It's coffee time

100 books to read

2010-05-19T05:40:00.000-07:00

To my opinion, books are one of the greatest treasure one can have. They model our mind, strengthen our mentality, enrich our perspectives, offer answers, but also make us ask questions. Yes, I can consider reading one of my hobbies. However, due to these two final university years, my reading often resumed to speciality text books and did not include too much literature. And this is something I want to change. I found a list with 100 books which are the minimum you should at least have read in your life and you can find it below. I put an X next to those I've already read. However, I must confess that after I see the movie, I rarely read the book, unless it's a good one. So to be honest, I will just put a + to those I've seen the play in theatre or the movie, hoping that those who read the books already can make recommendations. And if you guys are good, I might also write some book reviews for those I enjoyed. I hope that in some time I will be able to put many more X-es to my list !

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien +
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling +
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell X
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens +
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 The Alchemist- Paolo Coehlo X
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier X
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell +
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald X
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoi X
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens X
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis X
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis X
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden +
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne X
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown +
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez +
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov X
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas X
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens X
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce X
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert X
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint X
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas +
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare +
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo X

Hope is here

2010-04-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

Tonight, while in the library, I just noticed a lady bird mysteriously showing up on my book cover. Hello, little friend ! This means hope, my last ally, is here.

The 5 stages of pre-exam breakdowns

2010-04-21T05:09:00.001-07:00

Found this on Facebook and thought it's funny and so true !

1. denial (don't worry its fine - its all good, i can deal with it, it wont be to hard, no worries)

2. Anger - are you fucking kidding me!! this is shit - i dont know any of this how do they expect us to remember this?? "hey mate, calm down" - dont you fucking tell me to calm down - you can fuck off

3. bargaining

Shit i wish i didnt have to do this - its all over, im going to fail. I would do anything to not have to do this, just one more day to study, anything to get out of this

4. depression

its fucked, im fucked, its all over - HSC over, im never going to pass, just give up now and drop out

5. acceptance

yes i finally acknowledge i am fucked - but nonetheless i will do this exam anyway and hopefully get through it somehow

An amazing quote (Romanian)

2010-04-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

"N-am sa ajung pe culme... Se poate, foarte bine. Dar vreau sa urc atat cat am sa pot prin mine." Edmond Rostand

Things I didn't do

2010-04-15T05:16:00.000-07:00

There are three things I regret in life. Piano, German and tennis. Huh, you'd say... Wait ! When I was little, my parents wanted me to have an all-rounded education. Not only excel in my studies, but also have passion for arts, cultures, sports and languages. Since I grew up in a rather small city, I must confess not that many opportunities were available, as in other big cities. However, I got to do a lot of activities as a kid. Those who know me are aware that I am person of action, dynamic, always have to do something. Always to enrich myself.

German. My parents really wanted me to speak multiple languages, since they consider these as one's possible greatest assets. This was what sparked initially my passion in languages. I can speak fluently two languages, I am conversational in one and I have basic knowledge of two (I am not counting here my native language, although to some I should because I must confess not everyone in my country masters a good level of proper Romanian). Yes, I know it's not too much, but I plan to add more to the list (Portuguese, anyone :P). However, as a child, I seem to have manifested an interest in the more romantic languages (except for English). Maybe it has to do with the Latin roots of my own language. Anyway, so although my parents wanted me to learn German, it simply did not happen. It did not stick, I was too young and day-dreaming of playing outside with the other kids. Now, with some age experience, I think differently. And I am sorry to not have explored further the opportunity I had. To manage to be fluent in German. Consequently, last year I started taking German classes as outside courses. I had to interrupt due to final year. But I will come back. And you'll see, Deutsch wird einfach sein.

Tennis. Again, not only the mind needs to be stimulated. Sports is key to movement, to a general well-being. I learned and played tennis for 3 or 4 years. Got OK at it. But unfortunately, I got to a the ceiling. That was the only level I could get to. I wish I had a better opportunity with this. As above, I will get to play tennis at a good level. This year. Somehow, some way. If I did not have the opportunity to perform then, I will create it now.

Piano. And this is very dear to me. This was not actually my parents' idea, but mine. I remember when I was very little, I was taken to classical music concerts by my parents, who are big, big fans. Yes, the passion for classical music came from the family. But I remember as a little girl that I simply adored the concerts where the piano was played. And I remember getting closer to the stage to see, as my mum and I recall, "the pianist hands". Because through his/her hands, in my mind, I could feel the real passion and motivation. Seeing those hands how they almost float above the keyboard. So delicate sometimes and so strong at other times. I think that was the real essence of the play. And I remember turning to my mum: "I want to do that. I want to see how it feels". And then came almost 4 years of piano classes at the Arts high school. I also managed to play at two concerts with other students from that high school (one even at the local theatre, what a memory) and I remember my teacher wanting to recruit me to actually study there. But I was too keen on studying mathematics and other theoretical subjects, that I decided just to take classes. And, as I still wrongly believe now, that I can manage to do everything. Going to university made me leave my pianola at home and let it get full of dust over time. Although I am not able to bring it to the UK, I will save some money to buy a new one where I will move this year. So I can see the player's hands again. This time, my hands.

Consequently, these are my things which I didn't do. For some of them, I did not have the opportunity to pursue them further. For others, it might have not been the right time or my right mood. But what is certain is that I want to pursue these interests. That my heart feels alive whenever I hear the sound of piano. That I still watch tennis games on TV (and not on court as I should be). That I cannot speak to my German friends in their own language. To transform these into passions, to become better. And not to regret not doing them. What do you regret of not doing ?

P.S. If anyone has any suggestions for good places in London for German, tennis and piano classes, I would be most grateful.

Something to listen to

2010-04-15T03:54:00.000-07:00

Listen to this and think about your life.

A healthy tip for a short break

2010-04-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

Recently, I have developed a quite weird sleeping habit. Unconsciously, I tend to put my left arm under me and sleep on it. Of course, you can imagine that in the morning my arm muscles hurt like hell and my whole arm is sour. Consequently, I talked to my physician about this and she told me something which didn't occur to me before. That I don't do this unconsciously. Actually, my mind is dictating me to do that while sleeping. And the cause is because there is something which is stressing me, something bothering me lately. Of course, you would all guess that the coming soon exams seem like a plausible explanation. Then she recommended something really simple, which actually helped me a lot so far. Every evening or when I feel that my mind is too congested from the reading, and I need a 2-minute break (I usually Facebook when I take my 2-minute break; not that great, I know), to lie down on the floor or preferably on the mat and just... play with my body! Stretch yourself, see where it hurts, see which muscle is sour, breath and empty your mind. Overall, it helps enormously to become more conscious of your body, to learn more about yourself. I guess that Pilates (which I greatly enjoyed, by the way) is functioning on the same principle.

I find the human body and mind very interesting. But what I find amazing is the link between the body and the mind. And how we can discover surprising things about ourselves, which we didn't think of before. But which the brain is signalling to us in some way. In my case, sleeping on my left arm. In other cases, it might be that exaggerated fatigue shows its signs when it's too late to notice them. Do not underestimate your body and learn how to read it.

So, everyone, shall we lie down for 2 minutes ?

Negotiation

2010-04-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

"Nobody ever saw a dog make a fair and deliberate exchange of one bone for another with another dog." (Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations: Book 1, ch. 2)

JADE Romania on JE.NET

2010-04-09T03:23:00.001-07:00

Ok, I know I have been quite absent in the past few days, I have been busy with Easter celebrations and exam preparations. Exams are coming soon and they seem to be tough. Anyway, on a different note, JADE Romania is now on JE.NET, a project of Brasil Junior (JADE's sister organization from across the ocean) in collaboration with JADE. This is a database of all Junior Entreprises in the networks. It is an initiative I greatly support and which, honestly, I have been waiting since my first year in JADE. I strongly, strongly encourage all Junior Entreprises to use that platform, the benefits are relentless.

Meanwhile, JADE Romania is now up on JE.NET, which makes me really happy. This youngest confederation of JADE has an amazing potential and never ceases to meet expectations and even surpass them. Makes me really proud to have helped them in setting it up. You can read here a description written by Andreea Paraschiv about our confederation and as a bonus, a description about Romania, which I genuinly loved! Enjoy !

Summer JADE Meeting/ Junior Entreprise World Conference

2010-04-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

Since a team of dedicated individuals are currently working and planning the next Junior Entreprises World Conference (JEWC) in Milan in July this year, I thought of giving them a hand. And the little help I offer them is promotion. Consequently, for a taster of how the last Summer JADE Meeting was (note: the Summer JADE Meeting is very similar to the JEWC, just a bit smaller), here is the link where you can find what I wrote about my impressions from the meeting I attended last summer. I hope that as many as you junior entrepreneurs will attend the next event organized by JADE and live similar, if not better, experiences to what I had !

L.E. Here is the website of this year's Junior Entreprise World Conference- registration already open. The goal of the meeting is taken from the website below:

The main objectives of the Junior Enterprise World Conference are to develop the dialogue and the exchange of knowledge between youngs of different countries and cultures, empowering the sense of an European and Global citizenship and focusing the attention of junior entrepeneurs on the important themes of sustainability and solidarity, both from a political and cultural point of view.

Ideal multinational

2010-03-25T08:38:00.000-07:00

Geocentrism is expressed by function, product and geography. (Perlmutter, 2008)

Ah, poor me !!..

2010-03-25T07:54:00.001-07:00

So I get a bad grade. I also fail to miss my last shuttle train and I am bound to sleep in Glasgow airport overnight (what a story!). My toilet breaks. The guy I secretly fancy and I've been flirting with turns out that he doesn't like me. My cat has had an accident and needs to be taken to emergency to the pet hospital. Oh, horror ! And the instant thing I thing: "Ah, poor me ! It only happens to me! Why me, oh why ?".

But now I've developed a rather different thinking. Yes, bad things happen to me. Yes, as one Romanian saying goes: "Bad things never travel alone" (approx translation from "O nenorocire nu vine niciodata singura"). I still think that. But then why, when good things happen to me, I never conversely think: "Oh, why this good think happened to me?" and "Why me, why this good happened to me, when bad things happen to other people?". Because it seems normal that those good things happen to me. Well, isn't that a bit selfish ?

Why don't I realize that while I get the top grade of the class for a course, some other student suffers for getting the worst grade ? Why don't I think that, while my parents live and are happy and healthy, some friend's parents die ? Or they have an accident ?

Maybe there is this "paying-off" event overall. When good things happen to us, some other people get very unlucky. But then it turns around and it's our turn to be miserable. And then it's again: "Ah, poor me!".

Patience, my dears, it will eventually turn around again, it always does. And the next time when you think you're the unhappiest creature from this world, think that other people are happy and lucky. But then they will be in the "Ah, poor me situation". El mundo da vueltas!

One last aspect I want to raise related to this subject is helping. I might sound a bit selfish now, but one (not the only reason) of the reasons why I sometimes help someone is because I hope that one day when I'll be in a desperate situation, help will also come unexpectedly. One of my good friends used to always give cigarettes to strangers who asked her for. And when I enquired why she spends all her cigarettes so quickly, she said: "Because I never know how a cigarette will come from someone when I'll ran out of them!".

Last, last, last

2010-03-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I handed-in my last assignment ever as an undergraduate. Tomorrow I will have my last course ever for Edinburgh University. Last, last, last. Last time I saw my grandfather was almost three years ago.

We all have last times. Moments that mark the end of a cycle, of an adventure, of a path, of a experience. And here we stop for a moment and think. Think about the beginning, how it all started. How we knew in theory what are we getting into, but did not live the experience yet.

But how do you cope with having those moments ? With just letting everything go ? Do you just live in the memory of those moments ? Do you try to somehow re-live them ? Or do you just accept the way things are and move on ?

Nevertheless, a common agreement is that if you are aware those are the last moments, you try to make the most of out them. Somehow in the honour of the experience you have had. But still live them like this is how it is supposed to be, this is how it is supposed to end.

But what happens when you don't know those are going to be the last moments ? I am pretty sure that after you find out, you wish you'd knew. So you can make things differently. Then why not start making things differently now ? As if what you know would could end instantly, with no further notice. But now you say, live like everything is about to end, is that a life any more ? Would you still enjoy those little moments and get carried away ? So what is the recipe ?

I want to be a student forever. Hence, how do you transform some last moments into ...latest ?

Followers section added

2010-03-18T06:31:00.000-07:00

As I said in my first posts, I am quite new in the blog business :D. But patience, my dears, I am learning. Anyway, I found through these numerous gadgets that I can have a Followers section. That probably means those on the list will get a notification every time I post something new. If interested, join ! Now let me see what this thing really does....

Gap Yah (Gap Year)

2010-03-18T06:15:00.000-07:00

Remember how I was talking in my post here about my plans after graduation ? Well, I was sure to include there the ultimate experience I want to have after studies and before master/job. Specifically, I want to travel and volunteer. I would not necessarily call it gap year in my case, since it would be for a few months tops. However, it is on the same line of thought.

Anyway, I got to see a quite ironic video, which I would like to share with you all. Just to mention one thing: watch it two times. First time, laugh. Second time, think. Enjoy !

Door slammed = ineffective communication

2010-03-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

Just arrived from London...only got to spend 10 minutes in my room, settling down and tidying out... A hard knock on my door...My Spanish flatmate: "Why did you put the boxes into the box room?"; Me: "I need them for when I will pack my stuff !".... Then: bang ! the door slammed to my face...

I was left out in the room puzzled ... What was that? Was that a human reaction? An effective means of communication ? I mean, even those little monkeys we see on TV on Animal Planet shout and quarrel with each other...

Why do people have their minds blocked to expressing constructively what they believe ? Why do they just limit themselves to what they think and reject the outside? I guess that they try to channel their rage. As in this example, she communicated with the door. She told the door that she does not agree that boxes need to be put into the box room (to her opinion). But doesn't she realize that by expressing to the door her anger, that message is not communicated to me ? I am just left out wondering of her reaction. Which is definitely not civilized, I must say. But she does not know that. She does not want to realize that I was amazed by her uncivilized behaviour and did not understand what was happening.

We slam the doors and there goes communication and relationship. The hole widens and we just live in our world, in our tower, where we communicate with objects and we are incapable to convey a message. These kind of reactions fail to prove than some are rational human-beings who are capable of discussing. Now, how many doors have you slammed to someone's face?

After graduation plans

2010-03-16T07:21:00.000-07:00

Now that graduation is getting even closer, the typical question which I have received during the year becomes now even more persistent: "What will you do after you graduate?".

Last year, around the same time, I remember totally freaking out when I started to think about that. So many possibilities, so many conditions, so many uncertainties, so many things to do, so little time... At that time, for me, graduation was an imminent end. Something in which I was dragged into, although didn't really want to happen.

Now, with some experience :P and having thought about the matter, I see things differently. I came to a crucial conclusion. It is all about the ATTITUDE. Now I do not see graduation as ending for ever a cycle of my life (which I greatly loved by the way). Now I see graduation as a new beginning, as a launching pad. I learned how to believe in myself, how to push myself forward and more importantly...be happy with it.

See, in Romania there is a certain mentality among some people. If you take a gap year, then you are screwed. That means that you basically broke a normal cycle and you are unlikely to succeed. But why should school-high school- university - job- marriage be the common pathway ? Why can't I, for a chance, do something for me ? Something which will have a deep impact on my personal development, something that will change me and something that I will remember as one of the greatest adventures of my life ? Something exciting ? This draws me to present the options I have after I graduate. I will discuss each in turn.

a. get a career. Yes, I want to work. Yes, I know what I want to do. Yes, I am physically prepared. Yes, I am capable and suitable to do the job. But I feel it's not the time yet. It's not like I do not want to do it (yes, I most certainly do), but I feel that I will be working for most of my life. So why not, as long as I still can (no family or career obligation), do something else ? For the record, I am interested to work in Management and Strategic Consultancy. My passion for this field has greatly increased with my internship experience from last summer. And I will work. But maybe not now...

b. apply for a master. Yes, those who know me are aware of how I dream of studying a master. And it's no ordinary master, it's the Msc in Strategy and Management at the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE). I am aware I am a good candidate. But any good candidate is nothing without a sound and good-prepared application. And writing a good application requires dedication and time. Which, in the light of my final year (the most difficult one), I do not currently have. Plus that my referees are top-lecturers, really busy, who require at least 3-4 weeks to write the recommendations. With exams around the corner, I see myself in the position of post-phoning the application for next year. When I can fully prepare. And apply early.

c.travel and volunteer. And it comes to the last option. Yes, this is want I want to do until I will get the chance to apply for a master next year. I want to travel in developing countries (preferably Latin America, for which I have a passion and a curiosity since I was little) and volunteer. But not any kind of volunteering. For example, I want to work with an NGO for development economics problems. Or on strategy. Or I want to work with a UN organization. Something high-class, thriving and exciting. I do not have an extremely clear image in my head yet, except for something that Peace Corps is offering, which can be found here. But you have to be an American citizen to be able to embark on such a programme, which I am clearly not. However, I will start the research as soon as my exams end. And if any of my beloved readers has any hints, tips or information, I would greatly appreciate.

Maybe because I am young, maybe because life at university has helped me form a different mentality, somehow, I do not feel afraid. I feel that I have relentless opportunities and that I know what I want. The only thing required is a lot of work to achieve what I want, which I am more than eager and prepared to commit. I will currently focus on my assignments and dreaded exams and then, as Bon Jovi sings, "My heart is like an open highway".

Graduation location confirmed

2010-03-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

Today I received an official reply to my e-mail sent to the Registry dept at Edinburgh University regarding graduation location. And the location where my graduation will take place will be the same as ever: McEwan Hall. A strong reason for my worries was that there have been rumours running during the last couple of years that the University is planning to refurbish the building and work will commence at the beginning of this summer. This was speculated to force to the University to hold its graduation festivities in a different location for the graduates of 2010. These rumours caused great disappointment for me and my fellow course mates. Luckily, now I know they were false !

This is information which can be found on Wiki about the McEwan Hall:

The McEwan Hall is the graduating hall of the University of Edinburgh, in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was presented to the University in 1897 by William McEwan, brewer and politician, at a cost of £115,000.[1] Sir Robert Rowand Anderson was the architect.
The exterior of the D-shaped hall was completed in 1894 and the interior, which contains a mural by William M Palin, was completed in 1897.

Personally, during my time at university, I've grown to become very attached to that building. I remember from my Freshers Week in my first year how I was impressed by the Opening Ceremony taking place in that building, with all the academic staff dressed in gowns as I've never seen before. Or in my first year, when I attended my first ceilidh (=traditional Scottish dance) ever. Or my second year, when I even sat exams in that building and it was all so imposing, that I ended up for some minutes admiring the room's decorations instead of focusing on my exam :).

Since I had the Opening Ceremony in that building, it somehow felt natural that I need to have the graduation there as well. Because it is a normal cycle. Because it all started and now has to end there. Because, to my opinion, it is one of the most wonderful and representative buildings of University of Edinburgh. Below there is a photo taken from Registry website, depicting a typical graduation ceremony. See you in July !

WBC, the most international Junior Enterprise at the JADE Excellence awards

2010-03-14T09:49:00.001-07:00

I was telling in my last post about my experience in JADE. This experience is mainly composed by my activities in JADE UK and helping to set up JADE Romania. Since I talked about JADE Romania in the last post, now it's time for the second good news, which involves JADE UK: one of the Junior Enterprises from JADE UK, WBC (Westminster Business Consultants) received the Excellence Award for the most International Junior Enterprise at last week's JADE Spring meeting. Hence, I join the other people in congratulating them for this award.

In my experience with WBC, I definitely got to meet an international crew! (I remember that in one year, they had members from various corners of the world, ranging from Jamaica to Finland). Moreover, I am aware and impressed of the partnerships and international projects they have undertaken. Also, I am not mistaken to state that WBC was and still is one of the most active Junior Enterprises on the international level from JADE UK and perhaps not only, sending its representatives to many, many JADE events. And not only that they attend these events, they also get fully involved. I personally loved the Junior Enterprise World Conference in Porto, where we called ourselves the "JADE UK crew", although we were from different British Junior Enterprises. But there was a common spirit uniting us all (despite only one or two persons actually being of British origin !). Or at the JADE UK congress in Edinburgh, organized by me and my ambitious team from iCUE, WBC people were never reluctant to give a hand in helping out at the event. After all, we were all from the same confederation, and they greatly contributed to making me feel that way !

Well done, WBC-ers, you definitely deserve this prize ! :)

Romania, newest member of JADE

2010-03-14T04:22:00.000-07:00

Hello again ! Lately, the limited access to Internet prevented me of being more present online, but now I am back. Meanwhile, something great happened: Romania is now member of JADE! All our efforts have been rewarded! Although it has been a week from the event, the news is too great not to share. But let me start with the full story, for a better understanding.

JADE is a non-profit international umbrella-organisation of enterprises founded and managed by students. That's the basic definition from the website. But for every member, JADE has a deeper meaning. For me, JADE has culminated my university years, as I have been involved in the movement for almost 4 years! JADE means that I have made friends worldwide, that I have interacted with gifted professionals, I have travelled all across Europe representing the British confederation at international events (over 15), that I undertook one of my greatest personal projects (organizing the UK national event, where I managed for almost 6 months a team of 8 ambitious individuals and my own budget) and that I become more entrepreneurial by undertaking a challenging project as a Project Manager (living and working in Brussels). I have changed. I have evolved. I learned how to fall and rise again. And definitely enjoyed it on the way.

But mostly it has been about the network and the people. I remember everything from the very beginning, in my first year at university, when I joined my Junior Entreprise, iCUE. I started from the very basic level, as a simple member, working on a project for Procter and Gamble. At that time, I had no idea of what was about to end up as one of the best experiences in my life. It all changed when I got elected as the International Director at the end of my first year. Next, I was just sent out to a national event in London and the international one in Paris earlier that summer. It was all challenging and happening at a past pace. Thus, I had to learn, to adapt, to understand. And all in such a short-time. Rules of the network, the activities of the network, who are the members and what do they do. But somehow, I was never alone. I was surrounded by like-minded people whom, although from different nationalities and backgrounds, I shared with a common passion: entrepreneurship. The desire to carry something on your own, to bear all the responsibilities and risks, made it possible in the end to fully enjoy the results after a long battle.

I will not mention every experience I have had with JADE, since that would probably take all day, but I guess a brief summary might work. My international experience fully opened when, at the beginning of my second year at university, I was elected as the Vice-President for JADE UK, the British confederation of Junior Enterprises. As the VP, I travelled to congresses organized by JADE in cities from different countries (Brussels, Paris, Marseilles, Porto, London, Prishtina etc.) and fully engaged as a member of the General Assembly- the main decision-making body of the organization and representing the interests of the Junior Enterprises. Moreover, I took one of the most challenging tasks of organizing such an event for our network in Edinburgh during that year. Then, last year, I worked as a Project Manager for JADE, where I came up with my own project idea and then developed it. By gathering qualitative data, I tried to analyse the benefits JADE offers to its members.

One of my greatest achievements in JADE was to mentor the first Romanian movement. Because I felt that in Romania there is such an unexplored potential and because of national pride, I decided to start to look for a similar initiative. And my search did not last too long because in May 2008 I quickly managed to reconnect with an old high school mate, Raluca, who was activating at that time in B.O.S.. B.O.S. is an NGO founded by students who carry their own projects to develop skills and is based in Bucharest. It was a perfect match ! After several e-mail exchanges and meetings with Raluca (need to mention that our first meeting where we talked about JADE was in Amsterdam, Voldenpark :P), I got to meet the whole board of B.O.S. and pitched them the idea. They loved it, I subsequently contacted the JADE ExBo and it all began. After introducing B.O.S. to the network and working with them for their application to JADE, we found out of the existence of another Junior Initiative, TP&C, based in Cluj. Thus, we were given a new challenge by JADE: to work with the other Junior Initiative and to try to set up the Romanian confederation (note: a confederation in JADE is formed by a minimum of 3 members). Because of some initial problems, I decided to get involved. Thus, we set up the JADE Romanian Enlargement team, formed by Simona & Andreea (B.O.S.) and Ruxandra & Roxana (TP&C). Since September last year, we consistently tried to find our third member. It has been difficult, some members of the General Assembly lost their patience, sometimes we even lost hope, but somehow, it all turned out well in the end. This year, we managed to find our third member in Iasi, TEACH ING. I was personally impressed by the motivation and the ambition of the girls I worked with. Despite hindrances, they kept fighting. And not losing hope. This served as a personal motivation and although I was in my last year of university (and the most difficult), I still got involved as much as I can. I can still remember the international Skype meetings, with people located in Bucharest, Cluj, Frankfurt and Edinburgh. Finally, last week at the JADE Spring meeting, Romania was voted as the newest member of JADE.

I cannot describe the joy, the hopes, the great feeling that we are writing history. That we are laying the first bricks of something that we hope will last for many, many years. All this in the light of the fact that integrating Romania into JADE was previously attempted as early as 1998 (an interview with a former JADE ExBo member reveals), but it did not succeed until this year. After almost two years of very hard work, dedication, ups and downs, I finally see a big step made for the Romanian junior entrepreneurship movement. One that will create many opportunities and will make linkages stronger. Now, I cannot wait to meet JADE Romania's founding members and new members at the B.O.S. Gala in Bucharest.

My only regret: that I did not get to live the moment when we were voted. But I am sure that they know I was there, always to support them.

To further show that what we've done is not small, we also received press coverage. Here is the article from Evenimentul Zilei, here from Presa Online and here from the Ring Newspaper.

Welcome, JADE Romania !

P.S. Posts describing the same event are offered by Simona and Raluca, here and respectively here.

L.E.: Our logo for JADE Romania has been provided ! This is a very exciting moment. Here it is below:

Why Bambi and not Babe ?

2010-03-04T04:12:00.001-08:00

Last week I went with one of my best friends to dine at a Mongolian restaurant. Since it was my first time in such a restaurant, I did not know what to expect. Well, it was like a buffet where you could mix different kinds of meat with spices, vegetables, rice and noodles. However, what got my attention were the different types of meat: kangaroo, zebra, deer, rabbit, alligator etc. Of course, they also had the more common-known types of meat: beef, pork, chicken. Because I am curious character, I did try some of the above. But then I had a thought: how many people would resent me for trying "bunny meat" ? Or eating Bambi ?

I know a lot of people who would never eat deer or rabbit. However, they would barge themselves into eating pork and beef. And would have no problem. What about Babe, the cute pig ? Would you eat Babe ? One of my flatmates in first year said she is vegetarian. However, she still ate fish. Well, isn't the fish supposed to suffer just like the chicken ? I mean, have you ever seen how baby chicken look like ?

So why do we have a problem with eating some types of meat, but no problem with other kinds? I mean, doesn't the pig, cow and chicken suffer the same way ? Or you might believe that deer and bunnies are cute ! But aren't pigs cute as well? Have you ever seen pig cubs when they're just born, how incredible they are ?

I do not have anything against eating styles: be it meat-eater, vegetarian or vegans. I myself wish I was a vegetarian (an absolute one) and do not particularly like meat. But why do we differentiate between meat based on how "cute" the animals are ? Of course, there are cases in which you just don't like the taste of something, but that's not the point here.

Question is: why Bambi and not Babe ?

(the picture was taken from here)

Negative comments

2010-03-04T02:34:00.000-08:00

Although this blog is very young, about one month old, I was able to notice that two patterns with negative comments have emerged. In the first category fall the anonymous people who just say: "this post is average" or "I read one line and then I just close the window". To my opinion, those comments are only mean. They just state something, without argumenting it. They make a statement based on thin air. For the sake of making a comment. From what I was taught at university so far, they would get 0 points. And then in the second category, which I sincerely appreciate, there are people who disagree with my opinion. But they argument it, they give examples. They challenge me. Those people I love because they might show me different perspectives I was unaware of. And I can change my opinion if their arguments are solid. The experience in the UK so far has taught me to be very open-minded and flexible. Thus I enjoy having a constructive discussion.

And I was thinking why are the people in the first category mean. And now I know:

To make me better. And stronger !

L.E. If comments do not contain insults or obscene words, they will be published. Moreover, I will try my best to reply to each and everyone one of them.

Differences between education systems: UK and Ro (Part II)

2010-03-03T08:03:00.000-08:00

Okay, as I promised (and I always try to hold on to my promises), this is the second part of the topic I started discussing on this post. Although the first part raised some criticism, as I stated in my first post of the blog, this is a discussion place. Hence, I express my own opinion. And obviously that my opinion, as anyone's opinion, is build on what I have experienced, what I read, what I found out and so on... So there is no wrong or right because of subjectivity. What I write here is a public good :D, if I may call it so, so if you disagree, there are three options:

a. Close the window
b. Challenge me to a discussion ( I am very open about constructive criticism... If you'd just accuse me for thinking that way without providing me sound reasons why it might be wrong, you are wasting your time.... And you're a person who cannot argument what you believe in)
c. Respect that it's my opinion and continue reading :P

Anyway, I was off-topic a bit, now back to what we were talking. These are other differences between the systems

6. Corruption. Bang ! I hit the sensitive topic. Yes, there is a lot of corruption and bribery in the Romanian educational system. Too much that it disincentives lecturers to actually properly practice their professions and put real passion into it. I heard of eyebrows-raising stories... Like offering a lecturer a lamb to pass an exam, or another lecturer being nicknamed "two hundred fifty" because that was the price you had to pay for a 10 . In euros. Yes, stories might be exaggerated, but as the saying goes, "There's no smoke without fire". By no means I am stating that in the UK, corruption is not present. Yes, but to a significantly smaller extent that in Romania. Never have I ever offered a pack of coffee to my School Secretary to get some advantages or even more sadly, to her to actually do her job (and not her nails). There might be an economical intuition underlying this fact. In Romania, the distribution of wages is quite unequal, thus teachers/lecturers are somehow attracted to resort to other unhealthy means to raise that income. However, it is a known fact that lecturers in universities are well-paid. Consequently, can this taste for bribery and corruption be attributed to human flaws ?

7. Focus on independent studying. I was quite surprised (and even found difficult to cope) with the focus on the independent studying here in the UK. I was accustomed to high school, where I had to work everyday and sometimes I was assessed on a weekly basis. Here, you are just taught and mostly assessed at the end of the year. What happens in-between is crucially your responsibility. Yes, you get some mid-term assessments or exams, but often they are worth 15%, 20% or 30% of the total grade, but it is usually one or two of the kind and they do not really require you to actually know well most of the course material. I know for a fact that my uni colleagues in Romania have a lot of mid-term exams, which count a lot, a lot of papers to submit etc. So the Romanian system tries in a sense to persuade the student to study throughout the year. Whereas here, in the UK, you just end up studying really hard for a subject two weeks before the exam (and be honest !)...yes, you might do some reading during the year, but, honestly, how much of that is serious reading ? I had end of year exams which were worth 100% of my grade, thus no assignments, no nothing, just everything in a bulk. From this point of view, I prefer the Romanian system.

8. Uni work can be applicable. Criticised for their theoretical approaches, British universities started to adopt a more...applicable style ! I do not reject that even more work needs to be done, but they're on the right path. I mean, I did projects for real companies as part of my assignments, I know of people travelling to Ethiopia (!) as part of their coursework, or people discovering I-do-not-know-what species of fish in I-do-not-know-what part of the world. This really makes university time more fun, you are actually interacting with the real world. The Romanian system tends to be more theoretical in comparison with the British system. Sometimes lecturers just come and give theories and expect students to "swallow" those formulas and that's it, that's their exam. Brilliant minds out there in the academia, give your students real challenges, make them take it to the next level. And they would come to appreciate it and find a significant use of their experience.

9.Deeply embedded university spirit. Okay, how many universities in Romania have their students wearing hoodies with their logo ? Or how many of them send an "university team" for the national ballroom dancing competition ? From my experience, I came to be very attached to University of Edinburgh. I proudly wear my hoodie everywhere and I believe I have this Edinburgh spirit in me everywhere I go. I mean, my Business school has a lecturer performing as a DJ (I know, lol; btw, he's older than 40) to raise money for charities. My Economics school organizes social post-dissertation social nights and a football match between the lecturers and Economics students (girls are not allowed :( ). I strongly support actions like these because they make university feel more like a bunch of buildings. It is a spirit which unites all of us. Surely, some universities in Romania organize balls for the whole universities and the sort, but do the people really identify themselves with their universities ? Could they say like we sometimes do: "Oh, he's an Edinburgh Uni girl ?"... "Oh, you know how Oxbridge students are...". In different words, I am not talking about stereotyping, but about assimilating yourself with the university spirit.

10. Societies. And this is my favourite point :). Ok, I know some of the Romanians students would initially strongly disagree with this. But let me first get the two sides of the story. In Romania, I have recently witnessed a growing trend of students societies or associations, eager young people, with ambition, initiative and strengths. I personally worked with two (and now three) amazing NGOs to help them join this European student organization I was a member of. However, the options for the regular student are quite limited. If you are in Law, you join the Law association. If you do Engineering, then Engineering Society is for you. But why does it have to be subject-related ? Why can't you explore at uni other passions, such as debate, politics, religion, chocolate, beer ? Why can't you get a rounded-up knowledge and meet like-minded people who share your hobbies ? In my university, they are over 250 student societies, ranging from chocolate-tasting society to Bisexual Gay or Lesbian society. They define who you are, what are your passions, how you want to spend your free time and it might even help you in deciding your future. If you do not find what you wanted at school, you definitely find in these societies. But a better overview, here is the list of societies from my uni. My only regret is that I am here only for 4 years, definitely not enough time to get all the experience I wanted.

And here, my dears, ends the 10 differences-list between the British and Romanian educational systems. The list is by no means exhaustive, thus if you feel you need to add anything or discuss something, the comments have been enabled :)

I wish everyone a marvellous spring day!

Dissertation abstract

2010-03-02T13:52:00.001-08:00

And for all of you out there who are obviously asking: "What was your dissertation about?".... Well, I can start explaining that I chose to do it in Strategy (that's an area in which I want to pursue a successful career)... Specifically, the topic of the dissertation was:

Does Managerial Hubris Help to Explain Mergers and Acquisitions decisions?

And for a even better overview, here is my abstract:

Abstract:
In the light of the evidence that M&A (Mergers and Acquisitions) activity serves to reduce the overall value of the firm, this dissertation looks at the literature surrounding the topic of M&A for possible explanations. One pertinent emerging reason is managerial hubris (i.e. exaggerated overconfidence), which implies that managers do not behave as completely rational actors. Researchers have long been interested in how managerial hubris influences M&A decisions, but lacked a well-developed, validated construct to test it. Furthermore, most previous research has relied on indirect measures in assessing executive hubris. The basis behind this work is to introduce and empirically test a psychologically-grounded and theory-based measure of hubris and also to analyze if this personality bias drives managers to emphasize particular M&A objectives. Specifically, I test if executives have a high level of hubris in their personalities. Secondly, I analyze if managers are prone to emphasize M&A objectives which fall in the hubris category. Thirdly, I look if there is any relationship between their hubristic personalities and the M&A objectives they favour. Using a questionnaire-instrument, data was gathered from 19 managers from companies which have business activities on the territory of Romania. I find considerable support for the research hypotheses, indicating that hubris is an integral part of executive personality. Moreover, the relationship between the presence of this bias in executives’ personalities and their emphasis for certain M&A objectives in line with their hubristic tendencies is found to be positive and significant. This indicates hubris’s crucial role in influencing M&A decisions. Since previous research surrounding managerial hubris has concentrated on developed countries, this paper makes a significant contribution to empirical literature by analyzing hubris in the environment of an emerging country.

The day my dissertation left me...

2010-03-02T13:31:00.001-08:00

So, here I am, all freshly submitted with my dissertation today... It has been a great day today, when I basically let a part of me go... A part I have been investing in the past few months, which has gradually become part of my life and now she is ready to go on without me... I hope I taught her well, she is old enough to stand on her own.... And I hope she will do great and make me proud (read A-proud)...

Anyway, for all of you to have a good laugh, here's a picture from the Business Office earlier today, the moment when I was just handing in the dissertation... 2 hrs slept in one night, all I ate was 3 cookies for almost 40 hrs.....ah, the normal student life.....

Comments enabled on the blog

2010-03-01T03:25:00.001-08:00

Ok, because I am a little blonde and also a baby member on the blog-o-sphere :D, I did not know I need to allow for comments from Settings :)...I am very open about comments, discussion, critiques and the sort... So I think I managed now to enable the comment option, please let me know if it still does not work !

Thank you, Raluca, for pointing out :)

A venit primavara

2010-03-01T02:40:00.000-08:00

Precum si vremea de afara ne incalzeste timid sufletele (si credeti-ma, e un lucru foarte rar in Edinburgh), asa tiptil-tiptil s-a instalat un sentiment de speranta si de bucurie in jur...

O melodie la fel de obraznica ca si vremea de afara... Si acum inapoi la dizertatie, mai e o zi (!)

Sex in Religion

2010-02-26T06:23:00.000-08:00

I had lunch today with one of my friends of Indian origin.... And during our conversation, he told me something that I found very interesting... Apparently, in the Indian culture, sex has something like a religious connotation... Their God tells the believers something like when they believe in God, they will feel the same pleasure as having sex... And their God uses this language to get to the minds of the less fortunate people, who have not received proper education to be able to speak in an elevated language... Because this is a language they would understand... Moreover, my friend, whilst visiting his relatives in India, brought me as a present a souvenir which represents one of Shiva's penises ( you can see an image of it below), considered holy in India ... It is supposed to bring me good luck and prosperity ! And he showed me pictures of temples which had sexual positions painted on their walls....

This not only made me more curious and interested in visiting India (and I will some day !), but also helped me realize a fact... You do not have to be rich, nor smart, nor be the most educated person in the world... If people are told something in a manner and a language they understand, then you will get to them... If you manage to break that shell and communicate with them on the same level they understand, then you have effectively transmitted your message. This does not neccessarily asummes that they will accept the message, but it means that you have succefully delivered to them what you wanted to communicate and you have been effective....

Now I cannot really go into the Sex into the Religion topic without raising some eyebrowns and getting a lot of contradictory opinions and fingers pointed out to me... Why is that ? Because people have different beliefs, different opinions, somehow strangely rooted to their backgrounds... But what I can say is that finding out new insights about the Indian religion gives me a whole new perspective... Makes me somehow a lot richer and more open.... So I'd advise everyone: look around you ! Find out more about the other person ! Try to understand and communicate to each one im a way they would understand it... try to really know the person next to you, to learn about him/her and this would at least guarantee that you have effectively communicated your message ! And open your mind ! This example here is that sex can be a language which a lot of people understand. Thus, there are innovative ways in which to communicate.

P.S. This post does not try to discriminate anyone or to generalize, it is purely an observation. Also, I am well aware there are different Indian castes with differences, thus I just shared the knowledge I have from my friend.

PPS. I know I still owe you to write the second part for British/Romanian education systems, stay tooned :)

(The source of the picture is from here).I will post the picture with my souvenir soon.

UK no.1 song (Weekly chart)

2010-02-21T04:13:00.000-08:00

Perfect Sunday song...

I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep/ 'Cause everything is never as it seems

Advice from lecturers

2010-02-20T06:43:00.000-08:00

:)

"Stolen" from the Edinburgh University School of Economics blog

Differences between education systems: UK & Ro (Part I)

2010-02-20T03:05:00.000-08:00

I am a student who was initially formed in the Romanian educational system. Afterwards, due to ambition, curiosity and longing for a challenge, I decided to embrace a quite different system than the one I was previously used to. In principle, to broaden my horizon and to add value to my personal development. Consequently, I was lucky enough (this is how I consider it) to experience so far (who knows that the future has prepared :P) two different educational systems. The first one, the Romanian one, is a very theoretical and systematized, covering a broad range of areas. It still has visible scars from the Communist period. The second one, the UK one, is a world-famous one, and, although quite strongly-rooted, still embraces the Western mentality. And because of this opportunity to have two different experiences, I thought it would be interesting to highlight some of the differences between the two:

1. Different grading systems. In the UK, grades are expressed in letter (A-E) and percentages (0%- 100%). However, in the social sciences area, which my subjects belong to (Business Studies & Economics), the top grades of the class are typically in the area of 75%-80% when students have an outstanding performance. On exceptional circumstances do students get over 80%. So for simplicity, students and even lecturers consider 80% as maximum. To clarify further, you get an A if you get over 70%. In Romania, the grading system is 1-10 (1-minimum and 10-maximum). Here, it is common for people to get 10 if they have an exceptional performance. If students put a lot of effort, it is achievable.

2. Focus on group-work. In the UK, it is all about group-work ! (which sometimes gets students angry). During my uni time, a high number of my classes had assignments based on group-work. In the Psychology dept, I know for a fact that it is very common for students to gather data for their dissertation in groups and then to write their individual work. Tutors divide us in groups to solve problems. Poster sessions and group projects are very common. The course organisers are well aware their universities are attended by international students and also of the fact that working in a team would be a key prerequisite in employment after graduation, thus they have a very strong focus on developing team-building skills. By no means I am stating that the Romanian system does not shape these skills. But I strongly believe it does not put such a strong emphasis as the Brits do.

3. Approachable lecturers. Yes, this is something where some of the Romanian teachers need to work on. In the UK, I was always able to approach my lecturers, should I have any questions. They have weekly office hours designed only to interact with students, but are usually helpful even outside these times (I remember how last year I was able to ask my Applications of Economics Analysis lecturer about an assignment I had while he was on a cigarette break outside the Economics office). They are very used with having stressed students suffocating them with questions and they are well-trained to draw the limit between indicating that student how to write the assignment and actually guiding the student in the right direction. But what I particularly appreciate is their openness. It is very common to call them by their first name. Brits love that ! So you are informally talking to John, Brad or Bill, but somehow there is that deep respect, you would never be able to ask them to go for a pint. And another aspect which I just love is the "you" in English. We use "you" to talk to friends, we use "you" to talk to lecturers. In Romanian, we have a polite form to address formally, we don't have the same pronoun (i.e. we use "tu" to address to a friend and "dumneavoastra" as a polite form). It has often happened to me (for example in high school) that I was more preoccupied on how to approach that teacher and how to talk to him/her that the matter in discussion. In the UK, you just go and talk to them. If your request is inappropriate, they very often politely suggest that and tell you until what extent they can help you.

4. Rules, rules, rules. In the UK educational system, there are various rules. Rules invented by someone, unfortunately not always questioned or tested and definitely applied. The Brits love to follow rules ! They love queuing, they love having guidelines they seriously abide to. How many times was I in the hopeless situation what I had to acknowledge "Rules are rules" and there was nothing to do about that. Deadlines are deadlines, procedures are procedures, indications are indications, no way there will be an exception to the rule. Because if they would have to break these rules once, they would set a precedent, like in law. And, according to them, their all systems would fall apart. But sometimes I believe these rules are too standardized, too generalized and do not take into account idiosyncrasies. I am an international student, I was raised and educated in a different system and now I have to act like I am extremely familiar with their system. Unfortunately, it wasn't always like that, I ended up questioning some stupid rules which are there just to be respected, but do not make any sense. Oh well, it's their game, thus their rules.

5. Creativity and originality. This is an aspect which, in my opinion, the British system should work on. It has often happened to me or my colleagues that we were "punished" in an essay/work if we stated our personal point of view, if we tried to be original. Yes, you can be original, but only if you have a solid theoretical grounding. What if I disagree with everything written so far and no one shares my viewpoint ? I often got high grades if I constructively agreed with previous critics. And If I dared to divagate from the requirements and set up my own format, oh no !... You can be creative and original, but to a certain limited extend. Those requirements have been placed there by someone with expertize and experience in the field. But what if it is not like that ? Or even if it is, students should be encouraged to develop their own viewpoints, their own judgement. And not always supported by relevant literature. Trying to be original is usually at your risk and you might be successful or miserably fail. When studying in Romania, I did not had a similar feeling. There, I was often encouraged to be creative and good extra points were given for creativity. I often had the feeling that I need to look inside my creative spirit and come up with ideas. The system is much more reflective.

A perfect song for a perfect Friday afternoon with a perfect coffee

2010-02-19T10:34:00.001-08:00

Shalalala....

The Flat white

2010-02-19T09:55:00.000-08:00

Although apparently already popular in the UK, I was triggered this evening by one of Costa Coffee's newly introduced products: the Flat White !

I myself am not a professional coffee drinker, but this is something new to me.... For all of you coffee-lovers, Starbucks introduced it in December last year, whereas Costa Coffee followed the same trend and introduced this new product nationwide at the end of last month.. More can be read here.

According to Wiki, this type of coffee originates from Australia and is apparently designed for those who are fed up with drinking blend and milky coffees.

As far as I am concerned, the design is very attractive; however, I am puzzled by the fact that they only sell it in small sizes... Or so they do at the particular coffee shop I visited... And comparing to a normal latte, I find it quite pricey... So, let's see if I'll decide to give up my long-beloved latte and switch to this new type of beverage...

Top 8 things NOT to do when writing your dissertation

2010-02-19T07:10:00.000-08:00

Sharing experiences and feel free to add any that come into mind:

1. Do not decide to start new habits. Just starting to watch the TV series of "Prison Break" or "Grey's Anatomy" will definitely not help you out to concentrate on your dissertation... Better stick to old habits, as watching that weekly Tuesday movie...

2. Do not just sit in front of the computer all day long ! By just sitting on the couch and writing, you will develop in time this aversion towards your dissertation, your topic, and it will all get to becoming suffocating. Believe it or not, Sports gives you a waaaaay different tonus and it greatly influences your mentality... Maybe even clears your head out and gives you new ideas ?

3. Do not transform 'everything' in a routine ! Maybe you have your favourite spot where you like to study at the library or maybe you always have lunch from that take-away... Believe, we human being crave for diversity.... Even though radical chances are definitely out of the question, small chances like buying a new sparkly pen can add a bit of spice to that daily routine ..

4. Do not have your boyfriend/girlfriend/friends/family over ! How many times have you said to yourself: " Yes, I am good with time-management, I will study hard during the day and then hang around with my boyfriend in the evening..."... That just doesn't work !!... Although you work really hard, you cannot help of thinking about that enjoyable afternoon... Be a bit selfish, lock him/her temporarily in a box ! If they love you enough, they understand...If they don't, there are always sexy actors on TV :)

5. Do not 'indulge yourself' only with work!... You know that yummy chocolate you always like ? You know for weeks that your friends' birthday is coming ? Well, treat yourself ! Set up some check-points and then reward yourself...And party like nobody else, it helps building energy up ! :)

6. Do not give coffee other attributes than it has. Yes, coffee in the morning is a pleasure, it gets you moving, the energy, the joy.... Yes, but coffee breaks should not transform too often in 3-hour chats... You are in the library and you know that near you are those who have the similar sufferance with your dissertation... So what better means of loosening up than to cry on each other's shoulder...But do not forget, a break is a break, so stick to you, otherwise from a coffee break, it will end up in a lunch break and even in a night out... And coffee gives you energy.... But do not forget that it's short-term energy, try different sources for long-term energy, as sleeeeep ! Which takes us to no.7

7. Do not change your sleeping pattern just to 'be efficient'. So the whole year you are so much better studying at night, that's the time when you actually have the best ideas and when you believe you remember more when you read... Don't just suddenly torture yourself by waking up at 8 am just ti be more efficient for the time, not to waste your time... If you study better at night, just work for your dissertation at night.... Oh, and just do not forget to wake early at the deadline date :)

8. Do not start a blog ! :)...This greatly ties in with no.1, but I thought of making it a separate point :P.... When Facebook is not that interesting enough, under no circumstances decide to start your own blog because it will start to become addictive...All these new gadgets you can add, all these new topics you can write about, all these ways in which you can transform your blog, editing etc... I repeat, stay away from the keypad :)

Any other ideas ?

Bucuria revederii

2010-02-19T07:05:00.001-08:00

Glasgow, Buchanan Bus Station

Culture clash

2010-02-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

Photo taken last year on Princes Street, Edinburgh... I just loved the symbiosis and why not, the tunes between this apparently somehow peculiar combination, but so inspiring...

Second degree

2010-02-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine is thinking of doing a second degree... I personally flirted with this idea a while ago.... So what should we think about this ? Is a second degree any value-adding ?....Does it mean you wrongly chose your first degree ? Does it mean you are actually stagnating and not advancing with your life? Would going into further education be a better option ? Do you feel like you want to be a student forever ?

I personally believe one of the decisional factors for taking a second degree is that you are a bit afraid yet to go out there... And that you have embraced your student life so much, that you cannot let go yet... You probably enjoyed so much the experience of your first degree, that you want to extend it... Or maybe you did not get the best out of it and you are searching for a second chance...Or maybe a new passion lies at the horizon and you feel the urge to grab it...

However, I believe three important things should be borne in mind: 1. when you do your second degree, you are not actually at the same age as your first, you do not have the same mindset, so do not build your expectations around that.... 2. you will be also seen as a mature student, and people are judgemental sometimes about things they do not understand...3. you need to know your story and support it ! You will come across different opportunities in life (family, friends, employees, work colleagues etc) in which you will have to explain your choice... You need to have solid arguments, explain what you got out of the experience and how it greatly shaped you in the person you are today, what was basically its contribution.

All in all, if this feels right for you, if this is surely the next step you want to take, if you have a clear idea in your mind and know your pathway, why not look into this alternative ? Maybe a second degree is not a bad idea after all....

Is it only me and you ?

2010-02-09T06:15:00.000-08:00

Coffee with a friend..... "Since she has a boyfriend, we don't really talk that much any more"....Is it really that if we commit ourselves to a relationship, we do not
actually see the world around us, the things start passing by and faltering away ?....

Sure, we need to bear in mind that we commit, we get involved, change is inevitable.... Number 1 adds up to number 2.... There isn't that much "I" anymore as there is "us"... But where do we draw the line ? Where do we say stop to becoming a different other person, busy with our problems (and mostly with our couple's problems).... When our friends cannot discuss and socialize with us any longer as they used to ....In this spinning carousel called 'relationship', maybe we fail to consider that much of our life-established friends do not have room any longer in our new couple life, maybe boundaries have been settled to where my friend stops existing and my attention is totally devoted to my significant other....

And then the question springs into mind: To what extent ? Where do we stop and remain ourselves, our 'old' selves, when it used to be only "me"...? How do we decide how much room to allocate to our significant other and when does it mean that we are neglecting friends ?

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a small step"

2010-02-08T03:59:00.000-08:00

Lao-Tze (Chinese Taoist philosopher)...

And here I am, making the very first small step, publishing my very first post, hoping, daring, dreaming, making scenarios, believing.... The journey prevails and steps are being taken...

Here "It's coffee time!", a place for discussions, ideas, a place where you meet friends and talk, where you feel warm and at your ease, where you make plans for the world, go wrong and start all over again... Here is the place where you are sad and happy, where you laugh and get mad, where you remember the past and fantasize about the future, where you find out about experiences, but in the end you enjoy the journey...

This blog is not intended whatsoever to make any special statements or to focus on particular topics. I hope I will induce critical discussion and sharing of ideas... I do ask for patience and understanding until I properly figure out how the blog-world works, since I am a novice at this...

Anyway, enjoy and I am looking forward for my coffee ;)

P.S. Posts will be both in English and Romanian, should I make any mistakes in English, I already express my apologies ...