Today, my friend Astrid told me, on Yahoo messenger, that she is going home to, literally, “eat littles”. To an unaccustomed ear, this may sound odd; yet, a person with the sense of humour who also speaks Romanian language, will know that she went home to eat “mici”, or “mititei” – literally, “littles”. These are sausage-shaped hamburgers one would eat with mustard and bread, and water them down with beer. They are called “littles” most likely in the same spirit as the Spanish “bocadillas”. The history of the “littles” reminded me of my childhood, when my sister and I were trying to translate Romanian expressions as “word by word” as possible and – consequently – as out of context as possible. “Bataie de joc” was being translated as “beating of game”; “L-a facut cu ou si otet” turned into “he made him with egg and vinegar”; “si-a dat arama pe fata” into “he gave his copper on the face”. The opposite was valid, too; sometimes in the early 1990’s, Divertis – a popular humour group – translated Queen’s song, “I want to break free” into Romanian: “Eu vreau sa sparg liber”, i.e., “I want to break things in a free manner”. Well, here is a great list of song titles translated into Romanian:
Pretty fly for a white guy – O musca draguta pentru un tip alb
take a bow- ia un arc
Sugar, we’re going down swinging – Zahar, ne ducem in jos balansandu-ne
Honey, This Mirror Isn’t Big Enough For The Two Of Us – Miere, oglinda asta nu e destul de mare pentru noi doi
Scar tissue – Servetelul cicatrice
Champagne Super Nova – Dacia supernova cu motor pe sampanie

As a student in Glasgow, I used to buy frozen Chicken Kiev from Iceland/Safeway/Farmfoods, and pop it into the oven. Today, I was pondering between flying to Glasgow and buying some frozen food, and cooking my own chicken kiev. In the absence of a personal jet plane, I settled for the latter option. So, I took four chicken breast filets, I cut them lenghtwise, I filled them with a mixture of garlic, parsley, butter, olive oil and salt, I wrapped them into thin ham, I grilled them for two minutes, and off they went into the oven for a bit longer. I cut some potatoes into cubes, and I prepared a salad of tomatoes and ready-made Remoulade sauce. The result:

Today I had my fifth driving lesson. As they say, “practice like practice, but theory is what kills you”. Or, was it the other way? Anyway, the percentage of Romanians who get their driving license is, nowadays, about 20%. Not of Romanians, but of those who sit the exam. While I am against letting all the “daddy’s boys” run wild on the streets driving 4X4’s, I still think 20% is too little. We’ll live and see – and, by the way, one needn’t pass the exam the first time one sits it.
Anyway, a few days ago, I went to the Mall and I was “introduced” to an Opel Tigra Twin Top:

Then, as any good researcher, I went home and, on the net, I found this jewel: a Fiat Barchetta:

So, dear Santa: I’ve been a good boy, and I haven’t terrorized little kittnens. OK, I allowed Shushu to be neutered, but I hope you’ll forgive me for this. So, please, can I have my driving license and one of these two cars?

As a 10 year old boy, I used to go swimming in the Olympic pool of Baia Mare. When I moved back to Miercurea Ciuc, my sports life came to a halt. I never fancied team sports – and in Miercurea Ciuc, hockey was the king, followed by football. I never had a “thing” for ball (or puck) games. I would have loved to run, but the climate in the Harghita county was unfavorable. I tried judo, but one day I almost dislocated my partner’s arm (unwillingly), so I gave up.
It is a shame that, at that time, fitness and bodybuilding were not popular in Romania. Because, since I started going to the gym, I realised this sport fits me like a glove. I don’t need talent (as one would nbeed for football), I only need time, and will. It is interesting that, at the same time with the body, one builds one’s will too.
A few months ago, when I, too, got upset by the shape of my belly, I said: Enough is enough. I shall no more a be couch potato. So, I found this gym nearby (Iguana Fitness Club), and, little by little, I started to live this way of life.
I started on the wrong path – by doing strength exercises – so, while my muscles no longer looked like those of a professional chess player, my belly grew too. This, until I was told that, instead of pumping iron, I had to combine it with cardio.
In the time since I begun going to the gym, I realized this is not a fad, but the revival of the Roman way of living – “Mens sana in corpore sano”. I went down from 88to 80 kilos, and I am on the way of building my body at the same pace I am building my will to do so. So, to all the coach potatoes: it’s never too late for sport.

PS – watching football does not qualify as a sport.
PPS – my favourite cardio machine is the cross-trainer. It’s like walking on the air. By the way, did I ever tell you how I won the second prize at ski, when I was a kid? I will, soon, and back-date it; so check the 1980’s archive!

July, a fan from Cluj, sent me these photos of herself and of my pics at the Carturesti bookshop:

Courtesy of Cosmin Lungu, the organizer of my exhibition, here are two pics from “Cambodia: Lights and Shadows” in Cluj:

Re: my expo in Cluj. This is what the press release from Carturesti says:

“The Cluj/Carturesti bookshop presents – Space and time in Cambodia: A researcher at the Romanian Space Agency, with an unusual protest against the American enriched by selling Lunar plots, will exchibit, at the Iulius Mall – Cluj, Carturesti Bookshop, photos … from Cambodia”.

Clujeanul (http://www.clujeanul.ro/cultura-timp-liber/fotografii-din-cambodgia-vor-fi-expuse-la-carturesti-2938875) understands the difference between the two issues: “The author of the images is Virgiliu Pop, researcher at the Romanian Space Agency, known especially for his protest against the American who sold plots on the Moon. This time, the astronomer Virgiliu Pop turns into an observer of the Cambodian reality”.

OK, they made me an astronomer, which I am not. Meanwhile…

Cartepremium.ro (http://www.cartepremium.ro/noutati/136/In-Cambodgia-se-moare-pe-Luna-se-cumpara.html) reads: “A researcher from the Romanian Space Agency will exchibit photos at the Carturesti bookshop in Iulius Mall, Cluj Napoca, as an unusual protest against the American enriched by selling Lunar plots.”

(photo: Alexandra Pipas)
CityNews (http://www.citynews.ro/Protest-in-fotografii-la-libraria-Carturesti+16003) says: :“The artist displays photos from Cambodia as a protest against the American enriched from selling Moon plots”

Once and for all: Yes, I am known for my protest against Dennis Hope. But the photo exchibition is not against Dennis Hope. If it needs to be a protest, it is against the Khmer Rouge, who killed innocent people – and not against the “Lunar Embassy”.

Gabriel Andronache, from the “Ieseanul” weekly, interviewed me for a space tourism article (http://www.ieseanul.ro/saptamanal/biletul-de-200-000-de-dolari-2934572):

Susţinere ştiinţifică
Virgiliu Pop, expert în drept spaţial şi membru al Agenţiei Spaţiale Române, are încredere în optimismul lui Branson: „Tehnologia pentru zboruri suborbitale există, fiind testată prin SpaceShipOne, prima rachetă privată cu echipaj uman, iar la ora actuală se construieşte o mică flotă bazată pe această tehnologie. Deja nu mai vorbim de science-fiction, ci e ca şi cum am vorbi despre un nou model de automobil aflat în construcţie“, spune Pop.
În privinţa eventualelor probleme ale unei călătorii spaţiale, Virgiliu Pop consideră că aparatele de zbor extraatmosferic sunt proiectate avându-se în vedere minimizarea riscurilor. „Cei cinci miliardari care au deschis drumul turismului spaţial pricep foarte mult din ceea ce văd. Sunt persoane inteligente, pasionate de explorarea spaţiului – de fapt, sunt nişte împătimiţi ai spaţiului, care au avut şansa de a-şi permite, financiar, o vizită în afara atmosferei terestre“, concluzionează Pop.”

I just returned from my first driving lesson. Actually, my first driving lesson after five years. Yes, it’s true: I am 34, and I am yet to obtain that pink, credit-card sized document. I have heard that in Alabama, not having a driving license by this age carries a hefty punishment.
The instructor is the same as a few years ago, Virgil (yes, we have the same name). The car is different, though; it was a 30-year old Dacia 1300 back then; now, it’s a Matiz. From what I remember, the difference between the two is quite thew same as between Windows 3.1 and Windows 98. I’d rather have an XP, though (that is, a car with automatic transmission).

Warning: Tomorrow, between 8-10 AM, I will be driving in Timisoara. Please stay inside..

I live a rather TV-free life, but when I do watch TV, I tune in to “Discovery Channel”. One of my favourite shows is Mythbusters, where two daredevils prove or disprove (bust) several urban myths. Unfortunately, I have never seen them dealing with the most common urban legend, stating that cats and glassware get along like the horse and carriage. Well, today, Shushu –

was posessed by Adam Savage’s spirit (it’s strange to be posessed by the spirit of a living being), and decided that she needs to do some experimenting. The result:

Myth BUSTED, together with a glass lid. Well done, Shushu.