Nada de nada

2008-05-11T12:41:00.003-04:00

Artificial Intelligence

U.S. authorities have decided that taking your shoes off and having your fingerprints taken at the border just doesn't do the trick anymore. A new law, which has been discussed for a while now, allows officers to download all the files you have in your computer and to even seize your laptop for an uncertain period of time. After all, I'm sure that any terrorist wannabe would enter the U.S.A. with laptops full of maps of mine fields and instructions on how to hijack bicycles.
It seems that Bush is trying harder than ever to leave an abominable legacy and to get his name on top of the "roller coaster to hell" list. How long will everyone let the U.S. bully them and ignore human rights? Until now, only Brazil has taken a step in the right direction. A friend of mine was telling me about how the South American country stops U.S. citizens at the boarder and keeps them for hours in a row, while taking their fingertips and analyzing their criminal record. Why don't all other countries have the guts to do that? After all, one is only as powerful as the others let him be.

Source: The Inquirer

2008-04-21T21:14:00.011-04:00

Insane and Insensible

A few days ago, Mariana was trying to let me in on the philosophy behind the movie "Un chien andalou", by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí. I don't know how or why the readings I'm doing for my final essay made me think about our discussion, but I took advantage of this flashback and looked up the movie on youtube. I found it, I watched it, I didn't understand much of it, of course, then I went on wikipedia, I understood a bit more, and I finally accepted the fact that I have to dedicate more time to deciphering this movie... as soon as possible. Until then, I only have one question: am I weird for not being repulsed or shocked by the famous shot of the eye getting cut by a knife? Buñuel himself said he placed that scene at the beginning so that people would enter a psychedelic state that would allow them to better absorb the surreal atmosphere of the movie. Am I already that dysfunctional or is it just that I've seen this scene too many times and read even more about it?

2008-04-17T15:43:00.003-04:00

Stonehenge - Astrology, Religion or Medicine?

Although there’s no denying the beauty of Big Ben at sunset or the mesmerizing effect of the architecture of Westminster Abbey, Stonehenge is undeniably the English landmark that has always attracted most archeology aficionados and tourists eager to find out the secret hiding between its stones. Many theories regarding its original purpose have surfaced throughout decades, among which the most widely accepted portrayed Stonehenge as a sacred site, an astrological/ astronomical observatory, a primitive calendar or even a hiding place. Recent investigation has come to show that its most probable purpose was to serve as a healing place. The blue stones considered to have healing properties and the bones buried nearby support this theory and open the way for more advanced research.

2008-04-04T12:33:00.007-04:00

Memories that Will Always Follow Me

I was new at Concordia. It was my second semester and I was still getting used to a system completely different from what I was used to. I felt inferior for not being Spanish, English or French native, at least, and I didn't think my ideas would be good enough for this demanding university and its professors. "Critical reading" was a course that announced itself to be very competitive. The first class only reinforced that idea on us, and all of my 11 colleagues from the previous Spanish course dropped it. I was alone, again, but I couldn't give up that easily. Surprisingly enough, I managed to "float" through grades of A- and A until towards the end. I felt encouraged by how interesting the readings were and by how our professor would help us see things we would've never thought of otherwise. All this energetic serenity was disrupted when for our final assignment we had to pick between Isabel Allende's "De barro estamos hechos" and J. L. Borges' s "Emma Zunz". The first text was fairly easy and most of my colleagues wanted to write their essay on that. Meanwhile, I could not understand anything from the Argentinian writer's short novel, but didn't want to have a work similar to the others. Therefore, when our professor set up appointments with each one of us, I took advantage of my allotted time and shared my dilemma with him. He told me that I could turn this essay into an attempt to understand Borges's work. "Of course", I said, "but what about my G.P.A.?" (grade point average) "I wouldn't want to destroy it because of such audacity." I will never forget his answer: "Of course there's always this risk, but you will never know until you've tried... and I think you can do it."

It was exactly what I needed. I spent more than one week fighting with "Emma Zunz", I kept on looking for that interesting idea I needed... and I finally found it. I managed to get A+ for the essay and A+ for the whole course. But it was about so much more than just that. He let me express myself and taught me to explore my ideas, no matter how stupid or irrelevant I thought they were. He encouraged me to look beyond my fear of public speaking and consider a teaching career. He made me be passionate about Golden Age literature, considering that I'm not that fond of literature studies. He determined me to take risks and dig beyond the surface. He came have a drink with us after class, although it was his birthday and he could have spent the evening at home. He told me he'd come shake my hand at graduation, although he'll be on sabbatical. He's everything I could wish for in a professor and a human being. I'm so fortunate to have had him as a professor and I could never forget what he has done for me.

2008-03-27T08:46:00.005-04:00

Bebe - Malo

El ritmo de esta canción me da más fuerza cada vez que la escucho; nada que ver con las palabras, sólo el ímpetu y la determinación de la interprete. Ya me tiene obsesionada.

2008-03-26T16:22:00.002-04:00

What the Hell Is Wrong with Me???

I must have too many things on my mind, otherwise I can't explain the stupidity of missing words in 3 out of 5 translations! I know I'm very worried about lots of stuff and that my mind wonders off with every minute, but it's never happened to me before, not even when I was really, really upset. I was laughing today when seeing that I had missed 4 words... thus loosing 3.6 points. I felt like hitting myself with a brick, but I could only laugh. What the hell? I thought I was stronger! Come on, Mirela, wake up and stop acting like that! The worse is yet to come.

2008-03-23T03:11:00.004-04:00

Entre salidas y entradas

La cara miente siempre, porque ni nosotros mismos sabemos que hay adentro. La falta de expresión dice más que una mezcla de sonrisas, guiños y lagrimas. Y para qué seguir con la mentira, ¿quién y a dónde vuelve? Nadie, a ningún lugar. Tener sueño no quiere decir que puedas dormir.

2008-03-09T13:14:00.012-04:00

Snowstorm Aftermath

Yesterday was the worst day I've ever got to live in Montreal. We knew it would be snowing, but the only things that could've prepared us for what we had to face would've been words like "typhoon", "don't leave your homes" or "you might freeze while walking". It usually takes me 10 minutes to get from the building I live in to the metro. And that's going uphill. Yesterday it took me half an hour to get home from the metro. And that's downhill. Small, icy flakes led by the fierce wind would bit my face, while my legs got lost in the snowy molasses and took their time resurfacing. If Gogol were alive, I would ask him to describe yesterday's scenery. But since that's not an option and since I couldn't take any photos yesterday because I had forgotten my camera (and, anyway, I might've frozen to death while trying to get such a souvenir), I can only post some photos of the aftermath. Unless you live in Siberia, don't ever let me hear you complain again about how much snow you have to deal with :-)!!!

This is what I found this morning
after opening the balcony door.

Yup, these are cars!

2008-03-07T21:19:00.002-05:00

Why Moms Can't Do Yoga

Considering that my biological clock is seriously ticking (and I know I have to keep ignoring it for a good while), I could not help but let out all kinds of weird onomatopoeias when I received this tender video via e-mail. If someone told me about this, I would never believe them. How adorable is that baby? And how funny?

2008-03-02T20:48:00.004-05:00

Politistii balerini

Sa mai aud pe careva ca se repede la politisti, ca-i invinuieste pentru orele pierdute prin diferite birouri sau ca ii considera prosti! Pe langa faptul ca muncesc zi de zi pentru a ne asigura securitatea... adica siguranta, da, si stau in ploaie si zapada numai pentru ca noi sa ajungem acasa si sa ne bucuram de chipurile zambitoare ale familiei... ei bine, pe langa toate astea, aflu acum ca domnii din Timisoara au inceput sa ia lectii de balet, pentru a se dovedi nu numai utili cand dirijeaza traficul, dar si gratiosi. Singura mea temere este ca soferii vor fi pur si simplu hipnotizati la vederea unui astfel de spectacol si vor uita sa mai plece din intersectie.

2008-02-26T07:53:00.007-05:00

My New Collins Dictionary

With this being my last semester, while taking 3 courses I'm also working on my Specialization paper, which consists of two translations of ~ 3000 words each (Spanish to English and English to Spanish) and a 12-page essay. Yesterday I had to go see my professor and discuss the difficulties I had with my first translation, which I would like to hand in next week. There was a "sentence" that didn't have a verb, but I had even more trouble finding a few words describing the Mapuche (a civilization from Southern Chile and Argentina) adornments.

This professor has always told us that we should get the Collins S/E - E/S dictionary, with more explanations and definitions than the others, but I had bought the Oxford way before that, so I didn't feel like buying a new one only for a few small differences (or so I thought). Thing is, my professor was able to find in the Collins dictionary all the words I had trouble encountering in my Oxford one. The Thesaurus proved to be just as helpful, so by the end of our meeting I had decided to take about 130$ out of my pocket and buy the two beasts. That is, until my professor, the one who also helped me last year, when I was going through some rough times, told me that the secretary had some "Collinses" from professors who had left or had simply bought new ones. They found one and told me I didn't even have to return it: "They're here for students like you, you'll be needing it for a long time." I was and still am speechless. He said that with the money I had saved I could now buy the Thesaurus, so that's exactly what I did.

I went home with my laptop and the Collins in my backpack and the Thesaurus in a bag. By the time I got there, I had a big headache and my back was almost crumbling. Nevertheless, I was all smiles and started to look up words and compare, and now I can hardly wait to get my hands on the first translation and make the final touch-ups. With such professors, how could I not? I feel so lucky sometimes! Thank you very, very much!

2008-02-23T18:20:00.005-05:00

Oscars Night

When I was in Romania, I could never see the Oscars movies before the actual night of the awards. That's why ever since I've been on the other side of the Atlantic, I've tried to view them all before the ceremony. This year I had to keep on postponing it because of schoolwork, so this weekend there's sort of a marathon going on at my house: I have to watch a movie every 3 hours. I'm already drowned, but I have to keep going. I've just finished "Elizabeth" and now I'm getting ready for "There Will Be Blood". I've sort of made up my mind about who I think will win the Oscars, but can't say anything until I've seen them all... or almost all.

2008-02-22T19:29:00.004-05:00

You Know You Live in Montreal When...

... you answer the phone and a lady starts talking to you in Chinese. Wrong number, of course!

...you're nothing special unless you speak at least 6 different languages.

... instead of going shopping at the mall, you drive to New York for the weekend to buy nicer and cheaper clothes.

... you might get arrested for staring (lovingly) at someone's baby. That is, unless you don't get beat up first.

... there's not much fun you can have in the winter, but you can hardly wait for the 4 months when the streets are filled with people and with all kinds of festivals.

... 20-30-year old people, who are better dressed than you, ask you for money at every corner.

... going to Peru costs just as much as going to Romania (although there are huge price differences once you get there).

... you either adore the city or just simply hate it.

2008-02-21T20:03:00.006-05:00

Eu NU!

Arhi, bunicul blogosferei :-), simte ca intra la apa si vrea sa-i traga si pe altii dupa el, asa ca ma intreaba (cred ca de mine era vorba) cum stau cu muzica piratata. Ei bine, ca un copilas ascultator ce sunt, pot spune ca am cca. 650 de melodii, ca anul asta nu am tras mai mult de 10 (sunt o infractoare in toata regula!) si ca din totalul de 650, vreo 550 sunt primite de pe la prieteni, care mi le-au trimis de pe cd-urile achizitionate, logic. Am aproape orice gen, asta ca sa nu spun chiar toate genurile.
Se pare ca nu ti-a iesit miscarea, Arhi, asa ca schimba tactica.

2008-02-11T22:36:00.000-05:00

Nerdy Translator Fun Fact

Something that made my school reading more pleasurable and had me laughing for a few minutes:

When asked to translate the phrase "Out of sight, out of mind", a computer in Japan came out with a phrase that meant "Confined to an insane asylum". It actually makes sense when you think about it :-)).

From Gregory Rabasa, No Two Snowflakes Are Alike

This is even better than the by now famous Google translation of "viejo verde" - "green old man". In fact, "viejo verde" is the Spanish term for "pervert".

2008-02-11T19:54:00.000-05:00

"Just in Time for Valentine's Day"

Valentine's Day is an occasion I look forward to because I consider it to be the most beautiful holiday, after Christmas. I don't care that it's an American holiday, I also celebrated it when I lived in Romania; for now I find myself in Canada, so it's even easier for me to succumb to its hearty spirit. The only thing that annoys me about Valentine's Day (and the same goes for Christmas) is the commercial aura it's gained during the last decades. Besides all the heart-shaped candy boxes and the red teddy bears, what gets my annoyance really going are those diamond commercials where I hear the phrase "just in time for Valentine's Day". Oh, really? Hmmm... guess I hadn't realized how lucky we are that all this jewelry goes on sale right before Valentine's Day! Isn't that just amazing? Guess I should go stock up on those diamonds, maybe next year there won't be a sale "just in time for Valentine's Day".

2008-02-05T16:35:00.000-05:00

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

My very good friend Gianluca singing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" with his church choir. He had us sing this in Spain, but it sounds so much better here. Amazing job, guys, and it's so good to see you, Gianluca, in that atmosphere... again. I hope to have the chance to see you live once.

2008-02-05T08:29:00.000-05:00

Behind the Corner

I've been in a really bad mood lately. And by that I don't mean being grouchy or breaking everything around me, but just avoiding social contacts and experiencing a feeling of anxiety. Maybe the fact that I'll be graduating soon and plans may not work out the way I expect them to has me somewhat tense. On top of that, I almost freaked out yesterday for getting an A- on my translation because of one small sentence I missed and of other 5 things I got wrong, although they're basic stuff... based on my knowledge, I would've gotten a 95%, but that's still gnawing at me. I'm not playing anymore. This is no longer about school, but about what I want to do for the rest of my life. But no pressure there, right? I'm surely just overreacting...

2008-02-02T14:02:00.000-05:00

Petition for the Release of Sayed Pervez Kambaksh

From Nicole I found out about the 23-year old journalist from Afghanistan who was sentenced to death for having militated for women's rights, thus defying the Muslim fundamentalists. Sayed Pervez Kambaksh afirmed that the teachings of Mohamed did in no way encourage the extreme treatment applied to women. About three months ago he desired to oprganize a group discussion on this matter at his university, but instead he got arrested, was judged without legal representation and is now waiting to be executed.

The British newspaper The Independent created a petition which anyone can sign, so that we can all contribute to the Western pressure against these extremist, shameful acts. Other related articles can be found on Javno World , Gulf Times or BBC News.

2008-01-22T21:12:00.000-05:00

Rest in Peace, Heath Ledger!

He was an amazing actor, with a great future ahead of him due to his tremendous potential and his professionalism. There is not one role of his that I know of to have left me disappointed. He was only 28 years old. And he died today... I completely doubt a potential suicide, since I don't think his integrity would have let him accept to be found this way... naked. I'm suspecting a stupid, damned, illogical accident!!! I am so, so, so sorry about this loss... he was one of the few potential Hollywood eternal stars, but he didn't deserve to become one so soon.
His recently finished movie, The Dark Knight, will have its premiere on July 18 of this year. One last tribute to his sky-rocketing, yet unfairly short career.
May he rest in peace!

2008-01-14T08:15:00.000-05:00

Pomelnice & co. Inc. S.A. S.R.L. etc.

Am trait s-o aud si pe-asta! Dintr-un clip cu Mircea Badea aflu despre site-ul pomelnice.ro, care ii ajuta pe bietii credinciosi sa-si trimita pomelnicele la diferite manastiri din tara, oferind pachete ce contin intre 1 si 3 pomelnice care pot ajunge in locurile alese. Uite-asa ni-l aduc acesti facatori... de bine, desigur, mai aproape pe Dumnezeu. Si-asa ne-aducem noi aminte de Dumnezeu foarte des si ne rugam la el numai cand ne merge bine, pentru a-i multumi din inima noastra pioasa pentru milostivirea Sa, acum putem sa luam legatura cu El si prin internet. De ce sa ma duc la biserica din colt si sa depun un acatist, cand oamenii astia mi-l pot trimite ei la nu stiu ce sfant calugar, de-a carui rugaciune sigur asculta Dumnezeu mai mult decat de cea a parintelui de-aici?
M-a impresionat si ceea ce-am citit pe site cu referire la partea financiara. Saracii crestini (dintre care cica unul e baiatul unui prefect de undeva) ar fi dorit sa ofere un serviciu gratuit, dar cazna si abnegatia angajatilor, plus taxele pentru serviciul de curierat si diferite procesari nu au permis un astfel de proiect. Din lista lor de cheltuieli, am inteles ca nu le ramane nimic de pus deoparte pentru zile negre :-(. M-as fi bagat si eu, dar nu am gasit Putna pe lista, si in alta manastire nu prea am incredere...

2008-01-12T09:43:00.000-05:00

My June 16 Odyssey

Here I am, at the language lab again, on my first Saturday shift. This is the downtown lab, as I requested, since last year I got completely bored with the lack of activity from the other campus. Anyway, while I was waiting for people to show up (this surely is one busy place, and it's only the beginning), I checked all the graduation info I could find. Including the date... But first:

June 16, 2000 - I left for the United States

June 16, 2002 - I arrived to Canada (no, I hadn't planned it to match the date)

June 16, 2006 - this year I found out that June 16 is the birthday of someone who was bound to become a very good friend

- I was accepted by a Spanish University for the Student Exchange Program

June 16, 2007 - I went to London - I had only certain days available for this trip and June 16 was the only one when the Ryanair ticket cost 0.01 cents

Going back to my Graduation, it looks like it will take place on... of course, June 16, 2008!!!

I always use number 16 when I play the lottery; I haven't used 6 that much, it's true. Too bad this year June 16 is a Monday, so there's no game to try out. I guess I'll go to the Casino after the ceremony :-)).

2008-01-08T19:32:00.000-05:00

Moment

No matter how much I try not to, sometimes I just feel hopeless. I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm going nowhere. I'm just too tired of all this.

2008-01-08T15:52:00.000-05:00

My Romanian Professor

What are the odds of studying at a Montreal University and having a French professor who's only a few years older than you and... was born in Romania? I couldn't believe it when I saw his name. I'll just have to ask him about his life story at the end :-P. He seems like a very nice guy, although I know for a fact that younger Professors are tougher. Well, it's a Linguistics course, so it can't be that bad ;-). Now I'm really curious about this class.

2008-01-08T15:13:00.000-05:00

Barack Obama for President... I Guess

One of my biggest wishes for this year is to see a Democrat win the U.S. presidential elections. I've had enough of George Bush (before writing his name, I erased 6 adjectives that always come to mind when thinking of him) and I believe that no one could do more harm than him... except for all the Republicans put together. They are just a bunch of extremist, gold-digging racist people who would not think for a second of putting their country's and the world's best interest before their personal hunts. At some point I was attracted by the idea of seeing Giuliani in the White House, but his messages against illegal immigration turned me off big time. It's not an issue of supporting illegal immigrants, even though I was one of them. My problem with this matter is the lack of integrity U.S. politicians have been proving for the last 7 years, at least, when promising they would offer most immigrants a chance to get their Green Card after many years of hard work, while behind closed doors they didn't know which better means would help them hunt illegal immigrants down and send them home. It's true, at the end they came up with this 5-year residence, after which people would have to leave the States. Of course, let's have them work like slaves for 5 years, live in inhuman conditions and then chase them away; they'll have a few more dollars in their pocket and we'll build our economy on their backs.

The Democrats, on the other hand, have always shown more concern about immigrants, be it legal or illegal. The economy has always done better during their time and, although Bush doesn't leave much space for any effective positive changes, there's still a tiny hope that at least things won't change for the worse. Between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, I tend to support the latter, although I haven't followed that much his agenda. I only know that Hilary has never had to deal with poverty and will surely not care so much about immigrants, while Obama's father himself was an immigrant from Kenya... let aside the fact that he represents a visible minority. So Hilary's a woman... and? Women already have a good life and I don't see her fighting for any more rights... a woman, even the President, will never be able to change what a society dominated by men managed to build in so many years. I don't think that's what we need. It's surely not what I need. I need a world with less wars, if not none, U.S. with more respect for themselves and for the others and a neighbor who won't provoke Canada's collapse. I'm not forgetting that all of them are politicians before anything else, but I just see Obama as a valid president and as someone who might care less about oil and more about people. If that's possible.