Indubitabil, Nu Conteaza.

Yesterday, I actually meant to write at large about my Twitter-experience-so-far, since I’m plugging into it for a couple of days now. In the end, I decided to give out the short English version…

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In the last few months since I signed up with the infamous birdie, I’ve realized - peu à peu - how TOTALLY FRIGGIN’ AWESOME this experience can be for a noob. For more experienced webbies, Twitter is a place to hang out with familiar faces, while building up a crowd of followers to pluck your products or (personal) brand to OR tighten up relationships with like-minded peeps in the industry. For us mere mortals, Twitter is fanboy haven unleashed.

Contrary to popular belief, I signed up with Twitter in an attempt to give a try to the service that kicked CNN ass in July last year. Since then, I grew quite a handful of followers, while opening my eyes and ears to the Community.

I started following people based on common interests / familiarity of face or… content of their blogs / websites. Do keep in mind that I’m a web content editor at heart, hence my interests revolve pretty much around the online field - successfully representated by a gazillion Twitter users / “VIP”s.

Then, I realized how easy Twitter makes it to express myself in a creative (and maybe a little hermetical) way to an audience I am followed back by. I started jotting out thoughts and rants that some perceived as “spam”, others replied to and most ignored as ‘part of who she is’.

Then, I went on a little further to meet Hugh MacLeod (Gapingvoid).

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1) Had my 1st blog back in 2004, when the thing had just started growing in Romania. It came out inspired by Constantin Basturea’s Global PR Blog Week and an interview of Mike Manuel (Media Guerrilla) that appeared in the PRIME Europe newsletter.*

2) Never owned a pet. I’m actually afraid of dogs (and spiders) & allergic to cats. And I couldn’t have the time to take care of them anywayz.

3) Like sushi & marinated raw fish. I could eat those forever. On my prolonged list of likes: Tex-Mex, Italian, anything spicy/ crispy/ sweet.

4) Am a sworn chocolate addict (black, 75-80% cocoa). If rehab didn’t do it, nothing can.

5) Have 7 dresses in my closet I don’t wear anymore. I keep them for what if’s sake. Also, an impressive collection of sweaters & tees, same reason. Thinking of giving them away to charity.

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There will always be a market for bullshit.

Is there anyone out there not tired of the Internet, of the way we use it to manipulate (ok, influence) and sell and “grow your business”? Does anyone use Internet for positive change anymore? And what is positive and negative? What’s Good and Bad? Personally, I am tired of (Romanian) Online Bullshit.

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“Nice country. Too bad it’s populated.”

Well, I wanna see more of the nice side of Romania. Really. I wanna see it everywhere, not just here. I am tired of Romania as we know it and see it every single day. I am tired to see empty pocket average people alongside convertibles and 4-hooks suited gens, see f*cked up teenagers with no future alongside shmuks with attitude, see poverty across from luxury and kitsch-packed shopping venues (aka the malls).

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What biggie did the NATO Summit do? 

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A disturbing video has come to my attention while browsing the web in lack of sleep. The documentary I found here shows the depravation of the woman imagery in today’s Advertising & Media.

While this is nothing new and has been going on for years, it still is a very cruel portrail of womanhood and the attempt to make us look shabby / “beautiful”  - depending on the marketed object for which that imagery has been used: so fake.

I am a woman, so I feel highly disturbed about how media puts us out in the open and men think that this is how we really are / should be. And the teenage generation extends / prolongs this mistake by taking up unhealthy role-models.

Gah! If only men (and women likewise) had eyes to see beyond that which has been fed to us for years…

RoTweetMeet 1.0…

Ne-am vazut, ne-am placut, am schimbat intre noi carti de vizita mai mult sau mai putin branduite, am baut mai multa sau mai putina bere, ne-am amuzat unii pe seama altora, ne-am cunoscut off-twitter si offline.

Si dupa toate astea…

Simt cum mi se scurge primavara printre degete. Flori de martie intr-o cafea, printre pleoape amortite si soare. Mult, mult soare. Caldura cu intermitente (f*ck global dimming, global warming & cate si mai cate dezastre secundare ale inconstientei noastre!) plus somn de-a-ndoaselea, dar yeah… I’m still alive.

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Ma simt intr-al saptelea cer si am 9 vieti in aceasta duminica altfel. Vreau sa scriu din nou. Simt ca prind aripi si nu-mi mai pasa cine, ce, unde, cand. Probabil doar pana maine, cand o iau de la capat. But I don’t care no more. Pentru ca am toata viata inainte si clipa asta de care tin cu dintii. Pentru ca e a mea aici, acum. Si nu imi mai permit s-o pierd.

Facand curat printre articole, am dat peste bucata asta.

- continuare -

Te intrebi ce cauti in aglomeratia asta de inimi care bat fiecare pe alta frecventa, ce cauti intre toti ochii aia atintiti spre tine. Fiindca intre reclame si peronul celalalt, tu esti cel mai dandy specimen. Da, te-ai trezit cu fata la cearsaf, te strang hainele, aerul viciat e irespirabil si-ai vrea sa vina odata metroul ala soios in care iti plimbi zilele again and again and again. Visezi sa scrii o carte in putinul timp liber si… Atentie, se inchid usile. Urmeaza statia X cu peronul pe partea Y… ZBANG! Era sa ramai pe-afara. Acum esti prins intre burta unei matahale transpirate si pieptul voluminos al unei doamne trecute bine de 45 de ani. Ii miroase gura a menta amestecata cu tutun si te intrebi daca fumeaza lungi si subtiri sau scurte lights. Nu mai e mult, la prima cobori. Se deschid usile si calatorii se-mbulzesc sa iasa. Peronul e stramt iar tu esti luat de val si te invarti un pic in loc pana sa-ti nimeresti traiectoria. Acum, sus pe scari, cu puhoiul. Inaintezi alene si mai ca ti-o iei in freza de la papornita unui viteaz care s-a incumetat sa-ti ia fata. Vrei doar sa ajungi la birou si injuri ca n-ai masina. Ma rog, ai dar e inca in service, cu aripa dreapta sifonata serios. Oh finally… AER! Acum, mai sunt doar 10 minute pana sus. Ai impresia ca esti on top of the world dar te uiti la ceas si iti dai seama ca ai ratat deja juma’ de meeting. F*ck, ai pus-o! Ar trebui sa ai o scuza buna, pentru ca e a 4-a oara in 5 zile cand intarzii cel putin un sfert de ceas. OK, liftul e salvarea. Noroc ca e jos. Portarul nici macar nu ti-a raspuns la “Buna ziua!”. E de rau? Who the hell cares?! Trebuia sa-ti tii prezentarea acum 5 minute si-ti sfaraie creierii. WTF WTF WTF? Sunt toti acolo, chiar TOTI. OK, respira adanc…

(to be continued, again)

UPDATE: video elocvent despre ce inseamna sa-ti plimbi singuratatea in metrou si cum poti sa pici de fraier in timp ce unii te calca pe vise.

1. Why is it so much easier to put words together here or tweet than write a 2000 words piece?
2. Why is it so much easier to be hermetic in writing and an open book in relation to people?
3. Why is it so much easier to do stuff than things that require effort?

Oh hai. Looks like I’ve been away for far too long and this place doesn’t seem to reflect me anymore. Well, there’s pretty much ONE other place you can find me lately - except for the lovely UnseenRomania - and that is… the mighty TWITT-ER!

Some say it’s no good and vicious, others spell addiction all over, but they do agree on one thing: Twitter is it! This cute pixel-birdie has become a massive aggregator of web 2.0 VIPs and events, being the latest most popular sh*te in micro-blogging (the spring to ~1 million users in just a few months speaks by itself).

A huge number of desktop, web and mobile apps have been developed from its API (e.g. Twitdir, Hashtags, Twitterposter, Twitstat, TweetScan etc etc etc) - all serving the ultimate purpose of making Twitter a friendlier and more useful place to be.

Forget about Second Life. Forget about blogs. Forget about IM and even e-mail! Twitter does it all - from instant to private interaction and multiple replies - you name it! Of course, it sometimes crashes under the heavy weight of live micro-coverage from popular events - but who wouldn’t, when Steve Jobs is speaking? (And LeWeb3, MacWorld keynote, TED, SXSW… are just a few of them.)

Yet, there’s one itsy-bitsy tiny-mini micro-problem: 

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Any challenge comes with payments and rewards. Mine has come in a time when I ain’t fully prepared to respond.

I’m aiming for big things with Unseen Romania, tho I offered it so little of me this past week… Yes, I got feedback from people (thank you, guys!) and I am ready to shape up a strategy. But my body is letting me down and will not take any more stress. I pushed it too far previously so now he’s sending me the bill. My energy levels are low.

How do I cope with this?

Lord knows I tried, so…