Look right, look left

... and enjoy the space between right and left. That's London for me. I'm not in the "right" mood to describe my "left" impression on London or on my trip. I'm still in the space between right and left. Enjoy these pictures:









If you want more pictures from London, click here: http://picasaweb.google.com/beudean/Londra#

Ce se intampla, doctore? (partea a doua)

For the English version of this article, click here.

"The talks may seem high-minded and maybe even irrelevant to the person in the street: nothing could be farther from the truth. This summit has to start to lay a creative map for the world ahead.

Past economic collapses have one particularly unfortunate consequence - they often end in conflict, in war. It would be welcome if this time, human beings could crack that model."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7907780.stm

Da, v-ati prins, este vorba despre viitorul summit-ul G20 din Londra, din 2 aprilie, cel pe care eu il astept inca de la articolul "What's up doc?". Atunci eram foarte revoltata ca cei 20 de lideri mondiali nu se misca destul de repede si nici nu prea stiu ce sa faca si... asteapta.

Discutiile astea ale lor poate ca sunt irelevante pentru salariul meu si al celorlalti, dar mi-e teama ca cei 20 de lideri o sa uite de niste lucruri extrem de importante. Poate ati auzit de bancul ong-istilor cu acei copii aruncati in rau a carui morala era ca trebuie oprita acea persoana care arunca pruncii si nu sa tot sara cate un ong-ist dupa fiecare copil aruncat in rau, sa il salveze. Acum mi-e teama ca, in timp cei 20 de lideri cauta "ucigasul de copii" si gandesc strategii care sa impiedice alti oameni sa arunce copiii in rau, tot ei o sa uite de "copiii" care sunt deja in rau sau chiar de raul poluat. Adica o sa lase pe ultimul plan saracia globala care se adanceste, mediul care se murdareste tot mai tare, resursele care se scurg si nevoia de a "inventa" constant a omenirii.

Pe de alta parte, imi place atitudinea pe care o adopta, exact contrara crizei anilor '20-'30. Cel putin tarile UE vor sa lupte impotriva protectionismului si sustin ca criza trebuie rezolvata prin planuri globale bazate pe incredere si cooperare. Acum, pot sa spuna una si sa faca alta, desi nu prea cred ca au incotro si musai sa faca ceea ce spun.

SUA, Franta si tarile din Asia de Est nu prea sunt de acord si vor protectionism national si si-au cam facut de cap, daca nu ele ca tara, atunci companiile lor. Insa chiar daca acestea adopta o politica de protectie a economiilor nationale, cati consumatori "globali" vor alege sa cumpere un produs doar pentru ca asa ar incuraja economia nationala ??? Stiu ca nu e vorba doar de consum, ci si de productie, de importuri si exporturi, dar nu cred ca se mai poate pune stavila globalizarii, atata vreme cat aceasta a devenit extrem de accesibila la nivel individual, iar intermediarii - cei care ar putea initia regulile jocului - au disparut sau sunt pe cale de disparitie. Ce o sa faca? Ne taie Internetul? Ne confisca telefoanele? Opresc televiziunile? Distrug avioanele? Inchid granitele? Sau le scumpesc pe toate?

What's up, doc? (2nd episode)

"The talks may seem high-minded and maybe even irrelevant to the person in the street: nothing could be farther from the truth. This summit has to start to lay a creative map for the world ahead.

Past economic collapses have one particularly unfortunate consequence - they often end in conflict, in war. It would be welcome if this time, human beings could crack that model."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7907780.stm

Yes, you got it. I want to talk about G20 summit from London (April 2nd), the summit that I'm waiting for since "What's up, doc?" article. At that time I was mad that the 20 leaders don't work fast enough, they don't really know what to do and they just... wait.

Their meetings and discussions may not be relevant for my income or others' income, but I'm afraid that those leaders will forget some really important things in this process of getting the world out of the financial crisis. Maybe you heard the nonprofit joke/story with those babies thrown into the river. The conclusion of the story is that it is better to catch the one who throws the babies into the water than to wait for babies on the river and save them.

I'm afraid that while these leaders will look for "the babies killer" and build strategies to prevent any other incident like this one, the same leaders will forget about the babies who are already into the water or about the river which is strongly polluted. In other words, they might forget about the global poverty which is getting worse, the environment which is dirtier and dirtier, about the resources which are less and less, and about the constant human need for inventing and re-inventing itself.

On the other side, I like the new attitude which seems to be the opposite of the one from '20s-'30s crisis. At least, it seems like the EU countries are decided to fight against national protectionism and they suggest that the financial crisis must be solved through global plans based on trust and cooperation. Now, they can "talk" this, but they can "walk" it differently. I hope and believe that they cannot do it in another way - they have to stay globally.

USA, France and East Asia don't really agree the previous idea and they took some actions and established some protectionist rules. But even so, how many "global" consumers will change their habits/tastes only to support the national economy? I know that it's not everything about consuming, that it is also about imports, exports, production, etc. But still I do not think that we can stop the globalization, as it is already "on the street", and it's working not only for countries, governments and companies, but also for individuals. What will "they"(the powerful leaders) do? They will cut the Internet? They will take our phones? They will stop the TV channels? They will destroy the planes? They will close the borders? They will increase the prices for all these "networking" and "communication" global services?

Taxi-ul vietii!

For the English version of this article click here.

Am iesit in ploaie vorbind inca de Benjamin Button. Eram convinsa ca o sa le placa. E un film care nu le place multora, unii au parasit sala, iar altii au rezistat pana la sfarsit cu un popcorn mare sau sarutandu-si iubitele/iubitii mai des si mai lung. Eu mi-am retrait viata, si pe cea viitoare si sunt curioasa "what comes next". Nu stiu daca tine de momentul vietii, de ochelarii pe care ii porti, de agitatia in care te invarti, de luminita pe care nu o vezi, de nesiguranta pe care o ai, de certitudinea din urechi, de adancimea ochilor sau doar de rabdare... dar filmul poate fi cel mai bun film pe care l-ai vazut vreodata, daca e sa fie asa, daca nu let it go.

Si am iesit in ploaie. Si m-am uitat ce taxi sa iau spre casa. Alb sau rosu (poate ultimul taxi rosu din Cluj si care ar fi trebuit sa imi sara in ochi, ca sa il aleg). Am ezitat si m-am urcat destul de rapid in cel alb. Am inghitit o replica despre vremea "de facut copii si numarat banii" si am tacut. Ma uitam pe geam si ma gandeam la film si la viata... Nu conta traseul, soferul stia strada.

Simt gropile din ce in ce mai tare, apa se aude tot mai puternic si imi simt picioarele vulnerabile la gandul ca s-ar putea zdrobi de scaunul din fata mea. Ma trezesc si ma uit repede la indicatorul de kilometri: 100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow. Luminile de afara arata din ce in ce mai bine... pe linia de tramvai zburam. Imi trece prin minte sa ii spun soferului sa incetineasca, pentru ca nu ma simt in siguranta. Nu. Lasa-l. Nu mai e mult. Ma calmez. 80 - in fata semnului de cedeaza trecerea. N-o cedam. Noroc ca nu aveam cui. N-am zis stop, am mers mai departe. M-am gandit la ai mei, m-am gandit la mine, m-am bucurat de lumini, de gropile din asfalt, de linia de tramvai si de geamurile aburite. Am ajuns acasa si am zis un "la revedere" foarte rece, ca si cum nimic nu s-ar fi intamplat. Doar ca am strecurat cam greu cheia in poarta. Din cauza ploii.

Asa... Benjamin Button. Mai bine conduc eu viata asta, cu masina si muzica mea, in ritmul meu.

Life's cab!

We went out in the rain still talking about Benjamin Button. I knew that they (my friends) would like it. But many people don't like this movie, some left before the first part of the movie, the others stayed counting on popcorn or sweet kisses from their lovers. I re-lived my life (the future life too), and I'm curious "what comes next". This movie may be the best movie of your life, if it has to be like that, if not... let it go. It might depend on the moment of your life, on the glasses you wear, the craziness you live in, the light you cannot see, the lack of confidence you experience, the certainty from your ears, or the depth of your eyes.

And I stepped out in the rain. And I looked for a taxi. White or red. Red was too obvious, so I took the white cab. After a small conversation on the weather, I enjoyed the silence, the road. So I went back to the movie, to my life...

Suddenly, I feel the road more than I should, the water's sound is stronger and stronger, and I feel my legs more vulnerable... I might lose them in a car crash. I wake up and look to the speed indicator: 100!!!!!! Wow. The outside lights look better and better, we almost fly on the tram line. I should tell the drive to stop, 'cause I don't feel safe, but... no. I should be home in less than one minute. I calm down. We enter a crossroads with 80 km/h. I don't say anything. I think about my parents, about me, and I enjoy the lights, the road, the tram line, the steamed windows. I get home and I say a cold "bye" as nothing happened. But I could hardly open the door... because of the rain.

So... Benjamin Button. It's better to drive my own life, with my own car and music, in my own rythm.

Doua ganduri si o privire

For the English version of this article click here.

Avem un tramvai nou in oras. Seamana cu cele vechi, dar e alb cu niste dungi in diagonala si ascunse, dar verzi. Si fiind asa de alb, intr-un oras din ce in ce mai gri, atrage atentia. Cum calatoresc zi de zi cu tramvaiul, exceptand zilele in care Sf. Chevrolet poate fi scos de sub racla, toata lumea pe care nu o cunoasteti voi ma intreaba cum e noul tramvai. Ridic din umeri si zic ca nu stiu. Si spun adevarul. Alaltaieri s-a stricat cu 50 de metri inainte de a ajunge in statia in care il asteptam eu. Asa ca am mers pe jos, lasand in urma albul tramvaiului si luand praful la picior.

Si uite asa v-am spus ce nu am vrut sa va spun. In timp ce scriam cele de mai sus, ma gandeam la altceva. Si reusesc sa fac asta tot mai des. Reusesc chiar sa intretin o intreaga conversatie logica, cu intrebari bine gandite si cu raspunsuri pe care le tin minte, gandindu-ma la altceva. Poate si voi faceti la fel, dar pentru mine e un lucru nou. Poate pentru ca se apropie primavara sau imbatranesc sau a inceput sa functioneze un neuron nou. Si asta pentru ca am inceput sa gandesc in povesti si imagini, fara conversatii. Si uite asa ma gandesc la ocean, la prieteni, la intamplari, la zambete, la nervi, la ochi, la miscari, din nou la ochi, la lucruri neintamplate inca. Si se duce conversatia, se rezolva lucrurile. Daca insa partenerii de dialog s-ar uita atenti la mine, cred ca s-ar prinde ca mintea mea e in doua parti deodata. Singura problema este ca uneori imi ies cuvinte ciudate din gura care amesteca cel putin doua ganduri total deosebite.

Sa imi revin? Sau oricum nu conteaza. Ca nu se uita nimeni foarte atent. Cred ca fiecare faceti la fel. V-am prins.

Two thoughts, one look

There is a new tram in the city. It looks like the others, but it is white with green stripes. And it's white in a gray city, and everyone can see it. As I travel every day by tram (take out the days when I can drive my dad's "Saint" Chevrolet), everyone asks me how the new tram is. I don't know. And I mean it. Two days ago, it broke 50 meters before the stop where it should pick me up. So, I walked dreaming for its "white" and "blessing" the dust.

And I told you what I didn't want to tell you. While I was writing the rows above, I was thinking to something else. It happens very often in the last month. I manage to keep an entire discussion, with good questions and answers I can remember, being with my mind in another place or time. Maybe you do the same, but for me it's something new. It might be from the spring, or it might be that I'm getting old or a new neuron is working. I began to think using images, and stories, without discussions. So, I manage to talk seriously, and to think, at the same time, about the ocean, about friends, eyes, events, smiles, anger, eyes again, hugs, and things that haven't happen yet. And the discussion is over, and the things are solved. If people will look carefully, they would observe that my mind is in at least two places. The only problem is that sometimes I use strange words which combine at least two different thoughts.

Should I change myself? It doesn't really matter. Nobody looks carefully. I think everyone does the same. I caught you.