-- Scott Adams

... because it's the only one I get!

Why would anyone live their life any less than to the fullest? A Romanian friend, Ovi Sîrb, started this craze in the local blogosphere and it's been real nice to watch the upbeat reactions.

Yes, more than just keyframes and echo`s is now one year old! And, in no particular order, I'd like to thank: The old friend, for talking to me Ralu, for reminding me how silly teens can be Flavia, for the awesome tricks she can do Karina, for making it big Andreea, for the laughs, the field trip and the countless heads-up Iordache, for the great tales Paul, for being helpful -- always Beth, for the long Skype sessions and for always pushing me and for teaching me ily, for taking me dancing Anda, for making me pass the test Bogdan, for becoming something awful Sibi, for the beer and cold cuts Tudor, for welcoming me back Claudia, for the occasional bash Johnny, for the occasional funny link Codru, for being curious Radu, for being down-to-earth Dan, for his irritating tone Randall, for xkcd Sorin, for the serendipity Alena, for reminding Alen who I am Alen, for teaching me passion is not always about things you like Delia, for still being hot Muse, for the melodic new album Mada, for understanding I love my sister more than her Kumm, for a night to remember Marius, for the long cigarette breaks Andreea, for being the cutest boss Radu, for his interest in my vision on HIV Razvan, for showing me skill without passion is useless Andreea, for moving out and staying away The two hotties in Budapest that thought I was gonna snatch their purses Ada, for the promised beer Romy, for the morning laugh Andreea, for the smirk, innocent flirts Steve, for Digsby John Resig, for having time for it all Mike, for turning into his younger brother Alex, for the awesome stones and jams Andrei, for reminding me to keep in shape Andrei, for always reminding me of Marie Simona, for trying to get me Andrea, for her ever-present PMS Maria, for the awesome workshop Anda, for coming back from the dead Corina, for I can never remember who she is Laura, for the person behind the ass and pierce Adriana, for being caught in the same corporate shitstorm Radu, for all the coffee Adriana, for quitting and showing me it can be done Denisa, for missing that train Alina, for being childish beyond belief Liz, for following the road I set her on Iasmina, for the promise I'll have to keep Anca, for calling me "daddy" Camytzi, for teaming up against Clawd Scott Adams, for the awesome ideas Ioana, for the nice warm hug Dana, for her passion for photography Oana, for coming to her senses before I had to perform an intervention Roxana, for showing me why I like small teams Eszti, for the ring Mara, for being both hot and smart Todo, for sticking to what she knows and believes John, for the trips to the store Roxi, for that great snow fight Radu, for showing me how important passion (or lack thereof) is Mirciu, for outgrowing his brother Marian, for those great drummer talks Andy, for the man-hug Chris, for finally sending me a reply Teo, for the invitations to see Canada Opera, for never stopping the innovation Steven Wilson, for giving a damn, and a great show The hot waitress in Van Graph, for guessing what I'm gonna want Delia, for still being hot, again Octav, for remembering he owes me money from two years ago Jess, for the old-school shows Deme, for watching Jason, for the coffee in downtown Budapest Bianca, because I can finally remember her name Adi, for showing me there is fun after marriage Tudor, for being young Yoyo, for always making me laugh Rob, for the laughs, the talks and the pancakes Andrea, for her warm body and stormy mind Andra, for the invitations to see Tennessee Florentina, for finally leaving me alone Bubu, for at least trying to stay in touch Ilina, for the fiery fight Richie, for being wise, and being there George, for the awesome board game That Pakistani that served us the crepes Anda, for rocking out My brother, for showing me the ropes Ionut, for finally getting the hang of jQuery Razvan, for letting me know I should cut down on the fags and start eating more Bubu, for learning a thing or two about property Simm, for being a chipmunk on speed Anna, for the exquisite photos Alex, for moving on Andrei, for his much younger girlfriend Pucca, for her funky chicken Diana, for not letting go Andrei, for trying to make us speak the truth Anca, for the tequilla Ted, for not forgetting about me Donald, for the shared passion Marian, for learning how I like my Cuba Libre Cosmin, for the cool projects Victor, for recommending Tweetie Iancu, for not freaking out when I would spend the night coding at the office Carmen, for the vodka, again Daciana, for that nice set of balls she has Iulia, for reminding me of that faithful summer Oana, for following her dream and always getting lost along the way Cinzia, for keeping him happy Alina, for documenting my front-row-center position Dani, for the fat and phat jokes Gloria, for her silhouette Roman, for letting me know what I missed out on Theresa, for creating a Skype account just so she could be my side at odd hours Eva, for just being cool Julie, for keeping on the right track Nada, for getting me confused, again Ami, for being ye small Silvia, for being bigger than her sister Cipri, because we all need to laugh Mile, for believing Roxy, for the ever-sexy fat lips Fla, for finally getting up on his feet UOvi, for bringing me to the blogmeet, and for the countless beers Moni, for the early coffee Cristi, for asking me for advice Bogdan, for sharing the newbieness My sister, for coming back home Riki, for how nice our asses fit together Dada, for the questions asked Nia, for getting to London Hera, for the impressive pumping Timmy, for not selling out and for hardening up Dani, for never letting go Alina, for trying to get me in trouble Vlad, for never letting go Flavia, for her joyful spirit Cristi, for the high hopes Andra, for thanking me for setting her on that great path Cristi, for the unforgettable photo shoot Silvana, for giving up while she was way behind Petre, for being picked on Vita, for the pep-talks Robert, for being the coolest teacher in private Mihai, for showing me what a coward can do Ale, for teaching me about Chinese Cata, for the drenched talks and keeping my hands tied Nicoletta, for the uncontainable laughs Andrei, for taking it like a man Raluca, for bringing the camera Mary, for doing what she does best Simona, for the movie talk Dani, for having a soft nose, and not knocking me out after I broke it Jimmy, for reminding me of Targu Jiu Nico, for growing up Melinda, for the interest Senta, for the joyful laughter Cezar, for the talk and the camera talk Serafin, for being my sysadmin from far away Diana, for realizing coding is not for her Ruxi, for the promise of another great summer Clawd, for the man behind the jokes Codruta, for the invitation to see London Cristina, for that pose I will never forget Joanna, for getting back in touch Simo, for recognizing me Blogu, for sharing his tent Vuco, for telling me to get some sleep Brenn, for the shows and the beer Seth Godin, for the ponder Oana, for gaining weight Cristi, for the t-shirt talk Peecock, for the freedom to laugh Dee, for coming to me when it comes to IE Flavius, for the strong dose of selfishness Andy, for the heads-up on the new Scottish Ovi, because thank you Ami, for learning I drink Carlsberg by the litre Timeea, for not getting drunk Ramona, for finally speaking the truth Andreea, for that three-hour long swim Irina, for finally getting to meet Aghi, for the sorority invites Bleau, for all the great ideas Liviu, for being like my dad Horvath, for the giggle Laura, for still looking like a bitch Dora, for making me tear Vali, for his loud voice Ioana, for learning and believing Theo, for not letting go and for the jams Adriana, for keeping my dear friend company Paul Houle, for the great IDE idea Alexandra, for coming back Andie, for showing us that the freaks can make it big Alexandra, for the cab rides Simon, for treating me as an equal The cute waitress in Van Graph, for the discount Crispy, for the awesome talks Mirela, for liking Manson Alina, for the old-school email conversation Stefan, for the crash course Elena, for not letting her other name stop her Andrei, for that close-to-stone Razvan, for being himself, and losing in style, twice Ioana, for manning up Alex, for finally burying the hatchet That guy from Bucharest, for getting us in 15 minutes before the gates opened Alex, for giving me a better cause Andrei, for proving how secure Opera is Simona, for the occasional bit of wisdom Mircea, for always wearing a suit T-Shirt Hell, for the great marketing move Ildi, for making a Cuba Libre almost half-price for one whole week Andy, for letting me walk her home Max, for never giving up on me Andreea, for remembering she owes me a Wilde book Cristina, for the never-ending surprise Amalia, for reminding me I was stupid once too Vlad, for quitting while ahead Raul, for having the balls Laura, for turning me down Hanti, for getting an awful haircut at the same time I did Florin, for learning that I want a Cuba Libre Adeline, for being clumsy Cartitoi, for the backgammon Julie, for putting on weight Andrei, for being a pillar of seriousness Alexandru, for the cool project Bogdana, for her lovely watch Anca, for being a hot boss That old man in Budapest, that set us in the right direction Dan, for the cool project Cami, for her young lust Oro, for keeping me company at The Rock House Iovan, for becoming sensible again Gabi, for the cool drumming, and cutting his hair Lavy, for showing me which way to not go Ionut, for teaching me a lesson about being lazy Nuzzu, for being there when it matters Barcelona, for the stunning everything Alexandra, for being as tall as I am Armand, for being ever-slow Andrei, for the countless means of communication Arthur, for the true smile Diana, for being special, even though I never told her Simona, for that cold night Corina, for grabbing my ass at the right time Ale, for the person behind the boobs Monica, for failing my course Raul, for the brawn and the nice New Year's Party Google, for letting me use their everything Andy, for taking them home, so I may walk Alexandra, for showing me both sides Adi, because I know too well Amplifier, for the collector's CD and the handwritten postcards The Dragon, for leaving me alone this time Victor, for finally loosening up Laura, for finding an ancient photo of me Georgiana, for telling me to stay away Mirela, for learning my name Madalina, for that lovely neck of hers Calvin, for putting me in the fast lane Crina, for the unfathomable interest The Strassers, for the awesome hospitality Adi, for the great music talk Mom and Dad, for putting up with my crap Richard D Worth, because jQueryUI Andrei, for Google Wave Marian, for not shoving things down my throat Elena, for getting to shake my hand Rodica, because Java's not that bad Peter, for starting the eye-craze Activestate, for Komodo, my trusted tool Dorian, for his interest in Agile Michael, for speaking up against evernote Flavius, for learning from me Iza, for knowing what it's like Iza, for keeping my dear friend company Casandra, for thefeminist talk Pera, for the inspiring book Shawn, for the awesome funnies Jorn, for the great articles Larisa, for being in the same huge room with me Nebu, for her birthday Dojo, for the handshake Cristian, for the Apple/thankyou talk Brad, for being the humane client Jeff Atwood, for answering, and shouting out Jon, for the kick-ass Opera revamp, and for talking to me Mamama, for being herself and calling me out I know this is not everyone, so if you're not on this list, nag me! See you next year!

We are defined by our habits. It's that simple. I like to engage in a lot of activities. And, even though I tend to keep then disjoint, they all intertwine. Quite nicely at that. Still, I don't do too much, too many, for too long, at least not more than the average bloke at twenty-three. Whatever I do, though, I put my whole being into it. All of the passion and angst I can muster, all of the sweat, the tears, the blood. When I play guitar, I do so with my whole body, and my mind just takes a nap, swept away by the gentle wave of warm reverberations. Sometimes, my hair flies off as my mind travels through all the mistakes I've made, as I bash the drop D string as hard and as fast as I can. Sometimes, I'll just fiddle with a cool, eerie effect that Theo came up with for half an hour, just because I like how it tickles my nipples. Yes, I sometimes code for 20 hours at a time. I just do that. Doesn't matter if I get paid or not. If I feel I'm directing a symphony of brackets and semicolons, just let me enjoy the music, the scenery that my dark color scheme provides and let me worry about getting sleep or getting laid when I'm done. There's always time for that. I sometimes teach. Doesn't matter how many attend my course. All I hope for is that someone will take home a little bit of the spark I carry with me. Just like I did, back in college from Cipri Crăciun, Adi Crăciun and Lucian Cucu. I sometimes get lost in the words and the running over from computer to computer, yes, but I do hope that you'll get the drive to try to solve things. The rest will just follow. When I bang, I dive in head-first. I do love your skin, your smell, your taste, your neck, your hips, your thighs. And it's all about you and me. If I'm ready to curl up and melt down together with you, please don't think you're fat. Please don't think I'd rather be with someone else, or somewhere else. You'd just be stupid. At any point in time, there's no other place I'd rather be. No other person I'd rather be seeing. No other thing I'd like to do. That would not make sense. You think I'm slaving away at work? No! I'm just doing my best to be better. You think I'm wasting time mowing the lawn? No! I'm just turning it into a sexy dance. You think I'll always choose her over you? No! How come you got to tell me that over a pint of beer? You think I'm itching to leave Romania? No! I just hope to learn how to make it better. Not it, but you. I don't care who you are, but if you're reading this, you've seen me burn with passion at least once. Whether it was drinking, dancing, sexing, typing, running, laughing, losing, winning, hiking or even sleeping. Doesn't matter. Thank you.

'cause I've been giving for a while now. That's not to say I feel cheated, or that I'll stop giving. But I have been missing the point. You might realize that all the  good you do, you do for two reasons: to actually do something good  and to make yourself feel better. It's the stroke you get from being helpful, from the thought that you've made someone's life better, from feeling like you made a difference. So, you could say that selflessness is selfish at its core. For me it was all the more selfish, since I did not like others helping me, or giving me something in return for a good deed of mine. If you just thought 'money,' you have issues. This has nothing to do with money. It's about giving and letting others to give back. When you don't let others return your favor, they will -- at some level -- feel like they owe you. Not to mention that you've given yourself a stroke, but denied them their own. Obviously, not every favor can be returned, and some good deeds are done just for the sake of doing them. I'm talking about the cases when there are no hidden agendas, when two people share actual feelings in doing something that is not retched. Now it's all that better for me. I still get to be useful, and help people out however I can. Just that now, not denying their giving back, I get to see even more joy in their eyes.

Tonight, Tudor pulled me out of my den. It all started with a text message and continued with his coming over to pick me up for a ride. Seeing Timişoara at night, with clear streets, no angry drivers, no sad faces crawling about was just what I needed after a Flashing day. Also, seeing how some streets are a delight to drive down, seeing workers busy at night, making the town better, seeing the faded city lights through the blurred windows as we whooshed by was more than uplifting. It was also relaxing to just sit down -- in the car, obviously -- and just chat about everything and nothing. -- I've spent the past two months setting my sleeping habits straight, waking up at twenty-five past seven, trying to go to bed before three in the morning, against my nature. Even doctors have been calling me a night person since I turned sixteen. I may own my world all day long, but I still belong to the night.

Can you feel the wind, gently bashing against your chest? The clouds blocking your sight. The haze of dust and shit and lies. The cold, grasping your spine tightly, standing you straight. Your knees giving in, cold feet, and a void in your stomach that will just not let you be. Can you feel a storm is coming? Will it be perfect? All storms are! -- Every now and then, I like to let go of my iron grasp on life. Letting it have its way with me, until  I decide it's time to reach out and grab it by the throat again. I like to just renounce all the control I so carefully build up, just to be taken off my feet, taken on a trip. Just to see where I land and if I'll survive. We spend most of our lives carefully sailing ahead, enjoying the calm seas and brilliant Sun. I just love it when I'm lost in a storm, with no direction at all, and the only sure thing I can reach out and touch is the wind, gently bashing against my chest.

This question has been on many people's lips recently. What would happen if the Internet would suddenly cease to exist? The first and obvious answer would be: you would not be reading this. For the rest of this post, let's pretend we're penpals and you got this in the mail. Since this is about my take on this modern day apocalypse, I'll go on by saying I'll also be out of a job. Also, the browser wars.. would be over!! With the extra amount of time, I'd get back in shape, guitar-wise. Less or no time spent in front of the computer means having all the time in the world to me. I'd also get to having those wet dreams I was talking about earlier this year. I might even get laid! Oh, and I'd start calling snail mail, mail and mail, email again. I would probably earn my living working as a farmer, which would become the equivalent of today's coder. Can you picture me with overalls and a checkered shirt on? Straw hat and all? Sexy, I know. I could even look into the possibility of becoming a professional smoker, but I still think the world is not ready for that one yet. I'd start reading in public again, since everyone would be doing it, I suppose. I'd also remember what it's like being alone again -- and I mean that in a good way -- seeing how I can't keep in touch with people without using the Internet. I'd also start noticing small offline details again. Like people talking to me or girls smiling at me. Or that I have fourteen cats living in my house. I'd definitely play with my dogs more often. I'd spent way more time in the garden, eating fruit right out the tree. Best part yet? I'd get to finally fix my unhealthy sleeping habits. Now, this is a tag. Anda was curious to see what a geek would do if the Internet went 404. The fun part about this tag was that I actually got to thinking how much time I actually do spend either online or on my lappy. My findings call for immediate action. So maybe this tag will do Ovi, John Resig and Jon Hicks some good as well.

The wind blows subtly through my undersized, old t-shirt. The grass dances gently to its music. I rush to snap a shot, marveling at the view that I behold. I look at you and I see you there, fifty years on, in the same spot. Me by your side. I'm still better looking than you, hon. I must have quit smoking. We lay on the many shades of green. We cuddle. We close our eyes. And that's how I'll always remember you. And all this because of Feeder's Feeling A Moment.

Cute, eh? Seeing how some of the people from Timisoara that went to Sziget came back with swine flu, my mates from the office got over-panicked with my cold and decided I should get looked at. So, this fine Saturday morning, I did just that. Initially, the doc giggled and sent me straight home. Then, I get a call from some lady health inspector and she sends me back to the hospital to get some proper examination. That involved a not-so-sexy nurse telling me to lay my head back, stick out my tongue and say 'Aaaa'. Then, she shoves this over-sized cue-tip in my mouth, all the way in, right in my throat. I tell you, it was like being kissed by that Italian girl all over again. I'll find out whether I have it or not on Monday, since we Romanians don't do Sundays. Nonetheless, if you came in contact with me this past week, you'd better watch your symptoms: running nose and coughs... and all the stuff I don't have, like: fever, headache, aching joints, fatigue and nausea. Later Edit ( 24 Aug ): I got the results and no, I don't have swine flu.