A few days and the year is gone… farewell, 2010, welcome 2011!
I know, I wrote so rare this year. The time is flying faster and faster. There are many things that happened. In my life and in general.
It was a tough year, we lost people we love. But I don’t like to talk in public about family. Family is something special for me so I like to keep it private. I suppose I’m not the standard Facebook guy..

So let’s see, what about other things. For example my lessons to fly – covered in my last post. It was fun for a few months to do consultancy. I learned that is not exactly for me. I’m kind of a perfectionist, I like to focus on long term projects where you can build. Doing consultancy is not exactly building strong. Is more a kind of a mercenary thing. You do whatever they ask, you don’t care for long term. You don’t build, you deliver in time and budget ;) Now you should not understand I’m not doing consultancy anymore. I still have the consultancy business and when I have time and I like the project, I’m taking jobs. But definitely, I like long term involvement. Only in time you can really build true values.
To make it short, my last clients, at the end of August, offered me a position I couldn’t reject (hence my consultancy work proved to be successful ;). Many asked who are these people. I liked to keep it kind of a private for now. We are in stealth mode. The company is small but is having a lot of potential and I’m thrilled to help them. The position I took is Director, Web Marketing and Customer Experience (I didn’t update my LinkedIn profile yet). This means I touch almost all departments. Which is good. I can help them to build strong. And is long term. And we will have results. I learned a lot at BasicGov. Now I’m going forward, my experience more than doubled. I’ll come later with a separate article about what we try to do.

eLiberatica – probably the most important subject the readers of this blog are looking for. We will try to do it again. Is tough, the times are not favouring it; Romania is in an economical downturn. The entire world actually is like that. On the other side, the times are asking for more of these actions. Is a whole need toward openness. We are learning that technology changes politics and our own live. Look at Wikileaks scandal. An entire world divided. Look at Internet and what some are trying to do. Where are we going to be in 10 years from now?
I would say eLiberatica and events like it are necessary now more than ever. Facts? I’m doing my best to help Agora to gain the power to organize together again. I also have a few other proposals, with other open source organizations from Romania. We will see. Is not only about that, is about me too; can I sacrifice this time again – take it from sharing it with my family and donated it for this cause? Is it worth? I hope so. Sometimes I think Romanians are their own worst enemies. But perhaps this things are not definitely. There are still many good people there.

About me and Canada. More time is passing, more I love this country. It is amazing how people from so many parts can leave together in peace. Is the proof this is possible. I met here great people from all over the world. I also met or read about really bad things. Drugs, killings, and so on. There is no perfect place. The most important is to feel home and safe. My heart is still in Romania, but I start to feel home here. Strange.

Wish you all Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year.

PS – I rarely write on this blog, but I twitt daily. If you wish to keep in touch, you find me there http://twitter.com/LucianSavluc

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Below, some bits of 2010…

Each of us are dreaming to change our lives, to have more freedom, to travel, to learn new ways, meet new people, do  the work that we enjoy most, do something that adds value to our passing lives on this earth. Kids are probably the most important thing each of us achieve. Still, you wish more. Would be this the mid-life crisis..?

The fact is that when I was back, I decided is time to do a change and try something that would be more diverse, and ad more flexibility in my life.
This change would be first of all related to the job – the place where you spend at least 9 hours per day, not to count extra work and commuting (actually you spend at work more time than you spend with your family day by day).

And I decided is time to take my chance and try consultancy. Pick the projects I like and where I feel I can make a stand. Eventually work from distance and all those things you dream (pick a place where the water is warm and you don’t count the sunny days – and work from there for a few weeks/months ?).

To make the story short – here I am, since May, doing consultancy work for different organizations. Is different, I don’t know if is better or worse yet (there are pluses and minuses), but at least I’m trying.
Because I think each of us is having the duty to try and fulfill own dreams. Even if you passed 30s or 40s or 50s..

More learnings and findings about it will come in a longer article I hope.

Till then, I’ll post daily on twitter as usual (@LucianSavluc), put pictures on Flickr and keep my new presentation website – Centri.ca – updated.
I hope soon I’ll announce some good news about eLiberatica 2010 too.

Wish you a great summer!

PS – Some of you would still enjoy “Learning to Fly” …is never late.

I hated the streets closures, crazy security and overpriced stuff, not to mention the guys who “demonstrated” smashing windows (I still didn’t get what was their call).

But I loved the cosmopolite atmosphere, the joy and celebration in the air, the tourists from the entire world, the Canadians being proud and sustaining their team, and the great weather (not so good for snow sports actually). Is sunny, the spring is in the air, the summer is coming and we have all they eyes on our town.
I read some articles in the world media, criticizing the organizers and insinuating these Olympics are the worst. Well, I don’t feel the same. I think they should look in their garden first. I was here from the beginning and I can tell you how much all these people worked to do something good. And when I mean people, I mean all of them. Did you see in the pictures or on TV those wearing light blue outfits? They are volunteers, and they are thousands. This tells a lot about Vancouverites.

Below are the pictures I took walking the streets of Vancouver all these days. I’m afraid this is all from my side. In a few days we are leaving for a vacation so you should soon expect some images from Mexico ;)

Ah, and here is a story: an US comedian named Stephen Colbert said that Canadian are “iceholes” and “syrup suckers”. So they came to cheer him ;) I mean really cheer him. And a beer brand was born. Here ist the story and here about the beer… I don’t want to hear anybody saying that Canadians don’t know how to take a joke.

I’m proudly I’m belonging to this city. Good job people of Vancouver!

Olympic Torch Relay – Best vantage point in Vancouver – Harbor Centre, our office building.

A place to check where to go if you are in Vancouver, is this website
http://www.citycaucus.com/2010free

In front of our building is the German Hospitality House. I’ll put some picture on flickr soon.
Just looking forward for the beer and schnitzel ;)

Check here a blog post with more details about Olympics guesthouses:
Vancouver 2010 Pavilions & Hospitality Houses

Bellow: German Fan Fest Hall – Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics

See you there! If you are vising from Romania, give me a sign, I’ll be glad to get together for a beer ;)

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Tot cautand sa ajung cat mai repede acasa am gasit un traseu care ocoleste No.10 in marea ei majoritate, scotandu-ma foarte aproape de No.91. E un traseu foarte idilic, cu largi perspective in toate drectiile, printre ferme, fara trafic sau semafoare. Desigur e mai lung dar am desoperit ca daca ii “dau in goarna” fac chiar mult mai putin decat pe #10.
Ieri dupa ce am “rup” usa am lua-o pe cai stiute spre casa. Nimeni, nimic pe traseul meu, doar o masina alba la ceva distanta in spate. Ii dau in goarna, ocolesc cateva gauri, ma uit dupa un vultur de ajung pe sensul celaltat, etc…
Dupa un timp masina alba se apropie si ma urmareste la cativa metri in spate. Imi vad de treaba… numai ca masina alba nu ma lasa ba chiar incepe sa se umple de lumini rosi si albastre. Am pus-o! Trag pe dreapta, opresc si pregatesc carnetul de conducere.
Urmeaza cateva momente de asteptate. Il vad pe politist ca ma verifica prin statie… Astept. Se da jos, vine la mine, se prezinta. Ma intreaba calm: “Stii de ce te-am oprit?”. In capul meu se pornesc tot felul de algoritmi: Ce sa zic sa iasa bine?, Sa fie viteza? Sa fie ca m-am uitat dupa vultur? Sa fie ca m-am trezit pe sensul celalalt? Cum sa fac sa nu iasa prea rau? Ma decid si raspund tot cu o intrebare: “It is speeding?” Da din cap afirmativ si incepe sa imi zica calm: “Aici e zona de 50km/ora – te-am inregistrat cu 80, ba chiar la un moment dat cu 96 km/ora. Am asteptat sa treci de indicator, nu ai redus. Am vazut ca ai ocolit ceva gauri… Legea e drastica cu cei care depasesc viteza cu asa de mult…”.
Paradoxal, eu aram asa de linistit de parca nu era vorba de mine. Incredibil de linistit si calm, aproape ca nu imi pasa. Zic intr-o doara “It is nothing I can do right now. I made a mistake, this is it.” El raspunde: “Ai putea pierde licenta acum, aici… dar vad ca nu esti genul ala. Asta e doar un friendly avertisment.” Eu: “I appreciate it, sir!” Mai schimbam ceva vorbe in care el zice ceva de Academia de Politie, avetismente, etc… Eu incep sa realizez prin ce am trecut si ce se intampla. Ma ia asa o amorteala… Tocmai am scapat de o amenda de cateva sute de dollari si de un “commute” cu faimoasele noastre autobuze ecologice de cel putin cateva luni.
Fain. Mi-a mai dat o sansa. In mod cert o sa fiu mai atent la speedometer. Macar pentru o vreme…

Daca eram undeva pe la Adjud alta ar fi fost povestea…
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V-ati prins, se intampla in Canada. Asta pentru ca multa lume ma intraba cum e aici, iar eu urmaresc Cronica Carcotasilor… O sa revin si cu negativele cand apuc. Una pe scurt: ma supara o sinuzita si ma tot duc de 3 luni la doctor fara prea mari rezultate. Asa ca doctorul meu m-a programat la specialist. M-au sunat ieri de la cabinet, am intalnire cu specialistul peste trei luni. Buna nu? Sanatosi sa fim, ca in rest le ducem pe toate ;)