I cross all the seas, it's fine by me...

Am fost in Birmingham la Targul de Craciun - Birmingham-Frankfurt Christmas Market - asa ca m-am simtit ca in Germania: Weihnachtsmarkt, Bratwurst, Glühwein, Weißbier, ja, ja, entchuldigung!, bitte schön, danke schön etc. Nu imi cereti sa va spun cum s-a terminat ziua (si noaptea) respectiva, caci dupa ce ne-am intors in Coventry am mers la o petrecere :D

Am mai terminat un eseu pentru cursul de International Organised Crime - daca doriti detalii despre crima organizata din Albania va rog sa ma contactati. Chiar credeam ca lucrarea asta va fi mai usoara decat cea de la International Terrorism, dar ne-am inselat cu totii: volumul de munca a fost mult mai mare. Trebuia sa alegem o organizatie criminala (chineza, albaneza, rusa etc), sa ii analizam originile, evolutia, modus operandi si mijloacele legale luate pt a o combate. Toate astea in 1500 de cuvinte!!! In fine, am facut-o si pe asta!

De voie, de nevoie, am iesit (din nou!) la cumparaturi, dar, ca de obicei, am facut afaceri bune: mi-am luat haine de sezon (speriata de ce mi s-a spus - ca in Romania este foarte frig) la reduceri (H&M este prietenul meu cel mai bun :P) si am descoperit un outlet foarte tare, de unde mi-am achizitionat ochelari de soare (caci trebuie sa ii inlocuiesc pe cei pierduti, nu?) Karl Lagerfeld cu 20 lire si, la acelasi pret, blugi Replay :D Ziceti voi ca nu ma pricep! :)

Am decis, intr-un final, ca imi voi petrecere Anul Nou la Alex si Gabel, in Danemarca, caci apoi cine stie cand mai am ocazia sa ii revad si, nah, o data-i Revelionul...O sa fie o perioada nebuna si foarte obositoare, dar sunt tanara, imi permit...

Momentan nu imi vin in minte alte lucruri demne de mentionat...Poate data viitoare!


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Things I Haven't Mentioned Lately...

I've been to Birmingham to the Birmingham-Frankfurt Christmas Market so I felt like in Germany: Weihnachtsmarkt, Bratwurst, Glühwein, Weißbier, ja, ja, entchuldigung!, bitte schön, danke schön etc.Don't ask me how the day (and the night) has ended because we went to a party after we returned to Coventry :D

I finished another paper for the International Organised Crime lecture - if you want any details on the Albanian organised crime please contact me. We all thought that this assignment is easier than the on in International Terrorism, but we were all mistaken: the working volume was larger. We had to chose a criminal group (Chinese, Albanian, Russian etc), to analyse its origins, its evolution, its modus operandi and means to combat it. All these in 1500 words!!! Whateva, I've done it!

Whether I wanted or not, I had to go shopping (again), but, as usual, I've great deals: I bought this season's clothes (scared of the forecast from Romania) on sales (H&M is my best friend :P) and I've discovered a really cool outlet, where from I bought Karl Lagerfeld sunglasses (I have to replace the lost one, right?) with 20 pounds and, on same price, Replay jeans :D Man, I'm good!

I finally decided to spend the New Year's Eve at my brother's and his girlfriend, in Denmark, because I don't know when I'm going to see them next...It will be a crazy and exhausting period, but I'm young, I can afford it...

For the moment I can't think of any other things worth mentioning...Maybe next time!

Translation

Argumentele (valabile pentru ambele tururi de scrutin) sunt destul de simple:

1. "N-ai cu cine" vorba reclamei. Caci nu e vorba despre a alege "raul cel mai mic", ci despre a vota un individ in ale carui idei si program crezi cu adevarat. Nu o sa fie bine, indiferent de rezultat, dar macar sa ai mandria de a spune apoi ca tu nu ai votat asa ceva.

2. Principele Radu de Hohenzollern-Veringen s-a retras de mult din cursa.

3. Realizez ca a ajuns sa imi pese prea putin de soarta Romaniei, mai ales ca nu imi imaginez si nu imi doresc un viitor acolo. Si, in fond, de ce mi-ar pasa de o tara in care oamenii sunt blamati cand organizeaza o greva (lucru perfect constitutional), precum cea a METROREX-ului de acum cateva saptamani, pentru a-si cere drepturile (si ele constitutionale)? Dar nu ne gandim la conditiile in care lucreaza acei oameni, la faptul ca o calatorie cu metroul in Bucuresti este una dintre cele mai ieftine din Europa. Iar daca maine s-ar cere majorarea cartelei cu 50%, toata lumea s-ar revolta, desi poate ca banii aia intr-adevar ar aduce o imbunatarire in acest sector (calatoritul cu metroul). Dar nu, romanii pleaca din start cu o atitudine negativa (la fel cum se intampla si cu votul alb) - "astia sigur ne fura". Iar acesta este cel mai simplu exemplu....
Mai lecturez din cand in cand presa romaneasca (online) si ma ingrozesc de ce vad in comentariile cititorilor diverselor articole (de politica interna sau externa): cata ignoranta si prostie. Suntem (da, si eu, caci m-am nascut romanca) un popor de indivizi ce stiu doar sa ii acuze pe ceilalti si sa caute scuze pentru nereusitele personale. Ei bine, eu nu am de gand sa accept asa ceva si nu vreau sa caut sau sa aduc o "schimbare" pentru Romania, caci nu merita. Asta sa o faca cei care vor sa se complaca! (evident, nu vorbesc aici de cei trecuti de o anumita varsta, cei care nu au anumite posibilitati - in termeni de lb straine, cunostinte PC, fexibilitate etc -, ci de cei mai tineri)

4. Nu exista sectie de votare in Coventry.

5. Acum 2 saptamani a plouat prea tare intreaga dupa-amiaza, iar azi m-am trezit prea tarziu pentru a merge in Birmingham sa votez.

Stiu ca tocmai eu sunt cea care promoveaza acest mecanism al democratiei (care in ultima vreme tinde sa se transforme in simplul vot alb, in opinia mea), chiar acum, la 20 de la caderea regimurilor comuniste in Europa (stiti voi...redobandirea liberatilor), dar, la un moment dat, simt ca fac prea mult zgomot pentru nimic...
Cum spuneam, noi, romanii, ne gasim mereu scuze...


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I Voted! NOT!

The arguments (valid for both voting rounds) are pretty simple:

1. "There's no one to deal with", as a Romanian advertisement says (I'm sorry fro the poor translation of the expression). It's not about choosing "the less worse thing", but about voting an individual in whose ideas and programme you truly believe in. It won't be OK, regardless the final result, but at least you can have the pride of stating that you didn't vote for it.

2. Prince Radu of Hohenzollern-Veringen steeped out of the race for Presidency long time ago.

3. I realise that I reached that point where I care to little about Romania, especially since I can't and I don't want to imagine myself a future there. In the end, why would I care about a country where people are blamed when they organise a strike (a perfectly constitutional thing), like the one METROREX (the Romanian Subway Company) had a few weeks ago, demanding their right (also constitutional)? But we never get to think about the conditions in which those people work, about the fact the a subway trip in Bucharest is one of the cheapest in Europe. And if tomorrow someone would demand increasing the fare by 50% everyone would protest, even though those money might actually bring an improvement in this area (travelling by tube). But wait, Romanians always have this negative attitude (likewise with the blank vote) - "they are trying to cheat on us". And this is the easiest example...
From time to time I lecture the Romanian press (online) and I'm terrified when I see the comments of some readers of various articles (of either foreign or domestic policy): a lot of ignorance and stupidity. We are (yes, me too, because I was born as a Romanian) a nation of individuals who only know how to blame the others and to seek excuses for their personal failures. Well, I do not intend to accept such case and I don't want to look for or to bring a "change" for Romania, because it's not worthed. This should be done by those who are contented in this kind of situation! (obviously, I'm not talking about those who passed by a certain age, those who lack certain possibilities - in terms of foreign languages, PC skills, flexibility etc -, I'm referring to youngsters)

4. There is no constituency in Coventry.

5. Two weeks ago it rained too much the whole after-noon and today I woke up too late to go to Birmingham to vote.

I know I used to be the one promoting this mechanism of democracy (which lately tends to transform itself in the simple blank vote, in my opinion), just now, 20 years after the fall of the communist regimes in Europe (you know...getting back liberties), but, at some point, I feel I'm causing much ado about nothing...
As I was saying, we, the Romanian, always find ourselves excuses...