The Last Lecture

 This is the most inspirational video that I know and the one that I turn to every time I feel I have lost my direction or there is a major change going on into my life and I need to go back to the roots and principles in order to figure out how to proceed.

It's called Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, but it's actually about how to live a happy, full and balanced life.

So, I recommend it to everybody.


PS: God rest his soul! 

One step closer

Sursa

In case you thought I was kidding in my last post, about moving to India, I wasn't!
So, now I'm in Romania, finally home - in Sulina. I say "finally", because when I left USA my plan was something like this: arrive in Bucharest on the 19th, at night so that I can be at the Embassy gate at 10:00 a.m. next morning, with all the necessary documents for the visa. The visa process will take 7 business days, during which I will enjoy some time with my family, home, in Sulina and maybe get tanned a bit, because the weather is so nice.

But, things didn't go according to plan: Except for the one way plain ticket that I bought from Bucharest to Mumbai, all the other documents did not meet the requirements of the Embassy...my letters from AIESEC Iasi were scanned and printed, all the documents from TCS were e-mailed and I did not have the contract between me and AIESEC Iasi (it wasn't necessary - the purpose of the AIESEC Iasi letters was to certify that I was a member and that I am going on an internship, in India). Also, the "nice" lady that I talked to (unfortunately, despite what you might think she is Romanian) told me they needed the plain ticket for the return flight, even though I had a letter from TCS which clearly said that the company will provide it and the health insurance! Can you even buy a ticket a year ahead? And if you can, who does that?!

So, I took a long walk trying to get back from the shock I was into...because when I left the apartment in the morning I had a smile on my face thinking how lucky I am that I got back while it was still summer...I sooooo didn't see what was coming!
And I want to explain myself, so that is clear why I was in shock, when you might think "How could you NOT see this coming when you didn't have the original documents?!". First of all, on the Embassy website it was not specified whether they wanted the originals or not and the lady that answers the Embassy phone (the same "nice" lady) told my mom to check on the web site and hung up! Also, inside the Embassy (which is not like the US Embassy) they had this information papers on the walls... on one of them was the list or required documents for the Business visa (that I'm applying for) and it was written back on white: all this documents can be sent by fax or e-mail, original documents are required only in special cases. (I guess I'm officially special, right?)
And the thing that was most shocking was the fact that when the lady gave my documents to be checked (after she gave me back some of them), they came back with the note "Incomplete documents" not "Original documents required" or something like that...and SHE WENT BACK to the guy and asked "But don't you want them to be originals?" !!! Guess what he said...of course it was "Yes"...

So, I went back to the apartment trying to figure out how to get away without the original documents from India! I e-mailed TCS and told them about the problem, called my mom and told her to send me the contract that I signed  with AIESEC Iasi and talked to the International Exchange VP of AIESEC Iasi to send me the original letters...Thinking that I'll give it another shot with the original documents that I have here, hoping that Monday there would be another lady that wouldn't care so much about my case.

So, the company called the Embassy trying to negotiate with them, but it didn't work, they still wanted the originals. Also, AIESEC Iasi was at a conference and nobody could send me the documents until Monday morning. But, I had another idea - have the documents signed and stamped at AIESEC Romania - and that worked out.

So, Monday morning I had the contract, the original letters, the plane ticket and the e-mailed documents from TCS. But I was out of luck, again, - there was the same lady - this time she was actually nice, but she remembered me and didn't miss the fact that the TCS documents were not original.
So, I went back to the apartment with my tail between the legs...and decided to get other things done while I was waiting for the papers from India (which, despite what I thought, would get in Bucharest in 2 or 3 business days).
So, I went to a Clinic specialized in tropical diseases and got my shots done. Also, I got a great news: I am hep A&B free for the rest of my life!
After that, TCS sent me an e-mail saying that it will take longer for the documents to arrive because AIESEC India had to sent one of them to the TCS headquarters...In the mean time I discovered that it wasn't mandatory that I was the one to submit the documents!!! So...I asked someone I trusted to submit the documents, once they arrived, and went home after spending 9 days in Bucharest and one in Tulcea.
(To be honest, when I started this post I was home, but now I'm back in Bucharest to pick up my passport.)

So, if you  are a Romanian or Moldavian AIESECer going to India, make sure that all the documents from India are originals and that apart from what you can find on the website, you also need to have the contract between you and AIESEC (in English), before you get to the Embassy to apply for visa.

And now, for something completely different:
 Edvin Marton - Victory
   

Life is wonderful...

Sursa

I hope you had a beautiful summer, full of ... things that make you feel peaceful, joyful, accomplished, appreciated, ... - happy, because I had.
I've been living (like I said in the last post) in Jackson Hole, Wyoming - U.S.A., but this year I took it easy, I didn't work like a crazy person. I enjoyed the time spent here: I went out every Saturday, a walked around town, I looked up to the sky, I bought a bike and went everywhere with it...I discovered a lot of beautiful spots that were under my very nose...I made a lot of friends and got to know a few great folks, and I'm not finished!

That's why I just want to say that I am grateful for this amazing life I have and thank God and all the people who made all this happen.

So, I'll be here for two more weeks one more week and then I'll take a quick run home to spend a little time with my family and friends, because on the 3rd of October I'll be in Mumbai, INDIA to be a part of the Talent Engagement Group, in the Human Resources department of the Tata Consultancy Services!!! And I'll be there for a year...

I don't know what I did to deserve it, but my biggest dream just came true!
All I need is someone to share all this joy, luck and blessing and my life will be perfect, but I know that this part will come too...If there's something I'm sure now more then before, is the fact that with patience, hard work and optimism you will get everything that you want, so hold on to that dream!

This song is perfect for what I  feel right now:
Jason Mraz - Life Is Wonderful (live)
   
 Vezi  mai multe  video    din   muzica

First day of the rest of my life!

Sursa

I don't know if I'll ever feel like talking about what I've been through these few months that I have been absent, for now I just want to share with the entire world my new and sincere smile, the energy and passion for life that I have been missing all this time.
And all these because I released myself from the stress-generating activities that were present in my life, and tomorrow I'm going HOME (I haven't been home since Christmas), and after that I'll pay a short visit to my friends in Constanta, and THEN ... I'll take off to USA again!

So, I'm very excited, because today is the first day of the rest of my life!

Meet my new theme song:
Zaz - Je veux
   

The Cinderella Pact

Sursa

I just saw the movie "Lying to Be Perfect" and it made me face some of the issues I've been dealing for the past...two years and the reason why on my plan of getting to a healthy life style, with a balanced meal plan, workout and enough amount of sleep, I wound up 15 pounds heavier and with the most screwed up diet ever (not only that I don't drink water unless I'm out of everything else, but I have a can of Coke every-God-given-day, I either eat all day long biscuits and cookies and all those products that have no nutritional value whatsoever, or two times a day - at least one of them around 11-12 at night...). It's like I've read all the books about nutrition and health (and trust me, not only that I read them, I memorized them!) and do everything wrong on purpose!

I realized that a while ago...but, of course, then came the question: why do I do that?

At the beginning there was the guilt of messing a guy up by breaking him into a million tiny pieces after gaining his trust and making him believe in love and people and happy ending.
Then, after I got the confirmation that I actually did the right thing, I went back to my screwed up dating scenario: broken boy, fix him up, dump him.
After a while I realized that I wasn't doing that for the good of human kind, but because I loved playing with people's lives, changing them into what I believe is good for them and for humanity, in general. So, basically playing God.
That was fun for a while, until I realized that (apart from what I've said before) the relationship - even if it gets them to where I want them to be - it did not make me, personally, happy.
So, after that I tried to go for the real thing and it didn't work out as I thought it would and, also, I realized I was not as confident as I thought I was...
And ever since then I've been struggling with my SS issues, planing one thing and doing everything to sabotage myself from accomplishing it.

So...Mr. Erickson or Stern or ... Adler, what should I do to get back, or...forward to the better, normal, stable version of ME? I've been telling myself that I don't need a guy to do that, but...do I? And is it weak to need someone? Or is it too...feminist to make it on your on? Ms. Ciorbea told us at one point that men are intimidated by women who have it all and they need to feel... needed. So...Independent and alone or dependent and... dependent? Is there something in-between?

Mree - Blood (The Middle East cover )
   

Let me be

Sursa

I know it feels more than nice to know that there's somebody out there who loves you and no matter how late you call, he/she will answer and will always be there whenever you need to cry or talk or walk. But to know that you will never feel the same for that person and keep him/her on the hook is just wrong! Is not only selfish, but really mean!
So, for the love of God, or...whatever, for the love of something, stop giving hope to him/her, just set them free, cause everyone deserves to be loved, not just you!
What do you want from me
   
 

Something

Sursa

I'm not really in the chatty mood, but I swore to myself that I would not let a month pass by without posting something...anything.

So, this is what this one is..."something" to keep my promise to myself.

And speaking about promises...lately I realized that I have the tendency not to keep my word. I use to be the very opposite: I used to control myself just by saying "From now on I will..." or "From now on I will never ...(do something)" and I would just do it! But somewhere along the way I realized that I am not spontaneous anymore, I don't do what I want and FEEL, and I am way too rational. So I decided not to be so controlled anymore. But, I guess, my unconscious thought I need some time to experience what it's like not to keep any promise, not to myself (especially) and not to anyone else! I don't mind not keeping promises to myself...I take it like an experiment of "how far can I go", but I don't like saying to a friend that I will do something and not do it.
I don't know...I have been asking: are my standards too high? Do I promise things that are out of my rich? Or...I promise things that sound good, that I know would be good for my friend, but maybe not so great for me?
And what should I (and us, in general) do? Should we lower our standards just because we're lazy or cozy? Or should we push ourselves to live up to those standards?
But all that pushing, does it make us grow, evolve, improve, develop? Or it makes us someone different, someone who constantly is not pleased with himself/herself, someone who tortures himself/herself every day? What good is that?
But on the other hand...if you don't push yourself, isn't that limiting?

The answer seems simple: you have to push yourself, but not too far. Ok...but how far is too far?


(I should have called this post "random gibberish", right? :)) )
P.S.: Didn't keep this promise neither!
The Script - Nothing
 

New Years's Eve Resolutions part 3

After a long and deep examination of  the entire year and the resolutions that I had for it, now I can go ahead and  turn the page for a new one with its own resolutions.

Step 1: Examining last year and its resolutions:

First of all I want to say that 2011 was the most difficult year of my life - the best and the worst at the same time.

1. learn to manage better my time (or at least to manage somehow my time) - I did, I'm proud to say that, even though I have tried before and it didn't work, I started using a daily planner and everything got much easier. 
2. be more organized - thanks to the daily planner I can say I did it, as well. 
3. KEEP MY SCHOLARSHIP - I was tuition free all year long and I am this semester too, but I lost my monthly scholarship in the second semester. I got it back now!
4. get deep into research (2 e-team projects and one of my own) - this resolution didn't go as I planned...Even though I signed up for two research projects with E-team and I was really into them, one went south and the other started doing actual work too late. By that time, I decided to stop waiting on them and get more involved with the ASFI projects. So, when the call came, my schedule was already full with ASFI...So, no research projects last year.
5. take the TOEFL test and the GRE too - didn't take neither...for the TOEFL I started reading about it and doing some practice in the summer time...But, since I was working 2 even 3 jobs at the same time...I did not get far. At least, I put my hands on a great book that will make the job way easier when I'll decide to take it, cause I will take it! The GRE is a different story...I wanted to take it for a very difficult-to-achieve  goal (more likely dream) that I had, but my thoughts about it changed...I didn't close the subject for ever, but it depends on a few things that I can't be sure about right now.
6. dust off my French - I started going to a weekly french workshop, but I feel is not enough for what I want to achieve;
7. get involved into ASFI's projects and maybe coordinate one - this is one of the two things that made my year beautiful and difficult at the same time. I learned so much with ASFI, I got to practice some things that I learned about, I explored some things that I was interested about and could't try anywhere else. It gave me reason to be happy, sad, frustrated, it made me exced my limits, see that I can do so many things and I can GIVE and SHARE. I could go on and on with the things that I gained from my experience with ASFI, but I'll stop here by saying to you - whoever you are - You MUST do this! So, become a volunteer!
8. start and keep restart BUT KEEP a healthy lifestyle (eat right, exercise, walk, use natural cosmetics, DRINK WATER) - some good, some bad, I'l keep working on it - the keep-ing part is the hard one.
9. read more (moooooooooore psychology and a bit of fiction literature) - I did read more, but I want even more!
10. watch classic movies - not quite the level that I was thinking about (only 2, but it's a start);
11. expand my musical horizons - this one I did more than successfully  - I lost count of the new artists that I discovered, the "stages" I went through... ;
12. apply for an ERASMUS mobility - I did not, because I did no. 13 and doing that meant that I couldn't be back in Europe before late October (and ERASMUS mobilities start in September);
13. go to U.S. with a work&travel program or stay in Ro for psychology research and experience in my area of "expertise" - this is the other thing that made my year unique - if I would have to chose just one sentence to describe this experience I would say that "It opened my eyes and expanded my horizons in ways I couldn't imagine - made me change my perspective" ;
14. start visiting Moldova's places of interest from the "273 places you must see before you leave Romania" list - unless you can find Muncel in that list (and you can't) this is a "didn't move a muscle to accomplish it" resolution.
15.  And most important LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH - that I did, fully.

Living in USA for 4 months was awesome, but it sucked the life out of me. When I came back, school had already started, so I did not have time to rest and charge my batteries. That's why the rest of the year was very harsh. Thank God for the holiday! Now I'm back to my old self.

Step 2: Making new resolutions

I'll redo the list: 

1. Keep my scholarship;

2. Do an awesome research and a good dissertation;

3. Get the USA Embassy visa to spend another American summer, figuring out what I want to do with my life after I return (phD?, job?, internship? another MA program?, psychotherapy module?, Iasi?, Constanta?, Cluj?, Timisoara?);

        For USA I have a very long wishlist: Seattle, San Francisco (Stanford University), Las Vegas (Grand Canyon), Washington (Holocaust Museum), New York and Boston.

I'll be happy if I check off the list Stanford University, Grand Canyon and Yellowstone, Boston and San Francisco.

4. Manage better my time (and go to bed before 2 a.m.);

5. Go to the gym (get fit) !!!

6. Eat healthy and drink water;

7. Read a lot;

8. Watch classic movies (any suggestion where I can find some?) and watch the new ones only at the cinema, with friends;

9. Go to lots of concerts;

10. Find an internship abroad and/or a volunteering opportunity abroad;

11. Visit A. at Cluj;

12. Enjoy France and Paris with M.!!!

13. Go on a short trip with my gals somewhere in Moldova;

14. Make a difference;

15. Contribute to the ASFI's growth and of its HR department;

...and, of course, LIVE, LOVE and LAUGH !!!