The Island of Vis

Cobblestones, fresh sea air,
his goosebumps, her scarlet hair.
The lovers walk through narrow streets,
where straight lines never meet.

Self Improvement in Between Jobs

As you've probably experienced already there are times in life when you find yourself between jobs, and with the burdening question: What should I do now?

Well I'm sure that each and every day you've went to work you've fantasized about what you would do if only you had the time to commit to something else. Well this is your opportunity, right now! For me the greatest motivator would be self improvement, and I sometimes feel that a job stops you from doing that.

Self improvement is a very long lasting process that should only be stopped by the Grim Reaper himself. To be able to prolong it, one must be in good health. Therefore I think that we all need to drink 2 liters of liquids and exercise at least 30 minutes every day. Now that would be the base of my daily routine. After that it's really up to each of us and our passions and how we define ourselves as persons. 

My passion is web development and design. The area I am weakest in is graphic design, so I am trying to improve that using the book "Design Basics Index" from Jim Krause: http://www.amazon.com/Design-Basics-Index-Jim-Krause/dp/1581805012

Every day I try to do a graphics exercise or read some more from this book, I highly recommend it.

I like to define myself on the job market as a Romanian J2EE junior developer that speaks 2 foreign languages: English and German. Now in order to not lose my edge during these days I try to keep my German skills updated by doing at least 30 minutes worth of language practice. Whether that is talking to a native speaker, doing vocabulary practice or simply watching German TV I always do something in that direction.

Here are some useful TV streams: http://wwitv.com/television/81.htm

There's a nice quote by George R. R. Martin from The Song of Ice and Fire:

“A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.” 

Well the same goes for a programmer's mind, but instead of books one needs tutorials and programming challenges. One great place for that is http://projecteuler.net/. Here you can find over 400 programming/mathematical challenges with a difficulty that rises constantly.

Also, for a junior J2EE developer looking for a job is also very important to know what questions will be typically asked at an interview... For that, here are a few links:

http://www.javatpoint.com/corejava-interview-questions

http://www.gointerviews.com/top-50-sql-question-answers/

http://www.developersbook.com/hibernate/interview-questions/hibernate-interview-questions-faqs.php

http://www.developersbook.com/jsf/interview-questions/jsf-interview-questions-faqs.php

But what about the end of the day, you ask?

Well I find that Anthony Robbins' Personal Power 2 is a great way to spend 45 minutes in order to improve the quality of your life: http://www.amazon.com/Anthony-Robbins-Personal-Power-II/dp/B000I44KDQ

Well anyways, this is what I'm doing between jobs, how about you?

Jump!

Jump!

Cliff near the sea,
Skydiving,
Strong and firm
Bungee jumping cord.

On the edge,
Take a step,
Release, escape,
Lose what's left.

Safety beckons,
Comfort calls.
Plans are made,
To be burned.

Red hot love,
Burns and scars,
Bright blue eyes,
Hypnotize.

10 days in Zagreb

We met, drank, partied, blacked out, kissed, laid, parted, chatted, reunited, walked, laid in the sun on the grass, rode the bus without paying, had a contradictory discussion, rode bikes, exchanged smiles, fell on the ground, talked for hours, stayed in silence, smoked weed, made love, ate seafood, drank wine, saw hidden parts of the city, stayed in the dark in the park, cried, screamed, coughed, caught a cold, went to the club, danced, drank medica and slivovica, sat on the gravel by the lake, laughed for almost no reason, bought bus tickets, talked about friends, saw a french movie, shared our likes and dislikes, learned together, stared at each other, smiled asymetrically, grinned, licked each other's ears, watched each other's pupils dillate, swinged, talked about our future, promised to travel when we get the money, ate ćevapi, sang while the music was playing, fought with kicks and punches, climbed a mountain by car, kissed on the way back while the car was swaying, thought that that day was a good day to die, had lunch at her parents', went to a hidden park, went to the airport, checked in, sat on a bench, kissed then parted again.

Copii care nu zic "Mersi!"

Intr-o societate care permite atât de multe, eu încă mă mir cum oamenii nu își permit să zică un simplu "Mersi". Mai exact orice femeie ajutată, se crede pe jumatate futută, orice bărbat ajutat, pe jumătate castrat.

Era o zi simplă de școală primară în care fetele bârfeau, chicoteau, și băieții erau... păi, băieți. Trei dintre ei îl băteau pe un altul, care era in poziție fetusiană pe jos, chiar dacă toți dintr-e ei erau în clasa a 3-a E. Bineînțeles că am considerat că este momentul să intervin, deoarece era împotriva principiilor mele ca cineva să sufere, mai ales din clasa mea...

După ce strigătura "Ce v-a facut el vouă?" a ridicat trei perechi de umeri am recurs la înjurături, scuipat, împins și atoteficienta amenințare că "vin cu frate-miu" ca să îi îndepărtez de lângă colegul meu, Doru. Odata ce am reușit, i-am oferit o mână să îl ridic de pe jos, pe care el o refuză nepoliticos, și îmi spune: "Mai bine îi lăsai să mă bată."

Sugi pula Doru.

Jungle Cat - Poem

Jungle Cat

I'm a cat,
fallen from a tree,
forced to skat,
forced to flee.

Each blade of grass,
each fallen tree,
the smells entice.
Am I truly free?

The fall was fast,
This forest, free.
My paws still hurt,
My paws still hurt.

Cred ca asta este a treia poezie scrisa la viata mea...

Inca o incercare

Esti
Un miraj in departare,
Care ma face
sa lupt in continuare,
Dar,
mai e o intrebare...
Esti pe bune?