Goodbye 2010

I'll spend this midnight in the same Revolution Square I spent it one year ago. And one year before that.

This is me saying to you: - All the best, my friends; see you in 2011.


With love,

descriptum62

There's been quite a while since I last actually wrote something here.

Today I feel the need to write, and I also think of the fact that this is perhaps the last occasion to do it this year. Time is running very fast.

The end of 2010 catches up with me being very tired. The break I had in November was welcome; however this month was pretty busy itself, my schedule was not easy at all and I had to figure out a way to carry on everything I had planned to myself. I suppose that's the way things are going to be around for quite a while.

You know the drill: the end of the year comes and, out of mere reflex, actually, I draw a line and try to see how to think about it and what to expect of the new year around the corner. In the short, I'm tempted to think 2010 was a good year which could have been only slightly better. But the truth is that 2010 was a very difficult year for my family, and I cannot overcome this. 2011 won't be easier.

This was a very good year as far as money is concerned. But that did not come easy. I have two jobs, I have a schedule for every single day of the week, there are quite a few moments when I burn out. I try hard to do my best. And I'm not very rich by Romanian standards, I'm just fine. Yet, I'm happy knowing that I am a man of no debts.

I do not have a personal life, I'm afraid. But I have a handful of very good friends, and I am blessed because of that.

Few words about blogging: 2010 was by far the best year so far - and you know, my friends, blogging really matters to me. I have reasons to believe 2011 will be even better. My intention is to adjust a bit the blog: to keep posting pictures of the city and of the places I visit, and to write more. That, however, will depend on available resources - above all, time.

As for 2011 and general prospects, I say this:

Exactly 21 years ago, the regime changed in my country. People had hopes and illusions.
 

Today, people lost their hopes, and lost their illusions. Last week, a desperate father of two children threw himself from the balcony in the Parliament's Palace debate hall, as the deputies were debating the budget law for next year.

In the present situation, the only thing we can do is to help each other and to care more about each other. That is the only thing I expect from 2011.

To all my visitors from Romania, the US, France, the UK, Germany and the other tens of countries, a heartfelt "happy new year".

With love,

Bucharest in photos

I love these lights.

Bucharest in photos

Bucharest in photos. Return of the snow

Sequel: and the snow is back.

Bucharest in photos

First tracks in the snow, this winter.

The snow, meanwhile, has vanished.

PS. It is not related to the post itself, but I spent today at church, then at home - reading, surfing Romanian blogs, listening to carols and discovering a song I really enjoy. I hope you will as well.

PPS. It is also the first day in more than three weeks when I was able to run again, after a nasty injury I sustained on December 1st.

Bucharest in photos. Waiting for Santa Claus

Lovely children.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, guys.

Don't try to do all the "must" / "to do" and that stuff... just be happy and good-willing.

I hope you like carols. Because this is me and my friends singing to you.

Bucharest in photos

In the park.

Bucharest in photos

Midnight walk.

Bucharest in photos

Ruins. The central part of the town is, unfortunately, full of them.

It goes without saying this is a great way to destroy a valuable cultural heritage.

Bucharest in photos. The city by night

Usually, this building is yellow. That night, it was white.

Bucharest in photos. The city by night

I realized we shall celebrate soon 21 years from the Revolution.

I wonder somehow if people will celebrate, as some of them (unjustly) like to believe it was better before the change of regime. I just convinced myself that my co-nationals have a short memory - they forget easily, they do not learn from their mistakes, they do not plan the future.

One of the observations you make when reading Romanian history is that people in this space live in a continuous present, a place with no future nor past. Because I cannot possibly imagine how so many of us are eager to forget that more than one thousand perished for what we have now. How do we carry on their memory?

Bucharest in photos

This picture was taken, obviously, back in spring, near the Royal Palace....

Spring is my favorite season of the year. Which does not mean I don't like the other seasons...

In winter, the thing I like the most is to walk in the snow, while it snows. And in the summer, I like very much to walk through the rain.

With love,

Bucharest in photos

The Athenee - the entrance hall.

Bucharest in photos

The problem in Bucharest is that, whenever you want to watch the sky, you have to get through the wires.

It is bad if you watch the sky, it is good if you read the Akamai's reports on the state of the internet...

Bucharest in photos. The city by night

With love,

blogging14.

As you can see, the face of my blog changed, as I was not very satisfied with the way the page looked like, lately - it had become a little too impersonal for my taste, looking more like a site and less like a blog.

I hope you will find the new page more personal and reader friendly; I tried to make the text and the images easier to perceive.

I also introduced a voting system for the posts - a thing I wanted to do for a long time now - and I invite you to vote whenever you feel a post is good or, on the contrary, irrelevant.

Do not hesitate to leave comments if you think further changes should be made. I want my readers to feel comfortable on this page.

In the end, the photo of the day: a concert in the Constitution Square, with the Parliament's Palace in the background. The picture was taken with my telephone, back in April 2009. And the one singing was Al Bano.

With love,

Bucharest in photos

Some paintings ... at an exhibition in Bucharest.

Bucharest in photos. The city by night

This is what should rightfully be the ancient center of Bucharest: Şelari street, corner with Lipscani.

In its current state, believe me, the primary concern of anybody visiting the area is not getting their feet broken.

Bucharest in photos

The Romanian folk band Poesis, in concert, two weeks ago, at cinema Scala in Bucharest.

It was one of my favorite Romanian bands as a teenager, because of songs like the one below - please listen to it, it is very beautiful. In fact, their entire 1996 album was awesome. I had it on tape, you know. And my surprise during the concert was to see that I remembered almost all the lyrics. I was also very proud to see Andreea and her quartet accompanying them for a part of the concert.

Bucharest in photos

Saint Anton's church.... built back in the 16th century.

Bucharest in photos

Lipscani street.

Bucharest in photos

Flowers.

Bucharest in photos

The Anglican Church in Bucharest.

Bucharest in photos. The city by night

Dâmboviţa and Piaţa Unirii.

Bucharest in photos

A lot of sky... and a dim light.

Bucharest in photos

Today is the national day of my country. Happy anniversary, Romania.

A few days ago, I told you what I believe about my co-nationals. This is the raw material and that's it.

But above all, no matter what, I am proud to be Romanian and to belong to my nation. And I hope that the trouble we have to face these days will soon become a part of the past.

In the photo, you can notice the eternal flame burning. To the glory of our soldiers.

And I add one moment: some people singing the national anthem of their country.