Sneak Preview: Get Involved!

Ok, I've been talking a big game on this website, but here's a chance for you to get involved in the first phase of real action!

If you've been following this blog you'll know that I'm going to be in Romania this December. However, what you won't know is that I'm also the proud owner of the brand spanking new www.helloromania.net domain!

This is where YOU come in. As you'll see from the homepage - there's a lot of frantic activity going on behind the scenes, trust me - there's something new coming, and if you can speak English and are interested in Romania (and I'm guessing you are if you're following this blog), then there's a chance for you to get involved in this exciting component of the website.

Remember the launch of Facebook, and Gmail? Remember how access wasn't granted right away, and that was all part of the fun? Well, that's the idea here - follow the @HelloRom Twitter account (on the homepage) and I'll grant you preview access to this component months before it goes public.

So what's the website, then? It's actually a distribution channel for one of the reasons I'm going to be in Romania this December: my research project for the Instititutul Cultural Roman. This whole opportunity I'm mentioning above is something I've created as a bolt-on, because, you know, I want more contact with you. Don't worry, the great pay-off for you here isn't just access to some research!

Go on then, click click: www.helloromania.net.

PS: If you REALLY don't have Twitter or some kind of rare social media aversion, a comment below will give you the same invite ;)

Still On Track!

Ok, I realise I've been horribly silent here, and I apologise for that. That's because it's not terribly exciting to report on visa application processes, especially when as in my case they've been a rollercoaster.

Let's just say that strange things can and do happen, and here are some lessons learned:

1. If you need any documents for a Romanian embassy, know that you will need them in original. Scanned .pdfs, no matter whether they're stamped or not, are not accepted. The reason given is that even if they accept it, it might not be accepted at the Romanian border and you could risk being sent back home. Depending on where you live, therefore, allow time for the mail to reach you from Romania (e.g. in the case of an original letter of invitation).
2. If you buy a plane ticket in advance, do make sure to keep checking the ticket's status through the website! I was surprised to discover that one of my connecting flights had been cancelled - the only reason being 'Flight not operating' - and that I had been re-booked onto another flight two days later, and all without being contacted first (that would have been one nasty surprise in Dubai!). I'd never have expected that from Emirates (and never had that before when flying with them), but there's a first time for everything. Luckily after a few phonecalls I was re-booked onto a different flight, with a connecting time measured in hours instead of days.
3. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. From everything seeming hopelessly grim (letter never going to arrive in time, local Romanian embassy not cooperating, flight cancelled without warning), things turned around completely for me with a bit of persistence and continued engagement with amazingly helpful people.

I'm also excited to say that I've taken some big steps towards the launch of my Romanian research project - there are some awesome components to it which I think will really get people talking and involved, so be sure to keep checking back! By January 2014 at the latest, everything will be revealed.

Wish me luck as I apply for my visa this week (finally)!

Write a letter to your future self!

Call me old and sentimental, but the idea of receiving a letter from myself five years ago appeals to me. I stumbled across this website, and I had to share it: https://ohlife.com/timecapsule

Yes, I wrote a long and embarrassingly soppy letter to myself. I tried to add some value by mentioning a lot of granular detail and links to some websites which mean something to me now, which may or may not still be there in five years.

If you're into it, the main page of the website - https://ohlife.com/ - indicates a range of extra services if you register, up to and including being e-mailed reminders to write more letters to yourself (because they claim that the more letters you receive, the more fun it is!). I'm not quite there yet ... one time capsule from five years back should be interesting, because I think your life changes significantly within five years. One every day from two months ago, not so much.

Here's to hoping we're all still around and happy enough to care about things like this when our e-mails to ourselves land!

Something Beautiful

You know, there's a reason I became a journalist. Not just because I love writing, but because the world sometimes needs people to capture moments of great power, emotion or significance for posterity.

Here's a perfect example, and I urge you all to watch this video (you know I wouldn't if it wasn't amazing): http://www.wimp.com/bestcoin/

How Happy Are You?

One of the trickiest things online is to get user feedback - we're all such shy, time-poor or sceptical little creatures. With that in mind, I'm going to try floating a reader survey I've just created on a topic that I've spent a lot of time (and a few blog posts) thinking about: happiness. It's three questions ... cummon!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

You MUST watch this! That's an order.

Ok ok, so I confess that two Youtube videos back-to-back is just lazy blogging, but after you see this video you'll see why I just HAD to share it ! It's officially my new funniest advert of all time.

Best Marriage Proposal

I've had politics, comedy, speculation and inspiration on here before, so how about a little bit of romance? No explanation necessary ... just not sure I'd want a distracted air traffic controller on my flight!