On other days I am at peace with this city. No, I don’t love it anymore, it’s more like a medicine I know I have to take in order to stay alive but that doesn’t mean that I enjoy taking it. It’s sour and it makes me feel bad but on the long run it keeps me alive.  It’s a necessary evil.

I am so used to second hand clothes and buying new stuff from sales that I think it’s preposterous to pay 10-20-30 lei more for something I really like. If it doesn’t have ‘on sale’ written on it or if it’s not 50-60 lei, I won’t buy it. And I don’t think it’s because I value money, I think it’s because I’m cheap. I don’t even let Mum buy expansivish things for me. I’d like to be more impulsive, to like myself more and thus allow myself more nice things.

When it comes to good food, I think I enjoy both the taste and the people I share it with. Now that I’m a full-time working class hero, I really appreciate the weekend, especially Friday evening. There’s nothing better than to have an unfiltered beer (or two, three), talk about silly things and make plans (which probably won’t come true, but who cares?) for the next two days.

And sometimes unpredictable things happen, like your key breaking in your bike lock and having to leave your bike overnight at the restaurant. I was so relived when we got there today and found our bikes safe and sound! Talking about bikes, I want to sell my new bike. Yup, so soon. I only rode it twice but I don’t feel good on it. It’s very comfy, it’s pretty but I don’t feel good on it. With my old bike it was love at first ride. I know it sounds cheesy, but I was one with it. Even now, when I bike to work every morning I feel so good, it’s what I need, it’s the perfect bike for me. So, if you know anyone who’s interested in buying a bike, maybe you could tell them about my bike.

It’s the second time this summer we’ve been to the park and I don’t want to make promises that I can’t keep, but I’d love to be less lazy and less moody and go there more often. It’s so quiet and nice and green! I read and we played badminton and ate junk food and it was one of the most relaxing afternoons in a very long time.

Also 11 more days till I’m going home! I can hardly wait!

I’m still not fond of getting up at 7 but it’s not as bad as I imagined it would be. Once I’m out of bed I can function properly but I still need 1h to get ready: long shower, fast breakfast, reading blogs+twitts. The cool part about going to work is that I can bike there. Well, not all the way, but I’ve left my bike at the nearest metro station from work and I bike about 5 minutes, through the park, every day. I know it’s not much but I really enjoy those short rides. Ever since I’ve biked with Martha in Berlin and bought the coolest raincoat with vio in Frankfurt, I’m not afraid of bad weather while biking: I simply put on my raincoat and pedal away! Next week I’m picking up my new bicycle and hopefully I’ll be able to bike more during the weekend.

I’ve already planned a part of my holiday for this year: Martha and her mum, Maria, are coming to Bucharest at the beginning of June and we’re going to the Danube Delta. I’ve always wanted to go there and now I have the opportunity to do so and the coolest company in the world!

But with this weather being miserable day in day out I don’t feel like going out. There are some people I really miss and I’d love to send them a message to invite them out for a lemonade or a beer but I simply can’t. I’m readjusting to not being a student anymore and having a fixed schedule and right now all I want to do after work is to go home and read. And that’s exactly what I’m doing.

And apart from staying indoors I did a bit of socializing this weekend and had a great time with my friends. oompa‘s days were ‘lemonade Friday’ and ‘film Sunday’. Too bad that the Romanian film directors are obsessed with life in communism but, hey, as long as the films make me laugh I’m OK with that

Saturday was a very special day: Octavian had a picnic with his blog-friends. We weren’t that many but it was so much fun! Not to mention that Octavian had cooked the most delicious food in the world! (I must have that hummus recipe, please!). We even joked (or not) about opening our own vegetarian restaurant: I would cook the soups and bake the bread, he would bake delicious cakes and cookies and we would both cook the main course. Every day a different menu, not pricey portions, natural ingredients and lots of good food

I’m always a bit skeptical when it comes to meeting new people but it seems that Octavian knows only the nicest of people off all! I wasn’t intimidated, nor shy and we both had a great time. I’d love to go to more of his picnics cause he’s the best picnic manager out there!

On her last day here we went out for a picnic. We went to the Tineretului Park and found ourselves a nice place, ‘far from the madding crowd’. We had so much stuff to eat and drink: pancakes, pretzels, Haribo, yogurt, white beer We wanted to have a special day, a day to remember. We didn’t talk much: on one hand, we couldn’t believe she was actually leaving – not for a day, for a week, but for good (visiting doesn’t count); on the other hand, we knew that was our last day together, here and we had said everything there was to be said.

So we just enjoyed the sun and smiled from time to time. We weren’t the happiest party out there, yeah, I know, but sometimes not everything is fine and dandy. Now I miss her so so much. I hate it when people have to leave. It’s so unfair

[promise I won't take any more pics while biking next to cars]

The first bike ride this year was awesome! Not, it was more than awesome. It was more than words can say. I went to a hypermarket outside Bucharest so no nice things to look at on the way there, but that wasn’t important. What mattered was me riding my bike, the sun shinning from my left side and the huuuuge smile that was on my face all day afterwards.

I have big plans for my Buttercup – I want to change all the old and bad components and I want to give it a makeover: it’s going to be sky blue with orange and mauve dots. I just hope I find a bike shop where they will agree to take all the parts off the bike and then put them back on. That’s something I don’t want to try at home

I’m having this springish feeling and I hope it won’t fade until the real spring is here, cause it makes me happy and, goddamn, I haven’t felt this good in a very long time.

Asa ca atunci cand m-as plimba linistit cu bicicleta pe pista de biciclete si un dobitoc care asteapta autobuzul cu un picior pe pista m-ar impinge pentru ca probabil am trecut prea aproape de el nu m-as gandi de doua ori inainte sa ma dau jos de pe bita, sa ma duc la el si sa-i trag vreo 3 pumni in fata, inca vreo 3 dupa cap si un picior in burta. Iar apoi m-as urca inapoi pe bicicleta si as pleca mai departe ca si cum nimic nu s-ar fi intamplat.

M-am saturat sa fiu agresata pe strada si singurul lucrul pe care sa-l pot face e sa-l trimit pe respectivul in pizda ma-sii. M-am saturat sa incerc sa fiu civilizata si sa nu-i deranjez pe cei din jur cand cei din jur se comporta ca ultimele jeguri. Nu mai pot sa stau cu mainile-n san, dar ce naiba pot sa fac in cazuri din astea?

Sunt asa de scarbita, pff!!

I hate rainy days. I hate autumn because of the rainy day and of the cold weather. But having a bike makes everything so easy. I felt so good riding my bike today. There were, like always, many cars but nobody honked at me this time. And I guess the bad weather scared the pedestrians away cause the bike lanes were unexpectedly free.

I’m not an explorer: I take the same route day after day after day and I don’t get bored of it. I know all the stops, all the holes in the pavement, I know the favourite places of the people who park their cars on the bike lanes. I’m best friends with this road.

I’m always thinking about a lot of stuff while biking and today was ‘I-miss-Vienna‘ day.  The music made me even more nostalgic. I think Stefan would be proud of me; I’m not jogging, but at least I’m getting some exercise I wish I could go back there just for a few days.

But after I met my friends I forgot everything about my nostalgia. I took my bike to the third floor of a beautiful old apartment building and put it on the balcony. I’m afraid of leaving it outside. I haven’t had a girls’ night in for quite some time now and it felt great being there with them. I laughed so hard my tummy hurt Maybe instead  of isolating myself when I feel down I should do exactly the opposite: go out more, meet more friends, spend quality time with people that really matter to me ( <- NTS).

Nothing compares to biking next to Tineretului Park during the night: the park is completely empty, it’s just me, the smell of trees and the music. For a few minutes nothing else mattered. Then, before I knew it, I was back home. uRMa was waiting for me in the hall, the room was warm, the tea is great.

The deleted scenes:

Dogs running after me, barking and trying to bite me.

The idiot who intentionally bumped his shoulder into mine and then laughed. It hurt and I almost fell off my bike. Next time something like this happens can I call the police or should I throw a big stone at him hoping I crack his head and then make a run for it?

I’m trying really hard to be a civilised biker, but sometimes I feel like I’m losing it and all I want is to hurt the people that hurt me. I can kick and spit, I can yell and curse, and one day they will make me stoop to their level and do all that. Some people are scum.

• I’ve been a real cycle chick today: biked my way to the city centre wearing a skirt. The pictures I’ve seen with girls in skirts riding bikes didn’t show how the wind blows their skirts or how their skirts simply decide to go upwards. Funny feeling, but I couldn’t even care less
• it’s great having breakfast with a friend. Having breakfast with flat mates is also great, but it happens to often. Diversity is good
• oh, I can’t remember the last time I went grocery shopping with someone! Of course we ended buying a lot of girlie stuff (baking material, to be more specific), but I guess that’s the beauty of going shopping with a girl
• and this week and this week only, I painted my finger nails. They were purple. I did a sloppy job (I think it was my second time EVER) so I cleaned them 2 days later or something like that. My hands are too boyish to look good all dressed up.
• tea/lemonade with friends is sometimes all it takes to make me happy