Ants Pants - less serious, more jovial! and things I want to remember!

[First published on February 13th, October 2008]

Is quite a while since I haven't wrote...why?...because I was in vacation (went skiing in Solden - and I will tell you more about it in future emails). Today I want to tell you something funny that happen a few weeks ago.

My father needs to change his glasses, so I went with him one day to a shop near by. I was there only to look for summer glasses, even though I have ones, and I let my father discuss with the sales person there...he asked about many types of frames - plastic, metal, round, square...I don't remember them all...I wasn't actually paying attention. But...as we were preparing to leave, with his back facing me, my father said: "Let's go Jack!"...I was thinking like.."uh..ok..that's our dog's name...but what the heck..is not the first time happening..." but the sales person was looking at me with a weird expression on his face...probably he was thinking..."is that her name? or is it a nickname? who would name his daughter Jack...in Romania!!!"..in the end I explained him who Jack is and that my father is used to going out with the dog, not with me...what can I say...I should go more often with my father for a walk... in the end we all started to laugh :)))

A inceput de ieri sa cada cate-un fulg...si a venit zapada, peste tot in tara! Pe 1 eram in Campina, afara ningea de la inceputul anului. Zapada noua se depusese peste zapada veche de anul trecut. Acum era mult mai multa si mai pufoasa. Ne pregateam sa mergem in Predeal - o idee nu prea indicata in prima zi a anului - dar in final a fost frumos, ne-am distrat destul in masina :) Inainte sa plecam, am facut un om de zapada! nu eu in totalitate, dar am ajutat un pic. A fost placut sa ma joc in zapada, sa fiu iar copilul care se bucura atunci cand trei "bulgari" se transforma.

"Nu mai suntem la varsta aceea..." mi-a spus cineva astazi cand intrebam daca s-a bucurat de zapada care a cazut in Bucuresti zilele acestea, daca a facut un om de zapada. Daca acum nu, atunci cand? Varsta aceea...nu trebuie sa treaca niciodata...trebuie sa se regaseasca in noi mereu!

Ieri traversam parcul sa merg la servici - ningea cu fulgi mari, in parc nu erau delimitate cararile...doar pasii oamenilor care s-au imprimat in omat si au trasat in patura alba randuri. Am traversat podul, in fata, departe se vedea un grup care mergea catinel. I-am ajuns exact la scari. Erau doua familii: o familie tanara cu un copilas de 2 anisori, si o familie de batranei; fiecare din ei incercand sa urce scarile pline. Tinut de ambele manute copilasul aluneca intr-un raset armonios pe scari. Mama lui il incuraja sa fie serios si sa nu se mai joace...cum sa nu se joace? cum sa fie serios? "Haide, lasa-l ca nu stie ce e iarna..." ii spune tatal. Eu cred ca asa mic cum era incepea sa isi dea seama ce e iarna, si se bucura de ea...fiindca putea!

...'varsta aceea' exista in noi, trebuie doar sa o redescoperim!

Sambata eram la nu-mai-stiu-cata urcare cu telescaunul din Predeal. Urcam singura de data aceasta...ne-am despartit fiindca nu avea tigari. M-am delectat cu poze pe partie, la partie, cu oameni, cu umbre...si m-am hotarat sa mai fac o urcare, fiindca sus privelistea e mai clara si mintea e mai limpede.

Urcam...langa mine doi tipi, skiori si ei, cu echipament destul de rasarit cat sa atraga privirile celorlati, priviri care sa se lase cucerite...Urcam...pilonii treceau, rand pe rand. Cel de langa mine da un telefon. "Ce faci draga? te-ai trezit?...si (continuand pe acelasi ton flegmatic)..ai dormit bine?...da, eu sunt pe partie...vezi daca nu ai vrut sa vii cu mine...eh lasa ca te odihneai..da..am adormit imediat ce am ajuns...tu? ai ajuns bine aseara?...da...sa stii ca e superb aici...pacat ca nu ai vrut sa vii...cine se aude?..ahh..e verisoara ta?...vara ta? da! pai sa ii fac cunostiinta cu un prieten de-al meu..." in timp ce amandoi ascultau convorbirea cu Draga. Au continuat...si eu am continuat gandurile mele...incercam sa deduc ceea ce raspundea Draga, sa aflu cat mai multe despre povestea lor.

Urcam...copacii incarcati treceau pe langa mine, pana s-au terminat. "Am ajuns sus! trebuie sa inchid, ai grija de tine". Observ ca rareori plec urechea la ceea ce discuta strainii din jurul meu - doar atunci cand mi se pare ceva familiar. Semi-conversatia mi-a adus aminte de un prieten...are acelasi ton flegmatic...cand vrea.

Aproape in fiecare zi ma gandesc la ce sa scriu, ce ar fi interesant de spus, ce ar merita mentionat...in ultimul timp parca mi-a fost lene; au venit sarbatorile - vreme de relaxare, de reunire cu familia, cu prietenii, un prilej in plus pentru a face cadouri, de a manca lucruri alese si traditionale; un prilej anual pentru a impodobi bradul de Craciun! Ce placut!

In ultimul timp ajung mereu la aceeasi idee...eu ce mai citesc? de ce carte sa ma apuc acum? trebuie sa recunosc ca am inceput mai multe carti - beletristica, management, comunicare ...pe care inca nu le-am terminat - si de fiecare data mi-ar fi placut sa am un mic hard disk instalat, sa introduc pur si simplu CD-ul cartii, si sa incarc informatia in centrul memoriei...ce simplu ar fi..sa nu mai petrecem atata timp citind si invatand...doar sa apasam pe un buton si gata! suntem mai destepti cu cativa kb! La fel ca in Matrix - acum descarcam programul de kung fu! Come here baby!

Da...am multe carti trecute pe lista - o lista nescrisa de care imi aduc aminte din cand in cand si pe care o mai uit uneori - carti care se gasesc in biblioteca mea si pe care trebuie sa le caut printre celelalte sute de carti prafuite, carti pe care trebuie sa le cumpar, carti pe care o sa le imprumut! Parca atunci cand cumperi sau imprumuti o carte ai mai mult spor la citit...stii ca ai dat un ban, ca trebuie sa o dai inapoi, ca ai depus un efort in plus pentru a o gasi...

Am inceput sa am cateva bloguri pe care le citesc saptamanal...nu citesc chiar tot din ele..doar ceea ce imi atrage mai mult privirea si intelectul...si imi place ca o parte din aceste randuri ma determina sa adaug si mai multe carti pe lista...o sa incep sa cred ca nu o sa imi ajunga timpul de-o viata sa citesc tot...asa ca o sa ma grabesc un pic - festina lente, bineinteles ;)

Aseara am fost la un concert mai special. Kitty Solaris a cantat in Orange concept store. Nu stiam cine e Kitty, nu stiam ce canta. Stiam de concert da la un prieten si stiam ca vreau sa merg sa vad, si nu numai atat... Nu pot sa zic decat ca mi-a placut de la prima melodie si ca m-a captivat de la a doua.

A cantat impreuna cu colegul ei, ea la chitara si voce, el la intrumente de percutie. In timp ce ascultam mi-am adus aminte de multe lucruri si m-am gandit la suficiente. Tobele si talgelerele mi-au adus aminte de noptile de la Neptun, cand eram mica mica si ma plimbam cu parintii prin centrul statiunii si la terase cantau formatii live. Toata lumea era relaxata la mese, bea vin si glumea in abianta melodioasa. Am constientizat ca dintotdeauna m-au atras instrumentele de percutie. Trebuie sa marturisesc ca in materie de muzica nu prea ma pricep - recunosc stiluri si imi plac melodii, dar mai multe nu :"> Asa ca m-am decis sa ma culturalizez si sa invat sa bat si toba!

Ma gandeam ce inseamna sa canti live! Este destul de solicitant...poate din cauza asta la noi nu prea sunt multe persoane care sa cante live mai mult de o ora in continuu...ce sa zic...din noua generatie nu prea sunt persoane care sa cante live o melodie...dar nu sunt eu cea care sa judece acum...daca melodia e simptica si daca mai ajunge si la suflet mai treci cu vederea uneori...

Muzica de calitate! Asta am ascultat aseara! Mi-a parut rau ca nu a durat mai mult. Spre sfarsit m-a captivat de tot fiindca nu ma mai gandeam decat la muzica! Data viitoare cand merg la un concert am sa ma las mai mult captivata de muzica decat de gandurile mele si de ceea ce e in jur... :)

Vin sarbatorile si poate si zile de nastere..si din ce in ce mai mult este la moda sa scrii ceea ce iti doresti, sau sa faci un bilant intre ani...dar eu stiu sigur ceea ce nu doresc!

Nu doresc sa uit ceea ce aveam de zis inainte de a incepe! Mereu ma fura alte idei, care se imbina una cu alta, generand in altele si mai complexe, iar prima zboara foarte usor.

Nu doresc sa cad in ingnoranta, sa nu ma mai intereseze nimik decat persoana mea! E bine sa fii egoist doar atunci cand trebuie! Nu doresc sa ajung parsiva!

Nu imi doresc o rochie neagra! Chiar daca e clasica, nu pot sa o imbrac! Ma simt prea inchisa!

Nu doresc sa nu ma dedic lucrurilor care incerc sa le descurc. Uneori nu e suficient sa te implici! Trebuie sa iti placa ceea ce faci in primul rand! Nu doresc sa incep multe si sa le las neterminate!

Nu doresc sa mai aud tonul vocii de la ora 10 fara un sfert la Revista presei la Antena 3. Simt cum imi creste nivelul stresului de pe sira spinarii pana la creier! Poate daca ar fi fost altfel...poate atunci nu ar mai fi fost deloc emisiunea...

Nu doresc sa nu imi mai fac timp pentru mine, pentru ceea ce imi place. Nu am fost vreodata intr-un loc doar pentru a ma juca cu aparatul foto si a ma chinui talentul :)! Nu am mai fost in drumetii de mult timp! Nu am fost inca in delta! Nu am ajuns inca in nordul Moldovei, in Maramures sau Oas! Nu am ajuns inca la Cazane, la Timisoara sau la ski la Straja!

Nu vreau sa ma mai uit la televizor si sa nu mai citesc! Nu doresc sa ma mai uit la filme de duzina doar pentru a trece timpul mai repede!

NU vreau sa ma inchid in mine si sa nu mai iubesc!

Nu doresc sa nu mai fac sport! Sa nu mai inot! Sa nu mai joc tenis! Sa nu mai skiez! Sa nu mai merg pe bicicleta!

Nu doresc sa fiu blonda! Nu mi-ar sta bine!

Nu vreau sa nu mai calatoresc, sa nu mai cunosc oameni si orase, locuri si privelisti! Vreau sa ma plimb cu balonul!

Vreau sanatate si putere de munca! Restul vin de la sine!

Nu vreau sa mai astept sa mi se ofere inainte de a oferi eu, de teama sa nu sufar!

Nu vreau sa imi mai fie teama de lucrurile pe care nu pot sa le impiedic! De acel drob de sare care poate cade, poate nu cade! Chiar daca teama te tine alert...

Nu vreau zile ploioase de toamna fara soare!

Nu vreau sa traiesc intr-un loc unde nu este zapada niciodata!

Mi-ar placea sa am un laptop, un mp3 player, un ceas, sau un telefon nou, dar nu vreau sa fiu dependenta de ele.

Vreau sa merg in picioarele goale prin iarba plina de roua!

Vreau sa ma joc mai mult cu cainele meu! Vreau sa petrec cat mai mult timp cu bunica mea!

Nu vreau sa nu ma dezvolt, sa raman unde sunt acum, nun vreau sa ma plafonez...vreau sa cresc, un pic in fiecare zi!

Vreau sa traiesc!

Nu vreau ca acest text sa ramana doar niste fraze de pe un link!

Nu vreau sa uit sa mai spun "Nu" din cand in cand!

Nu vreau sa am vise fara a face nimik pentru a le cobora in realitate.

Nu vreau sa mai am cosmaruri cu ursi.

Am sa...

Inca ma gandesc...e bine..inseamna ca imi functioneaza conexiunile intracraniene...asa..ziceam ca inca ma gandesc la blog si la website personal, la blog in limba romana, si la blog in limba engleza...

Trebuie sa iau o decizie! dar ceea ce imi place e ca sunt din ce in ce mai motivata sa scriu! cred ca e din cauza concurentei! Concurenta - la cine va ganditi? eu ma refer la prietenii mei care au blog, si scriu constant! O sa ajungem sa iesim in oras si sa intrebam: "si ce ati mai facut?"...primind raspunsul "citeste pe blog, uite-l aici pe telefonul mobil conectat prin wap"...mai grav o sa fie cand o sa 'iesim' in oras, fiecare la el acasa, cu webcamul instalat, si cu berea/ceaiul/limonada-cu-apa-plata pe masa, cu tastatura in fata! "cum merge treaba?"...."pai stau sa iti dau link!". O voce din fundal sa zica "hai la masa"...."gataaa...vin acum stai sa postez ceva".

Cam cu asta glumeam aseara la o limonada cu cativa prieteni!

Victor Si-Atat has made a very nice compilation, which you can listen here:

http://echilibru.we.bs/asculta.html

I personally like the 6th and 7th songs. Ahh..and by the way...you have to know before you listen...this is not HOUSE! I say!

How do I know Victor - we met yesterday, through a common friend! Now we are friends!

The other day I went to buy Christmas presents for our partners. Well…for those of you who drive in Bucharest there is no need to explain the traffic at 10 am in Universtitatii square in a rainy day. Still I have to say that I wondered in circles for 20 minutes for a parking spot. Finally I found one….oh!….and it was so large and empty, just waiting for me near Capsa Hotel. Like a pretty lady driving a car…I started parking! Then the porter comes, with his nice porter clothes and his nice porter umbrella. “Excuse me, why are you parking here?” Upsss I though! What shall I do now…“Errhhh…well you see…I have to…hmmm...pick up somebody from the hotel!” “Ahh..ok..then, please park!” and he was curiously looking at me from under the red umbrella. ‘Damn! What next! If I park here I have to go in the hotel….if I don’t go in the hotel…what if he scratches my car :-s what if he does something to my tires! Damn!’ Smiling nicely at him I decided to be honest! And it was St. Nicholas! “well…you see…I lied…I was actually looking only for the parking spot! Have a nice day!:)”..still hoping to hear from him…”ok Miss…if you don’t stay long you can park here”…but instead he took the serious look and only said “Pai vezi!” ..hmmm "see what? I certainly can't see an empty parking spot!"

I don’t know what he actually meant! But he definitely was not in the holiday’s spirit! In the end I found a parking spot, and went shopping!

It is amazing what you can find on Internet. It is an open book, and open encyclopedia. You want to know more about one person, one subject, one story,..., well the slang goes to "google it". And why, because Google is one of the most used search engines. But let's not make advertising out of it.

And when you think that not so many many years ago people were skeptical about it! Now is part of our lives, and many will say they cannot live without it.

You can find anything on Internet. And when I say anything, I mean it! Good or bad, nice or ugly, sad or happy, it doesn't matter. It is there! You already know this!

The question goes like this: "are you sure you want to find out more? can you handle it?"

I admire people that from the emotional point of view are on top of the situation no matter what. Of course, I admire those that are always prepared to new and unforseen cases, and adapt to them. Nowadays, in this fast-forward life, you have to adapt to changes every day. And...the best way to adapt is to be the change! (but let's not get into detail right now).

Today was the last day of Catalina Dodu - Director of Product Management in BitDefender. She has been working for more than 7 years in BD - it was an experience and life for her. We made her a surprise party - buying cookies, flowers and a goodbye gift. She didn't knew about it at all and was invited in the meeting room. We were all there - people with whom Catalina worked. Of course, it was a big surprise for Catalina and she managed to keep her calm all the way. She gave a very nice speech, thanking and kissing everybody. Still, looking at her eyes I could see how emotional she was on the inside. Somebody else would have probably cried in tears for the surprise :)

I believe it is a proof a great EQ to remain calm in demanding situations and not loose yourself to emotions, not being able to think at all. I admire Catalina!

“Being an artist means ceasing to take seriously that very serious person we are when we are not an artist.” Jose Ortega y Gasset

We should all be artists...at least once in while. Is fun!

Last week I've been to the BizDays event, here in Bucharest - one day of conferences on marketing and sales subjects. Very interesting presentations from which you can get some ideas abouth what others are doing in terms of business. Apart from being a learning event, it is also a socializing event.

But this is not what I want to say here. What draw my attention is that at one of the conferences one of the presenters started to call names to a previous presenter. As I understood, those two companies were actually competing, on the same market, but this doen't give the right to call names in public, especially if like this you are trying to promote your company and yourself! Seen from the audience it actually looked very ugly. And the most important, it doesn't look professionally at all!

About two weeks ago, my colleagues (and friends) and I went to a two-day conference and training session with Jim Bagnola. Famous in this area, Jim is an ispiration to all of us, and we have many things to learn from. He pointed out a couple of things I already knew, others that I knew them but didn't know I actually knew them, and some new things to remember later :)

So..I want to share them as sharing is everything. Below you can find some key ideas that first came into my mind. I have also added the key ideas Denisa and Diana remebered first, as we should improve ourselfs together.

~~~~~~~~~~

Personally, I remember most the window-mirror message, upon which Jim commented upon: look through the window to share the success with your team and look at yourself in the mirror to learn from your mistakes. Also, another thing I like very much is practice your public speaking and don’t be afraid to do something if is different and nobody else is doing that. But, none of these are relevant for us, no matter if we have the knowledge to do them, unless we understand their meaning and put them into action. With the risk of looking stupid, but not beeing one, I must not be afraid to ask questions.

Another interesting idea is the "eggs and ham" storry: the ckichen is providing the egs, therefore is just involved, while the pig is committed in this action, by providing the ham.

Here is what Denisa says:

A couple of ideas that I most enjoyed hearing and which I will help develop along in my life and career:
- If you want to change the world, change yourself. To put it in other words, change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.
- The definition of Leader – “a professional human being” who inspires and motivates people around him, a person who gives his followers the power, the freedom to realize their potential.
- And definitely I enjoyed very much all the interactive fun exercises and test which were more than just a game, very educative which hopefully we can “play” all together here as well.


And here is what Diana says:

For the past two days I received confirmations. No reaction can be neutral, no one is purely objective, but the objects. People can only be led, only things can be managed.
All of these confirmations make a difference; all the questions asked create the bigger picture, the adaptability of the information received in everyday life.
I had the honour to breathe the same air with people who breathe visions into gigantic masses of followers.
35.000 books on leadership should be enough source of information to anyone...and a confusing experience. Walking the talk with Jim Bagnola and the crew can, and will spare me some years of trial and failure on my way to the future...
I left that room with more than 10 ideas that I will use, and I will share them soon with you.
First thing that has sprung to my mind, after a two days’ time of metabolizing this huge amount of information, is that I would like to find a way to obtain that appreciation in my work that gives one the impression that one is earning a living, not a dying.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now, we all should take them into consideration, and learn from them, and every day we should learn something new! So that one day we can became leaders in the true sense of the word.

Everyone can be a leader, and this 'job' is tough not born with it! And, every area is of interest no matter what, and we have to find the one in which we have most skills to be leaders! A mother can be a leader for her kids, a coach can be a leader for his athleets; it doesn't matter what you do, it matters that you do it right! it matters that you like it, and it matters that when leading, you lead not manage!

If you would like to find out more about leadership in Romania, you can visit: http://www.leadershipcenter.ro/lmvlr/

Today we celebrate 548 years since Bucharest was first legally considered a city. People were invited today to plant trees that will last for hundreds of years from now. I like this city, is my home town also, it is dirty, it is clean, it is noisy, it is old, it is new, it is gray, and it is bright, it has history, it has homeless dogs and homeless people, it has traffic jam, but it is mine. Happy Birthday Bucharest!

Here you can see Bucharest in it's old times.

Here you can see Bucharest in old winter times.

Almost everywhere you can read or hear the slogan "think positive - see the glass half full"; but, how can you do this if you cannot identify first the half empty side? I have to admit I use it very often, especially when I am sad and try to motivate myself to feel better. The power of self-motivation is a strong tool, that can guide you to reach the peaks (of course, for everyone 'peak' has a different meaning :). Now, talking seriously :P ...how can you say it is a sunrise, if you don't know what sunset means.

I do believe we all try to improve ourselves, to be better in all aspects; but...first, we should know what we have to improve, admit our mistakes, and our weaknesses.


I am not perfect! There...I said it! If I were, I would probably won't be here, surrounded by friends, by family, by enemies, by all the special moments that make me feel and be better, or by all the ones that don't. I couldn't possibly know where I would be. And now I am trying to make a list with all my imperfections, as they cross my mind. Feel free to add yours or your notes!

1. I have no patience in waiting. I hate waiting...for an answer, for a long waiting line, for an action, for a moment! This is why sometimes I urge into things, like a swimmer with his (or hers - we have to be politically correct :) head fronting the watter. Sometimes is good, but many times I can hear my conscience saying it would have been better waiting a little bit, as the outcome could have been greater. My friend Mihaela always quarrels me when she finds out that I passed in front of a waiting line - I always reply "there are moments when you have to get in front of the others". True! But most of the times the final results could have been bigger. So...when the moment for waiting comes, I try to motivate myself in doing something, so that the time passes easily - and I must say that lately I have succeeded in increasing my patience, even for just a little bit :) Curious is that I have no problems when I teach my pupils - guess it is a different type of patience! :D (ahh...you didn't know? I teach Spanish to children :)

2. I have the feeling that I want to please everyone! Which I already know it is not possible! There are almost 7 billion people in this world, and who knows how many in other worlds,...so I cannot please them all! As not everybody is on my taste either! But, sometimes, and most of the times I think people will like me more if I am what they like - which I cannot possibly know! How could you know what everyone likes? Therefore I try to stop, and reconsider this thought, and just be myself! If you like me, then I am happy, I gain a friend! If you don't like me, well...then you have to live with it, as it is not my problem! Am I too drastic now?

3. I am stubborn! I want to do everything all by myself! If I get an idea in my mind...I usually think this is the right one! Which is not necessarily true, as it is very subjective! Sometimes I get the feeling that if I do something all by myself will end up perfect! But, in the end...it couldn't be! 4 eyes can see better than 2, the same as more brains could develop a better thought/project, or an improved one :D! More and more I try to think out-of-the-box, to see the other points of view, and not to enter this vicious circle...as I cannot do everything alone, because otherwise, why would the others exist? :D The success should be in correlated and coordinated actions between the team members, and not a one-man show! Of course...depends on the show :P

[the search engine is looking in my inner side... exploring... exploring... exploring...]

Now that you know some of my flaws...how can you not love me? [hihihi]

...I'll add them as I recognize them...but now I have to go...movie night in open theater! :D

Cand a fost ultima data cand ati mers in picioarele goale prin iarba? Cand a fost ultima data cand ati simtit firicelele verzi de iarba proaspata invaluindu-se printre degetele picioruselor voastre? Cand a fost ultima data cand prospetimea ierbii de dimineata v-a gadilat talpile? Cand a fost ultima data cand freamatul pamantului s-a strecurat in mintea voastra si, sprijinindu-se in talpile voastre, v-a facut cunoscut unul din secretele lui? Cand a fost ultima data cand ati simtit racoarea ierbii?

Eu nu imi amintesc! A trecut prea mult timp!

I have just realized that I was getting it all wrong - a blog is not only for writing when you have nothing else to do, or you are bored - because it won't be quality time spent. If this is the reason to write then I'd better stop blogging and start reading a book, learning something new. In a blog you should have everything you consider important: thoughts, ideas, creations, feelings, emotions, pictures, portraits, stories, novels... A few time ago I considered writing blogs a total waste of time - not from the commercial point of view...which is good for companies' marketing - but from the personal side - I couldn't understand why people would like to waste their time writing stuff that will not bring them money. I begun writing because it is fashionable to have a blog, all you can hear on your right or on your left is this - my friends have blogs and albums on their websites, so why shouldn't have I. Even the title I chose states it. But now, changing my perspective, and, as a blogger myself, I can see from a different angle, better understand the blog language and why I have really started this blog - It is not everything about money! I don't know yet where it will lead me, but I am here to stay!