“chirila in licee”

May 27, 2009 at 5:32 pm (my experiences, philosophy)
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tudor chirila, the lead voice of the band vama veche, has sustained a program recently. he talked to teenagers of several bucharest high-schools about career choice, about choices in general. moreover, he offered a few personal opinions on studying and culture.

let’s take the ups and downs of this experience, for they were both mixed together. firstly, many of my classmates refused to come, considering chirila was someone who had nothing to learn them. don’t get me wrong, i wasn’t at all confused and waiting for someone to show me what i want to do from now on. but i think that each person we talk to gives us a little bit of themselves, while getting a little bit of us.and the alternative was going home, which is something that i get to do daily – so i think it was worth.

to start with the bad parts – not being pessimistic, they’re only fewer – he seemed a little bit too clinched to his own ideas, in spite of the obvious opening he had. what i mean is that at a certain point, his arguments sounded a bit like “because i say so”, which wouldn’t be such a strong argument if you asked me.

as for the good parts, well i was highly impressed by the way he sees culture, general knowledge. he argued that the only way to be truly outranked is not by money or social power, but by means of knowledge; that there is that awkward moment while having a conversation when the other asks whether you have read the book x. and if not x, perhaps y? or maybe z? no…oh…okay… that is the moment when they get higher than you are, and you feel it even though the other doesn’t show it.

what is more, he asked us “are money the goal or the consequence of your job?”. of course, there were more the ones who saw money as a goal – i have to disagree. i believe that you can, for a limited period of time, do something that you don’t like because you have to. but doing it over and over again? we, romanians, are one of the only civilisations that see change as a bad thing. i mean, try by all means to do that thing you enjoy most. and perhaps it doesn’t work out all that good, or maybe you see you don’t really like it…do something else. why are so many people afraid of change? i’m seventeen, and if we don’t have the time to change us, to change things around us….than who has it anymore?

one of the last subjects discussed were role models – parents and teachers and other people who have ever influenced our way of thinking. one of the answers from the crowd was that we do not need models, that we should be able to know what we want by ourselves. some guy said he knew someone who wanted to get big…how can you get big without comparing yourself to someone else? of course, i am who i am and i can be defined according to principles alone. but when you decide you don’t want to be good, but great? when you know you want to be big, you want to be the best? that is the moment when you have to see yourself in relation with others. as i’ve already said, every single person i have ever talked to has paid their part to who i am today. i know people i don’t like, and they are models of “not like this”. having a model does not mean wanting to be a clone of a certain someone…but wishing to get to master that one ability you admire about them – it may only be a kind smile, or an always well-intended word to say. it may be almost nothing, though it always is a lot.  so yes, i am a puzzle. a puzzle made of those pieces that the rest of the world gave me. i am every person i ever admired and none of those i didn’t like…i’m part of this world, so this world has to be a part of me.

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IBO 2009

May 20, 2009 at 6:45 pm (ambition)
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the international biology olympiad…what started out as merely a dream somehow became reality. after the nationals, twenty of us had been selected for the two week training in cluj. this intensive studying was followed by an exam, probably the best i have ever met regarding biology. for once, there wasn’t only single choice subjects, but also questions requiring a written answer. and here comes the best part – the questions were actually based on thinking, not memorizing!

i was quite relaxed after the test. i had only taken this training as an experience useful for the year to come. almost everybody around me was staying up until 2 or 3 in the morning, while the classes started at 8. so imagine my surprise when seeing my name on the list of four international olympics. it was a pleasant yet – i believe well-deserved – surprise.

to start with, many of those twenty were interested in medicine alone, not so much in biology. i met very smart people, who knew well what they needed – the anatomy and physiology of human body. not plants, or small insects, and i think that this is just fine. the important thing is to be on top of your game, not someone else’s. what is more, many of those who had very well memorized biology lacked an enormous amount of knowledge on subjects like math or literature. i consider biology to be my passion, it’s that special thing that makes me tick. but it is not, nor will it ever be the only thing i know about. lastly, it was the understanding and not memorizing of phenomena the one that helped me get where i am – and in my opinion, that is one of the most important things not only in biology, but in everything.

so this is it – ibo. starting the 12th of july, in japan… i couldn’t be more excited, really. there is a lot to learn, and we still have to go through 2 weeks of practical training. but i’m looking forward to it 🙂

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again biology

April 29, 2009 at 8:37 pm (my experiences)
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just a quick note, as i find myself, yet again, in cluj. only this time, it is for a much more enjoyable reason. for two weeks, the university here offers training for the first twenty students of the country in biology, followed by an exam to select the four lucky ones to go to japan, for the international contest. the schedule is, as many may say, quite impossible – six hours of class in the morning, a one hour break, followed by another two classes (of four and two hours).

still, i somehow manage to love it! it is truly the most exciting school related activity i’ve ever had, and i don’t really get the complaints – there are 1o-12 hours per day in which i get the chance to do what i enjoy most – biology.

what i love even more, is that the teachers are from the university (babes-bolyai) which means that each and every one of them enjoys teaching, having well prepared students and most important love their piece of biology.

to be continued next wednesday…

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excitement

April 22, 2009 at 8:05 pm (my experiences)
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last week was hectic. the national biology contest took place in brasov, with its ups and downs like always. however, this year’s edition seemed somehow better organised, due to its lack of organisation :)ok, just let me explain…

we were supposed to be hosted by some technical schools, the kind with some sort of a campus. the problem they did not think about, at all, was that there were pupils here, from the moldavian republic, who couldn’t get home during holiday due to their political issues. and so we arrived at a kinder garden. but all the bad is for the better, right? because now, unlike any other year, we had clean baths and fresh meals. needless to say, there were many those who complained. “the beds are too small, and we get to sleep on the floor eventually”, “the chairs are so little, that we cannot possibly sit” – to my way of thinking, one who had gotten before all the way to the nationals, could be nothing but grateful – we slept on the floor, yet we had no cockroaches on our pillows and the useful source of penicillin – the mold – was completely absent. this part of my post is for those who’ve complained – we know we cannot get luxury; be glad for the lack of dirt!

back to my topic, i feel i should reinforce my previous post, with a serious vow never to bore you again with biology 🙂 – there’s nothing feeling better than a job well done. the range of emotions was wide, incredibly wide. i’ve passed through determined focus (needed for re-reading the 8 alternative text-books…8…and alternative has its exact meaning, because they are all offering different opinions on certain topics), impossibility to sleep, a huge, enormous and monumental hole in my stomach, all the way to impatience, calm, fear, waiting and finally joy.

i know, it’s much, it’s extremely much – and that is what happens to you once you really get to love a certain thing. it wasn’t just an ordinary contest. and that quote all grown-ups tell you? “it doesn’t matter whether you win or not, entering the contest is enough”? it never really is, is it? no…you cannot really stand working and studying and then someone stealing your prise. it’s not about that funny little amount of money they give, not even about the diplomas – it’s all about you. because here comes the greatest part of them all – excitement. the moment you realise you’ve come all the way up, gone as far as you can and that it wasn’t for nothing. you gain trust in yourself, you are fulfilled with your own, personal merit, and nothing could possibly beat that.

just tell me…can you find something greater for yourself than gathering together the pay-offs of your hard, continuous, passionate working?

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a job well done

April 8, 2009 at 10:11 pm (my experiences, philosophy, Uncategorized)
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i guess that each and everyone of us has at least once in their lives experienced the exciting feeling of a job well done. it doesn’t matter the exact action, it may even not be an action after all. it can be merely a thought, an idea that we had turned upside down a million times, until it has reached its most satisfying definition.

it’s almost midnight and i have spent this entire day doing – sort of speaking – one of the things i enjoy most: biology. though an impossible subject for others, i find it fascinating. it simply reaches out for me, calling, screaming for attention. the understanding of a living unit, the discovery of the metamorphosis from cell to infant, the mechanism of thoughts…the simple knowing. i think that’s what attracts me most – knowing and understanding the world around me, what exists, and how does it exist. but this wasn’t my topic and i got carried away.

the point was that i’m not that person who only sleeps 3 or 4 hours per night. not even close. an 8 to 9 hours sleep would be more likely, and at this hour of the night i usually dream already 🙂 but the excitement of learning new – biology – things is far more energizing than anything else. i only stopped because i had finished what i had to do for today. it is my firm belief that anyone has little joys like my own, and i sincerely cannot imagine how anything could keep you focused like those things that interest you.

so, i cry out to you – don’t get bored, don’t ever get bored. find time amongst the things you need to do for those that captivate your mind, your spirit, your being on the whole. perhaps you still don’t know what it is…find out! try anything – reading a book, perhaps certain subjects, photography, jogging…who knows? but it’s the best high one can get – being at your best, without losing yourself.

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simply happy

April 1, 2009 at 7:35 pm (my experiences, philosophy)
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and so it’s spring again…

i love spring. it’s all so green and new and fresh… it’s all just born, not tired yet, neither sad, since there hasn’t been enough time  to feel blue already. i find it amazing, the way everything comes back to life…the nature renews, the children fill the parks with laughter, everybody is filled with a shinning energy. the city becomes a sort of busy, buzzing hive.

i want to share this spring with you, with everybody. i wish people knew better than to complain and be unhappy over and over again. of course there are bad things happening, needless to say there are things that make us weak and unsafe. but perhaps there can be a way out of it. maybe it cannot solve the problems one may have, but at the very least, spring should cheer us up. taking one step back from this ideal world of everlasting green, a step back into reality, i find the shy sunlight of spring very attractive, very exciting.

spring makes me want to stay outside, to read more…somehow even school is more fascinating in the spring. it makes me see, more than ever, that learning is not a theft of liberty, but merely a key to the real freedom, one can only achieve by knowing. how can some prefer to sleep all day, instead of getting out, of learning more?! i’m not talking about specifically math, or science…learning about things around you, using them as tools to self-discovery. i find each spring a new me, in a new form, with other thoughts than the ones i had already have…

how can some allow themselves to be lazy? it’s spring! find a quiet bench in the park, with a good book in your hands. read your favorite novel, or even better a new one! stop wondering what could you win from yet another book? what do you have to lose? stop skipping classes just because you’re bored, how can you be bored? we’re so young, and fresh, and with so many abilities…there’s nothing to stop us now – no job, no responsibilities, no fears. our only enemy right now is the time, the time that takes us away from the childhood we enjoy…don’t be bored. find yourself new things to discover each day, in order to never get bored.

as for the grown-ups..yes, you do have to worry, you do have to make sure that we can make it through another day. yet find time to talk to us, to feel the spring alongside with us, teenagers…ask us how we feel, and wait to listen our answers. find time to make us believe we’re special for you, or even better, find time to let you know you’re special for yourself. you’ve done so much…take a breath. see how far you’ve arrived? all the work you have always been doing, it was never meant to be for nothing. you are someone now…you are you, perhaps the best you you can be!

it’s spring…enjoy!

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take it or leave it

March 25, 2009 at 8:40 pm (philosophy)
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while it is true that some may make wrong choices, or do something  wrong , and need a way to make things right again, when it comes to opportunities i don’t believe there is such thing as second chance.

as infants, parents protect us, and call the shots on our behalf. there is a certain moment, when they can’t anymore. or at least they shouldn’t. life and society are not perfectly organised, in order to make room for everyone. when you want to advance in your career, society doesn’t give you the <but of course, you deserve it, if not for anything else, for being such a cutie> card.  you have to work your own way to the top, trusting friends to support you, but only you to advance. and here opportunity comes into picture. a surprisingly good offer, if it is still good after a short closer look, has to be accepted. nobody waits for anybody to be ready. as i said, it’s always take it or leave it. there’s no such thing as reconsidering or changes of mind.

naturally, i don’t come to say one should toss a lifetime’s work away. there is a certain necessity for judgement, and thorough understanding of the offer. my point is that you simply cannot suppose that everyone will be there waiting for you. the only thing to be done is a quick balancing, so as to decide what is more important for you. not to mention, each time you turn down an opportunity, there will be, without doubt, someone there, eagerly waiting for you to leave it. to sum things up…any choice is better than no choice at all

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a thank you note for those who couldn’t care less

March 18, 2009 at 7:11 pm (my experiences)
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saturday i participated at the local biology contest, aiming for a top position in order to enter the national competition. however, it was nothing but another opportunity to convince myself of how little our education ministers or, better yet, system cares about students. to my way of thinking, the attitude authorities should have regarding us is something like <wow, so not all students are completely uninterested. what can we do to make them better, and to make more like them???> . and i’m not talking about us only, the biology competitors. i’m talking about all the students who give more than a crap about a certain subject, but are jerked around by this system.

but first things first. being summoned at half past eight at the venue of the exam, i arrived 15 minutes earlier, according to the education i have received about punctuality. what shocked me, and i still don’t know why, is that i found out there that we are allowed to enter the school only between 9 and 9.30….the reason for calling us almost an hour early? so that even those who are late can actually arrive on time. ok…so lesson number one: don’t try to do things right, since everyone around would make you wait for those who don’t care. to put it this way, the loser is that who comes on time. fair enough.

we eventually got into the exam classes. the teachers wouldn’t let us open any window, based on the fact that the door was already opened. needless to say, the door brought no sort of fresh air so we were all sweaty and nervous, and had to take repeatedly pauses. but, for what i was going to see for myself, this had just been the fun part. as i finished my paper, i went to the evaluators. i have to mention, the test was a simple choice type, so we were supposed to put the correct answers into a certain chart. the teachers than had a see through template, which was laid over our answer sheet. my surprise was of enormous proportions when i could only count ten correct choices, out of 70. even though i knew that couldn’t possibly be right, the evaluators had nothing but compassion to offer me, and a list of the correct answers. at a not too close look, i was able to spot that the template did not match that list. my exam was re-evaluated, the mark was way better.

i went home thinking that what had just happened was outrageous, but there was more! i found out from friends that the exact same thing had happened at 12th grade (i’m 11th). my first guess was that they had mixed up the two templates. but it seemed that their subjects had even more problems. the list of correct answers was, in fact, wrong. after changing some of it, though there were still students with good reasons for changing more, the answer was <we have already changed for you a quarter of these answers. what do you want? half? what you have by now it’s more than enough>.

so thank you, great system of teachers and education ministers and inspectors. thank you for not giving a damn about students who work themselves out, hoping to get to nationals. the subjects were the same all over the country – the lists of answers were different. even after announcing that the templates were wrong, there were cities who couldn’t care less, and continued to grade according to those wrong sheets.

why aren’t students interested in school anymore? it’s our generation’s fault too, i don’t argue here. but how are we supposed to enjoy school, when there are no teachers left to enjoy it with us?

 the whole idea we get from them is..<so…you still learn heh? it can’t turn out good for you>

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equality

March 11, 2009 at 6:24 pm (philosophy)
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so, i had this assignment in english class, to comment on the following quote:<<what makes equality such a difficult subject is that we only want it with our superiors>>(henry becque). the whole point seemed to be agreeing on the fact that indeed we do look for being equals with those above us, and oh, how lousy that made us feel. my only question here is…so what’s the problem?

i don’t believe people are born as equals. i don’t believe we ever are equals with anyone. some are born in europe or the u.s. , others in middle africa.  some come from higher social environments, some are mere some junkey’s kid. needless to say, i am convinced that we should, as humans, at least have equal rights. but we don’t.

in addition, we dare to grow up. from this point forward, we are done talking about any sort of equality – but again, i don’t really see the problem here. some are keen on math, others would rather fancy a good book. some may prefer to like nothing, others to like everything. to a certain extent, some may have no problem with having nothing, others want it all. so no, we are not at all equals.

moreover, as far as i’m concerned, i find no valuable argument for desiring equality with my inferiors. i do have, obviously, respect for them as individuals, but it seems to me that one should always look forward. the whole point in life is evolving, and that can only be done by moving from good to better, not the other way around. nevertheless, one should always take into account the fact that what goes around, comes around. we couldn’t have equaled our superiors if they hadn’t let us. likewise, though we should not agree to being equals with inferiors, we do have the moral obligation of allowing them to be with us, as long as they deserve it.

to put it briefly yes, we do want equality with our superiors. and that, from where i stand, is nothing but a way of improving.

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beauty and the beast

March 4, 2009 at 7:55 pm (disney quotes)
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yes, well, i still enjoy an old disney cartoon. not only they’re sooo fun to watch, they are also violence-free, sex-free, and any_other_stuff-free. i mean, nowadays a cartoon is no fun unless it has monsters and robots and killing – they have no message, nothing to teach (could anyone compare them to tom & jerry??).

however, this is exactly why disney sounds so appealing to me. needless to say i really fancy the plot, but recently i’ve been paying more attention to the songs – they are somehow a summarise of the characters’ personalities. the one i chose for this piece of writing is <<beauty and the beast>>. from the very beginning we hear the “little town song” – it’s both about the villagers and belle. while heading to the town, belle actually calls them little people, noticing how every day is like the one before. it didn’t really surprise me the similarities between their way of thinking and the one of people i know – they find belle strange, but only because she’s “nothing like the rest of us”. how come that it’s so easy to spot the odd one out, yet so difficult to see that perhaps it’s differences that makes someone greater than others. it’s rather considered “a pity and a sin, that she doesn’t fit in”. and while gaston – the ’91 bad-boy – plans to marry belle, she is in search for “so much more than they’ve got planned”. who’d have ever thought that a cartoon can be so deep-thinking?

furthermore,other songs are just as thought-provoking as the first one. “tale as old as time”, between romantic and plot-related lines offers a real guide line, let’s say: “bitter sweet and strange finding you can change, learning you were wrong”. also, the funny “be our guest” shows a great deal of imagination, mixing “pies and pudding on flambe” with the flatware that’s “entertaining”, and with the necessary by now piece of morality – “ah, those good old days when we were useful […] ten years we’ve been rusting […] needing exercise, a chance to use our skills”.

seems that back then it was seen as normally to teach children some moral values together with giving them a reason to laugh. why has this changed? i will continue in follow-up posts with more disney quotes.

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