9 July 2012

Generatia de Hotar - Noi cei de 30 de ani


Noi, cei care avem (aproximativ) 30 de ani suntem generatia de hotar!

Noi sunte cei care s-au nascut in anii 80 si care au mers la scoala cu cheia de gat, noi suntem cei care au mers la scoala desi ne era foame si am facut scoala desi iarna puram gecile (canadienele) si manusi in clasa.

Noi suntem cei care ne bucuram de o cutie de Coca cola sau de o banana de Craciun si totusi eram cumva mandri ca suntem Romani.

Noi suntem cei care am dat BAC-ul cu 6 probe notate si l-am luat fara sa trisam atat de mult. Noi suntem cei care am descoperit internetul in anii 90 si care stim sa distingem intre gunoi si valoare. Noi suntem cei care inca mai intelegeau candva ca a merge la scoala e spre binele nostru si care mai invatam sa luam note bune pentru a ne simti respectati… azi notele reflecta doar cat de mult poti fura…

Noi suntem cei carora li s-au bagat manelele pe gat si, o parte macar, am stiut sa le respingem.

Noi suntem cei care la 18 (apox) ani l-am votat (in 2000) pe Basescu la primaria Bucuresti pentru ca ne doream ca Bucurestiul sa fie mai mult decat un sat mai mare… tot noi l-am votat pe Iliescu in 2000 pentru ca sinistrul Corneliu Vadim Tudor sa nu ne distruga viitorul. Noi suntem cei care la 14-16 ani ne-am impins parintii sa voteze in 1996 cu Conventia Democrata pentru ca vroiam altceva decat vechi comunisti. Noi suntem cei care la mineriade nu am luat bataie de la mineri pentru ca parintii ne-au luat pe sus si am fugit spre case cand au venit minerii.

Noi suntem cei care stim ca e mai bine sa fii “Golan decat activist” si ca e mai bine sa fii “mort decat communist”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eiQ4sLsC00

Noi cei de 30 de ani suntem cei care am crescut in tranzitie si cei care au plecat (la studii finaintate de straini) in “strainatate”. Noi suntem cei care am pornit mici afaceri care in anii 2000 am fost la talpa cresterii economice. Noi suntem cei care nu au avut parte de intrarea in UE cand eram inca neatisni de spiritul infect al comunismului de politruci, dar care inca am crezut in Romania.

Noi am stat la cozi la ambasade sa ne luam vize de Schengen (UE) pentru a vedea "Vestul" si tot noi suntem cei care l-au inteles pe deplin.

Tot noi suntem cei care am realizat primii ca desi ne iubim tara, e mai bine pentru noi sa ne traim viata pe pamant strain.

Ultimii cai de povara ai tarii noastre Romania am realizat ca e mai bine la “capsuni in Spania” sau la "zidarie in Olanda".

Noi suntem cei care au mers la Mihai Viteazul si la Mircea (cel Batran) cu parintii la film si am fost primii care ne-am dat seama ca ni s-au servit minciuni pe tava. Noi am invatat despre trecutul “glorios” si tot noi suntem cei care am infruntat prezentul infam.

Da! Noi suntem generatia de hotar! Cei care am trait comunismul si care am si beneficiat  de UE. Noi suntem cei care intelegem si una si alta… iar nimeni, nici cei mai batrani si nici cei mai tineri ca noi, nu vor putea vreodata intelege ceea ce intelegem noi, generatia de 30  de ani. 

Si ma bucur, cel putin pentru cei mai tineri, ca nu vor putea intelege ceea ce putem intelege noi. Doresc generatiilor mai tinere sa creada ca Timisoara este DOAR un oras din Romania si nu un simbol al luptei pentru libertate.

Cei mai tineri, poate, cred ca comunismul a fost o idee buna aplicata prost… Noi intelegem mai mult si e spre binele celor mai tineri sa aiba dreptul sa creada ca trecutul e mai frumos decat a fost.

Insa, noi generatia de 30 de ani, suntem in momentul in care va trebui sa mai inghitim o broasca raioasa! Noi suntem cei care ne dam seama cat este de tragic ca Basescu sa reprezinte democratia si statul de drept, dar avem maturitatea si intelepciunea sa credem ca decat inapoi in totalitarism aproape orice, chair si Basescu, e mai bine.

Da! Noi generatia de 30 de ani suntem in pozita ingrata de a ne simti ultima sansa a Romaniei catre un viitor NORMAL. In acelasi timp suntem constieti ca Romania va exista si fara noi, doar ca va fi o Romanie in care noi nu vom mai putea trai! 

3 July 2012

Why do Some Women Become Prosocial in Times of Uncertainty

After about 5 months of work, I am very close to finishing my Mphil Thesis.
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The main conclusion of the study is that "under conditions of uncertainty (and not certainty) women with a slow life history strategy (i.e. socio-sexually restricted) use more costly signals with positive externality (that increase third parties' welfare) in order to increase their attractiveness in the eyes of men with above average current socio-economic status."
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A lot of work and a small step forward in evolutionary psychology and consumer behavior. 

25 June 2012

Full glass becomes mostly empty


Not long after my arrival at ERIM I’ve encountered a gentleman that caught my attention who was a professor that attended several seminars on psychology related topics. Later I found out that that gentleman was a professor in the marketing department and I attended a seminar given by him. 

A few weeks later I discover that this gentleman was the teacher for a methodology course that I was taking. Not long after the course started I discovered that this gentleman was a really good teacher and a very agreeable person. His course was, for me, the best given methodology course I had in 2 years at ERIM.

Close to the end of the course I asked this gentleman if he would take me as his research assistant. He accepted and was very diligent. I worked for him for five months and I can say that even if I had very little contact with him, the working relationship was very good.

I have asked him to give me some advice and a recommendation letter for my PhD applications. He was really helpful and diligent.

This gentleman’s name is Dirk Smeesters, who today was found to have messed up with some data for two of his publications. He resigned from the position at RSM.

I am very surprised, but it is not for me to judge what has happened. All I can say is that this gentleman will be remembered by myself (and most likely by many other students) as a great teacher and a very helpful and diligent person.

12 June 2012

Lessons learned in The Netherlands


After about two years spent in The Netherlands I can say that I’ve learned several lessons:

1. As long as you are not really stupid, how intelligent you are does not really matter in the output of your work (mainly academic). What actually counts is how much work you put in. In brief, as long as one’s IQ is at least average, then it is not about who is smarter, but about who sweats more.

2. Related to the previous point, it is impossible to make big jumps. In brief, everything is taken step by step and each progress is incremental.

3. It’s OK to be different; everyone is different in a different way.

4. As an Eastern European, I thought that the westerners are more civilized, but this is not true. People in themselves are not more civilized. They behave in a civilized manner mostly because the environment (in a broad sense) is shaped in a way that guides behavior towards a desired one.

5. Related to the previous point, civilized behavior in not an individual choice, it is imposed as the only choice.

6. Truly cherish sun light, sunny days and good weather!

7. Although I thought it was impossible, tall and large buildings can be built on sand (sandy soil).

8. The best beer in The Netherlands is in fact Belgian; same with the chocolate.

9. Cherish the vegetables that actually taste like vegetables! 

10. For me Romanian women are the most beautiful ones (particularly my wife :) )

8 May 2012

The optometric specialist that can’t see right


Cornelia, my wife, goes to a H. A. Shop to get some new glasses and some contact lenses. The lady from the store tells her that since it is Saturday, they have no time in that day but that she should come next week and makes an appointment. 

We go next week and realize that there was no appointment for that day… after “digging” a little in the computer someone realizes that the appointment was made for the following week (two weeks from when she went the first time). 

Next week we go, they measure her eyes and say that in one week the lenses will be available and that in two weeks the glasses will arrive. She tries the lenses and feels really bad – dizziness, head aces etc. The people from the shop say that it’s because she is not used to wear contact lenses… Later the glasses arrive and she goes to pick them up from the shop. She realizes that she can’t see anything with them. 

Then someone makes some new measurements to her eyes and realizes that the first measurements were wrong… 

Last Saturday we go to the shop to check if the glasses are ready and she is told that they are not… then the third person offers to measure her eyes and in the end after another half an hour the results are that the first two measurements were wrong… at least the people at the shop were polite and we felt a bit less bad … in a few days the glasses will be ready… let’s hope this time she can see with them.

7 May 2012

The unhandy “Handy-man”


When we moved to The Netherlands and moved in our apartment here, we had a problem with the cooking (electric) stove that broke down. We called the owners and they promised to send “The Handy-man” to replace it. 

Next day a man knocks on the door with a new stove in his hands. He starts taking the old one out its place and while doing so he tries to cut an electric cable without puling it out of the plug first. Good thing I was there and stopped him before actually cutting it, otherwise we would have had Fried Handy-man… 

After making a huge mess in the house he manages to place the new stove in its place, but not before breaking it a little in a corner. Then he realizes that he does not know how to connect the cables and the conclusion was that the stove worked with only 2 heaters instead of 4. 

Three days later another man came and managed to fix things.

4 May 2012

The car mechanic that breaks the car


Earlier this year we realized one morning that the front suspension at our car broke and we had to repair it. We pay 120 euros to take it on a platform to the AUTHORIZED Citroen Repair shop. We are told that the repair work will cost 850 Euros (good bye holyday). We pay… the car gets fixed – suspensions replaced etc. 

A couple of days later I realize that when I steer straight the car goes left… I thought that I was wrong or that it was because of the uneven brick streets from the neighborhood. Several days later on the motorway the car was going left constantly… hmmm…   

The next week I take the car to the repair shop and complain. I am told that they will check it. A couple of hours later I am told that there was a problem with the balancing of the suspensions (I have honestly no idea what that means), that now it is fixed and that I don’t have to pay for the work (?!?!). 

On the way home I get the feeling that the car goes right when I’m steering straight, but I say to myself that I didn’t adjust my perception after the repairing. A few days later on the motorway I realize that I was right, that in fact the car goes right now if the steering weal is straight. 

The next day I go to the repair shop again… This time I said that I want to test drive it on the motorway after it is repaired…  3 hours later and several drive tests the problem still persisted… I am told to come back next week…. Finally the next week they managed to make it run “acceptable” as they put it…