Days of Eni's life

I thought of a nice project to help the hospital in Arad, but I found some difficulties in implementing it : I need to be part of an organization, and get an approval from the city hall. Other than that, here it is: send me suggestions, opinions, and you are more than welcome to help! Drop Of Life With 5 lei (1.5$) you can’t go to the movies, but you can save a life Be the change the world needs Purpose: Raising money to help buy equipment for the Intensive Care Unit at the City Hospital in Arad. After talking to dr. Teodora Olariu, we saw that the critical patients need the monitoring and life support devices: -           Breathing machines -           Defibrillators -           Monitoring device -           Automatic syringes -        ...

Mi-a venit ideea unei actiuni de caritate. Cu ajutorul sefului meu, am reusit sa demaram , cel putin teoretic, acesta actiune. Stiu ca trebuie sa fie printr-o organizatie - nu stiu nici una ! Si cu aprobarea primariei - pentru care inca nu am aplicat (din cauza primei mici probleme) Pentru idei si o mana de ajutor, scrieti-mi! Aici sunt cateva idei: Pic de viata Cu 5 lei nu poti sa mergi la film, dar poti salva o viata Fii schimbarea de care lumea are nevoie. Scop : Strangere de fonduri spre a ajuta la achizitionarea de aparatura pentru sectia de Terapie Intensiva a Spitalului Municipal Arad. Dupa o discutie cu doamna doctor Teodora Olariu, am ajuns la concluzia ca bolnavii in stare critica au nevoie de aparatura de monitorizare si de suport vital: -           Respiratoare -           Defibrilatoare -           Moni...

I went on a trip to Budapest last weekend. I had around 2000Ft to spend, which is not a big fortune, but enoug to have fun with. After the meetings I attended, I got to the trainstation half an hour early. I still had 300Ft left in my pocket... I didn't know what to buy - most things were over 500Ft. What coud I buy? Lo and behold! An used book stand! Guess what was the book lying on top of the pile? Programming in VRML v.2!!! Ok, it was in Hungarian, but programming is the same in any language! I spent most of the trainride back looking over the book, smiling, remembering the good old days I spent in college designing, and creating 3D stuff. It also reminded me of the hours spent in the BYU library... 100Ft very well spent!

I created a Mormon.org profile. It talks a bit about my faith, so here is the link(click on the picture):

Yes, we had our Seminary and Institute convention! It was a blast! I have to admit though that I expected it to be a total disaster. I wasn't good at planning the little details, and having to conduct the fireside was nerve wrecking. I stressed all the girls on the train: "I don't have all the music picked!" , "Will someone be there to open the door?", "What will people think?", "I don't speak Hungarian!" (and the list goes on...) and here is what happened: We got to the chapel, and realized 3 things: we didn't have hymnbooks, no assigned pianist and music conductor... So  I went running down the streets downtown Oradea to find a place at 6 pm where I could make copies of the hymns. Then, as the youth came, I just "attacked" them with the question "Do you play the piano?" Luckily, someone did, and she was very nice to accept to play. Then, from Hungary as well, someone volunteered to conduct the music (I LOV...

Because I have a bit of free time every day, I signed up to do the census - it's still about money, don't worry ;) What is required from me for this task is a lot like missionary work: I got my own area, very well delimited and marked on a map.  I have a big goal (talk to 80 families) which I get to break down into daily goals I go from door to door, trying to find people home I get into their houses, some are very reticent about answering my questions, while others share more than I need from them I get to meet new people I get to hear life stories of old people Every evening I have to report numbers (how many of each form I filled out) to my area supervisor   Sometimes I feel weird that I don't have a companion, or that people let me in a lot easier than on my mission. But I have been thinking a lot about my mission experiences, and I realized that during those 18 months I learned many skills that help me now not only in my service in the church, but also wi...

It's interesting how when we talk about changes, we think of "take it one step at a time". It would make it easier, right? I am more of a "radical" changer - well, life makes me do that :D I was so used to working at OMV- even though I was unhappy, stressed, and tired all the time. Then I got called for an interview, and everything changed. It was the first real interview that I had ever gone to. I thought it would be nerve wrecking, and that I would end up making a fool of myself - it went the other way: I went in confident, and I made a good impression. It was an interview for a job at a computer store and service. I do not have a lot of knowledge about it, so here I am now, having a job in a field that I like, pushing my limits by learning new things every day. I had no idea when I started that it would be such a challenge! And oh, how I love it! Changes: fix schedule (8 to 5 job, Mo-Fri), free weekends, no girls (no offence to girls, but I do enjoy the d...

I took a break from writing - what a shame! But here I am again, trying to share with you the best event of this year....so far. And that is, I mean was, since it happened during the last week of July, the international YSA Convention  :D It took place in Oradea, and we had people from 11 countries participate. Being my first convention of its type, I had nothing else to compare it with. So all I have to say is that I enjoyed it - I enjoyed being the photographer, which gave me the chance to be around everyone, annoy everyone and get away with it, and get over my anxiety of being in big crowds.  I sent an article to the Ensign and the Liahona (I was the assigned media representative) , but I don't think they will publish it. So I will share it with you here. It's a bit long, but I hope you'll enjoy it :)                 CENTRAL EUROPEAN YSA CONVENTION - "HE SHALL DIRECT THY PATHS" Tuesday morning in Oradea, a city in Romania tha...

It's May - I haven't written since the end of March - I skipped Easter, two trips to Szeged, Labor day... so here I am writing again. I was going through some of my things today, and I found an essay I wrote on my mission about the atonement. It was an assignment President Lundberg gave us. I read it today, and I want to share it with you. I hope you will enjoy it.  THE ATONEMENT                 The atonement is the most important event in the history of humankind. It is Christ's selfless sacrifice, which comprises his sinless life, his sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemane, the beating and mocking that followed, his crucification, and his glorious resurrection. Questions are asked regarding it: why is it necessary? how was it accomplished? who needs the atonement? how can one use it in their life? what are the blessings we can enjoy because of it? Thanks to the scriptures we have received, we can answer each of these q...

I love a phrase I read once in a short story, and it said something along the lines of : "there is no such thing as shop girls, just girls who happen to work in shops". Why do I like it so much? It applies very well to my life. I loved school, and did my best, tried to get involved in many things, even graduated valedictorian... I graduated from college almost a year ago. By now, I should be well off on the path of becoming a great programmer. But I am not even close to even becoming a programmer... Then why did I bother for 8 years to study programming, to be the best, to learn as much as I could? I think it was because of my dream. I did have a dream: become a great programmer that writes code for games that would help children learn and progress. I wanted to design games that are different from what I get to see kids playing today - like shooter games... I saw myself changing some people's lives. I had a dream of starting my own family, and working as a programmer wo...

It's almost the middle of March, and I have been so busy with other stuff, that I haven't gotten yet to write in here. Today is such a beautiful day! It's sunny, the snow is almost completely gone, and in the sun it's warmer than in my room. Welcome, Spring :D This past week gave me a lot of things to think about. It started with this guy from work, we have become very close friends, and one night he asked me if I liked him... we had a kind of awkward conversation that ended up well. One of the things he asked me after we cleared the air was if he could be a good candidate for a relationship with me, and what things kept him from being one. I did not expect that question, so I didn't know what to say. I got home from work, and for the next couple of days I thought about it. I have to say that his personality suits mine perfectly. We have great conversations, very good laughs,  we say the same things at the same time, we trust each other, and we are very attrac...

I am totally annoyed, and frustrated... and...ah... I work as a cashier at a gas station, which also has a buffet and a small store. I get to serve over a hundred people a day... I love doing that, I like to smile at people, be nice to them (even when they are angry and yell at me about the gas prices going up). I thought I had good people skills, that I was doing a pretty good job. To be honest, for the past month, I have been feeling like I wasn't too good at it because I could not remember their faces, or their preferences ( cigarettes, drinks, food...), I felt like I was becoming more of a robot... Last night, the girl I work with told me all the things people talk behind my back (people like my boss's wife, and the secretary who used to work at the buffet with me, the administrator, basically all other employees..). 1st problem: during the night shift, when sweeping and mopping, even with no customers around, I am not allowed to dance... 2nd - I talk too muc...

I don't know about you, but I had a hard time solving limits in Math class... I used to give up five minutes into it.. I loved derivatives and integrals though. Limits, for some reason, were annoying to me! Today, while walking to Church, I thought about limits. But this time, I thought of a different kind of limits: the limits in our lives. Believe me, they are just as annoying as the other limits! I have many things I dream of, things I want to learn, things I want to do, but I keep hitting limits: time, energy, money, people, and so on. These are limits that tend to 0 - 0 funds, 0 time, 0 energy, 0 people, 0 resources... I think you get the point... or maybe they tend to infinity - infinity amount of chores, infinity people to demand your attention, infinity problems to solve... How do you solve these limits? Many of them are unsolvable... we just need to accept that sometimes. I think back on all the times I got frustrated that I couldn't do something I always dreamed ...

I have been feeling a bit frustrated lately because I get to work with people with low standards, and low expectations from life. It's not their fault, I don't accuse them or point at them, but I have to say that it's hard to have meaningful conversations with that kind of people. Maybe that is why I miss going to school... Anyway, the other day, my two coworkers were talking about life, but all they could say about what they expect to do after work was having sex. I rolled my eyes, and found stuff to do. I thought of what I would like to do in my time off work, and I tried to join in the conversation with my ideas: 1. Go swimming twice a week 2. Save money to travel to places - not too far, just around here; we have so many gorgeous mountains, and monuments... taking the train is cheap 3. Go ice skating 4. Read more books Those were just some of my ideas, and I got very excited as I started talking about these things. They both looked at me like I were some kind of ...

I had another long night at work. I have been feeling so tired lately! It makes me feel horrible because I feel like I'm wasting time with all this sleeping during the day... Oh well, what can I do? Life goes on, right? But I can't complain. I am blessed with many things. Last night, I was talking to one of my coworkers, who was very frustrated that he doesn't earn as much as he would want. I told him I  was frustrated also that I couldn't do more, like go swimming, buy a nice camera, go on vacation, but I named some of the things I don't lack: I have food to eat, a warm house I live in, clothes to keep me warm, a nice notebook to keep me connected to the world, health to work hard and have fun. He was confused. I don't blame him since all he wants from life is to have a girl to sleep with every night... sigh... that's a different story, moving on. My two coworkers took a break for an hour, and I was left by myself to watch over the store. People came, and...

I don't know how to put this into words... it might sound a bit ridiculous... here I go! I got home from my mission almost two years ago. I went from being actively involved in teaching the gospel, amazing scripture studies, powerful spiritual experiences, to being a shadow in my branch, not getting that deep into my studies, rarely feeling the power of the Holy Ghost. It was my fault, not trying harder when I started work and school again. I kept going though, with ups and downs, but I was getting so tired, so worn out. I kept praying for strength, for friends to talk to about the gospel. I felt alone. I don't know what I expected God to do to help me. I looked for ways to change the situation: I went to Utah to be with those friends I served my mission with. While there, I made regular temple trips which helped me see the big picture. It was a great period in my life, when I learned more about finding balance in my busy life. But that trip ended after 10 weeks, when I retu...

Here I am, trying to figure out something... ok, it's 1:40 am, so I talk about a lot of stuff, "deep" stuff, "important" stuff... so bear with me. You can tell I'm bored ... hihi I just realized something. I like to be friends with guys. They are a lot of fun, no drama, and I get to flirt. No problem there! There is just one tiny problem about hanging out with guys: I usually fall for somebody. Yes, I fall!! Not get a crush, or be in love...FALL! why do I say fall? It goes like this: Step 1: meet the guy Step 2: get to spend time with guy Step 3: get to know the guy Step 4: start liking the guy Step 5: start crushing on the guy Step 6: get to know him better =>  list of his qualities => I feel way inadequate for him => start making a fool of myself => fall hard as I push him away  It has happened to me time and time again... and it's not fun! and I still haven't learned my lesson... so I keep trying to improve myself... learn a...

For some unknown reason, I have been very stressed and edgy this past couple of days. I am pretty good at being nice, and helping people out, but I've been feeling very impatient and fed up with stupidity and ignorance. I feel bad saying it, but I've been bitchy to a lot of people. I came to work  with my usual smile stuck on my face. On the inside, I was praying for time to go by faster. But my prayer was futile... time would not move faster! Come on! Seriously??? No customers?... boring!!! A customer came, filled his tank, then asked me to make him a vinieta (road tax). He had this funny accent, and I thought he was Italian, but he did not look Italian, and did not act like an Italian. while typing his car info into the computer, his friend came in, and started talking in English - British English! I immediately switched to English, and helped them pick some injector cleaning solution, some gasoline booster, and other stuff. I talked to them in English, and it felt ...

I have a second job - intermediary between companies that sell grains in Hungary and companies that buy them in Romania. It is very hard because I do not know business words in Hungarian, I don't know how to find the companies there and contact them... yes, I did accept a job that requires a lot on my part. My reaction to my first day on my own? FREAKED OUT!!! I wanted to quit - after seeing some of the sites and not understanding what they were posting there, i was ready to tell the boss to find someone else. I called him determined to put the end to it. What happened in that conversation? With his enthusiasm and confidence, he convinced me that i could do this, that I can learn all that is necessary, and that I would prosper in this. What am I doing now? Trying to learn the language, but it's not easy doing it on my own. This weekend, while surfing the web, feeling more and more desperate, I had a thought come into my mind: I have someone I trust to let him see my weakness...

It's 2:20 am, and here I am at work... taking a break actually. I am too annoyed to stand out there, so I am venting a bit (way better than smoking). It takes a lot to get me to feel like this - annoyed, angry, like I could say something I wish I could take back... maybe that's why I am venting here, so I wouldn't end up doing something I might regret later. What I am trying to say here is... I AM NOT THE ENTERTAINER! My job description: cash in gas and other products people buy... be nice to people... make them feel welcome. IT DOES NOT SAY "ENTERTAIN PEOPLE"... at least not drunk ones! I love talking to people, smile at them, and be nice to all the customers. I want them to leave with a good impression, and next time come knowing that they are welcomed with a smile. I like to tell customers little jokes, make them forget for a second their troubles, and see them smile, even hear them laugh. I'm pretty good at it. Half an hour ago, two drunk guys came ...

... not only the body... Here I am, at work, trying to have fun. And it is fun, I get to talk to people...it's easy to talk to people when I am standing on the other side of the counter :)) anyway, I try to be nice to customers, and explain to them that they are not allowed to smoke inside (there are 10,00 signs saying that, but they still ask). We have lost a lot of customers because of that, which I think it's stupid. If they feel good here, then why stop? There are those customers who feel so good here that they keep coming back. What about their smoking? Here is the part I don't get: they sit at the table, it's warm in here (21 degrees C), they drink their coffee or juice, eat, enjoying the music. All of a sudden, they are gone! Where did they go? I see them standing outside, in the freezing cold (-7 to -10 degrees C) smoking! They come in with purple fingers and lips, complaining about the cold. Why would they put themselves through that torture? Second thin...

I just got home from Institute. I love those lessons, they always make me want to become a better person. Sora Howells taught a very good lesson on The Plan Of Salvation. It gave me a lot of things to ponder upon. I was happy to have Andra there also because she always asks the right questions. But I was sad to see so many empty chairs. To be honest, it wears you out a bit when you are the only one going to Institute, which leads me to my impression on the New Years party. It was great walking in their meetinghouse, and seeing their YSA Center panel filled with posters and announcements. It was even better seeing how many young adults get involved. It was a great feeling of belonging - belonging to something bigger than just the group in my branch, but to the worldwide YSA group. They have the same trials as we do. They have to make Institute a priority just like we do. and they have fun just like we do. They learn and grow in their faith just like we do over here. Yes, we are sm...

going to Hungary was tons of fun. I had a blast with all the youth, dancing, talking, walking around town. There was one thing that bothered me though:  The Hungarian they speak there is not the one we speak here. In consequence:     1. I did not understand the announcer when he said what line my train was on. I kept running from line to line, asking people if that was the train to Szeged     2. A sentence sounds like one word, making it very hard for me to understand the things that were being said.    3. For the Fireside, I had one of the Elders translate for me the things I wouldn't understand, but in the end, I realized he understood even less than I did    4. I would use words we use over here, and they would be so confused (I guess we invented some words here, rewritten Hungarian :)) )    5. I speak and think slow in Hungarian, so by the time I try to say something, everyone has moved on with th...

LA MULTI ANI! Happy New Year! Boldog Uj Ev! This is my first post this year, I'd better make it good! I had the best New Year's Party. I am so glad I chose t do something a bit crazy this time - go to Szeged (Hungary).  Why do I say "crazy"? 1. I went by myself 2. I thought I spoke Hungarian fairly well, but I wasn't ready for how fast they speak there, for how they tie their words together, and it feels like one sentence is one word 3. I get out of my comfort zone VERY seldom I needed something crazy in my life, I needed to get away from the stress of work. I got at the point where I was too stressed, and I was feeling a bit down, not knowing what I was doing with my life. So I said "Yes" to the invitation of celebrating New Years in Szeged with many other YSA from Hungary. I am dead tired now. Do I regret anything? No! Did I like it? No- I LOVED it. One reason why I loved it is because I am getting a bit worn out of standing tall and strong...