A long, hot summer day

Mmmmmm, miroase a vara...Si nu ma refer la izurile care ne ataca simturile in autobuze.

Caldura insuportabila, copii jucandu-se prin centru in fantana arteziana, o poveste alaturi de o prietena, cateva file dintr-un roman. O zi placuta, racorita de un energizant la umbra unui copac.

Mmm, smells like summer... And I'm not talking about the smells that flood our senses while riding the bus.

Unbearable heat, children playing in the fountain, a little tete-a-tete with a friend, a few pages from a novel. A beautiful day, cooled by a drink in the shade of a tree.

Mitologie, acrobatie, scantei

Nu imi plac Zdob si Zdub (si uite asa ati aflat ceva despre gusturile mele muzicale), dar am zis ca voi merge totusi la concertul lor din cadrul FITS. Am mers pentru ca dupa ce am lenevit toata ziua aveam chef sa ies dintre cei patru pereti si un tavan. A fost scurt, mai putin de o ora (asta a fost bine), iar atitudinea lejera si vesela a persoanelor cu care am fost m-au ajutat sa indur mai usor melodia “Tiganii”. Cat poate sa nu imi placa melodia aia!

Concertul lor a fost urmat de spectacolul “Helios” al celor de la trupa Malabar din Franta. Sunt o trupa de circ care include in piesele lor de teatru o varietate mare de deghizari. Trebuie sa recunosc ca nu am inteles la ce se referea piesa aseara (poate din cauza berii, poate din cauza ca ma ridicam pe varfurile picioarelor ca sa reusesc sa fac cat mai multe poze). Asa ca pornind de la numele piesei, Helios, si ce imi aminteam eu din mitologia egipteana, am dat un search pe google. (Google is our friend.) “Helios” este povestea nasterii zeului soare din mitologia heliopolitana. Piesa a fost un teatru de umbre, lumini si acrobatii in jurul unei insecte titanice care si-a facut intrarea in Piata Mare pe ritmurile muzicii electronice.

 I do not like Zdob si Zdub (and now you found out something about my tastes in music), but I went to their concert last night anyway. I decided to go because after I’d spent the whole day lazing around I was in the mood to get out of those four walls and a ceiling. It was a short concert, less than an hour (which was good), and the casual and cheerful attitude of the persons and went with helped me to endure more easily the song “Tiganii” (Gypsies). I can’t stand that song!

The concert was followed by the group Malabar from France and their show “Helios”. They’re a circus group and their theatre performances include a great variety of disguises. I have to admit that I didn’t understand what the show was about last night (probably because of the beer, probably because I was to busy standing on my tippy-toes in order to take a lot of photos). So starting with the title and what I could remember from Egyptian mythology I went to google for help. (Google is our friend.) “Helios” tells the story of the birth of the sun god. The performance was one of shadows, lights and acrobatics around a titanic insect which made its way in the Grand Square to the rhythm of electronic music. 

Face to face

Explorarea urbana a Sibiului continua...de maine. Azi o sa ma lupt cu  demonii lui Dostoievsky.

The urban exploration of Sibiu continues...tomorrow. Today I'm wrestling with Dostoievsky's demons.

Prima zi din Festivalul International de Teatru de la Sibiu 2011

Ieri a fost prima zi din cadrul Festivalului International de Teatru de la Sibiu, editia a XVIII-a. Stiati ca e al treilea ca importanta din Europa? Eu nu. Am aflat ieri. Si nu e international in sensul ca participa Romania si Ungaria si atat. Nu, nu, nu. Participa peste 30 de tari din lume! (Mai exact 39, le-am numarat in program.) Din 27 mai pana in 5 iunie in fiecare zi au loc spectacole de strada in orasul vechi si in cetatile si bisericile fortificate din imprejurimi, spectacole de teatru-dans, balet, dans contemporan, teatru de papusi, circ, de lumini, muzica, conferinte, expozitii de fotografie si cate si mai cate. Sibiu e din nou capitala culturala, doar pentru o saptamana si jumatate. 

Am mers si noi aseara ca sa il auzim pe Dan Bitman povestind iar de inelul lui dat acum multa vreme cuiva, de faptul ca si baietii plang (dar numai cateodata, probabil cand cineva incearca sa le ia dragostea), si ca in lumea asta banii sunt cei care vorbesc. Apoi a urmat un spectacol de la compania Pan Optikum. Si ce spectacol. Am ramas uimita. Toata Piata mare a fost luminata de artificii. Trupa e specializata in productii de teatru si muzica in aer liber si sunt din Germania. Pentru FITS de anul acesta au pregatit un spectacol superb de acrobatii, instalatii si lumina. Muzica a facut toata atmosfera dupa parerea mea, fara ea ar fi fost doar un banal foc de artificii. Trebuie sa aflu cine a compus-o. Replicile actorilor au fost in germana, dar nu a fost nici o problema din cauza asta. Pentru romanii care nu inteleg germana o doamna draguta traducea fiecare replica in limba romana. Spectacolul se numeste “Transition” si din cate am inteles eu pune in discutie ideea de identitate (flashback la cursurile din facultate). 

 

Yesterday was the first day of the International Theatre Festival in Sibiu, which is at it’s 18^th edition. Did you know that it’s the third most important festival of this kind in Europe? I didn’t. Well, I know now. And it’s not international in the sense that only Hungary and Romania are participating. No, no no. Over 30 country around the world are attending! ( 39 to be more exact, I counted them in the program. )Every day from May 27^th till June 5^th shows will take place on the streets of the Upper Town and in the nearby citadels and fortified churches, dance-theatre performances, ballet, contemporary dance, puppet and circus shows, light shows, music concerts, conferences, photography exhibitions, and so on. For a week and a half Sibiu is once again a cultural capital.

Last night we went to hear Dan Bitman sing  about the ring he once gave to a woman, about the fact that even boys cry (but only sometimes, maybe when someone is trying to take their love away), and that in this world money talks. The concert was followed by a show from the Pan Optikum company. And what a show it was. I was pleasantly surprised. The entire Grand Square was lit by fireworks. This company specializes in open air theatre and music productions and they are from Germany. For this festival they prepared a superb spectacle of lights, installations and acrobatics. The music they played during the show made it even more intense. Without it, it would have been just an ordinary light show. I have to find out who composed it. The actors lines were in german, but that wasn’t a problem. For the Romanians who don’t know a word of german a lovely lady translated every line. The show is called “Transition” and from what I understood it discusses the idea of identity (flashback to my university classes).

Entrance

Una din intrarile in Catedrala Sfanta Treime din Sibiu. A fost construita la inceputul secolului trecut si e o copie la scara redusa a Catedralei Sfanta Sofia din Constantinopol.

Entrance in the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Sibiu. The cathedral was built at the beginning of the twentieth century and it is a copy on a smaller scale of the Hagia Sofia in Constantinople.

Robotzi

Vinerea trecuta, adica 20 mai, a avut loc Campionatul National de Robotica la Sibiu, RObotX. Nu prea aveam ce face in dimineata respectiva asa ca am trecut pe acolo. Daca tot aud in fiecare zi lucruri despre inginerie, am zis ca poate va fi interesant. Si a fost…Ma rog, partea a doua a concursului in care cate doi roboti trebuiau sa mute mai multe piese contra timp pe “tabla de sah”. In prima parte au avut loc calificarile echipelor pentru etapa “meciurilor” dintre roboti. Eu fiind total in afara domeniului de inginerie am fost chiar surprinsa  de acesti robotei care reuseau sa ridice o piesa, sa-si evite oponentul si sa aseze piesa pe patratelul lor colorat pentru a face cat mai multe puncte. Aveam impresia ca ma uit la un episod din “How stuff works”, tot ce puteam zice era “Wooow” si sa aplaud entuziasmata. A fost o zi placuta pana la urma. Robotelul echipei sibiene E.A. BEARS arata cel mai bine, ei fiind echipa care au si castigat locul I. Am fotografiat roboteii, am ras ( robotelul Pufosenia m-a dat gata ), si am ascultat “Desteapta-te roboate”. Urmatoarea oprire pentru cei care au castigat locurile I,II si III este Rusia pentru concursul European de robotica, Eurobot. 

Last Friday, May 20^th, the National Championship of Robotics, RObotX, took place at Sibiu. I didn’t have much to do that morning so I decided to have a look. Since I listen to stuff about engineering every day, I thought it might be interesting. And it was…Well, the second part of the competition was, where two robots had to move “chess pieces” around the “chessboard” in 90 seconds. The qualifications of the teams for these “matches” took place in the first part of the competition. I was totally out of my field of interest here, so I was really surprised by these robots who managed to pick up a chess piece, avoid their opponent and place the piece on their assigned colored square to make as many points as possible. I felt like I was watching an episode of “How stuff works”, all I could say was “Wooooow” and applaud enthusiastically. It was a lovely day after all. E.A. BEARS, the team from Sibiu and the winners of the competition, had the best looking robot there. People took photos of the little robots, laughed at the robot Pufosenia ( a rough translation would be Fluffy ), and listened to “Desteapta-te roboate” ( “Awaken robot”, a modification of Romania’s national anthem ). Next stop for the I, II, and III place winners is the European Championship of Robotics, Eurobot, in Rusia.

  And I go round and round...and round...and round....

Please, please, pleeeeeeeeeease...Darlin' please... (James Brown refrence...)

Two of the referees. ( The ones in blue. )

20+10+40=.... Help me out here guys....

Yes, yes, slightly out of focus. We weren't allowed to use our flashes. The robots might have gone crazy if we did. 

"There he goes! I'm so proud of my robot." "It seems like it was just yesterday when we connected the first wire."

Fuzzy Wuzzy.