Do you see culture as any manifestation around you? Every song, piece of writing or drawing. Or do you have a more elitist approach to it, as in requiring a certain subjective quality of what you consider culturally relevant. Do you prefer books to movies and if so what type of books? These are questions ones should have a clear answer for before actually talking on public radio. Yes, again, I have something bad to say about Radio Guerrilla.

It is not that I have something against them. They are my favorite radio team, that is why I tend to be a bit harsh with them. I have been thinking of this issue for a while and I am just posting my thoughts only now. When you place yourself in the elitist range, favoring books, theater plays and stating you support quality music, you should be very careful what books you recommend. I have to say half of the movies and shows on TV have the same, or even more, meaning to me than a book written by Merilyn Monroe’s therapist!

Why would you recommend a book written for publicity only, exploiting the secrets and mishaps of a dead star valued for her looks and notorious romantic encounters? Why is it better than any cheesy romantic comedy? Why is it better than a political talk show? It is not! There for do not throw elitist crap at me, as this book will not make me smarter. It is not Freud’s work, it is not a real research either. I’d rather stick to the bad movies on TV, thank you.

I have a preference for a certain kind of books, for theater plays and ballet. I also enjoy movies and trendy songs and I see them all as part of the culture I live in. Which is eclectic, just like me. And I do think you have to know it all to appreciate. No one needs to be a snob and read books alone, good or bad alike, only because it is the thing to do. And to quote my Roman ancestor, de gustibus…you know the rest!

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It’s been a weird week for me. For some reason, my karma, zen, life force or whatever you want to call it is a bit down. It’s the first time in my life I actually have huge problems facing the heat and I am so tired I only think of my soon to come vacation. 29 days left until then, by the way.

So I have spent these week’s evenings watching movies. The types that best suite me in such moods: comedies and very light and predictable action movies. I will list them all here, in the order of preferences, with a few comments:

• 10 Things I Hate About You is my number one. Yes, it is my first time seeing it. I wanted to, but never managed to watch it. It is your typical high-school movie with love, betrayal, friendship, but it also has something more that makes it stand out.
• The Wedding Date is the kind of movie that leaves you with a bit more hope that everything will eventually be alright. It is light and extremely funny at times.
• License to Wed is worth seeing for one reason only: Robin Williams. The rest of the funny-cheesy situations are also ok, but there’s nothing like a crazy priest spying on the future husband and wife!
• Stealth is a warplane movie. And I have a think for warplanes. That is why in my 9th grade, when our Geography teacher asked what Mach 1 is, I was the only one with the answer (I had seen a movie about the pilot who first reached Mach 1 a long time ago). Action movie, quite predictable from a certain point. They guy gets the girl in the end.

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This one is a personalized meme. And it works like this: if you are interested, state it in a comment. I will email you a few personalized questions for you to answer on your own blog. I’ve got this set of interesting questions from Ali, who was a big surprise as an interviewer (much, much better than expected).

Q1. As someone who is technologically savvy and frequently posts about things such as Linux and the latest digital invention, is there any new product or innovation out there you are really excited by? Some gadget you want to own, or a new program you want to learn?

I am a bit weird when it comes to gadgets. I tend to fall in love with them, it happened with iPhone and some digital frames I reviewed on my other blog. But I rarely buy any, as I discover I don’t really need them. I am a freak for digital cameras though…As for programs…It’s more like getting to know more about Linux in general and learning a bit about HTML, PHP or Java. But as I lack the time, I doubt anything will happen in the near future.

Q2. I also know you are very interested in tourism. What are the top 5 places you’d recommend visiting in Bucharest?

Bucharest? Well, not your average tourist friendly capital, in my opinion. It lacks promotion mostly. But you have to see the Palace of the Parliament (The People’s House). Some say it’s only huge kitsch, but it is still the second largest building after the Pentagon, so you shouldn’t really miss it. I also recommend the Art Museum, The Cismigiu Park, the Cotroceni Palace (or at least the part of it that is open to visitors) and what’s left of Lipscani (they have recently discovered remains of a church from long ago, so a must see indeed).

Q3. On the topic of travel, what is the ultimate road trip you’d like to take? Who would you take with you?

The ultimate roadtrip? Well, the one I did not take around Europe…Three weeks on the road, with my car, hopping from country to country. I would take D and another 2 friends (if they are up to). Oh, and another condition, there must be a second driver

Q4. Think back 10 years. What were you like in high school? Have you undergone any radical changes since that point in your life?

Hmm. Ten years ago I was just starting high-school. I was in shock after finding out there were 28 other girls in my class and one guy (lucky as I am, I knew him from secondary and totally hated his guts). I was going to Karate classes, reading a lot and generally spend my evenings writing on my novels. I was so far from a girlie girl…I guess I am a bit more feminine right now. And a little wiser, I hope. But other than that, pretty much the same…

Q5. If you had a time machine and could visit any period in history, both past and future, to which year would you go? Why?

Hmm. Japan. About 1300-1400. And try to become a samurai . Or Venice of the Middle Ages, because of a certain movie of course. You can guess which movie

Q6. What are 5 things that never fail to put a smile on your face?

Sunshine, people smiling at me, roses, my mom’s cookies, little children playing.

All of you who are interested, go ahead and comment!

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Recently, I’ve been catching up with my work-related reading. And I started to do so by picking up some books from Polirom’s “Public Relations and Advertising” series. This specific quote I thought of sharing with you:

“The purpose of public relations is defined by the need to be, the desire of appearing, and the fear of disappearing.”

Bernard Dagenais, “The PR Profession”

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My first reply would be something like “definitely not”. But would that actually be a correct answer? I guess it depends on how you define looks. As appearance? That is not limited to the God-given physical traits. If you think about it, appearance is the image we advertise with those we meet. Some have the ability to go beyond (family, friends, really gifted people in reading others’ personality). Others stop there. And they might like what they see/feel or not.

Getting to this conclusion, I started thinking about what matters to me when I meet people. I tend to like people with warm smiles, that kind of people that also smile with their eyes. I like people with a confident air, although it is hard to describe it. And I also tend to like people taking care of themselves: choosing clothes that best fit them, not looking like a walking mess. Yes, people come in all shape and sizes, but a skinny person and a chubby person never look good in the same outfits. I like people with a sense of personal fashion (those who make trends by wearing what makes them look great, not what designers and teenagers shove down their throat).

Does this all make me superficial? Not really. You first meet people on a superficial level. You then get to know the real person inside them. I think sticking to the first level make you superficial, not personal tastes.

When it comes to business, the appearance is also important. “The image of you that you believe in is how people will actually see you”, I’ve heard this phrase in different context, with different words. And it is quite true. If you are confident, if you know how to adapt to the circumstances (clubbing dress would be a bad choice here), if you find a way to promote everything that’s good about you (without telling lies and by not making more of something petty), people will accept the image you choose to share with them. It might not be a complete image. But it is not a false one either.

Should we neglect looks? Why would we? We should however learn how to get to the essence of others. Because sometimes, appearances can be deceiving.

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