I just finished Dostoevsky’s “Demons”. I enjoyed it more than “Crime and Punishment” but I will not go into literary analysis right now.

For all you beginners out there just starting on russian literature I have one very important lesson that will save you about 2 to 300 pages of disorientation. Hear me and here me well.

The lesson is called:
Naming in Russia.

Problem:
You read and read and encounter multiple characters that keep multiplying and you find yourself asking “where did all these character’s come out of ?!”.
Then, from context you deduce that one character, ONE, is referred to through several names. For example: the same character in “Demons” is referred to as : Piotr Stepanovici, Piotr Verhovenski, Piotr Stepanovici Verhovenski and Petrusa.

Solution:
The explanation is very simple. The character’s family name or surname is Verhovenski. His name is Piotr. His father’s name is Stepan and his nickname is Petrusa. Therefore he is commonly referred to as Piotr Stepanovici, indicating that he is Piotr, the son of Stepan.

Tricky part:
If Piotr was a girl, say we call her Piotra, then her name would be Piotra Stepanova, as in Piotra the daughter of Stepan. Unfortunately, being a girl her family name would also be modified into Verhovenskaia => Piotra Stepanova Verhovenskaia.

Like I said, it is a lesson for “ultimate beginners”, but I’m sure this will make the reader able to focus more on the story than figuring out the characters

What frustrates me most about reading is that after finishing a book, like “Demons”, and discovering the ending, making certain connections hidden by the author to this point with the proverbial “AHAAA…” in mind all I want is to read it all over again…
it may sound stupid but that’s the first urge I get when discovering the ending.

Only one ending has disappointed me so far in my humble list of read books, that is Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms” but that’s literally another story.

Source of picture. 

I don’t usually like to copy-paste but I strongly believe good ideas have to be shared.

In this note I consider brilliant the partnership between Cosmote (Greek mobile operator present also in Romania) and The National Association of the Deaf of Romania (ANSR) through which the mobile company offers 3 million free SMS messages to the members of this organization.

It may not be an actual CSR innitiative yet but that depends on how they pull this string further.

Source. 

i’m turning 22 this saturday.

i’m thinking that by the time i reach 30 i should have at least one baby… of my own… i’ve always thought this as reasonable life planning.

but nothing that i have learned since i was old enough to remember has supporded my little plan.

it started with elementary biology / genetics where i had to memorize and study a long list of “possible malfunctions” of us humans , from the common cold that aparently has no cure!!! (i was as shocked when i learned that as when i learned about Santa) to elephantiasis and Down syndrome.

THEN, i went to collage. no problem, i didn’t go to any medical school, but lots of my friends did. so now i learn about more possible genetic disorders and infections and viruses and and and

at this point my brain automatically reached the eternal conclusion - “it’s a miracle healthy people are even born” and the constant asault of news of terror, hunger, crime and sadness in the world lead my brain to another eternal wonder “do i even want to bring somebody into THIS world?”

AND NOW… a news to top it all on TVR1, the national romanian channel:
in 2004 there were 323 of new cases of cancer affecting children of maximum 14 years old. in 2005, the number was 7,700! and at the end of 2006 there were almost 11,000 of new cases of cancer affecting children (in Romania)

maybe we don’t deserve miracles anymore…

if you don’t know the meaning of the word wisdomus than you obviously haven’t seen Friends.

this is an interesting view of Bucharest coming from a succesful man whom i’ve had the pleasure of meeting at masterplan conference. just wanted to share…

second quarter 2007:

6.5% - the unemployment rate (has gone down considering the previous quarter or the corresponding quarter from 2006)
7% - unemployment rate for those with medium education
7.2% - unemployment rate for those with minimum/low education
2.8% - unemployment rate for those with superior studies

do i have to draw the conclusion ?

Read the rest of this entry »

quote from Beyonce. she performed last night in cluj-napoca, romania and i wuz there … no regrets! she is beautiful, her voice is even more beautiful and the show was good.

i haven’t watched the news since last night but i can imagine…: “lots of fools stood in the rain and cold to witness the beyonce experience“…

i loved:

• the perfect sound system
• her “all female band”;
• her dancer’s abs (you had to be there to know what i’m talking about here)
• the fact that she did perform despite the weather
• the fact that her voice is much thicker when she’s simply talking :D… i’m sure she can intimidate jay-z with that

not so much

• she sang “irreplaceable” last and she could have pulled on that thread a little more
• the show was only good, not spectacular
• not enough chemistry with the audience

conclusion: i’m gonna go take something for my sore throat