Sugar mice in the rain

Bye, Chester. Thanks for the music.

Rest easy, Chester. So sorry you were suffering.

Why I deleted my Facebook account

After Facebook’s many privacy kerfuffles — can you believe there was a situation where users were able to read each other’s private chats? — it’s once again become fashionable to say you’re going to quit the social network.

Engadget founder Peter Rojas, who says he’s “tired of not having real control over what I’m sharing,” did it. So did VC and professional know-it-all Paul Kedrosky. So did that one guy in your office with the thick-rimmed glasses who says he prefers to “tweet.” And so did I.

Yup. I don’t have a Facebook account anymore.

So in one day, I have lost all of my online friends. That’s the equivalent of two fully packed jumbo jets colliding in mid-air and leaving nobody alive. And based on how neglectingly I used to treat my friends that refused to join FB, I will soon be forgotten by most of them, while they will continue to follow each others’ lives, share their latest photos, send event invitations and work on their virtual farms. I won’t even be able to track some people down outside of Facebook with whom I have been in regular contact (and would like to continue to be), nor will people easily find me who will try to do so. I will miss some people and I will miss some of the features, conceded.

How about this hidden gem-destination for your next holiday?

When it comes to city breaks most travelers are heading for famous cities like Rome, Paris, Prague, London or Amsterdam, never taking into account other delightful, lesser known corners of Europe. Even with the latest development of tourism in the former Soviet Bloc, Romania has remained among those few undiscovered gem-destinations.

And if however the scenic Carpathian Mountains with their lovely resorts, breathtaking views and ski slopes manage to bring some visitors during the winter, and the Black Sea Coast greets them with plenty of sunshine and beach parties throughout the hot summer, not many know that Romania can deliver some very interesting city breaks as well.

This country will fascinate you with its humble beauty, wonderful people (they are so, so friendly!), its gorgeous mountains, and wonderful frescoes of ancient Orthodox monasteries. The best thing about it might be its magnificent medieval castles; according to legend, Count Dracula lived in one of them.

Tips: try to stay away from the capital Bucharest (I thought it was rather boring, but – of course – that’s just a matter of taste). Instead go to Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara, Sibiu, Brasov, Iasi, the Danube Delta or Constanta. They are smaller, but so colorful, vibrant and full of exquisite people!

Okay, enough talking. Let’s go exploring!!!!

Sighishoara. Photo by 00Joshi

Iasi. Photo by Costel Slincu

 

 

A slice of happy with beautiful people (part II)

A slice of happy with beautiful people :)

What does your office look like?

Are there (big) windows/flowers/stars? Is there enough sunlight/wine? 😀 With how many people do you have to share the office? This is my old office (and one of my favorites, for that matter).

A night in Budapest.

I love, love, love, LOVE this lovely place in ‪#‎Budapest‬. A part of it was a longtime center for Hungarian literature and poetry, almost from its opening on October 23, 1894 to its closure in 2001. More pics to come. 🙂

Beautiful People #AroundTheWorld (1)

Photo Credits: Osma Harvilahti

Poppies. :)