Favourite Quotes

"Dream, learn, live" by me

"...but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude" 

~Emerson

"Nay, if you read this line, remember not

The hand that writ it; for I love you so,

That I in your sweet thoughts would be forgot,

If thinking on my then should make you woe."

~Shakespeare

"A mighty pain to love it is, and 'tis a pain that pain to miss; but of all the pains, the greatest pain is to love, but love in vain."

~Abraham Crowley

"An act of love that fails is just as much a part of the divine life as an act of love that succeeds, for love is measured by fullness, not by reception."

~Harold Lokes 

"Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat...We must find each other."

~Mother Teresa 

"Be Kind to your Behind" 

~ADVERTISEMENT Cottonelle

"Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile."

~Franklin P. Jones

"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved"

~William Jennings Bryan

“Don't worry about a thing, every little thing is gonna be alright”

~Bob Marley

“Traveling is not just seeing the new; it is also leaving behind. Not just opening doors; also closing them behind you, never to return. But the place you have left forever is always there for you to see whenever you shut your eyes.”~ Jan Myrdal

"It matters not how strait the gate, 

How charged with punishments the scroll, 

I am the master of my fate: 

I am the captain of my soul."

~From the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley

"White people create the dominant images of the world and don't quite see that they thus construct the world in their own image"

~Richard Dyer

All men should strive

to learn before they die

what they are running from, and to, and why.

~James Thurber

Guardare gli eventi e le situazioni in una luce positiva è importante. La forza, la saggezza e la gioia che accompagnano un simile atteggiamento portano alla felicità. Guardare le cose con ottimismo o benevolenza non significa essere stupidamente ingenui e permettere agli altri di approfittare della nostra buona disposizione d'animo. Significa avere la saggezza e l'intuizione di muovere le cose in direzione positiva, considerandone l'aspetto migliore pur rimanendo concentrati sulla realtà. ~Daisaku Ikeda

Amico mio, accanto a te

non ho nulla di cui scusarmi,

nulla da cui difendermi,

nulla da dimostrare: trovo la pace...

Al di la' delle mie parole maldestre

tu riesci a vedere in me

semplicemente l'uomo.

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth -- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up --that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had."

~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

"And I recognized that if I returned to these interests, which were the dominant interests of my own youth, life would become very uncomfortable. Because I know in the United States you don't get sent to psychiatric prison and they don't send the death squad after you and so on but there are definite penalties for breaking the rules. So these were real decisions and it simply seemed at that point that it was hopelessly immoral not to."

~Noam Chomsky

"You're mad."

"Thank goodness for that, because if I wasn't, this would probably never work." 

~Cutler Beckett and Jack Sparrow

"Watching you walk out of my life does not make me bitter or cynical about love. But rather makes me realize that if I wanted so much to be with the wrong person how beautiful it will be when the right one comes along.”

~Anonymous

""I am in the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and, as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live" 

~George Bernard Shaw

" The great moments of your life won't necessarily be the things you do. They'll also be the things that happen to you. Now, I'm not saying you can't take action to affect the outcome of your life. You have to take action. And you will! But never forget, that on any day, you could step out the front door, and your whole life could change forever. You see the universe has a plan kids; and that plan is always in motion. A butterfly flaps it's wings, and it starts to rain. It's a scary thought, but it's also kind of wonderful. All these little parts of the machine constantly working, making sure that you end up exactly where you're supposed to be, exactly when you're supposed to be there. The right place. At the right time."

~Future Ted from 'How I Met Your Mother'

"Lexie: Grief may be a thing we all have in common, but it looks different on everyone.

Mark: It isn't just death we have to grieve. It's life. It's loss. It's change.

Alex: And when we wonder why it has to suck so much sometimes, has to hurt so bad. The thing we gotta try to remember is that it can turn on a dime.

Izzie: That's how you stay alive. When it hurts so much you can't breathe, that's how you survive.

Derek: By remembering that one day, somehow, impossibly, you won't feel this way. It won't hurt this much.

Bailey: Grief comes in its own time for everyone, in its own way.

Owen: So the best we can do, the best anyone can do, is try for honesty.

Meredith: The really crappy thing, the very worst part of grief is that you can't control it.

Arizona: The best we can do is try to let ourselves feel it when it comes.

Callie: And let it go when we can.

Meredith: The very worst part is that the minute you think you're past it, it starts all over again.

Cristina: And always, every time, it takes your breath away.

Meredith: There are five stages of grief. They look different on all of us, but there are always five.

Alex: Denial.

Derek: Anger.

Bailey: Bargaining.

Lexie: Depression.

Richard: Acceptance."

~Grey's Anatomy, season 6 episode 2

"Oh, signore, lei sa bene che la vita è piena d'infinite assurdità, le quali sfacciatamente non han neppure bisogno di parer verosimili; perchè sono vere!"

~Luigi Pirandello

"Non mi pento dei momenti in cui ho sofferto; porto su di me le cicatrici come se fossero MEDAGLIE, so che la libertà ha un prezzo alto, alto quanto quello della schiavitù. L'unica differenza è che si paga con piacere, e con un sorriso...anche quando quel sorriso è bagnato dalle lacrime."

~Paulo Coelho

"L'amore è paziente,

è benigno l'amore;

non è invidioso l'amore,

non si vanta,

non si gonfia,

non manca di rispetto,

non cerca il suo interesse,

non si adira,

non tiene conto del male ricevuto,

non gode dell'ingiustizia,

ma si compiace della verità. 

Tutto copre, tutto crede, tutto spera, tutto sopporta. 

L'amore non avrà mai fine" 

~San Paolo

“Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people”

~Leo Burnett

"You cannot receive true love until you love yourself first.

We see only a reflection of ourselves in other people.

You will only accept the love that you feel inside.

If you don’t love yourself, you will think it’s love when someone treats you poorly, even though in your mind you may know you should be treated better. If you were treated better, you would lose interest because it would not match the feeling you have inside. 

We reject anything more than we feel we truly deserve. 

Love yourself, accept yourself, and you will no longer be attracted to those who don’t treat you with love and kindness. 

Feel love, receive love."

~Doe Zantamata

"I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much". ~Mother Teresa

"Most people live life on the path we set for them, too afraid to explore any other. But once in a while people like you come along who knock down all the obstacles we put in your way. People who realize freewill is a gift that you'll never know how to use until you fight for it. I think that's the chairman's real plan. That maybe one day, we won't write the plan. You will".

~From the movie The Adjustment Bureau

"There is nothing that wastes the body like worry, and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever".

~Mohandas Gandhi 

"Let your thoughts be positive for they will become your words.

Let your words be positive for they will become your actions.

Let your actions be positive for they will become your values.

Let your values be positive for they will become your destiny." 

~Mahatma Gandhi

"Now when He saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them, saying:

'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 

Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.' "

~Bible, Matthew 5: 1-12

Hope is not for sale

They can say the want us leaving They can say they want us gone But I have one big truth to share: my hope is not for sale.

We are sisters and we are brothers We are all from the same earth We share laughter and share shudders: no, my hope is not for sale.

When we remember we are together That’s when we can make a big change Even they who want us gone, are the ones that eat our bread.

So we need a full detour From the walls of shame and hate If they want us gone and push us, we must smile and take our hands.

Walls may be built and houses destroyed Pain may come and may corrode, But we can stand still as one and bear it all with each other’s help. 

We shall come together as people Of peace, of truth, of love As a family for the prisoners, the lonely and the kids missing a home.

We can break this hateful cycle Of blame, of spite, of cry As we open doors to refugees, as we stop fearing and unite.

Only then will we not tremble Only then we can admit That we aren’t robbed of our dreams, that we won’t submit to pain.

And if a rich white man prevails, Wanting division and power and he asks us “what’s the price for you to stop wanting this?”

We can say, free at last, that Our Hope is Not for Sale.

Living with the cons

We are all good at choosing what we prefer out of two general options, or what we would rather live out of two extreme outcomes.

Do you want to win 100,000 dollars or do you want to get punched in the face?

In these cases, rationality and preference mechanisms come into play. Of course.

But what happens when the answer isn't so clear-cut? What goes on in our minds when we have to decide on a more long-term basis and out of multiple "right" ways?

Here I want to pause to discuss the definition of a "right" outcome. This world seems obsessed with finding and categorising right and wrong things. Everybody thinks something is just one or the other but we forget other contextual and perspective dimensions. Splashing water in my face would not be right to do at work but if I do it in an appropriate context, such as in a Sicilian beach in August when it's midday, it becomes right. Also, it might be not right for someone to laugh hysterically but might be right (and categorised as "sane" or "normal") if the person is actually laughing to a really funny joke that his friend texted him.

Anyway, this is all to say: I think "right" is many times a changing, flowing status.

(I'll keep it personal here but in politics and international relations, this has caused many issues indeed).

If "right" is a fluid thing that changes, then there might be multiple rights at the same time.

Some "rights" may not even be as clear-cut as winning the lottery.

Here are some examples of situations that are not straight-forward decisions.

Is it right for me and my future career to accept this job?

Should I buy a car now?

Can I take a gap year and go travelling?

And here is a term I want to use: un-right. It might seem like un-right describes "wrong" or any other opposite of right but really, what I am trying to get at here is that we need to take a step back from all this categorisation and describe the situation just as it is in itself. Without giving it heavy connotations that might divert our judgement and thinking. This is because, if there are many rights that can become wrong and vice-versa, isn't it easier to just lighten up the weight of the issue and approach life in a less definitive way?

I think that taking a decision on a bigger scale -whether that entails moving, getting married or buying a house- can be a matter upon which we can rationalise the outcomes but only up to a certain point.

Especially if you're an over-thinker like me. At some point we need to let go of the pros and cons, of what's right and what's wrong. And just decide. If we un-right the situation, on the contrary of what people might think, we might actually do ourselves a favour.

Right is un-right.

This is because most of life's long-term decisions aren't (as aforementioned) outrightly good or bad. Sometimes we also may not have a clear preference or opinion regarding them. Judgement may often make us unhappy. Looking at the world with a win-lose approach does not always work in real life.

For example, if we do decide to buy that car...we will have both good aspects and bad aspects about it. Yes, we might feel that the good might be more than the bad, but who knows how long that will last. Sometimes we get confused and our thoughts might get tangled up. 

If we only use the win-lose framework our thought process might look like this: "I did well buying the car, look at how fast I can go now! Oh, traffic jam. Maybe I should've not bought the car after all...oh what's going on? I would have been at work by now if I had taken the tube. Nevermind, I'm almost there. Oh, no...someone stole my parking spot!" and so on till exhaustion. I'm not saying we all think like that, but some of us certainly do!

What we really need is coping mechanisms for dealing with the cons of a situation that we put ourselves in.

Escapism won't work: it's a mischievous trap. The win-lose framework appeals to us because we think we can compete and win. But there will always be some parts of a decision that are not quite positive.

Also, we might even "win" once, but there will always be other decisions to make and honestly, we cannot possibly win them all. 

If we don't learn how to cope with the cons of a decision, we might end up not making any decisions at all and wishing our life away.

----------------

Sometimes the best option might not exist after all, even after counting all preferences in a well thought-out, rational way. 

Sometimes we just need to account for the fact that neutral, un-right decisions WILL have both positive aspects and negative consequences. 

Those times, we just have to learn how to deal with the negatives.

And that's up to you (sorry no ultimate recipe for life here).

**P.S.**

Another suggestion coming from a comment on this blog post by a friend of mine regards not focusing on coping with the cons altogether and instead on seeking the "magis", as St. Ignatius puts it. Here is a helpful resource passed on to me by her. Feel free to read it if you are interested: 

http://www.sjweb.info/documents/cis/pdfenglish/200511008en.pdf

5 Questions To Help You Pack For A Trip

Travel Exclusive Packing List: 
5 Questions To Help You Decide What To Pack And What You Really Need.

Soooo....almost a year after my last post: here I am, writing again! This time about a practical, down-to-earth common problem. Today I am trying to answer the question:

What do I bring on this trip?

Whether it is for work, for holiday or to see a friend... I am attempting here to make a general list of questions and list of items that could help you remember some items you might otherwise forget to pack.

Why? Simple. I also find myself in this situation and, instead of panicking and packing last-minute, I want to take the time to, not only write down a list for me to use in the future but also, humbly share the knowledge acquired in years of packing for all sorts of adventures.

1. To pack basic necessary items: think about your routine

What do you do every day? You wake up and probably: shower, brush your teeth, dry your face, get dressed. Well if, the day before packing, you note down all the items that are indispensable to you on an everyday basis, you might find that you remember your night cream or your hair brush more easily. To make it even easier for you to pack, you can also divide the essentials up by time of day you use them and other categories (such as where they are located in the house). To give you an idea, the first part of your packing list could look something like:

• Morning
• Alarm (or phone)
• Make up/perfume/jewelry/nail care items
• Shoes and bag/s
• Towel/s
• Toothbrush/toothpaste
• Bath essentials (small bottles with shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and any other creams you use every day)
• Razors/hair brushes
• Afternoon
• Essential clothes (underwear, bras (for girls -usually), socks, tops, pants/skirts/leggings)
• Snacks
• Tissues
• Evening
• Telephone charger
• Book
• PJ or comfortable clothes to sleep in
• Slippers

2. Do you need to go on a plane to reach your destination?

This question helps you decide what to bring and what not to bring. You have a bit more of a leeway if you are going by car, train, or bus. However, if you are taking a plane, you might want to remember to:

• Put all of your liquids on a transparent sealable bag
• Check regulations and weight restrictions imposed by the airline you are travelling with
• Narrow down the amount of things to bring. Imagine yourself being arrived at the destination: will you really need this item or can you survive without it or buy it there if necessary?

3. Are you staying at your friend's house?

If you are, ask him/her if you need to bring towels or some other things that they might have and be happy to lend you. You might also want to pack a present for them (chocolates are easy to transport and a general nice general gift if you can't think of anything else to bring them).

4. What kind of environment will you find at your destination? (a.k.a.: The Extras)

Now you can finally think about any other extra bits and pieces you may need. Are you going to the beach or the mountain? Are you going camping? Will you need your laptop or any other electronics? How long are you going for? What will you do there? Will you need specific medication? Will you need any other items that you do not usually need at home? This phase is the one that scares us the most. But really, if you pack the essentials first, only a handful of things remain in this extra section. Unless you are going to Tibet for 40 days on your own, that is.

And last, but absolutely not least:

5. What important documents do you need to travel?
Whether it's your passport, your tickets or the top-secret presentation you need to give to a top-secret agency, do NOT finish packing until you actually prepare your change of clothes for the travel and, most importantly, your travel documents! Put them somewhere accessible but secure, and check this (pocket, zip, whatever it is) before leaving the house and every time you move from one means of transportation to the other.

Have a nice trip!

*Feel free to comment below if you think I've missed anything!*

Random whining

So...
This post is dedicated to all the people who have been wondering why I haven't been posting anything in March. I have jot down a few experiences out of the ones I have had in the past month and done with them what I do best: whine... It's ok I love my life and I know I don't have a rough one either: in fact I'm grateful for everything I have. However, I am writing my whinings here in the hope that my experience might be useful little advices (or things to think about) to some readers.

Reminder: Please remember that no one is forcing you to read all my points so stop reading as soon as it gets to be too much whining for you in one go.

• Group interviews: BEWARE of them. I hope one day it will be a banned practise. You are in a room with other people who are applying for the same job as you. At the same time, you have to BOTH be nice to them and engage with them AND compete. It is, I believe, very inhumane. And generally sad. And at the end of it you have schizophrenic thoughts like "Well, what a nice bunch of people...oh I hope I get the job...oh what a lovely person good luck to her...oh no maybe not?!?"

• Ryanair's terravision bus from London Victoria: where does it leave from? Yes, I've also been travelling a lot this past month and I've had to do it in the middle of the night, as the takeoff time of the plane was around 6AM. Buses from Victoria leave regularly at night, making it possible for the sleepless ones to get to the airport on time. However, the Ryanair buses leave from 2 different bays...and online or on the ticket you print at home there isn't a way to find out from which bay the bus leaves. I suggest you go to the Terravision Cafe' (which is in between the 2 bays) and you ask the person to give you the little leaflet where the buses that leave from bay 2 are highlighted in blue. Or follow the blog and I'll take a pic of my leaflet soon so you can find it here.

• NHS, some help please? Recently I've felt my knee funny and dull pain. To sum up, after having been twice to two different healthcare practices and after following their advice (i.e. "take ibuprofen, put some ice and keep it elevated but you can walk just don't put too much weight on it") none of the nurses or the doctors I have seen has done further analysis on it. My knee  started to swell and properly hurt, nevermind the discomfort. I now know it is a problem with my patella and they didn't discover it at all and never helped me to find a specialist that would. And that is nothing: a friend of mine was in pain, called an ambulance and they asked her 3 times the same kind of information. All they were worried about was where she was living, not how she was feeling. She was left sitting on a chair, somewhere just like that. I mean, come on NHS! I've found a few nice receptionists and nurses but really, the majority of the people that has seen me haven't been helpful. :(

Can you relate to any of the points above?

Do you have something to moan about?

Comment below!

BBC and LSE: it is ON. Airing tomorrow.

Isn't it interesting that, just after a recent post of mine on what I believe is BBC's social recklessness -more like futile emphasis- on a social aspect of our society (i.e. social classes), the LSE vs. BBC scandal erupts?

For more information on the story, I suggest you to read this article as it tries to take an objective stance as much as possible, and it is also full of detailed information.

What do you guys think? Is it true that LSE students didn't know the true nature of the project or did the BBC tell them the details? As an LSE alumni, I think that the students wouldn't have any gain in saying they didn't know anything if indeed they were informed.

I also have to say that during my academic experience at LSE last year (I did a one-year long taught Masters course) I felt that the LSE was very respectful of the BBC as an institution in general. It is very interesting to see the School taking such a strong stance on this. However, I am glad and proud -that is, if the students did indeed ignore the details of the great danger they were actually facing.

However, do you think this story is actually publicising the BBC show (due to air tomorrow eve)?
Whatever the case, I am glad that LSE students and alumni are keeping up the good work of spreading this news/scandal.

The LSE has suffered from recent scandals before (I am sure you remember the Gaddafi's son story) but at least on this one, it seems to be on what we could call "the good side": defending the students and doing so even by going against the national mainstream TV.

It is also intriguing to look at the video of Sweeney talking about this too.
Video is the third one on this page.
"The majority of the students support this programme" said Sweeney multiple times.
Really? Is "the majority" enough to you? Also, erhm...dear Sweeney...hello?
You are a journalist: did no one ever tell you about how much your body and tone language can convey? In the clip you definitely "erhm" many times trying to dodge those harder questions posed to you.

Just be honest because: we are talking here about young people that you've contributed to put at risk.
And who knows...it could have been me or a friend of mine in another life. Or your son or daughter.
Come on...be a big man and apologise. Even if only one of the students has complained, that doesn't mean that what you did is ok.

BBC's Great British Class Propaganda

You remember when in the movie V for Vendetta the British government official starts dictating what to do in the media to help manipulate people's opinions and keep the dictatorship in place? Maybe the Great British Class Calculator should have been in the movie as an exemplar tool that seems fun but really, is changing your perception of things and directing people to make certain propagandistic cultural assumptions.

Call me conspiracy-lover, but I think there are the assumptions that are embedded in the discourse of the little interactive system. Assumption which make us think more about our differences rather than what we have in common as people living in the UK.

Here they are:

1. First assumption: our social system is made up of social classes.
Don't get me wrong loads of people do want us to believe that, in the UK in particular, there is this social class system within which people always try to categorise themselves. However, is it there really or are the differences merging?


2. Second assumption: everyone who takes the "test" is going to be categorised so everyone is part of a class.
What about people from abroad living in the UK? No test is going to be able to measure each person's individuality. The BBC is blatantly ignoring the opinions of real people that have taken the test. Just read the comments here to see what users say.

Apart from the test's questionable validity, SHOULD any tool measure people's individuality?
It took me ages but I eventually did realise that being different is never a bad thing...thank goodness we aren't all the same! It is true: psychologically we sometimes need to use our brain to categorise people because it helps us remember more...but society never helps us grow out of this childish and inaccurate habit of ours! Why shouldn't we grow out of it? Life is, thankfully, more complicated than that. Do not just see your neighbour as your neighbour: you might miss the fact that he goes to the same gym you do, he's got interesting political opinions and (why not) he might even have interesting salsa moves! He is a human being after all, and as a human being his life is more than just being the neighbour of yours.


3. Third assumption: classes are acceptable social categories worth studying.
If the BBC spends money and time to make it, then the assumption is it must be worth knowing about. Is it really? Why is the fact that there are classes in place always worth mentioning before any event that has (or is) uniting people in some sort of way?

I suggest you being more inquisitive when it comes to things like that.
Do not fall for it. Do not give these discursive elements for granted.
Think with your own head.

The day in which one human life is worth more than another one is today.
The mentality is in place. I find this much more worth talking about than what my result is on the flippin' social class calculator.

De Amoribus

This blog post is a late bloomer.
I know the dreaded Valentine's day has come and gone...but I really wanted to share my thoughts when I could organise them in my head as this is a broad, lengthy and sentimental topic.



I want to write about love and the different kinds of love.
Needless to say, loads has been said about this topic already.

However, I wanted to talk about love in light of the recent developments in Italy (the political elections), Pope Benedict's decision of retiring, Valentine's day, the British Parliament's recent decision on same-sex marriage and my own recent reflections.

Did you know that "De Amore" was the title of an essay written by Andrea Cappellano published (a long time ago) in three books? I didn't. What is funny though is that apparently in the first and second book he describes extramarital love and in the last book he tries to basically almost deny all the theories. After all, it was the 12th century...
Maybe one day I'll actually read the essay and will let you know more about it.

In any case, love is definitely a hard concept to grasp. St Paul helps us to understand what true love is in the letter to the Corinthians:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.⁸ Love never fails.

How hard is that to achieve...and how contradictory it is to many of the "loves" we encounter in real life! We definitely should strive towards it.

One characteristic of a less pure but maybe more worldly love is definitely that "helplessness" we might feel when, no matter how mean a person is to us...no matter how much they don't respect us and no matter how much they actively choose to appear and disappear from our lives in a random way...we still love them.

Is this the kind of "helplessness" that homosexual feel? Is it the same kind of falling in love?
As a heterosexual, I've been thinking about this many times. I think before even starting to argue about whether we think they should be able to marry or not...we should take a step back and agree on something: they have the civic right to love one another. Whether we are religious or not...I think we should see them first of all as human beings, and as such, they have the right to love. Anyone they want.
Then the many discrepant theories arise...should their unions be called "marriages" or not?

Why are there homosexuals in the world?
I've heard someone saying that something is just and moral if everybody in the world can do it and people wouldn't be hurt by it. Well, homosexuals definitely do not harm everyone...but if everyone would be homosexual the world would struggle to procreate. It is important to point out that this theory takes for granted the fact that being homosexual is a choice...when many times people feel it's not.
However, I've also heard someone else say: "I think homosexuals were sent by God to help the overpopulation problem and the orphaned children in need of adoption".
I think they are both valid arguments...I do prefer the latter though... :) I thought it was a very sweet thought, given that I believe in the fact that we are all in this world exactly how we are for different purposes.
Maybe a new Pope would re-consider this modern matter on love?

In any case, there's love that makes one eccentric, love that makes one alternative, love that destroys, love that makes you go crazy, love that saves. It's so astonishing how one single sentiment (though not a simple feeling) can spark so many hearts in so many different but equal ways. Because at the end of the day, we can all relate to the consequent feelings love brings.

And in the end, when we feel helpless, I think all we should do is recognise its power. Its majestic, stubborn qualities. And we should surrender to it.
'Cause...what else is there to do? Thankfully, St. Paul's true love only has positive consequences.
So if your heart wants to love that person no matter what, we have to let it (in the right way).
What's the worst that can happen? Only that that person is loved.

I think True Love is the positive force that builds...it never destroys.
In a broader sense...the more we love, the more we want to love others.
And even when we think the love we build towards someone in specific is futile or invisible: it still matters. Haven't figured out how exactly...but I'm sure of it.

Re-Creativity and Beyond

Do you follow the Big Bang Theory?
If so, have you seen the episode (season 6) when Sheldon tries to re-read his diaries and journals of when he was young to see whether he can find something that is worth a nobel prize?

For the people that do not watch big Bang Theory...I'm talking about a creative mind looking into his past to get answers for his future. I like the idea. I wish I also had written something when I was a child...I remember having all these thoughts...I'm sure most of them were illogical and in a way boring to adults...but who knows if one of them would be a creative approach to a way of living.
Children, with their ingenuity, should really be listened to...and I wouldn't be the first one to say that schools might kill some of our creativity by encouraging us to think only in certain specific ways.

I feel that today's generations are invited to use new technologies to re-arrange, re-propose, re-assemble things...to make new products. But doesn't that lead to re-creation rather than creation?
We can take a funny picture and write up our own phrases and we could even share it with friends and make it become a new internet "meme"...but is that CREATION?
I'm sure making new connections between old creations is part of creativity...but creativity is not only that. Has everything really been invented already, are we becoming more close minded as a society...or are we not encouraged to, and therefore scared to, play with the "new"?

When was the last time you felt like you made something for a purpose...without any adaptations?
When was the last time you went ahead and "created" in the core sense of the word?
When was the...oh ok, that's it: too many questions.

Maybe all we gotta do is allow ourselves to make mistakes. Many inventions were made in that way...and new realisations can bring to new outcomes. Just because we have memes doesn't mean Internet is "creative" and just because we can edit pictures easily on our phones...we shouldn't feel like we are awesome powerful creators.

Creators take risks, are unconventional. They find new connections between existing things but they also create some new stuff. Go beyond creating a "thing" that would fit a category by creating a category in itself.  Maybe it's ok once in a while to jot down that seemingly stupid thought you have in your head about making something that doesn't exist but that you wish existed...

I'm just sayin'...we got the capabilities. We might as well see what potential we can reach with them. And maybe one day we will be able to go "to infinity and.... ..." ...oh nevermind, that's not creative.

UK vs. Romania+Bulgaria: REALLY?

Have you heard of the latest international affairs between UK and Romania?

Apparently, in order to discourage Romanians and Bulgarians (yea, they were thrown into the same box) from coming into Great Britain, the UK government was thinking of doing a negative ad campaign in the two countries emphasising, in other words, why the UK sucks. The Guardian's article points out that it would be kinda counterproductive, since the UK has spent loads of money to try and bring its own reputation up for the 2012 Olympics.

Well, quite funnily, readers from "The Guardian" were asked to contribute to the campaign that might be put in place and guess what? Results were (surprisingly?) good. And it's not over yet. Romanians also went ahead and started producing a campaign that basically said "you know what? Definitely don't go to the UK...come here instead". Read and see for yourself: some of the posters are quite hilarious.

Anyway, disregarding the funny side of things for a moment...what is really going on? First of all, should the UK government really spend its time advertising how bad Great Britain is? How could they not predict a backfire of viral proportions in this day and age? Isn't the world is globalised enough that if you tell Romanians and Bulgarians not to come...French, Germans and Spanish people might find out about it and actually do the same? Dear UK, if you don't want that to happen, you might want to consider making your campaign quite specific. You know, maybe try something like: "The sun shines for everyone in ol' England...except for Bulgarians and Romanians that is". Oh wait...that's a tiny bit discriminatory.

Come on....why would you even consider something like this? I understand that a lot of Bulgarians and Romanians are already in the country and if not, might be thinking of coming to the UK...and I understand that immigrants are an issue for many reasons. But, is this how the government really should tackle the problem?

There are already many measures in place so to discourage non-Europeans...and believe me, I know this quite well. Because even if I am European I have had to see my very talented international friends (incredibly smart people with a lot of enthusiasm, positive ideas and courage)...struggle to stay or even leave. Objectively, they would have been a great resource for the country.

But let's not play games here: Bulgaria and Romania are European countries and you cannot possibly change that. The UK already has policies in place that discourage Romanians and Bulgarians to come in or stay: let those speak for themselves. You do not need to think of campaigns to make yourself look bad because the moment you do, you are not only discriminating...but you are bringing yourself down as a country. Literally. On purpose.

This is coming from a European who has been living in the UK for years now...and has amazing English friends and (apart from the weather) is thankful to live here. For now...'cause international policies like these make me doubt the tactfulness and the basic human understanding of the country's leaders. It's not its people, it's not its cities...but dear UK: you need to work on your national hospitality.