't have the time, nor the mood. I'm at work now, it's Saturday, it's cloudy, the office is warm like a home now to me and I can't stop thinking that my story here, my life as I have it now, started 10 years ago on the 6th of October. It was the first day of school. I was alone in a huge town (coz it seemed huge at that time). My heart was still at home: my boyfriend was there, my parents, my friends, my pink bedroom. Here I had a cold big house, a tiny room in the attic, a sick aunt, an egoist uncle, a shallow cousin....nobody. I remember I was even crying when I was alone.
Still, I believe my beginning here was fortunate. My luck was meeting people I could rely on, people who helped me tremendously and to whom I am grateful to this day. I learned to love this controversed, sometimes dirty, sometimes glamorous city and I am not sorry I made this choice.

something, nothing, anything

Crazy week. Very passionate for those who love animals:). Quite tormented for our IT specialists, poor guys... quite a tormented week for myself as well. This week our website celebrated its 1st year anniversary. I was in the news again:))), much better this time, I seemed more relaxed. Then, in the evening, we all went out to celebrate and after 2 beers I was already drunk and fell asleep (my colleagues have pictures to prove this but I don't think I wanna publish them). Dizzy as I was, I left home since the next morning I had to attend a communication summit. Interesting sayings, but... there was one guy who needed technical support at every slide of his pps coz he, the communication specialist, wasn't able to be technically coherent! I mean, c'moooon, Charlie, how stupid of you was that???
Well, but more about this event you'll find here (in Romanian) and here.
I promised I'll return with some other pictures from my beautiful voyage to the wild wild west and here they are:). These ones are wedding-related.

Luxembourg-Paris-Prague

I had an unforgettable week. Not only that I had like 4 flights in one week, which is a lot since I never took the plane before, but I got to visit 3 European capital cities, I ate things I never tried before (like lobster or moules) and finally came back with a good French accent I lost these past years and maybe with a better understanding of my work. These pictures are from Luxembourg, Paris and Prague (the second). I think I'll always remember this crazy, busy, wonderfully tormenting week. And I realized that going away relaxed me more than seaside or anything else here. It seemed I was gone forever when I came back.
Some other pictures.. on a later post. Now I have to get into Bucharest mode. Processing.... Operation failed. Try again.