Envelope / Develope

Photo by Kyle Head on Unsplash You probably heard that swimming in rough waters in life will reveal your own character and of all the people with you, caught in that moment. It is always unexpected and, exactly as in movies, it begins with a peaceful background and a monotone sound. Everything is unfolding slowly and without any clues that deep gaps will be revealed in any way. It is like a crack in someone's emotional fabric which becomes a wrecking ball for the characters caught in the event, for a short time span, sufficient to project them on a different life orbit, for good. Some people are calling those events "interventions", others fear them as "dark spots" where secrets are emerging as an iceberg unbalanced by some life event. The repercussions are deep and memorable and entail subsequent turmoils, like a burning lava which will flow down for many days to find a peaceful landscape to cool off. The characters are the same like in normal life ...

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash I reached this conclusion, influenced by one of my dates. She was an attractive grand-mother I met through some friends and in one of our dates she mentioned that, through life, she always wanted to celebrate small events in her life: kids managing to ride a bike first place in a school competition for kids learning something new and applying it (first time) successfully in life  getting the first client in a business moving to a new place working hard and failing successfully and learning the hard way something I was not that type of person, but having a daughter and "suffering" with her through failures and small victories, I understood in the monotone rhythm of life there are not many "grand" celebrations and we should punctuate our existence, enjoying small victories. Sometimes, life is not giving you many big victories and you have to have the next prize on the horizon to keep you going. And here I am, ...

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash I am not a reader of fiction books, mostly because I devoured them as a teenager and young adult. My taste was spreading from the classics - like Montesquieu, Gustave Flaubert, Emile, Zola, Marcel Proust, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Descartes and ending with the titans of the 20th century - James Joyce, Aldous Huxley, Ernest Hemingway, Sam Below, Thomas Mann,Sam Becket, John Galsworthy, Max Frisch, John Fowles. It is hard to recognize that I enjoyed those authors, but in my youth, Internet was not present and killing time had not many avenues among us - sports, reading, scarce parties. I read some of the South-Americans authors - Garcia Marques, Jose Saramago, Mario Vargas Llosa - and enjoyed it as the writer's imagination and the reality of those countries had something in common with the reality of my country and Romanian authors being forced to write in parables and still lived under a heavy hand of the dictatorial/communist regime. ...

We started today with the intention to go to the beach of Saint Fleurent and discovered that all boat taxis were very busy. You cannot book for the same day a taxi boat or even an ATV to reach Salecchia or Lotu beaches.    I made reservations for 21st of August (next day) to be taxied to the Salecchia beach in a 2pm to 7pm slot. Then I decided to go to another beach, on l'ile Rouse - Bodri beach. The drive was less than an hour along the west coast of Corsica with beautiful images along the way. Bodri beach, although public, has two different access points, one is from a private camping site, the other is 200 meters down the road, barely marked at the street level. You descend on a gravel road to get to the beach. There is a paying parking lot which becomes public after 5 pm. The beach is 20-30 meters wide, with a few trees making shade for the unprepared visitors (not having umbrellas or beach tents). Emma loved the water and stayed mostly at the edge of it, sometime...

Another Corte trip,  having with the intention to combine it with a dip in the waters of Tavignano stream. Searching the internet about the entry point for Tavignano gorges will give you mixed starting points. At the end of the citadel, close to the parking lot, there is begining of the trail. As always, I had a hard time to find it and started very close to the stream, following a path used by the locals to enjoy the pools along the gorge. At some point we were forced to climb up and join the marked path. It was a steep ascent and only seeing other people on the normal path gave me confidence we corrected a wrong starting location. The funny thing is that many tourists like us were doing the same mistake and "suffered" an abrupt ascent at some moment.    One of the problems was that we needed time to be at the starting point and I did not want to wake up Emma very early, still. We always managed to be at the beginning of the trail before 11 am, and all days were in 3...

Photo by Yohann LIBOT on Unsplash Nu stiu cum am ajuns la website ( www.teleleu.eu ), probabil am citit un articol pe unul din site-urile ziarelor din Romania. Este povestea a doi oameni care au avut curajul sa spuna lucrurile asa cum le-au vazut, lucruri pe care le auzim dar nimeni nu prea le aduce in fata, si cum mai toate proiectele lor necesitau multe zile "pe teren" s-au mutat intr-o rulota si au inceput sa colinde Europa (in special). Am citit majoritatea posturilor intr-o singura zi, cu lacomia celui care ar visa sa faca asemenea "nebunii" dar poate nu are destule motive, sau se teme "de gura lumii", sau pur si simplu este prins in angrenajul vietii ca o povara. Ce este interesant despre reportajele lor? Varietatea, tonul care nu judeca ci doar trasnmite mai departe ce personajele lor spun, din cind in cind observind comportamente si gesturi. Nu este nici o interpretare ci simplu documentare pentru un subiect. Majoritatea sunt oameni ca...

We traveled many times by train in Italy and didn't have trepidations. In getting to Bastia (in Corsica) we took the train to Livorno and then the ferry from Livorno to Bastia. The only unknown was getting from the train station to the Moby ferry port entrance in Livorno. Many people are not traveling using a car and I googled intensively to find my options - how can you reach the ferry terminal from the train station in Livorno? But before that, a few impressions from the train trip. Italians are using trains a lot and the system is very well organized. You can buy tickets online and present them to the train controller. I bought second class tickets during the week and the compartment was packed. The train passed through Cinque Terre, Spezia and a few places with colored beaches. Liguria's beaches still have the color of 50-60s Italian movies. Small patches of sand with colorful umbrella and chaise-longs. Brown bodies layered as sardines and capturing sun with the believe ...

Milan, 14th of Aug 2019 I just arrived and was confused about how to find the hotel. Although it was close to the train station, somebody just helped me to find the right directions. In hindsight I should have used Here for pedestrians.   The hotel (Soperga, ranked three stars, yes I don't splurge on lodging) looked very neat and the room was larger than what we've seen previously in Italy (2017). I got out with Emma and dined to a nearby restaurant with owners from Middle East. I got a mussel soup, Dorado fried fish and salad. More than I usually eat for dinner. Emma got shrimp, langostino and fries. I even tried their house wine but the fermentation was spoiling it.   The whole experience was not bad and the prices were decent. I was surprised by the richness of the mussel soup. Emma ate at least half of the mussels from my appetizer. It was a nice restaurant with table cloth, men servers and people smiling when talking to you. Romania has a long way to go in that rega...

Mes projets de voyage ne se font pas du jour au lendemain, simplement parce que je veux me détendre ou décompresser. La plupart du temps, je vois des endroits dans des documentaires ou des films ou je lis à leur sujet, puis je commence à dessiner un plan. Quand une graine est plantée, je récupère des informations et j'essaie de comprendre s'il ne reste plus que mon impulsion à me rendre sur place: si elles ont des endroits incroyables à photographier ou des paysages aux caractéristiques uniques, mieux c'est. Aujourd'hui, je dévoilerai mon plan de visite en Corse. Je suis un grand fan de TV5, la chaîne de télévision française qui au fil des ans m'a présenté de nombreux endroits incroyables à travers leurs documentaires: Thalassa, Des racines et des ailes, Passez moi les jumelles. Dans l'un des documentaires, une jeune guide ( Magali Vermeglio ) a été filmée lors d'une randonnée au GR20 et à la beauté du paysage et à la rugosité des sommets moi a commenc...

Photo by Gabriel B, My travels plans are not happening overnight, just because I want to relax or decompress. Most of the time I see places first in documentaries or movies or read about them and then I start to sketch a plan. When a seed is planted I dig information and try to understand if there is more than my impulse of getting to the place: if they have incredible places to photograph or scenery with unique characteristics, the better. Today I will unfold my plan to visit Corsica. I am a big fan of TV5, the French broadcasting channel which over the years introduced me to many amazing places through their documentaries - Thalassa, Des racines et des ailes, Passez moi les jumelles. In one of the documentaries, a young tour guide lady ( Magali Vermeglio ) was filmed while hiking GR20 and the beauty of the landscape and the roughness of the peaks just gotten me started. The only problem is that we are a family of two - dad and daughter (8 years old). Can we manage GR20, to...

Photo by Curtis MacNewton on Unsplash   Dansul hirtiilor in Romania 2019 Am iesit sa-mi eliberez un certificat de nastere, ca sa-mi fac din nou un pasaport Romanesc. Da, sunt inca cetatean roman, desi nu m-ai traiesc acolo de douazeci de ani. Dar nu am uitat, pentru orice fituica, trebuie sa alergi, intrebi, primesti lectii si astepti. Deci eram pregatit moral pentru socul cultural, inca mai imi aminteami de nervii pe care mi-i faceam acum douazeci de ani. Sa incepem cu gasirea cladirii unde se elibereaza certificatele. Pancarta care ar trebui sa anunte pentru oricine care este scopul acelei cladiri publice este facuta varza, poti sa-ti inchipui ca au trecut sute de ani peste ea (poate compania care a furnizat-o a trebuie sa taie din vopsea ca sa dea ciubucul pentru intrat la licitatie). Este o cladire veche, de cel putin 60-70 de ani conceputa pentru cu totul alte scopuri dar modificata pentru lucrul cu publicul. Am intrebat la casierie, ce trebuie sa fac, mi s-a ...

Photo by Olivia Spink on Unsplash Open up to "unconnected life" Or Meet-up on hidden dating I was using Meet-up app to find "birds-of-the-same-feather", people interested to do the same things, enjoying the same events or just willing to spend time in the same activity (hiking, dancing,  entrepreneurship, etc..). It was a big eye-opener, and with each group I had some period of accommodation: looking around and trying to understand why all those people are there, what is the reason they are coming and what they were looking for to be happening.You don't have to be a mind reader, the gazes of people are telling more than they will recognize. I will tell the story of my first meet-up with a dancing group/singles group. Friday is my tennis night and coming back with Emma from the courts I tried to see if I can arrange a baby-sitter for her in order to go to that event: a dancing night for singles (or not only). I was anxious because it was...

It was obvious the picture posted on the website resembles so much an Enya's picture - the deep cleavage shirt, the lost gaze and the hands together offering something. Her interest in gem stones and healing was like a modern take on witchcraft in our times. Her mind was intriguing and the poems sounded like a modern haiku with a merry tempo. Hard to associate the hopping tone with the somberness of the words. Clearly she was hurt, by someone, by misunderstandings or by some twists in her life. She was smiling though, and at peace and content that life events can create such lines, like a kid amazed to the power of words (where are they coming from?). She was in her own bubble (or ivory tower). Fragments of her life are online, and exposed to anyone interested - how much more open can you be? She is still looking for answers or meaning or love or friendship. Just waiting for the life to happen. And here are a few quotes that I really liked and I discovered Mark Gro...

People are loathing complainers. They are everywhere, life was harsh, when they were vulnerable other took advantage of them. The system is against them or simple events were not aligned with their life plans. There are not many who can run around unexpected events and take the blows and turn them around. How do you vent out if not complaining? Ask for advice, present your facts and leave others the judgement. One of the impulses we have is to categorize and jump on analyzing. What if you leave time between event and your reaction, especially an emotional one. Time is dampening the immediate response and emotions are not resisting erosion. It is very simple to pull arguments in favor of your view (bias oriented). You will never build an argument against your status-quo or the comfort of your views. Contradictions, opposite views are not laying good with our psyche. A person you respect and look to advice for might give another weight and perspective to your personal events. A ment...

Photo by Gustavo Lampert on Unsplash   I remember an interview with Li Na (the famous Chinese tennis player) who was asked how can she be so positive with all the attention and burden of carrying the dream of all Chinese people and having all the health problems the majority of professional tennis player have. She was smiling and said, every morning, when you wake up, you have two choices - gloom&doom looking to all the problems in your life or smiling and being grateful for the life you have. Her choice was to look to the bright side of her life. It is not coming easy, to smile and virtually forget the problems you have, but continuing with a positive attitude will make you cruise easier and not be consumed by the life events. Being down is mostly being too much on the dark side of your soul and over-thinking, over-planning, over-ageing. If you are grateful for the life you have, then you can turn around and see the beauty in your life, you can make people feel good, lis...

Photo by Jamie Morrison on Unsplash Before You are in a relationship and after a while are sensing there is distance between you and your partner. All the gestures are there, with the same intensity but they look like 999 rehearsed plays of your life. For outsiders everything seems to be fine but you already left the character. There is no more dynamism, you hate the stagnation and the stale taste of life near a partner who is old in habits and does not come with any new ideas to heighten daily life. What is next, you wonder? Where have you been drifting, after a while? If you've been a mouse all your life, you cannot dream to fly like an eagle all of a sudden, don't you? In Between And together, you and he, decide to split for a while and live separate lives. At the beginning is the urge to go back just because the habits are ingrained in you like a drug, absence of them is hard, your mind is stuck in the same movement. Then, after a while, resisting the impulse you j...

Can say with assurance that the subject of my failed short relationship (mostly imaginary) is coming to an end with this last post. I turned it on many facets, analyzed it for my futile understanding, built explanations for deciphering meaning, but the emotional bleeding is becoming dry. Life goes on and I wish everyone, no matter what role they played in it, to move on, to enjoy life. There are a few more posts that were written in the last few days but they will probably not be published. You got  the gist of what happened, a few more theories are an over-extended tired saga. It was one of my mistakes , of many that will come, that slowly will make me re-adjust, re-think and look at life in a different light. Although not old, I am at an age when some things are no longer possible, others become available, where I have roots or connections that are hard to change, they are imprinted in my brain. More roots had unexpectedly grown and is where I redirected some energy, lately. I...

Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash Any major change in your life has the "now" perspective: it affects you, it draws your emotion high and flashes of feelings are just running wild through your mind. Suddenly the life becomes like a "tunnel-vision" experiment and you pulse with a heightened intensity. Especially the life/death events or sentimental affairs have a "in-your-face" urgency. It happened to me several times, one quite recently. What I learned over time, in order to not be paralyzed or run away, is to add the "third-person-view": to recognize I am not the only human being hit by the major upheavals, shaken at my core. I learnt that I can go through, I need the calm to find a solution, I can survive and more importantly there are some people around me that need me more than being a victim and complainer. The light in my tunnel vision situation was that you can pass through, it is just a phase in reaching another plateau, ano...

In my life they didn't work and I separated from the women I was at the time. There is a saying, "the eyes you don't see you forget". There is no memory of us together, there is no past we can think off. Real life did not occur between us. I don't even have a photo with you/us. My daily life/cycle is different than yours and is hard to create context in writing or speech.  And context is the background of our behaviors. Commenting and having discussions is important in my day-to-day living. It is very simple, you are here or not, the talk is not enough for me, sometimes I need just silence and presence and my problems will subdue or find a solutions in subconscious . Sometimes I need just a sounding board or an ear to shoot my ideas to. I understand to have different daily lives, but need the close connection (almost) every day. Or, as I give this example with my daughter - since she was a baby she slept on my shoulder, then on my chest, then on my belly, alw...