Blowing in the wind

"How many roads must a man walk down, before you call him a man?

.....
Yes and how many times can a man turn his head, and pretend that he just doesn't see.
......

How many times must a man look up, before he can reach in the sky"

I guess we all know the answer.

Half of a second

Paris, 2004

Sometimes, your entire life might depend on what you decide to do or not in a half of a meter. Or a second. It might have been better or it might have been worst.  But you never know because you hesitated.

For those of you still hesitating, reach out and fill in that half of a meter separating you from your happiness. Then, like us, you will be able then to go the whole nine yards and still hold on to it.

Make your decision !

Could that Frabjous Day be Today?

@Disney

Pepe & Oana lost it

Guys, there is hope. 

Although scored double than my post 30 min earlier, Pepe & Oana experiment is nowhere in my weekly traffic. I would have bet it will rock the sky. 

So, thank you, YOU ROCK !

Kwisatz Haderach

Paris, Notre Dame, 2004

Did you ever had a feeling that you are interpreting different roles in different areas of your life? Like having a mask for every role you perform. You wear the mask for your job, one for the family, one for the moment you need to go socialize, lately even one mask for your online personality.

Could this be possible? Would this be then real? Sometimes I feel so teared apart into so many directions than I wonder who I really am. It is like Dr. Jekill and Mr. Hyde multiplied.

But somehow between the many directions I need to perform in, I need to remember and rebuild who I really am.  And even I am forced to be in many places and fulfill mine's and everybody's duties, dreams and expectations, I still need to remain firm and in one piece.

Maybe this was too in Frank's Herbert mind when he imagined Kwisatz Haderach, the one who can be many places at once, the only one able to look in the dark place inside sisterhood member's souls.

The spring without a name

I wonder how the flowers will look like this spring. 

The good thing about flowers is that you can always rely on their beauty. 

Just pick one you love and wait for it every spring.

For my friend Mishu

Simon 2006

In 40 years I had very few friends. Definitely much more women friends than men. You heard already this. But sometimes it just happen to meet some one you like, you start bonding and at some point you realize that the right word it is friend. So, this is for my friend Mishu, turning 33 today.

It is definitely the common passion for photography that made us bonding but leaving this aside I, and Camelia also, always felt him as a nice, warm, open, trustful and interesting person, always ready to help. He is also very close to my kids. And that's a story to be told.

In 2006 we went spent an weekend in the mountains celebrating our common good friend Marius. Mishu met with Runa, my 6 y.o. girl. It was love at the first sight. Especially because he spent the whole evening playing with her in the most craziest and exhausting way possible. Mishu was so exhausted from the crazy games that (as he told us next morning) he jumped into bed and felt asleep before actually touching the bed.

Next morning we left early and when going into car I have asked Runa "Don't you say good bye to Mishu?". "Who's Mishu?" replied her? I was so embarrassed than I try to solve the issue by saying this lousy excuse "You know, women are like this!" Five years after, they are still very good friends.

So, Mishu my friend, I can't think to a better birthday gift than saying publicly here that I am happy that you are my friend. See you tomorrow.  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Auris 4000

One of the reasons I am so good - and immodest I know:) - in my job is because I have a natural talent for geographical and topographic orientation. I have an almost unfailing photographic memory when it comes to places. Let me go just one time in a city and I will be able to go blindly next time. Like I have a GPS in my head.

But that's the thing. I don't like GPS. I love the maps. There is something about me and the maps. Corollary to my love for traveling I presume, but it should be more. A recently started to use GPS because of the easiness of usage and freedom Cami has with it ;) But I am still buying at least one map for any road trip I am taking. And God knows road trip is my kind of trip. That's how I got half of a case full with maps.

I recently made a Romanian road trip, a business trip in colleague's Auris. 4000 km and seeing most of the Romanian outdoor advertising inventory.  So he was puzzled. Not only that I knew the street names and know how to find my way in any of cities we visited but I was still remembering most of the board addresses.

I think that all my passions, my skills and professional experience brought me back to this job. It's just to fit for me. And for the maps in my head.

The other half of the case is full with travel guides (mostly DK, my favorite). I have this habit, every time I go to an English or French speaking country I buy DK travel guides for the places I would love to see.

I guess I have to stop because the balance is to heavy for the ones I still haven't reach. I will need a bigger Auris for that.

My little angel is turning 10

She was born on 2001, March 17th.

She grew up under our eyes

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

 2009

And now she's turning into a lovely young lady

Happy Birthday RUNA !!!!

Mom & Dad will always love you!

Lowest Point

@ www.goodmansjourney.com

This is Badlands, Death Valley in Nevada, USA. The lowest, the driest and hottest spot in North America. Obviously this a dessert. You might remember about the almost mystic liaison between me and the desserts.

One of the reasons Death Valley is like this is its position under a rain shadow zone. "A rain shadow is a dry area on the lee side of a mountainous area. The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems, casting a "shadow" of dryness behind them"  @wikipedia. Funny enough, not very far away from Death Valley is Sequoia National Forrest Park, one of the most endurable and life friendly places on earth. 

I wonder how often to we meet this situation in life? How many rain shadows do we seek or meet in life, preventing us from living to a happy relaxed zone and keeping us low, dry and exhausted? 

I haven't been to Death Valley yet, so I haven't been to the lowest point. But I guess from that point on it would be only one way. Going up. And that's a comforting thought.

Love that has no opposite

Madrid 2011

For many months my post about my non arguing relationship with my wife has been the most read on this blog. I recently read more of Eckhart Tolle's Power of Now book and here below is what he said about this. Once more it's validating  what we have naturally felt and did. 

"How many people does it take to make your life into a spiritual practice? Never mind if your partner will not cooperate. Sanity - consciousness - can only come into this world through you. You do not need to wait for the world to become sane, or for somebody else to become conscious, before you can be enlightened. You may wait forever. Do not accuse each other of being unconscious. The moment you start to argue, you have identified with a mental position and are now defending not only that position but also your sense of self. The ego is in charge. You have become unconscious. At times, it may be appropriate to point out certain aspects of your partner's behavior. If you are very alert, very present, you can do so without ego involvement - without blaming, accusing, or making the other wrong.

When your partner behaves unconsciously, relinquish all judgment. Judgment is either to confuse someone's unconscious behavior with who they are or to project your own unconsciousness onto another person and mistake that for who they are. To relinquish judgment does not mean that you do not recognize dysfunction and unconsciousness when you see it. It means "being the knowing" rather than "being the reaction'' and the judge. You will then either be totally free of reaction or you may react and still be the knowing, the space in which the reaction is watched and allowed to be. Instead of fighting the darkness, you bring in the light. Instead of reacting to delusion, you see the delusion yet at the same time look through it. Being the knowing creates a clear space of loving presence that allows all things and all people to be as they are. No greater catalyst for transformation exists. If you practice this, your partner cannot stay with you and remain unconscious.

If you both agree that the relationship will be your spiritual practice, so much the better. You can then express your thoughts and feelings to each other as soon as they occur, or as soon as a reaction comes up, so that you do not create a time gap in which an unexpressed or unacknowledged emotion or grievance can fester and grow. Learn to give expression to what you feel without blaming. Be present. Accusing, defending, attacking - all those patterns that are designed to strengthen or protect the ego or to get its needs met will then become redundant. Giving space to others - and to yourself - is vital. Love cannot flourish without it. When you have removed the two factors that are destructive of relationships: When the pain-body has been transmuted and you are no longer identified with mind and mental positions, and if your partner has done the same, you will experience the bliss of the flowering of relationship. Instead of mirroring to each other your pain and your unconsciousness, instead of satisfying your mutual addictive ego needs, you will reflect back to each other the love that you feel deep within, the love that comes with the realization of your oneness with all that is. Learn to listen to your partner in an open, nondefensive way. Give your partner space for expressing himself or herself.  This is love that has no opposite"

Smiling life

Bucuresti 2010

Today I have been asked by a good friend to meet after a long period in which we haven't met. She said that she feels so much positive energy coming out of Cami's and mine electronic activity that she would like to borrow some. Obviously I was happy and gladly agreed to it. And I smiled. Obviously. That's the thing about me, I am exhaling energy. And I keep smiling.

I don't know from where it comes from. I am wearing it almost permanently. Even when I am upset and stressed somewhere in the corner of my being there is a smile. I have even told been recently that smiling is a part of my job description, as redundant as this sounds :)

I recently came to the conclusion that even my face looks like I-can't-never-see-your-eyes face is like this because of my continuous smiling. I hope and plan and care that this will never stop. I have told my new colleagues that if I will ever loose my smile because on job issues than I will leave the company.

As for the future, rest assured, my little boy has it. He has this inner smile too. He is the smiling life itself. May this continue and be contagious to all people in my life.

To all the ladies in my life

Happy 8 of March !!!

Bingo Boys

I never imagined I can quote from such kind of music - very much not me. But for certain reasons it's extremely relevant to me these days.

"Living in a strange situation -
of too much talking about communication

So stop and listen!

Smile and quickly catch the vibe
open up and enjoy the ride
in no music day communication is the way
let's talk about a serious business
and our bitch is kill the listen
if the life is a situation of too much talk - no communication"

Sunday Fun

Reading about Maya

"Philosophically, the Maya believed that knowing the past meant knowing the cyclical influences that create the present, and by knowing the influences of the present one can see the cyclical influences of the future" (wikipedia)

Fascinating creatures!

Gorgeous 41

Happy Birthday Cami !!!

Madrid 2011

Waltz. Op. #168

Bucuresti, 2005

There is a saying like: "Small kids, small problems, big kids, bigger problems" As you know, I have 3 kids, of 10, 5 and 2 1/2 y.o, 2 girls and 1 boy so I am coming across all kind of problems.

Runa will soon be 10, she's in the 4th grade and starting to have self confidence issues mainly because of her teacher. I will not discuss here about her teacher or our beloved education system (don't start me into this because I am so furious these days that I won't stop until I hurt someone).  This is about self confidence. And beware they don't teach or practice this in school.

Sometimes I find very difficult to explain in simple and convincing words to a 10 y.o. kid why the people are bad, why kids are mocking among themselves, why the contemporary moral values and behavior are not the right ones, why her teacher is doing or saying things even I can't accept or justify.

Runa is a very good kid, with very much common sense and good behavior, but somehow vulnerable for the jungle out there. I am always trying to motivate her and lifting her spirit but keeping her in the positive area of human behavior.

So here I am trying to justify why a gang of kids (spoiled enough most probably) she joined last December, when we finally afforded to send her in a ski holiday in Austria, was constantly laughing at her only because she was the last one on the ski slopes.

It came back to me then some of my own penitence, now faded out. So I gave her this example in which I have experienced the same kind of laughs and bad jokes during the years. Yet again, when you reach 40, and you have 3 great kids, a gorgeous wife, a personal, social and professional life satisfaction it doesn't matter that kids, people, so called friends or colleagues laughed at your 168 cm height. It's so unimportant that I married a 4 cm taller women. 

And we are great in waltzing together :)